EDDIE DIPPE, DECADENCETHIEF
DESCRIPTION
In an impassioned rant spurred by a hokey TV commercial, 6-sweeps-old Ellsee gets into the reasons why she's so opposed to the concept of fortune telling.
SCRIPT
PAGE 1
INT. ARCJEC AND ELLSEE'S LIVING ROOM
Establishing shot of TAZ, ARCJEC, LAIVAN, and ELLSEE sitting on a couch in front of the TV, looking relaxed and/or bored. Fragments of phrases from advertisements are coming from the TV.
TAZ
Ugh, I'm bored.
ARCJEC
hang in there, [X show] starts in fifteen!
LAIVAN
Uh oh- we've lost the remote-
One of the ambient TV phrases is more distinct: "a device that can predict the future"
ELLSEE
Aww, not this rubbish again!!
TAZ and ARCJEC look at her with a raised eyebrow/interest. LAIVAN fishes out the remote triumphantly in the background.
ARCJEC
huh? what rubbish??
ELLSEE
I hate fortune telling. It's bogus!!!!
IT'S BOGUS is stylized as a title.
ARCJEC
oooh, she's gonna rant.
PAGE 2
Panel transition with a close-up of ELLSEE'S face, as the background shifts into a more symbolic, abstract style — kind of like the shadow people in the Vivifier's story about the persimmon tree.
Here, the cast is depicted as their present selves. We start off with a representation of ALBION talking to the STAR GUARDIAN (maybe have the Exemplar somewhere?)
ELLSEE
It's just nonsense about having a destiny that's set in stone and if you use the right stuff, you can know what's gonna happen.
Panel of SOVA with tears streaming down her face.
ELLSEE
Like there's a script and we have no choice but to follow it, even if it makes us unhappy!!
Non-symbolic TAZ pops in, Looney-Tunes style pushing the crumpled SOVA panel against non-symbolic ELLSEE. They both look very annoyed at each other.
TAZ
yeah, life isn't always happy anyway, genius.
ELLSEE
Well, I know that!! Sheesh.
Panel of ARCJEC brooding with KIDJEC behind him, putting his hands on their shoulders.
ELLSEE
I know life sucks sometimes. It can be hard and scary, but that doesn't mean you can't do anything about it.
Panel of ELLSEE standing proudly with her hands on her hips, followed by ELLSEE crossing her arms and turning her back to WHITE NOISE'S bony hand.
ELLSEE
I make my own decisions!! They might suck too, but they're mine. Not what some made up power-that-be wrote for me.
PAGE 3
CALDER puts on his ancestor's crown, his arms connected to puppet strings.
ELLSEE
I don't get why some people like the idea of being cosmic puppets. It's such a helpless way of looking at life!!
ELLSEE
Your actions aren't really yours, so if something bad is happening to you, you can't change it.
ELLSEE
And if you did something good, well, it wasn't really you that did it, was it??
Non-symbolic ELLSEE shows up in front of the panel again, blowing a raspberry.
ELLSEE
It makes me really mad!!!!
Non-symbolic LAIVAN pops up over the panel, leaning over it with his arms crossed. ELLSEE throws her hands up in the air.
LAIVAN
I guess- it's easier to not feel responsible about the way your life is going-
ELLSEE
But you are, though!!
ELLSEE peers down, looking more thoughtful and a bit uneasy.
ELLSEE
That's what bugs me the most. At the end of the day, you can only rely on your own power to solve your problems.
DISMAS looks out over a steep cliff, hesitates, and leaps.
ELLSEE
Sometimes, you end up having to face big scary things all by yourself, and you have to make decisions without knowing what's going to happen.
Two playing cards: one showing YOUNGER MURRIT, the other showing PRESENT MURRIT overlaid on top of it.
ELLSEE
But you gotta believe that they matter!!
ELLSEE
Otherwise, why even bother trying to do... anything??
PAGE 4
OCCEUS sits hunched over his work, dwarfed by the size of his computer monitor behind him. It shows a partially cut-off feed of HAMIFI's face.
