((Colin McCabe continued from Awaken to the Threat))
Fucking broken. What a life he led.
A few nights ago, Colin’s phone had fallen to the ground after he’d had to deal with some pissant online. He had decided not to check on it at the time, only to find the next day that the fall had left his screen a spiderwebbed mess.
Somebody out there was probably laughing it up.
Colin wasn’t one for the mall, but he knew that he could get his screen fixed on the cheap here, so it was worth the annoyance. Plus, he could probably swing by one of the hobby shops and see if there was any cool new statuettes in stock.
Passing through the mall’s central hub, however, Colin couldn’t help but do a little people watching. If nothing else, the variety of people one found here on the weekends was somewhat compelling.
Taking a seat on an open bench, Colin looked down as the shattered screen again. Fuck, this shit sucked.
Collisions
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 12:39 am
PRINCESS enters upstage.
Machinery still had a tendency to feel cold, dead, inert in her hands. She might have been entrusting herself to a prayer when she'd started tinkering on things more of the blue collar earth than her outdated phone- not that she was particularly inclined to hold herself above the contempt of the working class, it was just that they were inclined to certain pastimes that she could not endorse. To have such a lack of aesthetic trappings, absolutely despicable! Still, there was a certain life to the mere potential embodied by that which had been constructed by enterprising human hands, use to potentiate human activity above and beyond the mere capacity of the mortal. A man could improve himself in any number of ways, Princess had increasingly come to decide as her education had increasingly intersected with oil and rust-
... And, to conclude! Cars were damn awesome, and that was the end of story Princess was willing to stake all her literary worth as a playwright on!
Thus it was that she'd borrowed a set of spare spark plugs from one of grandma's old friends, and the aforementioned Ms. Blumentritt was unaware of the borrowing, but that was a technical detail worthy of little further elaboration. She had one out of the pack and in her hands as she made her way aimlessly through the mall, occasionally stealing away enraptured peeks before expounding the majority of her visual budget on ensuring she wasn't being watched too closely. She rounded a corner.
Three pylons, still fresh with the smell and luster of chrome (it wasn't chrome, but chrome was the nicer word) emerged right from the bottom. Multiple electrode? Mrs. Phillips, the auto teacher this particular semester, had mentioned that. Princess had cleared at least a little room from the shrine of her naturalist aesthetic and had started to memorize something as dry and technical as science. Imagine that! She sat down as she poured over the bit of equipment in her hand, wondering if she could easily dissect what lay beyond the shell with just a little elbow grease.
This bench, she realized. It was already occupied. That was a 'whoops', as in, she had certainly not intended to do that.
Her moment of surprise only lasted a moment, and was not even particularly relevant to any onlooker when she appeared to immediately have intended to have sit there all along. The trick was in the casualness allowed in her slouch, not enough that she actually appeared slovenly, or that any unseemly amount of skin would begin to ride beyond the hem of her skirt, heaven forbid. The story she was telling: she had walked up, taken her seat first, but had always been aware of who it was she was talking to. Said person, that happened to be...
Him. He certainly had a way with words, much as Princess had a way with disdaining them to a healthily irreverent extent. Was it too hard, for the nameless faces of her generation, to at least be good at expressing unwanted opinions?
"Colin!" She smiled, let her spark plug treasure vanish from their collective awareness, rested in her lap as if it had never existed at all. "Rare we meet outside of school." Short sentences, truncated. Colin wasn't one of those students who needed prompting to speak. He'd gladly provide his own prompts, and his own bullet points, and his own conclusion.
Machinery still had a tendency to feel cold, dead, inert in her hands. She might have been entrusting herself to a prayer when she'd started tinkering on things more of the blue collar earth than her outdated phone- not that she was particularly inclined to hold herself above the contempt of the working class, it was just that they were inclined to certain pastimes that she could not endorse. To have such a lack of aesthetic trappings, absolutely despicable! Still, there was a certain life to the mere potential embodied by that which had been constructed by enterprising human hands, use to potentiate human activity above and beyond the mere capacity of the mortal. A man could improve himself in any number of ways, Princess had increasingly come to decide as her education had increasingly intersected with oil and rust-
... And, to conclude! Cars were damn awesome, and that was the end of story Princess was willing to stake all her literary worth as a playwright on!
Thus it was that she'd borrowed a set of spare spark plugs from one of grandma's old friends, and the aforementioned Ms. Blumentritt was unaware of the borrowing, but that was a technical detail worthy of little further elaboration. She had one out of the pack and in her hands as she made her way aimlessly through the mall, occasionally stealing away enraptured peeks before expounding the majority of her visual budget on ensuring she wasn't being watched too closely. She rounded a corner.
Three pylons, still fresh with the smell and luster of chrome (it wasn't chrome, but chrome was the nicer word) emerged right from the bottom. Multiple electrode? Mrs. Phillips, the auto teacher this particular semester, had mentioned that. Princess had cleared at least a little room from the shrine of her naturalist aesthetic and had started to memorize something as dry and technical as science. Imagine that! She sat down as she poured over the bit of equipment in her hand, wondering if she could easily dissect what lay beyond the shell with just a little elbow grease.
