#point is that their was reasonable doubt in Curlys mind about Jimmy if he was just that shitty always do you really genuinely believe he’d g

[dykedvonte]

I think acting like Jimmy’s struggles on Earth were like legal or related to being a criminal are so odd. Not in a bad way but just odd.

Like don’t get me wrong, I personally believe he’s had a run in with the law but I feel like it’d be minor, not even something that would get him a record. It could’ve, but it was dropped, not worth the time to pursue someone that down on their luck, probably not a dime to his name.

He’s a bad guy don’t get me wrong but it’s seems like his issues were with not being well-adjusted? In the whole sense, he’s snarky and unnecessary rude. He’s quick to anger and says things to pit people against each other. He likely doesn’t have many friends and we know he’s not financially well. I think tacking on bad traits diminishes the fact of what he did. Trying to fit him to that obviously evil arch type is a little bland to what he actually is. He’s normal enough to be a minor blip on the radar and that’s how he gets away with what he does.

Jimmy is ultimately scared of being in trouble. He gets into it but panics. He hates being confronted and he just doesn’t do things were he knows or perceives a bad outcome will happen to him.

[linkcharacter]

What is your interpretation of the blood and ladder thing? Like, did Curly really see that at the time? Is it a way to convey his anxiety? Is it how he remembers the moment?

As I see it, I'm treating it the same as Jimmy's, as their subconscious and state of mind depicted and visualized for players in a cool asf way. It's a creative and visually impactful way to tell the story, the characters' thoughts and what's going on in their mind. Therefore I'm willing to accept that it is actually something Curly 'felt' in the moment. Up to you to interpret how vivid or conscious he was of it happening, it is simply where his mind was at.

Same question can be asked about all of Jimmy's mindfuckery too, with no clear indication on whether or not, (for example) he actually thought he was being hunted by a long ass horse while searching for mouthwash for Daisuke. If we accept, that Jimmy's walk in the Polle corridor after crashing the ship was what he 'felt' while sitting on the floor head in hands, If we don't doubt, that the judgement and other encounters are something that's representing Jimmy's mind state, then I don't think there's reasons to doubt Curly's too (and vice versa). It does blur a line between in-game reality and metaphorical symbolism shenanigans tomfoolery to the player and I think that's the point. It's for the story.

The vision itself comes out as extremely foreshadowy but it's something that's been on his mind. It is Curly having an existential crisis about the career ladders that reach above the Ocean Of Blood, with him "reaching the top" and safe from drowning in it. It is Curly's subconscious screaming at him about the danger in the cockpit, how he keeps on walking "ignoring all warning signs". This sequence implies so much, especially if we assume or consider that Curly has been aware of what Anya told him for a gooood while. Anticipating the doom Jimmy will bring with him by walking into the giant star (that, by the way, locks your camera on it, unable to turn away) that is leading into the cockpit where Jimmy is seated. Because that's literally what happens, Curly walks into the cockpit and gets incinerated later, because of Jimmy and Curly's own negligence and compliance. Feeling helpless in the wake of an inescapable gravitational pull is how Curly felt (whether he actually was helpless is up to debate, but it is how he saw it). He may have know OF the dead pixel but ignored it, as the warning signs were there but kept on acting like it wasn't a big deal. Until the deadly star that grew out of it consumed him.

[buglordsupreme]

Mouthwashing HCs because my old ass is not immune to rotating characters in my head like a microwave.

❤️‍🩹Anya❤️‍🩹

•28 years old.

•Eastern European, most likely Slavic or from Central Europe.

•Can speak more than three languages. Has an accent.

•Has a long term partner back home. They want to get married but both of them are broke.

•Has two pet cats. Originally, she was allowed to bring them on board with her, but then Pony Express changed their policy and stopped allowing animals in ships.

•She is constantly diagnosing everyone both physically and mentally in her imagination.

•Has a very rich inner world but rarely feels safe sharing it.

•She keeps getting rejected from med school not because of her abilities but because she constantly overthinks and gets too nervous during tests.

•INFP and Pisces.

🪓Swansea🪓

•61 years old.

•He is from the East Coast, probably the Boston area and has a heavy accent.

•British and Irish descent.

