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Super Special Training (Asher)
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jan 1, 2017 2:11:29 GMT
"People we care about go there, after all," Elliot said. Like Maia. Except she totally didn't. Nope, Maia never went to the Digital World! "And there are some really nice sights, and some fun adventures. It's like there's always something different whenever you go there. Breaks up the times when the human world can be kinda repetitive. Y'know, school, work, home, sleep. Especially when that part gets difficult. " His response was just as unthinking as Asher's blurt. Truth be told, Elliot didn't think it was amazing either. However, the parts that were worth it were quite worth it in Elliot's books. And the adoration from being a hero, or just the warm feeling in his gut of knowing he did good . . . oh, that was irresistible.
He half-giggled, half-snored at Asher's question. "Its just a game, silly," he said. " 'Sides, its fun to see how ridiculous you can get with it before it turns around and stops you. I mean, you could probably just make your park a giant loop of rides, where guests gotta go on each one to get from the entrance to the exit of your park. Isn't that crazy?" It was like that one Bruce Lee movie, but instead of fighting guys and climbing a tower you were just riding all sorts of weird amusement parks. That was the kind of absurdity that made Elliot laugh.
"I'm glad he's doing good so far, then," Elliot said, once Asher informed him that nobody had told him anything bad about Isaac. Sure, he wasn't saying anything that stood out either, besides the same "it's a natural" comment, and that was a little weird coming from someone who complimented basically everything else to ever exist. But maybe Asher just couldn't think of anything else to add about Isaac. "Thanks for thinking of him. He's always busting his butt trying to think of others, so I'm glad someone else can."
If Elliot sounded like he was about to doze off there, though, Asher's comment broke that focus immediately. Elliot looked up at Asher, head tilted in confusion. "What? Why? Why would anybody do that?" he asked, absolutely bewildered. "Like, intentionally?" |
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Post by Asher on Jan 1, 2017 2:35:25 GMT
People they care about. Oh, right. That made sense, he supposed. "Roller coasters sound more fun," Asher hummed, trying to think about what was so exciting about going to the other world. So far, he hadn't really experienced anything particularly exhilarating. Sure, it took his breath away. But, in an incredibly bad way. Like, being trapped in a box without enough oxygen kind of bad way. Distractions! Thinking of roller coasters. Ever go to Disney Land?"
Either way, the redhead continued working on ideas that Elliot was giving him. Man, he was glad that he wasn't a virtual guest in this game. This entire thing was starting to look like a very alarming maze. Whatever. He planned on trapping everyone there once he had enough guests, anyway.
Why did Elliot have to think so highly of Asher, anyway? It wasn't like the older teen really cared that much about his coworker. In fact, he was really hoping they wouldn't share a shift for a good while. What a problem. Either way, for Elliot, he would make sure that everything was going smoothly for the other Sunderland brother.
"I don't know if I'd call it intentionally," Asher shrugged, trying to think about the subject a little. "They were playing with a lighter, too close to something flammable." Never a smart plan!
Shifting in the chair, the spirit user moved to finally look at Elliot. He was totally going to fall asleep there, wasn't he? "You look comfortable."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jan 1, 2017 2:49:06 GMT
"Well, duh!" Elliot said. He lived in California! How could he not make it, like, a yearly pilgrimage? "We always tried to go, like, once a year. Except after my leg. Then the trips stopped." That was also the point where the family's tensions went from covert to overt really, really fast. He cast a worried look over to his leg, as if remembering just what a pain that thing had been. But at least most of the worry it caused was in the past, right? Now things were moving forward and looking up. It was gonna be okay. It all was. It all had to.
"Did you? I mean, I know you were super busy all the time and all that. But I really hope you got the chance to go sometimes," Elliot murmured. The fatigue was really starting to layer back into his voice, and it muffled somewhat as he dipped his head into his pillow. Soon he was just a mess of hair and pillow fluff, a pair of eyes poking out at Asher through all the mess.
". . . I get the feeling I should stop asking why," he added, once Asher had brought up playing with a lighter. Heck, Elliot was stunned those were even allowed in there. Forget the food, somebody could get really hurt! Needless to say, sometimes Elliot just couldn't understand people. Sure, fire was nice, but don't bring it into a restaurant! Kids and babies go there! Well, babies wouldn't be at a maid cafe, hopefully. But still.
