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Is anyone using the themes anymore? I know I'd like to, and sometimes I sneak them in, but I rarely manage it. So... Should we continue the theme thing or call it dead? I'd personally like it to live, but it needs more than me.
If it lives, it's Lil Shiro's turn to choose a theme
@Lil Shiro: Okay, that's really, really cool! I wish I'd thought of that when I was in high school.
But what's up with this week? Your dean is gonna be so disappointed in you
Regarding my own CHALLENGE contribution this week, it'll be up on DA soon. For now it's here (and huge), if anyone wants proof.
Deleting me is absolutely fair. So far I've only got a brainstorm about basic things, and I don't think I'll get any further soon. When I have something, I'll post it here regardless of it being enough for the week.
__________________
"Don't give the Dungeon Master any ideas"
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup"
Sublime avatar by Edwin.
I'm back; let slow but regular posting commence.
Last edited by Lazy Genius : 10-17-2011 at 09:54 AM.
It's my turn to choose a theme, and I say Halloween ('tis the season).
Okay, guys! Reflection time: for some weeks now (ever since IE quit), I've been thinking about quitting once I got to 52 weeks. It's a nice, round number, and I've had massive creative fatigue for a few months now.
But then... the CHALLENGE is the reason I actually sit down and draw outside of my comic. No matter what, it keeps me drawing and pushing forward, and well... I love drawing. I think I'd really miss the incentive to draw extra if I didn't have the CHALLENGE - even if the actual works aren't always spectacular.
So, I'm staying at it, come hell or high water
HOWEVER - for the first time since I entered - we're down to only one person passing, and if I have to run alone, I won't involve the Playground. So, guys - are you still in this? Is anyone serious about keeping it up?
Intentions and future promises are fine (though actual participation would be awesome). I just need some confirmation that this won't turn into the "look how much Glass Mouse can draw" thread
By the end of the week, I'll have finished my first round of exams of university, and I might be inspired to make a random scene long enough for a pass all by itself, completely separate of anything, but it'll get my creative juices flowing, and it'll be somewhat of a warm-up for upcoming weeks. I've been running a bit short on creative juice, and what with me moving into my own place and all, it's been kind of busy and I haven't seen a lot of screen-time (haha, get it, computerscreen ), but this might change as I'm making final changes to my room, adding final pieces of furniture (like a couch or a fridge, pretty essential), and getting used to calling it 'home'.
In short, next week I'll probably have something (hopefully continuing on from there), chances are slim I'll have something before that.
__________________
"Don't give the Dungeon Master any ideas"
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup"
Sublime avatar by Edwin.
I'm back; let slow but regular posting commence.
Since Mad Mask is in silence mode, it's Lil Shiro's turn to choose a theme
@Lazy Genius: Looking forward to seeing something from your hand again. Also, congrats on the new home. It's wonderful and scary, isn't it?
@Lil Shiro: Can I please have a date of your return? Just an approximation is fine.
Wait.
This is turning into a writer's challenge. Well, if you can't beat 'em....! I'm making at least one writing contribution every week of november. Never let it be said that I didn't give in to peer pressure, haha
Sorry, I ran into some creative confusion lately. I'm not out though! I'll be participating into NaNoWriMo, and as such should easily be able to pass the Challenge for the rest of November.
So, I've been having trouble the entire week, but now I'm inspired. I know it's a little late, but I've written the story premise of my prospective book, and I've gotten started on the prologue/intro story.
I'll post the story premise here for now, and put it all up here as it comes along, which will hopefully happen before the deadline this week.
Spoiler
Basic story idea:
Glen has wolf-empathy; this is part of a magical adaptation of a long line of were-speakers. It manifests slowly and rather late while growing up, and can skip a generation (sometimes more than one), but its always the same animal and theres a very specific challenge-based hierarchy in the system. At the age of 25, this is fully manifested and the people become full-fledged lycanthropes for the rest of their lives. In the family, every generation only ever has on living were-speaker. This usually ends as every generation only ever has one, and sometimes, people never know who it is. Everyone in the family has basic empathic powers, but people who die before 25 never show much stronger symptoms before the eventually fully controlled and willing lycanthropy.
