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durotoswrites · 3 years

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For the writing meme thingy: 🍄how do you get yourself in the mood to write? 🍑 do you/would you write smut? 📒 any fics planned?

🍄 How do you get yourself in the mood to write?

Getting in the mood to write and actually wanting to sit down and start writing are two very different things, but they're connected, so I'll explain both.

To set into “creative mode” it helps me to do these things:

Listen to music that makes me think of a character/situation in my story/stories. I've got playlists separated by character and pairing. Sometimes I also just work on curating those playlists for fun and get my brain going.

Bounce overall ideas off of my friends and husband/editor (but he's my best friend, too 💗)

Reread old chapters or recent ones and future snippets based on what I want to do.

Once I actually want to put words down, I get a little more strict with myself. I get distracted verrrry easily sometimes and I have to fight the urge to open a million more tabs when researching a small detail.

I move to instrumental music (I have playlists for different moods like “emotional”, “soft”, “sad”, etc. I usually listen to “soft” as a general soothing background sound, as I can get pretty dang emotional when I write, especially with the stuff I've been churning out lately.

So, yeah, I need tissues within reach if I get upset. (Wow, I'm not making this sound fun at all, lmao)

After sound has been established, I like to eat a snack (something with protein) because I can be under for hours, lol. Eat it and finish it. Otherwise, I get distracted.

I also like to have drinks available. I always have a bottle of water, but I also like having a hot cup of tea. I think it's the time of year for me to switch to cold barley tea.

I write while seated on a recliner with my feet up. I have my laptop on a lap desk and it's a pretty cozy setup.

I basically try to remove any excuse I have to get up once I start writing, because I am the worst procrastinator I know.

🍑Do you/would you write smut?

Heheh... heck yeah, I do. Waaaaay more than most people realize. Stuff I've actually posted? It's pretty limited. I posted a couple pieces (Let Me Love You and You're Like the Sunshine) a few years ago, but I've been practicing ever since. One of my planned stories literally has what I refer to as a “smut dump” in the draft where I've been experimenting with writing different moods. I like the intimate scenes to play a role in the overall plot or have it be a bonding experience.

Despite that, I do have a shameless Gray x Mary story I should just get out there that has zero plot, just two cuties in love. In my mind it's so naughty and kinky and I get flustered thinking about it (Mary is hot, okay?), but it's probably hella vanilla, lmao. I really am grateful that people have been really supportive about my writing smut despite what I usually write, and they've been so encouraging, too! I honestly feel like the smut I've posted is really stilted because I was so self-conscious about it. I don't feel like they are terrible for first attempts, but I have definitely grown more comfortable writing it.

Will The Shy Newcomer become explicit? I kinda really want it to, but I might separate the chapters for those who don't care for that content. Overall, I'd like to write more and post more, and I want to write more than just male x female smut as well. I have some of those in my planned pieces (more about them later).

📒 Any Fics Planned?

Firstly, I'm super tickled more than one person was interested in this. I copied the answer I wrote earlier.

Short answer: Yes. I also plan to bring more of my stories over from ffn to Ao3.

Long answer under the cut, heheh. I rambled quite a bit.

Ask me about my writing processes and stories!

I have so many WIPs that haven’t been touched in years that I’d like to finish, so new planned fics aren’t posted yet. Some of them have more adult themes than most of the stuff I’ve been writing, so I get flustered sharing them. I’ve been at a crossroads, as I feel that you can’t have growth without changing things up. On the other hand, I feel like a lot of my readers associate my works with a specific “wholesome” feel-good mood. It’s kinda nice to be known for something, although that might just be my ego talking, thinking that people recognize my work as a “type”.

Regardless, in the end, I feel growth is necessary.

I don’t want to leave a lot of unfinished WIPs waiting because they stress me out and I have too many of them already, so I’d like to have a bulk of my new stories with a good chunk written before I decide to post them.

Among those include:

A longfic featuring Pete’s farm in Forget-Me-Not Valley (A blend of HMDS with the FoMT plugin and AWL). It takes place in the same universe as The Shy Newcomer (Claire in Mineral Town) and there are a few overlapping moments, although Pete’s story starts first. Pete’s personality is verrry different from Claire’s, and his story was kind of supposed to be the yang to TSN’s yin. Pete’s best friends in his story are Ruby (not sure if I’m adding Tim yet), Nami, and Rock. Readers will be treated to a poorly-socialized pre-Mineral Town Cliff (if you think he was bad at the beginning of TSN, well… heh… he’s a wreck here).

Another planned unpublished story is a crossover of Harvest Moon and the movie “In This Corner of the World”, based on a manga of the same name by Fumiyo Kouno. It was written as a gift for a friend. I have the entire outline figured out and have slowly been filling it in. My friend asked for an AU where Claire and Cliff have an arranged marriage and live with his family in Akiyama, the hometown I had created for Cliff in The Shy Newcomer. I took the opportunity to expand the characters in his family. I have it written during the same time period and society as “In This Corner of the World”, but had decided to write a spreading disease as an allegory for war, but then COVID happened and some parts of it just got really hard to write. There are also a lot of sexually explicit content as Claire slowly grows and learns from her spouse that it’s okay to express what she wants despite sex being a taboo issue. If there’s enough interest in the story, I’ll post it, but I worry it’s a little too niche for there to be many people into it.

Pastor Carter and Doctor Trent are one of my favorite rare pair ships. I’ve had a partial draft for a story about them for a few years now, especially focusing on Trent growing up and acknowledging that he has an unhealthy addiction for things that he knows he can’t have. There are some more adult/sexual themes in this piece, too, including the main character lusting after a married woman (who also happens to be his patient) and some lemons. (Does anyone call it that anymore or is it just referred to as “smut” nowadays? Haha) I always feel so bad for neglecting the folks at the clinic in-game and wanted to write a piece that focused more on them, Trent specifically. It’s a multi-chap fic, but I don’t think I’m going to let it get as long as some of my other pieces.

I also really want to write a short romantic oneshot for every marriage candidate in Mineral Town, around 1,000 words each. So far, I have one for Cliff and one for Gray. I want to write Claire with everyone, because I think it would be fun to explore all the different personalities.

I have more installments planned for A Single Day, including a day in the life of the following characters, all with drafts in varying degrees of progress:

Anna

Doug

Nora (yes, I’m writing from the point of view of the cat living at the inn)

More to come – I think Lillia and Thomas would be especially interesting to explore

I do still have that Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask piece I’ve been pondering where Link befriends the soul of the deku scrub child while possessed by the mask. I don’t have much written about it, but I really love the world of Majora’s Mask. Such a fun game.

I also think about the lead carpenter’s son in Ocarina of Time and that weird side quest involving the blue chicken and the son being lost to the forest. Then that unique-looking kokiri girl explaining that all who get taken in the lost woods become stalfos. Like, did the guy die? Was he sick? Did he want to die? There’s just so much going on there that would be fun to explore.

I also have played OMORI recently and have like… A LOT of feelings about it. I don’t know what I’d write, but I’m still damn impressed at how well the characters are developed in such a short game.

Other games I’ve had vague ideas about writing for include the following:

The Flame in the Flood: I’m thinking a survivalist/action story fleshing out Scout’s backstory a bit more and her thoughts as she’s traveling. I feel like she’s a very lonely person, but isn’t given the chance to really dwell on it.

Night In the Woods: I’d love to write more about Mae’s dreams and what they mean to her. She doesn’t really talk to anyone about them openly, so it’s really hard to tell her feelings about them in some regards. We know that she’s distressed about them, but I’d like to dive a little deeper. Do the nightmares end after the games does? What about Bea’s new nightmares?

Hades (Supergiant Games): I think it would be fun to write more about the events that take place before the game starts, like Zagreus’s duties in the house of Hades, and expand on the strained relationship with his father.

#ask games #writing #jake-marshall

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elyvorg · 4 years

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Later Alligator

Later Alligator is a visual novel indie game with extremely charming character design and animation set in a world of anthropomorphic alligators. It’s primarily goofy and humorous, which isn’t precisely the kind of game I’d have sought out on my own, but it is the kind of game I’ll happily sit through and enjoy if a Let’s Play channel I already follow happens to do a playthrough of it, so that’s a thing that I did. Upon said playthrough recently finishing, I found myself having some Thoughts about the story, particularly the true ending, to the point that I figured I might as well get them out somewhere.

The game begins as your player character arrives in Alligator New York City one morning, where in a hotel lobby you find another alligator named Pat. He seems very nervous and hesitant to talk to you at first, until he suddenly gives in and starts spilling his soul to you because you have a trustworthy face. (A face that you can’t actually see yourself because the game is in first person.) It seems like Pat does this spilling-his-soul-to-strangers thing a lot, because he thinks he accidentally let slip some kind of secret to someone at some point and now his family is going to rub him out in what they’re calling an “event” this evening, which is why he’s so nervous. Looks like this impulsive dork was unfortunate enough to be born into a gangster family that he really doesn’t belong in? Since he trusts you, though, Pat asks you to go and talk to his family to find out more details about the “event” and maybe convince them to not actually murder him.

You apparently don’t have anything else to be doing that day, so you proceed to go around the city talking to the many members of Pat’s very large family, helping them with their various problems in minigame form so that they’ll maybe spill a few details about this super-secret “event” involving Pat tonight. As you do, it very quickly becomes clear that, A, Pat’s family really doesn’t seem very gangster-ish at all, and B, this “event” sounds more like some kind of surprise party. And, oh yeah, Pat offhandedly mentioned it was his birthday today in your first conversation with him. His family’s almost certainly just throwing him a surprise birthday party, but Pat somehow got the wrong end of the stick with their vague hints and got convinced they were going to assassinate him instead. Silly Pat.

But the more of Pat’s family you meet, the more it becomes overwhelmingly apparent that not only are his family not remotely gangsters, but… they all really love him? Sure, everyone in his family is weird and quirky and eccentric in one way or another – it’s that kind of game – but they’re all generally nice people and think Pat is a great guy who’s fun to hang out with (well, there’s a few bad eggs, but they’re just self-absorbed and don’t have any malice towards Pat). How could Pat ever actually have thought any of these people would want to hurt him?

You meet up with Pat a few times throughout the day, as he keeps wanting to have his new friend help reassure him through his nerves about the whole totally-getting-super-murdered-today thing. In one of these meetings, your character implicitly tells him “this event really just sounds like a surprise party”, and Pat insists, “no, that’s just what they want you to think, they’re definitely trying to kill me, keep investigating!” It starts to become clear that Pat’s not just acting nervous today in particular because he thinks he’s going to be killed – he’s always nervous and anxious and paranoid, and that’s why his brain’s convinced him with absolutely zero proof that his family, who clearly think the world of him, are out to get him. Poor guy!

But at least Pat has you, this kind stranger who decided to take on his problems and with whom he can feel a little bit safer and find it a little easier to believe things might be okay. In the evening, you lead him to the room where the “event” is taking place to help ease his fears, and he’s adorably delighted when he sees that it really is a birthday party all for him and no-one is trying to kill him even a little bit dead. A couple of his family members mention that he pretty much freaks out like this every year (suggestion, guys: maybe you should stop making it a surprise and just outright tell him he’s getting a party to help him be less paranoid about it). But this year Pat’s freakout wasn’t quite as bad as usual, thanks to you being there to help and reassure him. Aww.

Pat invites you to join in the photo with all of the people who made it to the party (for some reason, only the family members whose minigames you’ve completed will be there, which I guess is to give you incentive to replay in order meet them all and see the full photo). This comes with the neat twist of having a character-creation feature at the end of the game, as you get to decide on your own alligator features at last just before being in the photo. So rather than just picking what best represents your actual self in alligator form, you’ll probably be picking whatever features you think fit the kind of person you seem to have been playing as in the game, based on the comments of everyone you’ve talked to, especially Pat.

And you taking part in the family photo as Pat’s newest friend implies he considers you one of his family now too (after all, a couple of the people you met weren’t actually related to him but were still invited to the party just out of being a friend of his). It is all in all a very wholesome and lovely game about helping this guy through his anxieties, and his big eccentric family that loves him anyway, now including you. Pat is a precious adorable goof who deserves the best birthday party and as much support with his anxiety and paranoia as his family and friends can give him.

Then, if you’ve met every single family member, there’s a true ending. The “event” really being a birthday party barely counts as a plot twist because it’s so obvious, but the true ending is an actual legitimate surprise, so this is your last chance to stop reading if this has made you want to play the game for yourself.

…

Turns out, someone really was out to kill Pat that day, and that someone was you. You are actually an assassin that, through some comedic coincidences and misunderstandings, Pat accidentally hired to kill himself on his birthday.

That’s why you came to this town today. That’s perhaps even why you decided to spend your day talking to Pat’s family and getting information about the “event”; you probably assumed one of them was the one who hired you to kill him and were trying to find out who it was. The whole time Pat was relying on you to stop his family from totally-super-murdering him, and wanting your company to help ease his nerves about it, you were quietly planning on killing him yourself and he never had a clue. Apparently you were so good at hiding your intentions and appearing trustworthy to Pat, to the point that he impulsively spilled his soul to you at the beginning and continued to trust you throughout – but he never should have believed in you at all.

At the end of the party, you approach Pat alone on a balcony, and as he turns to greet you with a big smile, you push him over the railing… only to have an extremely sudden change of heart and catch him as he falls.

…So, obviously I am very on board with the concept of your assassin-gator protagonist (for whom I’m now going to switch to third-person pronouns because it turns out they’re their own character and not just an extension of the player) not actually wanting to kill Pat any more. But I don’t think the way this moment plays out quite works to properly sell their change of heart, not when it only happens all of a sudden once they’ve already pushed him to his death. If they had grown to feel unwilling to kill Pat, that’s something that would have gradually happened over the course of the day as they spent time with him and his family. Given that, if by this point they didn’t truly want to kill him deep down, I don’t think it works that the protagonist could even have brought themselves to carry out the act and push Pat off the balcony in the first place (especially not when he’s looking at them with a huge excited “hey it’s my new friend!!!” smile). I can see them approaching him, intending to do it, telling themselves they’ve just got to finish the job they came to do, but not actually being able to go through with it and physically take an action that should have ended his life.

This moment could have happened differently to sell it better. Imagine if, instead of going to push Pat off the balcony, the protagonist pulls out their knife (the knife that had always been vaguely visible inside the briefcase menu screen, and that they’d pulled out of nowhere in one of the minigames for what seemed like the kind of non-sequitur gag that this game is full of but was actually foreshadowing!)… but then they hesitate, staring at the knife, their hand perhaps beginning to shake. Then Pat turns around to greet them and freaks out so spectacularly over seeing them looming ominously over him with a knife that he falls backwards off the balcony – and the protagonist unthinkingly throws their knife aside and rushes to catch him. That way, they’re still saving Pat from themselves to seal the change of heart, but they didn’t deliberately begin to kill him before that and make the change of heart seem inappropriately sudden.

So, well, I’m basically trying to pretend that that’s how that scene actually played out, because I am otherwise finding myself rather invested (totally not for any reason that some of the people who follow me will be aware of) in this implicit story of an assassin who gradually realises that they really don’t want to kill their target at all. Based their office that we see, the protagonist very much appears to be what I like to call a “responsibly-sourced assassin” who willingly chose that profession for themselves, which you’d think would mean they were truly unfeeling and heartless and had no qualms about doing murders for a living. But clearly they do have a heart of gold somewhere in there.

This is probably me totally overthinking this largely-comedic game at this point, but: because of this, I headcanon that the protagonist got wrapped up in some really bad stuff in their past that led to them thinking they were a horrible person who was only good at murdering people and deciding they might as well give up on trying to be better and just do that for a living. They’re also evidently very good at appearing like a decent and trustworthy person on the surface, but they’d tell themselves that’s just deception so that they can more easily gather information for a hit, and definitely not because somewhere deep down they actually are capable of being a good person if they tried.

It’s also fun to think in a bit more detail about exactly how the protagonist had a change of heart. One could imagine it’s just down to Pat and his family being such lovable goofs, but on the other hand that’s the kind of thing that a professional killer would have trained themselves to block out and not let themselves be affected by, so I don’t think that alone would be enough. Maybe instead it’s got more to do with the sheer irony of the fact that Pat is genuinely paranoid that his family, who are lovely and would never hurt him and clearly deserve his trust, are out to kill him – and yet at the same time he’s blindly trusting this complete stranger who actually literally is plotting to kill him. Perhaps it weighs on the protagonist’s mind more and more over the course of the day that they don’t deserve Pat’s belief in them, especially not when he finds it so hard to even believe in the people who actually love him, to the point that the protagonist starts to wish that they were someone that Pat could believe in, that if only he could be right to do so after all.

There’s also the fact that this true ending – complete with an achievement called “Save Pat” – is something you only get when you’ve met every single member of Pat’s family. Which kind of implies that… if you don’t, the protagonist actually does kill Pat and doesn’t catch him at the last second? If so, the difference is probably less down to the last few family members having influenced the protagonist’s change of heart that significantly in and of themselves, and more down to the idea I mentioned earlier that maybe the protagonist was mostly talking to them all to try and figure out which one hired them to kill Pat. As long as they haven’t met absolutely everyone, there’s always the possibility that one of the remaining people they missed is the person who wanted Pat dead. So maybe with that in mind, the protagonist can continue to tell themselves that they’re just doing their job and carrying out their client’s wishes, and really Pat’s death is not on their hands and is just the fault of the person who hired them and wanted him dead. But if they’ve met the entire family, then there’s absolutely no denying that nobody wants Pat dead at all. With that, the protagonist can no longer hide from the fact that the only actual bad person with murderous intent here this whole time has been themselves – and maybe that’s what causes them to realise that they don’t want to be that person any more.

Pat reflects in the true ending, after the protagonist has not-killed him and he’s invited them to his house the next morning, that they essentially saved him from himself. He almost seems to think his own paranoia and conviction that people were out to kill him is to blame for accidentally hiring someone to actually do it. This is apparently why he seems so weirdly not-traumatised about the part where the only person he did trust was the one who actually was plotting to kill him for most of the day. You’d think that would’ve made him feel like his paranoia is justified and therefore make him more paranoid, if anything, no matter how sure he is that the protagonist doesn’t want to kill him any more. Instead, though, Pat frames it as “the only one out to get me was me”, not putting any of the blame on the protagonist for hiding their true intentions from him all day and being the one to almost act on that supposed self-destructiveness of his.

But… if Pat really does think his own paranoia is to blame for this, he’s wrong. The exact amusingly ludicrous coincidence that caused this was Pat sneezing jam onto an ad in the paper for the protagonist’s services (you know, that place where assassins usually advertise) that happened to cover just the right words and letters to change the meaning of the message from “I can kill whoever you need, just give me a description of them” to “I am ill and need help, please give me a description of yourself”. Pat saw this and immediately went “oh no I have to help them!!!” and called them to describe himself in third-person, including mentioning his upcoming birthday, because they said that would help them somehow! So the only thing to blame for this other than a ridiculous coincidence was… well, partly Pat’s tendency to jump to conclusions and act without questioning things, but also his instinctive kindness towards anyone and everyone, even complete strangers. Not his paranoia!

