khaydhaik
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Post by khaydhaik on Nov 2, 2006 2:45:23 GMT -5
I'm posting my NaNoWriMo story on my eposic.org web site; you can see it at eposic.org/fiction/nanowrimo2006/. I'd like comments, and would like to use this thread for such comments. I'd suggest, oli and Dandelion, that you each make a separate thread in the Fiction and Art forum if you'd like comments on your entries this year, assuming you are posting your story somewhere that we can all read it. The title of my story is Living Below the Rim. I managed to write 1332 words on the first day. I'd hoped for more, but 'twas a weird day. Still, I can see that 50,000 words in 30 days is going to be one very difficult goal to attain. But we'll see how it goes.
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Post by dandelion on Nov 2, 2006 12:05:25 GMT -5
Off to a grim start, I see. Man oh man, that was grim.
Your writing style is highly literate and engaging, which is a relief to me. Well, that's to be expected; your posts in 'Thram are as well. But in general NaNoWriMo tends to expose one to a lot of amateur fiction that is quite amateurish, that being the nature of the beast. But, yeah, as a wordsmith you are easy on the eyes. Just make sure you balance quality and quantity sufficiently for your own expectations.
(Not that I should talk. I originally planned to emphasize quality but now I'm on a tear! Hehe.)
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Post by dandelion on Nov 4, 2006 8:37:23 GMT -5
Awww! Menslar fell apart! Come on, dude, pull yourself together! Your whole species is depending on you!
Hopefully he'll keep a cool head from now on. There really is a conspiracy, isn't there? I was hoping Menslar was right and Elleg was just off her rocker, but now there's been too much setup. Something's going to happen; I just know it. Yikes.
(It's not a very relaxing novel.)
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khaydhaik
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Post by khaydhaik on Nov 5, 2006 1:18:38 GMT -5
Menslar continues to have a difficult time. He's still not relaxing, and neither is the novel...
The next installment has been posted. I'm actually ahead of schedule with my word count now! (Barely...)
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Post by dandelion on Nov 5, 2006 9:31:32 GMT -5
I just read it. Cliffhanger! Argh! You torment me. The fact that I don't know which characters to trust adds a lot to the tension, but most of it comes from not knowing whether I can have faith in Menslar. He's trustworthy, I can believe that. He has every intention of making the right decisions. But will he be strong enough to? It's interesting to compare Menslar to my main character, CAPT Hraith. Hraith also has high morals and good intentions, and he's also facing a dire situation that he's not equipped to handle. But Hraith is more of an endearing jerk. (He seems to endear people so far, at least.) The Good Captain is skilled at decision-making - it's his job - but he is still a fish out of water just like Menslar. He panics too. Though when he panics, he gets ranty instead of blubbery. Menslar letting Elleg stroke his hair is cute. Maybe Hraith needs someone to stroke his fur too. That might calm him down a bit.
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khaydhaik
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Post by khaydhaik on Nov 6, 2006 4:17:06 GMT -5
Another installment has been posted. More affection displayed, but no hair stroking this time. Maybe some other time...
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Post by dandelion on Nov 6, 2006 7:19:02 GMT -5
They're mates!
Good thing the animals established that before Thinker had a chance to overthink it. The whole universe is conspiring to get these two together. The Captain, Elleg, the situation itself, and now the planet full of animals.
I like the whole telepathy thing. It's an interesting and unusual twist.
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Post by dandelion on Nov 7, 2006 8:40:04 GMT -5
Oh good. It seems as if Elleg and Menslar are finally making an effort toward some serious bonding. ;D Here's an exultation for tasteful yet detailed, um, bonding scene.
Hmm, what else can I say? I'm looking forward to learning more about the animals and the nature of their problem.
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Post by dandelion on Nov 8, 2006 10:45:12 GMT -5
Short at 6 feet! Hehe. I was imagining KC/LBtR crossovers going terribly badly, what with the defensive survival-mode demeanors or your characters and the aggressive monsterlike natures of mine. But when you factor in the height difference, it starts to get somewhat amusing.
Ciesil is 4'10". Nulu is 5'4" and Hraith is 5'7", a hair taller than average for his people. Fsau is the tallest crew member, towering over everyone at 5'10".
On the bright side, if Elleg doesn't go for the self-centered type, there's no way Menslar will lose her love to the Good Captain, no matter how much fruit she eats. (Kruugh might be a different story, but only if she can get over his teeth, his claws, his fur, etc.)
