Nav's Plot Dump

[Nav]

Plots I intend to use in the future, but am not ready to start an interest check for, yet still want to refer people to them as needed.

Modern Setting

Frankly, My Dear (Modern, Drama)

Engine 5 of the New York Fire Department has a PR problem, the epitome of which is C1-- who has picked one too many fights for the department to keep up with. Already short on staff and unwilling to get rid of a talented firefighter, the department is forced to bring on C2, a woman who has made a small fortune cleaning up bad reputations for the political and famous elite of society. Thinking the fire department would be easy money, C2 happily takes the job, but is met with more resistance than she ever thought possible.

At Risk Youth (Modern, Criminal Activity, Good v. Evil, Violence)

When C1, a young detective eager to get her foot in the door to kick off her career, is offered an assignment going undercover to rip open Miami's biggest, and most dangerous, crime syndicate, she eagerly accepts. Getting into the syndicate proved tough enough, but when she falls in with the syndicate leader's son, C2, and next in line to the illicit throne, C1 discovers there may be more to the people of the syndicate... and maybe they're not all the evil criminals she thought.

Right to Remain Silent (Modern/Possibly Historical, Criminal Activity, Good v. Evil, Man v. Man)

For the young lawyer working out of his own law office, built on a shoestring budget, offering cheap law advice and services to low income families, satisfaction was always guaranteed by investigating unclosed and unsolved cases. He can't usually solve them, as their isn't enough evidence to do so, but after working on one particular case, now twenty years old, involving the murder of two parents, the lawyer believes he might have a break. On a whim, he reaches out to the only survivor of the double homicide, the at-the-time four year old daughter, who had now matured into a beautiful young woman working a police task force in a neighboring city. The murder of her parents, it would seem, goes much deeper than they first believe.

Stories We Told (Modern, War, Crime, Travel, Drama)

A young woman reporter in a dead-end job and nothing to look forward to at the end of her long work-week except crawling into bed with a glass of wine is offered a dangerous, extremely undesirable position as as a live reporter from war-torn Afghanistan. Living life on a military base, the reporter expects to see nothing but war, violence, and bloodshed. It's not until she meets and begins interviewing an American military serviceman, a Dari interpreter, does she learn the truth about Kabul-- and perhaps that there is more to the culture and people than machine guns and bombs.

Expensive Habits (Modern, Man v. Man, Crime)

They were natural enemies. He, a charismatic, charming businessman who runs casinos on the Las Vegas strip and her, a volunteer gambler's counselor, yet she tempted him the same way the sound of a roulette wheel lures a gambler. She is determined to uncover the secret underbelly of the high rolling gamblers' society in the city and he is determined to win her over with his charms and money. When crimes start happening in his casinos, the police's eyes turn to him as the prime suspect and the counselor needs to decide what side of the accusation she falls on. [/url]

Shaken, Not Stirred (Modern, Espionage, Thriller, Crime, Suspense, Man v. Man

When a young, promising agent for (insert federal organization here) steps into the office after a long weekend, he comes in to a massacre. With all of his immediate co-workers bloody and in pieces around his office, the young agent realizes a mere oversight by the murderers is the only thing that has saved his life. When a meeting with his superior goes wrong, resulting in a botched attempt on his life, the young agent does his best to vanish, knowing then no one he once knew could be trusted... except for one person. That on person was an officer from the MI6, the overseas Secret Intelligence Service, a spy. The young spy is a woman who works for whatever employer can offer her the most in return, and is partial or loyal to no one... except she just so happens to owe the young agent a life debt from five years ago when his split-second reaction time saved her life. Now she has to help save his, except this isn't just one bullet... this is a god damn barrage.

All Rights Reserved (Modern, Man v. Man, Crime, Thriller, Suspense)

A professional burglar, trapped inside the bedroom closet of a wealthy politician living in Washington DC, witnesses a crime. Three secret service agents murder the politician's gorgeous young wife and what's worse-- he just watched the politician, who just happened to be the United States' Chief Justice order the crime to happen. Getting found but managing to squeak an escape, the burglar is now the center of not-so-public manhunt. Employing the help of another career criminal he met once a long time ago, the pair must decide how to handle the situation. Unfortunately... they can't steal back their innocence.

Break On Through (Modern, Fantasy, Suspense, Crime)

When Tel'Nair, a dealer in magical artifacts, goes missing, his young daughter steps up to the hunt to find him. Set in the modern world where magic is abundant, but hidden from most humans, Tel'Nair's daughter, a half elf, half human, has never really bothered to pay much attention to her magic blood, and instead spends her days like a normal, everyday college student: studying for finals, swooning over the cute quarterback, pulling all-nighters in her dorm... but now, leaving home to uncover the truth of her father's disappearance, she quickly discovers that the magic in the world is much more evil than it first seemed from her father's texts (incidentally, dwarven spirits are much stronger than she was led to believe). Finding a reluctant guide who only agrees to help her because Tel'Nair is in possession of a rare magic artifact he had been dying to get his hands on, the pair set off in to the wonderful and wacky (and slightly damnable) world of magic.

