June 2, 2015

IDEAS ON TUESDAYS 209


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: TheoTech (A Science Fiction subgenre that borrows the aesthetics, symbolism and terminology of religion, the occult, and New Age conspiracy theories.) and The Corrupt Church http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CorruptChurch


Wolf Alaba tapped the virtual computer screen projected on the grimy surface of the table. He said, "What's the difference between this and dealing with ghosts?"

Emilie Baumgartner shook her head. "I could say everything, but I  know the answer you're going for is that there's no difference, so I'll go with that."

Wolf gave her a dirty look then said, "There's no difference. Given that premise, then what's the difference between what we're doing and what God said when Saint Timothy wrote, ‘The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.’ ?” (I Tim 4:1)

“It’s a holographic projector..." 

“It’s programmed to create the keyboard of a computer, Em. What’s to prevent me from reprogramming it to project the spirit of your grandmother; or the Pope; or the Prime Minister of Canada?”

“Of course there’s nothing to prevent you from reprogramming it! That’s why we’re...” Outside the room they heard a series of rhythmic thuds. “Ordnance. The Temple’s under attack.”

“We haven’t finished...” he began. She drew a slender wand, aimed it at the projector painted on the back of his hand. There was a flash and he screamed, jumping backwards. “At lease you could have let me neutralize it myself! I’ll have a burn on the back of my hand shaped exactly like…” He stopped talking as the floor shook with a tremendous explosion.

“There’s no way to get the Bible anymore, Wolf. It’s been encrypted and corrupted…”

“The Bible has always been corrupted! You can’t read it...” energy weapon fire echoed down the hallway. The HQ of the United Faith In Humanity had been their last hope of breaking the stranglehold of the very organization that sought to mold all Human belief into a single, non-moral philosophy that was so rewoven that no one on Earth could possible reject it. “This was pretty much our last hope of getting an uncorrupted file. The Burners took care of pretty much all of the...”

The weapons fire stopped abruptly. There were a polite tap at the door. Wolf and Emilie…

Names:  -- Germany, Austria (one via Nigeria)


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