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moocow1452 Since: Jan, 2001
#251: Mar 27th 2012 at 12:48:48 PM

What would current financial status have to do with Faustian Bargins?

TheLastEveryMan Since: Oct, 2011
#252: Mar 27th 2012 at 12:55:47 PM

So it's a bit like Wolfram and Hart from Angel?

moocow1452 Since: Jan, 2001
#253: Mar 27th 2012 at 5:09:38 PM

More like a Demonic Rehab Clinic or a Sins for Hire scenario, depending on how optimistic you are about it. Wolfram & Hart or equivalent would probably have their asses on a platter if it wasn't better than having a bunch of dumb ones running around that they have to cover.

NotoriousLynx The Man With No Name Since: Mar, 2012
The Man With No Name
#254: Mar 28th 2012 at 8:20:28 AM

I now I've been posting this on like every topic, but it's the horror movie crossover occult detective series I've been working on.

Title: Chiaroscuro

—-

Synopis: Chiaroscuro takes place in an alternate crapsack Chicago which combines many horror movie characters, from slasher films of the 80's to J-Horror, and pits them into a film noir world. The series follows Damien Woodhouse (The Omen), a high school sophomore, who becomes a spiritual detective after an agreement with the Grim Reaper. Each episode follows a Monster of the Week format, dealing with a new enemy, such as Frankenstein's Monster to the Mummy, while all leading to the main Big Bad.

—-

Characters:

  • Damien Woodhouse - The grim reaper's disciple on Earth. He's an asshole with a heart of gold, a knight in sour armor, a deadpan snarker, and (The Omen)

  • Nancy Woodhouse - Damien's sister; the action girl who actually does a lot of the fighting and investigating. (Nightmare on Elm Street)

  • Rosemary Woodhouse - The team mom who gets raped by the devil as part of a satanic ritual. (Rosemary's Baby)

  • Grim Reaper - Damien's employer and adviser. Based on his appearance in the Seventh Seal.

  • Detective Helsing - An occult detective who crosses paths with Damien a lot.

—-

Plots

  • The first episode is about how Damien dies and meets Death, who senses Damien's abnormal spiritual powers. Death explains how demons have been escaping Hell and he wants Damien as a disciple on Earth since he can't manifest into a physical being in the Earth plane. Damien agrees to protect his family from their thieving housemate, Ursula Georgi (Thirteen Women) and ends up possessing Detective Helsing, which leads him right to the Big Bad himself, Pazuzu (The Exorcist), who has been building an army of possessed mobsters.

  • Dr. Frankenstein, an ostracized medical scientist who is the lead researcher in partial brain transplant, uses a gangster's brain to repair his friend and colleague, Dr. Phibes, but ends up creating a monster. He calls an old friend, Dr. Helsing, to help him out.

  • One of the Pazuzu overruled gangster flees to Louisiana after Pazuzu's defeat, only to be discovered by the Chicago Outfit. He is left to die in a tar pit, but we learn that the tar pit has been cursed by a voodoo bokor and turned the mobster into a vengeful zombie. The mindless gangster roams back to Chicago in order to get revenge on the outfit.

  • In this episode, we witness Rosemary's abduction by a group of skinheads, called the Hellraisers. The Hellraisers are under the control of a resurrected cultist named Imhotep (The Mummy), who summons Satan to impregnate Rosemary with the Anti Christ, Damien.

  • Ursula Georgi, the housemate of the Rosemary who steals from them, is accidentally and brutally killed when Damien tries to stop her. Her daughter, Rhoda Georgi (The Bad Seed) witnesses this and vows vengeance on the Woodhouse family. This episode parodies the slasher horror genre, with Rhoda going on a mass killing spree.

  • Carrie White is a young girl in Massachusetts who has an affinity for the occult, for which is made fun of by her peers. Carrie is greeted by an ancestor, Sara White (The Conqueror Worm), who is a witch from the Salem Witch Hunts and tells her about her witch bloodline. Sara tries to have Carrie embrace her powers by killing the other students, but refuses, so Sara takes over Carrie's body and goes on a killing spree, herself.

