The app to help Reuben to find "compliant food", the comments on when he got turned centuries ago, his attempt to choose his victims with some sort of moral... and he forgetting about erasing the witnesses' memories too, that sounds like the kind of mess which will take a while to solve...
You can follow the Legacy Miller from my blog and the forum thread, *Chapter 8.17 posted on the 18th of April 2024*
Reuben really likes order and predictability, doesn’t he? I bet he’s using those frameworks to keep himself in check, and if everything around him is under control, then he can keep himself under control, too. I wonder what “the other site” is and at the same time I really, really don’t want to know. The modern world sure has its conveniences for not-wanting-to-rampage, self-controlling vampires. I still wonder how Reuben came to be a vampire in the first place, too.
Hang on. Haven’t we seen that “homeless girl” before? And she’s right outside of Ion’s apartment? Hoo boy…
Oh, Reuben. Unless he willingly chose to become a vampire, and it doesn’t seem like he did, what he’s become (and what he’s fighting so hard to repress) is not on him. He’s just been dealt a bad hand and has to live with it. On a side note, I also thought at first that the girls were checking how their assailant was doing, rather than trying to empty his pockets. 😆 Oof, I feel you there, Reuben. Getting the right words out is hard sometimes. Especially if you’re worried you’ll mess it up.
Oh dear. That’s not good. Blondie didn’t look like the type who’d just let something like this slide, either. And Reuben works at the police office. That’s going to come back to bite him, isn’t it?
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Reuben really likes order and predictability, doesn’t he?
LOL! Just a bit. Yeah.
I bet he’s using those frameworks to keep himself in check, and if everything around him is under control, then he can keep himself under control, too.
This is a really interesting observation. I actually hadn't quite thought about it in that way, but that's very much how he behaves and how I've developed him as a character. With his environment and events around him predictable, he has ways of dealing with stuff. But with it unpredictable, he's actually not super-good at thinking on his feet, or staying in control of himself. Probably not a great way for a cop to be... That can't possibly cause him trouble down the line....
I wonder what “the other site” is and at the same time I really, really don’t want to know.
Sounds pretty ominous doesn't it? Though honestly, with Reuben's personality, it could just be a site where someone disagreed with him.
Haven’t we seen that “homeless girl” before? And she’s right outside of Ion’s apartment? Hoo boy…
I pleased people are noticing her in this chapter. Hardly anyone mentioned her in the previous chapters, and I was starting to get a bit worried they hadn't seen her. I was especially concerned when no one mentioned seeing her in Chapter 5, given what she's doing there...
*Eh hem* Oops. What I meant to say is "Pay no attention to the creepy stalker girl lurking outside Ion's residence".
On a side note, I also thought at first that the girls were checking how their assailant was doing, rather than trying to empty his pockets.
Seems to be a common interpretation. And one that totally would make sense.
Blondie didn’t look like the type who’d just let something like this slide, either. And Reuben works at the police office. That’s going to come back to bite him, isn’t it?
Okay, that was completely adorable.
Tre's little conspiracy theory symbols that appear around his head are great. The little alien faces and rockets and stuff. They're like halfway between cartoon profanity symbols and the sim toddlers' imagination doodles.
That's another very funny chapter, but I'm also trying so hard to read in between the lines the information you've surely hidden in all that dialogue!
It was very funny to meet Ion and Reuben's neighbours. Tristan sounds like such a nice person and it was interesting to meet him, but I have so many questions about Tre instead! I've a strong feeling he's probably involved in something supernatural as well, but what exactly?
Also the name choice, Tre, makes me wonder a lot. It's quite an uncommon name for a character, and in my language it is the word used to say the number 3... Does it sounds like something else in English, or are we starting to see some numeric trends in the characters' names? As I said, I've so many questions on trivial details right now...
You can follow the Legacy Miller from my blog and the forum thread, *Chapter 8.17 posted on the 18th of April 2024*
Tre certainly is interested in some strange and supernatural things! But what, indeed, might he be involved in...?
"Tre" is a pretty uncommon name in English too in modern times. And as far as I know, its origin meaning is actually "three", even as an English name. It's a very old name, going back to Middle English. Often, those kinds of number names for boys come from old traditions of naming them by birth order, so possibly that's true for "Tre" as well. But that's not a popular practice any more, at least not where I live.