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khaydhaik
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Post by khaydhaik on Nov 8, 2006 23:55:13 GMT -5
Yeah, and the grumoziik are taller than the grumozerii, on the average, by about four inches. And they are hyper-aggressive. Not quite so amusing, and without having read more about Hraith and company, I would fear for their well-being if they encountered a grumoziik ship.
But I think it would be cool for Hraith to have Menslar around, even if he is mopey much of the time. He would be able to pronounce the ambassador's name with little effort, serve as translator in almost any situation, and possibly even tell the captain what Maggan is thinking (assuming Maggan can make noises that carry some meaning).
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Post by dandelion on Nov 9, 2006 7:28:32 GMT -5
I suspect that if the first grumoziik ship blasted the first couple of NCU ships it met out of the sky, then the grumoziik would find themselves at war with a rather competent force. After all, Hraith's ancestors managed to thwart the Griys, their current adversaries, when they themselves were at Bronze Age tech levels and the Griys already had super-slick starships. Once these guys find themselves threatened, they rise to the occasion. In space, a foot or so of physical height makes no difference.
In person it may not, either. It depends on how well designed the grumoziik are for fighting. As you've seen from the study sketches I've drawn, Hraith & co. are quite well endowed with the fittings of predatory life. Much of their reputation as badasses stems from that. They're not actually very aggressive unless provoked. What do the grumoziik look like?
So maybe once Knifeclaw Company grew to accept Menslar, they'd appreciate him quite a lot! Especially in regards to Hai-caauhk. If he's mammalian, they'd probably take to him reasonably quickly, and I do get the impression the grumozerii are at least humanlike to apper mammalian. Conversations Menslar has with Maggan might amuse them as well. I'm not sure either Mag or Gan have any profound thoughts beyond "Feed me," "Rub me," or "Pressure loss in the ship! Eeeeek!" Well, they also must communicate with each other; how else would they move about? (They're conjoined twins.) Maybe they are capable of thought and they just don't bother with conversation because there are no other hews on the ship to talk to. Hmm, I wonder what they would say to Menslar if he could interpret their attempts at communication.
Elleg would fascinate my guys too. She's got... hair! On top! How odd. However, her tendency to be less mopey than Menslar wouldn't surprise the crew. Strong women are common enough.
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khaydhaik
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Post by khaydhaik on Nov 11, 2006 19:42:25 GMT -5
Well, Menslar (aka Rvei) proves in the latest installment that he does have some endurance. And Elleg continues to prove herself to be one tough yet sexy lady.
Also included in this installment are some descriptions of the grumozerii and the grumoziik, and a few other alien creatures. Some of the descriptions are more detailed than others.
I was not able to write installments for the last couple of days. So I made up for it with this last installment, which comes in at over 4,000 words by its lonesome. My total word count is now just over 18,000, which puts me right on schedule for reaching 50,000 by the end of the month. But, man, is it difficult keeping up the pace.
For anyone that hasn't been reading the installments but wants to start, the link to the chapter listing is in the first post in this thread.
Some might wonder how this is related to Tunnels and Trolls. This story is background material for all of the RPG games I have GM'ed since I started gaming back in the mid 70's. This includes all of my T&T campaigns, all of my GURPS campaigns (both fantasy and supers), all of my (A)D&D campaigns, the few Fudge games that I ran, the few BESM games that I ran, etc. So if you're reading the installments and don't see the connection to T&T, just keep reading. You are bound to see the possibilities in this setting before the month is over.
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Post by dandelion on Nov 12, 2006 19:00:06 GMT -5
4,000 words! You get an exalt just for that. And for Rvei's newfound show of strength and resolve. I like the direction the story is heading in, and I'm relieved that you didn't decide to outright vilify the other crew members. Elleg's paranoia threw me for a loop in the beginning.
I like the monster-dude too. He may be my favorite character now.
Haha, mine isn't even related to T&T. I've just been posting here to discuss our respective novels with you. It's keeping me motivated. I do wish, though, that I felt more free to post it all like you are. In fact I've resolved to write something pointless next year so I can share the whole thing.
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khaydhaik
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Post by khaydhaik on Nov 12, 2006 19:19:27 GMT -5
If you spent many months aboard a space ship where the crew were surviving by eating each other, do you think you might get a little paranoid, too?
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Post by dandelion on Nov 12, 2006 19:24:17 GMT -5
I don't know. My guys pack a year's worth of food or more at any given time. They're very experienced at supplying a ship on very short notice, so they wouldn't have forgotten the food like your guys did. Not a chance. *grin*
Not to say they never get paranoid. There will be paranoia later in the story! At least twice.
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