Random Notes

Exactly as it sounds. I need to make space on my hard drive and I have too many scattered documents lying around! No pages suit any of the following information, so I'm laying them out here.

Mostly plot notes, flashbacks, and important concepts.

Chrono's Exile (Prestory/Flashback)
Alice is given the holy morphing necklace Sapph by Rafael when she turns nine. (Rafael's a little thief and found it by digging through the king's belongings while looking for a birthday present to give to Alice.) That day she begins experiencing hallucinations, but holds strong.

Because Alice and Chrono are twins, and the Royal Title (next ruler when the king and queen pass) can only be given to one child, the king and queen decided to wait until their ninth birthday to see who has the best potential to lead. When their ninth birthday arrives, the queen is still indecisive and wants to push it another year; impatient, the king crowned Alice, simply because she was the older. Chrono grows enraged and jealous, and subsequently locked himself in his room.

Rafael speaks to Alice about Chrono's solitary behaviour and asks her to speak with him, as he refuses to communicate with anyone else. Alice approaches Chrono, but Chrono shrugs her off. She leaves the precious jewel on the floor as an apology-gift and turns to leave the room. Chrono picks it up, then murmurs some intelligible nonsense. He suddenly blows up in a fit of rage and jealousy and attacks Alice, who is unable to break free from his grip.

Chrono proceeds to gauge out her eyes with his own hands. The king, queen, and the Swallows brothers enter to find an eyeless Alice.

Chrono, only nine, is then exiled from the Kingdom of Noir. He settles down in the village of Ferris and manages on his own for ten years, before he is brutally attacked...

How It Started
A hooded man (shapeshifting Sophia) approaches Noir and requests to speak to the top two fighters - Dante and Valor - and offers them a job: find the precious jewel dubbed Sapph and kill its current wearer. Valor's "meh" about the whole thing (could care less), until he (Sophia) offers an enormous amount of pay... and shows it to him to prove it. Valor immediately changes his mind and accepts the offer, not caring whether or not the money was stolen, legitimately earned or inherited, or whatever; it was real, and that was all that mattered to him.

As for Dante on the other hand, Sophia's request completely goes against his morals; he does not fight to kill, but rather to defend his homeland, the Kingdom of Noir. He doesn't budge at the sound of money, and grows even more skeptical instead. Valor shrugs and leaves mid-convo - "Suit yourself."

Before Dante could formally decline ("I'm sorry, but-"), Sophia threatens to tear down his precious homeland if he doesn't abide by her request.


 * "Really."


 * "Would you chance it, Dante? How else do you think I earned all this gald?"

Sophia then reveals to Dante a mass of dead bodies hidden in a room behind him. Dante turns, disgusted. Before he could say anything (he was near speechless), Sophia says, "Do you still doubt me, Dante? Will you take my simple request before I slaughter the rest of your disgusting kingdom?"
 * "I..."
 * "You have [two weeks]. Relay this information to your partner as well." (temp time limit)
 * "Wait, but I-"
 * "Good-bye, Dante."
 * "No! Wait, Goddammit, I-"
 * "Good-bye, Dante."
 * "Good-bye, Dante."

Another cloaked figure (not Promise? She doesn't know Sophia can shapeshift.) escorts Dante out of the room.

The Black Guild & Rafael's Involvement
Valor leads the Black Guild - an illegal band of assassins/professional killers/hitmen. This is how the information is relayed to the characters Lulu, Harken, and the rest of his quad. Valor claims that his client has tons of riches to promise the crew, and furthermore orders them not to take any actions until he has worked out with Dante a specific plan. (Because the Guild is illegal, Valor and the others do what they can to keep themselves and their identities hidden, under any cost. If they are found out, they will be executed.)

