DXHR endings, SPOILERS

Here's a quick and dirty take on the Deus Ex: Human Revolutions endings, heavy spoilers for the game. I'll have a more in-depth write up on the game in a bit.

Almost without exception, what Eliza said would happen upon the release of whichever information was different to what I would have expected. Now, you might put this down to bad writing, or you can consider that the game is being rather more tricksy than that – Eliza is, after all, an extremely advanced artificial intelligence created by the Illuminati to spin information how they wish.

Darrow’s ending is the most extreme example for me. Unveiling the truth would definitely halt development in augmentation and reveal the existence of the Illuminati, but to lead to a complete Luddite revolution? That seems like a remarkable stretch, plus the Illuminati will absolutely have the upper hand in the ensuing new world order. To me, it feels like Eliza could be trying to warn you off this path.

Next up, the “destroy the base and let humanity sort itself out” ending. Hmm. So; we have the Illuminati still existing in secrecy, in possession of the ability to disable augments in those who oppose them, and massive anti-augmentation sentiment because they just went on an unexplained murderous rampage. That’s just ridiculous. It also ignores the fact that Malik, Pritchard and the scientists are still out there and able to spill the beans, so... (Plus blowing up a base full of people after my pacifist run just doesn’t jive.)

Taggert’s ending is less Eliza and more the man himself. I gotta say, he sweet-talked me into his way of thinking, because honestly regulation of augments is not at all a bad thing. Ideally they’d be limited to those who need them; amputees, the blind and so on, rather than this perverse bling culture and weaponisation. If Taggert wasn’t associated with the Illuminati his ending would seem far and away the most reasonable, in my opinion.

Sarif’s ideal is the most pure; it just happens to be one I disagree with. I don’t view augmentation as a means of bettering myself – I like hitting the gym, practicing things ‘til I get them right, improving organically like that. His actually strikes the most significant blow against Illuminati if you consider their ties to Purity First, but it does so in a way that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Alas, if only I was more transhumanist.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - Review

Well, how embarrassing. It appears that titular means ‘in title only’, so my use of it referring to the guide yesterday was quite wrong. What I should have used instead was ‘eponymous’, which is a considerably more badass sounding word in any case. We live and learn.

 ‘So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish’, the fourth book in the rather inaccurately named Hitchhiker’s trilogy, is really a radical departure from the first three books in the series. For me, it was very much like going from an early Pratchett like The Colour of Magic to one of his later books, say Witches Abroad. It feels much more coherent and refined, with the meanderings in the story adding to the general experience rather than coming across as non-sequiturs.

The fact that I enjoyed it so much more is, of course, largely due to personal preference; I prefer character driven plots significantly more than the alternative, especially concerning relationships, and the fact that the tone is rather lighter throughout appealed to me as well. Indeed, it even pokes fun at a few of the issues I raised in my earlier review, particularly with regards to fleshing out Arthur. He has so much more personality here, and his relationships with the other characters are better for it.

Honestly, I feel like ‘So Long’ works exceptionally well as a standalone story. There are of course references to the preceding books, but none of them are necessary to the understanding of the plot; it provides a fresh beginning and a solid end, wrapping up the arc neatly. This of course is a problem, as there are two more books in the series. Five is known to be significantly more miserable due to Adams going through a rough patch, and the sixth was written by someone entirely different following his death.

Having read synopses they sound interesting but perhaps rely too much on bringing back past characters (though of course these highly improbable coincidences are bound to happen when using the Heart of Gold) while Four stands on its own merits. Eoin Colfer, the author of the sixth book, has somewhat fallen out of my favour recently, due to the decidedly awful decisions he made with his Artemis Fowl series.

Regardless of whether or not I eventually choose to continue with the rest of the books (and I almost certainly will; I hate to leave things unfinished), I can safely state that, thanks to the fourth entry to the series, ‘Hitchhikers’ is worth a look.

