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quote:“The truth about how your mother died and not a lie. And - how I knew you so well.” I was expecting the twist to be 'Railrunner, I am your father'. I guess my expectations are finally low enough that Miranda's writing can turn out
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Jun 14, 2013 07:36
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Madoushi posted:I was expecting the twist to be 'Railrunner, I am your father'. I guess my expectations are finally low enough that Miranda's writing can turn out How could anyone actually not miss that? We've already seen so many pictures of pregnant Angeltrack and Thunderbark is always close to her. I was aware of that fact before I read the book, and I actually thought that Miranda had retconned the story, until Thunderbark said the story the second time, with another And also: quote:“Exactly. Then at the very end it all went to hell. When she well - delivered. Every coaster in our world knew.” So, Railrunner gets born and only the roller coaster trains of the Amusement Park Between get to know it, the moment he does. But the method of letting them know is strange. Apparently Ironwheel "hears" it. So Angeltrack or Railrunner would have had to screamed at a frequency that only roller coaster trains can hear, and also spread across the Amusement Park Between.  Or Miranda didn't realize she wrote "heard" instead of "sensed".
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Jun 14, 2013 08:22
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Iced Cocoa posted:So, Railrunner gets born and only the roller coaster trains of the Amusement Park Between get to know it, the moment he does. But the method of letting them know is strange. Apparently Ironwheel "hears" it. So Angeltrack or Railrunner would have had to screamed at a frequency that only roller coaster trains can hear, and also spread across the Amusement Park Between. Railrunner has already demonstrated that he can create sounds that are heard all across Amusement Park Between, when he roared earlier.
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Jun 14, 2013 08:27
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Piell posted:Railrunner has already demonstrated that he can create sounds that are heard all across Amusement Park Between, when he roared earlier. Yes, but the difference was that Merrylegs could hear it as well. So unless baby Railrunner instinctively knows how to produce that roar but only so that roller coaster trains could hear, and he had big enough lungs for it, I'm not so sure about that particular roar.
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Jun 14, 2013 08:35
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quote:“I’m shocked, I would have never known. This is like finding out you have some deadly illness!” Your Wise Old Mentor actually being your (god)father is not equivalent to getting cancer. Being Railrunner's godfather might well be. ETA:  "If you'll pardon me for being frank, old chap, this is rather like discovering one has some terrible disease." attackbunny fucked around with this message at 09:14 on Jun 14, 2013 |
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Jun 14, 2013 09:03
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"Let's destroy the town and kill its civilians, so we can lure the bad guys out from their castle!" Ugh. I think I'm going to throw up. If I do throw up, would you like pictures of the vomit to cleanse your mind? Those rollercoasters have vaginas, you know.
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Jun 14, 2013 11:33
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attackbunny posted:Your Wise Old Mentor actually being your (god)father is not equivalent to getting cancer. Being Railrunner's godfather might well be. Yeah, being told that the guy who's been looking after you was told to look after you by your mother isn't all that big of a revelation. It's a bit closer to "Knew your father I did" than "I lied to your face, but only from a certain point of view."
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Jun 14, 2013 14:51
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Ironwheel will kill Thunderbark. Thunderbark's death enrages Railrunner who will kill Ironwheel. He will still be angry and take it out on his comrades. Because of What He Is.
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Jun 14, 2013 17:36
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The tension rising and deflating in one breath are my favorite
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Jun 14, 2013 18:50
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Mercedes posted:The tension rising and deflating in one breath are my favorite Miranda Leek contradicting herself in the space in the space of two sentences is my favourite.
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Jun 14, 2013 18:56
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Mercedes posted:The tension rising and deflating in one breath are my favorite This is something that repeats in the novel. Every single conflict that's within the group of heroes has to be resolved in one chapter, or in the same chapter it arises. We had Thunderbark being mad at Railrunner going to the real world to see his girlfriend, there was the fact that Merrylegs and Static were not happy about Railrunner fighting in the arena. Both those problems were solved in the same chapter. Railrunner being mad at Merrylegs because Thunderbark got kidnapped was a tension that lasted onto the next chapter!
