A topic? Made? Here? Evil, right? I know you are all thinking it. However, I think it's high time this board get used.
Now, typically, this would be to discuss the current dealin' of BW and such, but... there are not any. There have been too many rises and falls in the BW, so there is obviously a problem. Now, normally (and currently), others and I would blame the authors for being lazy bastards, which is true. So, just for this topic, we'll over look that fact and find another fault: subject matter.
When Evenfall made her (brief) return, she noted how all the stories were "dark" and mean. And, lookin' back at a large portion of them, they really are largely about assassins and the like. so, I propose to you:
What would you like to see?
Currently, the assassin and medieval setting hold the ground. There's one modern timed one set in a mysterious world of whimsey, and another set timelessly with utter chaos. None of them seem to have anyone's attention for long, so what would you prefer? Either to write for or just read?
There's plenty of things outside of the Middle Ages setting. Why, there's futuristic, whether in space or in robo-domes, pirates, Western, ... um... underwater? Not even "where would you want to see it", but "how"? Comedy, action, adventure, mystery, romance (hah!), there's a load of possibilities. Spit it out, people.
It's just like the real thing, only cuddly.
- Myth Busters
draggy1234
Posts: 486
Member #97
Oct 15, 2005 18:12
That last paragraph reminded me of "Boundless Black".
Personally, I don't think I have a specific preference on what kind of story I'd like to read. As long as the stories are interesting and not overly complicated, I think I'll be fine. I do see your point on the "darkness" of BW currently, though.
What I'm wondering about is, would you suggest new stories to be created according to what people want right now? I'm thinking that if that were the case, then the older stories might not be finished as interest in them vanishes, leaving a lot of half-finished creations. I do like to see some completed stories as opposed to a lot of them stuck in the middle.
In truth, I did have an idea for another story beginning, but I think there's plenty of unfinished stories around, and my idea would probably not catch on and look stupid...
EDIT: Actually, now that I think about it, I was concerned about contributing to War of Shadows and Aftermath because it looked like there were religious/mythological connotations in them, and I am pretty inexperienced in those fields.
[Editted by draggy1234 on Oct 15, 2005 18:15]
MintMan
Posts: 4061
Member #1
Oct 15, 2005 21:56
Go, OOC times!
First, WoS. There is no real mythological leaning to the story, at least not as to how Gobbs and I are writin' it. At first, we used Apollo and Ra in just the say as the poets of yore did -- just references to their element. Of course, an actual temple to Ra was made, so I decided "Hey, how about Immortals?"
Pretty much, no-go on mythology. Think more in Final Fantasy terms -- vaguely based upon, at best. Actually, how about we one-up FF and at least keep mythological figures on the same element as they are supposed to be. (Lightning horse Ixion? WTF, mate?)
I dunno what Immortals are supposed to be, exarckly. It's IAS; someone can have that job, or maybe only the readers. Who knows?
So in summary, keep away from mythology in WoS. Just do crazy stuff, and steal names if you'd like. Makes stuff easier than trying to dream up names of your own, right?
As for religion in WoS, not really. The terms "devil" and "angel" are only used very loosely; think of the darklings and the... um... whatzits as any other fantasy race you encounter, only these ones are either fire/shadow growly things or air/light smitey things.
For example (since you claim no expertise in religiosity), real angels don't have tendrily faces.
I dunno where Aftermath gets any mythology from. I'm not seeing it. Religion, on the other hand, is sorta there, and I don't know who's to blame for that. Was it Ishmael that started it all?
Enter the save of Subject Zero. See, it is little known fact that Lucifer is in fact not Satan. This is one of the biggest mistranslations in all history, made worse by friggin' King James and his "infallible" Bible Also, since calling the big bad in a story Satan gets pretty campy, erase all those troubles with a nice tag line "Subject Zero." Now, since Aftermath is a general neo-modern-fantasy setting, you can make Subject Zero do whatever the Hel you want! He is just a possession, after all. You don't have to make him do Satan-y things, like... um, adversing people.
It'd be coolies to get you writing for Aftermath again, too, since this time 'round there is no Ishmael to trip you up, and if you do somehow mess up, it can easily be erased with no grudge held. I mean, Vince is taking his sweet time Why not add while we all for him?
(No, this reply isn't over yet!)
Old stories gettin' adds, eh, Dragg? Like the oldest story, mayhaps? Your li'l baby Orb? I've been juggling whether or not to add to it, 'cause I was going to introduce a tinge more fantasy into it than your disclaimer wanted...
I wonder how an active Orb would fair against Aftermath? Both are modern-ish, both have some fantastical elements... maybe it can be made into an Aftermath without eighty pages of back-story? That'd make it different and popular (or as popular as BW stories get, which isn't popular at all).