Rafael, surprisingly, also partakes in the guild; he, like Dante, questioned the mission at first upon first hearing of it. "A... jewel? All this commotion over a stupid gem?" When he goes back to Noir, Dante explains to him the situation. When Rafael hears about a "precious gem", which Dante had heard in myths and fairytales about some warrior (which actually goes into detail later on in DF), he decides on his own to assist his brother, knowing fully well that Chrono is the current wielder.
 * Rafael is in the guild to raise money for his impoverished family; though he resides in the palace as a jester, his family lives elsewhere, and he wants to do what he can to help them survive. Dante was given the roles of Mechanic and Messenger, also taking up a parrying/martial arts hobby, and, due to being one of the best in the continent of [...], he was invited to live in Noir. Rafael's given vocation at birth was a jester, in order to replace the one that passed away just days before his birth.


 * R, "Would you like me to help you?"


 * D, "I'm not asking for your help. I can take care of this. It's just one life to save many... don't get yourself caught up in it. I don't want you getting hurt."


 * "Are you kidding me? Just cuz I'm a couple years younger than you doesn't mean you can patronise me."

Two days later, Rafael sets out to seek and attack Chrono; Chrono unfortunately cannot make out who had attacked him, as Rafael was cloaked. He contemplated for days why his attacker did not kill him on the spot, nor the others surrounding him, or why the attacker targeted Chrono (Rafael fled when their battle tracked attention from the other villagers within Ferris). The second time Rafael attacks, Chrono reveals that it is truly his childhood best friend who is after his life. Rafael attacks a third (or fourth) time before he decides enough is enough.
 * Should I reveal then that Rafael was after Chrono's necklace? Or should I keep it in for when Rafael attacks the second time (or Dante attacks)?

Will & the Mercenaries'/Soldiers' Involvement
The mass of dead bodies is the reason as to why Will and the other soldiers/mercenaries are wandering about; they were originally commanded to find where all the missing aristocrats of Jasonir and Noir had gone.

Why It Happened
Frostbite, a psychotic demon and also the devil's favourite pet who's sick of being held in captivity and being talked down to like a dog, takes refuge in the human world in order to escape from the grasp of his owner. The devil (taking form of six-year-old Sophia) sojourns to the human world 20 years later (which is nothing in the Underworld, hence the long wait - and she thought Frostbite would come back, anyway) to seek out her pet. If Sophia dies while on the human world, she is sealed back in the Underworld and will be unable to return.
 * I'm thinking of having her leave with another demon to protect her. Perhaps I can bring Valentine into the mix?

Frostbite is naturally drawn to fire, bloodspill, and power. In order to draw Frostbite out, Sophia begins silently committing massacres, and ends up eradicating the aristocratic/rich village of Jasonir. When Frostbite fails to appear, and other humans arrive (assumed to be soldiers) to investigate what had happened. Sophia realises that if she continues to act recklessly, and Frostbite doesn't come out, then her mission will be a failure.

She later discovers information about the holy necklace Sapph (through reading, by ear, etc.), which has an unprecedented amount of power. Because it is a holy object sent down to the human world by God Himself, she cannot touch it, or it will burn her (though she's immune to fire, lolol). During this time she meets and "befriends" the human Promise, whom she plans to use as a tool and more defense.
 * I have to figure out what to do with Valentine (or whatever assistant Sophia decides to bring with her) during this time, and if she has any relations with Promise, if I decide to bring another demon with Sophia. I'm leaning no, but it's an option just in case I need another character or a lapdog for Sophia.

Without Promise's knowledge, Sophia momentarily takes the form of a hooded man and hire Noir's top fighters Dante and Valor, using the money she had stolen from the dead residents of Jasonir as pay, to track down the sacred gem and kill its current wielder. (She decides against doing so herself because she does not want to endanger/publicise herself on the human world. She does not want to risk being sealed back into the Underworld without finding Frostbite first.)

For information on the existence of demons and Sophia's "aura", click here.

(tentative.) Sophia tells Promise that she lost a precious necklace of hers that was passed down generation to generation, etc. Someone has it, and she asks Promise to help her find it. Promise wants to stick together with her new "sister", but Sophia refuses and says she'll stay home; she doesn't like playing outside and talking with strangers so much.

