The Freedom Stone

Well, with the attempts to reinvigorate discussion on the forum, it has been agreed on in the IRC chat that we would like to restart the writing project. Now, it's been basically agreed that Vanished was a great idea, even if we had some problems getting organized and finishing it. It was a good run, even if it did end in failure, it's proof we could do something big.

But I'm not accepting of failures.

This is a project interest check, and a brainstorm post. I would personally love something smaller. Again, I will be glad to write, and handle any "background" stuff - keeping the timeline coherent, jumping up and down on people who haven't posted, and so forth. But please. Let's hear your ideas.

Real TFS Ideas For Real TFSers

• Shorter IC timeframe than Vanished, with the possibility of further expansion for those who want to.
• Minimum of two chapters per writer, no maximum.
• Possibly a pool of communal characters for this project.
• Possible voted contest, complete with free art or writing for your characters!

My personal suggestion on the basis of my failing at writing and life is let's do something that doesn't require a large-scale commitment.

My less personal suggestion on the basis of personal experience is let's tie this to a format better-organized than a forum. Also, since we apparently need to poke people harder, give prizes for commenting widely and well based on the votes of the writers or something.

My completely impartial suggestion is to include copious amounts of booze, naked men, and explosions, preferably at the same time.

Uh. I second Greeny on this? I don't have much else to say XD We've done horror via Vanished so maybe a change of pace and venue.

I dunno, help me come up with something or I'm just going to start writing drabbles based on the titles of Beatles songs. ._.;;

I'm interested in getting in on the ground floor of this one.

I agree with Obscaneous inasmuch as we should probably look at a format that will require less individual commitment to keep the story flowing - we don't want to end up with a prima donna trying to take the whole thing over or, worse, sabotage it because they feel "their" character isn't getting enough screen time, or lesbian sex, or whatever.

Beyond that, I'm curious to see what specific ideas people have for a tone and setting for the project. I'd like to see something less horror influenced (Vanished was awesome, but there's a lot of other areas to explore with Exalted), personally.

Obscaenus wrote:

My personal suggestion on the basis of my failing at writing and life is let's do something that doesn't require a large-scale commitment.

I was thinking something similar. Maybe a smaller timeframe so we're not demanding somewhere between 10-20 chapters from everyone?

Obscaenus wrote:

My less personal suggestion on the basis of personal experience is let's tie this to a format better-organized than a forum. Also, since we apparently need to poke people harder, give prizes for commenting widely and well based on the votes of the writers or something.

I'm not sure how we'd do prizes, but that's worth considering. As for a format better organized than a forum? I think we need to grin and bear it until Google Wave launches.

Obscaenus wrote:

My completely impartial suggestion is to include copious amounts of booze, naked men, and explosions, preferably at the same time.

Duly noted, and for the record, seconded on the condition we make it naked people.

Kailan wrote:

Uh. I second Greeny on this? I don't have much else to say XD We've done horror via Vanished so maybe a change of pace and venue.

This wouldn't be a bad idea. I wouldn't mind making a return to horror, personally, but I think we need to determine exactly how many people we have on board, first.

Obscaenus wrote:

I dunno, help me come up with something or I'm just going to start writing drabbles based on the titles of Beatles songs. ._.;;

Yeah, like I can bitch at someone for writing based on song titles.

Logos Invictus wrote:

I'm interested in getting in on the ground floor of this one.

More the merrier.

Logos Invictus wrote:

I agree with Obscaneous inasmuch as we should probably look at a format that will require less individual commitment to keep the story flowing - we don't want to end up with a prima donna trying to take the whole thing over or, worse, sabotage it because they feel "their" character isn't getting enough screen time, or lesbian sex, or whatever.

Easy there, man. This is constructive, and the last project died because of the invasion of the dreaded Real Life.

Logos Invictus wrote:

Beyond that, I'm curious to see what specific ideas people have for a tone and setting for the project. I'd like to see something less horror influenced (Vanished was awesome, but there's a lot of other areas to explore with Exalted), personally.

