“Second SORROW” – Script

Duo ex Mania
(Show #02)

Written by: Jeremy Sears

FIRST DRAFT:
10/05/08
SECOND DRAFT:


Script Terms
Ext – Exterior – Setting outside
Int – Interior – Setting inside
POV – Point of view – from characters perspective
CLOSE ON – Focusing on a body part(s)/object(s)
WIDEN ON – Zoomed out on a person/people/object(s)
OV – Over View
UV – Under View
SV – Side view
FV – Front View
VO – Voice over
OS – Off screen

PROLOGUE

OPEN ON

Ext. Jem’s property – day - raining

WIDEN ON the crater left behind from the comet that blew up Jem’s house, now flooded with rainwater and resembling a pond.

CLOSE ON a couple of geese as they fly in and float in the middle of the flooded crater.

WIDEN ON the gray cloud-filled sky as is pours heavily.

Ext. Abandoned trailer park – day – raining

CLOSE ON Jem’s narrowed, unenthused eyes.

Jem
Hmm…

WIDEN ON (FV) Jem staring at the screen while taking shelter in a cardboard box sticking out of the soggy mud with just Pocky’s buffalo and her storage truck in the background.

END PROLOGUE

Duo ex Mania

ACT ONE

OPEN ON

Ext. abandoned trailer park – day - raining

CLOSE ON Jem’s unenthused face as he stares at the screen.

Pocky (OS)
Chamomile tea?

Jem
Hmm?

Jem looks over to his left.

WIDEN ON Jem leaning out of his box and looking up at Pocky while she stands beside him and offers a cup of chamomile tea on a coaster.

POV – Jem – Pocky looks down at Jem patiently.

(OS)
No thanks.

Pocky blinks and tilts her head.

Pocky
Huh? Why not Jem?

Jem (OS)
Because any longer in this rain and that cup’s going to overflow.

CLOSE ON the cup of chamomile tea as it fills up with rainwater and overflows.

(FV) Pocky blinks while she looks at the tea streaming down its coaster.

Pocky
Oh, hmm. There it goes now…

Jem
You see? (sigh)

Jem looks ahead. Pocky puts a hand on her hip and looks at Jem.

Pocky
Well there’s no need to be such spoilsport.

CLOSE ON (SV UV) Jem’s face while Pocky leans over in the background.

What you acting like one for anyway?

Jem
Oh, I don’t know,

WIDEN ON Jem and Pocky from a far distance, showing nothing around them but mud.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact you blew up my house with a comet!!!

Pocky
Oh yeah…

CLOSE ON Pocky as she looks down at Jem, the chamomile tea now overflowing allover her gloved hand.

You’re still upset about that? That was like a week ago!

Pocky looks up and taps his chin.

Or was it two weeks…or maybe a month…I don’t know!

POV – Pocky – Jem slides to the back of the box, hiding himself from Pocky.

(FV) Pocky throws away the cup of tea and begins to rock the box Jem’s in like a child, trying to rattle him out as he somehow manages to stay perfectly still.

Aw come onnnn!! Loosen up and give me that power of yours already!

CLOSE ON (UV) Pocky.

Jem (OS)
Pocky, can I ask you a random question?

Pocky stops rocking Jem’s box, she raises her left eyebrow and puts her hand on her hip.

Pocky
A random question? UGH…another one? I thought we took care of that in the first episode!

She opens up a small portal and pulls out the DVD for the first episode of the Duo ex Mania OVA and taps at the subtitle under the logo that says “Vol. 1: First QUESTIONS”.

Thus why it was titled “First QUESTIONS” with the QUESTIONS in capital letters!

WIDEN ON (FV) Jem and Pocky.

Jem
Well can I ask anyway?

Pocky
Oh sure, who’s it going to hurt?

Pocky throws the DVD over her shoulder and suddenly we hear a shattering sound and someone screaming comically in pain.