So, I propose a different overall point of this story. It wasn’t the protagonist saving Pat from himself and his own paranoia; rather, it was the opposite. Through the sheer luck of the coincidence that caused him to make that phone call, his tendency to sometimes jump to overly-trusting conclusions instead of overly-paranoid ones, and his and his family’s general goodness, Pat saved the protagonist from themselves. He led them to realise that they could be better than they thought they were and didn’t have to or want to kill people for a living any more.

It’s not mentioned at all in the ending, but I firmly headcanon that the protagonist quits the murder business altogether from that day onwards and becomes just another member of Pat’s family: that one who incidentally used to be an assassin but changed their mind about it thanks to a combination of some unlikely coincidences and Pat just being a good guy. That’s exactly the right flavour of silly eccentricity that’d make them fit in perfectly with the rest of those goofs.

#later alligator #ramble #me overthinking the hell out of a largely comedic game

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sparklyjojos · 4 years

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CARNIVAL DAY recaps [2/13]

Today’s recap: Lots of monkeys and a nagging grandma figure, or: Yasha’s adventures in his hometown.

FIFTH ILLUSION

05 Oct 1996 — 18 Oct 1996

Yasha’s ancestor Inugami Sahei was a poor orphan, who at the age of seventeen was taken in by a Shinto priest. Later in life Sahei became a wealthy businessman known as the Silk King of Japan. His death shortly after World War II and the outrageous will he left led to a series of murders...

The famous Inugami Family Murder Case just like the Saimon Family Murder Case was one of the Ten Great Crimes of the Showa period. It was even described in detail in Yokomizo Seishi’s book The Inugami Clan [which is an actual classic mystery. It has been translated to English and is also known under the name The Inugami Curse. This recap has a few tiny spoilers as to who survives in that book.]

The Inugamis weren’t quite as influential in 1996 as half a century earlier, but the people of their town Nasu still felt respect for them. Sometimes curious mystery fans came to see the famous tragic family’s house for themselves.

Like every other place in the world, Nasu was impacted by the Crime Olympics, the death rate in the town rapidly increasing. Several people spotted a giant person in a monkey mask walking around at night, perhaps on his way to killing townsfolk. Whether or not this Monkey Mask was actually a part of RISE, catching them would certainly put the people at ease. The mayor himself asked Yasha to investigate, and Sayo was as nagging as ever about him staying home for a while, so whether Yasha wanted it or not, he had to keep living in Nasu for now.

Juku told him on the phone that perhaps this Monkey Mask was connected to an ongoing serial killer case targeting police officers in Kyoto. Each week three victims would be murdered, the first body found without eyes, the second without tongue, and the third without ears, clearly symbolizing the three wise monkeys. Juku doubted the Monkey Mask and the Three Monkeys Killer were the same person, but Yasha should definitely check what’s going on.

The media quickly caught on to Yasha's return to town and kept talking about how the young genius was pursuing the Monkey Mask. The attention was becoming so bothersome that Yasha resorted to change his clothing style and wear sunglasses around town… which didn’t help much, as the silver hair was a dead giveaway.

All those monkey cases made Yasha think about his family’s old servant, Saruzou [the saru written with the kanji for “monkey”; the English translation of The Inugami Curse simply calls him Monkey]. Saruzou had once cared for their garden and was known for making wonderful chrysanthemum dolls. During the Inugami Family Murder Case, Saruzou saved Yasha’s grandmother Tamayo countless times, so in a way Yasha owed his very existence to the man. Saruzou disappeared some time before Yasha’s birth. Tamayo even ordered a chrysanthemum doll portraying him to be made in his honor.

One possible solution to the Monkey Mask case was that Saruzou came back and patrolled the town at night, trying to keep the Inugamis safe from potential attackers. That strongly built man even without a mask had an uncannily simian face.

Yasha kept hearing about new sightings of the Monkey Mask, so he sneaked out the window at night to walk around the town (Sayo would stop him and preach about danger if she ever saw him trying to leave normally). He honestly wondered how Juku was able to wear sunglasses at night, as they made it difficult to see anything.

When Yasha woke up from a nap one October day, he found a piece of paper tucked behind Kanaihidetaka’s collar. The message said:

Do not wander at night. Inugami house in danger.

— The Man in the Shadows

Yasha recognized this signature. During the Inugami Family Murder Case, one of the people involved wrote a certain important note and signed it as “the man in the shadows”. But if it really was the person Yasha thought of, they could have just warned him directly. Besides, not even Sayo knew about his nightly escapades. Did the message mean that Yasha’s wandering would bring danger, or that there was already a danger present and Yasha should keep watch over the family?

Yasha had no idea what was going on, but decided to keep sneaking out to investigate. That very night he spotted the Monkey Mask and tried to pursued him, soon joined by the local Shinto priest Hiyama, but the mysterious giant got away.

SIXTH ILLUSION

19 Oct 1996 — 01 Nov 1996

In the morning Yasha talked with Hiyama about the sightings. According to the priest, his trusted friend had seen the Monkey Mask head towards the shrine a few nights earlier. The friend woke Hiyama and they searched the grounds together, but found no one, as if the man simply disappeared. Last night Hiyama heard someone walking on the gravel path outside, saw the Monkey Mask and trailed him all the way to the town, where he lost sight of him for a good while. Then he walked into Yasha and they chased the suspicious man together.

News came later that a murder had taken place near where Yasha first saw the Monkey Mask. Could he have killed someone in that short time after Hiyama lost sight of him?

In the beginning of October, Juku called Yasha to say that Yaiba Somahito had kidnapped a boy and fled the country, an event just as surprising and shocking as all the disappearances. Tsukumo Nemu was ordered to ride the Trans-Siberian Express and catch Yaiba half-way through Russia.

Just days later, on October 5th, the ninth Billion Killer case happened to target Yaiba’s train. The ground suddenly bulged underneath the tracks breaking them, making the train fly out like from a ramp and land in Lake Baikal. Thankfully Hanto Maimu had predicted that something would happen in Russia and rescue teams were gathered near the lake at the time, so they could pull out the passengers (and a skull of the Billion Killer) from the wreckage.

A week later, on October 12th, another case happened at Loch Ness. The only surviving witness died soon after claiming they had been attacked by Nessie. Recovered video footage showed a long-necked something that attacked the gathered people and destroyed Urquhart Castle. The tenth skull of the Billion Killer was found at the scene.

On October 19th, a Robo-Ship identical to the one that had disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle suddenly appeared in the Niagara Falls. While sudden, the event didn’t kill anyone. No passengers were find inside the submarine, but the eleventh skull of the Billion Killer was recovered. This was the first time Hanto Maimu’s prediction was off, most likely because she would give birth soon.

On October 26th, thirteen people including the Cali Cartel’s boss were found shot in a hideout in the Amazon Jungle. According to a woman called Fabian who was at the scene, a strange man somehow escaped that locked room situation and took away the Billion Killer skull somewhere.

Thanks to contact with Juku, Yasha learned more details that the media kept quiet about.

A couple days before the Trans-Siberian Express derailed, many electric traction posts had been destroyed, forcing Yaiba’s train to switch from an electric engine to a diesel. That was the very reason why the train kept going even when the mysteriously bulging patch of ground broke the tracks. Right after the train went flying, the raised ground settled back down like nothing happened. It was possible that someone could have toppled the traction posts to force the train engine switch, but how they made the ground move remained unexplained.

The Nessie footage was found not to have been altered in any known way. It was interesting how when the monster was shot at, it didn’t seem to get wounded at all.

The Robo-Ship that showed up in the Niagara Falls was confirmed by the UN to be the very same that had gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle, an easy thing to check considering the Robo-Ships were experimental arsenal ships and very few had been made. The entire crew including Yomiko was still missing. While it was possible to steer an empty submarine remotely, getting it into Niagara Falls in that way was improbable.

As for the cartel shooting case, that man who took away the skull had used a Blue ID Card registered to Amagi Hyouma, but was apparently an imposter, as the real Hyouma had been in Japan at the time of the incident.

Around that time, Juku told Yasha about his plans to visit Jounosuke in Ryuuguujou. He planned to go there with Nemu and Fumonji Jouka, as well as Christmas Mizuno and Hikimiya Yuuya who were about to return from France. Yasha had to stay home, but asked to pass his regards to Jounosuke and prayed for his survival.

SEVENTH ILLUSION

02 Nov 1996 — 15 Nov 1996

Sayo had been working for the Inugamis since over a decade before Yasha’s birth. He didn’t know her age, but she had been school friends with Hiyama the priest, so she would have to be in her fifties. Most people called her Nekoma [猫魔, literally “cat demon”], which Yasha suspected came from her love for neko-manma (a dish made from leftover rice), or perhaps was a joke about how a “cat demon” would work for the Inugamis, “dog gods”. Asked about her real last name, Sayo just answered that she had forgotten it.

Yasha tried stealthily asking Sayo about Saruzou, but she instantly guessed that he actually wanted to know about the possible connection with the Monkey Mask. Sayo had known Yasha since his birth and so was able to tell what he thought at all times. She claimed that when you’re as old as she was, using all the life experience you have is in itself a sort of a detective reasoning method.

Yasha tried asking his grandmother Tamayo some questions. She told him that Saruzou had passed away a few years earlier, and that there were two chrysanthemum dolls of Saruzou—one made by the man himself shortly before his disappearance and portraying him in his old age, and a later replacement portraying him in his youth.

When Yasha then found the older doll in the storage, he discovered it was lacking its monkey-like head.

On November 2nd, a strange case happened in Indonesia when an old blind man walking through Borobudur tripped over a skull of the Billion Killer, fell down the stairs and died. The skull was then taken away from the scene by someone. What looked like a strangely trivial incident turned out to be very complicated indeed: the man didn’t actually trip over the skull, but miscalculated his path when the stairs had somehow grown a single step more. While only one person died, the mystery was just as mind-boggling as the other Billion Killer cases.

On November 9th, an Air France Jumbo Jet suddenly disappeared both from the sky and from the radars, only to reappear right over a major Parisian street on a collision course with the Arc de Triomphe. Quick attempt at an emergency landing let some passengers escape before the impact, but the event still resulted in over a thousand dead and nearly five thousand injured. Once again a Billion Killer skull was found.

Yasha was a bit too busy with the Monkey Mask to really think about these cases, and Juku didn’t call him much because of his visit to Ryuuguujou.

In order to solve the Monkey Mask case, Yasha decided to use his insomnia reasoning, which required him to go several days without sleeping. It always worked the best around 90-95 hours since the last awakening. Of course staying awake for this long required a lot of training and the right physical and mental preparations, and after a certain time Yasha would inevitably have to recover by sleeping for a long time, which would both reset the insomnia timer and put him out of commission for days.

And so Yasha stayed awake for a long time, trying to deal with the impulse to fall asleep, enduring Sayo still nagging him about leaving the house at night, and also marveling at how different his face in the mirror looked with a harsher expression, sunken eyes, and a somewhat disconcerting smile. Maybe the name Yasha really fit him, considering he really looked a little demonic when not sleeping.

EIGHTH ILLUSION

16 Nov 1996 — 29 Nov 1996

After eighty hours without sleep, the time was perfect for Yasha to head back to the shrine and solve the case. Sayo was still so determined to keep him in the house at night that she moved her mattress to his room and even escorted him to the bathroom, but he finally managed to outsmart her and sneak out.

Yasha and Hiyama met up at the shrine. They waited in hiding for a good hour until the Monkey Mask showed up, and then Yasha ran towards him from behind, caught his head—actually a mask made using Saruzou’s chrysanthemum doll—and pulled it off.

The Monkey Mask slowly turned around…

On November 15th (so a few days and a lot of sleeping later), when Yasha explained the case at a press conference, he announced that the culprit was—no one. Monkey Mask the scary villain had never existed, and the case was mostly a mass illusion.

All those Billion Killer cases illustrated pretty well that while people would not believe a strange phenomenon without tangible proof, if a convincing proof did exist—like the Nessie recording—they would be happy to believe in the weirdest things.

There really was no proof for the Monkey Mask’s existence other than eyewitness testimonies, but the coincidentally rising crime rate was the “proof” that made people believe.

What many eyewitnesses “saw” was just an optical illusion, a game of shadows at night. Others have fallen victim to someone’s prank—here Yasha showed everyone a monkey-like mask and said he had found it on the ground by the local shrine, apparently discarded by the bored jokester. It was a weak piece of evidence, but Yasha stated that the only proof needed would be that no one would see the Monkey Mask ever again.

As soon as Yasha got home, he watched the entire press conference, which proud Sayo had of course diligently recorded on tape. She kept talking about how cool Yasha looked on TV and how nicely he managed to hide the truth.

The Monkey Mask that Yasha had caught a few days ago was—well, no, not quite Sayo like his reasoning had told him. Instead it was a man he’d never seen before, apparently a mutual friend of Sayo and Hiyama. Sayo had come up with the whole Monkey Mask plan, started spreading rumors around the time Yasha came back to Japan from China, created the message from “The Man in the Shadows”, and even walked around in the mask, employing her friend or Hiyama to take over her role whenever she needed to stay home at night to create an alibi. Her plan had just happened to start right before the Crime Olympics, so everyone assumed a connection.

Sayo’s entire plan was simply to make Yasha stay at home with his family for as long as possible.

After the Monkey Mask case was settled, Yasha finally left the town and headed towards Kyoto, where he would meet with Juku again after over two months of working separately.

[>>>NEXT PART>>>]

#sparkly reads carnival day #maijo and jdc stuff

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ctl-yuejie · 5 years

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My thoughts on the conflict between TangYi and ShaoFei, the tone of HIStory3:Trapped and how conflict and reveals get presented

Disclaimer: I love this show, I think the acting is great and I am very excited that the production team challenged itself with a more complex story than past HIStory seasons, upped the production quality and overall seemed to pour all the heart and hard work into this. Never forget that I love this show even though this might come off as very critical. Me nitpicking at a piece of media however doesn’t mean that I don’t like it (I seldom waste my breath on bad-mouthing something I didn’t enjoy unless it personally offended me), it only means that I enjoyed it so much that I spent hours thinking about the plot and the characters and generally had a lot of feelings.

- spoilers up until episode 16 -

Now that the show has only 4 episodes left to air I wanted to take some time to sort my thoughts and feelings.

Overall, I really do enjoy this show, especially the acting, the chemistry between Chris and Jake is stellar (not to leave out Andy and Kenny, I just don’t think I’ve seen enough of their story to comment too much on them yet) and the brilliantly written romance of TangYi and ShaoFei.

In the beginning the premise sounded tropey and fun and I didn’t expect them to seriously tackle the issue of a cop falling in love with a criminal because the trailer, while being action-packed, looked too light-hearted.

The show however took a surprising twist.

Sure, much of what happens is not realistic: the crime rate in Taiwan is famously low (we had one too many shootings and violent deaths on the show to match with the statistics) and I am pretty sure ShaoFei drawing his gun at TangYi every chance he gets in the beginning and not facing any backlash doesn’t comply with police protocol at all.

However, when they introduced the whole background story of TangYi I started to take the set-up more seriously. Prior to this I thought that I just had to suspend belief in order to enjoy the cop/gangster romance aspect of the show and to be able to ignore any ethical issues that might arise with such a dynamic. But introducing him as this young adult who’d grown up into a life of crime and no choosing of his own, who tried to cut ties with the criminal world because of a promise he gave to his foster father made me rethink the tone of the show and I started to believe that they would honestly tackle the ethical issues of the relationship between ShaoFei and TangYi.

Trying to live an honest and upright life doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to stop committing crimes on your way to achieve that goal (and I am pretty sure that HongYe setting up that business is textbook money laundering) but I liked to believe that revealing TangYi’s motivation would mean exactly that. Because this promised a challenge, suspense and a struggle worth watching.

Refraining from committing crimes and dismantling his organization while upholding his front as a stone-hearted mob boss would result in much more difficulties when interacting with gang members and trying to not get overpowered by enemies. TangYi would be too powerful otherwise. Most of the problems he has encountered on this show were connected to him trying to protect people that are dear to him, a task that is much more complicated to accomplish when you cannot resort to violence.

Additionally, I don’t think I could root for TangYi and ShaoFei as a couple if TangYi doesn’t try his best to not hurt other people. Not only because ShaoFei is a policeman, there are enough corrupt or misguided policemen around, but because ShaoFei is introduced to us as someone with strong convictions and an even stronger sense of justice and upholding the law. And to me it didn’t seem like his character arc was set-up for him to delve into a moral grey-area or even to switch sides with TangYi. I thought that his journey would be to fall for TangYi and accept that not everyone is necessarily entirely good or evil and having to grapple with his senior being not the person he thought she was. This does fit in with the latest revelations that the police chief with whom he has a kind of father-son relationship is indeed not the good person we thought he was.

I have no idea how ShaoFei could deal with the idea of TangYi being capable of hurting people when it isn’t done in self-defense and if there are other, albeit more difficult, ways in which he could’ve taken action.

Especially because in the reality this show creates the problems a cop/gangster relationship entails don’t get entirely glossed over. Yu Qi reminds ShaoFei in the hospital that him and TangYi cannot be together, not because they’re both men, but because of their professions. (To be honest the only real beef I might have with this show so far was the weird “love is love” analogy that they freely applied to a gangster/cop relationship. I don’t think it was in any way intentional but reversing that thought might lead the viewer to the conclusion that you are either born into a certain profession or you can choose your sexuality...which is definitely not what the show wants us to think, I hope.) Even earlier on ShaoFei denies that he could have developed feelings for TangYi on the basis that they’re playing on opposite teams. So we have to assume that the show acknowledges the ethical problems of this romance in general but somehow conveniently forgets about this conflict when it should have an impact on the characters behavior. This is especially bizarre because the only function of those scenes then is to act as a tool to not make as forget how cold and ruthless TangYi can be. Because he is a gangster boss.

After revealing TangYi’s backstory on the mountain top I got more excited about the show because I thought I’d understood in which direction they wanted to take the main romantic plot and what kind of tone they wanted to set. The show would be slightly more serious and solemn than I anticipated but I welcomed that approach because it would make for an interesting show while not excluding any possible humour.

However, immediately in the next episode I had to start and rethink my assumptions. By now the low respect for rules on the police’s site and dilettante approach to their job started to stand out, however I was willing to not head those details that much attention because most tv series, even mainstream crime shows, mess up the actual technicalities of the jobs they’re trying to portray. ShaoFei’s fever dream on the mountain however took the disconnect with the previous episode a little bit further. The scene overall did fit in with the humour of the show but the way it was acted out and shot didn’t make it look like an organic part of the rest of the series. However, the scene just left me with a small nagging feeling and wasn’t anything that really bugged me.

