King Kaiden

A/N: This story was written for the 'Pitch your Pilot' challenge on Vocal - Enjoy!

Synopsis

Kay is an aspiring drag performer, climbing the ranks of the community using a unique mix of stand-up comedy and killer singing performances. The only issue is – she is a drag King, not a drag queen. Watch as Kay traverses the drag community using her manly persona; King Kayden! Come along for the ride in this TV comedy with all of its beauty, sadness, drama, and (of course) glitter!

Main Characters

Kay (female main) / King Kayden (drag king name)

Kay is the main character of the TV series. She is a cis female who lives with her father in a small apartment next to a drag club. Her personality is shy, reserved, and modest. She is 24 years old.

She is a regular attendee of the bar in the club, watching the drag shoes with great interest. She admires them. The confidence with which they perform inspires her to give it a try.

Confident, outspoken, and raunchy, King Kayden takes to the stage as the drag club’s first drag King act. Though some aren’t sure how to respond, King Kayden soon earns himself a reputation as a brilliant performer, gaining the attention of the local news…

One of the defining moments of her character is when she switches into King Kayden's persona while at her job (customer service at a party shop) to deal with an irate customer.

Brian (male protagonist) / Breanne D’ oftheworld (drag queen name)

Brian represents the massive change drag performers undergo when changed into costume. He is the owner and bartender of 'Drink and Dive', the local featured drag club.

Brian, as himself, is a massive, bald, tattooed, gruff, manly man. Behind the bar, he takes orders and serves people quietly. He maintains a large web of connections with patrons and is often the starting point of storylines. He is 43 years old.

Breanne D’ of the world (pronounced Bree- end of the world) is Brian's drag persona. She is a towering glamazon (large, glam woman) who performs lip-syncs and stand-up comedy. Her elegance stuns Kay.

He also serves, several times, as Kay and other patrons’ bodyguard when the homophobic patrons stop by.

Mackensie (male protagonist) / Mac & Cheese (drag queen name)

Mackensie is slight in stature and bleaches his very short hair. He is 27 years old and an experienced drag performer. He is gay and proud of it.

Part of the comedy here comes from Mac’s uninspired name. Nobody ever thinks it is correct and asks him ‘oh honey, are you sure? Mac and Cheese?’. This is coupled with Mackensie’s complete refusal to change the name or come up with a new one. He is petty but straight-shooting.

Mackensie is Kay’s key to the drag community. He offers her (and the audience) explanations as to what is happening at the drag club and why. He serves as a way for everyone to understand the comedy and all of the LGBT+ in-jokes are understood by the whole audience.

Phil (antagonist) / Poppa Pill (drag queen name)

Phil is a short, stout drag performer with a bad attitude. He acts as an antagonist in the show, directly objecting to drag kings at the club. He is 40 years old.

Poppa Pill is Phil’s drag persona. She is a direct amplification of Phil’s own character. She uses dark and scathing comedy to entertain the crowd.

While Phil's antagonistic habits are repeated points of humor in the show, he is a morally good person, willing to protect people in real danger.

Toby (Kay’s father/ supporting character)

Toby is Kay’s father. He does not understand the LGBT and drag community at all but is incredibly supportive of his daughter. His age is not specific but mid 50's.

He acts as a comedic comparison to others. He goes to the bar and orders beer instead of fruity cocktails. He and Mackenzie become great friends as Mackenzie is the only person who explains anything to him.

Homophobic club attendees (minor antagonists)

These are minor antagonists who appear semi-regularly to provide a nasty example of anti-LGBT+ people and how hate can fuel LGBT+ people to take action and continue being fabulous!

Miss Penny (side character)

Penny is a motherly woman at 60 years of age. She fixes all the drag queen’s costumes for their ‘wives’. She maintains that illusion as she is uncomfortable with directly mentioning LGBT. There would be a plan to, during a series, expand her horizons and have her attend the drag club after some character development.

Miss Penny has Toby as her love interest, but he is very nervous around women.

Carter (side character)

Carter is Penny’s adult son. He is 29 and very protective of his mother. Unbeknownst to her, he attends the drag club regularly and can be seen kissing men in the alley outside.

His eventual, and successful, love interest is Mackenzie.

Locations

Drink and Dive

This is the small drag club featured in the show. Admittedly, it is more of a dive bar with a little stage. Nevertheless, the characters find the place charming and are very protective of it.

Toby and Kay's Apartment

Toby and Kay live in a two-bedroom apartment across the street from 'Drink and Dive'. While it is small, the two inhabit it in peace. Kay's bedroom is full of pop culture posters from her teenhood.