This bench, she realized. It was already occupied. That was a 'whoops', as in, she had certainly not intended to do that.
Her moment of surprise only lasted a moment, and was not even particularly relevant to any onlooker when she appeared to immediately have intended to have sit there all along. The trick was in the casualness allowed in her slouch, not enough that she actually appeared slovenly, or that any unseemly amount of skin would begin to ride beyond the hem of her skirt, heaven forbid. The story she was telling: she had walked up, taken her seat first, but had always been aware of who it was she was talking to. Said person, that happened to be...
Him. He certainly had a way with words, much as Princess had a way with disdaining them to a healthily irreverent extent. Was it too hard, for the nameless faces of her generation, to at least be good at expressing unwanted opinions?
"Colin!" She smiled, let her spark plug treasure vanish from their collective awareness, rested in her lap as if it had never existed at all. "Rare we meet outside of school." Short sentences, truncated. Colin wasn't one of those students who needed prompting to speak. He'd gladly provide his own prompts, and his own bullet points, and his own conclusion.
V8 Vibes:
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 12:39 am
It wasn’t like Colin expected to be left alone in the mall of all places, but having someone just plop over next to him and start talking couldn’t help but feel like an invasion of his space.
Turning to face his new companion, the teenager found that he did recognize her. Princess, a girl he’d seen around in class a couple times and spoken to a bit, but never thought much about her individually.
Pursing his lips, Colin replied after a moment of consideration.
“Well, what a lot of people don’t consider is that I’ve got a lot of shit to do. Got a lot of irons on the fire, you get me? I’ve got class, I’ve got homework, I’ve gotta work out, I’ve gotta keep my finger on the pulse of culture.”
He scratched his chin, looking around the hub where they currently sat.
“I don’t have time to just fuck around in the mall like some people. I’m only here because my phone’s KIA.” Colin explained, displaying the her the ruined state of his phone’s screen.
“I mean, why the fuck do they make them so fragile? It’s like, they make em shit so you have to go buy a case separately so you spend even more money. World’s a fucking crapshoot, Princess.” The teenage boy grumbled, going off on a tangent as his mind drifted off.
He grit his teeth, before letting out a deep sigh. He didn’t even know what this girl wanted out of him
“It’s whatever… What are you doing out here?” He asked, turning his gaze back to her.
Turning to face his new companion, the teenager found that he did recognize her. Princess, a girl he’d seen around in class a couple times and spoken to a bit, but never thought much about her individually.
Pursing his lips, Colin replied after a moment of consideration.
“Well, what a lot of people don’t consider is that I’ve got a lot of shit to do. Got a lot of irons on the fire, you get me? I’ve got class, I’ve got homework, I’ve gotta work out, I’ve gotta keep my finger on the pulse of culture.”
He scratched his chin, looking around the hub where they currently sat.
“I don’t have time to just fuck around in the mall like some people. I’m only here because my phone’s KIA.” Colin explained, displaying the her the ruined state of his phone’s screen.
“I mean, why the fuck do they make them so fragile? It’s like, they make em shit so you have to go buy a case separately so you spend even more money. World’s a fucking crapshoot, Princess.” The teenage boy grumbled, going off on a tangent as his mind drifted off.
He grit his teeth, before letting out a deep sigh. He didn’t even know what this girl wanted out of him
“It’s whatever… What are you doing out here?” He asked, turning his gaze back to her.
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Emprexx Plush
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((Hel Fury continued from whoa that sure was a fucking age ago who cares let's get cracking))
So, let's make things straight from the jump: Hel was a motherfucking pirate. Somehow things had gotten less glamorous days since the days of scurvy and syphilis, because now piracy mostly came down to being too short on cash, ethics, or both to wanna deal with corporate gatekeeping. Yes, depending on how far you wanted to stretch the definition expecting money in exchange for goods and services was a form of gatekeeping, and Hel's enthusiastic employment of the rhetorical rack was going to land them before a war crimes subcommittee someday. Starbs didn't pay much and they didn't lose much sleep over whether some corporation lost 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of their profits because they downloaded a pdf or streamed some bootleg anime. The downside for them, aside from their morality meter shifting millimeters further into the red, was that they didn't get to have a lot of actual factual books.
Damn do you sometimes want a real rulebook in your hands. It was worth next to nothing for planning, digital was way more convenient, but there was power in physicality. Sometimes they printed things off just to have that weight at hand when they were running a game. If you wanted to get wild about it, physical media was a conduit between realities, an anchor point for the energy you created through visualization to collect on. It's stated use was less important than its agreed upon importance. When they paused dramatically and left the table waiting as they could hear but not see them rifling through papers, cracking spines, rolling dice, scratching notes...none of it had to mean a thing. The reaction gave the action meaning, and that was powerful shit on a cosmic level.
