Ultimate Dream League - Announcement and Info

[Dreamchild]

Classic Dream League emblem by Nicole. 'Ultimate' image lovingly ripped off from Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I was gonna use a different font for this, but the website wanted fifty bucks. I said, "Forget it!" But I digress...

Ultimate Dream League is an upcoming series of stories written by me, Joseph Label. It takes place in an alternate universe known as the Ultimate canon. It is not the same canon this forum follows. As such, not every character will appear in these stories, and some won't be mentioned altogether. This is not out of something petty such as dislike (I don't dislike any character in Dream League!), but out of visionary decisions.

These stories will feature some old favorites, as well as some new characters. This, I think, will make Ultimate Dream League fresh and exciting, while still familiar.

Ultimate Dream League started as an idea for a present (technically the first issue still is a present). It would have been four micro-stories I'd send to my friend (and former FK role-player), Emma. But I realized these stories I had in mind had serious potential to be bigger and better. So, I started to develop these ideas in my head, flesh them out, and I got excited. Hence this announcement.

I'm very happy to announce that Ultimate Dream League will be divided by 'volume,' each volume having a few stories, which, from now on, will be called issues. I don't know how many issues volume one will encompass, but I'm currently thinking about seven or eight. But this is subject to change.

Ultimate Dream League has a large and colorful cast of characters. As I said, some old favorites and some new faces--good and bad--will interact like they would here. But there are two central characters who serve as the heart and central nervous system (the latter should be a dead giveaway) of the issues. These two characters are...

Wonderboy

Note: The above image does NOT represent Wonderboy's costume! It looks totally different.
Real name: Hercules
Created by: Emma
Power(s): Godlike strength and stamina
Occupation: Recent high school graduate; Perpetual-Walking-Disaster sort of clumsy person

Wonderboy is the newest member of the Dream League family. Despite his bulging biceps and barrel chest, he is the gentlest giant you could ever meet. He had drifted through his life without feeling any self-worth, until he was recruited by a hero to join the Dream League, in which he finally comes to realize himself. And his mentor will turn out to be someone special to him, beyond profession.

I feel totally arrogant, but here's the other central character...

Ultimate Dreamchild

Note: Ultimate Dreamchild's costume has been revamped... slightly. She still has her classic spandex, but on top of that she has a V-cut blue and white tunic overlapping her, secured by a simple white belt.
Real Name: You know this
Created by: For real?
Powers(s): If you don't know this by now...
Occupation: Student attending St. Blair Academy school; founding member of the Dream League

Ultimate Dreamchild is mostly the Dreamchild you all know, except for a few differences (mainly the wardrobe). Ultimate Dreamchild serves as Wonderboy's mentor, having recruited him. But she'll eventually become a friend. Awww.

But even though Wonderboy and Dreamchild are the two central characters in this narrative, there are plenty of other major characters, and, of course, they will get their 'starring' issues. So, don't take this like Wonderboy and Dreamchild are high and above everyone else. They just serve as the core to the series's morals.

So, that gives you a taste of what to expect. But here are a few more things, and some of them are repeats, in list form.

• Ultimate Dream League is its own canon, and not what you see here
  
• Some characters will return, some characters will be dropped. Hopefully this won't offend anybody (I dropped my own!). New characters exclusive to the Ultimate canon will balance it out.
  
• You do not have to allow your characters and concepts to be used for these issues for any reason. But if you would like to give me your okay, please let me know. Keep in mind that giving me permission doesn't guarantee your character(s) will show up.
  
• If I am granted permission and do use your concepts and characters, I will credit you. Naturally!
  
• Characters may have SLIGHTLY more or less to their powers, but not enough to be considered 'different.' If I feel these changes are way out of line, I will ask for permission. (This applies more to my characters, though.)
  
• If you want to change your character's costume design for his/her Ultimate appearance, feel free to drop me a message.
  
