Got it done.
Sure thing. I'll get to work on that.
Yep. Can't disagree with that logic.
Hardly subtle but yeah. I kinda feel like I should stay on famous numbers for at least a while. I missed the 42 and 69 bandwagons years ago but now I'm at another one and I should keep it around for a while yeah?
never posting outside the spamzone again?
Either way it worked out pretty well and it makes it even more impressive that you got a coherent story together at all. Man I wish I was as good a writer as you sometimes.
I expected as much from you. Haven't read something like this and liked it in a very long time. For that much I feel I should thank you for writing this. But as they say the devil is in the details. I feel like you could have found a way to better convey the timeframe in which all of this happened. As this is it feels like you're conveying the ephemeral quality of the eons but at the same time the character really feels time wearing on him so I feel like it's a good idea that ends up feeling very slightly clumsy and unintentional. So that was my one complaint. I'd like to keep in ming that it was a very minor thing to me and I'd like you to know that too. Overall, I pretty nearly loved it so I'm gonna just end it here on that note. Excellent work.
I roll a 20. Linux now supports Flash.
Except we didn't need anyone to say to the strongest goes the empire.
I just beat the zelda one to move up in the rankings. Right now I'm more concerned with pacman since I actually enjoy it more when I play with my name under the score to beat. In short: No worries.
I briefly held it myself right after you and intermittently during Pencilman's reign.
I look forward to it.
Now I can get all my high scores back.
And this is how I know my point was conveyed properly.
They said the Spartan would win because of thicker armor. They totally ignored that Spartans were trained to fight in groups and that samurai were the rough equivalent of knights not heavy infantrymen.
They did have samurai versus spartan at one point. Guess who won? Hint is everyone I told the answer to raged as hard as I did.
I respond in the affirmative.
You get a members only jacket.
1-6 Spoiler “How can you always be there for me, when we parted ways so long ago?” Erica thought to herself as she awoke. She’d been dreaming of something that seemed so very close at the time but now was as unobtainable as a floating speck of dust that dances out of your hand every time you draw near to it. She reached out for it slowly, cautious of the air she’d displace, but still couldn’t get a grasp of what it was that she’d dreamt of. The slant of the sun’s rays filtering through her windows onto her outstretched fingers told her it was sunset. Either she’d been sicker than she’d imagined and it was Saturday afternoon or she was exactly as sick as she’d imagined and it was still Friday and she had another two days of lying in bed to look forward to. A test of her balance proved only that she shouldn’t get up so soon after waking and that she’d have to take it slow for a bit. But that was fine. Everything had to be taken slow sometimes. Even if it seems like a waste. Haste makes waste was the saying actually. Erica stood motionlessly preventing her body from wavering and tipping over with half her mind and considering her own surroundings with the other. There was a note on her desk next to the dully glowing red numbers of the alarm clock. It was evening and the note was clearly from Hughes, a signature that would put Hancock’s to shame and a drawing of a small creature was all it took to identify him, even at a distance at which neither could be properly distinguished. He’d come to see her and left already. Erica stirred herself to motion with a sigh of relief that she’d managed to sleep through it. A steadier stride was quickly coming to her legs as she tottered over to her workspace and lifted the small folder scrap of paper that had been left for her. It was one of his unnecessary little pep talks on a page. The girl rolled her eyes at it and threw it away without more than just a skim that told her that he had nothing new to say. Kira hadn’t told him a thing and so it fell to her to set things straight. She turned to face the door and was struck with a bout of dizziness and vertigo. Once it passed Erica stepped out into the hallway connecting the living room to the bedrooms and saw her mother stepping through the front door. “Erica!” cried her mother in surprise. “You should be in bed.” “I’m fine.” The girl replied dismissively as she made an attempt to walk evenly enough to fool the woman. “You always say you’re fine. That’s the kind of attitude that makes you collapse in the middle of school.” “What day is it?” She asked without taking notice of her mother’s concern. The only way to deal with her was to ignore these sympathetic advances, they’d only lead to disappointment in the end if accepted. “Friday still dear.” She was dearing her. It was galling almost. “Thanks.” Erica