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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 5 years

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In case you’re wondering, I’m not dead. I’m just the poster child for executive dysfunction.

#from the desk of the king #executive dysfunction #my executives cannot fucking function #which makes finishing stuff hard #@tumblr bots if you tag this i will fight

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Happy Asexual Awareness Week

Literally every character on this blog is on the ace spectrum, unless I say otherwise

#asexual awareness week #I know this place has been dead sorry #but I think this announcement is more than important enough to drop here

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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“That’s Egol?” “Yeah.... Hey Zoey?” “Hmm?” “That’s our home. Isn’t that crazy?” “Yeah... Let’s go home before you fall off my back like a doofus.”

#gt #The Space Between #yoooo I made a gif thing while procrastinating on two whole things #that's so many things!#the premise of this story is that everyone lives on giant animals #(called continentals)#and also many people have pet-like creatures called Companions #Companions can travel between Continentals #and it's customary that a person doesn't see their Continental's face in person until they've completed Companion training #which takes place on a different continental

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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#y'all are important and I should probably make more use of you

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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If you’re wondering why Car Heaven Chapter 8 is delayed, it’s because I’ve been hit with writer’s block.

Thanks, brain.

#small update #i think its because i graduated and now i cant procrastinate on school by writing anymore

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Ughhhhh writer’s block is a jerrerrrk

#from the desk of the king #chapter.... 8(?) of car heaven is not here to be written

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Car Heaven 7: Fitting In?

Tag: @ratwrites

I looked down at her, handing her the foam dart. “Is this yours? And uh... sorry. I’m new here.”

The girl shook her head. “When you get hit, you’re supposed. To play. Dead!” She waved a reasonably-sized green gun at me, while standing on her toes to seem taller. She really didn’t need to, as she was already close to my shoulders. “Sarge goes on about it all the time!”

I nodded. She still hadn’t taken her dart back. “I’ll remember that. What’s your name?”

“My name is Lilah!” Lilah said.

I nodded. “Okay, Lilah. I’m new here, and I need to get settled in. Where is Miss Bell?”

Lilah pointed toward a woman with about ten kids around her. “This way!”

“What about your dart?” I asked.

“Keep it! You’ll need all the darts you can get!” Lilah whispered over her shoulder, already setting off toward Miss Bell.

Miss Bell looked up when she heard us approaching. “Hello, Lilah.”

Lilah jumped up, lifting her arms. “Hi Miss Bell! I brought a friend!”

Miss Bell looked up at me. “Hello, there.”

I waved awkwardly. “Hi, I’m-“ I realized I had forgotten to whisper. “I’m new here.”

“I’m Miss Bell.” Miss Bell said. “I’m in charge of the kiddos, and defense.”

“Thank you.” I whispered. “Would you happen to know of anyone who can tell me what I need to do to get settled in around here?”

Miss Bell nodded. “Defense classes are in the mornings, so you’ve got me checked off. You’ll need to check with Doc in case you get injured, and Clara about a sleeping tent. Chex and Lawson are the food guys, so you’ll hardly need to check with them on anything.”

I nodded. “Where would those people be?”

Lilah jumped up, waving her hand. “I know! I know! Pick me!”

Miss Bell smiled. “Lilah can show you around.”

I nodded. “Okay Lilah. Where’s Clara?”

Lilah dragged me all over the Whispering Village, occasionally shooting me with her gun. She also chewed me out multiple times for kept forgetting to play dead.

Clara was a woman in her forties with a kind face and smart eyes. She wore a “You’ll get Phillip’s old tent, and I’ll request you a new sleeping bag immediately. Poor Philip, bless his heart. He tried to escape, but he got caught.”

I nodded hypocritically, knowing that I was already planning my escape. “An unfortunate reminder to us all.”

“That’s why this place exists.” Clara agreed.

“That’s why we can’t leave!” Lilah added. “To the Doctor!”

Doc was taller, maybe in his late twenties, with black hair swept over to one side and vaguely Asian features. He simply wrote down my allergies and any medical information I might need him to know.

“I’m allergic to penicillin. And I do have blood sugar problems.” I told him.

“What the heck is pencil-in?” Lilah asked.

“It’s a kind of medicine.” Doc answered. “No worries. Since cars don’t get sick, germs don’t exist down here.” He explained. “Including the nasties that I would use penicillin on.”

“That’s weird.” I said.

“It kind of is, and I’m not sure how it works.” Doc mused.

“Magic!” Lilah exclaimed, grabbing my hand and dragging me. “Come on, I wanna show you my favorite place!”

“Okay, I’ll see you.” I said to Doc, and went with Lilah.

Lilah brought me to the fenced off area. “This is the practice arena!” She exclaimed. “This is where we learn to shoot and play dead!” She ran inside, grabbing a face mask off of a pile and throwing it at me. I did not succeed in catching it. “Go on, shoot me!”

I gave her a questioning look. “Uh...”

“Do it!” Lilah exclaimed. “Or I’ll tell Sarge you don’t play dead!”

“Fine, fine.” I said. I pulled Jack the Jolt out of my bag, and one of my darts. I loaded it up gave her a glance.

She glared back impatiently, so I shot at her. Even with my aim, hit her in the left shoulder.

Lilah spun on her heel dramatically, obviously trying to copy the force of the bullet. “Nooooooo! I’m dead!” She exclaimed, flopping down onto the ground and not moving.

I poked her with my shoe.

She jumped up, picking up the bullet and loading it into her gun. “Your turn! Put on your mask!”

I picked up the mask and tried to put it on. It didn’t fit over my glasses. “Houston, we have a problem.” I muttered. “Do they make these for people with glasses?”

“My name. Is. Lilah! Not Houston!” Lilah exclaimed. She shot me in the stomach.

