Each Tuesday, rather than a POSSIBLY IRRITATING ESSAY, I'd like to both challenge you and lend a helping hand. I generate more speculative and teen story ideas than I can ever use. My family rolls its collective eyes when I say, "Hang on a second! I just have to write down this idea..." Here, I'll include the initial inspiration (quote, website, podcast, etc) and then a thought or two that came to mind. These will simply be seeds -- plant, nurture, fertilize, chemically treat, irradiate, test or stress them as you see fit. I only ask if you let me know if anything comes of them.
SF Trope: bodily transformations
Current Event: http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2011/08/17/human_enhancement_for_everyone_or_no_one_.html
What we’re talking about this week is what I’d like to call, “the Borg Syndrome”.
People have been talking about enhancing humanity or transforming the human body for years. Ever since the first kid put spring-loaded bouncy shoes on or doctors implanted the first pacemaker to keep someone’s heart beating, we’ve gotten more and more into this whole idea of transforming the human body into something it wasn’t – or isn’t anymore. How many of you have grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads, brothers, sisters, cousins or yourself who had bodily transformations? Hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery, hearing aids, pacemakers and hormone replacement therapy are all forms of bodily modifications.
So let’s say we gots us a kid – about 17.
He’s no great athlete, but mom and dad and brothers and sisters are TOTAL jocks! Have been. Always. As the oldest boy, he was expected to be a FOOTBALL or baseball or hockey or…whatever star.
He went out for plays instead. He geeked out on science and after a fierce competition, he’s at the University of Minnesota as a sophomore in the biomechanical engineering program. He gets to play with “body transformative equipment” all day long. He ignores his family, they ignore him…except for his little brother, who loves hockey but accepts HIM for who he is.
Over the holidays – he turned down his mom begging him to come home – there’s a terrible fire – no one survives. He figures it was the crazy Christmas tree decorations his family has always put up. He’s alone in the world now.
That’s fine by him. After the holidays, he grimly goes back to his normal life; only a few friends, no one he’d call close.
Then this chick comes up to him in the biomech lab and while he thinks she’s coming on to him, he quickly discovers that she is neither interested in him THAT way, nor is she from the present. She’s from 139 years in the future, the murder of his family was no accident, and she’s here to “help” him…
“Help me what?” he asked, scowling.
She sniffed, “I don’t know. They didn’t give me any details. I’m just here to help you.”
Shaking his head, he said, “Great. The future sent me a dumb jockette to help avenge the murder of my family.”
You can take it from there!
DO NOT REWRITE TERMINATOR for children! Do something NEW with this!
Image: http://www.startrek.com/uploads/assets/db_articles/205b47375ace6b70d35df1d47fd68441be38ab86.jpg
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