1. JBean

    JBean Active Member

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    Scene ideas needed please!!

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by JBean, Mar 8, 2023.

    Ok so... I am really stuck for an idea on developing a specific scene that is crucial to my plot and need ideas for the basis or details of the scene, itself.

    In need of a really dramatic, high-emotion scene where my main character rescues another from the arms of danger, preferably with him wielding a gun at whoever is being rescued from. For those who may be following my project in other threads, we're talking about Ben rescuing Chris.

    It's an important scene because not only is it realized how much he means to him and vice versa, this scene is what leads to another huge moment in the story- it's the event that leads to Ben taking Chris in to some stay with him.

    I need a reason why he would be rescuing him or what he would be rescuing him from. Have pondered many possibilities but can't come up with anything good or that is to say realistic or believable.

    Possible reasons considered: all seem to involve Ben being at the right place at the right time and the ideas fall apart.

    1: Chris being attacked on the street or subway or a park or somewhere public. This is the sexiest idea for me in terms of basis for a dramatic scene, at least how I see it in my head, but hard to work out the details of just how, exactly, this scene happens because it would require the greatest best timing ever or something.

    2: Chris' attacker is not a stranger and he is rescued from a more domestic form of abuse. Ben walking in on that at the right time seems even less plausible. Even with a key to the apartment, nothing a few door chains would prevent him from doing in real life.

    3: Chris is rescued from a fire set carelessly by himself in his apartment- but there's already a fire scene, unless I discard that one and replace with this, but Ben would still have to show up at exactly the right time.

    4: Lastly, I considered perhaps rescuing him from a suicide attempt of which this is a running theme for Chris in the story BUT anything serious enough would likely warrant a hospital trip or not be eventful enough for the whole teary scene of clinging to Ben, his rescuer, for safety after being rescued aspect.
     
  2. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    How about something where Ben can see the danger Chris is blind to or more likely that excites him. Maybe Chris is buying drugs from some dangerous street punk and Ben tells him he should stay far away from him and his crowd, but he doesn't listen, so Ben takes to following him sometimes and sees something bad going down. Maybe he bought a gun and has been carrying it because he understands the kind of danger Chris is seeking and might be bringing around at some point.

    And maybe for a little while after, Chris now sees Ben as exciting and dangerous. But that fades because, well, the familiar loses its appeal if you're drawn to the novel and the exciting. That's related to thrill-seeking and addiction in general. Someone who's into thrill-seeking might need stability now and then, but it sure isn't exciting, and it will quickly lose its appeal and feel dull and stifling.
     
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  3. JBean

    JBean Active Member

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    It's really funny you suggested that about Ben following him---- when I started piecing together the various scenes I've written (some in my mind if not yet on paper) where Chris is in trouble and Ben is there to help I started exploring that idea of Ben always showing up and how it could be interesting if (without saying it) something like that is happening- Ben following him or something not quite a long the lines of stalking him hahaha but until now that you say that I hadn't considered using that concept for this scene or how him taking to following him could lead into this scene. Ben finds out from Paul after he's not been around a while the kind of stuff Chris has been getting into that he's been missing. These scenes can certainly tie together easily enough.

    Ben packs heat from the start. The element of danger and excitement you mention is definitely be a thing, for Chris. Being from the hoody hood and always being armed for the unexpected and ready for self defense is not out his character at all. His toughness and confidence and badassness is one of Chris' immediate attractions to him and early on he remarks on the various scars Ben has that he's told are from hopping razour wire- and that's the only info Ben is willing to divulge about why he was hopping razour wire. It comes also from the fact that his family was the last white family in the neighborhood but no one f*cks with him. There's obviously a certain level of respect for him, too, on his block and so clearly there's a little bit mystery and excitement to Ben's secret bad boy side that Chris finds very attractive. *queue up sound of knight riding in on white horse*

    Given that, the idea of Ben knowing he's involved with dangerous sh&t and following him would really lend itself to all these related scenes, really. They've all been fragmented scenes that may or may not be related. His association with the bad biker dude Ben gets into a brawl with, Ben roughing someone up who gets a little too fresh with Chris who may be same dude, Ben rescuing him from being worked over by someone. Originally I saw the scene where he rescues him (either from a stranger or not) taking place in the subway when he hears shiz going down (certain stations noise carries very far) and backtracks to discover him being cornered. Ben sneaks up on the guy from behind, stopping the attacker at gunpoint.

    With your suggestion he may actually have been following him which would explain being there a the right time vs by chance! Maybe Chris claims he's going to X and Ben doesn't believe him or he's just following him, in general, keeping an eye out. After the stuff about the beach he can't not worry about him, ever, and he's plagued with bad dreams and spidey senses going crazy and unexplained anxiety attacks whenever something bad is going on.

    Much earlier in the story when they are becoming closer friends and Ben is first beginning to understand what it must be like for Chris to go through life, as an openly gay male, they're walking down the street together a group of punk kids start calling out harassing him over being gay so Ben starts to reach for his gun but Chris stops him though. He's used to it and they're just being assholes, no need. After that he's realizing Chris is kinda a big target, for both of them. That leads into a scene after when Ben feels the need to coach Chris a little, telling him how if anything ever were to happen how he knows where he keeps it (his gun) and to use it but not to be stupid with it.