  • Damien chases a monster into the sewers, where he meets Willard (Willard) and the Mothman. Willard, a bit insane and hates other Humans, tricks Damien into falling to a mouse trap-like maze, parodying cube and saw.

edited 28th Mar '12 8:21:27 AM by NotoriousLynx

zam Since: Jun, 2009
#255: Mar 28th 2012 at 12:50:07 PM

Supernatural detective in Chicago? Sounds awesome. cool

Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#256: Mar 28th 2012 at 4:07:14 PM

Took me a while, but here are some of the plots for The Underlings. It's just the first two episodes, but I wanted you guys to get an idea of how it works:

The Door: At the beginning of her 2nd year at school, July gets kicked out of the Populars group and replaced by a new kid her friends met from another school. July, however, believes that she was kicked because she was seen talking with Michael, who the popular considers "the craziest guy in the world". She goes to have a conversation with Michael, but finds him staring at a door that they have on their classroom: a door that leads to a storage room, although it is always locked. July approaches the Underlings, and is introduced to each of the members, who reveal to her that Michael is the only one that does not know what's behind that door: so he spends all day thinking about what's behind it. July calls them all crazy and stupid for keeping him in this illusion, and Nathan tells her there are no illusions in their group- and July proceeds to tell each one of them what she thinks, based only on what she saw in the past five minutes. She then runs towards Michael (who asks her if she thinks the world of Last Airbender is behind that door) and tells him that its just a storage room. He tells her that he knew that already, and introduces her to the concept that the door is a representation of July's relationship with non-popular people: she never really opened the door and thus, didn't know who they really were like. Michael ends his speech by asking her if she would like to open the door and meet the Underlings.

(episode 2 in next post)

Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#257: Mar 28th 2012 at 4:13:53 PM

Let's Get Physical: It's that time of the week again: time for Physical Education class. July is the only one in the group excited for P.E, while the other ones tell her that P.E is just a way to boost the ego of the "popular athletic" kids at school.

  • Subplot 1: July tells them that they're only being "anti-social" and one by one, she convinces some members of the group to join: to Arthur and Denis she says that they could be on different teams (since they have always been on the same class since kindergarten), to Bia and Nathan she says they could be on the same team (since they are on a romantic relationship), and to Kaizer she says that he can listen to music during class. The only one she can't convince are Michael, who tells her that P.E is a way that the athletic kids can make the non-athletic ones even more sad ("it's like when you watch Terminator 3 on the theater: you just want it to end so you can go home and watch Terminator 2") and Stephany just doesn't want to do any kind of exercise.
  • Subplot 2: While July is convincing everyone, Michael asks Stephany what she is going to do while everyone else is on P.E class, and she reveals she is actually going to watch some movies in class while everyone is away. They do manage to sneak in and begin to watch Terminator 2 until they are interrupted by Lidia, the high school inspector, who asks them what they are doing. After Michael gives her a speech about how bad P.E class is (this time making a comparison with the man vs machine battle in the Terminator movies), Lidia tells him that P.E class is somewhat like a war- will there be teams? Yes. But the point of the class is not to see which team wins, but to strenghten the ties in those teams.
  • Merging of the Subplots: When P.E class arives, the popular kids soon divide the class into two teams (the popular ones and the Underlings) and proceed to destroy them in games that only they can win (race, football, and more). July tries to cheer up the team, but they are all ready to give up, until Michael appears, telling them that they are the Resistance, and its their objective to destroy Skynet (the other team) in a game of dodgeball. July asks what changed his mind, and Michael answers that he realised that you should not care if the machines take over one of your bases: as long as you have friends, there'll always be a Resistance. A few minutes after a heated dodgeball game, there's only two players left: July, and one of her ex-friends on the other team- and July ends the game (she even says ''you're terminated, buffer''), receiving much cheers from the Underlings. In the tag, Michael and Nathan argue who's best: T-800 or T-1000. The fight ends when July pops in and says "the robot from Terminator 3" and the two proceed to bomb her with paper balls.

edited 28th Mar '12 4:16:18 PM by Stratofarius

JRPictures Since: Nov, 2010
#258: Mar 28th 2012 at 6:25:27 PM

[up] Those are some pretty good first eps there. (I especially love the movie references tying in to the plot)

edited 28th Mar '12 6:50:34 PM by JRPictures

TheLastEveryMan Since: Oct, 2011
#259: Mar 29th 2012 at 3:51:08 AM

[up][up] I'd watch the hell out of that show

"it's like when you watch Terminator 3 on the theater: you just want it to end so you can go home and watch Terminator 2" I read that line in Abeds voice. [lol]

EnemyMayan from A van down by the river Since: Jun, 2011
#260: Mar 29th 2012 at 2:34:11 PM

What would current financial status have to do with Faustian Bargins?

Read the lead character's description/starting plot before things get supernatural again. A show about an asshole capitalist lawyer who helps other asshole capitalists get richer — even if it does wind up being about something different from that eventually — will be a hard sell in the current climate.

Chiaroscuro sounds interesting, but I'm worried it'd be a licensing nightmare. How are you planning to get around copyright lawyers?

