HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE CRAPPY SUCKITUDE FABULOUS WONDERMENTS THAT IS MY SPECIAL FEATURES JOURNAL. This journal contains the Speshul Features, trivia, deleted scenes and suchlike for Chapters 2 through 10 of City Traffic Puzzle, Book 1 in the Both Syllables Series.


Chapter 2

~~~Songs~~~

I actually didn't use one this time. Huh.

~~~References~~~

"Rise and shine!" Booster sang, shaking him. "Up up up! Wakey wakey! The early bird gets the worm!"

"Now, why do you think a worm is something I'd want for breakfast?" XR demanded, sitting up. "I mean, really."

This joke was actually used in my first ever BLoSC fanfiction, 'The Right To Remain Silent'. It was a crappy fic- the best part of it was this joke, which is not a terrific joke, but I put it in for the nostalgia.

~~~Deleted Scenes~~~

None. Actually, much of the content in this chapter has persisted from the very first draft of the story (which had a far different overall plot).

Chapter 3 (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4326397/3/City_Traffic_Puzzle)

~~~Songs~~~

VEGGIE TAAAALES, VEGGIE TAAAALES, VEGGIE TAAAALES, VEG-GIE TALES!

Unfortunately the specific song used (Good Morning George) isn't on YouTube, so HAVE SOME PIRATES.

~~~References~~~

"You want your arm back?" the guy said, tossing XR's arm and catching it again. The guy was tall and thin with a shiny black coat, wearing shiny sunglasses and a scowl.

The 'guy' is Jhonen Vasquez.

Will this have relevance? Absolutely not. I was just picturing Jhonen when I wrote it.

He must have been asleep, then. That was logic.

Alice in Wonderland reference, sort of. 'THAT'S LOGIC! |:('

"I hung up on you cause you tahl me it on the phone because I guess you weren't man enough to tell me it in my face- I hate you and also guess what! My mother hates you too-"

http://youmakemetouchyourhandsforstupidreasons.ytmnd.com/

Needs no introduction.

I must admit, though, that the reference is kind of an anachronism. Kila hasn't had access to Earth's internet since the late 90s, and it's doubtful The Breakup Letter has been up that long. But it's too funny to take out.

He caught sight of the mailbox as he was leaving. 'Dr. Puddingspack', it said.

Chirs Sanders. <3 1:14.

~~~Deleted Scenes~~~

Again, not for this chapter.

Chapter 4 (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4326397/4/City_Traffic_Puzzle)

~~~Songs/Quotes~~~

The chapter quote is from this, which is an amazing movie YOU MUST SEE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. MUST. MUST SEE.

~~~References~~~

"Where's your sister?" he asked.

"Annie works days."

The names 'Carrie' and 'Annie' are references to Carrie White and Annie Wilkes, two characters created by the marvelous Stephen King.

~~~Deleted Scenes~~~

Again, none.

Chapter 5 (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4326397/5/City_Traffic_Puzzle)

~~~Songs/Quotes~~~

Finally an excerpt from the song the story is named for- City Traffic Puzzle.

~~~References~~~

...Hey, I managed to refrain this time.

Yay me!

~~~Deleted Scenes~~~

Nada, amigo.

Chapter 6 (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4326397/6/City_Traffic_Puzzle)

~~~Songs/Quotes~~~

Flawed Design again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0lJ_wcAzwo

And SOGGY BOTTOM BOYS WOOOOOO

~~~References~~~

"Which is... unusual, seeing as how... he's not really the close-mouthed type, you could say," she said, folding her arms across her chest and looking away.

The wording here is actually a reference to question #20 on the Writer's Mary-Sue Test.

XR staggered in just then, wincing and looking like he'd been run over by a lawnmower.

Reference to a running gag over on them crazy NOSboards.

Okay, so he had a few experimental features- he was advanced, that was all...

