(no subject)
So here we have another idea for a story, although this one is much more fleshed out than any of the previous ones. Take that for what it's worth.
Though since it's fleshed out as much as it is, it'll simply require actual nitty gritty writing to see itself to completion. Or so I think....
Idea Generated: Thursday Sep 29, 2005 09:25:44
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Karakuri - Puppet manipulation.
With a little modification, this could easily be turned into a feudal japan version of robotics or prosthetics. You can create technologies derived of traditional Japanese elements - like, wine/alchohol brewing, which can be used in the manufacture of alchohol based plastics. Fireworks manufacture would lead to conventional explosives. And so forth.
Typically, Asian countries use glazed enamel over wood to create plastic-like wooden utensils, bowls, etc. but somebody could've created an alternative means of making the same material - by processing alchohol to form plastic, for example.
How are these karakuri powered? By coiled spring, on the lower levels and the liberal use of manual string/gear operation.
------------
So, essentially, what we would have would be an actual historic Edo era setting for a samurai film. Except that at some point the technology diverges and not everyone has uses for the new technology, and not everyone has technology, but the tech that exists might be more "advanced" than what we have now.
Karakuri prosthetics, which might be string-operated, for example, Le Cirque de Karakuri (Karakuri Circus) and Puppet Princess.
In the latter, the female lead controls three human-sized puppet warriors by string manipulation. She's the daughter of a nobleman during the Edo period.
It's easier to fudge with the complexity of the puppets, such that the strings really operate a series of automatic functions within the puppet itself, so the puppet is just moving through predefined motions. Linking these together, you can patch out a semblance of human motion - the degree to which it's possible is defined by the level of the puppet craft and the skill of the controller.
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A "clean plot" would be:
A ronin who's never heard of the tech one day encounters somebody who uses it, and all sorts of weirdness arise thereafter.
Instead of guided puppets, I could start picturing these things as something similar to a motorslave from BGC or those suits from Appleseed.
The karakuri is an interesting element, but it's not really plot. It's a gimmick, much like any tech in any sci-fi, unless you make the plot *about* karakuri.
It's possible that the plot involves something regarding the misuse of the tech. Perhaps the use of karakuri for warfare?
I could see these things being used almost in the sense of labors and the like. Then when a conflict erupts, they begin being retrofitted with weapons, corrupting their original intent to help build and better life, etc.
Perhaps the main character hates them, but is forced to use one.
Loses an arm so has to have a prosthetic. On the arm he has to constantly use maybe. So it's a constant reminder.
The issue with the karakuri tech is that it was intended originally to develop puppets for the purpose of entertainment. The modification of the tech for other uses betrays the original intent of the tech. So, skilled manufacturers of the more conservative school would deem the general-purpose karakuri puppet as an abomination of sorts.
But then, there would be others that regard the tech as a heaven-granted boon, as well as those that fear it. In one sense because it's unnatural and for the fact that it could potentially remove the need for labor.
The peasants would become "meaningless," and that arouses a lot of fear.
The high samurai may probably look at the device from a purely tech perspective - in its weapon-related potential.
A technology that has a far reaching positive, yet potentially negative at the same time, impact. Like how nanotechnology can remove want, which is why people fear developing it. One might wonder, "Remove want?" Want is the stuff you want/need to survive. Nanotech can supply anything and the impact of that on global economy would be disastrous.
But back on track.
So, karakuri removes the need for human labor, which some people don't like the impact of.
In the traditionally xenophobic medical industry of Edo, Japan, there would be a fear on the part of the doctors that they might become obsolete. Dead limbs and body parts can be replaced entirely and any other medical knowledge can't possibly compete with that.
Doctors would still need to attach the limbs, but most or all other medical disciplines would still die out quickly. Until the karakuri crafters/technicians eventually learn to do that as well. Though these wouldn't be traditional physicians in that sense.
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And, on a political level...
Should the simulcrum of humanity presented by the karakuri reach perfection, it's also possible that major nobles could be replaced by mechanical body doubles.
How would a mechanical body double work though?
A skilled puppeteer controls the body double from somewhere hidden. Much like stage karakuri is performed in modern day.
However, on the flip side, a noble could be replaced and nobody would be the wiser. Or more perverse - a noble's body is replaced with enough prosthetics that their very basic functional capacities are controlled by a puppeteer.
In Fables (from Vertigo) some city officials came to Gipetto (Pinocchio's creator) to plead for him to create a double of the ruling lord who was a most tyrranical sort. The insertion of the double saw to it that there was fair rule and justice for the people. Then the swapping continued to get bigger and bigger with time.