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Jun 15, 2013 13:34
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Chapter 49 - Corruption/ Eruptionquote:
I think this is one of the biggest problems with this story – we simply haven’t seen or heard enough examples of evil-doing and villainy by Ironwheel / Freakshow / the Fallen for Railrunner’s homicidal aggression against them to seem justified and proportionate – he just sounds like a psychopathic nutcase when he makes statements like that. An author needs to build up the antagonist at least as much as she does the protagonist. quote:
So why were the “swinging ships” and their cannon-mounted cannons effective against the Fallen during Railrunner’s “liberation” of Alcator? quote:
This is an oriental dragon:  This is most decidedly NOT an oriental dragon:  quote:
In Chapter 22, Thunderbark told Railrunner that “but when you were adopted we lost track”. What happened to Railrunner’s adoptive parents? Are they not his “family”? Do his 38 years of human life mean absolutely nothing to him at all? quote:
How can you tell it’s a “small” room if the door is closed and you’d never been there before? quote:
Doors with neither locks, traps or other forms of security are what come to my mind when I think of “technologically advanced society” and “citadel of a tyrannical dictatorship”. quote:
Is it a “small room” or a “great hall”? Make up your mind! quote:
“Small smoldering torches” are what comes to my mind when I think of “technologically advanced society”. quote:
I have no doubt that Railrunner is familiar with the smell of “decaying corpses” – he’s created so many of them, after all. quote:
“Copper doors” are what comes to my mind when I think of “technologically advanced society”. quote:
Of course the “evil villain” of the story is a “BIG black” guy. quote:
The only actual evil we’ve seen being done is Railrunner’s. quote:
Railrunner calling other people “childish” – infinite  quote:
Moonblood was “unique” too, moron. quote:
“I am not” really is a stupid comeback. Railrunner finally shows some self-awareness. Progress! quote:
We already know he had been sitting down - you didn’t need to say that he stood up “from his previous position”. quote:
List of ways in which various persons and creatures have taken out their claws in this book: Chapter 4 – “The cat then let out a loud yowl and induced its claws.” Chapter 5 – “Railrunner extracted his claws and slashed the poor creature’s throat; it fell to its side, dead.” Chapter 18 - “I faced the remaining humans and activated my claws.” Chapter 31 – “He broke out his claws and began to rake them across the arm of the stone chair.” Chapter 37 – “I elicited my claws.” Chapter 49 – “He extorted his jagged claws…” quote:
“Enclosed my teeth around his neck”. Why not just say “bit his neck”?quote:
Yeah, Railrunner isn’t like the other reds – he is far more mentally and morally defective than the others. Or, at least, I simply can’t imagine anyone being both dumber and nastier than him. quote:
“My restraints vibrating in rage”.  Like I said previously, roller-coaster anatomy makes any fight scene utterly, utterly hilarious. quote:
Tension rising… quote:
And defused in the next two paragraphs.  quote:
Why even bother writing a story at all if the protagonists never suffer more than a moment’s inconvenience? quote:
The moron can’t even remember that only roller-coasters can harm other roller-coasters, and you are expecting him to “don’t do anything stupid”? quote:
Note that Static and Merrylegs did not do a single drat thing during the entire break-out of Thunderbark and fight with Ironwheel. They really are completely useless.
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Jun 16, 2013 03:53
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quote:The evil king stared at me bluntly. “Clare? Who is she? This human you speak of is your girlfriend? I will look for her after I’m done with you and am off to the world where humans walk.” Ironwheel laughed. So her name's Clare and she lives in the real world? That should narrow down the search. Notice he never says what he'll do when he finds her. Suggest some good therapists, maybe.
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Jun 16, 2013 06:11
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Railrunner is going to burst in on Clare and Ironwheel commiserating over what a jerk he is and murder her in a jealous rage. 
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Jun 16, 2013 06:29
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JosephWongKS posted:So why were the “swinging ships” and their cannon-mounted cannons effective against the Fallen during Railrunner’s “liberation” of Alcator? Having the villain shout "See you never!" and leap out of the building in the middle of what really ought to have been the final confrontation suddenly makes me think Luke should have shouted "gently caress off, shitlord!" before falling off the catwalk on Cloud City.
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Jun 16, 2013 07:24
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:Having the villain shout "See you never!" and leap out of the building in the middle of what really ought to have been the final confrontation suddenly makes me think Luke should have shouted "gently caress off, shitlord!" before falling off the catwalk on Cloud City. Classic Cinema, as reimagined by Miranda Leek: Star Wars: A New Hope Luke knew that he was the last chance at success. He had to hit the exhaust port perfectly or all was lost. But then he hit it perfectly and the Death Star blew up. Spartacus "Which one of you is Spartacus?" the Legionnaire sighed. But Spartacus had foreseen this happening and was not there. Se7en "What's in the loving box?!" David shouted. "You were just getting in his way, David, you shouldn't have upset him" his partner sighed.
