This could get ugly and I'm strangely OK with that.

[shipwreck_light]

Dearest RBF, please excuse my shortage of comments in the recent days. Got stuff goin' on at work. It's been stressful.

I don't know about you, but stress gives me The Plotbunies like nobody's business. I've been pestering some of you about them. And that makes you extra awesome (because everyone here is awesome, not even verging on hyperbole).

I actually have one right now that would only work here.

I could make it a novel. I'm sure I could. But, I don't want to. I think it would end up missing a lot if it got cut down to one plot and a few main characters.

The thing is, the setup: I have to fill in the entire cast before I start. I can't be bringing people in part way through. I could theoretically take people out, but in's a no-go past a certain point.

My friends, do I have any requests? Characters? Sorts of relationships you want to see? Issues to deal with? I'm entertaining anything and everything at this point in development.

Now, I make no garuntee that I can honor every inquiry or that I can make the story *do* anything, but I wanted to ask, since if anybody's going to be reading this, it's you.

A few things to keep in mind
-Setting is fairly far future sci-fi
-Cast includes a disproportionate amount of geeky types
--And I'm aiming to have more than 50% women
-There is a subset of characters who don't speak the same language as the others; about six people out of fifty.
-The cast maxes out at fifty people in an isolated but relatively well appointed situation. Not sure if I'm counting AIs or not. In fact, that issue may be dealt with as a plotpoint.

Comments

[justice_turtle]

I'm always interested in gender-bending and in asexual characters...

[shipwreck_light]

Awesome! Thank you very much for commenting.

I think I've got the gender-bending already taken care of because I love to write that. I really, really do. So far in this outline, one of the AIs was programmed to present as female, but prefers a more masculine visual representation. He bonded with his handler over the fact she crossdresses on a regular basis.

Haven't written about any asexual characters before. Which has nothing to do with me not liking asexual people and everything to do with the fact I grew up trading a Swedish woman my porn for her comics. Not joking, incidentally. But! I would like to branch out and try that methinks.

Also, I *heart* your icon.

[justice_turtle]

:D Re: the icon - thanks! It was made for me by lolmac a while back; she did a whole set, all available for anyone to use that wants them. ;-) I tend to switch them out, but this one's my favorite.

[shipwreck_light]

You are so welcome!

And you know, I don't usually switch icons [for reasons outside of gamenights on RBF], but might just have to reconsider. Oh, yes.

[kay_brooke]

I'm all about family connections and dynamics.

[shipwreck_light]

Thank you very much for commenting! I think you just made some fictional people out there very, very happy. See, I was about to comment back being all apologetic that I probably couldn't pull that off, keeping in mind the visual I had of the head botanist sitting alone drinking tea outside her bungalow... when all of a sudden, her yard was full of children chasing her husband around with the hose.

Plus, I think it would be nice to have them to contrast with the group that's been thrown together because of the language barrier and some of the more emotionally isolated scientists.

I have to admit- I don't historically handle that sort of thing. I mean, last year at this time someone was surprised that a character in something I wrote called his father. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! One of your cast members has a family?" The fact he then tamed a wild wheelchair went on a surprise date with a sentient squid raised no eyebrows.

My family has always worked like a bunch of teenagers trying to live in an old boxcar and punctuating their conversations with the phrase "I wonder what normal people talk about". I'm going to blame that.

[isana]

I love reading about a diverse cast of heroines, which seems like no problem, given the high percentage you estimate, but also seeing a diverse representation of femininity would be cool, too (like someone said about Sailor Moon: there is no wrong way to be a girl).

I have a second request, but could I PM you with it?

[shipwreck_light]

*salutes* At this point, it looks like the female cast is running the gamut from a pilot who carries a video of her beating someone up around, to an AI that considers herself her handler's mom to teenage girl who's nervous as all getout to be relatively alone in the setting.

You can PM me any time you want and for any reason. *hearts*

[isana]

Oooh, I like.

PMing you!

[walkwithheroes]

I really love stories that have groups of people who become a family unit. Does that make sense? I'd also love to see a story line about AIs - do you consider them human? Do they have feelings? Etc? I'd love that!

I'm not sure where this takes place. I mean, is it on a new planet? Or just the future? Is it more Star Wars, Firefly, or LOST in space/future? Because, I think things like leadership, food supplies, security, racism, etc could be really good - especially if the cast is in a tight or small space for most of the story.


Not sure why, but I'm really excited to see what comes from all of this!

[shipwreck_light]

You have good timing! Guess what I just got to in my catch up?

Actually, the setting is a research colony on a far-flung planet that's absolutely smothered in plant-like lifeforms (I'm hesitant to call them "plants" because while they are ostensibly that, they aren't exactly like earthly plants) (and they don't talk or think, but they do some odd stuff). So, the cast consists of botanists and geologists and the like, plus their military escort. And it's the last which composes the group that speaks the other language. There was a paperwork mixup. YEAH THE PEOPLE WITH THE GIANT MECHA HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. GOOD JOB.

And actually, three of the AIs are the OS programs for said mecha. None of them have legally attained people status, not LEGALLY, and it's a sore spot with one of the pilots. Whatsmore, there's at least one other AI of a completely different make running around. Meaning? AI on AI interaction and bonding. It's making me think I should include a counselor just so that person can watch this go down.

There's nothing I like better than throwing a bunch of misfits together and watching them try to bond. In fact, the story I'm running here already is descended from the first time that happened to me. You know, conceptually. It's just really fun!

And a lot of why I like reading Surely Someday.

[walkwithheroes]

YEAH THE PEOPLE WITH THE GIANT MECHA HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. GOOD JOB.

Good job, indeed. lol.


None of them have legally attained people status, not LEGALLY, and it's a sore spot with one of the pilots.

That could be really interesting. Okay, it will be totally interesting.


Whatsmore, there's at least one other AI of a completely different make running around. Meaning? AI on AI interaction and bonding.

I love that idea. Just seeing how the AIs interact with one another and what their thoughts are on one another.

There's nothing I like better than throwing a bunch of misfits together and watching them try to bond. And a lot of why I like reading Surely Someday.

That's the kind of thing I like, too. :)
Thanks for the compliment, too.

[shipwreck_light]

Ack, sorry about the barely english comment thar. I wrote that and got in bed. Should have done the bed thing first. Anyway!

Because of you, there is now a counselor. She cons her way into coming along. Kind of waffling on the language barrier because of this. While I'd love to watch her give language lessons to the pilots after hours, one of them has a medical condition I don't think she believes in and it might be more interesting to A) have her study him and B) have the pilots be inexplicable to the others in different ways.

Since we're talking about several high-level military AIs v. a single homebrew program... well, I sure hope that gets interesting!

You're very welcome!

Now, we just have to wait for me to get bored with Jealous of Roses. It's only a matter of time...

[walkwithheroes]

Yes, I inspired you to make a character!

one of them has a medical condition I don't think she believes in and it might be more interesting to A) have her study him and B) have the pilots be inexplicable to the others in different ways.

I'd certainly be interested in reading those story lines.

[shipwreck_light]

You sure did! Her name's Prizzi and it tentatively looks like she's getting the first line of dialogue in the whole thing. And then she gets to wrangle mecha pilots and observe AI bonding.

Jealous of Roses, why you got to have so many tasty plotpoints right now?

[walkwithheroes]

Her getting the first piece of dialogue is awesome. I look forward to reading this. I really do.

[shipwreck_light]

Well, I have half of the cast filled in at the moment. Something is going somewhere. Fingers crossed for easy on the flames!

[walkwithheroes]

Fingers crossed!