#gonna monitor this and draft some letters if necessary

[orcinus-veterinarius]

Five critically endangered northern right whales dead from boat strikes and netting entanglements, and representatives are introducing a bill to Congress to… ban aquarium belugas from breeding.

[comicteaparty]

June 13th-June 19th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from June 13th, 2020 to June 19th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What is your physical and digital workspace like when you’re working on your story?

🌈ERROR404 🌈

LOL it really depends on what stage I'm in of the process - My storyboarding space is at home, as comfortable as I can be, a beer and some food at the ready and pure silence. The cats have to be freshly fed, otherwise I'll be harassed and lose my headspace entirely LOL. I usually work on my story boards digitally, just at a very small scale, with my script/outline on my computer and working on my ipad! The double screen helps a LOT, although i would just print out the script if I had access to a printer, haha. When I'm working on the actual page itself, it's a very different story. I usually just try and work on it in tiny little batches during the day when I'm stuck at home, and usually work around the animals as best i can, lmao. Truthfully, I really prefer to be in a coffee shop when I'm working on finishing pages, it makes me so much more productive than i am in this house with so many things to take care of right in front of me, but, obviously, that's a bit difficult to do these days. ;; I usually reserve food and drink until after I pass a milestone in inking/sketching to help motivate me to keep going for as much as I can before taking a break, and I need some kind of music or video playing in the background to keep myself from being absolutely bored out of my mind. My shading process, since it's in black and white, is very easy and i can finish it in one setting, easy, no matter what I'm working with. I also work digitally for my pages, of course, although I don't need more than my ipad and clip studio for it!

DaeofthePast

freshly fed cats

🌈ERROR404 🌈

They are BEASTS when hungry, the little bastards (love them)

I may only work in peace when they're post-food napping lmao

DaeofthePast

we only have one, but same

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I work almost entirely in the corner of my IKEA couch at home I used to work at a proper desk with a Cintiq, but when I switched to Procreate on an iPad, I migrated to the couch and surrounded myself with a nest of clothes and blankets and books and... here I am, bein' cozy. With terrible posture But when I was between jobs last year, I did rent a little coworking space down the street so I could get out of my pajamas and go get comic stuff done there. It was a godsend. I like drawing at my favorite coffee shop every so often too, but I tend to hide my work while I draw, and there, everyone can look over my shoulder The coworking space had a tall artist desk that was rarely used, so I often grabbed that one. Not cheap, but to stave off cabin fever, heck yes, worth it.

🌈ERROR404 🌈

Ahhh I've been really thinking about getting a studio space one of these days I really shouldn't rn, with my finances as they are, but I could REALLY make use of one recently

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I loved the space I used last year. They recently had to close for... current-event reasons... and are going to reopen with all sorts of plexiglass barriers between the desks I feel so bad for them. Good studio spaces are wonderful, I would support them again if I ever was out of a job!

🌈ERROR404 🌈

it's good they've found ways to make it safer, though!

carcarchu

My old workspace was in the basement of my home in canada and it was always perpetually freezing even in the summer and i was frequently visited by spiders so my current workspace is a huge improvement in that regard. I do miss my old ergonomic desk chair though. I'm definitely not the kind of person who can draw in bed or on the couch. I need to be in workmode and having a designated space just for that is necessary for me to get in the right headspace for that.

DaeofthePast

my workspace rn is just my desk with my laptop and my drawing tablet. my laptop is stacked on top of a pile of books so i can see the screen (otherwise my tablet blocks my line of sight). it's kinda simple

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

Depends. I have a Cintiq Mobile Studio, so I can draw pretty much every where and sometimes in the oddest position, but most of the time I am on my desk with the cintiq hooked up to a second monitor so I don't have to look down so much.(edited)

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

For Wayfinders: Thumbnails are somewhere cozy and the only physical work. Me and Q sit and plan them out together. The rest of wayfinders are made on Photoshop, and flat colors in clip paint studio. In the world I would love a nice studio place in an office with others. During corentine I have been working from home, and I am not that good at it, being quite the extrovert. Before corentine I was in a artist residency where I worked on Wayfinders which had a workstation and all the programs we could need. It is so nice and me and Q are going to return there when it opens up again!

