#since reddit thinks people only like jess because he reads why not make this

[grievedifferent]

the note to hannah initiating the prank ... what version am i relying on since i take so much context from the remake while relying on the original release (as well as the protoype)? read more for length: keep in mind, this is all game discussion and not really headcanon material.

i have to be clear about two things here: one, most of the discourse i'm referring to is either from reddit threads i've seen or what i initially encountered before the remake came out in the 2015-2017 circa of writing in the until dawn fandom (me as josh and matt, otter as ash and hannah, she wasn't writing chris then at the time on the dash). this is not at all coming for anyone here, if anything is just a post of me defending hannah because i think she's incredibly misunderstood, then just left to the wolves to be "the monster" ... when, in reality, her story is very tragic. she's not a monster. she's a victim. i just don't want it to be taken that this post is about anyone at all here because it's not, no current interpretations were even considered aside from my own and otter's when writing this, and this is more towards the non-rpc fandom side of until dawn and how i see their views of this cast versus the rpc comm (bc in rpc you tend to go into the details, looking for things that people typically are not). again, no shade to anyone, this is mostly a me coming to hannah's defense post if anything.

okay, okay, so what version then?

the original. here's why: it makes literally no sense for hannah to just take off her shirt with no initiation. she's very shy, very reserved, and even her crush on mike (while obvious) is meant to be "hidden in heart" (the way you see his photo hidden under the invite from him in her room, etc). without being told or suggested, i doubt she'd just "go in for the kill" in that way. meeting mike at all was a huge deal for her, she's clearly very anxious and excited about it. without it being fed to her, i don't think she'd have just done that on her own. kissing him? i can definitely see that.

the original note reads: "hannah, you look so damn hot in that shirt ... but i bet you're even hotter out of it. come to the guest room at 2:00am" signed mike xxx

while the new note says: "han, it's been so fun hanging out with you ... no on gets me like you do. come find me later. i'll be waiting" signed mike notably without the xxx.

again, going based off my post here, this is to soften things up, plain and simple. it's another detail they tweaked a bit to make it "seem less mean" but ultimately, the prank is mean. it was meant to humiliate hannah. i've seen arguments that hannah deserves the prank because she was "coming on to mike" or "making moves on him" but let's be real:

a) mike says flat out to emily that he is no one's man. his profile says he loves women and hates commitment. b) hannah is no threat to emily save for her status as an elite. hannah might be like one inch taller than emily ... but emily would eat hannah alive for breakfast. seriously. c) i don't think hannah was aggressively coming on to mike. she probably acted shy and reserved, wanted to be around him, and cared about his opinion.

again, her crush is like hidden in her room that you (as sam only) have to seek out (and then kind of criticize her for tbh, i get it's not open criticism but the reactions of like "oh, hannah" like it's cringe that she liked mike when that's a well-known group fact? also she didn't have time to clean up, sorry, and josh wanted those details to be seen, so. it's just kind of mean commentary imo. always has come off that way to me.).

another reason i think that hannah's crush was more "sussed out" by emily and jess (primarily jess, i would assume) is now because of this new context:

they were in her room, able to find the same clues sam can later on. it's not that far of a reach. hannah was never openly pursuing mike, she was crushing hard on him.

also interesting that they take hannah out of the shirt they had her in the original to make her get back into it to give it that same scene feel from the original, but make her act more sexually suggestive when the prompting originally came from her wearing that shirt thus suggesting she take it off via the note. kind of wild to me, idk.

and what drives me a little crazy?? jess also likes mike. like literally at the same time hannah does? and emily is actually her best friend, hannah is likely not that close to emily, so ... why is that okay? jess swooped in immediately after their breakup, which also could have been mike "swooping in" to her (but she didn't deny him, she accepted his advances were that the case). it's not even confirmed why mike and em split, just kind of implied heavily that mike likely broke it off with em (i assume bc of him liking jess, the contrast is that mike actually likes jess whereas emily does not actually like matt in that way), so jess might even be the reason. she could have also swooped in even before the breakup was official. we do not know for sure. we just know that this is okay for jess ... but not for hannah. because hannah should know better. make that make sense to me.

why is hannah held more culpable for her being victimized than the people that victimized her? and this is coming from me, someone who loves this whole cast, writes josh who terrorizes this cast, and also matt who filmed hannah (and i hold him responsible for that).

and as for jess? that would make sense for emily's standing with her. so, my question here ... why does hannah not get the same pass? i've also seen the argument that "well, the gang is young, they didn't mean it, mistakes of youth, valor of youth, etc etc", but this same argument is not given to hannah who is younger than them. she might be the "oldest twin", but she's one of the youngest people of the group, yet she gets held to a very concerning degree as she deserved to die basically. a lot of this discourse i've seen mostly in reddit and like the old rpc, so not here (to make that clear), but after years of seeing hannah's character basically be so forgotten, misunderstood, and even villainized? it's hard to swallow writing her big brother, being that she and beth are like josh's motivations for everything.

ending this post saying i unironically love this whole cast, i don't dislike emily or jessica or sam, i love them all. i actively play to keep them alive usually unless i'm doing bad runs or trophy runs on purpose to get more dialogue or context or story, but generally? i play the game as good as i can for all of them, try to keep them all alive, and my default post verse has them all live, so clearly i'm not here to take shots at the cast, but like, show the same love to hannah? the same devotion? and accept that this game is the folly of youth. they're literally all names stemmed from religious sources thus indicating they are god's children trapped on the mountain being punished for messing with forces beyond their control that them and everyone else along the way that's encountered this damn mountain has been warned about time and time again. listen to the mountain.

also, for just even more added context: hannah was always the victim. her character might have changed from being the "victim girlfriend of clayton (the josh figure) who had everyone wrapped around her finger, circa 2008-2010" to "the seemingly popular and at least confident twin of beth that gets pranked for liking mike, circa 2011-2013" to the hannah we get in the 2015/2024 release, but she was always the victim, be it to a supernatural entity or just a human killer. actually, they made her more sympathetic to really hit home hannah is the victim, beth is basically also the victim through association of doing the right thing and going after hannah. <- because about that? very cruel to just go back inside and let beth go find hannah in a clear snowstorm when it's dark and cold, and numbers are more useful to find someone in this situation, as well as safer. i do not care that "beth knows the mountain" (i assume sam's reasoning to telling them to go back inside), but i mean, give it to mike at least for suggesting they go after hannah and beth. it might have made hannah mad, but it might have also saved her life. he did the in the original, he did it in the remake, props to him. i get being young and irrational, but even mike thought that it was a good idea to go after them, and then we see him literally do this for jessica, meaning mike is always the guy you want going after you to save your life. he will act if allowed or if required.

also, just imagine the sheer terror of josh waking up to his sister's being missing, having to get the police, likely having gone out himself to look a bit and finding nothing, and also having to tell his parents? not fun.

and you know what? i'll end this post by saying one last thing: good for hannah to become basically the queen of the creatures. she might not have been popular in life, i guess arguably she was well-loved (if we take the prototype into consideration of beth being the perfect one and hannah being the everyone loved her one (ouch)), but she was literally the biggest and strongest creature on the mountain, and good for her.

QUICK EDIT: the tattoo. yes, she got a tattoo because of mike (for mike, however you want to word it), but she didn't get a tattoo because mike told her to. he never was like "get a tattoo and i'll like you more" to his credit, and also just to give hannah some more stability here. like, she got it because it was one of maybe three suggestions to "get noticed by the guy you like" by being more bold. she went with a tattoo, which is obviously for us to have josh recognize later as hannah because otherwise, how would we know the creature is hannah, right? we as players have much more context to this than josh, so he specifically needs that tattoo to recognize hannah. otherwise, he'd be dead every single time with no option to live lol. like, otherwise it seems like without that nudge, hannah wouldn't have gotten a tattoo at all, even spurring beth to try and get one to match her before their deaths. so, i think she took the tattoo as a way to "be reborn" with a more confident personality, she might have gotten it because of the magazine, but it definitely helped her confidence.

ANOTHER EDIT: based on this unused dialogue between chris and ash, it's not hard to see that everything i've talked about above, including mike being not committed to emily (which is what he himself says), and how hannah was likely led on by mike without the prank. i am going to reassert here that i do not think emily and hannah were "besties" by any means. why is it okay for jess to like emily's man but not hannah?

[thefirst3chapters]

Something I've found puzzling is how frequently Dean is mentioned in interviews that ASP did around the time AYITL was released.

This article is from a few weeks before AYITL was made available, and ASP mentioned Logan exactly once and mentioned Dean and Jess multiple times.

It’s all about Dean and Jess. Dean was 16 years old when they dated. Everybody should go back and think about their boyfriend at 16 and then reevaluate whether that should be the focus of the conversation.

Time

In this post-release article, the interviewer asked about Logan possibly being the father of Rory's child, and again ASP zeroed in on Dean and Jess in her answer.

I know who the father is, but I wanted to leave it ambiguous because people always focused on Rory in terms of Team Jess or Team Dean.

Vogue

At least in the fandom spaces I've seen over the past few years, most people assume that Logan is the father to the extent that I rarely see question debated. (Occasionally, the Wookiee guy is mentioned, but that was in the Spring episode, and Rory told Lorelai that she's pregnant in November.) Dean is in one scene that isn't very consequential to the plot and he's married with several children, so he's hopefully not a serious possibility. Even among people who like Dean as a character, very few people appear to ship him and Rory post Season 5.

Since Tumblr leans toward preferring Jess and Reddit leans toward preferring Logan, the broadest and sample size I could think of is those BuzzFeed polls. Many of them have been active for several years and have thousands of responses.

This is one example:

BuzzFeed

Most results from the other BuzzFeed polls I looked at are within this range; Jess receives about half the votes, Logan about a third, and Dean fewer than 10%. It makes sense that Dean would've been a more popular character while the earlier seasons were airing, but then he pretty much leaves the show in disgrace and is only mentioned a few times after that; by contrast, in the later seasons and AYITL, both Jess and Logan have a significant connection to Rory and a key role in the plot. That's why I'm wondering about ASP saying multiple times in 2016 that fans focus so much on Dean.

So was Dean and Rory's Season 5 relationship really that compelling? Did audiences still pay a lot of attention to Dean after he left the show? If anyone reading this spent time on message boards and the like while the later seasons were airing and would like to share their perspective, I'd be curious to hear about it!

[luke-danes]

I thought you said you didn't read much. Well, what is much?

[a-lost-crow]

MCSM Characters and what they would do on Twitter

This is what happens when you have a hyperfixated teenager who has small but active interest on a block game and had a sudden idea in their head. It turns to this.