• If you're unsatisfied with how I'm playing your character from a personality angle (meaning, if I'm going out of character), please contact me and I'll patch it up. Otherwise, I reserve the right to, as needed, use characters for the purpose of the storyline and plot (provided I have permission). And don't worry, I will not do anything just for the sake of shock or to troll. Every plot point has to move the story forward. I give you my word.
  
• The issues will alternate between PG and PG-13, depending on the content. There will never be an R-rated issue, and there may be a few G-rated issues. Again, it depends on content.
  
• I will once again follow my personal code of character integrity. As such, characters will never cuss unless they're known to, and you won't read any word stronger than "bitch."
  
• The issues will vary in length. Some are longer than others. There's no template of any kind; I'll just write what needs to be written.
  
• I'll take suggestions into consideration, but not demands/requests. So if you say, "I think it'd be interesting if [x] was a character with [x] this power," I'll read it. But if you say, "Write an episode about this, this, and this," I'll not pay attention. Speculation is more than welcome!
  
• For all other concerns and inquiries, please post in this thread!
  

I hope this gives you an idea of what's to come, and I hope it has sparked some interest. "Issue #1 - Zero to Hero Part I" (the first issue of Volume One: Going the Distance, natch) will be available before the end of April. I can't say when right now, because I still need to proofread and resolve a few issues, but I would say no later than the end of April.

The issues will be distributed here and FanFiction.net. My FanFiction.net handle is UltimateDreamLeagueHQ

NOW AVAILABLE!

[Cold Shadow]

Hooray! I can't wait to bite into this series. With mandibles.

[Dreamchild]

Thank you, Collin!

One thing I forgot to mention is what happened in Boston. Ultimate Dream League will have supervillains threatening citizens, attacking downtown, etc. This has been a staple of comic books since the dawn of time, but I feel compelled to say this in light of this horrible event: IN NO way, shape, or form am I going to exploit the real tragedy that happened. I already have planned storylines, but they'll be unfortunate coincidences, NOT affected by what happened in real life. Fiction is one thing, but anyone who attacks innocent citizens is a goddamn coward. But, as I'm sure you all know already, Ultimate is a work of fiction, and any similarities to any events is purely coincidental and unintentional.

... Except obvious pop culture parodies.

Long story short, there may be some unfortunate coincidences, but the show must go on. My heart goes out to the lives lost and forever affected by this senseless bullcrap.

[Dreamchild]

Once again, I'm writing rough drafts that are not finalized. But so far, combining the rough drafts of issues 1 and 2, I have over 15,220 words. Not bad so far...

[Doctor Delbert Doppler]

It's official: I'm hyped for this. XD

And don't worry, we all know you gave more sense and class then to exploit the recent tragedy in Boston, or any tragedy for that matter, for fanfic purposes.

[Dreamchild]

Thank you, Nicole!

Just giving a status update! The first issue's rough draft is complete, and I'm working on finalizing it. I'm sure you writers know the drill (or not, and I'm just crazy!), but I just pound the keyboard with what I got, then go over it to tweak conversations and prose to make it more natural and fitting to the characters (i.e., changing Duck Avenger's "going" to "gonna"). Then I go over it yet again for grammatical stuff. It's time consuming, but I don't mind! But on top of that, Emma is helping me out with some of Wonderboy's backstory. I made a serious goof; she had sent me a detailed email months ago about Wonderboy, then I accidentally deleted said email without knowing it... and then emptied my trash bin. Damn, did it sting. lol She's busy now, and re-detailing the character will take some time. Man, I'm an idiot.

I'm really pushin' for a "before May" release, though.

Issue 2's first rough draft is almost done, too. I wish I could share some things, but... let me just say that I'm very confident you'll get something out of these two issues. Even if I look back at this ten years from now and ask, "What was I thinking?"

[Dreamchild]

Just a few things about the character roster in Ultimate Dream League...

• Not every character will be featured in the entire series, period. BUT...
  
• ... not every character will join in Volume 1. So if your character doesn't show up by Volume 1's end, try not to get too upset! I won't put all eggs in Volume 1's basket.
  