My feelings for the show however got tested a bit when TangYi beat up that henchman. I was so convinced that the main conflict of the show would be TangYi trying to maintain is image as a gangster so his gang wouldn’t find out that he is trying to dissolve the organization while having to abstain from using any violence. Something that is made even more difficult by the police getting involved and the mystery from 4 years ago looming over him.

I truly believed that TangYi being left alone in that room would turn out to be a ruse to shake up Ah De (whom, as we later find out, he was already suspicious of). It also made me hope that Wang Kun Chen might have not actually died but that his death was faked in order to go after both the criminals and any corrupt policemen (I will come back to his death later on). But afterwards in a talk with Jack it gets confirmed that TangYi indeed beat up the henchman. This course of action didn’t surprise me that much but to be honest I was just disappointed with how straight-forward and unexcitingly TangYi dealt with Ah De and possibly some other close people going behind his back.

The intention of the set-up with Old Tang’s wish was only based on my assumptions so I can’t really feel that let down by it, but TangYi beating up that henchman threw me because I thought we were supposed to read more into Old Tang’s request and conclude that TangYi would have to live through a constant internal struggle.

In general, I don’t mind when unrealistic things happen in a series, however there has to be an internal set of rules that gets followed and scenes and characters have to make sense within the reality the showrunners created.

To me it is curious that TangYi doesn’t think that he has to adjust how he acts in order to disentangle himself from a life of crime in some scenes but in other scenes suddenly cannot take action in a certain way because of the same reason (mostly when it becomes urgent to eliminate direct threats). It is always up to ShaoFei to actively stop him from committing crimes and we never see an internal struggle. Sure, the task got imposed on him by Old Tang and TangYi doesn’t seem to be propelled by intrinsic motives but due to his emotional connection to Old Tang I’d have thought that he would really have to constantly struggle mentally and physically to refrain himself from using violence.

That does, in no way, mean that I wanted this show to be less dark. I think there’s still a lot of room for even more cruelty and angst even if the main character tries his best not to use violence. The whole set-up is very sad, the element of corruption could also lead to emotional distress at how hopeless ShaoFei’s investigation is, drug trafficking in particular comes with many victims, the betrayal inside the gang and every parental figure in this show either not living up to expectations or being outright abusive are also heavy subjects they could lean into even more. Heck, ShaoFei’s whole investigation and the police’s involvement raise the stakes because there is the possibility of capital punishment for drug offenses in Taiwan. We also have to deal with the fact that TangYi most definitely committed heinous acts in the past, the same might go for Jack. All in all, there are still many options left to make this show even more grim and bleak.

In the end it is up to the writers how they want to spin TangFei’s romance but to me it seemed like they were laying the ground for a different approach to the story then what actually played out. While I am not mad at this show (as I said before this is me nitpicking at a series that I highly enjoy) at this point I don’t know whether I can trust the hints I pick up because I don’t know if it was the intention of the writers to built-up a storyline or if what they did was totally arbitrary, or if they indeed simply forgot what they established in earlier scenes (this is where I had my problems with Hong Ye’s attack on ShaoFei and Ah De’s assault of TangYi. HongYe was introduced as more intelligent than that planned attack was and Ah De’s premeditated assault didn’t fit with his goals and the way he crossed the line earlier on).

This back and forth on characterizations, storylines and tone does confuse me quite a bit and is the only thing so far that made the show fall slightly short of what they could’ve accomplished with more consistent writing.

- - - - - -- - - - - - - -- - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Which leads me to how the show is dealing with its reveals. So far, we have the mystery from 4 years ago that still needs solving, TangYi’s real parents’ identity which got revealed in episode 16, Ah De not only being in love with TangYi but selling drugs behind his back, Jack’s identity and real motivation, who really killed Wang Kun Chen, Ah Zi being up to no good and finally the police chief being dirty.

I enjoyed/am enjoying all of these plot-twists, some were more obvious than others but again, the writing of how these things unravel or got revealed is very inconsistent.

I will start with our mystery men. The reveal I enjoyed the most was the police chief being a dirty cop. It pretty much came out of nowhere but now a lot of his actions do make much more sense, especially how he didn’t give much support to ShaoFei and how he was mocking about with his work which I initially wrote off as missing motivation instead of passive sabotage. It also gives us enough room to guess his motivations and to whatever conclusion we might come to, it fits perfectly into the story so far. He might have needed money, or averting his eyes might have led to bigger consequences than he expected, now he is scared to lose his job because his daughter is marrying, or he worked too long in the force so he decided to side with what he felt was the most harmless kind of corruption to be able to focus on the big fish. What is important is that regardless of his motivation his past behavior fits with the reveal and added excitement to the show (to behonest at the moment I kind of lost interest in what happened 4 years ago because it is both obvious and confusing at the same time). Ah Zi was an okay reveal and the general topic of corruption in the work force and presumably good characters turning out grey or bad is pretty interesting but how his identity got revealed with those taunting shots of a man in a jacket were somewhat lackluster. They only spanned over two episodes before the reveal and were pretty on the nose. I would have loved it if they’d built-up his betrayal over more episodes with secretive shots of money and drugs exchanging hands where we couldn’t be sure if we were just shown the inner workings of TangYi’s gang or outsiders trying to get their hands on some extra cash.

Again, two similar reveals came about very differently and with a different kind of depth and detail to attention as well as being tied into the show organically and not so much.

This change in style doesn’t do much good in my opinion. Jack remains much of a mystery even though we need at least some hints in order to root for him and ZhaoZi. Instead their scenes are sweet but not that telling and they never just appear in the background to tie in their romance at all times. There were missed opportunities and many scenes that they could’ve been in finished without them and we went two whole episodes without them. Hong Ye and DaoYi had the big advantage to be present in many of the main couples’ scenes so their romance felt very well written and satisfying. I wish they’d spend even more time and attention to detail on Jack and ZhaoZi because with the added mystery element to Jack’s persona I really need more to get emotionally involved.

Again, I am confused as to how deep the show wants us to analyze its characters’ actions and how tricky the story really is. Ah De selling drugs behind TangYi’s back was mentioned only in a throw-away line and we are to believe that TangYi wouldn’t act more guarded or cautious around Ah De? Are we supposed to question that Jack killed Wang Kun Chen? If so, why was TangYi supposed to get fraimed for his death when it was a set-up by possibly the police? If it was as straight-forward as it’s presented I have my problems with rooting for TangYi/ShaoFei and ZhaoZi/Jack because it would be the first kill since the start of the show and setting up TangYi and Jack as unredeemable in ZhaoZI’s and ShaoFei’s eyes (see my huge paragraph about violence above). If we are supposed to scrutinize the show on the same intricate level as the police chief’s betrayal, some of the other reveals fall flat and are just not on the same engaging level.

The same goes for the messaging: are we to believe that Ah De’s actions were despicable? Wouldn’t we have to apply the same rules to Jack kissing ZhaoZi?

Overall I wish this series was written more tight-knitted, intricate and consistent in tone and message. Because I believe that this otherwise very entertaining story could’ve only benefitted from that.

#history3圈套 #history3: trapped #history 3: trapped #ctlyuejie writes #ctlyuejie rants #longpost

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enigmaincrimson · 4 years

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Okay... So I'm trying to figure out how to fix the mess with the Sonic verse...

So far we got... Classic, Modern, Fleetway, Archie, IDW, SATAM, Underground, Boom... etc

To start, I got three character models... We'll call them Classic, Modern, and Boom for now.

Essentially, we are talking base character design.

Classic sort of takes the Lion's share considering that many of them use Genesis era designs... Or at least start that way.

Modern is a close second with IDW being part of it's repertoire. Later Archie and Fleetway switch go Modern style at some point.

Boom sort of sits there by itself..

Hm...

World models do get a bit weird. Basically, what is the common setting?

Like... SATAM and Archie have very similar world models. Many of the character and set pieces between them are the same.

The others in the Genesis era reuse some of the common parts, but plays them out differently. The locations are also different.

Modern essentially runs off as a progression of Classic. Late Archie and Fleetway take some cues, but also do their own thing. Post Genesis wave Archie does take more cues from Modern, but still does its own thing.

Forces is an alternate future of Modern... IDW is a progression of Forces. As such, they use the same world models.

Boom is essentially it's own AU.

Sonic X is an AU of Dreamcast era Modern.

Hm... World models...

Genesis

Archie, Fleetway, Adventures, SATAM, Underground, etc build from the Genesis era base. However, they are definitely doing their own thing.

Modern

Post Gen Archie, Sonic X build off the modern era base. They both do their own thing with the material though.

Boom

Boom is sort of a category by itself.

Forces

Starts with Modern, goes off in its own direction, and is followed by IDW.

Movie

In its own continuity, but takes references to Classic.

...

Shirt answer... Character models are easy... It's the world models that turns into a pain.

Some of them are similar... Or progressions... Which helps.

Like... Classic, Modern, Forces, and then IDW forms a complete chain.

SATAM and early Archie are similar enough to form some common notes. However, details change.

Underground shares some traits with SATAM, but the overall cast and setting is different. I know very little about Adventures to make any comments. They all use the Genesis era character models though.

Fleetway is an outlier and cannot be trusted. There are no common factors to work with since they sort of did their own thing.

Boom is pretty self contained. I'd need more information on the islands than what the TV show portrays... However, I feel reluctant to go digging up a way to play them.

Sonic X... Essentially uses details from Dreamcast era and then throws things out the window for that "Sonic in New York" experience.

Hm...

Honestly... Where Evie hides out tends to alter depending on the world model.

She usually prefers somewhere out of the way for her work place.

Most of the Genesis era world models end up throwing errors... Like... Where in SATAM... The ruins are swarming with echindas in pre gen Archie. Constant moving around in Underground... And the rest I am totally lost.

Game verse, she'd likely move into somewhere in the ruins or somewhere else secluded. Same goes for Boom.

Sonic X... Probably got pulled along with Angel Island if she picked that place as her base. Probably extra annoyed about it too.

Hm..

Then there's character interactions.

Like... I suppose Evie would get along with Sally, but find Sonic tolerable at best. Noisy people are annoying and... Gen era Sonic....

The modern cast is probably more of a mixed bag... Depending on which gen we're talking about. Like she'd find Dreamcast Amy annoying, but they're perfectly fine around each other a couple gens down the line.

Boom cast...mixed bag... Likely involving lots of face palms. Probably seem around Amy and Tails frequently. Rumors about Amy and Evie possibly being related probably a common topic. Likely the only consistent customer of the Meh burger VIP room... Probably because it's best to keep her happy than to risk her turning the entire restaurant into a pile of ash. Arguments with the librarian about checking out books or making copies of pages happens often.

Evie was likely a bit of a ghost forces-wise... Unless she stayed behind to keep an eye on Angel Island... Considering past agreements with Knuckles. Likely got pretty pissed off at her behavior during the metal virus situation... If only for the reason that she probably pulls a disappearing act at some point.

So hm...

#enigmaincrimson #ooc #sonic verse

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soundsof71 · 5 years

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TURN IT UP! Joe Walsh with The James Gang, “Walk Away”, 1971

The James Gang was one of those bands that hit so much harder live than on their studio records that it’s almost impossible to believe that they’re the same guys. Their two 1971 albums offer the perfect contrast, Thirds (from whence comes this glorious single), and James Gang In Concert, recorded in May 1971 at Carnegie Hall and released later that year.

I’m surprised the hall was still standing when they were done. It’s the loudest slab of vinyl I’ve ever put on a turntable -- even with the volume turned all the way down, the racket coming straight out of the needle scraping through the grooves unamplified was flat out unbelievable. Very much in keeping with the ethos proclaimed in the liner notes of the previous year’s James Gang Rides Again, “Made Loud To Be Played Loud.”

This performance from Germany’s Beat Club, first aired July 24, 1971, somewhat splits the difference between the civilized, if still loud, studio band, and the utter savages (in a good way!) of James Gang on stage. Surely you’ve already pressed play, and heard Joe Walsh absolutely ROAR into this thing. If all you know of him is what you’ve heard on the radio or with the Eagles, you’re in for an eye-opening, and ear-opening delight.

I had once thought of this song as a pleasant bit of science fiction. The MAN in the song is the one who wants to talk about his feelings and where the relationship is going, while “you just turn your pretty head and walk away.” Riiiight. Because that’s how men are. Just won’t shut up about relationships. ‾\_(ツ)_/‾

Well, maybe Joe really IS that way, because the song sounds pretty damn persuasive, and other than being a little condescending, it’s not especially mean, which automatically sets him above most men of the day.

(1971 was the first great year for a wide swath women artists in classic rock, but women as a lot were alas still not faring well at the hands of male writers. Still aren’t, either, which is a story for another day.)

I actually started rethinking this song when I read what Stevie Nicks had to say about Joe Walsh, who she describes as "the great, great love of my life.”

She said of their breakup: “It nearly killed me. We had to break up or we thought we’d die. We were just too excessive. We were busy superstars and we were doing way too much drugs. We were really, seriously drug addicts. We were a couple on the way to hell.

But there was no closure. It took me years to get over it — if I ever did. It’s very sad but at least we survived.

He was the one I would have married, and that I would probably have changed my life around for a little bit, anyway. Not a lot.

[my note: the fact that she concedes that she’d have changed only a little bit, and only “probably”, suggests that she’s maybe not exaggerating the rest.]

There was no other man for me. I look back at all the men in my life, and there was only one that I can honestly say I could truly have lived with every day for the rest of my life, because there was respect and we loved to do the same things. I was very content with him all the time. That’s only happened once in my life.

This man, if he’d asked me to marry him, I would have. There was nothing more important than Joe Walsh — not my music, not my songs, not anything. He was the great, great love of my life.” (more here)

So on top of being better at relationships and rocking harder than you might have thought, he’s also a terrific technical guitarist, and a hilarious storyteller. I heard him tell a story on the radio in 1988 or so, involving him and George Harrison, that I’ve never seen documented, but I dropped everything I was doing to listen.

I even remember exactly where I was -- in the back room of the bookstore I managed in Washington, DC, way past time to go home, but I didn’t want to miss the end of the story during the long walk to my car.

This is paraphrased, but it’s pretty damn close. I started telling this story to everyone within earshot right away, and you’ll get why.

(btw, I don’t have a picture of Joe and George together, although they shared a stage a time or two. There are quite a few pictures of Joe and Ringo, though -- not only did Joe play in some editions of Ringo’s All-Star Band, they’re married to sisters! Marjorie and Barbara Bach, so yeah, they’re brothers in law.)

Anyway, Joe said that the one piece of advice he gives every guitarist trying to learn the instrument, “Learn to play every song The Beatles ever did, and sound exactly like they did. Doesn’t matter if you hate The Beatles or don’t want to sound anything like them when you’re done, but once you can play everything they played, exactly the way they sounded, you can do anything that it’s possible to do on a guitar.”

Well, there was one song that was vexing him, the very last one that he still couldn’t figure out -- “And Your Bird Can Sing” from Revolver. When he finally got it, he was beside himself. He called up George Harrison to make sure he was home (both fellas were living in Los Angeles at the time), said, “Stay there, I got something you gotta hear!”

He packed up his amps and his guitar, drove over to George’s house, and started setting up. “What is it?” asked George. “Just wait,” replied Joe, and kept setting up.

When Joe finally unleashed a note-perfect “And Your Bird Can Sing”, George fell out of his chair laughing. “How the hell did you do that?” “Well, it took me long enough to figure out,” Joe said, “so I was going to ask YOU how YOU did it.”

George said, “The way *I* did it was John and me playing in unison, and then double-tracked! I can’t figure out how you did it by yourself, even though I just saw you do it!”

Well, Joe was left feeling pretty good about himself, managing to sound like the equivalent of four Beatles guitarists all by himself, if a little exasperated to have spent so much time figuring out something that he should have known better than to try -- but he did it anyway. THAT’s Joe Walsh for ya.

I hope you’ve already hit play AGAIN on that blistering take on 1971′s “Walk Away” up top, because Joe really was killing it that year. There’s more to him than you probably think, too, so if you’re into the heavy guitar thing, you should definitely do some exploring.

Led Zeppelin fans in particular, I’m looking at you. Joe and Jimmy were friends from Jimmy’s days in The Yardbirds, and it was Joe who said, man, you’ve gotta quit monkeying around with that Telecaster. When you’re ready to rock, switch to a Les Paul -- and indeed, Jimmy bought his first Les Paul (known as “#1″) from Joe in 1969, for $1200, which Joe says he flew out to hand-deliver to Jimmy. Says Jimmy, “Joe brought it for me when we played the Fillmore. He insisted I buy it, and he was right."

(btw, nifty pic from Joe’s Twitter feed of him and Jimmy hanging out after LZ’s February 12 show at The Garden in 1975!)

I wouldn’t want to say that Led Zeppelin’s approach to live jamming was necessarily influenced by James Gang, but I’m saying that they were similar and Joe got there first. LOL And seriously, if you dig live Zeppelin, you NEED to know more about live James Gang and early solo Joe.

(More details about #1 than anyone but a gearhead would want here, here, here, and here, but hey, maybe you’re a gearhead!)

To give you a head start for exploring more James Gang and early solo Joe, I’ll add one more video, from 1972, “Turn To Stone” featuring Fanny’s Jean Millington on bass absolutely slaying dragons on this monster. As Joe told Rolling Stone,

"Turn to Stone" was written about the Nixon administration and the Vietnam War and the protesting that was going on and all of that. It's a song about frustration. Also, I attended Kent State. I was at the shootings. That fueled it, too. In those days it felt like the government's priority was not the population. They had an agenda that was about something other than doing what was necessarily good for the country.

A few years later [in 1980], I decided to run for president myself. [Ed. Note: Walsh pledged to make "Life's Been Good" the new national anthem.] I thought it'd be a great idea and I had fun with it. And the reason I did it is because there was, and there continues to be, a very apathetic attitude toward voting. There's a total separation between the federal government and the people. So running for president was an attempt on my part to get people to care enough to go vote. But people just don't bother. And that's why it's not working.

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Oh what the heck, and one more from July 20 1971, from the French TV show Pop2, “The Bomber” (from 1970′s Rides Again) which includes a quick little nod to “Beck’s Bolero” along the way. (Well, technically I suppose, Ravel’s “Bolero”, and indeed, Ravel’s estate made them remove the reference from initial pressings of the album!)

And another note for LZ fans: Joe does some crazy stuff with his bare hands at around 2:30-3:30 going into “Bolero” that Jimmy did with a violin bow. THAT’s Joe Walsh for ya.

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hippychick006 · 5 years

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4.14 - Sex and Violence

I’m going to call this the episode that hellers should watch a hell of a lot more closely. This is a very long post but there’s so much going on in this episode that can’t be summarised and I want to capture it all so I’ll put it under a cut this time.

Dean wakes up and Sam’s not in bed, but in the bathroom whispering on the phone. It couldn’t look more like Sam’s having a secret affair if they tried, which he kind of is, going off with Ruby.

