City of IF

[Argonaut]

Sometimes you get an idea in your head and you just have to do it RIGHT NOW! Well several people have asked me if I could make a comic of their story, and I really wanted to, but with everything that happens in a chapter I'd have to produce a forty page book for each one. How to find the time to do a storygame comic? Then it occured to me, make a story with just one comic page per decision point, black and white, pencils only, it just might be crazy enough to work :)

With some vague story ideas bouncing around in my head I went to work. It's rather rough and undeveloped, but hopefully over time the style (and the story) will solidify. And so I give you the experimental comic storygame: Scrapyard.
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Some background:
Scrapyard exists in a world of "steam punk" technology. A sort of victorian era science fiction with some anacronistic things thrown in for fun. Beyond that everything is up for grabs. I hope to flesh out the world as the story progresses.

Dramatis Personae:

Martin Coin "Marty" - An engineer, inventor, and something of a recluse. He has been in love with Mel since their days at the academy. Having finally got up some nerve, he's invited her out to his scrapyard, in the hopes of impressing her.

Melinda Sage "Mel" - A naturalist and writer, somewhat well-known in scientific circles. She is skeptial of the value of technology but still finds herself interested in Marty for some reason.

Lets get the the comic already!


What does Marty make? Keep in mind he's trying to impress someone who dosn't care much for technology. Also remember this is Steampunk, so even things that would be impossible to steam age technology (or even modern technology) are possible.

[Thracia Alba]

Ooh, nifty! :shock: :D What an awesome idea! I especially like the character design of your protagonist there... though he does look a bit familiar. Could be the sideburns and ponytail. ;)

Anyway, what to make, what to make... Well, if some dude was trying to impress me by making something, anything explodey would do the trick. However, Mel seems like a far more level-headed kind of gal, so perhaps Marty should aim for something practical. What, I don't know, because I've sacrificed what little creative juices I have left in writing a goodly portion of chapter eight of my SG today. If I think of anything else, I'll add it later.

That being said, I think your idea is both creative and funderful (yes, it's so cool that it's funderful. What? Stop laughing!). Keep it up! :biggrin:

[Chinaren]

I totally f5 the funderfulness of it all! Wooo! Excellent!! :cool: :-) o-) :P


What to make, what to make? Oooh, this is going to take some thinking about.

I'll be back. :biggrin:

[Edit]

Has to be a robot!!! An eversohelpful manservant to fold her dresses or something who, of course, goes a beserk nd threatens world stability.

[Thracia Alba]

Trust China to come up with the awesomest suggestion possible. I totally second the robot idea. Something along the lines of that MK-47 (?) droid from Knights of the Old Republic would be super-awesome. But you know best, of course. :D

[Chinaren]

Thracia Alba wrote: Trust China to come up with the awesomest suggestion possible. I totally second the robot idea. Something along the lines of that MK-47 (?) droid from Knights of the Old Republic would be super-awesome. But you know best, of course. :D

Oh I am sure someone like Stoat will think of something that is actually original. ;)

It would be nice for the robot to be a kind of Jeeves personality character, (a Buttlebot?) who speaks politely to you as it hangs up your hat and twists off your toes.

It could want everything to be too tidy. (Piles of heads for example, go over there in the corner.)

[Argonaut]

Thracia: hmm, I did give Marty my hairstyle... I thought I was trying to make him look a little Victorian-era, but perhaps subconsiously I want to be the protagonist... Perhaps I'm just making things to impress girls... :unsure: ... Nah, couldn't be! :) {edit: MK-47? was he the one that called everyone meatbag?}

Chinaren: Of course, robots, nothing beats a good robot :) And again of course something has to go terribly wrong, or it will be a very short story.

P.S. this is how crazy today has been: I came up with the setting, characters, some idea of where to start the story, designed, thumbnailed, drew panels, did lettering in the computer, uploaded, posted, fiddled around, read replys, and only now do I realize that I'm writing a romantic comedy! What was I thinking... no idea how I'm gonna pull this off. :shock:

[Thracia Alba]

Argonaut wrote: Thracia: hmm, I did give Marty my hairstyle... I thought I was trying to make him look a little Victorian-era, but perhaps subconsiously I want to be the protagonist... Perhaps I'm just making things to impress girls... :unsure: ... Nah, couldn't be! :) {edit: MK-47? was he the one that called everyone meatbag?}

