Gen Chat 03: The Laughing man

Luna wrote:
He's beaten at least 5 women on at least 7 different occasions. I say "at least" because that's obviously just what's been reported. Later on, he gets the women to change their story, through money (possibly also intimidation...most likely that as well). Not only this, but he's beaten them in front of their children. He's served 2 months of jail time, got out early for "good behavior."

Anger is a fascinating emotion. It can blind the senses, dull physical pain, and drive a normal man insane. It drives the knife that plunges into the hearts of others, the rock that is brought down upon another's skull. It can live deep within one's heart; festering and gnawing upon their insides until there is nothing left but an empty shell. Many a good person have turned cruel due to the anger that lies within their hearts and minds.

Such is the state of Galuaf Winchester. Sitting alone inside of a gloomy tavern in the middle of the night, this young man struggles with the rage within his own heart. Despite the sorrow etched upon his face he wants naught to cry instead desiring that of revenge. Vengeance. To seek out the one who has caused him such heartache and end his life.

The alcohol he consumes only adds fuel to the fire. It dulls the mind making it easier to imagine horrible, terrible acts that he would normally never consider. Something as simple as slitting a man's throat became as terrible as sinking one's own teeth into that very throat; to taste the man's life force as it sprayed from torn flesh, to feel the pulse as it slowed to a crawl. He wanted to gouge out the man's eyes, castrate him, tear out his heart. He wanted to tie the man up and torture him for days on end.

Such was anger.

Such was rage.

It blinded his sensibilities. Galuaf Winchester was not a violent man by any means. He was actually quite lazy; shirking his training to explore the city or enjoy a cool drink at his favorite tavern. The only time he lifted a sword was during fighting practice and even then he took it with a grain of salt. For what purpose did it serve for a member of the artisan guild to weld a sword?

His lips twisted into a feral grin.

To defend those you love, he answered.

He laughed.

"Galuaf?" the bartender - Thane - asked.

Galuaf peered up from his mug of ale. "Fate's a bitch, isn't she?"

"How do you mean?"

Galuaf grinned wide enough to show teeth. "Think about it. I didn't take my training seriously so she decided to teach me a lesson. 'Oh, look at you, Galuaf. You don't think you need to know how to properly defend yourself? Let's take away the woman you love and see how seriously you take things after.'" He laughed again. "Pretentious bitch."
Thane forced a thin smile. "If you say so." He reached over to take the mug from the counter top but Galuaf pulled it away. Thane frowned. "I think you've had enough."

"How do you figure?" Galuaf growled.

"You're getting a bit rowdy." Thane answered.

"Rowdy?" Galuaf repeated. He swivled around upon his barstool to take in the tavern. "Who am I getting rowdy with? There's no one here." He raised his voice and called out into the empty room. "If I am bothering any of you speak up now! What's that?" He cupped his hand to his ear.

"Galuaf," Thane hissed.

"Shut up!" Galuaf whispered. "I'm trying to hear their objections. Oh wait, there are none!" He turned back around. "So who am I bothering?"

Thane took a deep, slow breath. It was obvious that the barkeep was struggling to maintain his cool. "Look, I understand that things are a difficult for you right now but that gives you no right to..."

"No right?" Galuaf raised his voice. "No right? You want to talk about rights? How about my right of not having someone I love killed right in front of my eyes? How about my right to demand justice? How about my right to watch the killer hang in the town square?" He slammed his fists down upon the countertop. His mug bounced from the impact but managed to stay upright.

Thane's face flushed with a barely contained rage. "I'm sorry for your loss, I really am, but if you are going to continue drink here, you'd best keep your voice down. Understood?"

Galuaf's lips stretched into a humorless grin. "As you wish, Baron of Beers, King of the Kegs, Squire of the Spigot. I shall keep my voice down but in exchange I wish to my mug filled." He tapped the mug with his index finger. "If you'd be so kind."

Thane, to his credit, poured Galuaf another beer. Without a word of thanks, Galuaf snatched the mug from the countertop and retreated from the counter to a corner booth. Thane sighed in frustration. This was not the Galuaf he knew. The Galuaf he knew was a cheerful, carefree young man with a heart of gold. This. This was not Galuaf. This was someone else entirely.