Miranda

I have an iPad so usually on the couch, cozied up with coffee and pillows and blankets. But sometimes at the table. But usually on the couch like the gremlin I am

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

I have a large drafting table, a mini drafting table, and a lapdesk in my papasan when we ink/draw! Toning and letters are all done on the desktop in its own space

Miranda

I need to get a good lap desk. But that sounds like a grand setup!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

My first time hearing about a lapdesk

Omg I need one

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

They are the best things ever Mine has just the pencil holder !(some come with cup holders and its a waste of space imo)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Wow I like your setup of the drafting tables

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

I wanna show pics of them....if im allowed in this chat?

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I hope so, I'm not sure which channel we can post studio photos at? I did see some did before?

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Ill post in shop talk since creator babble gets archived

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

my current space is uh.... a bit better than my last one. I used to work on an old writers desk for a decade and I did most of my comic work sitting there cramped up with my desktop taking most of the space. Now I have an L shaped desk where I have my desktop on the shorter end. The longer end it's my pen, pencils, and watercolor stuff. my display tablet occupy the space at times so switching from digital and traditional without worrying about setup hassle is a lot better than what I dealt with before lol.

I'm glad the days I had to curl up and draw with no privacy are long gone now

kayotics

I’ve got a little drafting table where I draw all my comic pages. I’m messy with my pens so they’re kind of strewn about until I start to lose them. Then I put them back. I’m not particularly neat. I spend most of the comic process off the computer, so most of my digital work is just on an iPad where I can sit anywhere. I try to keep good lighting around my drafting table and there’s always loose eraser shavings all over.

Natasha Berlin (Pot of Gold)

I got myself a lil corner desk by the dining table. Not as well-lit as I'd like, but it's decently ergonomic and I started putting posters on my wall Plus I can leave work mindset easily by turning off my computer and forgetting about the dark corner in the dining room XD(edited)

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

My desk is really sloppy and covered in all kinds of junk. I have a harmonica, a ball of yarn, a bunch of ink bottles, etc on my desk. I have my sketchbook under my tablet and usually a notebook somewhere for writing. My tablet sits to the right of my laptop (on top of sketchbook) while I'm not using it and when I'm using it it goes over my computer keyboard. I sometimes have a glass of water or some food sitting to the lefthand side

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

The only thing I wanna share about my workspace is this

once i spent over three hours looking for that damned pen

never again

🌈ERROR404 🌈

Ajkdhfkjs the models for hte magazine im crying

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Oh my God

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

mad giggling

Deo101 [Millennium]

youre gonna manage to lose the string

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

omg

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i know in my heart deo is right but still i hope

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

You should weld a metal chain to it

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Watch me lose the whole tablet

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Oh nooo

I believe in you!

TaliePlume

My workspace is a black table with a white, yellow, blue and green tablecloth with 3 black chairs. It's next to the kitchen. On it, is my laptop and the left side is my clipboard, 3 blue folders full of writing. Then above it, is 3 sketchbooks and another blue folder from a class that I took in community college.

June 16, 2020

sagaholmgaard

I have one long desk at almost three meters. On the left side is all my coffee and tea supplies, in the middle is my work space and on the right is my dining table xD I get everything done from there, despite having a mobilestudio so I COULD sit anywhere and work, lol. It's a blessing during holiday seasons to be able to bring it everywhere, but at some I like my designated working space. Although I am moving in a few weeks, so who knows what my new workspace will be

Moral_Gutpunch

My workspace is anywhere I can draw or write. It's more of a "Will I be interrupted over something petty or stupid" issue than space. Not that I don't want more space.

Mitzi (Trophallaxis)

My workspace is a big, broken corner desk I managed to lug out of an old apartment when it was gonna be trashed. Before then, I'd just draw in bed. I don't remember, but I'm pretty sure the folding chair I sit at is a similar affair. It's got a Dollar General throw pillow on it so I can at least say I'm trying to save my back. The top of the desk is a mess of mostly old bottles and cans, pencils, incense ash, and my old tarot deck. I love this setup dearly. This is the first time I've ever had my own desk space, much less a space I can decorate or leave as messy as I want. Got my own art up on the walls with sticky tack and all! Also the cat's scratching post is directly behind me, because we've learned the cat won't use it unless it's as in the way as possible. What can ya do, lol.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Oh cats...

