Ask Dawn and Vern; Weirdopolis

 

(Wasty: First, before I get to the actual meat of the questions, I'll tell you it might be best to treat your idea like a televised show to start with...sort of in the vein of supernatural. What I mean is you can make a lot of shorter 'plot of the week' stories in the setting to both build on the world's lore and wet your appetite for the more overarching story you'd like to tell.  

Off the top of my head I can think a few 'episodic ideas' to suggest. Perhaps breaking up a ring of smugglers that are bringing something that would be 'totally benign in the outside world, but to many races in Weirdopolis it acts as a drug. Like holy water that demons use to get high, or pixie dust candy being used by actual pixies to get stuff done twice as fast. You could also pick a cryptid to pursue for an episode, like a new creature comes to the city and starts wreaking havoc, only to be tracked down to find out that all of those things were accidents because its species inadvertently causes bad luck wherever it goes. Or it could be a shapeshifter masquerading as a specific famous cryptid that they have to clear the name of. Or you can have a story that plays on appearances featuring a creature that looks obscenely hostile being framed by a creature that looks totally cute and innocent despite being the one responsible for something horrific. I had an abandoned pilot for something like that featuring two aliens, one styled after the aliens from aliens, and the other styled after a cartoony version of a grey alien. The grey alien was evil to the bone, and vaporized people and did all sorts of terrible things, but the more menacing-looking alien would get blamed. And now, let's turn it over to Dawn and Vern...)

Dawn: Oh how creative! I love the idea! 

Vernon: Yeah, sounds like a real interestin' concept that'd be really fun to read.

Dawn: That said, I don't think being 'conjoined' would be a good move for us...what with that probably having to make us related in some way, and thus we couldn't be together romantically. 

Vernon: I dunno what I'd wanna be...makes me sound like I ain't all that creative but really, I'm just purty happy bein' a wolf.

Dawn: Well it's not like you only play yourself during BnB Puppy Love, you come up with plenty of interesting characters for Gus' campaigns, so don't sell yourself short.

Vernon: Well, why don't y'all go first Honey Lamb...maybe iffin' I got something to play against I'll get the creative juices goin'.

Dawn: Mhh...*Scratches chin thoughtfully* I don't think I'd want to stay some sort of sheep...just because it feels sort of...limiting considering the space. And I'd honestly prefer to be something tall...ooh...y'know what weird legendary creature I've always had a soft spot for? The Flock Ness Monster. It might be fun to actually play as one in a space like this.

Vernon: That cause of yer 'Scottramish' Heritage?  

Dawn: I mean, it's still an interesting creature regardless, heritage or not. Of course, I guess playing as what most who actually believe in the Flock Ness Monster believe to be something similar to a Plesiosaur, I wouldn't just be tall, I'd be huge! Probably as big as Giselle if not bigger...

Vernon: And famous to boot...after all, there's only one of y'all, unless ya count those few stray 'other' lake monsters scattered about...which are probably just attempt's at creatin' tourism buzz.

Dawn: Well I suppose that would give me a good angle to stay a writer...after all who wouldn't want to read the 'Flock Ness Monster's" autobiography? 

Vernon: An autobiography on the Flock Ness Monster? That'd probably have to come out in multiple volumes considerin' how long that ol' gals been supposedly kicking around Scottram.

Dawn: *Giggles* No shortage of materials there, that's for sure. What about you Puppy?

Vernon: Hmm...well...I reckon...What about a Hellhound...one o' Hades own sinful soul trackers who 'er supposed to drag them folks back to Hades...dependin' on yer religion anyway. I could have a lot o' fun developin' a conflicted character like that...born from Hades but tasked with what you'd call a heavenly duty, sendin' bad souls where they belong...O' course that would lend me to doin' detective work probably...But I think I'd probably moonlight as Miss 'Flock Ness' bodyguard.

Dawn: I need a bodyguard?

Vernon: Of course y'all do, yer a famous cryptid! For every mammal that'd want to meet ya there'd be another that wanted to hunt and bag ya just so they could say the 'got' the Flock Ness Monster.

Dawn: I suppose...but I'd probably be very much a recluse or hermit if I'm basing this on the actual Flock Ness Monster. Trying to stay out of the public eye, keeping book signings to a minimum, avoiding cameras...how often would I need a bodyguard?

Vernon: Well, there ain't nothin' to stop someone from breakin' inta yer house iffin' they find out where ya are.

Dawn: Aside from the probably 3,000-pound dragon-like monster that lives there? *Giggles*

Vernon: Well, maybe this Hellhound's a bit smitten by ya too...Makes it hard to hang up his hat keepin' ya secure iffin' it means bein' away from ya fer too long...

Dawn: Aww...Puppy. You're sweet...But remember...I'm a big girl in Weirdopolis...and how big are hellhounds?

Vernon: Hey Wade and Gizzy make it work, I'm sure we could too.

Dawn: *Snickers* Well let's see, based on that I'd imagine a lot of our adventures take place sort of touring around the different places you could access from Weirdopilis. Signing books in the city itself, the fringes, the spaces between, other planets, etc...and whatever trouble we could run into doing that...

Vernon: Considerin' I'd be huntin' wayward souls on my downtime, I'd probably end up draggin' miss Nessie with me on a few cases involvin' malevolent spirits.

Dawn: We'd probably end up in Hades a few times too...considering what your work entails. So as for how much of our adventures would take place in the city versus the overall Weirdverse you've created, I couldn't say...especially considering my true home would be in Flock Ness.

Vernon: maybe the deep reaches o' Flock Ness connect to the fringes o' Weirdopolis...considerin' the nature of the place, I imagine there's a lot o' entrances to the city scattered all over the world...

Dawn: Well that certainly makes it easier to tie things together, and move around Animalia with ease.

Vernon: Either way, I think Gus could have a field day with this one...he loves weird worlds in RPGS, and I don't think y'all get weirder than this.

Dawn: It would probably be way on the back burner...Gus already has three back-to-back different campaigns already lined up for the group...so that probably frees him up for a new concept...sometime around Paige's fifth birthday?

Vernon: *Chuckles* Yeah, we're all livin' busy lives nowadays...but I don't think anyone's busier than that goat...well aside from maybe you Darlin'...

Dawn: Oh please, I stay home and I write and watch the lambs...there's a lot of downtime in there...usually spent staring at the computer screen while stuck on a specific passage of a book, or just falling asleep with Paige on the couch.

Vernon: And here I thought y'all were a mornin' person.

Dawn: This ewe needs her afternoon nap...especially if I want to keep up with a night owl like you. *Giggles*

(Wasty: Yeah, I'm sorry if this is a thinly veiled excuse to use my newly designed Deirdre Black Character with slight modifications. I'm just really in love with her design right now.)