Hazy Sky's Ideas Emporium (Mostly M for F)

[Hazy Sky]

Hey there, I am Hazy Sky and I'm very pleased to welcome you to my thread. In the real world I am a father and I am currently in the process of retraining to become a counsellor. Here I love to build characters, plots and worlds with my writing partners and to explore different worlds and alternative realities. I hope that my writing is detailed, well written and clear and that my characters are interesting and varied and you are very welcome to look at my current posts to get a feel for my writing style and characters. I am new player friendly.

Below are a few story concepts that have currently caught the interest of my muse and I have written a very rough teaser of how each might potentially start. I hope you find them interesting.

Last edit made on February 7th 2025

Five new story ideas added:

Lazing on a sunny afternoon

Companion

The Fog

Flotsam and Jetsam

Priceless

I am currently looking for new stories and all of my ideas are available for discussion.

[Hazy Sky]

Love looks not with the eyes…

She glanced up, their eyes met and he was just... She felt her cheeks heating and she glanced away, but he didn't seem to notice. For a moment she was taken aback, she felt so sure there would be a spark there and then she saw the dress cane in his hand and his fingertips dragging lightly along the wall as he continued to walk towards her still smiling that beautiful smile. He couldn’t see her. She should get out of his way, but she wasn't quick enough and he jostled her elbow. He turned, reaching out, an apology on those perfect lips…

Plot?

I'm interested in seeing how a relationship and a romance develops when one of the protagonists has no idea what the other looks and how that disability changes all the facets of the relationship and its moments of intimacy.

[Hazy Sky]

A Helping Hand.

Morning shift at the Diner: He settles himself in the same spot at the counter he's taken every morning since he walked in. She's there ready, the coffee in hand. He picks up a menu, but they both know it's for show. Cook is already glancing over waiting for her to confirm it's the same order as always. Every morning it is the same and she's come to rely on that unspoken acknowledgement of her humanity. Except this morning is different, because no amount of makeup will hide that black eye and when he looks at her she just knows he sees right through it. When he speaks it's not to place his order. He asks her if everything is alright, his voice soft with concern that no one else has expressed for her…

Plot?

I want to explore a friendship that might turn into something more whilst one character is dealing with being trapped in a clearly abusive and manipulative relationship.

[Hazy Sky]

Special Delivery.

In a world of same day deliveries and algorithms that know you better than you know yourself why not let us take all the hassle and hard work out of your relationship too?
Our product is 100% ethically sourced and once in stock at our warehouse will be packaged and shipped directly to your door in less than eight hours. Get the partner of your dreams matched exactly to your personal preferences brought right to your doorstep by our friendly and professional delivery team. We guarantee both a perfect match for you first time and your complete satisfaction! Order yours today!

Plot?

I am always interested in how individuals adapt to sudden changes in their world and new relationships, such as receiving a bride or groom through the mail that they may or may not have ordered. I would also like to throw some physical, social or age differences just to add a little contrast to add some additional spice.

[Hazy Sky]

State Lottery.

Citizen,
You have failed to meet your statutory requirement to find a suitable partner during this International Population Crisis. Your failure necessitates a direct intervention by the State Department. You are hereby served notice that you are required to attend the State Lottery Draw in two weeks time where you will be allocated a partner. Congratulations! Dress code at the event is informal.

Polite Reminder: Failure to attend a legally mandated State Lottery Event once notice has been served is a State crime punishable by indefinite imprisonment under the Sustainable Future for Humanity Act 2021.

The bright future of humanity is in your hands!

Plot?

This is a more experimental concept than it might appear on the surface. My idea is that all aspects of the protagonists will be age, appearance, background and so on will be randomly chosen and that these two random individuals will then have to try to find a way to understand and accept each other and the relationship that they have been forced into for the next year by the repressive forces of the State.

[Hazy Sky]

Lost Everything..

It's all gone, all of it. Every last cent and just to make it worse the unsympathetic black sky opens above her. She runs from the rain seeking shelter under an awning for a convenience store, but it's already too late. She's soaked to the skin, the only clothes she now owns clinging to her as the suddenly cold night air chills her right to the bone. She wraps her arms around herself in a vain attempt to keep a little warmth in, but already she's starting to shiver and her teeth to chatter. She glances at her phone in the vain hope that it might have started working again, but it is very definitely disconnected. A shadow falls across her face as a stranger approaches her…

Plot?

This is a story concept about loss, guilt and then acceptance. It is also about humility, generosity and kindness. I want to explore a relationship with a character who had everything or was given everything in life and suddenly finds themself left with just the clothes they stand up in. Perhaps they gambled away their fortune in a moment of madness. Perhaps their wealthy parent or partner is suddenly arrested and all their assets seized by the Government leaving them with nothing. Perhaps a market crash or a fire robs them of all their assets. How do they survive the first night? Who do they turn to to help them? How will their friends and acquaintances react to their new situation? Did they play a role in their own downfall? How will they come to terms with having everything taken from them and being left with nothing?

