Dergek Novalis grew up in a rural, farming cavern called Dafarn. Long ago, when Latabat was first established as a nation, his family’s ancestors claimed three hectares of land and established their own homestead. Over many generations, the Novalis lineage refined their farming methods and grew their land. By the time Novalis was born, his family had inherited about one quarter of the cave that makes up Dafarn and established themselves as the primary providers of crops for all of Latabat. Even before he could walk, Dergek’s parents took him out into the fields with them while they tilled, planted, and harvested various plants, including churon (Latabat’s version of cotton) and nantes (Latabat’s version of bananas). He began working in the fields himself as soon as he was physically able, earning his very own scythe– as was the Novalis family custom– at the age of five. Like all other Latabatians due to the lack of school systems and federal education mandates, he was educated entirely at home, although the vast majority of what he learned was through applications to farming.
At the time of this screenplay– at least the first act, seeing as I’m still not entirely sure what timeline I will have the mission span over– Dergek is in his early twenties, meaning he is an adult but still relatively young by Latabat-standards considering Latabatians live to be several hundred years old (an average of roughly 200 years old, but some individuals are able to live longer). Even though he is essentially in the prime of his life and at a stage when most people have engaging, thriving social lives, Dergek does not (and really has never) had friends or a social circle. Instead, he spends all his time near his home in Dafarn, helping his parents raise his siblings and tending to his family’s own farm as well as those that his neighbors own. Thus, with the new mission assigned to him by the Trusted One, Dergek is preparing to leave home and his family behind and go off on his own for the very first time. However, even though he is hesitant, uncertain, and quite frankly terrified, he is willing to do so because his parents have instilled in him a sense of respect and trust for their leader.
Towards the end of his journey, Dergek will be an entirely new person. He was always a peaceful, optimistic guy. He was content tending to his farm and being a family man, and he never wished for or sought out anything more. However, the mission will open his eyes up to all the possibilities of the world, making him see that there’s so much more he can do. He’ll always have farming as something he loves and to connect him back to his family, but Dergek will come to find that his true passion lies with helping people and standing up for what he–with his humble perspective– believes is right. Additionally, he will develop a sense of distrust with figures of authority, who he previously always believed with no questions asked, because of the arc in which he will discover that the Trusted One is misleading him, the other four travelers, and the rest of Latabat. In fact, these lessons he learns will lead him to be viewed as an actually trustworthy, respectable figure and the citizens of Latabat will offer him the position of Trusted One once the current leader is overthrown. However, Dergek will reject the offer in favor of establishing a new form of government, returning to a simpler way of life, and taking on a lower-level advisor position. He will then go on to live out his life helping people by teaching them to support themselves off of personal agriculture, advising the new line of leaders, and enjoying peace.
Evakdor Hafdin grew up with everything. He had loving parents, two cherished younger siblings, a comfortable home in a small but beautiful cavern called Lejik on the outskirts of Latabat, and no wants or unsatisfied needs or worries. As a young boy and into his adolescence, he spent most of his time sitting next to the window of his bedroom, watching creatures flit by, admiring the crystal clear stream that swirled all throughout Lejik and passed just outside his window sill, and reading the books stocked up on his built-in, dark mahogany bookshelf. However, before he even turned twenty, he lost it all. When he was away in Dafarn gathering the fresh flour for his sister’s fifth birthday, the dam allowing just a small amount of water to trickle in and form the stream under his window broke, and Lejik flooded. The Trusted One in power at the time made the decision to block the cavern off, seeing as it happened so quickly the cavern was unable to be saved, and Evakdor’s entire family died. He turned cruel, filled with malice and hatred, and blamed the Trusted One for everything he had lost. Over the next several decades he gathered others who lost their faith in the government, ultimately allowing him and his new army to gain enough power to stage a coup and take over, with Evakdor instating himself as the new Trusted One and placing ‘his soldiers’ in high-ranking positions (such as those of Regent–the main representatives for each individual cavern– and Bailieft, the officials that serve directly under or alongside the Regents).
Evakdor Hafdin is presently the Trusted One, although to all Latabatians his identity remains unknown. The government was not as influential or present in the public eye five centuries ago when Hafdin overthrew it, and it really only acted (from its capital in a small, relatively unknown cavern–the original Labar) to enforce general laws in the peaceful nation and in the case of emergencies such as that with the flood of Lejik. Therefore, Evakdor and his army were able to hide the conflict from the public and pretend as though nothing had changed. They also maintained their youth (by preserving the magic fortune-telling crystal ball), and gradually made subtle changes over the next few centuries that established them as the ultimate rulers of Latabat. Now, everyone trusts Evakdor Hafdin as the supreme authority. However, their entire world is about to be shaken because, during the coup, Evakdor’s army restrained the legendary “monster” that had always protected Latabat to keep it from thwarting their plans. Now, after all this time, that “monster” is regaining its strength and breaking free of its bonds. Evakdor knows that, if it gets free, it will reveal the truth and ruin his long-standing victory, so he selects five travelers who he believes will carry out his mission because 1. they trust him/won’t question him and 2. they love their home and will do anything to save the nation.
By the end of this story/screenplay, Evakdor’s past will be revealed and he will be overthrown himself just as he overthrew the last Trusted One. He went through his own traumatic experiences, but those only explain–not excuse– his choice to submit to, and act with, darkness and malice. So, once the travelers realize his deceit, they hurry back to Labar (the capital of Latabat; Evakdor moved it from the smallest cavern to the largest, most regal one in all of Latabt after he gained power) and Evakdor is forced to face off against them. He and his original army that staged the original coup–along with the official army they put together over the past few centuries– fight against the travelers, the “monster”, and all of the other Latabatians who (in the time the travelers are gone) have turned against the Trusted One. [note: the Latabatians have turned against him because they feel he hasn’t done enough to save the nation since it’s just been breaking/crumbling worse and worse without any positive change; the real turning point is when the travelers return to and reveal Evakdor’s lies]. During the final fight, Evakdor’s entire army is eradicated until he is the last one standing. He tries to hide away in the palace and all of Latabat infiltrates it, branching off to find him as the “monster” perches on the tallest turret outside. The five travelers ultimately find him in the crystal ball room where the Trusted One first took them just before they left on their mission, and they engage in a physical fight. Evakdor pushes one of them (potentially Dergek?), and the traveler stumbles back, knocking over the crystal ball which smashes dramatically into millions of pieces as it hits the ground. Since the crystal ball’s dark magic is what sustained Evakdor’s life and allowed him to live for so long while barely aging, its destruction causes the life force to rapidly drain from the Trusted One’s body. He finally withers away and disintegrates to dust. It will also be revealed at this point that the ball’s magic was what kept the “monster” from freeing itself– as the magic weakened, the “monster” was able to escape and Latabat began to crumble/destroy itself because it had been without the “monster’s” spirit/blessing for too long. Thus, Evakdor Hafdin will die (along with the rest of his tyrannical followers), Latabat will be restored, and a new government will be established that is not as susceptible to overthrows/tyranny.
Dolores Zahara Zima was born on April 22nd, 1974 in Boston to Kayleigh O’Hagan-Zima, an Irish-American art teacher and retired Hunter, and Bostonian private detective Leonardo “Leo” Zima. She lived her whole life in Boston, competing yet close with her older brother Cillian and her little sister Penelope. She also grew up close to her father’s baby brother, her uncle Isaac. Dolores shares Kayleigh’s idealism and optimistic bordering on carefree attitude, while taking after her father in terms of work ethic and strong moral compass. Dolores lives an ordinary life for most of her childhood until she sees a Lightstalker at the age of 17, which she tells her mother about. Kayleigh explains to Dolores that she is one of the rare mutant Hunters in the world, and no one else can see the truth. However, while Kayleigh retired from practicing as a Hunter the minute she had children, Dolores feels a distinct moral obligation to take up the fight as her priority, emotionally distancing herself from much of her family, as she now feels isolated. During her adolescence and college years, following a failed romance with a friend, Dolores dates a series of women, however none of the relationships work out as Dolores is always more emotionally invested than them in some capacity. Her mid-twenties continues this pattern to the point where she stops telling her family and friends about her romantic life at all. Determined to better the world around her, but not wanting to risk debilitating injury like her father, Dolores becomes a financial analyst for the FBI. In 1998, determined to change Hunter law regarding the involvement of children and adolescents in fighting Lightstalkers, and armed with a belief that the level of secrecy regarding the existence of Lightstalkers and Hunters, Dolores joins the New England Hunters’ Council as their treasurer.
