#percontation points plays dating sims

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Going Up” Part 16

One month later, and Nella still hasn't heard from Selina. Honestly, if this is how she's going to react towards something like that, I can't even imagine how she'd react to something a hell of a lot bigger. Nella is probably better off without her. Nella had since tried to go to Selina's house and emailed her, too, but nothing.  Nella went to Carrie, who comforted her. After a while, Carrie offered Nella a promotion to Paris, so Nella, eager to move past Selina, jumped on the idea. She's beyond ready to move on, and in a city where she's not constantly reminded of Selina.

Carrie asks if this is really the right thing to do, and Nella insists that it's the healthy thing to do: move on. Which... yes, but couldn't you do it in London? Anyway, Carrie proposes that they do dinner together, and Nella agrees. They go to the singular restaurant in this story, where Carrie asks Nella if she's going to try and reconnect with people in Paris. Nella agrees, but wonders if they'll even remember her, although Carrie is sure that they will. Carrie says that she's always wanted to be in Paris, and Nella agrees that it's nice. (Nice?! You think that Paris is NICE?! I once saw a man peeing on a wall and nobody but my tour group batted an eye over it!) Nella is a little anxious about moving, but she knows that she has Carrie's support (and the company, I suppose, since they're footing like half of the living expenses...)

After they eat, Carrie again expresses her sympathy over how things turned out with Selina, and says she doesn't understand her. She says she thought that Selina really loved Nella, which Nella is surprised to hear about. Nella wants to hear if Carrie's heard anything from Selina, but that's VIP, so she decides that it's not healthy. She needs to focus on moving forward and her move to Paris.

They later go to a bar, and Nella doesn't get home until 1 AM. Carrie saw Nella home with a promise to come pick her up for her train ride into Paris later, with a “special surprise”. Despite everything, Nella wants that surprise to be Selina, but she knows that it wouldn't happen. Carrie wakes her up at 10 the next morning, and says that she's taking Nella on a shopping trip, with a special credit card from her sister, for an employee discount. Nella is hesitant, but Carrie reminds her that she needs to treat herself after all that happened.

So they go to the mall, where Carrie kind of wants Nella to go hog-wild, but Nella's still in her “broke and homeless phase”. AND ANOTHER FUCKING VIP OUTFIT. HARD PASS.

Finally, Nella says she needs to get to the station to catch her train. Carrie gets her an uber, and they get there just in time. They say goodbye at the station, even though they'll still be working for the same company, so it's not like they'll never talk to each other again. Plus, the internet is a thing, and so are phones, so it's like... yeah. Never going to talk to each other! After a tearful goodbye, Carrie leaves, and Nella is left alone to get onto the train. The train comes, and she's about to get on it when Selina randomly shows up. Ugh.

Nella is surprised to see her, especially that she's racing towards her. She asks why Selina's there. Selina confesses her love for Nella. She says she doesn't care about anything that happened in the past (especially that random girl), just that she wants to be with Nella. She says that she's been an idiot, and begs for Nella's forgiveness. Nella says that she loves Selina as well, and they hug. But then the conductor yells at them to get on the fucking train, and they remember where they are. Or specifically, Nella remembers why she's at the train station.

Selina asks Nella if she's excited for this job, but now Nella is hesitant because of Selina. Selina then tells the conductor that they're getting on the train. Both of them. Because she's coming with her. If Nella will have her. (She will.) And she'll be there where ever Nella wants to be so long as she'll have her.

And that's that.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Going Up” Part 12

Nella is at her new office, and thinks that Carrie is the exact opposite boss that Selina is. She's also thrilled with how chill that this job is in comparison to the other one. She attributes this to the company being only five years old. But they've grown so much in such a short amount of time. Carrie gives her the lay of the land, and says that people work on their own things, and then they have a weekly meeting to talk about their progress. Until Nella gets her feet under her in this job, she'll shadow Carrie for a while. Nella asks what she'll be doing, and Carrie gives her a bunch of things. It's basically interior decorating, but like... for the millionaires of the world. And because they want to branch out into the French market, Carrie gives her all of the stuff in French. Before they get started, Carrie says she hopes that Nella doesn't feel uncomfortable working there, and that Nella doesn't have to “take sides” in all of this.

Camilla, the girl working on the Italy section.

And this guy, Ricardo, works with clients in the country of... *reading smudged writing on hand* Scandinavia. Because that's a fucking COUNTRY... And not like... 10 individual countries with a bunch of individual languages. /sarcasm

The others are impressed when they find out about Nella's fancy university degree.

They go to brunch at literally the only restaurant in all of London, the coffee shop. Carrie says that sometimes there will be colab projects between the different people, which is understandable. Ricardo only just wants to talk to Nella about what living in Paris was like. And then after a bit, Ricardo starts to yammer on about furniture, which... dude. I love interior decorating, but please STFU about what kind of couch this fucking is, JFC. Nella seems to think so, too. But, she's too polite to actually say that to his face, so she feigns interest.

“I did my thesis on his chair.”

Fascinating. – nobody ever

After bombarding Nella to look at pictures of an uninteresting chair, Camilla interrupts and tells him not to scare Nella off. Camilla says she likes everything, when Nella asks. She says she used to work for Versace in Milan, and that she likes gold. But then Carrie says that they should get back, and that Nella still has to meet the boss. Nella is confused, because she thought that Carrie was in charge, but she laughs over that and says no. She's in charge of the day-to-day things, but somebody named Dan is the actual boss. But Carrie assures her that he's pretty hands-off, so Nella shouldn't worry too much about him.

Why is he wearing a suit?

Dan is there when they get back, and Carrie introduces the two of them. He insists that he's not really around much, so don't worry about me. He also warns not to get on Carrie's bad side before he leaves. Camilla says that Dan's never there anyway, so Nella probably won't ever see him again, which Ricardo chides her about. Carrie says not to fix what's not broken, and their system with Dan isn't broken. Then, Carrie sits down with Nella to show her how to do everything.

Selina then shows up around 4 PM, her avatar randomly in her Pjs. She demands to know where “she” is, and Nella says that Carrie's in a meeting while her new co-workers cower. But Selina demands to see Carrie right away, but Nella stops her. Selina is angry that Carrie has summoned her to court. Well well well, if it isn't the consequences of your own actions. Nella tells her that Carrie has tried to reach out to Selina for months to settle this outside of court, but Selina refused to do anything about it. This makes Selina turn her anger to Nella, and says that this has nothing to do with her. Nella tries to get her to calm down, but then she sees red when Selina says that Nella is “nothing”. She tells Selina to “stop acting like a bitch and grow up”. This only upsets Selina more, because she thinks that Carrie has “poisoned” Nella already. But Nella is quick to defend Carrie's defense of her soon-to-be ex-wife. And then Selina's anger quickly turns to guilt, and she quickly leaves. Nella feels bad about the entire thing.

Carrie shows up, fifteen minutes late and without Starbucks. She asks that they keep it down, apparently not having bothered to concern herself with the yelling until AFTER Selina had already left. But then she sees Nella crying, and asks what happened.

This makes Carrie cancel the rest of her meeting, and she takes Nella to a restaurant. There, Nella tells her what happened. Carrie is apologetic about Selina's shitty behavior, even though I'm pretty sure it's why she and Selina are in a bitter and nasty divorce right now. Le sigh. Carrie offers to let Nella stay at her place that night, but more of like “you could use a friend right now” kind of way. Nella says no, but Carrie gives Nella her number in case Nella needs to talk.

At the shelter that night, Nella tries to call Selina, but it goes straight to voicemail. She thinks about going to Selina's place, but decides against it. She eventually decides that after what she said to Selina earlier, Selina probably doesn't even want to see her anyway.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Going Up” Part 10

Four weeks pass, and the drama seems to have died down. For now. Nella also got her first paycheck. She continues to have dinner on a regular basis with Selina, although her relationship with Selina remains clouded in mystery. But Nella feels weird about the entire thing, and has been trying to find a new job, for two reasons: 1) don't mix work and love and 2) she still hates feeling like she owes people things, and doesn't want to rely on her for a job. We then get another pointless opportunity for Nella to buy a cocktail dress, which I'm sure will be 100% relevant to the plot... NOT.

