[Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes
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		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Rook Seidhr on 30-03-2017, 04:56:11</h2>
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				Title: <strong>[Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rook Seidhr</strong> on <strong>30-03-2017, 04:56:11</strong>
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				This is an IC thread for "Welcome to Holy Question Mark," a game of the Amber Diceless RPG run by Rook Seidhr. It is dedicated to transcripts and summaries of scenes that involve LordRod's character William Wake but not other PCs.<br><ul class="bbc_list"><li>OOC thread (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=264140.0)</li><li>IC—The Socinian Institute (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=264461.0)</li><li>Wiki (https://elliquiy.com/wiki/Welcome_to_Holy_Question_Mark)</li></ul>
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				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rook Seidhr</strong> on <strong>30-03-2017, 05:22:50</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Summary 1</strong></span><br><br>These things happened over the course of time before William ever came to the Socinian Institute.<br><br>William believes the Universe is alive and sentient. He meditates to try to hear it since he doesn't believe it could be silent.<br><br>The Universe hums and sings to itself, in multiple keys and many voices at the same time. Sometimes it forms beautiful harmonies, but most of the time it's at least a little discordant and disturbing, and sometimes it's catastrophic and atonal. William sometimes hears the faint, distorted echoes of human speech behind the music, but he can never make out the words.<br><br>William makes sure he has multiple escape routes ready, and reaches out. "Hello? Who is this?"<br><br>William's interpretation of the ways the music reacts: Surprise. Panic. Calling for help. William's physical surroundings grow cold, then hot. He's suddenly dizzy. He flees! But he can't pull his mind loose from the music, not completely. It's still audible as he staggers away toward one of his escape routes. Gravity is unsteady—the dizziness isn't just in William's head. Things are rattling as if in an earthquake.<br><br>William hears the human voice speaking to the music. He still can't make out the words, but the tone is soothing. Reality stabilizes. The music slowly settles back toward its normal slight discord.<br><br>He now believes the Universe…or the Earth, really is alive…but it is being held captive. So he will try to guess a place where the universe might be strong. There are two ways to look at this…one is someplace geologically old, like Death Valley, the other is a place held in great belief by people; a hard point of reality…he picks a place that he believes to be both…e.g. the redwood forest or Yellowstone National Park, so long as they are not overrun.<br><br>Sensible people don't go far from civilization, because it's good to be able to dial 911 when the monsters show up. William isn't that kind of sensible.<br><br>This is before William arrived at Holy Question Mark, he's just turned 14, and he's a ward of the state; a vacation to somewhere like that is impossible for him to arrange legally. He could certainly disappear from foster care, hike and hitch-hike across country, and wind up in Yellowstone. Which is a place that people <em>just don't go.</em> Who knows how many monsters might be hiding in the wilderness?<br><br>Quite a few, as it turns out, though William can evade them pretty easily. There are colonies of werewolves, hundreds per colony, and William notices something interesting: there are no small animals near where the werewolves camp during their non-wolfy phase. The vegetation looks funny, and the air tastes slightly metallic. If he doesn't immediately backtrack when he runs across such a phenomenon—and I'm guessing he wouldn't, necessarily, the first time—his (presumably stolen) GPS locks up and then shuts down. It reboots once he gets far enough away.<br><br>Sunset, Midsummer Eve, 2014. Miles from anything, including werewolf encampments. The humming is tranquil and melodious.<br><br>He will then try again. "I AM HERE TO SERVE. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO?"<br><br>Trepidation. A little shudder in reality as the music shifts away from its calm. Not outright panic this time, though.<br><br>William is suddenly aware of being watched from a direction that defies description. The voice—it's male, and recognizable as the same one that talked to the music before, the one whose words he could never make out—speaks directly to him: "I've been waiting for you to try again. You're the first one to make contact. Next time, try somewhere with fewer monsters, I'm sure the Hive is homing on this signal already. Go home. Go to school. You can trust—<em>shit!</em>"<br><br>The voice is gone, and William loses his connection to the music of the world. His survival instincts tell him he's in extreme danger. There was nothing for miles around as far as he knew, but now there's something hostile nearby, moving through the trees, doing a damn good job of stealth. Almost certainly a Bug.<br><br>He G's TFO immediately and survives to make it back to civilization, though it's a harrowing trip: he has multiple close encounters with Bugs leading patrols of werewolves. None of them manage to sting or bite him, though. On more than one occasion, they probably could have killed him, but they seemed intent on capturing or turning him instead, to the point of letting him escape.<br><br>He is now firmly convinced that there are multiple realities here; these THINGS are changing it. That's the only explanation for the conflicting laws. He will not try contacting again until he is in school. That's what he was instructed, though he thinks that it was an ally of the Universe. He's REALLY more interested in talking to the music itself but will try both on his third night of school.<br><br>"Oh, good, you're at the school," the voice says. "I can't talk long—with all of you so close together it takes everything we've got to shield you from the Hive's scryers. Trust Dr. Balthazar, he's on our side. We're depending on you, all nine of you. If anyone can get us away from the Hive, it's you.<br><br>"Last time you asked what I wanted from you. Practice. Hone your talents. Help the others hone theirs. <em>Avoid detection as long as you can.</em> You'll probably only get one shot before they give up and wipe the construct.