This post is a definition for me to go outside because of how long it is. I am sparing y’all for putting a “read more” option. I also don’t do all of the characters (sorry)

Jesse (Any of them)

Is there to like and retweet posts

Does the occasional replying to people

Their most amount of interactions are with Lukas and Petra

Pink hairclip Jesse would reply to Petra more, Red hairclip Jesse would reply to Aiden, Pink suspenders Jesse would reply to Axel, Green suspenders Jesse would reply to Lukas more

(There are more combinations but those are the ones I had for now)

(And I did come up with Pink suspenders Jesse and Axel dynamic just now)

Posts videos and pictures of their WIP (work in progress) in their artwork

“WIP don’t retweet :3″ everyone retweets it

They once posted Reuben and people commented to eat him. They never posted another picture of Reuben ever since

Axel

Doesn’t tweet much and is quite aware at what can happen in the app

It takes 2 business days for him to respond if he is ever mentioned

Only ever retweets from Magnus and his friends posts

It’s private

Only because he found the ability to private quote tweet to be fun

“WHO PRIVATE QUOTE TWEETED ME?!” That’s just Axel

Olivia

She doesn’t use Twitter as much but does use Reddit more

Only to use it as a cheat sheet from other posts because of the redstone

It’s surprisingly useful

She posts her successful redstone ones on Twitter

No one found out because the majority of her followers don’t use Reddit

Even if they know they won’t care

Reddit just sucks

You think Twitter is bad, Olivia will make Reddit sound like a battlefield

She did become friends with Ellegaard through Reddit but that’s the only pros of it

Lukas

His reaction images are those drawn emojis. They are a mix of wholesome and cursed emojis

He commissions Radar to draw Emojis but it’s just Lukas’ face

Radar can draw now apparently

Made a throwaway account just to reply to Maya’s thread on “why Aiden doesn’t deserve a platform”

People already knew who the throwaway account is because no one despises Aiden more than Lukas

Is on booktwt and fears booktok (basically twitter and tiktok for people who like to read books)

Once made a thread about all the New Yorks Best Selling Novels and why they shouldn’t be Best Selling Novels

Got into minor internet drama because of that

Deactivated his account for 4 days

Petra 

Would once in a while make a rant thread about something she doesn’t or does like

Ms. Butter is an inside joke and was her banner image for 5 months

Records a bunch of cut screams she finds and posts them with no context

She also posts out of context clips of streams from Jerma

It is rumored that she has a stan account but no one ever bothers to search it up because they are too afraid to see what she posts

Only Gil found out but he forgot the username. Her account was weird to say the least

She’s not an actual stan. Just a regular fan.

Aiden

You are done for if he quote retweets you

One quote retweet and you are over with

Not really but the idea of him quote retweeting someone with petty anger is so fuckin funny

(Out of character stuff but I find funny)

Played Cookie Run as a joke and constantly talked bad about it

But now he likes it. Unironically.

Even drew a bad doodle of Angel cookie

He got a redemption arc from his Cookie Run phase and he is mentioned in a positive way

He is still blocked by Lukas and the Blaze Rods

Maya

She cancels you

After events of season 1 episode 5 she makes a thread on why Aiden shouldn’t deserve a platform

People do look at the thread, went to Aiden’s profile, and see a bunch of quote retweets on her

Both have 100 tweets of their petty Twitter argument

Petra shows Maya the block feature and Maya had a peaceful life ever since

Gil

He has a sports profile picture

Romeo

Got cancelled by Maya

It hits harder than Aiden’s cancellation

Has 4 suspended accounts and is still going

Gets mad at FNF modders when they say the word “leak” instead of “teaser”

His name trends on Twitter once every two weeks because of something he said

Every character who has a Twitter has at least quote retweeted from Romeo at least once

He thinks he is elite for being a Newgrounds og

Xara

Normal

Fred

Dead

[sepialunaris]

Theorizing Amelia and One's backstory based on implicit storytelling

Hmmm infinity train possibly not getting a continuation got me thinking more about Amelia and One-One's implicit story throughout the books. Since the train in Book 4 still works on One's "in a literal sense [the passengers] are numbers to him" and "if they dont sort their problems they'll die here" ideal and not post-Tulip "every passenger's wellbeing and progress is important," the state of the train prior to Ryan and Min is a big mystery, and what specifically happens after to Amelia and One One is another mystery.

I saw @suppuration 's post (which unfortunately can't link since, mobile) about how Book 1 of Infinity Train is about One One experiencing and learning to act as a denizen for Tulip, and while he was mindwiped it must have a big impact to how he does his role as the conductor now and before, when he was just one entity.

Long analysis ahead

One = Simon

Book 4 One reminds me of... Simon. Simon "but you are not a person" Laurent. One is colder and more aloof towards passengers, and seeing them as just "numbers," which is similar to Simon's views at nulls and lack of respect of agency. While he got amnesia and his experience with Tulip made One-One realize his inactiveness has also hindered the purpose of the train as well as a sense of guilt on things that were not his fault (Amelia's cars in the train), he does strive to change, but Amelia still remembers and internalizes what she knows One was in the past, hence she still refers to his old name and had to read his instruction card to remind herself of his new ideals.

Moreover, Book 4 shows Stewards being in charge in train maintenance in the past. Reddit AMA said that in the present the Stewards are almost all destroyed in the coup besides the one Amelia outfitted with weaponry and One One used as transport in Book 2. Book 3 saw One One using humans like Amelia for maintenance, which shows that he is more willing to give agency to the passengers rather than lock them up in place while the Stewards do their jobs. So unlike Simon, there is growth.

Amelia = Hazel, but not really

One conforming to rigid power structure and not really considering anyone's agency like Simon and Pre-Hazel Grace makes Amelia seem like Hazel in this metaphor, which is appropriate that she is her 'clone' or imaginary child. And like Amelia entered One's and life resulting in his mysterious split, Hazel entered Simon and Grace's lives to split them (even if One One dont go separate ways like them, and stayed together) after she experience a personal loss that they caused or 'denied to unreverse' (in Amelia's case). Hazel made them both the chance to question, rethink, and restart their ideals but Simon didn't take it, while Amelia at first tried to give constructive feedback to One before executing the coup and also fell into One's problem of not recognizing others' agencies by 1) throwing away One One and possibly removing his memory 2) forcibly taking away the support system for the passengers to navigate their problems like Ryan and Min-Gi thinking its giving them agency to "individuate" and be on their own, when in the case of Ryan and Min it just reiterated their trauma.

Also her contradictory way of thinking is why in the end Amelia's belief of the other passenger's agency ends up being fallible and destroyed as she becomes more violating and just altogether doesn't want passengers to leave their cars. And I'm highkey convinced that the reason the Ghoms exist (but not in Book 4) is that she created them to prevent people from moving around freely, as there is no therapeutic reason for them to exist (that said the hand monster exists, but it is only in 1 car while Ghoms are numerous and everywhere in the wasteland, so this monster may explain One's aloofness to their wellbeing even further). She does have Ghom orb and used it in Atticus, so its really reasonable to think so. Plus it would be a logical thing that would add up to her numbers a lot and make Samantha the Cat dread her, yet still not make her numbers reach the top like Simon after directly trying to murder his friend.

Amelia's Loss

Though we're not sure because of how little screentime we have of them in Book 4, I do think Ryan and Min-Gi's attempt of staying together is a big foil too for Amelia's experience of abandonment, loss, yearning for the past, and loneliness. Therefore the Steward's first appearance was to reonnect the boys to their past by giving back their stuff, despite Amelia saying that she did that to "individuate" them (this may be directed for all the passengers but in this book's context it is about Min and Ryan's commitment to each other), and the second appearance Amelia specifically says "[they] are on their own." By the lens of Ryan and Min, Amelia is portrayed as a force that desires to separate them, not in a malicious nor personal manner, but maybe a projection of her own trauma of codependency with Alrick and not wanting the same to befall to Ryan and Min (it may also be jealousy but she hasn't shown any displeasure of that sort so it seems more like bad faith analysis) and the pther passengers. And in the end she releases everyone in the train from their 'dependency' by decomissioning the Stewards. Her actions, especially the former does have understandable motives and she isn't intending to harm anyone, but it happens anyway because in the end she disrespects their agency and pulled the whole train from under the rug.

Amelia = Lake & others

And the story of agency is central in Book 2, and how Lake fights for their recognition as a person and getting off from the train, to the point they have to confront One-One about it. It was the first time One One's imperfection is shown and how even now his standards for denizens has gotten better but not the best. Though he does end up respecting their agency and puts thought to it too. And a minor detail is that he mentions Atticus too in Book 2, meaning that he remembers him personally due to his experience as a denizen instead of just an instrument like in Book 4 (eg: Denizens like Kez being frozen kept of the blue during Steward visits), and he appreciates Alan Dracula too. So he did grow, even if its not perfect and his cold tendency and lesser view on denizens is still there. Yet One and Amelia's ideals of hierarchal superiority and the concept that denizens are worth nothing bleeds down to the Apex, who follows Amelia's footsteps after she has decided to refuse her former ideal to "individuate" passengers (as she has already used her outfit when finding Grace and if we think Amelia made the Ghoms then yeah it tracks), as well as Grace and Simon's own coping mechanisms of dealing with traumatic abandonment and loneliness being parallels to Amelia, through manipulating others and intruding on people's agencies respectively.

However, what I find interesting is that, like Lake, Amelia also got to the engine room and got to ask for favors from him. While the context is not clear as well as her lack of companions, if we parallel it to Lake's story and also considering Amelia's fallible interest to humanize the passengers to One, something similar might've happened.

Her story parallels with Ryan too, that wants to subvert expectations within his life even recklessly so at times that ends up hurting people (just like how she took over the train and hurt One and the other passengers), yet he deals with life better even after abandonment by Min. She also parallels heavily with Morgan, who was dependent on Jeremy and tried to isolate herself from her friend, Kez. And the big thing that Amelia lacks in this scenario, unlike Lake and Ryan, is that as said before, the distinct lack of companions she has. No one like Jesse or Min-Gi to ground and provide her company besides her desire for Alrick to come back, and doesn't show interest in forging new relationships and instead focused on her own stuff, just like Morgan grieved when Jeremy was gone. Amelia was both isolated and isolated herself further when she couped the train, and in the end like Morgan she turns from a caring person to someone that revokes agency. Though Morgan, in the end does decide to grieve herself and opens a window for her to reconnect with Kez, unlike Amelia who lost that opportunity and fell further to the dark due to cruel circumstance and her own actions.

And as for the reason why One One was split is mysterious and currently unexplained, Idk if this is an appropriate idea to connect to, but I feel like there's a possibility that he could've split himself or gave himself amnesia, as a way for him to deal with self isolation and or trauma from betrayal. Maybe he was even inspired by seeing Ryan and Min's commitment to each other? But again it is farfetched to judge as something tracks as of now.