The cause of the transformation was a secret to no one. There hadn't been a murder within the city walls for well over fifty years. Crime existed, yes, but it revolved around petty theft - at the very worst, drunken assault. But those were to be expected within a city of this size.
Murder was not.

And a grisly murder it was. From that Thane had heard, the girl's throat had been cut deep enough to expose bone. To add insult to injury, it seemed that she had been violated either during, or after the assault. The only witness to the crime was the man she had been walking with.
The same man sulking in the corner booth.

Thane sighed. "Galuaf," he started but Galuaf raised a hand to cut him off.

"Don't."

"I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Don't."

Thane shook his head. "Listen. How about I get you a bottle to go? It's getting late and I do need to close up shop. You understand, right?"

Galuaf knocked his head back, chugging the contents of the mug until it was empty. He slammed it down upon the table before pulling himself out of the booth. "What do you got?"

Thane reached under the counter to pull out a bottle of strong, albeit very cheap, whiskey. It was rotgut, worthy more of polishing armor than for human consumption. "How's this?"

Galuaf  snatched the bottle without bothering to read its label. He bit down upon the cork and yanked it out. "Good enough," he mumbled from around the cork.

"Try to get some sleep." Thane called to Galuaf's back as the young man stumbled through the tavern doors. Galuaf mumbled something incompressible before vanishing into the darkness.

Anger is a fascinating emotion. It has the power to cloud one's mind; to make him do things, thing thinks that he would normally never do. It drives one to cheat on their spouse just as easily as it encourages one to take the life of another.

Anger is a parasite. It feeds off one's heart and soul, devouring everything in its wake. Left unchecked it will tear a person apart from the inside leaving nothing more than an angry, bitter husk. One capable of doing the most horrendous of acts.

Or in the case of one drunken artisan, the most idiotic of acts.

Galuaf was standing in front of the massive castle walls. He couldn't see the castle over the size of the walls but he knew it was there. He knew that just on the other side of his barrier of stone and mortar lay the man who proclaimed the killer's innocence.

"Not Guilty"

The Chancellor's voice still echoed throughout Galuaf's head. He stared at the wall willing his eyes to peer beyond into the chamber in which the Chancellor slept. He wanted to drag the man out from the comfort of his bed to scream at him but try as he might, Galuaf could not see through the wall.

So he tried the next best thing. He punched the wall.

The stone split his knuckles on impact but the combination of being stinking drunk and blindingly angry prevented his body from registering the pain. He punched the wall again. Again. Another swing, another knuckle split.

The pain began to come in waves. It started off as a dull throbbing pain before escalating to a fiery explosion that reignited upon every impact. He had the faint knowledge that if he kept this up he would end up breaking his hands, or worse, damaging them beyond repair but for the time being he didn't care.

He was vaguely aware of an animalistic cry that echoed throughout the city. What he did not know was that the cry came from his own throat. Just as blood streamed down his hands, tears trickled down his face. He drove himself forward, striking his head against the stones, clawing his hands down the surface. Skin broke, fingernails cracked and yet it wasn't enough. The pain wasn't enough. He could still hear the Chancellor's decree within his mind.

He struck his head against the wall again. Again. Blood trickled down his forehead, mixing with his tears. He didn't know what he wanted. His mind was empty save for the blinding fury that drowned out all comprehensible thought. He wanted to be in pain. He wanted to scream. He gave in to those desires but neither satisfied the anger.
Bloodied, blinded by pain, Galuaf slumped his shoulder against the wall. Try as he might, he could no longer continue the self-inflicted assault. While his fury had no limits, his body wasn't as fortunate. The mixture of pain, alcohol, and lack of sleep were finally catching up with him. Try as he might, he could not bring himself to continue his attack.
He closed his eyes. His face and hands alike were sticky with drying blood but he hardly cared. Despite everything he put himself through, the pain was still there. With shaking hands, Galuaf fetched a knife from his boot. He stared at the shimmering blade.

There was nothing he could do to ease the pain. He couldn't drink it away. He couldn't beat his body into submission. He couldn't ignore it. There was nothing he could do.

