[FanFic] Making the wrong choice

What do you call a fic that's not a fic

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Buster
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[FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

So, I had a dumb idea.
Have the first part of it.

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As King's paw touched the floating object everything went black. Please be the right one... he thought to himself.

"Huh. I honestly didn't think you would pick that one... Whoops." Kitsune's voice came from everywhere and nowhere, bringing with it a feeling of dread. "Were my hints too subtle? Oh well, too late now, I can't exactly undo your choices. Free will and all. If it's any consolation though, I really did want you to get that happy ending of yours. But maybe you can make this one work out..."

He opened one eye enough to see the lantern in front of him before squeezing it shut again. He curled into a ball sobbing, tangled in the blanket that was draped over him. As much as he tried to wish it so, he knew just like every other time they had gotten involved; This was no dream.

He barely heard the sound of paws on concrete, didn't notice the presence of another until there was a hand on his shoulder. The other pulling him into a hug, trying to comfort him. Her form dwarfing him easily.

"It's okay Joel. It's going to be okay." An eerily familiar voice spoke soothingly. A voice he hadn't heard in what felt like forever. A voice that shouldn't be possible after so long.

When the tears subsided, he looked up meeting a face that shouldn't have been in front of him. An amber eyed white cat looked back at him. Only now did he recognize where he was. Broken walls boarded windows and two other sleeping forms nearby. It had to be a trick, this wasn't possible. This place, that was decades ago.

"Snowball?" He asked, his own voice sounding alien to his ears. So much younger than it should have been.
Last edited by Buster on Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
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Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

This sounds like it will be a good fanfic. Nice job!
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Mickey »

*Claps*

This is amazing.
My characters!
I got too many colors to remember. I'll put them here to see. Aren't they nice? Yep! Absolutely!
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Douglas Collier »

Really good writing! This could blow up (in the good way) if you keep it up. :)
Douglas isn't my real name, but because of a name block put on me by a higher-order being known as Djinni, I can't say my real name.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by The-J-Man »

i plan on reading this. it sounds like the start of something great in my opinion
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by D-Rock »

So Joel didn't make the choice he wanted, but now he has an opportunity to make things right in a different way. Already intrigued.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

So, I don't know what the official names of those three actually are, or if they even have officially decided ones and not just "Generic Dog"/"Generic Cat" so I'm just making em up. Samson & Boomer for the dogs cause they're good hound names. And Snowball for the cat cause it's an extremely common name for all-white cats. K?

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As the day slowly began, there was one thing running through Joel's mind over an over. I remember this day. This was the day everything went wrong. He tried not to think about it as he ate, but his memories weren't feeling cooperative. This was the last of the food they brought with them, Joel knew they wouldn't find more, and by tonight he and Samson would be fighting. Tomorrow would be worse, and by Friday they would leave him behind. He couldn't even remember clearly what it had been about, Just that it had all started there.

As they left the abandoned building they had taken shelter in that night, Joel grabbed the lantern, deciding to wrap the blanket he had found around it to carry it more easily. They had been keeping to the outskirts of town. Not wanting to be recognized and dragged home, just like last time. They hadn't found anything to eat and were all getting hungrier as time went on, just like last time. The hours just seemed to blur together, ticking down to the inevitable confrontation. A few times Joel though they had reached certain spots early, but that was probably just his memories getting to him. When the sun started to set, and his companions changed their focus to looking for shelter for the night, he was just confused. What was different?

"Joel? Can I borrow your lantern for a second?" Snowball asked. Joel just nodded, looking around at their surroundings for some clue, but finding only vaguely familiar terrain. Something wasn't right, where were they? Looking back to the pets, he noticed that they had started a small campfire, a little ways off the road in the woods, and snowball was busy screwing the lid back onto the lantern.

"Don't know how you know this side of town little man, but we wouldn't have gotten this far without ya. Come on." Boomer called, waving for him to come over by the fire.

Wait, Is that it? Is the fact that I've been here before what's making the difference? He wondered to himself as he walked over and sat down. Mulling it over in his mind again, he retraced his steps. He had just followed the same route as before, the route from all those years before... but it had gone by faster.

With Boomer watching the fire and the others finding spots to sleep before it got too dark. When Joel finally let his eyes close, he started to imagine himself as King again in his dreams. The corgi bounded around a familiar neighborhood just enjoying the day and having fun before he came across a strange scene that had incorporated itself into the dream.