Soo... tl;dr what i think happened.

During this era One only interacts with the passengers by maintaining the trains through the Stewards, without consideration of their well being or agency, hence the hand monster/Docent exists

Amelia enters the train and fights her way into the engine room to meet One, possibly asking her stuff back too

One decides to receive input from Amelia, who intends to humanize the passengers to him by giving them back their stuff, while akso taking interest to cultivate independence on the other passengers to avoid codependency like her

Amelia falls back to her dependency and asks One to bring Alrick back, he refuses, and she hijacks the train

As a way to give them freedom, Amelia releases all the passengers the rules the train binds them to and destroys all the Stewards that acted as maintenance before

One is sent to the snow car for 33 years. He is either split or mindwiped by Amelia or he performs this action himself

Amelia's idealism wavers over time and she gets obsessed in find orbs to create Alrick. Becomes more militaristic and creates her Conductor persona, outfitted the last Steward with guns, and created the Ghoms with her cannon

In order to make sure no passengers try any funny stuff and let her focus on her quest, she uses the Ghoms to make sure they are within order, and prefers passengers to no longer leave their cars. She ultimately has no control over that though therefore she can only minimize the problem

Book 1 happens, Amelia is ousted and decides to work under One One as a human steward and to fix her mistakes to repent

Feel free to add on or critique things because I might've missed/misintrepreted a lot

[booksfromblackwood]

Is anyone still around in this fandom? If so, I thought I’d post the first chapter of an old fic that I re-wrote last year! Let me know if anyone’s still around, and if you’d be interested in reading more! Hope everyone reading this has a great day! :)

Han has left the chat.

Three Days Before The Disappearance

.Sam.Giddings. added josh_wash, ashleeeeey, xXGamerChrisXx, TheOriginalMatt, HanButterfly, BethWash, Mike_Munroe, EmilyD_, and _Jess.Riley_ to the chat.

.Sam.Giddings. named the chat Info For Tomorrow.

.Sam.Giddings.: Hey guys! Just to keep everyone updated on our travel plans for tomorrow! I know it's going to be a long day for everyone so it's vital we stick to the plan and stay in our groups where possible!

ashleeeeey: Okie-doodle!!

TheOriginalMatt: How are you so organised, Sam? You're a lifesaver!

HanButterfly: Hi!!

BethWash: trust sam to be more prepared than those of us organising the trip lol

xXGamerChrisXx: Since when was 'okie-doodle' a thing?

EmilyD_: Thanks Sam x

xXGamerChrisXx: And thanks so much, sam!

.Sam.Giddings.: So quick reminder of everyone's groups:

_Jess.Riley_: I'm stoked!!

ashleeeeey: That's rich coming from someone whose username is xXGamerChrisXx! :P

.Sam.Giddings.: Ash, Chris, Matt, and myself will start the journey first tomorrow morning.

xXGamerChrisXx: You wound me!

Mike_Munroe: Thanks for the plan, Sam!

TheOriginalMatt: Excited to see everyone tomorrow! This is going to be a killer weekend for sure!!

.Sam.Giddings.: Em, Mike, and Jess, you guys are next.

ashleeeeey: You're so dramatic!! XD

Mike_Munroe: Team Two here we go!!

xXGamerChrisXx: Made you smile, though! ;-)

josh_wash: what about us

.Sam.Giddings.: I'm just getting to that!

ashleeeeey: True :)

xXGamerChrisXx: You guys are already there and are therefore irrelevant! :P

.Sam.Giddings.: Han, Beth, and Josh, you guys are there already!

josh_wash: thanks cochise i feel so appreciated

BethWash: lol thanks chris

Mike_Munroe: So, what are we all up to?

BethWash: i found cake

xXGamerChrisXx: Browsing reddit like a nerd XD

ashleeeeey: Listening to Sam's rundown of tomorrow unlike sOmE pEoPlE *coughcoughChris*

EmilyD_: Honestly just packing my final things with Jess. Mike's mostly watching the TV.

xXGamerChrisXx: :-(

.Sam.Giddings.: So, tonight we should all make sure our bags are packed and that we have our passports and tickets ready!! Set your alarms for the right times (depending on your group) and make sure to sleep early too (especially if you're in my group since tomorrow will be an early start for us)!

ashleeeeey: :)

TheOriginalMatt: 5am gang where we AT?

HanButterfly: Beth where are you rn? Because I want some of that cake!!

.Sam.Giddings.: So Team One (myself, Chris, Ash, and Matt), we need to be up by 5:00am and be ready by 5:30am for the taxi to the airport!! Matt and Chris, yours is going to be at Chris' place at 5:24 for some reason so make sure to be ready!!

BethWash: the lodge kitchen bcos where else would there be cake han lol

.Sam.Giddings.: We'll meet up at the airport when we arrive! Once we re-group, we'll check in, probably eat some breakfast whilst we wait, and then catch the 8:30 plane!!

TheOriginalMatt: Sweet!

ashleeeeey: Can't wait! :)

josh_wash: yo matt you surviving the puns

.Sam.Giddings.: Team Two - you guys don't have to be up until around 9:00am since your taxi is at 9:20 and then your plane is at 11:30!

HanButterfly: Josh would you like me to save you some cake before we eat it all? :)

EmilyD_: We'll need a little longer than 20 minutes to all get ready but sure x

TheOriginalMatt: Just about! Myself and Chris have mostly been playing on his PS4 so I've been distracting myself with that! XD

josh_wash: yes please!

josh_wash: i feel for ya bro, a whole evening with chris' puns can prove fatal

josh_wash: you die of cringe

Mike_Munroe: Poor ol' Chris XD

.Sam.Giddings.: Once we arrive and get our bags, we need to catch the 2:30pm train and then the 4:20 bus! After that we have to take the 5:40 bus (I sent you guys screenshots of the route yesterday) and get off at Blackwood Pines ready for our hike up the mountain (with a little help from the cable car, of course)!

xXGamerChrisXx: I'm being BULLIED guys :(

ashleeeeey: Aw, poor Chris! :P

josh_wash: jk XD

TheOriginalMatt: I like how Sam's still here typing all we need to know whilst we're talking about cake and puns XD

.Sam.Giddings.: Team Two, you guys need to catch either the 5:30pm or the 6:00pm train depending on when your stuff arrives. After that you'll need to get the 7:50 bus and then the 8:40 bus to Blackwood Pines (you have to specify you want it to stop there or the driver won't stop) before you head up. Remember to lock the cable car station once you get in, Mike!

josh_wash: oh gosh tHE CAKE

Mike_Munroe: Gotcha' Sam!

HanButterfly: No worries, Josh! I managed to save most of it from Beth!

BethWash: rip my chance at a third slice of cake

_Jess.Riley_: Really, thanks Sam! We're all packed and ready to go! Xx

HanButterfly: It's really going to be such an awesome weekend! I can't wait :D

ashleeeeey: Thank you so much for inviting me! I've never been on something like this before!! :D

TheOriginalMatt: Yeah, thank you so much guys! I can't wait either, Han!!

.Sam.Giddings.: Have we got rooms sorted out for the lodge, guys?

BethWash: ash take the plans away from sam so she can have time to relax lol

EmilyD_: I'm with Mike in the room away from everyone like agreed right x

ashleeeeey: I'm trying but she won't let me! XD

HanButterfly: I mean if needs be we can sort out rooms once we're here! If not maybe we just sort out the first night rooms since it'll be fairly late when everyone arrives and then we can adjust them as needed as the trip goes on!

BethWash: lol poor sam will be up all night organising at this rate

.Sam.Giddings.: Sounds good, Han!

Mike_Munroe: Great idea, Hannah!

BethWash: em, yours and mike's room (upstairs guest) may not be ready first night so is it possible for you to share a room with jess til we get a chance to sort it out tomorrow?

EmilyD_: That's fine, hon. Thank you again for the trip and for letting us use the upstairs guest room x

josh_wash: how about for the first night emily and jess share beth's room and then beth sam and han go in hannah's room

josh_wash: mike can go to the small room downstairs if he's alright w/ that and matt can room w/ me

xXGamerChrisXx: Yo dude you forgot ash

ashleeeeey: It's alright, Chris! I can find somewhere!

EmilyD_: Ash you're honestly lovely but I'd kinda' like to be with either Jess or Mike if that's alright xx

ashleeeeey: No problem, Emily! I wouldn't want to intrude! :)

EmilyD_: Knew you'd understand xx

josh_wash: why dont you and ash share a room cochise

xXGamerChrisXx: I thought I was rooming with you and matt?

josh_wash: bro please just think for a minute here

ashleeeeey: I'm not sure.

xXGamerChrisXx: Beth, han, and sam, is there any room with you guys?

ashleeeeey: I'm really sorry to be a bother!!

.Sam.Giddings.: Of course you can room with us, Ash! We'd love to have you with us! :)

BethWash: im with sam

HanButterfly: Of course!!

xXGamerChrisXx: Thank you to the only valid washington kids right now!

josh_wash: -_-

xXGamerChrisXx: I see what you're doing, josh. ha ha, we've had our laugh, now please stop before this weekend.

Mike_Munroe: Rough subject, huh?

josh_wash: bro chill you know i was just joking

ashleeeeey: I'm really sorry!! Please don't get upset with each other!

xXGamerChrisXx: No ash it's alright! i promise i'm not actually mad! :-)

josh_wash: he acts mad over text to get his point across but he literally just sits there with a blank expression irl XD

TheOriginalMatt: Is Sam still there, Ash? Haven't heard from her in a while!

TheOriginalMatt: Gotta check up on my plane buddy for tomorrow!!

_Jess.Riley_: Did you guys get window seats or middle isle seats? I got a middle isle and the others got a window!

BethWash: she hasn't drowned in her notes has she lol

TheOriginalMatt: We got two sets of window seats! Though I don't know which of us is actually going to be at the window and which one will be window isle!

ashleeeeey: She's just brushing her teeth! Her mom came in and brought us a load of vegan snacks for the trip tomorrow and now I'm even more excited!!

ashleeeeey: Speaking of which, I'm probably going to head to sleep in a minute! Though I'm not sure how much I'll actually get since I'm so excited!!! :)

xXGamerChrisXx: Sleep well, ash. see you in the morning :-)

ashleeeeey: Night, Chris :)

ashleeeeey has left the chat.

_Jess.Riley_: Well that was cute!

xXGamerChrisXx: People say goodnight to eachother! that's a normal human interaction!

_Jess.Riley_: You know full well it's cute when it's you two

.Sam.Giddings.: Ash told me she logged out so I came to say goodnight!

josh_wash: w/ jess on this one bro

HanButterfly: Goodnight, Sam!

