~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library
Aya's Writing Workshop - Bring us your story ideas and outlines!
Esifex:
Basic skills in Flash that I lack :v
I'll figure something out. I don't normally put things to writing until I've had a looooot of time to hammer out all the kinks and have a good revised copy ready to go.
theshirn:
I'm going to do something unconventional, if not out-and-out frowned upon, and discuss a story idea that I had...
...that is not related to Touhou.
Please put down the torches and pitchforks.
Anyway. The idea I have is somewhere between either a series of books or a game, it can really go either way. Essentially, it's about a low-ranked officer of the army of a kingdom at war; the kingdom is losing this war, and badly. Somewhere, somehow, this character forms a pact with a demon and is basically possessed. This character then begins, with his newfound powers, to turn the fight around, winning victory after victory and pushing the invaders back. This character rises in prestige and fame, making his way eventually to general of the army. As this happens, though, he also has to deal with the demon - the two work in tandem more often than not, but sometimes the demon goes too far or takes control at inopportune moments. Eventually, his very personality starts becoming corrupted, mixing towards a point where the two are largely indistinguishable anymore.
The end of book 1 or this character's story mode basically has him raising the crown onto his head and uttering the line "The king is dead, long live the king" before smiling, a slim, almost unnoticeable, and absolutely terrifying smile.
I started thinking in terms of the next book or characters stories revolving around all the people who gather together to oppose him and the cataclysmic war that results...but then I realized that this sounds almost exactly like Weis and Hickman's Sovereign Stone trilogy. Massive sadface ensued.
However, I still have a couple ideas of where to go with this. For one, when talking about it with a friend, we discussed what happens to the character afterwards. The one question I had is: Is he redeemed?
The answer we came to, and one I really like: Kinda.
He realizes at one point what's happening to him. Had he realized this immediately, he might have sought to expunge the demon totally. By the time he realizes it, though, he's already begun changing, and so does his plan. Instead, he searches for a way to expel the demon...but keep its powers for himself. Eventually, I think, he will succeed, leaving behind a seriously hardened, badass character, wielding demonic might, still king of his country, but now acting entirely on his own agenda. He could become a serious world power; hardened, cynical, a blend of everything he's experienced to that point. (And hell yes, would he be Chaotic Neutral then.) And he could return as a main character without having to be one of those blasted "save the world" idealists.
...thoughts?
Esifex:
--- Quote from: theshim on October 18, 2010, 04:11:53 AM ---He realizes at one point what's happening to him. Had he realized this immediately, he might have sought to expunge the demon totally. By the time he realizes it, though, he's already begun changing, and so does his plan. Instead, he searches for a way to expel the demon...but keep its powers for himself. Eventually, I think, he will succeed, leaving behind a seriously hardened, badass character, wielding demonic might, still king of his country, but now acting entirely on his own agenda. He could become a serious world power; hardened, cynical, a blend of everything he's experienced to that point. (And hell yes, would he be Chaotic Neutral then.) And he could return as a main character without having to be one of those blasted "save the world" idealists.
...thoughts?
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You have to do this, why haven't you started already
Dan-Heron:
well, there are literally thousands of self insert fics like that all over ffnet. You could try checking some of them to get ideas. The things is so horrible generic, though; in fact, I'm pretty sure I read in TvTropes an entry for an eroge with the exact same premise, down right to the redeeming and being "badass" part. Over Ffnet, I think the genre is easily found with things like Grey-insert name of character-. Most of shounen heroes usually get this treatment; Bleach and Naruto are some of the worst offenders.
It would be interesting to read if once he reaches the redeeming point, is totally badass, and everybody is Awed by him, another demons finds a loophole and takes him down in mid sentence.
One work I like of the main character royally screwing up some of the strongest demons ever is Grim Grimoire, and I like Lilleth making every other demon her bitch, because Lilleth really just need the demons for very specific things, not for power. She got power not because of any demon, she was powerful enough on her own to make actual legions of demons work for her without problems. The fact she's an incredible schemer and managed to sell her soul several times with absolutely no way for the demons to claim her, makes it all the better.
Hell -not punny-, she so utterly and completely owns the demons of the story, that the one "on her side" can't help but laugh like crazy and say he wished he had helped plan all this. She totally played her demonic ally too, more than once, and he ADORES her because of it.
theshirn:
--- Quote from: SRSifex on October 18, 2010, 05:08:38 AM ---You have to do this, why haven't you started already
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--- Quote from: Dan-Heron on October 18, 2010, 06:09:40 PM ---The things is so horrible generic
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basically this
This is why I almost never write anymore. The only ideas I can come up with have been done a thousand times before and I can't think of anything truly new or original. Were I to write this, I'd focus more on the mind of the character than anything else, or maybe have all that a s a prelude and run with the character's story entirely following that point, but I get so damned frustrated at my utter lack of any originality that...bleh.
:(
EDIT: just one other note: I loathe the term "badass" on the whole, because it usually just implies a really powerful character who gets into a lot of fights, or just someone with more bravado than sense. This is one of the few instances where I would use it, as he is making all the decisions and going through what he does with his own two hands and no BS. It is a character who operates entirely of his own will. Frankly, that's really damn rare these days.