Author's note: Allright, first things first. Let me talk briefly about The Quiet Man. NO, not the '50s film starring John Wayne, I'm talking about the video game.
The Quiet Man is a SHIT game. Even if you have the 'Answered' patch, it is STILL a shit game.
So, in my infinite wisdom, why not do a fanfic on this pile of crap? And I know what you're thinking: you're really writing a fanfic on a really bad game that got savaged by critics, as well as a potential winner for Worst Game of 2018?
Well, duh. And I'm certainly not joking, either. However, what I AM going to do is tweak the plot left and right, cut down on the racial stereotypes, replace Lala (the resemblance to Lorraine is just damn creepy) with a far more suitable love interest, and make the ending a LOT easier to understand. I don't care if any or all of it is exposition, I'm not gonna copy and paste dialogue from the game.
So you could say I have transformed the shit story from that shit game into a far better, more superior story, plus I've decided to write down what could've been interesting sidequests / sideplots, too.
Here goes...
By the way, Square Enix and Human Head Studios own The Quiet Man. I only own the following original characters:
1. Alex, the patron in trouble with SOL33.
2. Mr. Swank, the manager of Club Moonrise.
and 3. Shirley, the bartender.
Also the '(insert quote here)' stuff are thoughts from Dane, since he's deaf, and does occasional sign language.
Also, also the lyrics at the start of the chapter, as well as in the finale, are from 'The Quiet' from Imogen Heap.
Hope you enjoy!
P.S. Sorry if I'm stalling on other fanfics, I'll try and get to them soon, okay?
P.S.S. Special thanks to Jim Sterling for leading me into this game. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made this fanfic.
The Quiet Man: Revised and Reanswered
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Oh, what to say
When the right words fail to find the light of day
Oh, when everything is lost
And mixed feelings seed a hurricane of hearts
My name is Dane. I have been deaf since birth, and I have living a fairly mundane life with my parents. Though at the same time, my father had resented me from the start.
My mother, on the other hand, did all she could to make sure I wouldn't suffer a breakdown or two, and she would often comfort me with the words, "It's going to be okay."
Thanks, Mom. Every time I hear those words, it makes me smile a little.
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One day, however, changed everything for me. When I overheard an argument between my friend Taye and a bully named Isaac, all concerning as to whose shoes were more cool-looking, I quickly headed towards them, gesturing them with, 'What is going on here?'
"Buzz off!" Isaac retorted.
"Hey, he just asked us a question! Answer him already!" Taye told him.
This only made things even worse, and Isaac pulled out a gun from his pocket, and tried aiming it at me. My heart nearly stopped, but I felt some sense of security when Taye showed up to try and pry the gun from Isaac's hands.
"What are you doing?! Put it down! He's trying to help us!" he yelled.
"FUCK YOU!" Isaac yelled.
It wasn't long for my mother to be overhearing all of this, and quickly ran out, screaming, "Stop this right now! You're going to kill someone!"
And then, it happened. A single shot from the gun in Isaac's hand.
The bullet found itself landing into her abdomen, and my eyes widened in fear as I watched her collapse to the ground. I rushed over to her, feeling my eyes well with tears as Taye, out of pure fear, ran away while Isaac stood there.
Meanwhile, someone had called the police, and when they arrived they found me crying over my mother's corpse, and Isaac just about to drop the gun. The police quickly arrested him, and I ran back home in tears.
My father, who was a policeman, became very angry and upset simultaneously, and for the rest of my childhood, he would always scream and berate at me, blaming me for his wife's death. In truth, I did nothing wrong, but he never bought into it.
Already traumatized by what had happened, I sought refuge and comfort in my own room, often drawing sketches and pictures, until one day, I began drawing a strange man that dressed almost like that of a Plague Doctor.
Upon completing the drawing, I wrote the following words next to him: The Quiet Man.
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Night 1
Years have passed.
I am now a grown-up, working as a bouncer for my friend Taye at the nightclub known as Club Moonrise, and he is also the leader of Liberty, an American mafia-esque mob in New York City.
There are a few other people that I've fairly known there besides Taye: there was a patron named Alex, an Asian-American man in his early thirties who was quite recognizable with his maroon-colored Trilby hat. He also had onyx black hair, and short and slightly slicked back, and eyes that were also dark in color.
Another is Mr. Swank, the much older manager of Club Moonrise, whom initially didn't want Liberty taking over his nightclub, but eventually gave in and showed some sense of loyalty to Taye and Liberty as a whole. He was tall, always wore a nice dark blue suit, had short sandy blond hair and a beard to go along with it, and greenish-colored eyes.
Finally, there was Shirley, a bartender, who, aside from almost close to perfecting her craft at making drinks since she was a teenager, was not only closer to me in age, but since she started working here, I had slowly developed an unexpected friendship with her, to the point that she seems to more than like me. Her long, auburn hair was always kept up in a neat bun, and her eyes were the color of pure blue.
They've all understood that I'm deaf, and often I would use sign language to communicate with them, and this proves that I'm not clueless or dumb.
