Story
Hey Tania, let’s start on the storyline… let’s go along line for line a bit like in theatre sports, and see what we get. I’ll kick it off…
EXT DAY :: MARKET
Storyteller
(Sees boy running among the stalls)
Hey you!
(To the crowd)
Do you know who he is? He is [name] the lost son of RipperWhizzBang (Tania can you think of a great name here which is imaginary but sounds just like the real thing?) the King of PlaceWithAPointyThing (ditto) of the amazing Shamanic Powers who is totally devastated that he has no son and heir to inherit all his special knowledge and limitless wealth?
February 9th, 2008 at 3:14 am
Blog would not accept my password for some reason. Anyway I have some names for you Steve…take your pick; jumping rabbit, smoking river, red feathered monkey, quetzal sky, running jaguar, pouncing jaguar, hopping dear, As for place names; macaw mountain, ceiba hill, jaguar cave mountain, River of two monkeys, lake of the morning mist, Ceiba tree valley.
Jaguar was the most important of all animals, so fitting for a king. Ceiba is the name of the central tree of life which all things in heaven earth and hell are connected to. Caves and mountains were very important power spots. Quetzal is the name of the most prized bird among the Maya and only royalty or the highest elite could afford them. More later…. Tania
…later… ” is the king not aware of the existence of ………….. or has he disowned him for some reason. Why does ………..not claim his rightful place as prince……………….?
February 11th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Maybe the present Queen doesn’t know of Sky? Were Mayan Kings monogamous, polygamous, or just old fashioned swingers?
Or maybe… now here’s some love interest in the true spirit of panto… the current No 1 Son (pretender) is being lined up by the King for a politically useful marriage to the daughter of a neighbouring King. The appearance of Sky will discredit the King, will cause his brother to have to admit to being only second-in-line…
The Level 4 Learning Outcome is “Negotiate with the gatekeepers”. This could be very much what Sky has to do if he is to survive! Did you watch the Tudors? Henry had the Cardinal who was pretty much a gatekeeper for him until he fell from grace. The King must have some right-hand man who becomes aware of Sky, but delays telling the King because he knows it’s going to be sensitive. It’s this right-hand man Sky has to use as a broker of the win/win resolution. Could be a right-hand woman if we need some gender balance.
February 12th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Love it! Nothing like a good old royal romantic scandal…Before I go any further how about we give these un named characters a name at least for now we can always change them later if neccessary; how about Quetzal Sky for the son and Stalking Jaguar for the King… of Macaw Mountain.
Not sure about marriage rules of the ancient Maya, but I think we can assume they were not monogamus….but even so jealousy is a universal phenomena.
What if Quetzal Sky was the result of an extra marital affair with a commoner (Rising water lilley) and the current legitemate son (dancing deer) was born after him to the Kings wife, (Ixchel) At birth Quetzal Sky was given a tatoo which records his royal lineage. His mother Rising Water liley died soon after his birth from complications and his care was given over to his grandmother (Moon Lite bird) who has bought him up waiting for the right time to reveal his true identity……………
February 13th, 2008 at 6:51 am
That’s really tidy, ditching Rising Water Lily (known to her friends as Gold Digger)… and I like Grandma, waiting for the right moment to play her trump card. Is she Moon Lite Bird because this is a cut-down version of a computer game, or is she really Moonlight Bird? I love these names by the way, they are truly novel.
February 13th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Let’s go along like this for a few more iterations, then I’ll write it up into a static page that can start to be the official script… might get to it by Sunday, especially if it rains.
February 13th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Warned by the Storyteller (who admires his grandmother) that assassins in the pay of Ixchel are stalking him, Quetzal Sky has to act fast, before he is acted upon… with a knife!
March 14th, 2008 at 8:41 am
At this stage Queztal Sky does not know about his true identity, only his grandmother Moonlight bird knows so she needs to get Quetzal Sky to safety, so she needs to tell him who he is. When he learns who he is he get angry when he sees the poverty he and his grandmother are living in compared to that of his father Stalking Jaguar. His grandmother and he start to devise a plan to get what is his birthright. They decide the best thing to do is to fake his death to put the palace police of their search………….over to you Steve…