So here they were, swaying their way from the games shop with a stack of rulebooks they'd already read dozens if not hundreds of times. Dad would shake his head if he knew they'd blown there money like this, but he'd love to pour over the text with them just the same. They should hit him up tonight. Maybe set up a one shot together sometime, just the two of them. He could use the distraction.
Hel was a few big steps from being on top of Colin and Princess before they spotted them. "Oh hey ya'll, what's up?" Colin could be, uh, a lot. They kinda had a soft spot for him though. He had a big mouth and a bigger opinion of himself so they or Kayla had to take a hand at reigning him in often enough at the club, but if you could hang without getting personal he was fun to argue with and he knew his stuff. At the heart of it they believed he was good people. Just, y'know, surly. They winced when they saw the broken phone. "Yikes. Who do we gotta kill for that my dude?"
So, let's make things straight from the jump: Hel was a motherfucking pirate. Somehow things had gotten less glamorous days since the days of scurvy and syphilis, because now piracy mostly came down to being too short on cash, ethics, or both to wanna deal with corporate gatekeeping. Yes, depending on how far you wanted to stretch the definition expecting money in exchange for goods and services was a form of gatekeeping, and Hel's enthusiastic employment of the rhetorical rack was going to land them before a war crimes subcommittee someday. Starbs didn't pay much and they didn't lose much sleep over whether some corporation lost 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of their profits because they downloaded a pdf or streamed some bootleg anime. The downside for them, aside from their morality meter shifting millimeters further into the red, was that they didn't get to have a lot of actual factual books.
Damn do you sometimes want a real rulebook in your hands. It was worth next to nothing for planning, digital was way more convenient, but there was power in physicality. Sometimes they printed things off just to have that weight at hand when they were running a game. If you wanted to get wild about it, physical media was a conduit between realities, an anchor point for the energy you created through visualization to collect on. It's stated use was less important than its agreed upon importance. When they paused dramatically and left the table waiting as they could hear but not see them rifling through papers, cracking spines, rolling dice, scratching notes...none of it had to mean a thing. The reaction gave the action meaning, and that was powerful shit on a cosmic level.
So here they were, swaying their way from the games shop with a stack of rulebooks they'd already read dozens if not hundreds of times. Dad would shake his head if he knew they'd blown there money like this, but he'd love to pour over the text with them just the same. They should hit him up tonight. Maybe set up a one shot together sometime, just the two of them. He could use the distraction.
Hel was a few big steps from being on top of Colin and Princess before they spotted them. "Oh hey ya'll, what's up?" Colin could be, uh, a lot. They kinda had a soft spot for him though. He had a big mouth and a bigger opinion of himself so they or Kayla had to take a hand at reigning him in often enough at the club, but if you could hang without getting personal he was fun to argue with and he knew his stuff. At the heart of it they believed he was good people. Just, y'know, surly. They winced when they saw the broken phone. "Yikes. Who do we gotta kill for that my dude?"
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Somersault
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:56 am
((Adele Jones continued from Dragon's Lair))
So, okay, Adele had come to the mall with not much in the way of a plan, or a direction, or really something to do, but considering she didn’t want to stay at home with dad, no matter how awful that sounded, she knew had to go somewhere, and so the mall it was. Like, it wasn’t that Dad was bad, no sirree. He was the man who had helped bring her into this world, praised be, and she would never stop thanking him for that. But, was it really wrong to want some escape from what his moping? She was trying to help, she really was, but staying in there wasn’t gonna make sure that she could stay in Vandy the whole four years, and so she ended up here, wandering the mall in search of some cheap digs.
So far, she had come up empty, and she was beginning to wonder whether not volunteering to help in organizing that rally was a mistake. Adele had just wanted a bit more space for herself, just a bit of time to think, and with all of these projects coming up, it was getting increasingly hard to keep on trucking and be the big ol’ babe she was.
She sighed as she continued walking, handbag slung over shoulder and phoen in hand, despondently scrolling through notification after notification. She could have done something. Asked ‘Nisha and Jo what they were up to, do some typical TB stuff, all fun and lighthearted-like. Even get with Bree and the swim girls, got some options there. Or really, do anything that felt more useful than being stuck in this place because admitting that she had nothing to do was admitting defeat, and Adele did not feel like doing that just yet.
Being alone, in short, was pretty shitty. She did not like using that word, not one little bit, but it summed things up perfectly.
It was as she was continuing to trudge around, tempted to give in and just text someone to get the heck out of here, that she spotted people. Well, people, and a shattered phone.
There was Hel, there was Princess, and there was Collin, that weird webcomic dude. Seeing people was good, at least in some sort of way. Meant there’d at least be conversation, something to chase the clouds swirling in her mind like a tornado.
She walked a bit closer, before peering over to see what they were all gathered round. “Y’all alright?” She asked, seeing the broken phone encased within Collin’s hands. “Looks pretty rough.”
