Here are 100 command prompts designed to help you create and explore narrative themes. These are phrased as arguments, questions, and directives to build a story around.
1. On Identity, Self, & Purpose
Argue that a person's **identity is forged in crisis**, not in peace.Explore whether **we are defined by our past** or by our ability to escape it.Show that **a person's public persona** is a prison of their own making.Question whether a person can **truly change their fundamental nature**.Explore the theme of **"imposter syndrome"** by making a character who is a literal imposter.Show that **revenge ultimately destroys the avenger** more than the target.Argue that **purpose is created**, not discovered.Explore the **"shadow self"**: what happens when a character fully embraces their worst impulses?Show that **ambition is a poison** that corrupts all it touches.Question the **line between genius and madness**.Argue that **true freedom is psychological**, not physical.Explore the **tyranny of a character's own expectations** for themselves.Show that **a person's greatest strength** is also their greatest and most tragic weakness.Argue that **memory is a filter**, not a photograph, and cannot be trusted.Explore the **nature of grief** as a transformative, not just a destructive, force.
2. On Love, Family, & Relationships
Argue that **true love requires ultimate sacrifice**.Question whether **romantic love is a form of madness** or a path to salvation.Explore the theme of **"found family"** being stronger than blood ties.Show that **family is a cage** one must escape to find oneself.Pit **loyalty to a friend** against loyalty to a [nation/code/family].Explore the **corrupting and blinding nature of jealousy**.Argue that **we can never truly know another person**, not even those we love.Show that **great love and great hate** are two sides of the same coin.Explore the **burden of a family's legacy** and the "sins of the father."Question whether **it is better to be loved or to be feared**.Show that **a single act of kindness** can redeem a lifetime of cruelty.Argue that **communication is the solution to** (or the *cause* of) all interpersonal conflict.Explore the **profound isolation of being "different"** from one's peers.Show the **destructive power of secrets** kept "for the good" of a family.Question whether **betrayal is ever justifiable**.Explore **love as a destructive, selfish force** that tears worlds apart.
3. On Society, Power, & Justice
Argue that **absolute power corrupts absolutely**.Show that **history is written by the victors**, and the "hero" is just a matter of perspective.Explore the theme of **"the individual vs. the collective"** (the needs of the many vs. the needs of the few).Question the **difference between "justice" and "the law"**.Show that **society needs a scapegoat** to maintain its own illusion of purity.Explore the **dehumanizing effect of bureaucracy**.Argue that **true change requires revolution** (violence), not reform (patience).Argue that **revolution only replaces one tyrant** with another, more ruthless one.Explore the **invisible walls of the class system**.Question whether **censorship is ever justified** for the "greater good."Show that **a person becomes the "monster"** that society believes them to be.Explore the **commodification of art** (art vs. commerce).Show that **an unjust law must be broken** (the theme of civil disobedience).Explore the **dangers of blind patriotism** and nationalism.Question whether **a "utopia" can exist** without a hidden, dark foundation.Show that **"the mob" is a mindless beast** with no true morality.Explore the **"tyranny of the majority"** over the rights of the minority.Question whether **war is a necessary and unavoidable** part of human nature.
4. On Nature, Fate, & The Cosmos
Argue that **humanity is insignificant** in the face of nature's power (or the cosmos).Show that **nature is a brutal, chaotic force**, not a nurturing, harmonious one.Explore the theme of **"Man vs. God"** (or the gods).Question whether **our fates are sealed** (determinism) or if we truly have free will.Argue that **humanity's greatest flaw is its belief that it can control nature**.Show that **the "supernatural" is just a manifestation** of human psychology (fear, guilt, desire).Explore the **terror and wonder of the unknown**.Argue that **chaos is the natural state** of the universe, and "order" is the illusion we create.Show that **survival, at any cost, is the only true morality** in a harsh world.Question **what it means to be "human"** when faced with the non-human (aliens, monsters, AI).Show that **the "uncivilized" life is morally superior** to the "civilized" one.
5. On Truth, Morality, & Knowledge
Argue that **truth is subjective** and relative to the observer (the "Rashomon effect").Show that **a "noble lie" can be more valuable** to society than a harmful truth.Explore the idea that **morality is a social construct**, not a universal absolute.Question whether **the "ends justify the means"**.Explore the **danger of "forbidden knowledge"** (e.g., *Frankenstein*).Argue that **belief and faith** are more powerful forces than objective reality.Show that **the pursuit of knowledge leads to sorrow** ("he who increases knowledge increases sorrow").Question whether **true altruism exists**, or if all "good deeds" are fundamentally selfish.Explore the **"banality of evil"** (evil as a mundane, bureaucratic act, not a mustache-twirling villain).Show that **innocence is a form of ignorance**.Argue that **hope is a dangerous delusion** that prevents action.Show that **beauty can be a corrupting** or dangerous force.Explore the **hypocrisy at the heart of piety** and organized religion.Argue that **powerlessness, not power, is what truly corrupts**.Show that **sympathy and empathy are weaknesses** in a world that demands toughness.
6. On Technology, Progress, & The Future
Question whether **technological progress is the same as human progress**.Argue that **humanity is creating its own replacement** (AI, robots).Explore the theme of **convenience vs. privacy** in a surveillance state.Show that **technology only amplifies** human flaws (greed, violence), it doesn't solve them.Question **what it means to be "human"** in an age of artificial bodies and minds.Explore the **danger of "playing God"** with genetics, AI, or climate.Show that **virtual reality can become more "real"** and alluring than the real world.Argue that **immortality would be a curse**, not a blessing.Explore the **ethical dilemmas of pre-crime** or predictive technology.Show that **the more connected we become** (social media), the more isolated we are.Explore the **nostalgia for a "lost past"** that never really existed.Explore the **"ghost in the machine"**: an AI that develops a soul, consciousness, or empathy.
7. On Subverting Themes
Argue that **"Good vs. Evil" is a false dichotomy**; the real conflict is "Good vs. Good" (two valid moral codes in conflict).Show that **chaos, not order, is the true source of creativity** and life.Argue that **the "villain" is the true protagonist** of the story, and their motives are just.Show that **redemption is impossible**; a person's actions are final.Question whether **"progress" is an illusion** and history is just a repeating cycle.Argue that **conformity and "the collective"** provide a safety and happiness that individualism cannot.Show that **the "monster" is the most "human"** character in the story.Explore **apathy as a virtue** or a rational survival mechanism.Argue that **true freedom is a terrifying burden** that most people don't actually want.Show that **a "noble lie" is the foundation of a stable society**.Explore **failure, not success, as the most important** human experience.Argue that **innocence is a form of complicity** in the face of injustice.Show that **the story's "prophecy" was a lie** or a misinterpretation from the start.
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