One Evening In The Channel...


[The below has been edited for spelling and lag]

BratFromHades - Xeffy, twelve-year old Siren.
Carrie - Carrie, Graham Woodland's muse.
DevilEmber - Embericles, BKWillis's 'dark' muse.
DreamerCass - Cassie, Cameron Mason's muse.
EmbySlave - Nyssaias, BKWillis's 'light' muse.
Kerouac - Dominic, currently unattached history muse.
MusicGirl - Ayna, Xeffy's fellow Siren.
PsycheMuse, SailorProteus - Allie, Imran Inayat's muse.
ShadowGhost - Sandra, Allie's sister and resident phantasm.
TessaEF - Tessa, Alryssa Kelly's muse.
Yokko - Yokoi, Gordon Dempster's muse.

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[transcript begins]

Sep 13
***SailorProteus has joined #ttrmuses
SailorProteus: hello?
*Kerouac raises eyebrows
SailorProteus: hi, dad. :)
Kerouac: Only you, Allie. Only you.
***Yokko has joined #ttrmuses
Yokko: Hey, guys!
SailorProteus: been on #animaniacs again? <g>
Yokko: Who, me? <g>
SailorProteus: So what are we gonna do tonight, Yokko?
Yokko: The same thing we do every night, Al. Plan to take over the channel! ...oops.
***EmbySlave has joined #ttrmuses
SailorProteus: Hey, Nyss. Emby joining us?
EmbySlave: In a moment, dear heart. She's just looking for her thong...
***DevilEmber has joined #ttrmuses
Carrie: Ah. 'Angelporn' again.
DevilEmber: hey, it's not just porn! it's gratuitous porn, isn't that right,
nyss?
EmbySlave: Absolutely, my fellow pornstar.
Yokko: The gang all here?
*SailorProteus thinks she's here, if she _is_ SailorProteus
*Kerouac is on the road... sorry, is _reading_ 'On the Road'
*Yokko thinks she's here, if this _is_ here
*Carrie wishes she were anywhere _but_ here
*EmbySlave is in DevilEmber's arms. And hair. And...
*DevilEmber is in heaven
*DreamerCass sighs
*TessaEF looks around herself, realises where she is, and screams her head off
TessaEF: AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!
Carrie: Better now?
TessaEF: Much. ;)
***EmbySlave changes topic to 'Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to watch this Light Muse and this Dark Muse have at it like rabbits.'
***ShadowGhost has joined #ttrmuses.
*ShadowGhost *blinks* at the subject line
ShadowGhost: So when's the wedding?
DevilEmber: oh, we're happy livin' in sin, aren't we, hon?
EmbySlave: And bliss, and ecstasy, and delight...
ShadowGhost: Sheesh. Well, it's not like Xeffy and Ayna can't read the logs...
***SailorProteus is now known as PsycheMuse
PsycheMuse: whew, that's better.
***BratFromHades has joined #ttrmuses
ShadowGhost: Oh, hello, Xeph. We were just talking about you... :)
BratFromHades: Lemme guess. The 'Nyss and Emby Pay-Per-View' again?
ShadowGhost: Got it in one.
*DreamerCass hugs BratFromHades
*BratFromHades blushes
*PsycheMuse just shakes her head
***MusicGirl has joined #ttrmuses
BratFromHades: Hey, Ayna.
ShadowGhost: Hey there!
Carrie: Ayna. *Finally*, some sense...
Yokko: Hey, I resemble that remark!
MusicGirl: hiya, guys...
ShadowGhost: Right, so apart from the Pay-Per-View, what's going on?
*DevilEmber is ticked. Like anyone would _want_ to see anything else?
Carrie: <DE> So how's 'Space Vixens: Episode 2' coming these days?
DevilEmber: cheap shot, kiddo. wait 'till willis's teeny little brain boots up again, okay? been tryin' ta get him going, but he's blocked almost every which way. can't get a spark outta him.
Carrie: Unlike some things I could mention.
EmbySlave: Hey, at least we managed to get 'Separate But Evil' out of him, thank you so very much, Little Miss Computer Virus. And _you're_ one to talk.
*PsycheMuse tries to drag things back on topic, then remembers what the topic line actually *says*...
***Kerouac changes topic to 'Subreality preparing for a reboot'
PsycheMuse: Say *what?!*
Carrie: Dominic?!
MusicGirl: dad...?
ShadowGhost: ...
EmbySlave: Dom, is this straight up?
DevilEmber: crukking hell!
BratFromHades: oh Hera...
DreamerCass: He's right, I'm afraid.
*Yokko *blinks*
*TessaEF sits down heavily
Carrie: Dom, you have some serious sources. I hadn't even heard a *word* of this.
Kerouac: <Carrie> Someone dropped me a line. I'd prefer to leave it at that, if you don't mind - but, before anyone asks; yes, they've been in touch with me before, and so far everything they've said has proven reliable. I've done some follow-up work, and it appears to check out.
TessaEF: Details. Now.
DreamerCass: aiui, Subreality now exists in potentia - in a state of potential, until things are decided one way or another.
BratFromHades: And if they decide one way, things go back to normal, right??
*BratFromHades is crossing her fingers. And toes.
DreamerCass: Yes.
MusicGirl: ...so what happens if they choose the other way?
Kerouac: The Mists roll in. If it's been neglected, if no-one cares about it one way or another... it disappears into the Mists.
Kerouac: Leaving the Cafe, and any other major establishments, standing.
Kerouac: Old landmarks would still exist *within* the Mists, if someone wanted to retrieve them, or they could create something to replace them.
