LAST EDITED ON Sep-30-20 AT 08:59 PM (EDT)
 
I tweeted about this while I was out on today's grocery run, but the Forum had to wait until I got home:

For the past few weeks I've been heavily immersed in writing a long piece in which a small cast is, for convoluted reasons beyond their control, more or less trapped in a house they can leave only occasionally and under very specific circumstances.

It's only now dawned on me that I've been writing a bottle show lockdown parable this whole time.

(N.B. "Bottle show" as in the genre-TV idea of stretching the budget by making episodes that only use the permanent sets and cast, without the expense of location shoots, new sets, or guest stars. Not the "unconvivial strangers forced to live together and monitored whilst they hate each other" faux-reality-game-show thing.)

--G.
thanks, subconscious!
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>I tweeted about this while I was out on today's grocery run, but the
>Forum had to wait until I got home:
>
>For the past few weeks I've been heavily immersed in writing a long
>piece in which a small cast is, for convoluted reasons beyond their
>control, more or less trapped in a house they can leave only
>occasionally and under very specific circumstances.
>
>It's only now dawned on me that I've been writing a bottle show
>lockdown parable this whole time.

Heehee! Sure makes Gryph being called "Big Brother" take on a whole new meaning.

------
Authors of our fates
Orchestrate our fall from grace
Poorest players on the stage
Our defiance drives us straight to the edge

>Heehee! Sure makes Gryph being called "Big Brother" take on a whole
>new meaning.

... ?

--G.
"I'm not following you, Jonesy."
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>Heehee! Sure makes Gryph being called "Big Brother" take on a whole
>>new meaning.
>
>... ?
>
>--G.
>"I'm not following you, Jonesy."

I think Verbena is conflating the bottle show/episode trope with the 'dump a bunch of strangers into a relatively small space, stir occasionally for drama' genre of pseudo-reality shows, like the one actually called Big Brother.

	-={(Astynax)}=- "This Space For Rent."

LAST EDITED ON Sep-30-20 AT 06:18 PM (EDT)
 
>I think Verbena is conflating the bottle show/episode trope with the
>'dump a bunch of strangers into a relatively small space, stir
>occasionally for drama' genre of pseudo-reality shows, like the one
>actually called Big Brother.

Oh.

No no, plague lockdown, not fake-gameshow lockdown.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>I think Verbena is conflating the bottle show/episode trope with the
>>'dump a bunch of strangers into a relatively small space, stir
>>occasionally for drama' genre of pseudo-reality shows, like the one
>>actually called Big Brother.
>
>Oh.
>
>No no, plague lockdown, not fake-gameshow lockdown.

Ah. Well, Astynax was exactly correct, but the truth is I don't watch any of those shows. I admit, some conflation may have been happening. =)

------
Authors of our fates
Orchestrate our fall from grace
Poorest players on the stage
Our defiance drives us straight to the edge

At the back of my mind, I've been trying to suppress "Masque of the Red Death" remarks XD

>At the back of my mind, I've been trying to suppress "Masque of the
>Red Death" remarks XD

To be fair, they're not having a frantic world-forgetting bacchanalium at Scarlet Devil Mansion. At least not until Gryph and Meiling finally get the dang bath working.

--G.
honestly, they're really having to earn that scene in this series
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

"We've definitely fixed the boiler! Now it's just a question of firing it all up! Chief Bathing Engineer Hong, raise steam!"

"Aye aye, cap'n!"

*creeeeeak*

"All gauges reporting nominal, captain!"

*clonk clonk clongclongclongclongclong*

"Excellent! Full steam ahead, if you would!"

*clonkclonkclonkclonkclonkclonk hssssss*

Gryphon smiled, broad as morning. "Now then, gentlewomen of the household, if you would be so kind as to get ready, the Fusonese bath will await-"

*clonkclonkgroOoOoAaAaAanwhuddawhuddawhuddawhuddaclankptangvssst*

Gryphon's smile suddenly became more fixed. "Er, Meiling, is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, 's'all good!"

*gronkagronkacreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak*

"Belay that belay that BELAY THAT-"

*spadonkbamPTOIOIOIOIOIOING*

Remilia, Flandre, and Sakuya smiled at Gryphon, and at the gently-described arc of Meiling as she was propelled backwards through the air behind him, smashing through an elderly door and disappearing from view.

"Ah," said Gryphon.

Flandre tapped her cheek. "Wasn't that the door to the garderobe?"

"Oh," said Gryphon.

"Are we therefore to assume that tonight's Fusonese bath will be postponed?"

"Er... yes," said Gryphon, somewhat sheepishly.

And then, sounding like a kitten if it was in a tin bath at the bottom of a well, Meiling's plaintive voice echoed up and said "Gryphon? I don't wanna be chief bathing engineer no more."

---
"She's old, she's lame, she's barren too, // "She's not worth feed or hay, // "But I'll give her this," - he blew smoke at me - // "She was something in her day." -- Garnet Rogers, Small Victory

FiMFiction.net: we might accept blatant porn involving the cast of My Little Pony but as God is my witness we have standards.

The last one was really sad so I thought I'd try and make yall laugh instead. =]

>Flandre tapped her cheek. "Wasn't that the door to the garderobe?"
>

Poor Meiling.

>"Oh," said Gryphon.
>
>"Are we therefore to assume that tonight's Fusonese bath will be
>postponed?"
>
>"Er... yes," said Gryphon, somewhat sheepishly.
>

It hasn't yet crossed the threshold, but the bath situation has the makings of a running joke. I expect it will get settled before that point, but it might get really close first.

	-={(Astynax)}=- "What are the odds on there being a disgruntled fire elemental that needs to be appeased to get the thing working again?"

>"What are the odds on there being a disgruntled fire elemental that
>needs to be appeased to get the thing working again?"

Ha, I hadn't thought of that. There's precedent in the house, too, what with how the organ works. :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

Heheh.

To be fair, it is in hopes of avoiding just such a scenario that they're tearing the whole thing out and building a better one. :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.