Jump to content

Horror Thread planning


Voidus

Recommended Posts

1. I'm fine with this, as long as the evil person has a reason for doing particularly gory things. I mean, I'm fine as long as the evil person has a reason for killing someone in a messy way, albeit if it's an evil reason, but if they only do it for their personal enjoyment? That just gives me the creeps. Besides, I don't think it's plausible that someone is going to last for any meaningful amount of time if they have to stop and murder someone for their own enjoyment.

Take the Joker, for instance. it's obvious he doesn't mind killing people, but he mainly does those things to get at Batman.

2. I mean, mental illnesses are real, and they can lead people to become full-fledged psychopaths, but I'd really prefer it if we didn't specify exactly what our villain has. That makes it a little too real.

3. Please no wind-up jack-in-the-boxes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...

You guys know we're supposed to be creating the people undergoing the horror, right? Not the people causing the horror.

I think we're supposed to at least.

As for my preferences:

I don't really have issues with anything, but I prefer cosmic horror or supernatural horror, especially the type with a focus on going mad from the revelation. I'm not sure how well that'd translate into the RP though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, kenod said:

...

You guys know we're supposed to be creating the people undergoing the horror, right? Not the people causing the horror.

I think we're supposed to at least.

As for my preferences:

I don't really have issues with anything, but I prefer cosmic horror or supernatural horror, especially the type with a focus on going mad from the revelation. I'm not sure how well that'd translate into the RP though.

What is the definition of cosmic horror, exactly?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Kidpen said:

What is the definition of cosmic horror, exactly?

I'm not sure about the exact definition, but I think it means that the horror comes from the idea that things infinitely more powerful than us exist, and that we can't do anything about them, with the only reason they haven't destroyed us being that they don't notice us. Basically, horror that uses existential fear as the primary scary thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, kenod said:

I'm not sure about the exact definition, but I think it means that the horror comes from the idea that things infinitely more powerful than us exist, and that we can't do anything about them, with the only reason they haven't destroyed us being that they don't notice us. Basically, horror that uses existential fear as the primary scary thing.

Hmm. That... doesn't sound like my favorite tbh. I am probably misunderstanding the concept, but that doesn't sound all that horrorish to me really. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Darth Woodrack said:

WHAT? BUT CAUSING THE HORROR IS THE FUN PART! WHY WOULD WE WRITE PURELY PEOPLE UNDERGOING THE HORROR?

First: Ouch, my ears.

Second: Because people undergoing the horror is just as important as creating the horror, and if you have multiple people writing the villains you'll either run out of people to RP victims or create a giant mess because of the lack of coordination, turning the whole thing into a confusing/comical pile-up of plots, destroying the horror.

2 minutes ago, Kidpen said:

Hmm. That... doesn't sound like my favorite tbh. I am probably misunderstanding the concept, but that doesn't sound all that horrorish to me really. 

Check out the SCP Foundation, or H.P. Lovecraft. It should give a good idea of the genre.

Note that while the SCP Foundation is cosmic horror to at least some degree, it has a rather unusual format, meaning it might not work as the perfect example. Also, check out the Terrible Writing Advice episode on the topic. It also covers the basics (in between the sarcasm).

Edited by kenod
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with Kenod.

I’m not trying to create a monster though or someone to scare others with this guy, it’s just a conflict of his that makes him a little more messed up and maybe gives some depth, I don’t think it will actually come to eating or trying to eat other players.

Edited by I think I am here.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Darth Woodrack said:

Not if everyone has multiple characters. Some to experience, much fewer to enact. I just have very little interest in actually being the one scared, I would really like to scare people.

Multiple characters would work, but I personally wouldn't like people having characters on both sides, since already knowing what's going happen diminishes the horror. Still, if you prefer running things I don't have an issue with it, just make sure you coordinate stuff with Voidus, to prevent multiple plots colliding with each other.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Arky-boi said:

Hey, @Voidus, can I add Hellbent to the horror plot?

Preference is non-Invested individuals. Someone like Hellbent is very likely to be an early casualty if they were in the setting.

12 hours ago, Darth Woodrack said:

Not if everyone has multiple characters. Some to experience, much fewer to enact. I just have very little interest in actually being the one scared, I would really like to scare people.


Just going to state this again, if you want to be on the worldbuilding team and be the ones portraying the horror instead of experiencing it then you can't have a player character. Knowing what is going to happen completely diminishes the ability to actually experience the story as horror.

RE: Cosmic horror, this kind of horror was really popularized by Lovecraft but society has changed since then, it's not as broadly accepted as horrifying as it was back then. The world at the time was riding on a wave of rationalism, believing that everything could be rationalized, quantified, understood and controlled. Lovecraft took that away from people by writing about incomprehensible beings that were uncontainable, unpredictable and impossible to understand. They destroyed the world and drove you made but not out of a desire to rule it, in fact people didn't know why they did it at all, or even what they were, that was the horrifying part.
The world is a different place now so it's not as horrifying as it once was. So there will likely be at least some influence from cosmic horror stuff but unless a majority of people want to have that as a focus it'll probably be playing a supporting role to the main themes.

