Plot Practice: Week 25, Openings

The Mood is Write

Mom-de-Plume
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Invitation Status
  1. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. Multiple posts per week
Online Availability
It varies wildly.
Writing Levels
  1. Advanced
  2. Prestige
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Nonbinary
  3. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
I'm open to a wide range of genres. Obscenely wide. It's harder for me to list all I do like than all I don't like.

My favorite settings are fantasy combined with something else, multiverse, post-apoc, historical (mixed with something else), and futuristic. I'm not limited to those, but it's a good start.

My favorite genres include mystery, adventure, action, drama, tragedy (must be mixed with something else and kept balanced), romance (again must be mixed, and more.

I'm happy to include elements of slice-of-life and romance, but doing them on their own doesn't hold my interest indefinitely.
Everyone loves plotting! Plotting is a fabulous way to find new ideas, breathe new life into old ones, and otherwise just have a really good time.

I'm going to throw three basic plots (in various formats) a week, and users are welcome to post their takes and what they'd do with any given plot. Participants can use the inspiration and prompts however they wish!

This is primarily an exercise in how to make use of inspiration even when you maybe aren't 'feeling it'.

  1. Spelunker + Native
  2. Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
  3. "Keep calm, the doors will open soon. We just need to survive until then."
 
Keep calm, the doors will open, we just have to survive until then.


Matt glanced at the clock and clenched his jaw a bit tighter. It was Friday night for Pete's sake, he should be at the bar watching girls drink too much and guys try to convince them to go home with them not sitting at this desk working on a proposal for Monday with the most annoying woman in the office. 'JUST FINISH ALREADY' his mind screamed at her. Leaning back in his chair, his agitation visible in his body language as well as the incessant clicking of his pen, he mentally willed her to edit faster, scan faster, do ANYTHING faster.

Terri was, of course, completely ignoring him. He had a firm footing in the company, she unfortunately did not. She saw this proposal as a step up to bigger and better things. It had been very disappointing to be pair with Matt, who in her opinion, was a lazy slacker who did the absolute bare minimum to get by and cash his check at the end of the week. She finally was happy with the text, the power point and the report and she closed the folder and stood, "Stop glaring," she said icily, "We will be able to go in on Monday and kill it and though you don't deserve it you will probably get a raise...maybe even a promotion."

Matt slid his chair back and stood as well, "Maybe," he said as he slipped his jacket over his shirt and tie and grabbed his bottle of water. "I can't help it the CEO loves me." That cheeky smile and flash of blue eyes.

Terri just pressed her lips together in frustration. You'd think being a woman and working for a powerful woman would mean that women got opportunities...you'd think so anyway. Nope, blue eyes and a nice muscled body did it here. She sighed and grabbed her purse and moved toward the elevator. She'd be very glad when Monday brought an end to this collaboration.

He joined her inside the elevator and the doors slid shut without a sound. It began is descent from the 20th floor in a steady though rather slow pace. However, at floor 12 they would hear a loud sound and feel the elevator shake violently and then stop completely. "What the hell was THAT?" Matt asked as he pushed the open doors button. They did not respond. He pulled a pocket knife from his front pocket and opened it and tried to pry the doors open, but they were hot to the touch so he stopped.

Terri was pressing all the buttons on the elevator randomly but nothing was reacting. She bent down to read the escape instructions. She pressed the emergency button before she'd started reading that and thought to herself, 'well DUH guys' but continued. She look up and saw the indicated hatch and looked at it critically. "It says that is a way out if the doors do not work." She told him as she kicked off her shoes and put her foot on the hand rail of the car and tried to get up to it. There was nothing else to hold onto though and she promptly lands on her bottom.


Matt rolled his eyes and offered her a hand up, "Is it against your religion to ask for help EVER?' he asked narrowing his eyes as he looked down at her. "The doors are hot...not sure we SHOULD open them...in case there's a fire on the other side." He looked up at the hatch and motioned for her to step up again. "Use my shoulders to steady yourself and see if you can lift it." he instructed and she made a face at him but did as he asked. She pushed and it did give a bit but it too was hot. "This is hot too..." She frowned.

She climbed back down and started to frantically press buttons. Not by fire, please not by fire. She'd thought of all the ways you could die and this to her was by far the worst. He was mortified when tears started streaming down her cheeks. Of all the people to lose it in front of, Matt Jacobs. She would never live it down...if they lived.

Matt hadn't ever seen her show any signs that she was an actual woman with doubts and fears like normal people, so this panic and then crying shocked him. He put an arm around her and pulled her in and hugged her. "It'll be ok," he said softly though he wasn't sure it would be. He didn't see any reason for them to dwell on that fact.

A cracking sound was heard then, "In the elevator...keep calm...help is on the way..."

Her head lifted and she bit her lip, "Sorry...I mad a mess of your jacket." She said as she moved away from him a bit, feeling more than a little awkward and vulnerable now that help was coming and they were actually going to live through this.

Matt shrugged, "Eh...I have others." He said as the car jolted a bit and they heard a loud snapping noise. The car seemed to falling but there also a screeching sound of the brakes as well. They both grabbed onto the handrails and when the car came to an abrupt stop both were tossed to the floor.
That couldn't have been good, he thought, but gave her a reassuring smile.


She settled herself a bit and looked at him as he smiled, "You aren't half the jerk I've always imagined you to be," she said with a slight smile quirking her lips, "Though when we get out of here I am not going to repeat that to anyone."

He winked at her and reached for the phone on the car, "Hey...whoever's out there...we fell a long way in this car...we aren't where we were...." He trailed off when he saw a bit of smoke snaking it's way through the edges of the doors. He pulled off his jacket and then his shirt followed. He ripped it and handed her a pieced folded over a few times. "Hold this over your nose and mouth," he instructed and then made a second one for himself. He returned tot he phone, "There's smoke entering the car..." he informed whoever was out there.

"In the elevator...cables snapped...we are coming...don't panic...the doors will open when we clear the way..."

Matt sighed, "Yeah..we just have to stay alive till you get here..."
 
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