So, okay, Adele had come to the mall with not much in the way of a plan, or a direction, or really something to do, but considering she didn’t want to stay at home with dad, no matter how awful that sounded, she knew had to go somewhere, and so the mall it was. Like, it wasn’t that Dad was bad, no sirree. He was the man who had helped bring her into this world, praised be, and she would never stop thanking him for that. But, was it really wrong to want some escape from what his moping? She was trying to help, she really was, but staying in there wasn’t gonna make sure that she could stay in Vandy the whole four years, and so she ended up here, wandering the mall in search of some cheap digs.
So far, she had come up empty, and she was beginning to wonder whether not volunteering to help in organizing that rally was a mistake. Adele had just wanted a bit more space for herself, just a bit of time to think, and with all of these projects coming up, it was getting increasingly hard to keep on trucking and be the big ol’ babe she was.
She sighed as she continued walking, handbag slung over shoulder and phoen in hand, despondently scrolling through notification after notification. She could have done something. Asked ‘Nisha and Jo what they were up to, do some typical TB stuff, all fun and lighthearted-like. Even get with Bree and the swim girls, got some options there. Or really, do anything that felt more useful than being stuck in this place because admitting that she had nothing to do was admitting defeat, and Adele did not feel like doing that just yet.
Being alone, in short, was pretty shitty. She did not like using that word, not one little bit, but it summed things up perfectly.
It was as she was continuing to trudge around, tempted to give in and just text someone to get the heck out of here, that she spotted people. Well, people, and a shattered phone.
There was Hel, there was Princess, and there was Collin, that weird webcomic dude. Seeing people was good, at least in some sort of way. Meant there’d at least be conversation, something to chase the clouds swirling in her mind like a tornado.
She walked a bit closer, before peering over to see what they were all gathered round. “Y’all alright?” She asked, seeing the broken phone encased within Collin’s hands. “Looks pretty rough.”
Quick to the stereotype of behavior. Princess at least appreciated the consistency, it might have been boring, but interesting and headache went hand in hand oft enough.
"I'd like to say I do all those things too, but you can correct me at your leisure." Princess found those who were presumptive of their knowledge were worthy of at least some contempt, it was an understanding she had long encoded into instinct since the awkward days of her teenage past life. "Don't they also... I think, design them to become outdated easily? So you have to buy replacements more often." He'd fired out enough points in parallel that Princess didn't think it important she entertained them all, she was no circus act. Even if that lowered his opinion of her there was a limit to how much influence he would ever have over his surroundings, let alone the world beyond such.
"As you put it, 'fucking around in the mall'," she shrugged, raising both eyebrows. She could afford to playact with emphasis on the play, she'd come to expect that people like him enjoyed life being at least a sliver more challenging. To use the more painfully modern vernacular- a higher level of difficulty. "I read the last entry on your blog-"
The rest of the supporting cast made themselves known. Fairly well staged entry. The blocking around the bench could have been designed better, this many people this close was less a group and more a sardine can- artificial, flavorless. A party, in other words, as opposed to a proper gathering. Princess hunched forward in her seating, overtly defensive and shy in body language. She was never the sort to pretend she couldn't be vaguely pitiable at the times most convenient for herself.
"A crusade against firms exploiting the hapless consumer seems like a good time," she smiled to herself in the way where others could see it. That statement was a mite overly political perhaps, relative to how much she disdained her generation's petty politics, but it was her generation's rallying cry. The odd fish out of the group did not get the protection.
"I'd like to say I do all those things too, but you can correct me at your leisure." Princess found those who were presumptive of their knowledge were worthy of at least some contempt, it was an understanding she had long encoded into instinct since the awkward days of her teenage past life. "Don't they also... I think, design them to become outdated easily? So you have to buy replacements more often." He'd fired out enough points in parallel that Princess didn't think it important she entertained them all, she was no circus act. Even if that lowered his opinion of her there was a limit to how much influence he would ever have over his surroundings, let alone the world beyond such.
"As you put it, 'fucking around in the mall'," she shrugged, raising both eyebrows. She could afford to playact with emphasis on the play, she'd come to expect that people like him enjoyed life being at least a sliver more challenging. To use the more painfully modern vernacular- a higher level of difficulty. "I read the last entry on your blog-"
The rest of the supporting cast made themselves known. Fairly well staged entry. The blocking around the bench could have been designed better, this many people this close was less a group and more a sardine can- artificial, flavorless. A party, in other words, as opposed to a proper gathering. Princess hunched forward in her seating, overtly defensive and shy in body language. She was never the sort to pretend she couldn't be vaguely pitiable at the times most convenient for herself.
"A crusade against firms exploiting the hapless consumer seems like a good time," she smiled to herself in the way where others could see it. That statement was a mite overly political perhaps, relative to how much she disdained her generation's petty politics, but it was her generation's rallying cry. The odd fish out of the group did not get the protection.