VinnyD
Posts: 443
Member #9
Oct 16, 2005 1:52
Gimme a break here, Boyo didnt leave me with much, and you and Gobbo build up to future stuff that you get mad about people messing up. If I do anything drastic then Ill get blamed for ruining progress, and if I do too little then Ill be mad that Im not part of my own story. Fine line when it comes to stories that get important.
I mean seriously, Vincent is in a big rock, or at least thats how I remember it. You've got some plans for the other guys, Tanner cant breathe and I cant remember whether or not he can use wind or not. I need to simplify the way the current characters work if I add someone new in.
I could do an addition to RoR, but I think you mentioned Mints wanted the next one. I might as well begin a new story, or Gobbo could bring back Boundless Black, or I could bring back my treasure hunters one that Gobbo said was terrible at first then liked later. I need to talk to a few of you first though.
MadGoblin
Posts: 1515
Member #2
Oct 16, 2005 9:16
Wow, Boundless Black was mentioned twice in this topic already. I mean, for a topic that pretty much was one post, it sure has recognition.
I don't really see how that last paragraph reminded you of it, tho'. I mean, yeah, it's future-spacie, but where does the robo-dome-pirate-cowboy-comedy-love-story come into play? ... I'll tell ya where: in the best effin' story of all time!
New to RE's BW: "My Dame was Taken 'Way to the Pirate Robo-Dome, and I Aim to Get 'Er Back."
Yeah, don't expect to see MDWTWTTPRDAIATGEB any time soon, or right away!
Back on track, 'bout the only really mythos revolving story was Fall of Ygg with its "journey 'round da world" theme. E'erythin' else just kinda plays on it. And, yeah, me and my dumbness thinking of creative word use and getting taken literally. I forget who my audience is
As for you, Vino, the problem ain't that you are 'fused, it's that you waited too long. As with any story that has the slightest bit of complexity to it, if you go a while without it fresh in yer head, facts begin to slip away and you have to re-read it before addin' again. I don't see what is so hard to remember about Tanner, tho'.
He tries to move stuff with wind. He can't. Tries again. Fails. Thinks about it for a minute. "Damn."
And really the reason you aren't adding to RoR is because it was left in a rutt. An ugly, deep, rutt that needs to have its ass kicked hard.
It's just like the real thing, only cuddly.
- Myth Busters
draggy1234
Posts: 486
Member #97
Oct 16, 2005 19:41
I'd really like to contribute more to the stories, but it seems like each post I make takes up one and a half hour of reading through the previous posts to make sure I don't contradict anything, along with typing out my post as ideas come to me, all for about one to two Microsoft Word normal-font pages. It's kind of hard for me to find that kind of additional time for RE right now...so don't wait for me if you have your own ideas.
I'm not too surprised about Ilusacsi Orb having only four posts on it for BW. I have (almost exactly) the same introduction on another site in which I was hoping to bring about the idea of IASs. I think that version has six posts (including the introduction), three of which are mine.
As for the relation to "Boundless Black", I guess I just thought that because it was meant to be very open-ended. Apparently that also ended up with the lowest contribution.
Speaking of contributions, it seems like more of my posts end up near the beginnings of the stories instead of when the stories are really in progress or near the end. I guess that's because at those times I read through fewer previous posts...
MintMan
Posts: 4061
Member #1
Oct 16, 2005 20:17
* fabricates a pwningStick * Yeah, you know me. I am always planning ahead future plots for the stories. It isn't like I am the one person who is constantly telling everyone not to plan ahead in an interactive story because it not only goes against the idea of making it interactive, but is also impossible to keep or is far too restrictive to other authors.
... oh wait, I do say that all the time. * pwning! * I wish I knew that we could just make stuff up; here I've been using actual fact all this time.
I dunno where you are getting any of this from, V. Blaming people for drastic stuff? When the blutty 'el does anyone even do anything drastic? (Aside from plot-holes, which don't count.) Creating deep-seeded plans for characters? I've thought of things that could happen; I can think a lot since I get in turn to write so little 'Specially 'round the time of the first Aftermath.
Just 'cause I think of ideas doesn't mean I get angry at people, nor does it mean it is some huge, deeply tangled web. They aren't even full ideas since they cannot be worked into the story yet; I almost always have to rework them (since if you want to have an idea in an IAS, it has gotta be waaa-a-a-a-ay open to change), or it simply gets discarded.
