Whence Forth?
And now, the positive side!
If not Supervillain, then what?????
I ain't short on ideas. I ain't ever short on ideas, kids.
The biggest problem is that my ideas are so often weird. 'Metal, Candy, Flesh' weird. I mean, even A Rag Doll's Guide To Here And There is pretty weird. I have been informed, and I agree, that human protagonists that a teen can empathize with are important for a popular series. I hate Everymans, but like Penny, that just means I give the main character a lot of personality.
It will be a girl between 12 and 15 with a tendency to be the bad guy. Sorry, I just love that kind of thing. I just hate the implication it will replace the Supervillain world.
Okay, so, I have two ideas and this is where you guys come in. I could use your opinions on which is better.
First idea: Space Western. I actually even have an experimental title for the first book, 'You Must Be This Tall To Steal A Spaceship.' The main character is Pixie, or as she puts it “With a name like Pixie, most people assume I’m an annoyingly hyperactive optimist with a compulsive attraction to trouble, and they are correct.” I have rigged up a physics explanation that means the galaxy is very frontier, with all FTL travel and communications centering around small ships. Piracy, scavenging, exotic ports of call, treasure planets, sarcastic teammates, weird aliens, and spaceships crewed by cowboys, ninjas, pirates, clowns, and any other cliche I can think of. Pixie and her crew are already well defined to me, and stealing spaceships and scavenging precursor technology sounds like a hoot.
Problem: I don't think a space setting is very relatable. Pixie has almost no regular kid problems.
Second idea: Cyberpunk. I don't think anybody has done early teen cyberpunk. There is a whole lot of potential there. A giant, endless city under a smoke-choked sky. I get to use my "All We Wanted Was To Make You Happy" crazy robot idea. Weird people, weird crimes, and most importantly, goofy 80s and 90s futurism weird, which is hilarious and fun. Cyberspace. Fake magic. You know the saying 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic?' The Embraced have taken advantage of that to make themselves feel like wizards and witches and elves and all that. I get to put Emma Dark in an orphanage, which while not the standard child experience should give her enough connection points. While Pixie craves adventure, Emma is driven by curiosity and rebellion.
Problem: The world itself is literally fairly dark, even if Emma's adventures will mostly be fun, and it's a damn shame wasting Pixie and her well-developed characters that friends are telling me they like.
So. Your thoughts and preferences?
If not Supervillain, then what?????
I ain't short on ideas. I ain't ever short on ideas, kids.
The biggest problem is that my ideas are so often weird. 'Metal, Candy, Flesh' weird. I mean, even A Rag Doll's Guide To Here And There is pretty weird. I have been informed, and I agree, that human protagonists that a teen can empathize with are important for a popular series. I hate Everymans, but like Penny, that just means I give the main character a lot of personality.
It will be a girl between 12 and 15 with a tendency to be the bad guy. Sorry, I just love that kind of thing. I just hate the implication it will replace the Supervillain world.
Okay, so, I have two ideas and this is where you guys come in. I could use your opinions on which is better.
First idea: Space Western. I actually even have an experimental title for the first book, 'You Must Be This Tall To Steal A Spaceship.' The main character is Pixie, or as she puts it “With a name like Pixie, most people assume I’m an annoyingly hyperactive optimist with a compulsive attraction to trouble, and they are correct.” I have rigged up a physics explanation that means the galaxy is very frontier, with all FTL travel and communications centering around small ships. Piracy, scavenging, exotic ports of call, treasure planets, sarcastic teammates, weird aliens, and spaceships crewed by cowboys, ninjas, pirates, clowns, and any other cliche I can think of. Pixie and her crew are already well defined to me, and stealing spaceships and scavenging precursor technology sounds like a hoot.
Problem: I don't think a space setting is very relatable. Pixie has almost no regular kid problems.
Second idea: Cyberpunk. I don't think anybody has done early teen cyberpunk. There is a whole lot of potential there. A giant, endless city under a smoke-choked sky. I get to use my "All We Wanted Was To Make You Happy" crazy robot idea. Weird people, weird crimes, and most importantly, goofy 80s and 90s futurism weird, which is hilarious and fun. Cyberspace. Fake magic. You know the saying 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic?' The Embraced have taken advantage of that to make themselves feel like wizards and witches and elves and all that. I get to put Emma Dark in an orphanage, which while not the standard child experience should give her enough connection points. While Pixie craves adventure, Emma is driven by curiosity and rebellion.
Problem: The world itself is literally fairly dark, even if Emma's adventures will mostly be fun, and it's a damn shame wasting Pixie and her well-developed characters that friends are telling me they like.
So. Your thoughts and preferences?
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