The way the animal looks is not affected by what the people look like in the slightest, only how they act and what they think seeps through and has influence. For example, someone who is a regal but self-possessed were-elephant, will have dark, almost infernal look, but very fair and smooth hide. Someone who is very kind and selfless but modest and with a low self-esteem being a were-eagle, will have a worn look, but with a brilliant, subtly shining white feathers, only noticed upon close inspection. This way, people who are selfish and at heart bad people will be quickly uncovered and properly watched after and eventually, if need be, dealt with.
For the several generations, the rule has been by some very bad people, and the ones that are good at heart have been oppressed ever since. There is a prophesy that speaks of an animal with white fur and golden eyes that will eventually overthrow the bad ruler and begin a new era of peace. Because of this prophesy, the current ruler, a were-raven, has had every lycanthrope that has a furry form killed. This prophecy is about Glen, the currently only living were-wolf, but Glens lycanthropy has come from his grandfather who died before the age of 25, and thus he and his tribe never knew of this.
words: 349
Please, do tell me honestly what you think of this idea.
Edit: Aaand, instead of a prologue (which is incomplete as of yet, but contrary to the below, is written in 1st person), I give you the start of chapter 1:
Spoiler
Chapter 1
The buffalo seemed so innocent, grazing by the riverside. The scene seemed so peaceful, except that there were hunters on either side of the water, in several different bushes. Some were armed with bows, some with spears and clubs, and one with what looked like a rather large knife he wielded clumsily. Of course, like any good hunter, none of these hidden deathtraps made a noise to alarm the buffalo, who just stood there minding its own business. The clearing he was eating his lunch at was almost like any other clearing; it held some moss, more grass, and some random fallen leaves that started the season early. It wasnt very large, and it wasnt very deep into the woods. On one side there were trees ended even in sight of the buffalo, where plains started that was the normal habitat for it and its herd.
The hunters slowly crept closer, and were desperate for this particular kill, as they had gone too far from their town to go out on another hunting trip this day, as they hadnt been able to find anything else anywhere else. Their tribe had been expanding rapidly the last few years, and game wasnt increasing, so the tribe elders were looking into migrating with increasing urgency as of late. But this wasnt a direct worry for the armed huntsmen at the moment; they were engaged and had committed to a kill. Suddenly, the buffalo looked up and looked one of the hunters directly in the eyes. This seemed impossible, as said hunter was half hidden behind the tree several paces away. The huntsmen, at that moment, stood still as a pole, stuck with indecision. But arrows soon whizzed through the woods and into the buffalos hide which made his decision easier. This happened just as men with spears through the cover of trees came charging into the clearing, throwing their weapons as they went. Finally, some handful of men came within striking range of the still living buffalos horns, only to smash their clubs into their target and hope to kill it. Grunting from the impact when they crushed its ribs, the men began to pull out their spears cautiously, hoping to let the buffalo bleed to death if it hadnt died already.
The buffalo, however, was already dead, and when the men had this figured out, they cheered and yelled to the archers to come join them. The one man who wasnt cheering was simultaneously the man who hadnt helped kill the buffalo and the one wielding the oversized knife. Instead of cheering, he looked out of the clearing, near the place where the river came into it, and asked.
Have they smelled it, are they coming? The man he seemed to be talking to came to join them in the clearing, and seemed lost deep in thought. After a moment, he shook his head and smiled a smile that would have been a cheer along with the other men if he hadnt been talking to the chief.
No, not yet, lets cover the wounds and drag it home before they do. The chief nodded,
Thanks, Glen. As he turned, he began barking orders and stuck his crude weapon back into his belt. You heard him, cover the wounds and make preparations for the ride home boys; this ones going to be the first of many. Even as he was talking, men put back their weapons. From recovering arrows that hadnt broken, either in the grass or carefully pulled from the carcass, to clubs back between their baldric and spears stuffed in a huge, elongated quiver, all men deftly disarmed themselves. As they were doing this, the man called Glen; the only one who didnt seemed to have brought a weapon, pulled a large, worn bear-hide from the pack on his back and rolled it out near the back of the buffalo-carcass.
Help me with this, would you Kas? He called out to one of the spearmen, who walked over even as he wiped his spear clean and repositioned it in his quiver.
Of course Glen, what do you need? He looked over the now rolled-out hide and looked confused. Isnt the buffalo too big for the one hide? I think we need more than one.
