User blog comment:A, Mori/Outline Plans For Timeline Format Without DMS' Content/@comment-3126873-20161202204837

LOODY'S GRANDIOSE COMMENTARY (Note: all mentions of "scrapping" or "removing" a story refers to it not being used as a blueprint for Saga and not its actual content-deletion from Alpha. Too lazy to go back and fix all of those instances.)

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1. I don't want to have a repeat of Alpha.

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... What? I need to say more?

1A. As fun as it is to look back with nostalgia (?) on how Alpha was run, it was rather ineffective. The stories were mostly spearheaded by DMS and, though those involved did have a bit of a say in the work that went into it, it wasn't true collaboration as it should have been. The fictitious communication that took place prior to any of the stories being written stemmed from me making some dipshit events around the site and letting everyone else come up with how they wanted to base the plot around it. There was no thought put into how things would work out, only comments made after they did. If Saga is to be collaborative, it needs the direct and consistent involvement with all parties who wish to engage with it - no "I talked about it with one other person and then got another one to say yes, so it's canon now", but a legit session done to map things out without leaving potential authors/brainstormers in the dust. That isn't to say that this isn't what Saga is/will be, but I'd just like to not romanticize how Alpha was written and avoid going down the same path.

1B. Just because all of the current significant timelines branch out from Alpha does not mean that it is the rule. I am in favor of a collaborative Timeline that can be considered the "main" one, but I would not want to impose a system of "this is where things need to be based off of" for current or future Timelines. Again, that is not to say that this is the direction Saga will go in, per se, and I am in favor of considering it as the work we would be most proud to present on-site, but I would like to refrain from this particular role to be taken on by this, or any other, Timelines.

2. This is not an issue for the admins mostly to address because we should not be considered in charge of canonity for a collaborative project. Let's gather up everyone that has interest in participating and see what we'd like to do with everything. We've got a blank canvas and a bunch of different blueprints and minds to ping off of.

Now, to the actual content, which involves my own opinions on what should be featured/scrapped rather than the nature of Saga! Hooray!!

3. Ludus Invasion: I feel like while the invasion is significant, we can definitely mix up the species that's doing the invasion-ing. Scrapping Dark Matters to avoid further links to the Kirby franchise should be done, and we could easily go off of the Negatives from earlier, or go with a different species entirely. I figure that the most important aspect of this should be the arrival and existence of alien life, opening up Ludus to a more aware culture that may adapt their lives in response to this. (Cowering in fear and being a submissive people, taking up arms and being more militaristic, all that fun stuff - lots of different things to consider and lots of different areas to play off of for each of these.)

3A. Zachary's backstory should belong primarily under Zoshi's discretion.

4. First thing to do here is talk to Poisonshot, since we can actually communicate with him now and all. He didn't get much say in his character and lore, and maybe now he can. If not, we redesign Canonshot a bit, change his name and that of the Binarickans, and we've still got a functioning dealio. Considering this invasion is one of those things I know exactly nothing about, that's really all I have to offer here.

5. I don't even know what Sonochen is lmao. I'm in favor of scrapping the invasion to Vestiba because I'm as stubborn as a mule and I never liked the idea of a flourishing planet with a unique species just becoming nothing because Shadow McManson threw a hissy-fit to allow for more Oumeth characters.

5A. On the subject of Oumeths, I'd like to change around their physiology to retcon pink uranium, if I'm able? I don't think it's important enough a detail to be in canon, but I have been using the concept for other non-Fan Ball works.

6. Absent on Entilis lore atm as well, primarily because I wasn't a big fan of the details that went into Loripathys existing in the first place, but I'll look into it more later.

7. As someone who never really liked the idea of Schounmund this sounds cool I will pour all six of the dollars I have in my name into working with a redux of Shenanigans' backstory - perhaps giving a bigger focus on the mentioned-on-site-but-rarely-in-stories Demons, or putting more lore into Monsters as a whole. Definitely looking forward to big group collabs with this, as he's been one of my favorite characters for a while.

8. TPS needs to be redone to reflect the backstory of all the characters we intend to use, if this is something we intend to use in the first place.

