Forum Game: Random Element Brainstorming exercise (as a treatment for Creative Malaise)

[Snargash Moonclaw]

I started to write this in reply to SCMP's thread in Meta, but thought it would be better to actually *do* the suggestion here:

Sparking both creativity and interest might be accomplished with "random element" brainstorming. Basically, take any two words/ideas selected purely randomly (although one could be drawn from the narrower set of your previous work on the project) - any method will do, opening a dictionary or thesaurus and using whatever's under your finger is simplest. The more bizarre, incongruous and seemingly unrelated to what you're working on the elements are, (or at least one of them if the other's drawn from your own writing,) the better. Then brainstorm ideas about how they could be related. (Free association can be a good jump start.) Grabbing my thesaurus I poked the pair: Eye-popper and Outcast.

free associating for a couple of minutes:
* Marty Feldman, Rodney Dangerfield - genetic condition could mark some outcast social class.
* Near-death scene toward the end of Total Recall - ostracism/banishment might equal a death sentence or worse, exposure to something to which death would be preferable.
* "Untouchable" class might have to wear some garish garment, adornment as an identifier.
 - this could also be something equally, but positively, distinctive marking an honored, special class - say holy people who should not become "contaminated" by worldly/secular things.

Stir and Horse Trader: (have fun and feel free to add ideas arising from any previous pairs)

[Nomadic]

This topic isn't getting enough love (which isn't right especially with all the complaints about lack of activity). So I am going to try (and probably fail) to give it my 2 copper pieces. A couple minutes of thinking whatever came to mind related to those words gave me this:

Horse Trader and Stir evoke feelings of the wild west for me. Perhaps an old cowboy that likes to "stir" up trouble. He's an old hand at his profession. What once was excitement and adventure for a young upstart is now the standard same old same old that experience has created. He is not one to simply accept this (which is why he took up such an "exciting" profession in the first place). He likes to mix his daily routine up and has become more and more eccentric. The locals call him  old quirky for his love of pranks and his many strange habits. Old Quirky though still loves his neighbors who he has grown close to over the years. Any trouble starting outlaws that ride into town better be careful. He's very loyal to his friends, and very unpredictable to anyone that makes him mad.

...hey that was pretty dang fun. Ok my turn, lets see...

Jagged and Sterling

[Kindling]

Jagged and Sterling are both metallic words... Jagged makes me think of "spiky armour" (a la Warhammer Chaos warriors) and nasty serrated pointy stereotypically evil weaponry.
Sterling is still metallic, but has a more wealthy vibe to it - pounds sterling and sterling silver. So, mercantile.... maybe mercenaries.... so a group of sadistic, heavily-armoured mercs with brutal tactics and arms designed as much to cause pain as for lethality (not, of course, that they aren't lethal) could easily be the result of Jagged and Sterling.

My pair.... Weathered and Whispering.

[khyron1144]

Weathered and whispering make me think of canyons and deserts and rocky landscapes.  Places where the wind might whisper interesting sounds as it goes past.

They also bring to mind certain ranger, druid, and barbarian archetypes.  People who have a bit of a worn-down and weathered look from being out in the weather so much, but who are also completely at home and surprisingly quiet out there.


Next suggested pair:
Thunder and Inhuman

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I've gotta go with lightening elemental, and not the kind of elemental with arms and legs.  A hydra with each head as a different branch.

And because it came up first let's make it a god.  God of storms, destruction, and renewal via bringing rain.

Mural and Name.

[Llum]

Thunder and Inhuman

* Raijin: Japanese God of Thunder
* Lightning Elementals
* Raiden from Mortal Combat

Next Pair:
Transfusion and Bootlegger

[Snargash Moonclaw]

* Jagged/Sterling - a paladin whose reputation is worse than tarnished

* Mural/Name: a race of pure telepaths who have never needed to develop any sort of language - instead of a name in the form of a word in identifying themselves to others they would simply project a complex mental collage incorporating their experiences/desires/ideas/feelings/relationships/activities/talents/likes/dislikes etc.

* Transfusion/Bootlegger: organ running - blackmarket blood supply (3rd world war zones and/or vampires); black market water supplies; covert financing/money laundering

From the residents of the Monkey House: Concerning/Out

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Concerning/Out: A special news report on the new political party that is working fanatically to oust the reigning leaders.

Join/Latest

[Nomadic]

A guild that heavily focuses on the newer member. Every member is supposed to help and support every member that is their junior. Thus the guild leader has the most responsibility of them all.

Testy and Facsimile

[Snargash Moonclaw]

Testy/Facsimile
* "I'm Spartacus." "I'm Spartacus!" "No damnit, *I'm* Spartacus!"
* a clone with a bad attitude.
* a professional forger with, well, a bad attitude
* (okay I used WordWeb to find some other way of look at testy and saw "nettlesome"): Adventure idea- copies of something must be recovered before they cause (more) problems. Knock-offs of a magic item that is malfunctioning unexpectedly, copies of an incriminating letter or other important document (battle plans, blueprints, magical/religious ritual text or spell). . . And polymorphed opponents impersonating the PCs and trying to get the copies first - no doubt murdering whoever has them to frame the recovery team who starts out a couple of steps behind them. (*There's* a nasty surprise when they get to their first destination! The PC party would need some serious skilz for the adventure not to crash abruptly - and the means of truly satisfying retribution would have to be available in the final showdown after all the escalating torment and torture the party will no doubt endure before they finally confront the evil simulacrums of Zi-rakhz the Replicator. . .)

Next up: Bones|Spotlight

[Steerpike]

An undead stage dancer in a nightclub full of ghouls.  Think a zombie in a '20s can-can outfit...

Cyclopean/Neon

[Llum]

Cyclopean/Neon

* Bright orange glowing Cyclops: Guards something
* Lighthouse with an orange light
* Glowing blue jellyfish with a single giant eye-like thing
* Red glowing giant squid missing an eye, one is covered in a long scar as if cut with a sword.

New Words
Hydromancy/Greave

[Taurren]

Hydromancy / Greave

-Greaves of shifting emerald hue that change color depending on the nearby weather and ocean conditions.  
-Shifting feel and weight providing power to attacks like a weapon with a mercurial center
-Giant seahorse / Neptune / Littlest Mermaid
-Water-Bending control (Last Avatar)


New Words
Labrynth / Pirate

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Jack Minotaur.

Savory/Treaty

[LordVreeg]

A world of culture and intrigue.

Classes like Bard, Envoy, and Troubador rule.

Bright lights hiding dark corners, wealth hiding poverty, The success of lucre.

EXP gained by network building.

Epicurean pleasures, nightclubs, high-fashion.

White/passion