said offhandedly. “I think I’ll go back to bed if it makes you feel any better then.” “Would you have said the same if I told you a different day?” “I’m not sure, I didn’t really have plans at least.” She paused to stare momentarily at her mother. “Well, I’m off to bed again, not like I haven’t gotten used to it.” “Erica wait.” “I didn’t mean anything by it Mom.” She quickly added. “It has nothing to do with you.” “But Erica dear, you’re my daughter it has everything to do with me.” Erica wanted to say something back, but the door was closed and neither one of them was for serious conversations. Anything more than a status report and batting back and forth of meaningless chit chat in that family usually ended badly, so Erica bit her lip thinking over what to do next with herself in an attempt to push thoughts of her family out of her head. It wasn’t easy but it was doable. If living out the past year as she had taught Erica anything it was that many things were difficult to get one’s mind off of but few were impossible. So she sat on her bed thinking of how to convey her message to Hughes. There was no good way of going about it. Whether she was blunt and terse with it or kind and gentle with it, she’d be telling him that the girl he’d been friends with since he was a toddler practically didn’t exist; hadn’t existed for some time now. No one would take it well, especially not a boy like him. But now probably wasn’t the time to be concerned with what he needed. She’d spent all of her time worrying about what was best for him so long that she’d all but stopped caring about anything else. And yet the world had kept on turning. “I’m such an idiot.” Erica sighed as she walked back out into the living room. “One more question Mom.” The woman’s head poked up from behind her book quickly. “What is it?” “I have to go back in for observation this weekend right?” “Of course you do, every two weeks the doctor said.” “I’d forgotten. I should rest up until then. Don’t need another reason for them to worry. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The girl said, turning to return to her room. She could tell that there wouldn’t be a response after that, at least it felt like business as usual again. If nothing else that gave Erica a center to start from again. Usually she wouldn’t be so emotional. Usually she would think less about what she felt and more about what she did. Usually she would just let things roll off her back like water. Usually she would be more focused. Usually she wouldn’t be so depressed. Since the day she returned home from the hospital for the start of the new term nothing had been as usual. This past week had been even less so if that was at all possible. Erica cast a glance around her room as she sat on the side of her bed. Everything seemed so normal. Lamp, desk, closet, window, door, walls, ceiling, floor. Everything around her had a place and it was sitting right in it. The only thing that seemed to be out of place in that little room was the girl leaning off the side of the bed thinking about thing that must never have happened. They were far too fantastical to have happened to a real person. They were far too unrealistic to have happened to a real person. Erica could only think that either they’d never happened or she was the product of a deranged imagination. The fake her was a work of fiction the real her was a flight of fancy. What was the difference then? Erica couldn’t think of an answer, so she lay herself down and stared up at her ceiling. There were lots of things without answers in the world and not every answer that did exist was a right one anyways. She turned on her side and reached over into her nightstand’s drawer and retrieved a single slip of paper. It was like her, a vestige of an age gone by. It was probably a bad idea to keep it around; it wasn’t hers and it wasn’t useful. There was absolutely no reason to keep that frail rectangle of pulp and ink that she squinted through the darkness at. Still, even things that hurt to have can hurt just as much to abandon. “I’ll still do it. There’s no other way to solve this.” She whispered to herself before closing her eyes and waiting for her body to give in and just take another few hours of sleep. - At the hospital Erica was met with the standard procedure that had become the hallmark of all of her tenures, visits, and dealings in general with the doctors. Her personal physician, Dr. Parish, had, at her grandparents’ request, followed her back to the city to take care of things. He was a young man who was the pride of his graduating class and had ambitions of using his position at his home hospital as a springboard into a research position and yet Isaiah Parish was looking after some girl instead. Erica couldn’t help but feel he resented her underneath that perfect mask of congeniality. She felt for him too; she’d be just as disappointed if not more so in his position. “So how have things been going Erica?” He asked. “The