He's not stupid. He's advanced. 1:00.

~~~Deleted Scenes~~~

I finally have one! Okay, so, the part at the end where XR says he and Patty broke up? In an earlier rough draft of the story that was a longer event that happened with just him and Mira. That part has, however, been lost, but I still have what was originally supposed to happen afterwards, with Kila, who in this draft was working at Star Command, not running around Tradeworld.

There was a clicking noise and he leapt to his feet, screaming, his hand already going to his service panel for a pistol and a loud ticking noise reverberating from his chest.
"Hey, hey, hold up!"
Just Kila. Ugh.
XR plopped back down on the couch, folding his arms over his chest, scowling and unaware of how much he looked like a pouting two-year-old. She walked up to him, her eyes wide and intent.
"What do you want now?" he demanded.
She reached up to mess with her ears, her eyes staying fixed on his. "Heard that whopper you told the blue chick, about losing a girlfriend?"
He clutched liberal fistfuls of the couch fabric on either side of him, his eyes widening and the ticking in his chest starting up again. "Whaddayou know? Huh?!"
"Easy, kid, you're not Kojak," she scoffed, holding her hands out. XR swallowed and narrowed his eyes at her.
"Answer the question!"
"I just know you lied to her," Kila said, putting her hands on her hips. Her tail twitched. "I happen to have Tradeworld Mafia connections, you know."
XR made a rather embarrassing squeaky noise, leaping to his feet on top of the couch. "Whaaa-"
"Will you calm down!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm trying to help you, you idiot!"
"Are you really?" he said, leaning back and folding his arms over his chest. "They why didn't ya say so?"
"Because you keep squawking!" she snapped with an accompanying flutter of her hands. "Are you ever going to let me talk?"
"I'm letting you talk right n-"
"NO YOU'RE NOT YOU'RE TALKING," she said, clenching her hands into fists at her sides.
XR held his hands up in a warning gesture. He so didn't need this. "Okay, okay, calm down-" She hissed. "Whoa now. Just- calm down here. What did you want to say?"
She looked down and away, pouching her cheek out with her tongue. He put his hands on his hips, waiting.
"I just guessed you have a problem and I thought perhaps I could offer assistance." Her voice took on a note of irritable complaint. "But obviously you don't want to hear it so I'll just-" And she turned to go.
"Hold up," he said, holding his hands up. She paused, frowning back at him.
XR was beginning to feel kinda stupid standing on the couch so he got down to the floor and said "What kind of assistance? And what makes you think I have a problem?"
"Your friends think you have a problem," she said. "And I just might be able to fix it."
"How?" he demanded.
She grinned at him. "Just let me talk to whoever's bothering you."
And her hand slipped into her pocket, re-emerging with a small, metal... what was that? A BMW lighter?
He swallowed and scowled. "Is that a threatening gesture, missy?"
Kila blinked at him, her eyes going absurdly blank. "Wha?"
"The lighter," he said, gesturing.
She looked down at said lighter, which she was beginning to absent-mindedly toss from hand to hand, and frowned. "Oh. Uh... no." And she put it away.
XR folded his arms over his chest, frowning. "Yeah, right."
Kila put her arms behind her back, hunching her shoulders self-consciously. Her eyebrows furrowed. "I- no, I- just- do you want my help, or not?"
Hmm. Well.
XR sat back down on the couch, blinking. Help sounded pretty good right now. Forget 'pretty good', it sounded VERY good... but from her? Come on!
He frowned slightly. What reasons did he have to trust Kila? None.
But what reasons did he have not to trust her? Um... well, she was weird. Yep.
He raised an eyebrow at her. She tilted her head sideways, bright eyes fixed on his own. They were funny-lookin' eyes, pupilless and a weird shade of amber.
"What kind of help are we talking about here?" he said. "I mean really. You seem to be purposefully vague about it."
She smirked. He had a feeling he was making a mistake.

10:21 PM

"How did I let you talk me into this?" he grumbled as they went down the sidewalk.