CLOSE ON Jem’s eyes as he looks over to his left in Pocky’s direction.

Jem
How are you able to make those portals appear out of nowhere that you pull all this stuff from?

POV – box – Pocky as she leans back and folds her arms, looking down at the screen.

Pocky
Oh that; I just have the power to reach into Hammerspace.

POV – Pocky – looking down at the top of Jem’s box.

Jem (OS)
Hammerspace?

POV – box – Pocky slouches forward comically.

Pocky
Uggggh…I gotta explain that too don’t I? (Sigh) fine… here.

Pocky reaches up off screen and pulls down a yellow backdrop with pocky stick designs that covers the screen.

A random cheerful beat plays in the background as Pocky leans in from the left side of the screen and looks at the audience. She blinks with surprise and waves at the screen.

Oh! Hey everybody!

Pocky slides her entire body on screen and stands in the middle of the screen.

It’s me, your host – Pocky! Here for another great segment of~

PAN right so Pocky’s now standing at the left side of the screen as she holds out her hand politely to the title with each word appearing as she says it.

Pocky’s Snack Sized Facts!

The title vanished as the camera PANS left so Pocky’s in the middle again.

A segment where I teach YOU about the many things in Duo ex Mania that might confuse and frighten yooooou.

After pretending to shiver like she’s scared, she claps her hands together.

And on today’s show, we’re going to learn about~

Pocky spreads out her hands and the blue colored word “Hammerspace” stretches in between them.

Hammerspaaaaaaaace. Otherwise known as the power to pull random objects out of nowhere without any logical explanation. The term “Hammerspace” actually comes from the words~

Pocky points down at the “Hammer” in “Hammerspace” as it begins to glow yellow.

~“Hammer”: an object that can be used as a tool or a weapon.

“Hammer” stops glowing as Pocky points down at “space” and it glows instead.

And “space”: an infinite void in which all matter exists.

The word “Hammerspace:” disappears as Pocky puts her hands together.

You see, for many years animated shows had gotten away with being able to do anything simply because they aren’t bound by the limitations of reality. But then sooome people decided to start making realistic cartoons, and all of the sudden you were required to have an explanation for how the talking dog pulled a key out of its fur. And thus, the term Hammerspace was born.

Pocky holds up a piece of paper.

Here’s an example.

CLOSE ON the piece of paper, revealing a crude drawing of a female white mage that recycles the same two frames over and over again to show her walking along a forest of poorly drawn and scribble colored trees.

(narration)
This is Jean, a poorly drawn white mage traveling the world in search of adventure.

Jean suddenly appears in a poorly drawn fantasy village.

(narration)
She’s very beautiful, but also a virgin…

Crudely drawn faces with sly grins, evil smirks or big creepy smiles pop up randomly around the white mage and stare at her.

(narration)
And when these two things are put together she instantly becomes irresistible to every pervert in existence.

She looks around and begins to shake nervously.

(narration)
Oh no! Here comes a pervert right now!

The faces disappear and a stick figure with a sly grin approaches Jean, she takes a few steps back and looks terrified.

(narration)
What ever will Jean do? She’s merely a white mage and all she knows is healing magic!

Jean looks through her little pouch, pulling out herbs and other small healing objects.

CLOSE ON Jean looking through her little pouch.

(narration)
Why don’t you dig a little deeper Jean? I’m sure you’ll find just what you’re looking for!

Jean looks at the screen for a moment and nods, and then reaches deeper into her pouch. ZOOM IN on Jean’s pouch and an x-ray vision activates, showing a Hammerspace portal at the bottom of the Jean’s pouch with her hand going through it.

(narration)
And as you see, inside Jean’s pouch exists a portal to Hammerspace where she can pull out her secret weapon!

WIDEN between the stick figure pervert and Jean as she pulls out a giant mallet from her pouch.

(narrator)
Let him have it sister!

