Brain Dump

## Idle Town

### Pitch / Ideas

* Inspirations: Pretty Little Liars x Heathers (also inspired by Gossip Girl, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Heartstopper, Boy Meets World, Heartbreak High, Mean Girls, Daria, & Freaks & Geeks; (Two Can Keep A Secret by: Karen McManus)
	+ Music; Midnights x 1989 x Reputation
* Setting: 2017-2019; 2023-2024 in North Valley, Massachusetts
* Themes: Coming of age teen drama of a friend group growing up in this close-nit town and their journey of self-discovery. Their journey to deconstruct their lives in the town that the culture of lying, manipulation and secrets but the town will do anything to not lift the veil of this close, normal, perfect town and will have their secrets remain buried. More Teen Drama then I give it credit for but I love teen dramas so much I just think the coming of age genre ages better and it's more timeless. Teen Dramas tend to not age better and in retrospect are a little problematic and cringy, I want to find the balance of a teen drama and coming of age
* Key Quotes:
	+ "When You Are Young They Assume You Know Nothing"
	+ "You must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all"
	+ "Your life isn’t on hold until you figure everything out. It’s already happening. You’re already changing, moment by moment. ... Your brain chemistry creates unique challenges for you, but you are not broken. You are growing and changing everyday, and it’s beautiful to watch."
	+ "Human Responsibility is Ultimately a Personal Matter"
	+ "The line separating good and evil runs not through states nor social classes nor political parties, but through the heart of every human being, and through all human beings. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within our hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. But even in the best of all hearts, there remains a small, un-uprooted corner of evil"
	+ Here Lies The Confessions of a Lost Boy… "The inner turmoil of a lost boy sound very angsty and dramatic, which it is. This is a place where analysis, commentary and discussion happen. It’s where my thoughts on society, my introspection, mental health and pop culture intersects with creative writing. Writing about various things from depression, anxiety, autism, romance, coming of age, teen dramas, fan fiction, Gen Z culture, queer experiences, nostalgia, and just my love for pop culture, if your interested in where it's like a therapy session, all of that and more this is the place for you…"

### Plot

**Wikipedia Summary**
The series is set in the fictional town of North Valley in Massachusetts and follows the lives of # best friends in their clique self-titled Young Blood, the culture of the small town of lying, manipulation and secrets has affected them greatly which leads them on a journey of self-discovery. People in the town will do anything to not lift the veil of this close, normal, perfect town and will have their secrets remain buried.

**Wikia Fandom Summary**
North Valley, a town built on generational trauma which is a seed that is planted. This seed led to generations of lying, manipulation, and secrets under the veil of a facade, of this highly respected small town where everyone knows each other-it seems normal or perfect. Everyone in the town want their secrets and lies to remain buried but their pasts will come back to haunt them. The series focuses around the lives of # high school juniors who are part of a friend group, a sort of popular clique self-titled Young Blood. In Young Blood consists of Nicholas Hastings, the sarcastic former social outcast; TBD. Their relationship to the town, the culture, and the people in it has affected their lives, they see right through the facade, but the nostalgia of this town has them confused and conflicted. The story is about self-discovery, and relationships and how they are all interconnected to each other. Idle Town portrays the moral decay of American youth, critique parental style, and explore the differences and conflicts between generations.

**Season 1: Summary**
The close-nit town of North Valley where everyone knows each other wants you to believe that the town is normal- or seemingly normal. Generations of lying, manipulation, and secret pledge the culture. This perceived highly respected close town is all a facade. People want their secrets and lies to remain buried, but their pasts will come back to haunt them. The friend group of high school juniors (self-titled Young Blood) are at the forefront, their relationship to the town, the culture, and the people in it has affected their lives. They see right through the facade, but the nostalgia of this town has them confused and conflicted which sends them on a journey of self-discovery.

**North Valley Summary**
North Valley a close-nit town where everyone knows each other their lives are interconnected and has been for generations, this town has it all. This is a place where is seems like the perfect place to start a family "picturesque and nostalgic", but that is further from the truth. In all actuality it's a facade, it's a town built on generational trauma which is a seed that is planted. This seed led to generations of lying, manipulation, and secret pledge the culture. People in the town will do anything to not lift the veil of this highly respected, close, normal, perfect town and their secrets and lies to remain buried, but their pasts will come back to haunt them.