As would I, honestly. Vanished was good, I have a massive hardon for horror, but we could easily do an action story, or some kind of crime drama, or (god help me) a rom-com.

bassist159 wrote:

I was thinking something similar. Maybe a smaller timeframe so we're not demanding somewhere between 10-20 chapters from everyone?

Sounds good. We could have the option to expand for those blasted overachievers (Kailan, Lynne, Pips) if desired maybe.

bassist159 wrote:

I'm not sure how we'd do prizes, but that's worth considering. As for a format better organized than a forum? I think we need to grin and bear it until Google Wave launches.

People fucking love other people writing about/drawing their characters. If we had volunteers...

As for Google Wave, there's always poking around for invites.

bassist159 wrote:

Duly noted, and for the record, seconded on the condition we make it naked people.

I can get into that.

bassist159 wrote:

Vanished was good, I have a massive hardon for horror, but we could easily do an action story, or some kind of crime drama, or (god help me) a rom-com.

Horror/rom-com :D?

Obscaenus wrote:

Sounds good. We could have the option to expand for those blasted overachievers (Kailan, Lynne, Pips) if desired maybe.

Great idea. Adding this to topic.

I'm not sure how we'd do prizes, but that's worth considering. As for a format better organized than a forum? I think we need to grin and bear it until Google Wave launches.

Obscaenus wrote:

People fucking love other people writing about/drawing their characters. If we had volunteers...

Brilliant. Also going in the topic.

Obscaenus wrote:

Horror/rom-com ?

...My first thought is a group of young DBs trying to get out of Thorns as it falls. Part horrors of war, part complete pisstake of the genre. Shaun of the Dead meets The Killing Fields, by way of Kairo.

It could be a potential recipe for disaster, but we could have writers writing other writers' characters. Draw straws, exchange character personality profiles, write?

bassist159 wrote:

Obscaenus wrote:

My personal suggestion on the basis of my failing at writing and life is let's do something that doesn't require a large-scale commitment.

I was thinking something similar. Maybe a smaller timeframe so we're not demanding somewhere between 10-20 chapters from everyone?

I think this is probably wise. I know that I could potentially manage, say, one or two chapters, but anything more might not work for me. However, I know that we have authors here who are much better than me and can easily produce more.

It seems to me that the best solution is probably to require, say, two chapters from anyone who joins, but allow more if you want to write it. I'm not exactly sure how such a story would be structured though.

BrilliantRain wrote:

It seems to me that the best solution is probably to require, say, two chapters from anyone who joins, but allow more if you want to write it. I'm not exactly sure how such a story would be structured though.

Brilliant (oh hahah I kill me) idea, man. I'm going to toss that on the list.

Dinosaur wrote:

PUT YA CHARACTERS ON <^vvv^>

Likewise, a good idea and one discussed in chat. It also goes on the list.

Well then, I guess it's HIVEMIND time.

Actually, I'm trying to keep this more to the forums, but I'm starting to think IRC might be a good place to discuss this. By the same token, I don't want to exclude those who don't come to IRC. Suggestions?

AS WAS SUGGESTED ON IRC:

If we go with the horror rom-com idea, it was suggested that authors create their characters, and then once submissions were done, we would roll on a random chat to see who was friends/enemies/relatives/fucking/arranged to marry/plotting to kill who. As both genres involve a lot of character interaction, and unlike with Vanished we won't have authors breaking off into "teams" or people feeling they aren't as important to the narrative.

Feedback, people.

Sounds good to me!

bassist159 wrote:

AS WAS SUGGESTED ON IRC:

If we go with the horror rom-com idea, it was suggested that authors create their characters, and then once submissions were done, we would roll on a random chat to see who was friends/enemies/relatives/fucking/arranged to marry/plotting to kill who. As both genres involve a lot of character interaction, and unlike with Vanished we won't have authors breaking off into "teams" or people feeling they aren't as important to the narrative.

Feedback, people.

Sounds like a plan. Any thought on a metaplot or genre yet, then?