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Jun 16, 2013 08:25
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Cuntpunch posted:Classic Cinema, as reimagined by Miranda Leek: Harry Potter "Foolish boy, you can never hope to defeat me" Voldemort said. "I'm not foolish, or a boy," Harry comebacked, and shot a concussion beam out of his mouth. Voldemort was killed immediately and all his soulbending things exploded. "Harry that was amazing." said Ginny, and then they had touching and heavy makeouts. Life of Pi After the shipwreck, Pi realised he was in a lifeboat with a giant Bengal Tiger. "This is bad," he said, but then the tiger had a heart attack and died and the ship washed up on an island full of anthropomorphic roller coasters who made Pi their king. Pride and Prejudice It is a truth universally greeted that only a man in possession of a good fortune must have an appetite for a woman, which is why Mr Darcy married Elizabeth. The Iliad Sing, goddess, of the wrath of Achilles, after his friend died and he got mad and killed all the Greeks. Paris tried to shoot him in the foot with a gun but Achilles was immune to being shot with guns, so instead he ate Paris, killed all the Trojans with lightningbending and conquered Troy. The Bell Jar It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York. "Railrunner, what am I doing in New York?" I sighed. "Who gives a crap," Railrunner said crudely. "I love you, Railrunnr," I said. The Great Gatsby In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticising any one, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t got the advantages that you’ve got. So I wiped out West Egg with a concussion beam and moved into Jay Gatsby's house where I threw lots of parties and everyone agreed I was super awesome. Metamorphosis As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into an anthropomorphic roller coaster. "This is great" he said. The Old Man and the Sea He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. But then he caught a fish. Nineteen-Eighty-Four It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen, so Railrunner fixed the clocks and went back to ruling Airstrip One.
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Jun 16, 2013 12:54
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:Having the villain shout "See you never!" and leap out of the building in the middle of what really ought to have been the final confrontation suddenly makes me think Luke should have shouted "gently caress off, shitlord!" before falling off the catwalk on Cloud City. Agreed. The worst part is I can see Miranda thinking "man, I am SO clever!" while she's writing that line. Ironwheel still seems cooler than Railrunner. I mean he was respectful to Railrunner before the fight began, and his harshest insult was "you're weak!" I'm also kind of feeling bad for Static since he's the only one calling Big Red out on his bullshit and everyone, the author included, shits on him for it. He still thoughtlessly murdered policemen, but that's par for the course at this point.
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Jun 16, 2013 18:58
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And now that Railrunner and Ironwheel are back in the real world, how big do you think the body count will be? Or who is going to kill someone first?
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Jun 16, 2013 19:01
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Iced Cocoa posted:And now that Railrunner and Ironwheel are back in the real world, how big do you think the body count will be? Or who is going to kill someone first? My bet is that Railrunner kills at least a dozen police officers who were "in his way" and then gets to Clare's house and she doesn't have a scratch on her.
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Jun 16, 2013 19:15
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Interlude - Fatal Attractionquote:
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Jun 17, 2013 07:22
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I'm expecting to see Ironwheel trying to take Clare to a safe location (i.e. away from Railrunner) but being heroically slain in the process Even if he kills her, it's a better fate than leaving her alive and having to deal with Rodney for the rest of her life. Though that life wouldn't be very long, since this is Railrunner we're talking about. Is it morally acceptable to kill someone if you know that their future contains nothing but torture?
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Jun 17, 2013 07:54
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Dreggon posted:I'm expecting to see Ironwheel trying to take Clare to a safe location (i.e. away from Railrunner) but being heroically slain in the process Oh a related note, I'd like to warn everyone reading this thread that the spousal abuse apologism subtext is particularly strong in the next chapter.
