#Idea Generation

[wordysmith101]

Need some ideas.

What do you think would happen if adult Kazekage Gaara turns into a kid by sheer accident. Lets say accidentally got caught on a trap or seal? Shinki and Shikadai are already in the picture.

What if Gaara has no memories? What if he does?

What you think?

[bettsfic]

Hi! I've been trying to get into writing for almost a year now, but all I've got so far are way too many ideas and thousand-word long outlines and brainstorming notes. When I do start writing, my brain always finds things to pick at in the details (like how to start the fic, the backstory, etc) and I'm unable to move forward. Please give any advice that can help with this. And also how do I be patient with learning to write? Because I always drop it when I see I'm not improving. Thank you!

it's always better to have too many ideas than too few. i think the best thing you can do for yourself is try to relinquish control of your creativity and see what happens. when you restrain yourself to an outcome (like finishing a story) you can sometimes be preventing your natural growth. in other words, when you see you're not improving, it might be because you're saying "no" to yourself too much.

so keep churning out ideas and outlines for as long as they come to you. they *will* run out eventually, and when they do you'll be able to look at the bigger picture and see that actually all these seemingly disparate ideas are really just one or two ideas you've churned out in a dozen different ways. and by that point, you will have done so much planning and plotting and thinking that you'll be able to look at and tackle the stories that are most important to you.

it's hard to succumb to the creative process, because it's like giving a toddler a bunch of markers and leaving the room. but if you follow your instincts for long enough, they'll take you where you're meant to go. they'll just do it in the longest, most frustrating, most ridiculous way possible.

[blackrosesandwhump]

How to Whump Your Hero (or Villain)!

For those times when you have the perfect whumpable hero or villain and don't know what to do with them. Use this generator to get ideas!

You have your character. What do you use to whump them?

Axe

Bandages

Barbed wire

Blindfold

Branding iron

Cage

Chains

Club

Coffin

Collar

Dagger

Drugs

Duct tape

Fishing line

Gag

Garrote

Gibbet

Handcuffs

Hatchet

Knife

Manacles

Operating Table

Oxygen mask

Pistol

Pitchfork

Plastic

Poison

Rapier

Rope

Scalpel

Scythe

Spear

Straightjacket

Stitches

Sword

Syringe

Taser

Whip

Using this random number generator, for example I get #5 Branding iron. Time for some painful branding for my poor villain!

Happy writing!

[artist-ellen]

i loveee the epic: the musical design idea!! your ancient greek mermaid has actually been my headcanon hera and played into my headcanon circe since i saw it (and i have also been on the epic listen, i’ve had no longer you on repeat for weeks).

also just wanted to say that the mermaid designs are stunning, i get excited every time i see one!! really well thought out and a gorgeous mix of the historical garments/culture and mermaid/fantasy vibe

I am so excited about the epic: the musical ideas that I've had. Even if no one else likes them my brain has had so much fun cooking them up. My greek mermaid as inspiration isn't such a bad idea...

I've listened to 'No Longer You' so often that if I walk away from Youtube too long it will autoplay without prompting now. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

I'm so glad you all seem to really like the mermaids! I had lots of fun making them, and hopefully you guys like the coloring book too!

[thinking-outside-the-giftbox18]

Ideas I ma- Okay, this one I want EVERYONE to see [HLVRAI AU/Scenario Edition]

BLACK MESA FIGHT CLUB AU, run by Dr. Coomer who later invites Gordon into the club. It's one where they let out their fighting spirit and are taught by a boxing expert (Coomer). It IS inspired by TADC FIGHT CLUB AU but I WANNA see Benrey in his fight gear and being super serious about beating the shit out of somebody.

-Giftbox/Prince

[nitrosodiumfmpsequel]

Game Idea 1 - Metal Jungle

This idea is mostly based off my research into dungeon crawlers, and also the 'overgrown facility' aesthetic I briefly looked at. Essentially, you're a soldier stationed on some kind of colony, on a far-off planet. Something has gone terribly wrong and a mutagen has infested the facility, transforming the colonists into horrible monstrosities and spreading plant life all throughout the complex. Your goal will be to escape, getting through 100 rooms of the facility to reach some kind of escape pod or elevator that'll take you out.

