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#126 2016-03-14 04:19:59

riun
Inebriated
From: Flint,MI
Registered: 2015-08-08
Posts: 97

Re: Justice Seven

"2...1... Happy New Year! Welcome to two thousand and-"
"AAAGH!" LOL Classic nice one Eric. 3dbig_smile

(posted from Episode 9: Casework)


"The curse of a reader is reading faster than the author can write (or post)."

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#127 2016-03-14 05:28:07

Eric Storm
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From: New Port Richey, FL
Registered: 2006-09-12
Posts: 5742
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Re: Justice Seven

Well, you didn't think I was going to date the series, did you?

3dbig_smile

Eric Storm


Please Remember:  The right to Freedom of Speech does not carry the proviso, "As long as it doesn't upset anyone."  The US Constitution does not grant you the right to not be offended.  If you don't like what someone's saying... IGNORE THEM.
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#128 2019-01-19 08:15:01

gadget
Inebriated
From: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Registered: 2007-07-19
Posts: 22

Re: Justice Seven

As with most all the other stories I wait till the end to comment. I would love to see where you would take this new storyline. Justice Seven was well worth reading in my book (sorry, yours). Would like to see possible ties to Palidin's storyline with STRAIN and or more Justice Seven. Please give it plenty of thought!

(posted from Episode 20: Conclusions)

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#129 2019-01-19 12:16:19

Eric Storm
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From: New Port Richey, FL
Registered: 2006-09-12
Posts: 5742
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Re: Justice Seven

Paladin's storyline, should it ever get continued (I plan to, but you can see how long it's been since I wrote in that universe), will not last through to the time of STRAIN's emergence, because STRAIN won't exist until the MDSA is older and fully trained, and the Paladin story is only intended to last a couple more years of story time.

I have been giving thought to STRAIN stories, but I'm leaning, at the moment, toward more of a short-story anthology than a novel.  Or, perhaps more of a short story series would be a better way to word it, since the stories would probably build on each other, but they wouldn't necessarily be connected chronologically, like novel chapters are.

Eric Storm


Please Remember:  The right to Freedom of Speech does not carry the proviso, "As long as it doesn't upset anyone."  The US Constitution does not grant you the right to not be offended.  If you don't like what someone's saying... IGNORE THEM.
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#130 2019-03-18 06:35:05

Oxxnard
Tipsy
Registered: 2019-03-06
Posts: 1

Re: Justice Seven

Honestly, I hate how Luke turned out. He seemed like he was going to be the main character, but you switched gears to Jim and I just didn't ever like him. I hate how everyone just treated Luke so horribly for reacting so normally to being hurt by someone he very clearly still had feelings for. Like Lori just immediately sleeps with their mutual friend and everyone is shocked when Luke is upset by this. This has been the only story I don't like that you've written, just because of this one interaction. I'm sure I'm just crazy but it's made this whole story sour.

(posted from Episode 20: Conclusions)

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#131 2019-03-18 17:04:02

Eric Storm
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From: New Port Richey, FL
Registered: 2006-09-12
Posts: 5742
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Re: Justice Seven

Okay, first and foremost, thank you for your feedback.  Even negative feedback can sometimes be useful... although you failed to point out any way in which the story could have been made better (while still leaving the storyline intact).

And next, I'd just like to make it clear that, though I did end up featuring Jim as the main character, the truth is that the story was not supposed to HAVE a main character when I started writing it.  The idea was that the story would discuss the lives of all of the characters equally.  This became an issue when I realized that I'd designed two of my male characters to be people I couldn't identify with.  I can't write about something I don't understand, at least not as the protagonist.

Those two characters were Luke and Paul.  Paul should be obvious: he's a sociopath, and I'm not, so it made it very hard for me to write him in any form of good light.  That's why he ended up the way he did.

