AJ had glorious plans to rewrite my story. There is a problem in all that and that we’ve told it and it feels confining right now, like we are doing something wrong. So AJ kinda wants to take a step back and not make any changes to my story thus far. A reasonable effort, but not something we want to tackle now, ya know.
Instead we are working on an story style like we’ve been doing for a while now. We started with the Riva Contingency and then into this years NaNo project. And AJ kinda loved it. So we are going to present a similar story going forward.
AJ decided to use the Cypher System as a basis of operation and we’ll be using the random generators she wrote and several others to flesh things out. AJ is currently writing a bit ahead so we can attempt to do a M-F everyday thing. So hopefully starting next Monday we’ll start presenting the actual story.
It’s going to flow a bit differently than usual. The story is about me and Alex, it’ll take place from both of our perspectives and maybe even a third character. But we’ll see about that. The story is modern day with no magic in the world. At least that’s what we think. There is no plot written. There are minor objectives, but nothing is set in stone. We are going to go where the dice and the questions take us.
AJ decided she wanted to play with a few tropes for this story to get us started — trapped and rivals to lovers (sorta). Me and Alex don’t exactly show animosity towards each other but we compete in the same space for ‘vlog views’.
And in the trapped AJ wanted to throw us on an island together somehow. And so the questions started.
Q: Should the boys arrive by boat?
(1d20+0: [1]+0 = 1)
No, and [“Pilgrim”, “Smell”, “Book”]
So they don’t arrive by boat, flying in is an option?
Q: Did they fly in?
(1d20+0: [12]+0 = 12)
Yes, but [“Swear”, “Ammunition”, “Question”]
This led AJ to what would make the boys swear, ask a question and involve ammunition. The plane being shot down.
Q: Which grid should they crash into?
2d10: [6, 7] = 13
AJ rolled for the map coordinates and we now have a location where the ‘crash’ into.
4 seat Cessna airplane named Red Crane was shot down and crash landed at [6,7]
Next we wanted to describe the first setting they land into so we used another method from the Solo Adventure’s Toolbox.
Terrain: Coastline 1d100: [94] = 94
D6 roll. 1-2: Structure / 3-4: Monument / 5-6: Interesting landscape feature
1d6: [2] = 2
Structure: 1d100: [94] = 94 Burial Mounds/Barrows “What lies beneath?”
[“Illusion”, “Mother”, “Music”]
AJ decided that we didn’t really want them to get too hurt, so the boys jumped out of the plane and landed in [6,7] and the plane would crash someplace else between the location that shot them down and their landing spot. AJ picked that spot on the map. And thus we had a start to our story.
So on Monday you’ll get the first scene. I’m going to work on posting the map, and our character sheets and the resources linked on the sidebar and set up some other things here like Custom Blocks for disclaimers and the like.
The Mind of Nox 
I feel for AJ. Every time I put my books out there people tear them apart and tell me it’s all wrong.
I love this island idea though, I can see a cracking adventure arising. Have fun NOX!
LikeLiked by 1 person
AJ might just go back to the last full four book version and see what holes to fix and edit it — no rewrites. We’ll see. We made some changes we like and were rewriting to add those in, but we’ll see how AJ feels in a while about it all. Right now. We are gonna follow this thread of random adventure :) And thank you. I plan on having fun.
LikeLike
I know AJ has got this! I lost Holly’s mysteries through the darkness people heaped on her stories. Then Holly left me too.
Make sure you stay with AJ and focus on doing what makes you both happy. That’s the key to finding loyal readers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks man. For now I don’t have plans of leaving. AJ says I never shut up so that’s good. As long as she gets to work though, that’s the rules. We are sorry that you lost the stories with Holly it sucks when the muse dries up cause of other people.
LikeLike
Haha! Yup you have to tell her the next part of the story and then let her work with that for a while before sharing the next bit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately there are many versions of me running around that have a small voice. Which is part of the problem right now. One version of me is stuck in a place we can’t move from cause it’s a game with other people and there are long waits. Took 2 years to end one monster hunt thread lol. So yeah, right now we have many many playthroughs of that and it’s probably affecting AJs desire to actually write to write and not to make money.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s the Dungeons and Dragons part right?
It’s so important to just write to have fun and enjoy the craft. So few actually make decent money and they tend to already be rich or famous to begin with. So, we must write for us and write what were love, hopefully in doing that we will find others that like us too.
And you, Nox are very likeable. AJ is lucky to have you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why thank you :) It’s not Dungeon and Dragons, it’s a play by post Wheel of Time interactive story telling rpg set in the modern era. It’s where I originated from. The First Age (https://thefirstage.org)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, I see. I think because my friends play D&D it gave me that vibe. This looks really good!
LikeLiked by 1 person
it’s like D&D without the dice rolling. All purely story telling. AJ’s gonna use hybridize a method like that for this going forward. Randomness and story telling, instead of people and story telling.
LikeLike
I love that. All those funny shaped dice just make everything confusing anyway! The storytelling is the most important and fun part.
LikeLiked by 1 person
but collecting dice is so much fun :) AJ’ll be using a dice generator someone wrote and she utilizes in a small app she wrote to help with this endeavor (and others) helps when your writer is a programmer too — though I do get lost in those things sometimes.
LikeLike
Oh it is. I have quote a collection myself. But I enjoy more simpler games. I get lost in the DnD mechanics you see.
AJ is amazing, programming is Ultra comp!ex. I couldn’t create even a basic line of code. Yet weirdly I can break cipher codes. Weird isn’t it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Different brains different ways.
And DND can be complicated. Another reason AJ took to Cypher System. It’s not too complicated, focuses on the story telling and just enough game mechanics to make it random. And we aren’t exactly following all the rules anyway.
LikeLike
Rules are mere guidelines to show the way. The real fun is in bending them!
I was lucky to have a grandfather who would hide presents and then give me clues and codes to find them. When Holly asked me to write he mysteries, those same codes became part of those stories. I think you and Holly could be best friends, Nox. I feel you have her same strong energy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s good when our childhood give way to put passions late in life. I’m sorry that holly left as your muse. Maybe one day you’ll find her or another
LikeLiked by 1 person
It sure is good.
Hey, Nox. If ever AJ wants some help or a fresh set of eyes. I’m happy to help okay.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome. We will definitely keep that in mind when we get back to editing. But right now we will be posting it all out in the open here. Including the making of stuff — at least that’s the plan.
LikeLike
Sounds like a great plan!
LikeLiked by 1 person