It'll be procedurally generated, because (a) I want to explore that, and (b) there aren't many sci fi dungeon crawlers that don't focus on turn-based combat or some kind of extraction mechanic. I want to do a top down camera similar to The Binding of Isaac or Quasimorph, since I can do some cool tricks with the camera, such as obscuring the view with overhanging pipes or shrubbery. The procedural generation will be room-by-room, similar to SCP or PRESSURE - opening the exit door to each room will spawn a new cell into place, and then some variable will count the room numbers and spawn the exit room on room 100.

The player will be able to loot various supplies from lockers, like ammo or medkits. I might add some general resources, like scrap metal, which can be crafted into important items at a workbench or something similar. There might be side rooms which require lockpicks to open, or devices that can be hacked to give some other advantage. I am tempted to add a basic RPG system, where you can distribute some skill points when the game starts, or maybe choose from a variety of characters to play as, who would have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Combat-wise, the player will start with a gun, and maybe be able to upgrade it or find different weapons throughout the facility. They will encounter various sorts of mutants in the rooms, and I want there to be multiple ways to deal with the enemy encounters. You could try and avoid an enemy and sneak past without conflict, fight them head-on, or lure them into traps. There will probably be different types of mutants - maybe ones with ranged attacks, ones that can poison the player, and ones that attack in different ways like charging.

The main gameplay loop, besides progressing through the rooms, will be focused on resourcefulness. Loot from lockers and crates will be random, so the player will have to use what they have in creative ways to succeed. For example, they could get an explosive, and use it to kill an enemy. Or, they could hold onto that explosive and use it to blast open a storage room, containing more useful tools which they use to progress further and better arm themselves, and so on. You may get incredibly lucky and find rare or useful loot from a container early on, but if you don't think logically, you'll die quickly. I want the game to be sufficiently difficult so the player will probably die on their first attempt, but will be able to learn from their experiences and eventually conquer the facility. This, along with the procedurally-generated elements, adds replay value, as even if the player has already beaten the game, they can try again and their run will be entirely different.

I have also attached a mind map, to explain my ideas in a more concise way than the paragraphs above.

[floofgryph]

POV when you can't think of any ideas for a new OC

Totally get that! Ideas are a necessary pain in the life of a creative. Inspiration and asking for help can be useful, but it's not a guaranteed win-win. Why must writers be burdened with the capacity of generating fruitful ideas when they sometimes come up empty-handed 🥲?

[kmfmpyear2]

Chosen Idea (Contextual Research)

Samurai Weapons!

Wakizashis:

Wakizashi - Wikipedia

Teppo!

Firearms of Japan - Wikipedia

Next I have chosen to look further into weaponry within Samurai culture and how they differentiate from each other in their own unique ways demonstrating how the time periods of Japan greatly enhanced and changed how weapons are used for Samurais over generations.

The craftsmanship for these types of weapons is split into many sections such as the material quality, blade design, hardening process, artistry and finally the balance and actual weight of the weapon itself.

Samurai swords are typically made using a high steel called 'Tamahagane' which is then folded many times to then create a blade that is both strong and flexible for its wielder. I am most fascinated in the entire art style of the blades and weapons themselves as they are literally a work of art that showcases engravings and reflects the skill of every swordsmen and craftsmen.

[raffaellopalandri]

Between Silence and Fire: A Deep Comparative Analysis of Idea Generation, Creativity, and Concentration in Neurotypical Minds and Exceptionally Gifted AuDHD Minds (Part 2)

As promised, here is the second part of this long analysis of the differences in Idea Generation, Creativity, and Concentration in Neurotypical and Exceptionally Gifted AuDHD Minds. Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com Today, I will introduce you to concentration, and Temporal Cognition and Attentional Modulation. The Mechanics of Concentration Concentration, or sustained attention, is often…

[emfmp2025]

FMP Planning: Testing Project Forms

Since I can't decide between making a 2D game, game concept art or 3D modeling, I plan on creating a simple character design that I will then make in all three mediums. This will help me decide which format to use.

Concept Character:

This is the character I will use as a test. I have kept the design simple so that I don't get too focused on small details and so that this doesn't use too much time.

2D Game Art:

In terms of game art, I will be making character sprites in different styles. There are two main styles that I want to try which are pixel art and the Helltaker art style.

