Best short fictions suggestions?

[Jay the Arbiter]

My fic features Dizzy. Does that count as Original Characters?

Wait, you're looking for Good fiction? Never mind....

And I haven't read the others, aside from LihS, Jay. :/ I'd recomend it, though. Did you ever finish it?

Yes, I finished LIHS.

1 vote for that then!

[TheRealBigBoss]

Edited original post to include suggested stories so far. Check it out now, complain later.

[Croswynd]

I say two for each category for a total of 10 stories. Or maybe just leave Comedy with one and the rest with 2.

[Wisdom Thumbs]

I don't care what anybody says, this story needs to be in the Comedy section:

The Last Days of Clatyon Carmine

Yes, I wrote it. That makes no difference. RaKais himself said it was the funniest thing he'd ever read up to that point in time.

Moving on, I will DEFINITELY add a piece or two of artwork to this event. I might also ask Flak to post the thread for us, or at least to sticky it (at least for a week or so). It won't really be seen otherwise. Not for long.

In the meantime, I'm really sad that my old short story 'The Crust' was never finished. The one about the Indies fighting the Gears in the desert. I liked that one. It would have been good for this.

[Jonesybites]

Several unfinished stories would have been good for us, sigh. But ten sounds like an good even number. The Last Days of Clayton Carmine would be a good addition for the lolz.

[Croswynd]

Hmm. It seems we need to pare down the last category and the Locust category. I like On the Beat and Charred Sin for the last category. I haven't read anything of Jay's in a long time, but I think we should focus on something shorter than 6-7 chapters long. So Butchered Ground and George the Drone?

Add in Wiz' comedy he just linked to the comedy section and we've got what we need.

[Jay the Arbiter]

Personally, I'd go with George the Drone and Day in the Life of: A Pariah for Best Locust. I just feel Pariah would be a better choice from my work.

[rusticangelic]

I agree with Jay's choice, Pariah was what got me into reading his SK work, it made me want to read more about his created world. And poor George the Drone, sad story, but so cute.

[Jonesybites]

Pariah it is then.

[Croswynd]

All that's left is to vote on the last category. I said On The Beat and Charred Sin.

[rusticangelic]

Definite yes for On The Beat

[Jonesybites]

I say go ahead and use both. That brings us to how many so far, seven?

[Croswynd]

Current suggestions list categorized -

Official game characters -

Survive by Wisdom Thumbs
Day in A Life: Mataki by Croswynd

Locust fictions -

A Pariah (DITL) by Jay the Arbitar

George the Drone by OZombiePenguinO

Comedy -

Mi gears of wars 3 fan ficktion storytale by TimIsWin
The Last Days of Clayton Carmine by Wisdom Thumbs

Original characters -

Day in a Life: Sniper by SKORGE

The Promise by TheRealBigBoss

Uncategorized -

Charred Sin by SKORGE
On The Beat by Jonesybites



Consensus?

[Jonesybites]

I'd give it a go...whatta y'all say"

[TheRealBigBoss]

Can I mention how much I really, really, really... hate the idea of expanding beyond selecting five stories? I feel like it completely defeats the objective we're aiming for, that of presenting simple, concise, clearly defined choices. It's confusing overkill, it muddies the waters, and I'm thinking it will do more damage than good.

But hey, I'm open to compromise. So how's about this. Each selected fic will need a new thread (for various reasons), so at the end of each of them we could include a...

If you enjoyed this, then why not try these too?

...tag line, and include the links to similar fics below it.

Also, on the subject of sexually explicit content, I think it's a bad idea, and I don't believe it's something we should be showcasing in the context of this proposal. The forum is one of the public faces of Epic Games, I feel I owe them greater respect than to be seen actively promoting potentially contentious material in this way. I'm not suggesting people shouldn't be allowed to explore mature themes like that, just that I don't feel it's appropriate for this particular idea we're discussing here.

[Croswynd]

Fine with me! We have a smaller list now at least. Take one from each category and we've got our best.

