Right now it's just me and duskford switching off, and duskford submitted the latest thread. If you want to join up, you can go next, and I'll go after you. EDIT: ...I came up with a thread I really like, so you can go before my next turn if you like. My fault!
you could put me in the rotation for a couple t&d threads. Though starting next wednesday I'll be away for a week. How much is expected for each thread? 1 t/d 2 t/d?
It's just one truth or dare per thread, henrytemp. I'm currently writing the follow-up to Patzo's latest thread, so you can go after me if you want.
Heads up, it's possible that within a week or so I can contribute something again, but I wanna say I'm thoroughly enjoying what you guys are writing so far! If it works out, I can take over for you henrytemp, but I won't let that discourage anyone else from joining!
Since we were talking about the characters' background and getting into their heads to better understand them, I've decided to throw in some random thoughts I had lately. You guys are welcome to add into it if you want. The first one is about the difference between Zack's crushes on Hannah and Victoria, and the effect they had on his life. The first one never really had any negative impact on him, since he always saw Hannah as the older girl he thought to be pretty and who was nice to him, he understood she was an unattainable woman and never really had any real hopes of something ever happening between them. As for the one on Victoria, I was thinking about it while writing the Zack/Hannah scenes on my main storyline and the orgy thread, it ended up becoming quite toxic for his life; he never became fully invested on his relationship with Lisa and it gets in the way of him commiting himself to other girls as well (Heather, for an example). I suspect that, on a timeline where he doesn't get Vicky, Zack will never be able to like another woman if he doesn't move on and truly forget her. The other one is about that conclusion we've reached that Heather works better with older guys. I'd like to talk a bit about her background, seeing as I don't know if there'll be a chance of getting in depth into it on my main storyline. Her parents (Robert and Brooke) got a divorce when she was very young (about two or three years old), but none of them moved out of their large home in fear that Robert's very traditional father would disown him for breaking the marriage (nowadays Robert made very big money by himself and doesn't really need his father anymore, but he doesn't kick Brooke out of the house in respect to him and Heather). Heather then saw both her parents bring people into the house (the father way more than the mother), something that caused her to develop a very casual view on relationships and sex. As she grew up, she was raised as the perfect heiress and groomed by her father to one day replace him at the company he built, that made her have a lot of contact with Robert's lifestyle, the company and his coworkers, and that's what made her mature and smart as we see her today on the story. That's what makes her more compatible with older boys, and to tell the truth, I wouldn't put past her to get herself involved with an even older man (like one of Robert's coworkers). The guys of her own age only interest her to have some fun every now and then, but there's Zack, the exception that confirms the rule, he matches her like none of the other boys at their school (even if he's not at her level of maturity, far from it).
I don't remember my high school having a soccer team, and even if we did, I'm not very interested in sports anyways, so I wouldn't even have thought to look for what a female soccer player looks like. Heather is also much more at ease with older women as well due to this. This also explains why Robert is always on the road. Do you have any idea why the Ravers divorced? Was it a mutual thing or did one or the other catch or get caught cheating? Also, almost forgot, I've got an idea I'm writing up as a continuation of the Zack/Hannah thread on your main thread, duskford. Just need to get it out of my head.
