Difference between revisions of "House of Hozz:Community Portal"

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==Principles of Storytelling==
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[[Main_Plot_Arc| The overall story arc]] really needs to be expanded/solidified.
Add here some principles we'd like to see applied when writing the stories.
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===Improvisation and Non-contradiction===
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[[The University]] needs some more details. Maybe some sketches.
I propose that we adopt (if not immediately, then soon) an "improv" atmosphere. As far as possible, let's run with whatever the others come up with.  This way we avoid lengthy and un-productive discussions, and don't end up contradicting eachother.  It's either that, or keep everything in discussion until we all agree on a middle course.
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Of course, there will be times when contradictions accidentally ariseShould we allow these, or try to fix them?  It might be intersting to just allow contradictions to stand, though it could get confusing to readers.
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[[Escape]] backstory could always be fleshed out moreThis plays heavily into the character and history of [[Durand]] and [[Llieah]].
[[User:Ziggy|Ziggy]] 16:31, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
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===Unique Characters===
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Use the information in [[:Category:HOZZ_brothers]] to flesh out the brothers themselves.
We should avoid "recycling" characters unless it makes a lot of sense.  It is a common theme I see in many webcomics, and bad fiction in general.  An author creates a compelling and interesting character, and then wants to use him in every story.  Something like, "...Ooo, and then Exega the baker from Calamityville could be moonlighting as the busboy in the Too Tall Motel and discover that Recurring-Villain-Who-Never-Dies is smuggling Seamorium in an attempt to blow up the ocean!"  As a result, the stories get rather tangled and ingrown, everyone from everywhere is involved in everyone elses business, like some kind of cosmic soap opera.  The motivation is partially good (readers like seeing farmiliar characters) and partially bad (laziness).
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The solution, of course, is to keep making new characters when appropriate, as well as reusing old ones when it is reasonable.  Also, our non-linear format allows us to develop characters without weaving them into the main story, by creating backstories or paralell stories.  [[Mogan's Run]] will probably involve no other main-line characters, but that's okay since it won't be getting in the way of the main story. [[User:Ziggy|Ziggy]] 21:00, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
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[[Cosmos]] has a few questions that need answers.
  
==Nature of the brothers==
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[[Llieah]] has a major backstory element added, also affects [[The House]] and [[Durand]].  Review, comment, and revise?
[[:category:HOZZ brothers]]
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Does it make sense to everyone that the HOZZ brothers are half Fay, and thus have their strange powers (whatever those powers may end up being)?
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[[Shaquell]], the [[dragon]] could use fleshing out.  Also, he needs a much better name.
 
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===curse of undead power===
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[[zack]]
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Oooh, I like that.  It shows a darker side of Hugh, as well as a compassionate lead in to the undead powers bit.  We'll have to make a reason that the previous "queen of the undead" or the equivelant is in the neighborhood.  Is she a Fey, come to earth to observe the HOZZ brothers?  [[User:Ziggy|Ziggy]] 20:05, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
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===three option===
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[[cosmos]]
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This option doesn't really tell us anything.  With any of the possiblities we are going to explain it at a later date.  However, we should figure the "weird powers" out early on, even if the readers don't know.
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On the other hand leaving lots of room and a good deal unexplained is the only way to make improv really work. Plus trying to figure out everything right now is putting a lot of unnecessary weight on us. We're bound to come up with more creative and more interesting ideas if we add to the mythos bit by bit.
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:Right.  We don't have to explain everything.  We should agree on some basic concepts though, so this doesn't turn into the "Surreal" story, which I suspect it will if we don't have at least some idea of what's going on.  I'm not saying figure out everything now, but the things on this page should probably be nailed down before we start writing too extensively.[[User:Ziggy|Ziggy]] 21:00, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
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==The Cosmos==
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[[cosmos]]
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Figuring out the cosmos is rather important, since it will dictate what stories we tell, and how we tell them.  However, we could just start writing the stories and let the cosmos develop around them.
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The advantage of a top down approach is it creates a consistent universe with the possibility for lots of foreshadowing.
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The advantage of the bottom up approach is that exciting and unexpected details about the world will emerge, and stories can start before all the details of the universe are figured out.
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===non-multi-dimensional house===
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[[The House]]
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I'm in favor of not having an "infinite universes" kind of mechanism.  I'd be much more comfortable with a relatively well-defined (or at least limited) number of "paralell" or linked universesInfinite universes are great for crossovers, parodys, and allowing absurdity.  I'm not convinced that it lends itself to a more serious story format though.  [[User:Ziggy|Ziggy]] 20:12, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
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Okay, instead of the house being a 'nexus' and connecting to many different realities, how about this.
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The house is the property of the [[:category:HOZZ_brothers|hozz brother's]] [[Durand|fay father]].  For some reason the brothers gain access to it, perhaps Oswald is the most atuned to the fey energies, and when he installs the door in their appartment it links back to their fayrie ancestral home.  However, they are also human, so they can travel freely between the worlds.  This way we avoid the "infinite universes" thing that many comics with world-jumping tend to run into.
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Bleh, that really limits the possibilities unnecessarily. I like leaving lots of room for imagination. Why limit ourselves? With the nexus approach you can have however many or however few worlds you want with a convenient explanation for their entry into the plot. Plus is makes the house a kind of crazy fun house where anything is possible.
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:Okay, sure.  I'm just worried that it will turn into a goofy "let's go back and visit that world where everyone has Hitler moustaches" mechanism.[[User:Ziggy|Ziggy]] 21:00, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
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===Industry, explosives, and gasoline===
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Ben has a sort of ideal for an industrial society that exists without explosives or fossil fuels.  Would we like to work this in to the House of Hozz cosmology?  Could this fit in the "real world" or perhaps in one of the alternate universes?  How "real" do we want to make the "real world" of the Hozz brothers?
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Latest revision as of 07:33, 28 April 2010

The overall story arc really needs to be expanded/solidified.

The University needs some more details. Maybe some sketches.

Escape backstory could always be fleshed out more. This plays heavily into the character and history of Durand and Llieah.

Use the information in Category:HOZZ_brothers to flesh out the brothers themselves.

Cosmos has a few questions that need answers.

Llieah has a major backstory element added, also affects The House and Durand. Review, comment, and revise?

Shaquell, the dragon could use fleshing out. Also, he needs a much better name.