Post Your Concept

Thank you.

I was actually asking about the historical fantasy one about the shapeshifting Riff chieftain.

edited 7th Sep '13 4:40:03 AM by MorwenEdhelwen

Sorry, what page was that on?

I rather like the North African-inspired setting. I am curious though, how did you design the plot? You said it was based on a pre-existing work, but how so?

@Jabrosky: The musical The Desert Song is one of my favourites, so I just thought of how the story would be like if the Red Shadow wasn't European at all, and if it was more reflective of the actual culture it's supposedly describing. Then I did some basic research on Morocco and on belly dance (a part of both the original musical, its movie adaptations and endless stage productions, where I found out about the Ouled Nail tribe in Algeria, a culture in which traditionally, some young girls would leave their homes in desert villages in the Algerian highlands with old women from their families and go to live in the city, dancing and working as prostitutes in cafes, usually for a season. They would then spend their earnings on buying a house, often marry or live permanently in the cities. And then I got the basic idea of this. The tribe in the story has a culture partly based on the Ouled Nail, partly on Rifian tribes, and partly on Sahraoui tribes such as the Oulad Delim.

I also love the Arabian Nights, and I read a modern retelling of Cinderella in which the heroine can shapeshift and weave illusions, which inspired the magic element. Basically, I liked the idea of combining Arabian Nights with the French Foreign Legion plotline of hostile natives and legionnaires.

edited 8th Sep '13 6:06:18 PM by MorwenEdhelwen

Have quite an interesting concept I want to post.

Basically the inverse of Nanoha or magical girls in Gundam form.

I've decided to convert my longstanding "female Pharaoh" project from a historically-inspired fantasy to a full-fledged historical novel, right now to most of the main characters being real historical individuals. I want to write about Sobekneferu, a real lady Pharaoh who ruled for 4-5 years near the end of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom. Her story will involve her trying to save her country from Hebrew invaders and recovering a legendary ram's fleece (yes, the Golden Fleece legend did provide some inspiration for that).

Expanding on my Reality Warper idea:

About 10% of humanity have powers that could potentially allow them to warp reality itself.

And a school has been made for these warpers where they learn to control their powers.

Graduating from this school means that the students Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence and essentially become gods with no physical limitations.

However there's a conspiracy going around the school after the emergence of apotheosis, a type of ascension that will give one their full powers while in physical form without having to travel to the plane.

I've been pondering a post-apocalyptic story revolving around a pair of characters, and basically no one else. Because I like characters.

I'm planning on using some morally upstanding themes as domestic abuse, both physical and mental. The main idea being that if I put the reader in the head of the victim, with all the justifications and thoughts that come with being involved in an abusive relationship, I might be able to get the reader to think; "Well, maybe he's not so bad". Which I think would be hilarious.

Plus, post-apocalyptic stuff! Yay!

I really hope you're planning some kind of satire with your idea. I'd be uneasy about a work that could be interpreted as defending domestic abuse. I do like post-apocalyptic stuff though.

My latest concept involves a god coming into the world and using her divine powers to uplift a primitive tribe into a larger and more advanced civilization. The catch is that this god is not immortal, so when her expiration date comes around after a thousand years, the civilization finds itself in some deep shit, and its matriarch must figure out how to renew the god so she can save her people. I'm thinking some kind of sacrifice would be involved.

edited 24th Sep '13 9:17:28 PM by Jabrosky

I wouldn't dream of defending domestic abuse, I just feel as though the best way to depict it would be to actually put the reader in a scenario where they're also struggling to justify the actions of the abuser.

After all, everybody already knows that it's bad; but do they know why victims don't just leave? Often they don't, sadly.

Actually that's a good point you raise there.

Worked for Lolita...

This depends on what kind of sacrifice that has to be done and the point of view you are going to use. Go too dark or it will be seen as glorifying ritual sacrifice.

My concept for this year's Na No Wri Mo:

A female professional gamer seeks a boyfriend by entering a game called "Marble Fairy Chronicles" and a fairy companion trapped inside a marble was given to her. Can they fight their way to the release trial and subsequently free him from the marble seal?