Through Promise somehow, Sophia finds out about Charade (someone in the group Promise is with) being a cyborg. She somehow contacts Promise and gives her a syringe that she is to inject Charade with.


 * It will cure her of her muteness. Or something. lol. She has to convince Promise somehow.
 * How does Sophia find out about Charade and that Chrono has the necklace if she's not there with them? I was thinking something like having a mechanical crow/raven/black parakeet follow around Promise as a pet, and she'll find out about all the info through that bird.
 * If I bring Valentine (or some other assistant) into the story, I could use her somehow. But I'm not sure how the assistant will actually fit into the rest of the story, other than just popping up here and there. It doesn't work that way.

Alice's Epiphany / Realization
I want this to be the biggest eye-opener in the book; this scene should have the biggest, if not one of the biggest (next to Morpheus' death), impact on the readers.

In a nutshell: Alice goes through the entire story as a lone-wolf, shrugging off any and all attempts of friendship and tag-teaming, always doing things on her own interest. Mariah tried so hard to befriend her, but she shrugged off her efforts and basically ditched her just moments before her death, never bothering to search for her once she was out of sight, despite all the time they spent together. Stoic on the deaths and losses of everyone else.

Yet Morpheus finally learns how to stand up for himself for the first time (another big impact/eye-opener, since he was the kid who was always so shy and docile, beaten by his brother and Harken for being so weak) - stands up to Alice and actually talks back to her for talking down to him. She finally realizes the importance of fighting for someone. The two split up to find Will, Jillian, and Sophia. (Morpheus encounters Harken and kills him [another eye-opener - he's finally grown strong], and meets Jillian.)

Alice realizes that Will needs her help, but when she goes to help him, it's too late.

(Previously untyped notes; 2010. To be used during second- or third-to-last phase.) --> old and may not use this template; needs more emotion. I know what I'm aiming for, but this dialogue is too weak.
 * Alice runs off with Morpheus


 * Alice, "That other girl... we've got to make sure we keep tabs on her. Can't let her get away."
 * Morpheus, "What about the others?"
 * "They'll find us."
 * "We should split. Look for them and the girl... makes it easier to, um... cover more ground."
 * "No. That's pointless, how will we meet up again?"
 * "Um..."
 * "Stick with me. You're (both) too young to--"
 * "Stop! Stop treating me like a baby. You can't even see me... You don't even know me... how grown up I am. (We/)I... (we/)I went through just as much crud as you did. Besides, weren't you the one who wanted to be alone? Cuz travelling in groups is a nuisance?"


 * "Please... I can take care of myself. Promise. I, I know what I'm doing."
 * "Please... I can take care of myself. Promise. I, I know what I'm doing."

Modernization? (Guns)
I am considering modernizing Dancing Fate some. There will still be no vehicles - the dragons suffice enough for that. Perhaps I will make use of a train/subway system? Maybe, if DF calls for one. But perhaps I will replace the majority of the weapons with guns.

I want to make Glitch gun-savvy. Instead of (just) a sword, he will have a magnum, crafted with bullets he created himself. He knows all about the mechanics of how they work, just as Rafael knows all about the mechanics behind making bombs and explosives, and compacting them into tiny bells.