Kila raised an eyebrow and said nothing.
"This isn't a game, you know," he said. "These are bad people."
"I know."
The familiar grimy alley door was approaching now. He slowed down fractionally, repressing a whimper.
"This is place?" Kila asked, cocking her head sideways.
"Yeah yeah," he said, going up to the door and knocking. His limbs were starting to ache from lack of battery power.
There was a low growl and the door opened a crack. A slightly insane-looking eye stared out at them from behind it.
"You," a deep voice said.
"Yeah, me," XR said with an ingratiating grin. The door started to close and Kila jammed her hand in.
"Yeah, that'll work," he couldn't resist saying as she let out a stricken yelp like a kicked dog.
However, instead of pulling away like he had she pried her claws into the doorway, grimacing, and forced it open, panting slightly with effort. XR's jaw went slack.
"Hi," she said, flashing the guy inside a nasty, fanged grin.
"Who are you?" the guy rumbled in a very clear, very dangerous voice. XR thought he might hark up his lunch just being in the vicinity of that voice but Kila just looked away, scrabbling for better purchase on the door (though he noticed her ear twitched).
"Your worst nightmare. Let me in."
There was a gun to her head now.
"No."
Kila flinched away. XR raised his hands to his face, a loud ticking noise sounding from his chest. He couldn't move.
"This is scare tactics, isn't it?" she said. "Well, it shan't work."
The trigger of the gun clicked. XR shuddered violently. That could be him right there.
"Go ahead, shoot me, see where it gets you," Kila said. Sticky oil rose in the back of his mouth.
"Kila!" he managed to shout finally. "Get away from there!"
He grabbed her shoulder, pulling backwards just as the guy's laser fired. She fell on top of him with a yelp and he scrabbled helplessly at the ground, screaming.
"I'm done talking," the man said, and XR peered up from under Kila's stunned, furry self to see the gun pointed directly between his eyes.
"Wait! I got money!" he yelped (which was a lie).
The laser pistol began to charge with a high whine. He cringed, waiting to feel the familiar shattering- he was already anticipating the damage, this close, his head would probably come off, maybe engine damage and that would really hurt.
Kila cried out and there was a clattering sound. He looked up to see the gun lying on the ground.
She got off of him, bounded over, snatched it up and whipped around to point the gun at the thug. Her eyes were wide and terrified and her tail lashed behind her- but her hands didn't shake.
"Get away," she said.
The thug snarled and took a step backwards.
XR jumped to his feet. His motor was revving so hard his whole body was shaking.
"Yeah!" he cried out, drawing one of his own guns (why oh why hadn't he remembered these before?) and aiming it at the thug's face.
The guy stood there silent for a moment, an impassive mountain. Then he shifted backwards, silently, and shut the door.
XR lowered the gun. His arms were shaking, he realized.
"Well," Kila said, and she flashed him a manic grin. The thought of turning the gun on her flashed into his head and he pushed it away. "That didn't go so badly- d-did it?"
He gave her a long look. "What in the whole of the Gamma Quadrant is wrong with you?"
It came out in one loud, explosive sentence. She didn't seem surprised at all, she just gave him an apologetic look.
"You almost got us both killed!" he snapped, gesturing wildly with the gun. "Or is that obvious?"
"But I... didn't," she said slowly. "Okay, all right, I screw up, you happy?"
"Am I happy?"
"Er-"
"No I'm not happy!" he cried, throwing his hands into the air. "Do I look happy? How- how could I be happy?"
She was silent.
XR nodded. His engine was ticking pretty loudly. He felt a little dizzy.
"Darn right I'm not happy!" he said, putting the gun away. "You, Kila, are a severely messed-up individual!"
"Thaaaanks," she snapped, showing her fangs.
XR turned around and set off with his head down, scowling and wrapping his cloak tightly around his body. Freakin- stupid- psycho little- AUGH!
He scoffed.
"Okay, I messed up, BUT but but-"
Nope. Didn't wanna hear it.

Chapter 7 (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4326397/7/City_Traffic_Puzzle)

