A shared sword & sorcery setting: City of Scum

[StillStunned]

@ShelbyDawn57 I'll read your snippets during my lunch break. Maybe be a bit careful about posting too much of your story here, in case the mods decide you're pushing the limit of the "three paragraphs max" rule, even if it's spread over multiple posts.

 

[StillStunned]

The OP has been updated to include a link to the tag page and the stories published so far.

 

[DraegonDaddy]

I still think something like a shared Google doc would help.

 

[Nynah]

I still think something like a shared Google doc would help.

I use Notion for work and I think it would fit this type of collaborative effort quite well! There's even an option to create a wiki which would serve to centralize a lot of the shared settings/world concepts.

I've been reading the stories in this shared world on and off and found them fascinating. If I manage to find spare time at some point in the near future I might try my hand at a story but for now I'm enjoying the world you all have created.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Probably not enough traction to be worth their(laurel and Manu) effort, but I wonder what it wold take to add a Collaborations option similar to Series that can link between authors.

 

[Areala-chan]

Not a bad idea at all, Shelby.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Not a bad idea at all, Shelby.

Request/suggestion has been sent to Laurel and Manu. I made sure to throw @StillStunned under the bus(tongue in cheek, of course) while I was at it.

 

[StillStunned]

Request/suggestion has been sent to Laurel and Manu. I made sure to throw @StillStunned under the bus(tongue in cheek, of course) while I was at it.

I wondered what that thing was that ran over me in the night.

 

[PennyThompson]

Probably not enough traction to be worth their(laurel and Manu) effort, but I wonder what it wold take to add a Collaborations option similar to Series that can link between authors.

You could include a direct link to the City of Scum tag in your author note, and it would show all stories by all authors using the tag?

 

[Belegon]

A while ago I wrote a story called Rulk the Rat and the Demon Dagger (9.7k words, rated 4.76). A nasty story about nasty people, none nastier than the main character. To me, it encapsulates some of the key elements of S&S: a grim setting, earthy characters, magic that's unpredictable and mysterious rather than utilitarian, people whose motives are selfish, shades of grey, a distinct lack of Good v Evil conflict.

Several readers commented that it would make a good chapter in an anthology:

"You could have some fun expanding this world in future stories for sure."
"It felt like a story from a horror anthology series with a grim narrator introducing each story."
"I feel like this would be a fun episode of something like the Twilight Zone[.]"

In The Sword & Sorcery appreciation thread, the possibility came up of a S&S challenge. I doubt that would happen this year - I won't be organising it, at least - but perhaps people would be interested in using the setting from "Rulk the Rat" as a shared universe. An anthology of standalone stories with a common tone and some common landmarks, but different characters.

Who's interested? I'm not setting any deadlines or saying who's allowed to join, or impose any sequence for people to write their stories. Just an open setting to use as background and inspiration.

UPDATE: Now that the setting is up and running, here's the tag page with all stories tagged "city of scum".

The stories so far:

Rulk the Rat and the Demon Dagger, by StillStunned: A thief finds a dagger that gives him power.
The Only Flower On Rose Street, by StillStunned: A burglar is caught and mistaken for a whore.
The Angel of the Alleys, by Areala-chan: The hero the City deserves, not the one it needs.
What Scabby Saw In The Bathhouse, by StillStunned: A beggar spies on a clandestine meeting in the City of Scum.

Sounds interesting... I may give it a go. we'll see...

 

[StillStunned]

You could include a direct link to the City of Scum tag in your author note, and it would show all stories by all authors using the tag?

That's what I've done in my two most recent stories.

Sounds interesting... I may give it a go. we'll see...

Welcome to the City! Watch out for the ghouls.

 

[Vammatar]

So my effort is titled Axes Aren't A Ghoul's Best Friend.

I'm up to 2000 words, I'm halfway through the fight scene, I've written an ending, and still haven't got to the main thrust (ooh err!) of the story yet.
My MC is just passing through, so it's more of an outsider's impression of the place.

 

[StillStunned]

So my effort is titled Axes Aren't A Ghoul's Best Friend.

I'm up to 2000 words, I'm halfway through the fight scene, I've written an ending, and still haven't got to the main thrust (ooh err!) of the story yet.
My MC is just passing through, so it's more of an outsider's impression of the place.

Looking forward to it!

 

[Areala-chan]

So my effort is titled Axes Aren't A Ghoul's Best Friend.

I'm up to 2000 words, I'm halfway through the fight scene, I've written an ending, and still haven't got to the main thrust (ooh err!) of the story yet.
My MC is just passing through, so it's more of an outsider's impression of the place.

Yes, do it!! It'll be fun!

 

[StillStunned]

The City's population is growing.