Hey everybody!
This Magic World concept has been giving me some problems. I mean I love the world, and I like the ideas, and I love the concept that all he stuff you see in fantasy settings is re-created in the modern world, that all seems great to me. I have some awesomely funny ideas about how to incorporate real world celebrities, and personalities into the story, and ideas about what fantasy race each of them would be, like Adam Savage the hyperactive gnome, and Jamie Hynamen, the somewhat more methodical but hilarious dwarf. And Tom Cruise, the human who always takes roles that cast him as an elf or half-elf because he REALLY wants to be one, so badly that he always seems to get married to elves, like Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes.
And I have some interesting characters, who still need names, like my college TA wizard, who is a genius at magic formula and the mental discipline of casting, even though he can instinctively cast spells without having to consciously think about it. There's also the Special Forces Ranger turned Roller Derby Queen, half elven hot and flirty tattooed combat specialist, who always seems to be bruised, cut, bloody, or in some other way injured, yet bubbly and upbeat just the same, but somehow that just adds to her attractiveness. There are others too, but that's going to be a whole other blog post.
But while the world is great, what I really need is a story for why these people are together, and why they're doing what they're doing. I kind of envision them as an A-Team meets Mission Impossible. I've been watching a lot of Leverage lately, and the idea of a group that works to help people because they can't help themselves, and because the law won't or can't really appeals to me. Also some of the inspiration comes from old school D&D, and I figure that this group is sort of an adventuring group of the type you would get in a D&D game.
The way I have things thought out so far is that the group is working on a case of some kind when they come up against something to do with magic, and they're out of their depth, and they need to understand something before they can move forward. The leader of the group happens to know a professor at the university, and gives him a call. But when he calls it's the TA who answers the phone, and tells him that the Professor isn't available for the rest of the week due to personal issues. The group is desperate though and asks if the TA can help them out. He's hesitant at first, but once they describe the situation he's intrigued and agrees to come down and take a look. Once he arrives and works out whatever is wrong, it's apparent that things have gone from bad to worse, and the group insists that he come with them in case they need further magical assistance. He's hesitant, but it's clear that they're not about to give him a choice in the matter.
So what could that problem be, and what is the overall plot for this story? Well honestly the problem is mostly a way to get the TA character to join the group, so while it's probably important in context of the story, the actual mechanics of it can wait until the actual mission is established.
And the fact that they have to call for magical assistance might just be the key here. Perhaps this is actually the origin of this particular little group. How about this: A former military magic specialist has turned up dead, and the police are baffled. A few former colleagues, friends and comrades, who each owe him something in their own way, show up independently of one another, but begin to cross paths as they each continue to hunt for the killer, each using their own skills as needed, but separately. Eventually their searches lead them each to the same dead end, and they argue amongst each other for a while, until the ambush happens.
Suddenly they need to work together to escape the ambush or they'll all be killed. I know it's very much the plot of a lot of this type of thing, I feel like I've seen this a lot, though I'd be hard pressed to think of one off hand. If you can think of one let me know in the comments.
Anyway the merry band agrees to exchange notes and information, each according to their own skill-set, and they discover something that they wouldn't have been able to work out by themselves, leading to the scene where they need the Professor, but get the TA.
Also I think I would like to have a larger storyline as well, so that I can write multiple stories and have them all lead to a larger overall plot. I'm thinking maybe some global conspiracy aimed at a team that the Murdered Magic Specialist worked with, over something that happened while that team was in operation. The the group falls into these situations while traveling around trying to work out what's going on with the conspiracy.
Okay, so far that's a little thin. Let me add some details here. So first of there's a small team, funded by the government, of individuals who have complimentary skill sets. There's an engineer, who is an expert in making structures that can withstand bombs, and in identifying a structures weak points. Then there's the French demolitions man, who can build a bomb out of some multi-vitamins, bubble gum, and the contents of someone's pockets. Like a French McGuyver. Then they had the seductress, who could get a man to spill his secrets as easily as she could shoot him between the eyes, which as it turns out, is fairly easy for her. Then there's the cigar smoking marine, who, despite the fact that he looks and acts dumb is actually a brilliant tactician on the battlefield. Then of course the Wizard, who understands magical endowment, which gives magical properties to objects, and understands other aspects of magic's use in warfare. Then finally there's the leader, who is just trying to pull the group together, to do their jobs.
In one such job, they are looking for a way to take down a war profiteer, which they do, but he gets away. But his whole network is destroyed, so he's pretty much done when it comes to this. Or so we think...
So he hires local people to take out the people who were involved in that group, one by one, by convincing them that they want to, then providing the means. His first victim is The Wizard.
So now I just have to figure out who he convinced/tricked/helped to kill The Wizard.
Okay, so far so good. I've made some good progress so far, but right now I'm falling asleep at my desk. I think tomorrow I'll determine the manner and culprit for The Wizard's murder, and maybe do a little background on each of the characters in this new group, and how they knew the Wizard.
Maybe I'll even come up with some NAMES. Wouldn't that be something. Time to fire up the name generator.
Well, this has been fun! As always comments and suggestions are welcome, there haven't been many so far, but I like the ones I have gotten, and they've all been entertaining, or useful.
Thanks for reading!
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