God Save the Tsarina (Modern, Travel, Man v. Government)

A group of twenty-something British graduate students decide to spend their break on a month-long excursion to Russia on break from school. For the first few days, everything is going great-- site seeing, partying, meeting other foreigners in the hostel, but following a murder in the hostel, two of the British students are put under arrest for the crime. They continue to plead their innocence, but are detained, taken to a shanty police station and questioned. Their belongings are searched, the validity of their passports questioned, and eventually, are deemed guilty enough to be taken to a larger prison in Moscow for questioning. Loaded up in the back of a small police van, they are on the road in a panic for about a half hour, until the van hits some bad black ice and careens off the side of the road. Shaken, but otherwise uninjured, the two students realize both police officers up front are dead and with the wreckage allowing for just enough wiggle room to grab their backpacks and escape, they do so. Unfortunately, they're now stuck in Russia as fugitives with limited money and no viable way home. Their first stop is the nearest British Consulate, but no assistance is offered, because a formal Russian police report against them had never been filed. So, they have two options... run away or into the arms of the Russian police.

A Single Drop of Darkness (Modern, Light Sci-Fi, Man v. Government)

A recently graduated political science major thinks they somehow managed to land their dream job right out of college. With a lot of debt to pay, they're eager to start at their new position. It's in their field, the hours are flexible, and the pay is good, and there is plenty of opportunity for advancement (so they're told). The only problem? When they finally go to what they believe to be their first shift, they realize they aren't managing a political campaign. They're not even helping someone run for the government at all. They've been hired to help someone run from the government.

See the Beast (Modern, Syndicate Crime, Man v. Man)

A concierge doctor accidentally saves the life of a crime boss's daughter and somehow ends up as the on-call doctor for the largest crime syndicate in Los Angeles. Oopsie-daisies. There isn't really saying 'no' to these types of people.

The Art of Organized Chaos (Poverty, Drama, Violence, Crime)

The only thing they have in common is poverty, though in the housing projects of Brooklyn, welcome to the everyday life of the urban jungle. He's an immigrant with a very strong spiritual center looking for a better life in America, she's a Brookly native trying to escape the only life she has ever known-- guns, violence, and drugs. He makes below minimum wage at the battered women's shelter; she's in the battered women's shelter.

Shiver (Man v. Wild, Survival, Personal Discovery)

A young researcher eagerly agrees to spend twenty-four months just outside the very remote village of Diomede, Alaska. He never really understood the definition of remote until he reached the small village by a broken down, personal plane-- and stepped out to see archaic remnants of past America. There is no running water, no sewer system, and certainly not any means of garbage disposal (praise God there is cellphone reception, but no internet). There is mail, though, which is delivered weekly by helicopter. Sent to investigate and follow-up on reports of a new wolf pack settling into the area and terrorizing villagers, and is introduced to a young local woman who agrees to help him with his research-- oh, and totally by dog sled, too.

Historical Setting

Liar (Historical, Fantasy Medieval Inspired, Worldbuilding, Political Intrigue, War)

C1 was born a Truthsayer; one of only two known in the world.

Remarkable for their abilities to see through the lies of others, and being unable to tell lies themselves, Truthsayers are priceless commodities. In a precarious time of liars and schemers scrambling for wealth and power, and with kingdoms on the brink of conflict, C1 serves the King of Silvurn as his most precious royal adviser. Her value, rarity, and vulnerability cage her to a closely guarded life, one where she is unable to live an existence outside of her servitude to the crown.

But when guard Willem, the man she admires from afar, is accused of high treason that comes with a punishment of death, C1 learns she is capable of deceit. Lying to save Willem's life, C1 tumbles into a precarious new role, which allows her endless levels of manipulation against everything, and everyone, she has ever known. When all begins to fall apart, she finds herself allied against her former king to the Wild Hunt, and it's outlandish leader, C2.

Continuing to play her Truthsayer part, C1 becomes embroiled in a web of lies that result in an ever-mounting danger of discovery, especially when her lies lead to all-out war between Silvurn and neighboring kingdoms.

Note: This plot comes equipped with expansive lore than can be used/changed per your interest. It has a lot of story and history behind it I'm happy to explain, and we can brainstorm/plot on.

Madness and Disdain (Historical, High Fantasy, Medieval Inspired, Worldbuilding)

In a world dominated by man, elves, dwarves, and other humanoid species are treated as second-class citizens, with violence and racism common against them. Mages, sorceresses, and other magic practitioners are burned at the stake for their vile evils. Many non-humans and users of magic have already fled persecution by going to far-reaching, distant lands, or into territories more accepting. However, many remain in the underbelly of the largest cities, hiding and fighting for survival for one reason or another. Going out in public undisguised is certain arrest and death by the Emperor's guards throughout the city.

