Story stuff

[sobrique]

Followon from:http://sobrique.livejournal.com/412506.html and almost entirely for my own benefit, so I don't forget.

Core concept: Reality is changable.
Big conspiracy to 'do so for the good of humanity'.
Treats it a bit like a software patch - reality patching.
Model is fairly good, but not perfect = disasters.

Reality changing is also source of "magic" and assorted supernatural.

Reality 'fixes' itself, covering holes and so 'tidies up' - causes natural disasters.

So whole shebang is monitored and controlled by Big Conspiracy(tm), and 'possible magical thingies' (take word, and make a meaning that's unpleasant to describe) because they're dangerous.

Characters:
Protagonist - fairly cold, introvert. Does the 'reality patching' thing, and believes in it, as a way to improve the world. Secret 'cover' so secretive life, which suits somewhat cold emotions. Suburban 'normal' ish, likes cats. Lives alone, and has family, but is distant. Materialist. Has Stuff, collects Stuff. Maybe electronics, computers and stuff.

Perhaps love interest, or maybe just 'girl he falls for'. More 'free and open', as trigger for character development.
Friend from 'nearby residential' bit of a loudmouth 'wheeler deeler' type, who likes to think he knows more about stuff than he actually does.

Possible subplots:
'copy' of reality used for patches, also used by 'Big Conspiracy' for analysis and investigation. Perhaps this running copy needs an investigator, who we can give 'matrix agent' extra to investigate.

Real reality, desynch, causes big world ending event (perhaps link to 'magic person' doing something magic) and investigation against clock to actually find the source.

Protagonist discovers that reviled/abused 'magic person' thing, hits closer to home? Perhaps discovers himself as having it, and has nasty time, running, being captured, perhaps rescued?
Losing all the 'essential matierals stuff' in life, and living without it, because it's not _really_ important.

"establishment" changes somehow? Maybe our protagonist turns against it to bring it down, maybe he's doing so to rescue a friend? (Rescuer perhaps?) exposition and growth based around 'discovery' of special coolness.

Perhaps changing 'everything' such that magic people aren't oppressed/killed any more, but ..*shrug* some hack for stopping things going badly wrong. (Hmm, hogwarts? Way too cheesy, but might be a sufficiently evil ending)

Protagonist learns to look around and appreciate the world, and the value of cool stuff like Love and Freedom, counterpoint against materialist beginnings. Perhaps also side kick towards 'controlling societies' absolute power etc. etc.

Comments

[warmage.livejournal.com]

Suggestion: rogue programmer, with their own decentralised means of running a segment of reality code. Protagonist discovers/traces this but in so doing, is exposed to a more purposeful existence, more free-will, etc. (ie, immersion experience, cannot trace the so-called antagonist without digging viscerally into the sub-existence. Will take effort not to devolve into Minority Report-like action tripe)

Y/N?

[warmage.livejournal.com]

also -ever read Snow Crash?