Did Sam just call Dean kiddo? Dude, he’s four years older than you and thirty!

Sam’s puppy eyes and “please” work on the guy they are interviewing who bludgeoned his wife to death in the opener with a meat tenderiser, so he tells them about the stripper he was going to run off with.

Sam goes to speak to the Dr involved in the case and oh my God, Dr Cara has dark hair, and if you change the last two letters, we get Cass! Definitely hinting at Sastiel which is totally end game (me if I was a heller).

Dr Cara asks to see Sam’s badge again which he shows with a lot more confidence than when he was a bikini inspector in the early seasons. He also looks like an FBI agent instead of a kid just out of high school. My bby is growing up

Hellers need to watch this episode if only because the doctor explains what oxytocin is - which explains why Destiel is not now and never will be canon because there is absolutely zero attraction between Dean and Castiel. I don’t even think Castiel;s body would release any hormones.

Dean walks in and Dr Cara brushes him off and goes back to speaking to Sam. Heh. Later Dean accuses Sam of c-blocking him. No Dean, she’s just into Sam and given your brother is really smoking hot, it should happen a lot more often than it does. Dean quickly cheers up though as they seem to be on a case involving strippers, finally.

They figure out through a phone call with Bobby - and how did the Winchesters cope before him? - that they are dealing with a siren.

The strippers are named after Disney princesses: Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine and next up Belle.

Hellers, this line (which Sam says to Dean in the strip club) will be important later in the episode: “Yeah. You see, sirens can read minds. They see what you want most and then they can kinda, like, cloak themselves. You know, like an illusion.”

Remember it looking like Sam was having an affair earlier in the episode? Now Dean’s checking through Sam’s phone to see who he called. He dials a number he doesn’t recognise and it’s Ruby. Dean’s pissed. When Sam returns and Dean tells him he forgot his cell phone, Sam looks guilty. Oh show.

They find out from Bobby that to kill the siren, they need some of his venom which may be in the blood of the guys so they go back to the hospital. Sam and Dr Cara flirt and Dean rolls his eyes.

FBI man, Nick Munroe’s arrived and incidentally, the actor, Jim Parrack, is listed as the same height as Jared on google. I liked Jim’s role in this, quality guest stars in both Cara and Jim.

Nick phones the number on Sam’s FBI card to check their credentials and we see that Bobby has a list of phones covering Federal marshals, FBI, CDC, police and health inspectors which is a nice little detail.

Sam persuades Dean to work with Nick to get him out of the way so that Sam can get the blood samples. Dean agrees, but he’s not doing it for Sam, he’s doing it for the girls.

Sam finds the blood gone. Switch to Dean who is bonding with Nick in the strip club. Nick hands over an evidence bag containing a flower which he says was found at each crime scene. Dean recognises the flower from Dr Cara’s office.

Cut to Sam and Cara talking about the case, and Cara says at one point: “Come on. Haven't you ever been in a relationship where you really love somebody and still kinda wanted to bash their head in? ”I’m thinking yes, Dr Cara and that person is his brother.

Dr Cara offers Sam a drink and for the first time in Sam’s history, he accepts (he’s normally the one stopping Dean from taking things - like the Carrigan’s offering peanut brittle in A very Supernatural Christmas episode.

Dean calls and Sam rejects the call.

Sam and Dr Cara get it on and that’s twice Sam’s been shirtless this season. I mean if I’d worked as hard as Jared to get that body, I’d want to show it off a little too.

Sam returns to the motel - and we get a beautiful shot from behind of what appears to be a freshly showered Sam walking down the corridor to the room. Velma Dinkley is right, those shoulders...

Dean’s not in the room so Sam calls him. There follows a whole conversation which I can’t do justice to, but basically Dean tells Sam he thinks the siren is Dr Cara. Sam tells him he doesn’t think it is. Dean asks Sam if he slept with her, which Sam denies and we get this from Dean: “Holy crap. You did. Middle of Basic Instinct and you bang Sharon Stone? Sam, you could be under her spell right now!” and also this one, “No, It's just...first it's Madison, and then Ruby, and now Cara. It's like... what is with you and banging monsters?”

Upshot of the conversation is that Dean doesn’t trust Sam and he’s going to finish off the case himself. I love Dean, I do, and I’d love to say he’s already under the siren’s spell during all of this, but he’s not. My bitter Sam girl is starting to rise up and Season 4 only gets worse from here on out.

The only consolation I have is that Sam looks smoking hot during that entire conversation. Jared really suits the dark suit and the open necked shirt look.

Sam throws his phone after that conversation and I think we’re supposed to see this as Sam becoming angry and unable to control it. I’d have thrown my phone too after that conversation so try harder on the anger front show.

Dean phones Bobby and asks for his help and then Nick to help him with the case and they start following Dr Cara.

Dean tells Nick his crazy theory, and asks Nick to just trust him on that. To Dean’s surprise and delight Nick agrees. Dean says. “Thank you. That's actually nice to hear.”

They share a drink from Dean’s hip flask which is a bad move on Dean’s part, because Nick then says Dean should have wiped the flask before drinking, revealing he’s the siren.

Hellers, this next line is also important: “ I should be your little brother. Sam. You can't trust him. Not like you can trust me. In fact, I really feel like you should get him outtta the way, so we can be brothers. Forever.”

Sam’s been out - not sure where - and when he returns to the motel, he sees Nick sitting on the bed. He asks what he’s doing there but gets jumped from behind and pulled back against the door with a knife to his throat by Dean. Sam quickly figures out that this is not normal behaviour - even for Dean - and accuses NIck of being “one butt ugly stripper.”

Sam doesn’t struggle in Dean’s arms too much and I got to say he looks kind of comfortable where he is. Sam tries to appeal to get through to Dean, but Nick shows Dean is under his control by getting him to cut Sam’s neck a little.

Hellers, this next line is again important. When Sam accuses Nick of poisoning Dean, Nick answers: “No. I gave him what he needed. And it wasn't some bitch in a G-string. It was you. A little brother that looked up to him, that he could trust.” The episode could not hammer this home more clearly, how on earth do you all misinterpret the hell out of this episode?

Nick sprays Sam’s mouth with venom and I’m only slightly disappointed he didn’t get closer to Sam to do it. Honestly, Jim and Jared only had a couple of scenes but they were good ones and I love when Nick beckons Sam forward and he just goes.

There follows a brilliant scene between Sam and Dean with lots of hurtful things being said between them (again it sounds more like Dean’s accusing Sam of having an affair than anything else).

My favourite line during this is from Sam and the delivery was perfect: “You're too busy sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. Whining about all the souls you tortured in hell. Boo hoo.”

BROTHER FIGHT! And we should have more of these, if for the only reason that Jared and Jensen are seamless in the fight choreography when it’s between the two of them.

Dean wins the fight, by crashing Sam through the motel door and it’s interesting the only time I can remember Sam winning is when he was hopped up on demon blood.

Sam’s lying winded on the door, Dean grabs a conveniently located emegency axe and goes to swing it.

Bobby’s arrived! And just in the nick of time. He stops the axe and stabs Dean to get some infected blood and to Sam’s anguished cries of “no!”, he throws the knife at a rapidly retreating Nick, killing him.

That shot of Sam on the floor at the end of the scene :(

At the end of the episode, they both say they didn’t mean the things they said:

SAM: 'Kay. So... so we're good?

DEAN: Yeah, we're good.

Narrator’s voice: They were not good.

What I am going to point out loud and clear for the final time, is that for all four men, the woman appeared as a stripper and they thought they loved her so the relationship was clearly sexual. For Dean, his siren is a representation of his brother.

Coming up, Sam and Dean go to couple therapy. (Which I’ll come back to in episode 4.18 (The Monster at the end of this book).

If it’s not clear, I loved this episode, even with all the brother angst - ok, if I’m going to be completely honest, especially with all the brother angst.

Next up Death Takes a Holiday.

#supernatural #season 4 #rewatch #4.14 #sex and violence #episode review

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ofsonganddance · 5 years

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Guys Night In | Syder

Who: Sam Evans & Ryder Lynn

When: early January 2019

Where: Ryder’s place

Notes: mentions of sex

After weeks of talking of hanging out and multiple times of having to cancel due to other priorities rising, Ryder was finally on his way over to Sam's after stopping at the store to pick up a few things for their guys night in. It was better to stay in especially with the paparazzi always following their every move. With a few bags of food and take out in each hand, Ryder walked up to the entrance of Sam's place and knocked lightly before letting himself inside. "I'm pretty sure I just got papped walking into your place. TMZ at 11pm, just watch" he deadpanned, rolling his eyes as he set all the bags on the counter. "The Christmas party was definitely an interesting one to say the least. How was your Christmas by the way? How's the family"?

It had been weeks since they had decide on this talk, and they had hung out and talked, but still this conversation hadn't taken place. And a guys night was what Sam needed, as much as he liked hanging out with his bandmates, it was Ryder he got along with the best. A laugh left his lips when he heard Ryder, it wasn't the first time Ryder let himself in, and Sam was pretty sure it wasn't the last time either, it was a reason why Sam had given Ryder a key. "Oh, let's see the headlines," Sam replied, after the Christmas party Sam had actually kept a closer eye on what their fans said about his and Ryder's relationship. "Yeah, that was crazy," Sam replied, "I'm actually scarred, I kinda looked for like one of those fanfics and they like really get into details," Sam shook his head, and he pulled out a sixpack from the fridge." It was pretty good. And they're good, I think Stace is coming in a few weeks for like a weekend and then they're like spending springbreak here and doing like college tours." Sam opened one of the beers for himself, "what about you?"

Ryder unloaded the bags as he listened to Sam, a small grin tugging his lips. "That's great. Mine are same ole. We spent Christmas in Hawaii. Mom and dad wanted some place warm" he shrugged his shoulders "next year however I argued Salt Lake City Christmas. Skiing, snowboarding, log cabin. I mean don't get me wrong, I love the beach and all but it wasn't Christmas. Christmas is snow, hot chocolate, baking cookies and everything and it just wasn't that. No tropical shit for Christmas next year". Ryder unloaded the rest of the bags, his brow arching at Sam. "You didn't" he asked with a chuckle. "I haven't yet but now I'm even more curious about these fanfics".

Sam shook his head, "I never understood why guys like do that," he said, looking at the food, "I mean totally nice to somewhere like that for like new year or something." Sam leaned against the counter, "and good lucky with that, haven't you tried that like before and they agreed but you still end up going somewhere warm?" He let out a breath, "yeah, I did, I needed something to do on the flight. I'm just glad no one figured out what I was reading." Sam shook his head, "you should but don't like ask fans," Sam took a sip from his drink, "but it seems like they've decided that I'm bottoming for like everyone." Sam rubbed a hand against his neck, not sure on what else to say, "and it seems like threesomes is something they like to write too."

Ryder frowned. It was true. Every year he wanted some place cold, wintery for Christmas but it always was some place tropical. "Damn, you're right" he groaned. Maybe it was inevitable. He had to face the facts, he was never gonna get to go to the mountains for Christmas. He couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head "Well are you......are you a bottom" he asked curiously. "I mean I honestly have no clue what I would be. Maybe both" Ryder added with a shrug of his shoulders. "Dude, you fed those fans of ours a lot of stuff about what you love to do with our Cosmo article. You gave them plenty of accuracy to write about". He arched his brow, taking a sip of his drink. "Dare I ask about who is involved in these threesomes".

Sam couldn't help but to laugh when he heard that Ryder realized that he was right, "sorry to burst your bubble." Sam let out a breath, his head falling down against his chest, "I guess so," Sam replied, shaking his head taking a sip from his drink. "I mean most of the time I'm a bottom, I mean I've topped before but Sebastian prefers to top and I don't mind." He ran a finger around the rim of the bottle he was holding. "True, but it wasn't like I was that detailed," Sam said, "I mean, sure I said that blowing someone is pretty great, or giving oral over all." Sam ran a hand down his face, "I can't say what you'd like best but sure switching is great." Sam laughed placing his bottle on the counter reaching for the bag of Doritos, "Pretty much any you can think of," Sam replied, "I'm not sure on which one is more popular, some are with some of the Angels."

Ryder took a drink of his before nodding slightly in response as he listened to Sam talking about his sex life. "Exactly and you said you like taking it and now you wanna do another interview from what I heard. Quinn asked me if I would do one as well. I'm pretty sure she's asked all the guys" he said with a soft chuckle. "You're giving our kinky ass fans exactly what they want" he joked before playing nudging Sam. Now he was very curious. He slid out his phone and began searching for the fanfiction. "Over 250,000 stories" he asked with his eyes wide "Over 25,000 of us as pairing!? Damn! This is crazy"

Sam rubbed a hand over his head, he hadn't really thought every thing he had said in that interview through before he answered the questions. He had thought it would be a good way to come out, even if he never really was closeted, his friends knew, his family knew, and the only thing he had been asked regarding his sexuality was if he was gay, and he wasn't. "Yeah, I shouldn't do interviews like that or someone needs to approve of the writing," Sam said, he shook his head. "I know it's like ten times more than I thought," Sam replied, taking a couple of chips in his hand, "I still don't get why they wanna write about real people."

"Don't say that" Ryder exclaimed, setting his drink and phone down before walking over to Sam. "What you did was brave, dude. Very brave" he said wrapping his arm around Sam's neck, pulling the man close to him, ruffling his blonde locks playfully. "And you shouldn't regret saying what you said. And who cares if people keeping asking you if you're gay. Just tell them you don't identify any of those groups. You love people, sex and the gender doesn't matter. Like you're panromantic or pansexual or something". A grin tugged his lips "Me either but I kinda love it. It's kinda cool people write about us....all of us" Ryder chuckled.

"I'm not regretting it," Sam replied, letting out a breath. Sam was glad that it was out in the opened, and if he was honest, he was pretty sure some people, well, fans, had pretty much figured it out. It wasn't like he had hid it all that well. If they paid enough attention to the pictures he liked and what accounts he followed on instagram you could probably get an idea. "And that's what I've done, like I got questions about it before I came out but like no one asked if I was bi or straight if they had I'd told the truth." Sam let out a small laugh, "yeah, exactly." Sam shook his head, "yeah, I guess that's one way to see it but like I wouldn't like want to read all of it," he let out a breath. "I mean reading about how you're having a threesome with your friends not the most fun."

"Yeah...." Ryder couldn't help but laugh. Thinking of it he could understand the awkwardness about reading about yourself and your friends doing stuff. Although a part of him was intrigued to say the least. Definitely something he was going to check out later. "So tell me how are things with you and boss man"?

Sam let out a breath, taking a sip from his drink. He had been talking about Sebastian a lot these days, and what their relationship was like. "I'm not actually sure, I mean, what is there to tell, like we have sex, super hot sex and we like talk but not about what we're doing 'cos when I try and start something like that it's like he decides that he's gonna like seduce me and I can't say no because it's gonna lead to some super hot sex. But like six months of hooking up is a lot when you haven't like super defined what you're doing."

Ryder took in a deep breath as he listened to his friend. He bit down on his lower lip as he thought about what to say. He wasn't the best one to be giving out relationship advice seeing as he didn't really have a relationship. That was all Mike! "Well maybe you should ask him again and pull away when he tries seducing you. As hard as it may be you gotta figure it out. Six months is quite a long time and from the sounds of it.....it sounds like you might want more? Are you in love with Sebastian"?

It had been a long time since Sam had been a relationship. "Yeah, maybe," Sam said, letting out a breath, "I'll try and talk to him after the holidays," Sam laughed a little, "I don't feel like doing that right now." Sam leaned back, "and I don't really know what I know I want," he sighed, "and I don't know if I'm in love I mean the sex's great and I kinda don't wanna lose it y'know."

Ryder looked over at Sam, a confused look on his face. "After the holidays? Dude you okay" he questioned with a soft laugh. "We just came back from Christmas and New Year? Remember I was talking about wanting a winter Christmas. Skiing, snowboarding and all" he reminded him. "But yeah it's best you find out if it's more. If he wants more. I don't want to see you get hurt. I watched that a lot through high school".

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam replied, "just give me like a couple of weeks." Sam knew that the longer it took for him to actually talk to Sebastian, the harder it would be to do. "I know," Sam sighed grabbing a handful of Doritos, "I know but it's hard, I got like no idea on where to start." Sam knew what Ryder was talking about, there had been more than one relationship that had lead to his heart breaking. "Yeah, but at least I gave those a shot," Sam said, a sigh leaving his lips.

"And you got to do it with this one" Ryder said as he took a few doritos from the bag for himself as she quietly chewed on them. "I would text him right now. Tell him you want him to come over tonight. Don't act all suspicious. Act normal. Make him think you want sex then just jump right into it. Ask him what all this sex means. Tell him it's not like an ultimatum or anything that you just wanna know if this is more then sex or if that's all it is to him. If it's more then you'll both figure it out without putting a label on it right away".

Sam let out a breath, he ran his hand over his head. "Pretty sure he's gonna figure it out." Sam shook his head, lips pressed together, "I mean sure I could try that." Sam sank down on a chair, "and I don't want him to think it's like an ultimatum because like I still love the sex, it's like the best sex in years and he totally knows what he's doing." Sam felt how his cheeks, almost burned, "and sometimes it feels like he knows what I want before I do." He shook his head, "I mean I'm not gonna go into details but let's just say that he really knows how to fuck, and there's something about giving him a blowjob, like being on your knees in front of him as he leans back in his seat, just relaxing."

Ryder let out a sigh as he listened to his best friend. He couldn't help but grin as he listened to Sam. Watching him get all flustered, red was cute. He never Seen Sam like this before. "Sounds to meet like you may be in love with him". Ryder sat down in the chair across from Sam, a beer in his hand. "You're gonna need to talk to him dude. The way you described all that sounds as if you have feelings for him. I'd hate to see you all heartbroken but if he doesn't feel the same then you're better off regardless if the sex is great. You're more then just meatstick. You deserve more than that".

The more he talked about it, the more he realized that he wanted more, he wanted more than just sex. But at the same time he was a bit scared of what that would mean. "Yeah I guess," Sam said taking a swing of his beer, a grin played over his lips, "pretty sure I'm not the meatstick," Sam replied, "I'm the person that he hides his meatstick in." Sam couldn't help the laugh that left his lips, "but just so you know he's meatstick is pretty great. I'd probably miss the sex a lot because it's so good." Sam took another drink from his beer. "I'd probably need someone else to get under to get over him."

Here they were talking about meatsticks and Ryder couldn't help but laugh with the blonde. As awkward as it should of been it definitely didn't fee like that. Ryder took a swig of his beer "I'm sure if it doesn't work out we can find another meatstick to hide in you" he chuckled. "There is always Blaine Anderson. Oh and Hunter Clarington, he's hot plus that guy really looks like he knows stuff too. And then there is Kurt Hummel".