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Jun 17, 2013 08:03
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Chapter 50 – Reunionquote:
If you’ve already fallen into the dunk tank, wouldn’t the issue of “expectation” be entirely moot? quote:
New roller coaster power – ability to dry off instantly after a shower. quote:
This contradicts Chapter 4, where during Railrunner’s first transformation, “[He] was getting bigger; thread-by-thread [his] clothes came apart”, as well as the picture of his transformation in Chapter 8:  quote:
Even Railrunner’s roller-coaster clothes get the deus ex machine power to transform into human-sized and –shaped clothes. quote:
This contradicts Chapter 23, where “Thunderbark and [Railrunner] decided to tour the inside of the temple. [They] walked up about thirty stairs or so into the temple’s actual entrance. It was dark and [Railrunner] couldn’t see but three feet in front of my nose”. quote:
Does Thunderbark – who is responsible for the maintenance, or lack thereof, of the amusement park – want more amusement park rides to be neglected and become Fallen in Amusement Park Between? quote:
This is the closest that Miranda Leek comes close to acknowledging just how dumb her method of populating Amusement Park Between is. quote:
The two of you are different in that one of you is far, far worse than the other. quote:
“Fake name”, he calls it. The name he’s lived with for 38 years (and not a slave name like those of the Unsullied in A Song of Ice and Fire or a numerical ID like those given to prisoners) is a “fake name”. quote:
What’s the point of finding new clothes for his human form if he’s going to stay in his roller-coaster form? quote:
Um, what? Railrunner arrived at the portal in Mystic Park too, so if Ironwheel picks the same portal, wouldn’t he arrive at the same time as Railrunner? Miranda Leek has achieved the impossible – she’s contradicted herself within one sentence. quote:
These must be some mighty large bushes, to be able to conceal a twenty-foot long, twenty-thousand pound roller coaster. quote:
Isn’t Railrunner still in his roller-coaster form at this point? Is the typical US gas station large enough to hide a twenty-foot long, twenty-thousand pound vehicle? Or are only gas stations in Tennessee constructed on that grandiose scale? Am I getting Tennessee confused with Texas for that state where everything is larger? quote:
“You can’t let yourself be looked at by another man,” said the controlling boyfriend to his long-suffering girlfriend. quote:
Jumping from “buying a couple of beers” to “her nerves must be bad” is an impressive leap of logic. quote:
77th sigh of the book. quote:
Isn’t he still in roller-coaster form at this point? Does he now suddenly not care about being exposed in public and the police and FBI tracking him down? quote:
List of other things Railrunner has found “amusing: Chapter 4 – “Railrunner crossly walked up to the police. They began to fire, their bullets simply bouncing off of him. He then grabbed the front bumper of the cruiser, and tossed it like a toy. It smashed into another car. Railrunner flung an officer out of his way and roared in sheer amusement. Within a blink of an eye he obliterated the small police force.” Chapter 27 – “I began to walk up her perfectly paved sidewalk, when Mittens jumped out and hissed at me. I rolled my eyes and barred a set of gleaming white fangs at the cat. Its hair stood on end as it ran away yowling. I smiled a little in amusement.” Chapter 47 – “My beam’s aftershocks badly damaged the city, again I found myself laughing in pure amusement.” No, seriously, how does Miranda Leek not see what a deeply unpleasant, nasty, disgusting character she has created in Railrunner? quote:
So much for not wanting to draw attention to himself. quote:
If Clare “rested her head on [Railrunner’s] hot metal”, then this confirms that he had indeed been in his roller-coaster form during the previous scene. So why does no one else in the vicinity panicking by the re-appearance of the murderous monster roller coaster? And why did Railrunner go to so much trouble to find a disguise in the first place if he never bothered to change into his human form? quote:
“It’s all right if he destroys my property in a fit of jealousy – that just means he really loves me and cares for me,” said the battered spouse of her possessive husband. quote:
More confirmation that he’s in roller-coaster form, and neither Railrunner nor any of the on-lookers seem to care. quote:
Most people can’t stand you because you indulge in indiscriminate murder and destruction. quote:
What does it matter if they leave quietly, when Railrunner is still in his bright red, twenty-foot long, twenty-thousand pound roller-coaster form? quote:
“Talked in conversation”. quote:
78th sigh of the book. quote:
He's the only roller-coaster you "ever knew", moron. Also, what thesaurus is Miranda Leek reading such that she thinks “vicious” is a compliment? JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 11:45 on Jun 17, 2013 |
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Jun 17, 2013 08:56
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quote:Also, what thesaurus is Miranda Leek reading such that she thinks “vicious” is a compliment? Synonyms for 'vicious' include abandoned, abhorrent, atrocious, bad, barbarous, base, contaminated, cruel, dangerous, debased, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, diabolical, faulty, ferocious, fiendish, flagitious, foul, heinous, immoral, impious, impure, indecent, infamous, iniquitous, insubordinate, lewd, libidinous, licentious, miscreant, monstrous, nefarious, perverse, profligate, putrid, reprehensible, reprobate, rotten, savage, sinful, unprincipled, untamed, vile, villainous, violent, wicked, wild, worthless. All of which are things Failrunner is. 'Ferocious', maybe? Railrunner has rescued Clare from dangerous situations twice. The first time, she was being menaced by a group of five men who called her 'sweetcheeks'; the second time, it's a guy who gets handsy and wants her to come back to his place. Considering that these situations are set up specifically so Railrunner can save her, it's significant that Clare can't be chased by an escaped tiger or accidentally drive into a river or threatened with a traffic ticket. The implication of sexual violence is apparently essential. That leaves two options: either Clare is such a fuckdoll it never occurred to Miranda that she could be subjected to non-sexualised violence, or Railrunner isn't really defending Clare, he's defending his property from other men. As soon as she breaks up with him, or he leaves, aggressive dudes start to crawl out of the woodwork, and Railrunner has to come swooping back in and violently reestablish his territory rights. The question would be whether the same holds for violence directed against other
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Jun 17, 2013 11:04
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I wish I could say we've seen most if not all the abhorrent spousal abuse subtext and how Clare is like a complete and utter fuckdoll only for Railrunner's gratification. But no, Miranda had to add that last thing that's only there to serve Railrunner and no one else, especially not Clare.
