Characters

1. L’ombre or The Shadow is the protagonist of the story and is physically misshapen (his posture, spine, and half his face are messed up); he also hides in the “shadow” of wherever he is to hide his defects. He is the anti-hero of the story, similar to Spider-man Noir, Michael Keaton’s Batman, and Edward Scissorhands. He is designed to be a physical incarnation of a person going through hard times, whether it be abuse, financial troubles, or something else.

2. Élané or Elan is essentially completely pure (energy and elegance) and is the opposite of Désespoire. Élané is the “woman in white” in the story. She is also a love interest for L’ombre.

3. Désespoire, or Despair, as the name suggests, she is hopeless and sad. She is the “woman in black” in the story. She tries to seduce L’ombre and get him to give in to the Temptations of Le Fleau, because Le Fleau promised L’ombre to her if she agreed to do his bidding.

4. Le Fléau or The Curse is the antagonist of the story. Fléau means “scourge” or “curse.” He is called this because he annoys and tempts L’ombre throughout the story. Plot twist, Le Fléau is actually part of L’ombre the whole time.

Settings

1. The time setting is a mix of the 30’s and the early 90’s (think Batman ‘89, Spider-man Noir, and Edward Scissorhands)

2. The overall setting is in an urban area: somewhere between the Rust Belt, NYC, downtown Roanoke, and Paris.

3. Main setting: L'entrepôt (The Warehouse), L’ombre’s residence.

4. L’ombre’s head: part of the storyline is set inside L’ombre’s mind, dictating his thoughts. He feels as if they are not his own.

5. La Ville (The City) as a whole is used when L’ombre tries to get a job.

Plot

L’ombre is a partially disfigured man who lives in an abandoned warehouse alone. He feels that there should be more to life than living in isolation, so he ventures out during the night one night. He is thrilled by the people and the city lights, so he continues his nightly sight-seeings. A few people see him on his first night, and are shocked by his appearance (a woman screamed, even) so now he takes to the shadows, showing only ever his silhouette. Some people manage to see this, which is how he gets his name.

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A girl named Élanée hears talk of this mysterious creature and decides to catch him during his routine. She follows him onto a rooftop one night and startles him so that he almost stabs her out of fear. He then leaps off the rooftop and runs for the safety of his dwelling-place, the Warehouse.

Once secure, a man appears to L’ombre from the shadows and speaks with him. The man says that he can give him a normal life and says that all L’ombre must do is to prove to him that he is worthy to receive his blessing by completing certain tasks. L’ombre agrees and the man gives him a list of the tasks. L’ombre completes the first few with ease, though he feels that something is not as it is meant to be. He continues his quest with difficulty, embarrassing himself and getting caught many times.

Furious, he returns to his Warehouse and asks the man who he is and if he knew L’ombre would fail the tasks he was given. Le Fléau reveals himself and states that he simply can’t believe how gullible L’ombre is for believing he could actually grant L’ombre’s wish. L’ombre angrily tries to attack Le Fléau, but Le Fléau freezes him where he stands. The scene then changes to

The Tasks of Le Fléau

1. Steal a pie off a window seal

2. Introduce yourself to someone in an alley at night

3. Go to a job for an interview

The Temptations of Le Fléau

1. Tries to get himself killed by provoking the police (with gun)

2. Tries to turn Élanée against him

3. Doubts himself until he tries to commit suicide by cutting himself, drowning, starving

4. Makes him feel paranoid and that his one place of rest is not secure (causing insomnia)

Other symbols to use

1. Chai - life

2. Yin and yang - light and darkness

3.