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Catche Jagger
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Princess didn’t seem exactly mad about his comments, it seemed like she’d taken things the wrong way. Kind of annoying that’d he’d need to explain himself on something so basic, but he’d bite.
“Look, I’m not talking about you, specifically. I don’t know exactly what you do with your time. I’m just saying that, in general, people just fuck about cause they don’t do anything real with their time or whatever.” Colin explained, gesturing broadly at the area around him.
“And yeah, they just crank em out though, and people’ll keep buying, cause we have to right?” The young man let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head.
But then she’d mentioned his blog. Colin didn’t even remember mentioning it to Princess. It must have been some throwaway comment or another, he seemed to do that a lot. Now he couldn’t help but be curious.
“Oh… uh, what’d you think?” He asked, trying to keep his tone and face as neutral as possibly, not wanting some disingenuous response.
However, before he could get it, another pair of Colin’s peers had made their way over to his resting spot. Since when had he become Mr. Popularity?
Hel he knew from the club. He’d had some decent talks with them in the past, though they seemed to be a bit condescending at times, handling him with proverbial kids gloves around certain topics. Still, they were a respectable sort and weren’t company that he’d just shrug off, and he probably would consider them a friend.
The other one he couldn’t quite place his finger on. They might have had a class together or maybe she was a friend of a friend. Regardless of what their relationship had been, he had not committed her name to memory, and he really didn’t want to ask for it right now.
“Hey.” Colin replied with a nod to each of them, before they brought his attention back to the broken phone in his hand.
“Who’s to blame are the freakin companies that make shitty phones that’ll break if you drop them on a pillow from six inches in the air. If you wanna bring the fight to company headquarters, I’d be happy to oblige.” He said, finally smiling a bit. He was only half-joking, he did deeply want to go kick some faceless CEO’s ass.
“Look, I’m not talking about you, specifically. I don’t know exactly what you do with your time. I’m just saying that, in general, people just fuck about cause they don’t do anything real with their time or whatever.” Colin explained, gesturing broadly at the area around him.
“And yeah, they just crank em out though, and people’ll keep buying, cause we have to right?” The young man let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head.
But then she’d mentioned his blog. Colin didn’t even remember mentioning it to Princess. It must have been some throwaway comment or another, he seemed to do that a lot. Now he couldn’t help but be curious.
“Oh… uh, what’d you think?” He asked, trying to keep his tone and face as neutral as possibly, not wanting some disingenuous response.
However, before he could get it, another pair of Colin’s peers had made their way over to his resting spot. Since when had he become Mr. Popularity?
Hel he knew from the club. He’d had some decent talks with them in the past, though they seemed to be a bit condescending at times, handling him with proverbial kids gloves around certain topics. Still, they were a respectable sort and weren’t company that he’d just shrug off, and he probably would consider them a friend.
The other one he couldn’t quite place his finger on. They might have had a class together or maybe she was a friend of a friend. Regardless of what their relationship had been, he had not committed her name to memory, and he really didn’t want to ask for it right now.
“Hey.” Colin replied with a nod to each of them, before they brought his attention back to the broken phone in his hand.
“Who’s to blame are the freakin companies that make shitty phones that’ll break if you drop them on a pillow from six inches in the air. If you wanna bring the fight to company headquarters, I’d be happy to oblige.” He said, finally smiling a bit. He was only half-joking, he did deeply want to go kick some faceless CEO’s ass.
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Emprexx Plush
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With Adele rolling in they were starting to look like a quirky group of teenage misfits. The nerd, the witch, the activist, the whatever Princess's whole thing was it was kinda hard to tell(editor's note: see if we can get that one chopped down by marketing, it'll never look right in a trailer). A horror flick where like, who knows, maybe there was a demon in Colin's phone or something. They should probably bail before it woke up but hanging out with demons wasn't that bad. Even if they got murdered it'd be a pretty great way to go. Somebody'd be around to collect their soul eventually.
The way Princess talked was kinda beep boop hello fellow kids and it made the immediately suspicious the demon had already got her. They squinted at her for a sec before they remembered they made that shit up. Then they squinted again when they realized it could be a different demon they hadn't made up. Then they gave up on this bit because they weren't sure where the punchline was; circle back later, there was something in here but they didn't get her deal enough yet. They shrugged at Colin and set their books down by the bench. "Good enough reason to burn down an office to me, I'll rally the troops. One of ya'll got the guillotines or should I stop by my place?"
The way Princess talked was kinda beep boop hello fellow kids and it made the immediately suspicious the demon had already got her. They squinted at her for a sec before they remembered they made that shit up. Then they squinted again when they realized it could be a different demon they hadn't made up. Then they gave up on this bit because they weren't sure where the punchline was; circle back later, there was something in here but they didn't get her deal enough yet. They shrugged at Colin and set their books down by the bench. "Good enough reason to burn down an office to me, I'll rally the troops. One of ya'll got the guillotines or should I stop by my place?"
