On Wed, 7 May 1997, Andy Skuse wrote:

At 08:57 PM 5/6/97 -0700, Damon Casale wrote:

Well, sort of.  I have no idea of what to use for a plot.  I have great
ideas for setting and "perspective", but I think the plot ranks a little
more important...yunno?  ;)

Indeed ;)

Consider the most powerful clan in all of Tokyo and their ruthless
(but not honorless) agenda that would see all of Tokyo under one
banner. While their plans for the nation might be seen by some as an
effort to unite the people, there are a few who know the Genom clan
more intimately, and have seen their methods of persuasion first-hand.
Rumors persist among the common class of the Genom clan's true
intentions to rule the country with an iron fist. But no-one dares to
publicly raise their voices against the Genom clan. Until a small
group of mysterious and cunning warriors rise up from the shadows to
keep the Genom clan's pursuit of domination in check.

Except for one, minor problem.  This is the plot...well, maybe it's the
storyline...for the WHOLE BGC series, revamped as Steampunk.  I don't
want to write that broadly.  For now.  Yes, if I do decide to do more
than one story set in this "universe", as it were, then I'll call that
my overall storyline, but I need a single story plot first.  I don't
know if I want to just do the beginnings of the Knight Sabers' battle
with Genom.  It's been done in too many other re-interpretation fics,
as has the end of their battle.  I'd rather do something different.

Just one *very* rough version of many possible beginnings... 

     The soft but persistent "tang, tang, tang" echoed in the late
evening air, as Katsuhito's hammer rose over his shoulder and
descended repeatedly in a steady rhythm. Steel upon steel, flesh
against wood, fire into water, steam into sweat. The ancient process
was repeated methodically until the metal began to take its
predestined shape.
     The craftsman's hands occasionally moved over the still-warm
metal as if seeing by touch, looking for tiny imperfections. For a
moment the hammer's song was silenced, then the song began anew. Still
not quite right.
     The craftsman's attention to detail did not go unrewarded, for
his skill with metal and the fashioning of armor were known far beyond
the village in which he lived and worked. Samurai would travel for
many weeks from all directions to simply gaze in wonder at his
creations. And while those who could afford it would return home
wearing Katsuhito's armor to defend their clans, the majority would
return home as they came. That was until the dark stranger paid a
visit.
     Clad in flowing robes of black and bearing the banner of the
Genom clan, the man known only as "Mason" had offered Katsuhito more
wealth than he could possibly spend in a lifetime, if he would consent
to making armor for the Genom clan, and *only* the Genom clan.
     The money was very tempting, but there was something about this
man that made him wary. The fire in his eyes burned cold, passionless
but fueled by ambition. Looking into the man's eyes, even for a
moment, was like looking into a pond at his reflection just as the
wind blows.
    After much deliberation, he sent word to Mason that he would
enter into this contract on the condition that the armor be worn only
by warriors who were sworn to protect the common folk. Mason agreed,
and soon Katsuhito's suits of armor were racing across the many
battlefields that the Genom clan had created in their bid to wipe out
the last remaining clans that refused to bow to a new leader.
Unbeknownst to the master armorer, his creation was being used to take
life indiscriminately. And still his hammer sang.

     A tiny voice fought to overcome the hammer's metallic ballad.
The hammer suddenly fell silent once more as the craftsman turned to
face the voice. "Sylia? It's late! Why are you still up?"
     Sylia stood in the doorway to the smith, the warm glow of the
forge highlighting the concern in her youthful gaze. "Father, when
will you be finished? You've been at this for so long now. Mackie and
I are wondering if you'll ever be done!"
     Katsuhito smiled sadly, the worry in his daughter's voice
gripping his heart. "Soon Sylia. Very soon. I am working on something
very important, that someday I hope to be able to tell you all about."
     Sylia stood staring at her father in the firelight, his warm
smile drawing a little comfort. She smiled back weakly and nodded,
then turned and closed the door. As she made her way up the dark path
back to the house, the gentle "tang" from her father's shop began
again, masking the soft footsteps that passed close by in the shadows.

     Sylia awoke to the sound of her brother's screams and the smell
of smoke. 
A reddish glow filled the room as a distant roar drew her to the
window that overlooked the smith in the courtyard below. Giant flames
grasped at the early morning sky, and showers of sparks rained upwards
as her father's tiny smith was consumed by the blaze.
     Moments later she stood frozen in the courtyard before the
burning building as frantic neighbors passed buckets to each other in
a vain attempt to extinguish the blaze. In her heart, somehow she knew
her father had not survived. The pity-filled faces of those that
looked upon her had already told her the answer to that question. Now,
she could only stare blankly into the fire, as she tried to remember
the sound of her father's hammer as it sang the night before.

Of course, then the mysterious scrolls arrive :)

*sigh*  It's not ORIGINAL, Panda.  Yes, it's very creative and very well
done, but we've been here before.  When I read a re-interpretation fic,
I want to see something fresh and new, something I haven't seen before.
Take a look at Springtime for Brain in Megatokyo, for goodness' sake.
Even *that* was a standalone episode that told its own story, even
though it did follow, in very general strokes, the movie "The
Producers".  And that was just a pointless comedy I rattled off out of
boredom.

Take a look at Slipt.  It's Doctor Who meets the Knight Sabers, but I'm
taking (or trying to, anyway) both sets of characters in new directions.
That's probably not immediately apparent, but the planned ending of this
story will have seen something done that I have *never* *EVER* seen done
in a BGC fic before.  And I'm not just talking about character
interaction, or something specific to Doctor Who.  I mean a totally new
direction with regards to just the universe of the Knight Sabers.

So, I'll say it again.  Breathing new life into a story by
re-interpreting it is lots of fun to do, and lots of fun to read, but
only if it *is* really fresh and new.

All that said, if you want to take the story *you* started here and run
with it, be my guest.  I don't doubt you could more than do it justice.
:)

Damon Casale, damoo@carmelnet.com
Spam, spam!  WONDERFUL spam!  ^_^