[Hazy Sky]

Edge of an Empire.

The officer stands and looks out over the wall. From beyond it the breeze carries the smell of smoke and he knows that somewhere in the hills they are gathering to test the strength of the Empire once more. The fading light of the sun catches the gleams on the dull bronze of his cuirass and the helmet resting as his elbow. Below the gates are still open, people flowing back and forth from the market, or to the baths and the temple. He knows they are out there, that she is out there and if he cannot get through to her how the Empire fights then everyone will die and everything will be reduced to ashes and dust. He looks along the wall and the men and women standing ready to defend it and feels nothing but sorrow.

Plot?

I'm looking for a historical or fantastical story that delves into the strong social and cultural differences across the front line of an empire all against the background of a possible war that the character from the Empire knows will be catastrophic for everyone involved.

[Hazy Sky]

Songbird in a Gilded Cage.

Every night in the spotlight she sings for him, no bird more beautiful, no song more sweet. Caught in the spotlight she preens and trills, knowing that in the shadows his attention is captivated by other plumage. She cannot leave him though. He would rather kill her than let another possess her. She is trapped in his orbit, bound to his misdeeds and crimes unable to escape. What can she do?

Plot?

I originally pictured this story set in the Prohibition Era, but I think it would actually work in any time period. At the heart it would be a story about a woman trapped in a relationship with a powerful dangerous man who cannot escape him until an opportunity presents itself unexpectedly. Is it a trap? Is her savior for real? Does she have genuine feelings for him,or is she just so desperate to escape that she will do or say anything? Will her master let her go or will he come after her?

[Hazy Sky]

Collared.

The would-be thief came to slowly. She was lying face down on the floor, a knee resting on her back pinning her arms down. She struggled and squirmed, but a cricket bat slammed down onto the thick pile rug so close to her face it almost brushed her nose. The knee in her back pressed down even harder.
"No, no Mon petit cher. Don't you try to move, not yet." She felt blood trickling down the side of her face, her head was pounding and then suddenly something was around her neck and being pulled tight against her throat. She flailed and cried out, realizing what was happening but it was too late. The collar closed and he fastened the buckle.
"There. Now you can get up." The knee lifted from her back, the bat retreated from her line of vision. Behind her splintered shards of glass crunched underfoot as he moved around the room.
"I said get up."

Plot?

This is a dystopic story including an element of slavery. In this version of reality a criminal caught in the act of committing theft or burglary, subdued and literally collared by their intended victim becomes a slave. A thief bites off rather more than she can chew and finds herself at tender mercy of a less than sympathetic Judge whose house she has tried to burglarize. It is possible that the Judge has some dark secrets of their own too.

[Hazy Sky]

Stay with Me.

Once there had been queues lining up to listen. Once she had filled rooms ten times this one. Once there had been money and celebrity, admirers and lovers. Once. Now she and the room are faded nicotine stained shadows of themselves. She’d seen him before, hanging around after the shows for the past week or two. The audience is pretty thin these days, even the regulars and die hards are starting to dry up and drift away, only tonight he’s at the stage door with a sheet of paper clutched in his hand. At first she thinks he wants an autograph, but when she looks at what he thrusts into her hands she realizes it’s a song, a song that speaks to her heart, tightens her throat. She’s been around long enough to know a hit when she sees one and he asks nothing in return for it.

Plot?

  A diva is fading out. Felled at the height of her fame by her own pride and folly, time and desperation have left her a shadow of herself barely able to fill the moldering hall of a dying casino at the shady end of the strip. Then a young man, an ardent admirer, gifts her a new song Stay with Me. A song that draws on all her suffering and pain, that brings the life back to her voice, the colour to her cheeks and fills the hall once more. With it comes a shadowy figure from her past, making promises that surely can’t be true. Who does she believe? Who does she trust? An old flame or young spark? 

[Hazy Sky]

I’d die for you My Lady.

He spotted the bright flash of steel out of the corner of his eye as the drawn dagger’s edge glinted in the bright sun. There was barely time to yell a warning and the spear in his hand was useless at this range. So he did exactly what he’d trained for, dropped his weapon and shield and put his body in the way. The point of the blade punched right through his chainmail, he felt it grinding along his ribs so close to his heart as he tackled the assassin and wrestled him to the ground. He would die for her, of course he would, but it had nothing to do with duty. It was blind, impossible, unrequited love for a woman who doesn’t even know he exists.

Plot?