I made a choked noise, kneeling down and laying on my stomach in the dirt. I also immediately inhaled a bit of dust and started coughing.

“Dead people don’t cough! Also, you fell too slow.” Lilah whispered.

“Sorry.” I muttered, getting up. “My neck hurts. And my shoulders.”

“Do you need to see Doc?” Lilah asked.

I shook my head. “No, no, it’s nothing the doctor will need to deal with.”

“Why does your neck hurt?” Lilah asked.

I looked at her. “Because I was in a car wreck? That’s why I ended up here. I was looking for my car.”

Lilah blinked. “Why didn’t it come back?”

I gave her a glance. “What?”

“Whenever a car gets wrecked, it comes back!” Lilah exclaimed. “Duh!”

I thought for a moment, though there was a very obvious reason that was her answer. “Lilah, how long have you been here?”

Lilah shrugged. “Long as I can remember.”

“Oh.” That confirmed that thought. “Well Lilah, where I’m from, cars don’t come back.”

“That’s weird.” Lilah said. Then she jumped up and shot me again.

We practiced playing dead for a while, though by the end of it I never really got the hang of it.

The end of the day came, and I went to my new tent and tried to sleep. Someone a few tents over was playing Hey There Delilah on a guitar, so I made up new words to the tune until I fell asleep.

I woke up early that morning to Lilah shaking me. “Wake up! LiveWire is here and she wants to see you!”

#HA TUMBLR I HAVE BESTED YOUR SoRRY MOBILE ASS #*mocking voice* 'sorry only 100 paragraphs allowed' FUCK YOU #mobile wouldn't let me post lol #From The Desk Of The King #Car Heaven!Verse #Character: An Unnamed Protagonist Who Is Also Me #Character: Lilah #Character: Miss Bell #Character: Clara #Character: Doc #(bonus points if you can guess who I modeled Doc off of)

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Car Heaven 6: The Whispering Village

I stayed in the back of Licorice for a good while, mostly crying about Bug and Blue Boy.

Somewhere in that mess, I had made up my mind to absolutely despise the Whispering Village, and all of Bug’s associates. I was also very consciously aware that I was probably being ridiculous, but then I would remember that I had been lied to and was likely being kidnapped, which justified my feelings. I argued in circles with my own brain on that one for most of the drive.  I had more or less cried myself out when the door at my feet opened. I could hear Bug explaining my situation to someone, which did nothing for my mental state.

“Hey.” A male voice said. He sounded like he hadn’t raised his voice above a whisper in his life. “You must be the new kid, eh? Come on, head up. Someone’s gotta show ya around, and I’m your guy. Name’s Sarge.”

I looked at him, but it was really a glare. He was tall and gangly, maybe my dad’s age, with a scraggly, patchy beard. His face alone looked like he hadn’t slept in a month, then consumed eight Redbulls at once. He had a camouflaged army jacket, shredded jeans, sturdy boots, and an enormous Nerf gun on his back.  He must have seen me looking at the gun. “To fool your enemies, you gotta fool your friends. Now come on.” He offered me a hand.

I took it, begrudgingly. “Where are we?”

“SHH!” Sarge hissed. “Tone your voice down so unfriendly cars don’t hear ya.”

I groaned internally. I had always had trouble with controlling the volume of my voice. “Sorry. Where are we?” I whispered.

“The Whispering Village. Those trucks out looking for us ain’t gonna find us here. They can’t get in, and we can’t get out. It’s perfectly safe.” Sarge whispered back. He brushed aside a wall of vines, which appeared to be made of intricately woven metal.

He was leading me into a clear area. Above us, a net with trees printed on it and all kinds of vines growing through it stretched over us. Trucks and race cars of all kinds rested around the perimeters, some driving between tents to carry people. There were more humans here than I thought- at least a hundred or so, but still more than I expected. Everyone looked like they needed a hot shower and a nap.

The sleeping area was designated by several rows of tents. To my immediate right was a closed off area with a fence I couldn’t see through. There were a few pickup trucks roving along, carrying supplies to the people. In one corner, a big tent with a red plus sign on it designated the medical facility. I hoped I didn’t get sick.

The entire area seemed to be hissing. It took me a moment to register the sound as a small crowd engaging in several conversations, but at a whisper. It was mildly off-putting.

Sarge piped up, quietly. “Back there’s the sleeping. Over there’s the doctor if you get sick. Eating can be anywhere, but we prefer it if you keep it near Chex.” He pointed at a newer model of truck with a stockpile of food in his tailgate, as well as a man grilling next to him. “Ask some of the kiddos if they’ll play with you if you get bored. I’ll be in my tent if you need anything.” He started off toward a large circular tent with two smaller tents attached. The large tent had a sign that read ‘LEADERS’ over the door.

“Wait!” I exclaimed. “Why are you all here? Is there no way out of Car Heaven?”

Sarge turned slightly. “Oh there’s a way. But that road is only for getting supplies, and you’re definitely not taking it.”

“What about the gun?” I asked. Looking around, I noticed that multiple people were carrying nerf guns.

“Cars don’t know the difference. Which reminds me, if someone hits you with a dart, you’re dead. Even if it’s a near miss. Actually, you know what? Come with me, I’ll give you a checklist.”

As much as I distrusted Sarge, I agreed to go to the leader’s tent so I wouldn’t be totally lost.

The inside had several fans going to cool it down. Four people (three women and another man in camouflage) sat in a circle, as well as a dark green Lincoln with the same tinted windows as Licorice. They all glanced up, and the woman at the head of the circle even waved.

Then they went back to discussing their business.

Behind the group, Sarge led me to an offshooting tunnel with a sign that read ARMORY.