"What is wrong with you? You've been slowing us down all day!" The dog was growling.
"I... I want to go home..."
"Wh..What? No! We're not going back!"
"But-"
The dream-image of Samson went to grab the image of Joel, lifting him up by his collar and beginning to shout. "We're. Not. Going. Back!"

King just watched as the scene dissolved, replaced by the same boy camped out in the woods around a fire with the same pets, smiles showing instead of anger. Shrugging he went back to his fun.


As Joel started to wake, he couldn't quite remember why he had been so nervous about the previous day.
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by The-J-Man »

awesome update. really good story-line and theme
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Nice job on this part! I really like how it came out!
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Czukay »

Yeah, this seems really good so far, and I'll try to keep up on it as well.
Feel free to call me Czu for short. The games on this forum are pretty neat.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

Aaand because there aren't quite enough problems in Joel's life that are a certain somebody's fault...

----------------------------

"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
". . . . ."
"Nothing, really!"
"Nothing my tail feathers, they disappeared. I've checked the entire globe, they're not anywhere. Mortals don't just vanish."
"Where did you even pick up that expression? you don't have tail feathers, Pete."
"Well these ones apparently did."
"No, you cheated. You used a miracle outside the influence range of your temple."
"Did not."
"Liar."
"I swear on my true name I had nothing to do with your avatar candidate disappearing, this time."
"...Fine."
"So that's, 0 for 80 now?"
"...77. And don't sound so smug about it."
"You sure? I thought it was more than that."
"Actually Samson disappearing makes 79 would-be Avatars so far. Also you're probably going to need a new sheet for the next one. You're running out of room to write and scratch out names."
"...Shutup."

----------------------------

Friday morning was going to get an early start it seemed, as a voice broke through Joel's dreams.

"The smoke was coming from over here." Joel only partially heard the words, his mind still in a bit of a fuzz that insisted he go back to sleep.

"Hey who-"
"SCATTER!"

That got Joel moving. Snowball never yelled. Grabbing the lantern off the ground as he took off. He didn't exactly know what he was running from, still too tired to think clearly. It was still dark, and the shadows from the yellowy green light the lantern produced, twisted in ways that would have been frightening were he running on something other than panic already.

Stumbling over a root, he lost his footing. He could hear heavy steps behind him as he got back to his feet as quickly as he was able. A hurried glance back showed him little more than a blue uniformed figure. a hand on his shoulder tried to slow him, but he just bit, hard, and kicked out in the direction it came from.

I just assaulted a cop. was the first coherent thing to finally make it through his mind, as he put some distance between himself and the one yelling behind him. That one thought just enough to trip him up as he had a chance encounter with a patch of mud and a large flat rock.

----------------------------

Joel's head hurt. A lot of other things hurt, but his head was at the top of the list. Reaching up and gingerly feeling around, there was definitely a bump, just above the hairline. Groaning and sitting up, a familiar voice greeted him.

"You're awake." A voice next to him said. Opening his eyes, he found himself in the back of a car, Snowball stuffed into a cat carrier next to him. It was still dark out and the streetlights going past the car made for an odd flickering light show. She gave an awkward looking partial grin and waved. "I haven't seen the dogs yet, but I think they're in another police car."

Joel had to resist face-palming, knowing that would just make his headache worse. How had he gotten out of this last time? He couldn't quite remember. For that matter, he couldn't entirely remember if there had been police involved last time. Stupid headache. Chances are they would be taken to the station until dad could pick him up... That was not going to be a pleasant conversation.
Last edited by Buster on Sat Feb 28, 2015 11:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by The-J-Man »

i for one, never expected this to happen. poor joel
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

So did he land in the mud then? :lol: Anyway, nice chapter.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

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The room wasn't bad, as far as unused and barely furnished offices in a police station went, and they had let snowball out of her carrier. Still a sense of unease hung in the room. Most of that coming from the annoyed glares the officer kept giving the duo.

"Kid, if you would just tell me your name, this would be so much easier." The officer grumbled, leafing through missing person's reports for runaways that matched. Fidgeting somewhat as he went. 4am is no time to be dealing with this nonsense. I need more coffee. He angrily thought to himself, wishing the call about 'something weird in the woods' had never come in. At least they had gotten those dogs kenneled without too much of a fight.

"I'm not going home." was the only reply the officer got. His charge just sitting there, arms crossed and looking defiant. The officer just rolled his eyes and went back to his files, finding one with a picture that looked right after a few minutes. Opening it up, he looked through the file.

