The team speaks with Verne at the International Policing and Security Professionals Trade and Labor Consortium Annual Exposition
This episode of Fun City contains descriptions of police violence, the use of firearms, a riot and one scene of gruesome violence.
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Support the show at http://patreon.com/funcityventures
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@funcityventures is the show
@bijanstephen is TK
@randwiches is Viv
@nguersh is Luxe
and @shodell is Lash
@taylordotbiz is the bad boys and
@mikerugnetta is everything else
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Recorded at Fortunate Horse in Greenpoint BK
Produced, edited and sound designed by Mike Rugnetta
Our music is by Sam Tyndall - http://cuneiform.xyz
Our art is by Tess Stone - http://notdrunkenough.com/
Our Discord mods are Olivia Gulin, Kestrel and Kit.
Pennington Moore bird app: @pennmost twitch: tonyhawkproskatertwo
[00:00:00]
[ Intro Theme begins ]
> Molly Templeton / "Artemis": [IC] In the early 21st century, magic reawakened on Earth, and alongside it, a new human race, with orks, elves, trolls, dwarves, and others. Humanity became metahumanity.
As technology proliferated and greatly advanced in the awakened world, global megacorporations seized ever more power, becoming de facto states with their own laws, courts, and armed forces. The corporations attempt to control all aspects of modern life. This has led to a vast and complex criminal underground which works for and against corporate interests. The independent career criminals who do what others can't or won't are called Shadowrunners.
The year is 2101. Welcome to Fun City. [ Intro Theme ends ]
[ Main Theme begins ]
> Mike / G.M.: This episode of fun city contains descriptions of police violence, the use of firearms, a rioting crowd, and one scene of gruesome violence.
Previously of Fun City, the team is hired by Mo Ashina of Combinatorial Ltd.- a consortium of corporations- to frame nypd incorporated pba bureaucrat Verne Sollix for fraternizing with New York's criminal element. This in an attempt to halt a strike he is allegedly architecting due to the city’s lackluster investment in nypd Incorporated. Combinatorial has fabricated incriminating footage, but to pass muster, it must include biometric metadata of Vern’s giant troll body.
Mo Ashina says he’ll be most vulnerable at the forthcoming international policing and security professionals trade and labor consortium Annual Exposition.
In the intervening day, the team tails Verne looking for clues to lure him into a full 3D body scan. Luxe in the police athletic league comes face-to-terrifying-face with Verne, who commlinks him two invites to the conference in apology for a violent misunderstanding. Meanwhile, Lash and T.K. infiltrate Vern’s apartment, and find the honey jackpot: Vern’s adorable miniature town, a painstaking recreation of his bucolic Bavarian homeland.
We join the team now, having just returned from their tale, to the kitchen of the Mrs. Egg as Luxe attempts to con more passes out of Verne via commlink and they finalize the details of their ruse.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] So just send them a short message, being like- [IC] Thanks so much! I'm really really excited. Uhm, you could imagine CD doesn’t get invited to a lot of things - Critter Department - So I have a couple uh, - others who are, you know, excited as well. They would love to go, if you could spare a few more passes. If not, that’s okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye
> Mike / G.M.: Message sent.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Send
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Was that a voicemail? [ Mike laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Oh no, that was just a little commlink message.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": An animoji.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Yeah [Mike and Nick laugh]
> Mike / G.M.: You, as a beaver, speaking this message.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Yes, all of the messages-
> Mike / G.M.: To one of the top bureaucrats of the NYPD inc.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Yes
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Look man, shoot your shot. CD doesn’t get invited a bunch. [ Mike laughs ] We gotta- we wanna go.
> Mike / G.M.: You gotta charm em
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": I love animoji because it’s voicemail you have to look at. [ Mike and Nick laugh ]
> Mike / G.M.: Taylor, I'm gonna let you play out- like you know, Verne gets a message and the text reads as described by Luxe.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Uh huh. Almost immediately, you receive a reply. It is a message with no text in the subject or body. Simply a file attached and that file is two more passes.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. does that thing he does, he’s like *hacker voice* [IC] I'm In.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] So is the idea that we’re all gonna go and we have the equipment? We’re your friends in the critter division-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] We’re technicians, we look technical.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] And we just happen to have this device on us?
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] I think we’re all in the critter department, we all know how to make- we know how to make perfect replicas of the critters that we take care of.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] To stu- We’re studying them, right? We gotta- we gotta know how they-
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] And we have the- and we have the equipment to do that on our- on us at all times.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah and we’re- we’re almost there and we’re like > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] we’re hoping to meet other people in- would there be out-of-towners maybe there? Out-of-towner critter department - people?