No.

That was a lie. There was something he could do.

He ran his thumb against the edge of the knife. It was sharp. Very sharp. He had no real reason to use it so it was still as sharp as the day it was forged. All he had to do was run it across his wrists and all of this, everything, would end. He may even get a chance to see her again once he crossed into the underworld.

He brought the blade to his wrist.

No. Not like this.

He raised it. Felt the cool touch of the knife against his throat. He could feel his pulse  throbbing against the knife.

He had to make it deep. The deeper the wound, the faster it would end.

I'll be with you soon...

He flexed his hand.

It was at that time the man spoke up.

"There are other options."

Galuaf opened his eyes. Standing in the shadows, barely visible, was a tall, slender man. Galuaf scowled. He began to press the knife harder against his own throat.
The man stepped forward. Bathed in moonlight, Galuaf could now make out the man's features.

Not a man.

Standing before Galuaf was a creature that, at first glance, resembled a man but on closer inspection proved to be the contrary. It's skin was a pale, almost chalky white. It's eyes - from what Galuaf could make out - contained naught the round pupils of a human but the diamond slits of a cat. Its nails extended out from its fingertips like claws and when it spoke, Galuaf could see a mouthful of sharp fangs. It was dressed in a simple cloth tunic over which was a leather vest. If it was armed, Galuaf couldn't tell.

Galuaf lowered the knife. "Who..." he ran his tongue over his lips. "What are you?"

The creature smiled. "A friend," it replied.

Galuaf swallowed. "You are no friend of mine."

It's smiled widened. "Am I not?"

"No." Galuaf scowled.

"Ah," it replied. "A shame." It shrugged. "And here I thought you would be interested in what I had to say. Perhaps I was mistaken."

It turned around and started for the shadows. Galuaf felt his heart hammering up within his throat. He knew that if the creature stepped into the darkness it would be gone forever. What had it said? That there were other options?

"Wait!" Galuaf said. He dropped his knife as he pulled himself up to his feet. His knees buckled and threatened to give way but he propped himself heavily upon the wall. "Wait. What did you mean by having 'other options'?"

It looked over its shoulders. It's gaze was unsettling. There was something wrong with those eyes that went beyond their inhuman nature.
"You had something taken from you." It raised a finger. "Something you loved. Something you cherished." It waggled its finger back and forth. "Not something. Someone. She was everything to you and she was taken from you."

It turned to face him. Galuaf couldn't pry his eyes away from its steely gaze.

"The system has failed you, Galuaf. The system that you have put so much faith into has failed you."

"How do you know my name?" Galuaf whispered.

It took a single step forward. Galuaf felt his blood turn to ice water.

Those eyes.

"I know." It answered.

"What do you want from me?"

"I want nothing. I am here to give you something."

"What is it?"

"Options. Options you have yet consider."

"What are you talking about?"

"The verdict has been given but justice has been denied. The guilty lives among the innocent and there is nothing you can do about it."

Galuaf scowled. "Right."

It snapped its right arm up, its index finger pointing straight up. "Wrong! There is something you can do about it. Something that doesn't involve taking your own life but the life of the guilty."

Galuaf let out a bitter laugh. "You think I haven't thought about it? I'd love nothing more than to carve out his heart but I can't!"

"Why?"

"Why?" Galuaf snarled. "Because that's not how it works! I can't just break into his home and kill him!"

"Why?"

"Because..."

It tilted its head. "Because...?"

Galuaf suddenly felt very tired. "Because I can't," he sighed. "I'm not strong enough." He felt the knife slip through his fingers to clatter against the ground. He took his eyes off the creature to stare at the knife.

A second was all it needed. It was before him in an instant, it's hands resting gently upon Galuaf's shoulders, its face mere inches away from Galuaf's own.

"There are other options," it whispered.

Those eyes...

He finally understood what it was about those eyes that bothered him. It wasn't the fact that they weren't human. No, that wasn't it. It was the fact that these were the eyes of a predator. Of a creature who lived off the lives of others.

A chill ran up Galuaf's spine as the severity of the situation finally struck home.

"You..."

It's smile nearly split its face in half.