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Somersault
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:56 am
Adele crossed her arms, denim jacket-clad sleeve over denim jacket-clad sleeve as her eyes continued to peer at the phone. Stuff still looked bad, real bad, and their discussions about getting back at whoever made the phones in the first place certainly wasn't gonna cause any real change, but it was okay. It was conversation, that's what it was, and conversation, good or bad, was better than the mall journey she had been going on. People were indeed people, for what it was worth, and even if no one she was really close to was here, there were still good people, if good people caught up in what was frankly kind of a stupid conversation.
Seriously, if they wanted to make a real difference they’d protest against the unsafe working conditions of the kids who had to make the phones, or better yet, focused on issues right in their own nation, but that was angry. She wasn’t meant to be angry, not here, and not in this kind of situation. The people were good. Mostly. Like, at the very least, none were people she hated, which meant things could move right on along peacefully.
Jokes were being thrown around, Princess was as always oddly formal about it, but whatever. “‘Spose it’d be best to make a small stop,” Adele replied, brushing some hair out of her face. Always was a hassle about getting your hair relaxed. “My folks wouldn’t exactly be too pleased if I had torture equipment laying around.”
Not exactly a topic she liked bringing up, but there wasn’t any real way to steer the conversation around, start something going as an alternative topic. Collin was on it, so was Hel, and Princess...was being herself. All good to her, she didn’t judge, but yeah. Kinda in her own world. Still, things were okay, things were alright, she was just letting things go just like that.
“Might as well try to score one for the little guy, huh?”
What she wouldn't give to be at the range.
Seriously, if they wanted to make a real difference they’d protest against the unsafe working conditions of the kids who had to make the phones, or better yet, focused on issues right in their own nation, but that was angry. She wasn’t meant to be angry, not here, and not in this kind of situation. The people were good. Mostly. Like, at the very least, none were people she hated, which meant things could move right on along peacefully.
Jokes were being thrown around, Princess was as always oddly formal about it, but whatever. “‘Spose it’d be best to make a small stop,” Adele replied, brushing some hair out of her face. Always was a hassle about getting your hair relaxed. “My folks wouldn’t exactly be too pleased if I had torture equipment laying around.”
Not exactly a topic she liked bringing up, but there wasn’t any real way to steer the conversation around, start something going as an alternative topic. Collin was on it, so was Hel, and Princess...was being herself. All good to her, she didn’t judge, but yeah. Kinda in her own world. Still, things were okay, things were alright, she was just letting things go just like that.
“Might as well try to score one for the little guy, huh?”
What she wouldn't give to be at the range.
His blog would have to wait. Without much need for hindsight she could be sure that was something of a regular state of affairs for all concerned parties- whatever said parties with stake and interest in his blog were, that in particular was beyond mere laymen comprehension.
The other two girls stared at her to varying degrees shy of suspicious glaring. Easy enough to recognize. How queer it was that society demanded unconditional tribute of sociability for the resplendent opportunity to be unconditionally held in contempt for one's lack of being contemptible. The not-good-enoughs all controlling the narrative, and those who were worthy an existential threat. Ah, what a world this was. Where projecting weakness was a form of strength. So long as Princess played her unnatural role naturally, flawlessly, she'd fit right in.
Princess found herself unconsciously mimicking Adele's touch up of her bangs, with conscious intent to appear like she actually gave a damn about belonging. She continued to hunch defensively, the shrinking violet- Violet, that name, that face, supremely not relevant to this moment yet Princess found herself wishing- of this particular narrative. A small pout formed, she reflexively started to flex her fingers as a calculated nervous tic.
"We could- uh. Might be faster to speed dial one up." Lucas- Abernathy, because it had to be specified, how awkward it must have been for even the name to bear no trapping of individuality- was always at her beck and call with a quick dial up. She had to play her relationship with him as more sugary than was healthy, but in his own way he was harmless.
"But who do we go after? I don't think Chattanooga is known for having a lot of corporate headquarters."
She legitimately didn't know that, but fortunately she had three all-too-clever idiots who'd be more than ready to pretend they knew the answer.
The other two girls stared at her to varying degrees shy of suspicious glaring. Easy enough to recognize. How queer it was that society demanded unconditional tribute of sociability for the resplendent opportunity to be unconditionally held in contempt for one's lack of being contemptible. The not-good-enoughs all controlling the narrative, and those who were worthy an existential threat. Ah, what a world this was. Where projecting weakness was a form of strength. So long as Princess played her unnatural role naturally, flawlessly, she'd fit right in.
Princess found herself unconsciously mimicking Adele's touch up of her bangs, with conscious intent to appear like she actually gave a damn about belonging. She continued to hunch defensively, the shrinking violet- Violet, that name, that face, supremely not relevant to this moment yet Princess found herself wishing- of this particular narrative. A small pout formed, she reflexively started to flex her fingers as a calculated nervous tic.