  At the heart of this story is a lowly bodyguard unnoticed by the beautiful woman whose life he has sworn to protect. Watching her from a distance is mesmerized by her finery and beauty and he has fallen deeply in love with this image of her. He has never really spoken to her and she doesn’t even seem to know he exists until he does his job and takes a blade that was intended for her. All of a sudden she knows what it is for a man to truly risk his life for her and he has a chance to speak with the goddess that he has worshiped from afar for so long. Does the reality match his daydreams? Does he offer her a glimpse into a different world? What does his devotion mean to her?

[Hazy Sky]

The Widower.

“There he goes, a good man. A kind man and with a trade too. Such a shame about his wife and the little tot is just the spitting image of her with her blonde hair and blue eyes. Every day he walks her to school and every evening he takes her home. Good with his hands and generous with his time. They say he won’t take a coin from those in need, not that he’s short of money you know. Owns the forge he does, works with precious metal as much as iron, copper and tin they say. Two years and he hasn’t laughed or smiled. Such a shame.”

Plot?

  A simple plot to explore how a new relationship can replace one that has ended, but left a huge void in its wake.

[Hazy Sky]

The Debt.

All in. It had been a sure thing. Couldn’t lose. Until you lost. The world swung and heaved beneath unsteady feet. Bile rises. Gagging, wretching, coughing, choking. Spit. Wipe mouth. Remember the watch that had been on that wrist just an hour before. Stomach knots and squeezes. Wretch again. Groan and gasp. You feel eyes on your back and swing round pale faced.
“You done? I’m here for what you owe me.”

Plot?

What are the consequences for losing a bet that should never have been made? What can be offered when you have lost everything that you ever had? What are the intentions of your mysterious creditor? Are they benevolent or malevolent? 

[Hazy Sky]

Blood and Sand.

The Arena is the heart of everything. A reminder of the strength and reach of the Empire. Its sand is rich with the blood of savages and barbarians dragged in chains and righteously dispatched to thrill the baying crowds and remind the onlookers why they rule the world. Most of the outsiders don’t last long, but few that do become precious commodities, sought after playthings or bodyguards, the ultimate symbol of wealth, power and patronage. He looks at you calmly, he speaks politely to you, the chains that bind him slack, but his dark eyes defy and deny you.

Plot?

  A relationship between one who has nothing and doesn’t even know if they will be alive at the end of the week and one who has all the power and wealth a mortal could ever desire, but is bored by the gluttony and excess of their world and acquires a new trinket or toy to amuse them self.

[Hazy Sky]

The Reunion.

The summer night air is breathless and still, thick and oppressive with moisture, around you the cicadas are chirping noisily. The sweat is already starting to build and trickle again as you walk down the familiar street. The school is just as you remember it, nothing has changed in ten years, but you definitely aren’t the same. Groups of people are already hanging around the entrance laughing and talking, the brass handled front doors are open welcoming you in. You look around, so many familiar faces, some of them pleased to see you and some of them less so. As you step into the hall the kick and pulse of the music rises, you can feel the bass rattle in your chest, the tunes taking you back to a summer a decade ago. You decide to grab a drink and as you turn from the bar you jog an elbow. Without looking round you know a glass just hit the floor and you wince. You take a breath and turn, opening your mouth to apologize, but the words die in your throat…

Plot?

  The past is a world that we seldom get to return to, but for one night the doors are open.What old memories, old relationships will be stirred up by heading back to High School for a reunion? Will old flames spark again, or perhaps the years will have mellowed a bitter rivalry into something new?

[Hazy Sky]

Going Home.

Normally she only goes home for high days and holidays, but this year she’s there when the sun is high and the leaves are green. She says it’s just to help out until her Pops is back on his feet again, but in truth getting away from the city, from him is a relief and an escape she needed more than she knew. The neighbour is attentive, helpful, considerate, kind, a gentle man. In short everything he has forgotten how to be if he every truly knew it in the first place. It’s not just that though, he’s tall, dark, strong and relentlessly physical and as for the the way he looks at her every so often... She’d forgotten that flutter, that thrill of attraction, of feeling attractive. The temptation is real.

Plot?

  A city girl goes home to the farm and meets a man who tempts her on so many levels. Will she make a new friend or take a lover? Will her fading, failing marriage survive? Does she even want it to? Does she stay at the end of the summer or does she go?

[Hazy Sky]

The Green Chapel.

”Never step off the road.” The memory of the gentle voice is all that is left now. Overhead the branches of the trees soar higher than the vaulted roof of a cathedral. The warm summer breeze rustles the vibrant green leaves and carries with it the smell of wood smoke, the bitter scent of destruction, homes and lives reduced to ash by the flames of a war suddenly ant terribly brought close.
“Never leave the road.” Those words have been repeated over and over since childhood, the forest a foreboding unknowable place that swallows up those who wander into its depths. But now staying on it will bring only death at the hands of those who have set the fires. They are coming. Take a breath, step off the road. After all what other choice is there?

Plot?