PC / Computer - Helltaker - Modeus - The Spriters Resource

For the pixel art style, I've aimed not to use an outline since it takes up valuable space when working in smaller pixel quantities. This took about half an hour and was relatively easy.

Here's the exported sprite:

For the Helltaker artstyle, I've tried to recreate one of the character sprites using my own character. This took a little longer than the pixel art since I haven't used this style before, but was fun to use.

Concept Art/Character Sheet:

Next was trying to create a character reference as that is one of the aspects I would want to emphasise if I choose to do concept art. This character reference took about an hour and a half and is very bare bones for what I would want to actually do for a character sheet in this project. I am still happy with how this test came out.

3D Modeling:

In terms of modeling software, I have chosen to use Maya for this test since Mudbox is quite confusing for me. This test was the longest and took roughly 2 hours for a basic head. Since I was following a tutorial, it is possible that the method I was using just wasn't for me, but I found this process very tedious. While I am still interested in using 3D modeling, I am planning on practicing in my own free time rather than using it this project.

[recsspecs]

Good students, on the other hand, constantly raise the bar for themselves

as they focus on what they haven’t learned and mastered yet. This is why high achievers who have had a taste of the vast amount of knowledge out there are likely to suffer from what psychologists call imposter syndrome, the feeling that you are not really up to the job, even though, of all people, they are (Clance and Imes 1978; Brems et al. 1994).

- How to Take Smart Notes (Sönke Ahrens)

[bettsfic]

how do you flesh out an idea into a real story, when the idea is simply a question or theme? I feel like there is many ways to take a story when your idea is broad like this.

i've answered similar asks like this that you can find in my process tag and idea generation tag. i think i probably addressed it most closely in this ask.

it's a very interesting coincidence you asked me this, anon, because i just finished a novella whose plot is cobbled together by 3 ideas in a trenchcoat. they were all half-formed concepts that never came together on their own but i still really liked them and held onto them. i think the earliest one was from 2016? unlike a lot of my other stories, i did kind of brute force this one but i think it came out okay! we'll see if my early readers vibe with it or are just "what the fuck, betts." (furry ghost story!)

in the post i linked, i talk about "the easy, long road" of vague ideas, which feels a bit like hoarding, keeping useless things believing you'll one day need them for something. except they don't take up any space, and the good ones end up sticking with you and you *do* end up using them. i think i always take the short, hard road at first, thinking something magical will happen, but i always end up losing steam. that said, whatever i jot down ends up being really helpful when i finally do manage to use an old idea.

i agree, there are many ways to take a story when your idea is broad. it's like being handed a block of wood and you have to carve it down into something but you have no idea what. if you're feeling really compelled, you can make it happen just by getting started. if you're not, you just kind of have to wait until you figure out what it is you want to carve, and do it with more intention than the other option.

i think a long time ago i wrote about "aesthetic piles" but i can't find that post. the idea there is that you create a working title for your theme or question (furry ghost story [actual title "little thousand"] was "dog-eared" for several years), and whenever you watch or read something that fits the aesthetic of that thing, you add it to the pile. eventually you'll put something on the pile that topples it over, and that's when you can start writing it.

and sometimes you end up writing something and realize later that it answers that question or addresses that theme you'd wanted to pursue ages ago. i guess that's the good thing about broad ideas: they're not just single stories, they're generally your core subject matter, things you'll come back to again and again, and concepts you'll pursue whether you intend to or not. i wrote a little bit about developing your Project in a previous newsletter.

[ethanfmp]

Idea 2: Malevolent Forest Deity Game

So this will initially look like the strangest combination of keywords you will see on this blog however is saw something quite unique with these 3. The keywords for this game are Lorax, H. P Lovecraft & Curses, Now when I see these 3 words my immediate thought was of a godlike ancient potentially evil deity who's job is to take care of and look over nature and forestry, similar to that of the Lorax. I had the idea of human encroachment leading to the disturbance of this deity who then released a curse onto humanity as a form of defence and or attack on the population in retaliation.

