text; + action options

[sketchycharacter]

[The following is actually a series of three separate posts to the network; all three are posted in fairly quick succession, likely before anyone can reply to the first two, though they are open to comments.]

how do you make it so not everyone can read one of these things

[like thirty seconds later]

oh

[a couple of minutes later LOCKED FROM CERTAIN PEOPLE NAMED ELENA FISHER]

so a bunch of people use this system to pour their hearts out and get other people to do the same which usually seems weird to me. i mean just because you say it over the mid doesn't mean you won't run into people later and make it really weird and awkward. i don't know maybe that's just me.

except what the hell i'm pretty drunk right now so why the fuck not!

RIDDLE ME THIS, CREWMATES. pretend for a minute that you're a complete asshole who somehow got the most amazing woman in the world to marry you, fucked it up real fast like dropped a grenade on it bad BECAUSE you're a complete asshole, got her to take you back and start over and then fucked it up again.

what do you do? asking for a friend.

also the first person to make a suggestion that actually works can have some of my alcohol stash. everyone else can fuck off i'm not sharing.

[action options - feel free to go from a network thread to one of these]

[OPTION 1: DRUNK. Nate is pretty toasted as he wanders around the ship, but not so much than he has trouble getting around with just an occasional stumble. Alcohol tends to loosen his lips, so he'll gladly (well, not he's not real glad about anything right now) talk to anyone who makes the poor life decision to talk to him first.

[OPTION 2: DRUNKER. Jeez, he's getting to be a real mess now. Nate makes a trip to where the Mess Hall used to be so he can pour one out in honor of the lost bar. What a hideous waste of alcohol. Afterward, he visits the observation deck to drunkenly look at the stars, and will stay there.

[OPTION 3: DRUNKEST. Oh god he's so unhappy. Look at this complete wreck of a man who's making the observation deck a pretty unpleasant place to be. He is completely wasted. (Existing CR only for this option please—basically, if they've had at least one conversation, you're good.)]

Comments

[sketchycharacter]

[That gets a few seconds of mildly hysterical chuckles.]

Oh hell no. This was written before I was even born. She just didn't like the contents. Sir Francis Drake is a delicate subject in our house.

[arcreact]

[ Well, with the last name "Drake"... ]

Daddy issues, then. Or maybe idol worship issues.

—Oh god. Is it both? Both is a deadly combo.

[sketchycharacter]

My father abandoned me to the state when I was four, so naaaaah. Sir Francis has also been dead for centuries, so—ancestor issues. Maybe.

[Maybe the issues/maybe an ancestor.]

[arcreact]

Yikes.

[ Aren't you so glad you're talking to him. ]

So, this is a big enough deal that you gave her a hard time about it?

[sketchycharacter]

[So glad!!!]

Yep. She knew I'd be interested in it even if she didn't know it was mine. [Aaaaand that's gonna prompt another swig of whatever alcohol he has in hand at the moment.] Like I said. Overreacted.

[arcreact]

[ THIS SOUNDS SO STUPID EVEN TO HIM. ]

So, before the public drunken spectacle thing, did you try a good old fashioned "I'm a moron, please kick my ass and forgive me"? That seems to work, like - at least 20% of the time.

[ He sounds like he may be talking from experience. ]

[sketchycharacter]

[hdu Tony the journal was written by Nate's dead mother and contained the only photo of his dead brother]

'snot even really about the journal. [He shrugs and looks even more uncomfortable, if that's possible.] I don't even know if she's still mad. All I did was prove we haven't really fixed things.

[Because the journal overreaction is NOT EVEN THE WORST THING HE'S DONE.]

[arcreact]

[ THEN EXPLAIN IT BETTER, god it's like you're bad at communicating, or something?? Weird. ]

Maybe I'm just really out of the loop, but I didn't realize you guys were on the rocks in the first place.

[sketchycharacter]

Not lately. Coming back from it.

