Animation Source Forums

This is the place for TSVS team members to post their story ideas and brainstorm with each other.

If you have an idea, any idea, please post it.

I'll start:

A few nights ago I had a dream about TS, the first one I can remember. It was pretty neat... I'm trying to remember... but my memory is spotty. It looked just like the show and the voices were the same. Kinda creepy now that I think about it. But on to the dream...

Basically, the Thembrians capture Broadcast Sally, and the H4H gang naturally goes to her aid, and eventually rescue her. What I really remember is Col Spigot and Sgt Dunder (with Sally's confiscated radio equipment) setting up a non-state radio station or something, which is of course, illegal in Thembria. The High Marshall sends soldiers to seize the equipment and throw them in prison, but Dunder and Spigot somehow get advanced warning and try to flee the country. Then I think the H4H gang saves them, and maybe Sally at the same time. I say the H4H gang, because I can't remember exactly who all was there. I feel fairly sure Baloo and Kit were there, Rebecca might have been there, but I'm not so sure about Molly or Wildcat. I can't really remember how it ends either. There's more I can't remember, but this is more than enough to base a story on.

Maybe Sally could be the one to convince them to do a radio show, starting with Dunder. Then Dunder gets caught by Spigot, so they talk Spigot into joining them. The story could take a number of directions; there are many plot possibilities and opportunities for action and comedy.

Don't hesitate to post story ideas!

It might be a good idea to write them down immediately when you have them, so you don't forget before you're able to post, like I sometimes do. :-\

Once the basics of the plot and premise have been established, then the story (provided it mirrors the spirit of the show) will proceed to the next step where an outline and sample script will be made.

To reiterate, if you're a member of the VS team, post ideas here and not in the public thread. Thanks!

I look forward to reading everyone's ideas!

Some story ideas I am working on:

1) Cape Suzette has a baseball team, who signs H4H as their cargo service. Everything works out well...until the team is matched up against Thembria in the playoffs. Baloo and the Sea Duck end up in danger when the Thembrians try to cheat (and shoot) their way to victory (I posted this idea in the public thread a few days ago).

EDIT: I've almost finished a script for this one, but any suggestions are welcome. Right now the outline looks like this.
-Baloo knows Jimmy Fox, the best hitter on the team. He uses that connection to get a short-term contract for H4H transporting baseball equipment, with the promise of a long-term contract if H4H does a good job.
-Baloo and Kit haul cargo for the team's next few games. During all this the team is in the middle of a playoff race.
-Meanwhile, Thembria also has a baseball team fighting to make the playoffs. Their manager is Colonel Spigot and they win most of their games by cheating.
-The Thembrian team and Cape Suzette wind up having to play each other in a one-game playoff in Cape Suzette Field. Winner goes to the playoffs, loser goes home.
-The morning of the Thembria game, Jimmy Fox accidentally tweaks his arm in practice and has to go see a specialist doctor outside the city. Baloo's plan is to fly him there and back in time for the game.
-Spigot gets word of this and sends the Thembrian military to intercept Baloo, Kit, and Jimmy on their way back to Cape Suzette.
-Jimmy uses the spare cargo in the back of the Sea Duck to hit baseballs at the Thembrian planes, driving them away. However the Sea Duck is damaged in the attack and Baloo has to land and make repairs before they can fly back home. This means they will be very late for the game.
-RC is attending the game. When Jimmy does not show up in time, the Cape Suzette team manager gets extremely angry with RC and basically cancels the contract with H4H. The manager storms off before RC can explain. RC loses track of him and searches the stadium so can talk to him.
-While searching the stadium, RC overhears the Thembrians in their clubhouse talking about their plot against the Sea Duck. She also sees the Thembrians are trying to cheat even more by greasing the baseball, but she puts a stop to that when she secretly replaces the grease with a bucket of glue.
-Baloo fixes the Sea Duck and makes it to the stadium just in time to pinch-hit Jimmy in the bottom of the ninth. Jimmy hits a game-winning home run to beat Thembria and put Cape Suzette in the playoffs.
-The Cape Suzette manager meets with Rebecca and Baloo, thanks both of them for stopping the Thembrians from cheating, and awards H4H the long-term contract.