<br><br>"Here, take this." William feels something small and solid materialize in his palm. A signet ring. "If things go completely south, you can use it to call me; just focus on it and let your mind go. Don't let the artists get a close look at it.<br><br>"Any questions? Make it quick.<br><br>"By the way, my name's Martin."<br><br>He would like to say, "Pleased to meet you Martin. What the hell is going on Martin? What artists Martin?" (He hadn't met the two girls yet). He did none of those things.<br><br>"What attracts the bugs, and what are their weaknesses?" he asks instead.<br><br>"The bugs are looking for you. For all of you, not just you,—what's your name? William, right. We keep them guessing where you really are.<br><br>"Weaknesses—they don't like reality in here, how it is now. They try to change it. Don't let them. Maybe you can leverage it?<br><br>"Must go. Stay frosty." And he's gone, though the music is still there. William doesn't hear from Martin again for the nearly 3 years before play starts.<br><br>He keeps the ring hidden inside a pendant on a chain that he had customized to his exact specifications. The outside looks like the Flying Spaghetti Monster so that he could keep it with him literally at all times as a representation of his faith. It is made of titanium, with the inside of the hollow meatball that contains the ring painted in a mixture of lead and his own blood. He doesn't have any idea what the abilities of the artists are, but if lead is good enough for Superman or the ethereal plane in Dungeons &amp; Dragons then it's good enough for him.<br><br><strong>EDIT:</strong> Worth noting that that pendant is hella huge, like 90's rapper huge. Probably 9" across for one of the meatballs to be big enough to hold a ring. It's lumpy and shows through his clothes. He's been wearing it since day 1, though, so everyone's used to it by now.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rook Seidhr</strong> on <strong>30-03-2017, 06:00:07</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Summary 2</strong></span><br><br>This all takes place after William arrives at Holy Question Mark.<br><br>Carefully monitoring the music of the world, and correlating it with news reports, gives William the distinct impression that the world gets most upset when the monsters are most active. It doesn’t seem to be localized—the music is the same everywhere. So when there’s a big offensive in, say, Ismailistan, it upsets the music in New York. If that’s the sole explanation for the music being disturbed, there’s a lot more monster activity than the news is reporting on.<br><br>William will try reassuring the world when he hears the other voice doing it…he will try to see if this has any effect or strengthens the other voice as well or efforts to fight the monsters.<br><br>Yeah, the world seems to become familiar with William’s voice and accept it as a calming influence. It does not seem to have any impact on news reports of the monster war.<br><br>I'm wondering if it's possible for William to explore the darknet, get bit coin, and gamble slowly to try and accrue wealth, since that doesn't seem to be a thing that requires points.<br><br>Sure sure, that would be a Warfare thing. He’s got a lot of money squirreled away in various offshore havens then :)<br><br>He hires some minions to manage his money for him, but also does electronic trading from school using a VPN and anonymous accounts. He has a few safe houses and weapons caches, a couple in the US, a couple other places.<br><br>William wants to secure his computer and phone, but he's not a hacker. With regular contact with Penn, and knowing her reputation, he's pretty sure she knows how to do a good job—and she probably already owns his systems. He decides to pay her regularly to keep them secure from everyone else, and trust her honor (and desire to keep getting paid) for protection against her peeking.<br><br>Some of William's Power Words are designed to affect minds. They don't work on the music of the world. He realizes that the music, though it has a very powerful mind, is too inhuman for him to affect.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rook Seidhr</strong> on <strong>30-03-2017, 06:01:32</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Summary 3</strong></span><br><br>These things happened earlier this year (2017).<br><br>William got a surprise birthday present this year. From Admiral Raskey, commanding officer of JTF Van Helsing. A very nice competition rifle. (not nice enough to be worth points though) The accompanying card was written in what is presumably Raskey’s own hand, and just says “Happy birthday to a survivor type. —Adm. D. Raskey”<br><br>William uses the Power Word that aligns him with the probability that whoever he's communicating with will like what he has to say. He finds that he’s written a thank-you note to Adm. Raskey that implies that he’d like to open an ongoing conversation.<br><br>Over the course of the last couple of months before play starts, he’s exchanged a couple of letters with the Admiral. It’s pretty clear Adm. Raskey would love for William to come work for him after high school, maybe even some kind of summer internship this year. Also it sounds like Adm. Raskey is thinking about moving his daughter Martha from wherever she currently is to the Socinian Institute, and is interested in William’s review, as it were, of the school.<br><br>William replies that he would love to meet the Admiral and show him around the school himself. Adm. Raskey writes back to say that he’ll see William in May.<br><br>William does some research on Martha Grace "MG" Raskey. Penn won't help because she figures it's likely that the Admiral is abusing the cyber-security resources of JTF Van Helsing (with its nigh-unlimited black budget) to protect himself and his close family, but some bribery and footwork by William's minions turns up an interesting tidbit: MG Raskey is a diva in the Hive House music scene under the name Kıllır◊Qvıın. Her piece "A 72 Hour Moment" is considered one of the defining works of the genre. Needless to say the identity of Kıllır◊Qvıın is not general knowledge! They’ve never performed publicly—their music is released on the dark web and distributed by others.<br><br>William investigates further and is pretty sure MG is just being an edgelord (edgelady?). He strongly recommends to the Admiral that she transfer to the Institute, and in particular talks up the benefits of Advanced Spirituality, without mentioning any particular students.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rook Seidhr</strong> on <strong>30-03-2017, 06:19:25</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Summary 4</strong></span><br><br>These things happened over the course of the last year or so (but were RP'd after the preceding summary).