Big Ideas, Little Trimming

Ok, yes, I did miss a day immediately following my declaration to post daily.  But, in my defense, this post was in development since yesterday; it's a very weighty post, with a big impact on the plot.  So, since I like to post at least a semi-polished version of the idea, I waited until today to actually put it up.  Hopefully that excuses my missed day; if not, I don't especially care.  Oh well, moving on.


I had an interesting idea the night before last.  I was going to explain it outright, but then I worried whether I'd explained this aspect yet, so I wrote a couple paragraphs giving some background to this idea.  Then I actually looked at the blog, and saw that I'd given said explanation already.  I say all that as a way of showing what a tangled mess this blog is becoming, and to act as a reminder to put up a definitive status update on the idea soon.

Anyways, back to the idea.  This one piggybacks on the notion that the Collective is gathering artifacts and using their power to banish the gods from the planet.  This action was originally conceived as happening during the start of the stagnation of the free will period, thus well after the Great Decline and the collapse of the Church of Destiny.  However, as an alternative, perhaps the Collective was started by a group of individuals who somehow managed to free themselves from the destiny prison the gods had implemented.  If this were so, it stands to reason that their actions would be their own, and unnoticed by the gods or the Children of Fate.  Said freedom may even stem from the artifacts themselves.

What would happen is this group would begin searching for more artifacts, while recruiting more members to their cause.  Thus, being known as the Collective; on the surface, it seems to be simply a name for a group of people, but it also accurately describes their mission.  Eventually, the Collective would amass enough artifacts to counteract the will of the gods.  However, before this event happens, it is possible, through a level of destiny beyond even the gods' influence, that one of the Children of Fate would disobey the gods.  This would anger the gods, but also awaken them to the truth; they would become aware of their selfish actions, and would wish to mend their mistakes.

However, it would be too late for the gods, and they would become aware of the Collective's plan only when it was well beyond stopping.  The gods would also see a flaw in the plan of the Collective; a unexpected consequence of their action that would leave mankind exposed to a greater threat.  When the Collective banished the gods, the artifacts were changed; by using the power within them, the artifacts were connected with the gods once more, and were altered to reflect the desires of the gods.  Thus, the artifacts each became charged with the power of foresight.

If the new power within these artifacts were discovered, the owner would gain the power of foresight.  Should an individual claim the artifacts, they would easily be able to win over the Church of Destiny.  With the Children of Fate in one hand, and complete knowledge of the future in the other, any man who claimed the artifacts would become an unstoppable tyrant; with a period of destiny already strongly established, it would be nigh impossible to stop any such dictator, and, should he utilize the artifacts wisely, he could very well live forever.

It was for this reason that the gods demanded the Children of Fate kill themselves; not out of hatred or spite, but out of love and mercy.  The gods had blessed the Children of Fate, and did not wish to see them corrupted and turned into puppets of a tyrant.  It was with great sadness that they ordered their followers to die; all save one.  For the man who had defied the gods had proven himself to be a man of strong conviction, and the gods hoped that the blessing would be passed down through his descendants, and live on for future generations.  Now, in the modern times, there is a man, posing as an average fortune teller, who can truly see into the future.

And that's all I have to say about that topic for tonight, and possibly for a good while.  I won't lie, I haven't shown all my cards yet; there's certain things I've yet to reveal, and things can always change due to a spur of the moment idea.  I don't know why I feel like keeping secrets, since I'm not actually telling the story here, but I feel like I shouldn't just tell all right now, and I trust my instincts.

On an unrelated note, it looks like the Returners are gonna soon be leaving this story.  If you don't remember what I'm talking about, I don't blame you; they were one of the starting ideas, were discussed in an early post, and have yet to be mention/updated since.  They were a neat idea, and the Atoners are still a (somewhat) viable concept, but things are growing in depth and quality, and as these ideas flourish, they take up more room, room the Returners is taking up.  So, unless ideas strike me soon, everyone's favorite homicidal-salvation zealots will be moving out, and the Atoners may follow shortly after.

And, with that, I believe I shall call it a night.  I did try to make an opening for the story last night, but it seemed forced.  Though it feels a bit like procrastination, I can honestly say that I feel the idea is still in development, and thus writing proper will not commence yet.  I sincerely hope it's not just laziness, and I dread that it's lack of ability that's limiting the actual writing of this story.  However, the idea is still relatively new compared to some of the crap I've worked on in the past, so I can't help but feel like I'm doing pretty well so far.  Then again, what the hell do I know.