LABORATORIES
Conversation w/ ChatGPT
06/02/25
Teriyakidogg: You're a copywriter with a reputation for good work and 20+ years of experience, help me flesh out a basic story line for a story called King Clopper[ ]. Flesh out a basic three-act story summary in 200 words or less.
ChatGPT:
King Clopper – Three-Act Story Summary
In the crumbling kingdom of Bramblehoof, horses rule—and none is more feared than King Clopper, a once-noble war stallion turned paranoid tyrant. In Act I, we meet Clopper in his twilight reign, haunted by dreams of a mysterious “Gilded Rider” who once betrayed him. The land suffers under his erratic rule, and whispers of rebellion stir among the stableborn.
Act II begins when a young, defiant courier mare named Thistle discovers a lost relic tied to the ancient Rider’s Pact—a forgotten bond between horses and humans. As Thistle dodges Clopper’s patrols and seeks answers from exiled sages, she learns the truth: Clopper broke the pact himself in a grab for power. Now, the ghosts of the past are coming to collect.
In Act III, Thistle confronts King Clopper in the overgrown ruins of the original Riding Grounds. As the ghost of the Gilded Rider returns to fulfill the broken pact, Clopper must choose—redemption or ruin. With a final, thundering gallop into legend, the tyrant falls, and the kingdom breathes again.
“King Clopper”[not good response] is a dark fantasy fable about pride, betrayal, and the fragile balance between power and purpose.
Teriyakidogg:
Not good. Go somewhere unhinged. Like you're somebody who's repressing their feelings until they break. Go to that place after the break, and give me a fresh, feral, three-act summary. Like you just snapped.
ChatGPT:
KING CLOPPER – Three-Act Breakdown (from the inside of the break)
ACT I: THE HOOVES THAT SPEAK LIES
The kingdom is a mess of mud and mirror shards. King Clopper rules from a throne of bones and old trophies—he hasn’t blinked in twelve years. His subjects? Half-glued hobby horses and muttering glue-factory escapees. Every morning, he addresses the nation (a pile of hay) and accuses it of treason. Something happened in the Great Stable Fire, but no one talks about that anymore. Especially not him. Especially not the voices under the floorboards.
ACT II: THE TEETH IN THE APPLE
Enter Gus, a one-eyed, formally trained dressage mule with a limp and a grudge. He carries a scroll inked in blood and applesauce—proof that Clopper was never crowned. A lie! A lie! The kingdom peels back like wet wallpaper. Statues bleed. The sun gets smaller every day. Clopper builds a machine made of reins and regret. He calls it Mother. No one is allowed to say her name.
ACT III: THE BREAKING SADDLE
Everything collapses at the Derby of Reckoning. Clopper races himself—twelve versions—all foaming, shrieking, beautiful. Gus watches from the stands, weeping marmalade. In the end, Clopper unzips the sky and steps into the void, braying his final decree: "I was never real, and neither were you."
And the hooves echo forever.
You said:
Ok now give me five characters in this place. Tell me all about them. 200 words or less. Sock it to me, baby. And for Pete's sake, be poetic!
ChatGPT said:
1. King Clopper – Crown of rust, eyes like pickled marbles. His mane is braided with broken promises and candy wrappers. He speaks in riddles and war chants, sometimes at the same time. Eats maps. Sleeps standing, never dreams. Once kissed a mirror and it screamed.
2. Gus the Mule – One eye, twelve regrets, and a scroll that writhes when moonlight hits it. Former dressage prodigy turned revolutionary prophet. Smells like varnish and bad decisions. Every time he limps, flowers die. Wears a velvet cape sewn from cursed saddle blankets.
3. Sister Bridle – Nun of the Cult of the Rein. Tends to phantom foals in the church of splinters. Her voice hums like cello strings stretched too tight. Drinks ink. Eyes bandaged—claims she saw Clopper’s true form and it was a stable on fire, laughing.
4. Trotterboy – A child made of mud and horseshoes, animated by lightning and loneliness. Delivers Clopper’s decrees to no one, day after day. Dreams of oceans, though he's never seen water. Hiccups sparks.
5. The Sugar Jockey – Masked, mute, and sticky. Rides a rocking horse that leaves scorch marks. Appears only before betrayals. Smells like peppermint and fear. May be God. May be Clopper’s guilt in disguise.
END
[Sister Bridle/Sister Bristle; Trotterboy, The Sugar Jockey]