No, the one is fine; weve got enough men to make it work. Glen countered, who waved his arm at the other men in the clearing. Kas nodded and waved over two more men, and together they rolled the buffalo from the one side, over his back to his other side, onto the bear-hide. The buffalos head was on the same side the bears was, with the bears paws wrapping around the buffalo, closing the gaps with leather straps. The bears head was attached to a thick strip of hide fastened to a crude leather harness which made it possible for someone to pull the carcass along, dragging with his back, rather than pulling with his arms.
This hunt was meant to result in several pieces of game, so some of the other men had similar contraptions that hadnt been used, which they managed to attach to the larger bounty of this fruitful day and the result was half a dozen men comfortably pushing and pulling the buffalo the league-and-a-half back to their growing village. So is there anything between you and Hinde anyway? You two are spending a lot of time together these days. Glen inquired, curious.
Well, for starters, Hinde knows her place as a woman of the tribe, and shes a good cook. Kan shot back, laughing at the latter comment. Kas was a man who strongly believed in the separate roles of men and women. Men should be hunter or physical worker, doing work like woodsmen, huntsmen, smith or the like. Women on the other hand, should do work that requires more subtle manipulations of intricate fingers, like sowing, or gathering berries and herbs.
Ah, but is she Glen began to respond, but at that moment, he got a very strange feeling, as if he was on the hunt. Not on the hunt again, but just starting the hunt. Starting the hunt the way wolves would, he suddenly realized. Oh no, he uttered.
Whats wrong with you? Kas wondered, but when he saw the look on Glens face, he went pale and yelled out, WOLF ALERT! As if by some magic switch, all the men in the hunting party stopped what they were doing and dropped the buffalo. The men wearing the harness were just done removing them when Glen called out.
Theyre in that direction. Pointing, Glen shook his head to clear his mind. He felt the howl before he heard it, wolves howling to signal the beginning of the hunt, that theyve sighted prey and found a way to single it out from the herd. In an instant of pure surprise and complete instinct, he was there. There in the clearing again, only now there were four buffalo, and the men in the bushes were wolves, hiding better and creeping closer. Without thought or yelp, he motioned to close in on the one by the stream, the target. In response, the whole pack somehow knew what he wanted, and on some unconscious command, they began the usual, trusted ritual of separating the prey from the herd.
Only Glen had never done this before, and he didnt know what he was doing. The moment he realized this, however, he was back where he was walking before. He was on the ground, though, looking into Kas eyes. Kas was leaning toward Glen, and upon seeing he was alright stood back up and began talking.
Whats up with you today? Usually you randomly call out theyre coming, sometimes giving us a direction and rarely the time they arrive, but now you dont even say a word and I have to guess from your expression. And then you faint, whats up with that? Kas was pacing as he said this, frantically making hand gestures. His pacing suddenly came to a halt as he said faint and folded his hands, demanding an explanation.
I I was there. I was I was the alpha wolf. Glen stammered, getting to his feet, acutely aware of all the huntsmens eyes on him. I was acting on instinct; it seemed as if we could communicate telepathically, me and the wolves. They were hunting in the clearing we were in, and and As he said this, the chief started walking again, and men hurriedly put on the harnesses to take along the buffalo. Kas, still bewildered, shook his head as they started walking again.
Man, I thought you were strange before, now youre just weird. Glen let the implied question go and instead ask a question of his own.
How long was I out for, Kas?
words: 1509
At this point the prologue is Glen talking in 1st person, present tense, about the events that have happened to him, only this 'present' is somewhere in the middle of the book. At least, it will be.
So, this one goes for all of the above: What do you think? (It's the first of maybe a full-fledged book I'm hoping to write. So an honest opinion is appreciated, no flattering BS please.)
Edit2: In other news: wonderful and scary is frighteningly accurate.
__________________
"Don't give the Dungeon Master any ideas"
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup"
Sublime avatar by Edwin.
I'm back; let slow but regular posting commence.
Last edited by Lazy Genius : 11-06-2011 at 10:43 PM.
OKay, I will get back to work this week. Um... Glass Mouse, though I wanna use my NaNoWriMo chapters for The Challenge, I don't want to post them until they are all done, can I just PM you a link each time I complete a chapter. (It will only be like one a week, TOPS)
Sure thing, Shiro It'd be nice if you included a word count, just in case. Sometimes text conversions are... weird, and I usually don't have much time Monday mornings when I do the status.