Based loosely on the Witcher franchise.

Witching Hour (Historical, Fantasy, Medieval, Fairytale Retelling, Man v. Man)

One-hundred years after having fallen asleep, the princess is awoken to the kiss of a handsome prince and a dying kingdom. Where the fairytales say she should now be allowed to live the rest of her life as 'happily ever after,' the princess feels something wrong with the entire situation. Struggling to make sense of the changes in the real world, the political strife ongoing in her family's kingdom (that she is meant to rule alongside her true love, supposedly), an evil feels like it's lurking within her... a terrible something she can't quite explain and every time she tries, the people of the palace brush off her worries with no concern. The day of her wedding marks a dangerous decision: she can either run, or marry the man everyone is saying had given her true love's kiss. She chooses to run. Meeting up with a stable hand who accidentally witnesses her attempting to flee, the pair, the princess and the stable boy, reluctantly make an escape, but are quickly pursued by the prince's men. Putting the pieces of the princess' circumstance slowly back together, it comes to light that the prince isn't a prince at all... and definitely not her true love. He is the son of the witch that had ensnared the princess in her spell, and now, the witch and her son, are hungry for the throne... at any cost.

Underneath Falling Snow and Ash (Historical, Golden Age of Piracy, Royalty)

The young duchess has always attempted to live up to her mother's expectations of how a lady should act, unfortunately, her attempts yield, well, less than impressive results. Fortunately, it's her smart mouth that was probably the only thing that saved her life. Ireland in 1755 is a country boiled in hunger and uncertainty. Ravaged by famine and brutal conflicts against the English, the young Duchess is kidnapped by pirates, who care more about ransom than they do politics. What they hadn't been expecting was the young woman developing something of an amused interest in her given situation.

Royal Treatment (Historical, Arranged Marriage, Humor, Useless Fluff)

As the only heir to her kingdom and the only child of her father before her, the king, the princess is set to wed the dashing your prince of another kingdom. Much to her surprise, when the prince arrives, he is actually quite charming and handsome, not at all like the stories of the hideous prince she had been told about. Of course, in time it comes to light that the man she is expected to marry isn't the prince at all-- but an imposter! So, if he doesn't want her money or crown... what exactly did he want?

Waking the Witch (Historical, Political Intrigue, Fairytale retelling (Rapunzel), Man v. Man, Dystopia)

Kidnapped as an infant for her magical powers, the young princess is kept hostage, completely unknowingly, in a tower. The tower is heavily fortified by paid, freelance guardsmen-- many of whom have a criminal history. They all believe the stories: the tower contains a powerful and malicious witch who, if freed, will destroy the world as they know it. When one guard inadvertently meets the prisoner because of a silly dare, he realizes that the prisoner being a witch is a lie... but the prophecy about her powers bringing destruction are not, even though she has no control over them.

The Great Alone (Historical, Prohibition, Mobster Intrigue, Man v. Man

Working as a cog in her father's small-time bootlegging operation in 1927, she lives a privileged, sexy, smoky cigarette bar kind of lifestyle. When her father is kidnapped by a mobster exploiting organized crime in Manhattan, it's up to her to come up with the ransom... in ten days. Deciding whom to trust isn't easy when everyone in the world around her wants something from her and just when she begins to fear the clock will run out before she can scrape together the funds, she just so-happens to meet not just any very famous, very wealthy jazz orchestra musician, but the very famous, very wealthy jazz orchestra musician in Manhattan. He offers to help her pay the ransom... for a price of his own.

A New Heard (Historical, Fantasy, Man v. Man, Steampunk/1920s)

A young woman with a bad curse that she can't speak about encounters an equally cursed and self-destructing wizard and discover that only together can they free eachother. Based loosely on Howl's Moving Castle.

Gods Are Watching (Historical, Fantasy, Fairytail Retelling, Man v. Man, Man v. Nature)

In the kingdom of Udren, the youngest princess of the royal family has been raised knowing that on her twentieth birthday, she will ensure her kingdom's vitality by offering herself to the Gods as a sacrifice, as they demanded it-- in addition to the weekly offerings of food, wine, and money. In the deserts outside of Udren, a young man from a small group of banished people, second-class citizens despised for one reason or another, fights to save his people from starvation. Neither dream of ever meeting one another, let alone finding a friendship and a balance between them. On the eve of her twentieth birthday, the man from the banished people is captured and held prisoner in the palace awaiting trial for attempting to steal the sacrifice princess' enchanted rose, but he manages to catch her attention when he explains that the powerful beings demanding routine and excessive sacrifices for the kingdom's protection and vitality aren't Gods at all... but powerful monsters posing as Gods for their own benefit and gain. The princess then must make up her mind: to choose the noble duty bestowed upon her at birth, or unveil the truth of their Gods.

