2025 replay requests → @snoopyseason asked: heated rivalry

My friend Mad Dog and I will sometimes spend a day writing a story back and forth, swapping paragraphs. (I hesitate to call it an “RP” since neither of us is playing a role, but that would be the closest descriptor that I know.) We’ve decided to share one with you. Hope you enjoy.

“What are we protesting again, Dad?”

“Don’t you ever listen?” Isaiah’s dad said over his shoulder as they pulled the old, tattered minivan into the parking lot. “What AREN’T we protesting? Listen, they wanna take away your free speech. They want to make it okay for you to hate this country, hate the flag. They wanna tell you this country wasn’t built on the Bible, and that if you fight for this country, that makes you a bad guy.” His father waved his hand angrily. “We’re protesting all of that and a lot more too.”

Isaiah stared blankly at the back of the seat in front of him as he listened. His dad was always yammering on about this sort of stuff…especially when the news was on at home, which nowadays it always was. “Hey Dad?”

“What?”

“….nothing.” Isaiah was going to ask how long the protest would take, but he knew that was a pointless question. It didn’t matter how long he wanted to be there, he was stuck there til his dad wanted to go.

Isaiah was expecting to see a huge throng of people when he stepped out of the van. He did not. It was probably only about 30-40 people quietly holding signs. Isaiah’s eyes wandered to a man standing nearby, under a tree. The guy was in a white polo shirt tucked into khaki pants, just like Isaiah’s dad often wore, but instead of being paunchy like Isaiah’s dad, the guy was absolutely swollen with muscle, to the point that his arms didn’t rest against his sides. He had thick black hair and a trimmed, heavy beard, and his skin was the color of cinnamon. He looked out of place, and also out of sorts, a bit confused. Isaiah stared at the bodybuilder for a few seconds and then walked on, forgetting about him once he saw a couple of his next-door neighbors talking to his dad.