same.” She quickly responded. If there was a way to get straight on to the examination and the out of the hospital she would very much have liked to have it happen. “I’ve gotten a bit of a cold, but that’s all.” “Recovered or still in the midst?” “Recovered.” “That’s good. I trust you’ve been keeping up with the exercise regimen laid out for you?” “I have.” She lied. The goal of the regimen was to get her back to how she was before the injuries so that she could continue with her life as uninterrupted as possible they had said. That was either a sick joke or a gross miscalculation of the meaning of three to five years. She had neither the dedication nor the patience to spend all that time taking baby steps, hoping that one day she might become a mediocre athlete again. That’s all she ever was anyways. Always got the lowest qualifying times, never made the top ten, and couldn’t ever connect with the team in any noticeable way. They were better off without her and she without them. So she lied with a straight face because by now it was only natural. “That’s also good. If the tests go well it’ll be all good across the boards.” He said flipping through a chart and leading her down to the testing rooms. There she’d run on a treadmill, sit around, get blood drawn, sit around, answer more questions, sit around, get poked and prodded, sit around, get lights shined in her eyes, sit around, and finally she’d get out of that ridiculous looking hospital gown and go home to wait for it all to repeat itself again in another few weeks. “Alright.” She said following obediently. The less resistance you put up the more they like you. The more they feel like you’re acting as you should the more comfortable they are. “That’s the way. You’ll be better in no time.” He lied, just as straight faced as Erica. Dr. Parish had turned pleasing people into a science on top of his profession. He didn’t pretend a second, he just spouted the mendacious and twisted reality to fit his words. He knew that more than half of what he was saying to patients was false and he kept doing it anyways to preserve a positive outlook or peace of mind or even dreams. But Erica wasn’t in the mood for chasing dreams. So she just followed him and his instructions. Remove whatever articles of clothing; sit for whatever tests, all of it. At the end of the first day she pulled at her sweater and stared at the affable man as he scribbled something down on a chart as if it meant something. Suddenly, he paused and looked up at her. He didn’t say anything at first, it looked like he was mulling over what to say and examining her face concurrently. The he abruptly began their final conversation of the day. “Well, so far everything looks pretty good. Tomorrow we’ll be moving on to the second battery, but if today is any indication, you’ll be out sooner than usual. So get rest, eat well, and stick with it. I know that recovering from a car accident like this can be tough, but you’re really fortunate to be so well off as you are. Things will start looking up again, I promise.” “Thank you. My mom is probably waiting for me.” She said to excuse herself. “One more thing. I know you’re not exactly thrilled with all of this but I’m glad that through all of this you’ve managed not to fall behind or let it get to you. It’s a reminder to me that a good attitude is sometimes the best treatment.” “Thank you.” She repeated in the same deadpan monotone. “Things will start looking up again. I promise.” She repeated back at him ironically before she could stop herself. And with that she hurried off before either her falsified smile could fade or he could answer her. She knew it was probably badly played to throw his words back at him like that, but it was irresistible at the time. Erica leaned against the wall around the corner from where her mother waited in all likelihood. She took a deep breath, arranged her features and rounded the corner with a blank, but less than apathetic, face on. Her mother wouldn’t-- couldn’t-- notice a thing. And so the car ride back home was as silent as the dinner that followed and the sleep even after that. The next day Erica and Dr. Parish didn’t exchange any words and the man didn’t seem even slightly in the mood for chat. Perhaps Erica really had revealed herself too much yesterday. She frowned when his head was turned and kept doing so to aid her thought for the rest of the day. However, after hours of interrupted and truncated thoughts flowing through her mind she ended up with nothing. Dr. Parish was as inscrutable as ever he could be so Erica just left it as it was. She’d wanted him to shut his mouth about hopefulness and the future and he had, there was nothing wrong at all with that. As promised though she was out of the hospital an hour earlier than the last time she’d been for a second round of tests and exams. It was pleasant, but in exchange for Dr. Parish’s silence she had to put up with her mother’s pleased ramblings. A less than fair