Chased (Historical/Modern, Fantasy, Fairytail Retelling, Fluff, Man v. Man)

It has been a long time since the Djinn had been released from the lamp. Hundreds of years, even. So how the young man stumbled across her lamp, she does not know. All that she knows is that he found her lamp, gave it an accidental rub, and poof! There she was... in the midst of her new master fleeing from a throng of angry guards. Fantastic. As a Djinn, she is obligated to stay with her master until he decided on his three wishes but, seeing as he's currently wrapped up with being chased by guards (and still not believing she can actually grant wishes), she's stuck with him for a while. Friendly emotions begin to develop between the Djinn and her new master, but when he's finally cornered by the guards with only one wish left... he doesn't wish to save himself, he wishes to set her free. How can she protect him now that her magic is gone? Damn his good, pure heart.

A Great but Terrible Tragedy (Historical, Fantasy, Medieval, Royal, Man v. Man)

Magic had died quite a long time ago, immortalized only in legend and lore. No one truly believes it ever existed in the first place, but the stories of great and powerful magicians, wizards, and witches entertain the young children of the kingdom. Born a wizard in a magic-starved world, able to see the magic spark in others, the servant to the King is a down to Earth sort of guy. Nothing much phases him, not prophecies, not arts, not mysteries; not politics, war, or peace-- he just sort of takes what life throws at him, using his magic only to make his life a bit easier, like making that mushroom stew the King loves (it tastes like bacon). However, when the King dies suddenly, leaving his crown in the hands of a young (and very under-prepared) princess, the magician thinks nothing of it and continues his duties not to the King, but to the new Queen. Things go swimmingly for the young magician, if less so for the Queen, beginning to flounder under her new responsibilities. Distant kingdoms, seeing an opportunity in the once great and powerful kingdom's sudden weakness, spring attacks on the Queen's lands, and the magician servant realizes that in order to save his home, he must reveal magic unto a disbelieving kingdom.

Man and the Search for Happiness (Historical, Westward Expansion, Man v. Man, Man v. Wild)

Out of the pan, into the fire, a young woman is now dancing on the coals. The year is 1840 and Westward Expansion is a hotbed of activity. On the route to Oregon with her family and a small group of other emigrants, the young woman makes it to Wyoming before falling victim to a mysterious illness. Regretfully left behind by her family members, all fearing to catch the disease, the young woman if left to die out in the hot summer sun. Death, however, is not so forgiving. When a small group of fur trappers stumbles upon her, they take her in as one of their own but she only stays with them for a number of days before they trade her for supplies with their Native American allies. Scared, unable to communicate, and convinced the Natives are as evil as her parents always painted them out to be, the young woman learns the most dangerous things in the Wild West are not the Natives.

Atlantis (Historical, Age of Exploration, Light Fantasy)

During the age of exploration, Europeans set off to find grand riches and exotic lands. C1 is one of those explorers, but after being forced off-route due to a cataclysmic storm, he and his vessel are chalked up to a loss at sea. While his vessel did sink in the storm, C1 washes up on a beach... very much alive (albeit a bit water-logged). The island, covered in a thick forest, was not on any map he had ever owned, but knowing he was probably going to be stuck here for the foreseeable future, he pokes around for a while, looking for any bit of shelter or food he could find. What he wasn't expecting to find was the gateway to the forgotten city of Atlantis. Atlantis was a story his parents' had told him about as a child, but he didn't expect there to be any truth to those legends, yet there he was, standing before the enormous, stone city. He is found by C2, a native girl of about his age, and the city takes him in, albeit apprehensively. C1 and C2 hit it off quite well, as C1 enjoys learning about the city, and C2 loves talking about it, but the more C1 sees, the more he realizes that the city is not as perfect as it seemed at first glance.

Skeletons Gathered at the Feast (Historical, Revolutionary War, Royals n' Plebs, War)

America stands at the brink of war with its mother country, England, and a young, rogue royal woman, engaged to his high sir Duke of Norfolk, chops off all her hair, binds her breasts, and dons the handsome red coat of the British navy. Under her new, masculine alias, she sails to America on a whim to fight, but is quickly injured in the first battle she sees. By all accounts, the American rebel soldier who stumbled across her (well, him, in her disguise) should very well have killed her, but when he takes her in and saves her life, the young royal must decide where her loyalties truly remain.

