Brainstorming...

I began figuring out the characters for a Raiders of the Lost Ark parody. The main character was rather easy. Instead of an agile, handsome character, a parody would include a clumsy, overweight protagonist. The next character to come to life would be Indiana Slim's love interest. Instead of a name like Marion, this character's name had to be unattractive. This is where the name Snarion comes from. It almost causes you to cringe when you pronounce the name.

I am an extrovert and conversation with others helps to stimulate creative ideas. So when I was out of ideas, I turned to my trusty friends to help me with more details. I knew Indiana Slim had to have a companion--a straightman to play off the comic hero. That is when a friend suggested that he have a name completely opposite of Slim, "How about Tubba Lardo?" he proclaimed. I thought it was brilliant. Similar to Tubba's name, I knew that Slim's boss needed a name that was opposite to his frame. That is when I decided on the name Dr. Colossal.

The next group of characters needed to be the villains. Nazis are not funny. How was I to find a group familiar enough to audiences? That is when a friend suggested that Indiana Slim battle a group of strict schoolteaching nuns!  I loved it!  Of course, German sounding names still went with mysterious, wicked villains. Hans Wilhelm was the most German-sounding name I could think up. Oliver Sudden was a simple play on words. I found the name Varvara in a site of popular baby names, although the original would be pronounced VAR-var-a like Barbara. Another friend made up her ridiculously long last name.

With the characters in place, I thought the next step would be a simple cut and paste job. I would take the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark and insert gags here and there. If only I had known how wrong I would become...

To Be Continued...