1. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    Apocalypse Wow

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Crazy Ivan, Jul 5, 2007.

    So I came up with this idea a few weeks ago and have just now gotten it written down. The title given is obviously not permanent, seeing as it's unbearably corny and deserves to die.
    Any thoughts, questions, ideas, or comments are extremely welcome.

    --

    One day, Parker Kingston is bored. Like, really bored. So, for lack of anything better to do, he googles the word "apocalypse" on his computer.
    The first site that pops up tells him the world is ending next week.

    Well, that's a bummer.

    Soon, Parker is drawn into Apocalyptics Anonymous, a secret organization of kids who are working to predict how the world will end, and why. That's pretty interesting. And it turns out that Parker has come along just as the Double-A has been split by a schism: One band of kids wants to prevent the end of the world, and the other wants to help it. That's even interesting-er, although Parker's english teacher would beg to differ.

    And the apocalypse is tearing Parker's own life apart too (And not just in the usual end-of-all-existence type way, either.) The adults of the town are being possessed by monsters from other universes who want to get in on the world-ending action. A mysterious supercompany wants to take over Parker's home for zoning. And the love of Parker's life may or may not be the leader of the kids who want to destroy the world (And a lesbian, to boot).

    It's a bad time to be a kid- or alive, for that matter- and Parker may be the only one able to set things straight.
     
  2. adamant

    adamant Contributor Contributor

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    Why would anyone want to pursue the end of their own existence, planet, and well... everything so vehemently?

    If these two groups had such opposing views of the situation, wouldn't they have split long ago? Assuming you'd say they could set aside their differences before, why would it suddenly change? I understand that that apocalypse is approaching, but they would have known that, right?

    The English teacher?

    Why are they only possessing adults? Why did they wait for the end of the world to come? Apparently the monsters could have come at any time and caused havoc. What conflict are you trying to introduce by having the company take his house? If the end of the world is coming, I believe his house being taken isn't nearly as bad in comparison... unless they decide to do it by force.

    The lesbian thing just seems like you grabbed something from a hat. Why would she have gone out with a guy? It seems quite odd to worry so much about image when the end of the world is coming and you're already willing to go against the grain and want the end of the world. In addition, if you would like to change her to bi, that shouldn't have much affect upon their relationship as she has already committed herself to him.

    adamant
    master of all logic
     
  3. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    Good question. =P I'm pretty sure I had a half-baked answer for it a while ago, but I forgot it. Maybe they're all emo? If you agreed we could get into some talks on PM or e-mail and hammer it out.

    Actually, no. They didn't know until very recently, and the discovery is what caused the split. You see, the group relies on a sort of method like echoes in time to rely on it. The theory is that just as when an object ends, it creates echoes in physical things (i.e. the back of a cave and sound), when time ends, it sends reverberations back into the past, allowing people under certain conditions to pick up on flashes of what's to come. (Hey, this book is for kids, we're running on kid logic here.) Of course it's not a foolproof method- the emphasis in the above is the word "flashes." But recently, everything stopped, leading them to believe it's the apocalypse. (Hey, this gives me an idea! One half believes it's the apocalypse, and thus wants to stop it, but the other half thinks it's something good for humanity, or at the very least not bad. They argue that since you can't actually see what's going to happen, you can't say it's the apocalypse. This would also add a brand new aspect of mystery to the book: Is the world really ending? Or is it something better? Or even worse? See, I've already got an answer to your first question!)

    I can probably just put in some general mishmash about how children's minds are "harder to possess" or something, or how adults have higher influence in the community. As for the waiting bit- I'm gonna guess the walls between realities get weaker at times of major crisis, and seeing as the potential end of the world is coming, that ought to open the door quite a lot.

    Alright, to be honest, that's just bad writing on my part. I was writing this summary, and I wanted to throw something extra in to back up my claim that his life was majorly sucking, so I fell on a cliched plot: Big, bad company attacks little town. I'll X that out and replace it with something else.

    Joke. It was a joke. Interesting-er is not a word, thus leading English teachers to disagree.

