RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Writer's Block You Say You Want a [Hero] Reconstruction?

We started a “New Universe” because the old one got too cluttered/confusing/messed up/etc. Yet it seems like we have dug ourselves into the same ditch. It’s pretty funny actually because in the old days we used to make fun of DC/Marvel because of how they keep messing up and needing “Crisis” like events to fix everything. Now it seems that we have had more of those events than one can count.

That is what brought us into this “New Universe” even, in one long post the other one was restarted (nothing ever happened apparently) and we started fresh. In less than one story, we had more back-story than three whole years of stories. If we really wanted to start fresh, we should have never began it by recreating the old universe (an idea I didn’t like but did nothing to stop). Now a few stories into this universe and we have all attempted to cram way too much in this universe in just a short amount of time. Not every problem should be solved in one post, not every problem should even be solved in one story. Hell some problems might never be solved.

Ok, so am I ever going to get to a point? Yeah, I am.

No, I do not think we should restart the universe again. I think we should slow down. I think we should go back to the basics.

What do I mean?

We more or less have the whole future set. And everything there is a new character or plot element added we use some tired excuse to fix it. I have an idea that I am using in the current story that will destroy any set future. It will not delete the past, but I think we should use this as a FRESH start. That is also one of the reasons I didn’t add a number to this story, I think we should leave the past buried.

I propose that the team try to live a normal life. That they shouldn’t have some high-tech pocket universe HQ with everything they need, how about we start simple, an old apartment? Nothing special. A simple normal apartment in a fictional (or real City). They can be heroes and try to do good and save lives. But if they start by destroying a God-like-evil-creature, than I guess a bank robber or murderer would be a piece of cake. Let’s start small. Flesh out the characters and their personalities/relationships. Maybe give the team one main villain (like this mysterious guy in the background mxy is developing). I am in no way saying that we should forget everything that has happened over the last few stories, but I think we need a fresh start. I would much rather be writing about the underdog team that has nothing going for them rather than Godlike creatures that can never lose.

On that note, why do we have so many characters with a reinforced title of the “World’s Most Power Meta.” There are over 3,000,000,000 people on the planet. Hmmm. Maybe, just maybe some guy/girl who is trying to live a normal life has the ability to destroy the universe in the blink of an eye? Why do we have to keep yelling out at the top of our lungs “I’m King of the World”? It’s not needed (and I am not pointing any fingers… Hell I had my original character become the “Ultimate Agent”). What fun is being all-powerful? No one can beat you, well, that sucks for storytelling purposes.

I say we continue the “New Universe” with a new direction and a less powered team (I’m not saying we should all get new characters, I love each of the members now...except the cat, I like dogs ).

OK, that’s all I had to say.

-Ritchie Steven

[ 02-18-2002: Message edited by: GoozX ]

Congratulations.

You had more balls than I did, man.

Kudos.

But having them settle down, and battling small crooks, I don't think it's a solution. It don't give justice to their name: Hero REVOLUTION.

The revolution is in their hand, they are the flag of the underground movement that want to give freedom to the metahumans.

I say, instead of doing some retcon gimmick, let's play the revolution. Have some stories in which the heroes make examples for the metas around the world (if they live in the circus instead of an apartment I don't think I will make more difference), fighting small menaces and such, and then have them back in America and doing the Revolution.

Then, in a world now free, they will finally settle down, in an apartment, if you like (but how many are them, now? Nine, ten? A whole building would be better ), battling new menaces, like the aliens that are still somewhere on Earth, ugly mafia bossess and the alike.

This is what I think.

To summarize, what we need is not a change of setting, but a change of direction: instead of creating new subplots for all the stories, concentrates on the basic premise of each story, and complete it without wandering in many direction. In this way, there will be no flourishing of a too much complex universe, but instead we'll have well developed character.

This is what I think.

[ 02-18-2002: Message edited by: The Eurostar ]

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Originally posted by The Eurostar:
If the problem was the pocket headquarter, well, it is easy to wipe away. If it is my Eurostar interlude, well, I wrote it for what you wrote in the above posts: to simplify, resolving the future Eurostar plot Naecken began, and the Eurostar son situation (it is also an homage to the whole story of the Old universe Eruostar, done in one only post).

But having them settle down, and battling small crooks, I don't think it's a solution. It don't give justice to their name: Hero REVOLUTION.