[Croswynd]

Current suggestions list categorized -

Official game characters -

Survive by Wisdom Thumbs

Locust fictions -

A Pariah (DITL) by Jay the Arbitar

Comedy -

Mi gears of wars 3 fan ficktion storytale by TimIsWin

Original characters -

The Promise by TheRealBigBoss

Uncategorized -

On The Beat by Jonesybites

My picks.

[SKORGE]

Yeah I remember Boss, glad to know you're bringing her back somewhat. I think that was one of the best shorts I'd read in a long while. Kind of awesome how you not only had a female character before it was cool, but a medic non-the-least.

Also, I re-read "A Day In the Life of: A Sniper" and I detest it to an extent. Very rough and nasty-looking in my opinion. I have no idea as to why that has stuck with you people. Hahaha.

[Jay the Arbiter]

Yeah I remember Boss, glad to know you're bringing her back somewhat. I think that was one of the best shorts I'd read in a long while. Kind of awesome how you not only had a female character before it was cool, but a medic non-the-least.

Also, I re-read "A Day In the Life of: A Sniper" and I detest it to an extent. Very rough and nasty-looking in my opinion. I have no idea as to why that has stuck with you people. Hahaha.

You weren't a fan of A Sniper? 0.0

It's funny, I was a little puzzled as to why Butchered Grounds got nominated. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike it, but looking back at it, it was a bit... meh. Not my best really. :/.

[Jonesybites]

Also, on the subject of sexually explicit content, I think it's a bad idea, and I don't believe it's something we should be showcasing in the context of this proposal. The forum is one of the public faces of Epic Games, I feel I owe them greater respect than to be seen actively promoting potentially contentious material in this way. I'm not suggesting people shouldn't be allowed to explore mature themes like that, just that I don't feel it's appropriate for this particular idea we're discussing here.

Which was why we decided not to go with them because they were not written for the sake of some gratuitous past-time and I'd hate for people to think we've depicted it otherwise.

Anyways, the proposed list looks fine to me, although I did enjoy Day in a Life: A Sniper, but that's just me I guess.

[Croswynd]

We must all arrive at consensus. What's everyone's opinion on the latest list? Should we switch stories out or is this our best?

[TheRealBigBoss]

Current suggestions list categorized -

Official game characters -

Survive by Wisdom Thumbs

Locust fictions -

A Pariah (DITL) by Jay the Arbitar

Comedy -

Mi gears of wars 3 fan ficktion storytale by TimIsWin

Original characters -

The Promise by TheRealBigBoss

Uncategorized -

On The Beat by Jonesybites

My picks.

This is fine with me too. And like I said, the other stories will be included on the recommended list of similar stories. Example, at the end of TimIsWin's comedy story, we could post links to Wiz and Jonesy's comedies. And agreed, hoping for a general consensus on this so we can move forward.

Yeah I remember Boss, glad to know you're bringing her back somewhat. I think that was one of the best shorts I'd read in a long while. Kind of awesome how you not only had a female character before it was cool, but a medic non-the-least.

Yeah, I paved the way for characters like Alex Brand. Yay me.

[rusticangelic]

The list looks good to me, the whole point is to pick some of the works that stand out and that will bring in a new readership. So the choices look good all round.

[Jay the Arbiter]

Cro's list looks pretty fine!

[TheRealBigBoss]

In the "If you enjoyed this, then why not try..." recommended links section, I think having around three stories listed would be good. And also a link to Fan Fic Central at the end. This means we're actually giving exposure to around twenty stories, and everything listed in FFC too.

Also, if anyone has any tips on reformatting to accommodate the new forum skins, well, that would be helpful.

[Croswynd]

I take it we're all in agreement with the list, then?

Alright, what's next?

[Jonesybites]

Format, or presentation, which shouldn't be too much of a chore, but we'll need a looksie on the banners, artwork, ect. Boss said she would provide the "banners" so any other artwork/concpets that others could submitted will need to accomodate the fics or "format.'