Luke is more complicated, but he's also something of a villain... or an agent of chaos, if you prefer that term.  Keep in mind, the team wasn't doing "good work" until Jim showed up and asked, "So what does this group do?"  Up to that point (I grant you, not a large period of time), all they did was socialize with each other, and apparently had no intent of doing more than that.

From the beginning, Luke was an amoral character.  He's a hacker.  He puts his own desire for information ahead of the rules.  In fact, he has a tendency to put himself first in everything.  Consider this:  He continued sleeping with Zoe, even after Lori became his girlfriend.  He did not tell Lori about this, and had no intention of doing so, until Zoe forced the issue.  He started sleeping with his mother, and had no intention of informing Lori of that, either.  Tell me, how could she expect him to tell her about ANY new woman he slept with, after that point?  And yet he'd made it clear that, were she to sleep with another man, he'd have a real problem with it.  So, Lori walked, and she should have walked.  Staying in that relationship would have basically turned her into a concubine instead of a girlfriend.  He was asking her to make sacrifices, but was unwilling to make any himself.

I'd also like to point out that Luke's reaction to Lori and Jim is NOT the first time he's had this type of thing show through.  If you'll look back at his reaction to Zoe dating Akira, it was pretty much the very same reaction, just at a lower level, and he was upset with both of them until he learned they'd broken it off.  Luke is a very jealous man: he can't handle others messing with things he consideres "his".

As to how the team treated him:  Let's not forget that Luke got physically violent over this issue.  Okay, I grant you, that's not much of a threat to a telekinetic, but the point is that he was already well beyond what should be considered reacting "normally" to the situation.  He also became outright hostile to Jim in team matters.  Given that all of the other members of the team - with the exception of Akira - had already developed strong friendships with Jim, and most had little connection to Luke, exactly how did you expect them to react?  Did you expect them to berate Jim for dating Lori?  Why would they, knowing that the relationship was unintentional?  It really does make a difference if Jim went after her as a "target", versus what happened.

As to why you don't like Jim, I can only speculate.  From the comments of others who have expressed a similar opinion of this story, I would guess that you feel he has some kind of ulterior motive behind all of his actions.  That this was refuted by every action he took in the story never seems to matter much.  Of course, maybe this isn't what your problem with him is: I don't know.  Jim was the one of the four guys in the story I could relate to best, so he's the one that I ended up gravitating toward in my writing.

To any writers reading this, I would like to point out that this is the real danger in writing a story without at least a basic outline.  When I started writing J7, I had no idea where it was going.  There was no Outsiders War in my head when I started, there was no fight between Luke and Jim... but there wasn't anything else, really, either.  If I'd built a framework, I'd have at least had a direction to travel.  Of course, I might have ended up doing the same thing in the end, but I doubt it would have turned out exactly the same.  Probably, if I had planned for all of this, people wouldn't have liked Luke all that much to begin with.

In any case, I still appreciate your feedback.  I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this story, I'm glad you enjoyed my other stories, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy my work into the future.

Eric Storm


Please Remember:  The right to Freedom of Speech does not carry the proviso, "As long as it doesn't upset anyone."  The US Constitution does not grant you the right to not be offended.  If you don't like what someone's saying... IGNORE THEM.
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#132 2019-03-19 08:39:15

Sniper
Inebriated
Registered: 2016-07-04
Posts: 94

Re: Justice Seven

Maybe there is not always a clear reason why you dislike a certain character. I have to admit that I also never warmed up to Jim as a character. No idea, if it was that every female seemed to fall onto his dick, due to his abilities that let me question the voluntariness of it or whatever else. Reading the story, I always thought that he, although probably most of the time unknowingly, manipulated other people to do what he wants. How powerful is his ability to project? Damn, it's been a long time that I read this story. How would Jim react to Jen fucking Luke or Akira behind his back? Did he have to deal with jealousy or the possibility to lose his girlfriend within the story?

