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Post by Zylaa on Oct 3, 2010 14:39:35 GMT -5
Because I have no idea what plot I will use. >_> I have a bunch of ideas flying about in my head, and none really speaks to me yet. It's tragic. But as NaNo time draws near, I shall, as I have on one previous occasion, write up a summary of various ideas. =D
Love your neighbor as yourself. And who is your neighbor? Everyone. So picture a society where everyone loves each other equally. The government has abandoned all war, all exploitation, all greed, just to ensure that everyone shows love to everyone, no matter their station, no matter their politics, creed, religion. Universal tolerance, mandated by law.
Love all people, simply because they are people.
Love all people equally.
Do not show preference. By law.
Best friends? Everyone is your friend! Why would you pick just a few individuals when everyone loves you? Relationships? An antiquated idea, one that excludes almost everyone. Family? Everyone's raised in communal nurseries, where they're taught to love all their yearmates and all their cycling caregivers equally.
Spend too much time with any one person and some concerned officials will come by your home, suggesting that you aren't doing your loving duty towards the society.
You ask how they know? Why, universal surveillance, of course. How can you ensure a loving society if nobody watches?
Our protagonist has just received his internship with the Watchers, and, because some things never change, as an intern, he's given the most boring bit in the business-- actually watching the surveillance footage. For the dullest segment of the city.
Things start getting weird when one of the girls who passes through his watch starts smiling and waving at the surveillance cameras. People ignore the cameras, and here she is, smiling and waving. It's one of his classmates, one he barely knows.
He mentions this to his superiors, and they give him the job of asking her. He's her classmate, and he's never once had a conversation with her-- perfect time to start, say his superiors.
Why's she doing it? Well, the Watchers need love too, she says with a pretty and innocent smile. That's what he reports back to his superiors. He doesn't report the two hours of conversation they had after that, or the way she has of making him laugh, or how her smile is absolutely captivating when she's directing at him and not the security cameras, or how he can't stop thinking about her...
If love is what you feel for every human being, what on earth is this?
Pros: I mean, seriously, look at that setup. I love dystopias like crazy, and I'm so proud of myself for thinking up this one, because it sounds like the best warped utopia ever. <3
Cons: What the heck do I do past the setup? >_> Worldbuilding, especially when it comes to complicated and needless hierarchies, has always been one of my favorite parts of stories, and I have the horrible feeling that beyond these two characters and this setup everything will go downhill. D: Also, I kinda wanna go back to writing in Araman (the fantasy world I've been building for... 7 years?) because the book I've been working on for the past several months is set in a different fantasy world and I'm nostalgic. XD
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Post by Jo on Oct 3, 2010 14:43:00 GMT -5
That sounds like an /awesome/ story idea! =D
The big thing that stands out to me is family- biological bonds and all that. Do children know who their family actually is? If no, how is incest handled? How's the whole sex things handled at all? XD
It's a really interesting story, so if you can figure out the worlbuilding part by November, I'd love to read it =D
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Post by Zylaa on Oct 3, 2010 14:53:14 GMT -5
Oh, there's more worldbuilding than in the summary, I just couldn't figure out how to work it in. =D
Children have no idea who their family actually is. Incest isn't a problem, because reproducing is something that's entirely governmentally regulated. The way I've set it up at the moment is, every year the government selects pairs they think will produce good quality children and tells them "Hey, you're having a kid." Ideally, these are people who have never met before. Women basically take a year off, on government pay, and once they have the kid, said kid is taken to the nursery.
Worldbuilding isn't the problem, it's what to do once I have the world. XD
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Post by Rikku on Oct 9, 2010 1:17:03 GMT -5
=D That is one darn shiny dystopia you've got yourself there! All chilling and distinctive. I applaud you.
But even if it's not what you end up going with I will, of course, read updates with interest! Because I'd really like to read something sizable in your writing, as I haven't yet. xD
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Post by Celestial on Oct 10, 2010 19:48:35 GMT -5
=D A dystopia? Built on the principle of love gone horribly wrong? If this ever comes into fruition, I wholy and soundly think that it is an awesome idea for a story. Certainly I'd love to see how the world works.
And I'm sure once you have the characters and the world, some confict will arise. =3 Good luck!
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Post by Kathleen on Oct 12, 2010 21:52:59 GMT -5
I think you should definitely write this, for purely selfish reasons, because it sounds unbelievably awesome to me and I would so love to read it. xD I mean, dystopia? Everybody loves everybody? Somebody loves somebody too much? Love 'n peace 'n treat your neighbor well gone wrong? =D Yes, win.