    They go shooting together because Ben feels like Chris should learn how to shoot and get some practice in case he never needs to defend himself. They end up shooting clay pigeons while they're at it and much to Ben's surprise of course learns Chris is apparently a very skilled rifleman (comes with growing up an English country boy where shooting is a tradition) and much to his dismay Chris kicks his ass so Ben's put out by this. Ben grabs the shotgun out of his hands, vanquished over losing what he assumed would be an easy win since after all he had told he never shot before and honestly- who would expect someone like Chris to know how to shoot? Another lesson learned by Ben not to make assumptions, another surprise about Chris, yet another facet in their relationship, another competitive edge where he thought there was none. "I thought you told me you never discharged a firearm before in your life?" To which he of course grabs it right back from Ben. "I learned it from the movies!" :p <--- I'm never really sure how to properly explain the tone of Chris' retort in that exchange of dialogue, I'd have to demonstrate it to get it across well. I'd give anyone $5 who would know how to put his attitude into words lol. But anyway, I digress!!! That's one of my favourite interactions between them. Ben's so dominant and such a chauvinist with Chris yet Chris always has the next surprise up his sleeve to put Ben in his place, he's deceptively helpless and innocent.

    Like Madonna sang, "I've got the moves baby, you've got the motion, put us together we'd be causing a commotion!" This is how my brain works. Going from one thought to the next. Think of Princess Vespa when they shoot her hair in Spaceballs- that's kinda the Chris dynamic.




    It's the little surprises along the way as they get to know each other that fascinate Ben and smash any assumptions he may have. Chris shaves with a straight razour and until they meet, Ben drinks beer and 7&7 but Chris drinks Scotch, straight. He knows how to shoot. It's all the more thrilling for Ben who takes Chris under his wing as this helpless little thing, this gay male who doesn't know how to do anything on his own (or can't he?) and OMG-- auto mechanics are too much and electrical wiring is simply too much I can't be BOTHERED! but then he can do all these other things that make Ben question his own masculinity.

    Another scene where Ben jumps into action with his gun is when they're stumbling home drunk together late at night, Chris very drunk, and a someone sees them in this vulnerable condition and thinks like he could be slick and take advantage of the situation but Ben's right on it and already has the gun in his hand in his pocket ready to go and tells the guy to back the F off when he sees him moving in on them.
     
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  4. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    Something like this?

    Chris cocked his head and smiled with one side of his mouth. "I learned it from the movies!"

    "Yeah. Sure you did." Now Ben's head was swimming with strange imagery of Chris as a young English schoolboy, but living in the countryside in a big mansion, riding horses, and shooting for sport. "What kind of childhood did you really have?"

    The other side of Chris' mouth started to curl up and he quickly turned away and changed the subject. But for just a moment Ben saw it. A real smile. That was a rarity these days. ​
     
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  5. JBean

    JBean Active Member

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    Hmmm. I do like this, it is good, but Ben doesn't know all that much about his background and not even until after he's dead has no idea he's from a big mansion in the country, all a long he thinks he's from London. Would this is foreshadowing? I imagine Chris being rather Veruca Salt kinda bratty at Ben. Actually, I know I already referenced Princess Vespa but there's an epically good example of Chris' temperament- Veruca Salt's character in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!
    *When he's being fresh. That is, when he's charged up. Sober docile Chris is NOT a brat. He's very tranquil and gentle. While Ben loves both and bratty Chris keeps him on his toes, it's the placid sweet Chris Ben loves most who, outside of Chris' wife, Ben is the only one who gets to experience fully.



    The only other thing, is he's still pretty cheerful and happy go lucky at this point in the story when the skeet shooting scene takes place. It's still only 1975 so he hasn't really gone through the wringer, yet, though he's very flippant and that's the push and pull of their interactions. Ben's a roughneck and Chris is a spoiled brat lol Ben throws it his way and he throws it back and vice versa. It's like damn... that didn't go as planned.

    The scene that started this thread, however, is much different time and place. We're up to 1981 (or 1982, depending of the day I am working on this part of the story). The innocence and optimism at the earlier part of the story when they are first friends is long gone. Chris is a mess, he's strung out, he's spaced out, burned out- Ben's stressed out, exhausted, living from day to day. I toyed once with something even very very dramatic that he actually shoots someone in this scene but nah. It's unnecessary. That would be a plot unto itself and then we enter into Thelma and Louise territory.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2023
  6. JBean

    JBean Active Member

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    @Xoic

    Was contemplating your suggestion all throughout my day today and how this scene might be set, structured whatever. Having what one might be consider to be a very general or broad knowledge about the drug culture in NYC- specifically in the 1970s- I did a little impromptu research on my lunch today in search of more of the nitty gritty specific details and found a couple very interesting articles. One article was about the history of heroin in the city and it was rather eye opening. For instance, though hardly surprising, never realized NYC is and was the epicenter of this drug. Also never realized heroin was often "branded".

    I was seeking some inspiration perhaps for what kind of trouble might be incorporated into this scene. As mentioned, my understanding about the drug and illegal underground culture is very general, fromn outsider's movie-goer type perspective. I know there are drug wars and dealers and smugglers and narcotics officers trying to catch and bust said dealers and stuff... but beyond that...

    what kind of stuff might be going to lead into this scene? What kind of events or what have you with someone dangerous and/or dangerous crowd might lead up to Chris being being attacked by someone? Your idea is really good and I can flesh out specific stuff, but how do I get there- in trying to think through if I was writing this scene out from start to finish? What would a good structure look like? How much do I need to explain/include about what Chris is doing and how he ends up in trouble? Why or what are possible reasons someone Chris is caught up with would be doing this to him? Dealers wouldn't usually have cause to do this to a customer, mostly because they want to draw as little attention to themselves as possible in fear of being busted. Same for the buyers. Let's say he takes to trading sex for dugs, unless someone is trying to force him to do something against his will there's still a disconnect about what happens at the point Ben intercepts.
     

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