I give up. My ideas suck. Can I borrow yours?

[Saint]

So I want to get back into writing again, likely for the thirtieth time, I’ve honestly stopped counting my failed re-entry attempts.  I think so far I can only really blame the story ideas I’ve had just not following through in my mind, and therefore the lack of motivation to continue these stories is then outweighed by things like Call of Duty and Pokemon.  Add work and general adulting to that pot of demotivation and you’ve got a real contender for the title of “Least Productive Individual of the Year.”

Enough of the sob story.  Your turn.

This thread is for one purpose and one purpose only, to get me back into writing. Since I don’t have any ideas that I quantify as usable, I’m drafting your assistance. I want to write a series of shorts based on the ideas of much cleverer, much more intuitive individuals than myself, and I think there’s a good pool of people on this forum who fit that description.

Your challenge then, is to give me a good short story to write, using the following form:

Code: [Select]

Premise:

Genre:

Setting:

Main Character Name:

Interesting twist the main character will have to face:

Optional Challenge:
For example:

Code: [Select]

Premise: MC has to enlist in a secret service style organisation to protect his girlfriend from an unknown threat.

Genre: SciFi

Setting: The City in The Sky

Main Character Name: Darius

Interesting twist the main character will have to face: Crippled Hand

Optional Challenge: Include a tentacle monster
I will give myself one month from the time your prompt is submitted to write a short fitting the description given.  I reserve the right to tweak the prompt but will try to do this minimally and only to give myself some headroom if I hit a wall.

Nic, I swear if your prompt includes the word Romance in any shape, I will join all of your Monster Hunter World quests just to ramp up the difficulty, then intentionally faint three times as soon as I see the monster nearing critical health.

[Phoenix]

Premise: Minecraft has started to invade New Tome City.

Genre: Uh...Autobiography kinda? Blog?

Setting: New Tome City

Main Character Name: Yourself

Interesting twist the main character will have to face: Passive mobs/hostile mobs have switched! Creepers are friendly, cows aren't!

Optional Challenge: Write in a diary format.

[Rabbit]

Sorry to hear you're having trouble finding a muse, Saint. If it's any help, my top tip for breaking out of ruts is to write around the story. Backstories, creation myths, random scenes that have little bearing on the story but get words on the page and let you explore your world and characters. Sooner or later you'll stumble onto something that brings the proper urge to write back. Chin up, eh lad!

This is a good idea though to get you back in the habit. Here's one from me. I've left some stuff vague but if you want more details just ask. Now I've written it out I kinda want to keep it for myself! 

Premise: Character A has always liked their neighbour, Character B. In fact, yes, A is actually in love with them but B doesn't know. One evening, A hears a commotion coming from B's home and goes to investigate. They find the door broken down, a trail of blood leading to through to the bedroom where a dead person lies naked on the bed. B is crouched in a corner, covered in blood and traumatised and A can't get any answers from them. Instead, B insists they have to leave, run away, right now. Where they go and who/what they're running is up to you, I ain't doing ALL the work here...

Genre: Like... sci-fi/horror/urban fantasy-ish? Depends on how you fill in the blanks really.

Setting: A modern-futuristic city, like where you live now in say, fifty years' time.

Main Character Name: A is very normal. They like to do things the same way every day and they actually stand to lose a lot by running off with B. They have a nice home, a job they actually enjoy and a favourite coffee place just down the street where the staff know their name. Due to a childhood trauma, they're afraid of being the centre of attention and so at the climax of the story, they should be forced into a situation where they HAVE to draw attention to themselves. They also own like a LOT of houseplants.

Interesting twist the main character will have to face: It becomes clear that B does not return A's affections at all. Does A continue helping B, or leave them to their fate?

Optional Challenge: Burn down the favourite coffee place. 

[Phoenix]

Premise: One of your old (good) characters has turned evil.

Genre: Fantasy

Setting: E-arth (You know... like Lilo and Stitch setting)

Main Character Name: Fred Wimple-Bohtom. (Pronounced Bottom. -insert loads of minions laughing here-)
 
Interesting twist the main character will have to face: The Lilo and Stitch cousins help you. Ohana.

Optional Challenge: Give Fred a family.