Monday, August 5, 2013

Chapter 60: Take Me Home


"Something kind of bizarre happened with Julian the other day," Jilly starts, and Fergus immediately folds his arms over chest, suspicious.

"I'm listening," he says, when his cousin pauses, put off by his frown.

Jilly takes a deep breath, and carries on. Fergus isn't exactly being encouraging with his attitude about her new boyfriend, but who else can she go to with a problem of lost memories? "So, Julian has this tattoo on his back, and I asked him about what it meant. And it was almost like he didn't even know he had a tattoo. He couldn't tell me when he got it even. He said when he tried to remember, he only got glimpses, and they felt like another man's memories, like it wasn't him. Then he got this nasty migraine. He told me this has happened before, and he's seeing a doctor. But I thought maybe you could help. You know, find his lost memories."


Glimpses of memories that feel like they belong to someone else; that's Fergus' day to day reality. But Julian is no Hawksquill, he's a Landgraab. "I checked his memories the day I met him," Fergus tells her, "To make sure his story about being a distant cousin to the MorcuCorp Landgraabs was true."

"Do you know when he got his tattoo?" Jilly asks.

Fergus shakes his head, "I was looking mostly for his family connections and things that would either corroborate his story or expose it as a lie. I found nothing that stood out as unusual."

"Could you check again?" Jilly asks, "Look for the tattoo this time?"

"Of course, coz. But, I wish you'd think twice about seeing him. There's something just wrong about me having a Landgraab for a roommate. Even if he is what he says, MorcuCorp could somehow be using him..." Fergus' sentence drifts off as he considers the possibilities. It wouldn't be impossble for MorcuCorp to implant someone with a spy chip...

"I like him, Fergus," Jilly says, as though that's all that matters, "I wish you'd at least try to get to know him a little. Because he's going to be in my life for awhile. If he weren't a Landgraab, you'd probably already be friends by now."

Fergus snaps his attention back to his cousin, "But he is a Landgraab, Jilly," he says, "And there has to be a reason he's here."


Cosette always feels like she's stealing when she harvests vegetables from the free community gardens, but her need for organic, locally grown produce outweighs the twinges of her conscience and she comes here frequently to replenish the household's food supply, since the warehouse isn't the best place to grow her own. When Julian approaches, calling her name, she startles, almost expecting him to accuse her of thievery.

"I wanted to ask you," he begins, shifting his weight, "Did it bother you at all when a Landgraab answered your ad for a roommate?"

"Well, Niles and I don't like to judge people," Cosette says, brushing the dirt off her hands, "And we figured you probably weren't the CEO of MorcuCorp or anything creepy and nefarious like that. And at least you'd always be able to pay your rent. Why, are you saying we should have run background checks on you?" she ends with a laugh.

"I just don't understand why Fergus has such a chip on his shoulder about me," Julian tells her, "He's not even that political, as far as I can tell. Normally, I'd just get over it, but I'm dating his cousin..."

"Well, maybe that's it," Cosette suggests, "Could just be an over-protective impulse."

"Maybe," Julian says doubtfully. But Fergus was on him before he'd ever met Jilly, and he doesn't seem all the protective of her, since he had to twist his arm to get him to call her the day she she didn't show up for class. But Cosette obviously doesn't have the answers he's looking for, so Julian lets her get back to her gardening.


Fergus comes up behind Julian while he's browsing the bookshelf in the warehouse's study area, placing his hand on is shoulder where Jilly said his tattoo was, making direct contact with the object whose memory he wants to find. At least, as close to direct contact as he's likely to get, since Fergus won't go as far as to ask Julian to take his shirt off for him.

People have so many memories, sifting through them all to find one specific moment in their lives can take days. Fergus focuses on the tattoo, looking for its moment of creation, the day it was inked into Julian's skin. He looks, and he finds nothing. 


Fergus' hand snaps back when Julian turns to face him.

"Hey, Fergus. What's up?" Julian asks, his smile a little forced. He's obviously trying, for Jilly's sake, to deal with this situation. 

"Hey, well, Tasha and I are going bowling this evening. I thought maybe you and Jilly would join us?" Fergus stumbles over an invitation.  Hostility is not in his nature, and Fergus is working on a way to keep his guard up without being so obvious about it.