Pockets Full of Gold (Historical, Age of Exploration, Light Fantasy, Man v. Man, Man v. Government, Man v. Wild)

The 16th century, the age of exploration, ripe with adventure, riches to be earned, and discovery. Kingdoms all across Europe are scrambling to find mystic and exotic lands, rumored to be filled with riches beyond the mind's imagination. A Spanish vessel, in a quest to seek the Spice Islands, is thrown off course by a storm and, lo and behold, ends up in the safe harbor of what first appears to be an uninhabited island. Casting anchors the next morning, the crew goes ashore anyways to explore and see if there is anything worth while looking at (and to steady their legs). What they find are native inhabitants-- beautiful people living with riches beyond the European's wildest dreams. During their stay, they're treated as Gods and quickly fill their ship with gold, silver, and platinum, precious metals that are bountiful on the island. They call the place Atlantis, after the legends. As they return home to Spain though, tragedy strikes. Illness rips through the crew and takes their health. They arrive back in Spain, but many die quickly, or go mad from fever, leaving only one crewman left... the cartographer. Telling stories of this Atlantis, kings and kingdoms all across Europe are eager to get ahold of this island, but the cartographer's maps are written in code and are difficult to decipher, and he is too gripped by fever to be able to explain what they mean. So, he is kidnapped by the king of KINGDOM and sent to the dungeons with his maps, enslaved to interpret them. The daughter of the king, possessed by kindness, curiosity, desire to heal the sick and hurt cartographer, or all three, befriends him.

Lessons in Trust (Historical, Middle Earth, Heavy Fantasy, Man v. Wild, Man v. Man, Epic Narrative)

The Elves were once a proud and magical people, but after years of disease and war, they have been reduced to servants and pheasants in the kingdom of men. C1 is a young and spry elemental Elf who has been assigned as the maid of C2, the human prince of Aldguard. Spoiled, but otherwise good-hearted, C2 is set to inherit the throne as King, but in order to take over as the sovereign ruler, must prove his nobility beyond all reasonable doubt. As such, a challenge is presented to him by the kingdom's elder, and C2 is tasked with slaying an ancient and feared dragon known to reside in the mountains of Volkur, some several hundred miles from the palace he calls home. To become king, he must perform the task given to him, or face life as a banished outcast. As the maid of the prince, C1 is asked to accompany him on his journey; however, do her best interests truly lie within helping the prince succeed in completing a task he may very well die attempting? Or is she more interested in proving her peoples' worth and bringing upon new reign of power to the Elves by slaying the only known heir to the throne? The road to Volkur is one paved with friends, enemies, and magical creatures of all shapes and sizes, lined with deceit, hope, lies, and intrigue. Never could the journey to being a king be so treacherous.

The Ugliest Sister (Historical, Fantasy, Medieval, Fairytail Retelling, Man v. Man)

Her step-sister, Cinderella, lied. In fact, she was always very nice to her much more beautiful, blonde step-sister, Cinderella. She was never forced to do chores (never any more than the rest of the family, anyways), she was never ridiculed, never coerced into wearing tattered hand-me-downs, and she was certainly never told she wasn't allowed to attend the prince's ball. Still, when Cinderella won the heart of the prince and claimed all the evils she faced in her past life, she won the heart of the people. More importantly, the people began to hate the two ugliest step-sisters and their mother. For no real good reason at all, she might add, other than the fact that the now princess claimed they had done terrible things to her. They turn into recluses, trying to escape the rotten tomatoes being thrown at them, or the rude names being shouted in their direction. Unfortunately, when Cinderella is kidnapped and held for ransom, the "ugliest step-sister" (who isn't ugly at all, just not tall and blonde like Cinderella), was the only witness to the crime. Now, she must decide between saving her step-sister, the woman who ruined her life, or let her wilt in whatever terrible fate she had met. Unfortunately, the ugliest step-sister is not crude and hideous like she is made out to be and with a useless, inept prince who has more hairs on his head than brain-cells, it's up to the ugliest step sister and his lead knight to find his bride... the terrible and crude and gossip mongering Cinderella.

Futuristic Setting

The Universe in a Nutshell (Futuristic, Survival, Man v. Man, Man v. Wild)

Jacques, a savant of biomedicinal engineering only a few dozen years ahead of our time, has mastered the programming code of human DNA. Given permission by the Russian government to conduct studies on human fetuses, Jacques conducts his experiments, but before the children are born, he and most of his research team die in a lab electrical fire. The data is saved on backup programs like Cloud, but the project is abandoned with the spearhead of the experiment now deceased. The children are born and exhibit no unusual qualities and after rigorous tests, are expected to lead perfectly normal lives. Jacques' experiments are scrapped as failure. Ten to twelve years down the road, the experimental children, nicknamed Savants, begin to exhibit the most unusual of abilities. One can go invisible by going where no one is looking, another can ignite fire without a spark or fuel source. When laws begin to be put into place to restrict the Savant's powers--and rights--a group begins to assemble in Boston. Together, they'll either change their world for the better, or they'll end up destroying it by accident.

