» the city network

What was it that you thought you knew?
"Not much," misfortune seemed to bray,
When all came crashing down on you.

You used to shine in every hue;
Your confidence kept fear at bay.
What was it that you thought you knew?

For like a weed, ambition grew;
Temptation drove your steps astray,
When all came crashing down on you.

Could I have hindered what ensued?
Could this have gone another way?
What was it that you thought you knew?

What matter now? At your debut,
On best intentions, panic preyed.
It all came crashing down on you.

And now upon a time or two,
My own reflection seems to say,
"What was it that you thought you knew
When all came crashing down on you?"

It's been a while since I wrote one of these. They say it's a poetry form that's often used for showcasing a level of obsession; from a technical standpoint, it's also a fairly difficult type to write in because of the rigidity of its form. You pretty much have to pick the refrains first and then work out the rest of it around them.

Anyway, it's probably some level of hubris to put something like this out where anyone and everyone can see it, but call it a way of holding myself accountable to something. If it's out there, I can't set it alight and pretend it never existed. For better or for worse, there it is.

I should probably do more of that than I do, putting things out there and damning the hangups. But any bridge built has to start with a single post, right? Or something like that — don't look at me, I'm not an architect.

[ the video is clearly being shot from a phone is propped up on the coffee table. in it, Reno is sitting on the floor of his living room in an otherwise fairly bare-looking apartment, leaning back casually on both hands.

behind him, Thancred can be seen doing what appears to be a casual few reps of push-ups. or possibly a lot of push-ups. it's likely that Reno is aware of what Thancred is doing behind him, and Thancred is definitely aware that Reno is filming, but neither fact seems to bother either of them, and it doesn't seem like this somewhat unorthodox spectacle of physical prowess will be slowing down or stopping anytime soon. ]

Yo. [ a brief salute as a greeting. ] So we've been watchin' some monster movies lately and came up with a list of questions for those of ya who are from Earth or who might know the answers for some reason.

[ Reno lifts up one hand to tick through the questions from memory: ]

1. Where is Japan and what's the beef between Japan and America?

2A. Where's Russia and what's the beef between Russia and America? And 2B. What's a cold war?

3. What big war event happened in 1944 that would make somebody's pocketwatch stop keeping time?

4. How long is a klick?

How far. It was a measure of distance, I think.

[ — an interjection from Thancred that earns an amused eye-roll from Reno, clearly for the camera's benefit. when Reno speaks again, it's in a surprisingly accurate imitation of Thancred's accent: ]

Oh, excuse me, how far is a klick. Hey, and while we're at it, is "British" the place where they have accents like his?

[ Reno shakes his head, smirking; when he speaks again, it's back to his usual drawl. ]

...What was I saying? Oh, yeah — 5A. What's the story of the mouse and the lion? And 5B. In the story of the mouse and the lion, did the mouse and lion become friends or did the mouse kill the lion with the splinter?

6. Have any of you ever been to the moon?

[ there's a pause while he tries to remember if there's anything else. after a second, Reno turns halfway back to Thancred to ask, ] That was it, right?

It for you, mayhap. I'd still like to know what in the seven hells is a "DILF" —

[ but alas, that's one answer that Thancred is destined not to get, at least by present company, because the audio fills with the sound of Reno's laughter as a hand approaches the camera to switch off the feed. ]


[OOC: Responses may come from Thancred, Reno, or both! Threadjacking is definitely encouraged.]

well well
i admit after all the other ways this place has seen fit to censor its wares, i didn't have particularly high hopes for this "media store" archive
but i suppose i ought to have balanced that with how it likes to taunt us with the familiar even more

whoever would have thought a copy of "heavensward" would find its way to these very shelves?
i'm sure the count de fortemps would be delighted to know his memoirs are so popular
and the songs of that wandering minstrel, as well
"requiem for a hero" isn't one i'm exactly partial to but i can't deny its popularity

i rather wonder if i ought to write out my own account of the goings-on from back home while i'm here
far from the watchful eyes of the forum and their cover-ups

not that the skies turned to fire, the seas to blood, and the transformation of unsuspecting innocents into craven blasphemies is my idea of an entertaining read, mind

but neither was the dragonsong war i suppose and yet here it sits
a bestseller for the ages regardless

[ hello and welcome to Boredom Hours, sponsored by one too many midafternoon beers and a perpetual inability to not immediately make his ennui everyone else's problem. today's host is... Reno!

when the video starts, it's to a shockingly decently framed shot of Reno doing the hooligan squat on the front stoop of his apartment building. he's got a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth, and once he's sure that the video is rolling he takes a long drag of it before he speaks. ]

Sup. I'm Reno. Some of ya may know me from my colorful past as "guy who got yanked into pool by tentacle monster."