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Oh yeah
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah for sure, for sure, but I mean think about it, right you know we wanna- we wanna pick up some new skills. The Critter Department needs to like - to share knowledge with the
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Cause there’s gotta be a panel about > Mike / G.M.: You gotta network, you gotta knowledge-share
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Right, and there’s gotta be a panel that’s like “Hey, Critter Division people, how to, like, accurately model your critters to forecast their behavior.” Right? Like, there’s gotta be.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah - We’re like those people who go to conferences who aren't signed up to be like a panelist or like to be a venue you know a - like a little table. But they come with, like, cards and shit and they’re just like- and they just are talking to everyone like “I got this thing going on and-” this is great.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah the big CD, NYCD.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah I'm into that role
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] NYCCD
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Are we saying that the nuggles that I have are replicas?
[00:04:58]> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Yes, we’re saying the nuggles you have are not created by magic; they’re created by these three - these three scanners that scan the live nuggles that we deal with so that we can have accurate like replicas that we that we can study the behavior, we can have - we can have them on hand... we love them...
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] What we could do, ‘cause we will get data from these scanners, right? So what we could do is you know tell ‘em it’s gonna look like this, but here’s what we have right now. And then like put him in a little replica of a German town virtually in the matrix that he like sees himself walking around in based on the data that we just got from him.
> Mike / G.M.: I would say that if you wanted to spend -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] But it’s like proof of concept.
> Mike / G.M.: A number of hours between now and then coding up a little thing-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah, I think-
> Mike / G.M.: Like an environment? You know like you open up Unity and sort of start to put together a little-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Exactly, - that’s exact - that’s exactly what I'm thinking, ‘cause like I mean - I - I feel like, you know, he’s gonna wanna see something for why he just got scanned and it can’t - I mean it can just be like a tiny creature cause that’s fucking that’s - that’s just crazy that’s cool
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] That’s a great idea though,
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah it’s like here’s all the data we got. We’re not - we’re being transparent. We’re using this-
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Instead of doing a little town, why don't we just do forest area because that's where we’re from, kind of. I think
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] What about
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] I think it’d be too on the nose for a little town.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] What about a little town in a forest area?
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Yeah!
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Like you come across
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Yeah, yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] like a couple huts
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] That’s cute.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] A small village, perhaps.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] I like that
> Mike / G.M.: You wanna roll that up? Do a roll for that right now?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I got Computer, Hardware, Software... but
> Mike / G.M.: I would- I would just call it Software.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Do you want me to assist?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah! Yeah that’d be great. Cause I have software my only specialization is Data Bombs which is not what we need here.
> Mike / G.M.: Not even close. I'm gonna say that this is reasonably close to like coding a video game -you know what I mean? And that-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah and it's - it’s just a proof of concept to have > Mike / G.M.: Yeah
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] To show him what we’re doing with his data, even though that’s not what we’re doing with his data.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Two.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I'm gonna roll Logic plus...
> Mike / G.M.: I'm gonna say at 1 success, you make a wireframe that isn’t impressive and like if you squint looks like a town and a forest and at 2 it has really bad -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Is it pol- like low-poly? - yeahh!
> Mike / G.M.: like low-poly - low-poly textures. At 3 it starts to actually have shape and color
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Oh boy
> Mike / G.M.: and at 4 and above it just looks increasingly realistic.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Alright, let’s see what happens. Two.
> Mike / G.M.: It looks [Bijan laughs] I mean this might work in your favor because it looks convincingly in progress
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah and it’s just you know it's just data that we got it's a random simulation we just -we just decide - like, it's like oh yeah lemme - we have like the one scenario, let’s just drop it in and see what happens.
> Mike / G.M.: So I mean I'm gonna say this is
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I also can’t believe it was only a two out of ten dice.
> Mike / G.M.: I'm gonna say this is - this is an extended test. You know, this represents you having worked for, [ electronic interface sounds ] probably like, four or five hours just trying to like - pull things together this is what you got. Does that sound fair?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah, yeah. - Yeah, yeah! > Mike / G.M.: Ok great
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] But I - we still have until tomorrow, so I guess conceivably I could roll once more, but -
> Mike / G.M.: If you wanted to - If you wanted to like stay up all night and try to make something that is
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Would I get - do I get a dice penalty for being tired? > Mike / G.M.: Yes
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] hmm...
> Mike / G.M.: I would punish you or a - [ laughs ] ask you to roleplay tired. > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah - Okay
> Mike / G.M.: If you were to make decisions like you were tired, I would be - less inclined to dock your - your dice pool.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] So here’s what I'm thinking, like - cause this is this is all happening during the day that- the half day that we have, right?
