Topic Brainstorm

Absolute unit (source)

Parashurama: I find this story interesting because it's so similar to our modern day stories of killing-machine action heroes with a heart of gold. Some of the plot summary sounds like John Wick, from his calf (dog) being stolen (killed), or like Doom, where Parashurama is the reincarnation of Vishnu. He is a divine power set upon the earth to keep law and order, very badass. Parashurama should be easy to add a modern day twist to.

Garuda: Fun fact: the first search result on Google for this story is an airline from Indonesia. That's pretty cool, like if we had a Hermes airline or an Icarus airways, actually scratch that one. I think birds of prey are dope and apparently, so do Indians (this is a generalization) so I think that a story about a birdperson who kills serpents sounds pretty cool.

Weapons of the Gods:  Weapons in stories typically serve as MacGuffins, very rarely do we see a super-weapon used in a way that changes the course of the story, usually they are used once to display their awesome firepower (think of the Death Star blasting Alderaan, or the Ring of Sauron) But weapons of mass destruction captivate our imaginations because they bring us the power of Gods. They make good plot devices because their impact on the world depends on who is pulling the trigger. For this reason I think it will be cool to see what people's concept of super-weapons were back in the day when most people had only seen slings and spears. Did they imagine a staff that threw lightning or conjured wildfires? What physical phenomena did they base these destructive powers off of? I think it would be fun to make a sci-fi or fantasy adaptation for one of my stories.

Epic Battles: Okay, now this is epic. When I was a child I went to Vicksburg and toured the battlegrounds. I saw the earthen fortifications and their analog on a topographical map and dioramas with rows of line infantry firing smoke made of cotton balls at each other. What captivated me most was the scale. Here, at this graveyard of thousands, one would imagine there was no place for individual heroics, but they would be wrong. Stories of a crack sharpshooter, who killed a regiment's camel mascot, and was pursued by six Confederate snipers as revenge. Tales of defensive lines held with nothing but iron will against unbeatable odds, and the charges led by fearless officers in desperate attempts to break them. In this field of suffering, man's mettle was tested and people found fearless primal strength inside of them.

I think that is why we are drawn to stories of battles. Because, although none of us wants to experience war, and should hopefully never experience it, tales of heroics in the face of death give us a sense of relief. A sense of control over our destiny. We relate back to ourselves as we do with all stories and wonder: "If the time came, could I do the same? Could I be stoic and fearless and come out alive?"

That's all for today. Until next time, I'm NitroDubbz.