9. I'm not even sure if I want to have the name "Kuipter" as canon. Too much of him would have changed by the time we get around to making a new villain and it just wouldn't seem right toting around a new name. In Beta, Kuipter goes under the moniker of "The Tinker" until his identity is revealed much later on, if anyone wants to use that same idea? In any case, this is definitely something I'd like to brainstorm on as a group with everyone else before rushing in with blueprints. My money's on a new villain with a rather secretive, undermining approach to IQ rather than that of a "here I am, here's a bear and a zombie you have to fight, meet me in the pit motherhecker" pace of story, which is harder to write without script-style or battle scenes. The most important thing that we should get out of this story is the role of IQ and the defining moments of the protagonists - where do they stand on Ludus, and how are they viewed? What makes them so able to get away with what they've done (surely a couple of businesspeople can't go on a vigilante hunt for a terrorist without repercussions)?

10. Trix can be scrapped. It was a fun little diddy to read, but we can easily create our own filler stories.

11. I'm not a fan of Dr. Sand. He was my attempt at introducing a "neo-Kuipter" that acted more in the way that I expected the villain to play out, and I just shoehorned in the Mercedes backstory because I had no idea how to make a good villain. This story can easily be done without, and we can come up with a secondary story that either reintroduces the prior villain or brings in a new one, with the underlying focus of the tale to be giving the protagonists further reason to continue their adventures (again, businesspeople don't go off slaying maniacs) - what is their quest from this point on, and how is it viewed by others?

12. Zalgo originated as an internet meme, so that's a double-scrapperoni for Corruption. I like the idea of a story that explores the darker sides of characters and brings in some development, but I'd advise against the in-your-face approach of "this is my literal and actual shadow-self".

13. Wrapping Things Up can be put in a museum, but we're not gonna revisit its characters, plot, or anything else using it as a basis.

14. (Re: Sidenote) We should only be using one or two Alpha stories as a jumping point, I believe, and we should come up with our own plot devises and filler tales to explore the rest. It's a bit of work to tread new ground like this, but if we're all working together (and like, /really/ working together for the first time in a while), I say it'd be very worth it, and it would probably be in better memory of stories that came before them, too. (In that we're not doing carbon-fiber copies and all)

15. I'm a big fan of Asterion's potential as a villain. Though it is entirely up to Zoshi what he'd like to do here, I'm in favor of revitalizing and polishing their plot arc, as well as giving more of a spotlight to the Ancients of Everspring. And oh man, if we had a showdown between villains in this three-or-more sided story I'd just lose my mind because that stuff gets me going

16. MCS was a filler story and can be removed. If we need villains revived, we can come up with other ways how.

17. I liked the writing of Trix 3 Doesn't apply to Saga and can be removed.

18. TDE can also be removed, as well as WTU2 and the Descent.

18A. HANKVI NEEDS TO BE INTRODUCED EARLIER ON IN THE SERIES COME ON GUYS WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU

19. With all of the sandbox space we have leftover, stories to introduce or to elaborate on characters are /absolutely/ dead-necessary. I don't know a damn thing about the Grey Agents Everything that will be mentioned in a character page should have a direct counterpart in one of the stories - people shouldn't have to read up on a character before diving into the story they're featured in, it should be mentioned at some point within it. Like are the Grey Agents anything like the Grey Guards? Do they have those blister things

20. WIR is under Lat's discretion for the most part, but if we intend to do Doomed/Saved Timelines we need to be very clear to mention how those work /in the actual stories/. Mercuron could go on some spooky exposition about how "hey, that one time when X happened everything basically got ruined, we gotta go fix stuff" or something or other.

21. New stories and plots galore! Miracle Matter should not be used as a plot point, being A. Dark Matter-related and B. Literally from the Kirby franchise. I still feel a bit of unease in regards to the Nazcans being used due to their origin, and I'd feel a lot better if we did something even as basic as changing their name. (Like, Nazca is a town. We're being a dick to an entire town of people in Peru)

22. My usual petition to remove Lazro still stands, but I figure I'll get the same amount of support on that as I have in the past lmao

BABBLEBOP the end.