Now this is likely also the broadest in game potential as this description could be that of any game movie or book genre. While these keywords stood out to me instantly and I felt strongly about the creative potential this caused me to struggle to actually pinpoint an idea for the game however after some thinking I decided to look into this idea for it

Perhaps my favourite game genre, or sub is souls likes, and it would be my absolute passion to one day create an amazing souls like. However I don't believe that I have enough time to create a game such as that. The main reason for that is because with a souls like u have to make new things constantly, what I mean by this is as you progress you will encounter a new boss every time, sometimes over 100 bosses in these types of game, and rarely find repeating enemies as you move through new zones each time, and while creating a pack of unique bosses would certainty be an interesting way to go with this I want to come out of this with a cohesive and relatively well fleshed out game. It is because of these factors that I have decided that if I am to create a good game within that time frame I would like to focus on minimizing the workload by creating a gameplay loop. Here is my idea for how I might bring this to light.

The game is set in a world where a once thriving forest is now being destroyed by human activity. As a consequence, the Forest Deity, a powerful ancient being, unleashes a plague upon humanity. The environment has become corrupted, and mutated creatures roam the land, making survival difficult.

Players take control of a single character who must navigate this harsh, hostile world, survive against the plague’s effects, and either contain or escape the devastation.

Core Gameplay Features:

The game world is procedurally generated, with distinct biomes like corrupted forests, dangerous swamps, and ruins of former human settlements. Each playthrough offers a new experience, with the plague spreading differently every time, creating dynamic challenges and forcing players to adapt.

Players need to scavenge resources such as herbs, wood, and animal hides to craft basic weapons, tools, and shelters. Resources are limited, and the environment is hostile with dangers such as such as mutated wildlife, and occasional environmental hazards, poisonous plants, toxic fog, make survival difficult. Players must manage their health, hunger, and energy, while avoiding or fighting off corrupted creatures infected by the plague.

Combat is fast-paced but simple, with basic mechanics like slashing with a blade or shooting arrows, combined with elemental abilities drawn from nature, fire, earth, water. Abilities can be unlocked through exploration, defeating mini bosses or discovering ancient altars. The powers are tied to nature’s wrath and can mutate over time, players must balance the use of these powers to avoid accelerating the plague’s spread.

The plague is the central mechanic. It spreads through the world, affecting the land, creatures, and even the player. The longer the player stays in an infected area, the more they are affected slowly mutating, losing health, or becoming more susceptible to attacks. Players can find cleansed safe zones or ancient shrines to purify themselves and temporarily halt the plague’s progression. The player can also find corrupted areas that contain powerful resources but at great risk. These areas are full of dangerous mutated creatures and environmental hazards.

Each run in the game is designed to be short, 10-30 minutes, with the goal of reaching a certain point on the map or completing a specific objective such as finding a cure for the plague, or surviving a boss encounter.

The objective of the game is to survive the plague for as long as possible while gathering resources to prepare for a final challenge a boss encounter with a powerful mutated guardian of the forest. The boss is a representation of the deity's wrath, a final test of the players strength and survival tactics.

While the game doesn't feature a narrative driven plot, players can piece together the story through environmental storytelling. Ruins, hidden artifacts, and notes scattered across the world will reveal hints about the deity, the plague, and the downfall of the human race. Players can choose to focus entirely on survival or uncover the hidden lore at their own pace.

Visual Style: The art style would be stylized low poly to keep development simple while creating a visually interesting world. The contrast between the lush but corrupted forest environments and the bleak, decaying remnants of human civilization would be striking, with vibrant greens, eerie purples, and fiery reds indicating the plague’s corruption.

Audio: Atmospheric music with ambient forest sounds that transition into ominous, eerie tones as the plague spreads. Sound effects for mutated creatures, environmental hazards, and elemental abilities, fire crackling, wind howling, water splashing, would add immersion.

Gameplay Loop:

Players will be essentially dropped into a safe area and may chose to adventure out to gather recourse and complete any objectives they can within an undisclosed time frame, this would be done through the progression and spreading of the plague. There will also be safe zones dotted around in which the player may choose to return to their main camp and keep any recourses they may have gathered during their adventure. This will be similar to games such as Vigor Escape From Tarkov and Hades, I will elaborate on this further down.

As the player moves through different areas, they uncover new resources, face tougher enemies, and deal with the growing influence of the plague. Players can either attempt to cleanse the envronment, find safe zones, or risk the dangers for more valuable resources.

Each run culminates in a final, escalating battle with a mutated guardian, if they choose to continue. Players can prepare by collecting powerful items or elemental abilities throughout their journey. If the player survives the encounter, they can choose to continue exploring or start a new run to unlock additional upgrades.

