101.7 - the rest is still unwritten

[hard_talker]

[ten PM! did you miss your weekly dose of Leonard Cohen, residents? because it's back]

Hey, kids, hope you're not full from dinner. Loosen your belts, 'cuz Hard Harry's here with a little food for thought on a Monday night. Check this out: We went from next to no one new, to ... a fucking flood of new people. Maybe there's some weight to the thought that the castle needs to get a little crazy bullshit out of its system once in a while and then ... needing more people? I don't know, but it sure as hell looks like a pattern from where I'm sitting. I mean, think about it: over two dozen people went missing for a few days, and suddenly we've got ... lessee here. Lian, Loki, Wyoming and Gary, Johanna, Roy, Momoka, Shifu, Pepper, Iron Man, Henry, Jane, Billy, Sir Hellsing, Emma, and Snow - that's fifteen people, which is pretty close to a fifty percent ratio there between missing people and new people. I mean, I could go all mathematician on your asses and break it down with the people who've gone home factored into the mix, too, but it's still a pretty clear picture even without that.

So ... Castle does shit, castle needs to make up for it by doing something else. That's a basic energy exchange principle, isn't it? Physics, engineering, that kinda thing? Why aren't you resident engineers looking at this from your end of things? Thinking of us all as a resource? Because it's pretty fuckin' clear that's what we are. It's like something Orwell or Bradbury or Rand would've written, don'cha think? Forget all the magic and the wishes and the tendency toward princesses and froofy Ren Faire crap, put that aside and just think about the bare bones of it. We're all living one giant sci-fi novel, and whoever's holding the pen or sitting at the typewriter's gone on some drunken writing bender to make up for the fact that they had writer's block for the past couple'a weeks or something.

I dunno. Kinda makes me think of that play I read for Emerson's class, where the characters all just kind of ... well, their stories didn't get finished, so they show up at a theatre looking for someone to finish it since their author screwed off and decided not to cap it off. I mean ... I'm all for finding a way home, but it's just lip service if we don't know where to even start. Maybe we should stop tryin' to figure out the nature of this place, and what it's about, and just ... come up with our own answers.

It's better than sitting on our asses, waiting for the right opportunities to come along, or the ways to figure them out to show up. ... You think maybe that's how the First Gens became ... I dunno, "the First Gens"?

'Cuz I gotta be honest, I've had my chain jerked around a hell of a lot lately, and it's made me think. I'm not about to go run off and find 'em, but ... I wouldn't mind just sittin' down to have a chat with one of them one of these days. Get the other side of things.

[those of you who he mouthed off to last week? consider this a sort of offhand apology: he decided the best way to get over the Doctor leaving would be to ... kind of try and figure out what he'd do. and then re-tool it and make it his own. this is what he came up with - for better or worse. he's quiet for a moment, before continuing]

I mean --

It's pretty clear that this place is gonna keep rolling along however it wants, no matter what we do. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the trick is to not let it just roll OVER you. Feel like a hamster in a wheel? Climb out and start running on TOP. Don't be driven. Be the driver. Even if this place is stuck on autopilot, at least that way, you've got a better view of things, and it's a little easier to hang on instead've getting knocked around.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get a glass of fuckin' lemonade. In the meantime, I believe I promised somebody some metal... those of you who don't like it loud and fast, turn it down and admit you're too old.

[and with that, well. you all get a CRAPTON of some of the best metal out there yes there is Dethklok. enjoy, Paradisa. feel free to either run into him in the hall, in the kitchen at Eleven's lemonade tap, or bother him over the journals]

Comments

Action forever!

[wilder]

[Zelos as usual listened to the program and is glad to hear that Mark seems to be in better spirits, but he doesn't respond to it. Instead, he seems to be leaning against the doorway of his own room on their floor whenever Mark comes back. Arms crossed, he looks...unhappy about something and thinking about something, but from the way he's looking more at the floor- he isn't glaring at you at least Mark.]

[DO YOU DARE APPROACH?]

[hard_talker]

[yeah, actually, he does. he tilts his head a little, pushing his glasses up on his nose. he's not sure if this is a Zelos Is Pissed at HIM moment, or a Zelos Is Just Plain Pissed moment, so he'll approach with caution]

.... Hey.

dictated FOREVER

[not_like_the_rest]

[Johanna gives a laugh]

I was going to punch you at first, but that was amusing.

[hard_talker]

I get that a lot. [he chuckles] You're on the air, who's this?

Dictated. (Old Man. B|)

[livinglavidaloki]

What is this... Noise?

[hard_talker]

It's called metal. You know. Music. Epic music for kicking ass to. Or, you know, if you don't have any ass to kick, chewing bubble gum. Or, if you don't have any bubble gum, playin' air guitar.

... Everyone has an air guitar. Those're free.

[Dictated, after he's turned off the Metal] [Mark & those discussing the Castle's energy/magic]

[is0latedthinker]

Gibson had a talent for finding energy, if you remember him.

He thought that the Castle's "magic" was really just another form of energy.

