Saxon
08-13-09, 05:03 PM
So, I'm at it again. As much as I'd like to think life, school, moderator work, and the hobbies I have would manage to tie up all my free time there always seems to be room for something more. During the crash I had resigned the idea of writing on this site again to focus on other things, but the idea never seemed to stick. Instead, I've been plagued with ideas for stories abound and have tried many times to ignore the call to write as I try to assemble notes for another project. I can't do it any more.
What I'd like to do is assemble a couple of threads modeled after short stories with ideas that I've been sitting on for weeks, months, and even years. I'm not going to try to lay all of them on paper for the first go at this, but depending on how this goes you might see another incarnation of these strange cases and me asking for folks to participate in them within the future.
The idea behind doing these stories is simple. Saxon hunts and investigates unnatural things much in the same vein as the show Supernatural or X-Files, and naturally he's going to be involved in some stories that are far more weird then what he's used to. I'd like to get people involved with these threads and to see if we can complete them as intended.
The Need-To-Know:
1) These threads are going to all be fairly short, maybe one to two pages in length, perhaps three. The idea for doing these threads isn't necessarily to focus on length, but brevity. None of these will ever amount to epics or tales of grandeur, even if a few of them might tie into later unrelated stories in the future. Because of that, I'm going to be trying very hard to work with you on laying out as much information as we need for a story, but not making a novel out of it... if that makes any sense. If you can accept that, then you may be the person I'm looking for.
2) I'm looking for people who are active members of Althanas to participate in these stories. These threads aren't necessarily going to be high priority for you, I understand, but I want to see them reach completion. What this means is that I'm looking for people who are willing to start and finish these threads without me having to chew you out because of it. If you can post every day, even every other day. Great. If you're going to be active on Althanas for the next three to four months it takes to complete these threads, then I'm eager to talk to you. If you possess neither of these things and have a habit for slipping off of Althanas whenever the block hits you, then I wouldn't bother trying to apply.
3) Your character MUST be able to fit into these stories in some form. I've had the unpleasant experience of planning with people who try to wedge characters who clearly have no place in that kind of story and end up sacrificing much of the plot to focus on getting them into the story. Examples would be if your character cannot set foot in Corone because of some reason.. and the story is based in Corone. Or if your character is a tribal medicineman and the story involves Saxon working with you using detective work to solve a problem in the story.
I've often even binned ideas of working with people because of this, so if you read the ideas below and you can see your character can adequetely fit inside the story without having me go round-and-round for hours to find a way to fit you in, then I'm looking for you. To note, I am fairly flexible and willing to make allowances to fit people into stories, but don't expect me to bend-over-backwards and sacrifice the plot/story in order to be able to write with you. I will not do it.
4) I'm looking for decent writers. I don't mind if you're a bit green behind the ears or you're not a vet on Althanas, but don't expect me to carry you through a thread. If you want to write with me, be prepared to deliver what I ask of you and be able to form your own opinion over the project rather then just agreeing with me for the sake of settling an issue. I'm a flexible, decent person but I really, really abhor having to try to babysit people when I'm trying to put these ideas on paper and to finish them. We need to be able to work together, so keep that in mind.
The Stories:
I'm going to pitch only a few of these to give a people of taste of what I'm used to thinking up as well as trying not to overwhelm myself with too many threads that cannot be completed. If you're interested in any of these ideas, be sure to post including you're interest, the thread name, as well as your own take of what you can deliver to it, if anything. Most of the brainstorming and literary work will be hammered out over AIM and PMing, so be prepared to hear a lot from me before we even start the thread and throughout.
The Haunting of Edensburg
Number of People: 1-2 others.
Setting: A town within in Corone.
Synopsis: Word has gotten around that strange things are beginning to occur within the town of Edensburg. People are seeing visages of long-dead relatives, being attacked by inanimate objects and suffering from fits of terrible nightmares. The incidents have finally gone public through tellings by local newspapers after one or two fatalities were reported and eventually linked to these strange incidents. The worst of these incidents seems to be traced back to a mansion within the town belonging to an ex-patriated Salvic noble.
