Guardianbound wrote: ↑2 months ago
The disparity between votes and active comments is interesting. I'd encourage the 'YES' camp, of which I am a part of, to voice their opinions in the comments too!
@wataru14, maybe you should write a chapter where the TUG Brothers and the advisor debate this very topic. It'd be interesting to see where the various characters would stand on this.
There are times when breaking with tradition would be the appropriate thing to do, and I believe this is one of those cases. Travis needs help from TUG to escape DIX, but also needs a new family where he can feel truly welcome and included.
Finally, I don't think we should be thinking in terms of what benefits Travis brings to the table versus the cons. TUG proves that through tight bonds of brotherhood the sum can be greater than its parts. Extending a helping hand to those that require it is what matters here. Thinking transactionally is what DIX and Clay would be doing, our rope loving frat should be better than that
This is exactly my point. If they turn their back on Travis it would be very very out of character for them! Think of when ray joined.. he was somewhat violent. They accepted him.
Turning Travis away now when he needs someone would be very very out of character. Not to mention he saved them when the fire happened.
MAYBE have Travis turn into a vigilante- a heroic character? Maybe he’s the one that turns tugs away?
I guess I just don't conflate denying Travis a spot in TUG as turning him away. They can absolutely support and encourage Travis, welcome him as a friend and hang out with him, all without making him a new frat brother. The TUG brothers/pledges can easily be his support system without messing up the rules, traditions, and expectations of their fraternity.
Mason has a support system with the ROTC guys, and none of them are in the frat. Ray and Travis are seeing a support system develop amongst their acting situation, and none of those people are in the frat.
"We are going to help you. You have a temporary place to stay here. You saved us from the fire and we want to help/save you in return. You are good for Ray and he is good for you." All of these statements are true, and can exist alongside "We cannot offer you a place in TUG this year". Invite Travis to different events, help him get back on his feet, let him get to know everyone outside of the DIX/TUG rivalry, but he doesn't need to be a brother. Let Travis figure out who he is outside of his family's frat and legacy. Does he even want to be a frat member going forward?
@gag1195 precisely my thoughts! They can help him and support him, without opening up their brotherhood to him!
Lest we not forget, DIX is complicit in what could be termed attempted murder of a lot of TUG. Next to that, Travis' actions seem more like what any moral person would be obliged to do, not something exceptional. But in addition, taking in Travis, not only for support, but as part of the brotherhood would not only cause more strife between the two groups when things have just calmed down, but also involve having all the wronged parties forgive his involvement in either their potential deaths or the potential deaths of their friends. Any way you slice it, that's a big ask.
Travis is in a bad situation with no easy solutions. Staying with DIX will not be good. His brother is treating him abismally and none of the other DIX brothers seem to be offering support. Leaving DIX will not change his brother's attitude. It will likely make it worse. And his father will likely express his disappointment with Travis as well. Staying in DIX and being friendly with any TUG brothers will not be advantageous to the way he is being treated. He will need some support to keep him sane as he determines what he really needs to do.
I am not really understanding why offering Travis the opportunity to become a TUG brother would be an issue with TUG frat. The TUG brothers have shown they are very adept at uniting together to deal with adverse situations.
Not offering Travis a chance to join TUG because it would cause more strife with DIX seems cowardly. Not something I have noticed yet from the TUG frat.
It wasn’t allowed for someone to be admitted to visit the Freshman dorms before 6 am, but when that person is Hoss, most desk attendants suddenly find that the rules are more flexible than most people think. The overnight clerk was barely awake anyway, so when a 6’3” 220 pound man in size 16 work boots tromped in with a baseball-sized dip in his lip said he was there to collect five Freshmen, he didn’t feel the need to question it. Hoss nodded and headed down the hall. As he made his way to the stairs, he passed his old room from three years ago on the first floor.
Most of the Freshmen had taken down the decorations the Welcome Committee had put on their doors the day before move-in, but Braxton and Jaisyn had left the bright yellow Mario stars with their names on them up on the door. Hoss had torn his down before he even opened the door. He didn’t want his roommate to know his real first name. It was so embarrassing he never used it. He had been going by “Hoss” since kindergarten. He grew up watching Bonanza reruns and the name just seemed to fit him. And it’s a good thing he did that. His roommate was a Class-A prick, and that kind of ammunition would have been very bad in his hands. He still was a Class-A prick now. Even more so, actually. Bryan had put it in video game terms and said “His Jerkass Stat is Double-S-Rank.” Whatever that meant.
