Supplemental docs needed for the Return? & New stite st

Talk about Return, Makeover, GunMoon, Gen Lost, and Windborne.

Supplemental docs needed for the Return? & New stite st

Postby Sunshine Temple » Tue Dec 11, 2007 9:43 pm

I recently got a review that the weapons talk was getting a bit confusing.
Does the fic nee weapons documents and info?

I can format my notes into something like a brochure or internal info sheet.

Like what was done for the chapter recaps.

Another complaint brewing is the character list. Which I'll agree with. There's the entire Ranma cast, all of Sailor Moon, and enough original characters to make two stories. As per my normal style, I'd prefer to find a way to keep the information within the story universe. Another dossier is the obvious choice.


Also is there a need to make a temporary site index for my latest chapters?

Or is ff.net and the forum links sufficient? Same for the fanart stuff on photobucket and forum?
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Postby Metroidvania » Tue Dec 11, 2007 11:34 pm

For a character list, you could have some sort of situation where key documents the organization has on the various players gets stolen/tampered, and the organization has to go through them to make sure everything is as it should be after they get recovered. I think you implied this already, but I'm not quite certain.

As for weapons, it would be very nice to be able to check when Misako uses some weapon I don't remember her getting....so...yes to your first question.
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Postby Sunshine Temple » Tue Dec 11, 2007 11:44 pm

Metroidvania wrote:For a character list, you could have some sort of situation where key documents the organization has on the various players gets stolen/tampered, and the organization has to go through them to make sure everything is as it should be after they get recovered. I think you implied this already, but I'm not quite certain.


I don't recall that specific explanation. Having key documents tampered and needing to restore them seems a bit too RPGish as a way to generate a character list.

Still, the key documents themselves could help.

As for weapons, it would be very nice to be able to check when Misako uses some weapon I don't remember her getting....so...yes to your first question.


This would be the easiest to do. Given that I have notes on all the weapons developed.
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Postby Metroidvania » Tue Dec 11, 2007 11:48 pm

I don't recall that specific explanation. Having key documents tampered and needing to restore them seems a bit too RPGish as a way to generate a character list.


(shrugs)

I blame Mass Effect.

But if nothing had happened, how would you keep the list in your "universe,", when there wouldn't be many reasons for list to be accessed in the first place?
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Postby Heaven's Deamon » Tue Dec 11, 2007 11:52 pm

Instead of one complete list, It might be better to split it up into seperate lists for each "faction" And find a different scenario for each to be reviewed. For example, Sunny and a WIC rep going over the current succubi in preparation for updating WIC's files so that they stay up to date.
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Postby Sunshine Temple » Tue Dec 11, 2007 11:56 pm

Heaven's Deamon wrote:Instead of one complete list, It might be better to split it up into seperate lists for each "faction" And find a different scenario for each to be reviewed. For example, Sunny and a WIC rep going over the current succubi in preparation for updating WIC's files so that they stay up to date.


Good point.

Mistress Mercury would want to track quite a few of the characters for her purposes.

Then there's the natural WIC and Sunny angle.

Setsuna has her own aims and people she keeps an eye on.
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Postby Ahye » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:41 am

I don't quite see the need to keep such a listing within the story. What's wrong with a simple web page that lists the characters and the info currently known about them? Same with the weapons. The problem with writing up any such list within the story is that after a while it'll get lost. For example, I wanted to reread Usagi's vision about when she was a demon, and had to go through almost 15 of the chapters until I found it. Any list of items/characters stands the same likelyhood of being similary lost. Where as a simple web page with a list of characters and items would be easier to locate each time anyone needed to look something up. Maybe even post a link to the web page at the start or end of the chapters. The only downside is that it'd need to be kept current. But that would apply to any kind of in story list also, and constantly updating the in story list would be much harder to justify doing.
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Postby Sunshine Temple » Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:02 pm

Ahye wrote:I don't quite see the need to keep such a listing within the story. What's wrong with a simple web page that lists the characters and the info currently known about them? Same with the weapons.


Ah, let me be clearer. I don't mean have it be within a chapter, but the done of the listing or info would be "in universe". As in it doesn't break the forth wall. And is made up of sources that make sense inside the universe.

