Gumtree Gargoyles, Season 1

GENRE: Mythological thriller.

PROTAGONIST: Katie.

GOAL: To maintain the mundanity of human reality: a task that proves to be incredibly exciting.

OBSTACLES: Her kind, her city, herself.

TIME/SETTING: Present day: Canberra, Australia.

LOGLINE: Perched atop of her steeple, she knows this city is far from holy, but she’s damn well determined to maintain the sanctity of the status quo.

PITCH: Once upon a time, from the darkest of shadows, the brightest of heroes emerged. Blink and you might miss her, for she moves amongst the discretion of the shadows. You’d be forgiven for thinking she is just like ‘us’, for she emerges in ‘true form’ only out of necessity. The ‘necessity’ occurring only when the discontent of renegade mystics poses a threat. A threat, that is, to the secrecy her existence relies upon. No, she is not like ‘us’... she is different... very different. She is mystic. She is gargoyle... she is the Gargoyle Guardian.

Where are you?

Canberra!

Canberra? Yes! Canberra! You’re in the overlooked and underrated epicentre of the Country’s action, about to set sail on the sordid pulse of a forgotten underworld. On the surface Canberra is reserved and regiment but behind closed doors, she operates as the juxtaposition. Shhh... this little tid-bit is our secret... don’t tell anyone.

With the doors closed to all the action, you’ll need to peep through the blinds to see what I’m talking about. This series will be your leg-up onto the windowsill. Leave your soul at the door or put it in your pocket, purity is a weakness in a city with so many secrets. All you’re going to need is an open mind and a blind eye because what happens in Canberra, needs to stay in Canberra. Come on Tom, it’s time to get your peep on... that is your name, isn’t it? No? It doesn’t matter. I don’t really care, anyway. I’ll ask you at the end... if you make it to the end, that is.

OVERVIEW: Nothing comes from nowhere. They don’t say once upon a time... for nothing! Steeped in the fantasy of fairy tales, mythologies and folklore alike, is the true reality of life. Contrary to what we have been told, life is not summarised in totality by the explainable calculations of the scientific age. Mystical creatures and magical beasts, they all exist! Forced into exile by human religious elites, mystics have been living in the shadows of our reality for centuries.

While it was to the shadows they were banished, conquered they were not! It didn’t take long for renegade mystics to emerge from the plains of exile. Thirsty for revenge and desperate to reinstate the days of old, terrorist factions formed. Vampires in Eastern Europe, werewolves in Paris and mountain-monsters in the Alps, the uprisings began.

The religious elites were scared. They had set a cold war to simmer and it was only a matter of time before it bubbled over into battle. It would be a battle that the humans could not win. A deal was struck with the gargoyles. In exchange for protection, mystics who could morph into humans reintegrated back into society. And so, the concept of Gargoyle Guardianship was born. A gargoyle family was assigned to every province, in every European country. As Europe’s authority spread across the globe by way of colonisation, so too did the Gargoyle Guardianship. Lucky are the creatures that are able to morph, for they live in disguise amongst us. For those who cannot, the reality of their existence remains bound to the verses of fairy tales and folklore. It is in the darkness of this unrecognised oppression that rogue mystics walk the shadows, waiting for their moment to wage war. The Gargoyle Guardians must quell these uprisings.

...........

Gumtree Gargoyles follows the struggle of Katie as she assumes the responsibility of Gargoyle Guardianship. After a lifetime of living in the shadows of her overachieving sisters, the sudden death of her father throws her into the spotlight of responsibility. Confidence doesn’t come naturally, and leadership is not what she craves. Katie is pissed off! Life was so much easier when she was just the middle child, shop owner, 25-year-old woman/ closet-gargoyle, existing in a state of predictability.

Life for Katie is about to change forever!

Her first week on the job will see her:

1. battle a pack of vicious lust-hungry mermaids, who are on their annual breeding season/ rape-rampage. This year their target is the Australian Navy vessel, the HMAS Canberra; and

2. seek to solve the random attacks that are killing students at the University of Canberra. Vampires? At first glance, possibly. At second? The clues suggest something a lot more sinister.

Along with her siblings (Xanthe and Titty) and her two friends (Orani and Banksia), Katie will set out to prove her worth, both to herself and to her city. There’s no induction manual for this job! In between a meddling ex-vampire-boyfriend, a new a love interest named Rongo and all the crazy characters and mishaps that occur in between, maintaining the mundanity of the human status quo proves to be an exciting task!