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Jun 17, 2013 13:30
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JosephWongKS posted:Isn’t Railrunner still in his roller-coaster form at this point? Is the typical US gas station large enough to hide a twenty-foot long, twenty-thousand pound vehicle? Or are only gas stations in Tennessee constructed on that grandiose scale? Am I getting Tennessee confused with Texas for that state where everything is larger? "Grandiose?" Twenty feet isn't all that much when you're talking about a vehicle. A compact car could be over 14 feet long, and the smallest kind of semi-trailer is 28 feet long without the truck. A 20-foot-long roller coaster could hide in the car wash, easily. Really the crazy part is how the train manages to weigh 10 tons when that same 14-foot car is only one and a quarter tons.
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Jun 17, 2013 14:11
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And where did that 20 feet long thing came to begin with? The first mention of it as far as I can see is when JWKS is doing the review of chapter 11. I can't see anything prior to that at least. If anything I imagine Railrunner being twenty-feet tall when standing on the big legs on car four.
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Jun 17, 2013 14:26
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:"Grandiose?" Twenty feet isn't all that much when you're talking about a vehicle. A compact car could be over 14 feet long, and the smallest kind of semi-trailer is 28 feet long without the truck. A 20-foot-long roller coaster could hide in the car wash, easily. Really the crazy part is how the train manages to weigh 10 tons when that same 14-foot car is only one and a quarter tons. Ah yes, my bad. I'd been thinking Railrunner was 20 metres long even as I was writing "twenty-foot long". EDIT: I went back to check and it seems like I've been getting Railrunner's dimensions wrong for a long time. Railrunner is seventeen-foot tall, not twenty-foot long. Mea culpa. quote:
JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Jun 17, 2013 |
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Jun 17, 2013 14:27
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That clears things up. So I decided to figure out how long he was really.
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Jun 17, 2013 14:56
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A trench-coat was bad enough, but how does a suit even fit around something whose back is a series of open boxes filled with seats?
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Jun 17, 2013 15:36
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JosephWongKS posted:Um, what? Railrunner arrived at the portal in Mystic Park too, so if Ironwheel picks the same portal, wouldn’t he arrive at the same time as Railrunner? I hate to say it, but this one's on you. Railrunner made a red-only portal for himself after Ironwheel headed out to what is likely the portal Railrunner first entered Amusement Park Between with, so Ironwheel does supposedly have several days travel ahead of him. Not only that, but the wave pool isn't even the same exit point: Chapter 18 posted:Thunderbark walked to a Jacuzzi. The water within it was glowing bright blue, and you couldn’t see the bottom of the tub like all the others. Chapter 50 posted:I looked around to discover that I lay in the wave pool. The water rolled in gentle tides against my metal.
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Jun 17, 2013 15:43
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Oblivion4568238 posted:I hate to say it, but this one's on you. Railrunner made a red-only portal for himself after Ironwheel headed out to what is likely the portal Railrunner first entered Amusement Park Between with, so Ironwheel does supposedly have several days travel ahead of him. Not only that, but the wave pool isn't even the same exit point: First the confusion between metres and feet, then the long-running mistake about Railrunner's height / length, and now the mistake about the portals. I... I think reading Twisted may be destroying my mind.
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Jun 17, 2013 16:07
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JosephWongKS posted:A trench-coat was bad enough, but how does a suit even fit around something whose back is a series of open boxes filled with seats? Its also pretty well fitting considering he's got some extra sets of limbs underneath those clothes.
