She is the One

[Joe Long]

Chapter 57 is finally posted sorry about the late posting time but it was my last day of work and they decided to hold me over as a final act of vengeance. Oh well.

Time for a good night's rest and then on to Chapter 58, which I REALLY want done before I leave. Hope you all enjoy the chapter

What? The boss didn't take the whole office to Joe's Pizza for a farewell lunch in your honor?

[Joe Long]

The existence of Felicia took me by surprise. So if Kayla finds Jack walking around with (or dining with) her instead of Rhona...

I saw the theme of the previous chapter as rejection. All the relationships, romantic, friendly or platonic, all dealt with having to face rejection and how'd they'd handle it. What I didn't see coming was Rhona being rejected. I still think she has an attraction to Jack. That thing on her couch wasn't nothing. But she also is who she is, and I think she had a persona to maintain when in the presence of her convention friends (all college grads in their early or mid 20's), and apparently that didn't include treating Jack as an equal. When Jack first got pissed, I wasn't sure if he was justified, but everything he said to Rhona was spot on. She needs to stop playing "Queen" if she wants to develop some true friendships.

I normally go to one or two conferences a year, dealing with sports analytics. My wife has attended several, and when I go solo she's always worried I might run into some honey who gets hot for my body.

"I don't know about that woman from Baltimore."

"We're friends, but she's only twenty something and not very attractive."

"But you should see the way she looks at you!"

Sports is a little different in that the teams are the product but their front offices are also the consumers of the information that we create and peddle. Most every team has five or six kids working on crunching numbers to suggest which players to acquire and how much to pay them. I say 'kids' because most are, like Rhona and her friends, single twenty somethings fresh out of college, the kind that doesn't have a mortgage and a family and thus is more likely to take a lesser salary to say they work for a major league team. Many are brilliant guys (and a few girls) but I've been watching and studying the sport for twice as long as they've been alive.

That's one group of nerds. Another, which includes me, are the free lance analysts who attend and sometimes speak on panels or do solo presentations in an attempt to further knowledge of the sport and impress people with our brilliance (which hopefully will lead to future jobs or consulting/vending gigs. I've been able to meet and chat with several team presidents and general managers (who I hope remember my name and don't trash my business card) but I am tight with the team nerds, most evenings heading out to the bars to hang with them and some media guys.

The last group of nerds are the guys who fill out the audience, many wearing their favorite team's jersey. Some of us played ball as teens until we realized we weren't good enough to play. These guys are just fans, or like I once was, hope to advance up to paid consultant of some sort.

And there are the media, with ESPN, FanGraphs, and others sending people there to cover the events (and drink with us.)

Oh, back to my wife. I had to skip this summer's conference, but she had recently brought up the topic of "so you're telling me that if you see some hot young girl you're only going to think about her mind?"

And I told her, "This spring there was an attractive young lady, studying for her PhD who presented right after me. (I left out the part about not taking my eyes off her the two previous days). She made a procedural error in her analyses, and I asked her some tough questions."

Edited August 22, 2016 by Joe Long

[Guest Alexander]

Well... That escalated quickly. lol no but seriously, I did not see any of that coming. Some drama involving Rhona and Paul? Expected that. Some drama involving Rhona admitting to an attraction to Jack? Expected that. Jack and Rhona having a falling out and no longer being friends? TOTALLY MINDBLOWN.

Now, I don't know if I'm alone in this, but I kinda felt like Jack overreacted to Rhona's behavior in this chapter. Don't get me wrong, I totally see where he's coming from, and Rhona did seem a bit out of character in this one (especially with the whole 'suicide joke' thing), but it seems to me that Jack's explosion came out of nowhere. Like, he could've explained his frustration with her in a much more calm (if a bit annoyed) fashion, and just told Rhona 'Honestly? You're kinda offending me right now, so I don't feel like hanging out.'

Also didn't really care for Jack's attitude towards towards Rhona's group of friends, that was just flat-out assholish to me. Yeah, I get that he was treated like an outsider, but think about it for a moment, he pretty much was the outsider. This is a group of friends that have been together for quite some time, and Jack is the new guy. They've already established their normal routine, and I wouldn't expect them to change that right off the bat just because a new guy is there. Again, I understand Jack's frustration, but that's really all it should've been, frustration. His whole labeling of Rhona's friends just seems like a dick move to me, and like Rhona's behavior, a bit out of character.

Finally, there's Jack and Rhona's willingness to suddenly let their friendship fall to the wayside. This strikes me as extremely out of character for them both. When they were not speaking to one another during the Voyeur saga, I could tell that the lack of contact between them was hurting Jack, and from the way other characters described it, it was hurting Rhona too. Then there's the bonding session they had in Rhona's apartment. Hell, Jack compared her to an older sister, and Rhona compared him to a younger brother. That's deep stuff, man. Speaking as a person who has had similar bonding experiences, I can safely say that these things should've cemented a firm, strong relationship between the two of them, and not one that could be easily broken by one bad day.