2) Rebecca convinces the H4H team to enter a "The Apprentice"-style competition for small businesses, but she is not happy when she finds out her old rival from business school (a woman with a lot of the same characteristics as herself) is also in the competition. Rebecca's drive to beat her old rival lands the gang in deep trouble, and it's up to Baloo and the rest of them to save her from herself. (This idea may present some opportunity to reveal more about RC's background.)

EDIT: Here's what I envisioned for this one. As above, any suggestions are welcome.
-Rebecca enters H4H in a small business competition called "Step Up Your Business" which is sponsored by a company that makes elevator shoes. The goal of the competition is to sell as many of the company's shoes as possible over a limited period of time, with the winning business getting $100,000. Baloo thinks the product they are selling is ridiculous but likes the prize so he goes along with it.
-When registering for the competition, Baloo and RC run into RC's old rival from business school, Karen Krafty, who is also entering in the competition. Karen is successful, attractive, and friendly...which means RC really dislikes her. RC explains how Karen always beat out RC on test scores, for internships, etc. RC vows to beat Karen in this competition.
-The team first tries selling the shoes on the street. They have moderate success, but RC is not satisfied.
-RC gets the idea to sell the shoes to Shere Khan so they can make more money fast. They try different ways of getting into Khan's office but always fail and wind up getting thrown out of the building.
-RC is more determined than ever to win. She decides she, Baloo, and Kit will go to Zibaldo and sell the shoes to pygmies, who of course need elevator shoes.
-The plan backfires when the pygmies capture them and try to eat them. They escape by making a costume big enough to fit all three of them and using the elevator shoes to make them look like a really big monster. RC feels bad for putting all of them in danger.
-Once home, they find out Karen Krafty has won the competition and the jackpot because she also had the idea to sell the shoes to Khan, and managed to be successful at it. RC comes to accept the fact that she doesn't have to be the best at everything.


3) Don Karnage possibly has a mid-life crisis and suddenly comes to regret his pirate ways. He even turns himself in to Cape Suzette authorities, saying he has changed and wants to repay society for his crimes. But has Karnage really changed...or is it all part of an elaborate scheme to get his air pirates into the city?

EDIT: I don't really have much for this one, other than it is in fact a plot by Don Karnage to rob Cape Suzette. I was trying to think of what his evil scheme might actually be, but couldn't really think of anything. Any suggestions?


Edit: BTW the Broadcast Sally idea is really good. Although I'm not sure Baloo would want to save her b/c she would probably expect another date with him

#1, I like this one, the sample script was great and I can't wait to see an outline!

#2, I like this one too, it should be a good opportunity to explore RC's background, as you said. Is this all you have on this idea so far? If not, please post as much as you know, if it is, then give me about a day to think about possible directions before I reply.

#3, Another good one! I foresee plenty of chances for action and comedy, and possibly even a little character development. I'll need a day or so for this one too...

Sorry for the short reply, but basic ideas like these are just what we need. Also I'm trying to prepare an outline I started months ago so I can post it, hopefully tonight.

PS, on a funny side note, you use the same name abbreviations that I do. My outlines and even my script drafts use pretty much only abbreviations, like KC=Kit, RC=Rebecca, MC=Molly, LL=Louie, SK=Shere Khan, Bl=Baloo, Wc=Wildcat, etc. And we both like the script format! It's like it was meant to be, lol.

0x7B: I'll update my original post with what I have so far. (i forgot this is a non-public thread so we can be as specific as we want).

Ok, thanks.

Btw, my outline is posted! It's "Lost Horizons: The Super Rocket". Enjoy!

I'm still in favor of an episode with real aliens, that's just me.

Well the series did have "fantastical" aspects, in some episodes (like the magic in "Her chance to dream")
Aliens could work, but only if you write a scenario enough far from "War of the weirds" - because that episode was centered on that, yet there was no real alien.

