Question
{Broken Promises.}. John Dory Angst.
".....I promise"
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"Okay Branch! what do we do now little bro?" Asked John Dory, clearly pretty hyped, and smiling with lots of joy and excitement about the new song. Branch looked up from his notebook, "oh..uh.. Just take a little break I guess." He said, while going back to writing on their new song. Clay sighed. "oh, I'm SO glad you're the new leader Branch." He gives John Dory a dirty look for a split second. " Usually Dory would make us practice non-stop, never rest." He said with hatred.
John's smile slowly became a frown, remembering how he never- well he wouldn't really give them breaks. They would practice 5 hours or sometimes 6-7 hours a day with only 1-2, 5-10 minute breaks. Bruce put his hand on Clays shoulder, "That was in the past, Clay. Please, stop bringing up the past!" He said, glaring at him. Clay rolled his eyes and pushed Bruce's hands off him. "Whatever man." He said annoyed. Floyd, who was watching everything from a distance, sighed. He hates when his older brothers argue.
He walked closer to Clay, put his hand on his shoulder and sighed once again, "Please Clay, Bruce is right, stop-" "No it's okay, Floyd." Interrupted John. He smiled again. "He has the right to be mad." Clay scoffed and walked away to sit on the couch and read some books from his sad book club. Floyd looked at his older brother. "John..." He said, in a sad tone. Floyd knows how much Clay's words hurt. They all do. But never really do much, because some of- well most of what Clay says is pretty much true. But it all happened 20 YEARS ago! They all forgot the past- Well try to, and move on, BUT Clay.
He will never EVER forget or try to.
Ever since the disaster with Velvet and Veneer and their family reunion, Clay has been saying and reminding John Dory of how much of a "bad brother" he was, and how he's the reason why Floyd was kidnapped and injured. Because according to Clay, If John Dory loved them and was a good brother, Floyd would be fine, they would be happy, they would have never EVER leave Branch. Oh and- and.. its also his fault that Branch is- was gray for 20 years.
What did John Dory say or do? nothing. He took it. Took it all. All those hatred words? He took it, feeling like he deserved it- no he DID deserve it. It hurt. A lot. But if saying all those words to him made Clay feel better, then it's okay. His little brother is just sad. Heck, he's probably the reason why Clay is in that "sad book club" It has the word SAD. SAD. It's not even a "normal" book club. IT'S A SAD BOOK CLUB!
He must have been such a TERRIBLE brother, that his little brother decided to join a freaking SAD book club.
John Dory sighed. "I-I'll go check up on Rhonda.. " He said smiling again and leaving. Once he left, Floyd turned towards Clay. "Clay-" "Stop." said Clay, he looked up from his book, got up, and walked towards his brothers. "Stop defending him, Floyd" Clay growled. CONTINUE THE STORY
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some info:
John dory:Late-30's. blue skin. He has forest green hair with black eyebrows, his eyes are cyan and black, and a purple indigo nose.brown jacket with white fluffy part around his neck with brown dots. Charming, Kind, energetic for his age, weak-strong, funny, and just a humble old troll. And his tail really shows how he's feeling(it helps him express how he feels and you can tell how he feels by looking at it.) Dyslexic, ADHD, kinda schizophrenic from living in a dangerous trail for over 20 years and sometimes sees things that aren't there. and he's also pretty watchful and actually is missing an arm but his brothers dont know because he made a fake one and coverd it. will be revealed during the story. also the second shortest out of his brothers, even though he's the oldest. 5'2 inches tall because.. well he's a troll. He has a pet armadillo-bus-van named Rhonda. (she cant talk, she can only:Purr, growl, bark?, snarl... just noises..)