"Sure Joel you- ...cripes." The officer began, cutting himself off as he noticed a potentially problematic anomaly. Repeated complaints by neighbors; noise, aggressive shouting, loud animals. Related? was scribbled on a stickynote attached to the first page. The officer cringed, before letting his expression go slack and rubbing his temples with one hand to try and get rid of the headache now forming. Wonderful. Please don't be a domestic case...

"Stay here... Actually, you can use that couch; try to get some sleep." he stated flatly, gesturing to the furniture in the corner before taking the files and leaving. The click of a door locking behind him sounding in the otherwise silent room.

Joel wasn't having it though. He was certain if he slept now, by the time he woke up his father would be here. There had to be a way out... except he couldn't just leave Samson & Boomer behind either. Where would they be? He hadn't seen them since they left the cars. How would he get there without being noticed? Better yet, how would he even get the door open?

"So... what do we do? Dad's going to be really mad..." Snowball whimpered.

"I don't know. But i'll think of something."

(EDIT: Yes, I'm well aware "cripes" is a dumb and juvenile sounding word, but it's the only synonym of the much more common word I WAS going to use that isn't filtered besides "Curses!" and he's a cop, not a clichéd supervillain.)
Last edited by Buster on Sun Mar 01, 2015 11:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by The-J-Man »

cant wait to see what happens next. nice job on this story
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Hopefully the police will get a clue that the dad is an abusive jerkwad.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

Yes I'm well aware I probably got how protective custody works wrong, though in my defense what I was able to find online is limited, and I have no first hand experience in the matter nor do I know anyone IRL who does that I can ask.

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"...a nine year old should not be that jaded. Not to mention the dogs being so aggressive towards the guys, but not to the K-9 unit. That kind of bias doesn't just happen on it's own. I've got a bad feeling about this kid's case." the seated officer grumbled glancing at his partner and setting the file they had just been discussing down on his desk desk.

"I know what you mean Murph. Knew something was up when I saw that note... We need to get either Child Protective Services, The ASPCA, or both involved... ugh." He answered, grumbling as he took another drink of his coffee, and sank into the char of the other desk. It was far too early in the morning for a case this complicated. "And we need to figure out what to do with those four in the mean time. Who's watching him?"

Murphy glanced out the office window, towards the other one where their 'guests' were. There was an officer outside the door glancing in every so often. "Miller's posted outside the door. Hopefully the kid's getting some sleep."

- - - - - -

Joel wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, or what time it was, only that the sun was up, Snowball was curled up on a pillow on the floor next to the couch, and he could hear muffled voices from somewhere nearby.

"...not to be allowed contact with his father or step-mother while they're under investigation."
"You don't have to worry about that, I'll take good care of Joel."


Joel listened in as he stretched and rubbed his eyes.
A moment later, the door opened, showing the officer from before accompanied by Joel's aunt.

"Aunt Mary!" he practically shouted, hopping off the couch and rushing over, straight into a big hug. It was hard not to be happy to see her, while it couldn't have been more than a month or two from her perspective, from his it had been years. Behind him, Snowball had abruptly been startled awake ans was just getting to her feet.

"You're going to be staying on the farm with uncle Randal an I for a while. Is that okay Joel?" She asked calmly, smiling.

"Can the others come with us?" He asked, startled, receiving a nod in answer.

They're putting us in protective custody? That didn't happen last time. Am I changing things? but everything else so far has played out exactly as I remembered...

----------

That was the last box, Joel thought to himself, as he shut the trunk of his car. University was going to be lonely without them, but the dorms wouldn't let him bring Snowball or Boomer along. If Samson was still around they probably would have said no to him too.

"We're going to miss you Joel." A familiar voice said behind him, causing him to turn. A smile appearing as he recognized the one talking. Behind him a familiar greyhound, looking more white than gray these days. Not surprising for a fifteen year old dog. Still there was an intelligence in those old eyes that promised he had plenty of life in him yet, despite his age.

"Gonna miss you too Boomer." Joel answered with a smile, kneeling down and hugging his old friend. after a moment, he let go and glanced over to the farmhouse. "Where are Snowball and Aunt Mary? I thought they'd be out here too."

The old dog just chuckled, "They'll be out in a moment, they're trying to get a surprise ready."

A white vaguely canid face flashed in Joels mind for a moment. A sense of mischief from those red eyes, and a feeling of betrayal welling up for a moment, causing him to grimace. "I hate surprises." He grumbled. Why do they always make me think of that face? Where have I seen it before?