Sure thing, Shiro It'd be nice if you included a word count, just in case. Sometimes text conversions are... weird, and I usually don't have much time Monday mornings when I do the status.
In my experience, that is fine as well, this week I had one piece for 300 words, and one for 1300-1400 or so words, counting as 'five' pieces. I think it's basically that any piece you submit must have a multiple of 250 to count as that many pieces, so one piece of 700 and one of 800 would count as five pieces, not six (700/250 = 2.8 > 2, 800/250 = 3.2 > 3, 2+3=5, not 2.8+3.2=6.0). But this I'm not certain about and you'll have to check that with Glass Mouse.
__________________
"Don't give the Dungeon Master any ideas"
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup"
Sublime avatar by Edwin.
I'm back; let slow but regular posting commence.
The "evil king plus prophecy plus prophesized" is a solid fantasy setup, if you can keep it from going trite. Just keep in mind that we've heard that story before, so you need more than that to keep it engaging.
The idea of beastmen is pretty cool, with a lot of potential. I'm not sure I like the clear separation between "good" and "bad" people, but that's more of a philosophical difference, methinks
I know I've made that mistake in my own comic, but... you should consider what role prophesies play in the setting. If they're trusted enough to cause homicides, there must be some precedens. Do they happen all the time? Is there a history of people able to change them, or is the Ravenking just that desperate? Are they big and rare and change the tide of history? Just don't make the prophesy into a cheap plot device (yes yes, pot and kettle, *cough*).
The start of the story reminds me of Atreyu from Neverending Story
You are good at describing things - that scene stands clearly. But! I think you go a little overboard with explaining. I don't need to know all the details of how they get the buffallo back home because, frankly, it's boring compared to hunts and wolf attacks and evil kings. A good habit is to, every time you write a description, to consider who it serves. I'm on the "descriptions are fun!" wagon, too, so I put in too many descriptions that serve no one but me. Don't be Jean M. Auel
I like how you introduce Glen's wolf empathy. That "oh no" moment is sweet - it dawns on Glen and the reader simultaneously. Whats up with you today? Usually you randomly call out theyre coming, sometimes giving us a direction and rarely the time they arrive, but now you dont even say a word and I have to guess from your expression. And then you faint, whats up with that? is clumsy, though. "Dude, what happened? Is it wolves? Talk to me!" would cover the necessities (he usually doesn't faint, he can warn about wolves, this whole thing is unusual). Don't let characters tell characters what they already know.
Still, an alright introduction scene. I'm looking forward to the actual story!
Having precedents for the prophesy is a good call, didn't think of that, I'll incorporate it. 'Ravenking' could be a nice name for the guy, too. The separation does have its shades of gray, and the pitchblack raven and brilliant white wolf are the two extremities and very rare cases, most people are grayish. I imagine myself to be a badger-like coloration, maybe with more whitish shining through upon close inspection, but that could just be me hoping I'm a good person.
"But I like Jean M. Auel! "
In all seriousness, the hint about thinking who the description serves is good, I'll remember that one. I've had experience with books where I've read the first chapters and still don't know what's going on, so I want it to be somewhat clear. I thought the "Have they smelled it, are they coming?" was mysterious enough, with 'them' being ambiguous, but the way you said it seems to make it work as well.
All in all, I think I'll try to have the whole first chapter done before the first round of revisions, and I've made a deviantart account! Thenolac is the username, and if I can find a way to change my forum name, that would also become Thenolac. I'm not sure how deviantart works with partial finished pieces (like the half-chapter I've already written), so I'm still trying to find a mini-guide of sorts to figure it out. Most of my work will now be published on deviantart though, so check there sometime.
About the themes, I think it'd be fun to follow them but it could get a bit confusing if you read a book with changing themes every couple pages, so I fear I'll mostly be ignoring them.
__________________
"Don't give the Dungeon Master any ideas"
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup"
Sublime avatar by Edwin.
I'm back; let slow but regular posting commence.
Last edited by Lazy Genius : 11-09-2011 at 08:27 AM.
@Mad Mask: I really like the themes, but I tend to get big ideas that I can't seem to find the time for, so I have to admit I use them a lot less than I could. Still, I strive to incorporate them in one piece each week, and they're a great way to flex my creative muscles. This week was a good one, fx. The theme caused me to invent a whole new race for my setting, which in turned helped me understand the difference between two of my characters even more. Score!