“This is the armory. Ain’t no real guns here, just dart guns. See, a car ain’t too keen on the difference between real and fake guns. If a foam bullet hits them, they explode all the same. But since we’re smarter than them, we know it doesn’t do anything. It’s weird, but it’s an advantage. You’ll want a gun in case something goes wrong, though. We have just about every gun you can get!” Sarge whisper-shouted as he threw aside the tent flap.  The armory had several tables stockpiled with dart guns, though there really was no need as they spilled over onto the floor. Enormous laundry hampers rested between the tables, full to the brim with darts. There was very little organization, and the whole room was a neon mess- darts and guns of all colors on every available surface. I also saw two hampers full of satchels.

“Go on, pick your weapon.” Sarge said, shoving a nerf gun nearly as big as me into my arms, along with a satchel.  I dropped the gun immediately. “I can’t fire this.” I whispered. Looking around the room, I saw the tiniest gun I’d ever seen- it was about the size of my hand, dark blue with the telltale bright orange tip, with the word JOLT written on the barrel in black letters.  I stepped over a pile of green guns and lifted it up. “I like this one.”  Sarge gave me a strange look, but simply walked me over to a basket full of darts. “Put as many in that satchel of yours as you can, and that’ll be all you need here. I suggest talking to Doc next, just telling him about your allergies and whatnot. Or, chat with Miss Bell about target practice.”

With that, Sarge ushered me out of the armory and left me to my own devices.  “I never even got my list.” I muttered. I placed my new weapon in my bag of darts, and gave it a pat. “I’mma call you Jack. Jack the Jolt.”

A nerf bullet hit me in the leg. I leaned down and lifted it up, looking to see if there was a name on the side. There wasn’t.

“Miss!” A small girl, maybe ten, ran up to me. She had dark skin and bright purple glasses, and kept her hair up in two bouncy pigtails. She sounded like she hadn’t raised her voice above a whisper in her life. “Why didn’t you play dead?”

#From The Desk Of The King #original writing #car heaven!verse #Character: An Unnamed Protagonist Who Is Also Me #Character: Licorice #Character: Sarge

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Car Heaven 5: Buggin’ Out

Tag: @ratwrites

Hair-raisingly, the closest hotel was only two blocks away from the Biomech building. The room me and Bug were in was a lot bigger than the garage on the ferry. It was also circular, meaning Bug could drive around a little if he wanted. I stayed in the backseat overnight to sleep.

Bug headed out early that morning, before I even woke up. When I did finally stir, he filled me in on his plan.

“Our best shot is through Mercury Square. That’s where the snobby, expensive Fords who think they’re better than everyone else live. They’re pretty protective of their territory though, so we might have to sneak in.” He explained. “They don’t want ‘lesser cars’ mingling with them, ya know? I think they get that from their humans.”

I nodded. “They let the price tag go to their heads.”

“I think the way is through Mustang Fields, then Newford. The only real problem is that I’m not sure of anything past Mercury Square.”

I nodded. “That’s okay. We’ll find some road signs or something.”

“If it comes down to that, yeah. Before any of that, though, we’ve gotta find a way into Mercury Square. Do you need to stretch your legs?”

“Yes please.” I said.

Bug pulled over and I walked around him for a little bit. The road was raised here, so I was able to stand in the ditch without being seen. I tried to find more cool rocks, but there weren’t many rocks in the ditch.  “When you get back in, sit up front and play dead if anyone sees you. They’ll think you’re an anxiety doll for cars who get nervous about driving without a human in control.” Bug explained.

We continued on to Mercury Square, which was rather easy to see due to a large, shimmering wall surrounding the entire community. As we got closer, I realized that it was covered in logos off of all sorts of brands- Toyota, Chevy, and even other Fords. It reminded me of the day after the accident, when my dad told me he’d been down at the crash site trying to find the Ford logo from the front end of Blue Boy. He hadn’t found it, of course- I told him it was probably stuck in the engine.

“Where’d they get so many logos?” I asked.

Bug’s engine stuttered, not that it affected his driving. “These guys have certain ‘guard dogs’ for when average cars try to come through. See, when a car crashes down here, they vanish. Back to the Land of Rebuilding. Then they have to cross the ferry again and go back to wherever they were. It’s pretty brutal, or so I’ve been told. But the high-end guys always take the insignias from trespassers as kind of a lesson. Then they put ‘em on this wall as a warning.”

“That is literally horrifying.” I nodded along. “Why doesn’t anyone stop them?”

“The sensible high-end Fords are off doing more noble stuff.” Bug explained.

I was debating how Bug was gonna get in. If the cars thought I was fake, then they’d have no trouble doing whatever they did to Bug. They probably would do it if they knew the truth, too. There didn’t seem to be any gaps in the walls, either, aside from checkpoint stations.

Bug drove off of the road before anyone could really question him. I had to question what he was thinking- Beetles were not made for off-roading. And yet he followed a set of ruts in the ground with all the confidence of a big stupid man in a big stupid truck.

“Where are we going?” I exclaimed, my voice bouncing around. My neck and shoulders were beginning to hurt. The last thing I needed was more whiplash.

“I know what I’m doing, kid.” Bug muttered. He didn’t really seem to be enjoying this part of the drive either.

He stopped at a rather fake-looking thicket with the barest resemblance of a path cut through it. “This is gonna be bumpy.” He said. “But trust me, I know what I’m doing. I learned from the best.”  He vanished into the bushes quickly, though once a good way inside he slowed down considerably. This made the ride less bumpy, which I was grateful for. We reached another checkpoint along the wall, but it was smaller, and manned by an green older Toyota.

“Buuuug.” The Toyota said. “Heard you got caught last week!”