The officials who were 'in' on the swap were murdered and replaced with doubles when they threatened to reveal the evil deed. The rulers of neighboring countries were even replaced with doubles to prevent wars.
That's one potential use anyway.
So what would be occuring here anyway? It looks like it's building up to a revolt against the karakuri. It's like a giant union strike or something.
Karakuri in itself isn't bad. Some of the applications are bad, yes, but in general it's not an evil.
------------
The basic idea for the story could be that there are center parties (the villains, obviously) that are distinctly not looking out for the greater good of the people.
Maybe arranging some sort of political manipulation?
And into the framework, we introduce the hero, who might be a character like what was described earlier.
Manipulating and assassinating key members to work up to ultimately replacing the Emperor and asserting control. For the center parties.
I imagined someone who was fitted with a karakuri arm marvel at the change as his limb is shifted from being a normal working model hand to one more geared for fighting and killing due to the machinations of these center parties.
Sure, he's a ronin with a past, but it's probably not some huge backstory.
Perhaps a supporting character could be part of some sort of group dedicated to keeping the art of karakuri 'pure'. The villian could be a member of this society who broke away and began using karakuri for his own ends. So the main character is dispatched to eliminate him and whatever followers he's gathered.
Someone who crosses paths with the main character, maybe?
If non-samurai were being utilized to fight battles - with the introduction of a karakuri you could put anyone in an armor shell and have them fight - would that cause strife there as well? Possibly.
It's supposed to be expensive to keep samurai since you have to pay... a retainers fee? I think they had to do so. Barrels of rice or money, or something like that.
It was a double dependency. Lords need samurai to fight, so they paid them to do so. But, samurai needed the money from their Lord in order to live.
Which is why ronin are homeless beggars, basically.
If you cut that line off, you'd have an influx of ronin like the main chara.
I'm getting another image as well. There was a version of a Musashi historical drama I was watching that showed Musashi delivering a blow to a man's shoulder. The damage was severe in terms of breakage and burising that they had to cut it off lest a clot get loose and lodge in the brain or heart. I wonder if something like that could work with the main. Where he'd need to have his arm chopped at around the shoulder.
He would probably choose to go armless, but eventually a prosthetic because necessary for him to do whatever it is he has to do.
Heck, he could've sustained the injury when trying to prove that a karakuri soldier would be unnecessary or useless in combat, then getting injured when the karakuri strikes him down.
Possibly, his style requires that he needs to hold a sword with his right arm, or at least, the right arm is absolutely necessary.
It's the only thing he really knows how to do.
Perhaps for a while, he forcibly trains himself to be a lefthanded, one armed swordsman out of stubborness. I mean, you wouldn't be so quick to strap on a device which led you to lose your arm, your position, your rank, your status, etc.
His reason for hating karakuri would be obviously set from that incident and with his present situation.
How he gets pulled in to eventually fighting this odd revolution would be through the character he gets introduced to.
This person is probably a karakuri maker who doesn't share in the darker intents of some of his colleagues.
Could even be female, I reckon. Hm. Like the female doctor in Zombie Powder even.
At first the situation would be one of a need for a job/lodging.
She provides it to him, in exchange he does go-fer'ing duties for her. Move this object, cook, clean, etc.
Then eventually you'd have a situation where he's forced to step in, but his one-handed status sees him fail. This forces him to ask for the karakuri prosthetic to be attached.
It would look vaguely like the prosthetic arm that Falken wears in Escaflowne - the one that attaches at the shoulder.
Being two handed now - and with some training - he's able to confront his enemy. Whatever form they're in, but in the process he uncovers, or catches hint of what's going on.
Perhaps something occurs and he witnesses some government official malfunction - being karakuri. The city mayor or something of that status.
There would be nobody they could truly trust to go with this. I mean, what other official could be a puppet, after all?
You'd almost end up with a situation similar to the Bakumatsu, now that I think about it. With mechanical Shinsengumi even?
Then it'd be a matter of carrying through with a revolution of sorts to weed out the corruption in the government.
The displaced ronin would gladly join the cause, I'm sure.
That's an interesting way of setting things up.
It might get complicated with the sentiments some have towards karakuri in general, I think. There might be generally nice people involved in the business, who get caught up in the hatred of karakuri. Which could cause some headbutting between the group.
This is seemingly a social, political, cultural revolution all mixed in one.
One of the things to keep an eye out for is the scope of the plot. The primary focus should always be the immediate experience of the protagonist.
So only write those things that the main would percieve and experience. He should experience a "beginning and end" to the plot.
He encounters companions and villains, and eventually the antagonist. There is a climatic fight. It's just like in those old samurai films, everything revolves around the protagonist.