Dolores is mildly disillusioned with the Council’s bureaucracy and unwillingness to change for the modern day. She is notably isolated from everyone else as of the story’s true jump-off: January 29th, 2003. She’s not talking to her family outside of holidays, she’s only got two friends and neither of them live near her anymore, and she is notably single. When she meets Mariko, her past optimism sparks up again, and hope for her love life does too, though some jealousy and concern creeps in as Mariko has a boyfriend who Dolores suspects to be abusive behind closed doors. As sabotage reveals itself, Dolores becomes suspicious of others, which only worsens as Mariko’s own paranoia clouds her judgment more and more. After Mariko leaves her boyfriend, she jumps into a relationship with Dolores, and Dolores finally begins prioritizing relationships over her ambitions again. However, as Mariko leaves for Iceland for nine months, and more signs of sabotage pop up, Dolores’ suspicions worsen. In 2005, when Wynn joins the Council, Mariko’s personal attention turns more to Wynn than it is on Dolores, adding to Dolores’ jealousy and resentment towards Mariko’s interest in her career, especially since Mariko’s obsession with saving the world no matter the cost makes Dolores look bad, diminishing her chances of getting her own ideas respected and acted upon. This culminates in Dolores and Mariko having a horrible argument following Dolores snooping through Mariko’s journal and discovering that she has a secret child, a product of Mariko’s previous relationship with her boyfriend. They break up, and Dolores watches from afar as Mariko falls apart, reliant on Wynn to try and get her ambitions across. Dolores tries to focus on her own dreams and goals, but regret over her betrayal of Mariko’s trust seeps in until, following an incident where Mariko risks losing her job and a subsequent conversation with a deeply concerned and still hopeful Wynn, Dolores attempts to reconcile with Mariko. However, Mariko dies in a freak ‘accident,’ and Dolores suffers from deep, prolonged grief.
As Dolores’ battles severe and long-lasting grief, she and Wynn agree to try and continue carrying out Mariko’s dreams through their positions on the Council. Dolores’ grief fails to fully resolve, which her romantic life remaining empty. However, this loss inspires her to re-engage with her family and friends more and work even harder at achieving her dreams simultaneously. In 2013, when Dolores’ young cousin sees a Lightstalker, she ignores protocol to tell the Council because she believes it to be wrong and she prioritizes her family. This results in her failing to find Mariko’s killer and saboteur, as well as losing her position on the Council, but Dolores does not despair. She now understands the impact one person can have on others emotionally, and she decides to keep trying somewhere new where she can finally forgive herself for her mistakes.
Antagonist: Society (Specifically Hunter Society, especially illustrated by the Council):
Hunter society has been around for as long as Hunters— the dawn of humankind’s two mutations that resulted in Lightstalkers and Hunters. However, the New England Hunters’ Council that dictates the law of Hunter society within the screenplay’s setting was established in 1630, initially containing New England and New York, though New York was dropped during the later founding of the Mid-Atlantic Council. The New England Hunters’ Council laid out laws dictating that all Hunters participate in patrols and the killing of Lightstalkers, or at the bare minimum in cases of the elderly or sickly, reporting sightings to the Council who would send out the nearest Monitor to take care of it. The Council also laid out a law demanding the execution of any Hybrids— humans with a partial version of the Apollo (Lightstalker) mutation— as they deem them to be a threat due to their strength and power. Notably, in the 1860s, the Monitor in Masschusetts, Desdemona Lancaster, discovered the existence of 6 incredibly powerful Lightstalkers who had fed off of environmental factors and become essentially super-Extraordinary-Lightstalkers. With this information and the growing risk to the increasing populations of the industrial revolution, an Extraordinary Hunter named Megumi Sasaki sealed away these “Children of Desdemona,” failing to kill them in favor of protecting her family (though the Council doesn’t acknowledge this failure in favor of maintaining her legacy as a savior). Megumi drew upon her power to make it so when they eventually broke free or gained another member due to changing times and imperialism, a descendant of hers could defeat them. All that would have to happen is for a descendant of hers to be named after her, at least emotionally, and part of her soul and memories would come back along with that child. Another notable aspect of the Council’s history is that Agnes Kowalski, a geneticist and Monitor of New Hampshire, tried to extinguish the Lightstalker genome entirely through the 1990s until her drunk driving accident in 2001 killed her.
At the start of the main story, January 29th, 2003, the Council inducts Mariko Sasaki, a direct descendant of Megumi Sasaki who knows of not only all of the true history of her ancestor and the Children of Desdemona, but also of the seventh Child of Desdemona who emerged in the 1920s and now risks unsealing them all, unleashing chaos and carnage upon the world. The Council also notably has Dolores Zima within its members, who seeks to change Hunter law to not involve anyone under the age of 21 from practicing as a Hunter. These new perspectives challenge the Council’s black & white thinking and its adherence to tradition. However, both of these cases struggle with a warped view of altruism that encourages self-destruction and self-isolation, as well as putting more emphasis on personal legacy than that of building a better community. Throughout the story, the Council fails to address the growing threat of the Children of Desdemona due to a lack of evidence and sabotage, refusing to do their own digging or take someone’s word on good faith. The Council also punishes Dolores, Mariko, and Wynn for seeking a more empathetic world, as they believe it will lead to ‘weakness’ against the Lightstalkers— Dolores is punished for associating with Mariko and is not taken seriously outside of her role as treasurer, Mariko’s paranoia is reprimanded but she never receives help for her personal struggles, and she is never taken seriously when she brings up the fact that Megumi didn’t truly win in the past, and Wynn is treated like a weapon thanks to the way Agnes raised them, as well as being ostracized for putting children first.
In January 2005, part-way through the story, Lesley Wynn Kowalski, the nineteen-year-old child of Agnes Kowalski, joins the Council. Wynn seeks to build a better community for the youth and places emphasis on being empathetic and reacting on a case by case basis rather than extremism, challenging the traditional, image-over-impact outlook of the Council. However, it’s well-established that an enlightened Dolores and Wynn are unable to get many of their ideas approved, to the point that Dolores loses her position on the Council in 2013 just for protecting her cousin. The Council does not truly change, but Wynn and Dolores both carry the hope and drive to make their goals a reality, with Wynn deciding to take on students who the Council would otherwise reject or fail, as the two of them have learned from the failings of the Council.
Protagonist
Ruderious Jones was born and raised on the southside of Washington DC on Friday April 3rd 1998 at 10:59pm. Rederious also known as Rudy was raised in a section 8 apartment in 37th st SE. He mother was poor and a single mother of 3 kids of which he was the youngest. He has two older sisters. From the time Rudy saw day light he was placed into a category. Even though Rudy was born poor it didn’t last long, when he was a kid his father was deep in the streets and by the time Rudy was 7 years old he became one of the most notorious criminals the city, no the whole East Coast had ever seen. PS- Rudy is a dragon ball Z fan and this started his love for anime. Something people wouldn’t expect he likes.
Present day Rudy – Timid kid pretty shy. He hasn’t grown into himself yet so you know its Rudy when you still a little boy with big feet. He’s surrounded by violence daily and the streets try to pull him in after his father dies
Future – Rudy of the Future is a top 100 Division 1 football recruit. He got his fathers genes and instead of sinking into the streets he poured his all into the field. He won the state championship his junior year and when he finally saw all the love from around the country he had thought he would finally break the cycle. He gets dragged back in. Future Rudy is confident but still loves to watch anime.
Antagonist
– Kevin (Last name) Antagonist
Was born at Community of Hope Family Health and Birth Center in Washington DC on Thursday January 22nd (. ) He was born the middle child of 5 boys and as such he never really got much attention from his parents. While he grew up in a two parent household his father was a drunk and his mother an crack addict. He never really got to see his mother and his father was either destructive or unavailable emotionally and physically. This led to his older brothers gang affiliation, they wanted a way to survive and because the streets were all they had they sucked them in. This is something Kevin has watched froma young age and being around that lifestyle was something he was used to from a young age.
Presently Kevin is Rudy’s bestfriend and having grown up in the same neigborhood they were always together. We see the parrallels between Kevin and Rudy as Kevin is such an outspoken kid who never fails to say whats on his mind. This was due to having to always fight for survival growing up and Kevin learned early that closed mouths don’t get fed. Around this time we see hints of Kevin falling into the streets, but Rudy saves him. It strenghthens their bond and Rudy becomes Kevins lifeline during this period. It looks like Kevin is the lifeline for Rudy as he’s always saving and sticking up for him, but emotionally Kevin isn’t reslly always there. We see how this effects him negatively and usually violence ensues. Kevin is a hothead at times and we see just how much Rudy calms him.
Future – Kevin didn’t win the battle and he got sucked into the streets just like his older brother. He ends up in jail over and over until he eventually dies in the streets just like his older brother.
So I want to preface this before I start getting into backstories. Due to events that I will get into later, the characters that play the roles of protagonist and antagonist actually swap during the third act of the film so either one could be described as either or depending on what part of the screenplay you’re reading. But for now I am going to go in chronological order as in the one who is the protagonist at the start followed by the character who is the antagonist at the start.
Protagonist – Our Lead (placeholder name)
Our lead is a small little creature made of a goo-like substance. He has two protrusions on his side that act like arms but he has no makeshifts legs so he either hops about or more often undulates (what snails do) in order to get around. He has no visible mouth but he can still speak and contort his face in ways that allow for a varied range of expressions. No one in this setting is human but I wanted him to have some anthropomorphic features (which means human-like) in order to make it easier to get attached since he is the focus of the film. Some of the other characters you meet early on are vaguely human-like as well for the same reason though that happens less and less often later down the line.
He is a curious, thrill seeking little creature who wishes to experience all that life has to offer. His past is not explored in the screenplay as that is not the focus. The focus is on the present and future. During the events of the play a leaf blows in from the outside, causing Our Lead to learn of their trapped existence. He wishes to see what lies beyond their pocket dimension home but is told he cannot by the antagonist. He learns of a potential exit and thus he rallies many of the other creations to his cause and they as a mob head towards the exit despite our antagonist and some of their friend’s protest. When they get there, however, the exit is blocked off or otherwise impassable. This revelation causes Our Lead to snap, leading to them absorbing/forcefully merging with many of the other creations he had lead there in order to accumulate more power. They are not meant to fuse in groups of more than two (that many minds melding at once is highly unstable) so suffice to say it is not a pretty picture. But he manages to hold his form together thanks to a mixture of his goo-like body acting as glue and his iron will.