June comes into the office with the almost finalized plans for the big design event. Nella asks about the budget for the event, but June scoffs over the idea of the big-wigs upstairs giving a shit about it. However, Nella thinks that June has been quiet recently because she's trying to suck up to them about going over-budget for the event. Nella tries to tell June that this is not a good idea, but June doesn't exactly take it well. She instantly jumps onto the train of putting words into Nella's mouth, and Ivor refuses to get involved in June's specific brand of bullshit. Nella quickly backs down when June gets even nastier, and refuses to give Nella any credit “if that's how you feel”. Ugh.

She then asks how Nella gets along with Selina, to which Nella says “refreshing”. June says that Selina's made some interns cry, and HR had to get involved. Which... surprises me not at all, actually. Nella then tries to ask June about Selina's history at the company. She says that Selina was in finance before she became the director, but that conversation doesn't last, and June quickly heads out for some meetings. However, when she leaves, Ivor starts to look through the binders June had brought. Nella asks if he has doubts, but he says that he's old and that he always has doubts.

When Nella goes upstairs for her weekly meeting with Selina, she overhears Selina screaming at somebody. She's screaming about security throwing somebody out.

Oops, it's the soon-to-be-ex.

Anyway, as you might have guessed, Carrie came there to demand an audience with her estranged wife. When Carrie finds out that Nella was there for a meeting, she's surprised that anybody could manage to talk to Selina. She then asks Nella to pass along a message for Selina, even though she's literally standing right there. (But that's the point, isn't it?) However, as you might imagine, Nella doesn't want to get caught up in their personal drama and suggests that she should leave. But Carrie says that she'll go. She then says that if Selina doesn't start opening up the dialogue between them, then she will press the issue further.

However, as she leaves, she asks Nella if she's new (even though Selina literally told her that not even 2 minutes earlier), and Nella says that she works in design. Selina says that Nella is talented, and that she speaks French. Carrie says that she's trying to find a designer to work with French clients. Nella doesn't know how to apply, and as she's mulling this over, Selina says that Nella should apply. Nella isn't sure what to think about that, and thinks that either Selina wants her gone because she's horrible, or so that she can date Nella. But Selina says that it probably pays more and is “suited to your experience”. Nella still isn't sold, but Carries gives her a card and tells her to think about it.

Carrie finally leaves, and Selina instantly jumps back to business. Actually getting Selina to talk about this is VIP, so back to work. However, Nella asks if Selina is that eager to see the last of Nella, which surprises her some. She denies that it's specifically that, and asks that they talk about it later at dinner that night.

However, when Nella gets to the restaurant, she finds Carrie at the table instead of Selina. She says that it was Selina's idea. Since Nella wouldn't have done it on her own, Selina needed to nudge the pieces into place, as it were. Carrie goes on to say that she and Selina don't exactly hate each other, but when pressed about the divorce papers, Carrie says that the two of them hit an impasse earlier. Which confuses Nella something fierce... either Selina wants to divorce Carrie or not.

Carrie then explains what they do: they basically decorate houses for the mega-rich. If some guy says that he wants a fucking Picasso in his house, you'd better run out and go get him a fucking Picasso. But, as mentioned previously, they're trying to branch out into France, which is where Nella would come in with her French. She mentions that they might also be looking into opening a branch in Paris, but that's kind of up in the air right now. Nella thinks that this is a good opportunity, that she could reconnect with her old college friends, and get her life back on track. But obviously, if she takes the job in Paris, then it would mean leaving Selina behind. GIRL, THERE WILL BE OTHER LOVES FOR YOU. TAKE THE FUCKING JOB. Carrie gives her a folder with the job info, and tells her to think about it. But as Nella takes the folder, she also thinks that this is Selina just removing Nella from her life once and for all. So she decides to accept the job, but also to talk to Selina about it.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Going Up” Part 8

Nella goes to get “rubber stamped” by HR in the morning, and then she was given the grand tour of the office. Her new boss, Ivor, asks if she's good with computers, and asks her if she knows how to use a tablet. She says that she gets the general idea of them, so it probably shouldn't be too much a of a problem. One of the other co-works comes in with coffees, and asks why it's so hard for some other people to get the gist of what it is that they do there. June then says that they're going for lunch at the coffee shop Nella used to work at, if Nella would like to join them.

Nella goes down to Edge. She still feels bitter that Julian was going to fire that other girl just to keep her on, but offers him a friendly smile when she gets into the shop. June is by herself, and says that the others are behind on a deadline. June gives Nella a salad, and says that Nella will be reporting to Selina. She laughs and says that the 13 floor is the “devil's lair”, but is bolstered by Nella's opinion that she can handle it. She tells Nella about the report that she can send in to the bosses up stairs. June also asks that Nella should hang around that floor to pick up on any gossip. But Nella doesn't want to be a spy, especially not against Selina. But June insists that Nella should at least keep her ears open. Nella is more pissed off that she's been dragged into something like this. Nella then changes the subject and asks June how long she's been working there. June says six months after Selina, and she's pissed that Selina climbed the cooperate ladder faster than she did.

They go back to the office, and Nella goes up to the aforementioned 13th floor, despite her initial unease over the entire thing. Selina greets Nella, and asks how her first day is going. Nella gives her the report, and Selina says that most of them would want to come upstairs to talk to Selina. They sit down to talk about the report, and halfway through, she asks about June. Specifically, if June asked Nella to spy on Selina. Nella says that she doesn't want to get involved, but Selina asks “why do you think that I hired you?” Ugh. She says that she's joking, but then says that if Nella hears anything... Nella says that she's not going to spy for Selina, either. She then thanks Nella for coming up, and says that Nella can give a proper report later, when she knows more info on what it is that she's saying. She then expresses shock over how late it is, and that June will want to speak with Nella before she leaves. She then asks Nella to dinner again later, at the same restaurant. What, really? Twice in as many days? Girl, you gotta mix it up a little. Nella says that she's not going to spy for Selina, and Selina only grins.

Nella goes back downstairs, where June is the only one left. She's kind of disappointed when Nella says that nothing exciting happened. Nella says that she doesn't want to play Switzerland for whatever is going on between June and Selina. June says that when she has Selina's job, then Nella can have June's current job. She then says that Nella can go home, and asks where Nella lives, in the hopes of carpooling in the future. Nella lies and says that she's pretty far away, and decides not to get into her circumstances. June doesn't question this, and says goodbye.

Outside, Nella muses over the weird Selina/June situation. She then fusses over her appearance before deciding that it probably doesn't matter and walks to the restaurant. She finds Selina looking grumpy, and asks what's wrong. Selina says that it's not something that Nella can fix, and quickly changes the topic to food. They eat, but when they're done, Selina brings up work. This makes Nella think that she's going to continue yapping about June, but Selina says that there's always drama at work. (Ugh, what is this, high school?) She insists that she doesn't want for Nella to get caught up in that nonsense, and says that they should put out boundaries. Work is for work, and no private life there. Outside of work hours, they can talk about anything except for work. But the way that she says it makes Nella think that Selina is looking for a relationship with Nella. But Nella agrees that what Selina says makes sense. Selina once again offers to let Nella stay with her, but Nella is too afraid of becoming dependent on somebody, and says no. They hug goodbye, and Selina says that she's proud of Nella before she leaves. Then Nella is like “shit, are we dating?” She's also upset to find that Selina paid the bill for their food before she left the restaurant. Again.