“Last week?” I asked. Hadn’t Bug been new?

Bug ignored me. “Ravi, how have you been?”  “Good, good. Haven’t been busy all day. Why don’t you head on in, get that human settled?”  “I have a name.” I muttered. “How do you two know each other?”

Ravi, despite having go face, seemed to grin. “We work together. Oh, Bug. The next guy is Licorice. He’ll take you to the Whispering Village.” He opened the checkpoint gate.

I poked Bug’s dashboard. “Whispering Village?”

“A human-safe zone.” He responded, driving himself through the gate. “750’s Gang and the Biomechanics can’t get to you there.”  “And what about you and Ravi knowing each other and working together? When this is what, your third day here?”  “About that…” Bug said, slowing down for a moment. “You humans are so gullible. I guess I should start being honest. I’ve been down here since 2002.”

My blood turned cold. “What?”

“Hey, before you get mad, just remember that I’m doing this for your good. See, the Biomechanics have eyes all over the Land of Rebuilding. They know when humans arrive and where to catch them. But they can’t be seen going through that place, because it ruins their image. So they have a gang ready to catch those humans on this side of the river. My job is to get to those humans before the gang does.”

“For what?” I asked, slamming his brake. It didn’t do anything to him.

“To keep you guys safe, that’s why! Listen, kid, you didn’t come here on purpose, and I understand that.”

“Sure you do.” I muttered, trying to steer him away. None of his controls were working.

“The Biomechanics know that you’re here, and 750 and his henchmen are gonna be all over Car Heaven looking for you. But they can’t come here, so this is where you’re gonna stay.”

“And what about Blue Boy?” I cried. “What about my life in the regular world?”

Bug growled. “Kid. Stop.”

He pulled up next to a black Lincoln. “Licorice, we’ve got a situation.”

Licorice’s lights flashed. “She’s mad?”

I glared at her, sniffling.

Bug did a car-nod. “She just found out.”

“Bug, my guy.” Licorice growled. “We’ve talked about this. You need to be more up-front with your intentions!”

“I’m gonna kidnap you and hold you hostage in a village of humans. Yep, that sounds great.” Bug muttered sarcastically.

“You always run into problems right about here though.” Licorice responded flatly. “But you’re in luck. I’ve got Elastagirl and Lariat with me.”

Within moments, a race car with The Incredibles airbrushed onto the front and an old Ford pickup flanked Licorice. “Human, these are Elastagirl and Lariat. They’re going to bring us all to the Whispering village. Square formation, everyone.”

Bug moved backward slightly. Lariat drove up next, parking with their front bumper about ninety degrees with Bug’s. Elastagirl likewise parked with her back bumper at ninety degrees to Bug, forming a big U. Licorice closed off the U, making something of an uneven rhombus of cars.

Licorice addressed me. “Human, you’re gonna have to switch vehicles. If anyone catches us, they won’t be able to see you if I’ve got you.” She was right about that, at least. Her windows were tinted so darkly that I couldn’t see into her interior through them.

She and Bug both opened their doors. I flung myself out of Bug, angrily kicking his door closed. I kicked his side for good measure. “That’s for Blue Boy.” I spat.

Bug rolled back slightly, never leaving me enough room to escape without having to do some sick parkour. “I’m sure he appreciated it.” He said back.

“Don’t tell me what Blue Boy thinks!” I shouted. It was impossible to not cry. He really was being sincere now, but I found it hard to accept any form of apology he had to offer.

I realized then that Bug was getting ready to drive between Elastagirl and Lariat, probably to give me the final push into Licorice’s cab. I decided I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction and stormed into her backseat. She swung her door closed and locked it.

“Now we’re gonna bring you to your new home, human.” Licorice said. “It’ll grow on you, I promise!”

Something told me that it would not grow on me, whether it was promised or not.

#From The Desk Of The King #Car Heaven!Verse #Character: Bug #Character: An Unnamed Protagonist Who Is Also Me #'I'll write something cute and fluffy' I said #'it'll be fun' I said

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Car Heaven 4: Carrian

Tag: @ratwrites

While I had a big city in mind when I had pictured Carrian, I hadn’t accounted for the fact that the infrastructure and buildings would need to be accessible to cars. Therefore, when we reached the outskirts of Carrian, I realized that whatever size I had pictured, I should probably quadruple it.

To try and comprehend something that size that gave me a headache pretty quickly.

The streets were all about five lanes, which looked like a nightmare to drive on. The buildings had parking-garage style entrances, and I guessed the floors inside were similar to parking garages as well. Due to having to accommodate cars, though, each building itself was about eight city blocks.

“Do cars get jobs down here?” I asked.

“Some of ‘em. I’ve heard of cars that study any humans they get their tires on. I think they’re called biomechanics? Anyway, you should probably stay clear of them. I think they’re dedicated to studying humans about the same way you guys study us.”

I nodded, feeling sick. I’d been on a ride that simulated a car test course, for accident avoidance and other things of that nature. “Noted.”

Bug rolled up to a relatively short, flat building with WELCOME CENTER #80 over the entrance. The entire building reminded me of a large version of a sixties diner, with a two pink neon stripes going around the top near the roof. The entire building was painted a shade of blue that painfully reminded me of Blue Boy, with a bright pink wavy stripe across it. Two large windows showed a long counter inside where several station wagons were working with what I could only assume were arrivals from the ferry.

“You might wanna hide again, kid. In case your... humanness gets you in trouble.” Bug warned.

I patted his dash twice, climbing back into his backseat. “Got it.”

Bug went inside, casually parking himself in front of the counter. “Hello!” He exclaimed cheerily.

“What can I do for you?” The wagon at the station droned. She didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic about her job.