I was actuelly considering using the character from the episode, Colonel Grogg, like maybe he actuelly witnesses an alien space craft land but naturally, no one believes him. And maybe Baloo humors the guy and goes to 'investagate' with him, probably a subplot would be involved, like the military is tired of investigating Grogg's 'false alarms' and pays High For Hire to 'investigate' this one, only to find out there really is an alien invasion this time, possibly being a two parter, like they're captured by aliens at the end of the first one and then in the second part, they manage to escape, try to get reinforcements but no one believes them until the aliens actuelly launch their invasion, which would then lead to a dogfight with the aliens, eventually managing to defeat them and send them into full retreat. Would that work? And if needed, the aliens could always return later for another shot in a future episode.

About the alien invasion idea, while I won't rule it out, I don't think something like that would fit well with the TS universe. Don't get me wrong, I like alien invasions just as much as the next guy, but the problem with that is putting the genie back in the bottle once its out. Really the only way I could see a story about aliens working is if the aliens are friendly and want peace but the Usland government, thinking the aliens are hostile, overreacts and tries to destroy them. In this case, Baloo and any other characters involved in the plot would defend the aliens. If we were to do a story with aliens, I'd want to fix it so they couldn't/wouldn't come back anytime soon. Maybe they crashed their ship and the H4H has to help them repair it to continue their journey and get away from the overzealous Usland government. Also I'd limit it to a manageable number of aliens, like no more than three. (maybe less)

Anyway, if we did do an alien story, I personally think it would work better later in the TS time line, when the characters are a little older, but that's just me.

In any case, I appreciate your story suggestions! Please don't hesitate top post any more you may have.

Well that plot does work better, I do like it. Maybe we could work the Air Pirates into it, like have them want the technology from the aliens.

Anyway here's another, two part episode idea I had. It'd kinda continue off the 2nd pilot but wouldn't be the next episode or something, but has Griffith and Jarret return for revenge as well as bring a little of Baloo's past (which we know was rough from what he's said and such) into play. Here's the idea:

Episode 1:

-H4H is doing great at the start of the episode, finacilly that is.
-However, a new transport company opens in the area, stealing business.
-among the pilots are a woman named Sora (I'm thinking a fox) that Baloo was once friends with but due to a misunderstanding, she now hates him. Another is a mystery pilot that covers his entire body in a black costume, never removing his helmet.
-Due to having more pilots than H4H (a total of four), this new business begins to out do H4H, also not helping are several 'accidents', such as a fire in the hanger and the engine on the Sea Duck malefunctioning before take off (Wild Cat can't find a cause ether).
-Baloo begins to get his ties to Sora back, seemingly sorting out the problem. But the black pilot watches on from nearby and reports back to a person in their office who tells him everything is going according to plan, and that not to worry.
-RC begins getting frustraited, first trying to work Baloo harder, then considering hiring more pilots to keep up.
-Baloo, on the other hand, notices something strangely familar about the black dressed pilot's actions. He and Kit investagate, only to be captured by the rival pilots.
-At the office, thugs simular to the ones hired by Griffith in his previous appearence break into H4H and kidnap RC and Molly. At the office of the other company, the pilot reveals himself as Jarret, now having visable scars from his crash in the pilot (like being blind in one eye or having parts of his fur permently seered off).

Episode 2

-Griffith reveals himself as well, revealing his plan. He escaped prison several months ago and set up this company to put H4H out of business for revenge due to them messing up his con last time, planning to buy out H4H and use it as a new front for another con, adding insult to injury.
-Griffith demands that RC turn over H4H to him, she obviously refuses, so Griffith has his other two pilots take Molly to another location, telling the H4H crew that he'll give them time to reconsider but if they still don't turn it over 'something unpleasent will happen to the girl' and leaves them locked up.
-Molly, as in the pilot, manages to escape the two thugs in a werehouse nearby (likely a comic scene).
-Sora frees Baloo, Kit, and RC, revealing she was an undercover cop tracking Griffith, and she had come to terms with what had happened with Baloo years ago.
-Griffith sends his remaining three pilots to destroy H4H's office but Baloo and Kit get to the Sea Duck while Sora gets to her plane and togather engage Jarret and the other two pilots in a dogfight over the bay while RC is reunited with Molly but Griffith's thugs catch them.
-While Jarret's partners are shot down after awhile, Griffith holds RC and Molly hostage at his werehouse, demanding Baloo allow the Sea Duck be destroyed if he wants them safe (thus crippling H4H's abilities to work severely).
-Baloo and Kit stuggle to figure out what to do but trick Jarret into nearly hitting Griffith, letting RC and Molly escape.
-Jarret is shot down by Sora and Baloo, sending him crashing into Griffith's werehouse (scene transition makes it appear Griffith was hit by the falling plane), his plane exploding and apparently killing both him and Griffith.
-Sora and the H4H crew part ways but Sora tells them they were a great help and tells Baloo to keep in touch. The way she says it (sorta suggestively) gets under RC's skin a little as the episode ends.

