Ciem: Vigilante Centipede

Ciem: Vigilante Centipede&trade; is an alternate continuity retelling of Candi Levens and her origin story, first told in the similarly-named webcomic. The book is currently told in two parts: "Birth of a Vigilante" and "The Centipede's Rebellion." These two parts each comprise several chapters of the overall work. The design intent is that if adapted to film, they'd be Volumes 1 and 2.

Vigilante Centipede is set to be part of a novella series, which will include Ciem: Nuclear Crisis and Ciem: Condemnation as sequels. The sequels will mostly follow the same plots as Ciem 2 and Ciem 3, respectively. Combined with remakes of The Battle for Gerosha and Path of the Ming-Cho, to form the Comprehensive Gerosha Universe. (Comprehensive Gerosha is to Classic Gerosha what Ultimate Marvel is to Classic Marvel.)

Much of this alternate continuity's deviations from the original story's plot remain a secret, but a few authorized spoilers are available below. When it is ready, the classic 2007 universe's narrative will be replaced with the new 2010 narrative's continuity. The plots of Ciem 2 and Ciem 3 are will form the basis for Nuclear Crisis and Condemnation, but adjustments are to be made accordingly as part of the series overhaul.

Birth of a Vigilante chapters

 * 1) 20,000 Legs into the Backstory: Candi describes her origins in her diary, and talks with Miriam.
 * 2) The Meethlites of Venezuela: Gunner and Skellig are introduced.
 * 3) Stinger for Treaure: Candi recalls how she met Donte as she drifts off to sleep.  Miriam recalls how she lost Phil Couric.
 * 4) Woes Wartime Woven: Candi goes to visit Imaki before he leaves.  She recalls Don Mendoza and the trouble he caused in her early life.  Miriam goes to a party.
 * 5) An Emerald for Your Shots: Candi and Donte talk briefly on the phone.  Donte hangs up, then his squad gets attacked.
 * 6) The Evil Which Men Do: Kenny seduces Miriam while Candi battles to the death with Don.  Gunner and Skellig assassinate Erin.
 * 7) Out, Brief Emerald: Candi defeats Don, but at a terrible cost.  She returns home, only to discover Erin has been murdered.  She attempts to flee town, and learns that most of Donte's squad is dead.  An officer mistakes her for Miriam, and she is arrested before she can explain herself.
 * 8) More Needs She the Divine: Wilbur attempts to cheer Candi up.
 * 9) Pressure's On: Larissa's blackmail ring attempts to haze Candi.
 * 10) The Forensic Centipede: Candi befriends Laurie Pegol in the science lab.
 * 11) Keeping the Pulse: Candi must defeat a vampire named Wayne, who was sent to rape her by Larissa.
 * 12) Not-So Prime Real Estate: Candi goes house shopping when she decides the dorms aren't safe for her.
 * 13) Trial By Arson: After Larissa goes to jail for assaulting an officer, Audrey takes over Larissa's blackmail ring.  They hire a porn star to impersonate Candi, and frame her for seducing the football team.  They post their video to the Internet, in the hopes of destroying Candi personally.  Candi soon discovers that she is not the only victim, as they have already driven one of their other victims to suicide.  Candi attempts to confront the girls and end their crime ring when the Viron police make it clear they're not interested in the case.  However, she ends up bumping into a group of men with assault rifles and other tools who have a far more violent idea of how to rid the world of Larissa's friends.
 * 14) A New Ally: Candi goes to get a job at the Hazy Eighties Bowling Alley, only to end up in a brawl with two Meethlites.  She is assisted by a man who reveals himself to be Denny Levens, and the two of them quickly forge an alliance.
 * 15) Building a Better Centipede Trap: After initial tests failed, Arfaas decides to create a meaner Musaran model.  He decides that Jeraime Malestrom will make the perfect host for his creation.  He also believes it will give him the perfect excuse to abduct Jeraime's wife Dolly, who is a harsh critic of the Hebbleskins.
 * 16) Corrupting of the Shrew: Arfaas carries out his plans, which go off with little trouble.  Khumar escapes, and vows revenge for Lindsay being abducted.  Khumar has recently figured out that Candi Stevens and Candi Flippo are the same girl, and realizes he cannot let himself be captured while in possession of that knowledge.
 * 17) The Seeds of Despair: Candi and Denny attempt to help Jeral Cormier when he begins feeling ill.  Jeral lets Candi and Denny in on his tragic backstory, and what he thinks is the problem.  However, several Phaelites intervene when Candi and Denny attempt to aid Jeral further.  Candi agrees that she and Denny should go steady.