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Jun 17, 2013 19:36
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^^^^ There are six limbs to be exact hiding in that suit.JosephWongKS posted:A trench-coat was bad enough, but how does a suit even fit around something whose back is a series of open boxes filled with seats? (far right)  I dunno, looks like the seats disappear because of magic. Probably the same way the limbs do.
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Jun 17, 2013 22:14
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Chapter 51 - Scripted and Unscriptedquote:
Given that Railrunner able to leisurely stroll into a populated residential area without the police or FBI coming after him, we can assume that no one at the gas station had raised the alarm at the re-appearance of a  quote:
Does Miranda Leek think that such behaviour is endearing? quote:
There’s “not getting along with cats”, and then there’s “Before the poor creature ever had a chance to get away, it fell victim to the demon coaster’s jaws” (Chapter 4) and “I rolled my eyes and barred a set of gleaming white fangs at the cat. Its hair stood on end as it ran away yowling. I smiled a little in amusement” (Chapter 27). quote:
Isn’t it more a matter of “Wouldn’t I be unable to fit in the door unless I was human first?” Or has Clare already re-built her house to fit a roller-coaster in the weeks since Railrunner left for Amusement Park Between? quote:
I hope Clare is arrested and punished for sheltering and aiding a terrorist. quote:
Ayup, of course the trench-coat has magical shape-changing powers too. quote:
79th sigh of the story. And Railrunner continues to demonstrate the vast ineptitude for which he is well known -– despite 38 years living in human society, he still didn’t realize that a roller-coaster engineer uniform doesn’t really cut it as a “disguise”, especially when the police and FBI are already aware that Rodney / Railrunner is a roller coaster engineer. quote:
Don’t be ridiculous, Clare. Railrunner isn’t embarrassed or guilty – “shrugging” is something you do when you are indifferent or nonchalant. Railrunner doesn’t care that he didn’t get you anything. quote:
Rollercoaster (1977 film) Rollercoaster is a 1977 disaster-suspense film starring George Segal, Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda and Timothy Bottoms. It was directed by James Goldstone; the film's musical score was written by Lalo Schifrin. It was originally shown in Sensurround which caused audience seats to vibrate during certain periods during the "thrill scenes" on the rides. Despite having been released in the summer of 1977, and being overlooked in favor of the smash hit Star Wars, it went on to be a moderate success at the box office. quote:
Says the monster who wantonly destroyed a ferris wheel in Chapter 18: “I stood at the foot of the giant ferris wheel seconds later. I looked up its steel structure; it seemed to teeter in the wind. It was like climbing up a big spider web, I thought as I went up it. The metal beams creaked and stressed under my weight. This thing wasn’t built like a roller coaster track. It felt like it would snap and fall over at any moment… Then the ferris wheel let out a loud creak of despair.” quote:
No need to be sheepish about this, Clare. Your moron of a boyfriend is so dumb, he can’t even remember simple and vital facts like “Roller coasters can only be harmed by other roller coasters”. What you should be sheepish about is the fact that you apparently still think that Rodney / Railrunner is a great person / creature, despite the vast mountains of evidence to the contrary. quote:
What happens when an amusement park ride in storage subsequently gets decommissioned and recycled for scrap metal? Does a “good” ride suddenly turn into a Fallen? I don’t think this has ever been explained in the book. quote:
When did Clare even offer a “bribe” to Railrunner? quote:
Again, how and why is this “freaky”, let alone the “freakiest part of the whole thing”? quote:
Again, everyone simply ignores Railrunner’s human parents. quote:
How does Clare know that “it is the truth and it is real”? She wasn’t even there when Thunderbark related his story to Railrunner, let alone at the time and place when the events in question were alleged to have occurred. quote:
80th sigh of the story. quote:
Wikipedia and IMDB say Roller Coaster is 119 minutes long. That’s hardly long for a contemporary movie. Has Railrunner never seen a movie before during his 38 years as a human? quote:
Surely Railrunner means “… everything I have happened to”. quote:
Miranda Leek apparently thinks this story has movie-adaptation potential. quote:
Oh thank [deity of choice] for the interruption of the impending JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 10:32 on Jun 18, 2013 |
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Jun 18, 2013 09:24
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It's detective Black, here to take revenge on Railrunner for mildly injuring him. 
