groovygamers.com

Thursday October 18th through Sunday October 21st, 2007

In the News

The collapse of a section of bleachers at Oak Park High School left several students injured.  The cause of the accident appears to be vandalism, according to Oak Park police.  An investigation is underway.
School News
Oak Park Huskies play York Saturday, come out and root for your Huskies.

School Talk
Diane Weston (Senior, Acting Captain of the Cheerleading Squad) was one of the people hurt in that collapse of the bleachers.  She's got a broken leg, so she'll be out of the cheer squad for the next several weeks.

The football team has gotten a new Quarterback, Johnathan Elliot.  He's clocking in at a solid 8 on the hot meter and there is a rumor that he and Megan Howell were spotted having coffee last night downtown.

The cops said vandalism caused that chunk of bleachers to collapse, I heard soemone say that it looked like someone used acid to eat through the supports.

Events
Thursday after school the Con Debate team goes to Megan's house and, using that visit as cover, Brian sets up all the camera and recording equipment to help catch the invisible peeping photographer in the act.  He gives Megan and Brendon each a tiny earplug radio so they can communicate during the sting.

Sylvia arrives home Thursday from school to find her Homecoming dress is ready and hanging in her room.  She also notices that Friday is circled on her calendar with a note that says Fenwick Homecoming 7PM

OOC: since time will start to pass more quickly I'll need you to let me know anything you're doing during the block of time a chapter covers.  Also, the Lunch Room will begin to be a more nebulous thing with regards to continuity and time so assume that it's a place for free and open discussion of anything that's occured in any of the sub-chapters of the chapter it's for.

The school talk section, as a reminder, is a distillation of things you hear.  It's the buzz as it were for the school.

If you say you want to do something in a chapter, "I'll go see Mr. Heep and have him analyze this."  and it slips through the cracks, assume you actually did it off-camera and then we can go from there.  No sense in retro-gaming things that would have happened off-camera in a TV show.

This Chapter is four days.  I'm thinking that they will start to be a week or two depending on my whim and the flow of things.  The same rules apply as before, if you want a scene in a chapter, tell me.  I don't want the RP to get swept under by the force of the story.  The game is as much about the events as it is the people, so don't forget to do threads that you want.

Any questions or comments about method or format you can let me know in OOC - Chat.  Any questions or comments about this chapter, drop them here.  also let me know what you're doing.  I know there was going to be efforts to identify the girl, locate her assailants, etc.  For simplicity we can handle some of them with Skill rolls and a brief scene to describe what happened and actually provide the information.  I won't blow them into multi-page threads unless it looks liek it warrants it, but they will likely be a montage thread to relay information to the PC(s) involved.

EDIT - Changed the days to read correctly for the dates.

Sylvia goes to check out the damage for herself.  If it does indeed look like an acid, she'll try to bring Heep a sample of something to analyze.


And during some late-night session of television she has a conversation that starts:  "Momda?  How do crazy people know they're crazy?"

Kel's interest will definitely be piqued by the bleacher thing...he'll also be irate that he is running out of seniors to "catch" when they fall.

Colin talks with Chris about the girl. Without mentioning that she could be the arsonist, he asks him if there's anything he could do to help him find her, because he has a feeling that she might need help soon.

He also goes to check on the bleachers. Given that a cheerleader got injured, he's afraid it might be the doing of those self-righteous idiots who installed the cameras. He hopes he can pick up something from that, and that it's only a freak accident, but he has a bad feeling about it.

If Sarah agrees, he goes to the game with her, teaching her the basis on how to take pictures of moving subjects, and spending some time with her after that. (BTW, has she decided about her halloween costume? Does she want to make something with him?)

How about...

(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h273/raventongue/quarter_staff.jpg)

And we can talk about who plays who.. ?  I just liked it because... well it's loony tunes and it involves a quarterstaff which is handy for disguise purposes. 

That's awfully cute.  It's too bad we're on the newspaper and not, say, on the yearbook staff.

Of course, you guys have contacts on yearbook, not to mention Dave.  You could get whatever you need done.

I was just imagining Sarah and Colin immortalized in the yearbook memory collage.  It does put a smarmy spin on "Ho, ha-ha, dodge, spin, parry, thrust . . . WHANG!" but perhaps I'm the only one who enjoys the view from the gutter.

Not to mention any implications about all of the other Merry Men.

I'm not sure I get it. (It's late and I'm dense)

We would go as Duffy Duck and Porky Pig, Robin Hood and Friar Tuck, or Duffy Duck and Porky Pig dressed as Robin Hood and Friar Tuck?

The last one seems... complicated.

Sorry, did someone say WANG? (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2000/09/22)

(Work safe)

Have you never seen Robin Duck?  It is truly classic. 

Do you have any good costume ideas?  And don't say doctor and nurse unless you look good in a short skirt.  :) 

-------
And Sarah will definitely tag along for the game.  She's going to try the zoom lens on John's bu... jersey. 