•Did not go to College but did go to Trade School.

•Despite being originally from a city, lives in the suburbs around a wooded area.

•Has a loyalty card in most hardware stores and strong opinions about screwdriver handles.

•He calls his dog a “stupid fuck” lovingly and talks to him as if he were a human.

•Has struggled a lot with depression throughout his life and has not gone to therapy as he feels like it would not work on him.

•ISTP and Virgo

🐴Jimmy🐴

•37 years old.

•East Coast, Rhode Island area.

•Italian-American. And yes, he does use his hands a lot when he speaks.

•Likely raised Catholic but now believes “it’s all bullshit”.

•Thinks Chicago-style pizza is an abomination but he can’t cook for shit.

•Long history of awful short-lived relationships and at least one ex has tried to kill him during an argument. (And vice versa)

•Has one kid that he claims isn’t really his. Resents having to pay child support.

•Has smoked ever since he was 14.

•Has been charged several times with petty crimes which have made it hard for him to find work.

-Before Curly helped him out with his position at Pony Express, he was fired from his last job due to embezzlement.

•ESTP (A very unhealthy one) and Capricorn.

🎂Curly🎂

•40 years old. (My HC is that he turns 40 during the Tulpar’s last trip, which is why he is having his whole midlife crisis).

•Born and raised in Canada.

•Moved to the US around his teens or young adulthood (Probably met Jimmy around this time as well).

•Has a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering but, since most ships are now operated by machines, had to settle for being a Freighter Pilot.

•The only man in existence that finds shoveling snow relaxing.

•Twice married and twice divorced because works makes it hard to spend time with his spouses. Has one young kid but can rarely see them due to, once again, work.

•One of the reasons he thinks about retiring from being a pilot is so that he can spend more time with his family.

•ESFJ and Libra.

🌺Daisuke🌺

•19 years old.

•Filipino-Japanese.

•Second generation immigrant. His parents worked a lot to get their wealth.

•There is no doubt in my mind that he is Californian.

•Not willing to commit to a relationship yet but is definitely on and off with a couple of girls.

•Has tried to get a fake ID at some point so he could get alcohol. He was caught and arrested and called his mom, crying. He was let go without legal consequences but was severely grounded.

•At school, he was known for drawing amazing caricatures of the teachers. Was suspended at least once for this reason.

•Incredible fashion sense. When he got his Pony Express uniform, he immediately asked if they had other colors. Did not understand at first why they laughed at him.

•ESFP and Leo.

[verdantwyrm]

Just want to point out that no, absolutely not would anyone tell Daisuke what Jimmy did to Anya, for many reasons beyond his age, but most importantly because when someone comes to you about an abuser, you don't tell other people unless you have explicit permission from the victim to do so. If you do it anyways, you could be putting them, the victim and possibly even yourself at risk.

Not telling Daisuke would be the most sound and responsible thing because of the situation at hand. What if he was told and Jimmy lashed out? What if he felt even worse than he already did, making his short lived experience on the Tulpar feeling even more unsafe and scared than he already was?

Daisuke's life was tragic, just like his death, and he already had to die believing that the Captain had sentenced him to that death, the last absolute thing he needed was to find out that the co-pilot was a rapist and an abuser.

It generally has nothing to do with his age or his "immaturity" but the safety of him, physically and emotionally. I highly doubt he had the best opinion of Jimmy for how he was guilt tripped into going into the vent, but he died thinking Jimmy had genuine good intentions because it meant attempting to rescue Anya. When Daisuke gets hurt, and he's laying on that bed dying he only blames himself for messing up.

Daisuke wasn't told about the truth of the situation not because they didn't care about him, but because they did care, alot.

Remember, Daisuke was the first one to see Anya's corpse. The first and only one (Besides Curly) to experience that heartbreak and he died with that image fresh in his mind because he cared about her, and he wanted to save her so badly. And she cared about him enough to attempt to save him from the harsh truth, to scar him for life that one of the people he was supposed to trust hurt her so badly it drove her to suicide. She thought that her death was going to save them, going to prevent something even worse from happening and she died thinking it was the greatest, most selfless decision she could make in that situation.

Daisuke just wanted to help.