<br><br>William can get hold of some crazy high-tech shit with his minions and his money. He's brilliant (and charismatic when he needs to be), has money and a handful of trustworthy employees…but he does risk his cover by funneling too much back to the school instead of squirreling it away in numbered overseas accounts. The more he buys, the more likely it is someone will notice, and Joint Task Force Van Helsing is not the only paranoid agency out there. In particular he's been skirmishing indirectly with Homeland Security and the FBI.<br><br>He works with Elon Musk (yes, Elon Musk exists in the game world) to identify technology innovators and offer capital grants from a philanthropic foundation he sets up with trustees of unimpeachable reputation, dedicated to the survival and betterment of humanity through technology.<br><br>William also has a couple of his minions invest in a "private security company" (think Blackwater) that he can influence. Enough control that he can borrow a combat team if push comes to shove.<br><br>Through Musk and other contacts, he can get hold of crazy cutting-edge wearable tech—<em>but</em>—he can’t go Tony Stark or even Dark Knight Bruce Wayne with it. He’s 20 minutes into the future, and if he time-travels any further than that he risks notice. Bluetooth HUD glasses, yes. Data entry that works through muscle micro-stretches. Concealed bone-conduction Bluetooth earphones. The initial load of these things arrives today IC, 20 March 2017, turning up at the school's front desk even while the stuff with Min-joon is going on.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rook Seidhr</strong> on <strong>30-03-2017, 06:41:52</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Summary 5</strong></span><br><br>These things happen after the fight with Min-joon.<br><br>William assesses the likelihood that Dr. Balthazar would give him unofficial permission to wear this gear to class as long as he doesn't get caught. On the one hand, Dr. B has appearances to maintain. On the other, he’s been consistently friendly to the Nine for as long as William’s been at H?. He’s a cool cucumber but William is a keen judge of character…William figures it at 50/50. However, William is 100% certain that Dr. B would not respond to attempted bribery (donations to the school's endowment, sponsoring renovations, etc.) in any way William would like.<br><br>William has not had enough contact with Dr. Balthazar to be able to get beyond the surface of his motivations. He does seem to care genuinely about the students and the school. He is a man of faith, but in UU that is not a straitjacket on one’s rationality. At a guess, if William cracked his cover a little, Balthazar would be friendlier—particularly if William agreed to take AdSpir next year.<br><br>If he goes ahead and does it without getting permission, and gets caught, William's 90% certain that Dr. Balthazar would simply tell him “Don’t do it again, I will be watching you.”<br><br>William also knows this: Dr. Balthazar is a scary goddamn powerful sorcerer. There may not be anyone on Earth who matches his knowledge of magic.<br><br>He will compose an encrypted email asking Balthazar that if he can pass every test in class ahead of schedule can he use this gear to actually pursue his own coursework while supposedly attending class, hinting that these studies would likely (almost certainly) lead to him attending AdSpir.<br><br>Dr. Balthazar sends back an email, also encrypted, saying “I know you’ve been pacing yourself, and I sympathize. Just don’t get caught. Let me know if there’s anything I can do—the Angel speaks well of you. —Nicholas”<br><br>Now that is frightening and awe-inspiring. He doesnt know what Martin is…but he knows he isn't God or an angel. He's pretty sure hes a 'whatever the hell William is' and the others are, which is definitely not human. The fact that they are willing to pose as angels is…interesting.<br><br>William assesses the current state of the Monster War, using his tactical savvy and access to publicly-available news and data collated and correlated by his minions.<br><br>First of all, the developed nations are winning every battle and losing the war. There will be another Terre Haute (or for that matter Hordial) inside the next year, he’s guessing, and it will be uglier. The body snatchers were the rarest type of monster (next to Bugs) at the start of the war; now they’re the most common by far. Reading between the lines, Admiral Raskey knows this and is pretty much fighting a delaying action, hoping to keep the US a functioning and cohesive nation as long as he can.<br><br>The less-developed nations…write them off. They’re done.<br><br>The “angels” aren’t directly intervening. At all. Anywhere. The Bugs are. If there’s a reason humanity still exists it has to do with Bug logistical limits, and since the Bugs appear from nowhere and disappear when killed (or when they suicide upon their rare capture), there is no real way to estimate those limits. Whatever Martin and any other hypothetical angels are doing, they're not fighting the war William can see.<br><br>It's clear, btw, that the Bugs do not come from another planet. They come from another dimension, or something of the sort. There are no secret Bug bases. They just pop into existence, fuck shit up and disappear.<br><br>Suppose nine angels existed, each as competent as William, each devoting 10% of their time and effort to guiding humanity to victory in the Monster War. William estimates that humanity would effectively defeat the monsters within five years from now, with mopping-up actions going on for a long time. This suggests to William that Martin and any other angels do not have the survival of humanity as a primary concern.<br><br>He meets with Penn late in the afternoon. They discuss sending a secret message to Admiral Raskey, secret even from Penn. She gives William an encryption program and tells him to encrypt his message, send half the encryption key disguised as junk mail to one of Raskey's neighbors and hide the other half steganographically in one of the letters William sends him. Penn will find a way to deliver the encrypted message and instructions for decrypting it to Raskey covertly over the Internet. This risks Raskey not getting the message, but is as secure and untraceable as they can figure out how to be.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rook Seidhr</strong> on <strong>30-03-2017, 07:05:13</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Conversation with Penn</strong></span><br><br>This happens after the end of Summary 5 (above) on the same day, in Penn's dorm room (which is a single).