The reasons for the noble's exile are largely unknown, but it has been rumored that it had much to do with infernal machinery he has constructed that has often been at the expense of those he is surrounded with. This machinery seems to tie into the noble's grim fascination with the afterlife and his obsession with conquering it. Saxon has gotten wind of the situation and is looking to investigate the matter, while one or two others also get caught up in the case upon visiting Edensburg.
Slots left:
Yamihara
Of My Flesh
Number of People: 1-2 others
Setting: The Countryside of Corone
Synopsis: After a terrible battle within the fields of Larren during the Coronian civil war, the casualties are left for the crows and thieves before people from the respective sides come to tend to them as the victors of the battle limp away to a nearby town to recuperate. And eventually, the ghouls will get their chance at the bodies once everyone else has had their fill.
A cannibalistic creature, the ghouls were once men who had fallen into the temptation of eating the flesh of the dead. Without going into too much grisly detail, ghouls not only devour the flesh and meat of most of their victims, but have the ability to steal and assimilate parts of their victims into their bodies. As far as superstition goes, ghouls are often left alone to do their grisly work because it is considered bad luck to approach one while feeding, though it is common practice for soldiers and men of authority to kill ghouls in order to preserve the integrity of their victim's remains.
One ghoul in particular has made the mistake of feeding on the direct descedent of a powerful, affluent Coronian baron and took the nephew's face as his own. Infuriated with such disregard for nobility and the horrific sight of his now long-dead nephew's remains fresh in his mind, the baron has conscripted Saxon and his allies with the macabre task of tracking down this ghoul and returning with his nephew's face so that he might be buried properly. Payment is obscenely lavish and morals have been discarded in this tale as one noble will go to any lengths to settle a score with a thief.
Slots Left:
Slayer of the Rot
Rude Awakening
Number of People: 1-3 others.
Setting: The Town of Merard within Corone
Synposis: According to legend, there is a sleeping giant who protects the town of Merard from danger in exchange for food, women and a place to sleep. More of a folktale to attract outsiders and tourists, such a giant and any evidence of it's existence upon Coronian soil hasn't been witnessed for centuries.
Until now.
As the civil war within Corone spills into the countryside, the mysterious protector of Merard has awakened for the first time in generations. However, unlike it was aptly put in the legends, this giant has no intention of protecting or remaining benevolent to anybody, including the people of Merard. Terrorizing the countryside and the town, this giant has made a name for himself in the papers and threatens to rampage through the country without anybody to stop him.
It is up to Saxon and his allies to stop this giant in his tracks and to save the town of Merard from destruction.. even if they don't deserve it.
Slots Left:
Corvus MacCallum
-
-
The Life and Luck of Eddie Ward
Number of People: 1-2 others
Setting: A town in Corone
Synopsis: The town of Glennan is tucked safely away in the woods of Concordia near the ford of the Bradbury river, often isolated from the terrible events that transpire in Corone. And for good reason. The people of Glennan worship.. faeries akin to how pagans worship aspects of Nature. It's been incorporated into a lot of parts of their lives and is commonly believed that the citizens of Glennan are luckier then most. Sometimes.
Even by the standards of amateur skeptics, it's easy to see that this faerie worship is a cock and bull story to attach a namesake to the town. Unfortunately, every dog must have their day. A weak, unfortunate man by the name of Eddie Ward has found himself an unusual streak of luck. He cannot be harmed, he can never lose, and everything has begun to fall his way at the expense of everybody else in Glennan. What has infamously been called the Luck of the Fae seems to have hit Eddie.. and hard.
The trouble starts when this.. luck.. begins to affect other people, so much in one case that someone falls dead because of a tragic misunderstanding. Word spreads and eventually Saxon and allies journey to the town of Glennan to investigate. What was once believed to be luck for Eddie quickly turns sour as it's found out that it isn't faeries protecting him but a creature bent on fattening him up and feeding upon him like it has on so many others for decades.