Bruce:Late-mid-30's. Blue skin, chubby, has a wife(Brandy)and lots of kids(12 sons, 1 daughter) also his wife and kids are literally giants.. his wife is a yellow and orange Vacaytioner with red braided hair tied into a bun with a pink hair tie, orange eye-shadows, and pink hoop earrings. She also wears a dark pink apron and sandals. dark purple nose, second oldest, Long-puffy-and lots of purple hair. vacy type stype. kind, fatherly instincts will be shown to his brothers and even John dory(who gets a little flustered because he's the oldest) kinda strict but laid-back. understanding. forgiving. most charming, and used to get all the trolldussy back then, pretty tall, 5'8 inches.(bc... they are trolls..)
Clay:Mid-30's, also blue skin, Dark lime green nose very skinny and has crazy long green-lime hair, serious, funny, mean to John dory(not for long) and isn't very forgiving.. loves books, green fit, tallest out of his siblings(6'2 inches.. bc they are trolls) and loves to tease everyone, especially John dory because he used to tease him when they were younger. third oldest.
Floyd:Early-30's, blue skin, pink-magenta hair with one white stripe(after velvet and venner),Dark pink-magenta nose. and his hair kinda covers his eyes, and is the most kindest, sensitive, worriedful. white earling on his right ear, no shirt, belt with dark brown shorts, fourth oldest. maybe branchs favorite brother, forgiving, shortest brother (5'1 inches--they are trolls...)
Branch:Early-mid-20's, grey-blueish skin, dark blue hair, Dark blue nose. youngest brother, grumpy, kinda mean, kind, smart, helpful, not that forgiving, third tallest(5'7 inches-they are trolls), girlfriend:Poppy, queen of trolls, very energetic, pinky troll. outfit:the leaf vest Floyd gave him the day they left, brown shorts. paranoid, Autistic, overprotective.
And yes, ALL trolls have tails.
".....I promise"
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"Okay Branch! what do we do now little bro?" Asked John Dory, clearly pretty hyped, and smiling with lots of joy and excitement about the new song. Branch looked up from his notebook, "oh..uh.. Just take a little break I guess." He said, while going back to writing on their new song. Clay sighed. "oh, I'm SO glad you're the new leader Branch." He gives John Dory a dirty look for a split second. " Usually Dory would make us practice non-stop, never rest." He said with hatred.
John's smile slowly became a frown, remembering how he never- well he wouldn't really give them breaks. They would practice 5 hours or sometimes 6-7 hours a day with only 1-2, 5-10 minute breaks. Bruce put his hand on Clays shoulder, "That was in the past, Clay. Please, stop bringing up the past!" He said, glaring at him. Clay rolled his eyes and pushed Bruce's hands off him. "Whatever man." He said annoyed. Floyd, who was watching everything from a distance, sighed. He hates when his older brothers argue.
He walked closer to Clay, put his hand on his shoulder and sighed once again, "Please Clay, Bruce is right, stop-" "No it's okay, Floyd." Interrupted John. He smiled again. "He has the right to be mad." Clay scoffed and walked away to sit on the couch and read some books from his sad book club. Floyd looked at his older brother. "John..." He said, in a sad tone. Floyd knows how much Clay's words hurt. They all do. But never really do much, because some of- well most of what Clay says is pretty much true. But it all happened 20 YEARS ago! They all forgot the past- Well try to, and move on, BUT Clay.
He will never EVER forget or try to.
Ever since the disaster with Velvet and Veneer and their family reunion, Clay has been saying and reminding John Dory of how much of a "bad brother" he was, and how he's the reason why Floyd was kidnapped and injured. Because according to Clay, If John Dory loved them and was a good brother, Floyd would be fine, they would be happy, they would have never EVER leave Branch. Oh and- and.. its also his fault that Branch is- was gray for 20 years.
What did John Dory say or do? nothing. He took it. Took it all. All those hatred words? He took it, feeling like he deserved it- no he DID deserve it. It hurt. A lot. But if saying all those words to him made Clay feel better, then it's okay. His little brother is just sad. Heck, he's probably the reason why Clay is in that "sad book club" It has the word SAD. SAD. It's not even a "normal" book club. IT'S A SAD BOOK CLUB!
