BoM/TWS Message Forum

The chapters are moving again.

I'll admit, I could not have done this on my own. Seuzz has been a *massive*, Earth-shattering help to get this line moving again. I'm going to write a little about the process here, because it's not something I ever tried before.

I've outlined the challenges previously. This was a wargame between two different sides, but it was also an exercise in how Vee and Will (and, spoilers, possibly someone else) would go about solving entirely different problems.

The first step was to write out exactly what Vee would do. I ignored Will's plans entirely, and concentrated on the events at Xavier's. Once that was outlined, I showed it to Seuzz to see if he agreed it was plausible. He suggested one excision, which I made. Then I tried to get the plotline moving... and the chapter was terrible. It was rushed, incoherent, and just led the interactive into a cul-de-sac.

SO. Seuzz then proposed a brief roleplay of actions: he as Abi, me as Will. And we went from there. The result is six chapters (possibly seven if you want some mundane, comedic day-to-day stuff), two of which are already up.

Two events were randomized. The first was which student Abi would reach at Xavier's: I drew a random number (we roped in a third party to keep things honest). The second was a simple decision for Will: he's soon going to have to adopt a new disguise, and he is offered the choice of being a guy or a girl. This was really difficult: it makes equal sense for him to go either way. As a guy, he's at least his own gender again, and it gives an opportunity to write about the senior guys at Xavier's. But, as I pointed out, in this line, at every opportunity, Will has chosen to be a girl. He literally has no masks of guys.

How did I solve it? I tossed a coin. BUT! The decision doesn't impact too much on the plotline. So if you have a particular preference who Will ends up disguised as in this line, do comment and let me know. I might not act on it, but it's always interesting to see reader feedback.