[autumn-kouhai]

something i think about often is how people don’t seem to recognize that curly cares for anya just as much as he cares about jimmy. he’s willing to bend pony express policies to ensure she’s happy and able to work properly. such examples being:

-taking over jimmy’s psych eval because anya expressed a issue about the last time she did it, when it’s noted that the nurse is responsible for issuing said psych evals

-when curly finds anya in the cockpit to ask where the gun is, he notes that this doesn’t have to be on their performance log. he was genuinely terrified she might’ve tried to end her own life

-in the same conversation, he notes he should’ve considered giving anya her own psych eval when that normally doesn’t happen. because he recognizes her own mental health is important

there are these particular things to note:

-explicitly tries to put anya at ease when he mentions jimmy wouldn’t try that “bullshit” on him regarding the sexual comment about cartoon horses

-never once doubted anya when she said she was pregnant or that it was jimmy who was responsible for it. she was giving hints to him prior that it was jimmy, and that’s why it clicked when she said she was pregnant

now his words do ring a little hollow, but he constantly says “we can fix this.” “we can figure this out together.” not just to anya…but to jimmy as well. especially when he’s in a panicked state of mind.

“but what about the scene in the cockpit with jimmy and curly?” jimmy was already making the conversation about himself when he mentioned that he was still climbing and struggling when curly, in his eyes, was already at the top of the ladder. curly, caring about a friend that he helped get the position he has now, feels guilt for him and reminds him that he cares. jimmy doesn’t want curly to bend the rules for anyone when curly (the way he is at that point in time) is the reason he even has a position of power to begin with.

this is even supported with the fact that jimmy asks if it’s even a bad thing to be a captain on the tulpar to begin with: he doesn’t want curly to let go. curly’s care for his friend is actively being taken advantage of by jimmy even when curly doesn’t suspect it. that’s more apparent when curly breaks the news about everyone being laid off.

point being, anya and jimmy are opposing forces in curly’s life and he cares about the both of them just as much. jimmy just takes advantage of curly’s kindness and uses it against him, while anya is advocating for change. the most unfortunate part of the story of mouthwashing is that in the end, jimmy wins in both life and death.

[len-zefflin]

This one is for the lovely anon whose message I can’t seem to find for some reason (I swear it was there last time I checked) who requested Jimmy’s reaction to finding Robert and Bonzo are a thing. I hope you like it. It was really fun to write!

My inbox is still open to prompts, so if you’d like to send some more go ahead!

Jimmy isn't that drunk. Or at least that's what he would like to think.

He would also like to think the room he just broke into is his own because if he doesn't reach the bathroom in the next ten seconds he'll probably explode.

"Who the fuck's there?" Bonzo calls out from where he's tucked in in bed with some bird. So it isn't, in fact, his room, Jimmy thinks.

"One second. I gotta take a piss."

Jimmy's pretty sure Bonzo just called him some ugly names but he couldn't care less. Right now it's only the toilet and him and knowing his bladder won’t burst is the best damn feeling in the world.

When he emerges from the bathroom the drummer is still watching him from the same exact spot. The blanket around him is neatly tucked around what appears to be the body of a curly blonde, but her face is well hidden by it.

"Sorry mate. I really needed to use the loo. I could have sworn this was my room, though."

"Well it isn't, so get the fuck out now," Bonzo replies sharply.

"Don't be like that, mate. Surely that bird there isn't more important than your friend. Who is she? Do I know her? Have I fucked her?"

Bonzo lets out an exasperated groan.

"You're shitfaced, Page. Get out of my room before I make you leave."

If he wasn't intrigued before, Jimmy sure is now. John isn't the type to get attached to groupies and he definitely doesn't act this way towards them. There is probably more to it than meets the eye.

"She must be quite special, that girl," the guitarist says and before anyone can stop him, grabs the blanket and removes it from the bed with one swift move, exposing the bird underneath it.

Except there lies a bloke instead of a bird. And it isn't even some random fan. It's fucking Robert.

Robert Plant is, in all his naked glory, laying in Bonzo's bed and Jimmy isn't drunk enough to miss the fact that they clearly fucked.

"Well, look at this," he says. “Who would have thought it’s Robert? Bonzo, did you know Robert’s naked in your bed?”

