|
Post by The Producers on Apr 13, 2020 14:47:25 GMT
You arrived yesterday and met all of your suite mates. Today is your first day of dates! This morning your phones were all taken from you and will be returned either when you go home or at the start of stage 3! No social media, no contact with the outside world, just a chance for you to focus on your connections with other people here. (You were told this would be the case when you first signed up to be a participant)
The first round of dates will be relatively quick. You'll get a chance to meet all the ladies/gents. The first dates will last about 10-20 minutes (IC) and the purpose is a short little getting to know you.
Here are some topics you might consider talking about (though it's TOTALLY up to you):
General lifestyle (partier/works a lot/spends most time at home alone)
Occupation
Hopes for this event/what you're looking for in a spouse
Hobbies/Passions
RULES
- Remember to keep physical descriptions out of your conversations.
- Each person gets only 10 posts in this thread!
- Posts are limited to 150 words! The idea is to give your characters a little taste but leave them wanting MORE!
Will you start to make a connection today? Let's find out!
This date is for River Hughes & Hugh Pennington!
You enter the pods, one person on each side in a soundproofed room. This allows you to feel totally secluded and private from the other participants who may be near you. This is your chance to get a feel for the women/men who are here and who you might be interested in continuing to get to know!
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 13, 2020 17:06:59 GMT
Penn entered the room and walked over to the wall, knocking on the center divider softly. "This is so...weird, isn't it?" He said with a quiet nervous laugh. "I'm Hugh Pennington, but I just go by Penn." He told whoever was on the other side of the wall, assuming he wasn't talking to himself. River Hughes |
|
|
Post by River Hughes on Apr 13, 2020 20:39:23 GMT
River squeaked slightly in surprise at the knock on the smoky glass.
"Hi, Penn," she replied in a nervous Alto. "I'm River Hughes. It's definitely weird, but um, it's nice to meet you. Do you have a favorite book?"
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 14, 2020 0:49:57 GMT
"Oh I'm sorry!" Penn said with a guilty laugh. "I didn't mean to startle you." He apologized.
He chuckled softly as she introduced herself. "My first name is in your last name, funny." he said. "It's nice to meet you too River. Ya, I do, I read a lot of horror actually. I love anything by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. They're brilliant. You a big reader?" he asked, assuming so based on it being her first question.
|
|
|
Post by River Hughes on Apr 14, 2020 2:59:45 GMT
"Mhm, definitely! I'm a librarian, so it comes with the territory, I suppose. I haven't read those books, though! Do you have one you'd recommend? I like horror once in a while, but I have a hard time with gory stuff. It just makes me squirmy, and not in a good way. I like thrillers though, and ghost stories are good too... Actually, I'll read just about anything once." She laughed gently. "I really love big sweeping epics that cover a lot of territory. So, I love the Odyssey, probably more than anything, but I'll read pretty much any greek mythology, and I loved Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter..."
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 14, 2020 17:46:56 GMT
"Oh man, it's so hard to pick a favorite. The Pendergast series is awesome, which is the majority of the books they write together. 'Still Life with Crows' was amazing! I don't recall how gory it was actually, it's not the gore I remember, it definitely has more of a thriller slash ghost story vibe to it. Still gives me goosebumps, man that one was good." He chuckled. "Sorry got off on a little tangent there." He said.
"Oh ya! Who doesn't like Harry Potter?!" He said enthusiastically! "So what house are you in? I'd guess...Ravenclaw?" He asked.
|
|
|
Post by River Hughes on Apr 14, 2020 23:01:04 GMT
Huh, Penderghast sounds familiar...I'll have to check it out from the library," she joked. But no, never apologize for getting excited about something. I love when people get all passionate about the things they enjoy--especially books!" She giggled about the Hogwarts house. "You'd think so, huh? But nope, I'm totally a Hufflepuff. I'm just too squishy and nice to be anything else. Oh, and loyal to a fault. What about you? You seem like a Ravenclaw to me too, a little bit, since you got all excited about that series. But maybe I need more time...or a sorting hat."