Carrie: Like Subreality v.2.0. Faster, more streamlined, easier to understand...
*Kerouac nods. Exactly.
*PsycheMuse eyes Kerouac. You've been through this before, right, Dad?
*Kerouac nods. Yes.
Yokko: Waitaminute! They're not thinking about doing the Round too, are they?!
*EmbySlave snorts. Like they'd stand a chance.
*DevilEmber arms up. They're not taking us alive. DamnYankees.
*ShadowGhost rolls her eyes. See? This is what hanging around Willis does to you.
BratFromHades: QUUUUIIIIEEEETTTT!!
*BratFromHades ahem
Kerouac: <Yokko> No, they're not. The 'Round's no longer in Subreality City anyways, so any changes there wouldn't affect it. The same goes for the Collegium.
*PsycheMuse snaps her fingers. Damn.
*Yokko pouts
Carrie: Still, this is big... Rationale?
Kerouac: That Subreality is intimidating.
DreamerCass: Or rather, that it appears intimidating - the volume and continuity of stories can seem intimidating to a newcomer...
PsycheMuse: Sounds familiar.
Kerouac: Think of it as a spring-cleaning - clearing away everything and every*one* that nobody needs.
*BratFromHades gawps
MusicGirl: everyone?
*Yokko is too numb to even make a joke
Kerouac: Everyone. This is *not* the first time...
ShadowGhost:...They're still there, right? Right?
DreamerCass: As long as someone wants them.
PsycheMuse: And if no-one wants them?
[crickets.wav]
DevilEmber: ...that's cold. "oh, hey there! listen, we don't need ya anymore, so why don'tcha just wait here till the mists come?" <shakes head> beats giving 'em a pink slip...
EmbySlave: And if someone called them back?
PsycheMuse: <ES> Like a Siren, maybe?
BratFromHades: Um, guys... us vs. the Mists?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR CRUKKING MINDS?!
Kerouac: That might be worse than the alternative. At least in the Mists, they'd still have some existance - but remember what happens to fictives in Subreality. You don't need them, you forget about them...
ShadowGhost: And then, they end up in Shantytown.
MusicGirl: was it always there?
Kerouac: In its present incarnation... *no*. Not until Seraph brought it into existence. But its potential is always there. Every time a new Scribe comes, *something* usually arises...
TessaEF: Not like here.
DreamerCass: No. Subreality is... different like that. Its closeness to Imagination. The Subreal fictives need belief, need to be remembered, to survive...
ShadowGhost: The first law of Subreality - every fictive needs a writer to survive. ...Who passed that damn piece of crap anyway?
Kerouac: <SG> Dead end, so far. I have certain suspicions...
BratFromHades: ...So do they go to Limbo when they're forgotten, or...
ShadowGhost: Dunno, Xeph. I took a look 'round while the MDO were processing my application, but I didn't see anything.
TessaEF: But since TTR & the City of Dreams aren't in Subreality...
DreamerCass: ...the characters don't play by Subreality rules. They don't need Writers to survive - yet the two groups still work together.
PsycheMuse: Which means no Shantytown.
Kerouac: But it _does_ exist in Subreality...
*DevilEmber weighs it up. The Mists... or non-existence. The Mists... or
non-existence. Hmm...
ShadowGhost: I think I'd prefer the Mists...
*EmbySlave thinks the Mists would be worse than non-existence if she had to endure them without her darling Emby
*DevilEmber smooches
*Carrie gags
*Yokko hands Carrie the bucket
TessaEF: ...Allie, what about *your* Subreal fictives?
PsycheMuse: I haven't forgotten them, Tess. And they are _not_ getting caught in the Mists.
Carrie: Do we know when they're going to decide?
Kerouac: It's down to the Scribe.
PsycheMuse: But they've already got a few stories up about it.
Carrie: Could go ahead, could still fizzle... Got you.
*Yokko sighs. I'm going to miss the old places...
*PsycheMuse patpats. Look at it this way. Brand *new* karaoke bars.
*Yokko perks up
*TessaEF orders earplugs
MusicGirl: dad...?
Kerouac: Yes, Ayna?
MusicGirl: is the flipside still going to be there?
Kerouac: Yes.
*PsycheMuse thinks about what their flipside selves'll make of this, and shudders
MusicGirl: oh.
*MusicGirl needs to think about this
Carrie: <MG> Let me know if you need to discuss anything.
Kerouac: <Carrie> Thank you.
*MusicGirl hugs carrie just... because
*EmbySlave aws. Kodak moment.
*DevilEmber pouts. I thought *we* had all the Kodak moments?!
TessaEF: _On_ Kodak, to boot. I thought those counted as obscene publications?
*EmbySlave has no idea what you're talking about. Pay no attention to the Vice Squad at the door...
DevilEmber: Or the BATF troops.
ShadowGhost: I was wondering about that...

[transcript ends]

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End

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Notes: The above is entirely fictional. #ttrmuses doesn't exist (sadly).

(cue bad Fight Club gag)

Seriously. This _is_ fictional, and any responsibility for it is entirely mine.

(Continuity? What is this continuity you speak of?)

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Copyright 2002 Imran Inayat.