Jesus saves. Gretzky steals, he scores!
Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#261: Mar 29th 2012 at 3:03:45 PM

Wow, good reactions to the first two episodes. I'll post episode three (all about language teachers) and four (the Halloween Episode, full of references) soon.

moocow1452 Since: Jan, 2001
#262: Mar 29th 2012 at 3:28:30 PM

[up]I figured there would be a Heel Relization in the pilot and the lead would be totally comfortable doing wrong to do right, but I guess that wasn't clear enough. My bad.

And Super Robot Wars and Ready Player One managed to pull it off by either a bunch of deals or going exclusively with one MegaCorps properties. (The movie pulls from Warner Home Entertainment, so it has that pool to work with from the word go.)

sabrina_diamond iSanity! from Australia Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: LET'S HAVE A ZILLION BABIES
#263: Mar 30th 2012 at 12:27:18 AM

You've Been Framed (The Candid Camera approach) It's a Mystery/Comedy set up.

Subplot: Those Two Guys called Penelope Field and Hutch Briggs have set up shop next to a camera shop. Then two young robbers rob the store, and leave incriminating photos behind. Penelope and Hutch spend each episode analysing the photos and putting them up as an 'gallery' exhibition. They go into business as post-modern artists, but soon the original robbers aren't too happy and meanwhile their camera-shop has been filming their ongoing antics...

Each Halfway Plot Switch involve Penelope and Hutch investigating a lonely photo that leads to a domino effect with the Robber of the Week, then after they catch the robber they hang the photo up as evidence using the camera-shop footage. The media catches hold of their 'mystical' photos and their resulting mockumentary at the end of the first season is called... You've Been Framed an Artifact Title.

Subplots are coming soon. (I came up with that at the top of my head) surprised

edited 30th Mar '12 12:32:14 AM by sabrina_diamond

In an anime, I'll be the Tsundere Dark Magical Girl who likes purple MY own profile is actually HERE!
Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#264: Mar 30th 2012 at 7:46:07 PM

Episode 3 is a bit more complex.

Episode 3 - Snuff Out the Light: The Underlings are ready to leave school with everyone else. However, there is a major blackout which in turns leaves everyone trapped in school- since the doors are eletric. The inspector tells everyone it'll take four hours for the lights to come back, and the school falls into chaos.

  • Subplot 1 - Michael, Bia and Nathan go to the cafeteria to grab some snacks, since Bia notes that she didn't have lunch. They find that the cafeteria has been taken over by the 3rd year high school students, who immediately shower them with rotten food, such as snack cakes that are past their validation date. Nathan tries to go into the cafeteria to bring food back to Bia, leaving her and Michael together behind a table in the cafeteria. The two talk for a few moments, mingling. Michael talks about a few of the things he likes, and he isn't a bit surprised when Bia reveals she likes those things too. They laugh and have a good time, and Michael is about to kiss Bia until Man Out of You, completely destroying their mood. Michael tells her that he has been in love with her ever since last year's Halloween event at school, and Bia proposes they never mention what happened again, since she's on a relationship with Nathan. The lights come back, and they return to the group.
  • Subplot 2 - Kaizer and Stephany decide to do something they could never do during class. Kaizer comments that he always wanted to play a loud, obnoxious dubstep song through the speakers, while Stephany says she doesn't really cares. They first they decide to visit the Speaker Room, where all the warnings over the speakers are made, and find out that the Speaker Room still has energy. There, they find a secret passage to a room where all the teachers are having a tribal-like meeting about which students should be kicked out of school, and that the whole "lights out" situation is just to see how students really act. The teachers soon find out about Kaizer and Stephany, and begin playing Man Out of You a song no one can resist singing... the first few times, with Kaizer confirming that after that it just gets plain annoying. The teachers tells them that if they reveal anything about the true nature of the meeting, they will play this song everyday. The two escape the room, and make a vow that they will never open their mouths, with Kaizer saying he can do "something that he couldn't do before" another day.
  • Subplot 3 - Arthur and Denis decide to introduce July to some of the group's games. They take her to the kindergarten area of the school, where one of the little kiddie parks are located, and find out that the entire area has been taken over by the little kids. They begin to act like the tribesmen from King Kong, demanding that one of the high school intruders be offered as a sacrifice to the Great Gazoo, which is actually the tallest kid in kindergarten. July is chosen as the sacrifice, and Arthur/Denis plead her to come up with an idea- however, July finds out that she always did what the others did, and never thought for herself. Man Out of You starts playing through the speakers, and July sings and dances to the song, pleasing the Great Gazoo. They are all freed once the light comes back.
  • End: The entire group meets at the exit of school and are surprised to see each other: Michael and Bia are covered in rotten food, Arthur, Denis and July are somewhat dirty thanks to being trapped and forced to sing and dance for the Great Gazoo, plus Stephany and Kaizer have grease on their clothes, since they had to go through the secret passage to the Teacher's Meeting Room. They all agree that this has been a great experience for them to learn a bit more about each other.
  • Tag: We see that Nathan is still in the cafeteria, fighting against the 3rd year high schoolers. He uses a rotten tomato as a grenade, filling the cafeteria with a putrid odor as he escapes the school, laughing.