BethWash: night sam!

josh_wash: dont let the bedbugs bite!

TheOriginalMatt: See you bright and early tomorrow!!

.Sam.Giddings.: See you at the airport/lodge, guys!

xXGamerChrisXx: Night!

.Sam.Giddings. has left the chat.

BethWash: its cute because you like eachother chris

xXGamerChrisXx has left the chat.

HanButterfly: Aww, don't tease the poor guy!

TheOriginalMatt: Chris says goodnight, as do I! Can't wait to see you all tomorrow!

BethWash: night guys!

TheOriginalMatt has left the chat.

josh_wash: night!

Mike_Munroe: Make sure to save me a slice of that cake, Han! I gtg!

Mike_Munroe has left the chat.

HanButterfly: Goodnight Mike :)

EmilyD_: We'd best be off too. See you all in the morning.

_Jess.Riley_: Night x

EmilyD_ has left the chat.

BethWash: night

HanButterfly: Goodnight x

josh_wash: night xxxxxxyzqvp

_Jess.Riley_: Ha ha, very funny. Get that one from Chris?

josh_wash: lol night

_Jess.Riley_ has left the chat.

BethWash: PLEASE can i have some more cake, han?

josh_wash: you guys can literally just talk if you wanted

HanButterfly: Nope! Gotta' save some for Mike~

BethWash: you wont shut up about that for the rest of the evening now, will you?

BethWash: lol

HanButterfly: :P

josh_wash: you guys gossip in the kitchen

josh_wash: imma head to bed

BethWash: night bro

HanButterfly: Sleep well!

josh_wash has left the chat.

BethWash: please?

HanButterfly: No :P

BethWash: ugh night sis

HanButterfly: Night, Beth! XD

BethWash has left the chat.

HanButterfly has left the chat.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #376

“when the wind bends the branch to softly touch me  /  when the band plays your song  /  i feel strong enough to keep dreaming”

If your s/o smoked pot/did drugs would you care? Yes, but for pot that's only because it's illegal here. I also find smoking to be a turn-off, but I'd be able to look past that if it was for actual health reasons. Do people ever call you by your last name? No. Has the last person you dated/fell in love with ever seen you cry? Yes. Where are you going on your next vacation (or where do you WANT to go)? I've got none planned, nor do I know where I'd want to prioritize. Like there's South Africa, but I first need to get healthier before I could handle the heat and trudging through sand. I want to go to Yellowstone National Park to spread Teddy's ashes there (seeking permission of course), but again, I need to be in better shape before I go on a venture of photographing there, as well. I need to be healthier to do a lot of the things I want to... Do you own anything bought in another country? No. Who do you text the most? Sara. Four things you wish you had? Better health (including mental), financial stability, a job, and motivation to indulge more in my artistic hobbies. What was the last thing you cried about? Stress regarding this dog we're stuck with. What is your favorite Elvis song? Probably "You're The Devil In Disguise." Do you think you could be the next American Idol? Ha, absolutely not. Do you prefer reading fiction or non-fiction? Fiction, by a long shot. Does anybody send you money in the mail for your birthday? No. My grampa used to, but he's been dead a couple years. Who is one person you met and automatically didn’t like? I was not a fan of a doctor I once saw for my tremors. She was very rude and just threw the idea of me having Parkinson's or something at what, 17 years old or whatever? My psychiatrist knows her as well and knows she's a whackjob. Heard her name and was essentially like "ew" lmao. What monster would you be most afraid to have in your closet? A male one with a knife, I guess. I really hate knives. And men scare me anyway. Which Adam Sandler movie do you like the most? I don't know, he's in too many to possibly think of one right off the top of my head. Who was one of your first celebrity crushes? Jesse McCartney was my first true love, haha. Have you ever been hit on through text messages? Yes. Do you have to do any yard work? No. Have you ever mowed the lawn? No. Do you get an allowance? No. Did you ever know your great grandparents? I think I knew one? There was this woman from my childhood I knew as "GG" for "great grandma," but I have no recollection of who she was related to or even if she was directly related to me. I remember that I really really liked her, though. Do you like the taste of Tums? It's the texture I really don't like. The candy-like Tums though, y'know, not the chalky ones, I like more than someone should like medicine, haha. How about Pepto Bismol? Omfg no. Do you have a fast or slow metabolism? I have a slow metabolism, but thank Christ it's not as bad as when I was on Abilify. That stupid fucking medicine was the reason I gained so much weight that I haven't been able to lose. What’s your favorite onomatopoeia? (Crash, bang, zoom, meow) I dunno. Do you eat ramen? There's only one specific kind of ramen I've had that I like: Yakisoba's spicy chicken one. Sweet or regular pickles? Regular. I don't like sweet pickles. What kind of dreams do you have most often? Since my nightmares started, violent ones. I'm usually trying to defend myself or lashing out at someone myself. What do you do for personal growth? I try to be a deep thinker, for one. This can way too easily lead to overthinking, but I appreciate that I think it at least helps me learn from my mistakes and work towards making me a better person. I need to start challenging my anxiety more, as that would definitely be massive growth... If you could read anyone’s mind, who would be the first person you’d read? Jason's, only because all I want to know is if he thinks I was emotionally abusive after the breakup or not. But I also don't want to know. Do you have a makeup item or style trick that you feel improves your look significantly and that you feel like you couldn’t go without now that you have it? No. What’s your favourite cereal? Probably Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but I like a lot of cereals. Do you prefer red wine or white wine? I don't like wine. Way too bitter. Do you read Reddit? If so, how often and what subreddits do you like? I don't, but I've thought about lurking on a reptile husbandry one or something like that. Might learn some stuff. But at the same time, there are so many conflicting and very strong opinions amongst hobbyists to the point of awful toxicity that I'd rather not read. Have you recently broken up with a significant other or even just a friend? No. Have you ever eaten at a restaurant and left without paying? God no. When was the last time you played a board game? What did you play? Probably Scrabble back when Sara visited. Do you primarily use cash or card for your purchases? Why? Cash, because I don't have a debit or credit card. Do you believe sex should be mandatory in an ongoing dating relationship? Um, no? Some people don't care for it, and that's completely fine. Have you ever recorded yourself doing a cover of a song? No. Any secrets you’d never tell anyone? No matter how close they are to you? Yes. Do you like deviled eggs? NO. FUCK that yolk shit. What career are you most interested in? I still think my first career goal, a paleontologist, would be most interesting and exciting. Like just IMAGINE discovering a new dinosaur. And it's such a job of passion - you have to be so, SO careful and invest so much time in slowly recovering it from millions of years of rock and sand and time. I can only imagine the feeling of accomplishment when an excavation is complete. Have you ever seen a rooster? Yeah? What do you think about religion? Honestly, I personally wish it had never been a thing. It's brought with it so much hatred and bigotry, but I do acknowledge at the same time it's brought great comfort and hope to some people, and that's wonderful. But just all things considered, I feel it's done more harm than good. What’s your favorite sweetheart name (baby, honey, angel, dumpling) Probably "lovely." Has a little kid ever fallen asleep on your lap before? Yes, back when I babysat my neighbor's kid once. Have you ever thrown a grenade? Yikes, no. Have you ever talked face to face with someone famous before? No. Have you ever owned a rocking horse? I don't think so? If you could meet anyone in the world who would it be? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Have you ever wished you were dead? Yes. Is it awkward when people start talking all deep around you? No, I actually like deep convos. Have you ever played the old school Pac Man arcade game? Possibly? Ever played Mario Karts on Nintendo 64? No. Have you ever been scuba diving? No. Can you surf/boogie board? No. Do you like Chinese food, Mexican food, or American food better? American. What’s your favorite thing to order from Taco Bell? Cheese quesadilla and fiesta potatos. Sometimes I get the cinnabon delight thingies, but I avoid 'em with how unhealthy they are. Do you like hot, cold, or lukewarm showers? Pretty hot. Do you like to swing? I LOVED swinging as a kid. I haven't done it in a very long time now. How about jumping on a trampoline? I loved that as a kiddo, too. I haven't done that in years. What are you favorite color eyes? Sapphire blue or like an emerald green. Do you have long arm hair? Nah, at least I don't think so. What third generation console is your favorite? PS3, Xbox 360, or Wii? I loved my PS3. I'm still so bummed mine broke. How often do you like to have sex? I'm not sexually active, but even when I was, I didn't care. Do you have a facial expression you seem to pull a lot? What is it? Not really. I think I look stoic most of the time. Do you always listen to music when you’re online? No; I usually have a let's play or something like that on that I can split my screen and watch while doing something else. If so, what are you currently listening to? I'm listening to "Love Goes On And On" by Lindsey Stirling and Amy Lee right now. Do you ever forget how to do really simple things? Like what? Yes, like how to control the laundry machine and other things like that. There's just so many options that I never, ever remember what to set it to, no matter how many times Mom shows me. That's how my memory is with most things these days, really... Were you born with naturally straight teeth? No; I needed braces. If you were the opposite gender, what name would you like to be called? Uhhh maybe Severin. Do you prefer original or sour Skittles? I love both, but sour wins. What about chocolate or peanut M&M’s? I also enjoy both, but the original are better. Your favourite band: Do you prefer their old or new stuff? That's like... impossible to answer, lol. I just love everything. Do you check to make sure your ear phones are going in the right ear? No. Do you secretly still listen to Ace of Base? I have no idea who that is. Have you ever broken someone else’s bone? No, thank goodness. I'd feel awful. Is it stupid to think you can write a book at thirteen? No?????????? There are incredibly talented writers out there at young ages. Hell, I remember as a kid, I wanted to be the youngest published author way before that age. Are you ever embarrassed about what you dream about? There've been some I wouldn't share. Have you ever had sex with someone as a favor? No, and I never would. Does your mom let you date? I'm 25, my dude. She let me when I felt ready, though. If you had the last person you kissed’s Facebook password, would you go snooping through their stuff? Why or why not? She doesn't have one, but hypothetically, fuck no. Because that's none of my damn business, and it still wouldn't be even if we were still dating. Have you ever fainted? If so, when was the last time? If not have you ever come close? I've fainted once when I was a teen and have come close many other times. Ever take a keyboarding class? Do you type using the skills you learned in class, or how you used to before you took the class? Yeah; it was mandatory for I think one year in middle school. I type how I was taught in there. Do you find your best friend’s significant other/crush attractive? She doesn't have an s/o, and idk who her "real" crush is, as much as she'd love Frieza to be real, haha. What do you do with your clothes that don’t fit anymore or just don’t want? Donate them. Do you cut out coupons? My mom will keep some fast food ones she gets in the mail sometimes. Did you ever breathe in helium and talk funny afterwards? I think I did once at a birthday party, but I'm unsure. Would you ever open your own business? If so, what kind of business could you imagine yourself having? I want to be a freelance photographer so, so badly. I want to specialize in nature and wildlife, but having a boudoir studio would be great to help keep me afloat, plus I adore the art of boudoir. I've shot it once for an old friend, and by god, I loved how empowered it made her feel, especially as a plus-sized woman. She adored the pictures, and I'd just love to help other clients feel like they're gorgeous in their unique body, too. Last type of candy you ate? I had a donut from Starbuck's yesterday. Did you decorate your house for Halloween? If so, how many decorations? Did you go all out, or just put up a few things? Mom and I don't really decorate anymore. :/

