Seeking Topics or Characters

[Sherazahde]

Hello.

I hope you've enjoyed the 1,001 Aberrant Nights fiction thread up to this point. To those of who you sent me compliments by private message, my heartfelt thanks.

I just wanted to let everyone know I am accepting, and encouraging, feedback from everyone here as to topics you'd like to see me cover in the eXistenZialist columns, or if there is a story with your own characters that you'd like to link within the metaplot of the connected posts. I'm even willing to discuss writing the story involving your character if you would request that.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

[Fortune's Son]

Well done on the stories thus far, Sherazahde. You deserve major amounts of applause for both the quality of the writing and the wonderful sense of restraint in writing about major events without feeling the need to put your character in the middle of them as a focal point.

Bravo and a long polite golf clap,

clap, clap, clap, clap...

Our man of fortune is always ready and available, except for a couple of trips outside the country coming up soon for me personally, so if you want an Elite perspective you need only ask him. Buy him a drink and he'll answer almost any question that you can come up with as long as its not covered by non-disclosure agreements. The cute little pale skinned nova sitting next to him even has a few comments about some of the more unusual novas of the modern age.

Beyond that... hrmm... Let me try to get creative (always dangerous).

1. Nova relationships and sexuality.

Not the "who is doing whom" kind of thing, rather what is going on in the world. Some are certainly playing the mack-daddy-gods-of-the-club-scene role and loving it, but what else is going on and what's it look like to them? Apep has dropped more than a hint or two concerning her relationships but what does it look like to her and why? Prodigy has been alternately described as sexually ambivalent yet also capable of having multiple configurations just with the folks in his head. Is that it for him? How close a relationship does he have with the choir of inner voices beyond their skills?

If some novas have transcended aspects of their humanity then what effect does this have on who they choose to partner with? Is there such as thing as hetero or homo sexual relationships when each nova is potentially the equivalent of a new species with little in common with fellow novas or humanity. We know Orzaiz's answer... or do we? What's Jager, Ashnod or Atwight looking for? Are they even looking?

Does Endeavor really carry a shoju hammer and yell "BAKA" when someone goes into seduction mode with her?

As serious or as silly as you want to make it though I could easily see it turning into a multi-parter as Sherazahde explores the major subdivisions. I could see this as a bono fide magazine story or even the story of her research.

2. Who/what is Divis Mal?

Skipping the usual glamor and mystery of the public figure of Mal, we know he was sitting having breakfast with Andy Vance and Jake Korelli alonside Scripture one morning. There's another shot of Mal in t-shirt and jeans hugging Necrosis on a sofa somewhere.

Who is the guy in those photos? Mal the angry angel and patron saint of the novas sure but who else? What does one talk about with over crepes and fruit with a god?

3. The shadow kings.

Jager and others have hinted at far reaching agendas but let's face it; they're most likely playing against each other with motives that may be mutually exclusive. Precognition and such abilities become more of a liability than anything at that point. How big a mess is the world in at the moment when you have gods and demigods dueling against each other in the shadows, violently or otherwise?

4. India Syndrome.

Something Utopia fears greatly in their campaign to remake the world into something recognizable by anyone that watches family shows from the 1950s. They also "lost" as many battles against it as they've "won". Like any other experience there are multiple flavors from the nova that shows up and says, "I am god-worship me", to the folks that suddenly find the locals dropping flowers and tidbits on their doorstep in the middle of the night.

Is it all good? All bad? Where does it seem to work well and where is it catastrophic for the baselines/novas involved. What's it like to live in the neighborhood where Babylon, Jordan Rossi or TeknoKat also live. Are they the neighbors you never see or do they take a more active role in what goes down in the 'hood? Where do good intentions go bad or visa versa.

On a personal note I'm actually a little surprised someone in canon hasn't ended up crucified in some god-forsaken part of the world yet. Like Atlanta Georgia...

5. BSBA Novas and baselines.

People like Preston and Randal Portman are just 'one o' the boys' in their own mind. Is that how the others on the force see them? Has there ever been a moment when, in a dangerous situation, someone said something stupid like, "Why me? Preston's the nova!"

What happens when the city decides to cut thirty thousand from the police department budget because "you've already got a nova on staff so why do you need three more squad cars." How many times has he had a stake out blown because some kid walked by and suddenly yelled "HEY! You're the supercop! Can I have your autograph?"

That's it for the moment and the top of my head is now clear. Good luck and hope this helps.

[Kirby1024]

Here's a few more:

6. Religion and the Nova

We've seen the Michaelites' and Baptists' approach to novas, and we know that the Jews are treading lightly, but enough has been said about that. What about the deeply religious who erupt? How does their eruption change their beliefs? How do their beliefs change their eruptions? How does Taint change their outlook on life? All Excellent Questions to be answered.