Wolf in the City (Modern/Possibly Futuristic, Divided Society, Man v. Man, Criminal Activity)

The United States has been divided by a wall called 'the Gait': a high-security gated community where life goes on as normal on the West, and a devastated, crippling, poverty-stricken life on the East. If you're on the West, you're lucky. If you're on the East, your life expectancy is 30. A young Western woman has lived her entire life in the privilege of the Western wing and has known nothing but luxury, but when her entire family is murdered, leaving the police scrambling for answers, she knows that a killer like this could have only come from the wild and feral East. Renouncing her own safety, she flees past the Gait to pursue any leads she can discover on her family's murderer. What awaits her on the other side though is more dismal and unbelievable than she ever expected. She meets and befriends an Easterner of about her own age, who (after some serious convincing) agrees to help her find the murderer in exchange for money-- but both will find they bit off more than they could ever chew.

Wicked Shall Rise (Futuristic, Thriller, Time Travel, Suspense)

She was just a normal, college girl racing to get to a final in time when disaster struck. Accidentally running a red light in her hurry, she is T-boned by another car and put into a coma. No one really knows if coma patients dream or not, but she did not dream. In fact, she was dropped right down in medieval Europe. Tossed in without any sense of direction or knowhow, she is picked up by a king's guardsmen for trespassing (she doth protest she just fell there!) and is brought before the king for her. Naturally, she just has to meet the dashing prince. Offered a position as a maid in the castle, she accepts, though eagerly awaits for her eyes to open and see the ceiling fan in her apartment and her cat, Felix, because this was clearly just some crazy dream. Unfortunately, it isn't. For days, weeks, months... she remains in this medieval world in a palace of a kingdom emblazoned in war. It is hard at first, but she genuinely begins to enjoy her new life, she even finds herself beginning to flirt with the prince (too bad he doesn't know what a suit and tie is, because he'd look damn good in her own world in one). And then, she breaks from her coma. Her relationship with the dashing prince, the kingdom, the war... all gone in the blink of an eye, yet when she sees her attending nurse she knows... in appearance, in heart, in soul... it's the prince. Too bad he doesn't know a damn thing about being a prince in some medieval land in her head. ...Right?

They Perished (Futuristic, Thriller, Horror, Survival, Adventure, Man v. Wild)

Fifty years in the future, the face of Earth has changed dramatically. Forests are gone, natural parks are gone, but the quality and duration of human life has gone up exponentially. Still though, Chernobyl remains cut off from the rest of the planet. Reports of prestige, untouched greenery and nature are broadcasted back by the first research team to delve into its depths in almost sixty years. Two days before their scheduled return, the entire nine-man research team disappears from contact. A four man rescue team is sent in, and after reporting the inexplicable deaths of all nine members of the first crew, the rescue team violently turns on each other. With thirteen men and women, of sound mind and health, now dead due to a mysterious force, one last research team of ten people is sent in with the objective to discover what the mysterious force at work is. First there are ten, then nine... eight... seven... until there are only two.

The Thaw (Futuristic, Dystopian, Survival, Adventure, Man v. Wild)

One day, on a particularly brisk August day, it began to snow… and it never stopped. People had once tried to fix global climate change but had gotten it wrong in a big way. The first day of the freeze was five years ago, and the fact that the Earth had been plunged into a never-ending winter is old news. Contrary to 2015 pop-culture, the apocalypse turned out cold, dark, and white. Most of the people died when the food ran out, but select few groups holed up into underground barracks. The people of the barracks survived by following tightly regulated rules and carefully restricted diets. Seeds were grown and harvested under UV lamps, powered by out of date and slowly dying generators. Small animals, like rabbits, chickens, cats, and dogs, were bred selectively and used as sources of protein, protection, and companionship. Even with rigorous laws in place, barrack number 6697 was hardly a paradise and its people were slowly starving to death. On the brink of starvation, a partial radio transmission was received from another barrack some fifty miles South from 6697, describing an area of land they call "The Thaw." Only a brief description of thawing earth and sunshine were received before the transmission cut out, but the thirty-two second broadcast filled the barrack with equal parts hope and doubt. Left with a decision to stay or leave, the people of 6697 divided into two groups: the separatists and the loyalists. The loyalists, a group of thirty-seven, stayed behind at 6697 while the separatists, a group of twelve including C1 and C2, went off in a hopeful search for The Thaw. Armed with a few sleds of supplies and a handful of dogs, the group of separatists begin their journey towards The Thaw, but not even two days in and a particularly bad storm ravages them. C1 and C2 find themselves separated from the rest of the group after having accidentally fallen behind due to a broken sled dog collar. With only enough food to last them two weeks, three sled dogs, a partial map, a compass, and a handful of other supplies, C1 and C2 decide to press onward towards The Thaw instead of returning to 6697. Unfortunately, they quickly discover that the cold and snow is the least of their problems when they're faced with empty bellies-- not only their own, but those in the bodies of very fierce, very savage, wild animals.

