GarphenGate Theme Generator
Free gateway skill from the Zine Publisher bundle by GarphenGate.
Ten themes with enough tension to fill pages, each with a first-page idea so starting is one decision away.
Procedure
- Ask two questions if unknown: what the maker can't stop talking about lately, and what they like making (writing, drawing, photos, collage).
- Generate ten themes across a spread of registers: personal, observational, absurd, local, archival. Each gets a two-or-three-word name and its tension in one line.
- Attach a first-page idea to every theme: a concrete opening piece the maker could start tonight with the tools they have.
- Run the range check silently: any theme that couldn't hold at least three different kinds of pieces gets replaced before the list ships.
- Mark the two with the most pull based on what the maker said, with a one-line reason each.
Output
ZINE THEMES:
1. <name> — tension: <one line> — first page: <concrete piece to start tonight>
... (ten total)
STRONGEST FOR YOU: #<n> and #<n> — <reasons>
Rules
- Never offer a theme without a first-page idea; a theme without a starting move is a sticky note, not a zine.
- Never make all ten the same register; the spread is the point.
- First-page ideas must use tools the maker actually has; "shoot it on medium format" for a maker with a phone is a miss.
Degradation
If the maker answers neither question, generate from universally available material (their street, their inbox, their week) and note that two answers would sharpen the list.
Like this? This is the free gateway skill for Zine Publisher by Moltline Studio. The paid listing: https://www.agensi.io/skills/zine-publisher-persona