"We could- uh. Might be faster to speed dial one up." Lucas- Abernathy, because it had to be specified, how awkward it must have been for even the name to bear no trapping of individuality- was always at her beck and call with a quick dial up. She had to play her relationship with him as more sugary than was healthy, but in his own way he was harmless.
"But who do we go after? I don't think Chattanooga is known for having a lot of corporate headquarters."
She legitimately didn't know that, but fortunately she had three all-too-clever idiots who'd be more than ready to pretend they knew the answer.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 12:39 am
Yeah, Hel knew what the fuck was up. Fuck em all, right?
This whats-her-name chick, though, something about her demeanor, arms crossed and shit, rubbed him the wrong way somehow.
“Hey, guillotines aren’t torture devices. They’re execution devices and they were very humane for their time, so.” Colin wasn’t 100% certain on that humane bit, but it sounded about right.
Then there was Princess, going on to ask the “practical” question.
“Well, we go right to the top then, obviously!” He proclaimed, leaping up to his feet and gesturing in an almost theatrical style. “If they aren’t here with us, then we go to them!”
However, as Colin reached out his arm to point at some unspecified location, out beyond the mall’s walls, his phone slipped forth from his hand and clattered to the ground before him. Pieces of the screen now completely shattered off, scattered on the ground nearby.
Colin’s hand fell to his side, limp, and he soon found he was grinding his teeth.
“Fucking phones…” He hissed.
This whats-her-name chick, though, something about her demeanor, arms crossed and shit, rubbed him the wrong way somehow.
“Hey, guillotines aren’t torture devices. They’re execution devices and they were very humane for their time, so.” Colin wasn’t 100% certain on that humane bit, but it sounded about right.
Then there was Princess, going on to ask the “practical” question.
“Well, we go right to the top then, obviously!” He proclaimed, leaping up to his feet and gesturing in an almost theatrical style. “If they aren’t here with us, then we go to them!”
However, as Colin reached out his arm to point at some unspecified location, out beyond the mall’s walls, his phone slipped forth from his hand and clattered to the ground before him. Pieces of the screen now completely shattered off, scattered on the ground nearby.
Colin’s hand fell to his side, limp, and he soon found he was grinding his teeth.
“Fucking phones…” He hissed.
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Emprexx Plush
- Posts: 1678
- Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2018 3:37 pm
- Contact:
Hel eyed the phone on a ground with a raised eyebrow. "Now that, that shit right there? Suuuuuspiiiicious."
Pause for effect. "I'm just sayin', it breaks right as my guy is building up that good good fuck the man energy? The way I see it, there are three possibilities." They were rubbing their chin as they looked around the group. "First," they said holding up a finger, "it's just a coincidence. The hype was too strong and this vessel too weak. I'm throwing that out straight away, it's a little toooo convenient."
"Second!" An accusatory finger pointed down at the phone. "They're listening in. It's betrayed Colin and the coming revolution and it deserves everything it gets. Logically all our phones are probably traitors too. Now I'm ignoring this one cuz..." They fished into their jean pocket and pulled out their own cracked phone. "I dunno about ya'll but this thing could come alive and try to steal my kidneys or something and I still have second thoughts about chucking it. So we got just one option on the table..."
They got real quiet and leaned in. Their voice dropped to a stage whisper. "One of us is a fucking rat."
Pause for effect. "I'm just sayin', it breaks right as my guy is building up that good good fuck the man energy? The way I see it, there are three possibilities." They were rubbing their chin as they looked around the group. "First," they said holding up a finger, "it's just a coincidence. The hype was too strong and this vessel too weak. I'm throwing that out straight away, it's a little toooo convenient."
"Second!" An accusatory finger pointed down at the phone. "They're listening in. It's betrayed Colin and the coming revolution and it deserves everything it gets. Logically all our phones are probably traitors too. Now I'm ignoring this one cuz..." They fished into their jean pocket and pulled out their own cracked phone. "I dunno about ya'll but this thing could come alive and try to steal my kidneys or something and I still have second thoughts about chucking it. So we got just one option on the table..."
They got real quiet and leaned in. Their voice dropped to a stage whisper. "One of us is a fucking rat."
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Somersault
- Posts: 312
- Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 8:56 am
Oh, now it was this shiznit. Eye-roll, deserved? Heck yeah, but she still didn't give one, cross necklace right on her chest reminding her that no, that was not the good way. The godly way. Didn't make it any better to hold it all in and just to smile at all of this, because this was still all really stupid, and Adele was in no mood to deal with it, but fine. She was still here, still in this mall, and still with people.
Maybe if she'd been in a better mood, had a better day, she would've felt less liable to just clam up and not say much, but she really, obviously, and constantly was not in the mood for any Wacky Shenanigans. Still, it'd hurt to ruin other people's days, and as shitty as this was, she could loosen up, just a little, just enough to be down with the get-down, but not enough to be fricking insane.
Adele leaned in, too, pretending as if she really gave a single care about the whole thing going down, nodding and everything, with the mmhmms and all to seem invested, although inside she was drifting further and further away from this barren beach of a convo.