That's June

And that's Ivor.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Going Up” Part 5

Five weeks later, and Nella is surprised at now normal things are. She watches the kid, while Abi goes off and does stupid rich housewife stuff. Meanwhile, the husband, Michael, hardly ever shows his face. Meanwhile, she seems to think that there's a thin line keeping Abi from the bottom of an alcoholic spiral. And she's also kind of stupid, but the example given of Abi pouring OJ into the cereal is like... normal harried mom stuff, so I'm kind of overlooking that. But, Abi let Nella practice painting with Petey, so that was nice. Also, Selina hardly ever came around, so that was also kind of nice.

But now Abi has taken the kids somewhere, which means that it's Nella's day off. She goes to the charity shop, and there's a new dress in the front window for only £20. Nella kind of wants it, but she also remembers how it felt to be that poor to not even be able to afford a new shirt. But that's vip, and I'm not spending money on freaking clothes that I doubt would effect the story much anyway.

She goes home and just gets settled in with a cuppa when somebody knocks at the door. It's Selina, and Nella thinks that this is about her divorce. She pushes her way in, demands coffee, and then spots Nella's lunch. Nella however is like “Bitch, I don't work at Edge anymore. I don't have to serve you. I think that you can find the fridge in the house.” Selina goes into the kitchen and comes out with two sandwiches, one for Nella, and another for her. Nella is confused by this, since she clearly just ate, but she eats it anyway.

Nella then asks why Selina is there, and she says the divorce, long story. Nella suggests asking Abi for advice, but Selina seems to think that there's no point in that. She then asks Nella for help in something else, and asks what her nephews like. By way of wanting to send them presents. Nella scoffs over the idea of buying a child's love, but Selina insists that Abi has been bugging her about being more of a role in the lives of her boys. Nella says that the older one likes puzzles, so maybe make a puzzle for him? Oh wait, that would put too much effort into something, right? The baby is a lot easier, since he's a baby, so she only just suggests red clothes, which appears to be his favorite color right now. Now that she's got what she came for, she says she has a business lunch, and leaves. But she forgot her work diary on the table. Nella enjoys the rest of her day off by mainly lounging around the house and watching movies.

Later, Nella is at the house alone since Abi is staying overnight where ever she is. Michael comes home.

This is definitely a full-grown man and not two children standing on top of each other and wearing a trench coat.

He asks her how she's settling in (good), and comments about how Nella can stand to be around Abi. Yikes. He says a lot of stuff and Nella's like “Yikes, this guy is not joking around. He fucking hates his wife.” She tries to say that she's sure that Abi is with Michael for more than his money, and he laughs about that while getting too close to Nella. He then tries to initiate some hot-for-babysitter porno situation, but even if Nella wasn't a lesbian, I'm pretty sure that she's be super turned off by the entire thing anyway. However, when Nella tells him to stay away from her, he gets angry and the entire situation turns into Schrodinger's women: she's either desirable or a fat cow until she either accepts or rejects a fuckboi. He then fires her, and makes a vague threat about what would happen to her should she tell Abi about this. He storms upstairs, and starts chucking Nella's things at her while telling her to get out. She fights off tears as she runs from the house.

She ends up going to the bridge where she slept that first night. She's in tears because everything is just gone now because some asshole couldn't keep it in his pants. She does have some money, but would rather spend it on something better than a hotel, like food.

After a moment, she tries to regroup. She thinks about telling Abi before her mind immediately jumps back to Julian. All she knows is that she doesn't want anything to do with Michael ever again.

She falls into an uneasy sleep, and then is awoke a few hours later by Selina. Selina says that Abi assumes that Nella started something with Michael, but she apparently knows a thing or two about her brother-in-law. She asks that Nella get into her car. Nella asks how Selina found her; she went to some homeless shelters, and has been looking around for Nella for a while now. She says that Selina never really seemed to care all that much about Nella before, but then immediately launches into about Michael. This goes back to how much Selina actually knows about her BIL, and how much of a dumbass that Abi is for staying with this cheating jerk. She then insists that Nella should come back to her place, but Nella is like “I don't need charity.” Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Selina grabs Nella's bag and puts it into her car. She insists that Nella could stay in her guest room or she'll put her into a hotel. She doesn't even have to talk to Selina. Nella eventually agrees to staying for one night.

Selina's place is rich and fancy. Inside, she asks Nella if she's eaten, which she hasn't, since Michael interrupted her dinner. Selina gets Nella some food, and goes to take a shower. After Nella eats, Selina comes out wearing a dressing gown, and Nella's like “Wow, she's human after all” before going into “Hurr durr hot woman” mode. She also decides to be nicer to Selina, and apologizes to her. But Selina says that she enjoys Nella's “temper”. She then says that they can talk in the morning and goes to bed. Nella does the same.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Going Up” Part 3

Nella continues to work at Edge, the coffee shop. A week passes, and Nella starts to get the hang of working there. She's also grateful that she hasn't seen Selina since that first day; as promised, she always sends her “minions” to collect her coffee orders. (And the only thing I can picture are those yellow monsters...)

Julian comes in one morning, and asks to speak with Nella. Chloe assures her that she's got the order that the two girls are working on, so Nella follows him outside. She worries that he's about to fire her. He says that she was only hired as a probationary period for a week, and since it's been a week... and he wants to hire her full-time now. Mainly because out of the three of them, Nella is the only one with any sort of common sense. (Which doesn't exactly bode well for the business, but whatever.) This also means that she'll be getting paid. Minimum wage, but it's probably better than nothing. Although I'm wondering how awful that Nella's situation was to the point where she apparently couldn't get ANY job. Not even one like this, or flipping burgers or anything. Like it would have sucked, but is it better than being homeless?

Nella is so happy that she cries a little. But then Julian has to burst her bubble by saying that he needs to run it past HR first. Which seems kind of shitty to tell her that, but they still might tell her no. But he assures her that it's just a “formality”. They go inside, and Chloe gives Nella a cupcake to celebrate.

Then, over to the homeless shelter. Which for some reason, looks like the scene from one of the sci-fi backgrounds; there are 1s and 0s floating everywhere. Fix ya broken game!

Nella is so happy over the entire work situation. But come Saturday, when she has the weekend off as per a prior agreement, Nella has nothing at all to do. Which probably wouldn't have been that bad if she had a home, because she could just lounge around all weekend. But when you're homeless, it's back to drawing people and begging for money, I suppose.

She decides to go to a charity shop that she's passed a bunch of times and finally get something new to wear. She wants to buy some of the clothes she sees on display, but she hasn't officially gotten her first paycheck just yet. So she ends up skipping on those for now.

She later catches up with Alice about what happened to her. Alice is pleased and supportive of her friend.

Come Monday, Nella gets ready for work, and the secretary whoever lady lets Nella borrow some make-up, too. However, when she gets to the shop, she finds Julian looking upset and Chloe comforting him. She naturally worries that this is about her, that HR rejected the idea of hiring her on full-time. She thinks about eavesdropping, but that's VIP, so she just goes in and asks what's going on. Julian pretends like nothing's wrong, even though it's very clearly an act. Nella tries to press them for info, but he continues to pretend like nothing happened. She lets it go, and Julian says that his kid has been acting up in school, so he won't be in the shop much today. He then tells Chloe to “behave”, which she doesn't like, and leaves.

The second he's gone, she goes directly to Chloe to demand answers from her. But Chloe just gets angry and says that Nella shouldn't think that she's better than some unnamed “her”. When Nella says she doesn't know what Chloe is on about, she explains that the other girl, Megan, is losing her job because of this. Which... it's a fucking minimum wage job. I don't know Megan, but I assume that she's not homeless. Nella is. Guess which one that I care more about right now, Chloe. Go on, guess. Nella is horrified by this. Chloe goes on to say that upon speaking to HR, they told Julian that the shop couldn't afford 4 workers, so he picked Nella. Which, again, she's the one who has the most to gain from this. Chloe is upset and starts crying over it, and Nella is upset because she never intended for the other girl to lose her job because of her. Chloe says that it's not Nella's fault, and Nella accepts this apology. This snaps Chloe back to reality, and says that they need to get ready for the lunch rush. She insists that Nella should at least stay for the rest of the week, and by then, Megan would be back. But she's also torn because I think she does understand somewhat of Nella's situation, but she's also upset for the other girl being out of a job now, too.