trade, perhaps. Erica would occasionally answer in the affirmative and then let her mother run the topics into the ground one after another. Erica wasn’t sure if she should be sharing in the enjoyment that her mother got out of the positive look of the initial tests or whether it was another thing to simply ignore. So she paid attention to it but stayed clear of contributing to it so she wouldn’t be involved when it all came crashing down. Erica would sporadically yawn or sigh, longing for the times when she could deal with her friends and family without worrying about everything she’d say or do triggering a huge fiasco. But as much as she wished it, nothing changed. Nothing would ever change unless she changed it. “Another day. Another way.” She whispered to herself as she pressed her forehead against the cool window of the car as her mother chattered on all the way home and into the night. - The next day Erica insisted to her mother that she would be fine going to school and eventually won that argument. Staying away any longer would only provoke a greater response from Fred and the others and the girl could be assured that it would involve the usual crowd coming around to ask questions. That, she couldn’t deal with, not just then anyway. A weekend was surely enough to recover from whatever it was that had struck her down like that. The doctor’s clean bill of health only supported her claim more. So in the end Erica’s victory that morning was a foregone conclusion. It would be the last one she’d have for a while it felt like as she departed for school. “It’s fine. As long as I have this mask, I’m fine.” She told herself at the bus stop when she walked past it, halfway to school when the bus passed her and upon arrival when her friend came into view. “Hey Ere.” Fred shouted gleefully as always. Nothing could stop her from being cheerful. If the world was collapsing around her, she’d find something good about it to content herself with as the fire and brimstone come down in a hail of death. But all the better for her. Erica couldn’t seem to find a single thing to be glad of in her own life and took a certain pleasure in seeing that there were people so close to her that could. “Fred.” Erica smiled at her own terse remark to avoid allowing more words to spill out and unleash the torrent of conversation. It wasn’t the time or the place for that kind of thing Erica thought to herself as she fingered the mysterious chip in her pocket as the two of them walked side by side towards the schoolyard. “No need for the taciturn treatment. We’re friends aren’t we?” Fred pouted. “Just tired. Not all of us have the kind of energy you do.” Her friend sighed as she allowed her gaze to drift off towards the loose crowd shuffling in ahead of them. To Erica’s knowledge there were three groups of people coming down this road in the mornings. The close people, who were always last to get out the door and usually caught up with everyone else just as class was being called into session. The middling people, who, like Erica, fell in along with the other two groups. The far people, who were always first in because they weren’t walking for the most part but rather riding in a bus or car. The group ahead was probably a set of middlings that happened to be ahead of time today. Fred was usually in the far group but would change her schedule at a whim and much to Erica’s chagrin, liked to do it when she thought something was wrong with her friend. “But everyone should.” She answered effervescently with a finger jabbed in front of Erica’s nose and wagging with nonspecific reprimand. “Won’t deny that it’d be nice.” She replied with a swipe of her own hand. “But you can bet there’s no way that it’ll happen with me around.” “You sure you’re okay?” Fred asked, suddenly slightly worried. They turned the corner into the school’s lot along with the rest of the meager flow of students that surrounded them and Erica took the opportunity to act. “Of course, now I’d better get to class.” Erica yawned and pressed ahead into the crowd before the, with Fred a few steps behind. “No need to be early Ere.” She replied as she tried to keep up in spite of the suddenly higher human density as they approached the school. “I’ve got some things to do. Don’t worry about it. See you at lunch I guess.” Erica said before slipping past a group of seniors and disappearing. “It’s always something.” Fred grimaced slightly at the empty spot. - Erica’s day after that short intermission went almost uninterrupted completely. However, there was an incident or two that marred the calmness of the day. During the fourth change of classes she ran into Hughes quite literally while her head was turned down at her shoes. as it customarily was when she was thinking. “Sorry.” She apologized quickly before she realized who it was that she was addressing. Upon seeing the dirty blonde hair and jade green eyes she quickly turned her head back away and tried to find a way out of the exchange. “It’s