    Well, the thing here is that you're assuming that the "love of his life" is someone he's already dating. This is my fault, though, because I wrote this like you'd write a back-of-the-book plot summary, so it's not clear at all. The girl in question is the most popular, good-looking girl in the school, rich, upper-class, yada yada, you know the drill. And I just put it in there as a fun subplot, and to juxtapose the seriosity of the end of the world. Romantic complications tend to hook teen readers.

    Does that give you any better idea of what's happening?
     
  4. WhispWillow

    WhispWillow New Member

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    I also think it quite odd that he just randomly searches "apocalypse" on his computer.

    You would be better to give him some kind of motive for his doing so.
     
  5. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    C'mon, you've done it before. Gotten bored, sat down.
    First thing, you google your name. Then your friend's names. Then random people, places, events, things. One of his just happens to be "apocalypse." (Also, I've actually done it before. >.> I was BORED, okay?)
    Anyway, none of this is really planned yet, so I can always write in an excuse for doing so: "It has to do with a school project." "His friend told him to do it." "He's scared of the end of the world." That kind of thing.
     
  6. WhispWillow

    WhispWillow New Member

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    I just think it would be much more interesting for a backstory/ motive for him searching the word.

    For example, he starts to notice odd occurences, then as you say, gets worried, stars thinking about it and trys searching about the apocalypse on his computer

    My opinion on it anyway

    Edit:
    As a reader that wouldn't excite me or blow me away. Even early on, it is important to make an impression.
     
  7. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    Erm. Yeah. I kind of, like, just said that...
     
  8. WhispWillow

    WhispWillow New Member

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    I know, I'm just saying. Those reasons along with just being bored and searching the word for the sake of it could be replaced with a more stimulating and meaningful reason, so you can make something out of it at the very start.
     
  9. adamant

    adamant Contributor Contributor

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    See how much questioning helps? Haha...

    Yeah, I too believe that giving him an actual reason would make it more simulating. Like maybe he remembers an urban legend from his childhood and he wants to search for information on it, leading him to this group of 'oracles'. Also, while it may be that I just don't understand it, I believe that the explanation of the future-telling caves need to be cleaned up a little.

    I have something similar to the people wanting the end of the world that you mentioned. The group in mine feels as though if most of humanity was wiped from existence, they could control the way the meaning of humanity is shaped.

    Regarding the possession of adults, wars and other crises have been going on for centuries, so that wouldn't really work. At least, not until the End started and there was worldwide hysteria.

    The girl makes a lot more sense, however, I would say that having them get together THEN discovering that she wants the apocalypse would be a lot more dramatic.
     
  10. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    Sorry, but this is one point where I might be an annoying stick in the mud. Part of the humor derived from the original concept is the fact that this whole thing takes him by surprise. You're supposed to get this feel that he's got an incredibly normal life...that's about to be obliterated, along with all of creation, within a week.

    Yeah...I think you're a little confused. The cave thing was a metaphor. Basically, the theory is: Reality moves forward. When it hits the end of the universe, it bounces backwards, like an echo or a yo-yo being pulled up its string. As it goes back, certain people in certain places under certain conditions can kind of "tune in" on the echoes.
    However, you're probably right anyway; I'll work on spiffing it up as I go along.

    Good idea! Megalomaniac teenagers FTW =P I'll see what I can do with that.

    This is, once again, my fault through lack of clarity. By "crisis" I meant crisis on a more universal term (i.e. Crisis on Infinite Earths, a sort of "oh snap reality is going to implode" type of crisis). Not a physical crisis so much as a metaphysical crisis.

    A step ahead of ya here: My plan already here was to have him think he's finally getting somewhere, then discover that she leads the organization, and then, in an insult/injury move, find out she's, erm, a one-way flyer. =P

    Thanks for the help with hammering out my plot; all the nitpicking is really appreciated!
     