I'm thinking about also replacing Will's bow and arrows with a sniper rifle. He could still have some aiming (towards the end) & ammo issues as he does with his bow & arrows. Could turn everything into a bigger warfare this way. (He uses a sniper rifle in Delivery Boy as well - in case I decide to merge the worlds of both stories... [different continents]) Promise will probably be weaponless. Mariah and Terra might have little pocket guns, e.g. Falcons or Silencers. Because Alice is blind and a martial-artist, she'll stick with greaves; no guns cuz... well she's blind, derp. Dante has no reason to bear a gun; he's also a martial artist, so he'll stick with beating people up (perhaps with a staff lol, like Kilik's from Soul Calibur), e.g. Chrono when he first attempts to kill him. Rafael and the other assassins may carry around knives/what have you (as well as a small gun) because assassins should make their kills clean, quick, and stealthily; guns are too loud.
 * Glitch's and Valor's duel; perhaps the latter is wearing a bullet-proof vest?
 * Jillian should be weaponless (no chainsaw in Teddy lol) until she snags a chainsaw from the castle in Noir during her escape from Valor and them. It probably belongs to Valor, and he'll take it back when she gets captured. He'll use it during his duel against Glitch, maybe?
 * Or kill Glitch with his own magnum (Glitch says his last words to Jill before being shot), and Jill takes the chainsaw (Valor has the gun) and massacres him with it after Frostbite takes control of her

I might make guns rare too, to make it more... er, terrifying when characters like Glitch and Valor whip them out.

Modernization? (Vehicles)
Pros & cons @ plot with the usage of cars, trains, buses...

Questionable Elements

 * Vocations
 * Given to someone at birth?
 * Might be rough; think basics like clerks and janitors... might have to cut this one
 * The usage of dragons (called Eldens; four-winged cougars, basically)
 * A big reason why I'm not using any vehicles at all in DF, is because these dragons suffice for means of transportation.
 * Not aiming for too-generic J-RPG styled story though. Hence, no magic.
 * If this story is connected with Delivery Boy (Will makes in appearance in both stories), then there should be electricity & vehicles... this one takes place on a different continent though. Hmmm.

Other General Notes
I need Chrono and Alice to be 19 in this story; when Alice has to preside as Queen when her mother dies, she needs to not have any ruling experience at all or have much of a clue as to what she's doing. She loses this "credibility" of her inexperience if she's any older than this; the twins should still be smart, but not.. brilliant. Other ages can be staggered.
 * I realize I can't get anything completed unless I go through the multiple viewpoints one by one.
 * These viewpoints include:
 * Chrono (& Will)
 * Alice (& Mariah)
 * Jillian & Morpheus
 * Rafael, Dante, Lulu, Valor, Harken, and Glitch in particular can bounce back and forth between others', depending on their location in the story, which is how they all connect together. The majority of the other characters usually hang around Chrono and Will. Promise has her viewpoint with Charade for sometime before merging with Chrono's. Occasionally Rafael or Dante might have their own scenes but it's never anything long/major.

Will should be about 22, more or less, so that he can still think of Alice as a beauty/attractive without being a total creep. (I think he's 23 in Delivery Boy? I could change that though.)

Jillian & Morpheus are both 9. Glitch is 29.

Synopsis (OLD)
Begins with Chrono heavily injured.

Somehow Ferris is either attacked or set aflame. Chrono retrieves and saves Charade, gets out of there, and winds up at Noir. Dante allows him in, Chrono begins to work on some mechanical surgery to save Charade; the whole process takes a few days. During which, three days later, Luciville is attacked by hostiles, and Mariah leads the hostiles astray while Promise leaves the other way.

Charade awakens, Dante closes in on Chrono and attacks. Chrono orders his pet, Gallium, to fly off with Charade to safety; he is targeted by ballistae and hit. Chrono's necklace transforms mid-battle, and he escapes from Dante.

Mariah meets Alice, who was out looking for Rafael (he's been out for a few days, seeking out Chrono; Alice assumes he's gone on "some stupid treasure-hunting trip again"). The two team up.

Chrono meets Will and his crew of soldiers in Calvin, which is being attacked by hostiles like Luciville was. Chrono saves Will's life ("payback" if Will/crew had saved his earlier). Will, who is running out of arrows (ammo), explains the situation, and now includes that he and the others must find out where these 'demons' came from. The two team up, along with the rest of Will's crew.