He must have been such a TERRIBLE brother, that his little brother decided to join a freaking SAD book club.
John Dory sighed. "I-I'll go check up on Rhonda.. " He said smiling again and leaving. Once he left, Floyd turned towards Clay. "Clay-" "Stop." said Clay, he looked up from his book, got up, and walked towards his brothers. "Stop defending him, Floyd" Clay growled. CONTINUE THE STORY
___________________________________________________________________________
..................
some info:
John dory:Late-30's. blue skin. He has forest green hair with black eyebrows, his eyes are cyan and black, and a purple indigo nose.brown jacket with white fluffy part around his neck with brown dots. Charming, Kind, energetic for his age, weak-strong, funny, and just a humble old troll. And his tail really shows how he's feeling(it helps him express how he feels and you can tell how he feels by looking at it.) Dyslexic, ADHD, kinda schizophrenic from living in a dangerous trail for over 20 years and sometimes sees things that aren't there. and he's also pretty watchful and actually is missing an arm but his brothers dont know because he made a fake one and coverd it. will be revealed during the story. also the second shortest out of his brothers, even though he's the oldest. 5'2 inches tall because.. well he's a troll. He has a pet armadillo-bus-van named Rhonda. (she cant talk, she can only:Purr, growl, bark?, snarl... just noises..)
Bruce:Late-mid-30's. Blue skin, chubby, has a wife(Brandy)and lots of kids(12 sons, 1 daughter) also his wife and kids are literally giants.. his wife is a yellow and orange Vacaytioner with red braided hair tied into a bun with a pink hair tie, orange eye-shadows, and pink hoop earrings. She also wears a dark pink apron and sandals. dark purple nose, second oldest, Long-puffy-and lots of purple hair. vacy type stype. kind, fatherly instincts will be shown to his brothers and even John dory(who gets a little flustered because he's the oldest) kinda strict but laid-back. understanding. forgiving. most charming, and used to get all the trolldussy back then, pretty tall, 5'8 inches.(bc... they are trolls..)
Clay:Mid-30's, also blue skin, Dark lime green nose very skinny and has crazy long green-lime hair, serious, funny, mean to John dory(not for long) and isn't very forgiving.. loves books, green fit, tallest out of his siblings(6'2 inches.. bc they are trolls) and loves to tease everyone, especially John dory because he used to tease him when they were younger. third oldest.
Floyd:Early-30's, blue skin, pink-magenta hair with one white stripe(after velvet and venner),Dark pink-magenta nose. and his hair kinda covers his eyes, and is the most kindest, sensitive, worriedful. white earling on his right ear, no shirt, belt with dark brown shorts, fourth oldest. maybe branchs favorite brother, forgiving, shortest brother (5'1 inches--they are trolls...)
Branch:Early-mid-20's, grey-blueish skin, dark blue hair, Dark blue nose. youngest brother, grumpy, kinda mean, kind, smart, helpful, not that forgiving, third tallest(5'7 inches-they are trolls), girlfriend:Poppy, queen of trolls, very energetic, pinky troll. outfit:the leaf vest Floyd gave him the day they left, brown shorts. paranoid, Autistic, overprotective.
And yes, ALL trolls have tails.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Clay glared at Floyd, his voice cold and biting as he continued, “You still don’t get it, do you? John isn’t a good brother. He never has been!” His accusation hung heavy in the air, thick with the bitterness of old wounds that refused to heal. “He wants you to think he’s changed, but the truth is, he’s still the same irresponsible troll he always was.”
Floyd’s face fell, his heart aching for both of his brothers. “But he’s trying, Clay! Can’t you see that? You keep dragging up the past like it’s something he can’t escape from. He’s not perfect, but neither are we.”
Clay crossed his arms defiantly. “Trying isn’t enough, Floyd! Look at all the damage he’s done. He was supposed to protect us. And where did that get us? A kidnapper and a lost brother. We should’ve had each other’s backs!”