I wouldn't read too much into it in Tre's case. I was looking back through my oldest screenshots and notes (I started writing this story about 3 or 4 years ago) and apparently, his original name was "Trevor". It didn't stick. He became "Tre" very rapidly. I suspect that's just what he prefers being called.
But his parents (who you will meet in Season Two) are... a bit odd. So who knows?
I’m trying to decide if “could become best friends with a statue” is a compliment or an insult, but can’t seem to make up my mind 😆 constant chatter? Growing collection of things? That sounds like another curious individual we know, doesn’t it? Heh, they seem complete opposites. But often those are the best, most stable relationships, aren’t they? Knowing all the good and all the bad, and accepting all sides of that person.
Haha, he really does remind me of Ion. How ironic that the simple “he’s an actual alien” option doesn’t even occur to Tre (Trevor? Or is his full name Tre?). Aw, but now Tristan doesn’t get to go to the festival at all? You could just have them come over on Saturday, Tre. Surely they can come a day later but the festival won’t be for another month- aaaand he’s already agreed. Well. I hope Tre only does that on occasion and not with everything 😅
Hosting D&D sessions on the side. Interested in playing through some fantasy-themed shenanigans? Send me a message 😘
I’m trying to decide if “could become best friends with a statue” is a compliment or an insult
Bit of both perhaps?
How ironic that the simple “he’s an actual alien” option doesn’t even occur to Tre
It is meant to be funny, so I'm glad it gets taken that way.
But I honestly think "from another planet" is a rather strange conclusion to leap to, if it happened in real life.
I can't speak for everyone of course, but I know that if I were to see someone who looked like Ion walking down the street somewhere, I would not think "Woah! An actual alien being from an actual other planet has actually landed on Earth and is walking around casually in human clothes." I would think "Cool costume! Is there some kind of festival going on?"
The main characters in books and movies often seem unrealistically perceptive to me. I really enjoy clueless characters, because that's pretty much what I am all the time.
Aw, but now Tristan doesn’t get to go to the festival at all? You could just have them come over on Saturday, Tre. Surely they can come a day later but the festival won’t be for another month- aaaand he’s already agreed. Well. I hope Tre only does that on occasion and not with everything 😅
I'm afraid you've hit on a fundamental aspect of Tre here. And probably Tristan as well.
Your story always gives me a much-needed laugh XD And how can anyone be creeped out by Ion? Look at him, he's so precious! I already love these two so much and we've only just them ;-; Ohh nooo, not conspiracy theories. I bet you he'll be probing (haha, pun) Ion with so many questions about Sixam life. 'If you want to make him shut up (and I'll totally understand if you do) please don't use the method I use, because I get pretty jealous.' I laughed so much at this one line oh my gosh XD YES! ALIEB BAY LABLAG ALIEN BABY DO IT DO IT HAVE A CUTE LIL ALIEN BABY! I love Tristan's completely understandable 'you WHAT?' response : P Ohh no, Tristan has completely misunderstood Ion trying to understand how humans work as stalkery behaviour... I love all of your characters so much ~
Now I understand the "Reuben can't avoid having a social life" premise, he seemed to be surrounded by more chatty people than him all over the day XD
The encounter with the guy on "bite me" was very... peculiar. Even if Reuben didn't see it that way, there was something very... sensual in the whole scene, this Mitchell seems like a quite peculiar person.
The fact that Reuben accepted Tre's invitation (even if it was almost for exasperation) was quite surprising already, but then meeting Annie... I mean, she seems a very funny character, I would have a fun time looking at the picture she took at Granite Falls too, but I was astonished when Reuben commented he likes such a chatty, solar and energetic person! Opposite attract, people say?
And now Ion is jumping straight into the conversation... I have really no idea about what to expect now, literally everything could happen now!
(P.S. I'm still laughing at the "this human nourishment is very... nourishing".
I'm about to go prepare some frozen peas for dinner by the way, but I swear I will cook them before eating them XD)
You can follow the Legacy Miller from my blog and the forum thread, *Chapter 8.17 posted on the 18th of April 2024*
Thank you so much for your comment on my screenshots. I love taking pictures (in game and in real life) and it's so nice to hear that you like them.