Bug tapped a wheel. “I’m looking for a certain car. He would be new in the system, so I’m hoping you’d have a file?”

“What are his details?” The wagon said.

“A two-thousand sixteen Ford Focus, if I’m not mistaken.” Bug said. “Probably blue.”

There was a long, awkward silence.

“Here’s a list. You’ve got the light and dark blue ones on there, go nuts.”

From my vantage point, I couldn’t see much except for a holographic screen listing all of the cars that looked like Blue Boy. Something Bug was doing- turning his wheels, possibly, was helping him scroll through the results.

“Two weeks ago’s the arrival date on this guy. That sounds....” Bug paused.

After a few seconds, caught on to what he was doing. I shook my head. “Wrong.” I whispered.

“Wrong. Three weeks?” Bug tried.

“Four or five.” I whispered.

“Oh, right, silly me, he’d be further down. Hmmm....” Bug hummed.

“He only had about six thousand miles on him.” I added.

Bug seemed to take this into consideration. Finally, after quite a while of looking, his engine rumbled. “Aha! This guy: light blue two-thousand sixteen, bought in two thousand seventeen, crashed around four weeks ago. Two owners, six thousand miles...”

I gasped. “That’s gotta be him!”

Bug nodded. “Looks like he’s in Newford. Thanks for your help.”

I huddled down into the floorboards. Bug did something else with the list, then backed out and left through the garage-door opening.

“We’re gonna need to find a hotel for the night, then we’ll figure out where Newford is. Are you excited?”

I was about to respond when there was a slight jolt.

“Sorry kid. Traffic’s all wonky. There’s something going on up here at the Biomech building.” Bug muttered.

“Biomech?” I asked.

“That’s what it says on the top. Here’s hoping we never see the place again.” He responded. “I can only assume that that’s where the Biomechanics work.”

I dared to peek up through Bug’s window. The Biomech building was a huge, light gray complex with small windows and BIOMECH LABS in blue lights on the top. At the bottom, though, several cars were gathered around two dark metal sliding doors, which were big enough to fit two semis. The doors were sliding open, revealing that the inside was brightly lit and very clean. Three large pickup trucks and a couple of old race cars were forming a barrier around a single man, forcing him into the building. The other cars seemed to be onlookers- though whether they were reveling in the procession or protesting was unclear.

“Get your head down.” Bug hissed. This is exactly where we don’t need to get caught.”

I nodded, huddling back into the floorboards. I did not want to end up in the Biomech building.

#From The Desk Of The King #Car Heaven!Verse #original writing #Character: Bug #Character: An Unnamed Protagonist Who Is Also Me

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Car Heaven 3: The Road Ahead

Tag: @ratwrites

The unpleasant THUNK of wheels rolling over the threshold to the ferry startled me awake. I nearly sat up to complain before I remembered the ferryman (ferrycar?) would likely murder me given the chance.

“Oh hey kid. Mornin’.” Bug mumbled once we were out of earshot of Caron. “Hey, I never got to ask. Why do you humans need to sleep? It seems useless. You can’t really do anything aside from breathe.”

In my half asleep state, I simply shrugged. “Imagine if like, every time you turned off in the regular world, your fuel refilled itself. That’s why humans need to sleep.”

Bug nodded, kind of. “So it’s like you recharge yourselves?”

“Basically.” I said.

“That’s pretty cool.” Bug responded. “I think we don’t need fuel down here, actually. You might, but good luck. I think your best bet is a gas station- those have all kinds of human stuff in em. By the way, you can sit up now. Caron’s long gone.”

I sat up. Above us was a bright blue sky and a road stretched in front of us for miles. “Reminds me of home.” I said quietly.

Bug pulled over to the side of the road. “Me too. Why don’t you hop out and stretch your legs? You humans do that, right?”

I nodded, climbing out. “Thanks.” I was a little stiff from sleeping in the backseat, but it was better than if I spent the night on the bench. I took a quick walk around Bug, noticing that the gravel was all perfectly smooth, gray rocks- aside from a small yellow crystal on the ground next to his tire. I reached down and picked it up.

“Whatcha got there, kid?” Bug asked.

I held it out to him. “I think it’s quartz. Hey, it kind of matches you!”

Bug chuckled. “You’re right, it does. You might wanna hang on to that, then. In case we get separated.”

I nodded, shoving the rock in my pocket. I leaned on his driver side door. “Hanging on right now. Hey, so what happens after this? How are we gonna find Blue Boy?”

“See that fuzzy outline on the horizon? That’s our central city, Carrian. Your wayward son probably started there.”

“He’s not my son.” I said, looking ahead. Carrian was way off in the distance. “How do you even know all this stuff? You said you’d never been here.”

“Older cars get restored. Then they get passed around until they don’t work anymore, and you humans are none the wiser. But they tell us stuff. It’s mostly complaints, since everything is better down here. But word still gets around.” Bug explained. “There’s been a few stories of humans showing up. That salesman that put you here? Probably not a regular salesman. Maybe an ambassador of some kind. Or sixty-five slimepods in a human suit.”

“Slimepods?” I asked.

“Some kind of weird creature covered in slime. They hang out in the Land of Rebuilding.” Bug explained.

“Ah.” I said. I hadn’t seen any slimepods in the Land of Rebuilding.

Bug continued. “Anyway, I know so much about this place because I’ve heard a lot. My and my first human, we went through an old car show.” Bug seemed to chuckle. “Those old guys, they were so mad. They kept saying that they were in ‘car hell’. They’d detail their journeys to anyone willing to listen. I picked up a lot.”

“I guess they were used to autonomy.” I said softly. In my head, I stored away the information Bug gave me. He had had more than one owner and a green lanyard. I wondered which owner had given him that.