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So far this whole universe has been a homage to the last one. Hell, some old posters returned to find themselves alreadly killed in this universe. There was NO reason to destroy the other universe if we are only gonna recreate it time and time again.

Their name. Hero Revolution. This is not their name yet. Might never be there name. The future is not set. There may never be a revolution. Maybe other people will start the revolution.

If we have all the stories set in stone before we write them, what is the point>? If everyone is just waiting for this "revolution" they are like robots or pawns with nothing else to do. Having this huge set story stops all development, doesn't help it.

[ 02-18-2002: Message edited by: GoozX ]

Whatever Eurostar says, goes, and that's not how the Universe should be. We should be working together, rather than let one poster come up with every idea and solve every problem (in one post, no less - it may be more efficient, but, practically... it SUCKS!)

As for paying homage to the Old Universe, well, that's impractical, too, isn't it?

We created this new one to break the monotony of the old and we've already fallen back not three stories in. That's not right. I say, screw the old universe! It was awesome while it lasted, yes, but LET IT DIE!!! To keep a new spirit alive, you can't go digging up a corpse to keep it in!

I say that Gooz has the right idea. I'm behind him on this. The Message Board Revolution is at hand!

Will you join me?!

Sigh.

Will it never end? Didn't they read FINALE OF THE X??!! WE ARE TWO SEPERATE PEOPLE!! Gooz is the better writer. I'm the ladies man.

Heh.

How ya' doin' Gooz, old buddy? I see someone has finally forced Chewy's soul into a resentful position. I like it. Yell louder Chewy!!

So, just thought I'd take a brief moment to stop in and see what's happening. Not that I can make head-nor-fuck what the hell's going on in this "New Universe". I think the problems you guys are addressing in this here thread are exactly what needs to be talked about. If only one person does the rowing, then the boat only moves in one direction.....

See you all soon.

-Devin

Now, about the direction: I think that being restricted to the Revolution only take a long time, and it'd shorten our possibilities. If we go from place to place as a group all the time we'll lose our individuality and become monotonous(sp?). When Gooz told me idea about the apartment I inmediatly loved it...
I'm not saying that we forget about starting a revolution... I think we alredy did! In this world, one year ago all the metahumans were controlled by three guvernamental agencies that kept them captive, and now most of them are free!
Maybe our little group started it but metahumans everywhere have to continue it, not just our guys...

I REALLY REALLY REALLY hate the kind of storylines we're doing right now: where the characters are basically each on their own and are supposed to fight each other or something.

I'd much prefer to establish Monkey's Paw as part of the group and play around with the group dynamics. After all, we haven't even SEEN how the character interacts with the others, since his "joining" the team was all written in one dialogue-free post!!! That's incredibly irritating. I'd like to have had a chance to see that "first meeting" between my character and all of yours. Yet it didn't happen, and now we're all stuck in the future with our memories erased. What's up with that?

What's wrong with a few low-key adventures that don't necessarily involve fighting super-villains at all! Why not a good, old-fashioned story about a bunch of guys out on the town, who have to meet each other at a Chinese restaurant, but are each having trouble getting there?

Oh, wait, I've been watching too much Seinfeld.

Seriously, though: I created a character that is made to INTERACT with others in a humourous way, not one who is introspective at all. He's also not a fighter in any respect and isn't built like one. He's just got this little ol' ability to influence luck for good or ill. And he's got this ghost of a brilliant scientist constantly hanging around him, kinda like Firestorm & Prof. Stein but more dysfunctional.

I will be sitting this story out. Call me back when it gets normal again.

[ 02-19-2002: Message edited by: TheTimeTrust ]

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Originally posted by Prometheus:
I see someone has finally forced Chewy's soul into a resentful position. I like it. Yell louder Chewy!!

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Aw, c'mon, Dev! You knew the dam had to burst sometime!

“This is Eurostar universe”. In a way, this is. I made the first posts of the new Universe, and somehow, I set the Universe. It’s a sin? I don’t know, it could have happened to each of us. In any case, I envisioned, and still envision, this universe as a “Ultimate Marvel” Universe, with some remembrance of the old one. If I want a completely different environment, I have the Strikeforce 5 Universe.