[TheRealBigBoss]

Format, or presentation, which shouldn't be too much of a chore, but we'll need a looksie on the banners, artwork, ect. Boss said she would provide the "banners" so any other artwork/concpets that others could submitted will need to accomodate the fics or "format.'

It should go like this...

1. Each of the five selected stories will need to be re-posted for formatting issues and to correct any grammar or spelling errors. Minor re-writes to help clarify story points and improve readability would be nice too.

2. Banners and (potential) artwork - The banners will need to be uniform, I'd kinda like the formatting of the stories to be uniform too actually. Regarding the artwork, well, I'm interested in trying to present that in a uniform way too, but it's all dependent on what, if anything, collaborative artists are willing to provide. I'm not interested in dictating to them exactly what they should do, I'd like them to be happy participating and comfortable with what they're asked to do. Guess a collaborative effort is what I'm aiming for.

3. We need a name for the main thread, cause right now, I have no clue what to call it.

4. Decide on the intro, what it should say, should it include a mini faq on Gears fan fictions to explain some of the mystique? Stuff like that needs to be talked about.

5. I'd like to hear if anyone has any other ideas which could help this section in general to make it a more attractive prospect. One idea I had was a basic step by step guide to creating a fan fic, as I'm pretty sure there are people who might have great ideas but are unsure about how to turn them into a great story. So yeah, I'd be interested to hear other ideas.

Guess that's the general idea so far, but if something better comes along, we'll change it.

[Jonesybites]

Sweet. On to formatting, based on what you have thus far, Boss:

1) Reformate...and in what way, or is that still undecided? It may be better if one person can re-format, that way they're all uniformed. Editing I agree is a must, and perhaps we need to select someone to to do that as well for the sake of uniformity.

2) Agreed, which is why we'll need to wait to see what is the color scheme, format, or the design you decide to render for the page. Then we can format on the minute things, such as font size, color, is to be in a quote box or in regular post-format, ect.

3) Here's my suggestions; Gears of War; Story collection (basic I know, but I'll throw it out there anyway), Gears of War: Tribulations, Gears of War: Chronicles...please by all means if someone has a better idea for a title, submit it. I'm sure someone can come up with something a bit more original than I can.

4) I'm drawing a blank for an intro at the moment, but perhaps when we decide on "format," maybe then we can collaberate on intro.

5) None at the present, or at least based on the resources that we have available to us for the time being...but perhaps once we get started, then we may be able to come up with some other ideas to improve upon the page.

[Croswynd]

I'll edit the stories, if the writers wish my services. It's fun for me. I sadly can't offer any help with illustrations, though, as my drawing skills are 't3h suxx0rz' as t'were.

[Wisdom Thumbs]

Huge opportunity, I smell it.

http://epicgames.com/community/2012/...n-doms-misery/

The above is a poem by Comrade John, but I think he may have just opened the door for our little project here. And we should definitely get this to the Epic Gamers one way or another, so this may solve a lot of issues for us quite tidily.

Anyway, just give me the format we're using and I'll have "Survive" posted up (slightly rewritten) within the week. And that's if you also want me to do the banner with it, in which case just tell me what the dimensions should be, what the art should look like and where to upload.

However I can help, I'll do it. The S&C means a lot to me.

[TheRealBigBoss]

Nice shout out to Comrade John there, the artwork looks really familiar too, just don't know if I seen it here on the forum or on DA.

About the format thing, I'm assuming we'd need it to work for all the forum skin variations? Which is tricky cause certain colors might look good on a black background, but not so good on a white one. Some of the stickied threads in the main forum are attractively presented, maybe just ask the guys who posted those threads?

Regarding the banners. First off, they'd be separate from any included artwork, and fairly uniform. Uniform as in they'd use the same typeface, same generally look. Only thing that would change from story to story would be the title and some kind of graphic/illustration/image, whatever works best for the story in question. I'll post up an example tomorrow. There are size limits to any images posted on the forum, I think it's 400 pixels wide or something, so they'd need to work under that constraint. The various authors ideas or help for banners is welcome.