"Best friends? Everyone is your friend!"
I like this sentence and would carry it around in my pocket if I could. 'Cos it's really shiny. =D
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Post by Trilly (18426 words) on Oct 12, 2010 22:09:40 GMT -5
When I went through these NaNo threads for the first time, this is the one that really caught my eye.  There is something truly awesome about a dystopia where no one knows it's a dystopia. I'll want to keep my eye on this one. ^__^ |
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Post by Zylaa on Oct 14, 2010 14:23:56 GMT -5
^____^ Thanks guys! I'm glad you all like the idea. ... Which makes me feel guilty for thinking of a completely different story to run with. XD SO I may end up going with an entirely self-indulgent fantasy. It's about pirates who end up stuck with a cursed amulet, but they have no idea what the curse is. It will be full of snarky lines and fun characters and set in my own fantasy world, which I've missed. ...Of course, this story has no end in mind either... so we'll see.
Cele, conflict isn't a problem, it's just that I work best on a story if I know where I'm going. Both of the novels I've completed, the ending was one of the first things I knew. XD So it really worries me that I have no idea of any scenes beyond, like, the second chapter. But hey, I could try something new. ^_^
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Post by Rikku on Oct 14, 2010 22:46:30 GMT -5
xD No need to feel guilty, that sounds pretty dang awesome. Of course I would say that of anything with snarky lines! Oh my goodness yes! I like humour! but still, it sounds great, I am glad you found something you liked better. ^__^
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Post by Zylaa on Oct 15, 2010 8:50:46 GMT -5
It's not really a question of liking better, it's a question of what I want to and can do for NaNo. I need to come to terms with the fact that I most likely won't be finishing this year's NaNo. So I would love to write the dystopia story, but if I don't finish it, it will be one more awesome idea left half-finished and abandoned. Whereas if I write the story about pirates, even if I fail NaNo, since I've been working in my main universe, I'll be developing societies, magic systems, legend and lore, etc. Failing the pirates one will still lead to a more detailed universe for later stories, failing the dystopia one will just lead to sad abandoned characters post-November. >_>
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Post by Kathleen on Oct 15, 2010 10:39:01 GMT -5
That's a very fair point you've got there for yourself. And writing about pirates is bound to be just as exciting and fun. =D
Half-finished and abandoned ideas do tend to lose their lustre, even if you eventually come back for them. D= Good luck in deciding. I never have quite this dilemma, but always too many ideas. xD
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Post by Zylaa on Oct 29, 2010 18:14:01 GMT -5
So now that I have a bit of time, here is the summary of the plot I will almost-surely be using. :3
Title is, as usual, nonexistent. >_>
Summary
Being a part of the Floatlands nobility has to be the best position in the world, thinks Captain Starbell. The Captain, as second child of the current Lord Starbell, gets to spend her winters in the high society of Owl's Point, and the rest of the year as a pirate-- er, privateer-- for the Floatlands.
The year is almost over, and the Captain and the rest of the crew of the Saltkite have decided on one last raid before settling down into Owl's Point. A standard, run-of-the-mill raid, fun, but no complications. They head off to the big city. Captain Starbell begins her annual transformation into Lady Starbell, charming darling of the elite. It's going quite well until her First Mate (and best friend) sends her back a rather unfortunate report. One of the trinkets he picked up was a cursed amulet. So now he's cursed.
Cursed with what?
Well, they don't know. And they don't know how to break it.
Thus begins an adventure. It will involve a sullen and tactless necromancer, and pretty dresses, and a ballroom, a vengeful ghost... and I'm not entirely sure what else. But hey, it will be fun. And I'm liking the characters!
Characters
Captain Harrier Starbell: Always Captain Starbell. Or Captain, Cap'n, or, in Owl's Point society, Lady Starbell. Never ever just Starbell. And never, ever, ever Harrier. Captain Starbell is proud, which can occasionally border on arrogant, with a love of adventure in all forms. For instance, she regards her yearly forays into high society an adventure. And one with pretty dresses, which is a plus, so long as she doesn't have to deal with them too often. She's close with her family, who send her off on her raids with a "Be safe, love!"
Hawkins (Name may change): the First Mate of the Saltkite. There's men like him all over the Floatlands' ships: quiet, unassuming, prefer to stay out of the raids, great with the business and management end of the privateer... business. Of course, quiet and businesslike does not mean serious, and he has an infinite supply of snark. He's been Captain Starbell's friend since they were, oh, tiny, and as such will, occasionally, in private, with no chance of eavesdroppers, call her simply Starbell.