Next project: re-reading Monstrous Regiment to see if it’s as weak as I remember.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy - Review

I was all set this morning to dutifully stride up to the boss’s desk, sweep aside the Star Wars memorabilia and throw down my geek badge, as I hadn’t found the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to be all that. It was often very funny, thought-provoking and at times prescient – the titular guide put me in mind of nothing so much as a combination of a Kindle and Wikipedia – but I was unable to connect much with the characters and was bothered by the lack of any coherent plot. However, eight chapters into ‘So Long and Thanks for all the Fish’ and I’ve laughed out loud quite a few times and am genuinely interested to see what happens to Arthur and Ford. I’m optimistic that this will mark an upturn in the series for me, so fingers crossed.

Let me expand on my issues with the first three novels. First and foremost is the character of Arthur Dent. He is introduced to us as a typical, if somewhat strange, everyday guy – the reader’s surrogate. He gets swept up in these events far bigger than himself, and understandably feels incredibly lonely. Later, we find out that in his mind is locked the ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything (we already know that the answer is 42) and despite being given the option to resolve this by having Marvin (an incredibly miserable robot, so depressing to be around that when he interfaces with other machines they tend to commit suicide) read his brainwaves, this is ignored forever.

I’m getting ahead of myself a little bit, let me back up. Now, while Arthur is understandably off-balance initially, he doesn’t really ever find his feet. Indeed, his feelings are ignored by his companions and he is regularly treated awfully and dismissively. In addition to that, he actually is a bit of a whiner, to the point where you rather wish he’d get on with it. The problem is that as the reader’s surrogate, every time he – and Earth, which he often finds himself representing – is put down, you feel it too. He does have his moments though, and sharing them with him is a delight.

The other main characters are Ford, a researcher for the Guide; Zaphod, the two-headed ex-president of the Galaxy; Trillian, an Earth woman who met Zaphod at a party and went off with him bringing her two mice; and the aforementioned Marvin. Ford is a seasoned traveller never found without his towel, the sole survivor from a planet in distant Betelgeuse-7. He’s kind of a dick at times, perhaps due to the fact that his home planet may have been made up by his father (we never really find out).

Zaphod is sort of related to Ford, and sees himself as a really cool, fun and happening guy, which is alright as that’s how most of the galaxy sees him too. He however hides a dark secret; some time in his past he hatched a plot with several other characters (most of whom we never meet and all of whom we learn precious little about) to find the man who runs the universe, operating on his own brain to seal this plot away. This is resolved in a very unsatisfactory manner at the end of the second book; at any rate I assume it’s resolved, as there was no mention of it at all in the third.

Trillian is just sort of there. She is the brains of the outfit, such as it is, and ends up being an inexplicable plot resolution device for the third book. She and Zaphod have a thing going on, despite him rather taking her for-granted a lot of the time, and Arthur kinda sorta likes her (he was at the party where she went off with Zaphod, though he only had one head then). Marvin is rather more fun than these three combined (though Ford does have his moments), bemoaning the fact that he was programmed to be permanently miserable, despising other, perpetually cheery devices and pointing out to anyone who’ll listen (very often no one) how his vast intellect is entirely wasted.

The above tells you just about everything there is to know about those characters, and any steps taken to flesh them out a little end up trailing off, forgotten. This wouldn’t be so bad if the stories themselves were engaging (the DaVinci Code is a good example of this working) but unfortunately they mostly serve as a vehicle for observations about the nature of space, science and people, as well as quirky and occasionally rather bleak shenanigans. To give credit where it’s due it really is very interesting; I just found it hard to read for long stretches of time due to the somewhat random nature of the events. I’ve been progressing due to my reading sessions being broken up into my commute into and home from work as well as my lunch break, but were it a typical read I’d likely find myself putting it down for something rather more meaty.

The fourth book taking steps to establish what appears to be a genuinely coherent narrative is absolutely the best possible outcome I could have hoped for, and I hope it continues going forward. I’ll keep you posted.

(PS: I know this isn’t what I said I’d post in my last entry; that one is currently sitting half-finished. I’ll see if I can’t get it up today or tomorrow.)