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Jun 18, 2013 18:16
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As he led Detective Black through a claustrophobic concrete corridor, the foreman began his tour. "You've already seen the warehouse where we ship our products out into the world at large. You must have come down on one of our three magic elevators which connect to facilities across the globe. We're careful to remodel and restock only after midnight when the local rides are all asleep, but what with how your average planet works the lifts are in full use every hour of the day." "Connect anywhere, eh? So would I be able to use the lifts to get around?" Black asked. "I'm sorry, Detective, but the elevators are for authorized personnel only. If you didn't get in here with the help of an authorized gnome, then I assure you your use of the lift was a fluke in timing. Besides, you'd need the seven-digit code that connects our warehouse to each facility, and we don't leave those lying around just anywhere." "What about that manhole that was next to the elevator?" "Maintenance ladder. For maintenance gnomes only." Black nodded his understanding and the foreman opened the door at the far end of the hallway. Following the gnome, Black found himself on another catwalk that encircled a massive room filled with assembly lines, pressing machines, pallets of boxes, and identically dressed gnomes directing devices whose functions the detective could only hope to guess at. "This is our product packaging center!" Black's guide declared, sweeping his arm across the room with a grandiose wave. "Here we merge our various finished products with all the bottles, cans, boxes, and packages we craft to house them for final consumption. From here it's just a hop, skip, and jump away from the warehouse and final delivery. Follow me, detective!" Over the next several hours, the warehouse foreman showed Detective Black through an uncountable number of chambers and factories. Everything Black could conceive of was created in one place or another, from artificially aged bourbon (along with carefully weathered bottles to house the liquor) to plastic carrots to building facades which somehow housed real buildings in the empty space behind them. Even the "real" trees Black had encountered during his hike were carefully cultivated in underground greenhouses before being transplanted to painstakingly determined spots on the surface. "Every need and want of our clients is taken care of here," the foreman bragged. "When a new client arrives with new expectations, every gnome knows how to craft what they desire before the end of the day and full implementation is in place before the end of the week. I'll admit our production picked up after the Industrial Revolution got up to speed in your world, but the dedication has been here since day one." "So what do the rides do for themselves?" Black asked as he watched a crane operator lift a wide building assembly onto a flatbed truck. "I saw one acting as a bartender before I came down here." "Oh, we give them places to play around in, both as humans and as their other forms. Still, playing isn't enough for most clients. They want to contribute, to feel useful to their societies. That's something I can understand, myself. Some of them work as entertainers or artists, but most of them pick a goods distribution center--sorry, a 'shop'--and act as proprietor and salesperson. They then pay each other in arcade tokens and everyone feels better about themselves. They seem to be using them more often now than ever before, too." "Hmm. So you said earlier that you've been ready to go since 'day one,' right? You mind if I ask when 'day one' was?" The gnome frowned and considered the question. "None of us really know. We all just appeared one day, fully aware of ourselves and the jobs we had to perform for our clients. We're all of us perfectly skilled in whatever job we have to do when we do them, and no more. Secretaries and bosses like myself are smarter than the rest, and I think the other bosses sometimes wonder how we got here like I do, but we're all too busy to talk about anything but our work during our meetings. I figure there must be some higher power out there, mortal or immortal, who built this place as a haven for amusement rides and other communally loved objects, but I just can't figure out what that power might have been." Black and the gnome stared out into the factory for a while, each lost in his own thoughts. "How would you like to see our latest secret project?" the foreman asked, regaining his chipper attitude. "Of course, it's not that much of a secret considering the only people who know about our headquarters facility are us gnomes--oh, and now you, Detective--but we do try to keep an air of mystique around our big projects. Come on, it's not far!" The gnome ran off and Detective Black hustled to keep up with him. Chasing him down another branching corridor with so many lefts and rights that Black would have been lost on his own, the two finally came to a stop in front of yet another unassuming steel door. This time when the foreman opened the door he gestured for Black to enter first. Moving inside, Rick found himself in the largest hollow space he had ever seen. The ceiling faded out into a dark, unknown haze, the lights lining the walls so distant that they turned invisible. In the center of the tremendous chamber sat a number of skyscrapers, perfectly at home in any city center Black had seen, but utterly dwarfed by the room they were currently stored in. Half of the buildings seemed finished, but the rest were in various stages of construction. Gnome workers busied themselves on the steel girders and concrete walls, looking like nothing less than a swarm of tiny green ants in the distance. "We're calling it Urban Land!" the foreman explained. "It's up to the