 * 18) A Centipede By Any Other Name: Nolle and other women at Candi's church become aware of the smear video, but are fully convinced that Candi really is the girl in that video.  They start a campaign to blackball her, so she cannot apply to be a Sunday school teacher.
 * 19) Kerpher Kaboom: The Kerpher Gang attacks Cladeus at the Hazy Eighties for interfering with their attempts to abduct a child.  They bomb the Hazy Eighties after beating Cladeus up and leaving him for dead right outside.  Candi arrives on the scene too late; and learns from Cladeus what happened right before he dies.  She vows to put an end to the Kerpher Gang someday.
 * 20) To Love or Not to Love: Candi successfully foils an attempt on Denny's life by Gunner, but Gunner dies in the ensuing battle.  Denny and Candi begin to crave each other in less-than-noble ways as well as noble ones.  Realizing they can no longer control themselves around each other, they decide to get married.
 * 21) Have Means, Will Elope: Candi and Denny elope, and then Candi gets to meet Denny's parents.  They aren't amused; but go along with it.  Denny takes Candi to Milwaukee for their honeymoon.
 * 22) The Wages of Fertility: Jeral breaks free after the Phaletori capture and torture him.  His escape comes at the price of being followed by Phaletori cult followers, which results in Jeral throwing a tantrum and rampaging downtown Evansville as he tries to be free of his enemies.  Candi arrives to calm him down and fight off some of his enemies; especially since the police are regrouping.  However, he initially attacks her when he doesn't recognize her.  She reveals herself to him, and he calms down a little.  She begs him to flee into exile, and he agrees.  Candi ponders why she was so easy to toss around, and then heads to the pharmacy.  She learns she is pregnant.  Denny is ambivalent when he hears the news.  Meanwhile, Arfaas argues with Milp that she should stay behind in Tokyo and find Mukade.  Milp wants to go to Indiana to kill the Centhuen Prototype they believe is in the area, and also to look for the Gifted Flippo.  Arfaas promises that Musaran will take care of the problem.
 * 23) Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas: While Candi tries to enjoy herself on Christmas Eve, Musaran raids the dorms at Viron University and goes on a killing spree in a hall believed to host several Phexos.
 * 24) Death is But All-Too-Staged: Candi loses Denny and the baby in her failed attempt to protect her family from Musaran, after Merle and Arfaas order a hit on Denny Levens.
 * 25) Reservation Restoration: Imaki takes Candi to Arizona, and equips her to become a superhero.  Jack tries to seduce Candi in the hopes that they can have a relationship now that Denny is out of the way.  Candi, emotionally vulnerable, has sex with him.  But she decides afterwards that she cannot be Jack's woman, and resolves to stay focused on her mission.  Jack apologizes for distracting her.
 * 26) Southwest Centipede: Jack and Candi save the reservation from La Raza radicals.  Imaki dies, but informs Candi before death that Donte is alive.  Candi makes out with Jack one last time, then tells him there is another woman in town interested in him.  She promises that unless he visits her, they will not cross paths again.  She heads to the airport, with the Ciem suit and several accessories hidden in a Zeran wardrobe.  She then begins to contemplate the choice she's made: to become a costumed crimefighter.

Social issues
Andrew the Truck Driver, a xenophobe black man who hates Mexicans, will not return. It has yet to be determined what will replace him, or just how relevant his character will be in the new continuity period. Claire Rauscher, the token butch lesbian stereotype, will not be returning, as her introduction chapter will be written out entirely. Dagmar will not be a Centhuen Prototype in the new story. She will just be a girl who arms herself with scissors in a futile attempt to thwart off Musaran. She won't be pregnant in this version either. Poison Dart Eddie will not be returning, for that matter. Gary and Daryl will still return to cause trouble in Nuclear Crisis.

Candi will face some new minor enemies; including some not-yet-named Meethlites who attempt to assassinate Denny at the Hazy Eighties. She will also battle a vampire and a blackmail ring comprised of freshman girls at Viron, inspired by the remake of Walking Tall and by an episode of CSI: Miami.