Sam emptied his beer, smiling at Ryder, "yeah, true," Sam replied reaching for another one, he was sure that there would be one of two people that would offer. "Okay, I'm not going close to Anderson, don't know why, something just rubs me the wrong way with him," Sam took a sip from his new beer, "but I'm sure Clarington would be a great fuck, I mean he seems to like to be in charge but I don't know if he'd be down with it, but if he is, he'd probably prefer to hide his meatstick in me." Sam shook his head, he couldn't believe they were talking about this, "and for Kurt, pretty sure he'd want me to hide my meatstick in him." Sam leaned back a bit, "I mean, we did make out once at a party," he confessed, "and I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't gotten text it would have been more than that." Sam looked down for a second, and he bit down on his lip, "what about you?" he asked, "I remember some texts about you not saying no to a bj or maybe some sex."

"I know. I feel the same way about Anderson. In my opinion he just seems confused, I don't think he wants someone like you or any of us. I think he has a certain type. I think he more likes older men or whatever". Ryder couldn't help but let out a few chuckles as they talked about this. It was entertaining to say the least and taking their minds off what was really bothering Sam. "Oh definitely. Clarington seems like one who loves being charged and he's one of those that's into some /freaky/ shit" Ryder said putting emphasis on his last words, a soft laugh leaving his lips. His eyes widen At sam' confession. While he was surprised he wasn't that surprised. Kurt always did have a small kind of thing for Sam. Ryder finished his beer setting the empty can down, the brunette biting on his lip. "There was this one guy. He blew me and it was great and he wanted to do more but I kind of chickened out" he confessed.

"I don't even wanna think about what kind of guy he likes," Sam replied, shaking his head. He had never really gotten a chance to get to know him, and if he was honest he wasn't really interested in it either. It had been a long time since Sam had had this kind of conversation with anyone, and it was kind of fun. "Oh, yeah for sure," Sam replied, "I don't know why but I bet if he was into guys I bet he would be a great top, like taking charge. And let's be honest, there's something about the way he caries himself especially when he's in a suit." As Sam talked about this, he couldn't help himself from letting his mind wander what it would be like, and he was pretty sure it would be hot. Sam nodded his head, "yeah, like if I hadn't gotten that text I'm pretty sure we would have ended up in like a bathroom, 'cos I had like my hand half down his pants." Sam blinked, "dude, you never told me that when did that happen?" Sam asked, "and yeah, I get what you mean, I was nervous the first time with a dude," Sam licked his lips, "but it's kinda awesome when you get your first blowjob or give one." Sam bit down on his lip, "but you'd be into trying?" Sam asked, "pretty sure you'd be a pretty great top."

"Me either but who am I to judge. I don't really know him that well" Ryder said, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh definitely" he agreed with a grin on his lips. "Something tells me Hunter Clarington is definitely into guys and loves being in charge. He's got that whole bad boy demeanor" he said with a nod, talking almost as if he may of actually knew. "There was room in Kurt' pants for your hand" he joked about all the skinny pants Kurt wore. Ryder laughed seeing his friends shock over his own confession and his own cheeks heating at Sam' words about him being a pretty great top. "Well it happened a while back. It was the opening night of the tour after party. Back at the hotel" Ryder admitted, biting down on his lower lip. As he talked about it he couldn't help himself from letting his mind wander back to that night. The night that left him so hot, confused and even a bit frustrated. "Yeah I guess I'd be into trying it....both ways" he shrugged.

Sam couldn't help but to grin, "yeah, I'm pretty sure he'd be happy to take charge and fuck someone from behind hard and fast," Sam bit down on his lower lip, trying not think about that, or even a possible threesome that would include Hunter and Sebastian, if that ever were to happen, Sam was sure that whoever was the third part would have a hard time moving the next day. "Y'know," Sam began licking his lips, "I wouldn't mind like a night," Sam bit down on his lip. He shook his head, "yeah, it wasn't easy, but when you like get going things happens and you're not always sure on how." Sam leaned forward, "okay, I get it," Sam said, "and it's a good thing you didn't do something you didn't want." He nodded his head, "that's the best way to figure out what you like best, and I know I prefer to bottom, it's just something about it," Sam said, "but at times it can be fun to top too but it's been awhile since I actually topped someone."

Ryder arched his brow at Sam before letting out a soft laugh. "Why does that not surprise me" he questioned with a teasing grin on his lips. A threesome did sound kind of fun. Maybe it was something to consider once he got past the sex part of it all. "Interesting..." Ryder bit down on his lower lip before clearing his throat. "You know that night he started giving me a blow job and then his finger unexpectedly kind of went up and it hurt like hell for a minute but then something started feeling so good that I just.....well let's just say whatever he did up there I could not last much longer. It felt great but when he wanted to have sex I just froze and got ....scared and just ran".

Sam shrugged his shoulders looking at Ryder, "'cos you know me," he said, a grin playing over his lips. It was nice having a simple, well maybe not that simple, conversation with his best friend, but this was something he had missed. "Yeah, I know what you mean, like it feels good and like you don't like know why 'cos you've never felt like that before." Sam bit down on his lip, "man, poor dude he probably did something wrong but like you got lucky too like what if he told people and stuff that would have been weird. And probably hard to explain."

This was nice, they could talk about something serious as a topic like this and not be judged. Ryder liked it. He couldn't talk about this and have the same outcome with all the other guys, they'd probably respond saying they didn't want to hear it. "He knows he didn't do anything wrong. He reminds me all the time about that night, how he made me feel like that without even having sex" he said rolling his eyes. "How did you get over the nerves of your first time"?

"Okay good to know," Sam replied, "so who was it? I mean if you wanna tell me." Sam bit down on his lip, smiling as he looked at Ryder. Sam let out a breath, trying to remember how he had gotten over the nerves, "I mean I kind just went for it," Sam confessed, "sure we had like a lot of making out and like other stuff before we had sex," he said, "and y'know I wanted to do it, and he knew I was like nervous,." Sam took a sip from his drink, "I mean I was like 19 when it happened, and I just tried to think about what I did to get over the nerves the first time with girl."

If only it was that easy to just go for it. Maybe it was advice he had to take. Sometimes he did admit to running away nervously after that night. Ryder let out a sigh, biting down on his lower lip debating whether or not he should tell Sam exactly the man was. "You can't tell anyone else, okay" he said before taking a breath. "It was Hunter".

Sam's jaw almost fell when he heard who it had been, "that's totally why you knew or like said that he'd be in charge," Sam said with a grin playing over his lips, "and I won't tell," he said looking at his friend, "so you like wanna do him? Or let him do you?" Sam asked, "I mean I gotta say that I'm almost curious about how he would be in bed when he's like in charge." Sam wiggled his eyebrows, "and was he big? I got a feeling that he's packing."

"Now you're making me even more curious about how he is" Ryder couldn't help but laugh at his friends reaction and the curious questions. "I guess both. I'm curious about both ways" he replied. "Well.." The way Ryder cheeks heated at the questions just gave all his answers away before he could even say anything. "Well I didn't see much that night but oh yeah he's definitely packing. Thick" he replied coyly but not saying how he knew especially if he didn't see it that night.

"So figure it out," Sam replied, he knew his cheeks were getting redder, and he bit down on his lower lip, stopping himself from saying that Ryder should tell him when he found out. "Yeah, I guess that's true but we kinda figured out that he was going to be a good top, or at least he would know how to fuck someone." Sam shook his head, "I'm not surprised," he replied, "I mean if you like almost had sex you could probably feel it. It's something about guys in suits with like confidence," Sam let out a breath, "'cos Sebastian is also packing and he like knows it."

Ryder couldn't help but laugh. Never could he have a conversation like this with the other guys. "I felt it. He made sure I could feel him as we made it" he chuckled, shaking his head as he recalled the events of that night. Ryder rose to his feet and walked to the kitchen, getting two more beers. "He also reminds me constantly. Hunter loves sending me nudes. For some reason he really wants me".

Sam laughed, "yeah, I'm not surprised about that, it's actually pretty awesome when you're making out with a dude and you can feel him getting hard, and then realize how big he is," Sam bit down on his lip, "and you shouldn't like think about how it would be to suck that dick or being fucked by it, or maybe you should 'cos that can give you an awesome orgasm." Sam grabbed a few more chips, "it's not like he harasses you 'cos if he is you can like report him or something." Sam leaned back, "or maybe you should just hook up with him and see if he stops." Sam took a deep breath, "if he's anything like Sebastian, he would love an office blowjob, just so you know."

Ryder' cheeks heated even more as he listened to Sam. "Believe me I have,. I've woken up countless times at night with a mess in boxers" he admitted as she sat down, handing Sam another beer. "And i don't see it as harassing. When we're in the same rooms he's professional and all. Doesn't hint about what happened or anything like that to get a reaction from me". He bit down on his lower lip before shrugging his shoulders. "He's been after me for months now and I've really thought about giving in but I guess if I gave in I'm afraid it would stop. I like the attention he gives me I guess" Ryder said with a shrug of his shoulders. He chuckled "what is it? The excitement of being under the desk, risking someone walking in and when they do them having to act professional as if they aren't getting sucked off?"

"At least you're not getting the mess while you're making out," Sam replied, letting out a breath, and he took the beer Ryder handed him. "Okay," Sam said, "I'm not sure on what else to say, I mean it might be worth the risk if you like really wanna know how he's like in bed. I mean I'd go for it for sure," Sam replied, "like you can try and like figure out if he'd like to top or not, and then like decide on if you want it or not. But I bet you'd have a great time." Sam laughed, "like all of it," he said, grinning, "and it's something about knowing what you're doing to them too when they're like trying to act like they don't have their dick in someone's mouth." Sam took a drink from his beer, "and I mean their desks are like super great too, perfect to be bend over and get fucked." Sam shuddered, as he remembered the last time had visit Sebastian in the office and what had happened, Sam could feel the beer getting to him, "just so you know, if I didn't have Seb and you and Hunter were doing whatever it is I'd totally spend a night with him."

"Well....." Ryder bit down on his lower lip, he expression immediately giving it away that whatever it was between and Hunter had happened more then once. "That may have happened once" he revealed before taking a huge drink of his beer. His cheeks slightly heated as he listened to his best friend. All the scenarios Sam was laying out for him, the ideas had his mind going 808. It was making him really think about it. About possibly just letting it happen instead of freaking out about it. "Oh my God dude come on" he laughed. "Let me guess Sebastian bent you over his desk a few times. I can just see it in my mind now. It's like a porn movie" Ryder teased. "I'm sure Hunter would of went for it as well, especially if you weren't whatever you and Sebastian are" he chuckled shaking his head.

Sam shrugged, not really sure on what to say, "okay so you get the mess too," he replied, a laugh leaving his lips. He wasn't really sure on what exactly to ask, all he had to do was wait, wait for Ryder to actually voice what it was that he wanted. A grin played over his lips, and he rubbed a hand against the back of his neck, Sam knew that there was no reason for him to lie. "Yeah, I mean," Sam began, licking his lips, "it's pretty damn awesome," he said, "and besides that pretty much everyone knows that I like it from behind," he took a big swing of his drink. He let out a breath, "maybe," Sam shook his head, "I mean, pretty sure everyone is hooking up with everyone," he looked over at Ryder with a grin on his face, "pretty sure Sebastian wouldn't be a problem if he really wanted to, but he got his eyes on you." Sam grabbed a few Doritos, "I know you told me that he was packing but you also said it was pictures, so wanna show me. I can totally show you what Seb sent me."

"There was one time on the tour bus.....remember that night, we were in Texas, I didn't come out my room for that whole night. Not to mention the supply closet before our concert in Paris" Ryder chuckled remembering those times. Listening as Sam told him how awesome it was, he was finding himself considering just giving in to Hunter. He took a swig of his beer before setting it down and pulling his phone out of his back pocket. "You can tell anyone about this" Ryder warned as opened his text messages. There were so many messages between him and Hunter including some pretty explicit pictures. "Feel free to quickly swipe past some if you see one of me".

Sam shook his head, "you were like almost worse than me and Seb was," Sam said, taking a swing from his beer, "and I mean we had like fun a lot after the first hook up." He let out a breath, "and that was one hell of away to celebrate my birthday," Sam rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. "Promise," Sam replied, and it didn't take long until he saw what Ryder had talked about, "dude," he blinked a couple of times, "that dick almost deserves to be sucked," Sam leaned back bit, "so if you don't like do something about it," he ran a hand through his hair, "I'm so tell Sebastian that we can like have a threesome if we ask Clarington to join, 'cos I wouldn't say no to that cock, like both sucking it or y'know let him fuck me. Not that I'd do anything if you want him totally a bro code."

Ryder couldn't help but chuckle at Sam' reaction to Hunter. All Ryder could think about while the pictures were impressive, the view up close was even better. He bit down on his lower lip considering what Sam was saying. "Hunter isn't mine so technically he's up for grabs if Sebastian will even go for that....which I'm sure he will" he joked. "It's your choice dude. Hunter isn't my boyfriend or anything" Ryder said with a shrug of his shoulders. Did he like Hunter? Yes. For some reason Hunter was so much more down to earth when it was only the two of them. It made Ryder question why he was also different with him but he had such a huge cocky ego around everyone else? But now it was onto other matters. "Now show me Sebastian" he said before taking a drink of his beer. A grin growing on his lips.

Sam shook his head, "yeah not like officially but you're like doing something with him," Sam replied, eyes on Ryder, "so totally against the brocode but if you decide to like end whatever that you're doing it's fair game." A laugh left Sam's lips, "'cos he wasn't actually your boyfriend." Sam wasn't as sure as Ryder was that Sebastian would be up for a threesome, he wasn't that into sharing in the first place, so adding another person, probably not a good idea, but at the same time it could be fun. Sam let out a breath, and he pulled out his phone putting a picture up before he handed over his phone to Ryder, "yeah, probably not just Sebastian just be careful where you look and like read."

Ryder let out a breath when Sam had actually confirmed what he had been denying for quite some time deep down. Besides having fun and talking, texting most of the time, he didn't know exactly what is was between him and Hunter. Taking' Sam phone, his eyes widen as he stared at the picture. He could definitely see why Sam was so sex drunk on Sebastian. He was sex on a stick. "Talk about sex on a stick dude" he chuckled, taking another look at the photo. Being the nosy best friend he was he began scrolling through the pictures in the messages between Sam and Sebastian. "You guys are so dirty. I love it" he joked with a soft chuckle.

A laugh left his lips when he heard his friend, "yeah," Sam replied, he shook his head, "he's pretty great and he like knows what he's doing." Sam bit down on his lip, as he ran his finger around the edge of the beer bottle. "I've actually deleted some of the stuff that we've texted like some stuff weren't exactly something I wanted anyone else to read." Sam grinned as he looked over at Ryder, "and I've already told you about some of the stuff we did in his office. But like the best part is like when we've been away from each other because that's when you get like fucked hard or when he's stressed and needs a blowjob real bad."

"No fun..." Ryder teased although part of him was rather curious about the stuff Sam had said he deleted. "You could of just used one of the apps that hide your texts you don't want anyone else to see". He couldn't help but grin as he listened to Sam talk about what he thought was the best part of sex. Honestly he could see it. The built up sexual tension not to mention the distance between them, the anticipation. "Well of course it is. It's the build up to the reunion. The excitement, anticipation. And you know if you don't stroke the chicken the outcome is even better".

"I don't think you'd actually want to read those," Sam replied. "But it's easier to delete them, and then just remember them or you know ask for new ones." He couldn't help but to grin, it was always easy and fun to talk to Ryder. "I know what you mean," Sam said, "let's just say two weeks with no release and one week of like a lot of teasing wasn't exactly fair." He let out a breath, "so does that mean that you and Clarington are going to have some fun?"

Ryder couldn't help but laugh. "I can't even begin to imagine how unfair it was. I can hardly go two days without a release" he admitted. Ryder bit down on his lower lip as he thought about Sam' question. "I don't know. Hunter isn't really pressing or even suggesting more. I mean there has been a time where we could of went all the way but I feel he's just waiting for me to say the word. I'm just.....nervous".

Sam sighed, he ran a hand over his head, and he shook his head, "I know, but it was like a promise we made like no jerking off or hooking up with other people," Sam said, "and I mean like we finally got to it it was pretty awesome so it was kinda worth it." He pressed his lips together, nodding his head, "Yeah, I get it, but when you like figure it out it's pretty great, y'know with the right person." Sam let out a breath, "but like you probably should talk to him about it and like figure out if he actually wants to fuck or if it's just about the teasing."

Ryder arched his brow. He was a bit curious now about this promise. "Who suggested to make that kind of promise" he asked. "You or Sebastian"? If it was the latter then he was their manager was definitely fooling himself about his feelings for Sam. He pressed his lips together, smacking them lightly. "Might be just about the teasing" Ryder shrugged his shoulders before taking a sip of his beer. "

Sam let out a breath, and he shook his head, "I don't remember," he replied, "I think we were kinda drunk when we agreed on it." Sam ran his fingers through his hair, "but I mean it was hard for awhile but it was fun when we actually hooked up after it, like the sex was amazing." Sam hummed, and leaned back, "so you gotta tell him, like step up and do something or stop with the teasing if something isn't happening."

"You're right" Ryder said with a nod. The teasing was more him then anything. He knew it wasn't nice to string Hunter along but he loved the attention and part of him didn't want to lose that attention that Hunter was giving him. Once he gave into Hunter he knew he'd quit.

"You should know that I'm always right," Sam replied, and he leaned back, tonight had been fun. And they would need to do this some more, just the two of them hanging out. "And then you'll decided what it is that you want from him, and let him know and then it's up to him to decide."

Ryder chewed on his lower lip as he listened to Sam. He simply nodded in response. "You know for someone who claims they aren't smart you sure do give some damn good advice". He clinked his beer bottle to Sam' before taking a quick swig. Spending time with Sam tonight, just the two of them was fun. He wanted to do it more. Just the two of them.

"Dude," Sam began, "I've been where you are," he leaned back a bit, "and you should know that I'm awesome at giving advice as long as you're pretty specific about what you wanna know." A smile played over Sam's lips before he took a sip. "Okay, so let's watch something because as awesome as it is talking I think we need something lighter to do."

"Alright we can do that". A smile played over Ryder' lips as he turned the television on. "Why don't you just stay the night? We can pig out and just catch up. You can take the guest bedroom" he said he tossed the throw that was hanging over the couch to Sam. "Like always" he joked before he began going through the queue for Netflix looking for something interesting they both could watch.

"Great," Sam replied, "yeah, sounds like a plan, or we'll both just crash on the couch." Sam leaned back, letting the throw rest over his legs, "it's been forever since we did this." He waited for Ryder to pick something to watch.

"It has" Ryder agreed, a small smile on the corner of his lips. He choice one of Sam' favorite movies. Avatar. He reached over and grabbed the throw and opened it up, covering both him and Sam up as they sat their watching the movie as it started.