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 15, 2020 18:34:24 GMT
Penn laughed. "A sorting hat would definitely clear things up, I'm actually a Hufflepuff too believe it or not. Go badgers and supporting the underdogs." He said with chuckle.
"Okay, so if you could live in the world of any book, where would you live and why?"
|
|
|
Post by River Hughes on Apr 15, 2020 23:58:24 GMT
"Okay, we're breaking out the tough questions, huh? Well, I think I'd actually choose The Paper Magician. The magic is really interesting, each person has to choose a material to specialize in, and you apprentice with a master so they can train you on the magic, a bit like a magic internship. It's a really lovely community, and the magic is very playful and fun. There's a criminal gang who also uses magic, so it's not perfect, but I think it would be a fun place to live. Oh, and the magic is very open, unlike Harry Potter's world, which is part of why it beats out that world for me. We could very well live in the same world as Harry Potter, but I'm awfully boring so I wouldn't know, anyway."
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 16, 2020 0:25:06 GMT
"Hey, they do say that if you were born between between 1985 and 1998 then you never received your Hogwarts letter because He Who Must Not Be Named had destroyed the ministry archives of muggleborns. So maybe we are magic and just don't know it." He said with a laugh.
"Okay, I've never read that but it sounds cool, so what material would you specialize in?" He asked.
|
|
|
Post by River Hughes on Apr 16, 2020 1:12:23 GMT
River giggled. "I dunno, I think we'd notice if we were speaking to snakes and inflating mean old aunts.
But anyway, I really liked the glass magicians! They could mold the glass into all kinds of beautiful shapes,and they could also use mirrors to kind of like, video call each other? And if I remember right, a strong one could even let you go through a mirror to wherever you'd been looking. It's been a while since I read the series, so I'm not one-hundred percent sure. But there were also metal magicians who made machinery and guns, and fabric magicians who made clothes, and then obviously the paper magician whose magic was all origami but it could come to life, and the paper planes really flew on their own... She trailed off. "Maybe I got a little carried away. But what about you? What world would you pick?"
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 16, 2020 1:30:58 GMT
"Hey now, don't stomp on my dreams." he said jokingly.
"Wow, that sounds really interesting, definitely a unique way to do magic that I haven't seen before." He said. "And I like hearing you talk, it's fun when people get really into the topic." he told her. "Let's see...Lord of the Rings crossed my mind, but the orcs sound pretty terrifying." He said with a little laugh. "Star Wars would be awesome, potentially also frightening, but could be pretty dang cool. Um...we're definitely already living in Harry Potter world so that doesn't count..." He joked again.
"Or maybe something futuristic like Blade Runner...but now I'm getting into movies, so maybe that's cheating. I guess Star Wars was technically more movie too." He laughed.
|
|
|
Post by River Hughes on Apr 16, 2020 3:34:39 GMT
River laughed with him at his comments about the orcs, and about already being in Harry Potter.
"Ooh, actually, Blade Runner was based on a book! It's called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and honestly it's a lot more depressing than the movie, and a lot more obviously a critique of capitalism. It's interesting though, and I enjoyed reading it, but it doesn't have the same...dreamlike? feeling as the movie." She hesitated and laughed.
"See, now it's a good thing you liked listening to me talk because when I get going I can ramble forever. I hope that was interesting, at least! It's funny, though, I think I've talked more about myself today than I usually do in a month. I tend to freeze up when I'm talking to people I like in person, because I feel like I'm going to say the wrong thing..."
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 16, 2020 3:40:54 GMT
"It was actually very interesting." he said with a clear smile in his voice. "I had no idea that was a book, and now I'm curious enough to pick it up and read it. You're an excellent librarian and a skilled storyteller with a voice that's more than pleasant to listen to." He told her honestly. "I can see how much you must love your job and the books you get to be around all day."
|
|
|
Post by River Hughes on Apr 17, 2020 2:03:12 GMT
"Ah!" River squeaked.