Desolate Plains - Original Writing (excerpt)

2011 - draft (the pronouns in this are out of control, placeholder names are important)

The desolate plains spread for miles around him. Off in the far distance he could see the outlines of ravaged cities and ruined keeps, but it seemed that tonight’s vision would not be taking him to those haunting environs. That provided him with precious little comfort however, as did the knowledge that what he was experiencing wasn’t, strictly speaking, real. Though there was no sun visible in the dark grey sky overhead, the heat was oppressive; he tugged at his collar before striking out in a direction at random. If experienced served, the creature that had summoned him here would make itself known soon enough.

He didn’t have long to wait. After a short while, the air started gradually filling with a faint buzzing sound, like a swarm of insects. It rapidly quickened into a steady hum, then a frantic beating. He stopped and turned to look over his shoulder; behind him, the sky had darkened further still, the light blotted out by myriad different shapes. He braced himself as they bore down on him at an alarming pace – in no time at all he was in the centre of the maelstrom. The flapping wings surrounded him, and startling visages flashed by his face – horns, fangs, hideously contorted expressions – but he stood unharmed amidst it all. He suppressed a shudder as a particularly large sprite passed through him; he’d long since learned that it wouldn’t do to show any weakness that they could exploit.

The frenzy of movement gradually slowed, but if anything the noise level rose; as always, next came the voices. They cajoled, pleaded, threatened, promised him everything under the sun in exchange for his service. There was no blocking them out – just as they didn’t seem to occupy the same physical space as him, nor did their voices travel through the air. They instead appeared to resonate directly in his head, creating an unbearable cacophony that drowned out his own thoughts and made him feel as though his head was about to split open. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists, enduring it for as long as he could before it became overwhelming –

Enough.

All at once, the voices fell silent. Some of the creatures even stopped moving their wings, remaining motionless while hanging impossibly in the air. Then, gradually, the throng parted, and a figure strode forward to face him. Unlike the others he appeared to be human; a tall, distinguished looking gentleman clad in exquisitely cut – though notably old-fashioned – tailoring, with very fine detailing. The man smiled broadly, showing a great many of his perfect teeth.

‘A pleasure as always,’ he greeted him, with a slight incline of his head. He towered over him by a good half a foot. He nodded back. ‘As usual, I deeply apologise from dragging you from your restful state. I understand that the summons is seldom pleasant.’

He shrugged, affecting an air of nonchalance despite the overwhelming pressure that threatened to split his head apart. ‘Truth be told, it’s not all that restful at the moment. Too much interference from your domain, as it draws closer to census time.

The smile grew more predatory. ‘Quite so, quite so, though you do somewhat over-estimate my influence in this land. Which brings us neatly to the order of business; I fear that you do not seem to be making much progress on that front. It would be a terrible shame were you to… disappoint me.’

The younger man blinked away a bead of sweat that had trickled down to sting his left eye. ‘You’ve got nothing to worry about,’ he lied. ‘Everything’s more or less in place, it’s just a matter of executing it when the moment’s right.’

‘Excellent, excellent. It would be a most terrible shame if I were forced to make an example of you. You wouldn’t be the first to fail me, though I hope most sincerely that your predecessor will be the last. Remember that everything you have, you built with my aid. I do not need to be made manifest in your realm for you to feel the impact of my displeasure.’ He made a gesture, and the swarm surged towards him.

*

He awoke with a start. Returning to the real world was always more disorienting than arriving on that strange shadow plane, as if his body and all its senses had begun to distrust every response they received. He thrashed about beneath the blankets covering him for a spell, until he felt a familiar and comforting presence at his side. He regained his composure and looked down; a large dog with a sandy brown coat licked at the exposed fingers of his right hand then looked up at him with dark, soulful eyes.

He smiled weakly, despite himself. “Hey boy, thanks.” He swung his feet out of the bed, ruffled the dog’s fur with one hand and ran the other through his own hair. The twin sensations were comforting, and restored a semblance of normalcy to his world. Even still, things weren’t fully as they should be – the echoes of the demons were still clearly audible inside his head. They had been growing in strength as it drew towards the fateful date, with only the light of day offering any respite.