For example, at the end of AtP (or the beginning of Aftermath, one of those), the big spell (which I had no way of knowing what it was going to be as I had no way to) was going to cause Candyman to die ( ). Yep, I was gonna kill 'im off. With is dying breath, he was gonna infect Sasha with his venom, and for the rest of the story, she was going to gallabant 'round in a white suit. (Where'd she get the chemical formula from to make the poison-restricting substance? Candy gave it to her, of course. I'll let you draw your own disturbing conclusion as to why...)
But then, the spell was a summoning instead, so obviously, this idea couldn't work. Idea dropped; no bad blood. There are tons of think-ofs and lost plots I have. They usually get recycled in some form or other story down the line, tho'. An idea is still an idea.
I guess Candy could have kicked the bucket later, but that would have been a pretty weak death for him. Again, the Candyman was only supposed to be a hydromancer with poisonous skin; other writers changed him into some omni-powerful whatzit. I didn't complain; I just had to adapt. The source of his power became his knack for potions rather than raw omnipotence.
Even if someone did just flat-out say he had god-like abilities, there wouldn't be a thing I could do about it, and that still would not effect any current or future ideas I have since -- like any idea for an IAS -- they are incredibly vague.
I mean, which super-deep plot-lines are you trying to cite here? That Roses is a reanimated corpse. Ooo-oo-ooo-ooooo! There are so many ways people can screw that up, like delibrately saying "Hey, know Roses? She has never been reanimated!" and... well... no, that is the only way someone could screw it up.
If someone really needed her to have never been dead, hurry up and say it before I get a chance to make her a corpse!
And then, with the Wind/Tanner thang, Gobbo was goin' for Roses cursing him to only be one element instead of two; what would happen if someone did make him use wind? Someone (prolly Gobbs himself) would have just had him try again later, sputter and fail, and write something along the lines that all of his wind power was finally gone.
I don't see why you need to make a freakin' new story; you just made Aftermath. I mean, you think what's happened to them is complicated? Dude, each person has only had, like, one thing happen to them. It is called character development; it is sorta needed in a (good) story. It is a real nasty thing to look at with distain, 'specially when so little has happened to them (Tanner can't use Wind; Ever is a big ol' holy thing; Maria has robot hands; Sasha has glasses; some dude is a zombie; Vince is possessed -- that's six things! Plus, you are responsible for two of them [Vin & Ever]).
MintMan fabricates a pwningStick
MadGoblin
Posts: 1515
Member #2
Oct 23, 2005 11:03
... Huh.
This topic was made asking, "What type of story would you like to be made?", but, instead of answer that, it went the course of, oh, probably EVERY other BW topic and just became an aimless spiel on BW in general, touching past, present, and no future.
Kinda funny.
"Also, I can kill you with my brain."
- River Tam, Firefly
Kupoling_Katana
Posts: 63
Member #238
Oct 23, 2005 14:39
What do we want to see in BW? NOTHING!!!
This is not the greatest idea ever, and the actual page gets less action than all of Mint's techs other than LandSmite. If people want to write a fic, then they'll probably post it on Fanfic.net, rather than let others write it. Stick to the forum stories, Mint.
* uses Blast on MintMan for making this stupid addition to the Trash section even though I will get one heck of a LandSmite in return, typically * "I'm high on life!"
"No, you're just high."
Kupoling_Katana uses Blast on MintMan
MintMan
Posts: 4061
Member #1
Oct 23, 2005 21:17
* in a complete upset, uses Toss on Kupoling_Katana with a pwningStick * Y'know, I can understand some of your anger toward BW. Your li'l baby, Blaster, got bah-leeted, as well as your only other post in it, while Wyvernofab's sucky Pink Toy post remained behind.
Problem is, you are seriously overlooking several key points, thus why you caught the business end of my pwning stick.
1) BW is based on what the RP forums used to do. People like the RP forums; BW is the same thing with voting and locks. Locking was a huge issue, and stupid posts filled with plot holes were another major concern which BW allowed to do away with.
Unfortunately, as I have told you and everyone else numerous times but you just never quite listen, BW came out during a slump in the RP forum, and after a lot of authors got scared away because of criticism meant to help them improve their writing, but... y'know.... they're people
2) Just 'cause you don't like a feature doesn't mean everybody else hates it. Know how many blokes the RE League has had jump at it and order it to be shut down just 'cause they think Pokemon is stupid?
3) Fanfiction.net is for fan fictions. BW is for interactive stories. That aren't fanatic in nature. Big difference.
4) Know that sucky, second post in Blast? Yeah... you didn't vote zero on it, so you can hardly complain about your story having sucky posts in it if you didn't even give it the blam.
5) Blaster had one of the shortest intros I've ever seen, and your addition to it wasn't even prose. It was, like, some sort of stage direction Dunno what was up with that... but that's an instant blam if the story didn't start with that sort of style.