<br><br>"Penn…you know more about what goes on here than anyone. Is it possible to install passive cameras that will not be detected?<br><br>"No."<br><br>"They really are that good…"<br><br>"In nearly three years I have been unable to penetrate the security systems at this school. With the funds you’ve provided and the equipment they bought I have achieved clandestine access to everything that is not physically isolated from the rest of the world, and some things that are."<br><br>"Jesus…"<br><br>“The security systems on this campus were set up by someone inhumanly competent. Someone like us.” That’s the first time William can recall that she’s admitted to not being human. “As such I refuse to guarantee that anything you or I do on this campus will not be physically observed. I can cover against electronic eavesdropping, and it’s simple to prevent displays and keyboards from being watched, but I cannot say that the cameras would not catch you installing more cameras.”<br><br>"Alright, cards on the table…well. Card. Have you run into the term 'angel' among the staff, and if so…who…and singular or plural?"<br><br>"Angels. This <em>is</em> a religious school, you know." She seems to be trying not to laugh.<br><br>"Fair enough. Simple question really…and in exchange I will answer any one of yours I can. What would you say if I told you that the angels in question clearly care about us, likely for their own survival as well as ours, but on observation aren't doing shit for humanity in general?"<br><br>“I would say that’s consistent with observations,” she says after a long pause. “Fuck.”<br><br>"I lied. Second question. Wanna help me do something about that? Here are the rules. No one but us can know. Literally. Something inherent in the powers of Maple and Maddy mean that if they find out too much we're all fucked. I don't know why. But…I also think we really need them to quietly help us without knowing. Ever read Ender's Game? I think we need to Ender's game the other seven to help us."<br><br>Penn frowns. "I like Maple. I credit what you say, but there's a limit to how much I'll manipulate her."<br><br>"I do too. She's hot. But I was told not to show something to 'the artists'…if just looking at it is a risk…<br><br>"Look, let me put it this way. The angel I talked to said that the bugs can end us at any time. As in this is some kind of stalling action. The angels are buying time for us to do or become…God knows what. But in doing so they are doing fuck-all for humanity. That's awful. I am not wanting you to lie to Maple…but if I can get their help…we can potentially save millions of lives. They know things I don't, can do things I can't. But if they poke the wrong ant hill, we're fucked."<br><br>"You've talked to an angel."<br><br>"Oh um…yeah. I did. I am afraid if I tell you his name we are also fucked, but the world is alive. I met him while trying to talk to the world. And I am also, by the way, really hoping what you do doesn't count as 'art' in the same sense as Maddy because this is also dangerous. I suspect it has to do with their ability to literally see reality. An observer effect."<br><br>William is going to change channels with her a bit on this. "Penn. I apologize. I could not have done half of what I have done safely without your help and should have trusted at least you more earlier. We need to trust each other more. If sometime you need someone to talk to, the least I can do is listen. I will never reveal anything you don't want revealed. You know, at the least, I am good at keeping secrets."<br><br>“This is true. If I told you what I know, however, it would jeopardize our working relationship.” She looks conflicted. “I think. I don’t know. I hate this.” She starts picking at her arm, then stops when she notices she’s doing it.<br><br>"I understand. Let me be clear about what I can't tell you. I can't tell you everything that happened with the angel. Anything else is fair game. I have killed people. I have done terrible things to survive and will do more terrible terrible things to help save this world, because that's what I serve. If, somehow, I can translate the music I hear, you would understand; it loves us in its own…stupid lovely way. I will not judge you for anything you would say. Secrets at a tactical level are terrible. I doubt it would indeed jeopardize our working relationship. Take a chance. But take your time if you must. Ask me any question, and short of what I have told you I cannot tell you, I will answer."<br><br>“I—” Long pause. “I don’t know what question to ask first. I know what I want to tell. But…” She trails off. After a moment William notices tears in her eyes, though she gives no sign that she notices them.<br><br>Autistics rarely like to be touched. But with his voice, using the power word of projected intent, he will verbally "hug" her. "You need to tell someone. I trust you. You are cared for more than you know. Please."<br><br>“I’m a monster. I’m a bug. A—renegade, I guess.” She waits patiently for William to say something in response.<br><br>"I understand your caution. Ask yourself this my friend…our crazy super angel patrons…they know what you are. They have to. If they accept you, I do too without question. And I hear the song of the world. It doesn't freak out around you, so you are renegade enough for me. But…and I must ask this…why do you think or know you are?"<br><br>“I found out when I was 9.” Her voice is far away and somewhat childish, like she’s reliving being nine years old as she speaks. “There were vampires attacking our house, and I turned into a Bug and made them go away. Papa was angry. He hit me. I promised him I wouldn’t ever do it again…my body isn’t human, it changes if I’m not careful. I have to watch my diet. If I eat too much my body wakes up. The doctor said I shouldn’t go under 112 pounds so I stay between that and 117 and I’m OK. Unless I get burned or something. But if I don’t get fat my body will act normal and I won’t turn back into a Bug.” The words spill out like a river, faster and faster.<br><br>He interrupts her. "Let me tell you everything I know about the Bugs." He does. It's a lot.