Mariah drags Alice with her towards Luciville, where she discovers Promise is not there. Chrono is attacked by a cloaked figure, revealed to be Rafael, who then escapes. [Rafael probably, regrettably, manages to kill off/heavily injure one or two of the other mercanaries.] Later that night, Chrono spots another character - a female whom he doesn't recognize attempt to approach them. (This girl actually fought with everyone during the first battle in Calvin against the demons.) He shoos her off, growing more and more skeptical about anyone coming to him to help. Chrono goes gambling in the downstairs basement of Calvin's inn.
 * Side quest / filler / subplot time!

The next morning. Morpheus, who is seeking a playmate, meets Jillian, and the two befriend one another. After a couple of play dates, Morpheus invites Jillian back to his hometown.

Chrono and co. decide to make way towards the Placir, a giant medical tower where all the ammo and medicinal items are shipped out. Morpheus brings Jillian to the Kingdom of Noir. Alice brings Mariah to Noir as well.
 * Moar side quest / filler / subplot tiem?

Chrono and co are approached by Rafael a second time. That night, approached by girl (Terra) a second time, though Chrono scares her off.

The next morning. Alice catches up with Dante and asks about Rafael's whereabouts, etc. Dante leaves without a proper answer. Mariah sees the two children, but nothing happens.

Toooo beeee continueeeed.

Synopsis - Chrono's Arc
A brief flashback of Chrono's exile. (9 years old)

Begins in Calvin, with Chrono heavily injured, bursting into a bar, where Will and his squad are chilling out. Will brings Chrono to a clinic, patches him up, and gives him some pain-killers. Will introduces info on the Money Massacre (aristocratic genocide in Rustilde; everyone died in an enormous fire). The squad agrees to take Chrono back to Ferris and keep watch for a bit, in case the attacker strikes again; besides, Will adds, he has a chance to check up on his sister again (and delivery his paycheck to her personally).

Upon entrance, Chrono tells them off. They're not needed there; the village guards are ready now. (Will says, "They weren't before.") Roger is irked; "Listen runt, you don't run the show here. This ain't just about you, kid. Everyone else is at danger here."

Other villagers complain/cry about similar attacks. More than one hooded attacker (no one knows they're assassins; Chrono coughs a "Maybe they're assassins." remark, earning a lot from Will and them, but another villager cuts him off before they can continue on that thought). E.g. a woman holding her son close; "They've killed my George, my wonderful husband George. They're not taking my little Billy too! *cry*"

Attacks are infrequent - maybe one every five months. Chrono's is the first attack in which the victim made it out alive. How? Some man with a blue scarf stepped in and shot the knifer (grazed in the arm/shoulder), who managed to scamper off in time...
 * Will's main squad includes:
 * Timothy "Tim-Tim" - a 14-year-old boy parents sent off to the army to spare the father of being drafted
 * Roger - a gruff, 40-year-old vet; bossy & dislikes it when others (esp. Will) try to take control
 * Jake - Will nicknamed "silent but deadly"; man of few words; "yeah... yup...... mhm.... kay.... let's get drunk"
 * Other (named/unimportant) soldiers stationed in Calvin (there's at least 40):
 * John & Johnny
 * Charade should make an appearance once or twice to foreshadow Chrono's obsession with her (he's already had a massive crush on this girl, despite never speaking to her; token beauty character).
 * If Will and Charade are in the same town, the two have to be split at some point - or at least not in the same room/area/within sight of one another. Or it ruins future plot points.
 * Go back to original plans to bomb Ferris? Building crushes and nearly kills Charade, so Chrono hauls ass outta there to save her? Hmmm.

