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

Revision as of 06:18, 11 April 2008

Principles of Storytelling

Add here some principles we'd like to see applied when writing the stories.

Improvisation and Non-contradiction

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.

Of course, there will be times when contradictions accidentally arise. Should 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. Ziggy 16:31, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Unique Characters

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).

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. Ziggy 21:00, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Demonstration

A good story shows the audience instead of telling them. If you have to say "The moral of the story is..." then the story probably isn't complete yet. As has been mentioned in several places in the Wiki, lots of the stuff we discuss here will never be explicitly revealed in the comic. By showing the audience what happens, they should (and will, if we do it right) figure out what is going on.

On the other hand, characters having realistic discussions about what is going on around them is fine too. This is like the Council of Elrond explaining the situation to the Hobbits (but by no means the WHOLE situation, as we learn from the Silmarillion). This is not like the "discussion" of the Gyver suit, where one character stands in for an omniscient narrator.

GYYYYYYYVVVVVVVVEEEEEEERRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Formating

something Paul and Luke have thrown around a lot. using these terms, are we going to allow ourselves to have multiple events on a page, multiple pages per event. when is there a cross over from even to event? I mainly need Paul's thoughts since he already has the sorting program. I don't know specificaly how it works. This needs to be resolved before we work on the Evicted plot line anymore.

Nature of the brothers

category:HOZZ brothers

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)?

random details

Added a few more details. Ziggy, and Hugh are now twins. Only Oswald was born on Earth after their parents escaped into hiding (which is why he is stranger than the other brothers). Also added a page for Llieah, their mother.

Kicking around an interesting idea. What if the HOZZ brothers have an older sister who was taken from their parents, and is still in Fayrie land? After she pressed into the service of the Fairy Queen their father decided to keep all their other children a secret. This could lead to some interesting possibilities to explore. All out rescue, the willing prisoner dilema, loyalty to family vs nation, etc...

what about half brothers and sisters? Durand has probably been around for a while. Maybe he's had some previous wives, but since he is awesome, he out lived them or something.

curse of undead power

zack

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? Ziggy 20:05, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

i like the idea of the curse because it keeps Zack from seeking the power of the undead, it simply falls into his lap. i dont like the idea of the previous ruler of the undead as a fay, i think that because Zack is half fay he is able to bend the curse to his own will instead of it consuming him, never the less it will be the tool to portray Zack's darker side.--Zack 19:52, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Well, a non-fay undead queen will mean that there is other magic than Fay magic, but I'm fine with that. There could be lots of different forms of magic, which all interact in strange ways.Ziggy 05:55, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

three option

cosmos

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.

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.

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.Ziggy 21:00, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

The Cosmos

cosmos

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.

The advantage of a top down approach is it creates a consistent universe with the possibility for lots of foreshadowing.

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.

i am in favor of useing both option 1 and 2 in the cosmos section. this theory would suport a finite world as well as grant easy access to multiple worlds. the fact that oswald's door is the portal to many difforent worlds or locations is an awesome idea but i as i explain below, oswald shouldn't be the source of there powers. by the way we need to figure out what that is. i am in favor of any of the many magic systems we have discused off-line.--Zack 04:13, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

Right. However, a definate magic system may not be neccecary at this point. Ziggy 05:55, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

non-multi-dimensional house

The House

  I move that we settle on a finite number of universes Oswald 03:46, 1 April 2008 (UTC) 

I second the motion. Objections? (probably from Ben, who isn't here right now...): Ziggy 05:55, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

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 "parallel" or linked universes. Infinite universes are great for crossovers, parody's, and allowing absurdity. I'm not convinced that it lends itself to a more serious story format though. Ziggy 20:12, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Okay, instead of the house being a 'nexus' and connecting to many different realities, how about this.

The house is the property of the hozz brother's 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.

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.

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.Ziggy 21:00, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

I like the idea of having the door being a single portal instead of useing the infinite universe. I have no problem with there being many difforent worlds or portals but Sluggy freelance used the infinite mechanism and it was cute at first but it just gets really old really fast, espesaly if we want to have a semi-serious spin on the story. Also, i think Oswald's power should be locked away in his subconscience. The idea of him being the most powerfull is totaly ok with me but the fact that he was born on earth makes sence that his fay powers would be undeveloped and conflict with his human mind, making him trapped between the two and never fully tapped into ether. I dont have a problem with Oswald being a conduate of the other brothers powers, were having him around they become more in tune with there fay abilities but having him be the actual souce of there power seems rediculous to me --Zack 03:41, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

Industry, explosives, and gasoline

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?

The Fay world doesn't really need any special gimmick to limit technology. The very existance and potency of magic removes any impetus to widely proliferate technology.

True, but I was thinking of this for the "real world", the one on the other side of the portal from Faierie, the one where the hozz brothers grew up. Ziggy 16:48, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

Misc

what are changlings?

Ahh, good question. A changeling[1] is (technically) the fake person the Fay leave in place when they steal the real person (usually an infant). Often this is just a block of wood enchanted to look and behave like the real person until it apparently grows sick and dies. Alternately, a changeling is the Fay's own child, exchanged for the human child. The concept of the faeries stealing people away and replacing them with changelings is the oldest tradition surrounding the faeries (in mythology). I also use the word "changeling" (for lack of a better word) to describe the humans that are stolen in this fashion. Perhaps we should come up with a different word, so as to be more clear. Ziggy 14:58, 2 April 2008 (UTC)