The very same. And don't worry, I was just teasing you about Marty there. I don't think he really looks anything like you. Except for maybe the ponytail. But that's it. :)

Argonaut wrote: P.S. this is how crazy today has been: I came up with the setting, characters, some idea of where to start the story, designed, thumbnailed, drew panels, did lettering in the computer, uploaded, posted, fiddled around, read replys, and only now do I realize that I'm writing a romantic comedy! What was I thinking... no idea how I'm gonna pull this off. :shock:

Ha-haah! Oh, how I relish it when it's someone else doing this kind of thing and not me! Good luck there, buddy! :lol:

[The Powers That Be]

Very very nice beginning, Argo! Given the setting and all, I'm thinking flying machine. There's nothing like a steam-powered, wing-flapping flying machine to get a girl feeling all tingly inside (hopefully in a good way).

[Key]

Wow! Great idea and great start :D

Since Mel is a naturalist, I'm thinking Marty could make some plants or animals for her - but better of course than the real thing - maybe a junkyard garden with aluminum trees and little mechanical birds flying around.

Looking forward to how this comes out...

:-)

[Smee]

Love it Argonaut - very cool :D

I suggest an automated beauty centre - applies perfect make-up, gives the hair a trim, whilst the shoulders and back are gentle massaged.

Happy Sketchin' :D

[Solomon Birch]

Great start! Steampunk is almost as cool as cyberpunk, so you have me hooked already! ;)

I like the idea of a flying machine. He could make some sort of steam-powered rocket-bike and then fly above a forest, showing Mel how much he cares about nature. Make it romantic and fide a moonlit glade where they can have a candle-lit dinner of fresh possum and tubers. Mmmmm! :D

Of course, when they've made this wonderful forest their spiritual home, it will be threatened by a huge industrial company, who churn out crazy machines, and of which Marty is a big fan. Then we can have the whole dilemma scenario, Mel almost walking out on him, and then Marty doing the right thing and stopping them with his crazy inventions and saving the forest, and getting Mel in the sack in the process! WOoo! :biggrin:

Can't wait!

*holds breath* :shock:

[Shady Stoat]

Fantastic idea, Argo. Time well spent *doesn't mutter at all about Dragonbound* ;)

I like all the ideas that have been put in so far. Not sure which direction you want to take this, but I'll throw in another one.

Marty knows Mel likes plants and birds and cute li'l animals and the like... and he loves the world of technology... so why not try to combine the two?

I'm sure technology could find a good way to send out a summoning signal to all those wild and fluffy creatures, some sort of compelling vibration or sonic pitch, that will bring them all scurrying to the scrapyard.

After seeing an achievement like that, why would Mel ever want to leave his wonderful world again? And I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong with it. No teenage mutant ninja bunnies running around the scrapyard, making katanas out of old scaffold frames, for example. Nope, nothing like that :shock:

[ninja baloon]

Coooooooooooooool. I think some sort of robot should be made that takes care of the enviroment. A little beetle or tortoise type thing that keeps lots of tools etc in its back. Give it a personal;ity too. I love the art. :D

[Geek_girl72]

This is awesome! Can't wait to see more of it. Mel likes nature, and is a writer, so...*brain cramp*...maybe something that gives life to her imaginary creations? Like a holodeck type thing from star trek, which could easily go berserk and cause a problem

[LordoftheNight]

Does someone want to give their definition of steampunk for me? And, while they're at it, throw in cyberpunk as well.

[Thracia Alba]

Steampunk, unless I'm mistaken (and it's not like that EVER happens), is sort of like the whole mid nineteenth-century, everything-powered-by-steam scene with a bunch of anachronistic technology thrown in. A good example of this would be the excellent anime movie, Steamboy. I think cyberpunk might be almost like the opposite, with futuristic technology with a bunch of anachronisms thrown in, though I'm not as up-and-up on the cyberpunk scene as Soily, probably.

[The Powers That Be]

Wikipedia wrote: Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. Fiction in the steampunk genre is set in the past, or a world resembling the past, in which modern technological paradigms occurred earlier in history, but were accomplished via the science already present in that time period. The genre typically falls into the realm of science fiction.

Wikipedia wrote: Cyberpunk (a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk) is a sub-genre of science fiction which focuses on computers or information technology, usually coupled with some degree of breakdown in social order. The plot of cyberpunk literature often revolves around the conflict between hackers, artificial intelligences, and megacorps, tending to be set within a near-future dystopian Earth, rather than the 'outer space' locales prevalent at the time of cyberpunk's inception

These are pretty decent definitions, I think.

