Once Upon a Time: the Musings of Aiyanna

Started by Aiyanna, October 13, 2015, 03:31:56 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Aiyanna

Welcome

Greetings readers and potential writing partners, my name is Aiyanna. Welcome to my request thread. Before we get in to my story ideas, a bit about me. I have decided to do away with an On and Off thread and instead use this post and the O/o's matrix.

I have been on Elliquiy since 2014. I started writing prior to that, but in far lower capacity and with a lot less skill. My time on E has introduced me to countless talented writers who challenge me to grow as a writer with every post. It's a never-ending journey, at this point.

I actually started writing in my early teens. At least, that's the earliest I can recall writing for myself, writing for the sake of writing, my slowly waking muse whispering in my ear for the first time. I started with poems, but quickly moved to short stories and several failed novel ideas. A decade later, both the poetry and the failed novels remain, but I'm closer to success as a writer every day.

Once Upon a Time...

What I'm really looking for in a story these days, is just that, a story. I want less role play, and more collaborative writing. For example, when you pick up a book in the store and read the teaser on the back or the dustjacket, you get a glimpse of what story the author wants to tell. A world to save, a mystery to solve, a war to win. Something along those lines. There is also often a mention of the relationships of the main character(s), but that is a side plot, not the focus of the story.

Oftentimes on E, when I read plot bunnies and request threads, people are looking specifically for a story that will focus on the relationship between two specific characters or character types. To be clear, I don't have a problem with this, it's simply not what I'm looking for anymore. I'm not all that fussed about the specific character types, what I want to do is tell a story. My focus will be on one of the main characters of the story, my partner's on the other. The focus will NOT be on the relationship between those two characters. If there is a relationship, great, if not, that's fine too!

Sexy times are fun to write. That being said, I find smut-centric plots to be a lot like masturbation: fun for the moment but unsatisfying in the long run. I will NOT write a smut-centric story.

I mainly like to write fantasy themes, both modern and swords-and-sorcery. I like sci-fi to an extent, but the lingo often escapes me. I don't like horror themes at all. Mystery, adventure, romance, etc, are all acceptable sub-themes.

I am starting to shy away from slice-of-life stories. I like magic, and wonder, and excitement. Slice of life doesn't provide that for me.

Recently, I had an epiphany that I think will help me actually finish some stories, in the form of a question. This is a question I will ask anyone who writes with me.

What do you want from the story?

To clarify, when I ask this question, I'm not referring to physical plot elements, or plot themes. I'm asking, why are you writing this story? What do you get out of this collection of characters, themes, and interactions? What do you want out of it? When it's over, how do you want to feel?

Take a moment, and think about it.

For my part, this is what I want, from just about every story:

-Breathtaking action/adventure: I want to feel my heart race. 
-Empathy: whatever the characters are feeling, I want to be able to identify with it.
-Balance: not quite the right word, but, I want perfectly imperfect characters. I want them to make sense, to be genuine, multi-faceted, complex personalities put on paper.
-Closure: I want to leave a story feeling like I accomplished what I set out to do. I want the story to be complete, and not leave a lot of loose ends hanging about.

Set the Stage

I currently have a limited selection of story ideas. Characters, motives, and methods are all up for discussion.

Fall from Grace

An ancient artifact of great power goes missing during a battle between the demonic horde and the angelic host. The angel charged with the protection of the artifact is cast out, and sent to Earth in shame. The angel will do whatever it takes to return home, which means recovering the artifact. But they are weak, and trapped on an unfamiliar plane. Who will come to their aid, and why?


The Tree of Life

I wrote an intro post, essentially, for this idea. I started with the hazy notion of wanting to write a story in an exotic setting, something like the world from Avatar. The blue people version, not the anime. Say what you like about the movie, the setting is stunning.