“This is Eurostar story”. Could be. I prefer to think this is Euro, T5 and Mxy story, the ones that gives directions to the story, posting in it. Let’s face it, we are the ones that posts regularly, and it’s natural that the universe is shaped by us.
But I admit that, maybe taking the role of “leader” too exaggeratedly, I have taken the story too much in the direction I wanted. That is exactly why I had tried to wrote Euro out of the story, completely, without a need to come back, giving him his son. It was my way of resolving my preponderance in the story, making a big step behind.

But no. I am talking to you, Chewy. I expressly wrote to leave Euro away. You said I was taking too much space in the play. You should have been happy. But no, you couldn’t accept your team has been beaten, so you had to scramble the story, make it unnecessary complicated, ruin the happy ending for my character.

Well, I say this loud: EURO AND HIS SON ARE OUT OF THIS UNIVERSE!

I have fixed this unfortunate episode in a light and simple manner in the story. If my desire to have my characters out of the New Universe will be respected, I will return as Nadia. If not, this will be my last post here.

PS
Gooz, you killed Agent 57

PPS
TTT, I waited for days to have you writing the meeting between the heroes, Quantos and Chimp, then I wrapped up the story because no one seemed able/interested to continue it. But there is always space for flashbacks, especially for you time shouldn’t be a linear thing.

[ 02-19-2002: Message edited by: The Eurostar ]

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Originally posted by The Eurostar:
Well, I say this loud: EURO AND HIS SON ARE OUT OF THIS UNIVERSE!

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And I wrote them out of the Universe as well. I just let you be beaten. The EPS is stronger than the 'Revolution'. Stronger by far. Why? Because they're not the heroes in all this. They're the grey area. The heroes shouldn't always win. That story's been told. I specifically made my team unbeatable. And you beat them? Impossible. So, I retaliated. You expect me to sit idly by while you screw over the characters I created? I don't think so.

Besides, if Eurostar is out of the Universe, then what does it matter if he's in the custody of the EPS or in some hole in the ground somewhere. I'll answer you: it doesn't.

After all, it was you who wrote wanted this to be a true "round robin" style where whatever someone posted everyone else had to deal with. Well, I dealt with your post in continuity, and just because you didn't like mine doesn't mean that you can retcon it out with a simple "he woke up and it was all a dream" crap post.

If you wanted to beat my team, some protocols should have been addressed first.

1.) Let me know what you're planning.

2.) Make sure I'm okay with it.

3.) Proceed on my okay.

But, I never received any PM. Any message on AIM or Yahoo! Messenger. You write my characters, instead, without my permission, and write them incredibly out of character.

I was waiting for a fight between the EPS and the Revolution before eventually surrendering Eddie to you. I was more than willing to give him up, but in the right setting.

But you blew it.

And since you're now shutting up, I guess that means that mine is the final say on the subject.

Eurostar, nobody's asking you to leave, and I don't agree with the mentality of making you a "scapegoat" for all of this. We all share responsibility for what's been going on, and it's no use pointing fingers -- that way lies madness.

Maybe we should just take a breather and remember why we're doing all this RPG stuff in the first place: It's supposed to be a fun hobby.

quote:

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Originally posted by TheTimeTrust:
Calm down, guys.

Eurostar, nobody's asking you to leave, and I don't agree with the mentality of making you a "scapegoat" for all of this. We all share responsibility for what's been going on, and it's no use pointing fingers -- that way lies madness.

Maybe we should just take a breather and remember why we're doing all this RPG stuff in the first place: It's supposed to be a fun hobby.

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I agree!

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Originally posted by The Eurostar:
Some things, then, I will shut up.

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You don't have to shut up. In fact, talking is the best thing we can all do right about now.

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“This is Eurostar universe”. In a way, this is. I made the first posts of the new Universe, and somehow, I set the Universe. It’s a sin? I don’t know, it could have happened to each of us. In any case, I envisioned, and still envision, this universe as a “Ultimate Marvel” Universe, with some remembrance of the old one. If I want a completely different environment, I have the Strikeforce 5 Universe.

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I don't think it's a sin that you made the first post. Not at all. We all developed our first few posts from everyone's. You brought in the metagene, I formed the MCCA fromthat and Chewy made himself a sciencist studing the metagene, etc. That was a good approch. But we did make this with the idea it would be a New Universe, with a different feel. Euro (and I am NOT singling you out) in one post, you had a new Lioness fight Agent Turner and in your post she talked about Marisa (Gooz's original love) and Smasher (Gooz's old best fright) like it was the same exact thing in the New Universe (which I had NO plans to ever use that or any other "back story" for Turner as you now see). This was susposed to be different, or we would have never started anew, we coulda just continued the old universe.

