Next Generation (plotting-ish thread)

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

The other night in the chatbox we were kicking around the idea of an AU thing with the children of the current characters. So this thread is in hopes of working out a bit more detail, seeing how much interest there might be, etc.

(rambling ensues ... )

I think the 1850s was put forward as a good timeframe, which would make the oldest characters in their 20s. That leaves a whole lot of setting questions unanswered, though.

Genre?
This is AU, so we can mess around if we want. Do we want to go strictly realistic? Steampunk? Steampunk with magic? Something else? I, personally, think steampunk would be way cool, but that's just me.

Where?
England? France? America? Somewhere else? Some combination thereof?

What's going on?
Queen Victoria of England was crowned in 1837, making it the Victorian Era there. Lots of exploration and expansion of the British Empire. The Indian Rebellion was in 1857, followed by the establishment of the Raj in 1858.
From 1852 to 1870, France was the 'Second French Empire' under Napoleon III. It was pretty oppressive and undemocratic, so the kids could be following in their parents' revolutionary footsteps. On the other hand, if it is in France, why aren't the parents doing anything? Maybe they've been imprisoned/executed/exiled by the Emperor?
From 1853 to 1856 was the Crimean War, which pitted the French, British, and Ottoman Empires, plus the Kingdom of Sardinia, against the Russian Empire.
I'm sure there were other things going on, too, that's just a sample.

Ideas? Suggestions?

[MYLÈNE LACOQUINE]

Well, personally I am not so much into steampunk, but I would LOVE the idea of a next generation! I also like the idea of the parents maybe having been exiled or imprisoned as a late retaliation by the emperor, so the kids somehow have to get it together and devise a plan to bail out their parents? ^^ That would give them all something to bond over, and they would probably dream of being so glorious as they were ^^

The big question is: Would the society of the Victorian Era still be up for a revolution? ^^

[HENRI ROQUEFEUIL-BLANQUEFORT]

This sounds like fun to me!

I would be okay with just about any genre--steampunk is fine (though I don't really know very much about steampunk, beyond that it usually is a Victorian setting with advanced technology), magic is fine, strictly realistic is fine. I enjoy a bit of everything. I've always had a severe weakness for stories in which things seem to be the result of supernatural forces, but actually are just the result of humans behaving erratically (or very, very carefully). So I would pretty much always be in for plots that rely on the characters thinking something crazier is happening than really is.

For a where, I suppose France would allow for easiest explanation of why the characters' children would be there. After all, though some of them may have emigrant offspring, it would take more backstory explanation to have all of them in a different country. And all in the same different country (except the English characters, of course, who... could be visiting? I dunno). Combination settings would also work well.

I suppose for why the parents wouldn't be doing anything, it might just depend a great deal on the actual events. Maybe some of them just feel themselves to be too old for that nonsense, maybe some of them are nursing old wounds, maybe some of them don't know or don't care. Crimean War is interesting enough, though about all I can think of in regards to that would leave openings almost purely for late teens-20s sons sent off to war.

Revolution in the 1850s... well, there is 1848... And not all of the characters' offspring would be bourgeois or better. Feuilly's, at least, are likely doomed to a very similar lifestyle to his own. Hopefully not orphans and not having to teach themselves to read, but still likely working-class and disaffected by Victorian society. Montparnasse could probably produce quite a villain

[Deleted]

This sounds like a really awesome idea and I'd love to join in. The only problem is- Enjolras doesn't seem likely to produce an heir. Maybe if I made him a single cell organism- LOL. Why does Enjolras have to be so annoyingly hard to make cooperate?

[HENRI ROQUEFEUIL-BLANQUEFORT]

Laur, you're welcome to play with an offspring of one of mine if you want--some of mine have the potential to be pretty prolific, haha.

[Deleted]

That's very sweet, but I sort of love my Enjolras even though he refuses to cooperate with things that I want him to do. I might be able to come up with something to join in though. Maybe Enjolras takes in a stray child later in life. He does have a heart after all, he's just- very unlikely to sleep with a woman even with the repressed sex drive he has buried somewhere in there under all that Revolutionary Fervor. My Enjolras is just too queer for procreation. LOL

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

Maybe Enjolras adopts the baby of someone killed at the barricades? Feeling guilty about making him/her an orphan?

[HENRI D'ARTOIS]

That's a great idea!

Personally I say France makes the most sense for a continuation... because the most children will remain there than any one single place in another country would be my guess.

Henri says he'd love it if in this AU he was a successful king of France (yay for AUs) and it was a golden age.. but of course some bit of conflict will be needed to add in LOL

I'm in though.. I think it'd be hilarious.

[Deleted]

I think I could definitely manage to have Enjolras do something like that. I just want to see Enjolras being clueless with a kid like. 'What do I do with it?' My baby needs to work on his interpersonal relationships. And of course, the kid would probably love Grantaire, because kids like Grantaire. Much to Enjolras' eternal confusion. But yeah, I would definitely get in on this. France would probably be easiest to swing, location wise.

[SIR PERCIVAL BLAKENEY]

Percy and Margot are going to have a child...and Chauv and Marie are going to have a child...oh the drama!

Percy will have at least one child.
Helene might have had a child with Henri in the future if they don't all die!
Eleonore already has an army of children, so maybe their grandchildren...
Lucille - not sure.
Joly - I dont think he'd have any...but not sure.

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

Marie and Paul are actually going to have twins (a boy and a girl). We already have names picked out.

And (looks at Helene and Henri) I believe I recall something about 'dozens of grandchildren?'