• There will be no comic relief character. Every character will have comic moments, along with sad moments.
  
• I will not make the same mistake like in Hunchback; there will be much comedy and drama, but they won't cancel each other out in the same issue.
  
• This is probably the most important thing I have to say. If a character has the exact same powers as somebody else and offers nothing more, they have to go. So, if I include one ring-bearer (Balloonist, Green Bone or Star Pup), the other two have to be omitted.
  
• Characters may be introduced much earlier than they join/oppose the team. It's all about buildup!
  
• In addition to writing every issue, I will also write commentary posts for every issue. Of course, reading them is not essential, and I don't demand or even expect you to, but they'll be full of "behind-the-scenes" stuff that'll show what was put into this work.
  

Issue 1's finalization is still in progress. Please be patient, and thank you for your support!

[Sunshine]

Nicole, I sent a PM to Delbert's account! That's right, behind-the-scenes talk. Mwahaha!

Also, from now on the 'seasons' of UDL will be called 'volumes.' Again, like comic books. I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner, but thanks to Collin for confirming it!

[Dreamchild]

Status update:

Still finalizing Issue 1.

Changed the name of the first three issues (Zero to Hero Parts I-III).

Currently, with the drafts of issues 1 and 2 combined, it makes up 80 pages (double-spaced) on Word, and over 22,000 words altogether.

Yyyyyeah. I think if anyone was afraid these issues would be extremely short, they should feel kinda reassured now. ; I know I'm surprised.

Also, I have a question for you all. I can't set a release date for Issue 1, but I am curious to hear different opinions about the matter. Specifically, would YOU--YOU--rather each issue be released on a mid weekday, late weekday, weekend, etc.? Any thoughts? Again, I'm just very curious to know what people think.

Edit: How could I have forgotten to announce one of UDL's biggest draws? Many of the minor background characters explicitly described are going to be Disney characters, not just generic throwaways. I want this to be as DISNEY! as possible. Yeah, there will be a few original characters (Alice's deceased grandmother being the biggest example I can think of right now), but for the most part, don't be surprised if, say, a Country Bear happens to be the one-second-necessary character to open a door for Hercules. Or something like that.

No, I won't let it get in the way of telling the story, but you'll see what I mean when you read it.

[Doctor Delbert Doppler]

I don't really have any particular date for when I'd like to see issues released, but I guess if I had to choose one, mid-weekday.

Apr 26, 2013 22:01:29 GMT -8 Dreamchild said:

Many of the minor background characters explicitly described are going to be Disney characters, not just generic throwaways. I want this to be as DISNEY! as possible. Yeah, there will be a few original characters (Alice's deceased grandmother being the biggest example I can think of right now), but for the most part, don't be surprised if, say, a Country Bear happens to be the one-second-necessary character to open a door for Hercules. Or something like that.

No, I won't let it get in the way of telling the story, but you'll see what I mean when you read it.

That's pretty awesome to hear (I actually want to do the same thing with my own DL fic). XD I wonder who we'll be seeing in the first issue?

[Dreamchild]

Hopefully I won't steal your thunder! :X As a matter of fact, I should say now that UDL is NOT created to say "This is how it SHOULD be done! Mwaha!" No, it's just one guy's take on a vast universe, narrative-style. Proud as I am of this, this is not canon in any way, shape, or form. Okay, you all get the picture. I can stop repeating that. lol

I know I said "Before May" release, but May is in two days, and that's a Wednesday, so... hm. I'll think about it and announce it when I'm ready!

Edit: For some reason Thursday is on my mind. So, I'm shooting for a Thursday release.

[Cold Shadow]

But will this be canon?

[Dreamchild]

As a matter of fact, yes! And here's a character leak!

[Doctor Delbert Doppler]

I am loving that new character guys.

I know you're not trying to be all "This is how DL needs to be written!" with your series. I view our respective Dream League series as occurring in two separate "universes", as it were.

