>>9408Been thinking about this post for a few days and I feel compelled to weigh in.
It sounds like you've got a pretty clear picture of the world you want to play with, which is great! It also looks like you've got a rough outline of your main characters, which is also good.
Since you're asking for feedback, I'd suggest focusing your brainstorming on two things: character motivations and a satisfying end-state for the story.
Questions to consider for Callah:
- Why has she decided to leave her (presumably) comfortable and safe home life behind and adventure through a very dangerous world?
- Has she been cast out of her community for becoming cursed? Is there somebody back home that she's trying to save?
- You mentioned multiple gods, perhaps she's an adherent to of somebody who isn't the "fat god", and she thinks the fat-related curses are abhorrent?
- Why is she convinced that the Treasured can even be destroyed? How firm is her conviction?
- Is she old enough to remember how the world was before? Even if she isn't, how does she feel about the world she has to fight through?
For Ada:
- How does she feel about becoming a mutant? Is she open-minded enough to embrace the changes or does she feel like a freak?
- Why is she more cautious about the Treasured than Callah? Perhaps the Treasured monsters aren't all raving berserkers and one helped her at some point?
- Does she know or suspect something about the origins of the Treasured that conflicts with Callah's worldview or mission? Is her knowledge correct?
Regarding the world and plot:
- Is there an equivalence to Hollowing in this world? Somebody who's completely consumed by their curse turns into .... what? (Sidenote, if you're hell-bent on using the soulsborne inspiration, a setting like this would have a lot of space for some truly revolting body horror)
- Are the monsters just mindless brutes or are they trying to corral or herd human populations for some unknown purpose?
- Will we see monsters afflicted/blessed by curses other than fat-related ones? Do different "alignments" of monsters cooperate or fight?
- I personally think there's potential for a great throughline here, since the core theme of soulsborne games is upholding a rotting status quo or diving into a terrifying unknown.For Callah, this could mean reaching a detante or understanding with her flabby body, even if it means permanently living as a huge fatass. An alternative endstate might be taking a deal that makes her skinny again but opens a door for some other horrible powers; or perhaps she throws herself completely into fatness, becoming.... I don't fuckin' know, maybe some sort of Saxxon-esque blob goddess.
Gonna echo
>>9406 and suggest that you just write some scenes. You don't need to write in chronological order, and you don't need to keep everything you write. At the risk of being presumptuous, some scene ideas:
- Callah's first fight against any monster. Is she scared? Hot-headed? Did she get jumped or did she surprise the monster?
- A much more grizzled Callah facing down a type of monster she's fought before.
- Callah and Ada, a few drinks deep, wax philosophical about the nature of the world. Are these two women actually aligned on their mission, or is somebody hiding something?
- Callah is forced to have the blacksmith expand her armor... again. And she's got some thoughts about her situation.
You don't need to spell character motivations out for the reader, but I think it's the sort of thing that's invaluable to have in mind as you're writing interactions. Developing a mental model of WHO these people are will make their interactions with other people and the world feel that much more plausible. Oh, and it can make the romance feel a lot hotter too.
Now if only I could finish my own backlog... >.>