She was silent for a long moment.
"Sorry I am stupidly easily flustered I just can't even..." She took a deep breath. "Ok! I'm fine. I really do love my job! And books...maybe more than a sane person does? I've always loved being able to live a bunch of different lives and also learn more about myself and the world around me through fiction. It's amazing. And I still firmly believe that people who don't like reading maybe just haven't found the right book for them. There are so many amazing writers in the world. I won't bully you into it, but if you ever need a recommendation, I'm your girl!"
"Anyway, what about you, Penn? What kind of work do you do? Are you as obsessed as I am with books?"
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 17, 2020 18:12:33 GMT
There was soft chuckle from Penn's side of the pod. "Don't be sorry, it's cute." He told her.
"I don't think I quite meet your level of obsession but I do enjoy books. I'm a software developer. Right now I manage my own team at the company I work for, we are mostly working on games at the moment. I do a lot of coding and technically stuff, while the writers do all the story telling." he explained.
"Um, what else. I have two little dogs, Luke and Han. I'm into video games and somehow don't get burned out after working on them during the day. I like taking long walks on the beach..." He joked. "No, I do like taking walks and playing things like Frisbee golf or tennis but I don't venture to the beach on a regular basis. Too many birds."
|
|
|
Post by River Hughes on Apr 18, 2020 3:17:17 GMT
"Oh wow! I can hardly wrap my head around that kind of tech stuff, but it's really amazing. I'd love to see what you've worked on. Also, I love the dog names. My Dad is a huge Starwars buff, he even reads all the novels and stuff. I'm not quite as into it, but I have seen the new movies and stuff. I think I'm with you on the beach! I like to sit on a beach blanket and read in the sun, sometimes, but I'm usually there because a colleague talked me into it or something. She laughed.
"And, fair warning, the only sport I can even kind of play is badminton, and I kind of ignore most rules and just mess around. So, um, not really the competitive type." She giggled. "If you needed a tennis partner I would try, but I make no guarantees of my success."
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 18, 2020 17:50:21 GMT
"Honestly, I'm not the most athletic type. The only sort of exercise I do is in the form of those types of less 'hands on' games, and walking my dogs." He said with a little laugh. "So definitely don't worry about that, I'm not gonna toss ya into a world of sports and fitness." He added.
"I guess we're getting close to the end, what about...past relationships? What does that look like for you?" He asked. "I've been in one serious relationship, we were together for... almost two years. Then during the year I was working on finishing my Masters Degree she cheated on me, I guess she felt I wasn't giving her the attention she needed while I was studying. She ended up marrying that guy. I haven't dated much since to be honest."
|
|
|
Post by River Hughes on Apr 19, 2020 3:36:47 GMT
"First of all, that's terrible! I can't even imagine. My dating history is....well, short. I've been on several first dates and only a handful of second ones recently. Um... my longest relationship was in college. When I got back my graded final for my philosophy class, the professor had written a note on it asking me out. He was pretty young, he had only just finished his doctorate, and we dated for about six months. When he tried to make it um...intimate...and I wasn't comfortable with it but he wouldn't let it go, that's when I broke things off. Not my best moment." She confessed.
"Looking back I realize it was stupid, but at the time it felt really nice to get the attention, and to have someone who actually listened to what I thought and felt."
|
|
34Age
311Posts
Software Developer
|
Post by Hugh Pennington on Apr 19, 2020 12:33:19 GMT
"I don't think it's stupid. I think everyone has moments in their lives that they wish they could take back but without those moments we wouldn't be the people we are today. And I think the person you are today, from what I've seen away, is pretty awesome. It's been really awesome getting to know you, River. I hope we can do it again soon." Penn told her.
|
|
o
c
i
a
l
h
u
b