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During a not-so-eventful night, I briefly entered Club Moonrise, and saw most of the patrons enjoying themselves. Well, except for Alex, who was busy drinking his sixth glass of tequila.
I walk over to him, and gesture him with, 'Is there something wrong?'
Alex looked over at me and with a frown, he replied, "Oh, hey there, kid. I could sure use your help."
I nodded, and gestured him to go on. He sat back, and let out a sigh as he said, "So, I've been living an ordinary and simple life. Then one day, a few guys from this gang called SOL33, came to my house..."
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Several months ago...
Alex was ready to turn himself in for the night and sleep, until he heard the sound of glass breaking. He slowly stirred, putting on his robe and exiting the bedroom.
He entered the living room to discover at least three men from SOL33, in the midst of stealing his most important possessions. He yelled, "Get out of my house!"
"Get out of your house?! Are you serious, man?!" one of them asked.
"You better not lay a finger on us, or else we're gonna kill you!" another added.
Alex was quick enough to find a baseball bat from his bedroom, and returned to the living room, attacking one of the men with it. It seemed that they were ready to back off and get out of the house as he promised.
However, another of the trio of men attacked him from behind, hitting him in the back with a lead pipe, and making him land to the ground. The man beat Alex some more, before he laid there, helpless as he dropped the bat.
This caused another of the SOL33 boys to take his bat, and with that, the group, stole what they were looking for, and eventually escaped.
When Alex came to his senses, he discovered that they stole some of his prized possessions, including his wallet. He would then visit Club Moonrise every night, and with their drinks on the house for him to savor, he found himself drowning in his own sorrows.
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"...and that's why I need your help in getting rid of those scumbags." Alex finished.
I nodded again, and gave him a reassuring gesture, 'Don't worry. I'll get your stuff back.'
"Thanks, kid. You're one hell of a lifesaver." he said, sporting a small smile.
I smile back, before I was ready to return to my duties. However, Mr. Swank had just come to talk to me about something important.
"It's good to know you're still working here. Do you mind if you take time off?" he asked.
'Not at all', I nod my head no, before he spoke again.
"Well, I need you to get some drugs from a friend of mine, since he's too lazy to take care of it himself, and then deliver them to some SOL33 associates. His name's George, and he lives at..."
He was able to give me George's name and address, and as he gave me what appeared to be a small bag. Swank added, "Just remember, kid, they're probably in the alleys drinking and gloating nonsense. And if they taunt you, give them a taste of your medicine."
I nodded my head in approval, and exited the club, pulling my hooded jacket up and heading out.
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As I headed on a very important errand, hoping to reach George's house without any incident. Indeed, as I arrived, I snuck into the house with a lockpick, and investigated my surroundings, until I found a pile of cocaine on the dining room table.
I quickly retrieved it, and put it in the bag, before getting out without setting off an alarm. Soon, I was on my way to my destination, an alley where several SOL33 gangsters had detected my presence.
They began to taunt me, but I gestured to them, 'I can't hear you.' as I set down the bag onto a dumpster.
There were at least three of them, and as I cracked my knuckles, I was ready to deal a boatload of assbeating on them all. I started with punching one of them in the head, and kicked him in the lower area.
It was pretty much a curb-stomp battle at first, when the first one was down and out, but the second took out a switchblade and nearly cut at my neck. He then punched me in the chest, until I decided to counterattack.
I knee'd him in the stomach, before unleashing a flurry of punches across his upper area, and kicking him down to the ground. The last one surprised me by punching me in the face, until I returned the favor, bloodying his face before kicking him in the groin.
He groaned as he and the others were trying to get back up, and before I left, I dropped the bag onto one of the guys's heads.
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Once I returned, I brought the bag to Swank, and he grinned, saying to me, "Really good, kid. Here's some money. And don't be minding Babcock; he's just busy hitting on some chicks."
As he left, I also noticed that Shirley was about to finish her shift. I waved 'hello' to her, causing her to notice.
"Oh, hi, Dane. Anything new lately?" she asked.
I shook my head 'no', and with the help of sign language, I told her, 'But some time ago, I got some drugs from a friend of Mr. Swank's.'
"I see...must've been pretty hard, right?"
'Sort of, since the thugs were pretty persistent.'
"And what happened after that?"
'I got rid of them, before handing it to them.'
"So you're telling me you took them out?"
'Exactly.' My response was another nod.
"Awesome. Anyways, my shift's come to a close, and I'm heading home so that someone else could take over for me." she said.
'Be careful.'
Shirley smiled, and nodded her agreement. "Yeah, you should be careful, too. See you tomorrow night, Dane." she said.
I smile back at her, before she left the club for the night. I took one last look at her for tonight, before setting my eyes on Alex, then Taye. It's nice to have friends like these three on your side...right?
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That's the first night, a bit short but pretty eventful, but later on, the plot starts to slowly kick in on the next night. Feel free to leave me comments / reviews / helpful criticism anytime!
With love for my fans,
Chrissy