Like, in Yojimbo. Note the way the plot is presented. Things happen in the background, but only as immediately relevant to the protagonist.
The villain would be someone who can put up a good fight against the protagonist.
An enemy samurai -- the leader of the enemy cause.
An old companion of his who instead of shunning it as the main did, embraced it and is wholly involved with the mess. Perhaps he was stunned out of his belief after watching the person who he thought of as being this great man be defeated so easily by a mechanical device?
Anyway, it's important that the protagonist should remain "anonymous" throughout the plot. Not as in literally nameless, but more in that he never actually becomes famous.
His conflict is a conflict that goes on in the shadow behind the revolution.
And he never becomes "an important leader amongst the anti-karakuri faction".
He starts a nameless nobody and ends a nameless nobody. At the end of the day, though, he walks away having vanquished his counterpart. He never tries to be more than the samurai that he is. As in he doesn't try to be the leader of the revolution nor the new emperor of Japan type thing.
He's a transient. He's come to town to finish off an old enemy and he's going to pull a Shane and ride off into the sunset. When he's done, he vanishes.
This is a character formula that appears in many samurai films.
So the woman (romantic interest in the story) becomes the, "I knew you were never going to stay long anyway, but it was fun while it lasted." person. Or the "sadly, I wasn't the one who could hold you back from doing your thing" person.
The enemy is not somebody generally known. As in, he won't be introduced into full view until the very end. He's a shadowy manipulator who directs things, but is willing to fight his own battles. The public doesn't know of his existence.
Think Viscious, from Cowboy Bebop.
I was thinking that there's a shadowy operator who has a right hand man, who the main is going to end up facing off against and defeating, but what if the Vicious character pretends he's reporting to someone higher than him?
Like a make believe noble to legitimize the piece moving he does, as he's, afterall, a simple samurai and not of nobility. What I mean is, there's a figure behind a curtain that he constantly reports to and seems to be taking orders from, but its actually just a puppet figure. Nobody else knows that though, but he uses it to be able to dictate authority with a false noble seal on it.
There's some odd message in there somewhere with the revelation that the ultimate symbol of this war and conflict is the simplest form of puppet and the cheapest form of performance. There's no elegance to the puppet, it doesn't even look human, but with application it became powerful enough to shake the country.
Like some kind of performance.
I don't know how to put that into terms, but the camera effect for the ending makes some kind of sense in my head.
Though since it's fleshed out as much as it is, it'll simply require actual nitty gritty writing to see itself to completion. Or so I think....
Idea Generated: Thursday Sep 29, 2005 09:25:44
------------
Karakuri - Puppet manipulation.
With a little modification, this could easily be turned into a feudal japan version of robotics or prosthetics. You can create technologies derived of traditional Japanese elements - like, wine/alchohol brewing, which can be used in the manufacture of alchohol based plastics. Fireworks manufacture would lead to conventional explosives. And so forth.
Typically, Asian countries use glazed enamel over wood to create plastic-like wooden utensils, bowls, etc. but somebody could've created an alternative means of making the same material - by processing alchohol to form plastic, for example.
How are these karakuri powered? By coiled spring, on the lower levels and the liberal use of manual string/gear operation.
------------
So, essentially, what we would have would be an actual historic Edo era setting for a samurai film. Except that at some point the technology diverges and not everyone has uses for the new technology, and not everyone has technology, but the tech that exists might be more "advanced" than what we have now.
Karakuri prosthetics, which might be string-operated, for example, Le Cirque de Karakuri (Karakuri Circus) and Puppet Princess.
In the latter, the female lead controls three human-sized puppet warriors by string manipulation. She's the daughter of a nobleman during the Edo period.
It's easier to fudge with the complexity of the puppets, such that the strings really operate a series of automatic functions within the puppet itself, so the puppet is just moving through predefined motions. Linking these together, you can patch out a semblance of human motion - the degree to which it's possible is defined by the level of the puppet craft and the skill of the controller.
------------
A "clean plot" would be:
A ronin who's never heard of the tech one day encounters somebody who uses it, and all sorts of weirdness arise thereafter.
Instead of guided puppets, I could start picturing these things as something similar to a motorslave from BGC or those suits from Appleseed.
The karakuri is an interesting element, but it's not really plot. It's a gimmick, much like any tech in any sci-fi, unless you make the plot *about* karakuri.
It's possible that the plot involves something regarding the misuse of the tech. Perhaps the use of karakuri for warfare?
I could see these things being used almost in the sense of labors and the like. Then when a conflict erupts, they begin being retrofitted with weapons, corrupting their original intent to help build and better life, etc.
Perhaps the main character hates them, but is forced to use one.
