You may recall that for the story Wanderers, I found my setting and haphazardly put together a few characters and a plot that weren't particularly inspired. Now I have a few alternatives to play with in this world. None are really complete, but at least they're there.
Alternative 1: The Original
Overall, everything is peaceful and there is little crime. Joey has finally separated from his parents and his main group of friends to marry Annette, who is now expecting. Then Peter swipes Annette's light jacket (containing some precious family heirloom) and runs. None of their group can quite catch up, and it's exceptionally difficult to track someone who doesn't want to be found.
Alternative 2: The Speed Demon
While anything other than walking is very much frowned upon, sometimes running just isn't fast enough to do the job. Meet Jonas Patriot, the emergency medicine expert whose motorbike puts him in more danger than most of his clients. Being of this world, his location at any one time is as unsure as a dog sniffing chocolate, but he spreads his telegraph address everywhere he walks, and there are plenty of stations along the bridges to holler a new job at him. If the injured or ill person is near, he might walk, but more often than not he has to break out the bike. Not that he minds terribly.
Alternative 3: The Tinkerer
It's a bit difficult to keep walking the bridges when one is carrying all manners of prototypes and tools. Nevertheless, Sterling does his best to keep his mountain of a backpack balanced as he waves his inventions at anyone who might use them. It's difficult for technology to catch on, however, and his uselessness in other ventures isn't good. After crossing the same bridges without being of service too anyone a few too many times, the grocers start to freeze him out, and the success of his next creation may be a matter of life and death.
Speed demon sounds the best right off the bat. Tinker gives me the question of, where do his materials come from? This could be good for driving plot. Perhaps you could combine all three? Something like, Peter is on the run from Jonas, because he stole his medical supplies. Any tinker can tell you that the materials to make the supplies are hard to come by, but with some help he can get more supplies/track down Peter. I really like the mental image of someone using a motorbike over a place made of (in my mind's eye, rope) bridges.
ReplyDeleteMim
Yeah, the Tinkerer's good at some things, but he'd rather starve than give up tinkering, is how I see it.
DeleteI like the stolen medical supplies. The original Speed Demon thing is an idea without a plot (much like Macbay Transportation Services in its first stages), so that sounds good.
I have no idea what I've been imagining the bridges being made of. Magical bronze-y stuff, fft.
Thanks for the feedback!
Hmm, I'm not sure any of these ideas would constitute a whole plot on their own, but I agree with the previous commenter that if you somehow combined them all, they could make an exciting and intricate story. For example, Sterling could be someone they meet along their way and agree to help if he helps them - like, they'll agree to give him something he needs for his next invention if he uses one of his previous ones to help them capture or track down Peter. I like the idea of Peter also running from Jonas because he stole his medical stuff - they could all ally together to help find Peter.
ReplyDeleteOh, I like that idea for when Sterling could come in! Thanks!
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