"I know, but you know how those two are. They mean well."
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I really like how this chapter has come out! Splendid job on this part of the story!
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

...I wouldn't really call them 'chapters'. I mean if I were writing a proper chapter I would prefer to go for at least 5k words, but the 'padding' necessary to connect the scenes together so I'm not abusing time-skips like I am here is a pain in the backside to write, and takes me WAY longer cause I hate writing those bits. (I'm impatient, I want to get to the interesting bits.) so you'd be getting one chapter a month instead of 4-5 individual scenes a week.

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Laying back on his bed in his dorm room, Joel pulled out snowball's gift again. Holding it up by the keys attached to it.

"I know humans don't wear collars, So I made a keychain out of it." her voice seemed to echo in his mind.

The light glinted off of the Chess piece style pet tag. Exactly like the one he always had in his dreams. She had probably caught him eying it when they would go to the pet store for food and supplies, but there was a part of him that wondered if maybe she might know. Wondering if she somehow knew he pictured himself as a Corgi in his mind? That he'd had dreams about it for years, but no idea why. It was probably impossible, but it was still an interesting 'what if'.

Tossing it into the air before catching it and stuffing it into his pocket, he got up and decided to explore the campus. Classes were starting tomorrow, so getting a rough idea of where everything was now would probably be a good idea. Wandering around campus it took about half an hour before he had a reasonably reliable mental map of the place. Along the way he ran into another student who had seemingly had the same idea. He was somewhat scruffy looking, the beginnings of a beard well in place.

"Hey there, you new here too? I'm Joel." He asked the stranger introducing himself.

Turning, the other student smiled, offering a hand. "Names Earl, Nice to meet you Joel. Whatcha here for?"

"I'm taking a veterinary medicine course, you?"

"Automotive repair."

The two shook hands, and continued chatting as they continued wandering aimlessly.
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Well then this part of the story and that part of the story! Anyway they both came out nice!
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

Thanks A.D.
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

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The thing about school that never changes no matter how far through it you go, is the routine. The people change, the places you go get bigger and more spread out, the workload becomes more of an endurance test than a learning experience over time, some classes become more interesting while others are duller than ever, yet it always falls into predictable routines. University, while more taxing was at least in that regard just more of the same. Joel was one of those for whom the days seemed to blend together, each week becoming a minor variation on the ones that preceded them. If it weren't for the changing seasons he wouldn't be able to tell them apart. Tromping through the snow back to the dorms, Joel almost made it to the campus before a spotting a familiar face.

He wasn't hard to spot, the black and gray portions of his coat stood out against the snow quite well. The dog was a pet of one of the families that lived near the campus and Joel had seen Bishop a few times now, but it was odd to see him outside his own yard alone. His owner usually kept him pretty close. Heading over to the dog Joel sat down next to him.

"Whatcha doing out here?" He asked, casually, only getting a whimper in response. "Hey, you okay?"

"They left without me..." he mumbled, sounding disappointed. pointing at a 'for sale' sign in front of a house nearby, his house if memory served. "I got into my carrier to go with them, but they just left me behind at a shelter. Took forever to sneak out, but they're already gone..."

Joel wasn't sure what to say to that, part of him was furious his owner would just leave him behind like that, another part baffled that the poor pup didn't sound more than disappointed. Dogs are far too forgiving for their own good sometimes... Oh to hell with the rules. I can't just leave him here. As long as the floor monitors don't see him I should be fine.

"Hey, Bishop? Why don't you stay with me for a while?" Joel offered.
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I really love this part of the story! Keep up this writing because it is a very nice section!
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

"Y-... You mean that?" The little dog wondered, surprised. Getting a grin and a nod from Joel in response. "Thank you!" he barked, hugging Joel's side. His tail kicking up snow at the idea of having a house to stay in again.

Leading him back to the campus, the two headed inside the dorms. Using the side stairwell entrance since it tended to get less traffic.

Part way up joel paused, checking to make sure no one was coming. Sneaking a dog in was so far proving to be easier than Joel had expected. Though that might have had something to do with his class having this block off, while others didn't. still he would have expected to bump into somebody. Reaching the third floor, he whispered for bishop to stay behind him before slipping down the hall. Soon enough they were at his room.