Chrono eventually ends up back at Noir. He's only allowed back in after Dante helps him inside. Noiran doctors all refuse to help him; he's still shunned, even after 10 years. Greeted by his Elden (dragon), Gallium. Learns that the queen (his mother) is ill. Begins to operate on Charade; the entire process takes about three days. When Charade wakes up, Dante is not present. She does not talk. (No one still knows her name at this point.) Lights go off. Knives fly in; assassination attempt. Chrono tells Gallium to take Charade and head off to safety. Dante attacks Chrono. Chrono's necklace transforms and protects him. Chrono escapes.
 * Research on prosthetics

Synopsis - Alice's Arc
Alice is not introduced until Mariah escapes from the hostiles/demons chasing her away from Luciville. Alice is taking out demons. Mariah pesters and begs to team up; scared to go back to Luciville alone, and needs to check if her friend Promise (they had just met; Mariah was hiding with Promise in the armory until they were split) is still there, waiting for her, and alive. Alice reluctantly agrees to escort Mariah if she promises to leave her alone afterwards.

When the two arrive at Luciville, Promise is not there. Alice tries to leave Mariah but she keeps following her. It's getting late and Mariah doesn't know her way back to her hometown (lame excuse; just wants to be with someone to feel safe, and Alice is strong). Alice, again, reluctantly agrees to let her come back to Noir and stay in the palace - but the minute the sun's up, Mariah is out and gone. Mariah agrees to this.

Synopsis - Jillian's & Morpheus' Arc
Jill was left with her aunt (Glitch's late wife's sister) in Alma. Something recent must've happened to Glitch to cause this separation. Not sure if the bombing of Ferris would suffice b/c Glitch would've checked up with her and gotten her back. Could use Frostbite's recent actions as an excuse; maybe the demon barrage has been happening for a while so Glitch felt safer leaving Jill with Auntie? No that makes no sense, he'd protect her better. I'll use Frostbite's recent ticks for why Glitch left Jill with Auntie. Sophia arrived on Earth recently, and Frostbite could sense her presence. Giving Glitch migraines lately. He's probably ticked once of twice before deciding that Jill could be in danger if Frostbite were to emerge anytime soon.

Aunt gets heavily injured during the Alma invasion - fatally injured. Jill asks Chrono, Will, and the others for assistance but they turn her down. Chrono either said the aunt will live or there are too many people who need to be tended too (& Jill isn't special and/or if they help Jill everyone else will be crawling to them for help: they're "heroes" not medics). Will probably wasn't there when she asked? He'd have helped in a heartbeat.

Aunt converts into a demon. Jill finds a butcher knife in the kitchen and fights back. When Jill finally kills the aunt, she sits against the wall and cradles her knees. "I'm not gonna cry... I'm strong, I'm strong. People die all the time... I'm not gonna cry."

When she goes out later to get some bread, she sees the protagonists and scoffs. "Heroes... More like jerks if you ask me..."

Then the thing with the shadows and the following into the woods and the river and Morpheus.

Elements of Absense

 * The unknown
 * The unexpected
 * The unbelievable
 * Nobody ever listens. The scourge of the story can be flattening a city and the main characters can't get any assistance because nobody believes them.
 * The nature of sanity comes into question.
 * A definition, attitude, or set of rules which works well in one situation may prove worse than useless in another.
 * The unseen
 * The unconscious
 * Inner worlds mystify us because we can neither control nor escape their effects.
 * We fear ourselves; we also fear that others may give in to their vile desires.
 * At the same time, we feel compelled to explore these strange regions which remain a part of ourselves no matter how we may try to hide them or expunge them.
 * The unstoppable

Elements of Presence

 * Helplessness
 * Urgency
 * Pressure [suspense]
 * Intensity
 * With danger comes a heightened awareness, enhancing all emotions both positive and negative, drawing attention to every detail.
 * The senses pick up far more than usual; the world becomes more immediate, more real.
 * The threat of death often drives people to celebrate life, so we see romance running hand in hand with horror.
 * Rhythm
 * A rise and fall in tension; "random attacks"
 * Release

Etc.

