The 2021 Geek Pride Story Event: Official Support Page

[Blind_Justice]

That's awesome! I like the description you just gave, and looking forward to learning more!

It's both more emotional and hopefully a bit more funny than my other stuff. I'd let you read it, but I didn't get around to your stuff yet, so unloading about 20k words your way feels unfair.

 

[MisterWildCard]

It's both more emotional and hopefully a bit more funny than my other stuff. I'd let you read it, but I didn't get around to your stuff yet, so unloading about 20k words your way feels unfair.

Hey, it's all good.* I'm still hard at work at my second submission, although I'm in the home stretch.

 

[JanusGoneAwry]

Uggg! Is it just me or do the hands on the clock seem to be spinning faster and faster? May 7th already!!! I gotta get my ass in gear and crank out about 6 or 7k more words in the next week or so to have time to edit and make the deadline.

Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, It's off to write I go...

 

[PeytonMirabelle]

25K words, editing now. I wanted to get to the second idea but I'll post that this summer.

 

[MisterWildCard]

Second story finished! "A War of Phantoms", along with the previously completed "An Un-Conventional Romance"

"Phantoms" is an homage to the Japanese "tokusatsu" action franchise "Kamen Rider", with what I think might be my best sex scene to date -- I hope. It's hard to objectively judge your own work.

"Un-Conventional" is a work I wrote five years ago but never released anywhere, worried that it wasn't quite "ready for prime time". I've decided enough is enough, and will put it out there in its current form, since it fits the Geek Pride theme, being set at an Anime Convention.

Now to do one more editing pass on both...

 

[ChloeTzang]

Well, I started my Geek Day story tonight..... had to put my April Fools story on hold.

 

[gordo12]

Well, I started my Geek Day story tonight..... had to put my April Fools story on hold.

I'll see you and raise you a Valentine's story. Really, these do-it-by dates are so trivial.

 

[MisterWildCard]

Jumped the gun

I just submitted the completed versions of my two stories, "An Un-Conventional Romance" and "A War of Phantoms", and realized too late that I'd missed one small detail of the submission rules -- that we weren't supposed to submit these until May 16th or later.

Chloe, is this going to be a problem? Do I need to unsubmit these or take some other action here?

 

[Blind_Justice]

Okay, my brain is hurting and I could use a bit of help from my fellow geeks.

My big issue: Gun and weapon laws in the US, more specifically in my fictional town in Massachusetts. I thought putting it into the New England woods would be cool, not aware that this particular state has some of the most asinine and draconian laws for gun and (almost more importantly) sword ownership and carrying.

I have no idea how other Urban Fantasy writers deal with such problems, but for me it's turning into a major roadblock - I want my heroes to legally carry swords and guns because I'd like them to work WITH the cops, not run from them every time some unseen nasties creep from the sewers. My fictional world is rather close to ours, with just enough wiggle room to get all the undead, fantasy races and magic in, so I've thought about adding some appendices to state law put into place after the Salem Witch Trials which exempt clerics and their staff from most restrictions (to more easily deal with them pesky witches). Does that sound plausible enough? I really don't want to handwave the whole gun law thing, because every bit of realism grounds the fantastical stuff - even if it breaks my brain writing it.

 

[MisterWildCard]

Okay, my brain is hurting and I could use a bit of help from my fellow geeks.

My big issue: Gun and weapon laws in the US, more specifically in my fictional town in Massachusetts. I thought putting it into the New England woods would be cool, not aware that this particular state has some of the most asinine and draconian laws for gun and (almost more importantly) sword ownership and carrying.

I have no idea how other Urban Fantasy writers deal with such problems, but for me it's turning into a major roadblock - I want my heroes to legally carry swords and guns because I'd like them to work WITH the cops, not run from them every time some unseen nasties creep from the sewers. My fictional world is rather close to ours, with just enough wiggle room to get all the undead, fantasy races and magic in, so I've thought about adding some appendices to state law put into place after the Salem Witch Trials which exempt clerics and their staff from most restrictions (to more easily deal with them pesky witches). Does that sound plausible enough? I really don't want to handwave the whole gun law thing, because every bit of realism grounds the fantastical stuff - even if it breaks my brain writing it.

My initial thought is that members of the order your characters are a part of are Registered with the local government, as are the magic weapons your team's artificer makes. "Okay, here's your flaming sword, all properly registered and logged with the cops. You'll need to carry this permit card in your wallet at all times when you're operating in the field, in case a patrolman takes issue with you drawing steel in public. The boss already sent in your registration papers, so don't worry about waiting in line at the state DMV for all that."

 

[SimonDoom]

Okay, my brain is hurting and I could use a bit of help from my fellow geeks.

My big issue: Gun and weapon laws in the US, more specifically in my fictional town in Massachusetts. I thought putting it into the New England woods would be cool, not aware that this particular state has some of the most asinine and draconian laws for gun and (almost more importantly) sword ownership and carrying.

I have no idea how other Urban Fantasy writers deal with such problems, but for me it's turning into a major roadblock - I want my heroes to legally carry swords and guns because I'd like them to work WITH the cops, not run from them every time some unseen nasties creep from the sewers. My fictional world is rather close to ours, with just enough wiggle room to get all the undead, fantasy races and magic in, so I've thought about adding some appendices to state law put into place after the Salem Witch Trials which exempt clerics and their staff from most restrictions (to more easily deal with them pesky witches). Does that sound plausible enough? I really don't want to handwave the whole gun law thing, because every bit of realism grounds the fantastical stuff - even if it breaks my brain writing it.

Re-set your story in Texas or Idaho or Wyoming and you'll take care of a lot of these headaches.

 

[MisterWildCard]

Re-set your story in Texas or Idaho or Wyoming and you'll take care of a lot of these headaches.

