Storypunk: Specific Help with Icons?

[Jonathan Walton]

Probably a bit too late but I can't help but notice that ALL of the male iconics are tricksters.

Hmm, interesting point, though that doesn't both me so much.  They also all happen to be half-animal characters, which is a little more immediately obvious.  I'm still trying to think of someone who might replace Anansi as Piper, but I'm mostly happy with the crew I've got.

By the way, folks... what do you think of the name Bitter Fables?  I'm trying to convey the bittersweet, fanciful-but-tragic tone that I imagine the game will have.  You have these fleeting encounters with epic stories, but them watch them crumble before your eyes if you tarry too long and enjoy them.  Your love destroys the thing you love.  That kind of thing.

For a while, I was considering a long, drawn-out name like a Torchbearer trait ("My Story is Sharp as Winter" :) or a quote from Haroun & the Sea of Stories ("I drink the warm Story Waters" or "Don't you like Princess Rescue Stories?"), but I think something directly descriptive, instead of something that's simply evocative, might be best.

Hard at work on icon descriptions.

[SrGrvsaLot]

I think something directly descriptive, instead of something that's simply evocative, might be best.

That depends on what you want. Using an evocative name can add an ambiguous and etherial quality to your game that might be lacking otherwise. Personally, of all your ideas, I liked "Don't you like princess rescue stories?" the best. It had a quality about it, like a memory drifting away. "Bitter Fables" is too direct, I think. Maybe the theme of your game would work best if it remains a subtext, rather than an explicit goal.

Of course, you might try a comprimise between the descriptive and the evocative. How about "Stories Told Once," or something along those lines?

[Jonathan Walton]

How about "Stories Told Once," or something along those lines?

That's not bad, actually.  Kinda evocative of Kipling's "Just-So Stories," so maybe something like "Once-Told Tales" or the like could work.  I've also been thinking recently about one of my favorite online comics sites, Small Stories, whose tagline is "comics to make love to," which is delightfully delicious.  I want this game to break the hearts of those that love stories, but in a good way, that makes them want to come back for the bittersweet experience again and again.  It's a tragic game, really, and maybe the title should reflect that.  "Ever-Ending Stories" anyone?  I think I want to stay away from titles that sound like bad translations of Anime film titles ("Tragic Heartbreak Storyland Saga Yoshimi!"), but something a little sarcasticly redundant like "Stories That Aren't Even True" might work.

Still thinking about this one...

[Ron Edwards]

"Twice-Told Lies"

Best,
Ron

[Jonathan Walton]

Not bad, Ron, except that nothing in the game really gets told twice, so some players would be scratching their heads wondering what it meant.

Just remembered something that I concocted for a comic I was going to do a while back, combining Happily Ever After with the Sweet Hereafter (i.e. death).  How does "Here-Ever-After" strike you?

EDIT:  It's too bad there was that Drew Berrymore movie a while back, or I'd just call it "Ever After" (the logical companion of Atlas' "Once Upon A Time").

[Ron Edwards]

"However After"

And quit anticipating what players "would" do or "would" interpret a title. That way lies madness and failure to work on the important stuff.

Best,
Ron

[Spooky Fanboy]

"Whatever and Ever, Amen."

Sorry. Popped into my head, and I couldn't resist.

[Mike Holmes]

How about just:

Forever After

Very "tense-y", and indicating the open-endedness. Evocative of being "forever after" the story.

Mike

[Thomas Tamblyn]

How about just:

Forever After

Very "tense-y", and indicating the open-endedness. Evocative of being "forever after" the story

Unfortuantely its already taken as the title of a book by  Catherine Anderson.

http://www.catherineanderson.com/books/foreverafter.html

[Mike Holmes]

You know, you could probably use "Ever After" and get away with it. It's not really a challenge to the trademark, and it's part of a phrase in common use. Or did you just not want to be associated with a chick flick? :-)

I originally liked the title StoryHack. That might be more appropriate now.

Mike

[Jonathan Walton]

Or did you just not want to be associated with a chick flick? :-)

Well, maybe, but I also happened to like that particular chick flick, as I recall... :)

As for the name, I came to the same conclusion as you, actually, about 3 hours ago.  I just dubbed the project "Ever-After" in an email to Ramon Perez, so that may be what I'm stuck with.  I also think that "the After-Once" will now have to be called "the Ever-After" (or maybe not), but that's a secondary concern.

So, before Ron sees fit to shut this thread down, let me do it myself.  Thanks for all your help and suggestions, but I think I've got most everything worked out for now.  I'm sure they'll be more issues as I sit down and begin to crank out prose, but please consider this thread closed (unless you have other issues to bring up, besides the "name game").