  A lone survivor fleeing for their life is driven into the depths of a forest that they have always been taught to fear and avoid. What inhabitant or inhabitants will they encounter in their flight and will they help, hinder or ignore their plight? I have several thoughts for pairings and plot lines that could begin from this point.

[Hazy Sky]

Lazing on a sunny afternoon.

It was a beautiful day. The air was heavy and still with scarely a breeze to rustle the leaves or stir the long grass of the meadows. A man stretched out in the of the tree seeking a few minutes rest. When he wakes the sky is darkening, the sun has gone and the warmth of the day is sinking into the chill of night. He knows the way down the valley like the back of his hand though and he follows the dusty dirt road right back to the door of home. As he walks down the street he sees no one he knows and when he reaches the threshold, a stranger answers. Somehow he has slept not for a afternoon or even a day, but years. Around him time has drifted by, but he is just the same as when he fell asleep on that hot summers day so long ago.

Plot?

A man out of his time has to find a way to come to terms with a world that is both eerily familiar and very new all at the same time and in which seems to no longer have a place or purpose for him. How does he change? What from his past remains? What from the present will could make up for all he has lost?

[Hazy Sky]

Companion

Wake me up... I've got a heart and soul... I think you know...
I'm so much more than machine... I close my eyes and dream...
Wake me up... I've got a heart and soul... I think you know...
I'm so much more than your dream... Wake me up...

Plot?

Human beings are very good at seeing life and personality where there is none. We talk to our pets, appliances, vehicles, or smart devices as though they are alive. Companion robots are a logical and lucrative step in a world with with an ageing population where ideology and politics makes it harder than ever for people to just meet and get along. With all the data floating about the internet the machines know us better than we know ourselves. Is it crazy to think that this one is to all the others though? Unique? Alive? That look it gives you before you order a power down, is it fear? 

[Hazy Sky]

The Fog

For days now the fog has drifted through the streets. of town shrouding and muffling everything. At first it was just a curiosity. Then it was an inconvenience. Now it's a matter of life or death. There are shadows, things out there that should shrink back into the shadows as the sun rises over the island that are growing bold. They slink and slip through the fog. People are disappearing. Most don't come back and those that do are deathly pale and far beyond words. The sound of the sea has faded. The tides no longer come and go and up on the bluff the lighthouse has gone dark. Someone has to do something damn it before anyone else is taken and lost to the fog.

Plot?

I'm interested in exploring a setting where the supernatural is suddenly very real and our modern world shrinks back in the face of it. What is causing the fog? Where did it come from? Are the shadows a deadly threat or not? Why has the lighthouse gone dark? How do ordinary people survive when there is no internet, no electricity and no help coming. So many questions to answer.

[Hazy Sky]

Flotsam and Jetsam

It was his custom to always walk the beaches after a good storm to look for treasures thrown up in the wake of the raging waves. Fifty years before a schooner had been lost on the rocks and every so often a gold coin or a barnacled bottle still gets churned up from the deep. The air after a storm is always so fresh and clear that it makes the sun shine a little brighter. The gulls found it before he did, scattering only as he gets closer. At first he thinks she's just a poor drowned little thing spat up by the waves from some boat tossed in the tempest, but it's only when he get her home and into his own bed that he notices the her skin and her hair and those teeth... This is no shipwrecked lass with no name and a fever. This is something else entirely.

Plot?

Our lucky or luckless seaman has stumbled across a creature that is now out of its depth, but will he also find himself struggling to keep his head above water or will these two beings who find each other needing the other in very different ways find something in common? A bond from two very different worlds that can survive the whims of the storm?

[Hazy Sky]

Priceless.

Everyone and everything in this world has a price, a value. One who has nothing but cunning and wits sets out to steal from another whose avarice and greed means they have more than they will ever miss. Except the thief ends up taking something from the hoard that can never be returned for any price, for love is a treasure that is given and can never be returned. A first kiss is beyond value. A smile worth more than any diamond or ruby.

Plot?

A thief who has no other means of living sets out to steal from an aristocrat who has a fortune so great that whatever the thief can take will be of no loss. A purse or two of coins to pay for a doctor for their ailing mother is all the thief seeks. Yet in the hoard they end up stealing something more precious and irreplaceable than any treasure: the love and affection of one the aristocrat has bought, but cannot truly own. Has the thief done any wrong? What will the hoard keeper do when they learn their treasure has been plucked from under their very nose? Some things are beyond price after all.

[Hazy Sky]

Last edit made on February 7th 2025

Five new story ideas added:

Lazing on a sunny afternoon

Companion

The Fog

Flotsam and Jetsam

Priceless

I am currently looking for new stories and all of my ideas are available for discussion. Do please feel free to browse and reach out if anything catches your eye or peeks your interest. 

[Hazy Sky]

No new ideas today. Just a note to say that I am looking for writing partners, so I hope you might take the time to browse and see anything catches your eye.