Oh hey, it's another character from Bridesmaid Lotto, the country bumpkin chick. I imagine that this is what happened to her after the end of that story: knocked up single mother.

That's right up there with Chucknesme. Brb, noping the fuck out of here...

Anyway, this lady comes in with her kid, and the kid gets into Nella's way and starts chucking his toys at her. Ugh. But Nella starts playing with the kid, much to the mom's delight, if only because she needs a break from her crotchfruit. She introduces herself as Abi, and her kids are Philip and Petey. (Philip is a baby.) After getting a drink for Abi, Nella finds out that she's visiting her sister who works around the corner. Oh gee, I wonder who the sister could be.

And just then, Selina comes into the shop. She sees Nella playing with Petey, and looks confused. Nella asks if this is the sister, and Abi agrees. But Nella is just angry, because it's all Selina's fault that the shop is forcing Julian to pick between Nella and Megan.

Selina asks to see a menu, so the two of them go up to the counter together. Once they're “alone”, Nella calls Selina out on her bullshit by forcing Julian into this situation. Selina doesn't know what Nella is talking about, so Nella explains as she makes a coffee for Selina. However, Selina fails to understand the problem... probably because she's never once been in such a dire situation. She insists that Nella still has a job, but Nella's moral compass is a hell of a lot stronger than to just take Megan's job. Which... in hindsight, probably is a contributing factor to her current homelessness.

Selina goes back to her sister and nephews, and Selina kind of downplays the situation when Abi asks about it. Says that Nella is going to quit the job that Selina arranged for her to have. Nella tries to say that there's a hell of a lot more to the situation, but Abi interrupts her before she can say anything further. She asks if Nella has another job lined up after this, and when Nella says no, she asks if Nella would be interested in being an “au pair” for her. Selina scoffs, but Abi insists that she's dead serious. Nella downplays how eager she would be for that job, but she secretly loves the idea of taking it. It would be a pretty big step up for her, and she wouldn't be stealing anybody else's job. Plus, Abi says that it would be a live-in job. This leads to an interview for about an hour, but in the end, they agree to do this. Nella is shocked at how she went from homeless to a barista to a live-in nanny in about a week.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Going Up” Part 2

Nella wakes up around 4:30 the next morning because it's too windy to sleep well. Alice wakes up as well, and invites Nella to go for a walk. Nella declines BECAUSE THAT'S VIP (why is beyond me, unless Alice is also a datable... who knows.) Nella says that they should get going, so they pack up their things, and leave.

Nella goes back to the place where she'd been yesterday and continues to draw. As she's doing that, some random guy approaches her.

Why does he look like James McAvoy but like a perverted wallstreet type who'd probably be featured on an episode of Law & Order: SVU?

Anyway, he says that he has a job offer for Nella. At the coffee shop where he works. He introduces himself as Julian. He goes on to say that he runs a community outreach program, and she wouldn't get actual money, but would have food and drink if she waits tables. Which... doesn't sound very out-reach-y to me. If you want to help the homeless, I feel like a good start would be to get them off the streets. Not basically in something that sounds in the same ballpark as indentured servitude. Nella feels like this sounds too good to be true, and I'm like TRUE YOUR GUT HONEY. DON'T END UP A STATISTIC!! Getting more info from him is VIP, so she instead asks for him to take her to the shop.

He takes her to the cafe in question, and they go inside. Nella recognizes the same kind of coffee (the logo, I guess) that the lady had given her the day before. And she's more worried about serving “that bitch” coffee than anything. Julian goes on to say that they have six other branches that just opened that year because people love their coffee.

He asks if she's ever been a waitress or something similar, but she says no. He says that it's okay, that they'll work up to the harder stuff. For now, she'll pretty much just bring people what they order and cleaning. Nella says that she's happy to do anything, but Julian reassures her that this isn't one of those hipster fancy places, so she should be fine.

Oh hey, it's the shitty roommate from Bridesmaid Lotto. That's Chloe, who also works at the cafe. She's a proper employee, though, and not a slave.

Julian introduces them, but Nella says that she hasn't agreed to anything just yet. Julian asks Chloe to go do something while he continues to talk with Nella. He again puts an emphasis on the free food and drinks, but in the same breath says that he'd be able to pay her a little after the first week. Which, is this or is this not a job? Why is he not offering to pay her the salary of the girl he said was away on an extended holiday? He also says that she can keep any tips that she makes.

Nella agrees, because... it's not like she's got much else to do anyway. Julian gives her a tour of the shop, and then leaves her in Chloe's hands. Chloe tries to show Nella the ropes, but she seems kind of... like a bumbling fuckwit. She also says that they make some of the desserts early in the morning to sell, and offers Nella to make some of them if she wants. Julian comes back to check in on them, and reminds Chloe of a usual order from so-and-so. Chloe was distracted with Nella, and forgot, so Julian orders both girls to help get together a long list of coffees, pastries, and salads. (WTF, a cafe that sells salads???) He asks Nella to help make the coffee, except I'm not sure that his and Chloe's two-cent tour included actually how to run the coffee machines, and forget about how to make the various drinks. But she does, and ends up making the fifty drinks. FIFTY DRINKS. WHY. WHAT THE FRESH HELL.

Some people from the office come to get the order. Julian gets a call from I guess his wife about his son getting into trouble at school, and takes off, leaving Nella in Chloe's... “care”. Most of the rest of the day is glossed over, but it mainly sounds like Julian sought out some extra help because Chloe's a bumbling fool. But Nella is determined to give 110% because she doesn't want to end up back where she started all over again.

They're getting ready to close when the bitchy lady from before comes in. She introduces herself as Selina Hale. And she expects thanks for giving Nella a cup of coffee yesterday, but she also goes on to say that she arranged for Julian to offer Nella a job. She says that she's the largest customer of the cafe, and Julian usually listens when she says something. And she came there to practically demand a thank you from Nella because of how “rude” that Nella was the day before. Although honestly, this lady has some fucking issues and I feel like she's taking it out on Nella. A back-handed favor, if you ask me. Nella knows that her situation here is delicate, so she says that she's grateful for the recommendation. But that's clearly not what Selina had in mind, but she says nothing more on the matter. She also says that Nella probably won't see a lot of her, since she has people to fetch coffee, and then she leaves without ordering anything.

Nella and Chloe then close up the shop.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Going Up” Part 1

Graduation Party, one year ago.

Our main character, whom I have named Nella.

Is that... Elton John's sister?

This takes place in Paris, although Nella's home is in England somewhere. She tells her professor that she plans to at least go home for a little bit following her graduation, which the professor laments about in a joking way.

12 months later...

It seems as though Nella's life hasn't gone as she'd imagined it. She thinks back fondly to her time in university, but thinks that going back to the UK was a mistake. She's also apparently homeless, and she pretty much only just has a fancy watch her dad gave her, which she hates to part with because I'm pretty sure that he's dead. She spends her time drawing and her life seems to revolve around the schedule of the homeless shelter.

Just then, somebody loudly starts complaining about something or another.

I've played enough of these moments games to know that when a character has an avatar, 9 times out of 10, they're going to be important.

Anyway, Nella watches this lady walking down the sidewalk and yelling into her phone about this and that... it makes no sense, and I'm sure that it's not supposed to. Nella thinks that this lady is nasty, but she feels like she'd rather be homeless and have compassion than to be a cold-hearted bitch like her.

The lady leaves and Nella returns to her drawing. But a moment later, the lady comes back and gives Nella a cup of coffee. But that pisses Nella off more than anything, so she yells after the lady “no thank you!” The lady stops as she's striding away, and is like “Ex-squeeze me?” Nella says that she doesn't need charity from the lady, which prompts the lady to spin around and storm off. But once she's gone, Nella hates to throw away a perfectly good cup of coffee.  As she drinks it, she tries to think of what the lady might do for a living. She doesn't exactly think of anything nice.