 * Charcters the readers care deeply for
 * An antagonist with a distinct advantage over the protagonists
 * Multiple choices for the protagonists. End every other chapter with a cliffhanger; character needs to 'think' his/her way out of the rut s/he's in
 * Scary =/= nauseating
 * Messes with definition of reality
 * Don't have character just return to appartment for papers... Have some psychopath break into his house, hear a noise, almost get caught, but hide in the closet just in time. Then the character returns to his home for said papers, without knowing about the potential danger awaiting him..... intense for reader
 * Okay to have visceral effects, but there should be a balance
 * Let the reader in on a secret the hero isn't aware of
 * Hitchcock: difference between suspense & surprise hinges upon "priviledged perspective" (^^)
 * Horror involves something supernatural or inexplicable. Without this element, it's just thriller/suspense.
 * Playing on elements from/during childhood
 * Not actually describing/showing what's to happen.. letting the reader imply the outcome
 * e.g. what happens to Mariah & Morpheus in my own DF

Oxygen Tanks
An oxygen tank is a storage vessel for oxygen, which is either held under pressure in gas cylinders or as liquid oxygen in a cryogenic storage tank.
 * Original plan of blowing up the tower of Placir was by using oxygen tanks along with Rafael's jingle-bombs. Currently they've been replaced with barrels of alcohol (e.g. rubbing alcohol), but I'm keeping the info here just in case I need to reference them again for whatever reason.

Oxygen tanks are used to store gas for:

Breathing oxygen is delivered from the storage tank to the users by use of the following methods: oxygen mask, nasal cannula, full face diving mask, oxygen tent, and hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
 * industrial processes including the manufacture of steel and methanol
 * oxyacetylene welding equipment and some gas cutting torches
 * use as the liquid rocket propellants for rocket engines
 *  medical 'breathing gas' at medical facilities and at home 
 * breathing at altitude in aviation, either in an uncontrolled decompression emergency, or constantly (in the case of unpressurized aircraft)
 * oxygen first aid kits
 * gas blending for creating diving breathing mixes such as nitrox, trimix and heliox
 * open-circuit scuba sets - mainly used for accelerated decompression in technical diving
 * some types of diving rebreather: oxygen rebreathers and fully closed circuit rebreathers

Oxygen Behaviour
Oxygen behaves differently to air, compressed air, nitrogen and other inert gases. It is very reactive. Pure oxygen, at high pressure, such as from a cylinder, can react violently with common materials such as oil and grease. Other materials may catch fire spontaneously. Nearly all materials including textiles, rubber and even metals will burn vigorously in oxygen.

In Cylinders - Usage
Oxygen gas in cylinders is used by many people at work and sometimes at home. It is used:
 * in welding, flame cutting and other similar processes;
 *  for helping people with breathing difficulties; 
 *  in hyperbaric chambers as a medical treatment; 
 * in decompression chambers for people who work in compressed air or in deep-sea diving;
 * for food preservation and packaging;
 * in steelworks and chemical plants.

Explosive Atmospheres
"An explosive atmosphere is an accumulation of gas, mist, dust, or vapour, mixed with air, which has the potential to catch fire or explode. An explosive atmosphere does not always result in an explosion, but if caught fire the flames would quickly travel through it and if this happened in a confined space (e.g. in plant or equipment), the rapid spread of flames or rise in pressure could also cause an explosion."

Main Causes of Fires/Explosions (with Oxygen)

 * oxygen enrichment from leaking equipment;
 * use of materials not compatible with oxygen;
 * use of oxygen in equipment not designed for oxygen service;
 * incorrect or careless operation of oxygen equipment.

Other Cautions
Some of the most serious oxygen-related incidents have involved damaged oxygen hoses leaking into confined spaces, where welding and burning operations were taking place. The workers’ oxygen enriched clothing caught fire, causing serious or fatal injuries.

Gas cylinders should not be taken into confined spaces; the gas can be fed in by using hoses. The hoses should be removed from the confined space when work is finished or suspended, such as at the end of each day. Where this is not practicable, the hoses should be disconnected from the gas supply at the cylinder or manifold