The problem with writing up any such list within the story is that after a while it'll get lost. For example, I wanted to reread Usagi's vision about when she was a demon, and had to go through almost 15 of the chapters until I found it. Any list of items/characters stands the same likelyhood of being similary lost. Where as a simple web page with a list of characters and items would be easier to locate each time anyone needed to look something up. Maybe even post a link to the web page at the start or end of the chapters. The only downside is that it'd need to be kept current. But that would apply to any kind of in story list also, and constantly updating the in story list would be much harder to justify doing.


Yeah, why in story isn't good.

Your point on updates is an interesting one.

Any such list would be major spoilers, and thus not useful for first time readers, and could be difficult to maintain.

But that's just part of such a thing's nature.
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Postby Spokavriel » Sun Dec 16, 2007 11:32 pm

I'm not sure how easy it would be to make but if you could do multiple short pages for the characters where first page would only include the general info and additional short bits of html would be accessable for subsequent chapters you could make a menu that could list it by series chapter etc. (edit: You wouldn't want to be giving away any spoiler on Ami and Janice to first time readers.)

Ok that even confuses me. Basically what would be needed is allot of link writing or using CSS or some other menu system. That way people could click to show the spoilers if they wanted to see them.

You could also run a time line as an alternate index showing when characters and items first appeared in the story.

The 2 ways that I could think of doing it would be either having a file cabinet with 2 drawers one would be A-Z characters and items the other would be Chapter by chapter chrono order. They would load the same info in frames but still let people dodge the spoilers if it's coded right.

I've seen it done just don't know how to do it.
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Postby Sunshine Temple » Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:04 am

Spokavriel wrote: I'm not sure how easy it would be to make but if you could do multiple short pages for the characters where first page would only include the general info and additional short bits of html would be accessable for subsequent chapters you could make a menu that could list it by series chapter etc. (edit: You wouldn't want to be giving away any spoiler on Ami and Janice to first time readers.)

Ok that even confuses me. Basically what would be needed is allot of link writing or using CSS or some other menu system. That way people could click to show the spoilers if they wanted to see them.


Wow... yeah that's alot of work. I don't know, I could make an extra chapter instead of doing that ;p

You could also run a time line as an alternate index showing when characters and items first appeared in the story.

The 2 ways that I could think of doing it would be either having a file cabinet with 2 drawers one would be A-Z characters and items the other would be Chapter by chapter chrono order. They would load the same info in frames but still let people dodge the spoilers if it's coded right.

I've seen it done just don't know how to do it.


Hmm, well when the character appears can be info.

But there's a work versus information thing.

Also a key factor is how much information should be put in?

A full bio? Or maybe enough to remind the reader who's who?
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Postby Heaven's Deamon » Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:10 am

I think what was meant was organizing each character's info into sections. Each section covers info from a group of chapters and could be maybe a paragraph long. Then a way could be done to "hide" all but the initial section. Then if the reader wants to spoil themself, or if they've already read the fic, they can unhide the sections themselves.
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Postby Sunshine Temple » Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:11 am

Heaven's Deamon wrote:I think what was meant was organizing each character's info into sections. Each section covers info from a group of chapters and could be maybe a paragraph long. Then a way could be done to "hide" all but the initial section. Then if the reader wants to spoil themself, or if they've already read the fic, they can unhide the sections themselves.


Ah that may be useful.


Could have bios divided into arcs or somesuch.
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Postby Spokavriel » Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:15 am

The hidden spoilers and arc division is what I meant. Sorry my brain is still not back in gear all the way. Read all of SicSemperMorituri in the last 9 days.
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Postby Sunshine Temple » Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:20 am

Spokavriel wrote: The hidden spoilers and arc division is what I meant. Sorry my brain is still not back in gear all the way. Read all of SicSemperMorituri in the last 9 days.


Ah okay. And wow. That's... a lot to read. Not surprised you're a bit wonky.
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Postby Spokavriel » Mon Dec 17, 2007 12:31 am

Thankyou. I agree it's allot it kept me out of spamville. I'll probably be caught up again there before I head to bed tonight. Although catching up in ideas and C&C will also effect that.

So just to clarify one more time my idea was to make it so that you made it so the spoilers were hidden.

The whole file cabinet or calendar was just something that came to mind as a way to present it.

Maybe even do a picture of an office with a file on the desk that would have enemy actions a manual off to the side with equipment including weapons and vehicles while another folder or computer sketched in could be for Personnel. I just had my GUI suggestions completely meshed into my attempts to suggest presenting the info in stages.
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