How Robots Took Over The World

Yes. Two posts about robots almost in a row. I can't help it, every time I see something electronic, my mind drifts to the robot apocalypse.

Every piece of fiction about the Robot Apocalypse (or the Zombie one, or the Alien one, etc. etc.) I've come across shows the human resistance against the overlords or the human reactions in the face of an invasion.

Wouldn't it be nice for a change to have stories that show the other side of the coin? To see the motivations that would lead them to such a quest. Sure, you'll say, that's rather ordinary. Well, I mean beyond the short exposition the villain offers to the hero or the already painful analogies to real events of humankind. I want to know why robots conquer the world, not be reminded of Cromwell's Revolution (it was the first thing that came to mind, sorry British people, I can't remember the official name, too drowsy). I mean avoid cliches, think about why would that thing happen! Make it a story, a glorious, triumphant story about an event much feared by us all.

If you’ve got an awesome idea and you don’t mind sharing, e-mail me or comment. If you’ve got one of these ideas into a story or found one that already has, please share the link, I’d looooooove to post it here. If you’ve got a comment to make, same thing, e-mail or comment.

The journey of a lightning

Last night there was a long-awaited storm, complete with wind and lightning and rain! All that gave me an idea (so blame it on my sleep-deprived brain again >.>)

From a scientific point of view, "Lightning is a massive electrostatic discharge between electrically charged regions within clouds, or between a cloud and the Earth's surface".

But from a human point of view it's more complex than that. Since the beginnings of our existence, we've been fascinated with that fire falling from the sky. We worshipped it, we cursed it, we revered it, we hated it. 
And how could we not? For on every journey to our land, the lightning brought us something:

• Glass and subsequently windows (XP, Vista, 7, you name it)

Image from an awesome article about fulgurites.

• Light

Image from Daily Mail, check this out for more gorgeous images of lightnings

• Fire

This gorgeous photograph

• Electricity

Image from a great article

• Life

Image from here

Those were two bad jokes in a row. I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it.
Anyway, my point is that lightning, from a human point of view has always been a mythical instrument of the Universe to... well... punish us, most of the time. (Though I did read somewhere an old folk tale about the the fact that every time  the lightning strikes, a devil has been struck by a saint. I can't remember anything else, other than the fact that it was complicated.)

However, the lightning is almost always seen as a tool rather than an entity. So, how about a story about the lightning? I was thinking about its journey. How does it come here? Why does it come here? Where from? Who is this lightning? 



P.S. I found this blog while researching for this entry and... well... I know what I'll be reading for the next few days.

Robot apocalypse

 We have so much zombie fiction that outright prepares us for the zombie apocalypse. They tell us how to build our basements, what guns to pick, what to do if we/our loved ones are infected.

But what about robots? Most robot fiction I’ve come across has both nearly indestructible humanoid tin-men (and, yes. Yes, I am thinking the Cybermen from Doctor Who) or some mother-computer-thing like the Matrix. But do you think that really is the way they’re gonna conquer the world?

[I’m sorry for what you’re about to read. I’m really, really into the whole robot apocalypse thing, to the point where I talk to lamp-posts. Because fear of electronics* goes well with robot apocalypse.]

Isn’t it more likely that they will start from the little things, like, say, mobile phones? After all, they are at the moment the smartest of all gadgets around us. Probably next will be the computers who become sentient. Maybe humans will succeed in making them cross the Uncanny Valley, although I doubt that is even possible. Instead they will make them smarter and smarter until they develop a conscience of their own. Afterwards it’s only a matter of time before they usurp us. Slowly, but steadily. Not in the way the Matrix did, far less bloody. Simpler. Not only do we help them, but we end up being grateful to them. Willingly becoming their slaves. How? We make them think for us and do things for us. No, not like Wall-E! They coordinate, distribute and keep our currency. They give us entertainment. They educate us. They provide us comfort in our own homes. Do you see it now? They are everywhere already. They make their moves slowly, engulfing our bank system. They take our jobs, not just in the factories, but in the service industry as well. They make us dependent to them: for school [I always knew Wikipedia was ruled by robots!], for sports [when you go to the gym, think twice about that running thingy], for irrigations and agriculture [computerised everything. That’s all I can say.], for transportation [today the GPS, also today the driverless car!] and so on. They make us dependent until they find a way of properly repairing themselves. They still don’t do things as good as a human, but it’s strength in numbers … and usefulness … and energy … and the material they’re made of …

What will they do with us? Beats me, they might as well exterminate us.