CLOSE ON (UV) the stick figure pervert as Jean WHACKS him in the head with the mallet so hard that it sends him flying in the air twirling.

WIDEN ON Jean as she puts the mallet on her shoulder while the pervert is sent flying off screen.

(narration)
Good job Jean, now just put that mallet back in your pouch and it’s like it was never there!

Jean nods eagerly and slides the big mallet back in her pouch without it altering in shape at all.

CUT back to Pocky standing in front of the screen again.

And that’s the jest of Hammerspace. Anything, anywhere, anytime, it’s awesome! Well this is your host – Pocky, closing another exciting and insightful segment of Pocky’s Snack Sized Facts, see ya next time everybody!!!

Pocky waves excitedly at the screen.

The music stops as Pocky pulls the frame of her Pocky’s Snack Sized Fact’s segment off screen and looks down at Jem (OS).

Pocky
There! Now you can’t whine that I don’t explain anything to you!

CLOSE ON (OV SV) Jem’s face while he looks up at Pocky (OS) from the corner of his eyes.

Jem
Guess not,

WIDEN on Jem in his box and Pocky as she turns her back to him, folds her arms and sticks her nose in the air.

Pocky
Guess not.

Pocky quickly turns around and frantically shakes Jem’s box again.

DID YOU AT LEAST LEARN ANYTHING FROM THAT CUT AWAY MINI SEGMENT?!?!

CLOSE ON (UV) Pocky.

Connie (OS)
JEEEEEEM!!!

Pocky stops rocking Jem’s box looks to her left.

Pocky
Eeh?

CLOSE ON (OV SV) Jem as he looks ahead and blinks.

Jem
Huh?

(SV) Pocky very quickly scurries into the ground as Connie runs up to the front of Jem’s box, holding an umbrella over her head.

Connie
Oh my god! Jem, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!

CLOSE ON Jem while he looks up at Connie with a bit of a disoriented look on his face.

Jem
…Connie…

CLOSE ON (UV) Connie’s face while she calmly smiles down at Jem (OS).

Connie
Hehe…

Connie blinks and looks around a bit.

Hey, wait…

WIDEN ON (SV) Connie looking around.

Wasn’t there someone here with you? A girl…I’m sure of it.

(FV) Jem blinks slowly as he leans out of his box and looks to his left.

Jem
Huh…?

PAN left to show just a barely noticeable rabbit hole in the ground.

CLOSE ON Jem’s face as he blinks again, his face quickly degenerating into a depressed look.

Oh…guess you were seeing things…

(OV) Pocky pops her head out of a random patch of mud.

POV – behind Pocky’s head – about 30ft in the distance, Connie talks to Jem (hidden inside his box)

(FV) Pocky frowns while the pile of mud on her head slowly slides off in chunks.

Pocky
(frustrated)
HMMMM…I can’t hear anything from this distance!

Pocky pulls her right hand out of the mud and snaps her fingers.

Ah ha! I got it!

She puts her hand into the mud again and pulls out a television remote. Pocky pushes a button on the remote, making subtitles appear at the bottom of the screen.

There,

Pocky looks down at the subtitles of what she just said.

Perfect!

WIDEN ON (SV) Connie and Jem (OS) in his box.

Connie
So is this where you’ve been ever since that comet…blew up your house?

Jem (OS)
I guess so…you saw that?

Connie rubs the back of her leg with her foot.

Connie
Well, yeah…I mean everyone saw it. It was pretty hard to miss.

CLOSE ON Jem as he looks down.

Jem
Yeah…you’re right.

CLOSE ON (UV) Connie’s face while she looks down at Jem (OS) worriedly.

POV – over Connie’s shoulder – looking down at Jem as he stares at his lap with his eyes hidden behind his hair.

Connie
But what about your parents? Wherever they are they must be worried sick about you!

Jem
I doubt it…and besides,

CLOSE ON Jem’s saddening eyes that can be partially seen through his hair.