That's my take on this chapter. Well Jashley, I gotta give you credit. I usually have a basic idea of how the next chapter will go out, but you've stumped me on this one. I have absolutely no idea what to expect. Hopefully there is something going on behind the scenes that will explain why Jack and Rhona are acting so out-of-character, but what that could be, I have no idea. Look forward to the next chapter, whether it's out in two weeks, or two months! Take care, buddy!

[Jashley13]

@guest_Alexander

Don't worry. There is always a plan In fact, there are hints of it in the chapter if you read deeply enough. But don't worry. There's a good reason I want to get this next chapter out soon

[Guest Bill]

My guess is that Rhona is waiting until Jack's birthday and he's 18 to try and do something sexual with Jack. She's going to go to him and try to get him to forgive her for treating him so bad. No matter what Rhona does, even as simple as hugging Jack, Kayla will come in and see the two together and assume the wrong thing. Or even weirder yet, Rhona might suggest a three some as all involved are over 18. Gotta have a cliffhanger ending (Jashley loves those) before our 2 month break.

[Guest Dark]

Jashley, really random question but: Has Jack played Dark Souls 3? Was wondering 'cause Kayla's birthday happened to be the same day the game came out in the U.S. and the whole Jack having his system taken from him until the end of May, a full month plus a week or two later. Really weird question, but figured I might as well ask as it's been bothering me when I saw Kayla's birthday being well, the same as the date the game, the last one of the series Jack seems to like, came out.

[Guest PatPatriot]

@Jashley13: Did you ever think about having an artist draw your characters according to the descriptions in your character sheets?

I visited a RPG convention a couple of weeks ago and there was an artist drawing RPG characters based on the descriptions given by the players. It was pretty cool.

[that-one-guy]

@Jashley13: Did you ever think about having an artist draw your characters according to the descriptions in your character sheets?

I visited a RPG convention a couple of weeks ago and there was an artist drawing RPG characters based on the descriptions given by the players. It was pretty cool.

I can say for certain that the idea I have in my head of the characters looks nothing like the description. The only thing that's true to it would be Kayla being blonde haha

[Chester57]

Finally, there's Jack and Rhona's willingness to suddenly let their friendship fall to the wayside. This strikes me as extremely out of character for them both. When they were not speaking to one another during the Voyeur saga, I could tell that the lack of contact between them was hurting Jack, and from the way other characters described it, it was hurting Rhona too. Then there's the bonding session they had in Rhona's apartment. Hell, Jack compared her to an older sister, and Rhona compared him to a younger brother. That's deep stuff, man. Speaking as a person who has had similar bonding experiences, I can safely say that these things should've cemented a firm, strong relationship between the two of them, and not one that could be easily broken by one bad day.

Their friendship is changing, not necessarily ending. I believe that near the end of the chapter Jack decided that he is not going to routinely accommodate Rhona any longer. She will have to treat him as her equal and not as her 'little brother.'

[Guest PatPatriot]

I can say for certain that the idea I have in my head of the characters looks nothing like the description. The only thing that's true to it would be Kayla being blonde haha

That may very well be (in my mind's eye Kayla is strawberry blond with a hint of readhead - her Lastname is Hannigan afterall - instead of dirty blond as described in chapter 1.

But I'd love to see illustrations of the characters the way Jashley is seing them.

BTW: Did I miss it or did Jashley never give a description of Jack's mother? By all accounts the kids are being described as attractive (Amanda is even described as a bombshell), that means that their mother more likely than not is attractive, too.

[Jashley13]

If anyone has any artistic capabilities or knows anyone who does, it would be very interesting to see how they think the characters look. I know how they look in my head but, alas, I have very little in the way of artistic skills.

[Guest PatPatriot]

If anyone has any artistic capabilities or knows anyone who does, it would be very interesting to see how they think the characters look. I know how they look in my head but, alas, I have very little in the way of artistic skills.

You could go to http://www.hentai-foundry.com and see which artistic style you like best and comission the services of one of the artists there.

[Jashley13]

Hey guys! Weird new format for the site but it's growing on me

Had a little bit of a scare when I saw my content was missing but the awesome admins helped me find it again. Anyways, back to work! Well more than halfway through

[Chester57]

Can’t say I like the way they cropped my cool avatar.

 

Ah, it’s been fixed!

Edited August 27, 2016 by Chester57
Add text

[thismy]

On 8/22/2016 at 6:45 PM, Guest Bill said:

My guess is that Rhona is waiting until Jack's birthday and he's 18 to try and do something sexual with Jack. She's going to go to him and try to get him to forgive her for treating him so bad. No matter what Rhona does, even as simple as hugging Jack, Kayla will come in and see the two together and assume the wrong thing. Or even weirder yet, Rhona might suggest a three some as all involved are over 18. Gotta have a cliffhanger ending (Jashley loves those) before our 2 month break.

