AUSTINADO
ARTISTS
CONJUNXENDURAE
DESCRIPTION
Arcjec goes to Stronghold 21 to do some shopping.
SCRIPT
PAGE 1
INT. BACK OF ARCJEC'S KITCHEN REFRIGERATOR
We settle on the dark and cold inside of Arcjec's fridge in his downstairs kitchen, door firmly shut. The inside is a barren and dismal sight, filled with mostly eaten leftovers, a few stray soda cans, and a couple other small things. Arcjec suddenly swings the door open, taking a peek at the contents, before turning around and looking between their fridge, freezer and pantry, all with similar results and the same yielding response:
ARCJEC
Ugh.
ARCJEC
Ughhh.
ARCJEC
Ughhhhhhh.
PAGE 2
Arcjec takes out a pretty expensive looking phone, something that only someone with his amount of funding could acquire. He brings up the spread of an app for a Corporate drone-based delivery service that he often uses to avoid contact with others.
We see what his usual order tends to be on a payment screen: lots of various sodas, frozen foods, junk and a few luxury items, like video games and action figures. He looks down at the screen in a manner that speaks to how tired he is, before glancing off to the right side at his unkempt living room. Pros and cons get weighed in his head about what he actually wants to do, before he finally makes a choice.
ARCJEC
I need to get out of here.
PAGE 3
Putting the phone away, he walks towards the front door, only to be stopped by Possumdad. He skitters and squeals somewhat frantically, worried about the wellbeing of his boy. Him and Arcjec get into a minor argument.
ARCJEC
You know I can't comprehend all of your screechy nonsense, right??? Use your words! They're right there inside your silly little screamhole!
POSSUMDAD
AAAAA!
ARCJEC
What do you mean, I've never gone that far? I've been way farther out for way longer! I'm just going for a quick supply run.
POSSUMDAD
AAAAA!
ARCJEC
That's because you're always curled up in your branch wasting the night away whenever I decide to go! Jeez.
Arcjec opens the front door and heads out, giving his lusus a dismissive wave as he leaves.
ARCJEC
See you when I see you. And if you're really looking to do something for me: don't wait up!
PAGE 4
EXT. BACKWOODS SWAMP
They slam the door behind them, and with a brisk sigh, they hunch over and begin their walk into the forest. It's shown that Arcjec has to tread for a while to get from his hive to SH21, passing broken pieces of utopian walls, torn down trees, and the occasional stray abandoned hive.
PAGE 5
Eventually, he makes it up a natural incline where he looks over at his destination, the entrance to Stronghold 21, bustling in the distance. This is our title drop, and should probably be a 3/4ths page spread.
PAGE 6
EXT. STRONGHOLD 21 CITY SQUARE
Cut to a lower angle shot of Arcjec already inside the city, taking cues from the street backgrounds from Snowbound Blood Vol. 3. Focus on showing how he composes himself through the streets. Walking through crowds with only his goal in mind, he doesn't take in the surroundings at all. That is, until something catches his eye: an old specialty collectors store that seems familiar to him. Arcjec looks at it with a sort of hesitant nostalgia. He's been here before. He's a little surprised it's still around, actually.
PAGE 7
INT. ANDROID'S DUNGEON-LIKE COMIC BOOK STORE
Struck by his own curiosity, Arcjec decides to head in. Almost as soon as he does, a jovial voice pipes up from the counter.
??????
theres absolutely NO way!!! *THE* ARCJEC VOORAT???
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The rest of this script wasn't finished due to obligations with the comic and other projects, but the outline from this point goes as follows:
- The indigoblooded store owner asks Arcjec what's been up to, if any of his projects that he started got off the ground. Apparently as a kid he infodumped to the owner often. Arcjec makes up some stuff to make him not sound like a loser and then decides to leave.
- Arcjec continues to head to the store and heads up to the monorail station, Laivan and Serpaz and walk down the hall having just exited from one. Apparently they've been on some kind of trip date.
- They spot Arcjec and strike up a conversation with him, before he aptly makes up an excuse and then leaves.
- Serpaz comedically questions his excuse, but Laivan looks genuinely bummed out.
- Arcjec takes the monorail and arrives at the store. He finds the groceries and extras he's looking for.
- On his way out, Arcjec spots Calder. Calder then spots Arcjec as well. He acknowledges him with a silent glare before walking away. Arcjec feels like shit.
- Arcjec pays for his stuff, making small talk with the clerk before returning back to the city streets. At this point he's walking around just to walk. He makes it to the city square.
- Arcjec spots Taz in a crowd and begins panicking. Taz notices him briefly and goes out of her way to try and find him, but Arcjec has receded back into an alley, slipping away.
- Rather than going back to his hive, Arcjec decides it's too much of a hassle. He'll stay the night in SH21 at a hotel, he has the funds for it.
- Arcjec checks in and talks to a scarletblooded girl at the front desk. She notes something about them, that they look tired. To which they reply with something to the effect of "having a long night".
- Arcjec enters his room and slumps up against the door, not even turning on the light.
- The room begins to collapse and fall into itself, giving way to The Static.
- White Noise speaks to Arcjec despite the fact he isn't paying attention to him, commenting on his actions. Of his inability to connect with others like he once did. He wonders if something happened to him, more than just an accident.
- Arcjec looks away and spots Kidjec in the distance, melancholic. Match cut to him still in front of the door. He fell asleep there last night. There is a note written to himself that he made in his sleep, something to the effect of: "talk to them".
- Arcjec looks at his phone again. He has messages from Laivan, Serpaz, Taz and Calder on Skorpe.
