S2 Episode 5: Ground Rules (Arthur-verse)

╔════════════════════════════════════╗ ║ WELCOME TO THE ARTHUR-VERSE · S2 ║ ╚════════════════════════════════════╝ Arthur is a self-created author and storm god. He believes he created this world. The City of Owl’s Walk (O.W.) — inspired by Gotham City — has become self-aware… and calls herself **Mother**. Arthur becomes trapped inside the **Hall of Memory**: a vast museum lined with interactive paintings, each one representing a defining moment in Owl’s Walk’s history. Each painting is a memory. Each memory can be entered. Each memory carries consequences that defined the city. Throughout this season, Arthur is guided by: • **Smokey Lois** — a sharp-tongued, time-keeping guide acting as Arthur’s tether back from memory. ──────────────────────────────────── **RULES OF THE HALL OF MEMORY** 🚫 Memories of O.W. must not be rewritten 🚫 Changing canon risks erasing the world 🚭 **NO SMOKING** ──────────────────────────────────── 🚫 HALL OF MEMORY · COMPLIANCE NOTICE 🚫 ──────────────────────────────────── Arthur explains how the Hall of Memory must be walked: one painting at a time, without alteration, never without a tether. As Smokey Lois sets a steady rhythm to keep him grounded, she prepares Arthur not just for the Hall, but for what the memories will demand of him—handing him a case file that Arthur barely glances at, convinced he already understands what he’s facing, mistaking recognition for readiness. As Arthur considers what it means to preserve and interpret these memories, his thoughts turn to Tim Drake—the boy who would one day CHOOSE to become the third Robin. And it would be THAT boy that would one day inspire Arthur to author Owl’s Walk. Without Tim there is no Owl’s Walk and possibly no Arthur. Arthur must witness but not rewrite or erase these memories. So Believing that walking the memories is the only way out of the Hall, Arthur prepares to step inside the first wound on the wall—certain he is in control, unaware of how much he has already misunderstood. ──────────────────────────────────── 🚫 FAILURE TO COMPLY MAY RESULT IN IRREVERSIBLE NARRATIVE DAMAGE [verse 1] I stand in Hall of Memory and stare. Frames line the walls. In marble halls. One painting stops me cold; it sits right there. Pearls on black wet road throw back a cold gleam. Dead hand at the edge. I make a pledge. The rest of them is missing from the seam. This is where it starts, and it’s not by chance. First wound on page. City keeps me caged. I hold my hands back, keep a careful stance. [pre-chorus] I thought I wrote this whole town. I won’t bring it down. I’m Arthur and… Owl’s Walk is Mother’s ground. [gang vocals] one two three four! one two three four! [chorus] ****A VAPE CLOUD WOMAN HANDS ME A FILE*** She hates this place; you see it in her smile She’s labor clocked in late. These paintings are my fate; There must be a way through them, I’ve no doubt (woah!) I can’t stay here; it’s not a choice, I’m out. [verse 2: strong performance] These scenes aren’t safe, they get under my skin. Up close, it’s real And here’s the deal. Pain lacks manners; it comes back with a grin. If these memories shift, the path veers clear. Tim never rose to what he chose. And I just slip off the page; I disappear. [bridge: build up] Friend, without Mother’s pain, there’s nothing in my core… Owl’s Walk drops out of place; it’s nothing more. I won’t survive my own mercy and… People use song to cross what they can’t bear! That’s why I need that song, your song, right here! Song gives me distance without losing care… You sing through my steps (hey!) I walk on the ground. My voice is kept I will not fret The track is yours; I just follow the sound. [Final Chorus: Strong, declarative, EPIC, Strong layered percussion] The song is my tether, my single hope. If I slip off time, then I’ve lost my rope. When the last bar hits, I step out! (Woah!) The first few bars begin the count! (Woah!) My friend starts her time, The Bells start their chime. The rope pulls tight as rhyme becomes my lifeline. one, two, three, four so starts the score! [outro: build up] “You can call me Lois.” said my friend made of scented vapor smoke I laugh, “Smokey Lois it is, no joke.” She hates it on the spot, I see the frown. Good. Once she’s pissed, we know it’s locked down. I look once more at pearls and hand. At the still wrist that cannot stand. Then I step in and leave this land! [gang vocals] One, two, three, four [lead vocalist] And I leave this land… [gang vocals] One, two, three, four [lead vocalist] One, two, three, four [gang vocals] One, two, three, four [lead vocalist] So Starts The Score [gang vocals] one, two, three, four…