alright Erica.” He replied in his annoyingly soft and soothing voice that he took when he was trying to whisper and still be heard. “That’s good.” She replied, trying to hide her surprise and dodge away from him and set herself back in the opposite direction of him and let him pass, but he followed her instead. “Where are you going?” He asked as casually as the terrible liar could. “Idiot’s programming.” She responded after mulling over whether he’d trade a lie and leave her alone. He’d follow her even if it was out of his way with that look on his face, one that screamed that he had something to say. “I can head that way too. Do you mind?” He inquired perfunctorily. “Not at all.” She answered aloofly as they set off in that direction. After a moment’s pause he said, “So, how’ve you been?” He was uncertain of himself and Erica hated hearing him try to tread so carefully around her. People aren’t made of glass, they don’t need to be handled with care. “Has Kira been telling you things about me?” She snapped back without letting her annoyance get too much the best of her tone. “A little, but—“ “She’s worried and wants you to be too.” Erica told him with the manner of stating fact. It was true at least. “I don’t know about that, but should I be?” He was bleeding his cards to her, as always. That was another thing she always hated about him, he couldn’t get himself to lie or hide anything properly. “No, there’s nothing to worry about.” Not for him anyways. “As expected, whether you have something to talk about or not, you won’t say a word.” He sighed and shook his head as the two pressed through the tide of their peers. Erica felt the odd glare reminding her of how she’d last been seen with a boy in the halls and how oblivious this one was acting of it. No matter what she did, she’d end up looking the role of the villain at that point. Perfect. “Glad to know that at least you understand me that well.” She said offhandedly as she tracked a gawker in the corner of her vision. “I’d be glad if I didn’t have that to understand at all.” Hughes laughed. That annoying laugh. Wholehearted and without reservation, like everything about him. “You don’t have to deal with it.” She laughed back at him with a smile to hide behind. That hateful smile. Duplicitous and fragile to the touch, like everything about her. “Only if I stopped talking to you.” He said slowing his pace as he went on, realizing that he’d expressed her meaning himself. “That’s what I was getting at. You did fine without me while I was gone for the summer so why bother—“ She froze as he broke in and looked her in the eyes. “Because you’re a friend.” Was all the answer he seemed to need. “This is my stop, now you can run all the way to the other end of the school and hope you’re on time.” She commented with the calm condescension and patronizing loftiness of someone whose plans had just come to fruition without his opponent’s knowledge. It was now his turn to freeze in his steps. Then he smiled, like always, and came up with something to say in parting. “That I can. Peace.” “But no room for love.” She smirked as he dashed off behind her. - That afternoon Erica felt especially antsy, despite her little performance earlier with Hughes it still felt awkward to go through with it. When classes released for the final time she stealthily slipped out of the building so as to not be seen by anyone she knew. For once, she managed it somehow. From the edge of the grounds she rushed home to beat Hughes and collect everything she’d need. From there it was all just a waiting game. No one was home, no one would be for some time, and Erica had time to kill. So she waited in her room with the lights out, going over her plan in her head over and over again, not looking for flaws or ways to improve it. It was anything but a solid plan she knew for sure, but that’s how she always ended up doing things so it didn’t matter. “That’s what gets me into trouble isn’t it?” She told herself reflectively. “But I’m never satisfied just leaving this kind of thing to someone else.” She looked at the alarm clock’s glowing numerals and rose. She could hear her joints click slightly in her knees and ran a hand over her face. At the least there were no scars there. Then she was off. A city bus. A train. A rail transfer. Another bus, and there she was standing before the Netherworld Casino and Hotel or as the signage read: The Chthonian. Standing as high and as wide as any hotel would it was hard to believe that no one was entering or exiting the impressively ornate walls that seemed to tower more than they ought and half menace if looked at from the right angle. “Figures he’d tell me the wrong name.” Erica simply scoffed as she pushed through the revolving glass doors and entered the main lobby. That’s how it should have gone at the very least. Somewhere between the first and second buses things began to change when she was spotted by the least likely person to be there and cause her problems. But