It’s such an asshole-y thing to say, he knows, and does it just to see Robert go absolutely livid, as if the whole situation is draining all his life essence from his body. He remains quiet, looking anywhere but into Jimmy’s eyes.

It takes Bonzo no longer than a few seconds to get on his feet and walk towards where Jimmy is standing. His aura isn't exactly friendly and Jimmy finds himself matching each one of his steps with one step backwards on his part.

“You have three seconds to get the fuck out of my room, Page. Otherwise you won’t like what’s gonna happen.”

Jimmy is pretty sure John won’t actually hit him, or at least he’d like to think so. They have fought before, yes, but it never resulted in violence. This time, however, drunk as they are, he decides not to take any chances and leaves without any more fuss.

“Oh my god,” Robert lets out an exasperated sigh as the door finally closes. “I’m gonna die.”

“You being your usual dramatic self certainly won’t help,” Bonzo says dryly. He reaches for a cigarette and offers one to Robert too. The singer refuses, phased by how calm the other man seems to be.

He gathers enough courage to get out of bed and search for his clothes, previously scattered all over the floor in the heat of the moment.

“How can you be so calm? Jimmy just walked on us. He fucking knows.”

Bonzo genuinely laughs.

“Have you seen how drunk that son of a bitch was? I doubt he’ll remember anything by morning.”

“But what if he does? What if he tells someone? What if he...?”

“... fires us? In the midst of a tour? Where would he find another drummer as good as me? Besides, we’re tied by a contract. He likes to think he's the boss, but he can’t do shit.” 

Robert pouts because yeah, Bonzo might have a point but that doesn’t change the fact he is such an asshole sometimes and seems to take everything too lightly. This way of living has its charms indeed and is part of why he loves John so much, but now he would like nothing more than to punch him right in the face. And Jimmy too if he gets the chance.

“I’m gonna die,” Robert concludes, zipping his pants.

“Nobody is going to die, Percy. It’s not a big deal. I mean, what’s the difference between us fucking some birds or each other?”

“The gender. And the fact that the birds we usually fuck are not our band mates. Now excuse me, I’ll retire to my room so I can digest what the hell just happened and die.”

Bonzo is about to ask Robert to stay. The thing is, he’s not that good with words of reassurance that sound meaningful enough for his curly friend, so before he’s able to say anything the other man is already gone. He makes up his mind to pay him a visit later that night.

There isn't a prize for convincing Robert Plant to do something he doesn't want to do, but there should be, Bonzo thinks on their way to the restaurant, because fuck, did it take all the persuasion he’s got to get him to leave his room and join them for breakfast.

“Oh, hell no,” Robert says upon the sight of Jimmy being his usual chaotic self, eating vanilla ice cream for breakfast all by himself. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

Bonzo manages not to roll his eyes too hard and practically drags the man towards Jimmy’s table.

“Robert! Bonzo! Good morning, mates!” he says cheerfully.

“You’re awfully happy for how early it is,” John remarks.

“Nah, that’s just my coping mechanism. I haven’t slept for 38 hours and I’m still high as a kite.”

Robert manages to let out a tortured chuckle that somehow makes things even more awkward.

“I’m gonna take a piss. Don’t kill each other until I’m back.”

Robert tries to argue in vain. There is no way in hell he’ll remain alone with Jimmy. But at the same time, he can’t exactly go with Bonzo to the bathroom given the weird circumstance they’re in.

“I don’t need to know all the personal details, mate,” Jimmy jabs at him.

“Oh, but you do,” Bonzo teases before leaving their sight.

Robert keeps trying to find an excuse to leave for ever and never come back. Something bad is going to happen. He feels it.

“Are you okay, Robert? You seem really pale. I’d give you some of my ice cream but I don’t want to.”

It’s now or never, he thinks, not even paying attention to what Jimmy says to him.

“About last night...”

“Mm? Man, I was so drunk. There was this girl that just came to me and flashed her tits and then this guy...”

“So you remember?”

Jimmy raises his eyebrows, clearly not pleased with being interrupted. 

“About you and Bonzo? That’s what it’s all about? Is this why you’re acting like you’re a bird on her period? Who even cares?”

“I thought you would. Care, I mean.”