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#133 2019-03-19 18:00:25

Eric Storm
Pub Owner
From: New Port Richey, FL
Registered: 2006-09-12
Posts: 5742
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Re: Justice Seven

1. Jim has projective empathy, not mind control.  He can engender an emotion in someone, but they still have the choice of whether or not to act on it.  But the truth is, no, it's not fully voluntary, because people are very strongly influenced by their emotional state.  I believe I spent at least one solid chapter having Jim try to work through exactly this issue.

2. Does everyone that likes you always do what you want them to?  If you have one, does your wife always?  These are people who like or love you, but you don't dictate their actions.  Jim has no control over actions, only emotions.  He cannot make someone who hates him, have sex with him, no matter how aroused he makes them.  He cannot force someone to commit a crime  He cannot make someone do anything that is outside of the way they would react in the emotional state they're in.  All he can do is put them in that state... and keep in mind, that requires him to be in that state, so there really is a limited number of emotions that he could project to people.  He cannot, for instance, project fear if he is not, himself, fearful.  He cannot make someone angry if he isn't angry first.  Jim can make you feel good about being around him... but do you do everything someone wants just because you feel good about being around them?  No, nobody does.  So Jim could not make people do anything: that was their choice.

3. Jim would have seen Jen fucking Luke or Akira - rightly - as a serious betrayal, because you used the phrase behind his back.  When someone - I think it was Claire, but I'm not positive - asked Jim whether he would let Jen sleep with another guy, he said that he would, but that he wouldn't be happy about it.  But doing it in secret is where the betrayal comes in.  Jen gave Jim permission explicitly to do whatever he wanted sexually.  Jim never made the same grant, and Jen did not ask for it, therefore, she ethically has the duty to remain faithful, or to ask permission.

4. Did he have to face losing a girlfriend?  In a way, but not in the "getting dumped" fashion.  He was struggling with his feelings for Jen and Andie for a chapter, and he did feel that he was going to lose at least one of them, because he was going to have to choose between them.  It's not the same as what happened to Luke, but it was a highly stressful and emotionally painful time for him.  Did Jim have to face jealousy: no, not really.  Andie and Claire slept with each other, but that's not quite the same as sleeping with another guy.  The only girls that he would have felt jealousy over were Laura, Jen, Stacy, and Andie... and all of them were attached to him, so weren't going to seek other company.  Claire and Lori, he would not feel jealousy over, as they were not his girlfriends.  Not really sure how this is relevant to the issue at hand, though.  Both Luke and Jim had relationship struggles.  Those struggles were certainly different: Luke's struggle was in losing his girlfriend, while Jim's struggle was in trying to balance his relationships.  Different, but no less critical to the respective players.

5. I think you're trying to equate what Lori did to your hypothetical of what Jen might do.  The problem with your scenario is that when Lori and Jim had sex, Lori was not in a relationship with Luke.  This nullifies any notion of betrayal.  And really, for Luke to expect that no friend of his would ever date an ex-girlfriend of his is... well, frankly ridiculous on his part, and on the part of any person who thinks that in real life.  Either you dumped them, or they dumped you, but at that point, you don't get to have any say in what they do from that point forward.  Would you want to have to accept their rules in your own life?  I hope not...

I'd also like to point out one more, rather important point that no one seems to comprehend in the whole Jim/Lori relationship:  They never had any intention of being public about it.  Lori wasn't going to be Jim's girlfriend.  The two of them would have occasionally gotten together for sex.  Otherwise, they would have met with the group, or to continue Jim's personal training.  Luke would never have known anything about this relationship except that he intruded on someone else's privacy.  So his hurt is actually all on him.

Eric Storm


Please Remember:  The right to Freedom of Speech does not carry the proviso, "As long as it doesn't upset anyone."  The US Constitution does not grant you the right to not be offended.  If you don't like what someone's saying... IGNORE THEM.
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#134 2019-03-20 08:27:22

Sniper
Inebriated
Registered: 2016-07-04
Posts: 94

Re: Justice Seven

2. OK, I get your point. But if Jim likes somebody, feels comfortable in their presence and wants to get closer, how long must the subject be exposed to his projections to modify their feeling to mirror Jim's?

