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W.a.r. By Jeff Wilson (Jkwsquirrel)


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Ok so I still wish him ill but I do feel bad for Joey.  I can see where he’s coming from.  Jack is certainly not winning any father of the year awards and always being told you’re not good enough and being compared to your archnemsis has got to suck.  In Joey’s place I’d have have it out for Billy too - in that regard we’re kind of similar.  I have something of a spiteful streak myself.  Still, he seems to realize Billy’s here to stay judging from his apology.  I liked how his clarification called back to our discussion regarding “true apologies” and admission of wrong doing on this board.

 

Would have been satisfying to see Billy unload on Joey though - one of the times that no one could fault him.  It feels like seeing the resemblance to Brett made him hesitate - couldn’t help but shake my head there.  Go for the throat!  Especially when Joey complained how Billy didn’t care - I mean come on man, why should he care about you?

 

Bloody hell, each chapter gets me nervous - which means, Mr. Squirrel, you’re doing your job haha

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7 hours ago, jkwsquirrel said:

In fact, Joey may have been the one who put the idea in Brett's head that pot might help his ADHD

I seem to recall Joey bragging about it during one of his arguments with Billy.

 

7 hours ago, jkwsquirrel said:

The question is, does Brett know that Billy knows?

Billy indirectly admitted to knowing in the previous chapter, and I still think Brett picked up on that and remembers it.

 

Sometimes I wonder if one of the reasons Billy hesitated and took the bribe was because Joey was there and Billy didn't want to break up his family in front of him.  He doesn't know about Joey's home life at that point, so he probably thinks he's doing what's best for Joey.

 

I love all the nuance in this story and its characters.

Edited by Shadow086
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19 minutes ago, jkwsquirrel said:

The new chapter "The Kids Aren't Alright" is up.  It contains some of my favorite "Snarky Billy" insults of the whole series.  And we add another tally to the WAR Slap-O-Meter!  You should read it!

And a great new chapter it is.  And the three become two.  I guess the hardest part for Sarah to deal with is that everyone knows it’s true and the truth hurts. 

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14 minutes ago, glennish said:

I guess the hardest part for Sarah to deal with is that everyone knows it’s true and the truth hurts.

It would be fun to see her trying to deal with Stanford where everyone is incredibly smart and daddy’s influence can’t help her out of trouble! A large percentage of Stanford’s students come from very wealthy families with a whole lot more money and influence than her family has. She’s in for a tremendously rude shock!  ;-)

Edited by Former Member
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2 hours ago, jkwsquirrel said:

The new chapter "The Kids Aren't Alright" is up.  It contains some of my favorite "Snarky Billy" insults of the whole series.  And we add another tally to the WAR Slap-O-Meter!  You should read it!

I think that was one of the best lines in the entire series.  It's such a 'Billy' thing to say.

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So, "The Kids Aren't Alright" - Definitely a breather chapter after the intensity of Brett's accident and the aftermath.  It was a lot of fun to mine the more comedic side of the boys.  Both Billy and Dustin are in rare form, Billy as the affronted seeker of justice, Dustin as the playful tormentor of his best friend.  You know, some parts of WAR go to some very dark places.  But through it all, it think it's the humor that is the true heart of the story and gives the characters their humanity.  Billy, for all his seriousness, bluster, and insecurity, has this sarcastic side that sees the ridiculousness of his situation.  Sometimes he's quicker with his tongue than with his brain.  Dustin has always had a bit of a cocky side to his personality.  He knows how good he is.  The ease with which he talks about the size of his unit or the number of his sexual conquests reveal a side you wouldn't expect from someone whose life sucked so bad for so long.  Even the way he subtly jabs at Brett about the way he kicked his ass so thoroughly reveals a playful cockiness.  And of course, Brett is always trying to make someone laugh, especially himself or Billy.  He sees getting Billy to laugh at something totally stupid as a crowning achievement.  He likes the low-brow toilet humor.  When he can get Billy to laugh rather than roll his eyes at his goofiness, that makes his day.  I don't think you could ever classify WAR as a comedy, but WAR definitely would be the same story without the humorous elements.

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The comedy is what makes it worthwhile for me.  There are so many stories with the same subject matter that are all serious and dark and dramatic, and these stories don't usually hold my interest for very long.  It's so emotionally draining to read a story where everything's going wrong and there isn't that small piece of positivity, it's not really entertaining for me.  But WAR isn't like that, and that's what I like about it.  It's not meant to be comedy, but sometimes the boys will find (or put) themselves in a comically ridiculous situation, and their reactions make them more human.  We've all said strange things and wondered why we said them, just like Billy did.  Sometimes life gives us these funny moments, and we just have to deal with it, and it's good to see that reflected in WAR.

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Welcome to the WAR Slap-O-Meter!  Every incident of one character hitting, slapping, or beating up another character:

 

Pre-WAR - Frank pushed Dustin down the steps, breaking his arm.