"That would be great," Julian enthuses, smiling a little too hard, not ready to trust that this sudden invitation is actually a gesture of friendship.


"You hired a couple of catalog models to accompany us?" Tasha whispers, taking Fergus' hand as the two couples walk to the bowling alley together.

Tasha has a sarcastic streak that can be hard to read, but Fergus has learned to tell when she's joking, and plays along, "I thought if we hung out with them, our chances of getting our picture in the yearbook would go up," he whispers back.

"Do you think he was grown in a lab?" Tasha leans in closer, conspiratorial, "He's a little too perfect. It's kind of creepy."

She is joking, of course, but that's pretty much exactly the sort of thing Fergus is worried about.


"I get the feeling I was invited along to be observed," Julian whispers to Jillyan.

"You're probably right," Jilly admits.

"Well, at least it's a step up from the cold shoulder," Julian laughs, "Maybe by the time our fifth child is born he'll get used to me."

"I'm not having five kids," Jilly slaps his arm playfully.

"I don't really want five kids, either," Julian whispers in her ear, "But if that's what it takes to get your cousin to lighten up..."

Jilly laughs, "If it takes five kids, then the two of you can just agree to disagree, or whatever. Because it's not happening."

"As long as you're on my side," Julian gives her hand a squeeze.


The double date goes well enough, despite the strained efforts both Julian and Fergus make to ignore the uneasiness of their situation.


After they bowl a couple of sets, Tasha and Julian get sent off to buy snacks while the cousins have a quick conference.


"I got no memory at all from his tattoo," Fergus informs Jillyan.

"But it's there," Jilly say, "How could there be no memory of it?"

Fergus shrugs, "I really don't know. It is possible that I just haven't been able to locate it," he ays, though really, the direct contact with it should have brought him right to the memory he was looking for, "I only had a second to look for it. I've got the memories in my head, though, and I can sort through them later to see if I missed anything. You said he has other gaps in his memory, too?"

Jilly nods, "That's what he told me. That he'll get these, like, fragmentary memories that feel like they belong to someone else. And that if he tries to focus on them, he gets a migraine. Maybe he's remembering a past life?"

"But he has the tattoo now. Even if he past life thing were possible," which Fergus highly doubts, "Any missing memories of his tattoo would have to be from this life. And probably recent, unless he got inked as child."


After bowling, the two couples split up and go their own way. Julian and Jillyan decide to stop at Club Coral for a bit of shrimp and a little dancing before calling it a night.


"I'm glad we did that," Jilly says as they sit down with their shrimp cocktail, "Fergus and I grew up in the same house, you know. We've always been close. And I'd really like for the two of you to be friends, if you and I are going to be together."

"We are going to be together, Jilly," Julian says, "And I'd love it if Fergus could get on board with that. Why is he so against me? What have the Landgraabs ever done to him that my having the name could put him off so much?"

"Well," Jilly says, pausing to think before she answers, "The fact that  you don't know my family's history with yours is probably a good sign."

"And you don't trust me enough to tell me," Julian finishes.

"It's not that I don't trust you..." Jilly protests, "It's not my secret to tell."

"It's okay, Jill," Julian says, "I don't want to press you for it. It's just frustrating that this has to be between us."

"It's not between us," Jilly insists, "I'm not letting Fergus' concerns get in my way."


During a slow song, the couple dances a few steps, arms around each other, moving slower and slower until their dance becomes an embrace and the music is forgotten.

"Take me home," she whispers, caressing his cheek.

"So soon?" he answers, hating for the night to end before morning.


"Take me home and stay with me," Jilly clarifies.

"Are you asking me to stay the night?"

"I'm not really asking, Julian," she answers, brushing her lips against his.


Up in her bedroom, he lifts her easily, holding her up against with one hand while the other braces against the wall, her legs wrapped around him, grinding as she pulls him close for a deep passionate kiss.


Between kisses, they begin undressing each other as they stumble onto her bed.


It's not until he's inside her that he realizes it's her first time. It's so like her not tell him something like that, he thinks, she's fears nothing except appearing inexperienced. Memories intrude on him then, flashes of women he's sure he's never met, let alone made love to, yet there they are in his mind, breasts, legs, lips, some of them mouthing a name, not his name.