[britishaliengods]

[Official] - TotalBiscuits future This is posted on behalf of TotalBiscuit by the subreddits moderation team. TB does not participate in Reddit anymore (we havent managed to keep him off /r/rarepuppers yet thats a work in progress) since he doesn't think that health related speculation is good for his mindset. Well-wishes can be sent to pr@cynicalbrit.com where they'll be sent on by his PR guy.When I went into hospital a week or so ago, it was accompanied by the news that conventional chemotherapys effectiveness had been exhausted. My body has become resistant to all forms of it according to my oncologist. 46 chemo treatments, 138 days plugged into a pump. Let nobody ever say I wasn't stubborn. Unfortunately this was followed up a couple of days later with some more bad news. My liver is failing and its effectiveness has lowered past the point where the clinical trials I had been offered would take me on. Yes apparently there are things that are too dangerous for even the terminal. Obviously we're going to keep looking for other trials but I'm currently coming to terms with the fact that I don't have long left and right now at any rate, there is literally nothing I can do about it other than try to manage the pain as best as possible and stay as hydrated as possible to ease the pressure on the liver. There are quite a few pain management options left to try and the ones that I am using can be increased in dosage quite significantly if need be. The majority of the pain is being caused by pressure on the spine from hardened nodules in the liver and lung as well as fluid. We haven't fully explored the options for dealing with all of that, but its high priority so that my quality-of-life can improve.That's what it comes down to now, getting my quality-of-life to as good a standard as possible. Even though you don't really have any treatments to fight with any more, I firmly believe that the will to live is a very strong asset and that is much easier to maintain when you're not in crippling pain all the time.That will most likely be my last health update, unless some miracle happens or we do indeed find a trial that can do something despite the damage to my liver. I'd ask people not to speculate about how long I might have left. I've deliberately left out some details to try and reduce the behavior, though it might very well have the opposite effect. All I do know is that kind of thing is upsetting to some of my viewers that read it and I'd rather not encourage it. I've already exceeded the "usual" lifespan of someone with my condition so whatever numbers people come up with are just that.Its now a case of "what do I do with the time I have left?" Why am I telling you? Because if you're a viewer of my content, its relevant to you.Retirement, sort ofFirstly, I am retiring as a games critic. I can't do the job anymore. I'm under the influence of too much medication to think clearly and my schedule too unreliable to get coverage out in a timely manner. I've found it very stressful over the last year to try and keep up, knowing that I'm failing and watching my work (rightly) fall out of favour because there isn't enough of it, its not on time or its not of good quality. It doesn't make any sense to continue to try to do that job in my state and while it used to bring me a lot of satisfaction, now it's just the opposite.Does that mean I'm done with Youtube and Twitch? Nope, blokes gotta make a living. I have a family to consider and there's no such thing as "too much" when it comes to what I leave them when I go out kicking and screaming. I want to spend the rest of my time with the two things I love the most, my family and my work. I'm transitioning my Youtube and Twitch work over to gameplay with my wife. There's a bunch of co-op stuff I never really got around to playing and I have the perfect gameplay partner right beside me. When I'm having a good idea, I'll be doing gameplay streams and Youtube videos with Genna. If you want to know what to expect from that, well we've done it before, just not recently, there's some rather popular videos of it over on Her channelThis is something that will make me happy, spending time with my family but also getting job satisfaction. That's something all too easily overlooked by some, I'm a very work-driven person and one of hardest things of the past couple of years has been dealing with not being able to reliable do my work. It's brought on depression, uncertainty, anger, you name it. I hate it.The PodcastWhat about Co-optional? Well that's sticking around. The show must go on after all. We will be moving forward with our proposal to shorten the show to 2 hours per episode however. This is for health reasons but also because lately I've felt like 3 hours drags on too much, we find ourselves having to rely on way too much filler and its not been as enjoyable to do. Some might be disappointed by this though we found in a recent poll that quite a few people, more than those who said they'd be disappointed, actually wanted this change. There are only so many hours in a week. I'd rather have 2 hours of good, fresh content than 3 hours of discussion spread too thin, which the shows as of late have often been. As for weeks in which I simply cannot do the show (which hopefully wont happen but you can never be sure), Genna is going to be trained in production and will take on a host role, with the usual guests. Genna will be filling in for Dodger while she takes maternity leave anyway so, get used to hearing her voice.SupportWe've had A LOT of questions about donations, how people can help etc. That's always humbling to see. Some suggested a GofundMe. I'm not comfortable with taking donations when I'm still able to work and have income from several different sources. I dont begrudge anyone for using donations as a form of income, its just always seemed inappropriate for us when we have several other ways to making money that result in both parties getting something. If you would like to help, do the things you've always done. Watch our videos without adblock or with Youtube Red (yes Red helps, a lot, much more than watching an ad).Support our podcast sponsors, Squarespace and [Audible at [(https://ift.tt/2HDqc2a] - they've both been very good to us over the past couple of years and let us pay Dodger and Jesse a salary for doing the show rather than just "exposure" (though they got a lot of damn exposure, let's not sell ourselves short here").Watch our streams and consider subscribing. There'll be more content coming on Twitch than there has been for a while with streams with Genna. Our subscription is a service, giving you instant access to VoDs rather than having to wait for them to hit Youtube (in the case of Cooptional, thats 48 hours afterwards), no Twitch ads, 50 chat emotes, access to the subscriber only chat and a 10% discount on our t-shirts and hoodies. We've done our best to make subscribing a service model, not a donation model and we're going to try and keep it that way, including more features and discounts if we can.Speaking of merchandise, yes the purchase of a shirt is very helpful. Margins on t-shirts are ridiculous, that's why everyone and their mother wants to sell them to you. [https://ift.tt/2zKjDqA] is where we sell ours.We have a games retail partner in [http://chrono.gg/tb] that sells a different game every day at a big discount. We get a cut of each sale, so if you see something on there you like and pick it up under our link, that helps.We do have another partnership in the works as well, with a company you should be quite familiar with.Lastly, I'll be taking the occasional brand deal here and there. Even though I'm not a critic anymore, I still fully believe in disclosure, honesty with the audience and only taking deals for games you actually like. People can see right through the fake bullshit anyway, so why waste your time and I'd quite like however many videos I've got left in me to be fun. I'm not playing your crappy game, no matter how much money you try to slip me, so you can take me off those mobile mailing lists please.These are all better than asking for donations. We're still running a business and I want to keep acting like it. All that said, if something goes horribly wrong, if my insurance stops paying out for whatever reason or if faced between draining all savings and leaving my family with nothing but our physical assets and asking for help, you better believe I'll be asking for help. The family comes first.What we leave behindIt goes further than that though. When I leave this world I want to leave something my family can use to help them earn. Not only would I be ok with Genna taking over my channels and assets once I'm gone, I'd be delighted if she did. I've been encouraging her for years to create more content for Youtube, hopefully as we make a bunch of fun videos together over the next however-long, that confidence will grow. I fully expect The Co-optional Podcast to go on and I love the thought that once I'm gone, the channels will go on in my absence, hosted by the person who knows me best and has been with me for the better part of my adult life.If this is all a bit brutally honest... well, it is me. I want you to see where I'm coming from, I always have and I really believe that's what made me an effective and useful critic. It's been a privilege, thank you all for letting me into your life and do something so important as to have an impact on how you spend your hard-earned money. Thankfully Youtube is thriving with great review and critical content now, there's plenty of awesome choices and considering most of my critical content has been reserved for the podcast over the last year, many of you have most likely found the places you can rely on.TL:DR - Conventional treatments ineffective, liver too damage for clinical trials that we know of. I'm retiring as a critic to spend whats left of my life sharing my love of gaming with my wife and all of you via co-op videos and streams. The podcast will continue every week, with a streamlined 2-hour format. We have no plans to launch any kind of donation campaign and suggest above a list of ways to support us if you would like to.Thank you for reading, watching or listening and I will see you soon, along with Genna, on a stream or YT channel near you.

[thediaryofthed4rkestrose]