Captain Starbell and Hawkins, as all of the crew knows, are inevitably going to end up together. Hawkins, about two months before the story begins, reached the final stage, Realization Of Feelings Beyond Friendship, while Captain Starbell is still firmly in Denial.
The Crew: A close-knit band. As the Floatlands are almost entirely based around ship crews, crews in general are much more of a band of friends than a hierarchy. Everyone in the crew knows exactly what their job is, and exactly where they fall in the rankings, but except in emergency situations, those really don't matter so much. They wouldn't trade their ship for the world.
The aforementioned sullen necromancer: As most necromancy jobs involve putting people in contact with dearly departed loved ones, a certain amount of tact and sympathy is required. Having absolutely no tact or sympathy, like this character, is then a serious handicap in the field. But she's got talent, loads of it, and so works for one of the more businessy necromancy companies. She still rarely interacts with customers, instead doing lots of the behind-the-scenes legwork.
Other characters include the vengeful ghost, the shopgirl who tells Hawkins about the curse, and maybe one of the rich and powerful people of Owl's Point will make it into Named Character status.
Excessive amounts of world information will come soon, hopefully, because I dearly love this world and am happy to be working with it again. <3
EDIT: There will also be a character named Spleenworth. I have no idea how, or why, or what they will do, but seriously, look at that name. Spleenworth. It's gonna happen.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 29, 2010 18:29:12 GMT -5
Aww, Zylaa I really like your idea. The society sounds quite interesting. And... I've already started shipping Captain Starbell and Hawkins like an awful much? Yeeeeah. /has no self-control when it comes to shipping and such
I'm looking forward to seeing more of this. :3
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Post by Rikku on Oct 29, 2010 19:49:46 GMT -5
... A sullen necromancer? =D A sullen necromancer omg yes! ^___^
I mean, uh. These guys seem fun. >.>; *coughs* Yes. And I was half-'shipping the Cap'n and probably-Hawkins several paragraphs before I found they were actually a 'ship, which is presumably a good thing?
And yes! =D This sounds like it'll be fun.
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Post by Zylaa on Oct 30, 2010 8:02:58 GMT -5
^__^ I'm glad you guys like it! And I'm glad they already have enthusiastic 'shippers. <3 This should be fun. Now you get loads of relevant world info! The first, a bit more information about where these awesome pirates are coming from.
The world of Araman has two major continents on either side of a narrow, as-of-now-nameless ocean. Halfway between the two continents, down towards the southern end of the known world, are the island constructions known as the Floatlands.
For centuries, the Floatlands was just a cluster of a few dozen uninhabited islands. Only a handful were even large enough to support life; only a few were large enough to even build a house on. However, their location made them a handy stopping-over point for trade between the two continents. And when storms wrecked ships on the islands, the entrepreneurial minds of the merchants thought "Why waste good wood?"
Platforms, anchored to the islands, began to spring up and spread into the surrounding waters. A rock barely big enough for a person to lie down on would become the center of a vast network of planks, bridges, and ships tied in for the week. It's of course very high-maintenance, but Water and Air mages looking for a challenge and adventure began to make the Floatlands their permanent home, and they've managed to keep off much of the storm damage.
When the eastern colony of Garia began it's polite-yet-tense split from the western countries of Owl's Point, (Nameless mage country), and Gottsland, the Floatlands was right in the middle, geographically. Merchants, many who identified with no country at all, began to meet there to discuss the political situation with fellow merchants, staying for weeks on end if they couldn't get a decent cargo.
At around this point the permanent inhabitants of the Floatlands, of which there were a few dozen by now, realized that nobody in the major countries was paying attention to them. And the discussion took a different turn.
The separation between Garia and the Western countries went off without a hitch. Both thought, if they gave any thought to the Floatlands at all, that the other side had kept territorial rights to them. So it was a bit of a surprise when the Floatlands, now containing a few hundred merchants, mages, and fishermen, announced that it was now independent.
Whether from laziness or the fact that it was too important for trade, the nations left the Floatlands alone. It has since required a reputation for lawlessness, but of the daring and dashing sort, a reputation for piracy, entirely deserved (and prized by the inhabitants), and a reputation for having some of the most powerful Air and Water mages in the world.
Try and do something about the pirates now constantly preying on foreign merchants, and your ships will be plagued with stormy seas and, hey, why not, more pirates. But cooperate with the Floatlands, and you'll be given safe harbor whenever you need it, as clear a sky as they can give you, and a welcome into the family fold.
It's a close-knit community, there at the Floatlands, and it doesn't look like it'll change any time soon.
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There is something truly awesome about a dystopia where no one knows it's a dystopia. 