<br><br>"You might be a bug…or maybe you can just change shape. Maybe the bugs aren't bugs at all. Maybe the angels and the bugs are the same and all have powers we can't understand. We know nothing, but I feel more in common with you and the other seven and the angel than I do the bugs and humanity. I understand why the angels dont care about humanity. Maple said they were like…faded, almost not there compared to us. I don't care. This is my home, they are my people, but whether or not you ARE (and I dont think that is a given)…I think that your heart is pure. You are my ally. You don't need to lie to the others. I will think of a way to do that without asking you to lie any more. Let me go on lying for both of us. And also, I think you can trust the Reverend or the Doctor with this. I have been told by the angels you can trust him. You have now convinced me I need to join AdSpir now, rather than later.<br><br>"In the meantime, will you help me save our rather stupid human friends?"<br><br>She shuts up when William interrupts her, but she’s gasping and crying quietly. She has to blow her nose a couple of times. Her makeup doesn’t run. After a while she says, “You think I’m not a monster.”<br><br>"No. I don't know what I am or what you are but I KNOW, literally to the core of my being, that you are not a monster." And autistic or not he will actually hug her at that point.<br><br>She doesn’t hug back, but doesn’t actually push him away either. She just sort of passively lets him hug her.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>31-03-2017, 16:16:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Min's Death was everything.<br><br>Min's Death was nothing.<br><br>Min was a stastic.<br><br>Min was a person.<br><br>How much did one note matter in the symphony in the world?<br><br>How much less was a symphony without that note? Too many notes and it was just noise but that sweet moment of experience was all the richer for everything you had...<br><br>To Min, that was the end.&nbsp; Everything he had been, everything he was, snuffed, gone in an instant, and you could say that he went on in the hearts of those that loved him, but William didn't believe that.<br><br>He didn't believe in an afterlife.&nbsp; As he sat there in World religions, he thumbed through the sacred texts offered in the class, he saw that for most, the idea of the afterlife was a progresisng thing. And there was no evidence in his experience with the bugs that belief affected reality.&nbsp; Realities existed and conflicted but belief alone didn't seem to affect that.&nbsp; And if that was the case, then while one could make the argument that spiritual truths that had always existed slowly leaked out and were distributed ...<br><br>Or you could say that just like Little Green Men with ass probes, the shared lie got better and more believable as it was passed around to people and the idea that there was something after the Big Snuff became something more and more palatable until it went from Dante's intolerable but beauteous disgusting Heaven to Michael Landon's pablum of Angel's Who You Used To Know in Highway to Heaven. <br><br>One thing William knew for certain sure.&nbsp; Martin was NO angel.&nbsp; And neither was he.<br><br>The world might be called a God; and of the big three questions; all loving, all powerful and all knowing, the world could maybe be called love in a way...or knowing in a way.&nbsp; But what was knowledge without a prefrontal cortext? Who was the Brain of God?<br><br>No, the world and all that was in it was a beautiful place, and where there was more than one reality, that put the odds that any reality you could imagine was still out there somewhere.&nbsp; So that meant Rin was out there, being a jerk, or not a jerk but it wasn't THAT Rin.<br><br>Rin was gone.&nbsp; And therefore RIN didn't care.&nbsp; William cared.&nbsp; He cared too much for his own good.&nbsp; When he had finally had a few moments to breath, about 5 days a year after he had finished running when he saved the village...he'd had a breakdown.&nbsp; He'd cried then.&nbsp; He'd let the horror of the blood and the people and the monsters was over him and gotten over the illusion that he was human or normal or part of the world end forever after.<br><br>And then he'd worked on fighting. He had been studying the bugs, finding ways to crush them when he'd thought about potentially listening to the world and that had changed everything.<br><br>And that didn't change anything about Rin being a festering maggot trap right now.&nbsp; Technically, the meat that was Rin, was alive and kicking but biological function didn't make Rin, Rin.&nbsp; Indeed, the non function of being able to revive Rin when the Soul Eater had consumed his soul was the ultimate irony.&nbsp; Rin's death proved what thousands of years of holy men could not; there was a soul. There was a ghost in the shell.&nbsp; There was some THERE, there.&nbsp; <br><br>And there was no where for it to go after the Big Snuff.<br><br>William would mourn Rin in his own private way in a few days.&nbsp; He had known Rin, so honoring Rin's memory; jerkish as that memory was, said more about who William was than Rin.&nbsp; And William didn't want to be any more of a monster than he already was. <br><br>But not now.&nbsp; For now, there was work to do.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>31-03-2017, 23:51:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J4wbEe8c714" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>01-04-2017, 17:36:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IhP3J0j9JmY?ecver=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>02-04-2017, 22:48:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(This is not related to the 'waiting for everyone to catch up in the game' meta mechanic currently going on)<br><br>&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HuABhumm6fY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>04-04-2017, 17:53:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IlRrb5LOnM4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>04-04-2017, 19:11:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Widows and Orphans<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;by Lord Rod<br><br>Gone are the days of Lullaby<br>Broken dreams of yesteryear<br>The ties that bind shattered<br>By so many terrible insanities<br>Reality rewrites itself<br>Turning the world<br>Into a sixties Batman tiltawhirl<br>Everything sliding<br>Slip sliding<br>Skidding downward<br>In a Gehenna that never ends<br>That lidless eye Cummings loves to Float<br>Is ever waking<br>Never sleeping<br>Responsible for the truths it sees<br>You can poke it<br>And it will bleed<br>You can blind it<br>And it will open again somewhere else<br>To lose a home<br>Is to create a yearning for another<br>A hunger so primal<br>So deep<br>That anything<br>No matter how alien<br>That will do.