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“This is Eurostar story”. Could be. I prefer to think this is Euro, T5 and Mxy story, the ones that gives directions to the story, posting in it. Let’s face it, we are the ones that posts regularly, and it’s natural that the universe is shaped by us.

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The "Euro, T5 and Mxy" Story? WTF, I guess all my posts were invisible? In the beginning stories I posted just as much if not more than you guys. As things went on and got more and more tangled I began posting less and finally wrote my character into the background. Even now, I still post just as much as you.

Danny has added a great deal too. And it seems every interesting subplot he begins to develop is fixed in one of your long posts. He opened these subplots to develop a character, not to have someone else quick fix them in one post.

Chewy's writing and plot development has been amazing! If he continues to write as he has been I give him permission to kick Turner's ass left and right through the whole New universe!

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But I admit that, maybe taking the role of “leader” too exaggeratedly, I have taken the story too much in the direction I wanted. That is exactly why I had tried to wrote Euro out of the story, completely, without a need to come back, giving him his son. It was my way of resolving my preponderance in the story, making a big step behind.

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One of the things I hate most are the quick fixes. The single posts that are bad for storytelling but wrap things up nicely. You had no need to write yourself out to clear things up. And if you wrote his out so "completely" why did it seem to open ended? If you wanted him out completely, why didn't you just leave him dead???

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But no. I am talking to you, Chewy. I expressly wrote to leave Euro away. You said I was taking too much space in the play. You should have been happy. But no, you couldn’t accept your team has been beaten, so you had to scramble the story, make it unnecessary complicated, ruin the happy ending for my character. Well, I say this loud: EURO AND HIS SON ARE OUT OF THIS UNIVERSE!

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As I said with Turner above, I have no problem with Chewy or Danny or any one beating him in a fight, AS LONG AS HE IS WRITTEN IN CHARACTER! The EPS was written fully out of character and in one post you took away months of development to give your character an easy win and "happy ever after" ending. You should have talked to him, maybe he had a huge plan for eddy? maybe not. But would a quick PM have hurt? Chewy goes out of his way to find out about a character before he writes about them, hell, I must have talked to him for a few hours about him using Turner in a recent post (while Turner was only used in many two lines).

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I have fixed this unfortunate episode in a light and simple manner in the story. If my desire to have my characters out of the New Universe will be respected, I will return as Nadia. If not, this will be my last post here.

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I don't think you should quit. I just think you need to learn that not every story has to revolve around your main character. We are a pretty big group here.

If you are quitiing, I would like you to know, that it has been a pleasure writting with you over the years and I wish you and your family well in life.

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PS
Gooz, you killed Agent 57

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quote:

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PPS
TTT, I waited for days to have you writing the meeting between the heroes, Quantos and Chimp, then I wrapped up the story because no one seemed able/interested to continue it. But there is always space for flashbacks, especially for you time shouldn’t be a linear thing.
[ 02-19-2002: Message edited by: The Eurostar ]

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I agree. And after this story there will be plenty of time to develop the Chimp with everyone else. I agree that we should scale things down. Have no villains or small normal threats for a while. That is what my proposal was about.

-Ritchie

But, I am really going to retire Eurostar for the time being, and his son is going with him. Eddie is not Chewy's character, and there is no absolute way I can retire Eurostar without him.
That's bring the question: why do I want to retire Euro?

Because when you wrote about the Revolution, that there is not a Revolution yet, that maybe true for all of you, but not for Euro, which has matured from his earlier days and now feels that he has a mission.

How to stop this? Giving him the only reason to do that: his son back.

But typing this, I am beginning to think that maybe what Chewy's done is the right thing. Allow me to keep your retrieval a dream, though, because Euro living in a cave eating passing by fishes is much more out of character that how I have written your whole batallion.

I apologize to all of you for having to see a side of me that I prefer not to show. I lost sight of the true purpose of this board (thanks, TTT!) and I think Gooz expressed the whole matter much more objectively and maturely than I was in a condition to do.

Thanks for putting up with me, all.