Once he has assimilated enough of the other creatures he uses his new overwhelming power to tear a hole in space time to climb out of the pocket dimension, splitting off from the amalgamation he had created. Once out there, he finds himself in a long since abandoned lab, the roof of the place completely blown off and exposed to the elements. Pretty soon he starts to dissolve. As for the ending, I haven’t planned that part out yet. Right now I am at the climax of the screenplay which is that scene I had just listed.
Antagonist – Antag (also a placeholder)
As for Antag, I haven’t decided on what they look like or what their name is. The thing I haven decided on however, is their backstory.
Once, during the pocket dimension’s infancy, Antag found out about the outside world. How specifically, I haven’t thought about it. Regardless, they found out about the exit and leapt at the opportunity to escape. When they did however, they started to dissolve but was saved by a man in a lab coat and goggles. This mystery man was actually their creator as well as the creator of the pocket dimension as a whole (the pocket dimension is on a table inside his lab). After pushing Antag back into the pocket dimension, the mystery man explains that Antag along with all of the pocket dimension’s residents cannot leave the pocket dimension as their bodies will break down and dissolve if not in the perfect environment. In other words, they are too unstable. Upon learning of this, Antag seals the exit so that none of the other creations can leave, believing it is the best way to keep them all safe.
But that’s all backstory. In terms of what they do in the screenplay itself, they act as an antagonistic force, telling Our Lead no when he brings up the prospect of leaving to them. Antag hopes their words deterred Our Lead but surprise surprise it did the opposite. They employs the help of two of their close friends to help prevent Our Lead finding out about the exit. Yes, Antag already sealed it but they wish to not let Our Lead get any hope of leaving as to avoid Our Lead meeting a grim demise once outside the safety of the pocket dimension. Antag’s friends fail, naturally, and Our Lead rallies many of the other residents and storm the exit. But they find that the exit is sealed causing Our Lead to go on a rampage, assimilating any and all nearby creatures. Antag cannot fight Our Lead lest they be assimilated as well but they decide to do damage control so they, their two close friends from before, an estranged Moon (placeholder name again), as well as any other willing volunteers escort as many of the other creatures away from the scene as possible. Our Lead gives chase, now a total monstrosity. The group try in vein to distract Our Lead in hopes that it’ll trip him up enough to lose focus of maintaining the fusion but it doesn’t work. Our Lead is too stubborn! Our Lead succeeds in absorbing enough power to open a gate and again, haven’t thought about the conclusion past this point. Most likely Antag pulls Our Lead back in but I am not sure yet.
Jamie Fuller (Quinn) – Protagonist
Jamie grew up in a small town in Litchfield, New Hampshire. Her parents had a happy marriage. She’s the middle child, with one older brother and one younger sister. She met Kevin the year after she graduated college, while she was working as a waitress as she waited patiently for a career to arise out of her business degree. They married two years later, when she was 24 and he was 27, and had a daughter, Millie, the following year. They bought a house together shortly after, and four years later had their son, Charlie. They stayed together ten years after their second child, but more than half of that time Jamie spent begging Kevin to help her out. With school drop-offs and pick-ups, cleaning the house, making dinner, going to sporting events, attending family functions, and anything else that becomes much easier when she as a parent is not outnumbered by her children. He essentially refused. Jamie’s final straw was when she returned home from work one day to find Kevin asleep on the couch after being home for the day with the kids, with no dinner made at almost eight o’clock, no tidying or cleaning of the house, when he awoke, he asked her what was for dinner.
Currently, Jamie works an office job in the insurance industry. She makes decent money, but on a single income with two children she certainly isn’t rich. With her divorce still fresh, she isn’t yet interested in dating, though her close friends are always pushing her to put herself out there. She sometimes struggles with keeping up with her kids and their passions and commitments, but always finds time to invest in what they care about. After the treatment they received from their father, she understands how important it will be to their emotional development for somebody to show genuine interest in their lives.
After the screenplay takes place, Jamie and her children move out of the state to start fresh. Her parents follow them so that she has a support system after such a traumatic event. She gets a new job, the kids make new friends but stay in touch with old ones, Jamie’s friends come to visit on weekends where they’re free, and support her decision to turn a new leaf in a new place. They’re proud of her for finally realizing what needs to happen for Jamie to finally get a fresh start, even if she only realized due to the terrifying situation that she and her family were put in.
Kevin Fuller – Antagonist
Though Kevin is not very present in the film, I imagine him as the antagonist, as Jamie is put into this situation by his behavior and his refusal to show up for her and their children. Without his absence, there is no conflict. Jamie is targeted specifically because Kevin is not present.
Kevin was raised by a traditional Christian family. His father has always been “in charge”—of Kevin’s mother as well as the kids. His mother was a stay-at-home wife and then mother for the entirety of his parents’ marriage. His family values looks and status, as marginally wealthy people. He played sports in high school and never went to college, but found a job within a couple of years of graduating high school as a car mechanic. He makes okay money, but during his marriage with Jamie, she was the breadwinner. This emasculated him, and he took it out on his family whenever he was reminded of it. He never expressed it to her, only became angry and irate with her when he felt insecure about it.
Currently, Kevin is not allowed to see his children due to his unsupportive and emotionally abusive behavior. He’s moved out of the family home and has a small apartment about twenty minutes away. He tells Jamie many times that he isn’t going anywhere until the children do, because he is committed to seeing them and being there for them finally. Even when Jamie continues to ask for other kinds to support and help that he is able to provide for her and the children, he finds a way out of it.
In the near future, Kevin will be granted permission to have unsupervised overnight visits with the children. After their high school graduations, when they are no longer obligated to visit him, he will try many times to reconnect with his children, but they have no interest as he frequently expresses that he doesn’t know what he did wrong. He sees them sometimes, takes them out to lunch or dinner, or comes to visit when they get their first apartments or move into their first dorm rooms or anything of the sort. He gets a girlfriend whom he eventually marries, who the children of course do not like but aren’t really personally offended by.
Protagonist: Shura Malra
Shura Malra was born in the dead of winter to a lower-middle class mining family in the impoverished northern mining district of the nation Stralavia. In her early childhood, Shura was in no way connected to politics or anything royal, mostly living as a normal child with her siblings and few friends. When she was able to attend school, Shura took a strong interest into Stralavian history, mythology, and eventually politics. Noticing Shura’s interest and growing intelligence in the subject of government, her educators encouraged Shura’s parents to help nurse her interest and possibly help her excel, at the possibility of a better life than in the freezing mining district. However, Shura’s Mother, and especially her Father resented the idea of Shura entering into the world of government. The Malra family was destined to stay in the mining district, and Shura’s parents were adamant on making that clear to Shura. But as she grew, Shura developed a strong backbone to her family’s words and disobeyed many of their rules, as after some time her parents began to give up on trying to keep Shura in her family’s old tradition of profession.
Coming to the end of her childhood years, Shura was invited to a prestigious law school, where she could further advance her education as a university student. There she further excelled in her studies, and was faced with an opportunity to be selected as their current queen’s junior advisors. Having passed the tests, and requirements, Shura Malra was now one of the first advisors to the Queen, who was not from an aristocratic family. During her time as an advisor to the Queen, Shura’s life changed drastically. She was faced with many new responsibilities, and was now a small face of gossip which would later snowball even larger. Shura became a face for advocacy for the growing number of impoverished citizens in Stralavia, gaining and supporting influences for a better future. During this time Shura coororsed with her fellow advisors and the Queen. She became close friends with Adma Fosse, the eldest daughter of a wealthy diplomat close to the former elected kings and queens. It was also during this time she met a very important figure in her life.. Kitor Wilstem. A general in the Stralavian Army, and advisor to the Queen in international affairs.
A few years passed, and the next election for monarch was to be held. In Stralavian history, a King or Queen would be chosen by the nation for their outstanding outreach and care for Stralavia, hence being elected, and welcomed into the royal blood as “touched” by the goddess Stravla. At first, Shura didn’t want to engage in the upcoming election, as she was now pushed into the small pool of choices “acceptable” for election, due to nearly 4,000 years of growing corruption. However after much pressure and persuasion, Shura Malra wrote her name, and was eventually chosen as the next Queen of Stralavia. The most controversial pick in centuries. Her family, friends, and colleagues were overjoyed by her new rise in society.. However as the large coronation parties commenced over the nation, some figures sunk away, to begin plotting for a change…
Antagonist: Kitor Wilstem.
Kitor Wilstem was born in the late Autumn into a well organized family of diplomats and military officers. Kitor began his studies at a young age and was set in line to follow his fathers footsteps to be a leading figure in the Stralavian Army. Unlike Shura, Kitor followed his life plan to a T, and eventually became a very powerful General, before the time Shura was even born. Kitor stayed in the comfortable position as general for years, eventually being accepted into the collection of the then currency King’s advisors, growing close to him, and further extending his influence and control.