Rhona suggesting a threesome… it’s unlikely as it is unreasonable. We all know exactly how Jack and Kayla feel about sexual encounters with others. Kayla views Rhona as an active threat, that much is clear. Rhona, despite her affection and the hints of attraction we get, has made it perfectly clear that she will do nothing to threaten Jack and Kayla’s relationship. She also told Jack that Kayla would hear about any hint of unfaithfulness. Yet, that’s what scares me. I’d agree with the post made by alexander. This chapter seemed very out of character for the both of them. It’s not how we’ve seen either of them treat friendships.

The ending is what really scared me. Jashley does like cliffhangers, and we get plenty of foreshadowing from him. I think Rhona will most definitely do something about it. I don’t see that ending well. At all. Now, I’ve been wrong plenty of times, and I pray I’m wrong this time. I hope we get to see Kayla and Jack figure their shit out, now that he’ll be 18. (All of Kayla’s reasons for no sex are complete bull aside from the emotional ones. I’ve done a fair amount of reading that indicates it’s perfectly legal for them. No matter, I understand and respect the decision Jashley says Kayla made.) However, my gut tells me bad things are to come. And when is Jack’s birthday again? Did Amanda say they were having a girl’s day out on that first day of the convention, because Kayla didn’t mention it at all, I don’t think.

Overall, another good chapter, though it did seem a little shorter than others but I get the reasons for that.

[Jashley13]

Hey everyone! Time for the Reality Check for Chapter 57

……………………………

Actually, nothing. Yeah, I know it’s weird, but this entire chapter was constructed straight from the brain. Sure, it’s based a little on experiences I’ve had at conventions, but other than that I basically just took a swing for the purely fictitious with this one.

Closing in on the end of Chapter 58, which will be the last one I post before I go to boot camp. Back to work on it!

[Joe Long]

On 8/28/2016 at 5:26 PM, Jashley13 said:

Sure, it’s based a little on experiences I’ve had at conventions, but other than that I basically just took a swing for the purely fictitious with this one.

 

 

Tell us about the conventions you’ve been to!

 

ps I still haven’t found ‘My Content’ after the upgrade – perhaps it doesn’t exist any longer. I poked around to find this forum again. I don’t know how I’d make ti without you guys.

[Jashley13]

Chapter 58 is up...The last chapter I post before boot camp.

I wish I was able to do more in the short time I have left, but...Well, I hope you all enjoy the new chapter

[Sniper014]

Good luck in boot camp.  Going to boot camp a little late aren't we.  Looking at your profile, by the time I met your age I was already in the service for 9 years.  Started jumping out of planes and other covert operations for 6 years by your age.  

Good luck if you get parachuted school.  I would look at EOD or assault boat school.

Talk with you again when you get out of boot camp.

[Sniper014]

What I meant was by the time I was 26.  By the time you were horned I had almost 20 years in the service.  Had to quit jumping out of planes and going on mission when I just turned 65.  Screwed up my ankles again on last jump and my wife did not like me telling her that it was just a little piece of metal pulled from me that the bad guy shot me with.  She was scary then the enemy.  Threathen to kick my butt if I did not come out of the field.  Told my boss the same thing.  We believed that she has the power to do it.

Again, good luck in boot camp.

[Joe Long]

On 8/28/2016 at 5:26 PM, Jashley13 said:

1 hour ago, Sniper014 said:

Good luck if you get parachuted school.  I would look at EOD or assault boat school.

I believe he’s going to be underwater, parachutes might not be needed.

[Joe Long]

So, you think, just maybe, that Kayla might misunderstand the situation?

And now we’re on hiatus...

 

[that-one-guy]

Enjoyed the chapter in general but I was expecting more of a cliffhanger. I don't want to say too much for a while to give others the chance to read it

[that-one-guy]

On an unrelated note, while I hate to say it, I fear that the author of "An Incest Birthday" might have passed on. Yes, he has taken a long time to update his story in the past but he would always keep in touch, sending a couple messages every month or so. But the last message I received from him was back at the beginning of February. And I haven't been able to find any activity from him anywhere else. I hope its not true, but I think Kevin has gone.

[Joe Long]

I made these observations, after chapter 57, on a writing blog

Quote

 

The MC didn’t confide in his grilfriend and got in trouble. She says, “I threatened to leave before, but do it again and I will.”

Meanwhile he’s headed out of town for a trade show with a female coworker who has a crush on him.

 

His sister is depressed because she can’t avoid her ex, who she thinks is taunting her with his new girlfriend.

 

His cousin has a new boyfriend and he’s worried the guy will be like all the ones before who treated her badly.

 

But he was always his cousin’s best friend, and is now jealous that she doesn’t confide in him or need him as much.

 

Then his male best friend since kindergarten is worried that once they finish high school in a year that they’ll never see each other.

 

And the girl who craves being the center of attention has the teacher who indulges her leave school and is being solidly rejected by the MC and his circle of friends.

 

Everyone is dealing with past or potential rejection of a variety of types – romantic, friendly and socially. (Conflict, conflict, everywhere – and not a punch is thrown!)

 

 

What I missed (or what jashley cleverly avoided) was Rhona being rejected.

Edited September 1, 2016 by Joe Long