[Ugh why is he talking about this? Because drunk. Ugh ugh ugh.]

I walked out on her last year.

[arcreact]

You -

[ What ]

What.

You walked out on her? What the hell for? That is next-level bad.

A+ icon selection

[sketchycharacter]

Right? And then she snuck me into a country!

[He kind of waves his arm in a gesture that is (somehow) meant to demonstrate what a good and unselfish and way better person Elena is, as if Tony has the slightest context to their pre-Moira lives beyond Nate obviously being a fuckup.]

I don't—don't—deserve her.

[Is the repetition for emphasis or to overcome drunken slurring? Why not both?]

[arcreact]

[ BLUNTLY, ] Probably not.

[ He tries to imagine a situation like this between himself and Pepper, but just - can't. Walking out would take a level of self-sabotage even he's not capable of, and he's Tony Stark. Good job, Drake. ]

But if she still put up with you after that, it's pretty clear she's set on wanting you anyway.

[sketchycharacter]

[Yay, he's finally the best at something. Yay.]

Then she's pretty dumb about romance.

[Where is the lie?

Nate sighs and props himself up so he's leaning back against his hands, palms pressed on the floor. When's the last time someone mopped in here?]

Y'ever get caught up in something, like really caught up, and everyone around you can see that it's a bad idea and going to fuck up your life but you insist that it isn't and keep going and fuck things up yourself by walking away from the people who know better?

[arcreact]

[ HA HA HA HA HA HA HA haaaaaaaa ]

Yup.

[ He's self-aware. ]

It usually doesn't work out, as I'm sure you've noticed.

[sketchycharacter]

Nah, I have no idea. I didn't say I did that, I asked if you did.

[The exaggerated smirk he has now isn't really directed at Tony. It's not like he really expects the guy to believe it. It's self-hating drunk humor or something.]

Figured we were past all that. Whoops, guess not.

[arcreact]

[ Tony knows that humor because that's his humor. He trademarked it, buddy. Step off. ]

Right, my bad. Forgive me. I've terribly misjudged you and your three drunken text posts.

[sketchycharacter]

[Fight him for it.]

You're forgiven.

[So magnanimous.]

Gimme time and another bottle, maybe I'll make it four.

[arcreact]

Only if I get to help author the next one.

And you might wanna pace yourself on the booze. What're you gonna do the next time you fuck up if you go through your whole stash now?

[sketchycharacter]

I get final approval rights over the content and done.

[Geez Tony, stop making good points. He thought you were friends.]

Do I look like a guy who's thinking that far ahead?

[arcreact]

Nope. Why do you think I hauled myself up here? I can tell when somebody's making terrible alcohol-related decisions.

[ The terrible decision being a lack of rationing, in this case, and not the drunken bender itself. Obviously. ]

[sketchycharacter]

[Obviously.]

You gonna join the parade of advice-giving? Gifts, groveling, etc.?

[arcreact]

Why, 'cause you think I'd actually have any decent wisdom on that front? When my girlfriend was pissed at me, I made it up to her by bringing her a box of the one thing in the whole world she's allergic to.

[ A beat. ]

I guess I could tell you not to do that, specifically.

[sketchycharacter]

Noted.

[It's good advice, actually. Probably not relevant, since he can't think of any allergies Elena has, but good all the same.]

Dunno why I bothered asking for help anyway. [Probably because he's drunk.] Flowers and presents don't really cut it after I probably made her regret taking me back.

[His voice sounds thick. Fuck, is he gonna cry?]

[arcreact]

[ BRO. DON'T. DO NOT. ]

Not that I don't respect some good old fashioned self-pity, but you just said she's pretty dumb about romance. I mean, she's stuck it out this long already. It might not be the end of the world.

[sketchycharacter]

[No tears fall and his eyes don't even got that trying-to-hold-back sparkly look, but damn does he sound like they should.]

Doesn't have to be. I gave her plenty of reasons to be done with me. Probably had this coming.