She goes to the shelter, which is mainly for homeless women. They have overnight rooms and free food when the shelter has the money. Also, it's largely “first come, first serve”, and they only have a handful of beds.

The lady at the front desk tells her that they're full, and Nella curses the stupid coffee for making her late. However, she instead offers Nella a cuppa. Nella insists that it's okay, that it's not so bad in the summer. As Nella eats the biscuits and drinks the tea, Theresa asks how Nella's day was, and then looks at Nella's sketchbook. She thinks that Nella is a talented artist and tuts over the fact that Nella can't get a job. Nella then says that she needs to go before the other shelters close for the night. Before she leaves, Theresa asks if she'd like to design the Christmas cards for the hospice that year. Which would offer a little bit of pay. Nella eagerly accepts.

Nella goes to the other shelters, but they're all full. So she ends up under a bridge instead. After she's gotten herself settled in her sleeping bag for the night, a figure approaches.

Nella is uncertain, but then she realizes that she knows the person. It's another homeless lady, one with a bad drug problem. After exchanging pleasantries for a moment, Nella invites Alice to spend the night with her under the bridge, which Alice accepts. They snuggle up together out of necessity, and fall asleep.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Millionaire Makeover” Part 2

Niall's house, I'm guessing two/three years ago. Our mystery man is named Niall. (And guh. I thought that I'd gotten away from that name with the end of that wretched Wicked Lovely series...)

A lot of people in the comments were complaining about how “ugly” that he is. But it's like... IDK. Maybe it's because I'm almost 30 and I have different priorities, but I like a man who looks like he has better things to do/think about than to spend 60+ minutes making himself look good. I like him.

Anyway, Niall was apparently friends with Hebe's brother, Michael. And following Michael's death, I think that Niall found solace at the bottom of liquor bottles. After drinking a little (a lot) at a bar together, they go back to Niall's house. Hebe inwardly thinks that she's always had a bit of a crush on him, but always limited herself about him because he was her brother's BFF.

He starts kissing her, and feeling her up and stuff. She wants to stop, but there's also that part in her that actually enjoys this. He begs for her to stay with him that night, and keeps touching her.

But this is when Hebe in the present cuts off that line of thought... BECAUSE VIP. But the next morning, he's basically all like “GTFO of my house! Last night was fun, but I need to get back to work. Bye.” Ouch. Little wonder that she's closed herself off emotionally... I think anybody would after that.

Back in the present, Hebe is dredging up all of those unpleasant memories, apparently having a dissociative episode without Morgan noticing, because she's too busy crowing over her having won Niall for Hebe. Morgan eventually gets up to go pay, but realizes that Hebe isn't following her, and motions for her to join. Hebe acts like she's suddenly sick, which I guess a weird PTSD episode is a kind of sick. However, Morgan doesn't seem to understand that something is legit wrong with Hebe, and demands that Hebe be with her to go “meet” Niall. Morgan demands that Hebe hold her hand while they go over there, but that's when Hebe puts her foot down.

Hebe spends some time trying to adjust her dress, but she feels like it's suddenly both too tight and yet “like a potato sack”. She goes to the bathroom and reapplies her make-up, but she admits that she still feels like shit. Probably because Niall is a piece of shit who should be made to atone for his sins against her. She wonders if she can actually go out there and say hello to him, and not want to murder him. While she's making up her mind either way, Morgan storms in, angry that Hebe left. And I'm quickly losing what little respect I started out with for Morgan, because like... dude. You're being kind of a shitty friend right now.

Hebe is filled with anxiety as Morgan leads her from the bathroom and over to where Niall is. All Hebe says is that she'll tell Morgan about why this was an awful idea later. When they get over there, Niall greets Hebe by name, which takes Morgan by surprise, but then she's pleased. She tries to leave “to let them get acquainted”, but like... they already know each other, so why bother? Hebe turns to Morgan, and says that $20k is $20k too much for some asshole who uses and discards you. Niall tries to say that it was three years ago, but Hebe's like “It doesn't feel like it. And judging by the look of you, not much has changed for you, either.” He keeps trying to defend himself, but Hebe just keeps on talking. Cause let me say something: never let a girl stew in her anger for such a long time, because when it comes out... watch out.

He eventually tries to say that there was a reason, but Hebe doesn't really want to fucking hear anything from him right now. She needed and trusted him after Michael died, and then he wasn't there. And right now, she's done with his specific level of whatever he's doing, and doesn't want to do it all over again simply because Morgan bullied her into this. She briefly thanks Morgan for the date that she won't go on with Niall, before implying about burning Niall with hot wax and saying that not even Hell is good enough for him.

And then the stupid game wants me to spend diamonds to find out why Niall left her. Which... nope. Don't care. Either it'll come up later in the game, or it doesn't and it won't matter.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Millionaire Makeover” Part 1

This story starts off by warning that there is adult content. *cracks knuckles* Sign me up for this!

For something different, I've picked the name Hebe for the MC.

We start off with Hebe in a car with somebody named Bennett. He's some big-wig at such-and-such company, and Hebe works for him. They're coming home from a party, and he offered to drive her home, which makes Hebe more than a little anxious.

As they're driving along, Bennett has to suddenly break for some idiot who just jumped in front of their oncoming car. Hebe probably would have whacked her head against the dash had Bennett not put an arm in front of her to protect her. And it was just for saving her, which Hebe understands... but he still kind of put his arm over her boob, and... wow. That's not awkward at all. They were silent until he dropped her off at her house, when he said “see you later”.

Hebe then remarks that it wasn't until the next day when she fell in love with him. But her chances for having a one-on-one conversation following that were slim to none... they just didn't even work in the same worlds, despite working at the same place.

Some time later, the obligatory BFF, Morgan, invites Hebe out on Friday. To a bachelor's auction. Go on. She has to elaborate on what a “bachelor auction” is, and for those who don't know, it's where they parade young men on a stage and then ladies bid on him. The bachelor then takes the person who bought him on a date. The money usually goes for some cause, like starving children or to help the church get a new roof or whatever.

Hebe isn't overly impressed with the idea, and would rather stay home and do nothing. Morgan, however, says that Hebe needs to get out once in a while. She then brings up Bennett... because of course she did. Hebe is stunned about the chance to finally have another conversation with Bennett. Morgan tells her to buy an evening gown and some fancy shoes, and hangs up.

Friday comes along, and Hebe goes to the auction. But she feels awkward and out of place; she works in a cubical, and seems to be some sort of programmer... the other people here are the kind who rub elbows for a living.

That's Morgan.

Oh, and this is Hebe.

Morgan has to remind Hebe of why she's doing this, and decides to get Hebe drunk off of champagne. Hebe also kind of slips on the marble floors in her brand-new high heels. Hebe makes some morbid joke about hiring a date, but Morgan has to remind her that there's a difference between hiring an escort and buying a bachelor. Sort of, I guess? Anyway, Morgan seems to think that this is somehow better than just getting her friend a subscription to one of the nicer dating sites. But Hebe also seems to agree with Morgan, that she should find a boyfriend. Even if it does “reek of impulsiveness and lunacy”.

She thinks about the car accident that made her fall for Bennett. Her brother apparently died in another car accident years earlier, and it kind of put her into an emotional stupor... one that she didn't wake up from until her near-miss with Bennett.

She asks Morgan about how much money that people will be bidding. She only has three thousand, which is her vacation money, and the only thing that she's willing to part with. And even then, the thought of dropping three grand on a singular damned date doesn't exactly sit well with her. But Morgan says that she'll “treat” Hebe to this, since it was her idea in the first place. (Damn straight you pay to get me laid, you lunatic!)