clients to come up with a final name, of course, but it fits with the scheme they usually use. Just think of all the possibilities! Skyscraper drop towers, ten-story carousels, rooftop swings! We're setting up an elevated track for slow trains and an exciting undulating subway for roller coasters! And oh, the malls will be tremendous! We're really expecting Urban Land to be a big hit with our clients. I'd bring you in closer, but this is an active construction site." The gnome turned back to Detective Black with a grin. "This concludes our tour of the factory. Did you have any questions?" "Yeah, I've got one," Black responded. "It sounds like you're aware of what happens on the surface. You know about Iron Raptor then, right? How he's basically enslaved the other rides and kills them for shits and giggles? It sounds to me like you could stop this whole thing in its tracks by moving resources away from him and to the resistance. Why don't you?" The spirit shrugged noncommittally. "It's not our place to say how our clients live their lives. If Urban Land doesn't take off, we'll adjust things until it does, or take it down and replace it with something better. It's our job to make this world as pleasant a place to exist as possible. If our clients wish to make things unpleasant for each other, that is their decision to make. "I'll tell you what I can do, though. I'll let the other gnomes know that you are authorized to use anything you find in one of our aboveground facilities. It's all there to be used by our more...traditional clients anyhow, so I don't see any harm in letting you get some early access. Just don't bring any friends in or things will become a mess. Alright?" "Yeah, alright," Black agreed, and shook the gnome's hand again. The trip back to the warehouse was uncannily fast, and the foreman quickly brought the gnome Justin back in to deliver Black to the surface. Once there, Black waited around for Justin to leave, then carefully copied into his notebook a scrap of paper he had seen just above the lift doors which said, "Cajun Town: 0812694." The detective almost left without remembering the reason he had come in the first place, but encountering the open box and fallen ticket spools reminded him. On his way back into town, Detective Black took stock of himself. He noted that his legs still felt fine even after all the walking he had done, but he was almost relieved to feel dead tired after the long day. In his experience, less magic was always the better option, regardless of how helpful it seemed. Thunderbolt was still awake when Black reentered his room. "Where were you?" the old man asked. Your jambalaya got cold hours ago." "Oh, nowhere much," Black replied with a sly grin. "Just getting these." The detective's smile widened as he watched Thunderbolt's reaction when he produced the two rolls of tickets from under his coat. "God in Heaven have mercy," Thunderbolt muttered as he took the tickets almost reverently from Black. "Where could you even find this many unguarded tickets? They look almost new!" "I wouldn't say they were unguarded, exactly, but let's just say I have my ways. I doubt you'd believe me anyhow. Just be glad you got them." "Unfortunately, I can't be all that glad you found this many tickets. Having this much wealth in one place will draw suspicion and make us everyone's targets, even those not associated with Iron Raptor. It'll take a lot of effort to distribute these to the point where they don't draw too much attention." "It's still a hell of a lot better than nothing, though," Black answered, crossing his arms. "Language, please," Thunderbolt chided. "But you're right, this is much better than nothing. My apologies. It's just not the game-changer I was hoping for. Iron Raptor uses force to impose our economy upon us, rather than the other way around. It's late now; we'll figure something else out after a good night's sleep. You can use the room at the far end from the staircase." Detective Black thanked the older man and went to find his room. The next day promised to be just as eventful as the one just ended, but Rick at least had the comfort of knowing where his bed came from and just how well the sheets were made.
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Jun 18, 2013 20:14
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Damnit Miranda it's not an emotional scene! There's no drama in saying "TBark is Murdercoaster's godfather"! Why do you think we honestly give a poo poo? I mean even your other characters who constantly stroke Railrunner's ego think it's a stupid revelation! Can we get back to Ironwheel? At least I can sympathize with him. If all the other rides apparently loving love Railrunner maybe their demise is just and deserved. gently caress. gently caress. It just hit me. The non-Fallen rides are the bad guys! The Fallen conquered them and let them live, and in return they wish to use their champion to kill them all! The headfiction required to support this is kinda screwy and incoherent, but I think we're WELL past the point of caring for such trifles. Bobbin's work is top-notch. I am curious about what our good detective will do next.
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Jun 18, 2013 21:41
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 19:42 |
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SSNeoman posted:It just hit me. The non-Fallen rides are the bad guys! The Fallen conquered them and let them live, and in return they wish to use their champion to kill them all! The headfiction required to support this is kinda screwy and incoherent, but I think we're WELL past the point of caring for such trifles. Your first mistake was attempting to come up with a reason for anything in Miranda's story.
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Jun 18, 2013 23:29
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