Bug gave a quick jolt. “Come on, kid. The longer we wait, the further away Blue Boy gets.”

I nodded, stepping back. Bug opened his driver’s side door.

“Should I get in the back again?” I asked.

Bug chuckled. “Nah, you can have a seat at the wheel. Just keep your feet off the brake, I’ll drive.”

I climbed back in and buckled my seatbelt. “You got the wheel, Bug.” I said, patting his dashboard.

Bug started his engine. “I’d hope so. Now let’s go, the suspense is killing me.”

As Bug took off toward Carrian, I took the quartz crystal out of my pocket and put it in his glove compartment. “Thanks for helping me get this far.” I said sincerely.

Bug seemed to have a smile in his voice. “No problem, kid. If it weren’t for you, I would have just been asking questions to an imaginary human on the ferry back there.”

I laughed. “And I’d be sitting in the weeds and hoping those motorcycles didn’t see me.”

#From The Desk Of The King #original writing #Car Heaven!Verse #Character: Bug #Character: Unnamed Protagonist Who Is Also Me #what comes next?

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Car Heaven 2: Chat With a Bug

Tag: @ratwrites

“It’s a long story.” I said.

Bug did that car-shrug again. “It’s a wide river.”

I sighed. “A crazy car salesman tossed me through a portal to... what was it? The Land of Rebuilding.”

“So why’d you stay?” Bug asked.

I crossed my arms. “The portal was only one-way. I couldn’t get back.”

Bug didn’t hesitate. “Fair, but then why did you need to get on the ferry?”

He had me there. I steeled myself, pressing my back to the wall. “I was in a crash a few weeks ago. My car saved my life, no injuries aside from a bad bruise.” I touched my leg. “I’m here to return the favor.”

“Huh.” Bug said. “Neat.”

Confused, I leaned forward. “You’re not even going to question it?”

Bug leaned toward me. “Listen, you humans are fascinating- you’ll get attached to anything that moves. You’re also a determined bunch- so who am I to judge you?”

There was a short, yet comfortable, silence between us. I noticed an old green lanyard wrapped around Bug’s rear view mirror. It swayed softly, like something had tapped it. I wondered if Blue Boy had appeared with anything I had in him- My dashboard dragon, my textbooks, my drawing tablet, maybe even my own lanyard that had vanished in the crash.

“Hey Bug?” I said quietly.

“Huh?” Bug

“Do you think Blue Boy will even want to see me?” I asked. “I mean, the crash wasn’t my fault, the other guy was in my lane. But.... do you think he would know that? And would he hold it against me?”

Bug rolled back, pulling a quick turn to face me. “What exactly was Blue Boy?”

“A twenty-sixteen Ford Focus. He was bright blue, so I called him Blue Boy.”

“Kid, I’m gonna be brutally honest. Your Blue Boy is gonna be thrilled to see you.” Bug stated.

I looked up. “What’s brutally honest about- what?”

“Any car down here’s gotta be lucky to find out their humans are safe. We’re built to protect you guys. Your car, when you find him, is gonna be over the moon when he sees you.”

I looked up. “You really think so?”

“Kid, I know so.” Bug said. I could hear the smile in his voice. “I bet every car down here wants to see their old owners, at some point.”

“So how was that brutally honest?” I asked.

Bug chuckled. “You didn’t sound like you’d be ready to accept that fact. But no matter what you say to convince yourself your friend is gonna hate your guts, you’re still gonna be wrong.”

“How do you know that?” I asked.

Bug sighed. “It’s the way us cars are. At least the newer ones. We’re made to care. I bet Blue Boy’s been worried sick about you.”

“But-“ I started.

“Quiet, kid. Any more self-doubt and I’ll stuff you in my trunk.” Bug commanded. It was incredible how expressive he could be with just his voice.

There was a small pause again. “Hey, don’t you humans need sleep? Is that toolbox even comfortable?”

I shook my head. “Not really.”

Bug paused. “Are leather seats any better?”

“Better than the toolbox.” I said, standing up. My butt was numb from the hard surface.

Bug’s door swung open. “Hop in. We’ve got a long way to go.”

I wasted no time doing that. I made myself comfortable on the backseat, and closed my eyes. Bug seemed to quiet down as well.

It wasn’t comfortable, sure, but it was still better than the toolbox.

#From The Desk Of The King #Car Heaven!Verse #Character: Bug #Character: Unnamed Protagonist Who Is Also Me #just a chat with a good boye

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Car Heaven 1: The Land of Rebuilding

No sooner did I land on the other side of the door than I found myself smelling something absolutely horrifying.

The closest thing I could think of was the crash site, but ten times worse. My natural instinct was to hold my breath, but of course my brain wanted to fight me on that. I wouldn’t be able to hold my breath the whole time, no matter what. But there was a good chance whatever I was breathing wasn’t exactly good for me. Maybe, though, it wouldn’t really matter.

I slowly got to my feet, being mindful of sharp objects and my own back. Judging from the spot I’d landed at, I wasn’t the first person to enter Car Heaven, as most of the dangerous debris had been swept away. I brushed off my hands and looked around for a hint of where Blue Boy might be.

The place looked like a junkyard, if junkyards had strange reddish skies and piles upon piles upon piles of car parts scattered everywhere. The smell matched, at least. The trash piles, I noted, had clear cut paths through them. They were big enough for a few cars to drive through, or maybe a monster truck. All of the paths seemed to lead to one specific road, which was wide enough for at least two monster trucks.

The wide road seemed like a good place to start.

As I walked down the road, I began to notice a few things. For one, the stench was getting worse, which meant I was probably getting closer to the source. The second was that the view was rather plain- wide open spaces with no real points of interest and scrubby vegetation for miles around. The third was that cars would pass me, going in the same direction I was going. None of them had drivers. Most had their windows down. Some even passed in pairs. They all appeared to be in pristine condition, as if they’d been taken from the factory.

