Unfinished Idea: Calamity High

While I have many an idea, not all of them get finished.

“But Vinnie!” I can hear my anxiety saying in the back of my mind “You say that in almost everything you post here on this blog!“

And to that I say, at least I am consistent!

Talking about my past/current inability to finish certain stories is something I do a lot. It’s something that happens. But one thing I realize that I don’t do a lot is talk about the ideas that I let fall by the wayside. And it’s not like the ideas have gone anywhere. Some ideas stick with you no matter how many other things you work on. I have a few ideas, both for long and short works that I just haven’t gained any traction on, no matter how much I love the ideas.

So, for the consideration of a bunch of furries/writers/curious internet passerby, I present Calamity High.

Calamity High is an idea that may have originated around the same time as Phantom Janitor, now if it was before or after I have no idea. The genre for this story was meant to teeter the lines of psychological thriller and horror. And I have a small bullet journal that has an outline of at least a third of the story.

It featured a group of teenagers who sign up for a special program at a Midwestern private school in the middle of a dense forest as get out of things like jail or other things

In the case of the story’s main character, Ryann Shaw, it’s to keep her out of jail. Her dad, a lead detective for a police department, caught on to her involvement in a string of burglaries after he realized she was stealing back jewelry that had belonged to her late mother.

She is sent to spend a semester going through a private school’s rehabilitation program, where it gives several troubled teens the opportunity to enroll in a full semester. And according to the internet, it works. The program seems to give all of its alumni successful 180s. They all seem to come out better people at the end.

But even before she gets there, Ryann and her new friends start noticing strange happenings. Weird visions, shadowy figures, sounds from the woods, and not to mention the strange forest that surrounds the campus.

The story definitely was meant to be a slow burn horror, where weird things were happening almost from the beginning. And not just at the school. The school has gone through a few names in its conception. I may settle for a horror reference like Thompson or another actor name. Maybe not something that will give it away, but it is an academy.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I will share my ideas for some of the characters. If I ever do start this project up again, I will definitely try and change some of the character qualities.

Ryann Shaw is the protagonist of the project. She’s speech-impaired and communicates specifically through ASL. She’s in a rough spot emotionally at the beginning of the story. Her mom’s death still weighs heavy on her. Her relationship with her father, who’s a police detective, is even more rough.

Pierce Shaw has been trying to move on from his wife’s passing which occurred over three years prior. He’d made the rather unprofessional decision to see his partner, Rachel Hoskins. Part of moving on saw him selling a lot of his wife’s belongings. When the robberies started, it took him a few instances to notice the common denominator. His wife’s jewelry disappearing from their new owner’s homes.

In her thefts, she had her best friend Hershel Farce act as a getaway driver. Unfortunately, she never shared with him what was happening. So he was an unknowing accomplice.

Veronica Night is the main liaison for the private academy’s rehabilitation program for young, troubled teens. I don’t have a note for what her wife’s name is. But her wife, the other Ms. Night is the dean of the school. Or the principal. Or whatever. This is an old idea.

Of course, there’s the other members of the program. Some are there to avoid crimes, some are there because of parent intervention, and then there’s Aitken.

Aitken Hurst is a young gay man whose father is sending him to the school because he was somehow convinced it was conversion therapy. Thankfully it is not conversion therapy.

Arden is a smug asshole. I can’t remember the specifics of what exactly he did, but he bought his way into the program to avoid jail.

Kendall Maxwell is a young woman who knows her way around cars. I know she did something car related. Car crimes! Also, she serves as a possible love interest for Ryann.

Enzo Monhagen is a hacker. His deal is kind of the same as that one guy that leaked the GTA game, got arrested, let out on probation, then leaked the following GTA game. Petty internet crimes, like Rick Rolling the House of Representatives.

Liam is blind, and he isn’t forthcoming with what he did to end up in the program.

Stacia is a rich girl living off of daddy’s money and is in the program because she stole her dad’s car and took it for a drunken joyride. She’s a girl’s girl, and really friendly to the others.

Reisel is a hot-headed young woman. She doesn’t seem to like many people. She’s here to work on her anger issues.

Ceirra is in the program against her will and seems unwilling to open up about why she is there.

Jackob Cartwright is a program alumnus who agreed to come back to the school to help these new students on their journeys. And everything seems okay with him.

The story would mostly follow the process of the program and the weird things that start happening to the students. This is not a slasher novel.

What do you all think? Good idea? Bad idea? Shall I toss it into the abyss? I have 1/3 of the story outlined, but nothing too solid written yet.