I don’t want to show my face to them again …all I am anymore is a worthless embarrassment…

CLOSE ON Connie’s back as she puts her right arm behind her back and grabs her left arm.

Connie
Mm…

CLOSE ON (UV) Connie’s face as she shakes her head gently.

Aw no…come on Jem. How about you stay at my place at least? Just so you’re out of this terrible weather we’ve been having lately…

CLOSE ON (SV) Jem’s face as he stares at his lap and clinches his teeth.

Jem
(low tone)
No thank you…

Jem begins to growl.

Connie (OS)
Please Jem, I’m just trying to help make things right.

(FV) Jem raises his head quickly, striking a dark and rage filled glare.

Jem
I SAID NO THANK YOU!!!!

CLOSE ON Connie’s face as her eyes widen, shrinking quickly with a bit of fear.

Ext. Jem’s property – day – raining

CUT TO one of the geese swimming in the flooded crater as a bubble comes out of water and pops in front of goose, causing it to quack with surprise.

Ext. abandoned trailer park – day - raining

CUT BACK as the startled fear on Connie’s face calms down, turning into a mix of pity and sadness as her eyes narrow and she takes a step back.

Connie
Oh! …Ok…

Connie begins to turns around slowly but keeps facing down at Jem.

The offer will always be available though…if you decide to take it…

WIDEN from behind Jem’s box as Connie turns her back to it.

POV – behind Connie – she looks over her shoulder one last time at Jem.

If I see your parents, I wont tell them you’re here…

After a brief moment of silence passes Connie looks away from Jem and closes her eyes.

…You’re welcome…

Connie walks off screen.

CLOSE ON Pocky’s head sticking out of the mud as she blinks and turns off the subtitles.

Pocky
Huuuuh?!

WIDEN ON (FV) Jem as Pocky digs through the ground in a clear homage to Bugs Bunny and pops the upper half of her body out of the mud and leans against Jem’s box, putting her arm over the top like she’s putting it over someone’s shoulder.

Now what was THAT about?

Jem
It’s none of your business…

CLOSE ON Pocky’s face as she blinks again and looks over at Jem (OS).

Pocky
Eh? None of my business?

WIDEN ON (OV) Connie as she steps onto the sidewalk, managing to catch a bus waiting at the bus stop before it took off.

(OS)
You were on the verge of using a series of R-rated swear words to tell that girl to screw off!

POV – outside the bus – Connie takes her seat and closes her eyes, resting her head against the window.

(OS)
So obviously she did something to make you want to do that!

WIDEN ON (FV) Jem and Pocky looks over at him.

So who is she?

Pocky begins randomly pop up all around Jem’s box.

Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?

Pocky pops right beside Jem in his box, poking his cheek hard.

The onslaught of questions annoying you yet?

CLOSE ON Jem he snaps at Pocky and glares at her.

Jem
Gr…she’s my ex-girlfriend, alright?!

POV – Jem – Pocky sits up dramatically, hands held back with a comical and clearly fake startled expression.

Pocky
Ex-girlfriend?!

Pocky taps her chin and pouts her lip out.

Hmm…

WIDEN ON (FV) Jem and Pocky.

Just a sec!

Pocky zips out of the box in a dragged out blur.

WIDEN ON Pocky’s buffalo sleeping in the mud and the storage truck it’s saddled to. Pocky zooms past the buffalo and stops in front of the truck as she slaps the doors open and hops inside, slamming the doors shut behind her.

Int. Pocky’s storage truck

POV – over Reggie’s shoulder – the British talking penguin tips his hat to Pocky as she crawls in.

Reggie
Greetings madam.

Pocky
Not now Reggie! I’m plotting!

POV – Pocky – Reggie sits at the back wall of the storage truck while stirring his cup of chamomile tea.

Reggie
Ohhh?