And finally the editing. Just an idea but maybe we could reread the five stories and point out any errors and so on? I'd like the original authors to do an initial edit (where possible), because no one will understand their stories better than them, and if certain story points need clarification, I guess they're the best people to do it.

One more finally. For the title of the thread, I like the idea of calling it

EPIC STORIES

It's simple, direct, kinda epic, and describes the thread perfectly. The thread is about stories from an Epic Games game, so yeah, works for me anyhow.

[rusticangelic]

I approve Epic Stories, the only thing is we mainly write about Gears, nothing much else from the Epic games selection, so that's the only snag.

[Jay the Arbiter]

Epic Stories sounds pretty fine to me.

[Wisdom Thumbs]

Hmm. Yes, that is a snag, but it's such a perfect title otherwise. And they are short stories. Perhaps change the title to 'Epic Short Stories' or maybe even 'Epic Fanfics.' I dunno. 'Epic Stories' works well if we can't think of anything else.

I'll give 'Survive' a once-over (probably tomorrow, but at least a little bit tonight). It... really needs an edit.

EDIT: And let's see that example banner. I'm itching to feast my eyes.

[TheRealBigBoss]

Well, the banner is gonna have "Gears of War" in the title, so at least the banner will say "Gears of War - EPIC STORIES" so as to avoid confusion.

And the title "EPIC STORIES" isn't really supposed to refer to the listed shorts alone, but rather the entire body of work that is the Gears Fan Fic Community. The listed shorts are intended as more of an appetizer in a way, something to entice people into further reading (fingers crossed ).

Hmm, with the banner I was thinking of something simple and direct, but now you mention it, maybe something spectacularly eye catching is what's really needed. Which considering I've currently got only a basic version of Photoshop to work with (long story) is kinda worrying. So I was thinking maybe I could ask Crotale for some help with it? Fact is no one knows Photoshop like Cro, and I can't think of anyone who could do a more incredibly awesome banner than Crotale anyhow. Assuming he'd be interested in the first place of course.

[Wisdom Thumbs]

Cross our fingers. Crotale is a longtime friend of the community at large, and he knows us. I dare say we're some of the oldest members next to him.

[TheRealBigBoss]

So, graphically, here's what I first had in mind...

Now that I see it realized, I have to admit that I actually quite like it for a bunch of different reasons. And hey, here's a handy list.

1. Bold, striking and dominate.
2. Simply and clearly communicates intended idea.
3. Shares design similarities with military insignia, clever.
4. Though similar to the Epic Games logo, it's more a respectful homage than outright copyright infringing plagiarism.
5. Has good scalability which will work well for the banners and other branding options.
6. Features a COG logo with Lancer wings, LANCER WINGS! Talk about EPIC...
7. Works on any forum skin and always looks good, just like me.
8. There is no point eight, it's just one of my favorite numbers so I wanted to include it.

Anyhoo, I will run it by Crotale to get his thoughts, which I'm hoping aren't along the lines of... LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

And here's an idea of how it works in an EXAMPLE banner...

I was hoping to give this more of an e-glass look with metal highlights, but what I found was all that did was obscure the original art.

I'll run it by Crotale. See if he has any ideas. BTW, is the SCREENSHOT tag the only way to post images? It still auto sizes everything to 400 pixels width.


EDIT: Just tried switching around forum skins, and I've noticed that if I view the Gears section, the forum is always displayed using the Gears skin. So the background of the Gears forum is always black then yeah?

[DragonzZilla]

Excellent work, Boss.

[TheRealBigBoss]

Excellent work, Boss.

Thanks. It'll probably change soon anyhow, lol.

I didn't actually have the original banner artwork for "The Promise" so I had to download it from here and do a makeover. Liking the new stormy look though.