News:

Rings of Reznor!

Main Menu

Help with Supernatural Villians

Started by Failed_Hero, March 15, 2010, 02:40:17 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Failed_Hero

Hello all.

I was hoping to pick the brains of the creative minds here at Freedom Reborn.  In my Infinity's Edgeverse, I am planning to have supernatural storyline where a number of the creatures from folklore, D&D, myth and legend are reborn as another cycle of power comes about.  These aren't going to be event characters, so I'm looking to people to give fresh view on these creatures for a modern superhero setting. 

I have vampires, werewolves, zombies, and demons covered.  I'm more looking at how to integrate say goblins, orcs, orges, trolls, and other fantasy styled creatures into a modern world.  Should they be a hidden series of races, an offshoot of humanity, crytids.  Any ideas world be helpful. 

Thank you for all that you do.
At the end of the day all that matter is that I tried, right?

Tawodi Osdi

In my opinion, hidden races don't work in a modern setting.  There just aren't enough hidden places left unless you use some sort of pocket dimension.  One thing you could do is decide that somewhere in the past these things were turned into normal humans and creatures.  Perhaps, some evil anarchistic mystic discovers the means to undo this causing some people to turn into their true unknown state.

Failed_Hero

At the end of the day all that matter is that I tried, right?

Viking

One possibility is that several of the creatures listed - goblins, ogres, and trolls - in several branches of folklore are deemed to be part of the fey.  (I.e., of the faerie, which is not limited to cute little pixies.)  And part of the nature of the fey in many stories is the ability to maintain a glamour - an enchantment, whether of illusion or transformation, that allows them to disguise their nature.  Another common theme in such folk tales is that a magical ointment can be concocted which, when rubbed beneath one's eyes, allows to see through faerie glamour.  Naturally, in any fictional work that you create, you can come up with whatever canon you wish to state whether, and how, one may see through similar types of enchantments.

Failed_Hero

Thank you Viking.  That helps with some avenues to research.  I hadn't yet connected goblins to the  fey it could be done. I hopefully be writing an FF involving  my oc Guardian Angel vs a Troll of some sort.
At the end of the day all that matter is that I tried, right?

Tawodi Osdi

Here is an excellent site for researching myths, legends, and folk lore.

http://www.pantheon.org/

lugaru

I have a short story where Ogres live amongst humans, disguised. They are in positions of power and look like feeble politicians, CEOs and authority figures but in fact they are large, muscular mystical beings that eat people. Well... some people, 90% of humanity has developed a gene that makes them almost poisonous to them (thank evolution for that) so they are always trying to track down the few people around the world who can satisfy their evil cravings.

thalaw2

IMO I think it's cool to go all sci-fi with it and set it in the future where geeks got into genetic tampering and turned themselves into "mythical" creatures.  It's probably not an original idea (i've seen some variations) but seems to be possible
革命不会被电视转播

Failed_Hero

Both good concepts that could be utilized in variation.  Currently I'm looking into the Seelie Court and Unseelie Court an how to use the Fey as central leadership of this returned race.
At the end of the day all that matter is that I tried, right?

Tawodi Osdi

Technically, there is no such thing an original story.  There are only original usages of the same stories.

Failed_Hero

"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9
At the end of the day all that matter is that I tried, right?

BWPS

Quote from: Failed_Hero on March 30, 2010, 10:08:23 PM
"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9

I can't think of a whole lot of cool things that were actually done before that was written. That thinking is just a way of giving up on trying to come up with a new idea. I guess The Wright Brothers, Alexander Fleming, and Charles Babbage didn't bother to interpret that verse the same way.
I apologize in advance for everything I say on here. I regret it immediately after clicking post.

thalaw2

I know...writing is just creative ways of reinventing the wheel.  But it's motivating to think you are original.
革命不会被电视转播

BlueBard

Quote from: BWPS on March 31, 2010, 12:47:48 PM
Quote from: Failed_Hero on March 30, 2010, 10:08:23 PM
"What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9

I can't think of a whole lot of cool things that were actually done before that was written. That thinking is just a way of giving up on trying to come up with a new idea. I guess The Wright Brothers, Alexander Fleming, and Charles Babbage didn't bother to interpret that verse the same way.

BWPS, you're taking that quotation out of context.  The times change and technology advances, but a wise man realizes that both the laws of nature and human nature have not really changed.  They just get understood better.

The Wright Brothers, by the way, weren't really doing anything new.  Everything they did built upon or emulated the work of others.  The principles of aerodynamics have continued to be the same since the beginning, they just weren't understood.  What they did uniquely was to combine all of those ideas and apply those principles effectively to create a machine that actually worked.

Fiction writers dream of being able to create something 'new'.  Very few manage to come up with anything truly unique, though.  If you take away everything but the outline of a story, you can invariably compare that outline to something that has been written before.  What we can do is to try to present a blend of plot devices and ideas in a novel and entertaining way.
STO/CO: @bluegeek

Reepicheep


Xenolith

We frequently recieve news that scientists have discovered new species in Asia or South America, and these are critters that aren't necessarily trying to "hide" from anyone.  If the populations of your fantasy folk are small and aren't living in villages, they could easily be hidden from prying eyes. 

Maybe the various governments around the world shoved the fantasy folk into secret reservations, like the US did to the Native Americans (minus the secret part).  Maybe Area 51 is actually the new elven homeland?

Maybe one or two of them mastered space travel long ago and are now secretly returning to Earth to assess what has happened.


Deaths Jester

Quote from: Tawodi Osdi on March 15, 2010, 03:01:35 AM
In my opinion, hidden races don't work in a modern setting.  There just aren't enough hidden places left unless you use some sort of pocket dimension.  One thing you could do is decide that somewhere in the past these things were turned into normal humans and creatures.  Perhaps, some evil anarchistic mystic discovers the means to undo this causing some people to turn into their true unknown state.

Another idea is taking the deserted and rundown areas of the world and intergrating them there, just an idea though that I haven't fully thought out.  Heh.
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.