plot_a_week (original) (raw)

December 13th, 2009

PLOT ONE:

Some years ago, there lived a Ruler. Historically, that Ruler was considered the most incompetent Ruler to ever have lived. With 20/20 hindsight, one could clearly see that the Ruler had actually lived in one of the most pivotal times in history, but had simply mucked up their reign so terribly, that no one had noticed.

If only a few simple decisions had been made correctly, the place which they ruled would have become rich and prosperous. If a few more decisions had been made with more ambition, shall we say, they could have possibly taken over the entire known world.

However, every time the opportunity presented itself, it slipped through their fingers through sheer stupidity. At last, their reign ended when the Ruler, deciding to go for a walk one night, left the estate and simply vanished. It was assumed that they'd simply gotten lost and starved to death, within a mile of town.*

Fast forward to present day. A remote few know that time travel is now possible*, and this pivotal time in history is now their focus. Really, all someone would have to do is remove the Ruler and usurp their place, leaving the entire world at their fingertips. Some are trying to stop this from happening, as it would have devastating consequences on the current reality. Some want that power for themselves, and would do anything to obtain it.

THIS WEEK'S STORIES ARE DUE BY SUNDAY NIGHT, 20 DECEMBER. The submissions post will be up on Friday.

To get things rolling, I based this week's plot on a script I started writing for Script Frenzy in '07. For further inspiration, here is the trailer I made for it back then:
( trailer Collapse )

*ALLOWED CHANGES:

- The Ruler's story does not have to be exactly as given, but it should be clear that they had an immense opportunity/opportunity for a LOT of power, and lost it because of incompetence. I'd really like to keep the Ruler's idiocy a part of the plot, simply for the different ways each writer will interpret that idiocy.

- time travel does not have to be new. It may be an everyday part of your characters' lives already, if it is conducive to your story.