I want my story to feature some existential horror.
In my fantasy series, one of the darkest twists is that the Empire faction devotes itself to believing in an evil malevolent god while the more heroic republic faction features many characters who believe in a benevolent and kind god. But most people in the Empire don't actually know this and think they are worshipping a powerful but good god.
And then all factions learn that the benevolent god is imprisoned and tortured by the evil god because said god won a war against heaven millenia ago. The only reason that humanity hasn't been obliterated is because the the benevolent god placed a final protection on all life. And the real kicker.
The god of death was originally a god of life, and the current god of life was the former god of death. The new evil god simply fails to understand the beauty behind life and was jealous of the power to destroy and this ended up driving said god insane, while the former god of death understood purpose, patience and wisdom that it retains even as it became a god of life.
But for all intents and purposes, in this world, the heroes have to recognize that their benevolent god that they believed to be all powerful and kind is powerless and unable to stop the evil god from going on a rampage. Their religion is a lie and they're actually up against a demonic god of horrific power. This causes many characters to have severe crises as faith as a looming apocalypse approaches since if it happens, humanity is effectively doomed.
I discover my own destiny as I command the winds of life!![]()
That's fair!
Ultimately, then, it might call for some thought and reflection on your part.
You could also just try writing the thing, and see how you feel as you go. You can (I presume) always just stop if it's affecting you negatively.
Fair enough again!
If that hadn't been the case, I might have suggested changing the setting; but as it is, that may not stand.
In which case, and should you come to find that you're not happy with such a tone, then I might suggest looking for a new setting—or, alternatively, searching for what positivity there might be in your current setting.
Well, that certainly seems to feature some existential horror, I'd say! ^^;
Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on Mar 11th 2024 at 9:28:45 PM
My Games and Asset PacksI decided that for my world instead of the religious faction of my empire being an evil cult I'm instead just going to have them be an organized religion with millions of followers, if not billions, with a wide range of divine interpretations.
It's just the powerful ruling elite that know the truth of the god who is in charge (and who is not) which ends up being something of a closely kept secret.
A theme of this story is whether humanity is willing to challenge divinity or whether certain humans will betray their own humanity in order to be favored by said divinity.
Themes in general: fate or anti-fate. Greater good vs self interest. Justice or revenge. Reconciliation or retribution. Sacrificing your ethos for victory or suffering with your morality for the sake of kindness.
I discover my own destiny as I command the winds of life!Would this be a good comeback/Pre-Mortem One-Liner/something like that?
The context is that Character A did a really bad thing, and is now tripping over himself to excuse, justify, and minimize it but Character B is furious and A is starting to get scared or something.
- Character A: But.... You know... To err is human, to forgive is divine....noteCharacter B: Well, i'm only human. (whips out gun, puts it right in A's face, tries to shoot him)
Edited by Nukeli on Mar 16th 2024 at 10:42:43 AM
~*bleh*~
Personally, I just ask myself "Okay, so how much irony am I going to pour into this one today?" and "How strong is my sadistic streak regarding this one?" when wondering if I should spare a character just to make them suffer some more first.
Edited by Trainbarrel on May 21st 2024 at 10:28:50 AM
"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."![]()
Some questions that could help: Have you already an idea of the circumstances leading to the death of the character? Which reaction would you like the reader to have when reading about this death? Do you want the death to be fitting to the character's arc and personality or subvert expectations? And finally, does the character actually need to die (sometimes when I have trouble writing a scene I end up asking myself whether I really need it)?
And there's the matter if it's a character that has almost no goal. Because I have this amateur editor who's pushing me to kill off a character because they find the character boring and aimless.
"Cynicism is not realistic and tough. It's unrealistic and kind of cowardly because it means you don't have to try."
When you say "boring and aimless", how do you mean?
I ask because I'm wondering just how boring and aimless you mean- it seems like something of an arbitrary criticism that could just be an audience reaction, and that character could actually be holding up a good chunk of the narrative in some way. Are they part of the protagonists group? A mentor or Mr. Exposition that helps to flesh out the scene? Someone you wrote in with a good idea of what they would do but then forgot about that motive as the story progressed?
Also, it's kind of a problem I have in my own writing as well. In the pirate story I'm currently writing, I have a cast of characters for the crew which consist of a naïve but earnest bank clerk turned captain (Hero Protagonist), his crusty fisherman second in command who's actually a Kung-Fu Wizard and former member of the evil cult that's out to get them, a coffee-addicted wind mage, an elderly knight turned nurse and her Mad Oracle charge (who's the MacGuffin Girl the bad guys are after), and... some guy. The last guy is a deserter who should have some interesting stories and characterization, but I can't really come up with a good way to explore that character. He's kind of in the same "boring and aimless" as your character, but I can't find a good way to kill him off or write him out without disrupting some of the dynamics of the group at large.
Why not have this guy be "us"?
The Audience Surrogate.
The guy that seriously did not expect to go on an adventure like this and doesn't think of themselves as anyone noteworthy of such a grandiose thing, yet here they are, on an adventure with the heroes by chance anyway.