They go sit down, and Morgan reminds her to get out of her comfort zone once in a while. Hebe agrees that she doesn't want to be that “nerd” anymore... and girl. Don't change yourself because of some guy. I promise you that his dick game not nearly good enough for that bullshit. You don't even have to fuck him, and I can tell you that already! But then Morgan goes on to say that things that men like in a woman is the knowledge that she's desired by other men. Which... tread carefully, Morgan. This is starting to sound like sexist claptrap to me.

Morgan then grabs a bidding paddle (82, if this is important?). The Emcee comes out and says that the money will go to a literacy foundation, so there. The first bachelor comes out, and starts the bidding at $5k! FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. JFC WHY. Also, probably a good thing that Morgan is paying, because that's 2k more than Hebe said she had to spend. Morgan lifts her paddle at 7k, and Hebe's like WTF Morgan?! That bachelor goes for 14k, and not to our MC. Hebe also thinks about how she only had 3k, and the starting bid didn't even start at her limit.

Some time passes, and finally the last bachelor is announced.

Oh gee, I wonder who the actual love interest is going to be? Could it be bachelor number one? Bachelor number two? Or the only bachelor with an actual avatar?

Hebe remarks about how handsome he is, and Morgan is surprised by Hebe's almost unconscious utterance. This embarrassed Hebe to no end. Morgan asks if Hebe is having sexual fantasies about the mystery guy, but Hebe says that she doesn't even have sexual fantasies about Bennett. But this leads her down a weird rabbit hole of thinking about Bennett naked and wondering if Bennett was affected by his having accidentally touched her breast during their little accident. But she puts a stop on those thoughts before they can go too far.

The emcee gives the description for the bachelor, which makes Hebe think that he wouldn't be interested in her. Even though like... people lie about those things. Even self-lying, but it's even worse when people are told to make something up. This is for charity after all, and some weirdo who lounges in bed past noon and whose hobbies include watching repeats of The Office... doesn't exactly bring in money for charity! The emcee goes on to say that the winner of this man will spend two days and a night in New York City, have romantic dinners at five-star restaurants, see a Broadway play, a concert, and various museums. Well, no ice sculptures then... lame. /Groundhog Day references

Morgan gets into a bidding war to win this guy for Hebe. It makes Hebe uncomfortable, but Morgan is fucking determined to get her friend laid, no matter the cost, apparently. Also, exactly what does Morgan do that she's got like 13k lying around to throw at something like this? As the price keeps going up, Hebe thinks “I could buy a brand new car for that amount of money.” She also thinks about Bennett actually seeing her as a woman worth being in a relationship with.

Morgan finally bids 20k, which the emcee says is the highest bid of the evening. Nobody is willing to top that, so Morgan wins the bid. Morgan offers Hebe a self-satisfied look. As the bachelors are paraded out onto the stage one last time, Hebe looks at the bachelor Morgan won for her, and she starts thinking really dirty thoughts. She wants to know what his face looks like.

The emcee then has the bachelors take off their masks, but there's only one that Hebe can focus on, obviously. When he takes his mask off, Hebe has to fight off fainting. She knows this man. From three years earlier. In Dublin. And it wasn't exactly a good time.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Siren Song” Part 7

Lyle breaks down into tears, while the others look on. Cecilia eventually says that she's worried that he might say or do something in this state. But Pete promises to keep an eye on him. And hey, why are Cecilia and Bee in high school, but not Pete and Lyle? This is never addressed. The girls are getting the full experience, while they're... sitting around at home mostly. Anyway, Cecilia thinks about how Pete's more of a homebody, but Lyle likes to jog at the beach and lift weights at this 24-hour fitness place, and she wonders how Pete is going to manage to follow Lyle around everywhere.

Pete is about to defend his choice, when Bee reminds them that their biggest problem is the investigation into those murders. And that if the police could find evidence that Lyle did this, then MK will, too. Lol how? Their group is like... a weird mom, a teenage boy, and some random lady. I don't think that they have the kind of funds and resources like a proper police department. But they don't think about things like that. Anyway, the idea that the police already have the evidence to put Lyle away is worrying to Cecilia, and Bee adds that they could easily connect other things to the rest of them. Lyle continues to sob out how sorry that he is, and Pete says that they have to clean this up.

But first, to soothe Lyle. Cecilia gets some chicken bones from the fridge, because she knows that they help... even though she's worried that being a werewolf is the last thing Lyle needs to do right now. It does the trick, and Cecilia asks him where he was last night. He insists that he doesn't remember, and Pete is quick to remind them that time is not on their side right now. Bee reminds them that Lyle probably left a trail from the park back to the house, so they should focus on that. Cecilia thinks that they should track Lyle's scent to figure out where he'd been.

They shift back to their monster selves... BECAUSE THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA RIGHT NOW!!

I'm digging their monster forms, though.

They list off possible places where Lyle could have been the night before, including the park, beach, and the school. Pete asks if he got a kid, but they seem to think that they were older... possibly a teacher.

And just like that, they're no longer in monster form, for some reason... Bee asks where they'll go first. Pete vetoes the idea of going to the park, since it's already been discussed and would be crawling with cops. Plus, with MK lurking around, it would not be good to be seen around the area. Cecilia also worries about the DNA Lyle would have left all over the scene. And even though the police might not know what werewolf DNA is, the MK probably would. They decided to go to the park and try and destroy as much as possible, so they gather un-described thing to do so. Then, they try and get Lyle up, but he refuses to go. Bee wants to go without him, but Pete reminds them that time is not on their side. Cecilia eventually bribes Lyle with some raw steak.

They go to the park, where they find it empty of anybody. They go to the taped-off crime-scene area, where they find a lot of crime scene number indicators. Which is not good. They find some fur, which they assume the police thought was just from a dog. However, there's not much else left, and they have to assume that the police already have anything else of interest.

They go to the school, where they find it swarming with officers. They keep on going, and end up at the beach, and find a detective pulling a boot out from the sand. Bee says that it belongs to Marta, the secretary for MK. Which... I mean, if you're going to murder people, at least murder the people who are going to murder you!! I just hope he got all of them... Obviously, seeing that isn't exactly good news.

They go home, and Bee reminds them that the things they used to clean up is evidence now, and to get rid of it. They talk about how they're going to do it, and eventually Cecilia recommends burning the cloths in the bathtub, so that nobody would notice the fire. They do so, and Cecilia asks if they destroyed enough of the evidence. But right now, it's still up in the air. Then, they all go to bed.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Siren Song” Part 3

The next morning, Bee continues to press Cecilia about her date, and off-handedly remarks that Jonah isn't there today. As Cecilia sits and says nothing, Bee suddenly gets it. Cecilia says that she doesn't have to say anything to Pete and Lyle about this... they won't find out if Bee doesn't tell them. Brandon then turns around to talk to them, but he asks about Jonah, too. Cecilia is stricken with guilt over everything that happened, and doesn't know how to explain to Brandon about what happened.

Just then, this other boy, Ryan, shows up. Brandon knows this boy, and he's apparently been gone for a while now. Brandon listens to Ryan for a moment (which happens off-page), and then Ryan suddenly notices Bee and Cecilia. Brandon introduces them. He sits down next to Brandon and asks about the “Human Walk”, aka the thing that the four monsters are on right now. The girls don't know what to make of that. Ryan goes on to say that between Halloween and Christmas eve is the time period for this. Is he a monster or a monster hunter I wonder? Either way, he's likely a love interest...

Cecilia decides to “play dumb” and asks what the Human Walk is. But Ryan is just pleased to have a captive audience... Brandon apparently has heard all of this before, and seems annoyed. Ryan explains about how it's the time when monsters can take on human form and come to the human world. Except that Brandon acts like Ryan's a crackpot and should probably have his own show on History Channel!! Cecilia doesn't know how Ryan knows all of this, and tries to be cool to not give herself and Bee away. She eventually says that she doesn't believe him, but that only makes Ryan double down on his beliefs and insist that he will prove it to her!