Kitor was very intelligent, knowing exactly how to play his cards, and place his pawns. He was an expert at manipulation, and was use this leverage to his advantage many, many times. Be it when he was just a child placing blame on a fellow schoolboy, or in global politics to pitch a change in world view. He was there, and he would always be pulling the strings to further propel his image. However Kitor wasn’t a fan favorite of the national public eye. He only had the hearts and interest of the already esteemed diplomats and high ranked figures. When a new young junior advisor was introduced and accepted, he at first didn’t bat a single eye. He had seen many advisors come and go on their own terms, or not. The cycle would continue. However, it became clear that this was no ordinary advisor, as she had captured the attention of many, that was out of his control.
The Kassian War was a 5 year-long war between Stralavia and the neighboring Kassian Empire. Having attacked first, the Kassian Empire set itself for disaster as Stralavia and her allies bombarded them in a violent war. Kitor became a very strong figure of the war, and a target for political attacks. Some of them, even from his own circle. Shura was voicing the opposite of what Kitor was, opting for a peaceful victory, rather than a violent, bloody one. The young advisor soon became a sore for Kitor, her words sinking into the hearts and minds of the citizens of Stralavia. Especially those affected by the war. Wanting to silence Shura’s voice, Kitor contracted a plan to quietly snuff out Shura’s accusations and alternate opportunities. Making the “Peace Pact” Shura was taken under Kitor’s wing to create the illusion of a successful plan to the end of the Kassian War. This is where Kitor showed his true colors. Mentally dragging Shura into the dirt, playing with her words to make Shura herself question her own opinions. However, Shura had faced similar decievement, and continued her relentless attack on the war’s subject. But as tensions rose, and Kitor would keep a tighter grip on Shura, his teachings and meetings would turn almost violent. Sparring lessons would turn into beatings, and discussions would turn into arguments. Shura eventually left, as the Kassian War slowed to a simmer. However a new fire would grow from the ashes. The upcoming monarchal election.
Kitor quickly realized he would have to face Shura’s image again, as both he and Shura became popular choices. Kitor had the vote of the powerful, but it was clear Shura had the vote, and hearts of the nation… Resulting in her controversial election.
Kitor was absolutely furious. A young advisor, over twice his age younger than him, from the freezing slums of the northern mining district, had beaten him. A powerful established general with almost 2 decades of experience more than Shura. He was furious, and was proven a fool. However, he would recover his cards and continue his game.
Taking nearly 4 months of preparation, Kitor would plan a response. One of revenge. Gathering a group of soldiers loyal to him, Kitor would march into Queen Shura’s office to take her place in a coup… At first Shura complied with most of Kitor’s requests, being placed under house arrest inside the palace. However, legally she was still Queen. After one of her loyal attendants tried to attack him, Kitor took this as the perfect opportunity to make Shura the villain. Kitor accused Shura of assassination, and ordered for her to be executed. But, Shura escaped into the night, leaving Kitor Wilstem to crown himself king, and rule over Stralavia under the title King Wilstem, until he would face Shura again…
He was born to a small family in 1848, on September 14th, to a Scottish man, Rigby Murray, aged 22 at the time, and a Native American woman, Cyril Murray, aged 19, in the city of Quincy, Illinois. His father was a bricklayer and odd job-man, picking up whatever work he could find. His mother was a stay-at-home mom, for fear of being discriminated against by the anti-interracial relationships’ laws that made it illegal for a white man to be in a relationship with a non-white person. From age 2 till he was 12, he was subject to a lot of discrimination in his school and anywhere he went around Quincy. It was not until the Civil war rolled around that all of that would start to change. In 1861, when he turned 13, his father was conscripted into the 17th Illinois Infantry regiment, where he reached the rank of First Sergeant, and, due to receiving shrapnel to his leg, retired in May of 1862, just in time for the Homestead Act. Euan and his mother and father all moved out to Colorado and found a nice piece of land next to a small river. From then on, Euan helped his father turn the rugged land into a farmstead. Life was different out here in the “Wild West”, and soon enough, Euan’s father began teaching him about several things, such as how to ride a horse, shoot a 6 shot revolver, and other small crafts. By the time he was 16, he had learned how to shoot a pheasant from 600 meters away and could ride a horse to up to 30 miles away from his home. He also knew how to survive in the outdoors and could go on for days with no help in the wilderness. His brothers, Rigby Jr. And Marvil Murray were born 2 years apart, one in 1864 and the other in 1866 respectively. They lived happily on this farm, going into Sapwood, a town that had propped up not too long after them, for supplies and trading. Then, one hot sweltering summer day in July, 1869, when Euan was 21, his family home was suddenly sacked and burned to the ground by a dangerous group of outlaws known as The Red Riders. While trying to put up any resistance to the bandits, Euans family burned in their home, his father was shot down in his field, and Euan had his arm lopped off by the infamous leader of the gang, Red Jackson. Upon awaking the next day, in a haze, he was in a makeshift hospital where his arm had been replaced by a strange prosthetic steam-punkish contraption that had numourous new fucntions – such as acting as a hand cannon and being stronger than a normal human hand – that he learned to use slowly. After a year of wandering, not able to land a job anywhere he went, Euan got into the bounty hunting business in 1870. He hoped this might help him get his revenge on Red Jackson and finally give his family the peace they deserved. Through the years of 1870 and 1872, he built a reputation as a ruthless and unforgiving bounty hunter, awarding him the nick name of “Silver Eyes,” prominently named after his silver streaks in his hair. Then, in March of 1873, he got a sudden lead of the Red Rider gang, apparently held up somewhere in Native American Territory, and soon enough he set off to find them with his trusty horse, Bayle, and his side arm his father had taught him to shoot with. Soon enough, he will find friends along the way, all willing to help him change and break away from his anguish and live life once more.
ABRIDGED VERSION
Dergek Novalis grew up in a rural, farming cavern called Dafarn, where his long line of ancestors had established their lineage as the primary providers of crops for all of Latabat. They tilled, planted, and harvested various plants, including churon (Latabat’s version of cotton) and nantes (Latabat’s version of bananas). He began working in the fields himself as soon as he was physically able, earning his very own scythe– as was the Novalis family custom– at the age of five. Like all other Latabatians due to the lack of school systems and federal education mandates, he was educated entirely at home, although the vast majority of what he learned was through applications to farming.
Dergek is in his early twenties, meaning he is an adult but still relatively young by Latabat-standards considering Latabatians live to be several hundred years old. Dergek does not (and really has never) had friends or a social circle. Instead, he spends all his time near his home in Dafarn, helping his parents raise his siblings and tending to his family’s own farm as well as those that his neighbors own. Thus, Dergek is preparing to leave home and his family behind and go off on his own for the very first time, but even though he is hesitant, uncertain, and quite frankly terrified, he is willing to do so because his parents have instilled in him a sense of respect and trust for their leader.
The mission will open his eyes up to all the possibilities of the world, making him see that there’s so much more he can do. He’ll always have farming as something he loves and to connect him back to his family, but Dergek will come to find that his true passion lies with helping people and standing up for what he–with his humble perspective– believes is right. Additionally, he will develop a sense of distrust with figures of authority, who he previously always believed with no questions asked, because of the arc in which he will discover that the Trusted One is misleading him, the other four travelers, and the rest of Latabat. He will then be offered the role of Trusted One following the demise of the current leader, but he will reject it in favor of returning to a simple life.
Evakdor Hafdin grew up with everything. He had loving parents, two cherished younger siblings, a comfortable home in a small but beautiful cavern called Lejik on the outskirts of Latabat, and no wants or unsatisfied needs or worries. However, before he even turned twenty, he lost it all. When he was away in Dafarn gathering the fresh flour for his sister’s fifth birthday, the dam allowing just a small amount of water to trickle in and form the stream under his window broke, and Lejik flooded. The Trusted One in power at the time made the decision to block the cavern off, seeing as it happened so quickly the cavern was unable to be saved, and Evakdor’s entire family died. He turned cruel, filled with malice and hatred, and blamed the Trusted One for everything he had lost, leading him to build up an army and stage a coup to overthrow the reigning government.
Evakdor Hafdin is presently the Trusted One, although to all Latabatians his identity remains unknown. However, their entire world is about to be shaken because, during the coup, Evakdor’s army restrained the legendary “monster” that had always protected Latabat to keep it from thwarting their plans. Now, after all this time, that “monster” is regaining its strength and breaking free of its bonds. Evakdor knows that, if it gets free, it will reveal the truth and ruin his long-standing victory, so he selects five travelers who he believes will carry out his mission because 1. they trust him/won’t question him and 2. they love their home and will do anything to save the nation.
Once the travelers realize his deceit, they hurry back to Labar and Evakdor is forced to face off against them. He and his original army that staged the original coup–along with the official army they put together over the past few centuries– fight against the travelers, the “monster”, and all of the other Latabatians who (in the time the travelers are gone) have turned against the Trusted One. During the final fight, Evakdor’s entire army is eradicated until he is the last one standing and he tries to hide away in the palace as all of Latabat infiltrates it. The five travelers ultimately find him in the crystal ball room where the Trusted One first took them just before they left on their mission, and they engage in a physical fight which ends when one of the characters stumbles back and knocks over the crystal, shattering it and causing the Evakdor to dissipate into dust.
