Here was a basic outline I'd written up a long time ago:
Nations are at odds with themselves and each other. (War has been outlawed however smaller forms of it continue. Espionage and political machinations abound.) Political figures form factions and everyone must display an allegiance to one party or another. A new influential class of people from among politicals and party sponsored intellectuals has emerged (called the Intelligentsia) with the parties buying, bribing, and threatening to secure their loyalty. The line between good and bad will gray when good people do bad things for the right reasons and bad people do good things to further their ideals that are not necessarily bad but not great either.
O.N.E.(Only National Entities)
Led by world hero Joseph Nialist who ended Global Warming with his power to control the weather this party is peopled by former Atheists and supporters of Socialism. Main countries involved include France, Russia, Germany, Italy, China & Japan. Radicals belong to the Great Order Of Dogma Servers (called the Goods) and uphold Machiavellian ideas but some members have higher ideals of the finally united world. Many other members also use these ideals to further their own private agenda.
C.O.U.P.(Coalition Of Universal Powers)
All the world religions believing in a higher unearthly power(s) have united to further their similar moralistic goals. Just as it is easy to warp good intentions in social ideals, history has shown religious ideals too can be poisoned. The followers of this religion based party are called the Coalition Of One Gods (called Cogs). Major countries include Great Britain, the Americas and the Middle East.
M.I.A.(Montreux Intelligensia Academy)
The mecca of learning for young men and women that are the next generation of party leaders located in the beautiful (and neutral) tourist town of Montreux, Switzerland next to Lake Geneva. This is the ultimate of all the Intelligentsia training academies. The manor's halls are populated with the children of the biggest political officials and the most gifted of children discovered from every corner of the world and sent on scholarship in the hopes of winning their budding loyalties. With allegiances inherited or already bought mixed in with teenage hormones and mischief at an institution that tries to stay neutral in order to teach forward thinking and tolerance to these young minds...drama will ensue.
A one liner I thought of:
"Who will hold your loyalty? Everyone can be bought, what will your price be?"
So the character I think I'm going to make central for story 1/world I (as I'm going to refer to it now) is Xavier Rousseau who is Joseph Nialst's nephew and heir to his position in the party. The start of a coming of age type story. I've been reading this book by Flo Keyes about how Medieval Romance, Science Fiction, and Fantasy are all literatures of hope and she's talked a lot at the beginning about how the making of these stories in general structure wise and archetypal is similar. There was a motif about the stages a hero goes through: the trickster, the hare, the red horn and the twin. So I was going to write the first story about him being in the trickster phase ultimately I think this will be a novel about his growth to maturity to be able to take over for his uncle. A coming of age story if you will. I think I want to start with his mother dying (Joseph Nialst's sister) and his decision at a young age to live with his uncle rather than his father who remarried quickly. Also there is his cousin and Joseph's actual son whose mother died in childbirth and obviously he would resent the fact that Xavier is going to follow in Nialst's footsteps and not him. I have his name written down somewhere but I don't have that notebook with me right now. Here's a short bio for Xavier someone on my old RPG wrote for him (don't know how much I'm going to keep):
Francis Rousseau was a well known politician in the French government. His wife was a talented magic user by the name of Edoide; She worked as a healer at a local hospital. They married just out of school and soon began a family. Their first child was a son named Michael, and only a few years later came his brother- Henri. They were both good natured, well brought up children. Through the years they both grew to be quite intelligent, but Michael grew to be quite the trouble maker. Henri was always the more mature one, and so he was given a lot more leeway. And it was that extra confidence they showed in him that led Henri astray.
Henri managed to qualify to leave school a year early, as a reward his father allowed him to tag along on a trip to London for business. Unfortunately Henri's innocent streak came to a bump in the road when he found himself in an interesting city with limited adult supervision. Surprisingly it was at a dinner held by his father's company that Henri was introduced to a dashing young woman named Katherin Nialist. Even after their trip to London ended the two stayed in contact. Soon they were an offical couple, though not nearly as in the spotlight as some young couples. After less than six months of dating the two's hot and steamy relationship took an unexpected turn. Katherin was pregnant. Henri still insist that the nuptial that followed this discovery were not forced. Every tabloid in the the country refered to it as a 'shotgun wedding' anyhow.
After nine months of preperation and anxiety Xavier Joshep Rousseau was born. His mother would not let him be baptised. The baby looked a lot like his uncle, which was why he was given Joseph as a middle name. From the start he was a bundle of trouble despite the fact that he was suffering from a few minor health problems.As a toddler Xavier lived with his parents on a small estate in southern france. It was there that he would spend the majority of his life.