"Julian," Jilly moans, bringing him back to this moment, where he belongs. There is no other girl in the world except this one. He looks into her eyes as he moves gently inside her, watching her bite her lip, enduring the pain as she takes pleasure in his caresses. 


The effort of shutting out the intrusive memories leave his head throbbing. Julian wraps his arm around her, holding her close, hoping that sleep will bring him relief. 

She draws a ragged breath, whimpering a little. "I'm okay," she whispers defensively, trying to hide her tears.

Julian squeezes her tightly against him and kisses her neck. "I love you," he whispers.

"I think...I think I love you, too," she whispers back, her voice catching on a sob.

"I'll have to work harder, then," he answers, laughing just a little. She's not an easy girl to get to, but she's more than worth the extra effort.




Morning dawns almost as dark as night, bringing a heavy rain.


"I hate rain," Jillyan pouts, leaning against Julian's chest, watching the downpour from her bedroom window. "I hate being trapped inside. I feel caged."

"I'm sure we can think of something to do inside," Julian murmurs, caressing her.

"Let's get out of here. We can go to Isla Paradiso. I bet it's sunny there."

"Today?"

"Right now. We'll take a little vacation together. It will be fun," Jilly insists brightly.

"What about class tomorrow?" Julian ask.

"Ugh, class. I can't believed I signed up for more school. Like high school wasn't enough of sitting around being bored. Let's blow it off for a week and get out of here."

"I'm supposed to be here for my education," Julian laughs at her attitude.

"Life is an education. C'mon, Julian, I want to go. And I'd rather you come with me than just going off by myself."

"Love sacrifices all in its name," Julian answers with a laugh


"Hey, what's wrong?" Jilly asks when the sudden pain in his head rocks him.

He meant the words lightly, as a joke. A kind of stupid joke actually. But they stirred something inside him. The pain comes and goes in a flash, but it leaves a strange taste in his mouth as the words echo in his memory. "Nothing. I'm fine," he insists, "Let's go. I think a vacation together is a great idea."
________________________


Announcement:
I just added Elliot, Farrell, Shadow, Iola and Fergus to the Sims downloads page


Out Takes:


Yeah, that's not awkward.



Action shots of Jilly


Cosette has been like this since she and Niles got married. They also adopted a cat named Twink.


Julian is also a giant sap.


Preview of diving in Isla Paradiso. My first experience with diving was in Evansdale, and I was blown away by the difference in dive spots in IP. I mean, they are gorgeous here. Just, wow. 

31 comments:

  1. Why does Julian have to be a Landgraab? I like him and I'm sure there is something sinister going on here but I like him. I'm definitely leaning more and more into the He's-really-Geoffrey-and-that-fairy-did-something-to-him-and-he-doesn't-remember thing. In which case, I'd be very torn about liking him. Damn it cali.

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    1. Julian is a really likable, sweet guy. But, yeah, the Landgraab thing does make it hard to trust him. And there is certainly something sinister afoot.

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  2. The dive spots are really gorgeous in IP. I've only seen two of them, but both were seriously such pretty picture taking opportunities!

    D'awww. Cosette is so adorable. And Twink. Lol.

    As far as Julian goes, I'm with heaven. I like, but I still am hesitant to trust him - particularly because we aren't really sure what is going with him yet. I will admit that he and Jilly are friggin' cute together though. And I laughed at Tasha's remark about them. They are perfect. Those beautiful blondes.

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    1. Th dive spots in Evansdale are pretty lackluster in comparison. It's going to be hard for me to go back, lol. I've been looking for other worlds with dive spots for Jilly to travel to, too.

      Cosette is just gushing over Niles, I could barely get a sot of her where wasn't all sighing and thinking about him.

      I totally get being hesitant to trust Julian. There is obviously something going on with him. But he and Jilly do make such a great couple. A perfectly matched set of perfect blondes, lol.

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  3. Oh my, more mystery about Julian, especially that reaction when he said about love sacrificing all in it's name... I can't wait to find out what's going on with him and why he can't remember stuff!