Loses an arm so has to have a prosthetic. On the arm he has to constantly use maybe. So it's a constant reminder.
The issue with the karakuri tech is that it was intended originally to develop puppets for the purpose of entertainment. The modification of the tech for other uses betrays the original intent of the tech. So, skilled manufacturers of the more conservative school would deem the general-purpose karakuri puppet as an abomination of sorts.
But then, there would be others that regard the tech as a heaven-granted boon, as well as those that fear it. In one sense because it's unnatural and for the fact that it could potentially remove the need for labor.
The peasants would become "meaningless," and that arouses a lot of fear.
The high samurai may probably look at the device from a purely tech perspective - in its weapon-related potential.
A technology that has a far reaching positive, yet potentially negative at the same time, impact. Like how nanotechnology can remove want, which is why people fear developing it. One might wonder, "Remove want?" Want is the stuff you want/need to survive. Nanotech can supply anything and the impact of that on global economy would be disastrous.
But back on track.
So, karakuri removes the need for human labor, which some people don't like the impact of.
In the traditionally xenophobic medical industry of Edo, Japan, there would be a fear on the part of the doctors that they might become obsolete. Dead limbs and body parts can be replaced entirely and any other medical knowledge can't possibly compete with that.
Doctors would still need to attach the limbs, but most or all other medical disciplines would still die out quickly. Until the karakuri crafters/technicians eventually learn to do that as well. Though these wouldn't be traditional physicians in that sense.
------------
And, on a political level...
Should the simulcrum of humanity presented by the karakuri reach perfection, it's also possible that major nobles could be replaced by mechanical body doubles.
How would a mechanical body double work though?
A skilled puppeteer controls the body double from somewhere hidden. Much like stage karakuri is performed in modern day.
However, on the flip side, a noble could be replaced and nobody would be the wiser. Or more perverse - a noble's body is replaced with enough prosthetics that their very basic functional capacities are controlled by a puppeteer.
In Fables (from Vertigo) some city officials came to Gipetto (Pinocchio's creator) to plead for him to create a double of the ruling lord who was a most tyrranical sort. The insertion of the double saw to it that there was fair rule and justice for the people. Then the swapping continued to get bigger and bigger with time.
The officials who were 'in' on the swap were murdered and replaced with doubles when they threatened to reveal the evil deed. The rulers of neighboring countries were even replaced with doubles to prevent wars.
That's one potential use anyway.
So what would be occuring here anyway? It looks like it's building up to a revolt against the karakuri. It's like a giant union strike or something.
Karakuri in itself isn't bad. Some of the applications are bad, yes, but in general it's not an evil.
------------
The basic idea for the story could be that there are center parties (the villains, obviously) that are distinctly not looking out for the greater good of the people.
Maybe arranging some sort of political manipulation?
And into the framework, we introduce the hero, who might be a character like what was described earlier.
Manipulating and assassinating key members to work up to ultimately replacing the Emperor and asserting control. For the center parties.
I imagined someone who was fitted with a karakuri arm marvel at the change as his limb is shifted from being a normal working model hand to one more geared for fighting and killing due to the machinations of these center parties.
Sure, he's a ronin with a past, but it's probably not some huge backstory.
Perhaps a supporting character could be part of some sort of group dedicated to keeping the art of karakuri 'pure'. The villian could be a member of this society who broke away and began using karakuri for his own ends. So the main character is dispatched to eliminate him and whatever followers he's gathered.
Someone who crosses paths with the main character, maybe?
If non-samurai were being utilized to fight battles - with the introduction of a karakuri you could put anyone in an armor shell and have them fight - would that cause strife there as well? Possibly.
It's supposed to be expensive to keep samurai since you have to pay... a retainers fee? I think they had to do so. Barrels of rice or money, or something like that.
It was a double dependency. Lords need samurai to fight, so they paid them to do so. But, samurai needed the money from their Lord in order to live.
Which is why ronin are homeless beggars, basically.
If you cut that line off, you'd have an influx of ronin like the main chara.
I'm getting another image as well. There was a version of a Musashi historical drama I was watching that showed Musashi delivering a blow to a man's shoulder. The damage was severe in terms of breakage and burising that they had to cut it off lest a clot get loose and lodge in the brain or heart. I wonder if something like that could work with the main. Where he'd need to have his arm chopped at around the shoulder.
He would probably choose to go armless, but eventually a prosthetic because necessary for him to do whatever it is he has to do.
Heck, he could've sustained the injury when trying to prove that a karakuri soldier would be unnecessary or useless in combat, then getting injured when the karakuri strikes him down.