By now, Asher had finally noticed Elliot had settled into a state of hibernation. It was hard to say he didn't look comfortable when he was practically melting into the pillow. Nevertheless, he still shook his head. "No. Got company," he responded, using his chin to try and hold the rest of his head up. It wasn't like Elliot was a really strong sleeper in the first place, but he wasn't falling asleep while a guest was over!
"But are you comfortable?" |
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Post by Asher on Jan 1, 2017 3:04:01 GMT
Once a year? That was crazy! How lucky the family must be. Lips pressed tightly together, resisting asking about the boy's leg. Asher had a feeling that was a sensitive subject. "How old were you, when you stopped going?" That was a better way of phrasing an otherwise insensitive question! Then again, Asher was really only making estimates on how old Elliot actually was. Surely, someone had already told him it a thousand times, but numbers weren't necessarily the teen's strong suit. And, ages never really seemed that relevant.
"I went once," the spirit user hummed. "L.A.'s pretty close to it, so you'd think I would have gone more." When, in actuality, Asher hadn't gotten to visit Disney Land until he had moved to Oakland! Really great logic, there! "There's a Disney Resort about a hour from here, I'm thinking about taking Pip someday." Maybe for her birthday? Who knew. But, it seemed like something that could be interesting.
Either way, the young man shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know! People are weird!" Like Asher had room to talk! But, it wasn't like they could really check people's pockets before they sat down, to prevent them from bringing in lighters and various other things. That would just be weird and kind of violating. Nobody would want to visit if they had to be patted down before they could be served. Or, actually, nobody wanted the kind of guests that would want that.
"I'm fine," the teen smiled, leaning on the back of the chair a little. "But, are you sure you don't want me to just let you sleep?"
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jan 1, 2017 3:13:31 GMT
"You should take her. That'd be a bit pricey for a Christmas gift, but maybe if you really save up it'd be a really nice surprise," Elliot said. He shifted a bit of weight onto his wrists to help keep him more awake and aware in this conversation, not wanting to fall back down onto his face. "I should really try and go sometime. There's a lot of really nice stuff to see here, too, even if a lot of it's expensive. I don't want to miss out on it all."
Well, Asher's first question had gone completely ignored for now! The slight unease in his voice as he tried to switch the topic was kind of hard to miss, as was the way his eyes darted around as if quite literally avoiding the question. As he talked to Asher his tone re-established itself, though, back to its usual, albeit sleepy, warmth. "No, no, I'm good," he insisted, as Asher asked if he should leave Elliot be. " 'Sides, I'm glad you're here. It's really nice getting to just talk, especially when we're both so busy all the time." Asher was nice.
But after that, there was a bit of a pause before Elliot started talking again. "I was seven," he finally relented, once more sinking a little into his pillow. Of course, right afterwards he popped back up, looking Asher in the eyes worriedly. "He didn't mean it, honestly! It was my fault. I was the one who kicked too hard and slipped. He was watching out for me the whole time, and he carried me right back home after it happened, and he helped hold the ice pack there and everything." There was a bit of a sigh as Elliot slumped back down. With all his slumping and un-slumping, this poor bed was going to have so many indents in it. "D'you think that's why he worries so much about me? Because he feels guilty?"
The question sounded just the slightest shade rhetorical. |
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Post by Asher on Jan 1, 2017 3:38:21 GMT
"It's only about one hundred and twenty dollars," in U.S. currency conversion, of course, "for a one-day ticket for her and myself." Well, it looks like someone had already done a little research! On top of that, what was one hundred dollars? The ex-actor had a bank account! And residuals! If it weren't for his current standing on Isaac, Asher would consider inviting the brothers along, as well!
Flashing a smile, the teen seemed to lose focus on his game, and watched the sleepy boy instead. "Well, as long as you're sure--" And, before he could continue that sentence, the game boomed with an explosion and screaming, pinging about some important notification. Yellow eyes flashed to the screen, which had zoomed in on a smoking roller coaster, where the cars had all exploded from colliding with one another. "Oops. I forgot to give it brakes." Good thing he wasn't an actual ride designer!
But, oh, Elliot was storytelling. And... It wasn't really what Asher had expected! He really didn't think that the kid would want to share any of that! Since the younger of the brothers was going to tell him, Asher felt it necessary to give him full attention, refusing to look back at the computer for any reason. Seven? That seemed like a while ago. But, it took no time to think about a response. Without missing a beat, the teen uttered, "no." How did Asher seem so certain about that?
Well, frankly, he wasn't. But, he wasn't going to let Elliot think that someone was just caring about him so much because they felt guilty. Asher didn't want anyone to think that way, regardless of if it was the truth!