Anywho. I did some image browsing, and the idea started to form in my head. The link below contains the initial intro post. Nothing is set in stone, basically anything mentioned in the story is open to edits. As the story stands now, my character will be the woman in the tree, my partner's character the outcast prince. MC is essentially a construct of the light entity. Now, being an 'avatar of good' so to speak, does not mean the story cannot contain dark themes, or adult scenes, or anything else. I don't hold to traditional values and won't write a character that does either. Good, for the sake of this story, is the preservation of life, free will, and the ability to choose. Evil, the reverse; enslavement, the destruction of life, sucking the planet dry for the sake of power and greed. So, have a gander at the link, and let's plot how to save the world.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dEYGmE3_02GzdkutR2T6P0Gr-ITGcq4BXbtVP1Q4EVk/edit?usp=sharing


The Once and Future King
Re-adding this one. The short version is, yes, this would be a King Arthur story, but unlike the usual King Arthur story that is high fantasy, set in the days before England was a single united nation, this story would be a sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, fantasy mash-up. This is not a fandom, but was inspired by the final scene of the BBC Show Merlin, as well as something that occurred to me upon seeing how the series touched on the title of The Once and Future King. Basically, they implied that Arthur in the time of Camelot was indeed the prophesied king (once), but the final scene of the show also implies he will one day return (future). This story would be about that return. Modern civilization has torn itself apart, and humanity needs a truly legendary leader to come along and pick up the pieces if there is to be any hope for a future.
Enter King Arthur, the Once and Future King.


Patron

Struggling with a more creative title for this one, and honestly, this is a veeeerrrry vague plot bunny. I want to play a warlock or similar type of character who has found themselves in a rather closer relationship with their partner than is the norm. Or perhaps it's not a situation they found themselves in, but rather one that they deliberately orchestrated. Or perhaps they were tricked into it. The point is, however the circumstance came about, warlock and patron are locked into the situation and sparks are happening. Yet, this newly budding and not necessarily cordial relationship between the characters is more of a sideshow attraction to shenanigans, adventures, and maybe even an overall plot arc that has something to do with saving the world. Setting, character deets, background, all up for debate.

To Summon a Demon

This story is inspired by a tiktok video. Don't judge me too harshly, haha.

On one side, you have an average Alan/Alex/Alexis

On the other, a powerful demon.

One day, for perfectly mundane reasons and with absolutely zero fucks left to give, our mundane character summons up a demon. The exact motivations for this summoning are up for debate, but it's not going to be for anything dramatic or significant. This person is just sooooo done with normal problems, they find a rather supernatural solution for their dilemma. Maybe they were in the middle of baking a cake and ran out of eggs. Perhaps they are stranded on the highway with a flat tire and can't take being on hold with the towing company another three hours. Office printer won't work? Draw up a summoning circle in the breakroom and let a primordial force take care of the issue, IT is too busy.

You get the drift. Whatever the circumstance is, this very tame summoning confuses the hell (pun intended) out the demon, and also makes them exceptionally curious. In fact, so enthralled by the novelty, they don't even charge for the favor. With the details on how and why again up for the debate, the human once again summons the demon. This time, however, the demon sticks around to get some answers.

From here I honestly can see this story going SO many directions. I haven't settled on one for sure plot arc. I think the one that entertains me the most is the demon using the summonings as a bit of a vacation. Things are not going smoothly on their plane of existence and the mortal plane is a refreshing change of scenery. I do want a romance to develop, and I would like there to be some sort of adventure/conflict etc. down the line. Open to any and all suggestions, and happy to play either role.



Legends in the Making

These are some of my current and past stories. I am completely open to brainstorming from scratch if my plot bunnies don't hold any appeal. These stories should give a good idea of my style.

A God's Game - w/Delirium147
Retribution - w/MisterMagicMan
Stargate: The Fourth Race - w/Ziether
Wild at Heart - w/Delirium147
The Winterkin and the Witch - w/Caradoc



Change Log

19 March, 2018: Completed overhaul of thread, restructured plot ideas, removed o/o thread, linked o/o matrix
3 November, 2022: Added "Patron"
When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's

Aiyanna

When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's

Aiyanna

I can't believe it's been over a year since I bumped this. Some rewriting will need to happen, but for now...BUMP!
When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's

Aiyanna

When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's

Aiyanna

When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's

Aiyanna

Bump
Still need to fix change log and current post links, but re-added The Once and Future King.
When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's

Aiyanna

When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's

Aiyanna

When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's

Aiyanna

When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's

Aiyanna

When you message me, please use the same message thread every time.
Ideas
O/o's