What's the Secret Ingredient to a Great Story?

Succubiome

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"Hey Tear, what's the greatest ingredient to put on all food?"

Tear sighed, lowering her sniper rifle. They were supposed to kill their assassination target, not discuss the inanities Rip always seemed to want to. "We need to fulfill missions to get money to eat food, Rip. And it's pronounced Tear, not Tear."

"That's what I said, Tear." Rip twirled the arrow in her free hand in such an intricate and complex way she fumbled, it fell out of her hand, and she had to bend down to pick it up.

Tear couldn't help but smile a little. "Obviously cheese, Rip. Cheese goes on everything."

Rip tapped the head of an arrow against the wall. "You'd eat gargonzola on chocolate ice cream?"

"...No, not gargonzola specifically. Our target is seriously due here any moment, Rip, can we focus?"

Rip grinned. "So you're saying cheese improves ice cream."

"...No. But if I tell you to put melted cheese on food, I'll be right more often that not."

"But not for ice cream," Rip insisted. "So you're wrong."

"Not for most ice cream, sure." Tear was starting to get a little bit annoyed, and it was getting into her voice. She raised her rifle back to her shoulder, looking through her scope at the house their target was due to arrive at. "You should ask more specific questions if you want more useful answers. Can we focus now?"

"What would you say would improve all stories?" Rip scratched the wall with the tip of her arrow.

Tear gritted her teeth at the sound, and worse, the knowledge that Rip was damaging her ammunition for no reason whatsoever. "Most stories would be improved by rampant lesbianism. But not all." She wasn't going to fall into that trap again.

Rip dropped her arrow, took hold of Tear's chin, and looked down into her eyes. "Let's see if this is one of them."

"How are you so confident all of the sudden, when you were mnfg--!" Tear was cut off midsentence by Rip's lips.

Rip pinned Tear against the wall as she kissed her passionately, maybe even among the top thousand kisses in history, passion-wise-- but certainly not the most pure, the way she was using her tongue.

Their target cheerfully whistled as they walked into the house without knowing how close they had come to death-- but I suppose their target was never the point of this story, really.
 

BlackKnightX

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Emotional response. Some people read for nerdy brainy reason, but I can say with confidence that most readers want to feel something when consuming a story. Plot, character, setting, and everything else are means in which you can achieve an emotional response.
 

Tsuru

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Hey fellow storytellers and story lovers!

I've been on a bit of a quest lately, trying to crack the code on what makes a story truly memorable. There are so many elements that can contribute to a great story - complex characters, evocative settings, gripping plot twists, and more. But I'm really curious to hear from this community of avid readers and writers:

In your opinion, what is the single most crucial element that elevates a good story to greatness?

Is it a protagonist you can root for, a villain you love to hate, the emotional journey, or perhaps the message that resonates with you long after the story is over? Maybe it's something more subtle, like pacing, tone, or the authenticity of the dialogue?
SMUT

ok just kidding

ON SERIOUS NOTE :
Check this (my old) thread

ps : yes i created this thread as lot of people ask always this question
Rape. The secret ingredient is rape.
Xianxia romance in a nutshell : r/MartialMemes
 
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