"He worries about you because that's what big brothers do." Piper knew that all too well! And she was more than capable of taking care of herself!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jan 1, 2017 3:49:30 GMT
Nothing seemed to rouse Elliot while he was in a little bit of a funk. Not the cost of a ticket. Not the exploding roller coaster. Not even wondering if he and Isaac would get to take a trip to Disney, or maybe even join Asher's. However, that no finally roused him, Elliot turning slightly to Asher and letting out a small smile. Was Asher right? Elliot felt like he already knew the answer to that question, whether it was yes, no, or somewhere in between. But Asher still deserved some sort of response, didn't he? "Thank you," Elliot said, hoping the next things Asher wanted to talk about didn't strike at such a sentimental nerve.
Why was he ever worrying about this lately? Maybe it was because this was one of the first days he had been left home alone in a long while. Usually he had Isaac or his mom to bounce off of, and with that he could feel some sort of cohesion in the family. Yet when they were gone, questions started coming in their place. Elliot really didn't like the questions. And he often liked their answers even less.
Maybe he'd write his dad again today.
That said, Asher had done a great job of keeping his worries at bay so far. Maybe he'd keep on doing a good job. Elliot settled back into a position where he could see the screen, only to realize his phone was vibrating. He quickly leaned a little to fish it out, firing a text off one-handed before nestling it back into his pockets. Why was he doing that when he could just leave it on the bed? Neat freak, duh.
"I've got The Sims too, if you want to try that one," Elliot said. "I'm sure you've played that, right?" |
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Post by Asher on Jan 1, 2017 3:59:57 GMT
It felt like Elliot thanked him for a lot of things. Asher really wasn't used to that kind of response to... well, anything! While, at one point, it felt kind of nice, the other part of him said that it was just discomforting. Who needed manners, anyway? They should be reserved for real people!
Watching the younger boy mess with his phone, Asher hummed a curious, "who're you talking to?" Of course, he didn't necessarily expect an answer! For all he knew, Elliot was checking those stupid push messages that phones always had. But, he still wanted to avoid as much silence as possible.
Clicking around with the roller coaster game, the redhead debated a little bit on if he wanted to switch games. Of course, it could be fun just to sift through what people Elliot had made! Okay, yep, curiosity got the best of him. "I used to play that all the time," the teen smiled. Of course, he didn't even want to close out of the current game without knowing where, exactly, the icon was for the next game.
Sure, Asher could be nosy, but computer files were definitely not a thing he wanted to venture through. Nobody wanted to find out how not-actually-innocent Elliot was! "Is it on the desktop?" If it was, the young man would simply close out of the tycoon game and choose the icon. If not, he'd wait for exact details of how to get to the game without stumbling across whatever Elliot may be hiding on his computer.
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jan 1, 2017 4:10:22 GMT
"Oh! That was Isaac. He said his shift was just about over for the day," Elliot responded. Must've been a morning shift that dipped into the later afternoon / early evening block for overtime, then. "Should be here in, like, 30? Yeah, that sounds right." Well, Asher, here comes your biggest nightmare! And you're on the second floor, too. At least between changing and walking, the good times would last longer. Unless Isaac ever got the ridiculous idea to commute by giant dragon.
"Oh, yay! Should be right at home, then. Even if its a newer game," Elliot said. "Should be right on my Steam account. Don't usually leave icons on my desktop unless I'm using them. It gets messy otherwise." Surely enough, if Asher did end up closing out Roller Coaster Tycoon, he'd see a desktop background, a story prompt stashed away in the corner, a web browser, the recycle bin, and basically nothing else on Elliot's desktop. Hell, he didn't even have any tabs open right now! These computer browsing habits of his were simply bizarre.
"You can start your own town if you want. Or look around mine. I don't really mind either way," the boy continued, tossing and turning a little. Then, promptly after a turn, he smoothed out the sheet behind him. There was still company here, so it was still really important to be presentable. "You have time to play stuff often? Or do you usually end up with too much stuff on your plate? I hope today's been a nice change of pace for you, at least."
Well, maybe some parts of it were nice! |
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Post by Asher on Jan 1, 2017 4:31:43 GMT
Oh, how did Asher know? Probably because he really didn't know anyone else that Elliot would be texting. Either way, he couldn't really just leave when Isaac was mentioned like that. It would draw suspicion! But, thinking of phones, the teen pulled his own from his pocket, shooting a text to his sister, before setting the smartphone on his lap. It seemed that Asher was far less OCD about how everything looked. That was a given, though.