To properly discuss the other points, I would have to reread the story to get my facts straight. As I am currently not really willing to go that far for the sake of this discussion, I will accept your points as they were presented.

Thanks.

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#135 2019-03-20 15:56:21

Eric Storm
Pub Owner
From: New Port Richey, FL
Registered: 2006-09-12
Posts: 5742
Website

Re: Justice Seven

How long that would take depends on where the person starts out.  If that person hates Jim, likely that he would never fully sway them to his side.  He might just be able to make them less hostile.  If that person starts from a neutral footing... well, we know he was able to "seduce" a stranger in under a half hour.

What would be more "unwilling" in Jim's relationships is the fact that, the longer a woman is with him, because of his PE, the less likely she'd be to ever want to leave him... unless he stopped wanting her around.  So, really, the "danger" (if you want to call it that) is more about the ability to leave, rather than the process of being captured in the first place.

Consider this:  Up to the Lori Incident, Jim and Luke were friends.  Jim would have been projecting friendly emotions at Luke.  That didn't stop Luke from decking him.

Eric Storm


Please Remember:  The right to Freedom of Speech does not carry the proviso, "As long as it doesn't upset anyone."  The US Constitution does not grant you the right to not be offended.  If you don't like what someone's saying... IGNORE THEM.
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#136 2019-03-21 07:36:43

Sniper
Inebriated
Registered: 2016-07-04
Posts: 94

Re: Justice Seven

That makes sense. There are a lot of variables that need to be considered. Starting point of the subject, current mood of the subject, the intensity of Jim's feelings. There is a lot of gray and very little black and white.

Hm...Luke decking him...I guess Jim's projections can be overwritten by intense own emotions of the subject, such as anger or fear. If we put emotion on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is nearly nothing and 10 is a traumatic experience, then we can pretty much control our actions until 7, at 8 and 9 our body reacts on instinct and 10 is the breaking point, where it cripples our ability to do anything about it. Maybe Luke's anger was at 8 or 9, where rational thought left him?

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#137 2019-03-21 14:39:01

Eric Storm
Pub Owner
From: New Port Richey, FL
Registered: 2006-09-12
Posts: 5742
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Re: Justice Seven

Oxxnard:

you wrote:

I hate how everyone just treated Luke so horribly for reacting so normally to being hurt by someone he very clearly still had feelings for. Like Lori just immediately sleeps with their mutual friend and everyone is shocked when Luke is upset by this.

By coincidence, I've been re-reading Justice Seven myself over the last week or so.  (Yes, I read my own stories.  That's why I wrote them.)

Your comment here, I now realize, makes no actual sense, because "everyone" wasn't treating Luke like anything over his reaction to the breakup.  The only two people that had any direct dealing with Luke regarding the breakup were Jim and Lori.  And yes, Lori would have been very annoyed with his behavior, given what she knew about his own actions prior to the breakup.  Jim was understandably peeved, as he was being physically attacked.  No one else really said or did anything in regards to this issue, and no one was shocked at his reaction.  Jen even warned Jim not to let Luke know about it.

I think your confusion may stem from their later behavior, which was not about the breakup, but about Luke's behavior regarding the team.  Now, I admit that Luke's behavior at that point was driven by his new dislike for Jim, but that doesn't mean that the team's reaction to that behavior had anything to do with the breakup.  And even then, up until the actual breakup of the team, no one was getting in Luke's face about his behavior.  They talked among themselves about things, yes, but there was no interaction between Luke and the rest of the team in regards to Lori... or in fact his leadership of the team.  And during the breakup of the team, well, that fell along "party lines", so to speak.  Those people who were more friends of Jim went with Jim, the one who was more a friend of Luke went with Luke.  That, also, had little to do with the breakup.  Had the problem with Lori not happened, she would have been the only person on a different side of the team breakup.  Otherwise, the sides would have been the same.

