I was considering that as I was writing it. I've seen quite a few stories drop a line or two for background, but it didn't seem right since the story was written from the first person perspective of someone that wouldn't be in possession of the full facts themselves.
Some people asked why I had the last part of him waking up on the ship, when the story would be fine ending with the parent going on a rampage. It's because getting off the world is what makes them a Dark Elf Raider. Perhaps I should have added a sentence about raiding and with the word dark at the end that would nod to that fact... but I didn't want to be too on the nose.
Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read and comment :D
The events in the story take place during an important part of Grimdark Future lore. If you're interested you can see more on that specific part I made a little Lore video. I'll link it for you incase you are interested.
I could have spent more time explaining the robots but firstly the word limit held me back and secondly the theme was Consequences... So I wanted to focus on the consequences of the High Elves actions, and rise of the Robot Legions, in making the Dark Elves.
I hope that explains the choices I made. What do you think?
You're right it is an origin story, one for the Dark Elves. The story is set during the rise of the Robot Legion in Grimdark Future Lore. The High Elves intentionally cut off the escape routs for the poor so they could save themselves, as a direct "consequence" of that they created the Dark Elf faction which hates them.
So that's how, in my mind anyway, I thought it would fit into the Lore and meet the Theme of Consequences for the jam. The entire story is the consequences. Well that's what I was aiming for anyways :D
Yeah, looking back I could have cut the end, slightly expanded the bit about the rampage and the left over word count would have meant I could have saved some of the extra content I cut. Perhaps I should aim to finish on more of a climax next time.
Thanks. But I’m afraid people not familiar with Grimdark Future Lore might not get how it fits the theme?
Yeah, I’m a huge fan of the classic war of the worlds! I love those kinds of movies. Just watched Season One of The Three Body Problem which I also though was really good.
Thanks for leaving a comment. Sorry for the brutality but I’m glad you liked it 😉.
The reason I made those choices was because of the theme “consequences” and to tie it to the lore. The rise of the robot legions is the instigating incident in the narrative and as a consequence of the ruling elite sacrificing the lower classes they created the Dark Elf faction.
On reflection I suppose I could have cut the last bit out and have the consequence the parent and child die… but I was hoping that the reader might emphasize with the parents rage so the story might have a lasting effect.
I agree with you about first person perspective and I talked about that in the discord. I’m not really a fan of writing in first person, as it always feels a bit “cheesey” to me. But I wanted the reader to emphasize with the protagonist, before I destroyed their life 😈, and with the limited word count it seemed like a good technique to do that.
Your right. I wonder how much that intro really adds to the story.
I think perhaps the word count could have been better spent on dialogue. I think that's the real challenge of this game, where to "invest" your wordcount for maximum effect.
Getting eaten by the plant was not part of the plan. Just crash landing near Grog. On the intro it says that the engines were shut down, not that they were damaged in anyway. Of course that's only supposed to make sense after the fact.
But I understand. I thought some people might not like the ending because of the implications but I wanted to do something with a bit of a twist. As for why the Elves need the Orcs, it relates to the official High Elf lore. They form alliances with different Orc tribes to get them to fight other tribes so the Orcs are too busy fighting each other to pose a real threat to the Elves, in the way they later do to the Dwarf Guilds.
Yeah, it was surprising how fast the 1k word limit got used up .
The meeting may have been manufactured, but that doesn't mean the friendship isn't. It leads to a fun duality of both Grog and Ellowin becoming allies in their respective tasks and then the Orcs and the Elves become allies. So you get a double whammy of the theme <LOL>. Same with "The Hunt". Gorg hunts the great beast while Ellowin hunts friends and allies.
I wanted to get away from 40k Orks so went more with Shamanistic Orcs from World of Warcraft, which are pretty articulate but are shamanistic with a warrior culture. They might be big mean and green, but deep down they're just people. I'm not sure how OPR will go with their Lore but I think that some differentiation with 40k would probably be a good idea. For instance the Rate Men of Grimdark Future are totally different!
Ellowin getting eaten was not part of his plan, and I just thought it would make for a more interesting meeting. As for Grog's motivation for lettings him out, it really wasn't much bother for him to save someones life so why not. That and Grog's been tracking solo for two weeks and he's a bit of a talker <LOL>.
They did. In the extended version Ellowin realizes that he genuinely likes Grog, and it's not manipulation if the friendship is real. I'd like to see the guys go on a road trip with more dialogue next time <LOL>.
Oh, I enjoyed your comment. It's something I was thinking about after reading the others. I am a huge Sci-Fi nerd and love talking about this stuff! :D
I assumed it was a Trek Style universal translator, as that's the easiest to skip over in such a short story. I think I was spot on 1,000 words.
I read one short where someone said there was a Barter Language. I really like that idea, much more than copying common from D&D. In future I'd probably use that. Perhaps we should get together and agree on these smaller world building points on discord or something one day?