What do you think?

We might do something like this... If we do, care will have to be taken to not make it seem too much like the 2nd pilot. I noticed several of your scenes are similar to scenes in the 2nd pilot, and I don't want it to seem live Déjà vu. Changing the setting could help, like putting the action somewhere other than Cape Suzette... and making the stakes not include losing H4H since that was part of the plot of the 2nd pilot... things like that. I do appreciate the ideas... I've been having a bit of a mental block lately so coming up with good ideas hasn't been easy.

Well the reason for those two things is Griffith knows how much H4H means to Rebecca and he's out for revenge on her and Baloo, and the best way to do that is take their busness they love so much and use it for evil perposes. He also knows how much RC cares about Molly, thus why he kidnaps her to try to force RC to hand over H4H. So its all about revenge, last time it was busness, this time its personal.

I get that it's about revenge and that it's personal, but IMO he probably would skip trying to use H4H for evil and go straight to kidnapping Molly. Having Griffith use H4H as his next base of operations just seems a little too elaborate. He'd probably try something simpler, like ransoming off Molly for such a large sum that Rebecca has to sell H4H to pay it and get Molly back. I mean, if he's known in Cape Suzette, why would he try to run a con operation from there? Especially from a place that was the target his last con.

I think a better angle would be (just off the top of my head), to have him "reformed" and return to H4H to apologize for conning her and almost destroying her business. He could volunteer to work at H4H for free (or something else to serve them) as a way to make amends for him crimes and, of course, use it as an opportunity to kidnap Molly (and maybe Kit also, just to make Baloo flip out).

But, as I said before, my primary concern would be to make sure the story is unique and doesn't seem like a a redo of the 2nd pilot. Probably the easiest way to do that it to have them in a different setting, i.e. on vacation somewhere. They could meet Griffith at the vacation location where he could be working some semi-menial job and that's when he puts on the reformed front. After they're convinced that he really has turned over a new leaf, he could contact Jarrett, who is conveniently working nearby, to put a plan into action to Kidnap Molly and/or Kit. Also, putting them somewhere other than Cape Suzette would put them far away from their friends or any one who could help them. I'm thinking like at an island resort or something. You could even work in Sora pretty easily too.

Anyway, that's just a rough idea... Bottom line: If this were a fully animated episode, you should be able to watch just about five seconds of it and know immediately what episode it is.

Ok, given those suggestions, I've rewritten the idea, taking them into account. I'd still like it to be a two parter, since the revenge of Griffith and Jarrett would be important. I'm also trying to keep it hidden at first the Jarrett has returned.

Episode 1:

-H4H, after a period of booming business, decide to go on a group vacation, (likely a scene would occure were Baloo talks Rabecca into it with Molly's help), going to an island resort. However, on the way there, the Sea Duck is nearly knocked out of the sky by a seemingly reckless pilot in full black.
-Not taking it personally, they arrive on the resort, only to discover that the manager is Sora, who Baloo is shocked to see, once again due to a falling out they had years ago. While at first she seems to still be mad, his attempts to make up, with Kit's help, begin to work.
-While Baloo attempts to make up with Sora, Rebecca comes across Griffith, who is apparently reformed, as well as seemingly working contently as the resort's groundskeeper. After a rather hostile encounter, mostly on Rebecca's part, Griffith appologizes for his past actions, even offering his paycheck to her to repay.
-Rebecca doesn't know what to make of it, but half heartedly forgives Griffith. Meanwhile, Baloo has dinner with Sora, sorting things out between each other, unknowing that the Black Pilot is watching their every move and reporting to an offscreen character.
-Kit, meanwhile, is kidnapped by an onseen figure that the audence doesn't see but Kit reconizes. When Baloo returns for Kit, he finds him missing. He goes looking for him, only to be kidnapped himself by the Black Pilot. With the two chained up, he reveals himself as Jarrett, who is heavily scarred from the explosion before. He reveals that he and his 'employer' have big plans in store.
-Episode ends with an unseen figure approaching Rebecca and Molly's room.