Just teasing you, man. I figure with boobs that big, one of them would fly up into her face and chip a tooth. And that's with a sports bra. Like Zingiber said, they tend to have runners' builds, all slender torso and long legs. Absolutely. I thought you set up At The Cabin very well because that was something I picked up on early. On the one hand Heather is beautiful, she's funny, she's playful, she wants him. Heather is Hannah with darker hair in a lot of ways. But does Zack really like her, or is it just his hormones flaring up? Because she has a "reputation" when it comes to guys. Whereas Vicky is pretty, she's sweet, she's bookish, he adores her. But does she love him back? Because he's always admired her from afar and doesn't know her that well when the story starts, plus she's still carrying a flame for her ex. I'm about to read duskford's mind here, but I think getting laid by Hannah would be good for Zack. Not because his dream will finally come true, but because it would put him on an equal footing with Hannah: she'd no longer be this unattainable idol but a friend he hooked up with. And that might help him get over the idea that Victoria is his one true love, so he can stone up and either talk to her about his feelings or date another girl without feeling like he betrayed her. You've mentioned the first half of this paragraph in a few story threads and forum posts, but all of this is new. If you'll hop into my DeLorean, I find this part super-interesting when placed next to Heather's character summary from the start of the orgy: So Heather's slept with four guys, one of which was an embarrassing experience. For a high school student that sounds like a lot, but kids tell rumors and inflate things like that until everyone thinks it was forty boys all at once. It's good that she leaned into it and owned it and made it her reputation a source of power rather than shame, but my question is, if Robert is grooming her to take over the family business, is she picking up some of her dad's “extracurricular” habits as well? Seeing him take home new women so often, I wonder if she genuinely believes casual sex is preferable to relationships, or if she's feeling some pressure to learn from her parents' examples (whether their divorce or their subsequent fooling around) and not get attached to the people she sleeps with. I also feel like it's a plus for Zack that he isn't as mature as Heather. They first started getting close when they poured water on Kurt while he was sleeping, and it was a prank for little kids but they had a blast doing it, and around Zack this playful side of Heather comes out that isn't necessarily sexual. It's like she feels safe being a kid around him when she's been expected to act like an adult from a young age. And that's maybe what she finds attractive in Peter as well. Peter's still young enough to get flustered when a hot girl comes up to him, but he has the experience to not shut down, to keep a conversation going and attempt to flirt with a girl who might be out of his league. That impresses her since high school guys would either be way too grating in their attraction (gawking at her cleavage, playing her shitty love songs on guitar) or refuse to show attraction at all (nervously mumbling into their phones, trying too hard to look “alpha”).
I have some more thoughts I want to add to this later, but right now, I want to ask duskford, did you establish Robert's profession? I always imagined him to be a real estate mogul, like a competent Donald Trump, mostly because his daughter does run Trump Enterprises now.
Totally, you just have to see how she acts around Jennifer, Leah or their teacher Mary Moreau. The years of parties and Robert's meetings around the house had her well prepared and used to interacting with older people. Robert isn't always on the road, he used to be, but not anymore. The Ravers' divorce happened for two reason, the first one was Robert's sexual drive. He already was like a male Heather as a young adult, then he fell in love with Brooke and thought he could change, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. He ended up expecting an open marriage, something she couldn't agree. The other reason was that, at the start of their marriage, Robert travelled a lot and Brooke felt lonely and had a brief affair with another man. They had a huge fight, Robert couldn't understand how it was fine for her to cheat on him and don't agree to an open marriage at the same time, so they decided to split. Since they were afraid to lose their lifestyle (Robert's father made veiled threats to disown him if he ever disgraced the family), they decided to just sleep on separate rooms and keep living together for appearances and because they felt it'd be better for baby Heather. A fun fact, on my older main thread, that one where Zack and Heather start dating, the affair Brooke had would be with Zack's father; that didn't happen in the new version. I'm curious to read your continuation, that's the thread I'm working at the moment too. To be honest, I think I'll probably chalk up Zack's behavior as having an inferiority complex hidden in his mind due not having his crush on Victoria reciprocated by her. When another girl shows an interest on him, he jumps at the chance, but something holds him back and keeps him from really taking that girl seriously, hurting the girl in the process. When Vicky does reciprocate his feelings, his train of thought changes a bit to being guilty for letting Vicky down when another girl makes a pass at him. Victoria is pretty sure by now that she likes him back, but there's a few things to consider. She had a blast with Dustin and the guys she gone on dates after him were all jerks. So when the next good guy (Zack) comes after her, she thinks it'll be Dustin all over again. But, when the real Dustin appears, she becomes confused. You're spot on, getting laid by Hannah will pretty much destroy that hidden inferiority complex Zack had in his brain, and as I'm planning for them to "date" for some time, he'll get even better. He'll probably be at a better position to discern his feelings and decide what he wants to do. Heather has that oversexed vibe, but she wouldn't mind a romantic relationship, it just hasn't come up for her yet. After she lost her virginity, she figured she could take a page out of her parents' book and have some fun while waiting for that guy/girl she could have that deeper relationship. I think it's just a case of being comfortable and not repressing her desires (like Chloe or even Vicky do). You're right on the effect Zack causes on her too, they're the classic "opposites attract" case, he can help her to get loose and just have meaningless fun every now and then, while she can get him to mature and prepare for the world after high school. On the thread I introduced Robert, I've stated he was the CEO of a conglomerate of corporations, but I didn't specified its line of work. I guess it's a bunch of companies that execute different activities and happen to have the same owner, Robert. EDIT: Something I forgot to add, as we could see on the thread Heather asks Robert for advice, he wants her to find a nice boy to have a healthy relationship with, he doesn't really want her to become oversexed like him, because he knows all about the advantages and disadvantages of that lifestyle. This is in part due to his relationship with Leah, he believes he found the woman he always looked for in her; the end for them will probably be a proper marriage with Leah pregnant.
