Alright, I said I’d finish running through my third story notebook, so here it is. After all, there’s no better time than now:
The song, btw, is from Summoning of Spirits, quite possibly the best fanmade video game soundtrack that ocremix has put out. Oh, and it’s completely free; did I mention that? If you want to download it, you can find it here.
Anyways, on to the story ideas:
First line: “The invisible pink unicorn in the room sneezed.”
Hahaha! Martha, this one’s for you!
Theory: all of us have a mechanism in our brains that helps us relate to other people, to see ourselves in them. But over time, we learn to shut it off, because so long as that mechanism is working, we can’t do anything to hurt other people. If we can’t relate, we can’t care and can’t feel the pain of the other.
Or maybe we learn to turn it off because it just hurts so much to feel others’ pain. We desensitize ourselves in order to survive this cruel world. But is a life disconnected from others’ pain and joy really worth living? Where is the balance?
A writer who uses himself as an alpha reader by going to an alternate universe in which he never became a writer –> told from the point of view of the alternate person, who wishes he’d become a writer but never did.
I’m pretty sure I got this idea from a short story that Mechmuse published before it went under. You can still find it here. Normally, I have a policy of not writing stories about writers (since it’s so overdone), but for this one, I might be willing to make an exception…that is, if no one beats me to it.
A democracy in which the president serves for ten years and is ceremoniously executed at the end of his/her term.
Hey, that’s what they used to do to the ancient kings in Europe: when the king got old and the time came for him to hand over his kingdom, the druid-priests would ceremoniously execute him in front of the rest of the tribe.
The question is this: would such a custom lead to a better system of government? It would certainly weed out all the greedy scumbags who are only looking for money and power (which constitutes the majority of politicians). But who would take their place? Would the new politicos be any better?
How would foresight, like Atium, change sports? Like fantasy steroids, except different.
Thoughts while reading Mistborn. True story.
What if the Dome of the Rock was a magical portal to another world?
Hey, it’s possible. The circle/square/octagon motif represents a connection between heaven and earth, and scholars have never really figured out what the religious function of the structure was supposed to be.
And that concludes story notebook #3. Have fun writing!
“Theory: all of us have a mechanism in our brains that helps us relate to other people, to see ourselves in them. But over time, we learn to shut it off, because so long as that mechanism is working, we can’t do anything to hurt other people. If we can’t relate, we can’t care and can’t feel the pain of the other.”
If you spent time around toddlers, you would know that it’s actually the opposite: the mechanism starts off closed and over time we learn to turn it on. Toddlers have no qualms about taking a toy from another, even if it makes the other kid cry. Relating to someone’s tears is a learned thing.
yeah, Reigheena is right. Thinking about others rather than oneself is a sign of brain maturity. That is why teenagers are such turds, because they are ego-centric. They are just starting to be able to use their brains to think about the consequences of their actions and how those actions affect others. So, technically, the ability to sympathize/empathize with others is a trait of a healthy adult.
Interesting. I’d never really thought about it in terms of practical experience, but it makes sense. It makes you wonder, though, why the scriptures tell us that we are supposed to become as little children.