[Sunshine]

Yeah! Exactly.

[Dreamchild]

Status update:

Issue #1 is very nearly complete. Just a little more than ten pages to proofread.

Issue #2's rough draft, in case I haven't already mentioned before, is done. Finalization of that, followed by proofreading, will begin right after Issue #1 is published.

Issue #3 has gone from planning to pre-development, and I'll start writing it around the time Issue #2 is completed.

Everyone responsible for their characters in Dream League, or concepts used here that also find place in Ultimate canon, will be credited in every issue. However, to avoid spoilers the credits will be at the end of each issue, not up front.

[Sunshine]

Yes, that's right. I just DOUBLE-TAPPED!

Issue #1 is complete. It's done. Finished. Ready to go. I'm still releasing it on Thursday (tomorrow). So, everything's on schedule!

I can't really give an estimate on when Issue #2 will be done. I would guess anywhere between a week to a week and a half. I don't think this is gonna be a weekly series; I just had a massive muse spurt this time.

Edit: Wait, I posted this as Sunny instead of DC. So I guess it wasn't a double post after all. But still, same guy!

Before I forget again, please read this announcement.

Reminder, Ultimate Dream League is going to be distributed here here in Fantasmic Dreams, but also in FanFiction.net and DeviantArt.com.

HOWEVER, I'm also going to accept e-mail subscriptions. If you would like the series to be e-mailed to you directly as issues are completed, simply let me know either in this thread or through PM (send it to Dreamchild or Sunshine, please) and I'll add you to the subscription list. The only difference is you'll get the issues in your inbox as opposed to coming here. That's it. Nothing else. No new scenes. Sorry!

Actually, if any of you all choose the e-mail route, please also tell me if you'd like the issue's contents in the e-mail itself, or as a Word file attachment.

The wait is almost over, loyal subjects! I probably pulled a Warren Spector and hyped this thing to hell, but hey! At least I got you excited.

[Doctor Delbert Doppler]

Thursday feels like it's a million years away.... I'll just read the story here, but favorite, and I'll also sign up for alerts to your account on Fanfiction.net.

[Dreamchild]

Sounds good! Man, I haven't used FanFiction.net since... 2001ish. Holy cow. Kinda nervous about using that, but still excited!

FF.Net and DA.com releases are going to get ONE little 'extra,' but it's nothing big. It's just a brief "What is the Dream League?" explanation, so non-FD readers won't be completely lost. That's all!

Because the issues will be grouped into volumes (aka seasons), each volume will have a thread, and the issues grouped into said volume will be posted in that thread. So, Volume 1 - Going the Distance will have Issues #1-8 or so, and Volume 2 will have its own issues bundled there. I think this will make the whole thing organized and tidy!

[Dreamchild]

If anyone is interested in knowing the FanFiction.net address, it's this.

www.fanfiction.net/s/9260109/2/Ultimate-Dream-League

I haven't used it in over a decade, so the layout changed a lot more than I remember. Haha.

[Dreamchild]

ULTIMATE DREAM LEAGUE WILL NOT HAVE A DEVIANTART RELEASE AFTER ALL!

Sorry for the false alarm, people. I should have tested it out before announcing my plan, but the fact is that site is a real jerk. It's so clunky, it keeps saying every category ill-fits my story, and when I finally resorted to plain text, it told me there was too much of it and I had to divide it.

Long story short, deviantArt must stroke visual artists' chest hair and spit in writer's faces, because I really do feel like a stepchild to Lady Tremaine. lol Thanks for nothing, dA.

So, the options are here or FanFiction.net, both of which have their own problems, but, hey, they're more intuitive.

[Dreamchild]

Status update:
Issue #2 is very nearly complete. It's been finalized and proofread once, but I'll go over it one last time.

I believe I will release this on Thursday. Unfortunately, this will NOT be a by-week thing, at least I don't think so. lol I will write Issue #3 very soon.

Also, I left out some trivia in the commentary post, so if you're curious you can find it.