"I remember when you had to buy everything on discs," the young man mumbled, clicking through Steam. Man, that made him feel old! But, physical copies always felt so much nicer! Oh well. It wasn't his computer, or game, to really care about something as petty as having a legitimate disc to play the game. This was easier, anyway.
Clicking through the game, after it launched, Asher was quick to simply explore the town that Elliot had already been working on. He was more curious about what kind of people the kid made! It really wouldn't surprise him any if they were mostly based on real people or Dragon Ball characters. Now, which on the DBZ cast did Elliot's self-insert have a crush on, in this game? Hm. He'd have to look. And possibly tease.
"I'm not really that busy," the redhead pondered the subject a little. "I like to keep my very job part-time, and school is," he paused. Not really important? Not a priority. "It's just school." But the fact that he was out of his house, with someone other than his sister? That was kind of a change of pace. "Either way, today's been relaxing." Asher tried to think for a moment, debating. "How about for you?" After all, Elliot really seemed stressed out today!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jan 1, 2017 4:55:37 GMT
"Aw, c'mon, Asher! You're too young and handsome to turn into an old on me," Elliot joked. At this point the boy had basically swirled himself into a blanket burrito, occasionally wiggling a little to turn in the direction of the computer. After all, he had to see what Asher was messing with! It was still his town, even if Asher had free reign to see whatever he wanted in it. Nobody else knew all the good spots and little secrets in it like Elliot did, after all!
"Usually I just make whoever and see how they interact. That's why Goku and Papyrus are next door neighbors," Elliot explained. Yes, the Dragon Ball Z and Undertale houses were right next to each other. "You wouldn't believe how much modding it took to get them just right. Thankfully the Sims 3 is way better at clothes than faces." Yes, Elliot was a Sims 3 purist. Oh, he's way too young to be a purist about this kind of thing! "And there's Dr. Wily's Castle. Had to leave out Air Man, though. He doesn't have a head, and that'd just look disturbing," he remarked. Slowly but surely, he explained the parades of references that Asher'd end up scrolling across.
Until one, at least.
"Oh, and Isaac made that one. He makes interesting choices." That was all Elliot left it at. Apparently, interesting choices included a werewolf robot, the world's fattest man, a horse he modded to be president, and a perpetually sunburned man who wore a 3 piece suit no matter which outfit was selected. "Lobsterman's currently having, like, five affairs. Isaac's stories are way more dramatic than mine are." |
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Post by Asher on Jan 1, 2017 5:21:37 GMT
"Old?" Asher scoffed, leaning to look at Elliot again. "Me? I don't think I can be old!" Just keep telling yourself that!
And, of course, there were Dragon Ball characters, along with whatever else seemed to pop into Elliot's head. This was hardly a surprise. Asher had a feeling that the younger boy could be insanely predictable, when given the chance. "I expected to see replicas of your friends," he admitted, with a teasing tone. No, instead it was just cartoon and video game characters!
Asher really didn't care which version of The Sims they were playing. They all had their own charm, somehow! Even the super blocky-shaped original models! But, jeez, was Elliot thorough on his making of characters. It was a little crazy.
But, then he got to the things that Isaac worked on. Well then! "Interesting choices is an understatement," the redhead commented, staring at the werewolf robot. Where the heck did he get ideas like that? Weird people. And, what was with Lobsterman having affairs? Scandalous! Or, not really. It was all virtual.
"I'd say I never really took him as the 'drama' type, but," the teen paused, for dramatic affect more than anything, "he wants to go into the drama field." That made plenty of sense!
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jan 1, 2017 6:09:39 GMT
"Why would I do that? Weird stuff happens to Sims. Often bad stuff," Elliot pointed out. One time, Isaac just got crushed by a satellite while4 stargazing! That wasn't any fun! "Besides, what if the game did something really weird, like made me date my friends or something like that? That'd just feel really rude." Seemed Elliot wasn't the digital voyeur some people were when they were behind the wheel of a Sims game! It felt a lot less scandalous when it was the dramatic Romeo and Juliet story of Metal Man and Isaac's painstaking recreation of the Times Square naked cowboy. Not, say, Isaac and Alicia making out.
That save file got real awkward, real fast. Never again, Elliot decided "Why? What do you usually do?"