Episode 2

-Griffith knocks on Rebecca's door and once again apologizes, wanting to come in and talk to her. Rebecca is suspescious, but let's him in but shortly there after, Griffith pulls a gun on Rebecca and reverts back to his 'evil' look once again. He has the other groundsworkers, who are really hired henchmen for Griffith. He has them take Molly and tells Rebecca that if she doesn't pay an extremely large sum of money to get her back, 'something unpleasent will happen to the girl' and leaves.
-As Rebecca tries to come up with the money, Griffith goes to Jarrett, revealing his plan to Baloo and Kit, to make Rebecca have no choice but to sell H4H to meet the ransom. Baloo asks if he plans to kill them now, but Griffith tells him he needs him alive as 'collateral', in case Rebecca get's enough money to pay the ransom for Molly without selling H4H.
-Rebecca realizes the only way to pay the ransom would be to sell H4H but Sora convinces her of another idea. Sora gives Rebecca the money for Molly's ransom, due to owning the resort she's wealthy, and while Griffith is occupide with the money exchange, she sneaks into Griffith's hideout to free Molly, aware Griffith probably wouldn't play fair.
-While the plan happens, Sora finds and frees Baloo and Kit and Molly manages to get away from the thugs herself ('Danger woman' again, since that is a recurring theme with Molly if memory serves) and all of them manage to sucessfully escape.
-Fed up with them, Griffith sends Jarrett and his henchmen to kill Baloo and the others as they try to escape in the Sea Duck. Due to the danger, Rebecca and Molly remain on the ground while Baloo, Kit, and Sora try to stop Jarrett and the menions, Sora using the resorts tourplane (she, like Baloo, was once a cargo plane pilot, that's how they met originally), .
-The two planes manage to trick Jarrett into taking out his other planes and engage him in a dogfight, but just when it seems they'll take down Jarrett, Griffith catches Molly and Rebecca and holds them at gunpoint at his hideout, telling Baloo to let the Sea Duck be destroyed or he'll kill them, refering to that ether way he'll have his revenge. However, Molly and Rebecca manage to escape Griffith at the last second thanks to a misfire by Jarrett (caused by his recklessness).
-Sora and Baloo manage to trick Jarrett into disabling his own plane, which crashing into Griffith's hideout, seemingly killing them both when it explodes, lighting the building on fire.
-The next day, the police reveal that no sign of Griffith or Jarrett but both are presumed dead. Sora offers H4H a free stay at the resort to make up for all the trouble, but they decline, deciding they miss Cape Suzette and want to head home. Sora says goodbye to Baloo (somewhat suggesting a romantic hope to see him again), which angers Rebecca as the episode ends.

Another idea I kinda want to work into the idea is that Sora offers Baloo to be the new tour plane pilot, which would be a free stay at the resort, but that may be too much like the pilot's plot.

@godzillawolf:
Wow, I really meant to respond to this sooner, it's been almost a month... Sorry for the delay, I've been really busy with school junk.

About the re-write: yeah, much better! I think it definitely has potential! The Baloo, Rebecca, Sora UST triangle is sure to be entertaining as well!

So yeah, nice work!

@everyone:
Ok, so this is a story idea JerRocks2day first posted in the public forum and later PMed me the details. It's an adaptation of a two part DuckTales episode, The Golden Goose. I have to be honest, I probably wouldn't go for this idea at all if the original TS series hadn't done a DT adaptation themselves. (The TS ep Time Bandits was adapted from the DT ep Allowance Day) So I'm asking for the VS team's opinion on this: Should we do VS episodes that are adapted from other shows?

Here's the story details JerRocks2day PMed me:


Indeed, what do you all think? Should we pursue this story even though it's an adaptation of a DT episode? Thoughts?