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    1. Thanks, Ali! There's still a lot of mystery surrounding Julian, but it will come out eventually.

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    2. I have had an interesting thought - it would be a kind of poetic justice if Julian were to be Geoff having had his memories wiped and for him to then actually fall in love with Jilly, thus completing the red fairy's curse on him... It would also be highly entertaining to see him deal with the situation if he then regained his memories...

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    3. There is a fairy tale-like feel to that scenario, Ali, and you know how much I am drawn to fairy tales. Especially when there's an actual fairy curse involved.
      I'm looking forward to when Julian does finally get his memories back. That should be interesting.

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  4. Now, see... I trust 'Julian'. As in, I trust that everything he's said is true, and he really has no memory of his memories, but, I definately know there is something up. Hmm. We'll have to see how all the truth comes out, but I think heaven is onto something with that extra-long hyphenated word.

    I loled at Tasha asking about Jilly and 'Julian' being models. HAH! They really do look like model-types, although I think Fergus and Tasha make a cute couple too :) I hope it works out for them. I bet they'd make cute babies...

    Jilly and 'Julian' talking about babies and saying their 'I love you's very quickly! And I loved your little mention of Jilly not having 5 babies :p I'll be shocked if you've only rolled one or two, though, so my guess is on 4.

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    1. Thanks, Gem! I did try to convey that in this chapter by getting into Julian's head a little, that he is telling the truth as far as he knpws it, and anything nefarious going on with him is not his doing.

      I think Fergus & Tasha are cute too (and hopefully they will make cute babies. =D ), but they are more like 'real people'. Sometime I look at Jill and Julian and they look like a picture from a catalog, lol.

      I don't think the baby talk was very serious. Definitely not on Jill's part. Julian is quite serious about this relationship, and was right up declaring his love and pretty much assuming marriage and babies are inevitable. Jill just takes things day by day.

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  5. Remember how I was suspicious of Tasha before? That's gone. I love her! She's adorable and funny. I especially liked her model comment.

    I can't trust Julian (obviously), but I like him a lot. I hope his amnesia is all sorted out. Things are moving real fast between him and Jilly!

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    1. Yay, I'm glad you love Tasha. I actually invested her with a lot of my personality and sense of humor. =D

      Julian and Jilly are moving fast...She does what feels good to her, and right now being with him feels good. And he pretty much fell at first sight. I think they'r very sweet together, but obviously his amnesia is a big issue, as well as the mystery about his connection to MorcuCorp.

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  6. Everybody else may still have trust issues with Julian, but I say screw it he's too friggin' adorable. <3 I just hope whatever evil Landgraab plot he's unconsciously a part of doesn't end with him changing or dying. He's just about the perfect guy for Jilly, although perhaps a bit of a push-over. Hoping that their sudden, unplanned vacation snaps him out of whatever mind-rape he's been suffering through. I'm assuming if he skips his "doctor visits" he'll start remembering? Right? Lol please don't let him be evil.

    Still don't like Tasha. >_> Will probably never like Tasha. Too perfect for Fergus, therefore something has to be wrong with her. At least with Julian we can all very clearly see his problem.

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    1. =D
      Julian is a sweetheart, and a really good match for Jilly. He is a bit of a pushover, which is not common for a Landgraab. I don't think a vacation by itself is going to snap him out whatever is going on with him, but not seeing his doctor might have some unexpected consequences.

      Aw, you're still suspicious of Tasha? I think she and Fergus are good together.

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  7. "You hired a couple of catalog models to accompany us?" made me laugh out loud. XD

    I love Jilly and Julian's joking about five kids. She shares your sentiments about that!

    Wow, Jilly really is impulsive. Spur-of-the-moment trip to Isla Paradiso? And Julian goes along with it? I am starting to like him. He seems more a victim of his family than anything.

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    1. Yes, Jilly doesn't want 5 kids either. I did have a little fun with my sense of humor in this chapter.

      Jilly is super impulsive. And when faced with the choice of going with Jilly for a spur of the moment vacation or spending the week alone while she goes away for a week, he decided to go along with it. He's a Hopeless Romantic, which is the fatal flaw of more than a few of my Landgraabs.