Aw, now I barely feel like postin' an idea... but I still shall.
The best topics in the RP forum were always BD related, with Search leadin' the pack. And all of these stories had their share of problems over time.
Now that To Hell, the previous BD story, is out of the way, I think it is high-time we start a new BD continuity, since the other ones kinda got muddled and... unfinished.
Instead of creating a story with a hero, I was thinking of one that gets things started with the villain, and follow the hilarity/action/walking-pie from there.
Of course, I'm not even gonna think about a new story unless it could get some support... too many other stories are becoming dead in the water.
I think another reason the BD stories did so well is because they were neither serious nor hilarious; they were a blurry area in between. RoR always has the problem of requiring concentrated funny-juice in order to be added to, and Aftermath always needed something cool, but the BD stories were always content with not sucking, and who can complain about dat?
MintMan uses Toss on Kupoling_Katana with a pwningStick
Michael
Posts: 54
Member #224
Oct 24, 2005 10:14
I think it would be good to have a traditional fantasy type story without the dark type theme. Something simple that everybody can join in to try and get BW going as opposed to the stories with hard to follow storylines. However, the line up is pretty intimidating at the moment, Aftermath and RoR are both big stories which will no doubt be hard to beat.
The point was made before that it takes a long time just to catch up on a story, let alone write in it. I'd say that this is probably discouraging a lot of people from both writing and reading, especially in Aftermath.
However, personally, I would like to see a less fantastical story. Maybe something based in a bit of history. Maybe have as the main character one of the Greek soldiers in the Trojan war or perhaps somebody from the 100 year war, something like that would be pretty good to see as long people get their facts right.
MintMan
Posts: 4061
Member #1
Oct 24, 2005 12:41
Yeah, people cannot even get mythology right in some of the RPs we made, and we even provided explanations and links to the things we were using. And it is mythos from a BD perspective, so it is typically "Me monster; me do this."
History is a long-shot. It's your idea, so you know you'll add to it. Me and Gobbs are up to right for about anything (Gobbs, in fact, has informed me that he has written for every single "RP" and IAS on Reality's End ), so all you technically need is one more.
I have concluded that, for a story to live healthily, all it requires is four, common authors. This means that it will rarely go more than three days without an addition, and never a whole week due to the authors commitment.... hey, there's your "fantasy" right there, Michael ... no, wait
The VapBabs, which get mentioned in IAS territory every so often, were often added to multiple times a day, sometimes even by the same authors! I don't expect nor really think BW stories require that sort of devotion, but a once-a-week basis would at least keep a story from belly-upping.
And there in lies the problem -- a story that people will actually add to. AM has a huge, personal history (and quite frankly, I do not think it was posted with expectations for new authors to add to, really -- just to read); RoR is a sequel, but in fact carries with it no history.
A pretty basic medieval-type story would be The Mark, but nobody seems to have taken much a shine to that, prolly 'cause its creator disappeared There's a good-un: if a story is to survive, it should at least be able to fall back on its creator to add to it regularly.
I am always surprised that Orb did not receive a warmer welcome. I mean, it is pretty much a blank slate, but... people just said "Meh." That's a second good-un for BW survivability: don't make a story which makes people say "Meh."
... I'm still for quite frankly. I mean, every BD story in the FtRPG forum got at least a second page (and then some). We don't need a long story; twenty additions is a mighty fine length to relate some happenings.
Blade
Posts: 366
Member #99
Nov 18, 2005 20:54
On Oct 16, 2005 20:17, MintMan said:
(Aside from plot-holes, which don't count.)
They literally fell in a hole in The Mark.
As for my not posting...
Meh...life got in the way...along with a fried comp...
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Conker: Well, here I am! Conker the King... king of all the land! Who'd a thought that? But how did I come to this, you say? And who are those strange fellows that surround my throne? That you also say! Well. It's a long story. Come closer and I'll tell you. It all started... yesterday. And what a day that was! It's what I call... a bad fur day!
). Yep, I was gonna kill 'im off. With is dying breath, he was gonna infect Sasha with his venom, and for the rest of the story, she was going to gallabant 'round in a white suit. (Where'd she get the chemical formula from to make the poison-restricting substance? Candy gave it to her, of course. I'll let you draw your own disturbing conclusion as to why...)
Dunno what was up with that... but that's an instant blam if the story didn't start with that sort of style.
... 
no, wait 
quite frankly. I mean, every BD story in the FtRPG forum got at least a second page (and then some). We don't need a long story; twenty additions is a mighty fine length to relate some happenings.