[Thracia Alba]

Ah, so a good example of cyberpunk would be "Ghost in the Shell", then. Jolly good. :D

[Smee]

I haven't seen the film but from the trailers I remember - would that Wild West film with Will Smith and odd inventions be considered Steampunk?

[Muaddib]

Hey Argo, you've finally started a storygame, and on your own terms!

I second Alba's MK-47 idea. A sardonic, pompous robot would be ideal.

[The Powers That Be]

Thracia Alba wrote: Ah, so a good example of cyberpunk would be "Ghost in the Shell", then. Jolly good. :D

GitS is iconic cyberpunk. As far as books go, the most commonly cited examples are probably William Gibson's Neuromancer and Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. They're both worth reading.

Smee wrote: I haven't seen the film but from the trailers I remember - would that Wild West film with Will Smith and odd inventions be considered Steampunk?

I saw the trailers too, and I think those are perfect examples. I haven't really read any Steampunk, but Gibson's and Bruce Sterling's The Difference Engine is maybe the best-known example (if we don't count Jules Verne).

[LordoftheNight]

Cheers Powers. That's pretty much what I thought, but thanks for clearing it up.

[chiacutie]

:)


I second both china's and alba's idea, since they are similar...


And then oyu can use one of my favorite things to say


"Im afraid I can't do that, dave"

smoochers,
neato bandito

[Argonaut]

So many good suggestions, robots, rockets, metal gardens... make-over machines? So far my personal favorite is the fuzzy animal summoning device :)

Still it's only been a couple of days... can't wait to see what else people come up with.

[jnmrcs]

Very interesting method of storygame.

I think that a castle will do what we need...

[Argonaut]

:( every time I start something new here the real world comes up and bites me in the butt :shock:

Still I'm going to put a poll up... and just hope I can get some time to draw the next page. :)

(p.s. sorry Geek Girl, I didn't include your holodeck idea because I couldn't figure out a way to make it steampunk :( )

[JezSharp]

Wow ok, too many good options to choose :confused: , not sure which to pick...
Castle or garden would look good but I'm not sure quite where it would go from there, makeover machine and flying machine are good but I prefer the novelty value of the other three choices so ... eenie meenie miny mo...

Down to the cute animal summoner versus the enviromental robot, and I can't decide... :wall:

Right, gone with the enviromental robot, just felt right - sigh of relief, glad thats done.

[Chinaren]

Well I made it a three way tie. :D Went for Robobuttle, 'cos I suggested it, and it fits with the period. Maybe.

[Smee]

I broke the tie going for the Cute Animal summoner :D

[Muaddib]

I voted for cute animal summoner.

[BStheGreat]

Flying machine.

[Solomon Birch]

I went for flying machine, of course. It will lend it so well to the plot I planned out for you Argo! :P

[solus.serpen]

hey, okay then.
personaly i liked geek girls idea,
but, forfiet that...
i think i will have to go for the cute animal thing,
that way, you could have it that all the animals come to the scrapyard and then, due to all the junk they start to die (choking on things etc.)
so she gets really mad and he has to get rid of the machine and make a new one...

...or something else...
not quite sure about the rest of the plot really, i'll leave it up to you on that one - more interesting ;)

[Geek_girl72]

Gotta go with the summoner, if it can call up cute little animals maybe it could call up something not so cute and little...

[Thracia Alba]

Voted for MK-47, but it appears the fuzzy animal vote is winning. I hope it goes horribly awry and spawns evil teddy bears that suck people's souls out through their noses. :D

[Argonaut]

well it looks like the fuzzy animals are popular. Still I guess I'll leave it open over the weekend to see if Solomon can't russle up some more support for his flying machine.

Although I don't think I'll be using quite the plot you've outlined Mr. Birch :D

[chiacutie]

lol alba's got a nice idea there!

[Argonaut]

Alright, weekend is over, so is the poll, and cute fuzzy animals are the most popular. Now I have to find some time to practice drawing cute fuzzy animals :)

Gotta set deadlines, I will have this done in less than a month... definitely... probably... maybe...

Thanks to all those that commented and all those that voted. I can't wait to do more of this.

[Chinaren]

Wooo! 19 votes! You have certainly hit a spot with this one Argo!

[chiacutie]

Dave, I'm jealous!!! You made it to second page already!!! After I think a month I'm still on first page on my story!!

*stands in awe*