edited 30th Mar '12 8:20:42 PM by Stratofarius

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#265: Mar 30th 2012 at 7:50:27 PM

Okay, I think I'm getting it now. The whole thing is supposed to be ludicrously over the top.

I fail to see why getting to play a song over the speakers is a reasonable alternative to ratting out the teachers. If you wanted to work in another movie reference there, though, Hot Fuzz might be a good choice.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#266: Mar 30th 2012 at 7:53:12 PM

[up] I supposed it's because Kaizer is so into music, they knew he would accept it. Plus, Stephany would be just like "eh, whatever."

The whole over-the-top thing, well, it gets explained in the end. But there are levels of over-the-topness. You have this episode, which is over-the-top, then the next one, which is somewhat over-the-top, and then the fifth one, which is not that over-the-top.

Oh, and Hot Fuzz will have its chance on the next Yearly Blackout Ceremony.

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#267: Mar 30th 2012 at 7:59:05 PM

[up]The fact that you have to "suppose" character motivation is kind of worrying. I suggest you try to get deeper into the minds of the real-life folks your basing these people on or try harder to make up the extraneous bits that give them depth and help drive their decisions.

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#268: Mar 30th 2012 at 7:59:44 PM

[up] I always use suppose. Very well, let me add something I took out from that subplot.

edited 30th Mar '12 8:04:52 PM by Stratofarius

Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#269: Mar 30th 2012 at 8:05:05 PM

Added. How about now?

(aw snapiridoodles, double post)

edited 30th Mar '12 8:05:21 PM by Stratofarius

Wackd Since: May, 2009
#270: Mar 30th 2012 at 8:13:58 PM

Okay. I don't see how "Whole New World" acts as any sort of message, though.

Here's an idea—the teachers play it to drive them out, and threaten to play it every day between classes if they say anything. (This naturally is operating under the assumption that the two find the song corny/irritating/whathaveyou, so feel free to correct me on that front.)

Maybe you'd be less disappointed if you stopped expecting things to be Carmen Sandiego movies.
Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#271: Mar 30th 2012 at 8:17:31 PM

[up] If we're going with that, we need a corny song, one that everyone either dislikes or can't stop singing. Man Out of You, anyone?

Thanks for the feedback.

JRPictures Since: Nov, 2010
#273: Mar 30th 2012 at 9:40:55 PM

[up] That's a nice third episode there. Love the "Man Out of You" thing.

Stratofarius huzzaaaaaaaah Since: Aug, 2011
huzzaaaaaaaah
#274: Mar 31st 2012 at 7:58:33 PM

Episode 4 - The Depp-Burton Complex: Gava, the English teacher and the 2nd year's tutor decides that everyone should have a little class about "drugs, sex, and all that", which prompts Kaizer and Nathan to complain, saying that classes about "drugs, sex and all that" are "repetitive and boring". Gava is outraged, and dares them to make a "non-repetitive and interesting" class about the subject.