Class starts, and Bee gives Cecilia a note expressing how scary that this is. Cecilia replies that Ryan's clueless who they actually are, but as Bee points out, he already knows too much. Cecilia says that they need to burn the notes (why not just eat them?) because they're evidence.

After class is over, Ryan looks at the two girls. Cecilia is worried that he's going to scream that they're monsters... not knowing that the rest of the school would just point and laugh at RYAN not them... and probably get him into some much needed psychiatric help.

But instead, he invites them to join the cross country team, because they need more members. Where he can also tell them more about the Human Walk. Cecilia doesn't know what to think, and wishes that they'd covered this when giving instructions for the Human Walk. Cecilia tells Ryan that she's not an athlete, and that the team wouldn't want her. Bee also agrees that she's the same way. But then stupid Brandon says that he's not an athlete, but he's still on the team. He encourages them to join cause it's fun. Bee gets up to leave, and Brandon seems disappointed, which kind of upsets Cecilia, but she doesn't know why. Brandon goes on about how you become so “in the zone” that you forget about everything. Cecilia wonders if it would help with her cravings, which makes them change their minds.

After everybody else leaves, they say that this could be the distraction that they're looking for. Furthermore, Cecilia adds that it could help them blend in. Bee is worried that it'll feel more like hunting humans, but Cecilia tells her not to think like that.

After school, the girls get changed into their PE uniforms and go down to the track. Cecilia usually doesn't have a butt-crack, and is annoyed at getting wedgies from the gym shorts; she doesn't understand the appeal. Ryan has them sign up, and is surprised over Bee's full name.

He then says that they didn't finish their conversation earlier, and he suddenly gets all dramatic. He tells the story of his grandfather, who had apparently discovered the world of monsters. He says some stuff about how the monsters were in the human world not during the Human Walk, and that his grandfather fought them off. Cecilia thinks that Ryan's grandfather was a little crazy, because they'd never heard of him in history classes... which kind of seems like a pretty big deal for monsters to talk about somebody like that if it actually happened.

Brandon asks how gramps got the title of colonel, to which Ryan says that he was awarded the title during the, I shit you not, Sasquatch Skirmish of 1961. THEN IT'S NOT AN ACTUAL TITLE. HE'S JUST BATSHIT INSANE!! Ryan insists that they “pour one out for grandpa”, but insists that their sports drinks will do, since they're underaged and ready for track practice anyway.

The coach draws them to attention, and tells them to get ready to go... which they do. AND GO!! Cecilia apparently loves running, and wants to win, but she decides not to abandon Bee. As she runs, she realizes that she isn't thinking about her cravings at all; they're pretty hyped about it. They talk about it as they walk home, about how something so simple as running could “cure” their cravings. Cecilia then has to bring up stupid Jonah again, and laments over how she failed to be the group's “cheerleader”. But Bee sees it as being more “Hey, you're okay because you messed up! It happens!”

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Mysterious Girl” Part 10

Brenda answers her phone. He says that the producer wants to meet with her, and he took a lot of effort to squeeze Bebe in. He'll pick her up in10. Brenda says that it's not like she's got a lot of choice, and David comments that she sounds upset. But Brenda doesn't want to talk about it, and wants to focus on her work, and insists that she's fine. David asks if there's a place where Brenda could change to become Bebe, and Brenda suggests that he should come in the van, so that she can change in the back; he agrees.

Her mom comes in the van, and Brenda becomes Bebe. She gets out of the van, and I thought that the entire point of bringing the van was to change on their way to the meeting? She talks with her dad for a moment, before reminding him that the entire reason for Bebe to exist was so that Brenda could live a normal life... She feels somebody's eyes on her, but fails to see anybody.

The meeting with the producer goes well, and he loves all that Bebe brings to the table. They go home, where Brenda crawls into bed, emotionally exhausted over the day.

Then, we jump to a random character we've never seen before, Natalie.

I'm all for a twist, but isn't the story almost over at this point? Now is not the time to bring up a brand new character...

Anyway, this franchise can't say “pussy” or “cock”, but it can say stuff like “you fuckin' bitch, go to hell!” via Natalie's drunkard father? Ugh. AND WE CAN'T SAY ASSHOLE, BUT WE CAN SAY FUCKING BITCH?! WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!

Natalie's father is a drunk, and she yells at him to straighten up, but he slaps her around some and screams at her to give him some money. Natalie runs from the house, and then looks at the proof she has of the Bebe/Brenda connection. Oh, and Natalie is her classmate, so it's not like this is some random stranger to Brenda or anything...

Natalie calls some company, and says that she has a secret about Bebe, and will be willing to talk for the right price. She asks for 20k, which seems... lowball, honestly. But the company is willing to shell out the money for Bebe... so long as the info checks out.

But, enough of that, I guess. Back at school, Gina asks how Brenda is. Brenda gives Gina the cold shoulder BECAUSE BACKSTABBING ASSHOLE “FRIENDS” DON'T GET TO TALK TO ME. Gina presses her, and asks where she went yesterday, but then turns to Oliver and asks if he knows what's bothering Brenda. Oliver suggests that Gina keep her trap shut for once, which only just pisses Gina off. Oliver ignores her and goes to class.

In class, Brenda can't focus. She also thinks that it's a good thing that Dylan isn't there. She also watches the interactions between Jessica and Oliver, as he “helps” her with the notes. Dylan eventually comes in five minutes after class started, and says his bike broke on the side of the roach, which Ms. Mary accepts with a sigh and to come up with a better excuse next time. He sits down and asks Brenda how she's doing, but she also ignores him. CHEATING ASSHOLES ALSO DON'T GET TO TALK TO ME. He presses on and asks where she went yesterday, that he couldn't find her. She only just says her piano lesson, which Dylan asks why it was so urgent. But this just irritates Brenda, and she insists that she's there to learn, not to play 20 questions with Dylan.

At the end of class, one of the faceless Jessica friends suddenly screams out about Bebe. Jessica asks if it's true that Brenda's actually Bebe. Also, despite the fact that Gina was clearly in biology at the start of this game, she's randomly in chemistry class with everybody else now. Everybody stares at her, including her friends. Obviously the first thing to do would be to say something like “are you stupid? Do I look like Bebe?” But then Dylan offers her an out, grabs her hand, and runs her from the room. Good guy Dylan for the win, I guess? Except that just running off makes her look guilty.

He takes her to this warehouse by the gym, where he locks them into the room. He asks if she's okay, and she assures him that she's fine. She then asks why he brought her there, and he says that he didn't think that she'd want to stay in the classroom. She thanks him, and then they sit in awkward silence. He then asks if she's not curious about how he's not surprised that she's Bebe. He asks about the school concert, and says that he saw her in the school parking lot. He wasn't sure about it, but had a feeling. He goes on to say that she never participates in school clubs, and she's always busy with her “piano lessons”. (Which, can confirm. I took flute lessons for like 8 years, and saxophone lessons for 5 years. It's usually a weekly thing.) He also tried to find her at the school concert, but was unable to do so. He says that he wanted to get away from Jessica, so gave her some phony excuse of looking for the signed sign Bebe had given out, where he saw Bebe in the parking lot. Brenda then says that she is Bebe, and Dylan says that there's no difference. He hugs her.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Mysterious Girl” Part 4

Sally takes Brenda to the concert stadium. Because nothing tips off people quite like only ever performing at one venue over and over again...

And I was completely right on the money, and she is this Bebe character.

I think that Sally is the one pushing Brenda to be Bebe. She doesn't seem happy, and tells Sally that she wants to tell the world who she actually is. But Sally completely and utterly ignores Brenda, like a good mother. Le sigh.

