end it already
We have some more hammering to do before this whole "complete plot" thing can be real.
SO we figured out that the new box is better and genuinely helps people, but cannot undo what the previous boxes have made because they're already "perfect." That means the kid can't change back to the way he was, and all that's wrong with him is that his dad just doesn't accept that fact. Here we are, one undone rope left to tie up.
Things that can happen:
1. FG stubbornly refuses to accept that box 3.0 will be a real benefit to society and forbids the creating of more like it, possibly even smashing 3.0. I would have that not really "take" though, maybe the kid just builds another and another for as long as it takes, maybe the box has already reproduced a second time. IDK, I just can't live with things in the story ending up the way they would in reality which is a colossal downer.
2. Kid moves on making more of 3.0 with or without FG's support, and enough people are helped by it that he eventually comes around, if grudgingly and not completely. Eventually he could be coaxed into using it on himself, and just get the same instructions for accepting his kid as the kid got when he went into 3.0
3. Only one of 3.0 exists and things continue that way, because while it could help more people if more were made, we still don't know what powers it. Implications are made that there could yet be further versions of the box, though left open as to what that might entail.
4. Now that our box is figured out, it's time to turn an eye outward and track down other boxes like this one that might still be in 1.0 or 2.0 versions, and either destroy or update them. That can be FG, or him with CG's blessing because while he may be "perfect," there is always reason to prevent pain if it can be, even if that means for the families of those close to the outdated box.
Ok those are a good start. I think if we combine 3 and 4, keep improving our box while correcting the mistakes of the past, even if they were made by someone else. Maybe FG could come out of his turn inside holding a map with various cities the world over marked in the box's token handwriting, indicating where the other boxes are and their progression into dangerous territory.
That could make for a good metaphor for nukes. Not exactly mass destruction, but certainly far more powerful and dangerous than it seems initially, and not to be approached lightly or with the wrong equipment.
That's three huge metaphors you've got going here, and any one of them could make for an entire story. Can you do that? Are you up to that task? Generational conflict, parental expectations vs. reality, and now nukes. Good job honey bunny. You've got a long year ahead of you. This might take a little nano treatment before it gets anywhere.
What even are the boxes? Where did they come from? I like the idea of them being kind of nebulous, like the idea for building it just randomly came to FG in the night one day, or maybe he just found it in a back alley and we never learn where it came from at all. I do want it to look sort of ordinary, but also kind of slightly not, like it's just a wooden crate, who cares, but if you look closely you can tell that it's not wood, it's something else designed to look like wood. Maybe a smell? Maybe not a square box, like it has six walls? Maybe the screws etc holding it together are just a little bit too shiny? Something to indicate that this box did not come from earth, or the mortal realm, or the present, what have you. It should be foreign, enough to spark FG's old-world suspicion of things that are outsiders.
More on this later. I like where this is going, and I think we have enough to start characters and a bit of outlining. Should probably decide on a setting, too. Ugh, all this work.
SO we figured out that the new box is better and genuinely helps people, but cannot undo what the previous boxes have made because they're already "perfect." That means the kid can't change back to the way he was, and all that's wrong with him is that his dad just doesn't accept that fact. Here we are, one undone rope left to tie up.
Things that can happen:
1. FG stubbornly refuses to accept that box 3.0 will be a real benefit to society and forbids the creating of more like it, possibly even smashing 3.0. I would have that not really "take" though, maybe the kid just builds another and another for as long as it takes, maybe the box has already reproduced a second time. IDK, I just can't live with things in the story ending up the way they would in reality which is a colossal downer.
2. Kid moves on making more of 3.0 with or without FG's support, and enough people are helped by it that he eventually comes around, if grudgingly and not completely. Eventually he could be coaxed into using it on himself, and just get the same instructions for accepting his kid as the kid got when he went into 3.0
3. Only one of 3.0 exists and things continue that way, because while it could help more people if more were made, we still don't know what powers it. Implications are made that there could yet be further versions of the box, though left open as to what that might entail.
4. Now that our box is figured out, it's time to turn an eye outward and track down other boxes like this one that might still be in 1.0 or 2.0 versions, and either destroy or update them. That can be FG, or him with CG's blessing because while he may be "perfect," there is always reason to prevent pain if it can be, even if that means for the families of those close to the outdated box.
Ok those are a good start. I think if we combine 3 and 4, keep improving our box while correcting the mistakes of the past, even if they were made by someone else. Maybe FG could come out of his turn inside holding a map with various cities the world over marked in the box's token handwriting, indicating where the other boxes are and their progression into dangerous territory.
That could make for a good metaphor for nukes. Not exactly mass destruction, but certainly far more powerful and dangerous than it seems initially, and not to be approached lightly or with the wrong equipment.
That's three huge metaphors you've got going here, and any one of them could make for an entire story. Can you do that? Are you up to that task? Generational conflict, parental expectations vs. reality, and now nukes. Good job honey bunny. You've got a long year ahead of you. This might take a little nano treatment before it gets anywhere.
What even are the boxes? Where did they come from? I like the idea of them being kind of nebulous, like the idea for building it just randomly came to FG in the night one day, or maybe he just found it in a back alley and we never learn where it came from at all. I do want it to look sort of ordinary, but also kind of slightly not, like it's just a wooden crate, who cares, but if you look closely you can tell that it's not wood, it's something else designed to look like wood. Maybe a smell? Maybe not a square box, like it has six walls? Maybe the screws etc holding it together are just a little bit too shiny? Something to indicate that this box did not come from earth, or the mortal realm, or the present, what have you. It should be foreign, enough to spark FG's old-world suspicion of things that are outsiders.
More on this later. I like where this is going, and I think we have enough to start characters and a bit of outlining. Should probably decide on a setting, too. Ugh, all this work.