  • Subplot 1 - Kaizer and Nathan immediately ask the Underlings for any ideas, and Bia suggests they do something new, something that hasn't been done before. Arthur mentions that classes about "drugs and teen pregnancy and other stuff" are always "don't do this because I said so", and he suggest they go after real examples to demonstrate on class. Kaizer drags Nathan to one of the most dangerous parts of their neighborhood so they can find some "real examples of drug use, teen sexuality and more" and not only show Gava what a real class about the subject is like, but also shock the entire class with their real examples. They do find some "examples", but they are soon chased by a couple of "security guards" once they try to film them. The security guards trap Kaizer and Nathan into an abandoned costume shop, which prompts Nathan to begin a freak out, blaming Kaizer for their current situation, saying that all he wanted to do was just "go home and watch Some Like it Hot". Kaizer realises that the only way out is if they become the actual examples, and they disguise themselves as hookers to escape the bad part of the neighborhood.
  • Subplot 2 - Michael finishes his Literature video project: a video about Shakespeare using only instrumental songs. July notes that he already did that for all the other video projects they had last year, which leads Michael to believe he's suffering from the Depp-Burton Complex, in which "someone starts doing the same thing over and over again, no matter the results, just because he likes doing it." In order to stop suffering from the Complex, you have to do something different, and Michael goes into an existential quest to find out something new to do for his Literature video project. July starts to get worried when Stephany mentions that the last time Michael had an existential quest they "all ended up dressed like Full Metal Alchemist characters". July approaches Michael, who complains that nothing makes sense anymore, and begins quoting Shakespeare. Once July asks why is he quoting so much Shakespeare, Michael reveals that this existential quest is his new video project- a man questioning life through Shakespeare- and that she's part of the video project. July immediately complains, saying that Michael always has these little plans he never tells anyone, like they're characters of his own TV show, and before Michael can say anything, she leaves, outraged.
  • Merging of the Subplots: It's time for Kaizer and Nathan's class, and they plan to tell everyone what they just went through, but they quickly realise that the problem with talking about the subject of "drugs, teen sex and stuff" is that the subject itself is somewhat embarassing, especially when you're part of the example- so they basically tell the class to "don't do it because we said so" and apologise. Michael approaches July, handing her the CD with the video project he just made, saying that he'll use the original video project, so that she can use the new video project. When July asks why, Michael tells her that sometimes you have to follow the Depp-Burton complex, because "you never know when you'll get an Ed Wood or an Alice in Wonderland".
  • Tag: July approaches Michael, asking him how did he know that she hand't made her Literature video project yet. Michael simply answers that since she's "a character in my TV show, I just added that to the script." July remains silent before glancing at the camera and asking if this is another video project. We then see that we have been watching the tag through the eye's of one of Michael's cameramans. Michael then says "so unprofessional" and glances at the real camera.

edited 31st Mar '12 8:31:55 PM by Stratofarius

fourteenwings ^_^ from Clad 6 Since: May, 2010
^_^
#275: Mar 31st 2012 at 11:08:07 PM

Lacrosse

A kind of Genderflipped version of every single show on the CW/ABC family.

Basic Plot: In those shows there are the popular kids, who no matter what from season to season remain popular just so the show can keep Status Quo, we begin with that kind of show and then quickly introduce it to real life.

This would probably be only twelve episodes long.

Summary: (As introduced by Anna Kenley in the first episode) Meet the four most popular boys at Klein Prep in Westchester, New York...

Dennis Mercer: Captain-ergo-Ruler of Klein Prep, dating head of the social scene Molly Kenley. Rumours about him flunking out yet still staying on the team are totally just rumours. So are those about him and Anna Kenley and that afternoon under the bleachers. Big, burly, chauvinistic, hot-tempered and he knows it.

Will Torte: Vice-captain ergo Dennis' lapdog. Wants the captainship oh so very badly but doesn't want to take Dennis off, such a labour of... friendship. Is not happy when the tanned blonde surfer boy from his last school school shows up. Girlfriend at French boarding school totally exists.

Reno Madden: The official 'brains' of the little group. Giant home hiding giant family problems, talks of divorce abound. Doesn't bother him, he's still smart and pretty. Has his eyes on Anna Kenley but will wait until the Alpha is done playing cheater.

Cory Yorke: Rich mom, rich dad, old money, nothing special. Isn't much of a doer or thinker, worries if anybody (including his girlfriend) knows he exists. Wishes Dennis and Reno weren't fighting and misses the good old days when status and wealth were meaningless words.

The other main characters, who don't get an official first episode description by Anna:

Greyson Mc Phereson: That blonde tan surfer guy from Will's last school. Seems suprised to hear about Will's Lacrosse career and girlfriend. Reno is willing to use him to move up, he just has to figure out how.

Molly Kenley: Head of the social scene, student president and botany club member. Has already started a career in modelling thanks to her parents' connections. Is not willing to give up top dog to her less visible sister and might be willing to team up with Reno.

Anna Kenley: Is no longer scared of her sisters power and grace. Hardly thought writing a sports article would lead to kissing under the bleachers.


Instead of spending time bothering with 17 year olds playing mindgames, we take a look at why each character is the way they are (Dennis, Will, Cory, Molly), their motivations and their willingness to go through with plans (Reno, Greyson, Anna, Molly), how they can change for the better (Everyone) and for the worse (Reno, Molly, Dennis).

They talk about their various senses and ideas of entitlement (Dennis, Reno, Will, why sports seems to serve as both a figurative shield and sword for those playing it), justice (Greyson, Molly, Anna) and classism (Dennis, Molly). We see the fragility of their opinions about themselves and others and how quickly the world around them can change.

Yeah, lots of Contemplate Our Navels again.

Infinity...

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