SGInc full-length Story Workshop 1.7 - Topic Suggestions

OK, I figure I may as well get this started. I've trawled the suggestions for the previous workshops and picked out my favourites, as well as thinking up a couple of new ideas. They're listed below along with some of my comments.

1. An ubergirl loses her powers. (this is an amalgamtion of several suggestions).

Since so many stories in the genre revolve around a supergirl gaining her powers, it could be cool to have some strories where she loses them, and has to cope with being normal. I think there's a lot of scope in this: the girl could be bad or good; she could lose her powers by natural or artificial means; she could regain them near the end of the story or stay human for the rest of her life...

2. A woman accidently gains superpowers.
Again, this is a previous suggestion. I like it but I think its a bit too close to a previous workshop topic (Woman gains superpowers and this makes somebody else upset).

3. A supergirl is discovered while changing into/out of her secret identity.
I like this idea, because its the type of thing that I think we'd all like to witness. I think the idea is too broad since it doesn't indicate what happens after that e.g. Conceptfan's girl breaks the onlooker's neck and goes about her normal business... :wink:

4. ________, my Girlfriend/Wife/Fiancee is super.
This is probably my current favourite. Its got a lot of possibilities but also tackles something we don't usually see: a supergirl in a relationship. How does she become super (or was she super all along and just decided to tell her significant other)? How does her partner deal with the news? How does their relationship change?

5. Non-Kryptonian powers.
It doesn't mean she can'y have any Kryptonian powers, but she should have at least some. I really like this one.It would give a breath of fresh air to the literature, but think it may be unpopular - partially because it would take some people out of their "comfort zone" but also because it doesn't give any hints about where the story could go.

6. Celebrity supergirl.
I like this one initially but have gone off it. Not all celbrities are well known around the globe which is the first problem. Also, since lots of supergirls end up being celebrities anyway, I'm not sure what an existing celebrity becoming super adds to the scenario.

7. Sibling rivalry
One of my own ideas. I like it because there's no dynamic quite like the brother-sister or sister-sister relationship and it could be fun to add superpowers to the mix. Again, lots of scope: maybe one of them has powers and the other doesn't or do they both have powers and try to outdo each other? Maybe a jealous sister tries to get powers to out do her more popular sibling?

8. An ubergirls is defeated.
:o This is probably going to be VERY unpopular! But one of the thing I hated about Superman was the way he was seemingly invincible - so much so that you need Kryptonite to stop him (a sort of anti Deus-ex-machina). So how about a story of an ubergirl who meets her match (in the form of another person, natural disaster or somehting else)? Of course, she could always be triumphant in the end...


So these are the topics I'm considering at the moment. Any comments are greatfully received, as are other suggestions.

Helix

This is an impressive way to kick off the discussion.

1. An ubergirl loses her powers. (this is an amalgamtion of several suggestions).

I like this one, so much so that I've done many stories on it already, generally showing a "good" superhero losing his or her powers to an evil or indifferent person. The one weakness with the plot as you've described it is I'd rather read about a girl who is super than a girl who used to be, but the power transfer bits are fun, as is the sense of injustice and what the new girl does with her powers.

2. A woman accidently gains superpowers.

I like this one too. Elements of surprise and discovery are fun, unintended consequences, possible unsuitability of the recipient etc. It's a wide open topic. Anything can happen.

3. A supergirl is discovered while changing into/out of her secret identity.

This doesn't thrill me. She'll be pissed and either subject to blackmail or she'll "take care of the problem" (Thinking of CF here, and that makes it a short story).

4. ________, my Girlfriend/Wife/Fiancee is super.
One of my favorite ideas. Someday I'll do it, whether or not it's a SWM topic. I do enjoy the relationship angle, as y'all know. Many possibilities.

5. Non-Kryptonian powers.
Well, this could go anywhere, and may take some real originality in thinking about powers. For me, strength is a key aspect to the eroticism of supergirls, so that's a negative to this idea. Still, it CAN be done!

6. Celebrity supergirl.
This does not excite me terribly much for the reason Helix mentions. But one alternative idea is to pick one specific celeb to empower. We can have a lot of posts about who to choose.

7. Sibling rivalry
I like this one as much as the spouse idea. What a great opportunity for jealousy and competition.

8. An ubergirl is defeated.
I always like doing this. Bring 'em down. Turn the tables on them. Let them taste defeat. Serves 'em right.

Another idea is to steal the march on the new movie that's coming out (Ubergirl's Ex) and show those Hollywood Big Shots how it should be done.

I personally love number 8, but then again I'm just a Lex Luthor type guy.

My $.02:

#1 [Ubergirl loses her powers] and #8 [Ubergirl is defeated] ... There's a lot of dramatic potential in these suggestions, but they don't push my buttons. I'd rather read / write about a girl gaining super-powers and emerging victorious at the end of the story. Unless ... [Strokes chin] ... she loses her powers to another woman ... or is defeated by another ubergirl ...

#3 [Ubergirl changing into / out of secret identity] and #6 [Celebrity gains super-powers] ... I've suggested both of these myself, but I think they're better suited for a "short" workshop.