He wrapped himself in a blanket and walked out on to his balcony, his dog companion at his side. He slumped down against the wall, gazed towards the east, and waited for the sun to rise.

The subtle art of ‘Facing’

 I haven’t been especially diligent in updating here, but I promise that I have actually been writing. Or, well, thinking about writing. It turns out that it is exceptionally hard to avoid cliché starts to your novel when the first scene takes place on a stormy night. Still, I’ve managed to nail down a few more things; background and names for the benevolent couple, a bit of lore for the world and I’ve given the protagonist a dog.

I know what you’re thinking; reaction from too much Game of Thrones? Probably, subconsciously at least. That said, it’s really helped me solidify him in my mind. There are some great scenes to be had with a dog; naming him, being guarded by him, using him to woo the love interest, stuff like that. Plus, a lone kid in the big city is a lot safer with a massive hound protecting him. Most importantly it’s given me an alias for the character; Wolf. Simple, memorable and has that punchy feel to it like the dossiers in Mass Effect 2, ideal for a notorious kind of character.

As I mentioned before, foreigners are viewed with extreme distrust in the city (it’s not so bad in the countryside, which is ultimately why the couple set up shop there). Often to get things done they need to act through an intermediary, but the legitimate types charge exorbitant fees that most can’t afford so instead they turn to the underworld, looking for a ‘Face’. These characters tend to be people of mixed blood, like-skinned foreigners or even genuine locals fallen on hard times.

That’s just one aspect of a Face, of course. Just like a person can have different expressions, Faces can fulfil different roles. Obtaining loans, leasing property, delivering messages, infiltrating rival companies... there’s a lot of room for specification there. Wolf tends towards more altruistic ventures like helping people open accounts and obtain loans, but only after initially falling in with a bad crowd who exploit him. I’ll be fleshing out an experienced Face who, while not quite taking him under his wing, is impressed by his intelligence and shows him the possibilities of his position. One thing I like about this is that while Wolf’s a talented Face, a great part of it is just due to his circumstances; being a nameless local is absolutely ideal for this line of work.

Part of the trick to being a great Face is balancing notoriety with secrecy. The more well known you are, the more willing people are to go out of their way for you; after all, when you’ve got an account open in someone’s name it’s in your best interests to keep them safe. At the same time, infamy draws attention; from the legitimate intermediaries who don’t like you undercutting their business, and from the Archive Enforcers. There’s also the chance you’ll be found out, upsetting your clients and getting both them and the authorities after you. Walking that tightrope is a tough act to pull off, and I expect it’ll be a fun challenge to write.

Again, ‘Face’ is really simple (I actually used it the first time I thought of the idea) but punchy; credit to the book ‘Among Thieves’ for cementing the idea in my mind. (I’ll post up a review once I finish it if it’s sufficiently entertaining.)

Bit of brainstorming here, excuse the incoherency. Ideas for contacts; a shady banker where Wolf keeps some of his money, fully aware that his high interest paying account in the city could be shut down at any time, a long time customer who provides him with rooms when he needs residence in better areas town.

His first interaction with the more experienced Face is him feeling as if he’s been a little short-changed relative to the effort he’s put in after some heist. Archive clerics need to be present at birth to record the baby’s name, so perhaps they’re trained in midwifery? Not too sure about this, seems a bit trite and sexist considering that’s the role I’m ascribing to the love interest. It lends more mystery to Wolf’s origins though.

Wolf’s dog is part of a breed that ages slowly - more in line with humans – but continues growing and lives for longer as well. Half-grown at five years, so big enough to protect by the time he hits the city.

Think that about wraps this up, save for the fact that I’ve set myself a target of 10,000 words by the start of November. I want to get this well underway so that I can really buckle down and kick ass when NaNoWriMo starts (I think continuing something you’ve already started is against their rules? Whatever). Pretty generous I hope; this entry is over 800 words long after all. I probably won’t be posting any actual chapters as my friends have got me all paranoid, but I’ll keep you posted.