Yeah, that's a great catch, johnhoftb. Totally slipped my mind, but it fits just right. Even Taylor has an immediate rapport with Heather. What's funny to me is that we're just now saying Heather probably goes for older men, but when you were hinting at the Big Twist, I figured Robert was deep in debt and promised to hook Heather up with one of his business partners to have the debt forgiven. Ok, I like this idea more than what I presented. I guess her parents would've been pretty frank with her about sex early on if she saw them bringing other people home, so she knows their arrangement is, one might say, weird as hell, but it works for them. They're around when she needs them, they're honest with her about what's going on, they treat her with respect. Sex is great. It's the idea of the nuclear family uber alles that ain't what it's cracked up to be. I originally read your explanation as meaning the divorce was traumatic for Heather, and now it sounds like that was an assumption I brought to the table. Amazing.
Don't worry about it, henrytemp. Whenever you've got time you're welcome to jump in. Does anybody mind if I start on the next one? I have an idea where Brandon picks Dustin, which then leads to an argument between Dustin and Kurt.
Heather getting herself involved with an older man is something I'm considering for the sequel, a "means to an end" kind of scene. As Patzo said, don't worry, you're welcome to join whenever you want, henrytemp. I guess you can, Patzo, I already wrote the last turn and there's no one but you up for the next thread at the moment.
Agreed, and funnily enough, I've already contemplated that happening between Heather and Rohit. He's so repressed to the point where his mother worries about him, and Heather is coming off of her bad loss of her virginity. ("I thought sex was supposed to be fun, mom and dad seem to make it look that way...") Heather feels the need to branch out beyond the typical guys who would have sex with her, and she need some help in class (I'm guessing physics) anyway, meets up with Rohit, helps him slip out of his shell, then one night, under the stars... they end up helping each other. I'd imagine that he's the only boy Heather could've considered actually having a relationship with before thinking about Zack before they mutually broke it off. I've actually wondered that too, that maybe Heather actually doesn't like commitment -- it was an angle I thought about exploring in an alternate morning-after-the-party thread after Victoria and Heather yell at each other for a bit. Heather then storms over to the other cabin, confronts Taylor about where "the bitch Kendra" is, then sees Zack wandering in and becomes highly conflicted about the feelings she's having. He's hurting and wants to care for him, but that slips into a category she's not entirely sure how to handle. And that could've very well have arose in her strange upbringing, not necessarily from a traumatic divorce between her parents, but just what she absorbed about what relationships are supposed to be like. But this does make more sense, especially given Heather's confidence in her identity and life. Even with given her father's prodding though, I still see her in an "unconventional" relationship. Maybe she and her spouse have fun at swinging parties (oooh, the indulgences of the wealthy business elite) or have a more open marriage. Part of that sexual drive Robert has is genetic. Yeah, I think that hearkens back to a time before puberty for Heather when life was simpler without two giant reminders of adulthood staring at her in the mirror every morning. Despite Robert and Brooke's good-intentioned parenting and encouragement for her to pursue her father's footsteps, I do think Heather is nostalgic for those days. She slips into a mature role very well, especially when the situation calls for it, but I think she squirms in it sometimes when things die down. Zack, in a sense, can be a release she needs. And conversely, there's that, when she doesn't have to feel like she's the mature party all the time. And maybe that's why a relationship with Zack might not work out in the end. They would have a blast while together, but, in the end, they might just be in two different places in their lives. Peter is more comparable and complementary, as is Kurt or Zack and Taylor's yet-to-be-introduced cousin. Also, lol: Heather: *wakes up in the