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Here is where you talk about the awesome story you can't write. You know the one. You have a brilliant idea behind it and the whole thing planned out, but you just can't get it to work and in the end you give up.

The Idea: So basically, the human manifestation of Tzeentch himself goes to some primitive world to further his great plans. He's captured by natives with anti psychic talismans, led by a psychic blank. It turns out the Deceiver (a C'tan) and the Laughing God (an Eldar God) conspired for Tzeentch to be captured and he's played right into their hands. Nurgle presents an ancient plague sword to the blank that will certainly kill Tzeentch in his weakened state. He has the humbled God brought to his tent and the two argue over the morality of killing him.

At first Tzeentch, obviously panicking, denies being a Chaos God and claims he's just a scholar sent out by the Administratum to classify the natives. When the blank raises the blade, Tzeentch switches tactics. He talks about everything he can offer the man; an entire solar system of daemon worlds at his control, endless infernal legions and the Thousand Sons legion. If the blank just lets him live, he'll have anything he can humanly desire. The blank says that wouldn't be the moral thing to do, so Tzeentch switches tactics again. He points out that even if he dies other gods will take his place; there will always be ambition. And the blank dispels this argument by pointing out that if Tzeentch dies, his infernal legions will disband and all his Daemon Princes, Champions, Sorcerers and Cultists will lose their powers so killing him will still have a gain.

Finally, they get into an argument over the morality of ambition. Tzeentch is giving a 'greed is good' speech, pointing out how ambition has furthered society. In turn, the blank brings up all the suffering Tzeentch has caused and the incomprehensible horrors he's brought upon the universe. When he sees Tzeentch glancing out the tent door as he's giving his lecture about all the genocides committed in Tzeentch's name, he realizes that the bastard is just stalling for time. As he's about to strike Tzeentch down, two tribesmen who had been listening the whole time rush in and tackle him to the ground. They slit the blank's throat and ask Tzeentch, "What will you give us in exchange for your freedom?"

Tzeentch's answer: "Everything."

Why I Couldn't Write It: Tzeentch is a fething genius. I'm not. There's no way I could write how someone as intelligent as him would speak and I certainly could never be as persuasive as him. Furthermore, I'm not a philosophy major, so my argument for the morality part would suck donkey arse. This story works in concept, but there's no way I could carry out the execution. Maybe if I got a team together of the best writers and philosophers the world had ever known, they might be able to pull it off. But they'd probably be capable of thinking up better story ideas than this, so they'd write their own story rather than mine and I'd get all pissed at them.

Genius! Now I know what to get you for your birthday gift!

I think that's a really great idea for a story. It wouldnt even really need to be 40k. In fact I think it would be better not in 40k as i'm not sure the deciever exists anymore plus i dont think the four gods want to actually kill each other, just be the top dog. I think even the rivalries have been toned down since codex daemons. (Daemonettes and Bloodcrushers would never have been on the same piece of artwork in 3rd edition).

Also i would say that Slaanesh is the god of mortal ambtion, tzeentch is more entropy, the god of destruction and renewal, the antithesis of Nurgle's Stagnation and Despair. Tzeentch is Bascially the Joker from the Dark Knight.

Finally i reckon it would be far more fitting if tzeentch killed his two saviours.

I think you should change the premise to powerful servant of Tzeentch or something, but say you goes for it, then you can actually get inspiration from the Norse gods, Loki and Odin. Loki especially is a known trickster with a silvery-tongue. You can even maybe get a translated version of the Valhalla-comic for further information, or just look at translated scriptures about the Norse gods. Of course other trickster gods can be used as well, as I think I have seen the scenario you describes in myths I have read before at other mythologies. Also you can have the Deceiver and the Laughing God playing each other. Neither sound like very reliable allies, and there is as much love between an Eldar God and a C'tan as there is love between the Celtic and Rangers.

The Idea: A 40K story focusing not on the gigantic conflicts, but on the life and survival of the regular folk within a Hive City, and how their lives would be affected by a Xenos invasion.

I want to cover an entire, years long conflict covering an entire planet wracked by war, with dozens of characters across countless scenarios all trying to either flee, survive, hide, or fight back.

Not a story about the Guard, or the Astartes, or even the PDF, but about the regular citizenry just trying to avoid conflict.

Why I can't: I don't know where to start for one. Also, my other stories have all mostly been single perspective tales. I don't know how much time to divide between characters, or how to give each one their own voice.

Trondheim wrote:Genius! Now I know what to get you for your birthday gift!

My writing/philosophy dream team for this story would include multiple dead people.

But if you can resurrect and kidnap them by October 9th, that'd be awesome Trondheim!

Perkustin wrote:I think that's a really great idea for a story. It wouldnt even really need to be 40k. In fact I think it would be better not in 40k as i'm not sure the deciever exists anymore plus i dont think the four gods want to actually kill each other, just be the top dog. I think even the rivalries have been toned down since codex daemons. (Daemonettes and Bloodcrushers would never have been on the same piece of artwork in 3rd edition).