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  8. Ok. When I read "it wouldn't be too difficult for MorcuCorp to implant someone with a spy chip" I nearly sprayed my screen. Poor Jack! Lol.

    Hmmmmm. Just what is going on with Julian. A tattoo he doesn't know how he got, other women, other names... What a laundry list to sort through in an attempt to figure him out.

    Tasha's quip about Jilly and Julian (was the alliteration of their names intentional?) made me snort. yup! Catalog models indeed. lol.

    Gracious. Jilly is really jumping in feet first with Julian isn't she? I hope something doesn't come out she regrets later on. She seems very impulsive, and very aware that she is that way, which is lots of fun to play with. Though I'm still dying to know what Fergus is going to do about Reinier.

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    1. I put in a lot of goofy jokey references to my own legacy in this chapter. Poor Jack, though, yeah. Shadow never thought beyond spititual type issues to consider a spy chip. Fergus would have.

      There is something about Julian. There are clues scattered about, here and there. ;)

      The alliteration was not intentional, believe it or not. The name Julian was chosen because it means 'youthful'. I was so intent on the name's meaning, I failed to remember how much it rhymed with Jillian. In fact, they are male and female forms of the same name. *slaps forehead* And yeah, as soon as I started writing this gen and saw Julian and Jillyan typed together, I laughed. But it does kind of fit with their whole perfectly matched set deal, so it works. I can just see a line of Jillyan and Julian fashion dolls...

      No regrets! Jilly has none. Well, I guess we'll see if she ever does. But her policy is very much to jump in and deal with whatever splashes up. And he is very fun to play with.

      Hmm, well, Reinier is dead...lol, I know, I know. Fergus and his deal are still part of this as well. I'm still working on how that's going to all pan out.

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  9. I agree, Fergus. It's just too convenient for MorcuCorp to NOT use him. It's a wonder they didn't brainwash him to think he has another name to throw Fergus off the scent.
    LOL about the 5 kids!
    A Brannon loses her virginity to a Landgraab. Interesting.
    That last thing Julian said sounds rather formal for him.... at least him as he is now. It's like he's programmed to be the exact personality type that Jillyan is.

    I need to play in Isla Paradiso. Maybe copy some dive lots if that's even possible.

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    1. Julian's face gives him away as a Landgraab, he's identical to both Reinier and Geoffrey except in hair and clothes. It would be even more suspicious if they tried to pass him off as anything but a Landgraab.
      Jilly definitely doesn't think in Brannon vs. Landgraab terms, to her he's just Julian.
      Those words really did seem to becoming from some other part of himself.

      Copying dive lots is possible, but placing them is something else. The water has to be deep enough, and according to sim gurus, most of their worlds don't have deep enough water. I have a remake of SV that has dive spots added, but that had to be done in CAW. I haven't seen any remakes of ST with dive spots, though. I'd love to have one, though,I'd like Jilly to travel there, and it would be extra awesome if she could dive there, too. I may have to create a few 'adventure' lots for ST for her her travels.
      IP is really pretty, I'll have tons of shots in my next chapter. But I don't think I'd want to play there all the time, it can be a pain to get around town. LOL, kind of like ST.

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  10. Poor Julian. There's definitely something sinister going on, but I get the idea that he's as much a victim in it as the intended target is.

    Jilly is such a flake, she's a lot like her mother in that respect. School? Who needs school? Let's go play in the ocean!

    The dive lot thing is really what I don't like about IP. The best things about that EP aren't easily transplantable to other neighborhoods, either forcing you to do heavy work in CAS or only play IP. Also, the world itself seems to be structured a lot like a vacation world, with the unlockable islands providing a one-time challenge. It's like IP is just WA part 2.

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    1. Only play IP's world* sorry, I need to learn to proofread before submitting.

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    2. I am the worst for typos, so no worries! Also IP can stand for the world in IP, too, Isla Paradiso, So it's all good. =D

      Yeah, Julian is certainly not behind any plots that may be brewing, and he does seem to be as much of victim of whatever is going on.

      Jilly is a flake, she will blow off school for play any time. Definitely like her mother, though her thrill seeking leans more toward risky sports like surfing and scuba than to being a delinquent and criminal like Delaney.

