scene 55: playing with dolls

[The scene starts at the water tower where Jessie usually sits. She rises into view from below with Shiloh in her arms. Her tail is wagging with levity. She seems excited to show Shiloh this place that means something to her.]

Jessie: see? It's cool. You can see a lot of stuff just sitting up here. There's a big park that direction, and then—

[She sets them down onto the sloping surface, and it only takes a second for their skin to reach its maximum amount of grip before they start slipping like an animal on ice. Jessie grabs them in a position similar to giving the heimlich and hoists them up further to a flatter part of the tower.]

Jessie: jeez. Clumsy ass.

Shiloh: sorry for not being able to fly. [sitting down] I asked God for that, but she left me on read...[[ Foolie, 8/23/2023 10:23 PM

Reference to scene 32.]]

Jessie (landing next to them in sitting position): yeah, whatever. I came up here before I could fly and I never slipped. AND, I offered  that to you. You didn't ask me for SHIT.

[Shiloh bats the eyelashes they don't have at her innocently. Despite how rude she is, Jessie seems like she is still in a good mood. Her tail still wags, and she gives them back an over-the-top, fake closed-mouth smile. She huddles up closer to them; they take the opportunity to wrap their arms around one of hers for security. Notably, they are sitting in a relatively compact, insecure way, with their knees up by their chest and their tail tucked around their body.]

Jessie: to be fair to you, though. You remember I told you I almost died one time, right?[[ Foolie, 8/23/2023 10:24 PM

Reference to scene 32, which is referencing scene 10.]] This is where.

Shiloh: I do remember that...

Jessie: I still like it, though. I mean, the water tower.

Shiloh (thoughtful, full of oxytocin and memories): mmmm. [beat] ...actually, Jessie, I've almost died, too..

Jessie: oh, yeah, when I snapped your neck by accident while I was choking you?[[ Foolie, 8/23/2023 10:25 PM

Reference to "I want you to choke me" scene.]]

Shiloh (emotionally withdrawing): sure.

Jessie: yeeaaahh, I gueeeessss. [contorting her arm to wrap around Shiloh while they're holding it] not really actually NEAR death, though. [looking at them] I'd never let you DIE-die.

Shiloh (half-hearted joking smile): I don't know if I like that wording.

Jessie: you know what I meeeeaaaan.

Shiloh: I hope so...

[Jessie pulls her arm back and elbows Shiloh in the ribs lightly. They are very aware of their ability to slip again, and cling tighter to her.]

Jessie: aaaww.

[She wraps her arm around their waist with several loops rubberman style and pulls them close to her side.]

Jessie: I liked coming up here and messing with people.[[ Foolie, 8/23/2023 10:26 PM

Reference to scene 10.]] Like—

Shiloh: 'liked'? Past tense?

Jessie: I mean. [nosing Shiloh] I found somebody in particular I REALLY like to mess with.

Shiloh: I wonder who that could be...

Jessie: well, I met this SMOKING hot chad decked out in tattoos, and her name is Shiloh[[ Foolie, 8/23/2023 10:27 PM

Reference to scene 29, LOL.]]-

Shiloh: oh, I think I know her...

Jessie: clown. Serious, though. It's still fun. I've just, been busy.

[Jessie holds her paws out with her thumbs and forefingers making right angles, forming a rectangle to frame the air in front of her.]

Jessie: yeeeaaahh, that's a good size. Jessie holds a tablet that works like a big ol' reading magnifier. It's fancy shmancy, you can even change how far it zooms in.

[She snaps, and something similar to the tablet from Breath of the Wild spawns into her non-snapping paw, still with its thumb and forefinger at a right angle. She hands it to Shiloh, who hesitates to take it.]

Jessie: here, I've got you. look around with your shit-tier eyes and I can snap some people. [when Shiloh is still hesitant] just for funsies, I mean.

Shiloh: ...sure. [taking the tablet and examining it, getting a feel for the zoom] is this how you usually pick people to snap?

Jessie: oh, not in a long time, I think. [from Shiloh's perspective, through the tablet] I usually just run into people flying around. Or on Twiddler.