My point being that it seems, after going back into the story myself, you're seeing something that wasn't actually written.  Tell me, what is it you liked so much about Luke?  He is in no way a heroic figure...

Sniper:

First, a self-correction: it was Lori, not Claire, who asked Jim if he would allow Jen to sleep with another guy.  I just got to that scene in my reading last night.  His response was, "I wouldn't stop her, but I sure wouldn't be happy about it."

Now, as to Luke's state of mind when he decked Jim:  I doubt it was quite that high, given the fact that he only punched him once, and then they had words with each other.  Rage at the level of an 8 or 9 wouldn't really allow for a conversation.  No, it's just evidence that Jim's "control" - such as it is - can be easily overridden by one's own intent... or any emotion you might feel that goes opposite to what Jim has projected.

Eric Storm


Please Remember:  The right to Freedom of Speech does not carry the proviso, "As long as it doesn't upset anyone."  The US Constitution does not grant you the right to not be offended.  If you don't like what someone's saying... IGNORE THEM.
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#138 2019-07-11 10:29:18

JackTempest2
Tipsy
Registered: 2019-06-15
Posts: 2

Re: Justice Seven

i got to say. i have read most of this thread and might have missed a few things, right after finishign reading justice seven. i have to say. while luke might have been " amoral" given he was a hacker.  it still felt as if he was more of a "Real " person compared to jim. yes. jim has anger management issues when it comes to abusine his TK.  luke got violent for feeling betrayed by lori and jim, his girlfriend and best friend. most young men Will react that way. heck jim beat up a guy before anything for calling his sister a bitch. another perfectly normal reaction. but jim always seemed mroe flat and almost one dimensional to me than anyone else.  i didn't like him. and as for the whole debate about the group not doing anything untill jim asked what they did. they actually did what they set out to do. socialized and talked. luke and lori set out to  create a network of people with powers to socialize with so they didn't feel alone about it anymore.  and that's what the group did until jim's prompting.  as for lori. she knew he slept with zoe. ok it was wrong but she had to some extent accepted that, by default as par of being with luke.  the fact she never mentioend she was sleeping with claire. seems worse to me.  luke might not have intended to tell her about sleeping with his mom either, but he Did. she never said a word about claire far as i could read. or i might have drowned it out if she did. i will go back and check.
lori giving luke an ultimatum from a place of dishonesty, and then goign straight for the best friend luke seems to have and sleeping with him. makes both lori And jim very bad people in my eyes.
to give a little background tot hat statement. i have been both cheater and cheated on. and i can tell you. both of those feelings are horrible. but to me. te worst feeling is actually being the cheater.  i am not proud of it but i admit my fault here. neither lori nor jim seems to have any problem with the repercussions because they employ the mentality of five-year olds in that respect " i want so i get. fuck everyone else. because they don't have the right to get hurt by my actions"
uke is no saint. but he turned out to be a hell of a lot better person than the group that he ended up being driven out from. and shade's betrayal didn't make thigns better. granted. luke could have phrased it better. if he had been a grown up with a more mature aspect on thigns and didn't still feel betrayed quite obviously by jim in particular. he coudn't have Asked shade to stay away form jim. because he was still too emotionally raw on that front. to do so. and because he didn't have the emotional maturity to do so. the fact shade literally comes out and says " i wan't to do this, because someone told me it would not be ok with them" is in my eyes a betrayal. i am sorry eric. but to me. this is the worst of yoru stories i have read so far. sadly unimpressed and dissatisfied with this piece of writing. unfortunately. i don't think you could make me happy with a continuation fo this story in the future. without making solutions seem trite and contrived.
please let this universe die silently and unmourned.

high regards.
Jacktempest.