      I know! I've been on a spree downloading worlds with dive lots so that Jill isn't confined to the homeworld for hercareer, There will be some WA travel in there, too, but I really want to focus more on sending her to non-WA places, ideally places where she can dive.
      It does suck that so much IP gameplay is limited to their one world. And you are right, it does feel more like a WA travel location than an actual place to live.

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  11. First----yay! Downloads! Farrel. <3 Thank you, thank you, thank you! =)

    That close up pic of Jilly and Julian (where he's whispering about being under observation, which I find very ironic coming from a Landgraab, lol), that look he gives! O.o The Landgraab side of him is peeking through, lol

    Since Jilly and Julian are a *model* couple, (ha!), will they get one of those cutsie Hollywood couple names, like maybe JiJu? lol They could be narcissistic too, and name all their kids (assuming they have some together) with a name that starts with J. I can see it all now---Headline: IP's favorite couple JiJu announce the birth of their son, Johnny. Heeeeere's Johnny! Okay, I confess to reading the People magazine too much, lol :P

    Tasha is adorable, and she and Fergus make a cute pair. How funny that in joking around, she managed to put into words, the very fear that Fergus has!

    I daresay that Jilly does have some dragon in her, it fits with her impulsive nature, do first and worry about the consequences later style of living.

    I still have my pet theories about Julian/Geoff, (Total Recall w/Arnold anyone? lol) but those last few scenes he seemed almost melancholy. And the words that triggered the pain, "Love sacrifices all in its name", hmmm. *speculates some more*

    I can't wait to find out what happens next! =)

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    1. Hey---you snuck another chapter in! Yay, I have something to look forward to reading later on today! =)

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    2. I am sneaky with my ninja updates, lol.

      You're welcome, I hope you enjoy my Sims. =D

      Oh, gawd, JiJu, I love it. If I was doing gossip newspaper things like Gemma, I would so use that.

      I put a lot of little ironies in, with Julian mentioning being observed and pretty much everything Tasha said.

      Jilly does seem to have some of that dragon spirit in her. She definitely doesn't worry about consequences, she just jumps right in.

      You know, it's funny you mention Total Recall. That was based on a story by Phil Dick, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale. And I have been thinking about another movie based on a Dick story, Bladerunner, based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? while coming up with this plot. There is a lot of Dick themes about memory and identity running through this story, and Recall has that as well. So I'm happy it resonates with you that way, too. =D
      And yes, scifi nerd here, lol.

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    3. I never read the first book, *adds to list* , I loved the movie though! I have read the second book, which I absolutely loved, and the movie Bladerunner is one of my sci-fi favorites. I love those mind-bending plots, the twists and turns. Have you seen a movie called "The Thirteenth Floor" ? That has a neat twisty plot too. =)

      I'm a sci-fi nerd too, so I count myself in good company! =D

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    4. That's a short story by Dick, not a whole novel. But definitely worth reading. There are like 4 volumes of his collected short stories. Another one is Minority Report, which also had a movie based on it.
      Dick really de love to mess with his readers' minds, which is why I'm such a big fan.
      I love Bladerunner, that movie actually turned me on to Dick, I started reading him after I saw that. Another great movie based on one of his noc=vels is A Scanner Darkly. I think that one is my favorite adaptation.
      Anyway, yeah, I saw Thirteenth Floor. That was a good one. =D

      Yay, we are a scifi nerd convention!

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  12. I hope that Fergus thinks more about the tattoo and the memory/headache issue Julian has. It would be pretty sad if Julian is fighting his programming, I think he is programmed, but that would make sense on the headaches, unless it is like what Jack experienced when he was hijacked by the Landgraabs. I am not so sure being alone with Julian is a good idea. I have a bad feeling that Jillyan will be spilling family secrets.

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    1. The memory/headache issue is a really big clue about what is going on with Julian, for sure.

      Jilly is entirely guiless and, yes, prone to spilling the truth. She doesn't have a very strong filter.

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  13. Ugh, Julian's memory fragments really make me worried. Are they really his memories or what has he been going through? It's really weird with the tattoo as well. I hope Fergus can make sense of it before Jill gets in trouble.

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