[Shiloh observes crowds of people at a dense intersection between two major roads. There's a "where's waldo" sort of opportunity to insert many visual gags into the crowd, but the volume of people compels them to warily glance at Jessie's arm wrapped around them, then turn while sitting for a different view.

They pass by a section of suburbs with a few businesses speckled throughout the houses. There is also a house of worship with a packed parking lot. One person in the parking lot is just stepping out of his car. Once he steps out, he pulls out a wedding cake that is far too long to have been able to fit in the car.]

Jessie (peeking over Shiloh's shoulder): oh co-ho-hooome ON. I GOTTA. I literally HAVE TO. [pointing at him] BANANA PEEL. 

[She snaps, and a banana peel spawns underfoot. The man immediately trips over the peel. The cake goes flying into the air and lands on him, creating a large banana peel-shaped pile of smashed cake. Jessie cackles like a hyena. Shiloh bites their lip in an attempt to not look entertained. They turn their face into their elbow to hide their smile.]

Jessie: seeeee? nothing bad.

Shiloh: still, that's pretty mean...

Jessie: eeeehhh. He deserved it. 

[Jessie snaps while looking extremely amused with herself.]

Shiloh: your solutions are very... // ...palliative.

Jessie: I think you're using that word wrong. Palliative is like hospice, where-

[Someone walks out of temple doors to investigate what has happened, but ends up slipping on the same banana peel and also falling into the cake. Jessie speaks as the audience sees it happen.]

Jessie: -OH. Look. [said out loud] LMAO.

Shiloh (wincing, but somewhat amused as well): oufhhh.

Jessie: this is the part I like, though. Once you get 'em going, it just happens by itself. Usually. 

Shiloh: 'usually?'

Jessie: yeah, sometimes things don't work unless I write all of it myself. If I had to do that for everything, I would literally kill myself. [manipulating the tablet while still in Shiloh's paws] here.

[The tablet has moved to focus on a portion of the park Jessie mentioned earlier that serves as a skate park. There are 3 adolescents around the same age, but obviously not exactly the same age, skating in it. The oldest one — about 15 years old — has taken his helmet off and thrown it aside. Under the gazebo next to the ramps, there is an older man sitting as he browses his phone. All of them are the same species, and they are presumably one family.

Jessie points at the oldest one as he's skating up a ramp.]

Jessie: Should've worn a helmet! BANANA PEEL.

[Jessie snaps, and a banana peel spawns on the edge of the ramp where he's just taken off from, and where he'll land. He flips 360 degrees and lands still facing the ramp. The skateboard slips out from under him and shoots straight up into the air while he lands on the edge of the cement ramp. The point of impact is about halfway up his calf, causing the bone to snap hard enough to penetrate skin. This can all be drawn with minimal gruesome detail, possibly from a far shot, as if they are so far that even the tablet can't zoom into them close.]

Jessie (snickering): OOOHHH, that's gotta HURT!

[The tablet doesn't transmit sounds, but you can tell that the boy screams in pain. One of the children approaches the man, who at first ignores the obvious screaming. The man seems surprised by the injury, and immediately begins to berate the teenager with leg bone sticking out of his flesh. In reaction to this, it's clear on Shiloh's face that if they had fur, it would be bristling.]

Jessie (noticing Shiloh's expression): what an asshole, right? BANANA PEEL.

[She snaps again, and a banana peel spawns under the man's foot as he takes a step. He faceplants on the pavement, and the phone he was speaking into cracks its screen as he drops it. The skateboard finishes falling from the sky and bounces off of his back.

Jessie has, over the course of the events, snickered harder and harder, as if she's trying to cling onto some dignity by holding it in. There are tears running down her face from how hard she's holding the laughter in.

Shiloh gives up a clipped chuckle reflexively when the man falls on his face, but seems concerned at how funny Jessie finds this.]

Shiloh (tilting head): have you always been this... casual about hurting people? You didn't seem that way in the bedroom...[[ Foolie, 8/23/2023 10:23 PM

Reference to "WHAT IF YOUR ASS FALLS OFF" scene.]]