Dregs Fly South for the Winter (Futuristic, Dystopian, Survival, Adventure, Space Travel)

Due to an overabundance of pollution, humans must leave Earth. Most can afford to pay their way on to large ships that keep them safe for as long as it will take for Earth to reset; however, there are people who were left behind. Whether they couldn't afford to pay their way on to a ship, or simply chose not to go, they are stuck on Earth. They call themselves Dregs. Several years after the great migration to space, Dreg societies begin to crop up. Many groups form towns in rundown office buildings in the cities, watching as Mother Nature begins to slowly reclaim what was once hers. C1 and C2 are both Dregs living in the same society in the northern Midwest of what was once known as the United States, although they have never met. However, their fates are intertwined when a fire, set by a rival society, ravages their city in the middle of a particularly harsh winter. Burned out of house and home, with limited supplies, C1 and C2 run into each other escaping from the fire, and without any other friends or family, they decide to stick together until they can find a new place to live. So, they begin to head South to find a more mild climate. Unfortunately, Dreg societies can be not only far and few in-between, but violent towards outsiders. If that wasn't bad enough, they also had to worry about nomadic bandit groups that keep trying to kill them over what little supplies they own.

Eden 5 (Futuristic, Survival, Adventure, Space Exploration, Man v. Man)

Eden 5 is a hard world, barely habitable, orbiting a dim, solitary star and surrounded by three small moons. Before the Great War of the galaxies, it was a sanctuary, the only safe way-station for the great intergalactic ships crossing the vast, empty stretch of space called the Cleft. Once revered for its incredibly rare and valuable gems, Eden 5 was industrialized many years ago and wrung dry of most of its worth in a few short years. Now the planet houses mostly refugees—people who fled the poverty, decadence, or oppression of Earth and families too poor to buy their way off the little spit of rock called Eden 5. The refugees left behind were left to build new lives, amidst simmering turf wars between gangs, crime syndicates, terrorists, and the refugee's own militia. With all the major companies and government having been withdrawn from Eden 5 years past, the planet hosts little in the way of social order. There is no formal justice system or written law, thus, death was a more common occurrence than getting dinner. All of that changed seven years after Eden 5 had been declared resourcefully dry. A small company called the Medina Confederation investigated deep caverns in the planet and discovered a new source of revenue: a small gem called Calonezite, which was discovered to have restorative and healing powers. Nicknamed the "Gem of Youth," Calonezite quickly grabbed the attention of everyone within the galaxy as a good old fashion "gold rush" economy exploded. On Eden 5, two people—C1, a cynical mercenary and C2, an escaped slave with a bounty on her head and a score to settle—find themselves in the race to find the vein of Calonezite rumoured to be held deep within the planet's endless internal caverns. Unfortunately, the path to finding the Calonezite is paved with militaries, mercenaries, and fanatics who would think nothing of killing them. But is all that wealth really worth gambling with their very lives to obtain? Probably, yea. After all, if they are going to die on Eden 5 anyways, it might as well be while wielding some firepower and going down shooting.

Burn Out, Fade Away (Near Future, Survival, Pandemic, Horror)

Mass spread infection really wasn't that big of a surprise to anyone with any sort of scientific background, so when an outbreak of an unidentified disease begins to ripple through New York City, the individuals with symptoms are immediately isolated. Most die, their bodies burned, but the infection continues to spread. In a state of panic, the surviving individuals are dumped in a modern-day Alcatraz, an uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with scant supplies. They are told if they survive 365 days and so no additional symptoms, they will be brought back to the mainland. No new supplies come, the only thing that is delivered to the island are more infected... Can they really survive a whole year without succumbing to their illness or the elements? Will they really be picked up and brought back to humanity again after 365 days? Why them?

Plots That Need to Be Written

Feel the Universe

Do stuff!

They Look like People

Do stuff!

Plots Used & Retired

Ten Feet of Pure White Snow (Modern, Criminal Activity, Man v. Man, Suspense, Deceit)

All she wanted to do was make a little spending money and go on vacations she would never be able to afford on her barely above-the-poverty-line income. When she meets the man she believes is of her dreams, she falls... and falls hard. He's good looking, charming, rich, and for several weeks, dotes on her endlessly. Then, he pops the question: want to go on vacation to Jamaica with me? It was like everything had changed for the young woman, and she eagerly agreed. Once there, her new boyfriend only stays for about a day before rushing off in a frenzy. 'Work' he explains, and with an apology, hands her a pair of gorgeous clunky heeled sandals as an apology for his early departure. Telling her to enjoy the rest of her week in Jamaica and to make sure she wore her sandals through the airport home (so he got to see them on her when he picked her up back in Chicago), she is disappointed, but not much. Enjoying the rest of her week in the tropical isles, the young woman dons her sandals, as promised, to make the trip home. Everything is going well until she's pulled aside in the Chicago airport before she even has a chance to get through customs... the officers rip through her belongings and finally pull apart her sandals' heels to reveal rolled packages of cocaine. Before being arrested, the young woman is offered a deal... help the lead officer catch the drug seller (and supposed love of her life) or rot in prison for thirty years.