"Yeah, he sure doesn't look the type, does he?" Elliot asked. "But he gets that same little spark in his eyes when he's playing this game as he does when he's reading me bedtime stories. Or he's helping me punch up the adventure journal. He tends to remember a lot of the details I miss." Sometimes due to not paying attention, sometimes just because he's too terrified. "I still say he'd be great at DnD if he ever had the patience to sit down and work on it. Why can he never be patient about the most important stuff?" Elliot asked, huffing a little. Sorry, Elliot! Maia is way more important than elfgames.
"Although as much as he wants to go into it, he worries about it so much. Maybe it's because he's afraid he's not tall enough. Do you know any tricks on how to make him taller? I'm pretty sure the window on his last growth spurt just keeps on shrinking." Wow, Elliot! Way to just expose your brother like that! |
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Post by Asher on Jan 1, 2017 6:38:22 GMT
"That's what cheat codes are for." Then again, Asher didn't really take Elliot as the type of person to even consider using cheats! Isaac, on the other hand? He'd probably break the game with how many cheats he'd input. Or, at least, that's what Asher figured out the the two. They just seemed too opposite to share the same views on just about anything! "Maybe the game just wants to play matchmaker for you." Just like a certain boy in the room seemed to be trying to do for Alicia and Asher!
Given, if Maia was aware of what happened on that deleted file, things could be kind of awkward the next time everyone got together. It was for the best that Isaac and Alicia's virtual interest in one another was erased off the planet!
But, it had been so long since Asher had actually played The Sims, he didn't really know what his usual was! "I don't know. I just make a bunch of randomized people, I guess?" And trap them in rooms or accidentally set them on fire. He was not a very good caretaker!
Staring at the computer made it pretty easy to mostly zone out during Elliot's ramble about his brother without getting caught. This was good. At least there were no tea cups to be broken this time! "That sounds entirely important," Asher agreed, enthusiastically. What were they talking about? Being a super-nerd? "Has he ever tried?" Don't ask questions about Isaac, Asher! You really don't care! Stop pretending to be interested!
"Height only matters for certain roles, anyway," the teen shrugged, throwing a glance to Elliot. "Unless he's going to be a primary, non-comedy, romantic interest in something." Sure, some directors really wanted specifics, but skill could easily bypass that. "Like, if an actress is too short, they can make her stand on a box and just make sure the shots don't include her feet. Not in school plays, but actual acting-wise, it won't matter." Acting in plays was useless, anyway. But, if the kid had stage fright, that was the best way to overcome it before looking into something more big-time. Then again, who said Isaac ever wanted to be in actual films? "Or he could wear platform boots."
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Post by Elliot and Isaac Sunderland on Jan 1, 2017 6:50:58 GMT
"Well, duh! But last time I did that I think the game caught on, and kept finding new, improbable ways to kill Isaac. I swear, I must've revived him, like, 5 times!" Elliot complained. Maybe having him go for Alicia when he grew up was the game's way of keeping Isaac dead for good. After all, what could be more dead than the deletion bin? " 'Sides, it takes the fun out of the game when you use too many of them. I mean, can you really call it The Sims if half the house doesn't have to pee really bad at any given moment?"
"Yeah. I used to think Isaac did that too," Elliot remarked. "Then I found out no, he does it on purpose. Then again, I guess you don't get ones that ugly randomized, either. Back in the Sims 2, he somehow twisted this family's head to look like chimpunks. Their eyebrows were the pointy ears. I still have nightmares about it sometimes." Dear god, the horror. If Elliot was a benevolent albeit quirky god, Isaac ranged from Frankenstein to that guy who directed The Wolf of Wall Street based on his mood.
"Never enough people to try," Elliot remarked, pouting. "You gotta get, like, four or five friends after all. And they all have to want to play. And they all have to have time to play. And then you gotta stay up late planning the adventure. And then I'll never get to use all those campaign settings I drew up." It seemed like the two split the creative process quite well. Elliot made it, Isaac performed it and brought it to life. No wonder he was basically Elliot's ghostwriter and editor. "Oh! I bet you'd like it! It's about playing all sorts of different roles and characters. That's, like, super you!" Elliot may have been more accurate than he thought on that note.
At hearing height wasn't much issue, Elliot sighed in relief. Until the non-comedy romance role part came up. "Are you saying dating Isaac's funny? Maia might slap you if she hears that," Elliot warned, a little bit teasingly. "Still, I'm glad there's ways around that, at least. Although I bet Isaac'd be super huffy having to stand on the height box. But living out his dream'd be worth it, so I doubt he'd be too upset. Just kinda bemused if anything.
He's going for something after the Christmas break, at long last. I'm so proud of him!" |
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