Hoss wasn’t exactly quiet as he traveled the corridor. It was hard for a man his size to tread lightly, after all. So all five of the TUG Freshmen heard him coming before he approached the common room. They were all in a semi-hiddle, sitting on the couches. Exactly where they had been since last evening when Ray had summoned them all for an “emergency meeting.” None had slept. They had managed to reach a consensus decision on a course of action, but as for how to move forward with implementing it… that was another story.
All five perked up when Hoss clomped into the room. He walked behind Nate and starting rubbing the young man’s shoulders with his gigantic hands from behind. “You boys all ready?” he asked, seeing their duffel bags piled up in the corner. “Y’all look like shit on a shoe.”
“Top o’ the marnin’ to ye, as well, me boyo,” Leo crowed. “We were so excited for this rousing week of bonding and debauchery that that none of us could sleep. We were actually planning our next D&D session if you’re interested in specifics. Brett said we could have a session at the retreat.”
Hoss’ face lit up. Growing up, he never thought in a million years he’d be sitting around a table rolling dice unless he was in Vegas or something. And the thought of playing a game involving math would have made him bust out laughing a mere six months ago. But when he saw just how into it Nate was, just had to give it a try. For his sake, at the very least. And no one was more surprised than he that he actually really enjoyed it.
“Awesome,” he said, continuing to rub Nate’s shoulders until he purred. “I can’t wait to hack that Roper into pieces.”
“Aw,” Leo cooed. “You make mama proud. And it looks like you’re gonna make Nate shoot off a fireball of his own if you don’t stop with the magic fingers, big guy.” Hoss never liked being called ‘Big Guy.’ He always felt like it was a thinly veiled insult to large men disguised as a complement. But from Leo was different. It wasn’t thinly veiled. He had seen many assholes in his time, but the fact that one could be endearing while doing it was something alien to him. But with Leo, it just worked somehow. Hoss gave Nate a pat on both shoulders after he stopped the massage.
“OK, Frosh, grab your bags,” Hoss rumbled, getting into character and using his ‘cop voice,’ as Shane called it. “We got a long ride ahead of us to the cabin. So get those candy asses in gear and get moving.” Ray smiled. Hoss sounded like the Major wrangling the teeming Flannery family together before a family vacation. He was the first one up. “Good hustle, blondie,” Hoss chuckled. “The rest of you should follow his example. Move it move it move it!” The other four groggy freshmen laboriously lifted themselves from the couches and collected their things. They fell into line behind Hoss and headed out to the porch of the dorms.
The sun had just started to rise and the orange rays from over the horizon made the party bus glow with its own corona. It was like a scene from a movie. “All we need is a soundtrack by Tangerine Dream,” Leo quipped. The other four Seniors stood on the sidewalk, next to the open luggage hold. Each held a small wrapped box. Scott handed Hoss his as the four Freshmen stowed their luggage.
“Aw, you got us presents?” Cody grinned. “You shouldn’t have. But thanks, that’s real nice of you.”
Nate picked up the joke. “Hannukah’s not for three more weeks, guys.”
Danny closed the luggage hatch. “This is just the first. There are three packages for you to open. It’s part of a road trip tradition of ours. Like a game to play during the drive.”
Brett nodded. “Each of you will take one box,” he said. “And it can’t be from your Big Bro. So choose wisely. And you’ll be stuck with your choice the whole trip. Remember, it’s a few hours’ drive.”
The initial laughter subsided quickly. “’Stuck with our choice of gift?’” Mason said. “There’s probably something horrible in there.”
“Of course there is,” Leo smirked. “If you thought it would be candy or something, you clearly haven’t been paying attention.” He made a fist and rubbed his knuckles up and down Mason’s mohawk. What was first just a teaching exercise had really grown on the little guy. It seemed to fit him now and felt like a natural part of him. “Well, I’m guessing each one was hand-picked by the Brother holding it, so…” Like a flash, Leo zipped over to Shane and snatched the box from his hands. It was light and made no noise as he jostled it around. “I’m going to take the Pageant Queen’s ‘gift.’ He seems to be the least sadistic out of this lot.”