[Official] - TotalBiscuits future This is posted on behalf of TotalBiscuit by the subreddits moderation team. TB does not participate in Reddit anymore (we havent managed to keep him off /r/rarepuppers yet thats a work in progress) since he doesn't think that health related speculation is good for his mindset. Well-wishes can be sent to pr@cynicalbrit.com where they'll be sent on by his PR guy.When I went into hospital a week or so ago, it was accompanied by the news that conventional chemotherapys effectiveness had been exhausted. My body has become resistant to all forms of it according to my oncologist. 46 chemo treatments, 138 days plugged into a pump. Let nobody ever say I wasn't stubborn. Unfortunately this was followed up a couple of days later with some more bad news. My liver is failing and its effectiveness has lowered past the point where the clinical trials I had been offered would take me on. Yes apparently there are things that are too dangerous for even the terminal. Obviously we're going to keep looking for other trials but I'm currently coming to terms with the fact that I don't have long left and right now at any rate, there is literally nothing I can do about it other than try to manage the pain as best as possible and stay as hydrated as possible to ease the pressure on the liver. There are quite a few pain management options left to try and the ones that I am using can be increased in dosage quite significantly if need be. The majority of the pain is being caused by pressure on the spine from hardened nodules in the liver and lung as well as fluid. We haven't fully explored the options for dealing with all of that, but its high priority so that my quality-of-life can improve.That's what it comes down to now, getting my quality-of-life to as good a standard as possible. Even though you don't really have any treatments to fight with any more, I firmly believe that the will to live is a very strong asset and that is much easier to maintain when you're not in crippling pain all the time.That will most likely be my last health update, unless some miracle happens or we do indeed find a trial that can do something despite the damage to my liver. I'd ask people not to speculate about how long I might have left. I've deliberately left out some details to try and reduce the behavior, though it might very well have the opposite effect. All I do know is that kind of thing is upsetting to some of my viewers that read it and I'd rather not encourage it. I've already exceeded the "usual" lifespan of someone with my condition so whatever numbers people come up with are just that.Its now a case of "what do I do with the time I have left?" Why am I telling you? Because if you're a viewer of my content, its relevant to you.Retirement, sort ofFirstly, I am retiring as a games critic. I can't do the job anymore. I'm under the influence of too much medication to think clearly and my schedule too unreliable to get coverage out in a timely manner. I've found it very stressful over the last year to try and keep up, knowing that I'm failing and watching my work (rightly) fall out of favour because there isn't enough of it, its not on time or its not of good quality. It doesn't make any sense to continue to try to do that job in my state and while it used to bring me a lot of satisfaction, now it's just the opposite.Does that mean I'm done with Youtube and Twitch? Nope, blokes gotta make a living. I have a family to consider and there's no such thing as "too much" when it comes to what I leave them when I go out kicking and screaming. I want to spend the rest of my time with the two things I love the most, my family and my work. I'm transitioning my Youtube and Twitch work over to gameplay with my wife. There's a bunch of co-op stuff I never really got around to playing and I have the perfect gameplay partner right beside me. When I'm having a good idea, I'll be doing gameplay streams and Youtube videos with Genna. If you want to know what to expect from that, well we've done it before, just not recently, there's some rather popular videos of it over on Her channelThis is something that will make me happy, spending time with my family but also getting job satisfaction. That's something all too easily overlooked by some, I'm a very work-driven person and one of hardest things of the past couple of years has been dealing with not being able to reliable do my work. It's brought on depression, uncertainty, anger, you name it. I hate it.The PodcastWhat about Co-optional? Well that's sticking around. The show must go on after all. We will be moving forward with our proposal to shorten the show to 2 hours per episode however. This is for health reasons but also because lately I've felt like 3 hours drags on too much, we find ourselves having to rely on way too much filler and its not been as enjoyable to do. Some might be disappointed by this though we found in a recent poll that quite a few people, more than those who said they'd be disappointed, actually wanted this change. There are only so many hours in a week. I'd rather have 2 hours of good, fresh content than 3 hours of discussion spread too thin, which the shows as of late have often been. As for weeks in which I simply cannot do the show (which hopefully wont happen but you can never be sure), Genna is going to be trained in production and will take on a host role, with the usual guests. Genna will be filling in for Dodger while she takes maternity leave anyway so, get used to hearing her voice.SupportWe've had A LOT of questions about donations, how people can help etc. That's always humbling to see. Some suggested a GofundMe. I'm not comfortable with taking donations when I'm still able to work and have income from several different sources. I dont begrudge anyone for using donations as a form of income, its just always seemed inappropriate for us when we have several other ways to making money that result in both parties getting something. If you would like to help, do the things you've always done. Watch our videos without adblock or with Youtube Red (yes Red helps, a lot, much more than watching an ad).Support our podcast sponsors, Squarespace and [Audible at [(https://ift.tt/2HDqc2a] - they've both been very good to us over the past couple of years and let us pay Dodger and Jesse a salary for doing the show rather than just "exposure" (though they got a lot of damn exposure, let's not sell ourselves short here").Watch our streams and consider subscribing. There'll be more content coming on Twitch than there has been for a while with streams with Genna. Our subscription is a service, giving you instant access to VoDs rather than having to wait for them to hit Youtube (in the case of Cooptional, thats 48 hours afterwards), no Twitch ads, 50 chat emotes, access to the subscriber only chat and a 10% discount on our t-shirts and hoodies. We've done our best to make subscribing a service model, not a donation model and we're going to try and keep it that way, including more features and discounts if we can.Speaking of merchandise, yes the purchase of a shirt is very helpful. Margins on t-shirts are ridiculous, that's why everyone and their mother wants to sell them to you. [https://ift.tt/2zKjDqA] is where we sell ours.We have a games retail partner in [http://chrono.gg/tb] that sells a different game every day at a big discount. We get a cut of each sale, so if you see something on there you like and pick it up under our link, that helps.We do have another partnership in the works as well, with a company you should be quite familiar with.Lastly, I'll be taking the occasional brand deal here and there. Even though I'm not a critic anymore, I still fully believe in disclosure, honesty with the audience and only taking deals for games you actually like. People can see right through the fake bullshit anyway, so why waste your time and I'd quite like however many videos I've got left in me to be fun. I'm not playing your crappy game, no matter how much money you try to slip me, so you can take me off those mobile mailing lists please.These are all better than asking for donations. We're still running a business and I want to keep acting like it. All that said, if something goes horribly wrong, if my insurance stops paying out for whatever reason or if faced between draining all savings and leaving my family with nothing but our physical assets and asking for help, you better believe I'll be asking for help. The family comes first.What we leave behindIt goes further than that though. When I leave this world I want to leave something my family can use to help them earn. Not only would I be ok with Genna taking over my channels and assets once I'm gone, I'd be delighted if she did. I've been encouraging her for years to create more content for Youtube, hopefully as we make a bunch of fun videos together over the next however-long, that confidence will grow. I fully expect The Co-optional Podcast to go on and I love the thought that once I'm gone, the channels will go on in my absence, hosted by the person who knows me best and has been with me for the better part of my adult life.If this is all a bit brutally honest... well, it is me. I want you to see where I'm coming from, I always have and I really believe that's what made me an effective and useful critic. It's been a privilege, thank you all for letting me into your life and do something so important as to have an impact on how you spend your hard-earned money. Thankfully Youtube is thriving with great review and critical content now, there's plenty of awesome choices and considering most of my critical content has been reserved for the podcast over the last year, many of you have most likely found the places you can rely on.TL:DR - Conventional treatments ineffective, liver too damage for clinical trials that we know of. I'm retiring as a critic to spend whats left of my life sharing my love of gaming with my wife and all of you via co-op videos and streams. The podcast will continue every week, with a streamlined 2-hour format. We have no plans to launch any kind of donation campaign and suggest above a list of ways to support us if you would like to.Thank you for reading, watching or listening and I will see you soon, along with Genna, on a stream or YT channel near you.

[itsiotrecords-blog]

http://ift.tt/2qZMlzm

What exactly constitutes as “oversharing” on social media? We can all pretty much agree that things like posting nudes, and sharing each other’s dirty laundry counts as part of the “oversharing” category. However, even though we all may agree, we need to consider the whole group of people that confessed to crimes they committed on their social media accounts. You may not think too much about logging out of your personal profiles and online accounts, but if you are one of the following criminals, you’ve just left the door wide open and full of evidence. The people featured in this story not only prove to us that not all criminals are the smartest crayons in the box, but also that social media, while fun to be on, gives you no sort of privacy whatsoever. Even though the majority of us are well aware that anything we post on the Internet is now part of the immense web, free for all to see, some of the people in this world just haven’t got a clue. Whether you think it’s cool to siphon gas from a police car, or you’re trying to brag about how many identities you’ve stolen, you might want to think about keeping that news under wraps if you even want a shred of hope of getting away with it. One more rule, if you think you are “getting away” with whatever crime you committed, keep those thoughts to yourself until you are dead and gone. Only after you’re dead can you really say that you truly got away with it.

#1 Troy Maye & Tiwanna Thomason – Caught Over A Steak You may not think much about it as you upload a delicious snapshot of tonight’s dinner to your Instagram account along with the hashtag “food porn,” but for some, like Troy, that post was the thing that got him arrested. Back in 2013, Troy Maye and his then-girlfriend, Tiwanna Thomason were in a restaurant called YOLO in Harlem, New York. What they didn’t know as they bragged about the 700,000 stolen identities they had for sale was that they were giving information to a person who was working undercover with the IRS. Just two days later, the pair agreed to meet with the agent at Morton’s Steakhouse for the sale of 50,000 stolen identities. Although Troy had promised 50,000 stolen names, birth dates, and socials he came up short; really short. When authorities investigated the drive, they found out it only contained the identities of 46 people, along with a name, “Troy Maye.” After calling Troy out, Troy responded that he wanted insurance that he would see the money from the fraudulently filed income tax returns before handing over the rest of the identities. Together with the drive, law enforcement used the picture of steak and mac and cheese that Nathaniel “Troy” Maye had uploaded to his Instagram account to pin him to the deal at Morton’s and both him and Tiwanna were arrested.

#2 Whitney Beall – Periscoping Her DUI Driving while drunk is a horrible idea, we all know the reasons why. Driving drunk and recording yourself driving drunk is an even worse idea, and we didn’t think that could be possible but then Whitney Beall proved us wrong with her Periscope video. In the video she, obviously drunk, is appearing to handle a moving vehicle, in slurred words she says that she’s, “Driving home drunk. Entertainment please.” After a viewer tipped of Florida authorities, they were on their way to catch her. Not only did she smell of alcohol but she failed several sobriety field tests before she was taken into police custody. To top it off, she threw up in the back of the cop car on the way to the police station.

#3 Rodney Knight Jr. – Always Time For A Selfie Back in 2011, Rodney Knight Jr. broke into the house of Washington Post journalist Marc Fisher and made off with more than some money and electronics; he got a prison sentence as well. When Rodney broke in through the basement, he stole a winter coat, $400, and two laptops among a few other things. After Rodney tried on the winter jacket and found the money, he decided to take and upload a picture to Facebook from one of the stolen laptops, the one that belonged to Marc Fisher’s son. Unknowingly or not, the picture of the robber was uploaded to young Fisher’s Facebook account which was then used by authorities to hunt down and catch Knight.

#4 Markesha Wilkerson – Livestreaming At Chuck E. Cheese Markesha was just out enjoying herself one afternoon at a local Chuck E. Cheese restaurant and decided to share the moment, as many of us do, using Facebook’s “Live” feature. Unfortunately, Miss Wilkerson along with appearing to have a good time, also had more than a couple of warrants out for her arrest. Because she had to let the world know that she was at Chuck E. Cheese, she ended up having her day cut short when the local authorities showed up to arrest her.

#5 Rashia Wilson – Queen Of Tax Fraud The self-named “Queen of IRS Tax Fraud” landed herself in hot water after taking to Facebook to brag about how much of a boss she is, well, was. In her post, she goes on to say that she is a “millionaire for the record,” and that indicting her won’t be easy. She also claims that she had the Tampa Police Department under her control. They proved her wrong when they found her insane spending habits and crazed remarks enough to investigate. She, along with others performing income tax fraud, were arrested at the conclusion of the investigation dubbed “Operation Rain Maker” which was given its name because of how suspects were “making it rain” before they were caught.

#6 Charles Rodriguez – An Ill-Planned Vacation Photo Charles Rodriguez stole two cases of jewels from a man outside of Manchester, England in 2011. After he stole the $130,000 worth of gems, he fled the United Kingdom for Colombia. The British authorities may have known where he went, but since the two countries didn’t have an extraction agreement, they had to sit tight for a few years. They didn’t have to wait forever before Charles decided to take a vacation in Britain where he took photos of himself and uploaded them to his Facebook. Those photos alerted the police force that he was back in town and after he tried giving border control a false name, his fingerprints were tested and revealed his true identity and he was taken into custody.