Also, they could move much faster than me. In fact, they seemed to speed up when they got close.

After hours of walking, I began to see bushes and tall grasses springing up along the road. I could also see some kind of endpoint, an enormous gray structure in the distance.

The gray structure was a ferry, guarded by an ancient black car. I’d only ever been on a ferry once, but that was a small one. This one was absolutely enormous, and made of a substance I couldn’t quite place. Actually, a lot of things down here felt like their makeup was a little off. I couldn’t explain why, but somehow I guessed it had to do with the cars.

What wasn’t okay was that the ferry was floating in a river of sludge. This was the source of what I was smelling- it looked like it was made up of gas, oil, and any other liquid that went into an engine. I severely hoped that this river didn’t have a real-world outlet. That would be no good for climate change.

I approached the ferry. The cars were driving themselves onto it, so it stood to reason I should get on, too.

The black car suddenly sputtered and revved it’s engine. Two old motorcycles immediately jumped to block me. “OY YOU!” The car roared in a wheezy, raspy voice.

I stopped in my tracks. “Huh?” Despite being able to talk, the car didn’t seem to have a mouth.

The old car rolled toward me, his headlights flashing. “I MAY BE BLIND, BUT I’M NOT DUMB! I KNOW WHAT A DAMN CAR LOOKS LIKE, AND YOU ARE NO CAR!” He paused to shake dust off of his roof. “THIS FERRY ISN’T BRINGING YOU ANYWHERE!”

I frowned. “How do I get across then?”

“SWIM!” The car shouted. “YOU HUMANS SURVIVE EVERYTHING, SURELY SOME GAS WONT HURT!” He completed a full circle around me, then returned to his post. “NOW GET LOST!”

The motorcycles started advancing, and I ran back to the tall grasses along the side of the road.

I stood for a minute, debating how best to get past the guard. I wondered if a bush of grasses would escape his notice, but the motorcycles were still an issue.

“I don’t like Caron either, kid.” A smooth voice said behind me. “I’ve been trying to find a way past him myself. Were you planning on trying the bush method, too?”

I whirled around. There was no one there except a pastel yellow Volkswagen Beetle. “Hello?” I asked, having expected to see a human. “Where are you?”

“Right here. I saw that guy yell at you, can’t say I blame you for backing down.”

I started to turn again. “Wha-?”

“Nope, back.” I turned back toward the Beetle again. “Back back back back- perfect.”

I frowned. “All I see is a car.”

“What? You never saw a talking car before?”

I jumped slightly. “That’s you?”

The Volkswagen’s motor sputtered and started up. “The name’s Bug.” He responded.

I slowly calmed down. “Oooh- okay. Well, uh... you sounded like a person!”

Bug sounded like he was smiling. “It’s okay, kid. You’re out of your element, I bet. I won’t lie, I am too.”

I squinted. “You’re a car. This is Car Heaven.”

Bug’s front half went up, then down. It was like a car shrug. “Ain’t Heaven kind of a one-time thing for you humans?”

I continued squinting. “....... you have a point. So uh, you called that guy Caron-“

Bug shrugged again; or maybe it was a nod this time. “He’s an old myth to us cars. First steam engine car ever made- hates anything after and especially hates humans. But he controls the ferry between the Land of Rebuilding and Car Heaven.” He smacked the ground with a front tire. “We’re in the Land of Rebuilding, in case you were wondering.”

I nodded. I’d already hit my weirdness limit today, so this information was relatively easy to process. “And we need to get past that ferry.”

Bug opened his driver door. “Hop in. Caron’s old and blind, he won’t notice I have an extra passenger. Just hide in the backseat.”

I took a step forward. “Okay. I’m trusting you here, barely.”

Bug chuckled. “Eh, sounds about right.”

I climbed into Bug’s driver seat, then crawled over into the back, touching the heat patch on my shoulders when I landed. “Now what?”

Bug started rolling forward. “Now I get on the ferry and we get across the river.”

I hunkered down into the floorboards. I did not want to deal with Caron or his motorcycles again.

“YOU!” Caron roared. “WHAT ARE YOU, A LADYBUG? GET YOUR TAILPIPE ON THE DAMN BOAT!”

“I’m trying, sir.” Bug mumbled. I felt his wheels roll over the threshold to the ferry.

“GARAGES ARE ON THE LOWER DECK, WE LEAVE IN... TWO MINUTES!” Caron shouted.

“Noted.” Bug drove down several ramps, before finally coming to a stop in a garage-like room. He did something to put the door down, and a light flickered on. His door opened up again. “Hop on out, kid. There’s a toolbox you can sit on over there.” The door shook slightly.

I climbed out of the backseat, going over to the box and sitting on top of it. “Thank you. I would have had to jump in the back of a pickup if it wasn’t for you.”

Bug turned his engine off. “No problem. But hey, can I ask why I smuggled a human onto Caron’s ferry?”

#From The Desk Of The King #original writing #Car Heaven!Verse #character: Bug #Character: Caron #Character: Unnamed Protagonist Who Is Also Me #something a little different #which is possibly also a coping mechanism for being in a bad car crash #like it says: im fine #but im all sore

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Believe it or not, I’m not dead.

I had a little brush with death, though.

Even though I’m miraculously okay, something I cared about a lot is gone. But it saved my life, in the process.

I’m introducing a new story soon. Hopefully, I can return the favor. It may be stupid and silly but it’s what I need.

My love letter to Blue Boy: Car Heaven.