Yippee-Ki-Yay, Mother Russia (Modern, Arranged Marriage, Personal Struggle, Man v. Man)

America. For the young Russian woman with startling beauty and unsettling intelligence, hope is her belief that the roads of America are paved with gold and that someday she'll be able to escape the poverty she and her family face in Russia. One particularly brisk August day, the young woman stands in a sea of two-hundred other young women all dressed in their fanciest, nicest clothes, their faces painted with makeup. Before them are several dozen well-dressed men, all American and in their mid fifties. They had come to find wives through a company called European Parallel. Before long, she finds herself engaged in a conversation with one of the men. He's not particularly handsome, but he is eager to converse with her through the help of a translator. She learns his name is Robert, and he's a surgeon in Florida. She feels no attraction to him, but when he asked if she'd be interested in a life in America, an opportunity for a college education, and a comfortable life as a stay-at-home mother to the children he sired with his ex-wife (and the children he hopes to sire in the near future), the young woman had to serious think about the offer. Working at a local post office and living in a tiny flat with no hot water, working heat, and inconsistent electricity, the offer is a handsome one. There was a man offering her the world on a silver platter and in return, he wanted a family. She owed it to herself to try. She didn't exactly expect to marry the man of her dreams, but the opportunity was too good to pass up, and in three days, the young woman was on a plane from Russia to America to begin preparing for her new life as a wife and mother. Barely in her early twenties, the young woman meets his cousin-- a brilliant and striking law student only several years her senior. She's drawn to him immediately, mostly on account that he offers to help her with her English in-between his class schedule. Things are fine for a while. The young woman is settling into her new life, but only for so long. The polite, generous man she had met while still in Russia began to turn possessive and angry. Trapped with no money, a pending green card, no friends, and no contact to family, she scrambles to reach out to the only person she knows might be able to her help her -- the law student.

It Never Stops and We'll Never Learn (Modern, Prisoners of War, Political Strife, Criminal Activity, Man v. Man, Man v. Wild)

What happens when you become a refugee of war? You keep trying to survive. An American relief group is ambushed by a rogue militant group drug cartel while providing medical care in the poorest parts of Columbia and are held for ransom against the American Government for money and firearms. The militant group's leader, a savage leader of the cartel by the name of Enoch, has threatened to kill all of his seventy-four hostages, one a week until the American government pays up or all the hostages are dead. Stripped of passports, papers, and all identifying material, the Americans are kept in damp, cramped quarters in an hastily constructed prison in an abandoned tree processing plant in the far reaches of Columbia's wilderness. Enoch's daughter, an aspiring musician with a passion for America after watching Friends reruns on TV, sneaks into the barracks one night, where she encounters a startling, Spanish-speaking doctor. Intrigued but suspicious, she sneaks in (against her father's wishes) every so often to meet with him, though her visits become more and more frequent, until she is sitting outside of his cell every night, bringing small offerings of food, water, and comforts. Days turn in to weeks, and when Enoch's daughter realize that her new friend is the next to die if the Americans don't barter with the cartel, she makes the split second decision to defy her father and save the man's life. They are surrounded by nothing but uncontrollable Colombian wilderness and the cartel is desperate to make sure they never see another day again. They are on foot, in the attitude of powerlessness.

Outnumbered (Futuristic, Survival, Adventure, Political Intrigue, Man v. Government)

Three-hundred years in the future, cultures and provinces have dissolved into a single nation, ruled by a sovereign governing body known as Tartarus. The ideal citizen is nondescript and doesn't pay attention to anything except their own lives and their duties. While not brainwashed in the typical sense, citizens of Earth are stripped of their most basic identities. Numbers are assigned in place of names and all major life choices in an individual's life is made by Tartarus. History is outlawed and memories, at least those not approved, are taboo. Citizens are constantly reminded that Tartarus is good, kind, and necessary, and are prompted to the rules of the new regime, and the punishment for breaking them. A few people do break the rules, however, and when someone commits a serious offense against Tartarus, they're given a name. Their name and face are plastered everywhere so no one will forget it. This makes them an immediate outcast amongst all law-abiding citizens and severs their connections with most numbered people. Most of these named individuals are thrown into prison camps, but a few made their escape and are living quietly under the radar. A rebellion begins to rise from these named outcasts and in the midst of politics and war, blooms love and hope and a thirst for freedom. C1 and C2 are named individuals who are important parts to the underground rebellion and with the taste of blood in their mouths and the scent of freedom in the air, they must make the decision to flee from the Tartarus or strike for the independence they have longed for.