 

12 hours ago, Darth Woodrack said:

WHAT? BUT CAUSING THE HORROR IS THE FUN PART! WHY WOULD WE WRITE PURELY PEOPLE UNDERGOING THE HORROR?

Because if no one wanted to undergo the horror then no one would be able to enjoy causing the horror. And because in order to write good horror you have to enjoy good horror, which means experiencing it from the other side. You couldn't write good fantasy without reading fantasy. Understanding your audience is key with any form of storytelling. If you have never been horrified then how could you possibly hope to craft a convincingly horrifying scene?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Something to keep in mind is that this most likely isn’t going to be a thread where the players are trying to “win the game” but rather a collaborative storytelling experience where we emphasize working together for some chilling and thrilling fun. Don’t come into this thinking, “I made the coolest character so nothing bad will happen to them.” Be willing to lose characters, as that can make for some awesome story moments. This could be really fun or REALLY miserable. Let’s aim for the former.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Fatebreaker said:

Something to keep in mind is that this most likely isn’t going to be a thread where the players are trying to “win the game” but rather a collaborative storytelling experience where we emphasize working together for some chilling and thrilling fun. Don’t come into this thinking, “I made the coolest character so nothing bad will happen to them.” Be willing to lose characters, as that can make for some awesome story moments. This could be really fun or REALLY miserable. Let’s aim for the former.

Fun for us and miserable for the characters. That's a good line to draw.

If our characters are having fun, or if we aren't, then we gotta CHANGE something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, Gancho Libre said:

Fun for us and miserable for the characters. That's a good line to draw.

If our characters are having fun, or if we aren't, then we gotta CHANGE something.

Unless the reason the characters are having fun is because they ran out of SAN points and broke down, then everything is fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Fatebreaker said:

Something to keep in mind is that this most likely isn’t going to be a thread where the players are trying to “win the game” but rather a collaborative storytelling experience where we emphasize working together for some chilling and thrilling fun. Don’t come into this thinking, “I made the coolest character so nothing bad will happen to them.” Be willing to lose characters, as that can make for some awesome story moments. This could be really fun or REALLY miserable. Let’s aim for the former.

That's why I'll use a new character for this setting. If she dies, it' fine. If she ends up insane, it's fine. As long as I end up with some good rp and a cool story, I'm happy.

And in my experience loosing is even more interesting than winning. It's a lot more intense, it hits you more, if you really, really tried everything, and then in the end, stare at a pile of rubble and know you messed it up, or you had the wrong idea, or you simply couldn't do it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since Voidus proposed to post the bios for characters in this thread, here's Lizanne. (I already posted her in the character thread, so that one's mostly for information)

Spoiler

Name: Lizanne Farmer

Age: 17 (maybe, she isn't sure about that)

Investiture: none

Skills: Amateur Scholarship (farming/ animals) (20), Intelligent (30)

Physical: brown hair, straw like texture; brown eyes; back, legs and arms covered with scars; torn cloths; almost painfully thin, large eyes

Weaknesses: limping, can't run (-20); deeply afraid of being chained/ trapped (-15); paranoid (-20); will follow a command directed at her blindly (-10) (I'll start strong and would like to soften that one a bit over the time, so don't rate it too high)

Character: has a hard time to trust anybody, usually looks at the darker side of a situation, can be loyal, strong-willed, likes to improvise

Family: two brothers, a sister, parents (all: location unknown)

Homeworld: Sel

Guild Affiliation: none

Backstory: Lizanne grew up on a farm. One day slavers came by and kidnapped her entire family. Lizanne lost track of them, when she was sold on a market.
She isn't sure how many years she spent working for her new master, and can only guess her age. At the beginning she had a rebellious streak, that was beaten out of her systematically. Over the years she learned to keep her head low, although she never stopped plotting how to escape.
Mostly she worked in the fields, as she made sure to obscure her features and look ugly. She is able to recognize some edible plants and has some basic knowledge how to handle animals, like how to milk a cow. One day she had the opportunity to run away, and it was only because of the kindness of some strangers, that she managed to stay free. They hid her for days and organized a trip away from Sel. Her journey took her first to Roshar, but as she never felt safe she fled that planet as well and arrived at the Alleyverse. Here she felt safer, as many different cultures mixed with each other and she wasn't standing out that much.
She spends her time begging in the streets, or if she is lucky, is able to find work for a day or two.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not a big horror person, but the temptation to create a spoiled rich brat who complains about everything for this is so strong. Maybe even enough to get me to break my record of never having killed a character...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Silva said:

I'm not a big horror person, but the temptation to create a spoiled rich brat who complains about everything for this is so strong. Maybe even enough to get me to break my record of never having killed a character...

But then the real horror hits you: No matter how dumb and irritating you RP them as being, no matter how many horror tropes they walk into, they keep surviving. And you have to RP the spoiled rich brat... FOREVER!
:P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...