Geography

 * Gerosha: The town of Gerosha is built on the remains of what was once Boonville, a town where Abraham Lincoln once studied. Its name change is due to the Gerosha Forest, so named after the Gerosha Stone discovered by Stan Flippo, and because in the Gerosha universe, Sgt. Luddin's forces overrun Boonville in the late 80's and early 90's and set up their tyranny there.

This officially makes Comprehensive Gerosha an alternate history. In Classic Gerosha, the town that Gerosha swallows up was named Craterville. As such, the town is still called Gerosha in-story; but Boonville-area geography is used to define it. It is a house in Boonville that becomes Erin's house. Unlike the 2007 depiction, however, Erin's house in this version is a yellow brick house with a 2-car garage.


 * Evansville: Dirbine in Classic Gerosha was a placeholder city. Real-life Evansville will now replace it, but some of the outskirts of Evansville still have name changes.

Burdette Park marks the southern border of Viron, and St. Phillips Rd. marks the western boundary. Highway 66 marks the northern boundary, as the area immediately north is Farrenville. Activities in Viron center around the university campus.
 * Viron: The University of Southern Indiana retains most of its shape, but it is still called "Viron University." The campus is no longer a parody of Ferris State, like in the 2007 version of the comic.  The region of Evansville that is dubbed "Viron" consists of all parts of town that are west of the Ohio River bend, with the border being 9th Ave. and Ohio St. by the Kinder Morgan building.


 * Farrenville: North of Highway 66 is deemed "Farrenville" in the story's world. This area centers around Farrenville Community College, which is the Gerosha universe's equivalent of Ivy Tech Community College.

Attire
The Ciem costume has a new texture from its design in Classic Gerosha. While The Sims 2 is still being used to create the look, Ciem is nevertheless designed with a very different feel from her 2007 counterpart.

A complete design overhaul is still in the works for Musaran, Capp Aard, and Milp. The Hebbleskin Gang's clothing may also be modified, to make them appear more realistic. Overall, research will be done extensively to make the world's look and feel be more believable than what was possible with the heavily-stereotyped clothing characters worn in the webcomic.

Buildings

 * Candi will return to find the Hazy Eighties bombed, rather than bulldozed, after her week off from work.
 * Complete bulldozing was only necessary in the webcomic because of RAM and graphics issues. It is likely that Franklin Lanes will be used as a template for Hazy Eighties, instead of the one seen in the webcomic.
 * Victor Nanale will return, but with Kerfer Gang thugs surrounding him instead of bikini whores. They will simply blow up the building, rather than buy it and convert it to a strip club.


 * Denny will have a more believable amateur science lab in his basement, not his over-the-top one seen in the comic.

Villains
Kelsey Linney is one of many villains not returning. The house bombing will be the result of deliberate planning by Meethlite mooks; and the whole execution/overkill thing will be part of their plan. This will slightly alter Candi and Denny's relationship with Evansville police as they take over. Yuri Krennt and Emille Kayne will not return, nor will Merdie Dolon. Candi will have a different motivation for being lured towards the theater. The Hebbleskin Gang's ties with corrupt US government officials will begin to be explored in the first story, so it doesn't feel as arbitrary in the second. Lloyd Kolumn will look a lot less like Alec Baldwin in the sequel as well.

Allies
Laurie Pegol may undergo a few changes in character, but will otherwise remain the same. Dominick and Tracy McAuley will be alluded to as Erin's friends. But instead of being able to rely on them for comfort, Candi will discover that their house is abandoned as they have fled during Arfaas's ship terrorizing Gerosha. This will cause Candi to wander the streets in utter sadness and despair. Erin's body will be left for Candi to find, and Candi will replace her lost clothes from her battle with Don the Psycho in her own home. She will flee while trying to hide that she ever made it back home. Tracy alone will appear, as the Flippo family's attorney. She'll set Candi up with a counselor in the form of Wilbur Brocklyn, then leave Candi to her own device.

Imaki Izuki will come to Candi's rescue in the hospital. Tom Flippo never existed in this version of the story. Imaki will die of a heart attack during Candi's hero training, much like he did in the 2005 version. Denny's parents will have a slightly more significant role, which has yet to be defined. They won't be saved for the sequel, like they would have been in the webcomics. Donte's relationship with the Wortells, and his time spent aboard a Meethlite prison ship, will be explored in more detail. The adopting Charlie subplot in Ciem 2 will be less forced that way.