Donnie will be there for the examination of the bleachers. He's gotta be there, since he felt bad about not being there for the arson investigation.

Donnie will go to the game too. He has been to about one in total all year, and he does not want Sylvia to think he has no interest in her extracurricular activities.



Jersey, yeah right.  ;)

Seth is going to get kinda angsty and start really writing some new material...

Stuff about the freedom of flight and finding wings?

I have never seen Robin Duck indeed. It looks like I'm at a loss here. I'll try to find it. But even though I don't know it, Colin likely does, so it's an option.

Good costume ideas? I'm not sure. Colin spent some times thinking of some cool and tough women for her to play.

What about her? :)
(http://www.themoviebinge.com/xmen15.jpg)

Or do you prefer her with him? ;)
(http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2006_X-Men_3/2006_x_men_3_039.jpg)

.... um.... I don't know if that would work.  This is that bit where real world and game world and comic world... and comic world in game world vs. comic world in real world meet and start throwing rocks at each other. 

Oracle - What is the status of one Jean Grey in the oracle world? 

Gene Grey and Scott Summers exhist.  they are in a team called the Defenders based in San Fransisco.

Uhm, what about her then:
(http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/73/039_40120~Milla-Jovovich-Posters.jpg)

Same actress, but in the role of Violet from Ultraviolet

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0370032/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0370032/)

(http://beconfused.com/images/2006/04/Milla-Jovovich-acted-as-Violet-in-the-movie-Ultraviolet.jpg)

Just so you know, I'm not extra keen on playing out the part where we ask the neighbors about the fires. I'd rather it be off-camera, but if you'd rather play it out, and would like Colin to be there too (as Sarah suggested) I've got no problems with that either.

Other off-camera stuff: Colin getting a list of who else was injured in the bleachers' incident, telling Chris about the paranormal with acid hands and giving him the fingerprint they found (he keeps a copy for himself too, just in case).

Also off-camera (but could be on if you prefer): Colin would like to check the only arson site where there have been victims, hoping there's a vision waiting for him there too. He'd like to know if it was the fire girl, the Black Hat, or someone else.

I'm fine with rolling whatever you'd like me to roll, SO.

After Megan got home from talking with John, she sent Sylvia an email with the list of girls at the tryouts (after all, it would only take her a few seconds, and only because she has to wait for programs to load :)).

Is Colin's photo shoot of Sammy going to happen on or off screen?

As you and the GM prefer.

OOC:

No fair, I asked first!

I thought that you might have something specific in mind, since you suggested the idea.

It might be cool, since Sammy and Colin didn't have a chance to talk much yet, but I didn't want to force it on you. And if SO wants something to happen while we're at it, he can open a thread, otherwise we could do it in Private Time.

OK, I'll wait for SOs opinion.  Just so you know, I don't feel forced.

For the pictures thing maybe off-camera or in Private time.  No plans for anything to happen.  I'm going to be trying to rotate the story spotlight around some to cover the myriad of plots we have floating loose so hopfully everyone will get more screen time.

Not a problem.  The neighbors in most cases are homeless, since the buildings that were burned down were abandoned and in run-down sections of town.  They generally can confirm that it was a girl, at least one person called her an angel of fire.  One guy said she had hair the color of a fine single malt (a rich redish brown) and someone said she was kind of short for the angel of destruction.  The last telling bit of info was that she apparently had not been visited by the boob fairly.


Other injuries were mostly scrapes and bruises.  To hear it told Diane was sitting on the side that fell first and valiantly used her body to break the fall of others.  That's how she ended up breaking a leg.

Chris adds the info you have to the file for the local PD and fire department guys.  He is able to tell you that the lab returned the results on the metal, it was an organic acid, salt based.  He makes a note to have them check the samples for DNA based on your suggestion.  He runs the print and gets no hits, but if the suspect is a teen it's not too suprising.


Chris gets you a copy of the report.  They are pretty sure that the victim was so stoned there was no way he could have gotten out of the building without help.  Colin get's no strong impressions beyond the sense of a building hatred, but no malice or intent to harm the person that was there.  You'd say it was unintentional on the arsonists part.  There is also a gap after this one before the next that's longer then the gaps between the others.  Guilt maybe?


For you, all free today.

Sylvia's initial consult of the list shows nothing glaring in the names, other then there are more then a few that were smoking crack to think they had a shot at making the team.

She begins to parse the list and do homework.  More on that after a time.

Two names on the list of girls that came to the tryouts raise some flags.

Candice Bell and Laticia Culver.

Candice is a Senior, classic Type A overachiever with her sights set on an Ivy League school in the East.  She has a 4.0 GPA (always has) and has campaigned against having cheerleaders every year she's attended Oak Park.  She collected nearly 1400 signatures last year to try and get the school to disband the pep squad on charges that it was eliteist and objectified girls.