#5 [Non-Kryptonian powers] ... I think the consensus hereabouts is that an ubergirl must possess at least some degree of superhuman strength. So long as it's understood that her "non-Kryptonian" powers are in addition to this, I'm OK with the suggestion. (It might spur me to write a sequel to my "Super Triplicate Girl" story, since Luornuo gained a whole array of powers in addition to the Kryptonian standards.)

#4 [My girlfriend/fiancee/wife is super] ... This suggestion got some enthusiastic support when it was first proposed, and I'm sure it will be a workshop theme eventually. I've got a story along these lines already outlined, so say the word ...

#7 [Sibling rivalry] ... An original -- and appealing -- suggestion. It offers an opportunity to explore a different kind of relationship, but one equally fraught with dramatic tensions.

I've established that Atalanta has younger brothers, although I haven't brought them "on stage" yet. It's quite likely that at least one of them would feel aggrieved that his sister received the super-powers that were "rightfully" his ...

I like the idea of non-kryptonian powers quite a bit. Superstrength, invulnerability, and then... something? (not just flight, heat beams, senses, intelligence, etc)

*******

"Another idea is to steal the march on the new movie that's coming out (Ubergirl's Ex) and show those Hollywood Big Shots how it should be done."

Um... that's been a topic already. Hollywood stole the idea from the authors here (not me, but some really good writers!).

*******

I'd also like to suggest "Alternate Setting". Besides modern day Earth, ubergirls in other places- either past, future, or alternate Earths (the 'what if this civilization had never fallen' or something like that).

1. An ubergirl loses her powers. (this is an amalgamtion of several suggestions).

Hmmm... how should it be done? If it was about a girl loosing powers, and the battle to get them again, that would be something. On the other side when its about a girl losing her Powers to somebody else without any chance to get them back, it could be a humiliating thing. Or it could be gone for good, to nowhere, then it would be about a normal woman who was Super before. That wouldn't fit me.

2. A woman accidently gains superpowers.

That Idea is OK, though it happens in many storys it still leaves so much room, since this can be done in million ways. And there is still room for some inovation. But Im not sure if there will be any seen around here with that. (No offense meant, Im sure youre really inovative all)

3. A supergirl is discovered while changing into/out of her secret identity.

There you get to one of my favorite Themes (take that as an Suggestion): How do I tell my Boyfriend / Parents / Friend / Sibblings Im the girl they always see on the media. And how can they live with it.

4. ________, my Girlfriend/Wife/Fiancee is super.

This one was handled with by many storys before, too, and its the same like with Number 2

5. Non-Kryptonian powers.

This one is really room for inovation. And since non-inovations are forbidden, it would be hot to get that.

6. Celebrity supergirl.

I dont have the same opinnion like the others. I think if a Celebrity becomes a Supergirl its something else then somebody else. And if a Supergirls secret identity would be an (fictive?) celebrity, it could get interesting, cause its much more visible, that shes not there while the Supergirl is on action.

7. Sibling rivalry

This one would be my favorite. A girl and her brother / sister.. There really is some room..

8. An ubergirls is defeated.

OK, thats not my beer.. I dont like the idea... cause I want the supergirl to win..

I like the brother sister thing. The one suggestion that I have is that everyone wants to do the Oh no, my wife/lover/girlfriend is now super. I would like to see this done in the very late spring/early summer when some of the younger writers are out of school and the older ones have a little more times (like their kids are not it school) as I would like to see maximum output and participation on that topic. Besides, I have been plotting out a brother/sister thing for about a month!

1. 'Kingdom Come' type of situation with a conspiracy against the metahuman/alien population that is going out of control, and the Ubergirl is the one who, like superman, must take the lesson the hardest and confess humility.

2. Human male hero/villian proves to be an adequate foe, or a potentially formidable ally... has to be human, other wise we get all sorts of cheesiness.... okay, humans that have earned thier powers (whatever they are) instead of those born naturally or supernaturally gifted with them. Wizards, yes. Sorcerers, technically no.

3. A single prank on part of the Ubergirl on her mortal best freind turns into an all out prank war.

4. The adventures of a non-'human' ubergirl. Anthromorphs, aliens (off Aliens and or Predator mythos if you can get your mind around such things... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: ) dragons, elves, and whatever.

5. This one turns the oh____ my girlfriend/wife/sister is a ubergirl idea on it's head: the male is captured by a hostile force and altered to become one of them (think Picard being assimilated by the Borg in Star Trek.) Now the Ubergirl must not only resuce and reclaim her husband/ boyfriend/ brother, but also defeat the force that now knows everything that the guy knows about her.

6. A ubergirl gets an 'empowerment' that significantly makes her even more super than before, so super in fact, that she must relearn on how to control herself otherwise there quite possibly won't be a planet left for her to stand on...

Yeah, I'm being a bit forceful, but give me a break... ^_^

-OCT

Another idea is to steal the march on the new movie that's coming out (Ubergirl's Ex) and show those Hollywood Big Shots how it should be done.

I agree with MackTheMouse, we've done this one before!