(Alternative title to this entry: Semi-colons everywhere)

Dragon Age 2 - Review

There’s a lot to take in with Dragon Age 2; it’s the product of both its predecessor and Mass Effect 2 and for the most part it blends the two very well.

Rather than going with Origin's epic scope, DA2 is a personal tale of the hero Hawke rising from humble beginnings fleeing the Blight of the first game to being one of the most powerful people in Kirkwall, a city defined by its tension between Templar and Mage. Throughout you’ll have numerous weighty choices with repercussions; some immediate and some that only come to light later on. There are some genuinely moving scenarios and moments where you might find yourself hard pressed to decide what to pick. The time skips after each act feel a little disjointed however; you don’t really get the feeling that a lot of time has passed.

Like ME's Shepard, Hawke is a fully voiced character, with a personality that develops based on the dialogue choices you pick – diplomatic/helpful, funny/charming and aggressive/direct. There’s never an “I win” response from Paragon/Renegade or Coercion – you instead have to read the person you’re talking to. People tend to respond well to diplomacy, but some might see it as a sign of weakness, or prefer someone a bit sassier; furthermore, your tone changes based on how often you pick certain responses so you can't "fake" sincerity. You also get situational choices; bribery, lying, using past knowledge or deferring to an ally. There’s a lot of variety there and conversations flow better because of it.

Your companions in this game are also a varied, well written bunch, with personal goals and varied agendas and all of them having a stance on magic, its use and its governance. Unlike DA:O’s system where you had to appease everyone, even characters you disagreed with, DA2 has a rivalry mechanic where you can further your relationship despite being at odds with them ideologically. This is a great change and means you can form a party of whoever you want, rather than those who share your beliefs. They’re also more tied into the story, with more of them influencing the game throughout.

Combat in DA2 is much improved from DA:O, particularly for melee. 2h warriors have strong AoE abilities and rogues do excellent single target damage, with both offering a variety of status effects that others can exploit for cross class combos. The trees are very fleshed out with all of them having something appealing so deciding what to take can be pretty difficult; fortunately there’s an in-game respect potion purchasable for those who buy DA2 new. Animations are more varied and faster, and special abilities more impactful. Another positive change is being able to avoid telegraphed attacks, such as a dragon breathing fire or a golem’s magic burst, rather than it homing in on you. On Hard difficulty I found the game to be enjoyably challenging, especially the end of Act bosses; so far my Nightmare run has been brutally punishing and requiring the utmost planning.

There are gameplay areas where improvements aren’t so clear cut, however. The tactics menu, though offering more variety, is more difficult to navigate.Talent tooltips are great, but there’s a lot of wasted space in the UI where some pages could have been consolidated. Loot is less ubiquitous than DA:O and easy to collect with the R button, but still annoying to manage, especially with accessories that share the same icon. The names allocated to loot seems rather arbitrary; a Demonic band might increase Attack or raise stamina regen, or both. Store bought equipment remains almost entirely out of the player’s price range throughout, especially in the first Act where you need to save up so much. This might have been a concession to those who didn’t like ME2’s inventory streamlining, but I feel like they could have improved it a lot more.

Encounter design is also a sticking point. While there are many set pieces that are well paced and genuinely tough, a lot of the difficulty can come from the fact that fights generally happen in multiple waves, with enemies spawning out of nowhere to accost your ranged characters who you thought were safely out of danger. The lack of an overhead camera can also make it difficult to place mage spells in environments with pillars and the like. There’s also a lot of environment reuse – you’ll find yourself going through the exact same few dungeons over and over, with some routes blocked off depending (though the minimap remains the same, lending added annoyance). The nature of the game – lots of little quests each with their own payoff – for me got a little tedious near the end of the second act because of this, especially as at that point I’d obtained most of the abilities I wanted so combat got a tad stale. Things picked up again once I was back on the main story again however, and Act 3’s story was a lot more focused.