ELLSEE
If your choices don't matter, why not just lie down and accept everything that's coming your way?
ELLSEE
That's no way to live.
Non-symbolic ARCJEC pops up from under the panel, propping his head up with his hands like he's under a blanket.
ARCJEC
i talked to a fortune teller once though! she got so much stuff right??? it was honestly a little spooky...
ELLSEE smiles, smugly.
ELLSEE
Hah!! As if a plastic ball knows anything.
SERPAZ looks on in interest at someone extending a hand toward her out of frame, with musical notes swirling around her head. JENTHA curls up into a ball as several hands point toward her in accusation.
ELLSEE
Those scammers are either gonna tell you what you want to hear or make you paranoid enough to keep coming back.
ELLSEE
Either way, it just makes you want to sit on your hands and wait for it.
Close shot of LAIVAN's face as he looks up at the sky.
ELLSEE
So you keep waiting and looking for signs instead of doing stuff and then—
Pull back to show that LAIVAN is floating down a river, lying on his back.
ELLSEE
You're just someone things happen to instead of a person who tries to shape their own future.
PAGE 5
Close up of TAZ's face as she puts the Mirthamaniac facepaint on with her fingers, with an arena behind her.
ELLSEE
So you spend your life reciting the script you've been given because you think it's all there is, instead of trying to make yourself happy.
In the real world, ELLSEE looks off to the side, forlorn. Then, she waves her hand, dispelling the imagery like a cloud of smoke.
ELLSEE
And then you die.
ELLSEE is beaming and puffing out her chest, as though she's made her point.
ELLSEE
And that's why I think this stuff is dumb!!
The other three look at her with various degrees of understanding and agreement. TAZ has her arms crossed, angrily looking at the side, LAIVAN is throwing her an amused smile and ARCJEC is nodding enthusiastically even if he doesn't entirely get it.
ELLSEE
...Anyway, when does the show start??
ARCJEC grabs the remote from LAIVAN.
ARCJEC
right now!!!
ARCJEC pulls ELLSEE back onto the couch.
ARCJEC
get your butt back here!
As ARCJEC, LAIVAN and TAZ talk and laugh together, ELLSEE looks on fondly. Ending with a close on her smiling face.
INT. ARCJEC AND ELLSEE'S LIVING ROOM
Establishing shot of TAZ, ARCJEC, LAIVAN, and ELLSEE sitting on a couch in front of the TV, looking relaxed and/or bored. Fragments of phrases from advertisements are coming from the TV.
TAZ
Ugh, I'm bored.
ARCJEC
hang in there, [X show] starts in fifteen!
LAIVAN
Uh oh- we've lost the remote-
One of the ambient TV phrases is more distinct: "a device that can predict the future"
ELLSEE
Aww, not this rubbish again!!
TAZ and ARCJEC look at her with a raised eyebrow/interest. LAIVAN fishes out the remote triumphantly in the background.
ARCJEC
huh? what rubbish??
ELLSEE
I hate fortune telling. It's bogus!!!!
IT'S BOGUS is stylized as a title.
ARCJEC
oooh, she's gonna rant.
PAGE 2
Panel transition with a close-up of ELLSEE'S face, as the background shifts into a more symbolic, abstract style — kind of like the shadow people in the Vivifier's story about the persimmon tree.
Here, the cast is depicted as their present selves. We start off with a representation of ALBION talking to the STAR GUARDIAN (maybe have the Exemplar somewhere?)
ELLSEE
It's just nonsense about having a destiny that's set in stone and if you use the right stuff, you can know what's gonna happen.
Panel of SOVA with tears streaming down her face.
ELLSEE
Like there's a script and we have no choice but to follow it, even if it makes us unhappy!!
Non-symbolic TAZ pops in, Looney-Tunes style pushing the crumpled SOVA panel against non-symbolic ELLSEE. They both look very annoyed at each other.
TAZ
yeah, life isn't always happy anyway, genius.
ELLSEE
Well, I know that!! Sheesh.
Panel of ARCJEC brooding with KIDJEC behind him, putting his hands on their shoulders.