It's voice lowered into the gentlest of whispers. "I know what it is you desire, Galuaf Winchester. All I need is for you to say it."

Anger is a fascinating emotion. It is a powerful emotion that has the ability to turn even the kindest of individuals into cruel sadists. It clouds the mind and creates desires that one may never wish upon their greatest enemy.

If left alone it festers and grows; devouring one from the inside out until there is nothing left than a bitter husk.

Such was the fury of Galuaf Winchester.

"Say it." it whispered.

"I want to hire a Mercenary." replied Galuaf.

The creature smiled. "So be it."



Chapter One

-Mazer wrote:

LegendX48 wrote:I'm curious now. You guys think setting up a Patreon account would be a good idea/wise?

Why wouldn't it be? It's strictly donations and you just offer some form of monthly compensation. I think it would be good for you.

Cybersix wrote:Can I get everyone's Nintendo Network id?

Cybersix wrote:Can I get everyone's Nintendo Network id?

Cybersix wrote:Can I get everyone's Nintendo Network id?

Running a retail store, whether you’re selling edible treats or taking advantage of the new photography skill, offers even more depth. There are a dizzying number of factors to control and tasks to do—keeping the store clean, restocking items as they sell out, ringing up customers, making more goods to sell, hiring and managing employees. You can build up your own store from scratch or buy one available in the expansion’s new town. Don’t get too excited about the possibility of that new location, though—it’s strictly a barebones retail district with only four lots.

When you’re managing a single Sim’s career, it all just works beautifully. It’s in households with multiple working Sims that the balance starts to shift. Because of the base game’s inability to control multiple Sims in different locations (like you could in The Sims 3), switching back and forth is a huge hassle. Different lots are blocked off with loading screens, which are only a minor annoyance, but worse is what they represent: the game's inability to multitask. There are a few commands available for non-active Sims, but these vague, general orders like “Care for self” don’t really accomplish much. If you’ve set a Sim to a specific task and then switch off to someone else, the first Sim will stop what he or she was doing. As a result, you’ll never be able to dedicate as much time to two Sims’ careers as you’ll want to—and in even bigger households, job performance is really going to suffer.

Koenig wrote:@Cybersix. My NNID is "Koenig". I may or may not have killed a few people to get it.

Cybersix wrote:Can I get everyone's Nintendo Network id?

-Mazer wrote:So you know how Sims 3 lets you take your characters to work? To have them work as barbers, tat artists, house planners, etc?

You remember how that is in the BASE game for Sims 3 and they took it out for Sims 4?

Well...it's back in Sims 4!



FOR ONLY 30$!!!



Oo and can ONLY GOTO 1 JOB AT A TIME!!!

Running a retail store, whether you’re selling edible treats or taking advantage of the new photography skill, offers even more depth. There are a dizzying number of factors to control and tasks to do—keeping the store clean, restocking items as they sell out, ringing up customers, making more goods to sell, hiring and managing employees. You can build up your own store from scratch or buy one available in the expansion’s new town. Don’t get too excited about the possibility of that new location, though—it’s strictly a barebones retail district with only four lots.

When you’re managing a single Sim’s career, it all just works beautifully. It’s in households with multiple working Sims that the balance starts to shift. Because of the base game’s inability to control multiple Sims in different locations (like you could in The Sims 3), switching back and forth is a huge hassle. Different lots are blocked off with loading screens, which are only a minor annoyance, but worse is what they represent: the game's inability to multitask. There are a few commands available for non-active Sims, but these vague, general orders like “Care for self” don’t really accomplish much. If you’ve set a Sim to a specific task and then switch off to someone else, the first Sim will stop what he or she was doing. As a result, you’ll never be able to dedicate as much time to two Sims’ careers as you’ll want to—and in even bigger households, job performance is really going to suffer.

Koenig wrote:As much as I want to bitch right now, not everything is shit.  The overwhelming success of Yooka-Laylee's Kickstarter has brightened my mood considerably.

Luna wrote:

Koenig wrote:As much as I want to bitch right now, not everything is shit.  The overwhelming success of Yooka-Laylee's Kickstarter has brightened my mood considerably.