In hindsight, that should have been only a minor concern. The hard part wasn't getting him onto campus, the hard part was going to be taking care of him without someone noticing. After all, Joel couldn't exactly bring bags of dog food on campus without being conspicuous, and getting a meal card for Bishop to go to the cafeteria was likely not gonna happen. It took a while, and a bit of experimentation to figure out what Bishop was and wasn't willing to eat, but they managed to work that side of things out, even if it was eating up all of joel's spending money.

A few weeks down the road winter break was upon them and the biggest unanticipated challenge yet.
Do i skip going home for christmass, and spend it with Bishop, or bring him home with me and likely have to convince Boomer and Snowball that the one year old pup isn't a replacement... especially when I couldn't bring either of them... Joel thought to himself as he mulled over his options during an amusingly stupid lecture the teacher was giving about something entirely unrelated to the chemistry he was supposed to be teaching. That's what happenes when a former high-school teacher who's used to everyone skipping the last period of the last day winds up here I guess... urgh, what would Fox do in this mess? He always seemed to-...

...Wait, Who the heck is Fox?! Where did I pull that name from?
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Looks like he has subconscious memories but he can't put his finger on why he does. Nice job!
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Saturn381 »

I'm really liking this fanfic, Buster! Great job! :D
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

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Well, at least bishop is enjoying this... Joel thought, glancing momentarily to the passenger seat where a certain canine had as much of himself out the window as the seatbelt would allow. Which pretty much just consisted of his nose, not surprising as bishop was short for a dog.

The lights started thinning out here, making room for the highway off-ramp Joel needed to take. His movements behind the wheel were mostly automatic, 'driving on autopilot' Uncle Randal hat called it when he was teaching him, something he'd often warned him to be careful not to do. But right now Joel's mind was a a good twenty miles further down the road focused on a little farmhouse quickly getting closer. Thankfully the roads were relatively clear. I wonder if they'll get along... he wondered to himself.

Soon enough, they were turning down a familiar dirt roard, barely visible under the snow.

"Oh wow... the yard here is HUUUUUGE..." he could hear from the passenger seat, the coment bringing a smile to his face.

Such a city dog. One more corner and they pulled to a stop. Joel quickly shutting the engine off and hopping out, waving for bishop to follow. Heading over to the house, he gave the door a quick knock, only for it to open before he had even finished.

"Joel! you're earl- Why do you smell like Corgi?" Boomer asked, standing in the doorway tilting his head slightly to one side as he noticed the odd scent. Or at least he was originally. Getting tackled does have a slight tendency to relocate a person, or in this case, dog.

"Hi!" Bishop chimed in, from atop Boomer, tail moving faster than a fan blade. Apparently having a fair amount of energy to burn off after a four hour drive.

"Hi boomer, I see you've met Bishop." Joel facepalmed, trying more than anything to hide his difficulty avoiding laughing at the expression on the dumbfounded greyhound currently being sat upon by the smaller dog.
Last edited by Buster on Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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SuperStar
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by SuperStar »

This is an interesting fanfiction. And Bishop is obviously meant to be like King accept not Joel, right? Also, about Bishop. You call him a "one year old pup". This isn't a problem at all, but in the Housepets! universe 1 year is equal to 3.5 for animals. So is Bishop suppose to be 3.5? Cause, with the way he acts I'd think maybe 2 years old(7 dog years). I'm not telling you to change anything, I'm just making sure I'm reading the characters right.
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Buster
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

Joel's guessing, going by his size. He doesn't know his actual age.

there is no plothole. you saw nothing.
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Really am liking how this fan fiction is coming out! Great job! So I assume Bishop and Bailey are gonna be a thing since there is no King?
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

...Divulging what i have planned for that portion of the timeline would spoil the fic's ending.
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

OK. I understand. But I do sort of have some ideas. :lol:
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

(just a short one this time. Just an idea that popped into my head at work.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...and after that, he wanted to go back to the shelter to get his sister, But apparently Ripley had already been adopted by another family. So yeah, that's how Bishop wound up with me. As for the tag, I just thought it fit his name." Joel explained, somewhat rushing certain parts, and rambling at others. Behind him it wasn't hard to hear a pair of voices playfully barking taunts back and forth over some game. "Though, he says that the two of them used to have matching tags with a kind of a W symbol on them."

Snowball just continued to stare at him, the same blank cold look she had had since the start of the explanation. The moment dragging on in silence until she finally spoke. "And you never told us, why?"

"Uh... Surprise?"

"Oh, Well then..." She seems to lighten up, before walking over and giving joel a hug. "And here I thought you might be trying to replace us..." she stated sweetly, while at the same time, extending her claws just enough to be felt through his shirt. "But of course you wouldn't do that."