Can't, he's going for a New England lovecraftian vibe.

 

[SimonDoom]

Can't, he's going for a New England lovecraftian vibe.

I know. My comment was tongue in cheek. But putting it in one of those states would take care of this particular problem.

 

[PoisonPen33]

Re-set your story in Texas or Idaho or Wyoming and you'll take care of a lot of these headaches.

Maybe you could also a "wink wink nudge nudge" approach. "Hey, you can't carry swords! Put that thing away after you put it in that demon!"

 

[Lovecraft_lore2]

Can't, he's going for a New England lovecraftian vibe.

I have run into the same issue. Three work arounds I have gotten.

* Vermont has far more open ended gun laws. It is less than half an hour north of Salam Mass.

*Person is legally a PI, armored truck crew, gun dealer rep, or some other of a small number of non cops who can legally have guns in Massachusetts.

* Person or their cult, secret group or whatever, purchased a little town somewhere, in New England, or where. Everyone in town is "part time" LEO, letting them have guns, work with other 'real' police, or do other things such as have submachine guns that really no one other than the police or military would normally have.


Not related to guns, but sex toys are also banned in Massachusetts. So the work around is to call them 'novelty devices'.

 

[PeytonMirabelle]

...so I've thought about adding some appendices to state law put into place after the Salem Witch Trials which exempt clerics and their staff from most restrictions (to more easily deal with them pesky witches). Does that sound plausible enough?

Sure, and there is plenty of precedent in fantasy/UF fiction for such a thing. If they become licensed agents of the state, it's much less of an issue--and if the world has a historical presence of the supernatural, it seems likely there would be an official (or pseudo-official) response force in place.

So yes, feasible.

 

[PeytonMirabelle]

I think I am finished with my Magic the Gathering story.

Now the question I feared from the beginning: how much of the cardplay and technical description do I need to strip out so people who aren't fans don't go catatonic while reading?

 

[WinsomeWeb]

Now the question I feared from the beginning: how much of the cardplay and technical description do I need to strip out so people who aren't fans don't go catatonic while reading?

Oof. I have no advice, but I am excited to see how you do it. I worked on a story involving poker a few months ago and it was a real hassle trying to keep the flow of a game without over-describing it, and poker isn't nearly as complex as Magic in terms of unique cards and their interactions.

 

[SimonDoom]

I think I am finished with my Magic the Gathering story.

Now the question I feared from the beginning: how much of the cardplay and technical description do I need to strip out so people who aren't fans don't go catatonic while reading?

I'm glad you've finished the story. I look forward to reading it.

No one can tell you for sure what you should do, but I'd advise you to follow this general principle: A little goes a long way. You probably don't need to say everything you might want to say to get the geeky point across. So go through the story with your editing gaze on and get rid of the geeky stuff that is not really necessary to the story.

 

[MisterWildCard]

I think I am finished with my Magic the Gathering story.

Now the question I feared from the beginning: how much of the cardplay and technical description do I need to strip out so people who aren't fans don't go catatonic while reading?

Speaking as someone who used to play MTG (started with the original Arabian Nights, left about half a dozen expansions after that in the late 90's), I'm thinking that the best approach is to tell only enough to advance the story.

For example...

Let's say that it's important that Mary defeats Roger in a game, which then causes Roger, sad and/or angry at having lost, do a particular thing that advances the plot. We don't need a play by play ("And now she's tapped three black mana!"), but if it's important that Mary just WHIPPED ROGER'S ASS in a resounding fashion, give us just enough information to convey that. "Holy shit, you should've seen that last play! She whipped out a BLACK LOTUS, which is super rare, you just don't know, and then hit him with a fireball for FORTY DAMAGE! She didn't even have to do that, he only had eighteen life left!" No full-on details of the card combo involved, just enough to know that Mary is an expert with a very high-end collection (because the observer told another character this, not everyone knows what a Black Lotus is or why it's significant) and that she deliberately overkilled the guy, just because she could, and now Roger feels bad about it.

Does that help?

 

[MisterWildCard]

I think I am finished with my Magic the Gathering story.

Now the question I feared from the beginning: how much of the cardplay and technical description do I need to strip out so people who aren't fans don't go catatonic while reading?

Also, if you would like me to give it a quick read over the next couple of days, I'd be willing to do that, to give feedback on if there's too much or not enough gamespeak going on. Send me a PM or whatnot, I'm glad to help.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Sure, and there is plenty of precedent in fantasy/UF fiction for such a thing. If they become licensed agents of the state, it's much less of an issue--and if the world has a historical presence of the supernatural, it seems likely there would be an official (or pseudo-official) response force in place.

So yes, feasible.

Thanks! That's quite a relief.

The presence of the supernatural happens in cycles and most people are still unaware of it. That will only change when a fricking dragon decides to perch on the side of Big Ben in a few years in-universe time. Even the most unimaginative people can't explain it away with movie trickery or the like

 

[PoisonPen33]

The presence of the supernatural happens in cycles and most people are still unaware of it. That will only change when a fricking dragon decides to perch on the side of Big Ben in a few years in-universe time. Even the most unimaginative people can't explain it away with movie trickery or the like

Yeah, but Goblinization didn't happen last week and I still don't have my damn datajack.

 

[Blind_Justice]

Yeah, but Goblinization didn't happen last week and I still don't have my damn datajack.

Shadowrun

 

[PoisonPen33]

Shadowrun

I love the Shadowrun world/lore to the point that I know it almost as well as I know world history, but the system is SO fucking clunky that it's a bitch to play. Plus the current publishers have no quality control.

My current gaming group wants to run a game that mixes magic and technology, so I'm currently pushing them towards RIFTS of all games. Though to be fair the new Savage Worlds ruleset makes it SO much more playable.