(FV) Pocky sits down and pulls out her long list and stares at it while rubbing her chin. Reggie walks up beside Pocky.

And what’re you plotting?

Pocky
Another way to try and make Jem unleash his power to do anything.

CLOSE ON Pocky’s face as the lower half is covered by her list.

Now lets see…trying to kill Jem didn’t work and next on the list is…

POV – Pocky – Pocky taps the next bullet point that reads “Make him incredibly sad” with “Try to kill him” above it crossed out.

(OS)
“Make him incredibly sad”.

CLOSE ON (SV) Pocky’s face as she raises her head and taps her chin a bit while Reggie watches her curiously in the background.

Hmm…for weeks now all Jem has done is mope around in that box…but then that mood suddenly accelerated moment his ex-girlfriend came into contact with him.

Pocky lowers the list and looks down and gnaws on the tip of her index finger.

Huh…

The background suddenly fades black and Pocky’s color pallet shifts to white with blood red colored hair and shading.

PAN across Pocky’s stern eyes as she ponders.

(thinking)
That girl must’ve done something to Jem that was so traumatic that it’d make him extremely hostile and depressed by just getting near him…but what?

CLOSE ON a lit light bulb that suddenly appears above Pocky’s head with the background and all the colors returning to normal at the same time.

(UV) ZOOM OUT as Pocky stands up; slamming her right fist into her left palm while Reggie looks up at her.

I got it! I’ll go back in time with Jem and find out what his ex-girlfriend did to make him so sad with just her presence!!

Reggie
Doesn’t that seem needlessly complicated? Why can’t you just ask him what she did?

Pocky glares down at Reggie and flails her arms around.

Pocky
BECAUSE MY IDEA’S MY MORE CREATIVE!

Pocky puts her hands on her hips with puffs of smoke coming out her ears.

Reggie
Maybe so, but wouldn’t time travel befriend the risk of imploding the universe?

Pocky
Alright FINE, I’ll try your “amaaazing” idea first, but if that fails then I’m pulling out the time machine!

Pocky marches off to the backdoors (going OS).

POV – over Reggie’s shoulder – Pocky opens the right backdoor and hops out of the truck. She turns around to look at Reggie and grab the door.

And by the way Reggie, time travel only implodes the universe if you mess with its time space continuity!

Pocky slams the door shut so hard that it makes the entire truck shakes.

CLOSE ON Reggie’s chamomile tea as it spills on the floor in front of his feet. PAN UP to Reggie’s face as he looks at the now empty teacup he’s holding.

Reggie
Oh drat.

Ext. abandoned trailer park – day – raining

WIDEN ON Pocky as she slides her hand off the closed backdoor and marches towards Jem’s box (OS).

CLOSE ON Jem as he sits at the back of his box while he hugs his knees.

POV – Jem – Pocky leans her head into the box from the top left corner with a bright look on her face.

Pocky
Hey!

WIDEN ON (FV) Pocky as she moves back and just leans against Jem’s box while looking up at her left hand.

Jem
…What do you want…?

Pocky
Ooooooh nothing.

CLOSE ON (UV) Pocky from a back angle as she over her shoulder and down at the screen.

But now that you mention it…I am still curious what that ex-girl of yours actually did to you to make you get so depressed.

Jem (OS)
I don’t want to talk about it…

Pocky
Oh you don’t! Well, good thing we got that out of the way.

Pocky steps away from the box (going OS).

CLOSE ON Jem while he continues to hug his knees, trying to ignore Pocky while the sound of a large Hammerspace portal opening can be heard in the background.

(OS)
Because, with that said and done.

CLOSE ON Pocky’s feet as she struggles to take one small step forward while her feet sink deep into the mud.

(OS)
We can finally move on to~

CLOSE ON a random patch of mud as a BIG white spherical object slams on top of it.

WIDEN ON Pocky standing with her hand against a giant white sphere shaped time machine with a thick black line and windows going around the middle. 4 robotic spider-like legs stick out from the lower section and digging into the ground.