I'm delighted that Reuben's vampire identity took you by surprise. I figured some readers would guess and some wouldn't. It's fun to see that it was a real reveal for you.
Reuben really does have a lot of talkative people in his life. Some by choice and some because he can't figure out how to make them go away.
The encounter with the guy on "bite me" was very... peculiar. Even if Reuben didn't see it that way, there was something very... sensual in the whole scene, this Mitchell seems like a quite peculiar person.
I like this comment a lot. You are very perceptive. I'd like to respond more to it, but I can't until the story has progressed further. But I'm pleased that you noticed this aspect of the interaction between Reuben and Mitchell.
meeting Annie... I mean, she seems a very funny character, I would have a fun time looking at the picture she took at Granite Falls too, but I was astonished when Reuben commented he likes such a chatty, solar and energetic person! Opposite attract, people say?
Sometimes they do! Reuben, I suspect, is full of surprises.
I'm about to go prepare some frozen peas for dinner by the way, but I swear I will cook them before eating them XD)
Glad to hear it! Ion's way is probably not very tasty.
Thanks! The vampire and blood donor subculture was one of the ideas I had early on that really got this story rolling in the first place. Ultimately, it's just part of Reuben's life and not necessarily what the story is about, but it's part of what made Reuben come alive for me as a character. So I really appreciate this comment.
"Parties are where I'm bored and lonely."
I feel you, man. I feel you.
I can't comment exactly what I want to say about this on the forum due to rules, but the way that the scenes are set up just before the bite, I really like how it slightly alludes to the more stereotypical 'sensual' vampire if that makes sense, but then it's just entirely for the red stuff alone. It's interesting all the different reasons people sign up for that site. I laughed so much at 'land blubber' and 'it's NOT Dress like a Pirate Day!'
Comments
Reuben and Seventeen's conversation on/around the coffee table was adorable. It might have gone terribly, but, at least they're making an effort.
And now, we have seen that homeless girl before, have we not?...
4 characters.
Yup! Though not always bursting with great options. Especially for vampires as picky as Reuben.
My my. Has she been hanging around the place?
Yeah, Reuben sure does seem to have gotten himself into potential trouble here...
Hang on. Haven’t we seen that “homeless girl” before? And she’s right outside of Ion’s apartment? Hoo boy…
Oh, Reuben. Unless he willingly chose to become a vampire, and it doesn’t seem like he did, what he’s become (and what he’s fighting so hard to repress) is not on him. He’s just been dealt a bad hand and has to live with it. On a side note, I also thought at first that the girls were checking how their assailant was doing, rather than trying to empty his pockets. 😆 Oof, I feel you there, Reuben. Getting the right words out is hard sometimes. Especially if you’re worried you’ll mess it up.
Oh dear. That’s not good. Blondie didn’t look like the type who’d just let something like this slide, either. And Reuben works at the police office. That’s going to come back to bite him, isn’t it?
LOL! Just a bit. Yeah.
This is a really interesting observation. I actually hadn't quite thought about it in that way, but that's very much how he behaves and how I've developed him as a character. With his environment and events around him predictable, he has ways of dealing with stuff. But with it unpredictable, he's actually not super-good at thinking on his feet, or staying in control of himself. Probably not a great way for a cop to be... That can't possibly cause him trouble down the line....
Sounds pretty ominous doesn't it? Though honestly, with Reuben's personality, it could just be a site where someone disagreed with him.
I pleased people are noticing her in this chapter. Hardly anyone mentioned her in the previous chapters, and I was starting to get a bit worried they hadn't seen her. I was especially concerned when no one mentioned seeing her in Chapter 5, given what she's doing there...
*Eh hem* Oops. What I meant to say is "Pay no attention to the creepy stalker girl lurking outside Ion's residence".
Seems to be a common interpretation. And one that totally would make sense.
An excellent choice of words.
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Tristan endures a lot of nonsense.
Tre's little conspiracy theory symbols that appear around his head are great. The little alien faces and rockets and stuff. They're like halfway between cartoon profanity symbols and the sim toddlers' imagination doodles.
Great description. Love it!
Thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed meeting Tristan and Tre. They're a fun couple to write.
Also the name choice, Tre, makes me wonder a lot. It's quite an uncommon name for a character, and in my language it is the word used to say the number 3... Does it sounds like something else in English, or are we starting to see some numeric trends in the characters' names? As I said, I've so many questions on trivial details right now...