After several years of college Henri had joined the military as a pysco analyzer. Henri brought in enough pay to support his wife and son without needing to dip into the inheritance he gained after his parents deaths. Therefore the money would go to Xavier since he was firstborn. As a young boy Xavier was tutored by a college professor employed by his Uncle Joseph. It was Joseph that first called him Avery, a nickname that stuck quite well. The two were never close while Avery was small, however. Though the youth was always happy to visit his uncle, and the uncle was always glad to give his nephew gifts.
The previously mentioned professor/tutor was the first to discover Xavier's intellegence. He remarked often that the boy had knowledge beyond his years. For Xavier life was purely blissful. He had the love and support of his parents, and an uncle with ideas that he could really wrap his young mind around. Everything was pleasent and coated in honesty in his life. Until his father had to tell the first lie. It was a simple lie, or so it seemed to Avery. Henri remarked that he would have to stay late at work. When Katherin called his office to ask if he wanted her to save dinner for him, the secretary informed her Mr. Henri had not come in that day. To Avery it was exciting. His mother was angry, but surely Daddy had missed work and told Mommy a white lie in order to surprise her. Maybe he would buy her a pony? But no, Momma thought otherwise. Six very confusing months later Avery was sent to stay with his Uncle Joseph. Daddy and Mommy needed alone time to work out the affairs of the estate.
Despite his excellent intellegence Avery could not understand that his father was a cheater, and what was divorce anyway? It sounded yucky, like the medicine they give you when your throats sore.The family life would need much readujsting. Katherine was pregnant with her second child. It was already known to be a little girl. Avery could not wait to greet his little sister into the world and teach her to read and ride her bicycle. Kat and Avery were living on the estate owned by her brother Joseph. They had their own apartment close enough to the main house for Avery to spend hours playing with his cousins. Once again, all was settling into peacefulness. Yet once again little Avery was destined to lose something in his life. This time it would be his mother. Only six months into her pregnancy Katherin was injured in a car accident. The hospital was able to save the baby, but Katherin had too much blood. Avery was able to kiss his mother's cheek before she died. He even got to hold her hand as she took one last breath.
But that was all he could do. Joseph saw this as a time to test the reasonabilty of his nephew. He had kept a close eye on the boy for some time now. He left the choice of what would happen to the baby girl, and Avery himself, up to the boy. Being a sensable young man of eight years old Avery made the best choice he could. Slyvia would be the baby's name, because Mommy had loved the forest. The baby would go to live with Daddy and his new wife. They would take care of her. And Avery would stay to live with Uncle Joseph and read books. So a new chapter in his life began. Avery was taken in by his Uncle Joseph and raised as a son. Or more realistically raised as an heir. Avery was trained and honed in the abilities of a great politician. Joseph Nialist is intellegent enough to realize he needed a blank canvas to impress his ideals on. After all, no man can live forever. But Avery, he had the charm and good looks to bring the people together after Nialist died. And then, Avery could teach his kids the same morals. So who better to take as an heir? Surely not his own son. Now Avery has been accepted to Montreux. It was not in the least difficult to get him in. His genius pared up with his poltical support made him a sure-in. So he has taken up residence at the Academy, where he will finalize his learning experiance and prepare the to take the torch from his uncle. Unless of course, something holds him back.
I was going to set the world in the future but technology was proving a problem because I didn't want to deal with it. So I actually think I'm going to set it in the past. Obviously it's an alternate reality set in our world. Um... I have a bunch of other characters already other students/intelligensia including a love interest for Xavier the russian Sasha but I don't think they'll factor into this story. Because Xavier is close to Nialst I think this will be a good place to explain the world and its politics in his lessons with his uncle. I want the jealous son/cousin (makes me think of iago from othello and I have a plot line with that and xavier's love interest planned for later) to be like this character Linus I had once. Who was really evil but in a not conventional way. He wasn't your Malfoy, he had depth.
Anyway... Ok I'm going to get down some ideas for world II.
Characters are based around the Zodiac, including the Chinese Zodiac. The whole world revolves around astronomy and other various forms of fortune telling (numerology, runes, etc). I was thinking about relating it to the romans kind of but I think I want to do the egyptians instead. And magic is either mysticism based, animal based, or element based. The characters being zodiac/elemental based was the original idea. But I have to come up with some kind of world to put them in.
I guess my main problems are the fact that there's no specific conflict. like in the first world there's of course major political conflict on the large scale but what is going to be driving the plot? bleh I don't know.
and of course the second world needs to be WAY more fleshed out. I just need to spend time this weekend drawing things out. I think I'm going to spend saturday morning at a coffee shop just working away. I don't have much more for now. Damn didn't write the full hour. But without fleshing things out its hard to write anything.
Oh I was thinking of making story 1/world II into a romantic comedy with more than one central character. I dunno... Hmmmmmm. Ok I can't think anymore. I'm going to read some more of that book for the rest of my time.