The dad, David, shows up, and he's like “ARE YOU READY TO ROCK, BEBE?!” And she's like “I guess.” She asks him that if he was in her position, would he tell the world who he actually was? He says when the time was right, and only to people that he could trust. But he also reminds her that she's still young, and that she doesn't want people all up in her business simply because she's a celebrity. Ugh. He asks if she's having trouble at school, and she says that nobody would bully Bebe. He agrees, but talks about the press instead, and says that it's the same thing. He tells her to be herself, which is rich considering what her parents are asking her to do...

Bebe goes up onto the stage, where she says that there's a lot of students from her school. How would she know that, exactly? Having been a musician for 20+ years, I can assure you that it's fucking hard to see into the audience when the stage lights are on and the theater lights are off. However, she identifies le named characters in the front, which is fair.

Okay, so if this is the same day as the first day of school, why didn't Gina and Oliver mention that they had tickets to see Bebe later that night? It seems kind of... an important thing to completely and utterly overlook...

Oliver and Gina express excitement over seeing Bebe. Dylan just complains to Jessica about why he's even there, and she's like “You're here for ME!” … That sounds super healthy. /sarcasm

Bebe walks out onto the stage and starts singing. EVERYBODY!! RESPONDS!! WITH!! TOO!! MANY!! EXCLAMATION!! POINTS!! Ugh. Halfway through, Bebe starts lobbing signed merchandise out into the audience, which flies over Oliver's and Gina's heads. She then apologizes that not everybody would be able to get everything, but then invites Gina and Oliver up onto the stage with her. Jessica is randomly surly about the entire thing... like you would have been angry at some random stranger... Gina and Oliver get up onto the stage, and Gina's more than a little star struck and screams out about her mom watching her on TV. Oliver is in love with her lol. She eventually ends the concert and everybody screams for an encore.

Random CG time...

After Bebe leaves the stage, Sally tells her that she did a good job. She then brings up about her secret identity, and about how Sally ignored her earlier. Sally echoes what David said earlier. Bebe agrees, and says that she has homework to do.

Later, Bebe is still in her Bebe costume. There's a lot of people milling around the parking lot, but she spies Dylan leaning against his car. She wonders why he's alone.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Mysterious Girl” Part 3

Gina apologizes for having hid the fact that she knew Dylan from junior high, but they aren't friends anymore, and their history is unhappy. “He destroyed my dream.” Bitch, you were thirteen. Anyway, they used to live next door together, and they would play basketball together. They used to be the best of friends, like brother and sister.

We then jump into her memories... Except that coming up with new avatars for the characters would have been hard, so we're stuck with the 17/18 year old ones, which is funny, because they're supposed to be kids. Anyway, it's the last day of summer vacation, and tomorrow, they'll start seventh grade. They talk about how they're going to try out for the basketball team, and how they'll be best friends forever. School started, and they both made the team. Enter Jessica... She liked Dylan a lot, but couldn't play basketball. But she was also insanely jealous of Gina, and tried to push Gina away from Dylan.

This leads Brenda to ask if Jessica continues to bully them because of what happened between Gina and Dylan, but Gina doesn't know why Jessica continues it, even after she's stopped hanging around Dylan.

One day, when Gina and Dylan are playing basketball, Jessica intentionally crosses the court where Gina's about ready to make a shot. Dylan rushes over to Jessica, and ends up knocking Gina over. Gina broke her knee, and the end result is that she couldn't play basketball anymore. And yeah, I'd be angry over that, too. I'd probably look into some sort of personal injury lawsuit towards Jessica, because she did it intentionally. (Although it'd be hard to prove, but I'm certain that being slapped with some real life consequences would scare the crap out of her... Haha.) Gina's knee is better now, but she still can't play basketball, and doing sports is difficult for her.

Brenda is outraged for her friend. Gina and Oliver are full of excuses, but none of it really says what kind of shitty, psychopathic asshole would intentionally do something like that. Gina says that Dylan still lives next door to her, but they don't talk anymore. He's now Mr. Cool kid, and hangs out with the other basketball players. She doesn't hate the other players, just Dylan. She goes on to say about how upset that her mom was over hearing what Dylan did.

But their friendship didn't just dissolve overnight. They continued to be friends for a while, and continued to hang out and the like. Then after the first basketball game, the coach picked Dylan to be the captain because the other captain was going to graduate. (After the first game? WTF?) And then Dylan picked Jessica over Gina. So then they stopped being friends.

But she had Oliver, and then Brenda moved there. She says that she's moved on. Brenda encourages her that she has better friends now, and to move past Dylan being shitty.

Just then, Sally, Brenda's mom shows up.

At least she looks a lot like the character... Easier to do when you don't do a character creation, I suppose.

Brenda leaves, but not before thanking Gina for sharing the story. Gina says that she wasn't keeping it a secret, but she just didn't think that it was worth talking about. Going back into her moving on and all that. She also talks about how friends shouldn't keep stuff from each other. Sally yells at Brenda to get into the car, so she leaves.

[percontaion-points]

Let’s Play “Moments: Mysterious Girl” Part 1

The game starts off with the main character telling us that she needs to hide her secret self. And she only needs to do it for another year, and then she'll be “liberated”.

After the hyper-realism of most of the stories, I'm kind of taken aback by the more cartoonish feel of the artwork of this.

I'm...??? Also not sure if we're going to get to name the MC.

Anyway, it's the first day of school for MC. She meets up with her friends, Gina and Oliver; they've been friends since freshman year. MC's name is Brenda... No, I didn't pick it. Anyway, Brenda expresses that she likes school, but Gina is quick to say that she's probably the only one. But Gina's excited because it's their senior year, but Brenda is quick to remind her that there's still an entire school year before they're done. Gina asks if Brenda is secretly in love with somebody, but she was joking... mostly. But they promise that they'll stand by each other, and that they'll always be friends.

And that's Oliver. Hello cutie-pie... is he a datable?

Oliver asks about Brenda's summer. She says she went all over, and has presents for them, which are limited edition Bebe dolls; Bebe being some sort of singer. Gina is impressed, and asks how Brenda got them. Brenda says that Bebe is her friend, but then says that she's joking, that she bought them. If she was actually Bebe's friend, she'd be the most popular girl in school after all.

AND OH MY GOD, IS HER SECRET THAT SHE'S BEBE?! IS THIS A HANNAH MONTANA FANFICTION?!

Gina comments again about how Brenda is the start of the school, and all of the teachers love her. Oliver then gives them something he brought from Europe, but the bell rings before we find out what it is. As they get going, Brenda asks Oliver if he finished his homework (homework? It's the first day of school!), which he agrees and offers to help Brenda with her homework. Gina goes off to her own biology class, but promises to see them later during lunch.

Skip ahead to said lunch period. Gina's complaining about how hard her classes are. Brenda responds by saying that she needs to try harder. Then, she takes Brenda's chocolate pudding... because reasons.

Enter le mean girl, Jessica. She randomly smashes the pudding onto the ground... because this is the kind of behavior I expect to see from people who are about ready to enter society as productive adults... NOT.

And le cliché jock type, too... Dylan. However, he does apologize to Gina, so I guess that he's less of a douchebag, but he still hangs around with Jessica, so... The narration explains that Dylan is Jessica's on-and-off boyfriend, and captain of the basketball team... as well as Mr. Popularity. Jessica tells Dylan to stop talking to the weirdos and to go, and Gina tells them to get lost. Brenda tells Gina not to get worked up over some assholes. She goes to look for more chocolate pudding, but Gina tells her not to bother, because she's not hungry anymore.

Just then, Oliver shows up. He'd been talking with one of his teachers, and missed everything. He's also the second smartest kid in school, following Brenda. Gina growls about what Jessica did. But a second later, lunch ends.

Oliver and Brenda have chemistry together right after lunch, so they go there. They explain who else is in the class, but besides Dylan, we don't know any of the others yet, and I don't think that it matters. Ms. Mary, the teacher, pairs up the students, and puts Brenda with Dylan. She's kind of upset about it, but decides not to make a fuss over it; it's just a stupid class. Dylan moves to sit next to her, which makes Brenda uneasy.

We end with this random CG.