<br>The music of the stars<br>Azathoth piping to the Cobra of Eden<br>These are the truths that wind our clockwork now<br>The time is Now<br>Always Now<br>No past to anchor<br>No future to believe in<br>These are the things that wear your years<br>These are the things that wear your years.<br>Bleeding.<br>Ever.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>09-04-2017, 05:05:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://words1.altervista.org/words/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cattura-3.png)</div><strong>Character</strong>: Ken Tachibana<br><strong>Who:</strong> William<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> As his picture<br><hr><br>There is a knock on the door and a pause to answer before Ken walks in. He has a large backpack over his shoulders with a GearPODS logo on it. In his left hand he's holding a sheathed katana. "Hello. It looks like we are going to be room mates this year." he says as his one green eye and one brown eye take everything in. "I'm Ken. Ken Tachibana." he states entering the room and closing the door behind him. <br><br>"Do you have any preference as to which side you want? I'd prefer the sided closest to the window." he states but doesn't unpack or even take off the backpack, waiting for William.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rook Seidhr</strong> on <strong>09-04-2017, 06:25:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Pardon me for interjecting an OOC comment as GM, but since roommates are normally constant from year to year, this is likely taking place in 2014.<br><br>Carry on!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>09-04-2017, 06:27:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Ok good to know. Thanks.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Rook Seidhr</strong> on <strong>09-04-2017, 06:29:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The other possibility would be that they didn't start the year as roommates, but after they got to know each other, one of them arranged to swap with the other's roommate so they could room together. LordRod had suggested that possibility earlier I think.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>09-04-2017, 06:39:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				True. I'll let Lord Rod decide that since he said he was making it happen. I wrote about Ken starting out with a jerk of a room mate named Bob so that would fit perfectly.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>09-04-2017, 14:27:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2d/81/f5/2d81f581066d502142e46ff42a54be18.jpg)</div><strong>Character</strong>: William Wake<br><strong>Who:</strong> Ken<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Well worn jeans and a customized T-shirt that says,"I fought a city full of monsters and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."<br><hr><br>Based on height and weight he is capable.&nbsp; There is no strain on his arm as he lifts the luggage; none at all.&nbsp; Threat level assessed as potentially high but the school was assessed as a specific destination; possible threat or enemy.&nbsp; <br><br>Possibility he likes to give people swirlies: Unknowable<br>Possibility he likes to play music too loud in the middle of the night: Unknowable<br>Possibility he would get away with playing music too loud after reported: Technically unknowable -assessed at 25% <br><br>Advantage of determining threat level now: If ally can disclose limited truth, if enemy can arrange for room transfer or commitment to an institution after 4-7 days<br>Accuracy of that statement: 5% - Too many variables to asses<br><br>Suggested method to determine sanity strength - Casual conversation.<br><br>Tactical advantages re Window vs Door. Door offers immediate assault on monsters in case of invasion, Window allows threat assessment in case of external attack.&nbsp; External threat is greater.<br><br>"All things being equal I'd rather have the window."&nbsp; Social assessment, declarative seems rude.&nbsp; Provide false context.&nbsp; "I like the sun in the morning."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>10-04-2017, 00:16:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&lt;iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VpzQkW1AE8g?ecver=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>10-04-2017, 03:01:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://words1.altervista.org/words/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cattura-3.png)</div><strong>Character</strong>: Ken Tachibana<br><strong>Who:</strong> William<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> As his picture<br><hr>Ken watches William take him in, make some kind of mental appraisal and then choose the window bed that he'd just said he'd prefer...and not introduce himself in return. To be fair, he'd gotten here second. This person could have been putting up posters already and he did as what his preference was.<br><br>"Very well then." he says and places the sheathed sword across the bed in the corner and easily takes off his backpack. "So maybe we should get any ground rules out of the way first? I generally go with be respectful and the rest should be easy. How about you?" he asks.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>10-04-2017, 03:26:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2d/81/f5/2d81f581066d502142e46ff42a54be18.jpg)</div><strong>Character</strong>: William Wake<br><strong>Who:</strong> Ken<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Well worn jeans and a customized T-shirt that says,"I fought a city full of monsters and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."<br><hr><br>He rapidly relaxed.&nbsp; His smile seemed more natural, "Yes.&nbsp; I think so." He considered a moment, "Are you a light or heavy sleeper?"&nbsp; He couldn't do anything and a mirror on the window would do just as well.&nbsp; &nbsp;The speak of respect told him of maturity that many their age didn't have.&nbsp; He considered several options but decided to ask a bit more.<br><br>"I'm from the Mid West.&nbsp; You?"<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>10-04-2017, 03:34:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://words1.altervista.org/words/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cattura-3.png)</div><strong>Character</strong>: Ken Tachibana<br><strong>Who:</strong> William<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> As his picture<br><hr><br>Ken turns to face him when he speaks. "I sleep lightly..unless I'm injured then I take power naps to heal." he answers the question. "And yourself because I tend to be a bit of a night owl, no pacing or anything like that but I am up and reading?"