-Arcjec sighs before flopping back over, the implication being that he cannot bring himself to answer any of them.
- END.
INT. BACK OF ARCJEC'S KITCHEN REFRIGERATOR
We settle on the dark and cold inside of Arcjec's fridge in his downstairs kitchen, door firmly shut. The inside is a barren and dismal sight, filled with mostly eaten leftovers, a few stray soda cans, and a couple other small things. Arcjec suddenly swings the door open, taking a peek at the contents, before turning around and looking between their fridge, freezer and pantry, all with similar results and the same yielding response:
ARCJEC
Ugh.
ARCJEC
Ughhh.
ARCJEC
Ughhhhhhh.
PAGE 2
Arcjec takes out a pretty expensive looking phone, something that only someone with his amount of funding could acquire. He brings up the spread of an app for a Corporate drone-based delivery service that he often uses to avoid contact with others.
We see what his usual order tends to be on a payment screen: lots of various sodas, frozen foods, junk and a few luxury items, like video games and action figures. He looks down at the screen in a manner that speaks to how tired he is, before glancing off to the right side at his unkempt living room. Pros and cons get weighed in his head about what he actually wants to do, before he finally makes a choice.
ARCJEC
I need to get out of here.
PAGE 3
Putting the phone away, he walks towards the front door, only to be stopped by Possumdad. He skitters and squeals somewhat frantically, worried about the wellbeing of his boy. Him and Arcjec get into a minor argument.
ARCJEC
You know I can't comprehend all of your screechy nonsense, right??? Use your words! They're right there inside your silly little screamhole!
POSSUMDAD
AAAAA!
ARCJEC
What do you mean, I've never gone that far? I've been way farther out for way longer! I'm just going for a quick supply run.
POSSUMDAD
AAAAA!
ARCJEC
That's because you're always curled up in your branch wasting the night away whenever I decide to go! Jeez.
Arcjec opens the front door and heads out, giving his lusus a dismissive wave as he leaves.
ARCJEC
See you when I see you. And if you're really looking to do something for me: don't wait up!
PAGE 4
EXT. BACKWOODS SWAMP
They slam the door behind them, and with a brisk sigh, they hunch over and begin their walk into the forest. It's shown that Arcjec has to tread for a while to get from his hive to SH21, passing broken pieces of utopian walls, torn down trees, and the occasional stray abandoned hive.
PAGE 5
Eventually, he makes it up a natural incline where he looks over at his destination, the entrance to Stronghold 21, bustling in the distance. This is our title drop, and should probably be a 3/4ths page spread.
PAGE 6
EXT. STRONGHOLD 21 CITY SQUARE
Cut to a lower angle shot of Arcjec already inside the city, taking cues from the street backgrounds from Snowbound Blood Vol. 3. Focus on showing how he composes himself through the streets. Walking through crowds with only his goal in mind, he doesn't take in the surroundings at all. That is, until something catches his eye: an old specialty collectors store that seems familiar to him. Arcjec looks at it with a sort of hesitant nostalgia. He's been here before. He's a little surprised it's still around, actually.
PAGE 7
INT. ANDROID'S DUNGEON-LIKE COMIC BOOK STORE
Struck by his own curiosity, Arcjec decides to head in. Almost as soon as he does, a jovial voice pipes up from the counter.
??????
theres absolutely NO way!!! *THE* ARCJEC VOORAT???
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The rest of this script wasn't finished due to obligations with the comic and other projects, but the outline from this point goes as follows:
- The indigoblooded store owner asks Arcjec what's been up to, if any of his projects that he started got off the ground. Apparently as a kid he infodumped to the owner often. Arcjec makes up some stuff to make him not sound like a loser and then decides to leave.
- Arcjec continues to head to the store and heads up to the monorail station, Laivan and Serpaz and walk down the hall having just exited from one. Apparently they've been on some kind of trip date.
- They spot Arcjec and strike up a conversation with him, before he aptly makes up an excuse and then leaves.
- Serpaz comedically questions his excuse, but Laivan looks genuinely bummed out.
- Arcjec takes the monorail and arrives at the store. He finds the groceries and extras he's looking for.
- On his way out, Arcjec spots Calder. Calder then spots Arcjec as well. He acknowledges him with a silent glare before walking away. Arcjec feels like shit.
- Arcjec pays for his stuff, making small talk with the clerk before returning back to the city streets. At this point he's walking around just to walk. He makes it to the city square.
- Arcjec spots Taz in a crowd and begins panicking. Taz notices him briefly and goes out of her way to try and find him, but Arcjec has receded back into an alley, slipping away.
- Rather than going back to his hive, Arcjec decides it's too much of a hassle. He'll stay the night in SH21 at a hotel, he has the funds for it.
- Arcjec checks in and talks to a scarletblooded girl at the front desk. She notes something about them, that they look tired. To which they reply with something to the effect of "having a long night".
- Arcjec enters his room and slumps up against the door, not even turning on the light.
- The room begins to collapse and fall into itself, giving way to The Static.
- White Noise speaks to Arcjec despite the fact he isn't paying attention to him, commenting on his actions. Of his inability to connect with others like he once did. He wonders if something happened to him, more than just an accident.
- Arcjec looks away and spots Kidjec in the distance, melancholic. Match cut to him still in front of the door. He fell asleep there last night. There is a note written to himself that he made in his sleep, something to the effect of: "talk to them".
- Arcjec looks at his phone again. He has messages from Laivan, Serpaz, Taz and Calder on Skorpe.
-Arcjec sighs before flopping back over, the implication being that he cannot bring himself to answer any of them.
- END.
CONCEPT ART