"Well," she started, holding her hands up as if in surrender. "There's gotta be a way to find out who the rat is, am I right?"
She was right, because there was no frickin' rat, but okay. She was here, she was stuck, and she was gonna do something about it.
Maybe if she'd been in a better mood, had a better day, she would've felt less liable to just clam up and not say much, but she really, obviously, and constantly was not in the mood for any Wacky Shenanigans. Still, it'd hurt to ruin other people's days, and as shitty as this was, she could loosen up, just a little, just enough to be down with the get-down, but not enough to be fricking insane.
Adele leaned in, too, pretending as if she really gave a single care about the whole thing going down, nodding and everything, with the mmhmms and all to seem invested, although inside she was drifting further and further away from this barren beach of a convo.
"Well," she started, holding her hands up as if in surrender. "There's gotta be a way to find out who the rat is, am I right?"
She was right, because there was no frickin' rat, but okay. She was here, she was stuck, and she was gonna do something about it.
When had this become a Scooby Doo cartoon? Was it too much to ask that the nonsense of her day-to-day at least be slightly more inspired? Borne of culture, of taste, or at the very least of slightly better screenwriting? Princess could have iterated it out loud, composed a monologue for at least two minutes- modern society and culture had lost the flavor of yesteryear, et cetera, anguished platitudes and assertions ad nauseum. But she was, much to her chagrin, born in later times. This was where she belonged, which certainly said a lot about her own merit and self worth.
Princess bent down to the phone's corpse, easily doubling over until she could almost have bashed her forehead into her shins- might have been about as good a use of her time. A delicate finger touched at the sharp shards of demolished plastic- a truly modern marvel, that, not even having the decency to come directly from the earth like metal had- as another hand more pointedly insisted her skirt continue to remain in place.
"Hm." She straightened up.
"Treachery almost seems too convenient as well. Could our enemies not want us to turn on each other?"
She'd lost track of the narrative intent some time ago, actually, but it probably wasn't particularly needed or welcome. Present company considered.
Princess bent down to the phone's corpse, easily doubling over until she could almost have bashed her forehead into her shins- might have been about as good a use of her time. A delicate finger touched at the sharp shards of demolished plastic- a truly modern marvel, that, not even having the decency to come directly from the earth like metal had- as another hand more pointedly insisted her skirt continue to remain in place.
"Hm." She straightened up.
"Treachery almost seems too convenient as well. Could our enemies not want us to turn on each other?"
She'd lost track of the narrative intent some time ago, actually, but it probably wasn't particularly needed or welcome. Present company considered.
V8 Vibes:
V7 Vibes:
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Catche Jagger
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Thu May 23, 2019 12:39 am
Colin collected up his phone and the scattered remains of the screen and down at the collected mess in his hands as he listened to the remarks of each of his peers.
After they finished with their words, Colin took a moment and let out a deep sigh.
“There’s a fourth option, Hel. All opposition within the system is controlled opposition and there is no alternative to real fucking revolution.” The boy elaborated, “And for now, there ain’t no fucking revolution.”
He then took a step closer to Princess, but not before shooting the other girl a bit of a glare. If there was a rat, Colin knew it was her. Stranger walks up, giving off a weird energy, and Colin’s rallying cry gets shut down?
Convenient was right. But she wasn’t his real enemy. Not yet, at least.
“Princess, if you have any thoughts on the blog, leave a comment. It helps drive traffic in. And you too Hel.” He added, his tone becoming more formal as he returned his gaze to the Mystery Guest.
“Have a nice day. For now, I have to go fulfill my damn duty to the fucking elites.” He proclaimed, beginning to storm off, before stopping himself and adding, “Oh, and good seeing you again Hel.”
From there, Colin McCabe was certain of one thing: whoever was running the phone whatever booth better not give him shit.
((Colin McCabe continued in V7))
After they finished with their words, Colin took a moment and let out a deep sigh.
“There’s a fourth option, Hel. All opposition within the system is controlled opposition and there is no alternative to real fucking revolution.” The boy elaborated, “And for now, there ain’t no fucking revolution.”
He then took a step closer to Princess, but not before shooting the other girl a bit of a glare. If there was a rat, Colin knew it was her. Stranger walks up, giving off a weird energy, and Colin’s rallying cry gets shut down?
Convenient was right. But she wasn’t his real enemy. Not yet, at least.
“Princess, if you have any thoughts on the blog, leave a comment. It helps drive traffic in. And you too Hel.” He added, his tone becoming more formal as he returned his gaze to the Mystery Guest.
“Have a nice day. For now, I have to go fulfill my damn duty to the fucking elites.” He proclaimed, beginning to storm off, before stopping himself and adding, “Oh, and good seeing you again Hel.”
From there, Colin McCabe was certain of one thing: whoever was running the phone whatever booth better not give him shit.
((Colin McCabe continued in V7))