This is a little something fun that I've kicked off on several forums I've been on, including two old sites I used to help run. Basically this is a community story in which all of us contribute to the overall story, making it up as we go. The fun is that each person adds something new and unexpected, so everyone adapts to form a unique story. Anyone can join in! It's pretty simple - here's how it works:
I'll start off with a setting and characters, and post the beginning of the story. From there, the next poster continues the story, then the next, and so on. Since this is primarily a site for video-game-related covers, it makes sense to choose a setting and set of characters most of us are likely to be familiar with -
Super Mario!
Here's some rules to keep things from going to crazy:
- Keep posts within a reasonable length - 2 paragraphs max, not including dialogue that paragraphs at each line.
- You must wait before posting again until after someone else posts. You can't double post. However, if no one posts after 24 hours since your last post, you may post again.
- A poster cannot immediately contradict the previous poster, or undo the events of that post.
- Don't add a bunch of new important characters in a single post, as it becomes hard to keep track of them all. Keep important character introductions few and far between. Side characters are fine though.
- No drastic changes or abrupt endings, like "and then someone dropped an atom bomb and they all died, the end." The story will come to an end when the collective posters agree that it is time to do so.
- Have fun!
As a fun little twist, I propose a special rule for this story -
Mario cannot talk and communicates through hand and body movements, much like he does in Super Mario RPG and the Mario & Luigi games. Everyone else is allowed to have dialogue. There's no pre-planned story, so just off of what I start with. I'm going to quote my section just so it stands out from the rest of this, but everyone else can keep it normal. If you want to make a comment outside of your addition, surround your comment with << >>. I'll start us off:
SUPER MARIO STORY GAME
THE STORY BEGINS
All was quiet in the Mushroom Kingdom. In a house across from a quiet lake, sat Mario's Pad, small home to the two brothers who had saved this land and many others countless times. Inside the house, Mario, hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, sat in a chair reading a book, humming a familiar tune he had picked up on one of his many adventures. He sipped from a mug containing a refreshing tea mixture he had be told about over at Tadpole Pond. He got up for a moment, put down his book, and looked at some of the pictures he had on his mantle. He thought about his most recent adventures, and though he hated to admit it, he preferred those adventures over the quiet times. He needed to get away. Perhaps a visit to Isle Delfino or Nimbus Land. Or even a round of golf with his friends would be a nice change of pace. Once Luigi returned, he might have to -
Suddenly, Mario's thought was interrupted by a feverish knocking at his door. He moved quickly to open the door, and found....
<<Dun, Dun, DUN! Take it away, next poster!>>