And decided to tag along to see where this goes, while also serving as a source of "normalcy" for the rest of the cast who are deep into it and disconnected from a "normal" life due to being the main cast of a story. So whenever they need to let off some steam off their shoulders, this guy can serve as someone to hear them out and give their own mundane opinion on the matter at hand, just to give them something else to think about for a short while.
In short, "He's the bartender" in a sense?
"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."
You could perhaps just defocus him: not actually write him out, but just not give much prominence to his being there or to his actions.
Otherwise, could his connections come in handy at other points in the story?
And finally, if you want something to bring out his stories and characterisation, could some element of his past enter the story—a member of the group that he deserted, or a former officer thereof, for example? That might push his past into the present.
My Games and Asset PacksI just came up with a skit to do as a reaction shot in, say, a video review. I see something horrible, then it cuts to me, shocked expression. I then reach next to me, fumbling and grabbing increasingly potent liquor until I settle on a bottle of Everclear. I then chug the entire bottle (obviously the bottle would be full of water). All done wordlessly in one long, unbroken shot. I wish I could film it and see if it would land.
Once Upon A Time.Thinking of the comic relief thread now that I wrote a scene almost purely for comic relief since nothing of any real impact occurs and the characters are just being goofs lol. I think it came out good though it wasn't originally planned that way (tbf I had no plan for the scene at all)
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallArrow: Listen here, I do not cheat in sports. I respect laws and I respect order. You take back that I cheated.
Old Hag: No, you cheated.
Arrow: Excuse me, I believe that I am QUITE CLEAR-
Old Hag: You cheated, soldier. Can't even win a battle fairly, whether it's a war or a game.
Arrow: You know what.... (whips out shotgun) I won't take that.
Trek: Um, Arrow?
Arrow: You say I cheated again, I'm not gonna take it.
Old Hag: Oh yeah?
Arrow: (loads shotgun) Yeah.
Old Hag: You cheated.
Arrow: GOD-DAMMIT! STOP SAYING I CHEATED, DAMN YOU! I AM A MAN OF THE LAW! NOW TAKE IT BACK!
Trek: Arrow, we don't want to cause a scene.
Old Hag: No, I don't think I will.
Arrow: TAKE IT BACK!!! (aims shotgun in front of the old hag)
Trek: Arrow, put down the gun.... please?
Old Hag: You're a big guy but a small man, you know that.
Arrow: YOU WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN, TAKE IT BACK!!! (shoves shotgun in face)
Old Hag: (clears throat) You stupid jock, you cheated. The end.
Arrow: (glances around the room, fuming, roars loudly and fires the shotgun at the old hag, sending her flying)
I discover my own destiny as I command the winds of life!
I mean, you're likely to get a huge variety of responses to that, from enthusiastic to disgusted.
For myself, personally, I don't read Military SF, so I would be uninterested in the work.
But that's not really relevant to you, because I'm not the only potential audience member in the world.
Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on May 31st 2024 at 11:03:06 AM
My Games and Asset PacksBut then... why did you ask about "Military SF meets Marvel"?
In any case, it doesn't really matter all that much: Whatever X and Y you pick for "X meets Y", there will be people who aren't into either X or Y, and people who are into both, most likely.
Of course, some combinations might have larger or smaller audiences, especially when broad-scale perceptions of how they might mesh are accounted for.
Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on May 31st 2024 at 2:20:15 PM
My Games and Asset Packs
Wait, so was your question:
"What would you think if someone else described one of your stories as 'Military SF meets Mavel'"?
Without the above context, I took you to mean:
"What would you think, as a potential audience-member, of a story described to you as 'Military SF meets Marvel'".
That said... the answer is pretty close to being the same: it would depend on what I had been writing.
In your case... it's hard to say without knowing your work better.
"Star Wars" and "Marvel Comics" (or at least the MCU, which I'm far more familiar with) seem pretty close to me, in particular in the more "cosmic" side of the latter.
"Neon Genesis Evangelion" I only really know by reputation, so it's hard for me to compare that to "Military SF". From what I gather, I'd expect something pulling from the former to be more weird and over-the-top, and something pulling from the latter to be more grounded. Further, I might expect something pulling from the former to feature youngsters who are special in some way, and something pulling from the latter to feature professional soldiers.
Edited by ArsThaumaturgis on May 31st 2024 at 5:10:59 PM
My Games and Asset Packs"Evangelion" is as much "Military SF" as "Call of Cthulhu" is a "Mystery Novel".
Which is pretty close, actually.
But Star Wars and Evangelion doesn't feel equally connected, since ironically, Star Wars is far more "mundane" than Evangelion and is basically a fantasy space opera set in space.
However, I think that "Marvel as a Military SF" was actually pretty accurate as a description for your story. Assuming it is the one I think it is, that is.
"If there's problems, there's simple solutions."

As for your second question, I'm not entirely sure yet, but I'm definitely leaning towards I Just Write the Thing.
Edited by InvisibleWater on Mar 10th 2024 at 8:56:06 AM