“You know what? I do. Because if Bonzo wasn't shagging you, then I sure would have.”

The blue of Robert’s eyes become even deeper when his pupils dilate and his mouth opens slightly. “What?”

“You’re not the first bloke to suck a dick, Plant. Get over yourself. Though I would never have suspected Bonzo likes ass that much...”

Robert’s shook is big enough that he gets startled by Bonzo dragging his chair across the floor so he can join them again.

“What did I miss?”

“Jimmy said he wants to shag me,” Robert says, and the fact that these words come out of his mouth seems unbelievable.

As usual, it’s hard to read Bonzo; half of his expression looks ready to murder Jimmy and the other half looks mildly amused. He settles for:

“I’m gonna spit in your ice cream, Page.”

Robert never felt more inadequate in his life, and he’s supposed to be the outgoing, carefree one of the lot.

[livelikebrent]

Stop 2: Part 1: Friday in Ocean City, MD

This is part one of two for my weekend down in Ocean City, Maryland. But this post will be my favorite one for quite some time. 

Amy and I high-tailed it out of Philadelphia and down to Ocean City, Maryland the Friday after Brent’s funeral. Brent’s parents bought a beach house a couple of houses down from his aunt and uncle’s spot. Brent loved Ocean City and had been spending summers there ever since he was young. What started out as family vacations with family friends, turned into Brent and his crew getting rowdy in their own rentals and hotel rooms to then crashing with his cousins at their house. Recently, Brent and his brother Ryan (I’m sure, their mother as well) had been dropping more than subtle hints…such as pulling up house listings to chat about and finally received Mr. Evans’ “blessing” more or less. It finally happened this past November and Brent told me, “I never thought I’d see the day.” I’m glad he did.

As we made our way down, I reached out to Brent’s cousins, Jared and Janelle, along with his brother to ensure dinner plans were as much of a priority to them as Amy and me. There are endless options for dinner or where to get fresh seafood as well. But I had a special request for my first trip without physically having Brent by my side. It was a place I’ve been wanting to go and in return, Brent had wanted to take me but we simply never got around to it. It is called Mother’s Cantina. It’s a small joint that I knew nothing about…but for some odd reason had been drawn to it.

Everyone agreed to go to Mother’s so we headed over for a late supper. As soon as we walked in, I was into the ambiance. It was small, filled with eclectic Tex-Mex decor…and some Washington Redskins paraphernalia hanging from the rafters. Yeah, apparently it’s a Redskins watch bar. The place was split with two sides: a bar side and a cafe side. Due to the wait, we ended up with a table in the cafe. I didn’t mind because honestly, I figure any restaurant with a wait is a positive sign. We get our table for 8. Our waiter approached, a gnarly skater that looked to be in his mid to late 30′s. I couldn’t help but notice and stare at his giant tattoo on his shin. It was the Oakland Raiders’ logo. Now, I’m not going to stop and say, “Whoa, that’s a sign because it’s Brent’s favorite football team.” But who is a Raiders fan in Ocean City, Maryland? I didn’t make mention of it but smirked and figured it was just a coincidence.  We had a filling dinner of beers, guac burritos and tacos to name a few and were kept busy by Brent’s beloved 3 year old niece, Finley. P.S. - Order the fish tacos and get them sauteed not fried! By the time we wrapped up, Brent’s brother and sister-in-law took Fin home for bed. The remainder of us decided to go sit at the bar for a drink or three and find a spot for a sticker.

The bar was packed. Brent’s cousin, Jared, disappeared. When he came back with a Natty Boh in hand, he said he tagged the bathroom. Solid tag but I wanted everyone to be able to see the sticker for this location. I asked Jared to show me where he placed his “#LiveLikeBrent” sticker and I snagged this photo of him.

By the time we got back to the bar, Jared’s sister had already asked the bartender if we could place a sticker along the mirror behind all of the bottles of liquor. I hadn’t noticed right away that there was already a collection of them there. He gave us the O.K. as long as we did it quickly before management came out. When looking at the mirror, your eyes are immediately drawn toward a “Rookie Driver” sticker so I slid back behind the bar and popped one right up there.