Tre certainly is interested in some strange and supernatural things! But what, indeed, might he be involved in...?
"Tre" is a pretty uncommon name in English too in modern times. And as far as I know, its origin meaning is actually "three", even as an English name. It's a very old name, going back to Middle English. Often, those kinds of number names for boys come from old traditions of naming them by birth order, so possibly that's true for "Tre" as well. But that's not a popular practice any more, at least not where I live.
I wouldn't read too much into it in Tre's case. I was looking back through my oldest screenshots and notes (I started writing this story about 3 or 4 years ago) and apparently, his original name was "Trevor". It didn't stick. He became "Tre" very rapidly. I suspect that's just what he prefers being called.
But his parents (who you will meet in Season Two) are... a bit odd. So who knows?
Haha, he really does remind me of Ion. How ironic that the simple “he’s an actual alien” option doesn’t even occur to Tre (Trevor? Or is his full name Tre?). Aw, but now Tristan doesn’t get to go to the festival at all? You could just have them come over on Saturday, Tre. Surely they can come a day later but the festival won’t be for another month- aaaand he’s already agreed. Well. I hope Tre only does that on occasion and not with everything 😅
Bit of both perhaps?
It is meant to be funny, so I'm glad it gets taken that way.
But I honestly think "from another planet" is a rather strange conclusion to leap to, if it happened in real life.
I can't speak for everyone of course, but I know that if I were to see someone who looked like Ion walking down the street somewhere, I would not think "Woah! An actual alien being from an actual other planet has actually landed on Earth and is walking around casually in human clothes." I would think "Cool costume! Is there some kind of festival going on?"
The main characters in books and movies often seem unrealistically perceptive to me. I really enjoy clueless characters, because that's pretty much what I am all the time.
I'm afraid you've hit on a fundamental aspect of Tre here. And probably Tristan as well.
Totally agree! 100%.
He'll have to figure out Ion is an alien first. He seems to be a bit confused about that...
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Reuben can't avoid having a social life.
The encounter with the guy on "bite me" was very... peculiar. Even if Reuben didn't see it that way, there was something very... sensual in the whole scene, this Mitchell seems like a quite peculiar person.
The fact that Reuben accepted Tre's invitation (even if it was almost for exasperation) was quite surprising already, but then meeting Annie... I mean, she seems a very funny character, I would have a fun time looking at the picture she took at Granite Falls too, but I was astonished when Reuben commented he likes such a chatty, solar and energetic person! Opposite attract, people say?
And now Ion is jumping straight into the conversation... I have really no idea about what to expect now, literally everything could happen now!
(P.S. I'm still laughing at the "this human nourishment is very... nourishing".
I'm about to go prepare some frozen peas for dinner by the way, but I swear I will cook them before eating them XD)
my favorite lines
XD we all have that one friend
and
"Parties are where I'm bored and lonely."
I feel you, man. I feel you.
@NRowe
Thank you so much for your comment on my screenshots. I love taking pictures (in game and in real life) and it's so nice to hear that you like them.
I'm delighted that Reuben's vampire identity took you by surprise. I figured some readers would guess and some wouldn't. It's fun to see that it was a real reveal for you.
@HermioneSims
Reuben really does have a lot of talkative people in his life. Some by choice and some because he can't figure out how to make them go away.
I like this comment a lot. You are very perceptive. I'd like to respond more to it, but I can't until the story has progressed further. But I'm pleased that you noticed this aspect of the interaction between Reuben and Mitchell.
Sometimes they do! Reuben, I suspect, is full of surprises.
Glad to hear it! Ion's way is probably not very tasty.
@mightysprite
Thanks! The vampire and blood donor subculture was one of the ideas I had early on that really got this story rolling in the first place. Ultimately, it's just part of Reuben's life and not necessarily what the story is about, but it's part of what made Reuben come alive for me as a character. So I really appreciate this comment.
Me too.
“And that’s when things got weird”. What a hook Can’t wait to see what happens next
@NRowe Glad you were able to get caught up! Next week... unleashing the full effect of Annie + Ion. Can Reuben handle it?
@SnowBnuuy
It sure seems to be entirely for the red stuff on Reuben's side. Who knows what Mitchell's getting out of it.
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