Effulgence Fandom Ideas

[Alicorn]

I don't remember. I may just have heard synopses of highlights.

[Endovior]

A thought that occurs... mostly since Eliezer's take on the subject was just on the HPMoR podcast:

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

The general plot details are mostly irrelevant in a glowfic context, since it entirely revolves around how a given set of characters react to another character who is unconsciously God. Among templates, Bells are overwhelmingly likely to treat a convincing revelation of personal godhood with a great deal of responsibility and forethought, and a minimum of drama. As such, the most interesting story is probably Bell as Kyon, and a Joker as Haruhi. There's plenty of reason for a Bell to worry about what a god-type Joker would do with unlimited power, after all.

[anthusiasm]

...that is the best idea ever.

[Alicorn]

If we wind up doing something like that we'll probably just do "Teah: exists" rather than basing it off a canon.

[DanielH]

Teah: exists seems like a fairly good one to me.

One idea I had was El Goonish Shive, with its interesting magic, technology, and aliens. I’d use a Tony in place of Tedd, have the Sisters arc affect him instead of Elliot (thus creating a Sherlock), and and use Grace’s backstory to replace her with a Joker. I’d make the Bell be a new character who arrives in the middle of the school year for Standard Bell Backstory reasons (and I’d start threading at that point). Either the spoilered part would need to be accelrated, probably via the magic nose beep and subsequent dreams, or the Bell and the readers would get to see an odd variant on something that’s usually left as backstory. If anybody has not read it, I recommend it regardless of threading potential. I promise that Dan Shive’s artwork, storytelling, writing etc. all improve from where they were in 2002, but I think the early ones are still worth reading.

Another idea I had, which I don’t think could work but would be unusual and interesting for Effulgence if it did, would be Magic School Bus, with Renée as Ms. Frizzle. I think she would be perfectly suited to the job, maybe enough so that she wouldn’t even feel the need to divorce Charlie and leave Walkerville. Whether or not to make her a BEE would be up to your interpretation of canon and if you intended to do anything contradictory with the idea of BEEs, but I expext she’d find Milliways before her Bell was particularly old, or possibly born.

Ideas which were previously rejected but I think are partially salvageable:
The NID in Stargate isn’t a military organization, although it might still be too structured. I think Bell might join it or one of the vaguely similar organizations which exist to be antagonists because they want to demilitarize the Stargate program. It has potentially compromised morals, but Bell might try to change it from within the system or not discover that until later.

The parts of the worldbuilding and magic system that I remember of Apprentice Adept were good. I’ve heard vague complaints about Piers Anthony, but I think they were about his characters and plots, which aren’t necessarily relevant. It’a been years sinve I’ve read either his work or complaints against it, though, and I don’t know if Alicorn’s problems with him are the same as the usual ones.

[Kappa]

I read EGS, and I was thinking about it at some point when there was a comic that seemed to indicate the magic system was malleable in an interesting way, but then it followed through on that in a way that turned me off. I can't remember the details, this was all a while ago. I think I sent Alicorn an email glossing the basic universe and relevant plot developments and she emailed me back saying she already reads the comic. XD

[Alicorn]

I do already read EGS. I like it but the worldbuilding's kind of all over the place in a way I don't relish trying to Effulge.

Magic School Bus with Renée as Ms. Frizzle is sort of cute but not in a way that I want to actually engage with actively.

A knockoff of Stargate (but not Stargate per se) is under consideration for Incandescence.

I don't wanna touch Piers Anthony in any way.

[Shoal]

I've been trying to read EGS for a while now but all of the characters look the same and i can't tell anybody apart :( (I've been simultaneously reading from the beginning as well as reading the recent updates.)

[AndaisQ]

Yeah, Dan's always had a bit of a problem with that. Also, everyone is wearing blank form-fitting sweaters at all times.

But you can pretty much always tell them apart as long as you're willing to spend a bit more effort than you should have to! And the story is so good, and queer representation and stuff...

[Shoal]

I've been reading it for a few months now and the only character I can reliably recognise is Tedd. (but yeah, the story is good)