7. Media gone mad

Sure, N! is the ubiquitous symbol of the Nova Age. Any nova who wishes to preserve his/her public profile is pretty much required to whore him/herself to them whenever a special on them arises, and a lot of skeletons are likely to arise on quite a few novas.

The question, really, is how those at N! feel about this. Are they like the the Current Affair show, with their only mantra "Get the story"? Or does the constant pestering of the gods get to the reporters after a while? What about the aftermath? How does an N! special change a nova's relationships?

The media is a deeply invasive beast for the Hollywood stars of today, and many of them crack under the pressure. There must be dozens of novas for whom the media has simply gotten too much. How do their friends and family react to such a media beating?

8. Getting Away from it all

In a related vein, for those novas who simply can't take their life for another second, where do they retreat? What is a nova's secret place where they no longer have to be Photon or Teknokat, but can just be Sydney Holland, or Katherine Greyfolk? With the abilities and temperaments of novas, there could be some seriously whacked-out places where novas take rest time.

Well, that's all from me. I'll come back if I get anymore...

[Hugin]

9. Novas who need help. What does a Nova with MegaSocial or MegaMental stats do when they need a little therapy? Your MegaSocials mere presence can influence any baseline doctor so much that an objective viewpoint is out of the question. Someone with MegaWits or MegaIntelligence might very well see through any attempts at normal psychoanalytic interaction, they can dissect the tools they just can't dissect themselves.

10. When eruptions ruin a life. What happens when Betty Jean Pruitt, small town librarian who is completely and utterly happy in her life erupts due to some tragedy? All she has ever wanted was to be chief librarian of Stuckyville's single library, helping school children with the Dewey Decimal System, organizing periodicals and such. It's a small life, fine, but it suited her perfectly. Now she's MegaCharismatic and she can no longer interact with the townspeople as she once did. She doesn't want to do anything else and unfortunatly doesn't know how to dorm down. What does she do?

I'd like to second the nominations of Novas and Sex and the India Syndrome. There are lots of cultures where it would be really interesting for them to suddenly have a living breathing god in their midst. What would Native Americans do if suddenly one of their cultural icons 'came back' to help them regain their strength? What would some pagans do if Cierrnunous (I know I must have spelled that wrong) suddenly was prancing about?

[Sakurako Hino]

*quirks eyebrow* Shoujo Mallet? Why would she resort to an anime cliche' like that? She'd just slap the perv across the face. Of course with the way Endeavor can move, a two-way bi**h-slap would look like a rapid-fire boxing combo on a speed bag. *winks* Besides, arent those sledge-o-matic size hammers hard to hide? She'd need one of those novelty inflatable hammers you'd see at a carnival, you know, the ones that squeak, and attach a couple of CO2 cartridges to it. Hmmm... That would be a cute con-trick for a masquerade. Man, I'm a genius! Hehehe.

Sherazahde: I do like your stories thus far. If you wish to send an E-Mail with questions your C would like to ask my C, go ahead, fire 'em off to my e-mail address. It should be in my profile or some junk like that. E-Chan is more than willing to have a conversation.

[Fortune's Son]

Quote:

Originally posted by Endeavor:
[QBWhy would she resort to an anime cliche' like that?[/QB]

Fortune cocks his head questionly.

"Why yes, you're right. The kettle is black, isn't it?

[Sherazahde]

WOW!

I didn't expect so eager a response so quickly! And with so many good ideas as well! Thanks to everyone who responded. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next piece up sometime this week.

There's a continuing theme on this thread which is to post an eXistenZialist column accompanied by a N! story, or news report, or something as it would be seen through the eyes of the media. Hence, we had my experiences in the Amp Room where I got to see Machina for the first time in the column, followed by an N! program that featured one of her employees. The Nova in question is never actually questioned and the story really isn't from their point of view.

So, with that in mind, for those who've responded to me asking if I'd like to interview your character or ask your character questions, I'm sorry, I must decline. We have a wonderful author here already who writes our interview stories as Zach Bronstein, and if you'd like to have your character presented like that, he's the one to get in contact with. See the archives for his work with Jager and Elizabeth.

I'm still interested in working with anyone who wants an "outside" look at how their character influences the world, though. So even though I'm declining to use interviews as companion pieces, I'd be more than happy to do something along these lines for you.

Sorry I wasn't more specific when I wrote the opening post.

[ 08-12-2002: Message edited by: Sherazahde ]

[Sakurako Hino]

Fortune: Hey, Endeavor's trying to break her habits. I guess she'll have to prove it.

[Fortune's Son]

Endeavor

You know the good girls are the worst one's when they finally cut loose. Its all those years of repression and the idea of making up for lost time.

Take this as coming from someone that actually knows a little about parochial schools.

[Sakurako Hino]

Then as I once heard from an old movie...

Then buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride.