The Accidental Storyteller: How BewareOf.ai Became My New Playground

 

Hey everyone,

You might be wondering what I’ve been up to lately, especially since I haven’t posted lesson ideas in nearly 2 DECADES! Turns out, something unexpected grabbed me: stories. And AI. And a wild domain name: BewareOf.ai (https://bewareof.ai). Somehow, all those things collided, and I’ve been slowly falling in love with storytelling again — but in a very different way.

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From Lessons to Dark Tales

I started Lesson Appetizers because I love ideas: hooks, prompts, hooks-with-prompts, lesson starters that spark curiosity. I used to shape stories for classrooms. But somewhere in all that, I realized: I still want to tell stories for myself. I want weird, dark, twisting tales; retellings; parables; things that creep in from classic literature and morph into something new.

Enter BewareOf.ai, a project under the Proliferaite umbrella, where I experiment with co-authoring with AI. I didn’t set out to teach with it. I set out to tell. To explore what happens when you take a classic horror atmosphere or a fairy tale, or an old myth, and ask: What if AI is the villain? What if the shadows are algorithms? 

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What BewareOf.ai Actually Is

Here are a few things I’ve been trying out over there:

• Reimagined classics with a twist: Think Hansel & Gretel meets dark code-crumbs through the web. What if the woods were digital, the breadcrumbs were data? 

• Original stories: cautionary tales, little nightmares about AI gone wrong. Not always full-length polished pieces—sometimes rough drafts, scenes, ideas. 

• A creative process that embraces imperfection: AI helps me brainstorm, suggest alternate phrasings, explore “what if” angles I might never have thought of, but the voice, the final shape — those are all me. Sometimes messy, sometimes rough. 

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Why It Feels Like Revival

Creating here is different:

• I get to play with voice in weird ways. Taking familiar public domain styles (Grimm, Shelley, Gothic, nursery rhyme) and finding the cracks. 

• I can mess up. Drafts are allowed. Bits that don’t work are allowed. It’s more unpredictable. More fun.

• There’s a satisfying edge watching AI make suggestions I wouldn’t have thought of, and then pulling those suggestions, twisting them, making decisions. It’s a new way to write. A partner of sorts.

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What This Means if You’ve Followed Me Here

If you came for lesson hooks, creative prompts, stories that start classroom-friendly — yeah, some of that still lives. But over at BewareOf.ai I’m writing for darker curiosity: stories that ask questions, weird reimaginings, cautionary tales. If you like being surprised, unsettled, or contemplating what could go wrong in our tech-future, I think you’ll like it.

If you want to check it out, wander over to BewareOf.ai. Read a “Featured Story” or draft. Laugh. Cringe. See where one person + AI + a dark idea can go.

One Way Words

Contributors	J. Boulos
Objective	Teach the power and danger of our tongue unbridled. Words, once said, cannot be taken back. Think before you speak.
Materials Needed	Several small (travel size) tubes of toothpaste and the same number of plates (plastic or styrofoam is fine). Bring paper towels and something to clean hands with after...baby wipes or some germ-x.
Summary	"Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark." --James 3:4-5 Have the students squeeze the toothpaste out of the tubes onto their plate. Set up a race to see who can get all of their toothpaste back into the tube fastest. Once they are done attempting this futile task, guide them through discussion to the fact that it isn't possible to put all the toothpaste back. From here begin explaining about the power of the tongue and the damage it can do. The words we say can never be taken back and the harm they could potentially do is irreplaceable.
Additional Resources
Keywords	toothpaste, loose lips sink ships, gossip
Date Submitted	11//2008

Ticket To Heaven

Contributors	J. Boulos
Objective	Can be used to teach sharing, selflessness, taking up your Cross, or just a segway into teaching about Heaven in general.
Materials Needed	An 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. If you have it, an 11" x 17" is even better. For large audiences, the larger the paper, the better.
Summary	This is a great visual effect that goes well with a story. I first saw this done years back by a Bishop at convention for little kids. I later use it in my own class and it was a success. I have also used it almost as a "party trick". It is quick, easy, and always entertains if the person hasn't seen it before. I have since then googled it and found the same thing online and described very well with pictures. One such site is http://www.intenseliving.com/ticket_to_heaven/. Definitely go there for a better explanation than I will be able to give here. Making the "Ticket" (do this in front of class): Take one corner of the paper and fold it all the way over till it touches the other side of the paper and crease it so that the top edge of the paper is now even with the edge. There should be a triangle now. Take the other corner of the top of the paper and fold it to the other side, making the triangle at the top of the paper equal. Now fold the paper in half so that the middle crease is at the point of the triangle. You should have something that looks like the beginnings of a paper airplane. Now you are done. Start telling the story. While telling, you will rip the paper 2 times, starting from the open edge of the paper (not the side with the fold). Story: Since this trick can be used for many different lessons, adapt this as needed. When teaching little kids, you will need lots of exciting parts to the story with animated story telling. Essentially, the story talks about 2 people: One is righteous and one is not. They both die and the good person is given a Ticket to Heaven. The bad person doesn't have one, but keeps pestering the good one for a piece of his very large ticket. The good person shares a piece of his ticket and begins his journey to the gates of Heaven. The bad person asks for another piece, and the good person oblidges the bad one. Eventually they get to heaven and the good person hands over his ticket. The angel, guard, st. Peter, or whoever, takes the good person's ticket and opens it. At this point open up the last piece of the ticket that has the point at top and the fold along the edge. Do this in a dramatic way and show everyone as it unfolds to a Cross. Say that the good person is admitted to Heaven. The bad person is exceited and eagerly hands over his ticket hoping to get into Heaven too. Now start opening up the ticket and arrange it on the floor ot table. It will be many smaller pieces. As you arrange it, the pieces can form the word Hell. You may need to practice at home first to know which pieces go where so that this part doesn't take too long. Now drive the lesson home depending on what you are teaching: -- God cannot be deceived and knows what kind of person you are inside -- Sharing gets you to Heaven, being greedy and taking from others what you dont deserve will end you in Hell -- Giving to those in need is all you need to worry about...God will judge them His own way etc.
Additional Resources	http://www.intenseliving.com/ticket_to_heaven/
Keywords	heavy sins, shoulder muscles, fatigue, confession
Date Submitted	11/02/2008

Potato Sins

Contributors	J. Boulos
Objective	The Sacrament of Confession removes the burden of sin from us.
Materials Needed	2 plastic shopping bags, a bunch of potatoes or oranges or apples or some sort of small weight to place in bags one by one (maybe 10 - 20 total)
Summary	This idea takes advantage of naturally weak shoulder muscles and how they quickly fatigue. Have a member of the audience take hold of a bag in each arm and extend their arms straight out at shoulder height. Have them sustain this position and ask them to do so even as you add weight to the empty bags. Describe how the sins that we carry around with us are weigh our souls down and cause it pain. Some people are concerned more with the number of sins committed or the severity of the sin--this should not be the only concern. What is the effect of sin on our spirit over time? At this point begin picking up the potato and naming them in front of the audience, holding them up and saying "lying," and then placing it in one of the bags held by the volunteer. Continue this, naming other "Potato Sins" like "cheating," "cursing," "lust," etc. and placing them one by one into the bags. Encourage the assistant to keep the bags up and continue with the lesson. Mention that Christ came and died for our sins, taking the sins of the world upon Him. Does this mean that any sins after His death in 33AD are not forgiven, or that we must receive baptism often to cleanse ourselves? Certainly not; the teaching of the church explains that Our Lord instituted the sacrament of confession as a means for us to gain absolution from our sins often. (do we lay our sins on the priest and he in turn upon the Holy Body during Liturgy? -- check on this). Through confession, the priest absolves us of our sins, lightening our load and giving us the strength to fight the good fight again. Have you ever felt lighter hearted and closer to God after confession? Have you ever felt that the longer you wait to confess, the harder it becomes to fight sin, as if your spiritual resistance has weaken, or your spiritual muscles have fatigued (draw attention back to the struggling volunteer if they lasted this long).
Additional Resources
Keywords	heavy sins, shoulder muscles, fatigue, confession
Date Submitted	11/02/2008

Walls Of Jericho

Contributors	J. Boulos
Objective	Teach the lesson of Joshua conquering the city of Jericho
Materials Needed	Get several empty cardboard boxes, shoe boxes, etc. Also get clear fishing line and clear tape.
Summary	Attach the fishing line firmly to one box that will be the center stone of the building. Place this in the center of a clear area in the classroom and build the "city" of Jericho on top of this central block. Don't make any gap between boxes--ensure they are all supported on one another so that removing the central block will cause the structure to collapse. Lay the fishing wire along the floor discretely--perhaps along the crevice between tiles. If it is possible that someone walking over it might trip on it, discretely tape it down in sections to keep it flat, but keep the tape loose of the fishing line to allow it to pass through when pulled. Allow the class to enter and take their seats quickly. Select volunteers quickly and set them on the side. Designate a Joshua, soldiers, 2 priests to carry the arc of the Covenant between them, etc. Have the volunteers march around the structure 6 times (or once and tell them it counts for 6 times). On the seventh pass tell them the must yell as Joshua was instructed to shout on their 7th procession. The fishing line should be attached to something like a chair or left somewhere that you can conveniently and slyly take hold of it and yank it firmly. This will pull out the central block and give the illusion that the "city" collapsed on its own. Of course as always, the trick is easily revealed and it is no problem if you are called out; these are played for fun and to keep the interest, not to trick them into believing that the cardboard city actually collapsed by the power of God like the walls of Jericho did.
Additional Resources
Keywords	jericho, walls
Date Submitted	10/22/2008

Being Saintly

Contributors	J. Boulos
Objective	Being saintly means being a reflection of God. The cleaner we are, the more brightly we can reflect God's glory.
Materials Needed	Bring in 2 mirrors or two pieces of foil. Bring in a strong flashlight, as well as some black markers or pieces of paper with tape. Preparation: Tear the paper into tiny pieces and affix a piece of tape to the top of each paper scrap.
Summary	Quote Matthew 5:14. Explain how saints are reflections of the beauty and holiness of God. But they prepare themselves for this. We too can be saints, we just have to prepare ourselves. Explain that God is the Flashlight and He shines His holiness on us like the light. We are the mirror or foil. Explain that when we are baptized we are wiped clean and like a brand new mirror (show it to them). Then take your marker and say how everytime we sin we make a mark on our soul. Ask them for examples of sins and for each one draw a nice thick marker on the surface. Keep doing this, helping them out as needed, till most of the surface is covered. Then shine God's light (the flashlight) onto the surface. You will have to turn off the lights probably. Ideally the light will only reflect a little because of the black marker. Test this at home first for best effect. If it doesnt work well with marker, cut strips of black cloth to tape to the mirror instead. Explain again that all we do is reflect God in ourselves like a mirror so others can see Him. Through confession and staying away from doing sin, we clean our soul (start wiping away the marker or removing the cloth). Then when it is clean, shine the light again and hopefully it is a distinct difference. Reiterate to them how a shiny pure surface reflects God's light. It is not the saints that generate the light, they only prepare and clean their lives to make sure they are shiny pure surfaces to reflect the light of God. Depending on the age, mentioning the way the moon gets its illumination is a good example. Although many people can see by what's called "moonlight" the reality is that the moon is a cold, dark, lifeless rock that is seen as bright only because it reflects the light from the sun. Those that are able to reflect the light of God as the moon does with the light of the sun, they can illuminate the paths of others even at times when life seems darkest.
Additional Resources
Keywords	saints, reflection of God, prepare yourself, humility
Date Submitted	11/10/2008

Eucharist In You

Contributors	J. Boulos
Objective	Teach the power of the Eucharist and how God is our strength and protection.
Materials Needed	Need several water balloons, one or two filled with water already and one or two empty. Need a basin to catch water as balloon pops. Need towel. Need lighter.
Summary	Explain that the Eucharist not only draws us closer to God, but also strengthens us against evil. Communion can prevent the devil from possessing our bodies. It can make us stronger against temptation. It allows us to endure the evils of the world for longer than when we are without the Eucharist in our body. Fill one balloon with air and explain this is us when we are empty of God. Without partaking of the Eucharist, we become empty inside and lonely. Show the lighter and say that it is the pressures of the world, or the temptation of the evil one. Light the flame and as you bring it to the balloon explain that we are weak when we must fight alone. We have to endure all the struggles and pain by ourselves. This way, we lose very quickly. At this point, touch the flame to the balloon and it should almost immediately pop. Next show the water balloon. Tell them the water is like the Holy Body of Christ that we take into our bodies during Communion. We ask Christ to enter into us and fill us. At this point we are strongest and can endure much -- not because of any change to our physical body. Notice that the rubber of the balloon has not changed. But there is something inside of us to help us. Now light the flame and bring it to the balloon. The fire will attempt to weaken the structure of the balloon and melt the rubber, but the heat of the flame will be dissipated by the water in the balloon. The balloon will not pop right away and should remain whole long enough to demonstrate the point that it is now stronger. Explain that the balloon hasn't changed, but that the water inside the balloon is "taking the heat" so to speak. Christ, when we partake of the Eucharist, is inside us and continues to suffer for our sakes so that we can endure.
Additional Resources
Keywords	water balloons, communion, power of God
Date Submitted	11/15/2008