CHARACTER PROFILES:

Katie: Sufferer of middle-child-syndrome, Katie tends to default to self-victimisation. Technically not even a middle child, the birth of her brother bumped her out of that status when she was twelve, but she clings to it, nonetheless. Second to an eccentric older sister (who refuses to return to Canberra to assume Guardianship) and followed by an academically astute younger sister, Katie is the middle girl of three sisters and one belated brother. She co-owns the Herbal Hut with her mother and still lives at home. The only thing Katie strives for in life is predictability. Much to her horror, achieving complacency is about to require a lot of effort.

Xanthe: Katie’s younger sister. She is independent, confident and incredibly intelligent. Not one who takes easily to flights of fancy, she is the pragmatic sibling. Having moved to Sydney for University, she enjoys the distance her studies put between her and her family. A little on the blunt side, she has the benefit of being one of the younger siblings. Responsibility for family affairs is merely a vague notion.

Titty: The youngest of the four siblings, Titty is the baby of the family. Surrounded by older sisters, he is comfortable with female dominance. He adores his sisters. Awkward in his adolescence, his coming of age is absurdly playing out at the same time as Katie’s belated evolution. This brings them closer together as they struggle to grow simultaneously as ‘humans’ and gargoyles.

Orani: An Australian Aboriginal quinken mystic. She is beautiful, whimsical and enchanting. She is comfortable with her beauty and uses it to her advantage.

Banksia: A Fijian Indian serpent/ human hybrid mystic, known as a nāgī. She is upbeat, assertive and pragmatic. She’s a no-bullshit kind of woman. If something needs to be said, then she is the one to say it.

Apollo: Katie’s unfaithful vampire ex-boyfriend. He is emotionally retarded and still tragically in love with Katie. Peter: The best friend of Katie’s late father. Peter is a warlock. He is the owner of the Grevillia Garden Centre. Slightly aloof but very wise, he substitutes as Katie’s father figure in the wake of assuming her new role.

Mark: Reserved and brooding. Comes across as offish. He is a Japanese mystic known as a Tennin. He forms a third of the trio known as the Tennin Triplets. The TTs own the Lotus Blossom.

Matthew: Gentle and sensitive, he is philosophical and sensible. He is a Japanese mystic known as a Tennin. He forms a third of the trio known as the Tennin Triplets. The TTs own the Lotus Blossom.

Luke-John: Stereotypically camp, Luke-John overreacts to just about everything. Easily excitable, over the top and borderline out of control. He is a Japanese mystic known as a Tennin. He forms a third of the trio known as the Tennin Triplets. The TTs own the Lotus Blossom.

Ogre Officer #1 and #2: Constables in the mystic faction of the Australian Federal Police. Burley, big and dumb. Weary of Katie at first, their respect for her grows over the first season. Sergeant Loyal: Senior officer in the mystic faction of the Australian Federal Police. Closet homosexual. Having a secret sexual affair with Luke- John. He is an ogre and the Magistrate’s husband.

Magistrate: A wise woman who has battled the army of patriarchy and won. Her resolve is vicious, and her demeanour is passively frightening. The Magistrate is the mystic lawmaker in Canberra. She overseas Katie’s Guardianship and her expectations are exceptionally high. The Magistrate is a gargoyle.

Rongo: An absurd mix of brute masculinity and chivalrous gent. There is an assertive kindness to his character. Rongo is a gargoyle mixed with a New Zealand native (Maori) mystic known as a taniwha. He is the Gargoyle Guardian of New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington.

Gertwoode and Wrooby: Gertwoode and Wrooby are the Selkie Sisters. They are glutinous, passionately aggressive and overtly sexual. They are like identical twins in their demeanour, often finishing each other’s sentences. Not shy of cussing, most of what comes out of their mouths is either dirty, politically incorrect or just plain obscene.

Pamela: Quietly assertive, Pamela is emotionally reserved. She is a good balance of traditional Chinese and modern Australian. Pamela is a closet Chinese dragon.

Lieutenant Shark: Selkie. Navy Officer. Cool, calm, collected. Fit.

Chief Petty Officer Anchor: Selkie. Navy sailor. She is beautiful, fit and slightly seductive.

Lieutenant Coral: Human. Navy Officer. Sexual predator.

Commodore O’Rourke: Captain of HMAS Canberra. Human.