8 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 10”
Dergek Novalis grew up in a rural, farming cavern called Dafarn. Long ago, when Latabat was first established as a nation, his family’s ancestors claimed three hectares of land and established their own homestead. Over many generations, the Novalis lineage refined their farming methods and grew their land. By the time Novalis was born, his family had inherited about one quarter of the cave that makes up Dafarn and established themselves as the primary providers of crops for all of Latabat. Even before he could walk, Dergek’s parents took him out into the fields with them while they tilled, planted, and harvested various plants, including churon (Latabat’s version of cotton) and nantes (Latabat’s version of bananas). He began working in the fields himself as soon as he was physically able, earning his very own scythe– as was the Novalis family custom– at the age of five. Like all other Latabatians due to the lack of school systems and federal education mandates, he was educated entirely at home, although the vast majority of what he learned was through applications to farming.
At the time of this screenplay– at least the first act, seeing as I’m still not entirely sure what timeline I will have the mission span over– Dergek is in his early twenties, meaning he is an adult but still relatively young by Latabat-standards considering Latabatians live to be several hundred years old (an average of roughly 200 years old, but some individuals are able to live longer). Even though he is essentially in the prime of his life and at a stage when most people have engaging, thriving social lives, Dergek does not (and really has never) had friends or a social circle. Instead, he spends all his time near his home in Dafarn, helping his parents raise his siblings and tending to his family’s own farm as well as those that his neighbors own. Thus, with the new mission assigned to him by the Trusted One, Dergek is preparing to leave home and his family behind and go off on his own for the very first time. However, even though he is hesitant, uncertain, and quite frankly terrified, he is willing to do so because his parents have instilled in him a sense of respect and trust for their leader.
Towards the end of his journey, Dergek will be an entirely new person. He was always a peaceful, optimistic guy. He was content tending to his farm and being a family man, and he never wished for or sought out anything more. However, the mission will open his eyes up to all the possibilities of the world, making him see that there’s so much more he can do. He’ll always have farming as something he loves and to connect him back to his family, but Dergek will come to find that his true passion lies with helping people and standing up for what he–with his humble perspective– believes is right. Additionally, he will develop a sense of distrust with figures of authority, who he previously always believed with no questions asked, because of the arc in which he will discover that the Trusted One is misleading him, the other four travelers, and the rest of Latabat. In fact, these lessons he learns will lead him to be viewed as an actually trustworthy, respectable figure and the citizens of Latabat will offer him the position of Trusted One once the current leader is overthrown. However, Dergek will reject the offer in favor of establishing a new form of government, returning to a simpler way of life, and taking on a lower-level advisor position. He will then go on to live out his life helping people by teaching them to support themselves off of personal agriculture, advising the new line of leaders, and enjoying peace.
Evakdor Hafdin grew up with everything. He had loving parents, two cherished younger siblings, a comfortable home in a small but beautiful cavern called Lejik on the outskirts of Latabat, and no wants or unsatisfied needs or worries. As a young boy and into his adolescence, he spent most of his time sitting next to the window of his bedroom, watching creatures flit by, admiring the crystal clear stream that swirled all throughout Lejik and passed just outside his window sill, and reading the books stocked up on his built-in, dark mahogany bookshelf. However, before he even turned twenty, he lost it all. When he was away in Dafarn gathering the fresh flour for his sister’s fifth birthday, the dam allowing just a small amount of water to trickle in and form the stream under his window broke, and Lejik flooded. The Trusted One in power at the time made the decision to block the cavern off, seeing as it happened so quickly the cavern was unable to be saved, and Evakdor’s entire family died. He turned cruel, filled with malice and hatred, and blamed the Trusted One for everything he had lost. Over the next several decades he gathered others who lost their faith in the government, ultimately allowing him and his new army to gain enough power to stage a coup and take over, with Evakdor instating himself as the new Trusted One and placing ‘his soldiers’ in high-ranking positions (such as those of Regent–the main representatives for each individual cavern– and Bailieft, the officials that serve directly under or alongside the Regents).
Evakdor Hafdin is presently the Trusted One, although to all Latabatians his identity remains unknown. The government was not as influential or present in the public eye five centuries ago when Hafdin overthrew it, and it really only acted (from its capital in a small, relatively unknown cavern–the original Labar) to enforce general laws in the peaceful nation and in the case of emergencies such as that with the flood of Lejik. Therefore, Evakdor and his army were able to hide the conflict from the public and pretend as though nothing had changed. They also maintained their youth (by preserving the magic fortune-telling crystal ball), and gradually made subtle changes over the next few centuries that established them as the ultimate rulers of Latabat. Now, everyone trusts Evakdor Hafdin as the supreme authority. However, their entire world is about to be shaken because, during the coup, Evakdor’s army restrained the legendary “monster” that had always protected Latabat to keep it from thwarting their plans. Now, after all this time, that “monster” is regaining its strength and breaking free of its bonds. Evakdor knows that, if it gets free, it will reveal the truth and ruin his long-standing victory, so he selects five travelers who he believes will carry out his mission because 1. they trust him/won’t question him and 2. they love their home and will do anything to save the nation.
By the end of this story/screenplay, Evakdor’s past will be revealed and he will be overthrown himself just as he overthrew the last Trusted One. He went through his own traumatic experiences, but those only explain–not excuse– his choice to submit to, and act with, darkness and malice. So, once the travelers realize his deceit, they hurry back to Labar (the capital of Latabat; Evakdor moved it from the smallest cavern to the largest, most regal one in all of Latabt after he gained power) and Evakdor is forced to face off against them. He and his original army that staged the original coup–along with the official army they put together over the past few centuries– fight against the travelers, the “monster”, and all of the other Latabatians who (in the time the travelers are gone) have turned against the Trusted One. [note: the Latabatians have turned against him because they feel he hasn’t done enough to save the nation since it’s just been breaking/crumbling worse and worse without any positive change; the real turning point is when the travelers return to and reveal Evakdor’s lies]. During the final fight, Evakdor’s entire army is eradicated until he is the last one standing. He tries to hide away in the palace and all of Latabat infiltrates it, branching off to find him as the “monster” perches on the tallest turret outside. The five travelers ultimately find him in the crystal ball room where the Trusted One first took them just before they left on their mission, and they engage in a physical fight. Evakdor pushes one of them (potentially Dergek?), and the traveler stumbles back, knocking over the crystal ball which smashes dramatically into millions of pieces as it hits the ground. Since the crystal ball’s dark magic is what sustained Evakdor’s life and allowed him to live for so long while barely aging, its destruction causes the life force to rapidly drain from the Trusted One’s body. He finally withers away and disintegrates to dust. It will also be revealed at this point that the ball’s magic was what kept the “monster” from freeing itself– as the magic weakened, the “monster” was able to escape and Latabat began to crumble/destroy itself because it had been without the “monster’s” spirit/blessing for too long. Thus, Evakdor Hafdin will die (along with the rest of his tyrannical followers), Latabat will be restored, and a new government will be established that is not as susceptible to overthrows/tyranny.
Protagonist: Dolores Zima
Dolores Zahara Zima was born on April 22nd, 1974 in Boston to Kayleigh O’Hagan-Zima, an Irish-American art teacher and retired Hunter, and Bostonian private detective Leonardo “Leo” Zima. She lived her whole life in Boston, competing yet close with her older brother Cillian and her little sister Penelope. She also grew up close to her father’s baby brother, her uncle Isaac. Dolores shares Kayleigh’s idealism and optimistic bordering on carefree attitude, while taking after her father in terms of work ethic and strong moral compass. Dolores lives an ordinary life for most of her childhood until she sees a Lightstalker at the age of 17, which she tells her mother about. Kayleigh explains to Dolores that she is one of the rare mutant Hunters in the world, and no one else can see the truth. However, while Kayleigh retired from practicing as a Hunter the minute she had children, Dolores feels a distinct moral obligation to take up the fight as her priority, emotionally distancing herself from much of her family, as she now feels isolated. During her adolescence and college years, following a failed romance with a friend, Dolores dates a series of women, however none of the relationships work out as Dolores is always more emotionally invested than them in some capacity. Her mid-twenties continues this pattern to the point where she stops telling her family and friends about her romantic life at all. Determined to better the world around her, but not wanting to risk debilitating injury like her father, Dolores becomes a financial analyst for the FBI. In 1998, determined to change Hunter law regarding the involvement of children and adolescents in fighting Lightstalkers, and armed with a belief that the level of secrecy regarding the existence of Lightstalkers and Hunters, Dolores joins the New England Hunters’ Council as their treasurer.
