Collaborative Fiction: Choose-To-Tell Your Story!

Collaborative Fiction: Choose-To-Tell Your Story!
By Chained Angel (ID 20570), and Krystal Fae (ID 10962)

        Hello. You’ve caught me at my favorite hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. They make a delicious Iced Polar Bear Mocha. You should try it some time. Would you care to join me for a bit?
        While you might think I am here watching for evil-doers casing the art gallery across the street, I’m actually here people watching and considering using my two favorite words.
        What if.
        Yes, two tiny little words, ‘what’ and ‘if’ have more power to them than the mightiest power or advanced piece of gear you can collect.
        How, you may ask? They unlock the imagination. For instance, as I gaze over at the guard just inside of the bank over there, I might ask myself “What if his family has been captured by the Epic-Fail Four and he has been forced to help them gain access to the bank?” That would be a pretty pickle, wouldn’t it?
        I could likely handle that situation myself, but things are usually more fun with company. I think I would call in my league, The Star Force, to give me a hand if that story were unfolding. Just a moment, please, I need my league communicator.
        “Hello, Starmaster. Let’s say I’m outside of the Seven-of-Nine Bank downtown and I think I’ve come across a potential robbery scene. What would you do under those circumstances?”
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        “You think you have identified the site of a crime about to happen, Chained Angel? I’m glad you called. Do you know who is behind it? Oh, you think it might be those losers from last league war, the Epic-Fail Four again. What’s wrong with our justice system?”
        As you can see, the ‘what if’ of Chained Angel’s encounter has now passed on to me, Starmaster. Reacting to the premise of her initial situation, I would have to say I would call in some other members of our team to meet her nearby, discretely of course, and continue her investigations.
        Of course, being the ‘good guys’, I’m going to assume we are going to be successful in hindering this operation, but that doesn’t have to be the case. The ‘what if’ could go in any direction, twisting the plot by the additional ‘what if’ the Epic-Fail Four are simply a diversion for an attack elsewhere. It would make sense that the E.F.F. were being used as a catspaw in a larger scheme against our city.
        That is the core of collaborative fiction. Each person is part of growing and telling a part of section of story. One person isn’t responsible for doing all the writing and with every new addition, the story can develop in new and unexpected manners. I think one of my other league-mates might have an idea or two about this.
        “Hey, Wyldfyre. What do you know about the Epic-Fail Four?”
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        “That bunch of hacks. They couldn’t rob a diaper without making a huge mess. And I hear it is the Epic-Fail Five, now. They are actually successful with their recruitment efforts, unlike some!”
        Wyldfyre speaking now. Yeah, writing fiction based on a bunch of supers isn’t as much fun as winning a battle by burning someone’s face off, but there are payoffs. Each time you post in the fiction forum, you earn a Reality Writer Power Card worth 10 Morphons. That is nine Morphons more than you get for leveling, for those of you that suck at basic math. Submit a work that is relevant, at least a paragraph or two in length, and you get something.
        If you don’t take advantage of that, then you are a pretty d—
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        “I hope you don’t mind me interrupting, Mr. Wyldfyre, but there isn’t a need for insults here. We are among friends. Plus, I’d like a chance to introduce myself. I go by Catalyst. You can learn more about me from my participation in the collaborative fiction post about the U.E.S. Dreamcatcher.”
        There are several threads that are in the fiction forum that multiple writers participate in. Collaborative fiction offers the opportunity to gain other rewards, as there are monthly rewards for worthy stories created through multiple POVs. This is an activity that can help bring a team together when not doing a league war or raid.
As a techie, for the situation Chained Angel describes, my role would likely be as the 'man in the van', as I am a newer member of the Star Force. I could scan for useful clues or maybe even come up with a clever method to stop the E.F.F. as they try to escape. I could work up a sonic generator and set up a trigger in the back alley to stun them all as they flee through the bank's back door.
Plus, as a social game, other Heroes Rising players get the benefit of having some interesting stories to read. Staff writer Dan Peyton is in charge of the official lore or cannon, but he isn’t going to write your character’s story for you. That is up to you.
        “Krystal Fae, would you like to add anything about your experience with collaborative fiction writing?”
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"Yes, Catalyst, I would."
 Don't expect collaborative writing to be easy... it's been compared to herding cats... You never know unless it's discussed beforehand what someone else might post.
That said, you will often be inspired by the direction another writer leads the story to continue in a similar direction or to find a way to reverse course if you really can't see the story headed into a good place. The main thing is, never completely overpower another writer deliberately... and have fun...
“Any other comments, Starmaster?”
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        “Good points, Krystal.”
        Collaborative fiction brings me back to the days of reading Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books. The big difference is you are not limited by what someone else thinks the options are. You get to have full control of where the story goes.
        “Chained Angel, would you like to bring us home?”
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        “Thank you. You have all made shared some thoughtful comments.”
        If you read this, check out the fiction forum and look for threads with Collaborative Fiction in the title. There is a recently started on by The Celestial Guardian that is inviting any who are interested to participate.
        That’s all I have for now, good citizens. I’ve got to get back to keeping my eye out for trouble. You never know how things will unfold when someone taps into their personal power of “What If?”
Blessings to you all,
Chained Angel