  11. adamant

    adamant Contributor Contributor

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    Okay, the future thing makes more sense now. So, these kids just happened to be in the right place at the right time? If that's not the case, couldn't someone outside of this group have known about it? Why wouldn't they tell someone? Why were they even there to begin with? (you used 'certain' 3 times)

    With him searching for the apocalypse, and you wanting him to be 'normal', you could tie it to something like the X-Men that have a character with that name, then he gets pulled into the 'rabbit hole'. That would allow him to just be casual (not searching to end the world) while it not seeming as though it's a plot device. But it's your story, so you have the last word.

    So these monsters can feel the fabric of time and space being torn asunder... or something to that effect?

    Of course it's a good idea... and it's mine. :p
     
  12. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    I guess...yeah, they just got lucky. *shrugs* It happens.
    Also, they kept it very secret because they didn't want adults to know about it. Their line of thought is: "If adults screwed up the BEGINNING of the world (Adam and Eve) and the MIDDLE of the world (wars, pollution, etc), what kind of job do you think they'd do with the END of the world?" Plus, the whole they-could-all-turn-into-monsters-at-any-time thing is kind of an incentive.
    And the certain thing was on purpose. It's called repetition.

    Uh...hwuh? o_O I understand you're trying to say something about the Age of Apocalypse...but beyond that, I'm totally confused. What are you talking about?

    Yep. Kind of like the Dungeon Dimension creatures of the Discworld books.

    *sulks*
     
  13. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    Alright, so here's my first stab.

    ...As We Know It. - Writing Forums

    Please nitpick away!
     
  14. adamant

    adamant Contributor Contributor

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    With the Apocalypse character thing... I meant that while searching for this guy, he instead gets the site leading him to the association (AA). And you never really mentioned that those kids could sense possessed people... or that it would be obvious.
     
  15. Ferret

    Ferret New Member

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    Unless you're writing for Buffy, Lesbians, for lesbians sake = lose.
    For the love of God, Never name a messed-up teen Parker.
     
  16. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    ...whuh?
     
  17. Ferret

    Ferret New Member

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    Peter Parker was the most messed-up teen ever. Using his last name seems... poopy.
    Also, I think just adding lesbians is just, ugh, yuck. I have nothing against them, but, with one exception, they seem to be their just to be there; to make things edgy, if you will.
     
  18. adamant

    adamant Contributor Contributor

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    I brought that up as well Ferret (regarding the lesbians), the other tensions there should suffice anyway.
     
  19. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    1. Parker Kingston isn't a "troubled teen". You can read about him in the topic in the Novels section, "...As We Know It," to which I have provided the link. And he's named after one of the coolest kids I know, not some angsty comic book character. Please keep retarded comments along those lines to yourself.

    2. The lesbian thing: If you're saying they're there to make things edgy in the book, I can definitely see where you're coming from. However, I put it in there for the humor, as stated earlier; juxtaposing a regular teenage complication with a sci-fi apocalyptic complication. That's my ground, and I'm afraid I'm sticking to it.
    But if you mean the edgy thing for real life...you, sir, need to seriously screw your head down straighter. (Erm, no pun intended.)
     
  20. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Peter Parker
    Eleanor Parker
    Dorothy Parker
    Robert B. Parker
    Parker Stevenson

    Parker is hardly a name like Adolph, with strongly perjorative association.
     
  21. Ferret

    Ferret New Member

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    Calmn down a bit, alright.
    Liar, you had that one ready to go when you started the thread!
    Please, explain that last bit, I'm not sure what you mean.
     
  22. Crazy Ivan

    Crazy Ivan New Member

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    If you honestly view lesbians like that in real life- "ew, urgh, they're just looking to stir up controversy, lame,"- then, really, what's your problem? It's a totally sleazeball thing to think.
    And before you jump me on that, it wasn't necessarily applying to you, it was a see-all catch-all comment, because I've seen people think like that, and every little bit of prevention helps.
    (And I swear I only realized the pun after I had made the post. Hence the edit.)
    And now, I'm off to bed. G'night.
     
  23. Ferret

    Ferret New Member

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    I was joking...
    If you've ever read Demon in my View or Shattered Mirrior,you might consider that sort of story telling.
     

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