I slid back out from the bar, we got a round of drinks and hung out for a bit at a high top. It wasn’t long before I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find a blonde curly haired women that had been sitting at the bar now standing there. I looked at her probably with a puzzled look on my face and said, “Hi!…” Her response? “I’m sorry, are you from Wilkes-Barre?” I had no idea who this person was. I mean, I know Brent knew A LOT of people…but most of the time I can recognize faces at the very least. The question mark on my face turned instantly to a deer in the headlights look. I told the woman I was not from Wilkes-Barre, pointed to the group behind me and said, “But they are.” She looked at them, back at me and started to tell me, “I saw you behind the bar placing a sticker on the mirror. I didn’t pay you too much attention and figured it was for breast cancer awareness or something.” She paused, “Not that there’s anything wrong with supporting breast cancer!” We chuckled and she continued, “I’m just pretty sure my friend told me about Brent the other day.” I unfortunately did not capture her name, so for the sake of this post let’s call her “Monica.” I told Monica that I was Brent’s girlfriend, pointed to the group again and explained they were Brent’s cousins and friends from the Wilkes-Barre area. I mentioned he had passed (which she knew) the previous weekend and we were going around with these stickers in honor of him. Monica then continued to say she’s seen the hashtag on Facebook (Yes! How awesome!) and she was so sorry for our loss. It was crazy. We began chatting with her and she introduced us to her significant other. Monica went on to tell us she frequents Cafe 99 back home in Northeast Pennsylvania. This particular bar is actually one Brent would frequent as well for beer and boneless buffalo bites. He always joked that the bar tender there, Jimmy, could run for mayor and win with just being written in on the ballot. I’ve met Jimmy on several occasions at Cafe and I will say, he is one awesome guy. I couldn’t tell you what else was discussed with Monica after that point. I think I was still somewhat blown away for what had happened. But then Monica left the bar with her friend for the night as did we.

In addition to Mother’s Cantina I had one more request for that Friday night. I wanted to take a quick photo of a hotel I’ve always admired for it’s neon lights at night and cool pastels during the daytime, Flamingo Motel. Brent and I have driven past it dozens of times but didn’t have the opportunity to make a quick stop for a photo. So we walked a couple of blocks, got the shot and began walking back towards Mother’s and what was essentially the direction home. As we were walking and sharing some memories about Brent at the beach it was decided we would swing by another solid OCMD bar, Fish Tales.

Fish Tales is a spot on the Bahia Marina that overlooks the bay on 21st street on the island. We grabbed some drinks at the dock bar, Janelle bought a round of fireball, we honored Brent and hung out. It must’ve been close to 1 in the morning at this point. Janelle’s fiance, Kevin, and Jared were out on the dock chatting and most likely making friends. Our good friend, Amy, Janelle and I decided to find a seat and finish our drinks outside. The weather was perfect. It didn’t take too long for a couple of guys to approach us. I get it, three girls slugging back some orange crushes, sitting outside enjoying a summer night…we looked fun. We ARE fun. Anyways, enter: Harry and Corbin. These two took seats between us and gave us the old, “Hey Ladies, how’s your night going?” They looked about my age, late twenties. We entertained the fact that they wanted to chat with us. They introduced themselves and Amy asked where they were from. Corbin was telling me where he grew up and I vaguely remember him saying he went to Siena College. I can’t recall where in New York he said he grew up because I overheard Harry tell Amy, “I grew up in New York and went to West Virginia University.” I immediately looked at Amy, then to Janelle and over to Harry. Amy hadn’t inquired about where he attended college. I even asked her again the next day. It was hard to believe but Harry had no reason to make that up. I asked him to “prove it” and to sing us a little John Denver. Jared and Kevin came over to see what the fuss was all about and we had our little “Kumbaya” moment and sang “Country Roads.” The guys were nice. We told them all about Brent until the bar closed. We toyed with the idea of wandering around. But we had such a wonderful night with everything that had happened - we decided to end it and go home for a last call.

There is no doubt in my mind Brent came down to Ocean City with us for a night out on the town. I know people who have lost loved ones see signs and communicate in different forms with them. Whether all three of these signs were a coincidence, I’ll never know. But I have a feeling that “coincidence” is not the proper word to use this time around.

Photo Credit: Amy Kroll