Clothing Shop

A classic clothing shop features as Kay's place of work.

Miss Penny's Haberdashery

Miss Penny repairs all of the drag performer's clothes, thinking they are for the performer's family or significant others. She is unaware of drag and her haberdashery is small and traditional - having been passed down for several generations.

Pilot

The pilot episode of any show serves to introduce all the characters and set the tone of the show. This show is, at its heart, a warming comedy.

The plot of the pilot would consist of these essential scenes. More can be added to pace the episode evenly.

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Interior – Clothing shop

(Kay is sitting in her customer service job at a clothing shop.)

Customer: You have to refund this!

Kay (frustrated and bored): I am sorry, but without proof of purchase we cannot refund your item.

Customer: I had no idea that when I purchased it, the colors would represent…that!

(Kay looks down at the item in question, a shirt with a rainbow printed on it. The words ‘sashay away’ are glued in glitter).

Kay (sighing): I am sorry, but without proof of purchase we cannot refund your item.

Customer: UGH! I can’t go around with people thinking I am…you know…”

Kay: Gay?

(The customer looks visually shocked, unable to find words, the camera zooms into the rainbow on the shirt to transition away from the scene)

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Exterior – Street opposite the 'Drink and Dive'.

(Kay is walking home, silent, with a bag crossed across her chest. She looks across the street and sees the drag club. Drag queens, patrons, and protesters alike, all drinking. They are extremely messy and loud. One of them is wearing the same rainbow shirt the customer tried to return. They are proud and happy.

The music swells; hopeful. The camera zooms in on Kay, who is beginning to look excited. She steps across the street)

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Interior – Drink and Dive

(The drag shows are ending, Kay looks thrilled by it all. She approaches the bar to settle her tab)

Brian (handing her a receipt): I’ve never seen you before.

Kay (nervous): N-no, I have never been to a drag show.

Brian: Well, what did you think?

Kay: I thought it was…well, very entertaining.

(Brian snorts at her nervous response)

Kay: Do they all make their own dresses?

Brian (scoffing): God no, Miss Penny down the road does them. Some of them can sew a little bit but they are far too busy spending a fortune on new eyeshadow pallets from internet celebrities for that)

A/N: This is a joke about the ridiculously expensive eyeshadow pallets sold by a group of youtubers on the internet for ridiculous prices. They are popular with the LGBT+ community.

Kay (very enthusiastic, unable to hold back): Who does the lights? Or the music? Ooh, what about the fog machine, did you see it? It made the queen in yellow look like she was walking on clouds!

Brian (shooting Kay a smirk): How about this, you come back next week, order and drink and I will answer everything your little heart desires.

(Brian winks at her)

(Kay misinterprets this as an inappropriate advance)

Kay: Oh, I can’t… I have to… um…

(Brian sees her panic and walks around the bar towards her. He is wearing large, glittered heels)

Brian: I have to break them in, before my next show.

Kay: You’re a drag queen!

Brian (amused): I am. Performing this time next week if you must know…

(He raises an eye at Kay)

Brian: Well, newbie?

Kay: I’ll be there!

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Interior – Toby and Kay's apartment

(Kay sits with her father, eating dinner at a small two-person table. He is talking about fishing but his voice fades into the background as Kay looks out the window. From the window she can see the drag club.)

Toby: Kay? Kay?

Kay: Sorry, busy day at work.

Toby: I was saying I think I will try out that... pub.

(Kay looks her father up and down, he is dressed in a sports shirt. The mug he’s drinking from has ‘World’s okayest dad’ printed on the front)

Kay: I am not sure it is really your scene…

Toby: Aha! So you have been there!

(Kay laughs good-naturedly at being caught out).

Toby: what’s it like?

(The music swells hopeful again)

Kay: Beautiful!

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Interior - Kay's bedroom

(A montage plays. Kay is trying on different styles of drag queen outfits in front of a floor-length mirror to funky music. She falls over several times and some of the styles are very outlandish. She also attends the drag club several times and receives scathing arguments at work – all set to the same music. Several visual jokes are told here using the outfits in reference to pop culture figures.