Dolores is mildly disillusioned with the Council’s bureaucracy and unwillingness to change for the modern day. She is notably isolated from everyone else as of the story’s true jump-off: January 29th, 2003. She’s not talking to her family outside of holidays, she’s only got two friends and neither of them live near her anymore, and she is notably single. When she meets Mariko, her past optimism sparks up again, and hope for her love life does too, though some jealousy and concern creeps in as Mariko has a boyfriend who Dolores suspects to be abusive behind closed doors. As sabotage reveals itself, Dolores becomes suspicious of others, which only worsens as Mariko’s own paranoia clouds her judgment more and more. After Mariko leaves her boyfriend, she jumps into a relationship with Dolores, and Dolores finally begins prioritizing relationships over her ambitions again. However, as Mariko leaves for Iceland for nine months, and more signs of sabotage pop up, Dolores’ suspicions worsen. In 2005, when Wynn joins the Council, Mariko’s personal attention turns more to Wynn than it is on Dolores, adding to Dolores’ jealousy and resentment towards Mariko’s interest in her career, especially since Mariko’s obsession with saving the world no matter the cost makes Dolores look bad, diminishing her chances of getting her own ideas respected and acted upon. This culminates in Dolores and Mariko having a horrible argument following Dolores snooping through Mariko’s journal and discovering that she has a secret child, a product of Mariko’s previous relationship with her boyfriend. They break up, and Dolores watches from afar as Mariko falls apart, reliant on Wynn to try and get her ambitions across. Dolores tries to focus on her own dreams and goals, but regret over her betrayal of Mariko’s trust seeps in until, following an incident where Mariko risks losing her job and a subsequent conversation with a deeply concerned and still hopeful Wynn, Dolores attempts to reconcile with Mariko. However, Mariko dies in a freak ‘accident,’ and Dolores suffers from deep, prolonged grief.
As Dolores’ battles severe and long-lasting grief, she and Wynn agree to try and continue carrying out Mariko’s dreams through their positions on the Council. Dolores’ grief fails to fully resolve, which her romantic life remaining empty. However, this loss inspires her to re-engage with her family and friends more and work even harder at achieving her dreams simultaneously. In 2013, when Dolores’ young cousin sees a Lightstalker, she ignores protocol to tell the Council because she believes it to be wrong and she prioritizes her family. This results in her failing to find Mariko’s killer and saboteur, as well as losing her position on the Council, but Dolores does not despair. She now understands the impact one person can have on others emotionally, and she decides to keep trying somewhere new where she can finally forgive herself for her mistakes.
Antagonist: Society (Specifically Hunter Society, especially illustrated by the Council):
Hunter society has been around for as long as Hunters— the dawn of humankind’s two mutations that resulted in Lightstalkers and Hunters. However, the New England Hunters’ Council that dictates the law of Hunter society within the screenplay’s setting was established in 1630, initially containing New England and New York, though New York was dropped during the later founding of the Mid-Atlantic Council. The New England Hunters’ Council laid out laws dictating that all Hunters participate in patrols and the killing of Lightstalkers, or at the bare minimum in cases of the elderly or sickly, reporting sightings to the Council who would send out the nearest Monitor to take care of it. The Council also laid out a law demanding the execution of any Hybrids— humans with a partial version of the Apollo (Lightstalker) mutation— as they deem them to be a threat due to their strength and power. Notably, in the 1860s, the Monitor in Masschusetts, Desdemona Lancaster, discovered the existence of 6 incredibly powerful Lightstalkers who had fed off of environmental factors and become essentially super-Extraordinary-Lightstalkers. With this information and the growing risk to the increasing populations of the industrial revolution, an Extraordinary Hunter named Megumi Sasaki sealed away these “Children of Desdemona,” failing to kill them in favor of protecting her family (though the Council doesn’t acknowledge this failure in favor of maintaining her legacy as a savior). Megumi drew upon her power to make it so when they eventually broke free or gained another member due to changing times and imperialism, a descendant of hers could defeat them. All that would have to happen is for a descendant of hers to be named after her, at least emotionally, and part of her soul and memories would come back along with that child. Another notable aspect of the Council’s history is that Agnes Kowalski, a geneticist and Monitor of New Hampshire, tried to extinguish the Lightstalker genome entirely through the 1990s until her drunk driving accident in 2001 killed her.
At the start of the main story, January 29th, 2003, the Council inducts Mariko Sasaki, a direct descendant of Megumi Sasaki who knows of not only all of the true history of her ancestor and the Children of Desdemona, but also of the seventh Child of Desdemona who emerged in the 1920s and now risks unsealing them all, unleashing chaos and carnage upon the world. The Council also notably has Dolores Zima within its members, who seeks to change Hunter law to not involve anyone under the age of 21 from practicing as a Hunter. These new perspectives challenge the Council’s black & white thinking and its adherence to tradition. However, both of these cases struggle with a warped view of altruism that encourages self-destruction and self-isolation, as well as putting more emphasis on personal legacy than that of building a better community. Throughout the story, the Council fails to address the growing threat of the Children of Desdemona due to a lack of evidence and sabotage, refusing to do their own digging or take someone’s word on good faith. The Council also punishes Dolores, Mariko, and Wynn for seeking a more empathetic world, as they believe it will lead to ‘weakness’ against the Lightstalkers— Dolores is punished for associating with Mariko and is not taken seriously outside of her role as treasurer, Mariko’s paranoia is reprimanded but she never receives help for her personal struggles, and she is never taken seriously when she brings up the fact that Megumi didn’t truly win in the past, and Wynn is treated like a weapon thanks to the way Agnes raised them, as well as being ostracized for putting children first.
In January 2005, part-way through the story, Lesley Wynn Kowalski, the nineteen-year-old child of Agnes Kowalski, joins the Council. Wynn seeks to build a better community for the youth and places emphasis on being empathetic and reacting on a case by case basis rather than extremism, challenging the traditional, image-over-impact outlook of the Council. However, it’s well-established that an enlightened Dolores and Wynn are unable to get many of their ideas approved, to the point that Dolores loses her position on the Council in 2013 just for protecting her cousin. The Council does not truly change, but Wynn and Dolores both carry the hope and drive to make their goals a reality, with Wynn deciding to take on students who the Council would otherwise reject or fail, as the two of them have learned from the failings of the Council.
Protagonist
Ruderious Jones was born and raised on the southside of Washington DC on Friday April 3rd 1998 at 10:59pm. Rederious also known as Rudy was raised in a section 8 apartment in 37th st SE. He mother was poor and a single mother of 3 kids of which he was the youngest. He has two older sisters. From the time Rudy saw day light he was placed into a category. Even though Rudy was born poor it didn’t last long, when he was a kid his father was deep in the streets and by the time Rudy was 7 years old he became one of the most notorious criminals the city, no the whole East Coast had ever seen. PS- Rudy is a dragon ball Z fan and this started his love for anime. Something people wouldn’t expect he likes.
Present day Rudy – Timid kid pretty shy. He hasn’t grown into himself yet so you know its Rudy when you still a little boy with big feet. He’s surrounded by violence daily and the streets try to pull him in after his father dies
Future – Rudy of the Future is a top 100 Division 1 football recruit. He got his fathers genes and instead of sinking into the streets he poured his all into the field. He won the state championship his junior year and when he finally saw all the love from around the country he had thought he would finally break the cycle. He gets dragged back in. Future Rudy is confident but still loves to watch anime.
Antagonist
– Kevin (Last name) Antagonist
Was born at Community of Hope Family Health and Birth Center in Washington DC on Thursday January 22nd (. ) He was born the middle child of 5 boys and as such he never really got much attention from his parents. While he grew up in a two parent household his father was a drunk and his mother an crack addict. He never really got to see his mother and his father was either destructive or unavailable emotionally and physically. This led to his older brothers gang affiliation, they wanted a way to survive and because the streets were all they had they sucked them in. This is something Kevin has watched froma young age and being around that lifestyle was something he was used to from a young age.
Presently Kevin is Rudy’s bestfriend and having grown up in the same neigborhood they were always together. We see the parrallels between Kevin and Rudy as Kevin is such an outspoken kid who never fails to say whats on his mind. This was due to having to always fight for survival growing up and Kevin learned early that closed mouths don’t get fed. Around this time we see hints of Kevin falling into the streets, but Rudy saves him. It strenghthens their bond and Rudy becomes Kevins lifeline during this period. It looks like Kevin is the lifeline for Rudy as he’s always saving and sticking up for him, but emotionally Kevin isn’t reslly always there. We see how this effects him negatively and usually violence ensues. Kevin is a hothead at times and we see just how much Rudy calms him.
Future – Kevin didn’t win the battle and he got sucked into the streets just like his older brother. He ends up in jail over and over until he eventually dies in the streets just like his older brother.
So I want to preface this before I start getting into backstories. Due to events that I will get into later, the characters that play the roles of protagonist and antagonist actually swap during the third act of the film so either one could be described as either or depending on what part of the screenplay you’re reading. But for now I am going to go in chronological order as in the one who is the protagonist at the start followed by the character who is the antagonist at the start.
Protagonist – Our Lead (placeholder name)
Our lead is a small little creature made of a goo-like substance. He has two protrusions on his side that act like arms but he has no makeshifts legs so he either hops about or more often undulates (what snails do) in order to get around. He has no visible mouth but he can still speak and contort his face in ways that allow for a varied range of expressions. No one in this setting is human but I wanted him to have some anthropomorphic features (which means human-like) in order to make it easier to get attached since he is the focus of the film. Some of the other characters you meet early on are vaguely human-like as well for the same reason though that happens less and less often later down the line.
He is a curious, thrill seeking little creature who wishes to experience all that life has to offer. His past is not explored in the screenplay as that is not the focus. The focus is on the present and future. During the events of the play a leaf blows in from the outside, causing Our Lead to learn of their trapped existence. He wishes to see what lies beyond their pocket dimension home but is told he cannot by the antagonist. He learns of a potential exit and thus he rallies many of the other creations to his cause and they as a mob head towards the exit despite our antagonist and some of their friend’s protest. When they get there, however, the exit is blocked off or otherwise impassable. This revelation causes Our Lead to snap, leading to them absorbing/forcefully merging with many of the other creations he had lead there in order to accumulate more power. They are not meant to fuse in groups of more than two (that many minds melding at once is highly unstable) so suffice to say it is not a pretty picture. But he manages to hold his form together thanks to a mixture of his goo-like body acting as glue and his iron will.