Jessie (thinking, but not thoughtful): eeehh... I guess not! [hugging them, but hornily] you've taught me A LOT about myself.

[Shiloh turns their face away with discomfort, politely, as if looking at an object to their right. They let the tablet descend to their lap. Jessie assumes that Shiloh is bored and lifts the tablet up again. She aims it in a completely different direction, physically pivoting Shiloh as she turns, and lands on a wide, busy road where a 16-wheeler labeled to indicate that it's full of TNT flies down the middle lane.]

Jessie: go big or go home, amirite? How about this: BANANA PEEL.

[Jessie snaps, and a banana peel spawns under one of the front tires of the truck. It comically spins out of control and careens through a group of white cars arranged like bowling pins, knocking them all out in a perfect strike, before crashing into an orphanage and exploding. There are tiny, very distant people who were in the orphanage running out on fire and jumping out of the now burning building's remaining windows.

Jessie can't contain her laughter this time, and her giggle quickly turns into a cackle. It should be very obvious that she's laughing The Evil Villain Laugh, visually — draw a storm cloud with lightning striking behind her if you have to. Her grip around Shiloh tightens while she's laughing; Shiloh looks distressed, mouth agape, leaning away from the scene, but into Jessie behind them (expression reference: "fucking Shiloh from behind" panel in folie a dupe).]

Jessie (to Shiloh): hey, come on! Not even a tee-hee?

Shiloh (pulling self together): no. That isn't funny.

Jessie: aw, baby! These shitidiots don't matter! They're all fictional!

Shiloh (after hesitant pause): yes.. But... [looking back at Jessie] so are we...

Jessie: THAT. Doesn't matter. You don't feel bad about killing people in video games just 'cuz your character's fictional too, do you??

Shiloh: But there is no.. 'Outside' of the game for us.

Jessie: It doesn't matter either way. NONE of this is permanent. Their pain or your pain or my pain— it's all just ink on a page.

Shiloh (almost a little offended): ink IS permanent.

[Jessie frowns for a moment, but she won't let Shiloh get the better of her. She could make them wrong; she could say "no it isn't" and in an instant, ink would learn to fade away. She won't — but she could. She imagines how upset Shiloh would be if their tattoos paled into plain skin, all for challenging her. She sucks her lip smugly and pulls in air through her teeth.]

Jessie: Stiiiiiill doesn't matter.

Shiloh: you have been saying it doesn't matter for a long time, I suppose.[[ Foolie, 8/23/2023 10:22 PM

Reference to scene 30.]]

Jessie: dooon't be that wayyy. Pweeeaaase?

Shiloh: It's just... [glancing toward Jessie] I'm uncomfortable, that's all. It feels wrong.

Jessie: yeeaahh, maybe! It's just a little thought experiment. You like experimenting, don'tcha.

Shiloh: the nice thing about experimenting... is that I can decide I didn't like it at the end.

Jessie ("I thought we were cool" expression): you're really busting my balls here. And NOT in the good way. Everything on the tablet's screen goes back in time by 3 minutes.

[She snaps and the scene changes to a normal busy street with a normal orphanage nearby. Shiloh takes a moment to absorb the change, not because it isn't easy to process, but because they are trying to piece together the experience Jessie must have when she rewinds her interactions with them.

Jessie hugs them more firmly and puts her head on their shoulder as if appeasing them.]

Jessie (baby talking voice, expression reference: 10%+, page 153, "you wanna piss on him?" panel): is that all better?

Shiloh (mild humiliation, but relief): thank you..

Jessie: good.

Shiloh: I think I want to go home...

Jessie: aw! Now you're gonna hate my water tower?? Time-

Shiloh: —no. I like it.. But... // I just...

[Shiloh can't find compelling words.]

Jessie (expression reference: Syconium page 222, panel 7): don't want me to rewind ya, huh?

Shiloh: ... I just think that it could, also be fun to make nice things happen.

Jessie: meh. I've tried that. I make somebody's life better for them, and they go and screw it up anyway. I give people winning lottery tickets and they let their family and friends suck them dry. I invent a cool new drug and people keep shoving it up their asses to get high 'til their hearts explode. I mean, I make a beautiful day with the sun shining and people complain it's too hot. It's the same thing every time, and it's boring.