Desnik

I got spoiled with an adjustable desk. It is six feet long, and has a whiteboard top for noodling with dry erase markers

my main computer is set up on an adjustable stand so it floats over the desk, and then I have my cintiq, which we tried to mount on a similar stand but then it was just too heavy

I keep my dice collection nearby because fidgeting helps think things through sometimes

and rolling to make odd decisions never hurts

lately during the quarantine I've been sharing the office with my spouse so we've had to establish rules over when it's okay to bug each other(edited)

oh yeah and we also have a whiteboard installed in the office, and it rules!(edited)

Shizamura 🌟 O Sarilho

Mine is pretty simple: I have a laptop that's long stopped being portable and is now mostly just sitting at my desk at all times and a 19 inch Ugee as my display. I usually keep a lot of stuff on top of my desk, but it's mostly just a mess because I have been using it for work too for a while now

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I suppose I'll talk about my setup too :) My main setup is where I do digital art. I share an office with my SO, so we both have workspaces on opposite walls from each other. I work on a corner desk that holds my beefy computer, two monitors, and a Huion Kamvas GT-191. That's where I draw my comic and pretty much everything else done digitally. Ngl, it's a mess right now. I have comic notes and location floor plans in sketchbooks and DnD character sheets spread out all over the surface, and random pens and sticky notes. In the corner of the room, we have a nice large-format printer where I produce prints for conventions. I actually sketch my pages on an iPad pro in Procreate, so during the sketch phase, sometimes I'll just bundle up on my couch and do it, or before quarantine, sometimes I'd sketch on the go. My other workspace (which hasn't gotten much love as of late tbh) is a drafting table in the corner of our living room. I keep a tabletop easel on it and my Copic markers, as well as whatever I'm working on at the moment. (RN it's some ink washes.) The drawers hold all my ink, pencils, erasers, etc. Next to the drafting table is where I keep all my large charcoal, graphite, and oil pastel drawings (mostly school projects), and my large paintings. Other than that, I have a nifty little cart where I keep painting supplies :) I will say, this setup is by far an enormous improvement from my previous setups.

[dannymdip]

02 - Act 2 (draft)

Act 2:

It is March 1, 2000. Ryan is called into an office. Duke and Edward are both there. They tell Ryan that he’s doing really great in the program and that he’s earned a visit from his parents. They will come to the facility and talk with him there for a couple hours. Then they’ll take him out to a restaurant in Castle Rock, the nearest town. The meeting will be supervised by both of them, and Edward will come along and supervise the outing. Edward is given carte blanche to use whatever means necessary in the case of an attempted escape. The visit will be March 4, this coming Saturday.

Ken and Liz are driving down the dirt road leading to Eshelman. They’re talking about how they’re excited but nervous. They remark on the unsettling seclusion of the compound, but they talk about how Ryan seems to be doing really well here.

Ryan sits in the office; next to him is Edward, who says, “Don’t fuck this up.” In comes Ken and Liz, lead by Duke. Duke explains that he understands how excited they are but there is a no touching policy for safety—it probably wouldn’t be a problem in this case, but the policy has to be universal. Ryan’s parents tell him how happy they are to see him. They ask how he’s doing, basically what you’d expect. Ryan, of course, tells them he’s doing great, the program is great, he gets to do all sorts of things and he’s making the best friends he’s ever had. He introduces them to Edward, who tells them how much Ryan has improved since coming. Duke tells them that if Ryan keeps it up, they’ll be able to send him care packages soon. It’s all very jubilant and celebratory.

They’re in Ryan’s parents’ car. Ken asks him where he wants to go. Ryan, sitting on the left, says, “Can we get McDonalds?” Suddenly, Edward’s eyes go wide. He looks back at Ryan, but instead sees a 10-year-old Liam, saying something indistinct. He looks forward to see Liam’s father, enraged. Back at Liam, he’s saying over and over, “Can we get McDonalds? Can we get McDonalds? Can we get McDonalds?” Liam’s father turns all the way around and yells at Liam, “Shut the fuck up, Liam, you little piece of shit!” Liam’s mom yells, “Honey!” He begins to turn, when everything goes dark and blurry. Edward strains to focus to see Liam’s father, head against the steering wheel, pouring blood. He looks at Liam, who says, “…Dad?” Edward yells, “Liam cover your eyes!” Liam puts his hands over his eyes. Edward kicks his door open and runs around to the other side. He opens the door and helps Liam out of the car with his hands still covering his eyes. He hugs Liam tight and says, “It’s okay, Liam. It’s gonna be okay. It’s gonna be okay.” Edward blinks and is back in Ryan’s parents’ car. Ken says, “What do you think, Edward? McDonalds or Wendy’s.” “Oh, um. McDonalds, I guess.”

