I’ll say this: pay attention when ideas pop up, even if they’re weird and unexpected. Especially when they’re unexpected.
A few weeks back I was listening to the new live album from Jeff Lynne’s ELO (Wembley Or Bust — it’s quite excellent and contains a lot of ELO classics old and new) when their take on “Xanadu” came on. I remember being a big fan of that movie as a nine-year-old kid. It wasn’t just the music that captivated me — I was a fan of the band even then — but I was intrigued by its fantasy elements, of muses come alive.
Amusingly, it occurred to me that it would be quite fascinating to see an update/rewrite of Xanadu as a Magical Girl story. And then I riffed on that a little: ELO’s next album after that was the cult classic Time, a time-travel concept album which also happens to contain the track “Twilight” (known in anime circles as the track used in the DAICON IV film). Somehow that album would tie in as well. I shared that as a tweet and didn’t think too much about it after that.
A few weeks later, and the idea is still stuck in my head, and I think I might be able to do something with it.
I thought about it some: a magical girl sent back in time (Time) to save the world somehow, or at least change someone’s fate (Xanadu). She realizes she’s stuck in that time stream and can’t escape (Time) and has to come to terms with her own fate (Xanadu). She changes the lives of a few certain people by teaming up with them (Xanadu) though she’s afraid she can’t completely connect with them (Xanadu, Time). In the end she’s changed the world, or at least someone’s fate (Xanadu) and is finally able to transcend the time stream to return temporarily (Time).
Of course, I’m omitting the rollerskating and the musical interludes, but still…I’m a bit surprised at how easily this came together. I’m still not sure if I’m going to follow through with it, but the temptation sure is great.
So yeah…pay attention to those ideas when they come up unexpectedly. You just might have your next story!
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