~ Steve

[ 02-20-2002: Message edited by: Chewy Walrus ]

Altough Danny is the one whose writing I love most, he writes always about himself, scarcely interacting with the others, and the same is for Kristogar and Tobias.

So, when I said that only the three of us advance the story, I talked about the team set (except for when Turner arrived and nearly killed all of us! )

I'm sorry too guys.

I'm so happy that the family is all back together

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Originally posted by The Eurostar:
Oh, he hopes to convert you to the Revolution!

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That'll be the day...

Is he gonna find his own way home or should I let you know when I'm planning on sending them back? Let me know

Or ya can just PM me...

I agree with the fact that we crammed too much of the old in the new Universe. I am to blame, but many of us have done the same.
More or less, all of us have agreed on that, and after the first story (issue 0), the subsequent three story have been a way to destroy all that unneeded stuff. We destroyed the MCCA, then TriVex and lastly Malvan X. Even Mandelovia, from a heaven on Earth has become a dictatorship.

I admit that the pocket headquarter was a mistake. But it was in character for Eurostar, for his plan for the Revolution. The pocket headquarter will be cancelled before the end of the story. And, also, I will eliminate General Forrest. With that, all that was form the old Universe will be eliminated.

But I defend the idea of the circus. I didn't tough much about it, I wrote it when I was trying to find a place where the heroes could find a way to hide, and to work.
And I think it still the best place for them. Where else a two meters tall demon can live?
The circus bring the heroes in a different place in each story. Places where they can stumble upon crimes, but also weird situations, evildoers, any idea we can come up with.
The circus itself can give us ideas for the stories. Who lives in the circus. There are other metahumans, "normal" metahumans. are the good, are they bad? It's open to us to explore.

Having the heroes in an apartment, in a city, I thinks it is much miore difficult to accept in a world that still persecutes the metahumans (if not, there would be no reason for the EPS to exist).

As Eurostar (character), I had ideas to where to bring the "Hero Revolution", but now he is with the baddies, so the future is totally open, I don't see anything set in stone, even the profecies about the Alien invasion are set so far in the future I think we shouldn't be worried by then., it will be in two or three years, and I bet we'll have just retconned the world two or three times!

So, I vote to keep the circus, as a way to have the heroes travel the world and finding many strange situations.

Please, everybody express their toughs.

The MCCA is dead, the current President is against what the MCCA did to active Metagene holders. I do not believe the US government will be much of a problem.

Or we can have the team settle in a new place (a brand new country). That would leave us a great deal to explore, create and develope. This very thing was one of the key reasons that TOMB stories worked so well (One Sunny Day, etc...).
As for General Forrest, you can keep him in the story if you would like to (this is permission coming right from his creator ).
My new character, Sam, has a small apartment building that can easily hold the whole team plus a few others and we can slowly form it into both a home and HQ (a home more importantly IMO)

Making USA a safe place for metas is too easy and quick fix of what we have stated before. And it would render the existence of EPS too umbelievable. They need a lot of money, and that money can arrive only from the government, I think. They still kills or capture metas, they have a purpose, I don't know which, but they can't be simply baddies that want the metas dead.

I still advocate the circus, it's like a big moving apartment, with plenty of supporting characters, but obviously I will follow what most of us wants.

Just don't retcon the great metahuman purge of the States with a simply changing of the President and the Gov.

Heh-ha-ha BWA-ha-HAAAAAAAA~!

Now, as to the circus v. apartment vendetta. To be totally and completely honest (because that was what was asked of me ), I'd have to say that I never really liked the circus idea. I don't know about things in Europe, Canada, Australia, and South America, but I haven't heard of any circuses coming to any American towns in quite some time. The idea, from its very inception (no offense), seemed immediately outdated.

I vote for forming a new country and housing everyone in an apartment (or a similar kind of building) there. I think that'd be a good way to improve a group dynamic. Think of it. The team could go up against a metahuman gang terrorizing their small town or something similar. The possibilities go far beyond that. We've worked with less, so I say that we can undoubtedly work this as well.

And that's... My Two Cents!

As for setting up a new country in the Americas, we could create a new country in either Central America, South America, or even the Caribbean! North America, of course, has only three countries: Canada, USA, and Mexico. Our resident South American, Mxy, could help us out with some of the details of a Latin American nation.