#and yes i intentionally chose those names for their biblical significance and i hope that will be obvious to my readers

[novelmonger]

imaginary brother idea

This is a story idea I'd love to turn into a visual novel someday, and I hope to work in collaboration with my sister to make that happen eventually (she would do the programming and artwork, I would do the writing and maybe help with finding music/sound effects).

I don't have a solid grasp of the plot yet, just a basic premise. The main character is a ten-year-old boy named David who lives with his mom, who has to work long hours to support them. David is something of a loner and doesn't really have any friends, but he does have an older brother named Jonathan, who is fourteen and David's best friend. Jonathan is basically the ideal older brother - he's smart, fun, cool, always seems to know what to do or what to say, and never complains about having to spend time with his kid brother. He genuinely likes hanging out with David, and David looks up to him so much.

There's just one catch: Jonathan is imaginary.

Excerpt below the cut (from a thing I wrote in a burst of inspiration before we got the idea to make this a visual novel).

“What are you talking about?” Jonathan got to his feet and headed for the door. “You have to have supper.”

“No. I'm fat enough already.”

Complete silence fell over the room. Jonathan stood frozen, his hand on the doorknob. Slowly, he turned back to face David. His expression was inscrutable in the dim light. “What did you say?”

David felt tears welling up, burning at the backs of his eyes, and he quickly rolled over to face the wall again. “You heard me,” he whispered.

“Who told you that?” Jonathan's voice was hard. “David, who said that to you?”

David shrugged. “Nobody has to say. Isn't it obvious already? I'm just a...a fat...l-lazy...pathetic....”

The mattress sagged with Jonathan's weight again. This time, he sat right next to the pillow, and David wondered if he could see the tears beginning to leak out again. He wondered if he was going to give him another hug, or rub his back like Mom probably would in such a situation.

To his surprise, Jonathan did neither. Instead, he grabbed David's chin and turned his head a little roughly to face him. “Hey—listen to me, dude. Don't let anybody get away with talking to you like that. Especially not yourself. Hear me?”

David wrenched out of Jonathan's grip, turning his head away again in shame. “Easy for you to say,” he muttered. “You're strong...fast...good at everything.... You don't get picked on every day. You don't...prove how...how uncool you are...every d-day....”

Jonathan snorted. “So just because I don't have to try as hard, that means I'm better than you? Sheesh, you've got a lot to learn about this life if you think that's how it works.”

David peeked over his shoulder at Jonathan, too confused for the moment to continue feeling sorry for himself.

Jonathan was nothing but a silhouette against the orange light streaming in through the window. “So you wanna be cool, huh? Well, why the heck are you listening to those bozos who talk to you like that, then? Why do you want their approval anyway? Sounds to me like all they do is put people down to make themselves feel better. That doesn't sound like a cool person to me. Just sounds like a loser.”

Slowly, David rolled over to a more comfortable position to watch Jonathan's silhouette. “You think so?”

“Hey, I can prove they don't know what they're talking about. Remember Lord of the Rings?”

David nodded. Jonathan had read it to him last year, and then they'd borrowed the movies from the library. He'd watched them over and over until they had to go back. Maybe they should check them out again....

“Okay. Then think about Samwise Gamgee. He's a chubby little Hobbit. A gardener. Not a graceful Elf like Legolas, not a cool sword-wielding warrior like Aragorn. He doesn't have magic like Gandalf. But you know what? If it wasn't for him, the Ring would never have made it to Mordor. Some people say he's the true hero of the story. And did he ever stop to say, 'Oh well, I'm fat, guess I'll give up now'?”

Despite himself, David giggled at the thought. Already, his heart felt lighter. Somehow, Jonathan always seemed able to make anything bearable. He swiped his hand across his eyes again. “So...are you saying that...I'm not fat?”

Jonathan shrugged. “I'm saying, who cares if you're fat or not? Some lame guys at school think you're fat? So what? That's like the oldest insult in the book. Just goes to show you've got more creativity in your little toe than they could ever hope to have.” He could hear a wry smile in Jonathan's voice. “Of all people, I should know that.”

Smiling, David sat up. “Okay. Pot roast?”

With a laugh, Jonathan ruffled his hair. “Sure, pal. Pot roast.”

David beamed. He loved it when Jonathan called him pal. More than anything else Jonathan had said, that was what convinced him: He was cool. He was cool to Jonathan, and that was the only opinion that truly mattered in the end.

WIP ask game