Possibly, his style requires that he needs to hold a sword with his right arm, or at least, the right arm is absolutely necessary.
It's the only thing he really knows how to do.
Perhaps for a while, he forcibly trains himself to be a lefthanded, one armed swordsman out of stubborness. I mean, you wouldn't be so quick to strap on a device which led you to lose your arm, your position, your rank, your status, etc.
His reason for hating karakuri would be obviously set from that incident and with his present situation.
How he gets pulled in to eventually fighting this odd revolution would be through the character he gets introduced to.
This person is probably a karakuri maker who doesn't share in the darker intents of some of his colleagues.
Could even be female, I reckon. Hm. Like the female doctor in Zombie Powder even.
At first the situation would be one of a need for a job/lodging.
She provides it to him, in exchange he does go-fer'ing duties for her. Move this object, cook, clean, etc.
Then eventually you'd have a situation where he's forced to step in, but his one-handed status sees him fail. This forces him to ask for the karakuri prosthetic to be attached.
It would look vaguely like the prosthetic arm that Falken wears in Escaflowne - the one that attaches at the shoulder.
Being two handed now - and with some training - he's able to confront his enemy. Whatever form they're in, but in the process he uncovers, or catches hint of what's going on.
Perhaps something occurs and he witnesses some government official malfunction - being karakuri. The city mayor or something of that status.
There would be nobody they could truly trust to go with this. I mean, what other official could be a puppet, after all?
You'd almost end up with a situation similar to the Bakumatsu, now that I think about it. With mechanical Shinsengumi even?
Then it'd be a matter of carrying through with a revolution of sorts to weed out the corruption in the government.
The displaced ronin would gladly join the cause, I'm sure.
That's an interesting way of setting things up.
It might get complicated with the sentiments some have towards karakuri in general, I think. There might be generally nice people involved in the business, who get caught up in the hatred of karakuri. Which could cause some headbutting between the group.
This is seemingly a social, political, cultural revolution all mixed in one.
One of the things to keep an eye out for is the scope of the plot. The primary focus should always be the immediate experience of the protagonist.
So only write those things that the main would percieve and experience. He should experience a "beginning and end" to the plot.
He encounters companions and villains, and eventually the antagonist. There is a climatic fight. It's just like in those old samurai films, everything revolves around the protagonist.
Like, in Yojimbo. Note the way the plot is presented. Things happen in the background, but only as immediately relevant to the protagonist.
The villain would be someone who can put up a good fight against the protagonist.
An enemy samurai -- the leader of the enemy cause.
An old companion of his who instead of shunning it as the main did, embraced it and is wholly involved with the mess. Perhaps he was stunned out of his belief after watching the person who he thought of as being this great man be defeated so easily by a mechanical device?
Anyway, it's important that the protagonist should remain "anonymous" throughout the plot. Not as in literally nameless, but more in that he never actually becomes famous.
His conflict is a conflict that goes on in the shadow behind the revolution.
And he never becomes "an important leader amongst the anti-karakuri faction".
He starts a nameless nobody and ends a nameless nobody. At the end of the day, though, he walks away having vanquished his counterpart. He never tries to be more than the samurai that he is. As in he doesn't try to be the leader of the revolution nor the new emperor of Japan type thing.
He's a transient. He's come to town to finish off an old enemy and he's going to pull a Shane and ride off into the sunset. When he's done, he vanishes.
This is a character formula that appears in many samurai films.
So the woman (romantic interest in the story) becomes the, "I knew you were never going to stay long anyway, but it was fun while it lasted." person. Or the "sadly, I wasn't the one who could hold you back from doing your thing" person.
The enemy is not somebody generally known. As in, he won't be introduced into full view until the very end. He's a shadowy manipulator who directs things, but is willing to fight his own battles. The public doesn't know of his existence.
Think Viscious, from Cowboy Bebop.
I was thinking that there's a shadowy operator who has a right hand man, who the main is going to end up facing off against and defeating, but what if the Vicious character pretends he's reporting to someone higher than him?
Like a make believe noble to legitimize the piece moving he does, as he's, afterall, a simple samurai and not of nobility. What I mean is, there's a figure behind a curtain that he constantly reports to and seems to be taking orders from, but its actually just a puppet figure. Nobody else knows that though, but he uses it to be able to dictate authority with a false noble seal on it.
There's some odd message in there somewhere with the revelation that the ultimate symbol of this war and conflict is the simplest form of puppet and the cheapest form of performance. There's no elegance to the puppet, it doesn't even look human, but with application it became powerful enough to shake the country.
Like some kind of performance.
I don't know how to put that into terms, but the camera effect for the ending makes some kind of sense in my head.