They’re all finishing their burgers. Ryan is looking around. The exit sign catches his eye. He watches as people leave the restaurant, each with a ‘ding!’ He looks at Edward, who has finished his food and is sucking noisily on a soda, looking the other way, out the window. Ryan’s eyes dart nervously back and forth from the exit to Edward. The bell dings in his head over and over; the sign starts to change into different messages, ‘ESCAPE’, ‘RUN’, ‘HES NOT LOOKING’, ‘YOU CAN MAKE IT’, ‘NOW’. He blurts out, “I’m ready to go back now.” Edward turns around and looks surprised, then smiles.

That night, Edward volunteers for Head Night Owl duty. He begins the usual routine of sitting by the riflemen, filling out paperwork. He has coffee and Cheetos. He sighs; he looks nervous. “Corner count,” he says to the riflemen. They nod, disinterested, and continue chatting. Edward enters the corner room, bringing his Cheetos with him. Liam is the only one currently on corner time. He’s lying on a mattress on the floor, but his eyes are open and sad. Edward whispers, “Liam.” He looks up, confused, “What’s wrong, what’d I do?” “Nothing, don’t worry.” Edward sits on the mattress next to Liam, who sits up. They both eat Cheetos while they talk:

Edward: “I was thinking about the crash today.” Liam: “Hm.” E: “I like it here, but I’m always worried. You know, I lost my parents, then your folks took me in. I lost them, then mom took us in. She kicked me out. Now Lou is like a father figure for me; every day I worry something’s gonna happen to him.” L: “Lou’s a dick.” Edward laughs. E: “Yeah, but my dad was kind of a dick, too. I don’t think I’ll ever feel secure until there’s no one left above me. If I’m at the very top, I can’t lose anyone I look up to.” L: “You sound like a megalomaniac.” E: “Maybe.” Liam takes a beat, then smiles. L: “Well, you’re always the top as far as I’m concerned.”

Liam puts his hand on Edward’s crotch. “Cardinal Rules, Liam. I don’t want that guilt on my mind.” Edward pauses and says, “Well. I want it, but I just can’t. I gotta get back to my post, babe.” Edward kisses Liam and gets up. Liam says, “Love you.” Edward says, “Love you too.”

Now a similar Ryan montage as before, but with more conviction. More privileges, higher ranks. He’s now a Coordinator, doing headcounts and recording clothes. He’s now a Night Owl, drinking coffee and eating Cheetos all night while counting heads in the boys’ dorm upstairs. He sees down the stairs that Edward was not lying about the riflemen. He’s getting Bottom Bunk Privs, Exercise Privs, Writing Privs, Facial Hair Privs, Jewelry Privs, Long Sleeve Privs, Couch Privs, Music Privs. He’s now a Shingle Expeditor, in the X’s—the highest division, acting as security. He’s formally introduced to KRYSTAL ROGERS. She’s the staff member in charge of the X’s. She’s young, late 20’s, she’s cute and charismatic. He takes a shine to her. He’s now a Senior Shingle Expeditor, now a Coordinator of the X’s. He’s now dressed fashionably with a shitty beard; he listens to a Walkman while he lifts weights twice a week. he has good bedding from home and gets care packages with treats. During his free time, he shoots the breeze with Duke, Krystal. He has now achieved the highest rank, Senior Coordinator of the X’s. There was only one other SCX—Edward. Unlike most of his promotions, Lou is present for this one. So, in the room is Duke, Lou, and Krystal. Lou tells Ryan that this is the fastest any student has ever completed the program. His growth has been outstanding, he’s one of the best students they’ve ever had at Eshelman. As Lou says this, Edward passes by the door. Edward lingers after passing it to listen to Lou. Hearing this, his face turns to one of bitterness and jealousy.