Slots Left:
Duffy Bracken
-------------------
If any of these stories interest you, please post with the title of the thread you'd wish to participate in and anything you'd like to add to it. Naturally, not all of these threads are going to be done at the same time, but if enough interest is shown in a particular thread I will try to do those first.
What I'd like to do is assemble a couple of threads modeled after short stories with ideas that I've been sitting on for weeks, months, and even years. I'm not going to try to lay all of them on paper for the first go at this, but depending on how this goes you might see another incarnation of these strange cases and me asking for folks to participate in them within the future.
The idea behind doing these stories is simple. Saxon hunts and investigates unnatural things much in the same vein as the show Supernatural or X-Files, and naturally he's going to be involved in some stories that are far more weird then what he's used to. I'd like to get people involved with these threads and to see if we can complete them as intended.
The Need-To-Know:
1) These threads are going to all be fairly short, maybe one to two pages in length, perhaps three. The idea for doing these threads isn't necessarily to focus on length, but brevity. None of these will ever amount to epics or tales of grandeur, even if a few of them might tie into later unrelated stories in the future. Because of that, I'm going to be trying very hard to work with you on laying out as much information as we need for a story, but not making a novel out of it... if that makes any sense. If you can accept that, then you may be the person I'm looking for.
2) I'm looking for people who are active members of Althanas to participate in these stories. These threads aren't necessarily going to be high priority for you, I understand, but I want to see them reach completion. What this means is that I'm looking for people who are willing to start and finish these threads without me having to chew you out because of it. If you can post every day, even every other day. Great. If you're going to be active on Althanas for the next three to four months it takes to complete these threads, then I'm eager to talk to you. If you possess neither of these things and have a habit for slipping off of Althanas whenever the block hits you, then I wouldn't bother trying to apply.
3) Your character MUST be able to fit into these stories in some form. I've had the unpleasant experience of planning with people who try to wedge characters who clearly have no place in that kind of story and end up sacrificing much of the plot to focus on getting them into the story. Examples would be if your character cannot set foot in Corone because of some reason.. and the story is based in Corone. Or if your character is a tribal medicineman and the story involves Saxon working with you using detective work to solve a problem in the story.
I've often even binned ideas of working with people because of this, so if you read the ideas below and you can see your character can adequetely fit inside the story without having me go round-and-round for hours to find a way to fit you in, then I'm looking for you. To note, I am fairly flexible and willing to make allowances to fit people into stories, but don't expect me to bend-over-backwards and sacrifice the plot/story in order to be able to write with you. I will not do it.
4) I'm looking for decent writers. I don't mind if you're a bit green behind the ears or you're not a vet on Althanas, but don't expect me to carry you through a thread. If you want to write with me, be prepared to deliver what I ask of you and be able to form your own opinion over the project rather then just agreeing with me for the sake of settling an issue. I'm a flexible, decent person but I really, really abhor having to try to babysit people when I'm trying to put these ideas on paper and to finish them. We need to be able to work together, so keep that in mind.
The Stories:
I'm going to pitch only a few of these to give a people of taste of what I'm used to thinking up as well as trying not to overwhelm myself with too many threads that cannot be completed. If you're interested in any of these ideas, be sure to post including you're interest, the thread name, as well as your own take of what you can deliver to it, if anything. Most of the brainstorming and literary work will be hammered out over AIM and PMing, so be prepared to hear a lot from me before we even start the thread and throughout.
The Haunting of Edensburg
Number of People: 1-2 others.
Setting: A town within in Corone.
Synopsis: Word has gotten around that strange things are beginning to occur within the town of Edensburg. People are seeing visages of long-dead relatives, being attacked by inanimate objects and suffering from fits of terrible nightmares. The incidents have finally gone public through tellings by local newspapers after one or two fatalities were reported and eventually linked to these strange incidents. The worst of these incidents seems to be traced back to a mansion within the town belonging to an ex-patriated Salvic noble.
