As I mentioned in the other thread, I'm going to be participating in National Novel(la) Writing Month. Though I'm planning to return to some of my original fiction early next year, my experiences with NaNoWriMo two years ago (in which my story stalled amidst a sea of continuity-checking, world-building, and other background overhead) have made me decide to go the Shadowrun fiction route. As per the rules of the event, it will be a new work rather than a continuation of my already in-progress story—that's getting continued under its own schedule.

Why do I say this so far in advance? Why not just post the story when I start writing? Well, there's one reason—trawling for inspiration. I've got ideas, but they'll be stewing right up until the go hour.

So: everyone who's reading this, I'd like you to post (or PM, or email, or Watchergram) one or more aspects of the Shadowrun universe (circa 2049-2063—you can go earlier, but I'm not interested in going later at this time) that you'd like to see explored more, even in an unofficial capacity, in fiction. This can be as simple as a person or event ("Nadja Daviar's history", "the Nightwraith Incident", "the Insurance Wars") or as complex as a full plotline or conspiracy theory ("Harlequin's involvement with the Renraku Arcology shutdown", "Ghostwalker replaces the Surgeon General with a bound Free Spirit", etc.). The only bound I request is that it fit into established canon. To expand on that, I don't want something that is either flatly contradicted by canon ("Lofwyr dies", "Mitsuhama caused the Shutdown and planted fake evidence of an AI") or that raises the question of why this wasn't covered at all before ("Aden kills the entire senate", "Godjira returns, crushes Tokyo"). I'm willing to consider asserting world-changing things as long as they're behind the scenes.

That said, I will not be using all ideas. The ideas that I will use I may not use in their original form. I may not use them in a form even vaguely recognizable. The aforementioned "Harlequin's involvement with RA:S" may turn into "Ehran's involvement with the invention of the Cyberdeck" before it's done bouncing around in my mind. The basic idea, though, is that the cooler the idea and the possibilities thereof are, the more likely it is to make it in. If you're not sure that it's self-evident, explain why the aspect you suggest piques your interest—what catches your eye about it?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

~J

FastJack and Damian Knight - is there a connection?

I've always been terrribly interested in the Lone Eagle incident (which is a little before your given time frame, I'll admit).

Its interesting because no real players were awake when it happened, except maybe Harlequin and Ehran and a few other pesky immortal types but smacks of supernatural involvement. Its also completely unexplored in canon to my knowledge.

Just want to add that places are dandy as well—the original Wee Bit o' the Fiction thread spun off of a combination of thinking too much about sewers and their applications in Shadowrun, with a few dashes of the Arcology thrown in.

Regarding the Lone Eagle incident, it is indeed almost totally unexplored. The most we have on it, as far as I know, is the general idea of "nukes start doing weird things".

~J

If I still had my notes and drafts from the novella I started about Nadja Daviar, I'd gladly give them to you. They wouldn't be doing me any good.

Actually I'm kinda curious about the whole Winternight angle - how they got started, why they do what they do, and the players behind them.

Another thing to do is explore the life of the Network - with it's various faces and lives, and the AIs behind the scenes shifting power values.

Another idea that I don't know if it's been covered - the room in Saeder-Krupp mentioned in Dunkie's will - was that ever uncovered?

And last but not least - what REALLY happened to the Aztechnology high councils after Darke got "vanquished" in the Harlequin adventure (or whichever one killed him). I know there were rumors of a possible feathered dragon, but I never did get that straight.

What exactly happened to Aneki in Tibet?

Who taught the Great Ghost Dance to Howling Coyote?

Is the Deep Resonance a spirit or other kind of Awakened entity?

Why can't dragons get online?

My guess is that something about the current method is either not efficient, not effective, or both.

~J

I thought that when dragons posted on Shadowland, they were using tortoises or proxies. Isn't Transys working on a draconic datajack?

There is/was only one known data with a datajack, and that's Eliohann AKA Neurosis (from the run "Dragon Hunt" circa 2050) and he may or may not be a Ghost in the Machine from the Matrix Crash 2.0. Other dragons use 'trode nets and tortoises, presumably. AR is probably a lot kinder on dragons in SR4.

As for story ideas:
The Life and Times of Kristine Martin AKA KAM. Always thought she was an interesting character.

Something involving Concrete Dreams, the "Beatles" of the Sixth World.

Damn, it's NaNoWriMo time again already? Hmm, perhaps one should do that again, it was FUN.

The Euro Wars and, in particular, the Nightwraith strikes.