Categories: Public
The Merchant of Menace
Very socially relevant. I like the idea and theme. Good stuff. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for that good idea about the different time zone connection.
Technical details aside, I LOVE this concept. It's a little like BREWSTER'S MILLIONS but tuned to the tech side of present day.
The story is about PEOPLE. What he needs is 10,000 PEOPLE (maybe more) to friend/follow him on Facebook within X days. The nasty rival lawyer, motivated by 100 million dollars, would be sure to audit the results to eliminate individual people who friended more than once via avatars. Some "friends" will be deducted. Cinematic brinkmanship will have the audit whittle away so the tally is short one or two or five people. All seems lost. Dejection. Despair. The victory party is cancelled. This is all being broadcast live, right? 'Cause everyone wants to win $100 million, right?
But wait! The brilliant girl friend/boy friend/nerd friend suddenly asks if the Will specified the time zone! In Hawaii there is still a half hour (or five minutes) until the deadline (local time). Will your Hero get a little aloha and win? No need to use the phone or computer when you have a TV station on uplink.
Potential for exotic connection to Tahiti, or Adak Alaska--they are in the same time zone as Hawaii. Maybe the obnoxious hero had some childhood or young adult connection--favorable connection--with Adak. Folks at the end of the earth in Adak still remember him (her) fondly.
There are sometimes a few people on Midway Island which is another hour west of Hawaii. 'Cause ya know, you'll still be one friend short when Hawaii hits midnight...
The Will of an eccentric Alaskan aunt grants 100 million dollars to her nephew (niece), a despised Chicago lawyer, but only if he (she) can collect 50 thousand friends on Facebook by midnight in two weeks without personally using any telephone or computer. The Will did not specify WHERE that midnight occurs.
I like the potential for this story. Good luck!