The reasons for the noble's exile are largely unknown, but it has been rumored that it had much to do with infernal machinery he has constructed that has often been at the expense of those he is surrounded with. This machinery seems to tie into the noble's grim fascination with the afterlife and his obsession with conquering it. Saxon has gotten wind of the situation and is looking to investigate the matter, while one or two others also get caught up in the case upon visiting Edensburg.
Slots left:
Yamihara
Of My Flesh
Number of People: 1-2 others
Setting: The Countryside of Corone
Synopsis: After a terrible battle within the fields of Larren during the Coronian civil war, the casualties are left for the crows and thieves before people from the respective sides come to tend to them as the victors of the battle limp away to a nearby town to recuperate. And eventually, the ghouls will get their chance at the bodies once everyone else has had their fill.
A cannibalistic creature, the ghouls were once men who had fallen into the temptation of eating the flesh of the dead. Without going into too much grisly detail, ghouls not only devour the flesh and meat of most of their victims, but have the ability to steal and assimilate parts of their victims into their bodies. As far as superstition goes, ghouls are often left alone to do their grisly work because it is considered bad luck to approach one while feeding, though it is common practice for soldiers and men of authority to kill ghouls in order to preserve the integrity of their victim's remains.
One ghoul in particular has made the mistake of feeding on the direct descedent of a powerful, affluent Coronian baron and took the nephew's face as his own. Infuriated with such disregard for nobility and the horrific sight of his now long-dead nephew's remains fresh in his mind, the baron has conscripted Saxon and his allies with the macabre task of tracking down this ghoul and returning with his nephew's face so that he might be buried properly. Payment is obscenely lavish and morals have been discarded in this tale as one noble will go to any lengths to settle a score with a thief.
Slots Left:
Slayer of the Rot
Rude Awakening
Number of People: 1-3 others.
Setting: The Town of Merard within Corone
Synposis: According to legend, there is a sleeping giant who protects the town of Merard from danger in exchange for food, women and a place to sleep. More of a folktale to attract outsiders and tourists, such a giant and any evidence of it's existence upon Coronian soil hasn't been witnessed for centuries.
Until now.
As the civil war within Corone spills into the countryside, the mysterious protector of Merard has awakened for the first time in generations. However, unlike it was aptly put in the legends, this giant has no intention of protecting or remaining benevolent to anybody, including the people of Merard. Terrorizing the countryside and the town, this giant has made a name for himself in the papers and threatens to rampage through the country without anybody to stop him.
It is up to Saxon and his allies to stop this giant in his tracks and to save the town of Merard from destruction.. even if they don't deserve it.
Slots Left:
Corvus MacCallum
-
-
The Life and Luck of Eddie Ward
Number of People: 1-2 others
Setting: A town in Corone
Synopsis: The town of Glennan is tucked safely away in the woods of Concordia near the ford of the Bradbury river, often isolated from the terrible events that transpire in Corone. And for good reason. The people of Glennan worship.. faeries akin to how pagans worship aspects of Nature. It's been incorporated into a lot of parts of their lives and is commonly believed that the citizens of Glennan are luckier then most. Sometimes.
Even by the standards of amateur skeptics, it's easy to see that this faerie worship is a cock and bull story to attach a namesake to the town. Unfortunately, every dog must have their day. A weak, unfortunate man by the name of Eddie Ward has found himself an unusual streak of luck. He cannot be harmed, he can never lose, and everything has begun to fall his way at the expense of everybody else in Glennan. What has infamously been called the Luck of the Fae seems to have hit Eddie.. and hard.
The trouble starts when this.. luck.. begins to affect other people, so much in one case that someone falls dead because of a tragic misunderstanding. Word spreads and eventually Saxon and allies journey to the town of Glennan to investigate. What was once believed to be luck for Eddie quickly turns sour as it's found out that it isn't faeries protecting him but a creature bent on fattening him up and feeding upon him like it has on so many others for decades.
Slots Left:
Duffy Bracken
-------------------
If any of these stories interest you, please post with the title of the thread you'd wish to participate in and anything you'd like to add to it. Naturally, not all of these threads are going to be done at the same time, but if enough interest is shown in a particular thread I will try to do those first.