### Show Elements

* Sensitivity Reader
* Pretty Little Liars style flashbacks and interconnections.
* Character Driven, rather than story driven. (Implausible)
* Making several references to other literary works, films, and pop culture in general.
* Incorporate both fictional ideas and personal experiences.
	+ Included much of my own memories.
* To convey the highs and lows of being young (an exploration of growing up, adolescence, loss of innocence and native).
* Validate and respect and celebrate what teenagers are going through every day.
	+ Teens want to see themselves portrayed in a cinematic way, want their stories to be told with intensity and self-importance not being patronized by adults.
* Parents expectations on her children and how kids have identity issues not knowing what they like or want.
	+ Finding happiness in what they want.
* The mix of realism and fantasy (Biggest struggle in wanting a place where a black trans lesbian girl can actually be a well liked, respected and accepted 'IT girl, or even a white lesbian girl) looking at the world of *Heartstopper*.
* Breaking a cycle we were born into, making sure the next generation doesn't fall into that cycle.
* Each person perspectives is their own, teens are not really emotionally capable of understating people, teens are self-absorbed limited to their own view of the world.
* People fail to process the past, do nothing to change it and passes it onto the next generation.
* How much of what makes you, you is determined by circumstances beyond your control. How far does the circumstances in which you were born & raised go to shape your very conception of right & wrong or good & evil. (Most people like to comfort ourself with the we can make the distinction to see through lies, to stand against injustice. In our history paints a different picture)
* Humans are social creatures (for better or for worse) altruistic and tribalistic we build communities, rally together in the face of danger and tragedy, and make great sacrifices with people we love. We also fall into line, adapt to our surroundings, justify our actions and those around us after the fact, and both consciously and unconsciously mold ourself in our social environments. Some our species greatest advantages and terrible flaws. In no matter what inborn psychological tendencies that we are burdened with we still have an obligation to good.
* It's important to condemn the evil actions of others, it's also important to know why they do evil. To explore the circumstances that led people down dark paths. To prevent that is doesn't happen in the future, also that the blind luck when and where we were born our fates could've been there own.
* Indoctrination vastly divergent results of morality.
* Someone can still be a victim while doing evil acts (or do evil acts because they were a victim due to forces beyond their control), while this victimhood doesn't absolve people of their failings. It could show us how understand the destructive forces that governs people's lives and set the rights the wrongs that have resulted.
* Your past/scars doesn't need to define you. The process maybe terribly difficult the chain can be broken, change could happen not only for society but especially yourself. The past can't be escaped that easily it's a daily, process everyday your fight isn't over you have to do it everyday, every minute, every second if you want change.
* That's not how life works, we don't get to remove our scars but we can learn from them and build upon the damage done.
* Giving into our darkest impulses rather than mastering them and turning them into better use in emboldening and even becoming the worst parts of ourselves. When someone isn't ready to confront the darkest aspects of their soul.
* We are rarely able to recognize our own deepest internal scars for what they really are because by their very nature Scar's warp our perception of them the world and ourselves often concealing obscuring or mischaracterizing the Damage Done leaving us confused vulnerable and broken.
* It is only through his interactions with others coupled with serious introspection that people are able to see past the surface level damage to the wounds that lie at the heart of who they are as a person and it is only through recognizing these wounds that he is truly able to begin to heal them.