Concept: A series of detective novels about investigators solving crimes committed by what they think are fantasy creatures, but what are actually minor Eldritch Abominations.

edited 2nd Oct '13 11:52:55 AM by DarkbloodCarnagefang

Xenocide 1: In a futuristic city populated by humans and several alien species, a group of police detectives (Task Force Xenocide 1) specializes in solving interspecies murder, called Xenocide. Prejudice and bigotry, Bizarre Alien Biology and strange alien customs often complicate matters. Sometimes the killer is human, other times the victim is, and sometimes neither the killer or the victim are human.

I like that premise (I'm a sucker for Police Procedurals and Sci-Fi). Is there a specific reason why interspecies violence has a special name (e.g. is it treated more like a hate crime or more like a specialised area of law enforcement)?

Take a Medieval European Fantasy. Then wait a few hundred years and let it turn from Medieval to Post-Cyberpunk (even with magic, people still study the world and engage in science, so technology still progresses^note Albeit with more "Blue Sky" research, since magic meets most commercial needs before technology fills the gap.).

Our hero is a freshly graduated journeyman of the "Kingmaker Guild". Part Men In Black, part Knight Errant and completely out of his depth. His duties include seeking out and mentoring heroes, clearing up Fallen Heroes and staying out of the other journeyman Kingmakers' way, if possible.

The story takes the form of the "debriefing" from his first real mission (with the occasional interview or statement from other characters), as he flits between multiple identities and manipulates the situation (giving a sort-of second person narrative, depending on how he's interacting with everyone, since he's usually in disguise and observing).

edited 2nd Oct '13 4:38:03 PM by Bisected8

How does a kingmaker identify a potential hero and what is the nature of the mentorship? How has magic affected the development of technology? This story seems really fresh (but I don't read much sci-fi, so I'm not sure if it is; I'd like to read/watch it some day, though).

My concept: In general, witches and wizards offer sacrifices to demons in exchange for magics; this is accomplished through the drawing of runic sigils fed by blood and oil. Specifically, a demon known as Baron Daggerstone Moonspider Northwood adopts a wizard named Nigel and encourages him to compete with others for political power in a society in which dares and contests are Serious Business. The first book in the trilogy is about ambition, the second in about reputation, and the third is about adoption; the short stories are about individual concepts like naming, coupling, etc.

edited 4th Oct '13 3:02:36 AM by nekomoon14

Basically; when they need a hero, they find someone who they think can do what it is they need doing and see that they end up in the right place at the right time (sometimes there's a handy prophecy to make things simpler, sometimes the hero in question's already accepted their quest and just needs a bit of help). They have a fair bit of leeway in how they can do it (although if they want to do something questionable, like off a family member to motivate one or give a complete sociopath magical powers, they need permission from an ethics committee). They usually adopt various persona (I was thinking of having a running gag that there are some which all Kingmakers independently have at least one variant of^note "Rule #1: If you haven't been a Tavern Wench or a Wizened Old Man With a Beard at least once this month you'll probably need to be both within a week.") to manipulate them, or at least follow them around. More experienced members can also call on their existing stock of heroes to mentor newer ones, as well.

@Bisected 8 - I was thinking "xenocide" had it's origins as either slang or political doublespeak or a bit of both. After the term was adopted by the general public and inter-species crime rates started to rise, a task force was created to deal with one particularly high-profile murder. The team that was assembled worked so well together that the powers that be (city council, Mayor, whatever) decided to try using it on a permanent basis. The thinking is that you would A) use slightly different techniques to solve a xenocide than a regular homicide and you would B) need a versatile group of investigators capable of navigating tricky inter-species relations. They'd have to deal with culture shock, the already mentioned Bizarre Biology, and prejudice from multiple sides. It wouldn't just be humans and aliens, it would be Humans and Species A, who get along pretty well, but Species B doesn't like Species A and Species C used to eat Species D, who really like Species A but not humans...

This is an amazing concept man. Don't take this the wrong way, but if you ever need assistance with this or a partner, I'd like to put my hand up as a volunteer.

