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. Regarding Fantasy, this insight was startling:
“I see the fantasy genre as an ever-shifting metaphor for life in this world,
an innocuous medium that allows the author to examine difficult, even
controversial, subjects with impunity. Honor, religion, politics, nobility,
integrity, greed—we’ve an endless list of ideals to be dissected and explored. And
maybe learned from.” – Melissa McPhail.
Fantasy Trope:
Fantastic Comedy
Current Event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpIJNGMh0IQ
Aarav Tlak shook his
head and said, “Horses don’t talk.”
Kyla Das sniffed
and said, “Shows what you know.”
“There’s no such
thing as magic; there’s no such thing as a talking ani...”
“To reiterate what
I said, you’re showing your ignorance by making such a categorical and sweeping
statement. Are you including animals who have been trained or recognize
commands?”
“Of course not!
Animals can be smart and trainable, they just can’t talk.”
She gave him a
long look then said, “So you’re saying that no animal on Earth can communicate?”
“No! You’re
twisting my words. Animals communicate in a thousand different ways – some we
can’t comprehend, like elephants talking below our level of hearing. But you’re
talking about...about...about...talking like we’re talking and animals don’t do
that.”
“How do you know?”
“You know what I’m
talking about!”
“I could say that
you’re a bit of an animal,” Kyla said with a smirk.
“I am not!” Aarav
exclaimed.
She snorted then
said, “You’ve never had to deal with yourself after you and your gf haven’t had
a chance to make out.”
Sputtering, Aarav
exclaimed, “That’s not fair!”
“That’s what
criminals all say.”
He glared at her,
took a deep breath, glared a while longer and finally said, “Proof would be you
introducing me to some animal and then
me and the animal having a conversation.”
“You’d accept that
as proof?”
He gave her a
funny look and she burst into laughter. Blushing furiously, he said, “Of course
I’d accept it as proof! I’d hardly be a dispassionate scientist if I ignored an
actual animal actually speaking to me.”
“Any animal?”
Aarav scowled, “I
don’t like the direction this conversation is taking. What do you mean by that?”
She held out a
stethoscope and said, “Put these into your ears.”
His eyes grew
wide, he took them in hand, and said, “This isn’t funny anymore.”
“It’s not supposed
to be. Warm up the end of that thing and put it on my belly – and prepare to be
amazed.”
Names: ♀Philippines, Bangladesh; ♂ India, Croatia
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