#7 The Reddit Confessor – Just A Nerd A guy who was known to the Reddit world as “Naratto” has since been deemed a jokester even though he once took the Internet’s front page and the rest of the world by storm. One day he made a meme with the “confession bear” that read: “My sister had an abusive meth-addicted boyfriend. I killed him with his own drugs while he was unconscious and they ruled it as an overdose.” Big words, even for a confession bear. Not only did the feed get tons of comments, but one Reddit reader tipped off the authorities to the murder confession. Later, Naratto’s sister commented online that she nor her brother knows of anyone who has overdosed, that her brother was just a gamer nerd and that the whole thing was a stupid prank to get more attention online. Naratto later came forward and admitted the same.

#8 Jonathan G. Parker – Don’t Check Facebook At A Crime Scene Just like the criminal in #14, this guy also has a problem with breaking into someone’s house and posting to the social media site, Facebook. Jonathan G. Parker broke into a house and stole two diamond rings but not before he chose to take a seat and log into his personal profile. After the owner of the house noticed that someone other than herself was logged into Facebook on her laptop, she immediately took it to police. Since Jonathan didn’t have a good reason as to why he was logged into this woman’s computer, he was taken to jail. It never pays to stop mid-crime to update your social media accounts.

#9 Jesse Hippolite – Looking For Partner In Crime… On Facebook When looking for a literal partner in crime, we would think one would lean towards Craigslist for their more shady endeavors, not a place like Facebook. However, contrary to what we thought, Jesse Hippolite must have deemed it a great idea to take to the social media website and just 45 minutes before he held up a Chase Bank, he posted “I Gotta Get That $$$$$ Man!” before he apparently asked who would like to join. He also made the mistake of wearing the same logo sweatshirt he is seen wearing in other Facebook photos in other past heists he had done. All of which became more evidence against him.

#10 Hannah Sabata – Confessed In Viral Video Hannah is the teen that named herself the “Chick Bank Robber.” She’s also the girl who, after both stealing a car and robbing a bank, made a video about her best day ever and uploaded it to her YouTube account. She got away with $6,000 dollars before she made the video which featured her confession on subtitled boards while the band Green Day played in the background. They won’t be able to wake this girl up when September ends because she’s looking at serving 10 to 20 years for the best turned worst day of her life. Hannah literally handed over her confession when she uploaded that viral video.

#11 Michael Baker – Robbing A Cop Car? Time For A Pic! Michael Baker made a monumental mistake when he siphoned fuel from a police car. The supposed “joke” got even worse when he flipped the camera “the bird” when his girlfriend snapped the picture. If you are trying to be cool, defy the police, and actually get away with it, you should be more careful to not include your face along with a big goofy grin. Michael and his girlfriend later said that it was just a joke, but the Jenkins police officials failed to find the humor in it and they arrested him on charges of theft. It turns out that stealing from the police DOES get you in trouble, who would have thought.

#12 Michael Ruse – Talked About Case On Facebook When Michael Ruse beat up a friend’s dad, he thought he had gotten away with it. Unfortunately for him, he posted that exact thought on his Facebook profile while the court proceedings regarding the case were still in process. The post he made on Facebook was printed out and anonymously turned into the court prosecutors. With the new evidence in hand, Michael had no choice but to confess to his crimes. Even if you think that you got away with it, you should never, ever be dumb enough to post that thought where millions of people have access to it. Once it’s out in the internet world, there’s no getting it back.

#13 Corey Christian Adams – Looked For A Hitman This guy really takes the cake when it comes to dumb criminals. After a woman came forward with the accusations that Corey had raped her while she was intoxicated, he sought out a person that could handle the problem. And by that, we mean a hitman. Corey, angered at the accusations, went to Facebook to offer a deal of $500 for the “girls head.” Since murder is a pretty serious crime and all, we hope that he was just kidding about the $500, that’s not even enough to throw a shoe at someone let alone bury them six feet under. Prices on the Black Market may fluctuate through the years, but we’re sure that the pricing for killing is slightly steeper than that.

#14 Steve Stephens – Murder Video Uploaded To Facebook You may have heard of the name Steve Stephens from the news reports around the country that showed his face along with the crime he committed. An unlucky grandfather named Robert Godwin Sr. crossed his path and Stephens recorded himself walking up to Godwin before the two exchange a few words and Stephens puts a bullet in the poor man’s head. He then went on to post the video to Facebook. After leading police on a three-day chase, Steve committed suicide and the story ends there. Steve’s ex says that she has no idea what caused the rampage and that she would like to think of him as a “good person who did a bad thing.”

#15 Misty VanHorn – Sellings Kids For Bail Money This Oklahoma mother of two was trying to turn back time and send her babies back. Not really, but she was trying to sell them on Facebook for a measly $4,000. They say that you can’t put a price on a mother’s love, but it appears like Misty has found a number she was willing to settle on. It’s absolutely sick to think that someone would be willing to just hand over their children forever for just a few thousand dollars. After Misty had made her offer online, the person she made the offer to went to the authorities. The authorities, of course, arrested her and put her children in protective custody. It is said that she was trying to get the money so that she could bail out her boyfriend who was in jail during that time. Mother of the year right here.

#16 Brendon Miller – Dropped Your Baby? Time For A Status Update! If you are a parent that drops their infant on its head, the first thought any normal person would have would be to go to the emergency room at a hospital, where there are professionals. Brendon Miller made a different decision when he accidentally dropped an infant and then wrote about it on Facebook. Although the child did get taken to the hospital later, Brendon didn’t feel the need to share certain pieces of vital information with authorities. Because of the previous Facebook post where he confessed to dropping the kid on its head, police charged him with aggravated assault as well as endangering the welfare of a child. Anytime something serious happens to a child, or anyone for that matter, make sure that they get the proper treatment, no matter who’s fault it is.

Source: TheRichest

[ladykristianna]

Sleepers - Part 5

The story continues…

This is a work in progress story based on a writing prompt from /r/writingprompts on reddit. Jess and David wake up in an ancient forest surrounded by over a hundred other sleeping people with nothing but headaches and questions. Suddenly an ominous voice rings out around them, “Rise and shine,” and the sleepers awake.

I am writing this for funsies as a side project. It has not been edited. Please don’t copy/paste elsewhere without my permission first. I work hard on my writing so please don’t plagiarize. Questions or comments? Shoot me a message here on tumblr or to ladykristianna on twitter. Thanks for reading.

Start from the beginning. [Part 1] Read the previous chapter. [Part 4]

Read more of my writing.

Sleepers - Part 5

JESS

I woke up to David jabbing me in the ribs with his elbow. “Jess, wake up.”

“Damnit,” I sat up and rubbed my face. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. You were tired, so I let you rest. I was too wired to rest, so I had a look around while you were napping. You’ve only been out about thirty minutes,” David said. He waved his hands at me. “Come on. I’ve got something to show you.”

“Let me get my feet covered up again,” I said. As I wrapped my feet with the cloth strips, I noticed something. “Hey, David? Have you noticed that the sun, or whatever it is, hasn't really moved that much? I thought when I first woke up here that it was around sunset, but the light hasn’t changed all that much. We’ve been out here for hours. Shouldn’t it be night by now?”

He grabbed my hand and helped me up off the ground. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s true, but I think it looks a bit dimmer now than it did when we first left the clearing. Or maybe that sun thing just sets slower than what we’re used to. Either way it seems like this place is messing with our heads.”

“So what do you have to show me?” I asked.

He grinned at me. It was the first time since I had met him that I’d seen his face light up like that. “It’s a surprise,” he said. What ever it was, it must be amazing from the way he was smiling.

David led me down through the trees a slight way away from the cliffs to a trail that led through the brush. “I wonder what uses this path. I haven’t heard any sounds from animals the whole time we’ve been here. Do you think there are other people here? Besides the ones from the clearing.”

He didn’t say anything in response, but just kept walking ahead. The path twisted downward back in the direction of the cliffs, and we broke through the brush again. We were back at the cliffs but this time we could see more of the valley below us. David made a wide gesture to a Here there were stairs carved into the cliff face leading down into the valley below. They hadn’t been visible from where we were earlier. It was a stroke of luck in more ways than one. It meant there was a way down, and it meant that there were people here, or at least there used to be at one time.

I smacked David on the shoulder. “Awesome find David. Maybe our luck is getting better.”

“Don’t jinx us,” he smiled. “Let’s head down and see what we can find.”

While the cliff steps were an advantageous find, they weren’t exactly the safest way down, and as we didn’t have rock climbing equipment, we had to inch our way down with our backs against the rock walls. The steps were narrow and uneven, and there were no hand rails or ropes to help us. Just slow and steady movements and pure luck. It was a long way down, and the climb seemed to take forever.

The stairway twisted along haphazardly but eventually we made our way down to the valley over a hundred feet below. The area around us was much like the forest above: trees of all types and low laying brush.

“David. I think I see some berry bushes over there,” I said and pointed towards the edge of the cliff wall at some low lying bushes heavy with round purplish-red berries. “They don’t look like any berries I have ever seen before. I’m not sure if they’re edible or not, but we can test them once we find water.”

“Test them?” he asked.

“Yeah. Just a little survival trick I learned from my dad when I was a kid. You taste a tiny bit for bitterness, rub some on your skin, and wait a few hours for a reaction. If they aren’t too bitter and there’s no reaction, they should be safe to eat. If there is… well. You just wait it out and flush your system by drinking a ton of water. That’s why you only eat one or two berries to test. If they are poisonous then it won’t affect you as much,” I told him. “Hopefully,” I added apprehensively. I knew there were some types that existed that could cause extreme reactions or even death even in small amounts. I didn’t tell David that. I picked a small number of the berries, wrapped them in the last bit of cloth strips, and put them in my pocket.

“I hope our luck stays with us. Let’s see if we can find some water,” David said.

As we walked, I tried to keep the landscape in my mind, taking note of odd looking trees and rock formations for future reference as a sort of mental map. For the most part everything looked the same, which would make it ridiculously easy for the average person to get lost, but I was able to keep track. I was realizing how grateful I was to my dad and those survivalist camping trips he took me on all those years ago. I thought they were so stupid at the time, but I wasn’t thinking that now.

