So I think I have an idea for a superhero story, but I need your help! http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160 Madeline-Rose Hello, all you wonderful fellow Nano folks! I've been into superheroes lately and decided I want to write a superhero story, just for the fun of it. However, I've been having a hard time thinking up my plot. Finally it came to me last night. The story would take place on Earth, of course, where superheroes exist and fight crime, etc. etc. (These superheroes would probably be without powers, by the way.) I was thinking that there would be an organization specifically geared for managing heroes and whatnot, not like the Justice League but more like...a superhero employment agency, I guess? (it sounds silly to put it that way, but it's the best description I can think of.) During the summer, internships would be open for older teens to work alongside superheroes as their 'sidekicks' for a month or two. My FMC (whose name is undecided) at the age of sixteen decides to sign up for a month-long internship, and learns a lot about fighting crime before she discovers some sort of dark secret about the organization -- and superheroes in general. Obviously there would have to be a lot of strict rules and requirements before signing up, as there's a lot of danger, and obviously not everyone would be accepted for internships; believe me, I've thought about this a lot. ...I know it's not the best or anything, but I think it would be really fun to write, so can you guys give me some plot help? I guess more specifically I'd like help thinking what kind of secrets the organization could be hiding, why superheroes are around in the first place when there's law enforcement, etc. Any other help is welcomed too! Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:51:11 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134259 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134259 Dennis Dunjinman Many know the Superhero Paradox. Namely, superheroes are there to fight supervillains, but supervillains only show up where superheroes are. Even if either party tries to move to a place with no heroes/villains. They have methods of keeping control that are considered too extreme or often involve the conviction of innocent people. Sometimes they are ineffective and let small crimes slip by during their petty super-fights. Meep? Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:23:46 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134476 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134476 Madeline-Rose Those are some good ones! I don't know if those are quite what I'm looking for, but they've sparked some ideas that I jotted down for notes. Thank you. :) Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:34:54 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134507 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134507 Dan Diego Students who drop out of Superhero School are offered a scholarship to Super Villian School. That's the secret. Students who drop out of Super Villian School become lawyers. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:22:29 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134754 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1134754 Madeline-Rose Well, you made me crack up, but not really what I'm looking for. Thanks though! Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:03:51 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1135058 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1135058 efration Your superhero agency could be based somewhat on the bounty hunter system. Law enforcement has manpower on their side so in a gunfight, villains will eventually lose. (They'll run out of ammo, they can't count on backup, etc.) So, the villains may have started to turn to ultra high tech (freeze rays and other typical super villain weapons) in order to incapacitate law enforcement. Because law enforcement has all sorts of rules in how they operate and what the standard equipment is, they couldn't keep up with the super villains. So, they gave more power to bounty hunters and the bounty hunters, funded or led by several rich people, also started using high tech to counter the super villains' weapons. These bounty hunters evolved into the super heroes. As for dark secrets of the superhero organization, maybe one of the following: - The organization is actually helping fund the super villains as well. They're doing this because it helps the leaders' business interests. (Same way wars help military manufacturers.) - The organization is actually planning to take over and uses the training program to help identify people who either share this goal (destined to be leaders) or will obey orders without questioning the orders (the foot soldiers). - The organization is trying to take over and is doing experiments to try to create an obedient superhero army. A number of "failures" have their memories altered and are released - these are some of the super villains. - The leaders of the organization have secretly taken over. They've used superheroes to threaten/blackmail the government into doing whatever they want. (For example, the superhero "bodyguard" of the President could actually be there to keep the President in line, possibly using the threat of harm to his/her family.) Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:29:40 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1135418 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1135418 Madeline-Rose That...that's just perfect! Oh man, the ideas are just flowing now. Thank you so much! I had thought up a little something similar to your first secret suggestion (the organization actually funding the villains as well) but I wasn't sure how I could explain it or how it could be executed. Thank you so very much, you're a big help. :) And thank you to everyone else who posted too! And of course more ideas are welcome. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:02:52 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1135594 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1135594 bronwynnre Given your set-up, it would make a lot of sense to me for the hero organization to be controlling the villains as well. They get a share of whatever the villains manage to steal, and the good publicity when they are brought down. Kind of playing both sides, if you will. Then you could have some of the villains team up with the heroes to bring the organization down Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:57:12 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1136142 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1136142 Madeline-Rose Yeah, yeah! :D Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:31:22 -0800 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1137459 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/plot-doctoring/threads/50160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1137459