#syder #para #007

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antiques-for-geeks · 5 years

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LCD Golf Games

Somebody, somewhere has to review these things?!

OK, first a little context. While my wife was in hospital waiting for the arrival of our daughter my brain desperately looked for some sort of worry release valve in the long hours between hospital visits. I did what any normal man would in this situation. I set about trying to put together the best damn collection of handheld LCD golf games the world has ever seen! They were mysterious! (nobody was interested enough to discuss them). They were plentiful! (as unwanted gifts often are). They were super cheap! (the sellers could barely give them away). Now, a couple of years later I have a happy and healthy daughter but also, crucially, a box full of assorted unplayed handheld golf games.

…and I’m going to tell you lucky people all about them!

Outside of the Nintendo’s Game and Watch series, LCD handheld games are often disregarded in the world of retro gaming. In a lot of cases this is fully justified; they lack the appealing mini-arcade aesthetic and bright colours of the larger tabletop VFD games, and there’s so much low quality landfill to be found, especially in some of the later licensed efforts from companies like Acclaim and Tiger. Let’s be honest - we only ever played them for want of something better.

Despite this I still find something fascinating about the attempt to create engaging gameplay using such limited technology. LCD games can only display their images in a series of fixed positions, so that’s a pretty severe limitation. This goes doubly for something like showing an 18 hole golf course with a variety of hazards like bunkers and lakes. Yet here are a handful of games that attempt to do just that - recreating your favourite ruined walk with what amounts to a slightly beefed up watch display.

Pro Golf

Bandai / 1985

The first, and earliest of my collection is this effort from Bandai, a well respected and prolific handheld game maker back in the 80’s. Many of these golf games were aimed squarely at the bored executive market, and were therefore often found in plastic-leather slip cases. This one has a nice little ring bound course guide attached, filling in the details that an LCD display can’t. This is definitely the simplest of these games; your only input is to select your club and time the swing. There are no complications like shot positioning, wind direction or the camber of the green to contend with. The courses do have a selection of water hazards and bunkers to avoid. This simplicity really works in the game’s advantage, because there’s a pretty clear relation between what you think should happen and what gets shown on the screen.

All these games seem very similar when it comes to taking a shot, with a single action button. You press the button, you see your little LCD golfer take his swing, you press again (or maybe release) at the end of the up swing to select power, then again when the downswing reaches the ball for accuracy. Between this and club selection there’s enough going on to make this 100 times more engaging than what the majority of arcade style handhelds could offer at the time. It’s also worth noting that all these golf games have a two player mode where each player alternates their shot, adding to the longevity. In a twisted sort of way golf is the perfect subject for the humble handheld!

Despite this I would like to see you have tried to make me choose this over my Astro Wars tabletop back in 1985.

Summing up, there’s enough variety for this to have been a decent time waste on a long train journey (assuming you didn’t hate golf) and the graphics are nice and clear. The sound is just beeps and a crappy tune, but you can switch if off to avoid a riot in the quiet coach. A thumbs up!

World Challenge Golf 2

Bandai / 1991

Here’s another effort from Bandai, and this one is quite a bit more involved. It’s stored in another leatherette slip case …but this time there’s a set of laminated cards provided, with the hole numbers written on each side. One end of each card has a background for the course, with the par and length to the pin, as well as a small map. The other end has the layout of the green, with some arrows showing which way it runs. Before playing each hole you slide these cards into a slot so they show behind the LCD screen, providing scenery ‘graphics’. This is exactly the kind of thing I find very cool about old tech - an ingenious solution to get around the inherent limitations of the LCD handheld. Ignore the fact that the classic Gameboy had already been released by this point and Nintendo’s Golf kicks all of these dedicated handhelds right into the gutter… using laminated cards as the background is awesome, and should be applauded.

Anyway, back to the game, you can now select shot direction, though in a very limited way. You can also see where you ball lies on the small course map, though the 3D view of the course and the swinging golfer are smaller and less detailed than the earlier game. Once you get to the green, you can see the ball position in a top-down view against the background card, and need to adjust for the camber.

Despite my admiration for the sheer ingenuity shown by this game, I have mixed feelings about it. It feels like the designers have bitten off more than they can chew. It is playable, but in trying to provide all the features of a fully fledged computer golf game it only highlights the fact that you’re not playing something better. It’s also significantly less easy to pick up and play than before.

Despite my misgivings, I like this one a lot as a collectible curiosity and it does come the closest to feeling like you’re actually in control of where the ball is going on the course. The sound is still beeps and a crappy tune which can be turned off.

Championship Golf 2

Radio Shack / Tandy / Late 1980’s?

I’ve seen various different re-branded versions of Radio Shack’s Championship Golf, but this one is a larger two screen effort, with individual buttons for club selection. No slip case this time, but it does have a built in screen protector with the course maps in a pouch on the underside. It’s less pocketable than the Bandai games but on the upside it takes AAA batteries, and it feels robust and well built. This one has 2 different 18 hole courses - apparently these are Japan and the USA. You can’t see storks dipping in ornamental koi ponds in Japan or try to nail Trump with a wayward drive in the USA, but the course layouts do change. The left screen shows a top-view of the course, while the right shows the traditional behind-the-golfer view.

You can’t select the shot direction, though your shot can wander into the rough if you mistime your button press on the down stroke. Though the golfer view is slightly lacking in detail, you’re shown exactly where your ball is on the overhead map screen, and this really adds to the playability. There is a wind indicator, but it’s only ever toward you, behind you or calm.

This is a really nice effort, with most of the simplicity of the earlier Bandai game, but with sensible additions to add some extra depth.

The sound is still beeps and a crappy tune which can be turned off.

Tournament Golf

Radica / 1999

This Radica unit has a nice big screen, with lots of detail on the golfer and the course, though I don’t like the plasticy case much - I miss the fake leather and solidity of the earlier games! The swing button is shaped like a golf ball, and is fairly satisfying to press. There are 4 different courses to play though, which is very generous.

The representation of the golfer’s swing is the best yet here, with a large and very clear meter prominent in the bottom right of the screen. This shows power, indicates fade and draw (your shot veering left and right) and gives a power indicator for putting. This game features a really detailed wind effect, with direction and strength. The wind even changes as you wait to take your shot for extra realism. Choosing power and correcting left and right for the effect of the wind should a lot to this game, but the limitations of that LCD display spoil the effect for me. Because there’s no overhead course view it’s quite hard to reconcile what you can see on the screen with what’s happening in the game, and that really matters when you’ve got so many game variables to deal with. It’s also a pig to time a shot when you’re close to the pin without pinging out the other side.

One excellent feature of this game is the sleep mode. There’s no off button, but if you leave it alone for a minute the screen turns off, and you can pick up your game at a later time. This is perfect for gaming on the go.

I’m perhaps being unduly harsh, but this is probably my least favorite so far. Despite the clear graphics and greater complexity it lacks the charm of some of the earlier efforts.

On the up side, this one at least has a digitised swoosh when you hit the ball. You’ll still want to turn it off though…

Talking Golf Master

Systema /1997

On to the final of our selection of games, this effort is from Systema, a well known maker of really average LCD games. This one has a plastic flip cover, with course maps and club distances on the inside. It doesn’t exactly feel premium, sharing that cheap plasticy feel with the Radica game. Worse, the action buttons are recessed little behind the cover, making it slightly awkward and uncomfortable to press them. I figure LCD game designers had given up trying to impress anyone by the mid 90’s.

The game itself is largely OK, with a very basic direction control and simple wind conditions, but the graphics are about as basic as the two screen Radio Shack game, without the benefits that the overhead course screen brought. The sound seems to be a real selling point for Systema, but it’s irritating beyond belief, with constant super loud bleeps punctuating your play. There are some sound samples; a brief compressed second of bird song or occasional encouragement from your caddy. You’re sure to love the attention you get on the bus as he waxes lyrical about how good your hole was.

You can turn it off, and you’ll want to. I’d give this one a miss.

The 19th Hole

At last we’ve come to the end of our review! Back to the clubhouse for a steak pie... I feel like a complete golf casualty now. The games can lie safely in their boxes for another few years. My daughter is sure to love LCD golf time with daddy, no?

#antiques-for-geeks #LCD #golf #retrogaming #videogames #afg #review #handheld #bandai

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canaryatlaw · 5 years

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okay, well today was alright. alarm went off bright and early at 7:45 am and getting up was quite the struggle but I made it happen. Got up and got dressed in time for the 8:21 bus, because there can never be the 8:30 bus that would actually work with my timeline *sigh*. made it to church with about ten minutes to spare (since I had to take the bus ten minutes before what would’ve made me on time) and hung out in the kids team volunteer lounge for a few before the huddle. It was set to be just me and one other girl in the babies for this service, which shouldn’t be bad. Since it’s the middle service which is the most popular they have the babies and walkers in different rooms, whereas for the other services they generally combine them. When it comes to the babies room I always say it’s either everything’s calm and perfect or everyone’s screaming and something’s on fire. Well, today was one of the latter days unfortunately. I was holding this little boy who was crying for so long, and I’d get him to stop only for him to start again totally unprompted two minutes later. It got to the point where we would normally call his parents, but due to some weird technical glitch we didn’t have his parent’s phone number (they’re generally printed on their name tags so we can easily contact them) so we had to just wait it out. And contagious crying was in full swing, so it was pretty much always at least 2 babies crying at any given time. so that was a lot, but we survived. Once we were all finished I was told there was cake in the volunteer lounge (lol) leftover from the couple who runs the kids ministry’s daughter’s 3rd birthday party the day before and it was all fancy like made from a bakery and everything and damn it was good cake lol, so I was basically shoving that in my mouth and then running to the service. My lack of sleep definitely hit me hard while sitting listening to the message, and I was struggling to keep my eyes open for quite a bit of it. I thought I had a pack of caffeinated gum in my purse (and I later found out I did) but I couldn’t find it for my life so I just had to survive. It was the time of year though when someone from team World Vision comes to talk about getting people to do the Chicago Marathon with them and raise money for their efforts to bring clean water and so much more to communities living in poverty in Africa and beyond. I have a soft spot for their organization after what I like to call “The World Vision Incident” that happened in March 2014 and is the reason I very intentionally dropped the world “evangelical” in referring to myself (I won’t get into the details now because I’ll get infuriated and never shut up, but suffice to say it left me absolutely horrified as to the behavior of the “Christians” involved) and has led to me sponsoring a child through them (her name is Retseplie, she lives in Lesotho, Africa, she is 13 years old and shares my birthday of March 26th). Sadly running a marathon is very strictly off the table for me being that my lungs can’t work properly when I run, but I always appreciate their challenge and love that many of my fellow churchgoers do take on the challenge. The sermon itself was fairly well related, starting a new series called “Loveworks” which is also the title of our like outreach team that organizes events giving back to the community here and everywhere, so we were talking about how if you’re not helping the poor you are very much not doing what the bible has instructed you to do and stuff like that, I probably would’ve recalled more if I wasn’t fighting to stay awake but not much I can do about it now (I may relisten to it when it pops up as a podcast episode in a day or two). Once church was over I headed out, taking the train to the bus home. I quickly changed out of my nice church clothes, then ate my leftovers from the cheesecake factory last night, the food portion anyway, I left the cheesecake for later on. For most of the afternoon I worked on little things I needed to get done including doing the dishes which had become a massive pile that was beginning to smell, and that’s really rank so we needed to put a stop to that for sure. It was quite the pile so it ended up taking a solid hour or two, but I felt very accomplished when I finally finished it. I put them all away after that and had to soak a few in hot water and soap because they still smelled really musty and gross, but thankfully that worked rather well. I eventually sat down on the couch with my cheesecake and some bubble tea I made and watched last week’s Supergirl episode since I hadn’t gotten around to that yet and wanted to be able to watch tonight’s episode, which I did shortly after finishing last week’s, in between which I watched a bit of “Ellen’s Game of Games” which is fucking hilarious. Overall reaction through the two episodes- ugh, I wish they’d just drop the children of liberty storyline already, it’s so fucking cringeworthy and it really was so unnecessary, we could’ve had such a good full season villain in Lex and red sun Kara. Of course it doesn’t help that I already have a strong dislike for Sam Witwer (RIP Jimmy) and any character he plays. I did like the few moments they had with his son when he runs into his friend at the raid of the alien bar and he starts questioning things, and ultimately ends up reaching out to his friend to try to help him. Of course now I’m sure it won’t help that his mom apparently just got killed by an alien, but I mean, if you’re going around acting like a giant asshole and actively endangering the lives of thousands of aliens living peacefully like....sorry buddy, but you brought that on yourself. I liked that we got to see some more of Kara Danvers and not just Supergirl, especially when she actually gets to do some reporting. The interview with Dreamer at the end was so damn good, I was actually on the verge of tears watching it, it was really excellent. I loved Kara and Lena teaming up to search for clues about Lex and what all they end up finding. I thought the brief flashback with the two Luthor siblings was very interesting, up to this point I don’t think I’ve seen anything suggesting that Lex was ever protective over Lena in any way really, so that was surprising but also kind of nice to see. I felt bad for Lena at the end when she was confessing to Kara that she had been helping Lex because she believed he was terminally ill, and I’m just like Lena, sweetie, this was not your fault, and I’m glad Kara was there to say it. So yeah, overall not bad episodes but this season still isn’t doing much for me. Once that was over I switched over to netflix and watched a few more episodes of the family baking showdown show I just started which was quite entertaining, and I pretty much watched those until I showered and started getting ready for bed, and now I am here, and did I mention I’m tired? so yeah. Tomorrow plan is to make it to the post office to mail the international autograph and to Target to pick up my prescription from Friday at the allergist, the two are on the same road so I should be able to figure something out. Until then, I will be getting some sleep. Goodnight loves. Hope your Monday doesn’t suck.

#daily journal #April 2019 #Rachel watches Supergirl

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poppyknitt · 5 years

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Rebooting...- A JSE Egos Fanfic: Winter Holidays special pt 2

Congratulations, guys. We’ve done it. World Initiative has officially come to a close... God, what an amazingly fun journey of ups and downs it’s been. Thank you, all of you wonderful people who chose to stick with the story, regardless of where you jumped in and started reading. I’m sorry i didn’t have a better way to subtly thank you than add you in as a character in the very far background, but, hey, at least it helps me with the transitions between major plot points and shit.

Recap: As it turns out, the Anti invading our beloved egos’ world has been here at least since either late September or the first week of October, working behind the scenes to slowly but surely capture each of the egos, making sure to replace them with each fakes every time he succeeded. Once he had only three left- Chase, Jackieboyman, and Seán-, he snuck into our Anti’s world, and freed the weaker glitch from the dark magic spells Marvin had used to keep him from ever getting back up and resuming his torment of the egos again. They went on to capture Chase at some point just before Christmas Day, which was the day when Monitor- the foreign Anti- finally enacted his plan, and sent our Anti after Seán and Marvin, while he went after Merlin, Jackie, and Jackie’s newly formed family. It wasn’t until after the world was erased that we were forced to stop watching the screens for a little, just so we could reboot the one we’d been using to see this world’s story this entire time. Yeah, by the way, you’re a highly obscured but potentially important character now. Deal with it, because this detail is gonna train you to love yourself whether you want to or not. Anyways, at some point between the monitor’s crash and when we finally got it to reboot, our Anti was brutally betrayed by his new partner in crime, and Jackie was captured.

Minor gore warning!

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World Initiative Masterlist

[December 25th]

Just as you turned your chair back around and looked at the World Initiative monitor, you saw the dreaded blue screen glitch away, but for some reason, the screen was pitch black. Then, a moment later, one of the two Antis’ face appeared, taking up most of the screen.

“L͝oơk̵ a҉t͏ ̀y͏o͠u͏...͡ ̷j̕u͠st͘ ̵si̡t͟t͘íng th̀ere͞,̢ a̶l͟l̕ lo҉s̛t͞ and͢ cònf͜us̛ed.̛.̸.͜ Almơst ͠lik͝e̷ ỳo̶ú ̶d̀o͝n’t h̴a҉ve ͢any̢ ̀cluè wh҉a͝t̴ ju͝şt͜ h̨app͡e̶n͝e̛d̨..͏.̴ ̛H̡a̡. It͡’͏s ̀a p̸ity̴,̕ ̧r͢eal͝l̢y...̴ ͠Yo͟u trie҉d so ͘h̵ard͏,̧ b̴u͟t̶ i̴n͟ ́the e̷nḑ? You̢ f͘ái͝l̨ed.̡ I̸’͢v̴e ́al͟r͟eady w͝ón, ͝an͞d ͠s̨oo̵n̶,͢ m͟y̨ ̕so-͜c̴alled ̛“p͠a̶r̴tńe̕r̵” will m̷ee͢t̸ ͜h̶is͢ fa̡te..̨. ͝N͠othi͠ng ̴ca͟ń s͞to̧p̵ m̴e̛ f̸r͞om̢ fi̸n̷is̀h̷i̷ng̕ ́m̨y̛ ͏pl̢a̕ǹs ҉ànymơr̶e, ̡ńot̕ e͢v͠en̕ y͘o͝u.̀” His voice dripped with malice, and he looked as though he was enjoying himself. Then, the screen glitched, and revealed the glitch’s entire figure. To your horror, the other anti was lying in the background, facing away from you, in a puddle of what you assumed was his own blood.

“..͠. ͜Y̷o̷u̢ w͠a͟nn͡a ̶k̷now͠ ̴w͡h͡at’̴s ͢g͞r̴ea̷t abo̕u͜ţ this? ̷H̨e̛’s n͢ot̀ e͡ve͢n ̧thę ̕on̛l͜y͡ oné...͏ ̴I̛n fa͠c͠t͟,́ ͜t͝he ̴e͡ǵo͠s ́y̧o͡u’d ̛m͘et ͜o͡ver̷ the ̢s͞h҉or҉t͟ ̛time y͡oư’̨v͏e̡ ̸be͟eń h͜e̡r͏e?͏ T̵h̢e͜y we̵re̷ ͜all̨ ̡j͟u͠st́ ͠f̴a͜k̕e̸s.̨ R̸e͝p̨lace��m̵e̢n͞ts Ì p͞ut i͞nt͢o͡ ̸t͡h̷ei͟r wo̶r̵ld̡ s̕o͜ it wou͟ld͡n’t̀ be͞ ͞ob̧vious̸ tha͘t̴ s̴o̡m̧e͜one҉ ͜w͜a̢s҉ ̧picki͠n̕g̛ ̸t͠he̡m off on̷e ͜by̧ ̸o͜n̴e...̢” As he spoke, the screen zoomed out a bit more, as the limp bodies of the egos appeared behind the glitch, in the positions you last saw them in, when you had seen Chase accepting his death that would apparently never come. But, horrifyingly enough, Jackie was with them now, and he looked horrible. His coat was stained in blood, and his face was bruised, too.