EPISODE SYNOPSIS(60-minute episodes):

Episode 1: Change is in the Air• Introduction to Katie, family and friends. Gargoyle Guardianship given context.• Luke-John and Sergeant Loyal’s affair.• Grevillea Garden Centre: Peter and Katie.• Attack at the University of Canberra.• Apollo’s intention to get Katie back. Could he be the attacker?

Episode 2: Step-Up • Katie questions Apollo.• Magistrate summons Katie and briefs: UC attacks and the HMAS Canberra.• Herbal Hut brief: Katie to Titty, Banksia and Orani. Discuss Apollo.

Episode 3: Forgiven but not forgotten • University of Canberra evening investigation.• OOs and Sergeant Loyal have cleared the scene prior to Katie’s arrival. Why?• Katie attacked again. By what? Who?• Selkie Sisters encounter- Lake Burley Griffin.

Episode 4: Close call• Selkie Sisters continued.• Grevillea Garden Centre with Peter.• Chinese New Year: potential problem: Nian.• Katie and Titty go out to see the Lake Tuggeranong Trolls.

Episode 5: Riddle me this...• Lake Tuggeranong Trolls continued: riddle.• Banksia, Orani: Grevillea Garden Centre with Pamela and Peter.• Katie and Apollo- another encounter. • HMAS Canberra attacked again. Katie, Titty and Xanthe must go out to sea incognito.

Episode 6: When it rains, it pours• Banksia, Orani and Luke-John- Sergeant Loyal plot thickens.• Chinese New Year: Pamela.• Out to sea to search for the HMAS Canberra.

Episode 7: Dinky-di• Search for lost vessel: find it down in NZ’s territorial waters.• Meet Rongo, Cmdr. O’Rourke, Lt. Shark and CPO Anchor.• Titty has run-in with Lt. Coral.• Shit goes down in China Town.

Episode 8: Alias• Lt. Coral run-in continued.• Battle to save the HMAS Canberra from the mermaids: Titty pulled under. • Orani, Banksia and Pamela: Grevillea Garden Centre with Peter: solution for Nian.• Luke-John realises who Sergeant Loyal really is.

Episode 9: The Boogy Man’s in town• Success with the mermaids.• Back in Canberra, Katie meets with Orani at the Light House Pub.• Issues with mystics in pub.• University of Canberra: run in with the yarra-ma-yha-who. Is he the attacker?

Episode 10: Romantic Rivalry• University of Canberra: run in with the yarra-ma-yha-who continued.• Apollo shows up- so does Rongo: competition.• Nian issue.

Episode 11: We’re happy little Vegemites...• Xanthe Sydney League. Attack in Sydney.• Xanthe calls and explains drop bears. Vegemite! That’s it!• Sabotage attempts come to a head. Tennin Triplets involved- unravel Sergeant Loyal.• Plan hatched for drop bears: Chinese New Year must be dealt with first.

Episode 12: Road to success• Sabotage attempts come to a head. Tennin Triplets involved- unravel Sergeant Loyal continued.• Chinese New Year: Battle to make sure Nian passes over. • Drop bear battle. Victory.

Episode 13: Destination Victory• Chinese New Year: battle to make sure Nian passes over continued. • Drop bear battle. Victory.• Lead into season 2.

FORMAT:Season 1 of this series will be set to follow Katie’s first week as Gargoyle Guardian to the Australian Capital Territory, Canberra. Opening with her reluctant and angst riddled acceptance of the City’s Guardianship, the series will run with two dominant story lines:1. the random attacks on human students on the University of Canberra campus; and 2. the suspected mermaid attacks on the HMAS Canberra (located out at sea).

The minor story lines throughout the season will be:1. Sergeant Loyal trying to sabotage Katie for fear of his affair with Luke-John being exposed; and2. Chinese New Year: the potential attack from the Chinese mythical beast, Nian, if the right deterrents can’t be sourced through the Grevillia Garden Centre.

In addition to the above, there will be several other elements that fold into the storyline, such as:1. historical context;2. Katie’s general reluctance to assume responsibility;3. Apollo’s efforts to win Katie back resulting in him becoming a suspect;4. the sexual tension between Katie and Rongo; and5. little mishaps that add to the overall context of Gargoyle Guardianship.

Season 1 will end with Katie:1. managing to dock the HMAS Canberra successfully in Australian waters;2. resolving the mystery of the University attacks;3. ensuring Nian passes over Canberra on Chinese New Year; and4. unravelling Sergeant Loyal and his plot to sabotage her.

By the end of Season 1, Katie will have gained the trust of the mystic community and built a stronger bond with her siblings and friends in the process.