[ probably nobody knows him that way but it's fine. we are not concerned with strict veracity here. Reno blows a neat smoke ring and grins the kind of grin that means he knows he's being a pain in the ass. ]

I was thinkin', y'know, there's only so many of us. Probably ain't a bad idea to get to know each other, right? [ he gestures with his cigarette as he speaks as if to underscore his words. ] We need some conversation starters. Some icebreakers, y'know? Everybody's favorite highlight from their corporate bonding retreats.

So! [ he holds up a hand to count on.

one finger. ] Two truths and a lie. Post 'em, let other people guess. I'll leave mine too. Shoutout to the blond girlie who had that party a couple months back for this one.

[ two fingers. ] Hot or not. Or smash or pass, whatever you wanna call it. Post yourself and let people vote, if you're brave. Or post your friends if you want to fuck around. You can all see my face right now so count that as my submission.

[ three fingers. ] Creativity exercise, open prompt. You can go anywhere, be anybody, do anything you want. The world ain't ending and there's no war or whatever the hell going on. Who are you and what are you doing? [ brief smoke break, and then Reno stubs the butt out on the cement, exhaling as he says, ] Me, I wanna make mediocre coffee for minimum wage and not worry about shit except makin' rent.

[ and lastly, four fingers. ] "Reno, this is fuckin' stupid and I don't want to do it." Okay, nobody's got a gun to your head. We ain't even got guns here. Do what you want.

[ his four fingers curl in so he can offer a cheerful, if a bit manic, thumbs-up before he reaches out to turn off the video.

just before he touches the button, though, he pauses as if something just occurred to him— ] Oh, shit—also, drop map pins for your favorite restaurant in this place. I'm in the market for new eats, bonus points if it's spicy.

[ okay, now he's gone. ]

[ the video opens up on a shot of the pool—the shallower one, not the deep one with the diving board. Reno reaches down to stick his fingers in the water, swishes them around a little bit, and then flicks the water off of his fingertips back where it belongs.

the angle changes as he stands from the edge of the pool, and the video swaps to the front camera so Reno can address it, the blue of the pool still visiible over his shoulder. although he's fully dressed, the eagle-eyed may notice that the tips of his hair are a little damp, like he'd been in the pool not all that long ago. ]

Yo. I'm Reno. [ a brief two-fingered salute, before he gets to the real meat of his question. ]

So, anybody tried out our brand spankin' new swim facilities? Specifically this one right here.

[ he gestures back over his shoulder. again: he's talking about the shallower pool! not the deep creepy monster-infested one, he isn't even looking at that one. fuck that one. ]

I'm collectin' anecdotal evidence. If you've taken a dip, mind sharin' how it made ya feel? No wrong answers.

[There's a blue haired teenage girl looking distinctly unimpressed and grumpy when she flips on the network feed.]

I hope everyone made it out of the mall in one piece. That was creepy and a disgrace to shopping malls everywhere.

[She has some vague theories, but no way to reasonably test anything. Congratulations to the powers that be. Bulla's been put off of shopping, at least temporarily.]

Shopping malls are supposed to be a place where you buy necessities, and for retail therapy. They're not supposed to make you need therapy.

[She scoffs at that and flips her hair over her shoulder irritably.]

Rude. Anyway, if anyone's looking for a sparring partner, I'm up for that. Either with powers or without is fine with me. Or if someone here knows how to sew and is willing to teach, I'd love some lessons.

hey. bumped into people around here looking for others to do stuff with, like sports, hanging out, etc. was thinking we could share what hobbies we have and maybe find people to do stuff with. or even just chat about whatever.

i visit the gym for muscle training with a friend, go running with another (who should talk about that). used to skateboard and even played soccer years ago. i know karate if anyone else does it. and a sensei who won't mind teaching if anyone's interested.

so, yeah. you into fashion, music, or just want to talk about something with people, could be fun. find out if anyone else is really into big fluffy birds called chocobos

( ooc: please mingle, share character hobbies or whatever your character wants to chatter about. no need to ask robby anything. ♡

topics!!:

dnd "TECHNICALLY" • art • reading, running • gym, learning first aid • fashion, shopping, coding, engineering, martial arts
roller derby • he knows chocobos!!! • magic • family restaurants, swimming, running, sports •
HOT CHOCOBO PICS HERE, videogames, photography, running, guns • architect, bow-making, how do walkman work •
teaching karate, being old, dad, mechanic, japanese and italian cuisine • videogames and anime
HEROES, hero movie, comics, heroboo • literature, history • blacksmith, performances )