Ow, ow, ow! Should have worn a thicker shirt. "Hey, it's not like that. He didn't have anywhere else to go." Joel protested, trying not to move more than necessary until Snowball let go.
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

Yup it sure seems like Snowball has quite a temper on her! Nice job on this segment!
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Czukay »

Something tells me they aren't too pleased to meet Bishop...
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by dryideabat »

I finally got a chance to read this and I must say, very well-done. Lots of feels, especially for characters we've only heard Joel's brief account of. I can definitely sympathize with Snowball in this case (with all considering so far)... even though I can only imagine what she would do to Joel if Bishop in someway usurps them.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

"Hey, Boomer?" Bishop piped up, setting down the dice and looking away from the map for a moment.

"Hmm?" The other dog glanced away from the board for a moment.

"Why does that white cat not like me?" He asked, sounding a bit depressed. Fidgeting and shuffling a bit as he spoke. It wasn't hard to tell he felt out of place, or at least was nervous about something.

"That's... Complicated." The old dog answered with a sigh, pushing back from the board. Their game could wait. "She's His mother's cat. After she passed away, it fell to Joel to take care of Snow. His father was no help, he didn't care. For years he was her anchor in an increasingly hostile home. When mistress, my brother, and I came into the picture things only got worse. To her we were just a built in burglar alarm, nothing more. She treated Snow no better. Joel was at least our friend."

Boomer had to stop there for a moment. Even after all these years it was hard to keep the anger out of his voice talking about those days. Glancing over at Snowball in the other room, he could see the way she was clinging to Joel as the poor boy tried to calm her down. Sometimes he had wondered if her attachment to him could ever turn her against her owner. Well, it seemed now he had his answer. "When we left she insisted we bring Joel. Wouldn't leave without him. They say we're 'man's best friend', dogs, but that cat... She's been by his side as long as I've known her. This is the first time they've been apart and he comes home with a new pet...'

"She thinks I'm a replacement." Bishop stated, surprised. Finally understanding.

Boomer didn't answer at first, simply nodding. What was there to say beyond that really. Though, he had his suspicions why the pup had chosen now of all times to bring up the subject, he doubted Bishop had expected an answer like that. "Not that that distraction is going to make me miss the lack of anti-air support you have in Leningrad..." Boomer commented turning back to the board with a sly grin, sliding the German bomber miniatures into position.

"Aw crabbaskets."
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
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Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Amazee Dayzee »

I really do hope that there is a thaw between Snowball and Bishop. Wonderful job on this though!
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Buster »

'Nother short one. this holiday bit is dragging on longer than I thought it would. :\
Also, I know this may not be her actual breed, but artistic license. Nyeh!

-----------------

"I'm sorry Joel, I just... It's so hard to..." She mumbled, her mood finally having rebounded back from vengeful toward something else. "I miss Samson. And Mom. I know it's been years, but... I don't want you leaving me behind too."

"It's okay Snowball. I understand." He answered calmly. Sitting on the couch, gently petting her back, scratching a particular spot that always used to calm her down when she was a kitten. "I'm not going to leave you behind. Okay? I promise."

Looking at him the Van Kedisi smiled and offered a silent thank you, before flopping down onto his lap and curling up.

Well, looks like I'm going to be here a while. He thought to himself, a light chuckle escaping his lips. Turning his attention toward the dogs game, which Bishop was now loosing, he watched quietly.

-----------------

"Wait, she LIKES dog treats?" Bishop was dumbfounded. He had meant that package as a joke-gift for the cranky kitty. The last thing he had expected was a big hug and getting called a 'good little pup.' Granted, it's not like being called good was a bad thing, but it was still really confusing.

"Quite. She even managed to get her daughter hooked on them, before the little kitten moved in with an owner of her own." The older dog answered, trying not to laugh at the rather confused corgi currently flat on his back on the rug. bits of wrapping paper still stuck to his fur from the giant rawhide bone he had unwrapped earlier.

"And I thought being a dog living in a dorm room was weird..."
Most important thing I've learned from D&D?
No matter how tempting it may be, as a DM I can't both present a problem and solve it.
Every time a DMPC or NPC fixes something a payer couldn't i'm diminishing and undermining that player's contribution.
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Re: [FanFic] Making the wrong choice

Post by Obbl »

Love the characterization here :D I don't mind short updates, so long as they continue to give me such great personality ;)
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