<br><br>"I'm from Japan.Tokyo Metropolis, Kanto Region to be specific." Ken answers.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>10-04-2017, 05:09:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2d/81/f5/2d81f581066d502142e46ff42a54be18.jpg)</div><strong>Character</strong>: William Wake<br><strong>Who:</strong> Ken<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Well worn jeans and a customized T-shirt that says,"I fought a city full of monsters and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."<br><hr><br>"You can have the window then if you like Ken.&nbsp; And I am neither a light or heavy sleeper.&nbsp; I sleep exactly at the level of depth I want.&nbsp; Sometimes heavy, sometimes light." Usually light.&nbsp; He would be able to sleep better if Ken was at the window.&nbsp; <br><br>"I do not speak Japanese.&nbsp; Maybe we could practice some?&nbsp; Your culture has always interested me a great deal."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>10-04-2017, 06:58:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://words1.altervista.org/words/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cattura-3.png)</div><strong>Character</strong>: Ken Tachibana<br><strong>Who:</strong> William<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> As his picture<br><hr><br>Ken stops unpacking at the corner bed and heads over to the bed by the window to move things into their places. He thought the room had good Feng Shui based on the layout.<br><br>Ken clears his throat. "So, you come from the Mid West and you sleep like a wizard....but what should I call you? Hey you will get tiresome sooner or later." he points out.<br><br>"And I'd be happy to share about my culture."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>10-04-2017, 14:55:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2d/81/f5/2d81f581066d502142e46ff42a54be18.jpg)</div><strong>Character</strong>: William Wake<br><strong>Who:</strong> Ken<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Well worn jeans and a customized T-shirt that says,"I fought a city full of monsters and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."<br><hr><br>"It's not that complicated a trick, merely autohypnosis.&nbsp; I can show you if you like, though it takes some time to master.&nbsp; My name," William Wake said, "is William Wake.&nbsp; I do find irony at the introduction at the time of topic but...I knew this school was supposed to be good...I didn't know it was that good."&nbsp; He sounds somewhat impressed,"Or by chance are your parents employees of the Japanese ministry of state?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>10-04-2017, 15:13:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Diary Entry Day #43<br><br>"I hate being right.&nbsp; I hate knowing the answer to some things and seeing the ending of a story before I've even read the first page.&nbsp; I hate the fact that the world prevents me from sharing what I know.&nbsp; Is this a real life, or is it a fantasy? I hear everything in the music now, echoes of lesser lyrics that add up to a whole; but there is a sour note now, as if it has taken a turn for the worse, just as I predicted once the medly began.&nbsp; It is a poor reflection of the real thing and I would have done better to follow my instincts the first time.&nbsp; Now I am deep in a trap of my own making with a fated end.<br><br>Dear Diary....I am so sorry to burn you yet again, but writing it is more therapeutic than I might have thought.<br><br>Adieu."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>11-04-2017, 07:17:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://words1.altervista.org/words/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cattura-3.png)</div><strong>Character</strong>: Ken Tachibana<br><strong>Who:</strong> William<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> As his picture<br><hr><br>Autohypnosis sounded a lot like programming yourself much as one would a computer. Ken liked to keep things intuitive, harder to anticipate that way. Much of his philosophy was he was less a scientific fighter and more of an artist. Many tend to view combat as a science, in which each action is performed within a close tolerance of error, whereas he views the contest as an art form in which each action is reasoned and as near to perfect as possible.<br><br>"Hello William. It's good to meet you." he says in traditional politeness. "No. My parents are not in the Ministry of State. My family was part of Tachibana Holdings but my father broke away from that company. He bought out and expanded the GearPODS corporation. We make high end survival gear."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>11-04-2017, 21:42:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2d/81/f5/2d81f581066d502142e46ff42a54be18.jpg)</div><strong>Character</strong>: William Wake<br><strong>Who:</strong> Ken<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Well worn jeans and a customized T-shirt that says,"I fought a city full of monsters and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."<br><hr><br>William looked fascinated, "REALLY? There is a tremendous value to that.&nbsp; If I were in the stock market I'd put a ton of money into your parent's company right now.&nbsp; &nbsp;What do they make the pods out of?"&nbsp; He immediately began considering if there was a way to do just that.&nbsp; The problem was that if he was supposed to be being low profile, then anything he did would be monitored and detected.&nbsp; Money was just so....watched.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>11-04-2017, 22:44:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://words1.altervista.org/words/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cattura-3.png)</div><strong>Character</strong>: Ken Tachibana<br><strong>Who:</strong> William<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> As his picture<br><hr><br>Ken wasn't exactly the poster boy for being a salesman. He did know the business through and through though since it was the family business now. "The pods are a polycarbonate blend, waterproof. My father made sure when the invasion began to upgrade the quality to next gen materials that emphasized durability and lightness." <br><br>Ken thinks about it. "It is publicly traded. There isn't anything stopping you from investing." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>11-04-2017, 23:33:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2d/81/f5/2d81f581066d502142e46ff42a54be18.jpg)</div><strong>Character</strong>: William Wake<br><strong>Who:</strong> Ken<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Well worn jeans and a customized T-shirt that says,"I fought a city full of monsters and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."