Shane’s lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile, but he said nothing.
And with that the other four boys were off, jostling for position and grabbing at boxes. When everyone was done, Nate had Brett’s, Cody had Danny’s, Mason had Hoss’, and Ray had Scott’s.
“Now don’t open them,” Danny said. “That comes later. Now let’s all get on the bus.” The seniors began to herd the Freshmen up the stairs.
The inside of the bus was swank, to say the least. It had ten seats, five on each side of a center aisle, and each was wide and comfortable. A TV screen took up the front, right behind the drivers’ seat, and there was a fridge in the back by the bathroom with several cabinets along the rear walls. Between the seats and the bathroom was a table with bench seats. Everything looked new and perfect. Cody marveled. He had never seen anything this nice in his life. “Woo ee!” he whistled. “This looks like the kind of thing rock stars take on tour!” As the group walked in, Nate noticed a gold envelope taped to the back of the TV. Hoss saw that Nate had noticed it and shook his head ‘No’ ever so slightly.
Five of the ten seats were clearly claimed. Various personal items, snacks, books, and handheld video game systems were laying on them. There was one occupied seat in each row, half on the left, half on the right. Each of the other five scattered seats had one thing on it: a sealed red envelope.
“Choose your seat,” Shane said. “There’s no restrictions on this, so knock yourselves out. But there’s no switching once we’re underway. So choose wisely. Pick one and put your box on it, but don’t sit just yet.” Brett nodded and the five Freshmen took that as their signal to go. At this point, it wasn’t a political or strategic choice. Back in high school, who you sat near on bus trips was a major choice with long-lasting ramifications. But by now, the group had grown in a way that it didn’t much matter who they sat near. They had bonded enough across grade lines that they felt comfortable by whoever. Nate and Mason, especially, who always had to tread carefully in these situations before, greatly appreciated not having to deal with the fallout of choosing the wrong seat.
Leo immediately strutted down the aisle and chose the seat in the back row. “Ha!” Cody chuckled. “The delinquents always sit in the back,” he said as he chose a seat in the middle.
“Old habits die hard,” Leo said as he put his box down, claiming his seat. “And it’s the closest to the can. But you’re one to talk. The middle, eh? Mommy needs to have a good view of everyone from where he’s sitting? To make sure we’re all OK?” He grinned.
“Partially,” Cody said. “But it also lets me keep an eye on everyone to make sure they’re not getting into trouble.” The seat across the aisle from Leo’s was clearly Scott’s. “Who knows what mischief you two would get into if no one was watching y’all.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Scott smirked. “I’m driving the first leg, so Leo kinda chose the isolation seat for the first hour. Besides, who wants to waste debauchery on the bus trip when we have a whole week to get wasted in privacy?”
Cody chuckled, appreciating Scott’s logic. Nate and Mason had both unconsciously moved to the front row. Force of habit from school bus trips. The front row was always closest to the teacher and you’d be safer from bullying there. It was still hard for the two of them to grasp they were in an environment where it wasn’t necessary to think that way. But both realized what they were doing and stopped. Nate ended up choosing the second row, and Mason took the fourth.
“Looks like I’m in the front,” Ray shrugged, putting his box down. He looked at Scott. “I gotta warn you, I’m a terrible backseat driver.”
“Yeah, well,” Scott smirked, clearly hiding some secret knowledge. “Somehow I don’t think that’s going to be much of an issue… OK. Everyone picked their seats? Now, it’s time for a little game. Like a scavenger hunt. Hidden around the bus are five gold envelopes. And they could be anywhere. I mean ANYWHERE. When I say go, go out and find one. And only one! Leo, I don’t want you snatching them all up and trying to extort favors from the others to hand them over.”
Danny whacked Scott upside the head “Hey, just because you tried that and got kitchen duty for a month doesn’t mean they’re all degenerates like you,” he said. “But… yeah, like he said Leo, one each.” Leo just shrugged and laughed, but he was secretly a little miffed they saw his plan right off. Maybe he was getting too predictable? Anyway, he was an expert at finding hidden things, so he expected to be done with this task in a jiff.
“OK, go,” Scott said.