Epiphany wrote:

Sounds like a plan. Any thought on a metaplot or genre yet, then?

Well, on IRC we agreed that if we did the horror/rom-com idea, we were thinking of using the fall of Thorns and doing it ala Shaun of the Dead if you've seen that (and if you haven't and we do go ahead with that idea, I'll organize a streaming event).

But nothing definite decided, and I know I'd love to hear what you guys think.

Ideas:

(1) Take a country that isn't in canon. The characters involved will come from different backgrounds- politicians, peasants, merchants, would-be conquerors on the outside, that blacksmith with a very light-proof house- and the country will be developed through their lives. Then, do shiny things with it- maybe open it up for multiple games, maybe tie one or more into our new PbP forum, and take it in different directions.

If you want real long-term, you can later try to reconcile the different versions via a Fate Error game/fic contest/thing.

(2) Do a strategy-game type thing wherein one side plays Our Heroic Exalts and the other side plays a Deathlord's army/raksha nobles/demons and Infernals. There's fic for backstory and alliance and neat stuff like that, and then the actual mass combat is resolved using some other system.

(3) A contest for whoever can come up with the best Exalted crossover- people pitch a concept and attach a teaser fic to it, and then the ones that win get prizes. Categories would include things like Most Original Crossover, Best of Ex/WoD, Best of Humor, etc. Grand Prize gets developed into a shared setting with free built-in readerbase.

(4) A complete parody wherein PCs gifted with magical fourth wall powers by the Incarnae in a last desperate attempt to- they don't really remember, there was a lot of Celestial Wine involved- interact with the metaplot, kill and/or seduce the developer NPCs, attempt to develop interreality laser cannons to fuck with their players, and generally act like Exalts.

(5) Take all those Martial Arts Tournament ideas people tend to have and do them as Iron Chef. You punchan people can bring in fighting game characters anyway.

(6) Fuck with the Dowager's Well, or just base it around any one of a thousand different plot hooks.

(7) Make the rabbit do it, he always has neat ideas.

(8) Play the different souls of a Primordial pre-War. Maybe Gaia.

(9) Any of the above, done as a musical.

I like those ideas and would like to get feedback from others before us two Marks decide the entire project. I'll also toss some of my own up there.

By the way, in lieu (or perhaps in addition to) the random roll, if we do the horror/rom-com idea, Kailan just posted a relationship chart meme in the RP section I'd recommend we fill out for contributed characters.

While I agree with HG that the fourth wall thing might be hard to do, I find the idea of the characters threatening to kung-fu the author in the head if the story didn't go the way they wanted amusing.

Developing our own area of the Hundred Kingdoms could be fun. While I'm not that good at writing narrative, I think I can do some interesting location writeups.

BrilliantRain wrote:

While I agree with HG that the fourth wall thing might be hard to do, I find the idea of the characters threatening to kung-fu the author in the head if the story didn't go the way they wanted amusing.

Developing our own area of the Hundred Kingdoms could be fun. While I'm not that good at writing narrative, I think I can do some interesting location writeups.

I'd also like to try my hand at mimicking something like Herodotus, which I could do with something in this vein. There's also the added benefit of being able to do manse and crunch writeup. Cross-forum project, anyone?

bassist159 wrote:

I'd also like to try my hand at mimicking something like Herodotus,

Furry ants!

which I could do with something in this vein. There's also the added benefit of being able to do manse and crunch writeup. Cross-forum project, anyone?

I wonder how many ways you can write the same story.

Obscaenus wrote:

I wonder how many ways you can write the same story.

TFS visual novel?

Dinosaur wrote:

TFS visual novel?

I've been playing Fate/Stay Night for motivational poster fodder, don't tempt me.

(2) Do a strategy-game type thing wherein one side plays Our Heroic Exalts and the other side plays a Deathlord's army/raksha nobles/demons and Infernals. There's fic for backstory and alliance and neat stuff like that, and then the actual mass combat is resolved using some other system.

This has my vote.

At the least, it sounds like we have enough interest to keep some of these ideas and do another after the first (well, second) is done.