It is now May 30, 2000—one week after the release of the Marshal Mathers LP. Lou stands in front of the room and yells, “HOUSE IN THE DINING ROOM!” Everyone files in. Lou begins a speech: “It has come to our attention that some of you have been talking about a hack musician by the name of Marshal Mathers, or ‘Eminem’. Mathers is not to be spoken of in this house anymore—Ever. He sets a horrible example for you all, and he goes against everything Eshelman stands for. He had a terrible upbringing; he glorifies the breaking of all three of our cardinal rules: drugs, violence, and sex. He has lyrics like: ‘I take seven kids from Columbine, stand ’em all in line/Add an AK-47, a revolver, a nine/A MAC-11 and it oughta solve the problem of mine/And that’s a whole school of bullies shot up all at one time’. Columbine is not a joke. It’s not to be laughed at or heralded. Maybe if Mathers had been a student here, he would be a good person now, like Bruce Fletcher. But instead, Marshall Mathers will be dead within the next three years; mark my words.” At the mention of Bruce Fletcher, Ryan’s eyes go wide and his jaw drops. He approaches Lou after the speech, “Hey Lou, what was that you said about Bruce Fletcher?” Lou says, “Oh, Bruce was a student here at Eshelman back in the 80s.” “That’s so cool; that’s like all I listen to on my Walkman. Did he graduate?” “Absolutely.” Ryan thinks for a second, “Do you think I could write to him?” Lou smiles, “I don’t see why not. Ask Krystal about him, they were students here at the same time.”

Ryan is talking with Krystal in the staff office, “So you knew Bruce Fletcher?” Krystal says, “Sure, I knew him. I looooove his music. He was great; a lot like you.” Ryan grins, “Do you think you could call him and ask if I could write to him?” Krystal says, “For you? Of course.” She picks up the phone and dials. It rings, then a voice answers, “Hello?” “Hey Bruce, it’s Krystal. I have a student here at Eshelman who’s a huge fan, I’m gonna put him on, okay?”

We now get a series of short letters back and forth between Ryan and Bruce. At first it’s introductions, then talking about Eshelman, then really being buddies and Bruce telling him once he graduates, they can jam together, he’ll give Ryan one of his guitars, etc.

It is now June 12. Once again Ryan is called into the room with all the staff and Edward. Lou tells him that he thinks Ryan’s ready to do a home visit. He makes it clear that they must plan this out in painstaking detail and stick to the itinerary 100%. Edward, naturally, will be coming along to monitor.

We see the whole itinerary. It’s specific to the half-hour He is to get to Chicago on Friday evening and leave Sunday morning. When he arrives on Friday, there will be a small party with his family. The next day, at 5:00PM it says “Dinner at [somewhere fancy]”.

Friday afternoon, Ryan’s parents’ car pulls into their driveway. Ryan steps out of the car; it’s the first time he’s been here since being thrown into a van. He looks around with almost no recognition. He walks into his house and to his room, still looking like he’s never seen any of it before, sometimes picking things up and considering them. The doorbell rings.

In the evening, Ryan’s family sits around the living room, talking. It’s Ken and Liz, his grandparents on both sides, and an aunt, SOPHIE. Edward isn’t paying any attention to the conversation. He looks to the kitchen and notices Ryan’s parents behind the little bar. Ken is about to pour a glass of wine, but Liz stops him and grabs the bottle, saying, “We can’t drink at all in front of Ryan, we have to set a good example.” Ken says, “Good call.” Edward blinks and the scene of Liz grabbing the bottle from Ken turns into a scene of Edward’s mom, Sydney Dersch, grabbing a bottle of whiskey from his dad Roger. “You’ve had more than enough, Roger.” “I’ll say when I’ve had enough!” “Please, give me the bottle. You get so mean when you’re drunk.” Edward’s dad yanks the bottle to the side, unintentionally hitting his wife in the head with it—hard. She falls and hits her head again on an end table. Roger’s jaw drops and the bottle slips out of his hand. The whiskey begins soaking into the carpet along with the blood. We now see that Edward had been watching this whole thing play out from the couch. He has a safety blanket. Roger looks at Edward with tears in his eyes. He walks into another room and walks back with a revolver in his hand. He comes up to Edward. “Eddy, listen, I’m going to do something you’re not going to understand for a long time. If I don’t do this, I’ll have to go to a very, very bad place—a place where I don’t think I could make it. So I need you to close your eyes now and cover them up with your hands.” Edward does it. “That’s good, buddy, that’s good. Now stay like this no matter what. In a little bit, some nice people will come visit and they’ll tell you when you can look, but right now I need you to stay like this, okay?” Edward nods. Roger says, “Okay.” He walks over to where his wife is and picks up the phone. He dials 911. We see Edward peeking a little bit. We are now viewing the scene from Edward’s perspective—just little bits between the cracks of his fingers. Roger says, “Hello yes. I need you to come to 644 Madison Road as soon as you can, and please, take good care of my kid.” Roger drops the phone, puts the gun barrel in his mouth, and pulls the trigger. Edward takes his hands down and approaches the bodies. He sits down cross legged and puts his safety blanket onto his mom (Not covering her head; just like a normal blanket). He picks up the phone, which is saying “Hello? Hello? Sir?” Edward says, “Hello.” “Hey there, what’s your name?” “Eddy.” “What’s going on, Eddy, is everything okay?” “No, I don’t think so. My dad spilled on the carpet but I’m gonna, I think, have to clean it up ‘cause I think they’re, I think, both dead.” Edward blinks again and it’s back to the present, the exact moment from before, no time has passed. He watches Liz put away the bottle and Ken put back the wine glass.