“N-No..! Wh- Y-You can’t do this to them..! T-They don’t deserve this! They were happy! They- P-Put them back! Let- Let them go..!” A second voice sobbed out, and your heart stopped, as you realized who Anti was talking to. Merlin. The monitor switched to show him, and you felt your heart shattering. His cheeks were stained with tears, as he sat on the ground, looking broken and lost. He seemed to loose sight of Anti as he focused on the bloodied bodies of his new friends in the background, softly muttering something along the lines of “No, god, please no..” over and over again, in a broken, hoarse, and whispery voice.

Anti took out a knife, and your mind started screaming for Merlin to snap out of it as the glitch approached him, but no, Merlin didn’t, he just shakily grabbed his hair between his fingers, and curled up on the ground, sobbing brokenly at the sight of all the pain his failures had caused. Anti finally got to him, and, placing a foot on his back to pin him down to the ground, raised the knife up, totally ready to stab into the poor man child at full force, and end his life right there, when, suddenly, a blue and black blur rammed into him.

“Get the hell away from him, you fucking monster!” Marvin yelled, hurling the obviously much lighter glitch several meters away with a single body slam. Merlin’s eyes were wide open again, and he watched in pure horrified shock as another version of himself kicked the ass of the strongest being he knew just by the sheer power of surprise.

You silently cheered the magicians on as Marvin ran to Merlin, helped him up, and opened up a portal that presumably lead to WorldView.

“W-Wait..! What about the others?! We-We can’t just leave them..!”

“We have to, kid! I only incapacitated him for a bit; there’s no time for us to go back for any of them! Trust me, I would definitely be going back for them if we could spare the time for it.” And with that, they went through the portal, and the monitor shut off. The other monitor turned on soon after, and showed them arriving at the egos’ house in WorldView.

Marvin stumbled through the portal, his arm tightly wrapped around Merlin as he helped him through, and closed it behind him. As soon as he let go of his alternate self, though, he accidentally stumbled and smacked into the ground.

“O-Oh no! Are you okay?!” Merlin yelped in surprise, immediate kneeling by his side.

“M’fine..! Just... clumsy.” He said, his cheeks lightly dusted with a slight tint of pink as he spoke. Merlin laughed at his response, still being cheerful despite the horrors he’d just seen.

“... Marvin? Who is this?” A familiar voice asked cautiously. Marvin looked up to see a nervous-looking Jackie, who was accompanied by a Peregrine falcon in a blue mask not unlike his own.

“Oh, hi Jackie! This is one of my new friends! He’s... kinda... an alternate version of me..? From... another au..?”

“You went to another universe?! Why?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because you were gonna say no! I had to go after Anti, Jackie! He was planning to hurt more people, and I just can’t stand by and do nothing but watch as he destroys other people’s lives and happiness just because they aren’t from our universe!”

“Marvin, what the hell?! I told you not to go after him!”

“I don’t care!”

“Fine, then! If you’re going to behave like a child, I’m going to treat you like one! Until I say otherwise, you are hereby not allowed to leave the house or go anywhere without someone to keep an eye on you at all times.”

“Are- Are you grounding me?!” Merlin’s voice was somewhere between astonishment and amusement as he spoke, though, his posture almost made it look like he was challenging his older brother.

“Yes.”

“Well, that’s a fuckin’ power move, if i’ve ever seen one.” Marvin grinned.

Merlin glared at him, “Don’t encourage him!”

“I have no sides in this argument, I do what I want.”

Jackie snorted at Marvin’s comment, and extended a hand out to him, offering to help him up, “So, you have a nickname we can call you?”

He took the offer, and Jackie helped him up, “Uh, well, I don’t really do much multiverse traveling, so not exactly? But, uh, since your Marvin goes by ‘Merlin’ outside of this universe, I guess I’ll go by Sauron?” He had no idea what to call himself, honestly.

“Heh, cool. Good to meet ya, pal.”

“You too.” His gaze flicked to the falcon on the hero’s shoulder.

“Oh, that’s right! I forgot to tell you about our furry household friends!” Merlin exclaimed, “The falcon’s name is Ferris, by the way. My familiars are Thorn and Chomp. I’ll, uh, introduce the others later on.”

Jackie sighed, “Well, I guess you’re here for the same reason as the guy my son brought home today, right? Your universe is gone, yeah?”

“... I think so, yep. Who’s the other guy..?”

“Seán.” Jackie stated.

“Oh, thank god that monster didn’t get him, too..” Merlin looked relieved.

“What?”

“... Anti’s got all the other egos from their universe, Jackie... He... He even took their versions of your kids... and..” Merlin paused, voice breaking as he spoke again, “... I think he killed their mother...”

“What?!” Jackie’s demeanor immediately changed at the mention, although somewhat indirect, of Ava’s death.

“He- I-I don’t know, I just know the last thing i heard before the universe disappeared was her screaming in pain..!”

“... Change of plans. We have to save them.”

“Wait, really?!” Merlin’s face lit up with joy.

“Yes.”

“Does this mean I’m ungrounded?!”

“No, not by a long shot, kid.”