Finally, she tries on her father's jacket. She smiles. She wants to be a drag King)

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Interior – 'Drink and Dive'

(Brienne D’ oftheworld’s drag show plays, with Kay watching in the crowd. She is announced via a fake emergency announcement)

Voice through the speakers: TAKE COVER! TAKE COVER! HIDE YOUR WIGS AND PICK UP THEM HEELS BECAUSE YOU’RE GONNA NEED TO RUN! WELCOME TO THE STAGE; HER DEADLY MAJESTY, THE RAPTURE HERSELF, LADIES AND GENTLEQUEERS! IT'S BRIENNE D' OFTHEWORLD!!

(Brienne takes to the stage. She is so different from Brian. She is elegant and feminine. Dressed in the high heels Kay saw him breaking in when they first met and a sparkling red dress, he captures the audience in an instant. She sings a medley of pop songs centered around the end of the world.)

Brienne D’oftheworld: Hello! Greetings survivors and scoundrels alike! Makes a nice break from the underground bunker, eh?

(The crowd cheers loudly, Kay included).

Brienne D’oftheworld: You know, I was strutting along the wastes of this hellscape the other day when I came across…

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Interior – 'Drink and Dive'

(Kay and Brian sit together)

Kay (glitter in her hair and deafened by the music): YOU WERE AMAZING!

Brian (he still has makeup on his face): haha, thanks, kid!

Kay: Seriously! You looked so… so… HOT!

Brian: Looked….

Kay (awkwardly): Not that you don’t look… I mean you are still…

Brian: hahaha! Don’t panic newbie – I was kidding!

(Kay breathes out in relief)

Kay: Jerk!

Phil (as if summoned by the word ‘Jerk’): I suppose he was alright.

Brian (laughing in sarcastic amusement): thanks, bud.

Phil (talking to Brian): Who’s the new face?

Brian: ask her yourself.

(Phil turns to Kay)

Kay (nervous): Kay

Phil (unimpressed and sassy): …o-Kaaaaay

Phil (to Brian): I am taking my jumpsuit to Miss Penny, you want me to take anything of yours?

Kay (jumping into the conversation again): Oh, can I go with you? I need a seamstress for a… project.

Phil (annoyed by her obviousness): Sure. A project. You can come, I suppose.

(Phil dumps a large amount of clothes into her arms, and one of the wigs falls onto her head, giving her pink hair).

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Interior - 'Drink and Dive' backstage

Phil (singsong): oh Mr Cheeeeeeese! Give me that awful yellow rag you had on today! I'm off to Miss Penny's and the more we give her, the cheaper the repairs!

Mackenzie: Do not call me that!

(Mackenzie hands Phil a bundle of yellow fabric. Phil throws it onto the pile Kay is carrying)

Mackenzie (looking at Kay): Oh honey, that shade of pink is very ambitious of you.

Kay (laughing nervously and removing the wig): I'm Kay, nice to meet you!

Mackenzie (catty): You know Phil. I like her. You could learn a thing or two from her about being polite.

Phil (playful and argumentative): Can it, cheesy bitch!

Mackenzie: Ignore him, his mother didn't give him enough... well... anything.

Kay: I saw you perform tonight - you looked like an angel!

Mackenzie (laughing): Oh, yes, I shall have to keep you around!

Mackenzie (suddenly serious): Thank you, really.

Phil (to Kay): Come on, then!

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Interior – Miss Penny’s Haberdashery

Miss Penny: Hello dear!

Phil (warmly): Hello Miss Penny! How are you this fine evening?

Miss Penny: Oh you, so considerate! I am quite well, and you?

Phil (with a smile): Can’t complain, can’t complain. Though, I could have a little gripe about these!

(Phil gestures to the bundle of clothes, Kay is buried underneath)

Miss Penny: Not to worry! I have them fixed up lickedy split! Gosh, your wives certainly know how to party!

(Phil laughs sarcastically)

Phil: Yes...they do.

(Miss Penny takes the clothes and places them on a nearby counter)

Miss Penny (noticing Kay for the first time): Oh, you aren’t a dress!

(Phil snorts)

Kay: Hello!

Miss Penny: What can I do for you, dear?

(Kay glances nervously at Phil, uncomfortable with discussing her Drag King project in front of him)

Phil: Call me when you need me, I will be over by the buttons, pretending I’m not trying to eavesdrop…

(Kay leans close to Miss Penny.)

Kay: I need a suit for my new…uh…brother

(The title screen plays for the first time, showing the words 'King Kaiden' in bold pink letters - a crown is on the second 'K')

Summary

There would be a lot of different kinds of comedy in this series. Most of the jokes during the pilot would be physical, one-liner, or situational. Eventually, as the characters develop more, character-driven humor would take over.

A/N: What do you think? Would you watch King Kaiden?

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