1-3 - Billy punched Brett playfully in the arm.                                                                 1-5 - The Black Eye Incident

2-3 - Brett punches Billy in the mouth                                                                              2-6 - Billy pokes Brett in the eye while wrestling

2-8 - Dustin throws Billy down face first into the snow                                                 2-8 - Dustin and Brett fight

3-2 - Amanda twists Dustin's arm behind his back                                                        3-3 - Carol Smith slaps Frank, a brawl ensues

3-5 - Carol slaps Dustin over Frosted Flakes                                                                   3-7 - Max roughs up Billy at school

3-8 - Joey fights Billy                                                                                                           3-8 - Amanda throws a lamp at Dustin

3-9 - George slaps Billy twice and roughs him up                                                          3-12 - Billy punches a mirror and breaks his hand

4-3 - Dustin pushes Billy against a wall at school                                                          4-3 - Dustin slams Billy into some lockers and threatens him

4-5 - Dustin kicks Billy's broken arm                                                                                 4-7 - Jenny slaps Brett for being a jerk

4-11 - Dustin hits Billy in the face with a basketball when Billy yells at Emily           5-3 - Joey assaults Billy in the bathroom at church

Offscreen - Frank brutalizes Dustin                                                                                 Offscreen - Brett throws his laptop at Jenny

5-6 - Joey pushes Billy into a wall in the restroom                                                        5-6 - Carol tries to murder Mike with computer equipment

5-6 - Carol slaps Brett                                                                                                         5-7 - George attacks a furnace with his cane

5-8 - Dustin destroys Brett                                                                                                 5-14 - Paula slaps Billy for accusing her of cheating on George

6-13 - Sarah slaps Billy, Billy schedules a trip to his behind for her.

 

Boy, there's been a lot of violence, but not so much in part 6.  Things kind of culminated with Dustin's vicious beat down of Brett. 

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11 minutes ago, jkwsquirrel said:

Welcome to the WAR Slap-O-Meter!  Every incident of one character hitting, slapping, or beating up another character:

Will the second edition be a WAR Verbal-Abuse-CounterRoundUp (with a much more clever title than WAR VAR)?  ;-)

Edited by Former Member
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26 minutes ago, Shadow086 said:

How about a WAR Snark-O-Meter, with every instance of a snarky comment made by one of the characters? :P

There's definitely not enough room for that!  (Billy alone would take up a full screen.)

Edited by jkwsquirrel
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Sometimes you just find the perfect description.  This is from tvtropes.org:

 

The Snark Knight

 

This character has a world-weary disdain for everyone, themselves included. They typically suffer from a healthy dose of Intelligence Equals Isolation, and are the type to stand aside at parties and quietly drink beer while making biting quips about the idiocy that surrounds them.

 

To the "herd followers" they deprecate, this makes them a mild Jerkass. The sympathetic see their antisocial behavior as a sort of personal crusade against idiocy. The Alpha Bitch and Jerk Jock are their mortal enemies. If they have any positive interaction with the Big Man on Campus, then they are also a Cool Loser, teaching him not to be a self-satisfied twit while he teaches them to be less haughty and smile a little.

 

The key element that differentiates the Snark Knight from a normal Deadpan Snarker, a Smug Snake, or a plain old jerkass is that the Snark Knight holds themselves to their own impossibly high standards. This means that they will throw barbs at themselves as often as they throw them at others, with the exact same level of vitriol. And because of these high standards, you can bet they won't be Easily Impressed.

 

Sometimes the Snark Knight ends up as a Sidekick or one third of a Power Trio with the main protagonist, providing the role of the cynical commentator and Meta Guy.

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3 minutes ago, jkwsquirrel said:

Sometimes you just find the perfect description.  This is from tvtropes.org:

 

The Snark Knight

 

This character has a world-weary disdain for everyone, themselves included. They typically suffer from a healthy dose of Intelligence Equals Isolation, and are the type to stand aside at parties and quietly drink beer while making biting quips about the idiocy that surrounds them.

 

To the "herd followers" they deprecate, this makes them a mild Jerkass. The sympathetic see their antisocial behavior as a sort of personal crusade against idiocy. The Alpha Bitch and Jerk Jock are their mortal enemies. If they have any positive interaction with the Big Man on Campus, then they are also a Cool Loser, teaching him not to be a self-satisfied twit while he teaches them to be less haughty and smile a little.

 

The key element that differentiates the Snark Knight from a normal Deadpan Snarker, a Smug Snake, or a plain old jerkass is that the Snark Knight holds themselves to their own impossibly high standards. This means that they will throw barbs at themselves as often as they throw them at others, with the exact same level of vitriol. And because of these high standards, you can bet they won't be Easily Impressed.

 

Sometimes the Snark Knight ends up as a Sidekick or one third of a Power Trio with the main protagonist, providing the role of the cynical commentator and Meta Guy.

Yep, that's Bobby Rush, alright! :P

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8 minutes ago, Shadow086 said:

Yep, that's Bobby Rush, alright! :P

Billy gets it honestly.  Nobody throws shade like Paula.

 

“You need to keep ice on that so the swelling will go down,” mom instructed. 

“Huh?” I asked.

“Your eye,” mom replied.

...

Finally, mom came outside and found us.  To my surprise, rather than scold us for sneaking out of our own party, she joined us on the porch and sat down next to dad.  She grabbed dad's cigarette, and to my shock rather than throw it away she took a puff!