I'd also like to suggest "Alternate Setting". Besides modern day Earth, ubergirls in other places- either past, future, or alternate Earths (the 'what if this civilization had never fallen' or something like that).

I'm not keen on this one. Firstly you've got to think up the alternate setting and then devise a stroy to take place in that setting.

The one suggestion that I have is that everyone wants to do the Oh no, my wife/lover/girlfriend is now super. I would like to see this done in the very late spring/early summer when some of the younger writers are out of school

I'd have thought this would be the worst time, with the "younger writers" studying for exams. But anyway, this topic's been passed over once already on the grounds of potential non-participation and I don't think we should assume that "someone will pick it eventually".

Finally, my response to OCT:

I don't understand 1. (anyone else in a similar position?)

2. seems way to restrictive (what's the difference between a wizard and a sorcerer anyway?).

A reworded 3. (maybe "A supergirl playing pranks") sounds fun and light-hearted, but might work better as a short story workshop.

4. Woah...!

5. This is quite similar to the current 2.3 workshop.

6. I like the idea of "A supergirl becomes even more powerful"; although it has been done many times before. What do other people think of this suggestion?

Finally, my response to OCT:

I don't understand 1. (anyone else in a similar position?)

1. Kingdom Come is pretty much the official DC comics ending for this generation, and pretty much a new beginning. It's highly religious in tones, with a very human, elderly pastor as the main viewpoint. Pretty much, the lesson was that the division between humanity and metahumanity is a false one, and humanity's problems are best solved with us instead of for us...

Yeah... heavy...

2. Apology: sorry, but I guess a competent human rival/ally could also be female... Clarification: the dungeons and dragons manual says that Sorcerers use in-borne talent as opposed to the strict, difficult study of wizards to essentialy use the same type of magic. With differing results, too.

3. Correct...but wars go both ways... :twisted:

4. Use your imagination...

5. Oops...

6. Clarifaction: a supergirl becomes more powerful and has to deal with the inevitable concequences; yet more fear and alienation from the people that she protects or preys on. Men do two things when they fear something. We either destroy the source of the fear, or be overcome by it...
[/quote]

Late spring early summer being June, July August.

Kingdom Come is also one of the most beautiful comics ever. All the interior illustrations are Alex Ross paintings. It has some ubergirl content, too. Wonder Woman does some major ass kicking.

As I recall, the plot (which OCT is suggesting we emulate) goes something like this:

World is overrun by the super powered children of D.C. current heroes and villains. Superman, who was in self imposed exile, returns to impose order (in what is perceived by human to be a rather fascist fashion).

Apocalyptic fight between good (led by Superman and Wonderman) against evil (led by Luthor and Captain Marvel) ensues. U.N. nukes the battlesite in an attempt to rid itself of the superhuman problem once and for all. Superman is one of the survivors (at the time he believes himself to be the only survivor).

Superman, enraged, returns and starts destroying the U.N.

If you stop here, and replace superman with ubergirl, you get a CF story. The actually story ends with Superman humbly going before the U.N. that he nearly destroyed, apologizing and vowing to work with humans instead of ruling over them.

How about a story set in the Wild West?

A "Wild West" theme would be too narrow, I think ... but it could fall under the "alternate setting" suggestion.

Since all of my workshop stories so far have used "alternate settings" -- ancient Arcadia, 19th-century Mexico, "Legion of Super-Heroes" continuity -- I'm completely on board with that proposal!

I just remembered last night that one of the rules on this web site is no characters under age 17. This may pose a problem for the topic sibling rivalry. It will take out my story as I was going to start at ages 3 and birth, 5/2 13/10 and 21/18. Just something to consider.

I think the rule is "no sex involving underage characters."

Of course, for most of us, the idea of a super-powerful female is inherently erotic ... so there may be a "discomfort factor" in reading about an underage ubergirl.

You might get around that by presenting the childhood scenes indirectly -- through dialogue, short flashbacks, or back-story.

The rule is "No sex involving characters under 17". I don't think this kills the "sibling rivalry" idea (which is a good thing because it has seemed like the most popular idea so far), for several reasons.

Firstly, noone said the characters have to be school-kids. Even if an author made them that school-kids, that still leaves a whole two years of leeway.

Secondly, this isn't an issue for anyone dealing with aliens or similar.

Lastly, as an example of how you can get around the rules, Cf's Randolph and Kim dealt with:
a) A 16 year old girl with superpowers.
b) A lecherous old man perving over her when she was even younger!

The rule is there to stop the literature becoming peadophilic. I think most authors would have a good sense of what is acceptable even without the rule being there to enforce it.

Ok, so if no-one has any more thoughts/comment/suggestions, I've decided on the theme for workshop 1.7 I've gone for...

"Sibling Rivalry"

It seemed like the favourite topic from the outset and I'm sure that the good people of SWM will have no problem keeping it decent. :wink:

Thanks Helix. I like this topic. Plenty of possibilities to explore the themes I like.
"Living in the Shadow of my Super Sister"
"Honey, I just Switched the Kids' Powers!"
"Hey, Mom Said You Have to Share!"

I just won't think about any real sisters -- except for someone else's of course.