Leo immediately went to the fridge and opened it to reveal an envelope on the shelf between the cases of soda. He said “Ho hum, guys. It’s like you’re not even trying,” without even looking inside. The others chuckled and got to searching. Nate spied an envelope hidden behind the sun shade by the driver’s seat and snatched it, a hair ahead of Cody. Cody patted Nate on the back in congratulations for his quickness and saw the envelope behind the TV as they walked back to the aisle. He grabbed it on the way. Nate wondered why Hoss told him not to take that one, but he didn’t let on that he had been given a clue. He surmised that was probably against the rules. Mason was looking under the seats up and down the aisles while Ray headed into the bathroom, emerging with an envelope in his hands. But Mason found nothing under any of them. He checked the cabinets, under the table, the glove compartment, even inside the light fixtures. Nothing.
As he searched, something caught his eye. Brett had been uncharacteristically quiet during this and it looked like he was hiding something behind his back. Mason’s eyes twinkled. “Anywhere, huh?” he muttered. He walked over to Brett and said “Can I have that envelope you’re hiding, please?” Brett smiled and handed it to him.
“Hey, that’s not fair!” Leo called out. “You didn’t even hide that one!”
“Sure I did,” Brett said. “I just hid it in my pocket. You’re just pissed you took the easy route and Mason noticed something you didn’t.” Leo had no response to that. Brett was 100% right.
“Another point for you,” Leo thought.
“OK everyone,” Brett said. “Now that you’ve found everything, take your seats and pick up your boxes.”
Each of the pledges was excited to open the gifts, but also more than a little nervous as to what was inside. None really expected anything pleasant, but they still held onto some hope. They all waited, stewing in tension, until Brett gave the OK to open them before they started digging into the wrappings. Ray got his open first. Inside were three folded TUG-logo bandanas, red and gold. He looked slightly puzzled. Leo was next. The smell hit him before he fully opened the box. Inside was a soggy pair of balled-up socks that could only have belonged to Hoss. He blanched and closed it as quickly as he could.
Nate began to suspect what these “presents” were actually for, and his suspicion was practically confirmed when Cody, confused, took a fresh roll of duct tape from his box and held it up, looking through the center hole with a cheeky grin. Nate hesitated to open his and backed off for a moment. Mason produced a thick ring gag from his box and looked at it with trepidation. Seeing how he was the only one with an unopened box, and that everyone was staring at him, Nate finally grudgingly opened his, revealing a leather bit gag.
“Gentlemen,” Danny said with a smirk. “I bet you all know what those are for. What? You thought Freshmen would be free for the trip to the cabin? Nah-ah. This game is called Bondage Roulette. We let you pick for yourselves.” The other seniors guffawed. Danny continued. “Now everyone open your red envelopes, the ones that were on your seats, and look at the card inside.”
Each of the Freshmen was concerned, but then again, they should have expected something like this. It was TUG, after all. Nate was still apprehensive, but Cody seemed nonplussed. Excited, even. “Ha!” he laughed. “That’s pretty clever. I like this idea.” He tore into his envelope and took out a card that read ‘Handcuffs.’ “So I guess this is the meat and potatoes part, huh?”
“Sort of,” Shane said with a smirk. “That’s what you’ll be restrained with, yes, but the piece de resistance is in the gold envelope. But one thing at a time. We’ll get to that.”
“Hurry up,” Scott said. “I want to get on the road soon. We’re losing drinking time.”
The other Freshmen, now accepting of the game’s rules, opened their own respective envelopes. This was the kind of playful tomfoolery that TUG was known for. Mason, especially, was disappointed he wasn’t expecting it. But this was TUG, not DIX. There couldn’t be anything too horrible inside, could there? Each Freshman took out the card, held it up, and announced what was on it.
“Gorilla tape,” said Nate grimly.
“Good ole trusty rope,” Leo said, slightly relieved.
“Cable ties,” Mason said, wondering if it meant thin zipties from the hardware store or thick police-grade ones. It’s not like TUG didn’t have both in abundance.
“What the fuck?” said Ray, staring at his card. “Slave harness????”
Hoss belly-laughed. “You picked it, blondie. Haha!” he snorted.
“As you might have noticed,” Brett said. “One of each set is far worse than the others. For example, Leo definitely got the short end of the stick in the gag department. It looks like Ray was unlucky in the restraint round.”