Laticia is also an A student, Junior, with no prior sports/pep interest.  She's has an artificial right leg (knee down) and although gets around pretty well is not someone you'd expect to tryout for cheer squad.

Many of the other names on the list have been there before.  Some were cheerleaders in Junior High, some at other high schools.  A few of them protested the tryouts after failing to be selected claiming that the selection process was rigged to only allow "friends" of members already on the squad in.  The Principal responded to the charges with the "score" sheets that were used, each signed off on by the coach that was running the tryouts.

On a related note, Sylvia is slightly suprised by the "score" she got for the tryout.

OOC: I did not address this as I thought I had.  Assume he told you this when he told you the other stuff.

A check of all the reported rape cases yields nothing.  Chris will tell you though that more then 50% of all rape cases go unreported for a variety of reasons.  He suggests going through the yearbooks at the library and other sources to try to identify her.

Surprised in a good way or a bad way?  That is, did she somehow smack them with a paranormal dose of school spirit, or was she really pathetic but good for affirmative action?

She passes the names of Candice Bell and Laticia Culver to Sarah and Sammy, asking them to get a sense of whether either could be gunning for cheerleaders.

She seemed to score pretty well, shockingly well in her mind.

Oracle, I would think that when Sylvia asked about the other girls at the tryouts, Candice would have immediately leapt to Megan’s mind, for I am sure Lisa had been about ready to throw a fit when she stepped up to try out (and likely had a lot to say in private afterward about Candice’s audacity, with a liberal use of colorful explanatives).  But, I guess it can be said that Megan was distracted by John ;D and a little bit by her exchange with Donnie as well.

But is there anything Lisa might have told her regarding Candice’s crusaded against the cheerleading squad that is not general school knowledge?

To clarify, Lisa said nothing about it when Candice came to try out.  Anytime the crusade was talked about Lisa always used the term "That One Girl" and never mentioned her name, ever.

Also, to clarify, both Candice and Laticia scored (on a 1-10 scale) solid 7s.  Laticia was more pepy and Candice was a better dancer.

Ahh, okay, thanks for the clearification.  Sorry.

But, this begs the question why, doesn't it?

Yes, it does, I was just thinking Megan might have to find time to visit Lisa or call her this weekend.  Maybe set up a shopping trip with her for Saturday?  (she needs to be away from the house after all :))

More Colin researches (on screen or off screen as the GM prefers):

- On Friday, just after lunch, he would go to the library with John's photos, and with them and what he remembers from his vision, he would go through the yearbooks, trying to identify some of the ghosts, either the girl, the rapists, or at least someone who attended the parties.

- On Saturday morning, he would wake up earlier than usual, and go ask his employers if they know who is on the paper route in the area John marked on the map. If they can't (or don't want to) tell him, he'll go there and try to find who delivers papers there, likely waiting for him/her near one of those newspaper boxes.

After pouring through the yearbooks you get a face that matches on of the rapists.  He's a baseball player named Ted Phillips, he's a Senior this year.  You don't find the girl though, but you do spot a few people that you think might have attended some of the parties.


I'll thread this.

Colin probably would go to the girl alone, and then ask the rest of the Usual Suspects for help tracking down the rapists, but I don't want anyone to feel left out. So if you would like to meet our fire girl, just tell me so, and I'll work you in. Colin has a plan, but some help, especially from another girl, would be welcome.

He needs people who can keep their emotions in check though, especially anger. ;)

ooc: Pssht. Wonder who that was aimed at..   ;)

Sarah obviously, Duh!

She's such a hard ass.

I wasn't really singling out anyone (though I admit I had some people in mind ;)). Colin would take anyone who promises to behave, and who thinks to be not too angry at those bastards. Colin has already enough of a hard time to keep his own anger at them in check, and since his power is emotion fueled, let's not put too much fuel near our fire girl. :)

I remembered Sarah's out of frame episode in the park. It never came out in game. I wonder if the girl's story would make it resurface.

I will beat you like a rented mule.   :box:   :-*

Sesame, did you decide about the halloween costumes? I'd just like to know if I have to make myself a bow and a duck's beak. :)

Another idea:
(http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0790729679.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)

Yes.  Here.  Awake.  Go team!

Ah, sleep.....ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz....

Did I scare you all off? Colin would do better go alone then?

Sorry. I can't control my temper. OR THE SOUND LEVEL OF MY OWN VOICE!  SORRY!  sorry.

Sammy will answer once I get an idea of what the fallout from the love goo attack will be.

Kel'd be up for it, though ya know, he's not best known for controlling his emotions...

Well all those who can't control their emotions will be my first choice when it comes to track the rapists. To each one his own :)

Sarah spends what's left of her weekend printing out copies of all the game pictures she took in the hopes of identifying the person responsible for the post attack.  Oh and homework.  Lots...and lots... of homework.  *sigh*

I hope we don't have tests next week, or Colin's grades are so gonna drop.