#From The Desk Of The King #i was in a terrible crash and my car is declared totalled #fun fact: im hyperempathetic so I’d really imprinted on my car. That’s why I named him Blue Boy.

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

Text

Wait, what if-

Describe your writing process in three words or less.

“Well, fuck.”

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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The very best writing tip you will ever hear is this:

Analyze stories.

Don’t just listen to what other storytellers say you should do, figure out what you like about the stories you enjoy and learn to replicate that.

Want to learn about pacing? Examine stories you think flow fantastically. Want to learn about description? Study your favorite author’s descriptions. Want to learn about characterization? Critique your favorite characters. Want to learn about foreshadowing? Explore how it’s done in stories where the plot twist blew your mind.

Storytellers giving advice to other storytellers is fantastic and useful, but you will never know something as thoroughly as you know the things you figure out for yourself.

And by analyzing the stories you love instead of listening blindly to advice, you’ll never be swayed by the bias of other writers and you’ll never take in advice that’s suited for a story you wouldn’t enjoy writing.

So put on some thinking caps and go analyze those stories.

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crownless-kings-and-broken-wings · 6 years

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Explore

914’s optimism wasn’t running thin anytime soon, however it was getting replaced with curiosity rather quickly.

About an hour in, they found old wooden tracks from some kind of cart. The tracks had worn away, however, which obviously meant that they hadn’t been used in a long time.

The possibility that the cavern was uninhabited was in the back of 914’s mind and moving to the forefront. If that was the case, the buildings inside would still be standing. And if there were buildings, there would possibly be rations hidden in them.

The spiral tunnel came to an end quite a while later, and 914 took a deep breath. They pushed through the old door, holding their breath to see what was on the other side.

The sight that met them, however, was beyond anything they had imagined. A bustling city or an abandoned ghost town was in the realm of possibility, sure.

But the only thing they could see was the cavern wall on the other side of the cavern. There was absolutely nothing between them.

“What the… what?” 914 said aloud. “Something’s not right…” They looked around.

The floor was flat, which was a small comfort. There was a human-made foundation. There was also a worn path leading out into the cave, meaning that more or less there was human life here at some point. To the right were at least two tunnels, and there was a third to the left. The third seemed shorter, with the added bonus of the faint sounds of water coming from it.

914 was not equipped to go several hours without water, so they set out that way. They found themselves in a narrower tunnel, at the end of which was an enormous lake.

There was a large slab of rectangular stone jutting out into the water, which was clearly man-made.

914 decided to take their chances and drink it. The water was fine, and there were even small fish swimming about near the surface. They decided that they could set up a camp here, then possibly explore the cave some more.

Though… the gathering groups were set up so that each member had different survival items in case of emergency. 914 had cookware and a backup knife. 498 had a tent. 762 had all kinds of nets for catching small creatures.

Luckily, survival tips were a staple of their daily routines. The cave would be good cover from the elements, and they could catch fish for food in the lake, which also covered water.

They set their bags down by the lake and looked back the way they came. They were going to need some kind of netting, which could be made from plant matter- which was possible to find under the glass panel, hopefully. The logic made sense to them. The light coming through the window was strong enough to let some plants grow in here, hopefully.

If not, they could harvest some of the vines from the surface.

They began walking back the way they came, scanning the walls for any signs of plants. This time, though, they noticed a shimmering banner of golden pendants. They moved against the far wall, looking as far as they could into the ignored tunnels.

They moved closer, curiosity overtaking them. The sign looked too new for it to be left over. But peering around a sharp corner, they realized that the cavern was effectively unlivable to them.

A table the size of Timber Base, with boulders the size of buildings around it. A fire pit the size of the town square a little behind it. On the back wall, several cupboards, each bigger than the boulders, and an ice block with shelves carved into it. Enormous shelves on most walls with a mixture of giant books and scrolls.

Only one species was big and smart enough to live here.

A Monster.

914 darted back the way they came, hoping to get their stuff and go. Where they would go, they weren’t sure, but anything was better than a monster. Suddenly everything made sense- there was no city because whatever lived here destroyed it and used the cave as a home.

They were somewhere between the door and the lake when they heard the lake churn. They watched on helplessly as an enormous set of claws grabbed the dock. With an incredible splash, an enormous dragon rose from the water, bigger than anything living that they had ever seen. Worse, the beast had an enormous fish clasped in their jaws- at least ten humans long and four humans wide.

The dragon tilted its head back and swallowed the poor fish easily. 914 was horrified, and started to back away to the door-

“What the- what’s this stuff?” The dragon asked, their voice sounding about as feminine as a giant flying monster could.

914 ran faster, spurred by the beast shouting “HEY!” after them. The human felt her huge talons scraping the ground as she gave chase.

914 dove into the doorway, kicking it closed and panting. The dragon, more or less, had all of their stuff aside from the extra knife. They unsheathed it, debating what to do.

Suddenly, however, enormous black claws burst through the door. 914 ducked, but something hit their leg hard. They could smell blood.

The claws retreated, replaced by an enormous golden eye. “Hello!” The dragon chirped. “Come on out, I think I can fix your leg!”

914 just glared.

“Seriously, that looks pretty bad. I won’t eatcha, promise!” The dragon tried.

914 turned to climb over the rubble and get out.

“Fine, we’ll just do this the hard way.” The dragon muttered. Claws wrapped around 914, and they were pulled out of their hiding spot.

And suddenly staring at the snout of a colossal dragon.

“I’m trying to help you, human.” The dragon said flatly. She began carrying them toward the kitchen area. “And I know you guys are smart enough to talk, so… My name’s Broken Wings, what’s yours?”

#From The Desk of The King #original writing #Character: 914 #Character: Lunch #Character: Broken Wings #dragon #BrokenWings!verse #gt writing

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