The afternoon of the next day, Ryan’s parents are gonna take the kids out for dinner. After driving a while, they pull into an apartment complex. Ryan asks where they are. His parents tell him that they have a surprise for him; they’re not going to [fancy restaurant]. Ryan looks nervously at Edward. His parents lead them to one of the apartments. His mom says, “Why don’t you knock, Ryan?” Ryan knocks. The door opens to reveal it is the apartment of Bruce Fletcher. “You must be Ryan.”

They’re all sitting at a dinner table while Bruce brings out plates. Ryan asks Edward, “Hey, do you think this is okay for us to be doing?” Edward says, “I think it’s fucking awesome.” Ryan looks relieved.

They’re all eating, having nice conversation. Bruce is asking about Eshelman stuff—is Duke still there? How’s Lou doing? Where are you in the hierarchy? Ryan is asking about his music career. Ryan says, “You know, a lot of the time I would skip school or stay out late to go to your concerts. It’s like I was meant to go to Eshelman and you helped me find my way there.”

After dinner, Bruce is showing Ryan all of his guitars and stuff. He asks if Ryan wants to jam and they play a few things together, Ryan on guitar and Bruce on drums. Bruce improvises some lyrics; Edward taps his foot to the beat. “You got some talent, kid. You know, sometimes at Eshelman they would let me play guitar—for special occasions and such. You should see if you can do that.” Bruce gives Ryan a signed pick that he used at some big show. Ryan is elated.

The next morning, they begin the drive back to Eshelman. Ryan plays guitar in the car and comments on how good the pick feels. He tells his parents to play certain CDs and sings along. He can’t wait to get back and ask Lou about being allowed to play. We haven’t yet seen Ryan get anywhere close to this level of excitement, optimism, general happiness. Edward smiles.

When they get to Eshelman and Ryan and Edward are in the office, Ryan asks Lou about playing his guitar. Lou says he’ll think about it, but probably. Ryan goes to bed with a smile on his face.

The next morning, Ryan’s eating breakfast on the couch when he hears a call from Duke, “RYAN! COME KNOCK!” He looks confused, but he walks to the door and does the knocking ritual. When he enters, the dealing crew asks if he knows why he’s there. He says he doesn’t. They tell him that Edward brought it to their attention that he deviated from the itinerary. Ryan’s expression changes to one of hurt and anger. He swallows and straightens his face. The dealing crew tells him he’s being shot down. They give him a harsh Verbal Reprimand and send him to the staff office. In the office, Lou is sitting looking disgusted with Ryan. Duke looks pissed off and Krystal looks the other way. Lou says, “You are not to communicate with Bruce Fletcher ever again. We’re confiscating the guitar pick he gave you as well as all written correspondence with him, past, present, or future. Your L.E. is corner time. One hour. Get the fuck out of my sight.” Krystal walks him over to the corner. When he sits down, she puts a hand on his shoulder and says, “Don’t worry, Ryan. You’re the best student we’ve ever had. You work extra hard, you’ll be back to SCX in like a week, easy.” Ryan looks comforted. He looks over to see Liam still in the corner. Liam looks gaunt and tired, like he hasn’t been eating or sleeping enough. Liam stares intensely at the corner—which we see is just blank wood—muttering quickly, “Shut the fuck up, Liam, you little piece of shit.” He’s rocking in his chair. We look back to see that, from Liam’s perspective, the corner is covered in dozens if not hundreds of ants.

END of Act 2