Shiloh: surely that's still a net positive over... This..

Jessie: nahhh, I make their lives worse and they try to do damage control and make it better again. I mean, if I only write nice things in my story, then the only way these guys can have free will is to do the opposite— [whiny, attempting to make eye contact with Shiloh again by extending her neck to be in front of their face] this is all complicated God stuff, babes! You wouldn't get it.

[They look like they've given up arguing the point with Jessie, but they avoid eye contact with her again. Jessie looks emotionally wounded and frustrated.]

Jessie (exasperated sigh): Jessie has a pen and paper.

[She snaps and catches a lined notebook and a red retractable pen. She clicks the pen, then pulls away from Shiloh, unwrapping her arms from around them. They try to lean back and make a few panicked scoots, which squeak as their skin drags against the metal. Jessie telekinetically yanks on the back of their shirt to hold their weight, rather than supporting their weight itself.]

Jessie (while writing): don't worry, I'm not gonna let you fall.

[Although not shown to the reader yet, Jessie writes, "Jessie wraps her arms around her girlfriend and explains, "seriously, though. It doesn't matter either way. NONE of this is permanent." She shrugs. "Their pain or your pain or my pain— it's all just ink on a page. It's not real. it's like a big fuckin' game of pretend, and all these characters are little dolls. Dolls for me, to play with."

Shiloh frowns. "I am not. A doll," they respond.

So, Jessie flips this notebook around and shows them what's written." She sticks the pen into the spine of the notebook.]

Jessie (more stern): seriously, though. It's a story! It's not real. it's like a big fuckin' game of pretend, and all these characters are little dolls. Dolls for me, to play with.

Shiloh: I am not. A doll.

[Jessie gives Shiloh a look of pity and flips the notebook for them — and the audience — to read. They internalize the text for a moment, and mentally try to rationalize that the thing they just said felt exactly like it came from their own mind while being written there by Jessie. They pull away from Jessie's grasp, and she has to scramble to pull them back telekinetically, lest they slide off of the edge of the tower. They've curled their legs up to their chest and tucked their chin behind them, holding it all together by wrapping their arms around their legs. They seem both hurt and angry.]

Shiloh: I already said that I want to go home, Jessie...

Jessie: auw, Shiloh. [lightly shaking notebook, playfully] I can help you feel better-

Shiloh: NO.

[Jessie recoils like she just had her nose swatted. Shiloh recoils when Jessie opens her eyes to look at them again a moment later. She looks irritated.]

Shiloh (more appeasing): —I want to feel like Shiloh. Not like Jessie. Okay?

Jessie (one last attempt to be more casual and playful): I mean. Just saying. I'm seeing how Shiloh feels right now. and it looks like it's not goin' great for her.

Shiloh: I just want to go home.

Jessie (feeling annoyed and spurned): fine. I'll be nice and not rewind you, either.

Shiloh (uncomfortably): thank you...

Jessie: whatever. I need some fucking space. Shiloh teleports to her bed.

[She snaps and Shiloh poofs away. She leans back on her arms and sighs. She's obviously stewing in anger as she stares down at civilization beneath her. A breeze blows perpendicular to her, gusty enough to push her hoodie and hair and causing her to shut her eyes for a moment.

She looks like she has mentally solidified the anger into a grudge when she opens them again. The camera briefly shows her paws as she leans; both of them are clenching into fists so hard that they've crumpled the metal under them as if it were paper.]

In terms of act 2, this is one of the first scenes i came up with, outlined at the beginning of may. it is supposed to be a point of no return in their relationship, where shiloh understands that they have no special privileges that protect them from jessie -- but i consider the part that is new to shiloh here the negative reaction they have to losing their identity. they feel what jessie wrote them to say was completely their own choice, and, to them, this calls into question EVERY choice, thought, memory, and feeling in them. in this scene, jessie specifically wrote them challenging her, so even actions that they think must be their own because they directly oppose jessie's desires are not indisputably authentic.
i'm hoping to refine it a bit in the second draft, nonetheless.