middle of the night to bad guitar solo on the front lawn* "Oh for the love of... Ted! STOP IT! IT'S 2 IN THE MORNING AND I HATE MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE!" Her logical mind has a fatal parsing error, and it keeps cycling around the same algorithm. Blue screen of death appears, and before she can reboot, she's already fumbling with Brandon's pants. What? lol, seriously though, that's endemic in her thinking. Though, it was funny when Cretan Bull suggested that Vicky actually retches at Zack if the rumors about him at Ashley's party reached her ears in much worse tones, much like Patzo's example with Heather. And Vicky, at first anyway, isn't much for exploring more deeply into such things. *thumbs up*
That reminds me of something I've said all the way back on last year when the story was still a baby; although Heather doesn't mind a relationship, she has that 'let's just have fun' lifestyle deeply rooted in her mind, and even if this is fiction, it'd be a bit unbelievable to think she could just fall head over heels in love with Zack out of the blue. True, she's attracted to him and they could have a lot of fun together, but Zack wants a deeper relationship, and at the moment, Heather can't give it to him. If the story leans towards a Zack/Heather endgame, it'd probably be better portrayed as a summer fling and then have a sequel when they all are just out of college and meeting back at the cabin, then we can see a bit better where they stand. About Zack and Taylor's cousin, I've decided to push him back to the sequel on Azure Rocks, his role on At The Cabin will be given to Kurt. And he might not be the Bishops' cousin when he does appear.
He's your Meagan! I need more time to reply to your post over in Researching Stories, but I like the way you've thought out her dynamic with their family. I have a soft spot in general for these characters who don't make the main plot but illuminate other characters. In my newest thread, I kinda hinted at it: the "craziest" place Heather ever had sex was "under the stars." I can see that interpretation, and I think it would be an effective scene! I'm not sure it's absolute aspect of her personality, though. Like duskford says, she seems willing to stay with Zack if he picks her, and she must have a stable, more-or-less happy relationship with Rohit behind her if his mom is still calling her. I can totally see Heather exploring different relationship styles. Heather brings Zack to a party, and she picks up someone else before it's over. “Can we take him/her home with us? Please? Pretty please?” Ha! “No, Ted, things aren't better if you stay! That girl he's singing about is his grandma!” Vicky's waiting for The One, and now she's confronted with multiple potential The Ones and a couple of hunks. How tragic! I thought you had a really interesting characterization for her under erotophilia: “This will be good practice for someone I love.” I forgot that from Cretan Bull's threads, but that's a good turn. I'm a little surprised no one's gone ahead and decided to reveal who Zack's drunken first time was. My foreshadowing senses always tingle when that comes up, to the point where I thought it was Kendra when she kissed him on the deck. Consider me intrigued. We need an outlet for all these side characters. LOST-style flashbacks might not really work for choose-your-own-adventure, so I'll have to draw up something for Tales of Silver Lake and get Meagan down on the page for once.
A friend actually suggested to me I should leave Zack with Heather at the end of the story so they could become a couple with an open marriage in the future. If anything, it's a fun prospect. The mystery girl has always been the same person for me, but the reveal will probably get pushed to the sequel as well. However, it's quite probably that someone can have an idea of who it is if they read my main thread in one go, I've left a couple of subtle clues. Of course, there's nothing stopping any of you guys of coming up with your own version of that night's events in a thread. I agree with your idea for the side characters, Patzo. I even have two of them who I didn't give too much attention; Madison (Brandon's sister who was on the alternate beginning thread, but I'm expecting to use her more on the sequel) and Holly McRose (Chloe's 16-year old sister who, for obvious reasons, can't appear in a sex scene).