This whole situation made me think about him. He would have been in his element here. My heart ached remembering his goofy grins as he showed me some new knot or other trick. It had never bothered him that I wasn’t born a boy, even though I knew that was what he really wanted in a child. My mother wanted a pretty doll to dress up, and my father wanted someone to romp around in the wilderness with. As a result, I was the weird amalgamation of the two parenting styles. I could throw on a perfect winged eyeliner and start a fire with nothing but a few sticks in about the same amount of time, though only one of those skills seemed useful to me now. I sent a silent thank you to wherever my father was now. He had died in a car accident when I was thirteen years old, and my mother was never quite the same afterwards. She had wasted away, lost in a prescription medication addiction, and died two years later of an overdose. I stayed with some random great aunt on my father’s side for a year and became an emancipated adult at the age of sixteen.

I’d had a hard, lonely life. People always looked at me with sympathy. We’re so, so sorry. Is there anything we can do? Even if they said it, there really wasn’t anything they could do. Either that or they ignored be because they were uncomfortable and didn’t know how to handle me. I was alone, and I dealt with it. Usually with my twisted brand of sardonic humor.

“Hey Jess!” David called me back from my drifting thoughts. I had fallen back a ways from him.

“What?”

“Listen,” he said. “Do you hear that?”

I stopped and listened. “David,” I grinned and elbowed him in the ribs. “You are a good luck charm.”

“Ow.” David rubbed his ribs while I rushed ahead.

We quickened our pace as we wove our way through the trees to that beautiful, beautiful sound. And suddenly, there it was. We broke through the trees to the sight of a small waterfall breaking through an alcove of boulders rushing down into a clear deep pool lined with smooth rocks at the bottom. It was one of the most glorious things we had ever seen.

“It’s a natural spring!” I said. “It should be safe for us to drink.”

“It gets better, Jess,” David said with a smile in his voice. I turned to see what he was talking about. Nestled behind a cluster of large bushes to the right of the waterfall was the entrance to a small cave. It was just tall enough for us bend down and enter.

“This is fantastic. We now have a base of operations!” I jumped around in my version of a happy dance while David looked on in amusement. I sat down in front of the water, cupped my hands, and drank. It was the most delicious water I had ever tasted. Nothing in a bottle had ever tasted this good. Either that, or I had underestimated how thirsty I truly was.

Shedding my giddy excitement, I stood and looked around. Between the cave and the water, this place really was perfect as a temporary shelter. David was splashing water on his face and rubbing his neck. “David, I’m going to make a fire and do the taste test on the berries. If we can eat those, that will be one food source we can count on for a little while at least, but we will need to try and find something else to eat. We should try to keep an eye out for nuts and fruits in the forest too. I haven’t seen any animals, but you never know. Maybe there are rabbits or squirrels. But I’d have to find a way to snare them, and we don’t have any knives or cord…” I trailed off and tapped my chin, deep in thought. I had literally nothing to work with except the clothes on our backs, and I’d already torn up my undershirt. I was going to have to get really creative.

[To be continued in Part 6.]

[ladykristianna]

Sleepers - Part 4

The story continues...

A work in progress story based on a writing prompt from /r/writingprompts on reddit. Jess and David wake up in an ancient forest surrounded by over a hundred other sleeping people with nothing but headaches and questions. Suddenly an ominous voice rings out around them, “Rise and shine,” and the sleepers awake. (4924 word count for all parts so far.)

Start from the beginning. [Part 1] Read the previous chapter. [Part 3]

Read more of my writing.

Sleepers - Part 4

JESS

David’s eyes widened as I explained the layout of the forest around us, particularly the lack of buildings or identifying landmarks, but it was the mention of the dome surrounding us that really brought home the reality of our situation. He was quiet for a moment. “Well, I think we should head towards the valley you saw. Maybe there will be water or something else that can give us a better clue about where we are at. Let’s go.” He turned and started walking.

“So you don’t have anything to say about that dome I saw?” I asked. “It’s bizarre. We could be under the ocean, in some cave under ground somewhere, or…”

“Jess.” David stopped and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. He looked around us, watching the trees and avoiding eye contact with me. “Let’s just take it one problem at a time. Come on.”

As we made our way through the forest, the only sound we heard was the crunching of our feet in the leaves and brush. There were a variety of trees around us, but it was the giant firs and pines that really stood out. They reminded me of the ancient Sequoia trees in California that I had seen when my dad brought me out camping in the summers as a kid. It was dim under the canopy of wide branches that were woven together above us. From where we were under the trees, there was no way you could tell there was something unnatural about the forest, except of course, the oppressive silence.

“So David… what’s your story?”

“What?”

“What do you do when you’re not being kidnapped by mysterious forces beyond your control? Where do you work?” I waggled my eyes at him. “Got a girlfriend?”

He let out a suffering sigh. “Are you this nosy with other strangers you’ve just met?” “I could hardly call you a stranger. We woke up next to each other, remember?” I laughed, and he sputtered at me. “Relax. It’s a joke,” I said. “No, I just talk a lot when I’m nervous. You really don’t have to answer. Just trying to fill this silence with conversation. ”  

I paused and looked up at the trees. David stopped too. “Have you noticed how quiet it is? I have never been in a forest this silent before. I haven’t heard any birds or insects since I woke up here,” he said.

I glanced over at him. “I know what you mean. I can’t drop this nagging feeling that we’re being watched, but we would have heard something, right? Seen something? And I’ve been wondering about all those people too.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “But, let’s keep going. I had a bad feeling about the others in the clearing. Something happened to them, and I think distance between us and them is probably the best thing for us right now, especially considering what happened with you. We also need to get to that valley before it gets dark. I have no idea what to expect when night comes.”

“You’re right,” I said, and we started forward again. “I guess I can stop with the stupid questions.”

“No. It’s alright. They’re not that stupid. I guess since we’ll be spending all this time together, we might as well get to know each other.”

“Tell you what. We’ll make it into a game,” I said. “I ask a question and then you ask a question. It will be fair and even that way. Plus, we get full veto power on which ones we want to answer, so we don’t have to answer anything too personal.”

David smiled, “Okay. That sounds reasonable. I’m game. So, Jess… is that short for Jessica?”

“Oh yeah. Pick the question that I’ve got a complex about. No, Jess is short for Jessalynn. Jessalynn Antoinette Park, which I think is the most ridiculous name I’ve ever heard. It makes me sound like I’m some sort of Southern Belle or something equally stupid. I think my mother was going through some sort of romance novel phase or something,” I said. “If we ever get back to society, you are never allowed to tell anyone my real name.”

“When,” David said.

“When, what?”

“When we get back, not if.”

“Oh yeah. When. Good point,” I laughed nervously. There was an awkward pause in which we both were trying to avoid the obvious. “So, David. I’ve told you my name. What’s yours?”

“Nothing quite as exciting as yours. Just David Andrews, middle class boring guy.”

“What, no secret middle name that you hide from all your friends?”

“Nope. Don’t have one,” he said. “Which I guess is kind of strange in its own right. Okay, so what does Jessalynn the Southern Belle do when she’s not climbing trees and hiking through forests?”

I scowled and threw a stick at him. “First thing, do not call me Jessalynn. It’s Jess, and as of yesterday I’m kind of between jobs.”

“What happened yesterday?”

“Ah ah ah,” I shook my finger at him. “You’re cheating. It’s my turn to ask the question. So what is your profession of choice, David?”

“I’m apprenticing at my father’s accounting and tax office, but I wouldn’t exactly call it my profession of choice. It’s boring as hell, but my dad really wants me to take over the family business when he retires. I hate it, but it pays the bills.”

“If it’s so terrible, why don’t you do your own thing?”

“Now who’s the cheater, Jess? My turn. How’d you lose your job?”

“I wasn’t fired, if that’s what you’re implying. I quit. My boss was a racist, misogynistic bastard. It also didn’t help that he kept pinching my ass whenever I walked by either.”

I could tell that David was visibly angry. “Why didn’t you tell anyone? You could have brought him up on sexual harassment charges or something. Maybe you could sue him.”

“I could, but where would I get the money for something like that? Lawyers cost money. I was working minimum wage in a little hole in the wall restaurant as a waitress. I can hardly afford my stupid little apartment.” I walked up ahead to make some distance between us. “Maybe this getting abducted thing is working out in my favor. At least I don’t have to worry about rent out here.”

“Well this got too real too fast. Let’s bring it back down a bit,” David said. “Let’s do some more neutral questions. How about your favorite color?”

I glanced back at him. “What is this? Kindergarten? Okay, okay. I haven’t really thought about it in a long time. I don't know if I even have one.”

“How can you not have a favorite color? Everyone has a favorite color. My favorite color is green. Not bright green or lime green. God no, but that dark blue green that you see in the grass at dusk when the moon starts to rise and the fireflies come out. The color of leaves at night time.” By the time David finished his eyes were closed and he had a small smile on his face.

“Wow, David. You got a bit poetic on me there.”

“Well, I am a writer in my downtime, or at least I try to be. I guess what I’m trying to say is you just need to find a happy memory and pick the color that stands out to you the most from it.”

“Alright, then I guess I’d have to say green too. The color of pine trees.”

“Looks like we have something in common then. We both like green,” David said. “We are definitely surrounded by enough of it,” he added.

“I think we’re almost there,” I said. “The trees are getting smaller, and I think we’ve been heading downhill for a few minutes now.”

“I think you’re right. Listen for water sounds. I hope we’ll find a stream down here.”

The trees were getting shorter, but it was still nearly impossible to see the sky above us since everything grew so close together. We pushed our way through some heavy brush and found ourselves at the precipice of a line of steep cliffs overlooking the valley. It was ruggedly beautiful. We could also see the shimmering of the dome above us. It was David’s first time to see it, and I think seeing it for himself instead of relying on my testimony was sobering. Our current reality was a bizarre unanswered question that was poking at the edges of our sanity.

David set his jaw and turned to me. “Let’s find a way down these cliffs. I really hope we won’t have to climb down, but we may have to if we can’t find another way down.”

“Well, I hope we find something soon because my feet are killing me. We’ve been walking for ages, and these wraps aren’t really cut out for this kind of work. You know what?” I said. I sat down on a large flat boulder. “I’m going to take a break right now. Seems like a nice place for resting and making plans.”

David was indecisive for a moment, but he ended up right next to me on the boulder. “This isn’t really a great idea. We really should get going.”

I began unwrapping the strips of cloths off my feet. “You don’t know what we’ll find in that valley. There might not be anything down there except more trees and rocks. Walking until the point of exhaustion isn’t going to help us at all. I know it’s late and night is coming, but you and I both need a break.”

“Okay, Jess. Whatever you say.”

“I knew you’d see things my way.” I stretched out my toes and lay down flat across the top of the boulder. It was warm from soaking up the warmth of the sun, or whatever that light in the sky was. I closed my eyes. David leaned back, but he didn’t close his eyes. He just sat, vigilant and tense, and watched the valley below.

[To be continued in Part 5]

[fanbitchs]

Men< A men reading < this man reading

I thought you said you didn’t read much. Well, what is much?