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#139 2019-07-11 17:57:23

Eric Storm
Pub Owner
From: New Port Richey, FL
Registered: 2006-09-12
Posts: 5742
Website

Re: Justice Seven

Boy I just love waking up to this kind of crap.  You can take credit for putting me in a bad mood, possibly for the entire day.

Now, let's be clear:  You've just violated Critiquing Rule #1:  If you don't like a story, SHUT YOUR MOUTH and move along.  Your criticism CANNOT be helpful, and will only cause trouble.

Since you chose to violate this rule, my response is going to be somewhat harsher than usual.

It is my considered opinion that your reading of my characters is completely colored by your own life experience.  In other words, your problem with my story is YOU.

You see Jim as a one-dimensional character because you are not, and apparently have no desire to be, a person of the type he represents:  Someone who considers helping the people around him on a daily basis to be a high priority in his life.  There are people who do this because it is important to them.  It fulfills a need in their soul.  They have no ulterior motive OTHER THAN fulfilling the need to be helpful.  Yes, it can make this sort of person, even in real life, seem a bit flat.  Why?  Because they have no hidden agenda, they're not seeking advantage or status.  They're really just there to help.  And this is the kind of person Jim is.

You point to his "push" to make the group do something, but that's a misreading of what was written.  We never saw the conversation that happened after his question, but his question was, "what does this group do?"  If the answer to that question had come back as "we go rock-climbing on weekends", that would probably have been fine with Jim.  But with the addition of Jim and Jen, you had a group of seven people, all meeting in a secret club house that no one else was to know about.  The "what do we do?" question is common sense.  Socializing with each other really does not require a meeting place.  Certainly not a secret one.

I would also take issue with your characterization of Jim and Luke as "best friends".  If they were best friends, why wasn't Jim trying to console Luke over the breakup?  In fact, did you read a single scene, throughout the entire book, where they had a one-on-one conversation?  The truth is that, from what we see in the story, Jim and Luke never socialized outside of the group setting.  I don't know as you would even call them "good" friends.  They were friends.  They were part of the same group/team.  They shared a secret about each other.  Nothing about this would form a particularly tight bond between them.  Luke's best friend in the group was Akira.  Jim's best friend in the group was Claire.  (I'm leaving out their "most significant others" as best friends.)

Now, on to Lori: your assertion that she never even mentioned Claire to Luke is utter bullshit.  I quote:

Justice Seven, Chapter 11 wrote:

...
    Lori nodded.  "I need to tell you that there's another girl that I've been sleeping with."
    "Oh?  Who?"
    "Claire."
    "Claire... our Claire?  When did that happen?"
    "I asked her...

This happened in the conversation where they were discussing, for the final time, having an open relationship.  Point is, Lori was merely waiting for an appropriate moment to tell him about it.  She had no intention of hiding it from him indefinitely.  And she DID tell him about it, BEFORE he revealed (entirely accidentally, remind you) his relationship with his mother.

Luke, on the other hand, clearly had no intention of ever telling Claire about his mother.  He intended to keep this piece of information from his partner.  THIS IS THE TRUE BETRAYAL IN THIS RELATIONSHIP.  This was the only betrayal of trust that occurred.  I will explain in a moment why the whole Lori/Jim thing was not a betrayal.  Lori was angry not only because Luke had slept with another woman, but because he had done so with the intent of keeping it secret.  Knowing this, how could Lori have ever believed that she was the most important girl in his life?  She would never again be able to believe his answer to "do you have any other sex partners?"  And if he was going to lie about this, what else might he keep from her?  She delayed giving information, but he had the intent of completely denying information.  On this basis alone, she should have dumped him: he was no longer trustworthy.