“... darn it...”

~~~

[January 1st]

Merlin swung gently on his hammock, the sheer level of boredom involved in being on some minor form of house arrest clawing at the edges of his mind. There was nothing fun to do at home! Not even their visitors were worth messing with anymore. The robo-Chase guy was busy testing out a couple new features that his brother apparently installed a few weeks ago, while said brother was mostly being confined to staying in place and not doing anything for pretty much the entire time it would take for his newly reopened wounds to heal. Everyone else that didn’t have a job had figured out how to tell when he was plotting a new prank or something, so they wouldn’t really be any fun to bug, anyways.

His eyes landed on the window, and his face lit up with a mischievous grin, as he suddenly knew what to do. First, he quickly darted to his door, and peeked out, making sure no one was within hearing range.

Nope. Not a soul.

Then, he swiftly snuck his way back to the other side of the room, unlocked his window, and, making sure to be as silent as he could, he lifted it up, and hopped outside, clumsily clinging onto the side of a telephone pole he’d forgotten was there. Oops.

He shrugged it off, and somehow managing to climb to the top, sat once again in the “spiderman” pose, a big, goofy grin on his face as he looked around for somewhere he could jump to, other than the roof of the egos’ house. Thankfully, there was a tree not too far away, so, figuring it’d be worth a shot, he took his chances, and jumped for it.

Barely managing to grab onto a branch and stabilize himself, he hastily clambered up on top of it, after making sure it was strong enough to support his weight. He surveyed the area again, and realized this might’ve been a stupid idea, because he was at least three or four meters up, and there wasn’t any reliable places to land on, at least, from his position. The next closest tree was all the way on the other side of the canopy, and it would probably be fairly difficult to maneuver himself over to a good position for jumping.

Nevertheless, he inched his way over to the trunk of the tree, and looked around for a branch he could grab that brought him closer to the other side. Luckily, there was one neither too far away, nor too high up for him to reach. He did have to jump a bit, and pulled himself onto it, but that wasn’t really a big deal. To be honest, right now he was just worried about making it there safely, and not damaging his cape in the process. Either one of those would compromise his “great escape” immensely.

He soon worked his way over to the other side, and looked for a safe place to land on the other tree.

...

....

Merlin had no idea how long he’d been outside for, but he was in the more dense part of their city now, and his travels had sped up a lot. He now practically flew from rooftop to rooftop, using physics to his advantage for most of it, and magic for the rest, laughing joyously from the thrill of the adventure. He made one last jump, spinning around a bit in the air before he landed, now facing the other direction. This was the closest building to the place they usually set off the best of the fireworks in the city on New Year’s Eve, right? Yeah, looked like it.

He peered over the edge of the building, and, sure enough, there was a crowd gathered down there for the celebration. He looked at the digital banners above the entrances to a few of the shops in the area, trying to see if one of them would display the time, and, sure enough, 11:58 scrolled across one of them. He grinned. He was just in time!

Next thing he knew, the last two minutes were almost up, and everyone down below was counting down the final ten seconds. As soon as the clock hit 12AM, cheering erupted from them, and five rockets shot up at the same time, exploding into a beautiful, but blindingly bright array of colorful light patterns in the night sky.

After a long while of beautiful, but absurdly loud explosions in the sky, Merlin figured it was no more than an hour into the new year, but regardless, the fireworks were still going, the crowd was still watching them, and he was getting pretty tired. Honestly, he didn’t even notice it when he slowly started drifting off, the loud booms no longer keeping his mind from sleep. He was more concerned with the fact that he’d just realized he forgot his mask in his room.

...

....

.....

“...ht kid? Hey, kid! This isn’t really a good place for a nap, y’know!” The sound of his other self’s voice woke him up, and he blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. He regretted it though, because he saw a concerned Sauron and, well, Jackie, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed, looking very annoyed with him.

“... Oops..?” He grinned nervously.

——————————————————

Next Chapter

Masterlist

Sauron’s official nickname for Merlin is “kid” and no one can change my mind-

@antis-loyal-puppet @tiny-septic-puppet @rorald-spooks @septic-dr-schneep @insaneangel18-blog @ihaveanunhealthyteaaddiction

#WritersofJack #jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye egos #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent magician #fanfic 2 #WorldView #wv!marvin #wv!jackie #wi!marvin #wv!anti

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grumpygayming · 5 years

Note

So obviously you should do those questions for matt and wren bc you wnt to so once you get time you should do it

You & I are on the same page lmao, I was gonna answer these whether asked or not tbh. SO thank you for sending this & giving me an excuse to post them 😂🤗Are they physically affectionate? Matt: Very much so, he loves little contact like hand holding or brushing their arms together while they’re out. And when his boyfriend drives he always puts his hand on his thigh, just because.Wren: The clingiest lil shit alive. He’s always hugging his partner from behind while they’re doing stuff and he whines about not getting enough attention if they’re in his general vicinity & not hugging him or anything (if they’re not busy of course).

🎶Do they have a type? Matt: Tall, long hair, some visible facial hair, & brown skin... Clearly he dates outside of that but in his ideal world if their personality aligned with his... that is who he’d be with.Wren: Anyone he deems cute and able to cuddle him, that’s his type.

😡What are their deal breakers? Matt: Dislikes kids, has no ambition, can’t communicate properly. It’s why he dates so little, he’s found at least everyone has one of these qualities and he has to work with them on it or just walk away.Wren: Non commitment (refusing to label things or admit to feelings), not being upfront. He’s had enough of it and if there’s even the slightest hint at either of those things he’s out.

↕️Are they sub, dom or switch? Matt: Definitely a switch.Wren: The subbiest sub to ever sub.

⏰How long do their relationships tend to last? Matt: A year+, his shortest relationship was 3 mos and that only ended because of extenuating circumstances, otherwise they probably would have went for the long haul and gotten married.Wren: Not long at all, Wren is a fan of flings and living in the moment so short term relationships are his game while he’s young.

💍Would they ever get married? Matt: Yes, he wants that so badly not only for himself but for his son too. He wants his conventional family, with a picket fence, and a dog more than anything. It represents stability to him which he hasn’t had much of his entire adult life and he needs for his son to see what a stable, healthy family structure looks like.Wren: He can’t see it right now but he would love to get married before thirty if the opportunity arose. Otherwise he’s perfectly happy dating for the time being.

🏷️Do they give their partners cute nicknames? Matt: Yes!!! Silas has many, Matty’s favorites for him are Snugglebutt & Flapjack. In secret he calls him Dummy though, affectionately about 90% of the time.Wren: He’s pretty basic and sticks to babe/baby. He doesn’t stick around long enough for personalized nicknames most of the time.

💋Are they more sensual or sexual? Matt: More sensual, for sure. Wren: Sexual, completely.

📖What is their favorite outside of the bedroom activity to do with their partner?Matt: When the weather permits or they’re visiting his home town in Hawaii, walks on the beach. He’s also a fan of dates to coffee shops they haven’t been to before and ordering drinks specific to the shop. Wren: He’s super simple and loves watching reality TV with his partners, especially if they’re into it too. And after each episode He likes to critique everyone over wine and takeout.

🛏What is their favorite bedroom activity to do with their partner? Matt: He really loves getting lingerie and showing it off, what follows after is fine and dandy but he really enjoys the process of getting dressed up and then seeing his boyfriend’s reaction.Wren: [Redacted bc Wren is gross]

💚Are they prone to jealousy? Matt: Not really, if he feels the emotion he’ll acknowledge it, try to figure out what the root of it is and move on. Wren: Yes, very much so. He’ll try to push it aside but he hates feeling like he’s coming in 2nd to his partner(s). [He will eventually grow out of this but he’s currently learning how to deal with it.]

😘Does their demeanor change when in a relationship? Matt:Outwardly he seems a lot grumpier... which isn’t entirely wrong. When he’s still getting used to a new partner it throws him a bit off of his usual balance and it irritates him. He also hates sharing personal details... like the fact that he is even dating someone so when the time comes to be public he seems irritated and angry for quite awhile. Wren: He is giddy as hell and everything is a ray of sunshine when he has a partner. He loves romantic love and wants everyone else to have it and love it too. This lasts for basically as long as he’s with his partner too.

👫Do they display affection in public? What about in private? Matt: Hand holding but he gets flustered about anything more than that or maybe kisses on the cheek in public. Whereas in private he’ll gladly sit on his boyfriends lap and give him all the kisses he could want.Wren: He loves pda, so much. All of the kisses in public and hand holding, all of it, he wants everyone to know he’s taken and in love. In private.... he’s even more intense about this.

💕Are they open to threesomes or a polyamorous relationship? Matt: He’s not really open to causal threesomes, however, if the circumstances for a polyamorous relationship arose and he approved of the third party he would be willing to give it an honest shot.Wren: He loves the thought of threesomes and poly relationships. He’s not sure how he’d actually fare with multiple partners who were also involved with each other but the idea of having different types of love with different people and caring for them in his own way is so appealing to him.

💔Do they have a certain type of person they will not enter into a relationship with? Matt: 85% of the human population. He’s really particular and needs to get to know a person before even considering them as a potential partner. If he couldn’t befriend them, he wouldn’t date them. So, anyone who is guilt trippy, cannot be held accountable for their actions, dodges adult conversations, etc. could not be someone he would date. Wren: Not really, he’s fairly open, so long as they like animals and can deal with him yelling at the TV during movies they’ve got a chance.

💝How long until they feel secure and comfortable in a relationship? Matt: This is bad but...... Never? He’ll always have this slight sense of uncertainty and be prepared to have to detach and leave. It’s a side effect of the relationship that he got his son out of. He may be comfortable with his partner but security isn’t something he’s been accustomed to and it’ll take a long time for that to be the case.Wren: He doesn’t stay long enough for security but comfort comes easy for him. So long as they don’t seem violent he can be comfortable int he span of a couple weeks.

🤐Would they ever confess their feelings first? Matt: He’s usually the one to do so. Once he’s sure he wants to act on them he’ll let the other person know how he feels and let them know exactly why.Wren: He will but he much prefers the other person making him feel wanted and confessing their feelings first.

❌Would they ever cheat on their partner?Matt: Never, ever, ever. He would sooner break things off than cheat and ruin their sense of trust in any relationships after theirs.Wren: He would say no but if he were stuck in what felt like a loveless relationship he would be the first to step outside of it for some from of happiness/a simulation of true love & affection.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Do they want children? Matt: He’s already got a son but he wants more later on. Kids are a rough topic for him at the moment since he miscarried in September and he’s still recovering from it. Wren: He needs at least one daughter so that he can honor Maxine Shaw and name his child after her. So, yes, he wants kids.

🐶Are they a cuddler?Matt: Very much so, not necessarily for the sake of cuddling but because he’s cold all the time, he leeches body heat off of his partner.Wren: Yes! He loves the contact and being held brings him such comfort.

🔮Do they believe in soul mates? Matt: Not necessarily. He thinks people can be compatible for each other and work well together but the concept of one singular soul mate or “the one” is absolutely ridiculous to him.Wren: Yes, however, he believes you can have multiple soul mates depending on the time and space you’re in. Your soul mate may change, hence why he’s not in any rush to settle down.

⚔️ Are they protective of their partner? Matt: Super protective. He’s ready to fight over anyone disrespecting his boyfriend or hurting his feelings. He’s not afraid to actually stand up for him and get involved either. (Though, online stuff is different. If on the twittersphere someone is being a dick his go to response is: “Baby, they aren’t important. Ignore them.”)Wren: Extremely. If someone even looks at his partner wrong he’s ready to take his earrings off and beat their ass.

🚀 How far are they willing to go for the person they love? Matt: All they way to Canada. Any further and they can fuck right off. Jokes aside, so long as it won’t negatively impact his son or his own mental health he will move mountains for his partner.Wren: It truly depends on how long they’ve been together and how committed they are.

❤️ Do they fall in love easily? Matt: Not even close, he’s so guarded that he’ll even second guess his feelings when they start getting more intense.Wren: Yes, too easily for his own good.

📺 Do they share information about their relationships freely with friends and family? Matt: Not even. His parents and childhood best friend get details & information but with newer friends (even of years) he will give them the bare minimum. Even then it’s a stretch, he waited a whole month to even tell his friends his ex-boyfriend’s name.Wren: Yep, as said before... he loves love. He feels like sharing all the cute little details of his relationships may inspire his friends/family to get out there themselves.

♦️Are they concerned with the social status of their partner? Matt: Nope, so long as they are doing things with their life and self improving he doesn’t care about their social status at all. Wren: Ashamedly so, if they don’t have some kind of impressive title or a reputation in their field chances are he’s not going to get very far into a relationship with them. Though, they could become a regular on his hook-up list.

💭 Do they tend to sleep better when in bed with their partner?Matt: No, he’s gotten so used to sleeping alone that now sharing a bed with his boyfriend is a major adjustment. He does enjoy cuddling but he finds it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep now.Wren: Yep, he loves the contact and having someone else there makes it much easier for him to relax and fall asleep.

#I'll add pictures later maybe.#char stuff #A read more too. it's 3am so.... this is how its stayin rn #simshodo

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thepurebredking · 6 years

Text

BY THE WAY, YOU’RE SCREWED w/@DhestroyLegacy

Wrath: Tonight was going to be a long night. Not only did I have a full schedule to begin with, we had squeezed this Brian O’Neal kid in near the beginning of it. I was still unsure of how that conversation was going to go. I guess it would depend on how much he had already learned about his great-grandsire, and what he was going to be satisfied with. How much information was he looking for? The meeting could go in so many directions. I wasn’t sure I was ready for some of them, but we would see when he got here.

Caroh had fit Brian in somewhat early on it the evening, due to the fact that our early was his late. So, V had directed one of the doggen to pick him up in one of the blackened out towncars. Yes, he had found his way here once, but no need for him to remember that if we didn’t need him to. I had directed V to only tell Brian what was necessary to get him to agree to meet with us. Seeing as V had wiped him, I wasn’t sure what he was aware of at this point, and didn’t want V to give him any more information than was needed to get him in that car. He would find answers to his questions once he arrived.

Once again, I made sure that V was present with me. It had actually been V’s night for rotation, but a slight adjustment to the schedule and V was switched to be at the Audience House with me. Any other night, he would have fought tooth and nail to be out on rotation, as opposed to being here, at the Audience House. But, knowing that Brian was coming in tonight, he wanted to be here. He was just as thrown by the whole discovery as I was, and as much as this was going to be an answer session for Brian, we had questions for Brian, as well.

Brian: I was surprised to the black car outside of my home. I told them to leave, but whomever was driving insisted I had an appointment somewhere. Why the fuck couldn't I remember? Shaking my head, I grabbed my phone, and my jacket. I also grabbed my gun, if I'm going to an unknown location, I was going to fuck someone up and take them down with me. I put the muzzle down the back of my pants, and pulled my shirt over it. Putting on my Jacket, I walked over to my niece and kissed the top of her head and left a note for my sister. No need to even try talking to her, I was a fucking ghost.

Wrath: The night started off with a couple looking for a blessing on their youngs’ mating. A mating that the young in question did not want. Thankfully, both young involved were at the appointment and could stand up to oppose the mating. Had they not been there, or submitted forms in advance, I might have had to grant match. There had definitely still been some people that were not thrilled with the fact that I had won the vote and obtained the throne. This pair of parents were among them, and they made it blatantly clear what they thought. V abruptly reminded them of their stature in the court, and they less than graciously left. The young thanked me emphatically.

Checking with V on the time, I knew it was close to time. I had one more appointment before Brian would be here, a couple that had been mated 250 years ago and were looking for my blessing on it. At the time of their mating, there was no one sitting on the throne to bless their union. They figured seeing as this would be their 250th anniversary, and a king sat on the throne, what better time. Beth would love this shit! I called for Micah to bring them in.

Brian: I chilled in the back of the car, my fingers twitching, I honestly couldn't remember a damn thing and it was eating away in my gut. Something was wrong, that's what my cop instinct told me. As we slowed at a red light, I looked out in the night. The windows were tinted black, but I was still able to see. Rolling my neck, my fingers itched. I leaned up, and asked if we could make a quick stop. They said sure, and stopped me at a gas station. I promised I'd behave and bought a pack of cigs, and popped one in between my lips and smoked the whole damn thing before crushing it on my jeans. Feeling a bit more calm. I slid back, and off we went to see the wonderful wizard of assholes. Swallowing, I put one behind my ear as the car stopped.

Entering the building, I seen eyes widen in shock before a doggen darted into the back. Quirking a brow, I ignored the reaction as I studied the surroundings by me before putting a smoke to my lips, not lighting, yet.

Wrath: *****

Micah was at the front again, tonight. He had been read in on the whole Brian sitch. It was evident that the King and V didn’t want anyone else to know about this guy until they were able to square things away. It wouldn’t go over well if someone like Marissa was to find out about him before Wrath and V were able to research all the details. So, a small staff of doggen, as well as Caroh at the front desk and Micah standing guard, were there for the night. Caroh and Micah had both already seen Brian, so there wasn’t a concern of them talking. They had both been told the seriousness of the situation.

Caroh saw Brian the second he stepped inside and immediately greeted him. “Brian, correct?” she questioned as she checked him off the appointment book. “Micah will bring you in, in a moment, if you’d like to take a seat.” She motioned to the set of chairs off to the side, and nodded to someone just down the hall, out of Brian’s site.

Micah caught the nod from his position, just outside the Meeting Room, and patiently waited for the couple inside to come out, all the while keeping his eyes on Caroh for protection. He would be at her side in a flash if needed. A couple of minutes later the doors swung open and an elated couple emerged, hand-in-hand. Micah escorted them back out front and wished them well on their anniversary.

Turning to Brian, he nodded and spoke, “If I search you, am I going to find any weapons on you?”

Brian: Watching everyone scurry around, I against the wall instead of taking a chair. I saw the couple coming out, freezing as they look at me. Quirking a brow, I hear the word, “Human” but everything else was gone. Shaking my head inwardly at the odd word and moved passed them only to come up to the other guy. I reached behind me and pulled out my gun before letting it hang from my finger. “Safety is on, I wasn't planning on shooting myself in the ass.” I smirked, but looked at him seriously, “The gun stays on me, I may be a cop, but I'm not stupid enough to walk into a trap. Other than the gun, I got nothing else on me.” Setting the gun down close to me, I held my arms out for him to search me.

Wrath: *****

Micah thought to himself, ‘Respect to the guy for not trying to pull a fast one on me, but…’ unfortunately, Micah knew he was going to have to unburden the guy of the gun before letting him in the room with the King. “I’m sorry. I appreciate you being honest and all, but I can’t let you in that room with the gun… and trust me, you want to go in that room. If it makes you feel better, Caroh will lock it up in our safe, but you can’t take it in.” He waited, to see how the guy would react.

Brian: I growled between clench teeth as I stepped into the guy’s personal space. “Anyone jacks that gun, or I get my ass killed, or beat. I will hold you responsible. No, that's not a threat. It's a damn promise.” I hissed before handing him my glock. Normally, I would have walked when someone told me that, but my gut was telling me he was right. I was meant to be here, even if my cop instinct was telling me to tell them to fuck off. Narrowing my eyes, I looked down the hall, as if waiting for something before I shook it off. “We got a deal?”

Wrath: *****

Without responding, or taking his eyes off of Brian, Micah passed the gun to Caroh. Once Caroh took the gun and was on her way in the other direction, Micah turned on his heel and started walking toward the Meeting Room. “This way.” He had no patience for Brian’s sense of self-worth. He was here at the request of the King. Did he not even understand what that meant?

Stopping at the door, he reached an arm out as if to direct Brian into the room. “The King awaits.” He made sure to emphasize the word ‘King’, in order to remind the guy of who he was here to see. Once Brian was fully inside the room, Micah spoke clearly enough for the King to hear him, “Brian O’Neal, my sire.” and quietly backed out of the room, closing Brian in behind him.

*****

I listened as the kid cautiously moved forward. “Please, have a seat. I’m sure you have questions.”

Brian: The emphasis was not lost on me. However, I didn't know who the hell anyone was. My eyes snap up at the voice, holy shit! My adrenaline snapped and it made me jump back. In front of me, I was staring down two giant fuckers. Swallowing hard, and reached behind me, only to realize my gun was not on me. Mother fucker! Sitting down on the chair.

“Yeah, let’s start with an easy one, who the hell are you? And what the hell do you want with me?”

Wrath: I could hear the apprehension in Brian’s voice practically before he started speaking. He had absolutely no memories of our last meeting. Good, actually. The less he knew starting off, the better. The last time we met, he had preconceived ideas of who we were. Most of them, I’m sure were incorrect. This time, I could tell him without other ideas clouding up his vision. “Actually, you sought us out, and now that we’ve done a little digging and found out who you are, we have asked you back here so we could give you the answers you seek, as well as answer some of ours.” I paused for a second to let that sink in, but before he could start asking questions, I continued, “I believe you are looking for your great-grands… father? We have some answers for you, about him. Now, we can tell you about his life, who he spent it with, how he lived it, and who he was. However, I will tell you, the more information you want, the further down the proverbial rabbit hole you will go. So, ask yourself this, how much do you really want to know about your great-grandfather? You may find out some truths about yourself, you don’t want to know.” I knew that wasn’t going to make a shit ton of sense to the kid. But, I couldn’t put it more plainly. There were things here, that if the kid dug too deep, he may not want to know. I had found out he was a cop, so I was assuming digging was the kid’s second nature. However, in this situation, he needed a warning.

Brian: Sitting up straight, I listened to his words. I been here before? When? Why couldn't I remember? Bowing my head, I ran my fingers through my hair and tugged gently. It was a habit I had picked up whenever I got stressed out. Sighing softly, I looked up at the guy. “Why…” I was cut short at the mention of my great-grandfather. My eyes widen, sitting closer to the edge. “You knew him?” The warning was grave, basically, I could end up six feet under, but honestly? I could care less. Besides, although these fuckers were huge, I felt...odd sort of hope. Licking my lips, my mind was made. I did what no one else could, I found his other life. “Tell me, I don't care if you end up killing me, just please. Tell me.”

Wrath: I knew this kid was going to want it all. However, I was only giving him as much as he asked for. I found it interesting though, that he was willing to die for information. What good could it possibly do for him to know, two minutes before dying? No matter. The kid wanted answers, I had them. “Your great-grandfather was an honorable man. I know you have had your doubts about that, but let me assure you, if he had known about your grandfather’s existence, your life would be extremely different. He would have been a part of his life, as well as your father’s, and yours. He lived life hard, and he loved hard. He was fierce with protecting and loving his family. He was a cop, just like you, and later a warrior, protecting a race. To us, he was family. From what I’ve learned about you, he’d have been proud of who you’ve become. Don’t get me wrong, he had his faults, but they were far outweighed by his good points.” How much more to tell him, without blowing the kids mind. That was about my limit, without the kid actually digging for more. The kid would have to ask some pointed questions to get more than that. “How long have you been searching for him? And by the way, don’t be so quick to die for answers. They won’t do you any good in the Fade.”

Brian: Listening to his words, my heart ached in my chest. It sounded like he had a good life, a strong one. Swallowing back emotion, it took me awhile to get what he was saying. It was mind boggling, it was odd. Shaking off the sense of dread before looking at him. “I just needed to know what happened, now I can put my dad at peace. That's why this information is worth my death. WillI tell him where he was, no. That would be up to you guys. Myself? Been looking for information about him for fifteen years. My great-grandfather's friend died looking for him, grandfather was killed trying to find him, got caught in a crossfire, my dad hates him because he thought he abandoned us for another family. Wouldn't you want to put those restless spirits, souls, whatever you want to call them, to rest? To be at peace?” I shrugged, “If I can do that, then it's worth it if you send me to a pine box afterwards.”

Wrath: Listening to Brian’s story about his family, I could see how the events could have unfolded that way. “Trust me, if he had known about your grandfather, he would have been there for every moment. There would never have been any question that his heart was with you all. But none of that is any reason for us to put you in a pine box.” I got the implication. I knew how humans buried their deceased. “I am only trying to help you make peace with the… “ I tried to come up with a way to get my point across with the weight I intended, but came up short. “Unfortunate misunderstanding.”

Waving a hand, I motioned to V to show Brian the folder of pictures we brought. I had asked V to make sure none of them gave away anything about us, as a race, or our locations. But, I wanted Brian to be able to see that his great-grandfather had lived a happy life. I also made sure none of them had either V or myself in them. Having pictures of Cop looking as young as he did, next to us, also looking young, would definitely freak this kid out. After I heard a shuffle of paperwork being passed, I spoke up. “We brought some pictures of your great-grandfather that we thought you might like to see.” I gave him a minute to peruse through them and let everything he has heard and seen sink in.

Brian: Sitting back, I narrowed my eyes. Something wasn't right here. What he was saying, was true. I understood that, but something was...off. An earlier statement rung inside my head. “You may find some things out about yourself,’ then him telling me that I wasn't going down in a pine box for wanting to give peace to my family, then why make that innuendo? Snapping out of those thoughts, I caught the last part of his statement before sitting up. Unfortunate misunderstandings, that's one way to accurately describe this cluster fuck. A folder was slammed in front of me, and eagerly I opened it. Scanning each photo, each one held emotion. Whether it was love, lust, happiness, joy. Something about them was off though, and that's when I came across my grandfather holding a child, a girl. “I...I’m a nephew?” Well, I guess that shouldn't be a surprise, although it stung deep in my chest. I never did look up as I continued to look through them, the girl was growing up, but...Butch never changed. His appearance never got older. Now, I wasn't one to believe in the supernatural, not personally anyway. I was more thinking of them being myths that people created out of boredom, or as something that happened aeons ago. Something twisted as I looked up, “What are you?”

Wrath: A nephew? What fucking pictures did V put in that envelope? I raised my wraparounds with my thumb and forefinger as I squeezed the bridge of my nose. “No. Your great-grandfather had no young. He had many in his life, but none were of his own blood.” Dropping the shades back on my nose, I looked back up. Shit! What had I said that would have led him to that question? I thought back, hard, on everything I had said. Nothing. There was nothing I could come up with that would have steered him in that direction. That meant someone fucked up and put something in that envelope that didn’t make sense to the kid. I diverted away from the question. “However, you do have more family than you know about.”

Brian: I compiled the photos in front of him, pointing to each one, watching one of the guys pale slightly. “Someone put photos of the child growing up, everyone is tight lip smile, but their lips are sealed. I’m a detective, not an idiot.” I knew he avoided my question, and would avoid. That statement had me halting. What? “I know most of the O’Neal kids, and you said that he didn't have kids, how could I have more family?” Were they lying to me? Did he have a kid? I sat down, rubbing my temples. I seen the goatee guy leaning over, but I couldn't hear what was said, but by the guy's face, I knew it wasn't good.

Wrath: The sound of shuffling photos hit my ears and I waited, knowing that V would explain. “Fuck!” came the muffled response from V off to my right. As he leaned down to my ear, he whispered an explanation that several of the photos happened to have Nalla, Bitty, and LW in the background, growing up. I shook my head thinking, ‘First off, I’m going to kill the idiot that put the photos together, but more importantly, I’m going to beat the fuck out of V for not looking through them more thoroughly.’

Once again, I ignored the basic question. How to explain to a human that you, yourself aren’t? Most won’t believe, and I wasn’t sure I had the patience for the whole ‘Fucky you, you are!’ argument. "You have family on your great-grandfather’s side… behind him in your family tree. I am one of those relatives, as is my son and one of my… associates. It’s distant, but blood, all the same.”

Brian: I noticed, that once again, he ignored my question again, fine. As the saying goes, the less you say, the more that's revealed. Or something like that. I almost fell backward at his words, he was a relative of mine? Grabbing the desk to keep me up right, I stared at the black wraparounds, “Say what now? You telling me you are my….distant cousin or some shit?” Honestly, I didn't know what to think as I stood up and began to pace. Shit....”Wait…” I stopped and stared at him, “Does that mean I'm related to grease ball behind you?” I was flipped off at that, but I shrugged.

Wrath: Not knowing this kid from Adam, I had no understanding of how he would take any more information. However, we couldn’t let him go with only half of it. If he left now, he might be satisfied in knowing what he found out about his great-grandsire, but he would be back, and I couldn’t have him coming back and forth, drawing attention to our world. However, if we wiped him again and let him go, he would surely be back. Maybe not in a few days, or even a few weeks, but he would be back. This was going to have to be an all or nothing deal.

“I have an offer for you. If you would like to learn more, I can arrange for you to meet the rest of the family. But, you would have to come tonight and be ready to spend a few days with us. Should you chose not to, you will likely never get the chance again.” I paused for a second before adding. “I will warn you, this is the proverbial rabbit hole.”

Brian: Sitting back, I stayed quiet, lost in thought. I had what I needed, the proof of his life, where he was, and how things came to be, however it didn't feel like I accomplished anything. Stuck in the same damn rut, being cursed at. All because of a decision none of us made. I scraped my hand through my hair, ‘proverbial rabbit hole’ he says. I wanted to snicker at the reference, but didn't. According to this big guy, I was family. His family. I couldn't help looking back through the tears of my life in thought, was this what Butch was looking for? Sitting up, I grabbed the photos again, and looked through them, by the looks of it, he found what he was looking for, was I going to? Something in me vibrated at the idea of it, another part warned me at the ominous warning. Once I make this decision, there was no going back. Part of me wondered why I was about to say what I was going to say, until my niece’s face popped in my head.

“I come along, my family gets left alone?” I asked, “And I put my dad at peace. As I said before, and Mr. Broody there can come if he wish to prove that I didn't break my word, not a word of this gets mentioned.” Was I asking a lot, yep. Did I expect him to okay anything? Nope. A small sliver of me hoped he would though.

Wrath: Letting out a heavy sigh, this kid was going to be the death of me. “Don’t worry about your family. They are in no danger. We have no intention of hurting them, or you, for that matter. However, you can put your father’s mind at peace /after/. You come with us tonight, give us a few days, then you can go back to him and put his mind at ease, then.” I couldn’t tell the kid that I couldn’t have him leave, knowing what he did. I wanted him to know it all before making a decision about the rest of his family and life. As it was, if he agreed, we were going to have to keep him here tonight, I was going to have to cancel my appointments for the night, and then I was going to have to go back to the manse and let everyone know what was happening. If he decided against it, we would have to wipe him again and send him home. That might even require moving the Audience House, and I did not want to do that. I sat back and waited, trying not to show how much I had riding on his decision.

Brian: I sat for what felt the longest time in my life. Turning everything over in my head. Everything just, overtook me, and had everything in me split between two parts. One was getting up and running as far as I could, or the other....taking this guy up on his offer. Learning more about him, about my...distant family. God, that was the hardest part to wrap my mind around. Rubbing my face, before rubbing my palm over my jean clad thigh, I lifted my head, looked at him, and answered, hoping like a mother fucker I wasn't going to regret this shit.

“May God forgive me, but yeah. I'll go with you.” I said, my eyes flickered on the other guy, and thought I saw a bit of relief on his face, and that amped my heart rate even more, what the fuck did I just agree to?

Wrath: A wave of relief washed over me, as all concerns about finding another property for the Audience House. There were so many things to consider… the whole race knew of this property now, switching it would be a nightmare! Not to mention, which property would work, and how would I make sure that people didn’t come to this one and think it was no more… But, that whole idea got a stay of execution for the time being, at least until we gave the kid a chance to meet everyone and decide which road he was going to take.

“Perfect. V and I need to make a few preparations at the house before you come by. So, we will go ahead of you and Micah can bring you over in a couple hours. Make yourself comfortable until then. Micah can bring you to a room to sleep for a bit if you’d like. If not, there is a kitchen. The staff will be happy to make you anything you’d like.” I grabbed the phone on my desk and dialed the front desk. “Caroh, can you move my appointments for the next three days? Yes, including tonight. Tell them all I’m sorry. Something important has come up, and send Micah back in, please.”

Micah wasted no time in making his way back into the meeting room. “Micah, make our friend comfortable. We will be calling for him in a bit. Until then, make sure he wants for nothing.” Turning back to the kid, “We’ll see you in a few.” And then Micah escorted the kid out.

I picked the phone back up and called back to Caroh, “Caroh, make sure Micah and the kid don’t leave the house until I call for them. Then one of the doggen is to escort them both straight to the manse, no diversions of any kind.”

“Yes, sire,” she replied.

“And call ahead to the manse. I want every one of the Brothers, and the shellans in my office when I get there.” I added.

“Yes, sire. Anything else?” She questioned.

“That will be all. Thank you, Caroh.”

“Of course, Sire,” she replied and hung up the phone.

Turning to V, I commented, “Well, this is going to be a long night.”

All I got was a grunt in return.

#BTWYoureScrewed #ISBDBRP

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