Ultimately, I found Dragon Age 2 to be a highly enjoyable game, though it remains to be seen if I can squeeze out four playthroughs on the hardest difficulty like I did with ME2. It is a different sort of game, but it managed to successfully implement a lot of what made that game compelling and even build on certain aspects while keeping the flavour of the first intact. It’s a great start, and if they can make combat encounters more tightly focused and remove equipment redundancy, DA3 might well be Bioware’s crowning glory.

8.5/10
 
E: Running through again, DA2 unfortunately doesn't quite retain the magic. The first Act drags, and playing through as another class isn't as radically different as it is in Mass Effect; after all, you are able to directly control everyone in the party. Coupled with the fact that you likely have a few characters you especiallly like and you can end up feeling restricted while playing. Nightmare difficulty lives up to it's name, though it's significantly more frustrating than Mass Effect 2's Insanity due to the problems with the encounter mechanics. Approaching your builds with an eye to survival rather than min-maxing is probably the best way of going about things, but that is understandably less appealing.


There are probably very few people who play through long games multiple times, and fewer still who would do so directly after beating the game the first time, so I feel that it would be unfair to lower my score. Still, it's something to bear in mind for those of you like myself.

Lasers - Review

Well what do you know, a second post in one day! This'll be more a collection of thoughts I had discussing Lupe Fiasco's new album 'Lasers' with some friends. It might seem only tangentially related to writing, but I genuinely consider some of Lupe's work poetry and one of his tunes is the basis for an idea I'm very fond of and hope to take somewhere, someday.

Essentially, my problem with this album is that it feels too mainstream. Lupe had a very unique style, some awkward bass lines and background sounds that were carried by the strength of his lyrics. 'Dumb it Down' and 'Gold Watch' are perfect examples of this, but his smartest lines are definitely in 'Gotta Eat'. You might not like them, but puns are very clever and a whole song of them can't have been easy.

In comparison, this album feels like a lot of it could have been done by anyone. Firstly, you've got to come out of the gate strong and having autotune be the first thing I heard really put me off. I liked 'I don't wanna care right now' and remarked on the similarity to Stronger (right down to the obnoxious too long outro), but that's just the third track. There are a few in the middle that are entirely forgettable, with some more that have moments of greatness that are clouded by an oppressive hook. The high production values crowd out his real talent, the clever wordplay, and at times you can actually feel him deferring to the chorus where in a previous album he might have taken that line and run with it.

At the same time, the album is a lot darker than even 'The Cool'. Lupe has always had something to say about society and people, but in this album it feels a lot more preachy; too much message with not enough song to back it up. My absolute favourite track of his is 'Put You On Game', which is so intelligent and insidious it makes everything that tries to emulate that on this album feel insipid.

I feel like it boils down to the fact that he wasn't really having fun with this album. I couldn't say why; it's taken a while to come out and he might have gone through a rough patch, which would explain the tone. He might have had less creative freedom and been under more pressure to make something that'd be commercially successful. This is meant to be his last album, which I hope means he'll have a tonne more freedom in the future and will be able to put out more of the stuff he loves.

The Wise Man's Fear - Review

If I had an established readership, I suppose I’d have to take a little time out to apologise for not updating in so long. How fortunate for me that this is only the third post! It’s like I always say; if you’re going to screw up, better to do it early and leave plenty of time to fix it. That said, this slow ass schedule may well continue for a while longer. So! Mainly to stave off guilt, here’s a little something on the second book in Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicle, The Wise Man’s Fear (spoilers ensue).

Weighing in at 1000 pages, it really is remarkable that Rothfuss manages to create such an engaging narrative. The pace is not at all rapid, but the care he puts into crafting his world pays off. The mythology in particular is very engaging. However, we are now at the end of two books and I feel no closer to understanding the overarching malaise afflicting the world than I was when I started. We’re told at the outset that a lot of terrible shit goes down, but nothing bad has happened thus far. I’m not a fan of waiting for the boot to drop as it puts me on edge and dulls the enjoyment I find in the successes achieved.