Once he has assimilated enough of the other creatures he uses his new overwhelming power to tear a hole in space time to climb out of the pocket dimension, splitting off from the amalgamation he had created. Once out there, he finds himself in a long since abandoned lab, the roof of the place completely blown off and exposed to the elements. Pretty soon he starts to dissolve. As for the ending, I haven’t planned that part out yet. Right now I am at the climax of the screenplay which is that scene I had just listed.
Antagonist – Antag (also a placeholder)
As for Antag, I haven’t decided on what they look like or what their name is. The thing I haven decided on however, is their backstory.
Once, during the pocket dimension’s infancy, Antag found out about the outside world. How specifically, I haven’t thought about it. Regardless, they found out about the exit and leapt at the opportunity to escape. When they did however, they started to dissolve but was saved by a man in a lab coat and goggles. This mystery man was actually their creator as well as the creator of the pocket dimension as a whole (the pocket dimension is on a table inside his lab). After pushing Antag back into the pocket dimension, the mystery man explains that Antag along with all of the pocket dimension’s residents cannot leave the pocket dimension as their bodies will break down and dissolve if not in the perfect environment. In other words, they are too unstable. Upon learning of this, Antag seals the exit so that none of the other creations can leave, believing it is the best way to keep them all safe.
But that’s all backstory. In terms of what they do in the screenplay itself, they act as an antagonistic force, telling Our Lead no when he brings up the prospect of leaving to them. Antag hopes their words deterred Our Lead but surprise surprise it did the opposite. They employs the help of two of their close friends to help prevent Our Lead finding out about the exit. Yes, Antag already sealed it but they wish to not let Our Lead get any hope of leaving as to avoid Our Lead meeting a grim demise once outside the safety of the pocket dimension. Antag’s friends fail, naturally, and Our Lead rallies many of the other residents and storm the exit. But they find that the exit is sealed causing Our Lead to go on a rampage, assimilating any and all nearby creatures. Antag cannot fight Our Lead lest they be assimilated as well but they decide to do damage control so they, their two close friends from before, an estranged Moon (placeholder name again), as well as any other willing volunteers escort as many of the other creatures away from the scene as possible. Our Lead gives chase, now a total monstrosity. The group try in vein to distract Our Lead in hopes that it’ll trip him up enough to lose focus of maintaining the fusion but it doesn’t work. Our Lead is too stubborn! Our Lead succeeds in absorbing enough power to open a gate and again, haven’t thought about the conclusion past this point. Most likely Antag pulls Our Lead back in but I am not sure yet.
Jamie Fuller (Quinn) – Protagonist
Jamie grew up in a small town in Litchfield, New Hampshire. Her parents had a happy marriage. She’s the middle child, with one older brother and one younger sister. She met Kevin the year after she graduated college, while she was working as a waitress as she waited patiently for a career to arise out of her business degree. They married two years later, when she was 24 and he was 27, and had a daughter, Millie, the following year. They bought a house together shortly after, and four years later had their son, Charlie. They stayed together ten years after their second child, but more than half of that time Jamie spent begging Kevin to help her out. With school drop-offs and pick-ups, cleaning the house, making dinner, going to sporting events, attending family functions, and anything else that becomes much easier when she as a parent is not outnumbered by her children. He essentially refused. Jamie’s final straw was when she returned home from work one day to find Kevin asleep on the couch after being home for the day with the kids, with no dinner made at almost eight o’clock, no tidying or cleaning of the house, when he awoke, he asked her what was for dinner.
Currently, Jamie works an office job in the insurance industry. She makes decent money, but on a single income with two children she certainly isn’t rich. With her divorce still fresh, she isn’t yet interested in dating, though her close friends are always pushing her to put herself out there. She sometimes struggles with keeping up with her kids and their passions and commitments, but always finds time to invest in what they care about. After the treatment they received from their father, she understands how important it will be to their emotional development for somebody to show genuine interest in their lives.
After the screenplay takes place, Jamie and her children move out of the state to start fresh. Her parents follow them so that she has a support system after such a traumatic event. She gets a new job, the kids make new friends but stay in touch with old ones, Jamie’s friends come to visit on weekends where they’re free, and support her decision to turn a new leaf in a new place. They’re proud of her for finally realizing what needs to happen for Jamie to finally get a fresh start, even if she only realized due to the terrifying situation that she and her family were put in.
Kevin Fuller – Antagonist
Though Kevin is not very present in the film, I imagine him as the antagonist, as Jamie is put into this situation by his behavior and his refusal to show up for her and their children. Without his absence, there is no conflict. Jamie is targeted specifically because Kevin is not present.
Kevin was raised by a traditional Christian family. His father has always been “in charge”—of Kevin’s mother as well as the kids. His mother was a stay-at-home wife and then mother for the entirety of his parents’ marriage. His family values looks and status, as marginally wealthy people. He played sports in high school and never went to college, but found a job within a couple of years of graduating high school as a car mechanic. He makes okay money, but during his marriage with Jamie, she was the breadwinner. This emasculated him, and he took it out on his family whenever he was reminded of it. He never expressed it to her, only became angry and irate with her when he felt insecure about it.
Currently, Kevin is not allowed to see his children due to his unsupportive and emotionally abusive behavior. He’s moved out of the family home and has a small apartment about twenty minutes away. He tells Jamie many times that he isn’t going anywhere until the children do, because he is committed to seeing them and being there for them finally. Even when Jamie continues to ask for other kinds to support and help that he is able to provide for her and the children, he finds a way out of it.
In the near future, Kevin will be granted permission to have unsupervised overnight visits with the children. After their high school graduations, when they are no longer obligated to visit him, he will try many times to reconnect with his children, but they have no interest as he frequently expresses that he doesn’t know what he did wrong. He sees them sometimes, takes them out to lunch or dinner, or comes to visit when they get their first apartments or move into their first dorm rooms or anything of the sort. He gets a girlfriend whom he eventually marries, who the children of course do not like but aren’t really personally offended by.
Protagonist: Shura Malra
Shura Malra was born in the dead of winter to a lower-middle class mining family in the impoverished northern mining district of the nation Stralavia. In her early childhood, Shura was in no way connected to politics or anything royal, mostly living as a normal child with her siblings and few friends. When she was able to attend school, Shura took a strong interest into Stralavian history, mythology, and eventually politics. Noticing Shura’s interest and growing intelligence in the subject of government, her educators encouraged Shura’s parents to help nurse her interest and possibly help her excel, at the possibility of a better life than in the freezing mining district. However, Shura’s Mother, and especially her Father resented the idea of Shura entering into the world of government. The Malra family was destined to stay in the mining district, and Shura’s parents were adamant on making that clear to Shura. But as she grew, Shura developed a strong backbone to her family’s words and disobeyed many of their rules, as after some time her parents began to give up on trying to keep Shura in her family’s old tradition of profession.
Coming to the end of her childhood years, Shura was invited to a prestigious law school, where she could further advance her education as a university student. There she further excelled in her studies, and was faced with an opportunity to be selected as their current queen’s junior advisors. Having passed the tests, and requirements, Shura Malra was now one of the first advisors to the Queen, who was not from an aristocratic family. During her time as an advisor to the Queen, Shura’s life changed drastically. She was faced with many new responsibilities, and was now a small face of gossip which would later snowball even larger. Shura became a face for advocacy for the growing number of impoverished citizens in Stralavia, gaining and supporting influences for a better future. During this time Shura coororsed with her fellow advisors and the Queen. She became close friends with Adma Fosse, the eldest daughter of a wealthy diplomat close to the former elected kings and queens. It was also during this time she met a very important figure in her life.. Kitor Wilstem. A general in the Stralavian Army, and advisor to the Queen in international affairs.
A few years passed, and the next election for monarch was to be held. In Stralavian history, a King or Queen would be chosen by the nation for their outstanding outreach and care for Stralavia, hence being elected, and welcomed into the royal blood as “touched” by the goddess Stravla. At first, Shura didn’t want to engage in the upcoming election, as she was now pushed into the small pool of choices “acceptable” for election, due to nearly 4,000 years of growing corruption. However after much pressure and persuasion, Shura Malra wrote her name, and was eventually chosen as the next Queen of Stralavia. The most controversial pick in centuries. Her family, friends, and colleagues were overjoyed by her new rise in society.. However as the large coronation parties commenced over the nation, some figures sunk away, to begin plotting for a change…
Antagonist: Kitor Wilstem.
Kitor Wilstem was born in the late Autumn into a well organized family of diplomats and military officers. Kitor began his studies at a young age and was set in line to follow his fathers footsteps to be a leading figure in the Stralavian Army. Unlike Shura, Kitor followed his life plan to a T, and eventually became a very powerful General, before the time Shura was even born. Kitor stayed in the comfortable position as general for years, eventually being accepted into the collection of the then currency King’s advisors, growing close to him, and further extending his influence and control.
