# Plotloom Series Brainstorming > Use when the user starts or revises a Plotloom/短剧 series idea, needs `series.md` or `characters.md`, mentions character bible, cast design, repeatable story engine, character-grid, or wants stable world/tone/visual anchors before episode, prompt, video, selection, or stitching work. - Skill: `t0ugh/plotloom-series-brainstorming` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 7 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add t0ugh/plotloom-series-brainstorming` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/t0ugh/plotloom-series-brainstorming/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: T0UGH (https://skillmd.com/u/t0ugh) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/t0ugh/plotloom-series-brainstorming --- # Plotloom Series Brainstorming ## When to Use Use when the user has a short-drama idea but the current repo does not yet have stable series context, or when `series.md` / `characters.md` are missing, thin, or visually under-specified. Also use before image/video work when character identity, conflict engine, or home repo registry status is unclear. This skill is brainstorming-driven: align the series direction with the user before writing durable series files, unless the user explicitly asks for a fast Agent-led draft. ## Inputs - User idea, title, genre, tone, desired episode count, and constraints. - Current working directory and parent directories. - Optional `~/plotloom.toml` home-level repo registry. - Existing `series.md`, `characters.md`, character-grid images, or prior episode notes. ## Outputs - 2-3 candidate series directions when the core direction is not already locked. - `series.md` - `characters.md` - Baseline series repo directories. - One `~/plotloom.toml` registry entry when creating a new repo. - Character asset briefs sufficient for later GPT Image 2 / Codex imagegen `character-grid.png` generation. ## Read These Resources When... - Read `references/short-drama-series-engine.md` when the premise feels like a one-off skit or lacks a repeatable conflict engine. - Read `references/repo-contract.md` before creating repo scaffolding or touching `~/plotloom.toml`. - Read `references/character-asset-briefs.md` when character design, expression grids, reference sheets, or visual continuity are needed. - Use `templates/series.md` and `templates/characters.md` as output shapes. ## Workflow 1. Detect whether the current directory or a parent is already a Plotloom series repo by looking for `plotloom.toml`, `series.md`, `characters.md`, or `episodes/`. 2. If no repo is active, inspect `~/plotloom.toml` and decide whether to continue an existing series or create a new repo. Ask only if multiple plausible repos exist. 3. When creating a new repo, use `plotloom init --title ` for deterministic scaffolding only. Do not put story logic in the CLI. 4. If the premise, tone, protagonist identity, or repeatable conflict engine is not locked, present 2-3 candidate directions before writing files. Each option should include: one-sentence promise, repeatable engine, core cast shape, visual tone, and trade-off. 5. Recommend one option and ask exactly one alignment question. Prefer a multiple-choice question such as "选 A/B/C，还是混合 A+C?" 6. Ask at most one more blocking follow-up if a durable file would otherwise encode a major unknown. Do not run a long interview. 7. If the user explicitly asks for a fast Agent-led draft, pick the strongest direction, state the assumption, and write the files. 8. Develop enough long-form context so episode 1 is not a one-off skit: premise, audience/tone, recurring conflict engine, core cast, season arc, and first-three-episode runway. 9. For each core character, define stable visual anchors and the required `assets/cast/<slug>/character-grid.png` brief: front/side/back, expression grid, wardrobe lock, props, palette, and do-not-change invariants. 10. Stop before image generation, video generation, candidate selection, or stitching. ## Brainstorming Rules - Offer concrete alternatives, not vague questions. - One message should not ask the user to solve more than one creative decision. - Lead with the recommended option and explain the trade-off briefly. - If the user chooses a direction, proceed to write or update `series.md` and `characters.md` without restarting the brainstorm. - Preserve existing user-approved facts when revising an existing repo. ## Series Brainstorming Writing Rules - Make the conflict repeatable across episodes and not exhausted in ep001. - Define character desire, wound/contradiction, leverage/secret, role in the conflict engine, visual identity, and dialogue style. - Separate stable visual anchors from mutable episode styling. - Record open questions rather than inventing user-sensitive facts. - Prefer concise, production-usable Markdown over novelistic prose. ## Quality Bar - The premise can be pitched in one sentence. - The series engine can generate at least 10 episode conflicts. - Each core character has desire + contradiction + visual anchor. - First three episodes form a runway: hook → escalation → complication. - Character asset briefs can drive a reference sheet / expression grid without new guessing. ## Stop Conditions Stop when `series.md` and `characters.md` are sufficient for `plotloom-episode-card` or `plotloom-shot-prompts`. Do not generate images, videos, scripts, storyboards, runtime state, or hidden manifests. ## Next Skill Handoff - If episode has no hook/conflict/reversal, hand off to `plotloom-episode-card`. - If episode intent is clear enough, hand off directly to `plotloom-shot-prompts`. - If character images already exist, mention them as continuity anchors for later skills. ## Failure Modes - Missing repo and ambiguous registry: ask the user which series to continue. - Existing repo has conflicting title/slug: report the conflict and stop. - User asks for video generation first: create or verify series context before generation. - Character visual identity is underspecified: produce a character asset brief, not a generated image.