Also i would say that Slaanesh is the god of mortal ambtion, tzeentch is more entropy, the god of destruction and renewal, the antithesis of Nurgle's Stagnation and Despair. Tzeentch is Bascially the Joker from the Dark Knight.

Finally i reckon it would be far more fitting if tzeentch killed his two saviours.

The domains of the Gods are all jumbled up by various contradicting Codexs, Black Library novels and other stuff. I prefer to think of Nurgle as the god of the emotions associated with disease (wanting to live and caring about others/wanting them to live), Slaanesh as the god of pleasure, Khorne anger and Tzeentch the god of ambition and desire for more than just life (as opposed to Nurgle). Tzeentch would be the type to say, "Give me liberty or give me death." But yeah, you're view on the Chaos Gods is just as canon as mine.

I really like the idea of Tzeentch killing his saviours. He sure as hell ain't gunna share his empire with them. If this story ever gets written, I'll include that.

Thanks!

Beaviz81 wrote:I think you should change the premise to powerful servant of Tzeentch or something, but say you goes for it, then you can actually get inspiration from the Norse gods, Loki and Odin. Loki especially is a known trickster with a silvery-tongue. You can even maybe get a translated version of the Valhalla-comic for further information, or just look at translated scriptures about the Norse gods. Of course other trickster gods can be used as well, as I think I have seen the scenario you describes in myths I have read before at other mythologies. Also you can have the Deceiver and the Laughing God playing each other. Neither sound like very reliable allies, and there is as much love between an Eldar God and a C'tan as there is love between the Celtic and Rangers.

I'd prefer it to be Tzeentch himself, simply because I really like the concept of a God as powerful and prideful as him being outgambitted and forced to bargain, beg and plead for his miserable life. I feel that Tzeentch needs to be knocked down a peg. After all, not everything can go "just as planned". But I will look into getting one of those comics; they sound quite interesting.

Arcsquad12 wrote:The Idea: A 40K story focusing not on the gigantic conflicts, but on the life and survival of the regular folk within a Hive City, and how their lives would be affected by a Xenos invasion.

I want to cover an entire, years long conflict covering an entire planet wracked by war, with dozens of characters across countless scenarios all trying to either flee, survive, hide, or fight back.

Not a story about the Guard, or the Astartes, or even the PDF, but about the regular citizenry just trying to avoid conflict.

Why I can't: I don't know where to start for one. Also, my other stories have all mostly been single perspective tales. I don't know how much time to divide between characters, or how to give each one their own voice.

Hrm, I really like that idea, following a bunch of civilians lives as they struggle to eck out a peaceful existence in the 41st millennium, where there is only waahr.

Some writing book I read said to start your story at the very first plot important thing that happens. So, it could be the arrival of the Xenos in their solar system. They don't even have to appear until the 8th chapter or whatever. Just have the civilians learn about the incoming Xenos. It'd be like the Cold War, where any minute they could be facing down complete and utter annihilation. Some people would purposefully blind themselves to it and continue trudging on with daily life, while other would just go flying rodent gak crazy, quit their jobs and buy a bunker in the middle of nowhere.

The same writing book said that if you're book has multiple perspectives, change perspectives every chapter. And every chapter should be 'bout the same length.

As for the voice thing, I don't really know how to handle that.

Oh LL it was merely a suggestion, you looked for something for a trickster-god, I was merely suggesting guidelines for you, not the tale, and I hope Valhalla have been translated to comics, as they are supreme and shows off Loki's traits as a cheat, gambler and so on with a strong comedic element. He can be the Tzeentch you are looking for. And that can inspire you.

The Idea: Follows the story of my personal Necron Overlord and his rise to military power in the Atun Dynasty. This is, of course, millions of years in the past, when all Necrons were still frail flesh and blood. The story starts in the middle of the War in Heaven, and then things start to go South with the arrival of the C'Tan. This is all background to his own personal story, as he begins to use very dirty tactics to get to what he wants. He is suddenly caught by the Phaeron of the Dynasty and, in a move that humiliates him, is outcast from the dynasty just after the biotransference. Of course, even after the biotransference he still has lots of enemies to deal with.
I get really tired very easily of the numerous amounts of stories about the Humans of 40k, I figured it's time someone focused more on a Xenos faction, and not to mention my favorite thus far.
Why I couldn't write it (yet): As well as the various time constraints I face from work, school, life, etc. there's one fundamental problem: I first need to create an entire civilization based on what very little the various Codices and rulebooks have to offer. It's a daunting task, not to mention one I would have to tread somewhat lightly. Yes, there's the argument that "it's a dead society, so I could technically write whatever the hell I wanted to", however the Necron society we all know has its roots from a similar society it transitioned from. I'm afraid this would become a momentous project requiring lots of research, and could possibly turn into some gigantic thing which might never be finished. Having experience from reading (and writing) fanfiction with no ending written, it's something I'm rather hesitant to start.