Why This Works in a Short Time Frame: The use of procedural generation for the world allows for a diverse experience without having to design countless handcrafted locations. Simple combat and crafting mechanics can be iteratively expanded over time. Short, rogue like runs allow for quick development cycles, with players able to pick up and play in a short amount of time. Minimal story elements, relying on environmental storytelling, means the narrative can be conveyed with relatively little development effort.

This approach keeps the core concept intact while making it feasible to create within a shorter time frame, focusing on replayability, gameplay, exploration, and survival.

Now as I mentioned this game has some close similarities to a game Called Hades. Here is a few reason why.

Rogue Like Run Based Design: Like Hades, the game features short, procedurally generated runs where players are dropped into a hostile environment to gather resources, face enemies, and then return to a safe area to prepare for the next run. The runs are typically time-limited, and the objective is to survive long enough to face progressively harder challenges.

Resource Management and Progression: Players gather resources during each run that can be kept or used for upgrading abilities and preparing for tougher encounters. The idea of collecting resources, improving the character, and then facing escalating challenges aligns with the core gameplay loop of Hades, where players improve themselves between runs.

Elemental Abilities and Combat: The combat is fast paced and uses elemental abilities, which is somewha similar to Hades' dynamic combat where players use a variety of weapons and powers granted by different gods. The powers in your game mutate over time, encouraging balance and strategic use, similar to how Hades gives you different power-ups throughout the run that can significantly affect combat.

Environmental Storytelling: The lack of a traditional narrative but with lore revealed through exploration and discovery mirrors Hades' approach, where players uncover details about the world and characters through interactions and environment rather than cutscenes or direct exposition.

Escalating Boss Fights: The final battle against a powerful mutated guardian is similar to Hades’ structured end of run boss fights, where players face off against progressively more difficult enemies, testing their skills and readiness for the next challenge.

If made, all of this is EXTREMELEY subject to change as this is the earliest idea for the game and completely uncertain.

Here is a video that shows some of these gameplay features from Hades so you may have a reference point for some of these features and mechanics that I am talking about:

I also think that hades is a particularly interesting game to look at for my game idea as it is made by an indie studio, Supergiant Games, who's clear focus is to focus on a vivid and dynamic art style as well as heavily narrative driven games that is expressed by putting things into the world and allowing players to discover things of their own will. I will also link below supergiant games' website, specifically a page dedicate to each member of their team expressing why they do what they do which is always, to me at least, the most interesting thing to learn about a person and also the most insightful.

[amydrawsdreams]

"Plotting Perfection"

crafting the compelling Story board for my animation

[thinking-outside-the-giftbox18]

More ideas I have and want to share - HLVRAI edition #?

Benry has been on this fantasy stardew-valley inspired game he got for Christmas and hasn't been out of his house for a while. When Gordon went to check on him, he was clearly in a bad mood and sleep-deprived. Benry explains that he's been trying to woo a character but they keep rejecting him no matter how many times he replayed the game to change his paths, he even cleared his save points to start over and didn't look up how to woo this character as it'll be cheating. So Gordon helps and in the end, woos the character, letting Benry doze off to sleep peacefully. But what Gordon noticed during all this was that 1) This character, in a fantasy setting, looks similar to himself, and 2) Benry's avatar is just him.

More on this idea: The game takes place in a giant garden inhabited by small humanoid creatures and the game lets you pick a species rather than gender (elf, borrower, pixie, fairy, etc).

The character Benry's trying to woo was a handsome yet dorky elf who studied magic portals and tried to find ways to use them long-term:

This is Gardenius Feather (and yes, I used a Stardew Valley avatar maker from Itch.io, might have to update the look to fit HLVRAI Gordon)

Benry's character is a Borrower named Bemy.

When Gordon and Benry FINALLY woo the character, Benry falls asleep instantly, leaving Gordon to watch a special cutscene of Gardenius and Bemy having a starry night date in a swamp where they share a kiss.

There is more to this idea like the exploration of the game and the aftermath where Benry learns the cutscene when Gordon sorta re-enacts it on New Years.

Plus, Benry DID find fanart and read fics on Gardenius Feather ^w^

Giftbox/Prince