It doesn’t help that Kvothe is the only real character, and I find his personality to be incredibly obnoxious at times. He comes across as such a Mary-Sue, then at times he makes the most jarringly stupid decisions you’re left disoriented. It’s supposed to show his fiery temper and the fact that it comes and goes is a deliberate character trait, but it just feels as if a ridiculously intelligent 17 year old should know better. His occasional blind arrogance, inability to learn from certain lessons and the fact that he does things that quite simply have no other possible outcome save for backfiring terribly are all just too much.

The fact that he cannot see the shape of his own exploits while at the same time claiming that the Edema Ruh know all stories is something I find particularly ironic. Honestly, you’re trained for 2 months in a martial art and you’re surprised by the fact that they consider a 10 year old girl your equal? To his credit he got over this pretty quickly, as he usually does, but oftentimes the damage is already done.

It’s particularly annoying because I really quite like his innkeeper persona and when he’s genuinely vulnerable. The scene where he breaks down into tears when Denna shows him his lute is a fantastic one, with nothing that follows even coming remotely close. The returning of her ring in particular was downplayed to near redundancy despite being a significant plot thread throughout, plus the missed trick with him being back in Tarbean with her but not thinking to have her hear the “true” version of her song.

At any rate, it’s an excellent read and it’s encouraged me to go through the first book again just to see what I’ve missed... annoying as I haven’t a clue what I’ve done with my copy. Might just have to get it on Kindle...

What's in a name?

A common theme in fantasy is the idea that names have power, and knowing someone's true name gives you leverage over them. The world I want to create explores that by having governments that use census data to enforce somewhat totalitarian regimes. They can track you with it and restrict your actions should they deem it fit.

Dissenters try and escape this control by travelling to other cities or continents where their names aren't known, but it's a near universal practice. Anyone not on record is treated with suspicion - the government line is that if they haven't done anything wrong, why are they running? - and penalise people communing with these unknowns, so whether they want to or not, they tend to end up as part of the criminal element.

This is where my protagonist comes in. He's nameless, for a reason I haven't quite nailed down yet. I'm leaning towards his mother being a mute which would be cause enough for people to shun her, either dying in childbirth or due to fatigue from fleeing some antagonistic element. He's raised by a rural-ish couple who keep him safe and happy until census time rolls around.

Here's where it starts getting a bit fuzzy for me. I like the idea that they send him away with some provisions before the official arrives, with the intent that he returns when it's all clear. Something goes wrong and they're taken in for "harboring malcontents" or something similar and taken to the capital. He follows them there at great difficulty and manages to get in contact somehow, where he decides to sever ties to keep them from coming to harm.

Inevitably, he ends up in the seedier parts of town, where the inhabitants are quick to find uses for a nameless local. Over the years he becomes something of a prime commodity due to his ability to blend in unlike the foreigners, lending a respectable local face to subversive ventures. He becomes a confident, capable young man.

However, since he hit puberty he's been hearing voices; faintly at first, but growing clearer and more insistent as he ages. They promise him all sorts and eventually one finally hits the one thing that he's always wanted - it says says it could tell him his real name. This eventually leads to him infiltrating the Archive where all the names are stored and ultimately releasing a horror of some description.

It turns out that while the government uses names to control, it also uses those names to protect from these destructive outside elements. This knowledge is kept secret simply because they know that should it become public then there'll always be power-hungry individuals who'll take the risk. It now falls to our hero to set right the damage he's done...

I'm really surprised with how fleshed out this idea seems to me, relative to many of my others. Gap fillers were occurring to me even as I typed, which is nice.

One big hurdle for me is trying to keep the government sufficiently sympathetic before the twist, which I think I can accomplish by having a love interest who's part of it. She can either be the daughter of a law enforcer following in her father's footsteps, or an Archivist cleric.

Both work, and I can use them as his means to get into the Archive. They need to be recurring characters beforehand, but he steps up his seduction towards the end to achieve his goal, directed by the voice. It also creates some convenient conflict should this idea ever go further, which I really hope it does.