“He wasn’t the only one who failed us!” Floyd shot back, his own anger spilling over. “It wasn’t just John’s fault! We all contributed to what happened. We were kids; we made mistakes! You can’t keep punishing him for something that happened twenty years ago!”
“Maybe I wouldn’t have to if he’d just own up to it!” Clay's voice was rising, and the tension in the room was palpable. John Dory’s cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by shadows of his painful past that weighed heavy on his heart.
In the corner, John Dory stopped in his tracks, his tail drooping at the conflict erupting behind him. He hesitated, debating whether to step back in or let his brothers fight it out. The last thing he wanted was to burden them with his guilt. The truth was a crushing weight, one he bore in silence and shame.
The faint sound of Rhonda’s growls from outside didn’t ease the tension inside, either. He remembered her gentle purr right after they lost Floyd, how her warm presence had reminded him of the days when everything was bright and carefree. But now, that brightness seemed so far away. He carefully pushed the door to Branch’s studio open, taking a deep breath.
“Hey, guys,” he called out, trying to sound casual despite the icy lump in his throat. “What’s all this about?”
Clay turned away, his frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. “Just discussing how you’ve let us down, John.”
“Clay…” Floyd whispered, his eyes pleading with his older brother to ease up. “Could you not do this right now?”
But John Dory stood firmly at the threshold, choosing to embrace the storm. “It’s okay, Floyd. It’s my fault we’re in this mess, anyway,” he said, forcing himself to meet Clay’s gaze. “But I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Well, maybe if you showed some real responsibility, we would!” Clay replied sharply, his words laced with pain as he glared at John.
The older troll’s heart sank further. The anger in Clay’s eyes was like a mirror reflecting every doubt, every regret John had ever harbored. It twisted inside him like a knife, memories stabbing at the very core of who he thought he was as a brother.
“So that's it then?” John asked, his tone softening as he sighed wearily. “You just want to keep blaming me for everything? For mistakes we all made?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Clay sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. “You were supposed to be the responsible one! You let us all down!”
“Maybe I did,” John admitted, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. “I tried to be a good brother, I really did. But I wasn’t strong enough. And the day I lost Floyd, I knew I failed you both.”
Floyd’s eyes widened in horror. “John… you can’t believe that!”
But John Dory just smiled sadly, a tear slipping down his cheek beneath the facade of his brightness. “I love you guys. I always have. I’ll always carry what happened, and if it means taking the blame for all of it, then so be it.”
The silence that fell over the room was heavy with John’s admission, a shared understanding — a realization that, deep down, they were all still seeking closure from the wounds they carried.
Clay’s eyes softened, and for a moment, it felt like he might relent. The reality of his brother’s pain struck a chord within him. “I just… I don’t want to lose anyone else. Not again.”
“Neither do I,” John whispered. There was a flicker of vulnerability there, a moment of connection that hadn’t been present for years. “I’ll do better. I promise.”
John's tail gently flicked as he spoke, a flickering hope igniting in his chest despite the doubts still lingering in his mind. He wanted to believe he could mend the rifts that had torn their family apart.
But as the haunting memories replayed in his mind, the real question emerged: could they truly rebuild what had been broken? Would they be able to lay their past to rest and become the brothers they always should have been?
“Just don’t say it if you don’t mean it,” Clay muttered, still doubtful, his voice a mixture of challenge and hope.
“I won’t,” John replied, and for what felt like the first time in years, a small spark of determination ignited deep within him.
“I’ll show you,” he added, stepping forward. “Just give me a chance.”
It would take time, patience, and a willingness to confront their painful history together. But perhaps this was the beginning of healing – the first step toward a brighter future, one where they could rediscover the joy of being brothers again. The battle might not be over, but they were ready to face it together.
Floyd’s face fell, his heart aching for both of his brothers. “But he’s trying, Clay! Can’t you see that? You keep dragging up the past like it’s something he can’t escape from. He’s not perfect, but neither are we.”
