SMBC Comics Forum

Michelle's Bad Day (discussion)

Find the actual story here, but read this first please.

Michelle's Bad Day will, hopefully, be a collaborative work. I'll post the first segment of the story (and I'm going to keep the detail intentionally vague to inspire others to build on it in any direction they choose), then I'd like others to throw in a post with how the story progresses, writing it as it goes. I'll be joining in too, or it wouldn't be any fun for me.

I've thought of some rules or guidelines which, I'll admit, I haven't given an overwhelming amount of thought to, so they're completely open for discussion themselves (right here, in this thread... you know you want to).

1) Please don't post discussions in the story thread, just write the next segment of the story itself. If we keep the thread to just the story, it'll help people read it more easily. Discussions can go here, in this thread.

2) I'd like to keep it PG-13.

3) Plot twists are good, and encouraged, but please don't contradict what's been written before. Anyone contributing is asked to read the story as it stands before making a post.

4) Everyone is welcome to post the next segment of the story... but rule 4a clears that up a bit, and then gets contradicted by 4b.

4a) We've got a rota system in place, to take turns in a queue. It's currently:

- GreenCrayon - Kimra - Oldrac the Chitinous - Edminster - Asherian - Lord Retard -

Which will then repeat.

If anyone on the rota doesn't want to take their turn because they can't think of what to write, they're short for time, or they just don't feel like it, just post a little skip message in this thread. If you don't post within 48 hours of your expected time, the next person in the queue has the discretion to assume you've skipped (if they choose), or to taunt you mercilessly, as is our way.

If you want in on the rota, post a message here. If you want to drop out of the rota, likewise.

4b) We seem to instead be following a completely different system, whereby someone just asks politely in this thread if they can go next, then does so. So, ignore 4a until further notice, I guess.

5) Each new post should be three sentences minimum, but I see no reason to place a maximum size limit.

Damn. I was hoping for something more akin to Kimra's (i.e. we create characters, she writes everything else while occasionally asking what our characters would do in a given situation). I'll give participation a shot, though.

Edminster wrote:I was hoping for something more akin to Kimra's

I'm happy to give something like that a shot later on, but I think it'd take more time and creativity than I've got available at the moment. Plus, also, I'm sorta doing that with at least 2 other stories* already.

*Those of you familiar with roleplaying (and I know enough of you are), I'm talking about that.

Welp! Looks like today is a very bad day for Michelle indeed.

Would it be possible to set up a rotation of writers to prevent people from posting simultaneously?

If you think that'd help, sure. I've never tried anything quite like this before, so I've got no idea what I'm letting myself in for. I hadn't even thought about that potential threat.

I guess writers would need to express their interest here to get added to the rotation. But I don't want anyone to feel like they've got to do anything (it really doesn't matter who writes the next bit next), so if someone doesn't want to do the next bit I suppose they should just say they want to skip one or something.

Thanks for the feedback so far, Ed.

The closest experience I have with something like this is the Lexicon and Rainbow's collab story. Both have stalled dead in their tracks, although I still have hopes that the Lexicon will be revived.

shut up it might happen

I shall read it later. I need sleep right now. But I'm interested. And Ed, in my story I was going to make you a group of orphans with three main characters in the group: Ed, Min, and Ster (no idea what that last name is but that would have been dealt with in the story). Just so you know how it would have been if I wasn't a lazy sod.

That's... pretty lazy. Why not go with Red, Tim, and Nestlé (shortened to Nes)?

Edminster wrote:That's... pretty lazy. Why not go with Red, Tim, and Nestlé (shortened to Nes)?

Because it doesn't amuse me as much as the other option.

Okay, since I've slept, and nobody else has expressed an interest, I guess the rotation currently goes like this:

- GreenCrayon - Edminster - [repeat]

If anyone else wants to join in, just say.

Hey. I was doing stuff... weeding the finger lime trees and stuff. My day is only just winding down. I save long things that require real attention till I can give them my full attention.
Sorry for typo's, spelling errors and all round poor quality. Don't make it open to everyone if you have complaints though.

That's great stuff Kimra. Anyone that complains about your work just because they can't get past any possible mistakes just isn't adept enough at reading.

You want in on the rotation? Or do you just want to dive in with a segment when nobody else is online, so you don't accidentally cut someone up on the post?

GreenCrayon wrote:That's great stuff Kimra. Anyone that complains about your work just because they can't get past any possible mistakes just isn't adept enough at reading.

You want in on the rotation? Or do you just want to dive in with a segment when nobody else is online, so you don't accidentally cut someone up on the post?

Better put me on a rotation, and I'll just post here when I'm going to renig* (if I renig) so that I can be skipped over.


*no idea if this is a real word, or what the spelling is if it is.

The word you are searching for is 'renege'.

Sign me up for this Michelle endeavor.

Edminster wrote:That's... pretty lazy. Why not go with Red, Tim, and Nestlé (shortened to Nes)?

They're obviously short for Edgardo, Minerva, and Sterling.