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Concept #2 – Ghost in a shell

Posted on by under Writing concepts

ghost

Prompts & Concepts

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Context: horror story with ghost or specter, the main character goes to investigate strange happenings

The MC [Main character] (a journalist? a writer? a ghost hunter? psychic?) goes to an isolated mansion (or any kind of dark, scary place) to investigate strange happenings and rumors of supernatural events occurring there. Also, fishy story about death of the old owner? First owner died mysteriously, is said to be haunting the house? And last owner died strangely too.

MC’s search progresses normally at first but quickly begins to get weirder and weirder as they venture deeper into the mansion and dig into the back story of the ‘specter’ haunting the place. MC doesn’t believe it at first but slowly starts to understand things aren’t normal and begins to consider the possibility of something unexplainable.

Specter/Ghost starts to chase MC all over, scare them and trying to kill them to exact revenge. MC manages to survive while uncovering the dark secret and realizes that the ghost was trying to communicate with them since the beginning but cannot really control its connection to the physical world.

MC finally understands that the ghost is a prisoner from a curse and somehow, over the course of the story (however long that is) begins to realize they have feelings for the specter/ghost (yeah, they fall in love somehow…).

MC does all they can to free the ghost without dying and at the same time tries to get it to decide not to kill them but understands that isn’t really its goal. The specter is bent on killing MC at first but somehow begins to see that MC can help it and that there is something more to the situation (love is in the air?). The character/way of being of the MC is the reason the ghost/specter starts falling in love too and, despite being very closed off at first, as the story progresses the ghost/specter begins opening up a little bit.

Also, MC isn’t really ‘good’ and that’s why the specter starts falling in love with them? Their feelings/love is not bound by normal rules.

Problem: the ghost/specter is cursed and can’t resist the urge to devour living souls (the soul of MC for example) but MC tries to help to deal with that somehow.

Do they end up together in the end? If yes, how? Is MC good or evil?

(MC is obsessed with ghost/specter, passionately in love?)

I’m not entirely convinced with that one.

I feel that writing this and offering it to you is not really worthy of the exercise, of me. I feel compelled to flesh out the story first, to give it more depth and value.

But that is the point of the game: giving you unfinished and incomplete ideas so that maybe you will want to give them life.

Anyways, hope you are interested!

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Ice Ice Baby

Posted on by under Poetry

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Light runs down on her cold skin

As she stands atop the hill,

The first of this age-old kin,

She brings to watchers a thrill

That exceeds comprehension,

Her delicate complexion

In the barren lands up north

Brings the greatest courage forth.

By the hand that gave her life

– With his inner love in tune –

Through the sharp edge of the knife

Shines the sun, dances the moon.

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TLMS anyone?

Concept #1 – Role reversal

Posted on by under Writing concepts

Image by tomhotovy

Prompts & Concepts

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Context: adventure story, most likely (during) a Manichean type of conflict. Good guys versus bad guys. Single characters or groups, doesn’t matter for either side.

During one of the fights between the protagonists and the antagonists, one of the antagonists, a particularly antagonistic character is captured/taken in by the protagonists.

At first he tries to free himself/leave and go back to his own companions. He doesn’t succeed and is stuck with the protagonists for some time.

Over the course of said time he tries to destroy them or convert them to his point of view to get them to come to his side but he doesn’t seem to succeed.

Slowly, however, and without completely realizing it, he starts to turn to the protagonists side and to befriend them.

At one point in the story he even begins to help them towards their cause. Overtime he changes to their side.

A possible twist to that would be that one of the protagonists, at one point in the story (possibly around the moment the antagonist who has been captured starts becoming a protagonist), betrays the other protagonists and decides to join the antagonists’ side.

Why not make this happen during a great battle (meaning a major conflict in the story). The antagonist who has been captured finally starts helping the protagonists and as they are about to overcome (or even things out with) the other antagonists (who feel betrayed by the captured antagonist’s desertion) they are betrayed by one of them and that betraying protagonist leaves with the antagonists and joins their cause but not before badly wounding the captured antagonist.

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This could be either about the point of view of the good side or the bad side: a dark/evil character becoming good (with all the struggle it implies), or a good character becoming evil. Or something else entirely.

Also, I say ‘he’ when talking about the character(s) but that doesn’t mean I mean them to be male (nor human), anything goes.

This may seem common (it uses some common tropes/plot devices) but the whole psychological aspect of the betrayal of the antagonist towards his companions and then the betrayal of the protagonist to join the other side could be very interesting to exploit.

Also, why not mix in a few love interests here and there to make things more complicated? Like between a protagonist and the antagonist they captured or between a protagonist and the other one who will betray them? The person the antagonist who starts to become good likes is killed (or gravely wounded) by the protagonist traitor?

Yep. There you go.

This is a short and simple one to begin with, but quite interesting and efficient nonetheless.

I hope you enjoy!

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En attendant l’aurore

Posted on by under Poetry

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À lueur du matin,

Alors que fond la nuit,

S’actionnent les pantins

De mon profond ennui,

Ces ombres éphémères

Qui me guettent et qui rôdent,

Menaçantes chimères

Qui, mon sommeil, taraudent.

Ne laisserez vous point

Ma vieille âme éprouver,

La condamnez vous donc

À cet étroit recoin ?

À ne jamais trouver

Bonheur parmi quiconque ?

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War of the apple

Posted on by under Poetry

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The drums echo deep in the night

The ships are going off to war

Nothing can stop them anymore

As great warriors prepare to fight,

Let come the dawn red and bloody

As body falls after body;

The mighty fleet is on its way,

Heroes will soon enter the fray,

To avenge their king’s lost honor

They shall turn the mighty city

Into no more than a fawner,

For love they will give no pity.

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Bittersweet

Posted on by under Poetry

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Today I somehow feel elated,

Though a shadow looms over my heart,

I don’t know what has me excited

Nor what appears to tear me apart,

A passion in me has been lighted,

My heart has woken up with a start.

How can I feel sad but delighted?

How can I feel such pleasure and smart?

Emotions which came uninvited,

Heart sailing seas outside any chart,

Spirit seeking answers long blighted;

The magic of it all feels like art

And science have at once united

Into something more than their compart.

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Win in the end

Posted on by under Poetry

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As I enter the scene the engines start to rev,

The race takes place in the harbor, on the paved quai,

Three laps around the dock, and now starts the tic toc;

Oh this is dangerous though more often than not

I am crowned champion, to me belongs the kudo,

Witness the racing god, here’s my opus dei,

Tires upon asphalt, engines ready to roar,

Do not even bother for today’s race is mine.

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A small attempt at an exercise in style while writing a poem.