*  I mean it when I say fear of electronics. I'm afraid even of using a photo camera. Needless to say, computers scare me the most. Why am I here, in front of a computer, writing? Because fears are made to be faced! And I do so! Every single day! Even when I shouldn't! 

Elves riding dinosaurs firing rockets

 I was actually saving this post for later, but in the end I said "screw it!" and there it is. And the rest of the stuff I want to post are sadly really and completely off-topic. Seriously, I have more than 5 ideas to rant about but none that I could use here. *sigh* Anyway...

“But it’s freaking August!” you’ll say. Of course it is, but who knows how long it’ll take for us to start/finish our Christmas/Holiday stories ready? (Besides, I sing carols and quote “A Christmas Carol” all year long, I like the holiday season too much not to.)

Anyway, as far as I’m concerned, we don’t have enough Christmas stories who are guided by the Rule of Cool. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with the usual holiday cheesiness, but sometimes it’s too much.

You could go for anything that’s holiday-themed and guided by the rule of cool: Santa with an eye patch sailing the seas on a shark as a pirate, elves battling ninjas, the aforementioned elves riding dinosaurs firing rockets etc.

P.S. I would love to post some of the things I have already written, especially those I have already posted on my Gaia Journal (I'm a proud Gaian :) ) and... I guess I'll do that soon.

Hot zombie

  We can take anything and turn it into a fountain of sexiness, be it for guys or girls. Look at pirates. They transformed from a bunch of scurvy-ridden dead-drunk sailors to the icon of badassery and sexiness they are now, see Captain Sparrow for a notable example (though I'm thinking Trafalgar Law, to be honest). And it’s not the first time some undead have been revamped* into sexy tough walking fan-service. Look at vampires. Though, in all fairness, I've just finished reading Polidori’s The Vampire and it’s not all that different from good modern-day vampire imagery (I'm thinking more Anne Rice than Stephanie Meyer here).

So why shouldn't we try this for our brain-eating friends? Sure, you fans of the zombie genre will argue that if they do get a brush of sexy they will stop being so menacing and it will be yet another horror genre ruined by “the masses”. I say screw that! Even vampires could keep their dignity after Twilight, so why, oh, why can’t we have a little, little bit of zombie fan-service while you get to see them eating brains?

*I'm sorry, sorry, sorry for that pun. T_T

Two dots who live in peace.

This sentence did not let me sleep last night. “Two dots who live in peace.” What could it mean? Anything, actually. Those dots could be anything, they’re dots after all. They could do anything. They’re whatever inspires you.

If you’re inspired or really badass, you could even go with writing a story about dots. I’d love you if you do that, we don’t have enough stories about dots.

If you’ve got an awesome idea and you don’t mind sharing, e-mail me (at paula_13pisicinegre@yahoo.com or 13pisicinegre@gmail.com) or comment. If you’ve got one of these ideas into a story or found one that already has, please share the link, I’d looooooove to post it here. If you’ve got a comment to make, same thing, e-mail or comment.

Introduction

a.k.a. WHAAAAT?

Look, let’s say you’ve ran out of ideas and looking around you doesn’t help. Let’s say you want just the idea, the impulse to start your story. That’s why I made this blog: to give ideas for stories.

I love stories, they fascinated me ever since I was very little (say, 3 years old) so I wanted to do something that could help storytellers out there, regardless of the medium they use to convey their stories. For a while now, my imagination has gone into overdrive and at one point I realised I won’t be able to write all the stories that run through my head. That’s how the idea for this site was born. Of course, as soon as I had that thought in mind, my dear brain decided to forget the impulse pattern to most of the great ideas I had, so I had to delay this blog until I have gotten new ones.

If you’ve got an awesome idea and you don’t mind sharing, e-mail me (at paula_13pisicinegre@yahoo.com or 13pisicinegre@gmail.com) or comment. If you’ve got one of these ideas into a story or found one that already has, please share the link, I’d looooooove to post it here. If you’ve got a comment to make, same thing, e-mail or comment.