“Oh, but we’re not done!” Danny chimed in. “We still have the gold envelopes!”
“That we do, good sir,” Brett said with a Cheshire Cat grin. “You’re all now going to open those and look at the cards inside. Mason… you wait.”
That last statement got everyone’s attention. “Wait?” Mason asked. “Why?”
“You’ll see,” was all Brett answered.
Now Nate was concerned for Cody. There was a reason Hoss warned him not to take the envelope behind the TV. Whatever was inside, Cody would most likely have drawn the “Bad Choice.” His mind raced with all sorts of nasty possibilities. If Hoss broke the rules to save him from that, it must be bad.
At Danny’s urging, the four slowly opened their envelopes, dreading what was inside.
“Nipple clamps?!?!?” Nate gasped. Wondering how that could be better than what was in Cody’s envelope.
“Tickling? Come on!!!” Leo protested.
“Underwear?” Ray sighed. “Really?”
“Ah, you love it, Captain Muscles,” Scott chuckled. Ray couldn’t argue with that.
“Don’t any of y’all complain,” Cody said. “Cuz I don’t wanna hear it.” He said nothing else, but held up a card that read “Icy Hot.”
At that, the Seniors all lost it and started laughing uproariously.
“As you’ve no doubt guessed,” Brett said. “The gold envelopes are the torment you will be subjected to on the ride. Looks like Cody got the unlucky draw this time.
“Maybe not,” Scott said. “Dude’s more than a little kinky. Maybe he’ll like it.” Hoss whacked him upside the head.
“And Now for the grand finale,” Brett said. “Open it, Mason.”
Mason, his hands shaking, opened the envelope. If he was told to wait for last, whatever was on the card must have been worse than what Cody had. He shivered as he opened the envelope…
Inside was a gold-embossed card reading “PARDON.”
“You got the Golden Ticket!” Scott cheered.
“Yes,” Brett said. “Mason, what you hold in your hand is a respite. A negation of the other two items and a chance to take the ride to the cabin free and unfettered. But… you have a choice to make. You can either use it on yourself or use it to spare one of your Brothers. In that case, you will take all of his burdens on yourself.” Brett seemed to be leading somewhere with that statement. Nate picked up on it immediately and nodded sagely, unseen by anyone but Brett and Shane.
Mason, not noticing Brett’s undertones, looked hard at the golden card in his hand. As much as he relished the idea of a peaceful and unbound journey, he did notice that several of his friends were very displeased with their fates. He considered his options.
“Well, Mason,” Brett said. “What is your decision?”
Coming Soon: Part 3 – Mason’s Choice
Well, readers, it’s time for another poll. Who should Mason save?
I picked Cody. It's not that I don't wanna see him squirming and helpless, it's that I think Mason might take the chance to show his willingness to help out his brothers, and show his own toughness by weathering the harshest punishment.
I love the complexity of the whole ordeal. Most writers would have just bound and gaged them in a single paragraph. You went above and beyond to build a whole series of lotteries and a moral dilemma, which will probably have even more reprocussions down the road.
That being said, I hope mason gets greedy, which backfires and lands him with all the worst possibilities for his selfishness.
Wedgieboy69 wrote: ↑1 month ago
That being said, I hope mason gets greedy, which backfires and lands him with all the worst possibilities for his selfishness.
That's what I'm thinking, the golden ticket is another test. Will Mason be the selfless brother, taking on the burdens of his fellow bros, or will he be selfish and leave his brothers to their fates? Also need to consider what burdens Mason might be taking on. Like Ray's. I know they are best friends, and the harnesses might be annoying and slightly humiliating, but simply being in his underwear and being bandana gagged is far from terrible at this point in their TUGs career.
My vote goes to Nate. Those nipple clamps are the worst, in my opinion, especially after a few hours on this trip. Similarly, Mason's own ring gag would be quite painful after hours of use. Trading for Nate's more comfortable leather bit gag is a nice compromise for taking on the pain of the nipple clamps. Besides, like the Seniors joked, Cody's punishment might not be so bad for him.
Well thought out scenario here! I voted Cody, icy hot is nasty when used to torture. If the name of the game is sharing burdens, saving Cody from that should earn him a lot of points.
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