### Themes

* Slice of life (Windows into real life)
	+ Conversations & character captures specific about their times, social questions with honesty.
* What Teenagers are really like; internet culture (fandoms, stan twitter, nostalgia)
	+ Stuff we grew up with (Pop Culture)
* Focused on people's struggles and what they are passionate about, attempting to pin down the very nature of each of the characters
* Different Walks of Lives (Ethnicities/Races & Cultures; Religions, Body Types, Mental Disorders/Disabilities, Non-Nuclear Families, Class, Politics/Activism)
	+ Intersectionality
* Generational Trauma & Different Generations and their relationships to each other.
* Mental Health (How your brain "works"/"wired" and how that affects you and others around you), Anxiety and Depression, etc.
	+ How Different People View The World and seeing it through their eyes & DEEPNESS (Trying not to be Chronically Online)
* What Public School is really like (and hating school or liking school)
* Cliques and Friend Groups (toxic friend groups) -> Found Families (Queer Friend Groups)
* Analysis of humanity on how people treat each other, there will always be a social structure and hierarchy, social issues society.
* Hypocrisy of society
* Feelings outweigh consequences, relationships are life or death.
* How childhood memories are a facade just like the town of people grow up in. These memories are full of lying, hurt and manipulation, the people are fake just like the memories. Want to show the culture and how having nostalgia for a childhood people never had.
	+ Looking back on a time period, we think it was similar or better it wasn't that good.
* The American Dream and how it isn't for and can't be accessed by everyone or people don't want it anymore because it's broken
* Use of Zodiac Signs, Myers Briggs and Enneagram Personality Traits, & Hogwarts Houses
* The Lost Boy Chronicles an anonymous blog that grabs the schools attention. Classified is a school website/social media site similar to Myspace & Tumblr but only with your school. You sign in with your student email and only your school is on the website. You can also add an anonymous blog if they wish (which sometimes causes trouble)

### Characters and Storylines

List of people as fan casts inspirations for characters

**Young Blood**
* Nicholas "Nick" Hastings is a sarcastic, introverted boy with some serious social anxiety issues. A queer angsty teen with a gift for writing, who is struggling with trust issues. This former "social outcast" having to be observant his whole life becomes a big gossip hot-spot which to him is very ironic.
* Alexander "Xander" Chen, a first generation Chinese-American raised by rebelling academics, a new best friend to Nick. Breaks boundaries with his personality but also holds and respects his Chinese heritage (not enough according to his grandmother)
* Amani Clarke is the new 'IT' girl as her former best friend and queen bee Addison Jensen left the school to a mental health facility. A seemingly perfect person, straight A-student, a star athlete, daughter to powerful parents she has a lot on her shoulders with a bunch of secrets one being a gay trans woman in a toxic, fake positive town her reputation is on the line.
* Addison Jensen is the former queen bee of North Valley, whose crown has fallen off her head and now is staying at a mental health facility. This social butterfly had her life in the spotlight everyone knowing her business like a celebrity pushed her over the edge and she broke down under all the pressure. She knows everyone and anyone and all her secrets will come out and can't do anything about.
* (NAME), (GENDER), (AGE), (RACE), (BODY TYPE), (SEXUALITY), (RELIGION), (OCCUPATION/HOBBIE), (CLIQUE), (MAJOR SECRET)
	+ TBD

**The Irresistible’s**
* (NAME), (GENDER), (AGE), (RACE), (BODY TYPE), (SEXUALITY), (RELIGION), (OCCUPATION/HOBBIE), (CLIQUE), (MAJOR SECRET)
	+ TBD

**The Tribe**
* (NAME), (GENDER), (AGE), (RACE), (BODY TYPE), (SEXUALITY), (RELIGION), (OCCUPATION/HOBBIE), (CLIQUE), (MAJOR SECRET)
	+ TBD

**Other Students**
* (NAME), (GENDER), (AGE), (RACE), (BODY TYPE), (SEXUALITY), (RELIGION), (OCCUPATION/HOBBIE), (CLIQUE), (MAJOR SECRET)
	+ TBD

**North Valley Residents**
* (NAME), (GENDER), (AGE), (RACE), (BODY TYPE), (SEXUALITY), (RELIGION), (OCCUPATION/HOBBIE), (CLIQUE), (MAJOR SECRET)
	+ TBD

### WIP

**PRETTY LITTLE LIARS** x **HEATHERS**

In the world of Idle Town lies the fictional town of North Valley, Massachusetts a town built on generational trauma. This close-nit town that seems normal or perfect; it's all a facade what lies beneath the surface is generations of lying, manipulation and secret. Everyone in the town want their secrets and lies to remain buried but their pasts will come back to haunt them. The new generation sees right through the facade, and wants to break the cycle, and not to be like previous generations. While this new generation feels this way it isn't always the case, the culture of this town has sept into everyone one way or another. The new generation isn't as accepting as they present they still have a lot of things to get out of their system and it won't be easy. While a lot of people in this town present the best, it's not a bad place to grow up in or live in. There are people in this town who are actually can be well liked, respected and accepted.

- Critique of society

- Late 2010s vibes, what life looked like for 2000s kids growing up

- Diverse Queer Found Family

- Small town with history, secrets & manipulation