“Whose idea was this again?” she asked.

...

“You used to be cool,” I sulked as I got in the passenger seat.

“We both know that’s a lie,” mom replied,

...

“Ow!  You’re hurting me!” Brett whined as Dr. Reilly grabbed him by the arm and forced him out of the room.  Brett had finally gotten his mom’s full attention.

“What did you do to them?” mom asked.

...

“Between the two of us, your mother’s going to have her hands full,” dad joked.

“Going to?” mom asked.  “Have you been around for the last few years?”  We all laughed.

...

“Boy, is he pissed,” I replied.  “His mom thinks he needs therapy.”

“After spending a week with you who can blame him?” mom joked.  I didn’t think it was very funny at that point.

...

“So you know, huh?”

“Oh please!  I’m your mother.  I’m not stupid."

...

“Well, I hate to tell you this, but dealing with your mother is just like…”

“Don’t even think about saying what I think you’re going to say!  I am nothing like my mother!”

Brett laughed again.  “Okay.  You’re right.  You’re nothing like your mom.  You don’t feel the need to win every little detail of every little argument at all.”

“I…  Shut up!” I replied.

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6 hours ago, jkwsquirrel said:

There's not enough space on the page to list them all!

 

5 hours ago, jkwsquirrel said:

There's definitely not enough room for that!  (Billy alone would take up a full screen.)

Because screen space is sooooooooo expensive!  ;-)

 

 

4 hours ago, jkwsquirrel said:

The key element that differentiates the Snark Knight from a normal Deadpan Snarker, a Smug Snake, or a plain old jerkass is that the Snark Knight holds themselves to their own impossibly high standards.

Well, I’m somewhere on that scale!  ;-)

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Consider the chapter as enjoyed by me! :D

 

Whenever Jeff starts responding to comments, it gets me thinking about a lot of things, so...

Wild theory time!

 

So now we know that George was smart, but had to drop out of school.  We also know that Paula gave up her social standing to marry him.  So...

What if Jack McKenzie was in love with Paula and couldn't get over her choosing a bum over a boy from a well-respected family, and that's why he doesn't like Billy.  Then he passed that on to his son Joey, who resents Billy the same way Jack resented George.  Then Jack turns around and sees Joey becoming more like George, and Billy becoming more like a respectable member of the community.  That's when Jack starts calling Joey a disappointment and a failure.

 

Obviously, I'm doing this for fun and it shouldn't be taken seriously, but I do think there could be a history between Jack's and Paula's families since they both were part of the same social circles.

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Oh, there's definitely some history between the Roberts and McKenzie families, or at least between the Cunningham and McKenzie families.  Jack kind of hinted at something in the Retaliation chapters "Enemy Territory" and "Fallout."  Jack has been around long enough to remember George's checkered past.  Funny thing about the two Bretts, think of the people who knew Brett McKenzie who would have no idea of the connection to Brett Reilly.  Paula, George, Emily's parents, Miss Winston probably taught both of them, anybody who was around Donora in the 70's and 80's would know what happened to Brett McKenzie.  Very few probably would ever make the connection that the Doctor who moved into town in the 90's had any connection to him, or that they became friends in New York.

 

And as a side note, I was afraid that I'd given away the whole game way back in "Fallout" when Jack was threatening Billy:

 

"I see the fear in your eyes, just thinking about what would happen if someone were to reveal what it is you do with your best friend when you’re all alone.  You think I’m not sympathetic, but I understand your pain more deeply than you could possibly imagine.  You see, I’ve seen what your particular kind of secret can do to a young mind.  I’ve seen the shame, the fear, the desperation that leads to destruction.  I watched it eat my brother alive, until he took his own life.  I don’t wish that kind of pain on anyone.  Billy, I’m not your enemy.  I just want you to do the right thing.  Not for me, but for your family, and for my son."

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Of course, I really did give the whole game away about Joey being Brett's brother way back in Cold Winter chapter 3, "Birthday Bowling Bash:"

 

Joey was born a few days after Brett and had taken over his role of shortest boy in our class since Brett had gone through his growth spurt.  With their brown hair and handsome Irish looks they actually looked a lot alike.  They could almost pass for brothers, if you didn’t know any better.  Of course, Joey had brown eyes and straight hair like his mom and Brett had blue eyes and his hair would get curly if it got too long like his mom.

 

And of course there was the infamous "Brett and Joey's dad had a conversation" comment.  But we've talked about that before. :*)

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2 hours ago, jkwsquirrel said:

 Funny thing about the two Bretts, think of the people who knew Brett McKenzie who would have no idea of the connection to Brett Reilly.  Paula, George, Emily's parents,

Did you just drop us another hint???  We have heard that George isn't stupid a few times in this last book.  Could this be something hidden in a coin collection possibly???

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5 minutes ago, glennish said:

Did you just drop us another hint???  We have heard that George isn't stupid a few times in this last book.  Could this be something hidden in a coin collection possibly???

That’s what I was thinking. A letter for each, or both boys. Since George loved Brett like a son. Spilling the beans.

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