<br><hr><br>"I like Zelazny.&nbsp; I really like his Wild Card books.&nbsp; I also like Martin, Anthony, Elizabeth Moon, Weber, and Butcher.&nbsp; JK Rowling is nice too.&nbsp; You?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>12-04-2017, 01:02:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://words1.altervista.org/words/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cattura-3.png)</div><strong>Character</strong>: Ken Tachibana<br><strong>Who:</strong> William<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> As his picture<br><hr><br>Ken nods. "Of course. Whatever we discuss is between us unless you choose to share. It's not my place to share information about you." he says glancing at his desk and unloading all his desk things into it. <br><br>"So..what do you for fun. You know to blow off steam or for entertainment?" Ken asks figuring this conversation was going way better than most.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>16-04-2017, 17:30:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2d/81/f5/2d81f581066d502142e46ff42a54be18.jpg)</div><strong>Character</strong>: William Wake<br><strong>Who:</strong> Ken<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Well worn jeans and a customized T-shirt that says,"I fought a city full of monsters and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."<br><hr><br>William looks surprised, "Oh. Right.&nbsp; I hadn't thought of that."&nbsp; His brow furrows, "Well I enjoy target practice and....reading."&nbsp; He considers a few more moments as ideas occur to him on the other subject.&nbsp; "Oh. And I enjoy bumming around the internet."<br><br>Of course he has fun.&nbsp; Who doesnt? He is a perfectly normal human human.<br><br>"What do you do for fun?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>16-04-2017, 17:53:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://words1.altervista.org/words/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cattura-3.png)</div><strong>Character</strong>: Ken Tachibana<br><strong>Who:</strong> William<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> As his picture<br><hr><br>Ken raises an eyebrow at that. To be fair he spent a healthy amount of time devoted to the martial arts and swordsmanship himself, which he enjoyed a great deal. "Who are your favorite authors? What kind of books do you enjoy?" he asks. They were trying to get to know each other, those answers would tell him lots.<br><br>"Personally...I play as many sports as I can. Up until I was fifteen I studied the Tachibana style of Kenjitsu, it has a lot of elements of Iajitsu blended in as well as Aikido. Photography, I never felt like I belonged--being so detached gave me an insight into everyone else. I try and paint and sculpt...my mother is an artist and has been trying to teach me for years. I'm pretty horrible at those things though. And I like camping when I can go. Summer...winter, doesn't really matter. I like the challenge of survival and finding the balance with nature...yeah that's about it." he states as he finally gets his desk all like he wants with his laptop setup.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>01-05-2017, 19:28:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2d/81/f5/2d81f581066d502142e46ff42a54be18.jpg)</div><strong>Character</strong>: William Wake<br><strong>Who:</strong> Ken<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> Well worn jeans and a customized T-shirt that says,"I fought a city full of monsters and all I got was this lousy t-shirt."<br><hr><br>"Quite a few.&nbsp; Zelazny, Martin, Butcher, Moon.&nbsp; Lots of science fiction and fantasy, more so since the shit hit the fan."&nbsp; It was a rote list, but it was a true one.&nbsp; "Rowling and Stephen King are also particularly good, though horror is a forgotten genre.&nbsp; I can't say I blame most people for doing just that."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>04-05-2017, 19:43:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Written in the Journal of William Wake<br><br>What does it matter being right?<br>Has it gained me thrones, dominions or principalities?<br>Mankind should be my business<br>And I suck at my business<br>I am without Marleyian Chains<br>What does it matter?<br>I wander as ash<br>Churned from the firey furnace of society's creation<br>A false mask of miasma<br>The vapors killing me<br>Killing us<br>The voices saying those around me<br>Are but shadows cast on Plato's wall<br>I take these things as silent whispers<br>And even a shadow has meaning<br>Meaning enough to me<br>Meaning I must make<br>These are the things that bind men's souls<br>And tear me down<br>Tear me down<br>Down<br>Down<br>Down
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Bowen</strong> on <strong>04-05-2017, 20:04:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://words1.altervista.org/words/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Cattura-3.png)</div><strong>Character</strong>: Ken Tachibana<br><strong>Who:</strong> William<br><strong>Where:</strong> First day of school for the year. Dorm room they have been assigned<br><strong>When:</strong> Early morning<br><strong>Wearing:</strong> As his picture<br><hr><br>He smiles at that. "I love Rowling and Zelazny. Couldn't get into King or Martin. I went with Brust, Gemmel and some of the pioneers like Moorcock and Tolkien. I think horror is hard because most movie depictions of it tend to lean heavily on either grossing you out with blood or startling you...they miss the point that horror is an intellectual commodity that tugs on your imagination and is something that is realized rather than something you are shocked into."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [Welcome to Holy Question Mark] IC—William's Solo Scenes</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LordRod</strong> on <strong>06-05-2017, 17:37:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"King is an aquired taste.&nbsp; Lovely wordsmithing, terrible endings.&nbsp; The Talisman is different than his other works, you might try that if you haven't.&nbsp; Martin is likely to get eaten by the time he finishes.&nbsp; Gemmel, he was quite good. Brust is a god.&nbsp; I hope to be able to read them all. I liked Tolkien but it helps to know he was the first.&nbsp; Moorcock....is a lot like Zelazny to me. It is an excellent feel, the kind of place you want to exist somewhere.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
		</dl>
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