~~~Songs/Quotes~~~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoBJOMZH5n8 0:36. X3

~~~References~~~

None, actually.

~~~Deleted Scenes~~~

Another nada.

Chapter 8 (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4326397/8/City_Traffic_Puzzle)

~~~Songs/Quotes~~~

Bwahaha.

~~~References~~~

"Carrie?" the voice said. "I thought she threw those out! Or burned them!"

Okay, part of the reason I made Kila in the first place way-back-when was to insert my brand of stupid humor into things. That means references. She practically speaks them as a language. You speak English, I speak English, Kila speaks Homage. This one is from Strong Bad- the exact quote eludes me at the moment, but I know that was something to do with Strong Bad.

"Please don't. Please. You- you said your name was A-Tyr?" ('A-Tyr' is short for 'abshomema-Tyrianga', which means 'prototypical robot ranger', or, 'experimental ranger'. Thus, 'XR'. Another example of how this story has been Americanized for your convenience.) "A-Tyr? Don't cry no more. Please. Please stop crying. You're scaring the crap out of everyone within a mile radius."

This isn't really a homage, per se, but the idea of having English and fictional words (including names) side-by-side was inspired by Watership Down- which everyone, everyone, EVERYONE must read!

~~~Deleted Scenes~~~

Nada.

Chapter 9 (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4326397/9/City_Traffic_Puzzle)

~~~Songs/Quotes~~~

More Watership Down. I freaking love that book.

~~~References~~~

and then he remembered this movie he'd seen where this guy kept waking up earlier and earlier every night until he couldn't get back to sleep after two AM and then he went totally out-of-his-head crazy

Insomnia. Stephen King. Another must-read.

He was about halfway down when something clicked in his exhaustion-dulled brain. "Why're we goin' down the fire escape?"

Sammy Keyes</i> always uses the fire escape to go in and out.

~~~Deleted Scenes~~~

Nada.

Chapter Ten (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4326397/10/City_Traffic_Puzzle)

~~~Songs/Quotes~~~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an6A-Wu6-B4

~~~References~~~

"I have a hoverboard," he said, pulling it out and looking at it. He still couldn't move very fast.

Her eyes lit up. "Ach! Hoverboard?"

That whole thing (including Kila's cry of 'Straight up, McFly!') is a rather blatant Back to the Future Part II reference.

"Pay no attention to the drama in the subway," Kila added behind him.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. You don't get that reference, you had no childhood.

He was alone again... naturally.

A reference to this Gilbert O'Sullivan song. Which, to me, has always sounded exactly like XR's brand of 'poor me' emo.

~~~Deleted Scenes~~~

Had some ideas with XR and Kila that never got used.

Kila tilted her heads sideways, studying the screen. "And obviously what they're doing is illegal, so we could sue them. You want to sue them?"
XR sighed, throwing his arm over his eyes. "I dunno."
She gave him an irritable sideways glance. "Well, I need your opinion, all right?"
"Yeah, yeah."
She shook her ears and typed something else into the search engine. "Okay, never mind. Something else. You have any bright ideas?"
"No, Kila, I dunno- I'm tired," he whined, slumping against her with his eyes closed. She froze.
"Hey," she said. "I barely know you, alright?"
"Ohuh?" he said froggily.
"Get off," she said tightly.
XR sat up, touching his helmet. His eyes were unfocused. "Unh... oof, what a headache."
Kila raised one eyebrow, surveying him with a frown. "Uh... sorry?"
He lay back, covering his eyes. "Don't mind me, just keep doing what you were doing..."
She nodded, frowning, and looked back down at the laptop. "Er, well... we could turn vigilante justice and kill them all. You wanna become a murder before you turn three, XR?"
He said nothing.
"See, you're not paying attention, are you?" Kila grumbled. XR whimpered. She turned and looked him over.
He was lying completely limp on his back with his arm thrown across his helmet. He was sort of sticky and not catching the light anymore- ew- and there was a high-pitched whirring noise coming from his chest that set her teeth on edge. And he was all dented.
Now, she could swear he hadn't looked that bad a few days ago. "Problem?"
He lowered his arm, giving her a doleful look. "Huh. Yeah. Who, me? I just have a couple dozen thugs after my carcass. Nothing wrong here."
The tone was fairly lackluster and her eyebrows furrowed. "Yes, all right. Go ahead, let me do all the work myself. I don't mind."
"Well, sorry," XR snapped. He threw his arm back over his eyes. "I think I'm coming down with something," he mumbled.
Kila sighed, glancing at the ceiling. "You're a machine..."
"Yeah, well." He sighed.
She waited. He didn't say anything else.



That's all for now- see ya real soon!~

mood: accomplished tags: both syllables series, buzz lightyear of star command, city traffic puzzle, fan fiction, fanfic