[hard_talker]

I don't think I knew him - or if I did, we only spoke once or twice for a little bit, some Monday night. [his tone's lower than usual, humble. it's like an unspoken apology for last week, if Alan can pick up on that sort of thing with his Amazing Mentor Powers]

[ room filter foreverrr ]

[hedonic]

[ She chooses none of the above, and instead lets herself into his room while he's gone grabbing a drink or whatever (damn straight she was checking, as he lives on her floor!), poking around at any interesting doodads for a few minutes (technology, what?).

Finally, Echidna makes herself comfortable in his chair, legs crossed (hey at least she's wearing panties) while her serpent continues to explore around the room for anything of use to his mistress. ]

[hard_talker]

[when Mark opens his door, he's a little too focused on waving goodbye to Zelos as he backs inside to realize his lights got turned off in the time it took him to go get his drink and have a chat about Life, Death, and People Who You Sort of Think Are Assholes But Grudgingly Respect in Paradisa.

as such, on his next step backwards, he trips over that big-ass serpent and promptly falls on his ass]

FUCK!

[lemonade errywhurr. great.]

[accidentalrebellion]

[Still talks too much. Check. There's never much of a reason to pay attention to at least seventy-five percent of what this babbling idiot says.

But tonight, there's a part of it she's keyed in on. The one about "[coming] up with our own answers" and "[hanging] on." It's about the stupidest thing she's ever heard.]

How's that going to do anything?

[hard_talker]

Better question is, how do you know if you don't try? Better than sitting on your ass either way, right?

dictacted forever,

[changethings]

That was informative.

[hard_talker]

[was that sarcasm or genuine interest? sometimes he can't quite tell by the tone]

Hey, I'm here every Monday.

Dictation!

[cyan_maid]

Hoo hoo! I'll have to admit I'm too old then, this music's a bit too loud for my tastes.

[You said a lot that piqued her interest, but for now she's going to keep things simple.]

So is keeping tabs on newcomers something of a hobby for you?

yaaaaay Jane CR. :D

[hard_talker]

Eh, stick around, it's not all I play. Friend of mine just wanted to hear more of it, so I was happy to oblige. But yeah, this's my show. Every Monday night at ten, I give people the week in review, the scoop on who's new, a little piece of my mind, and some tunes to pull it all together. I go by Harry on the airwaves, but in person I answer t' Mark. You one of our fresh new faces?

[ruined_jaw]

[No comment tonight, but Jono approves of your music choice. He might even choose to play along with a song or two on his own guitar, which the journal picks up every now and again.]

[kungfuwitch]

[Phoebe is humming cheerfully as she mixes cookie dough in the kitchen. She sees Mark enter and grins broadly]

Hello! It's a wonderful night, isn't it?

[hard_talker]

[since he ... doesn't know what's happened, Mark takes this pretty much in stride, wandering over to peer into the bowl]

Yeah, I guess it kinda is. Could definitely be worse, at least. What'cha makin'?

Mark

[deceptorius]

[There's a dark chuckle from the other end of the journal.]

You make it sound like you've never had the chance to "have a chat" with a big, scary first-gen before.

Nancy

[hard_talker]

[he was wondering if that'd get your attention, girlfriend]

Haha, well, I kinda meant one of the vets, the ones who were here way back before us. Guess I should'a clarified.

Glad you're still kickin', though. You been keepin' tabs on us this whole time?

[dictated]

[sixguns]

I see yer point, but I've mixed feelings about this world.

This place takes ye from yer world and changes ye. Takes somethin' from ye, important things. Memories, items ye hold dear, abilities or even emotions ye might have had, are gone. 'tis wrong, ye understand? One of my boys doesnae remember his ma. It tears him up, it does. Tha's only one of the many things what happens here, buggerin' about with people's heads. I've never stood for it, an' I won't now.

But, it's also given me gifts, the most important one being time. I dinnae think I want t'go back to my world yet. There's a debt unpaid, an' I'm grateful every day tha' it's bein' set aside. It'll happen, I think, but for now 'tis enough t'be here.

'tis a narrow place I stand, but 'tis where I must be.

[hard_talker]

[oh hey, it's the guy with the good taste in music. he sighs] Yeah, most of the time I'm on the fence, too, believe me. I ... I'm staring down who knows how long in jail, if I ever get shipped back home. Just for speaking my mind.

[mal_addict]

[Well, at least it was something nice to listen over the journals while she's way out here in the middle of nowhere]

I go back to my original theory that a wizard did it. It fits in with the drinking binge and everything.

[hard_talker]

After all of this? I'm beginnin' to think you might be right.

[mrbigshotarrow]

You know, I've been hearing 'bout those First Gens, but no one has any other information besides they were the first ones here.

[hard_talker]

Oh! Um ... well, Lois'd be the one to talk to, she's got all the info. What sort of stuff did you wanna know? She just wrote down a great big journal entry about it a little while ago. I'm guessin' you're one of the new guys?

[longaevus]

[ Hey, Mark, there's one cat currently sat by the fridge in the kitchen (no, Helen has not taken to begging for food). She may give a friendy meow in greeting when you pass? ]

[hard_talker]

Hey, kitty. [he kneels down to give her a scritch between the ears as he cracks the fridge open] You belong to somebody, or are you ... y'know. Somebody?