Clay crossed his arms defiantly. “Trying isn’t enough, Floyd! Look at all the damage he’s done. He was supposed to protect us. And where did that get us? A kidnapper and a lost brother. We should’ve had each other’s backs!”
“He wasn’t the only one who failed us!” Floyd shot back, his own anger spilling over. “It wasn’t just John’s fault! We all contributed to what happened. We were kids; we made mistakes! You can’t keep punishing him for something that happened twenty years ago!”
“Maybe I wouldn’t have to if he’d just own up to it!” Clay's voice was rising, and the tension in the room was palpable. John Dory’s cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced by shadows of his painful past that weighed heavy on his heart.
In the corner, John Dory stopped in his tracks, his tail drooping at the conflict erupting behind him. He hesitated, debating whether to step back in or let his brothers fight it out. The last thing he wanted was to burden them with his guilt. The truth was a crushing weight, one he bore in silence and shame.
The faint sound of Rhonda’s growls from outside didn’t ease the tension inside, either. He remembered her gentle purr right after they lost Floyd, how her warm presence had reminded him of the days when everything was bright and carefree. But now, that brightness seemed so far away. He carefully pushed the door to Branch’s studio open, taking a deep breath.
“Hey, guys,” he called out, trying to sound casual despite the icy lump in his throat. “What’s all this about?”
Clay turned away, his frustration bubbling just beneath the surface. “Just discussing how you’ve let us down, John.”
“Clay…” Floyd whispered, his eyes pleading with his older brother to ease up. “Could you not do this right now?”
But John Dory stood firmly at the threshold, choosing to embrace the storm. “It’s okay, Floyd. It’s my fault we’re in this mess, anyway,” he said, forcing himself to meet Clay’s gaze. “But I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Well, maybe if you showed some real responsibility, we would!” Clay replied sharply, his words laced with pain as he glared at John.
The older troll’s heart sank further. The anger in Clay’s eyes was like a mirror reflecting every doubt, every regret John had ever harbored. It twisted inside him like a knife, memories stabbing at the very core of who he thought he was as a brother.
“So that's it then?” John asked, his tone softening as he sighed wearily. “You just want to keep blaming me for everything? For mistakes we all made?”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Clay sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. “You were supposed to be the responsible one! You let us all down!”
“Maybe I did,” John admitted, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. “I tried to be a good brother, I really did. But I wasn’t strong enough. And the day I lost Floyd, I knew I failed you both.”
Floyd’s eyes widened in horror. “John… you can’t believe that!”
But John Dory just smiled sadly, a tear slipping down his cheek beneath the facade of his brightness. “I love you guys. I always have. I’ll always carry what happened, and if it means taking the blame for all of it, then so be it.”
The silence that fell over the room was heavy with John’s admission, a shared understanding — a realization that, deep down, they were all still seeking closure from the wounds they carried.
Clay’s eyes softened, and for a moment, it felt like he might relent. The reality of his brother’s pain struck a chord within him. “I just… I don’t want to lose anyone else. Not again.”
“Neither do I,” John whispered. There was a flicker of vulnerability there, a moment of connection that hadn’t been present for years. “I’ll do better. I promise.”
John's tail gently flicked as he spoke, a flickering hope igniting in his chest despite the doubts still lingering in his mind. He wanted to believe he could mend the rifts that had torn their family apart.
But as the haunting memories replayed in his mind, the real question emerged: could they truly rebuild what had been broken? Would they be able to lay their past to rest and become the brothers they always should have been?
“Just don’t say it if you don’t mean it,” Clay muttered, still doubtful, his voice a mixture of challenge and hope.
“I won’t,” John replied, and for what felt like the first time in years, a small spark of determination ignited deep within him.
“I’ll show you,” he added, stepping forward. “Just give me a chance.”
It would take time, patience, and a willingness to confront their painful history together. But perhaps this was the beginning of healing – the first step toward a brighter future, one where they could rediscover the joy of being brothers again. The battle might not be over, but they were ready to face it together.