there he was, standing there, causing problems. “Erica.” Neils called out to her from across the sparsely occupied train. Erica stood still as stone and pretended that there was no one there, that she’d heard nothing at all. “Hey.” He called again. She remained immobile until suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and quickly shrugged it off as she turned to face the boy who’d addressed her. “Didn’t you hear—“ “Go away.” She growled viciously before he had a chance to start. She wasn’t going to associate with him anymore if it killed her. “Not until you tell me why.” He leaned in uncomfortably close, she could smell the mouthwash he used still hanging on his breath and made a face that reflected an appropriate revulsion as she shoved him away roughly. He stopped long enough to contemplate another advance but obviously discarded the idea when he leaned back against the glass door next to her and chuckled in defeat. “I told you already. I just felt like doing it for my own benefit.” She insisted as she dropped her hand from the hanging strap and began walking to the other side of the car. She was instantly followed by the persistent boy and ended up mirroring her old position seconds later. “But how would apologizing help you in any way whatsoever?” He asked with emphatic pauses and inflections that only made him sound like a sarcastic little prick. Erica half wanted to beat his face in right there but knew she couldn’t manage it without causing a scene and instead contented herself with glaring at him menacingly. “It makes me feel like less of a ****** person, good enough?” She snapped without reserve with him and she had to admit, it didn’t feel any better at all than trying to conceal it. “Is that because you feel remorse or is it something else?” He asked right back. It was like a pickaxe on granite. Each swing chipped away at her patience a little more until sooner or later he’d end up caved in. “Girls don’t like it when men pry like that.” “Good thing I’m not asking a girl, I’m asking you.” And that was quite enough. “Fuck off already, you clingy piece of shit. I don’t want to talk to anyone, least of all you.” She returned in a quick, clear staccato. She didn’t increase the volume of her voice like she usually would when so provoked but instead it seemed as if she’d increased its intensity. Somehow, the look on Neils’ face after he’d let it sink in for a second or two told her that it was better that she hadn’t shouted. “…Sorry then. I’ll leave then,” said the boy. Then he turned and left her there. “And stay out.” Erica spat through grit teeth. Any traces of a good mood she’d had, evaporated in the several seconds she’d been talking to him and left nothing but the searing irritation beneath. And so time resumed. Before long Erica had arrived at the Chthonian and entered the foreboding edifice as she should have and she acted like that’s exactly what had happened. The lobby was like any other mediocre hotel’s, there was a check in desk, a set of elevators and a sign implying stairs in immediate view. All of which was framed by patterned carpets and textured walls. Everything seemed to be in order except for the one thing that Erica clearly recognized from only a week earlier. “Hello, Miss. You’ve come to accept our offer I presume.” He said calmly as though he’d be expected her arrival. He probably had. “I’ll need to see what we’re playing before I place any bets on it.” She responded dully. “Right this way, Miss.” He motioned for her to follow him into one of the elevators. She obeyed without hesitation but not without a cynical look and a frown. The strange butler brought the lift down to the third basement floor and with it, a whole new world. The perfectly normal environ above was replaced with the grim visage and heavy smoke filled atmosphere of one of the worst dives in town and the clientele to match. Not a single person in the den of vice looked out of place save for the little girl in a light blue sweater. But she knew that the shades and echoes around her were all a glamour, a delusory vision that would soon come to pass. The only thing real about her surrounds was probably the table that she approached and the four men directly down the dismal midway. As she neared them she began to make out the figures of a dealer that would look the twin of the butler in another twenty years and three men hunched over it waiting for their final player. A suave Mafioso, a scruffy vagabond and a germane businessman lined the sides of the green felt table and cast a mixture of confused and amused stares as she entered the light cast by the dim bulb above them. Whether their reasons differed or no, they were the same. So Erica brushed off the butler along with any reservations he may have still had, pulled up a chair and said with a weary smirk. “Deal me in.” So here's the alternate path. Comments/criticism/etc. all accepted and appreciated. I thank you for your time and something other than time.