Kitor was very intelligent, knowing exactly how to play his cards, and place his pawns. He was an expert at manipulation, and was use this leverage to his advantage many, many times. Be it when he was just a child placing blame on a fellow schoolboy, or in global politics to pitch a change in world view. He was there, and he would always be pulling the strings to further propel his image. However Kitor wasn’t a fan favorite of the national public eye. He only had the hearts and interest of the already esteemed diplomats and high ranked figures. When a new young junior advisor was introduced and accepted, he at first didn’t bat a single eye. He had seen many advisors come and go on their own terms, or not. The cycle would continue. However, it became clear that this was no ordinary advisor, as she had captured the attention of many, that was out of his control.
The Kassian War was a 5 year-long war between Stralavia and the neighboring Kassian Empire. Having attacked first, the Kassian Empire set itself for disaster as Stralavia and her allies bombarded them in a violent war. Kitor became a very strong figure of the war, and a target for political attacks. Some of them, even from his own circle. Shura was voicing the opposite of what Kitor was, opting for a peaceful victory, rather than a violent, bloody one. The young advisor soon became a sore for Kitor, her words sinking into the hearts and minds of the citizens of Stralavia. Especially those affected by the war. Wanting to silence Shura’s voice, Kitor contracted a plan to quietly snuff out Shura’s accusations and alternate opportunities. Making the “Peace Pact” Shura was taken under Kitor’s wing to create the illusion of a successful plan to the end of the Kassian War. This is where Kitor showed his true colors. Mentally dragging Shura into the dirt, playing with her words to make Shura herself question her own opinions. However, Shura had faced similar decievement, and continued her relentless attack on the war’s subject. But as tensions rose, and Kitor would keep a tighter grip on Shura, his teachings and meetings would turn almost violent. Sparring lessons would turn into beatings, and discussions would turn into arguments. Shura eventually left, as the Kassian War slowed to a simmer. However a new fire would grow from the ashes. The upcoming monarchal election.
Kitor quickly realized he would have to face Shura’s image again, as both he and Shura became popular choices. Kitor had the vote of the powerful, but it was clear Shura had the vote, and hearts of the nation… Resulting in her controversial election.
Kitor was absolutely furious. A young advisor, over twice his age younger than him, from the freezing slums of the northern mining district, had beaten him. A powerful established general with almost 2 decades of experience more than Shura. He was furious, and was proven a fool. However, he would recover his cards and continue his game.
Taking nearly 4 months of preparation, Kitor would plan a response. One of revenge. Gathering a group of soldiers loyal to him, Kitor would march into Queen Shura’s office to take her place in a coup… At first Shura complied with most of Kitor’s requests, being placed under house arrest inside the palace. However, legally she was still Queen. After one of her loyal attendants tried to attack him, Kitor took this as the perfect opportunity to make Shura the villain. Kitor accused Shura of assassination, and ordered for her to be executed. But, Shura escaped into the night, leaving Kitor Wilstem to crown himself king, and rule over Stralavia under the title King Wilstem, until he would face Shura again…
Protag: Euan Murray
He was born to a small family in 1848, on September 14th, to a Scottish man, Rigby Murray, aged 22 at the time, and a Native American woman, Cyril Murray, aged 19, in the city of Quincy, Illinois. His father was a bricklayer and odd job-man, picking up whatever work he could find. His mother was a stay-at-home mom, for fear of being discriminated against by the anti-interracial relationships’ laws that made it illegal for a white man to be in a relationship with a non-white person. From age 2 till he was 12, he was subject to a lot of discrimination in his school and anywhere he went around Quincy. It was not until the Civil war rolled around that all of that would start to change. In 1861, when he turned 13, his father was conscripted into the 17th Illinois Infantry regiment, where he reached the rank of First Sergeant, and, due to receiving shrapnel to his leg, retired in May of 1862, just in time for the Homestead Act. Euan and his mother and father all moved out to Colorado and found a nice piece of land next to a small river. From then on, Euan helped his father turn the rugged land into a farmstead. Life was different out here in the “Wild West”, and soon enough, Euan’s father began teaching him about several things, such as how to ride a horse, shoot a 6 shot revolver, and other small crafts. By the time he was 16, he had learned how to shoot a pheasant from 600 meters away and could ride a horse to up to 30 miles away from his home. He also knew how to survive in the outdoors and could go on for days with no help in the wilderness. His brothers, Rigby Jr. And Marvil Murray were born 2 years apart, one in 1864 and the other in 1866 respectively. They lived happily on this farm, going into Sapwood, a town that had propped up not too long after them, for supplies and trading. Then, one hot sweltering summer day in July, 1869, when Euan was 21, his family home was suddenly sacked and burned to the ground by a dangerous group of outlaws known as The Red Riders. While trying to put up any resistance to the bandits, Euans family burned in their home, his father was shot down in his field, and Euan had his arm lopped off by the infamous leader of the gang, Red Jackson. Upon awaking the next day, in a haze, he was in a makeshift hospital where his arm had been replaced by a strange prosthetic steam-punkish contraption that had numourous new fucntions – such as acting as a hand cannon and being stronger than a normal human hand – that he learned to use slowly. After a year of wandering, not able to land a job anywhere he went, Euan got into the bounty hunting business in 1870. He hoped this might help him get his revenge on Red Jackson and finally give his family the peace they deserved. Through the years of 1870 and 1872, he built a reputation as a ruthless and unforgiving bounty hunter, awarding him the nick name of “Silver Eyes,” prominently named after his silver streaks in his hair. Then, in March of 1873, he got a sudden lead of the Red Rider gang, apparently held up somewhere in Native American Territory, and soon enough he set off to find them with his trusty horse, Bayle, and his side arm his father had taught him to shoot with. Soon enough, he will find friends along the way, all willing to help him change and break away from his anguish and live life once more.
ABRIDGED VERSION
Dergek Novalis grew up in a rural, farming cavern called Dafarn, where his long line of ancestors had established their lineage as the primary providers of crops for all of Latabat. They tilled, planted, and harvested various plants, including churon (Latabat’s version of cotton) and nantes (Latabat’s version of bananas). He began working in the fields himself as soon as he was physically able, earning his very own scythe– as was the Novalis family custom– at the age of five. Like all other Latabatians due to the lack of school systems and federal education mandates, he was educated entirely at home, although the vast majority of what he learned was through applications to farming.
Dergek is in his early twenties, meaning he is an adult but still relatively young by Latabat-standards considering Latabatians live to be several hundred years old. Dergek does not (and really has never) had friends or a social circle. Instead, he spends all his time near his home in Dafarn, helping his parents raise his siblings and tending to his family’s own farm as well as those that his neighbors own. Thus, Dergek is preparing to leave home and his family behind and go off on his own for the very first time, but even though he is hesitant, uncertain, and quite frankly terrified, he is willing to do so because his parents have instilled in him a sense of respect and trust for their leader.
The mission will open his eyes up to all the possibilities of the world, making him see that there’s so much more he can do. He’ll always have farming as something he loves and to connect him back to his family, but Dergek will come to find that his true passion lies with helping people and standing up for what he–with his humble perspective– believes is right. Additionally, he will develop a sense of distrust with figures of authority, who he previously always believed with no questions asked, because of the arc in which he will discover that the Trusted One is misleading him, the other four travelers, and the rest of Latabat. He will then be offered the role of Trusted One following the demise of the current leader, but he will reject it in favor of returning to a simple life.
Evakdor Hafdin grew up with everything. He had loving parents, two cherished younger siblings, a comfortable home in a small but beautiful cavern called Lejik on the outskirts of Latabat, and no wants or unsatisfied needs or worries. However, before he even turned twenty, he lost it all. When he was away in Dafarn gathering the fresh flour for his sister’s fifth birthday, the dam allowing just a small amount of water to trickle in and form the stream under his window broke, and Lejik flooded. The Trusted One in power at the time made the decision to block the cavern off, seeing as it happened so quickly the cavern was unable to be saved, and Evakdor’s entire family died. He turned cruel, filled with malice and hatred, and blamed the Trusted One for everything he had lost, leading him to build up an army and stage a coup to overthrow the reigning government.
Evakdor Hafdin is presently the Trusted One, although to all Latabatians his identity remains unknown. However, their entire world is about to be shaken because, during the coup, Evakdor’s army restrained the legendary “monster” that had always protected Latabat to keep it from thwarting their plans. Now, after all this time, that “monster” is regaining its strength and breaking free of its bonds. Evakdor knows that, if it gets free, it will reveal the truth and ruin his long-standing victory, so he selects five travelers who he believes will carry out his mission because 1. they trust him/won’t question him and 2. they love their home and will do anything to save the nation.
Once the travelers realize his deceit, they hurry back to Labar and Evakdor is forced to face off against them. He and his original army that staged the original coup–along with the official army they put together over the past few centuries– fight against the travelers, the “monster”, and all of the other Latabatians who (in the time the travelers are gone) have turned against the Trusted One. During the final fight, Evakdor’s entire army is eradicated until he is the last one standing and he tries to hide away in the palace as all of Latabat infiltrates it. The five travelers ultimately find him in the crystal ball room where the Trusted One first took them just before they left on their mission, and they engage in a physical fight which ends when one of the characters stumbles back and knocks over the crystal, shattering it and causing the Evakdor to dissipate into dust.