Inspired

## SUMMARY

Inspired is a tale taking place in two different time periods, specifically during the early to late 1930's and the mid 1960's, and it follows the family of a classic animation empire, Kovac Productions, specifically the families vindictive patriarch and the founder, Bertram Kovacs. Bertram makes deals with an otherworldly figure to try and beat his rival but always falls short, driving him to desperation, and those around him to madness. The other half follows his assistant 30 years later, Price Willoughby, desperately trying to keep the studio open while meeting the demands of the heirs, the eccentric and obsessive Kovac Brothers, whom are trying to open a theme park.

## DETAILED PLOT

Inspired is a tale taking place in two different time periods, specifically during the 1930's and the mid 1960's, and it follows the family of a classic animation empire, Kovac Productions, specifically the families vindictive patriarch and the founder, Bertram Kovacs.

The first half of the novel is told from the perspective of Bertram Kovacs, and it starts around the late 1920's. After he feels betrayed by the abandonment and success of his former friend turned rival, Walt Disney, he tries to build his own competing animation studio out of spite, just to fuel his ego and tear down Walt's. But he was always just barely behind, and he is nearly destitute just a few years into competition... That is, until he is approached by a mysterious figure who can promise him success and the upper-hand on his rival, in turn for the small price of his mortal soul. Bertram quickly takes the offer and in the night, inspiration comes to him for a brand new character that takes the public by storm, giving rise to their empire, allowing it to grow into a proper studio. But soon enough, Disney advances further with new pictures, new characters, new ideas, including their first full color animated film, and Kovac Productions is left behind again. When he beckons the strange figure once more, he is told he has no soul left to barter with, so Bertram offers the souls of his employees, creating small clauses in their contracts to sign away their souls unknowingly, and once again, Kovac Productions is thrust with glorious inspiration and takes lead. But reaching into the start of the 1940's, as he see's the toll that these deals have had on his employee's, his family, and most importantly - himself - Bertram is forced to reconsider the choices that he's made in life. His loving but growing more and more distant wife, Dolores, he learns has fallen into self-medication through pills and alcohol to deal with the increasingly vivid and surreal nightmares she's been having of losing him to this petty feud. He eventually confronts the stranger of his purpose, confessing his suspicions that the stranger may be the Devil himself, to which the stranger laughs ("Not quite old chap, but not far off either") and finally properly introduces himself... As Mephistopheles. But with the news that Disney is producing some grand animated opus entitled "Fantasia", Bertram is left desperate to retain his superiority over his rival. So, when Mephistopheles comes once again, despite having nothing more to give, Bertram pleads for there to be anything he may be able to do to earn one last favor. And Mephistopheles considers this before he returns with "his companions", whom inform him that he can earn one last favor, by making one special feature for them. At this point, the story from Bertram's perspective ends, and his fate is left unknown.

The second half of the novel picks up in the early 1960's from the perspective of Bertram's once young intern Price Willoughby, now grown assistant to the two heads of Kovac Productions, Bertram's two sons Jackson and Wallace. This half of the story follows Price trying desperately to keep the studio afloat while meeting the increasingly eccentric demands of the Kovac brothers, whom are dead-set on upholding their father's final wish to beat Disney, and they plan on doing so by stealing one of Walt's ideas: They want to build a theme park [this is almost a decade before Disney Theme Park would open]. The eldest son Jackson is unnaturally determined to appease his father, going to great and extravagant lengths to get the land deals and construction for the parks began, even at the expense of budget needed for the animators to keep making movies. The younger son Wallace seems on the surface to be pushing for the same goal, but he harbors deep and vitriolic resentment towards his father from his childhood because Bertram carelessly shot down his son's "Brilliant Masterpiece Character", and he has been working in secret ever since to perfect her and prove that she would sell to the masses. The youngest child and only Kovacs daughter, "Dottie", refuses to take any true hold in the company, saying that she wishes to purely 'save herself for bigger pictures' (Though she will become the voice actress for Wallace's character, and be severely abused and traumatized in the process). Meanwhile, while trying to negotiate better conditions for the rest of the employees in the studio, Price has been feverishly going through Bertram's old records, trying to find any lost or potentially scrapped characters to give a new face to the studio - one that is desperately needed as they hadn't put out a new picture in almost 5 years, and not a new character in over 15. Finally, Price comes across the final project that Bertram was working on before he fell ill, a strangely already completed, fully colored but never shown or release special. Upon further analysis, Price notices that the entire film, from animation to coloring to music, was done entirely by Bertram himself, as no other employees had any knowledge of the project, and all of the voices are from actors the studio had never used and had no record of. When he has some animators watch the film and see if they can ready it for release, the screening group goes into a hysterical frenzy, refusing to finish watching the film, and disappear shortly after. Finally, Price decides to watch the film for himself, "The Final Symphony", and through it we find out what actually became of Bertram Kovacs.