The fun stuff!

POV – Pocky – Jem finally leans out of his box and looks behind it at Pocky and the time machine (OS).

Jem
…What’s that thing?

CLOSE ON Pocky as the entrance walkway flips down beside her.

Pocky
A time machine! Now come on, we’re going!

CLOSE ON Jem as he closes his eyes.

Jem
(Sigh), not this again…

POV – Pocky – Jem leans back and hides in the box again.

(OS)
I’m not going, not this time…

CLOSE ON (UV) Jem’s box while he sits inside it hugging his knees as Pocky walks up behind him and points at the box.

Pocky
Ohhhhh yes you are! I need your memories so the time machine doesn’t send us to some place; like Egypt a thousand years ago!

Jem
No! I’m not going anywhere. Not until I know I can write again!!

Pocky
GRRRR…

Pocky grabs the front of Jem’s box and pulls it back.

CLOSE ON the ground in front of Pocky’s feet as the backend of Jem’s box smacks into the mud.

POV – above Pocky – Jem gets raddled around and stares up at Pocky as she stands over the box.

Jem
Ah! …huh?

CLOSE ON (SV) Pocky’s face while she glares at Jem (OS).

Pocky
I’m fed up with you doing nothing but hiding in this box~

CLOSE ON Pocky’s left hand as she presses it against the box.

ZOOM OUT from Pocky’s face to her entire body as she spins around while holding the box up with Jem still inside

~And using it as a substitute for your house!!!

Pocky hurls the box with all her might right at the entrance of the time machine.

Int. time machine

The box goes FLYING through the entrance and bounces off the end of the big sphere shaped room, rolling around like a dice until it stops on it’s side and Jem slides out semi-conscious. Four metal tentacles with white cartoon-ish gloved hands come out of the chair behind the box and grab onto Jem’s wrists and ankles.

Jem
Ohhhhhhh…

CLOSE ON the entrance to the time machine as Pocky walks inside, suddenly looking a lot more relaxed then she was just a second ago.

Pocky
See, now was that so hard?

WIDEN ON the metal tentacles strapping Jem down to the chair while Pocky walks on screen and stands in the foreground.

And don’t worry, I got all this under control.

Pocky rolls her eyes and pouts her lip to its side a bit.

(mutters)
It just better be worth it…

POV – Jem – Pocky stands in front of a HUGE control panel, full of screens, switches, knobs, buttons, lights, gages and much, much more. She rubs the back of her head like she’s a little confused.

Now lets see…

CLOSE ON Pocky’s hand pulls a handlebar switch down.

(OS)
We pull this switch,

CLOSE ON Pocky’s hand twisting a knob.

(OS)
Twist this knob,

CLOSE ON Pocky’s hand pushing a bunch of random buttons that light up.

(OS)
Push these buttons,

CLOSE ON Pocky’s finger flicking a bunch of small flat switches.

(OS)
Flick these doodads,

CLOSE ON 3 small gages while the needles flicker around randomly and Pocky’s reflection can be scene off of the glass cover.

(OS)
Watch these things for a couple seconds.

POV – Pocky – looking at a screen showing Jem’s brainwave patterns while information faxes out of the slot right under it in an endless sheet of paper.

(OS)
Make sure our destination is based on the location of your brainwave signal annnnnd…

CLOSE ON a big red button and Pocky pushes down on it. PAN around to an under-view shot of Pocky pushing down on the button.

(OS)
BINGO!

Ext. abandoned trailer park – day – raining

WIDEN ON the time machine as the entrance walkway and robotic legs pull back inside, completely the spherical shape as the machine floats 10ft above the ground with top and bottom halves between the black center spinning in opposite directions. They spin faster and faster as the time machine begins to glow and suddenly…POP! The time machine vanishes into thin air in a comical flash.

END OF ACT ONE