If you're curious about the overall status participation, I always write in the status update if someone followed the theme. It's a little bit of promo reward for following it.
@Lazy Genius:
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazy Genius
Regarding my writing:
Having precedents for the prophesy is a good call, didn't think of that, I'll incorporate it. 'Ravenking' could be a nice name for the guy, too. The separation does have its shades of gray, and the pitchblack raven and brilliant white wolf are the two extremities and very rare cases, most people are grayish. I imagine myself to be a badger-like coloration, maybe with more whitish shining through upon close inspection, but that could just be me hoping I'm a good person.
I'm wondering how this is decided? I guess good and evil are non-negotiable cosmic forces in this world, that you can't escape from? Definitely good fantasy/fairy tale-material, but I still wonder... [/annoyingly existentialistic]
Quote:
"But I like Jean M. Auel! "
Me too, as soon as I got in the habit of skimming pages for names, so I'd know when I could start reading for real again
Quote:
I thought the "Have they smelled it, are they coming?" was mysterious enough, with 'them' being ambiguous, but the way you said it seems to make it work as well.
I liked that part. Nicely mysterious, and it added some tension to the otherwise calmed situation. I must admit, though, that I had a little trouble figuring out who said what there.
Quote:
Most of my work will now be published on deviantart though, so check there sometime.
Gotcha
My writings from this week are right here. I didn't want to spam my DA watchers with unreadable text, but you guys kinda need the proof. So... Dansih gibberish ohoy:
Spoiler
HUDOERNE
Hudoerne er små folk, der bosætter sig, hvor der er vand. De kan findes i Black Sands, men er gerne sjældne her pga. det tørre terræn, og i det ofte forfrosne Nord er der for koldt. Østen og Syden er deres primære hjem.
De siges at blive født, hvor to floder mødes, men ellers er der stor uenighed om deres oprindelse. Hudoerne selv mener, at de har eksisteret altid, mens menneskelige kilder er sikre på, at de ikke er blevet set, før Age of Snakes begyndte. Blandt magiske forskere er der en bred enighed om, at hudoerne kan være en nøgle til at forstå magiens fremkomst.
I Østen og Syden er hudoer et meget reelt problem, som nogle landsbyer kan blive plaget af på op til ugentlig basis. I Black Sands og (især) i Norden er de en fjernere trussel, og de fleste anser dem for at være ammestuehistorier.
Hudoerne er drillesyge, grænsende til ondskabsfulde, og de har en generelt fjendtlig attitude til mennesker. De er dog glade for dyr, og de fanger (eller stjæler) dem gerne til eget forbrug; oftest til kæledyr eller legetøj. Indimellem stjælder de endda også menneskebørn.
Af fysik er de små, sjældent mere end en meter høje, og deres hud er grå og silkeagtig. Deres fingre og tæer er lange og belagt med svømmehud, men ellers ligner de mennesker.
Det siges, at de kan gå i ét med vandet, og de findes næsten udelukkende i floder, søer og sumpe.
De associeres i høj grad med magi og kan ofte små tricks, som ellers kun er magikere forundt.
Mennesker, der rejser meget, lærer derimod hurtigt at være forsigtige med ikke at støde på de små væsner. At få stjålet sine ejendele (eller værre) midt i the Sands kan være en grum affære.
Man har prøvet at fange og indespærre hudoer for at studere dem, men de er umulige at indespærre, idet de i deres vandform kan undslippe gennem en hvilken som helst åbning. Og i en lufttæt beholder kvæles de (hvilket får deres krop til at flyde ud, fuldstændig uadskillelig fra almindeligt vand.
Forsøg er gået igang for at opnå hudoernes sympati og opnå et samarbejde mellem de to racer, men endnu ved man ikke nok om hudoer til at forstå, hvad man kan tilbyde dem, eller hvordan deres venskab kan opnås.
Magic is very doable, I might specify the setting specifics involving how big a role magic normally plays or something of the like.
Glass Mouse, what would the English name of the Hudoerne race be? In D&D terms they seem like a mix between seacrest gnomes and shoal halflings, with the liquid form as an extra. Pretty interesting stuff.
__________________
"Don't give the Dungeon Master any ideas"
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup"
Sublime avatar by Edwin.
I'm back; let slow but regular posting commence.
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