You mean mine? Uh...wow. I'm flattered. Thanks so much.

And if you don't mean mine...um, thanks anyways.

Yes I meant yours you clod :P

A post-apocalyptic human race trains militarized thaumaturgists in preparation to fight off the second incursion of war-like Eldritch Abominations. An examination of cold war geopolitics, the ethical ambiguity of science, and the deconstruction of the American dream ensues.

edited 5th Oct '13 12:20:16 PM by KSPAM

Thought I might share this, though I don't know if I'll ever go through with it. Feedback is nice.

Concept: Inspired by the old radio dramas I listen to in car rides (The finest example is Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar), as well HP Lovecraft stories, Indiana Jones, Film Noir/Fantastic Noir, other pulp works, Welcome to Night Vale, and even Eberron, it would be a series of podcast about detective Horatio Noir, done in the style of those old radio dramas.

Problem is, I don't know anyone who would do voice acting and I'm not sure if I can buy the proper equipment for this kind of thing.

"Many winters ago, the people were judged by the Gods. Those they deemed worthy were put in massive temples under the ground and spared from their wrath. Those outside were not so fortunate. Many left their strange ways to become one with the forests, while the rest either perished or were forever tainted. When we left our temples for the great above, the world was changed forever. The forest dwellers wielded strange magic while the mutants of the wastelands used dark powers. In this new world, a wizard now threatens the peaceful kingdom of Avelonia. Only Gragnar, a barbarian warchief and victim of the wizard's powers, can stop him. Wielding- Okay, you know where this is going a kilometer away, don't you? That's because you're reading my report aboard your cozy orbital habitat while I've got boots on the ground in this operation. Here's how it really went.

"When the corporations started doing more and more of the work the governments of Earth were supposed to do, people got worried things were going to go completely cyberpunk. So, they left. Set up orbital habitats and exoterran colonies and the like. By 2103 we were completely self-sufficient. And just in time, too. Corporations were in total control by then. The environment was rotting away while the marvels of modern science were left to figure their own shit out. By 2123, the first nanodisaster happened. A year later, the first A.I. uprising. It all reached a tipping point in 2125 when orbital weapons started unloading on the Pacific Arco Cluster. One thing led to another and it all went to hell. After that, things got rather interesting.

"Radiation can wreak havoc on a nanobot's programming, and since everyone and their dog was nanobot infused that left very few people without a certain issue. You see, although most of the 'bots in your body get fried you still have some left that are still looking out for you. They're fighting with the 'bots that are going haywire and rebuilding the body in really weird ways. Those guys are your mutants. Then you've got the dirty hippies that ran into the forests to play Elf. Although they lack nanotech, they were still the products of extensive gene engineering. Finally, there are the bunker dwellers. They're pale from lack of sun exposure and are trying to build a great empire in honor of the Gods, who are incidentally us.

"So what does this have to do with us? We've been keeping our distance from Earth for quite some time because the surface was still irradiated and crawling with nanoswarms. Now we maintain non-intervention because there is no reason to go back. However, people like me still want to make sure the old tech doesn't end up in the wrong hands. The so called 'wizards' seem hell-bent on using the old tech for bad things. We could just launch a tungsten rod at this one, but that's the kind of thing we like to avoid. My job is to help a hero with the stupid-ass name of Gragnar in finding the Mc Guffan, saving the princess, and killing the wizard. It's times like this that make me wish we still used the tungsten rod."

I really don't know why I wrote that in first person or why I needed to make four paragraphs of exposition, but I did. Basically, it's an homage to old pulp fantasy and stuff like Thundarr the Barbarian, but with a (somewhat) hard sci-fi twist. Clark's Third Law is in full effect on this one. Everything has to be explainable with proposed technology like nanotech for the magic powers, gene engineering for monsters, and A.I.s for plenty of other fun stuff. This just might be my flagship work for Na No Wri Mo, but I'm not sure yet.

Comments? Suggestions? Gasps of horror?

Also, I can give a clearer synopsis if needed.

edited 8th Oct '13 7:05:43 PM by MaxwellDaring