ELLSEE
I know life sucks sometimes. It can be hard and scary, but that doesn't mean you can't do anything about it.
Panel of ELLSEE standing proudly with her hands on her hips, followed by ELLSEE crossing her arms and turning her back to WHITE NOISE'S bony hand.
ELLSEE
I make my own decisions!! They might suck too, but they're mine. Not what some made up power-that-be wrote for me.
PAGE 3
CALDER puts on his ancestor's crown, his arms connected to puppet strings.
ELLSEE
I don't get why some people like the idea of being cosmic puppets. It's such a helpless way of looking at life!!
ELLSEE
Your actions aren't really yours, so if something bad is happening to you, you can't change it.
ELLSEE
And if you did something good, well, it wasn't really you that did it, was it??
Non-symbolic ELLSEE shows up in front of the panel again, blowing a raspberry.
ELLSEE
It makes me really mad!!!!
Non-symbolic LAIVAN pops up over the panel, leaning over it with his arms crossed. ELLSEE throws her hands up in the air.
LAIVAN
I guess- it's easier to not feel responsible about the way your life is going-
ELLSEE
But you are, though!!
ELLSEE peers down, looking more thoughtful and a bit uneasy.
ELLSEE
That's what bugs me the most. At the end of the day, you can only rely on your own power to solve your problems.
DISMAS looks out over a steep cliff, hesitates, and leaps.
ELLSEE
Sometimes, you end up having to face big scary things all by yourself, and you have to make decisions without knowing what's going to happen.
Two playing cards: one showing YOUNGER MURRIT, the other showing PRESENT MURRIT overlaid on top of it.
ELLSEE
But you gotta believe that they matter!!
ELLSEE
Otherwise, why even bother trying to do... anything??
PAGE 4
OCCEUS sits hunched over his work, dwarfed by the size of his computer monitor behind him. It shows a partially cut-off feed of HAMIFI's face.
ELLSEE
If your choices don't matter, why not just lie down and accept everything that's coming your way?
ELLSEE
That's no way to live.
Non-symbolic ARCJEC pops up from under the panel, propping his head up with his hands like he's under a blanket.
ARCJEC
i talked to a fortune teller once though! she got so much stuff right??? it was honestly a little spooky...
ELLSEE smiles, smugly.
ELLSEE
Hah!! As if a plastic ball knows anything.
SERPAZ looks on in interest at someone extending a hand toward her out of frame, with musical notes swirling around her head. JENTHA curls up into a ball as several hands point toward her in accusation.
ELLSEE
Those scammers are either gonna tell you what you want to hear or make you paranoid enough to keep coming back.
ELLSEE
Either way, it just makes you want to sit on your hands and wait for it.
Close shot of LAIVAN's face as he looks up at the sky.
ELLSEE
So you keep waiting and looking for signs instead of doing stuff and then—
Pull back to show that LAIVAN is floating down a river, lying on his back.
ELLSEE
You're just someone things happen to instead of a person who tries to shape their own future.
PAGE 5
Close up of TAZ's face as she puts the Mirthamaniac facepaint on with her fingers, with an arena behind her.
ELLSEE
So you spend your life reciting the script you've been given because you think it's all there is, instead of trying to make yourself happy.
In the real world, ELLSEE looks off to the side, forlorn. Then, she waves her hand, dispelling the imagery like a cloud of smoke.
ELLSEE
And then you die.
ELLSEE is beaming and puffing out her chest, as though she's made her point.
ELLSEE
And that's why I think this stuff is dumb!!
The other three look at her with various degrees of understanding and agreement. TAZ has her arms crossed, angrily looking at the side, LAIVAN is throwing her an amused smile and ARCJEC is nodding enthusiastically even if he doesn't entirely get it.
ELLSEE
...Anyway, when does the show start??
ARCJEC grabs the remote from LAIVAN.
ARCJEC
right now!!!
ARCJEC pulls ELLSEE back onto the couch.
ARCJEC
get your butt back here!
As ARCJEC, LAIVAN and TAZ talk and laugh together, ELLSEE looks on fondly. Ending with a close on her smiling face.