"The Final Symphony" begins with a large stage with curtains drawn before the silhouette of a performance, and just at the bottom of the screen one can barely make out the outline of the conductor. The curtains open and upon the stage is what seemed to be a Hollywood after-party celebration, with all of the characters being animated renditions of many of the studio's staff, including a character of Bertram himself. Also at the party appeared the many characters the studio had created over the years, all come to life to enjoy the celebration. After a minute or so of joyous fun, a group of individuals walk in, 10 brand new, uniquely animated characters, whom approach Bertram expectantly. Animated Bertram grows nervous, but the new characters reassure him, having him sign papers as they walk him toward a large slab pedestal at center stage. As they make their way through the party, the other characters and guests stop and grow silent with concern and confusion. After Bertram finds his way onto the pedestal, he appears to let out a remorseful prayer before nodding. The outline of the conductors arms readies and as he begins, the orchestra music playing begins to distort and warp into mind-melting drones and ear-piercing screeches. All of the other party guests begin screaming in agony and panicking, while the animated character guests start melting horrifically into pools and fountains of ink that begin overtaking the other guests, desperately trying to escape. Meanwhile, the 10 new guests are chanting before the pedestal of Bertram, whom himself cannot bear to look at the scene before him as he desperately prays, before the ink starts overtaking him. As he is slowly and painfully covered and smothered in ink, his form and features start to warp and change, all that can be heard are metallic shrieks and the wails of the damned, the conductor is still moving as he himself melts into ink slowly, as the curtain slowly closes, and after a final second of anguished shrieks upon a closed curtain, sudden silence follows. A spotlight still shines on center stage, as a new man walks from behind the curtain to take a final bow, a character called 'The Maestro', whose red and yellow eyes of flame pierce from the screen as he smiles, taking his bow, as the credits begin to roll.

Bertram's final fate is revealed to be that his last favor from Mephistopheles was to give up more than his mortal soul, but also his mortal form, and with the full Council Of Hell at his side, Bertram Kovacs was used to be the new permanent host of the devil himself, Lucius Morningstar, whom would now be free to come and go into the Mortal Realm from Hell as he wished.

TBAL

## CHARACTERS

* Bertram Kovacs
* Mephistopheles
* Price Willoughby
* Jackson "Yacko" Kovacs
* Wallace "Wacko" Kovacs
* Deborah "Dot" Kovacs
* Walt Disney
* Dolores "Dottie" Kovacs

 Animated Characters

* Simon Stag (Bullwinkle)
* Chippy Hare (Rocky)
* Benny Bear
* Donnace Hunter (Elmer Fudd)
* Oscar The Hunting Dog
* Ricky Rat (Mickey Mouse)
* Gerald Goose (Donald Duck)
* (Betty Boop)
* (Popeye)
* (Bugs Bunny)
* The Maestro
* "Bubsy" (Beelzebub) [Cartoon Fly?]
* "Stophy" (Mephistopheles) [Goat Man]
* "Po" (Apophis) [Cutesy Snake, One-side-only]
* "Asmo" (Asmodeus) [Tubby King]
* "Baph" (Baphomet) [Goat]
* "Lial" (Belial)
* (Erlik)
* (Ibris)
* (Lilith)
* (Mara)

## TRIVIA

* The story was actually originally called Certifiably: INSPIRED and it was a vastly different tale. Certifiably was actually planned to be an animated comedy web-series which never got off the ground, based on a madman who kidnaps dozens of parody caricatures of famous actors and directors, trying to force them to make his "Dream Project". The project was scraped all together because the author, Nathan Thornsbury, had severe dissatisfaction with the idea down to the core, and he revamped the title for the new project.

TBAL