Now, on to Lori and Jim:  Your reactions here are clearly driven by your past experience.  Now, I, too, have been cheated on.  I have never cheated on a partner, but there was no cheating in the Lori/Jim relationship, so...  On the other hand, there was a period in 2009 where Keeshaba and I were not together, and during that time, she had another relationship.  This is analogous to Lori sleeping with Jim.

Did Keeshaba betray me by sleeping with someone else?  No, she did not.  The very MINUTE that our relationship was dissolved, I had exactly zero right to control what she did sexually.  I knew the guy she had a relationship with.  Does that change anything?  NO, IT DOES NOT.  That you think it does speaks very poorly of you.  You don't own your partners for life.  If they leave you, or you leave them, then they are no longer yours.  They can do whatever the fuck they want.  Sleeping with your BROTHER is not a betrayal of YOU, because they no longer have any commitments to you to betray.

And, of course, this overlooks the obvious point in the story that Jim and Lori did not go looking for a sexual relationship.  It was not, as you put it, "lori [sic] giving luke [sic] an ultimatum from a place of dishonesty, and then goign [sic] straight for the best friend luke [sic] seems to have and sleeping with him."  There was never an intent for a relationship, until the relationship was upon them.  It happened, as many things in life just kind of happen.  Could they have stopped themselves, in that moment?  I highly doubt it.  They're teenagers, with raging hormones and an emotional connection already established through their friendship.  The chances of these two, at that moment, saying, "No, we shouldn't do this," was nearly zero.

Once that line had been crossed, there was little point in trying to go back across it.  Any damage that might be done, had already been done.  So, why deny themselves the comfort and closeness that relationship afforded them?  Of course, I can hear your answer already:  "Because it hurts Luke for them to continue!"  You seem so focused on exactly how Lori and Jim were "making Luke feel bad"... but Luke started the situation, and he drove the situation to its conclusion.  Luke was the one who was deceitful in intent.  Luke was the controlling one.  Luke is the very LAST person whose feelings should be considered in this situation.  You don't let the criminal determine the punishment for his crime.

Keep in mind, as well, that the hurt Luke felt over Lori and Jim being together was his own doing.  They did not tell him, nor did they have any intention of telling him, about their relationship.  He dug into their minds, stealing that information.  He suffered the consequences of his own actions.  Again.  You can try to talk about how this is deceitful on their part, but again, neither of them had any obligation to tell Luke shit: Luke is not the center of the universe.  Their "deceit" at this point was actually intended to spare his feelings.

It amazes me that people think that relationships impart permanent obligations, even once the relationships are over.  Consider what you're saying:  You are saying, blatantly, that your discomfort, emotionally, is more important than TWO other people's happiness.  Talk about selfish, arrogant, egotistical, entitled behavior.

And, by the way, you have just made the writing of The STRAIN Chronicles statistically more likely to happen.

Eric Storm

PS:  I have quoted your entire message below for the entire purpose of preventing you from deleting your comments.  Too many times I've had people delete their original comments after I respond.  I'm not letting you do that.


JackTempest2 wrote:

i got to say. i have read most of this thread and might have missed a few things, right after finishign reading justice seven. i have to say. while luke might have been " amoral" given he was a hacker.  it still felt as if he was more of a "Real " person compared to jim. yes. jim has anger management issues when it comes to abusine his TK.  luke got violent for feeling betrayed by lori and jim, his girlfriend and best friend. most young men Will react that way. heck jim beat up a guy before anything for calling his sister a bitch. another perfectly normal reaction. but jim always seemed mroe flat and almost one dimensional to me than anyone else.  i didn't like him. and as for the whole debate about the group not doing anything untill jim asked what they did. they actually did what they set out to do. socialized and talked. luke and lori set out to  create a network of people with powers to socialize with so they didn't feel alone about it anymore.  and that's what the group did until jim's prompting.  as for lori. she knew he slept with zoe. ok it was wrong but she had to some extent accepted that, by default as par of being with luke.  the fact she never mentioend she was sleeping with claire. seems worse to me.  luke might not have intended to tell her about sleeping with his mom either, but he Did. she never said a word about claire far as i could read. or i might have drowned it out if she did. i will go back and check.
lori giving luke an ultimatum from a place of dishonesty, and then goign straight for the best friend luke seems to have and sleeping with him. makes both lori And jim very bad people in my eyes.
to give a little background tot hat statement. i have been both cheater and cheated on. and i can tell you. both of those feelings are horrible. but to me. te worst feeling is actually being the cheater.  i am not proud of it but i admit my fault here. neither lori nor jim seems to have any problem with the repercussions because they employ the mentality of five-year olds in that respect " i want so i get. fuck everyone else. because they don't have the right to get hurt by my actions"
uke is no saint. but he turned out to be a hell of a lot better person than the group that he ended up being driven out from. and shade's betrayal didn't make thigns better. granted. luke could have phrased it better. if he had been a grown up with a more mature aspect on thigns and didn't still feel betrayed quite obviously by jim in particular. he coudn't have Asked shade to stay away form jim. because he was still too emotionally raw on that front. to do so. and because he didn't have the emotional maturity to do so. the fact shade literally comes out and says " i wan't to do this, because someone told me it would not be ok with them" is in my eyes a betrayal. i am sorry eric. but to me. this is the worst of yoru stories i have read so far. sadly unimpressed and dissatisfied with this piece of writing. unfortunately. i don't think you could make me happy with a continuation fo this story in the future. without making solutions seem trite and contrived.
please let this universe die silently and unmourned.

high regards.
Jacktempest.


Please Remember:  The right to Freedom of Speech does not carry the proviso, "As long as it doesn't upset anyone."  The US Constitution does not grant you the right to not be offended.  If you don't like what someone's saying... IGNORE THEM.
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#140 2019-07-11 20:11:01

Pudding5
Inebriated
From: New York, New York
Registered: 2013-02-18
Posts: 26

Re: Justice Seven

Well at least we might get STRAIN. 
Sorry that your mood got ruined though.

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#141 2019-07-11 21:57:31

Elessar
Completely Blotto
Registered: 2009-10-28
Posts: 396

Re: Justice Seven

Well, I have to say, even with all my stupid stuff, I don’t think I have pissed Eric off enough to write this much stuff or ruin his mood. However.. I have a hopeful remedy for this.
https://media1.tenor.com/images/a7a9a5811f6618e275e0dbfe59e72b0e/tenor.gif?itemid=5502387

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#142 2019-07-12 13:45:23

JackTempest2
Tipsy
Registered: 2019-06-15
Posts: 2

Re: Justice Seven

i stand corrected, and apologize. on and for all counts.

JackTempest.

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#143 2022-06-22 18:31:58

daves.not.here
Inebriated
From: South Florida
Registered: 2007-06-15
Posts: 36

Re: Justice Seven

I just read both Paladin and Justice 7.  These are both great stories!  I'd love to see a continuation of Justice 7;  "Justice 7: The Next Generation"...?  LOL
Also, the case of Asian slavery was never resolved, unless I somehow missed it?
Thanks,
Dave

(posted from Episode 20: Conclusions)

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#144 2022-06-23 01:33:55

Eric Storm
Pub Owner
From: New Port Richey, FL
Registered: 2006-09-12
Posts: 5742
Website

Re: Justice Seven

The follow-on story to Justice Seven, should it ever be written, would be called The STRAIN Chronicles.  There's not a huge chance this will happen, though I do have some ideas for it.

As to "The Case of the Purloined Players", the case was turned over to Paladin for further investigation.  Since Paladin became an abandoned story, the case obviously did not get resolved.

Eric Storm


Please Remember:  The right to Freedom of Speech does not carry the proviso, "As long as it doesn't upset anyone."  The US Constitution does not grant you the right to not be offended.  If you don't like what someone's saying... IGNORE THEM.
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