> Mike / G.M.: You’re, yeah, so right now -
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] So we have half a day left?
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I think I'm just gonna go with some wire - the fuckin’ polygons, whatever.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] But are you gonna actually take data from the scanner? > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yourself?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Okay.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Cause I don’t it- cause it’s supposed to be very high resolution if I recall correctly.
> Mike / G.M.: Correct.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Nano.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] So it should be, it should be like - It should be extremely detailed. The environment is the low-poly part right? It’s just like this is just a 3D
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah he-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": So your- your plan hinges on this guy’s secret desire being to own a tiny robot of himself.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] My man, this is extremely freudian.
> Mike / G.M.: Lacanian?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Lacanian. Don’t do this. [ Mike laughs ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Don’t do this.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": The tiny robot phase comes after mirror. > Mike / G.M.: That’s right, yeah
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Mm-hm.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Okay so our goal, going to the NYPD conference, is to get Verne alone, either before or after his talk, we haven’t decided that yet - we’ll see when we get there. We want to tell him about our very special critter technology, how it works, and hopefully he’ll be excited that we are trying to document the critters that we work with so we take 3D scans of them in real life so that we can study them and how they behave as little AI robots. And -
> Mike / G.M.: Which is a bunch of bullshit.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Which is totally made up, but we also hope that excites him and he wants to try it and that in however many hours we can promise to deliver it we can scan him and send him along his own thing that he can use for his own purposes but after we take a scan we want to show him a proof of concept of his image in something that T.K. - in an environment that T.K. is quickly building.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Very quickly. [ cyberdeck beeps ]
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] It’ll be helpful also to maybe try to get some security away from him if we find the opportunities to do that, ‘cause the less security that’s around him the more likely that you - he like cant kind of get away from us.
> Mike / G.M.: There’s one other thing that I wanted to invite both you as players and you as your characters to deliberate upon before you take your final action in the heist, which is to consider the moral dimension of what you’re doing, which none of you have really talked about. You are being hired by a consortium of global mega-corporations to essentially prevent a strike by blackmailing a bureaucrat who runs a union.
[00:10:11] > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] But it’s a private police force union? It’s - it’s cops. So I don’t... I don’t feel that - I don’t feel that bad.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Viv just likes money.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K.’s - T.K.’s ACAB all the way. > Mike / G.M.: Alright.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] I think that there’s something fishy about Verne - I think because he’s so like high security, and he's like anxious, there's just like rumblings of things surrounding him. I just get a read of - and - and Lash loves everyone but Lash gets a read on Verne that like maybe there’s something fucked up about him.
> Mike / G.M.: From what you’ve heard so far, you just don’t trust him?
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] I don’t trust him, I don’t trust that his like intentions are pure with what he's doing.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] I don't trust him either.
[ Dramatic music starts ]
> Mike / G.M.: The team heads early to bed and rises before dawn the next morning to begin preparation. T.K. spends a few more hours on his 3D environment and manages to improve it marginally. Viv, on the roof of the mirage, summons this time a single nuggle. A small humped horse-shape that she sequesters in its liquid form within her up hairdo. Lash considers compiling a sprite, but spends her time instead looking out at the water of the Hudson river wondering “how is it that birds float, exactly?” The team rides Henley the Bentley just a few blocks north and parks at a safe distance to walk the remaining span.
Approaching the Javits-Bloomberg Convention Center, they first hear the roar of voices [ shouting overlaps ] and finally see the throng of protesters here for the International Policing and Security Professionals Trade and Labor Consortium, Annual Exposition. There are signs with pigs in police helmets and signs demanding justice for a recent spate of deaths that happened while corporate citizens were in police custody. A few signs read “corporate citizens are citizens.” One reads “humans: not a resource” There's a pathway cleared through the crowd and as the team walks it, they get closer to the front of the mass; closer to the convention center. They reach the more vehement protesters who have been here for who knows how long; red in the face, pointing accusatorially shouting at the nearby police and everyone entering the conference, one of them holds a sign on a large E-paper poster that reads, in spiky red animated text: “Safety is a public good.”
They're hemmed in well by a combination of crowd control barriers, NYPD Inc. officers, and the NYPD reserve security force in full riot gear. And in a cordoned-off zone between the protesters and the center, sits a single monolithic jet-black mobile command center: a bus-like vehicle clad with armor plating and lucite windows. Festooned with all kinds of antennae, surveillance technology [ electronic beeping ], and a scrolling LED sign wishing everyone a good expo. There are four outrigger arms with big circular pads cementing it in place. As is usually the case in New York City, there are only a very few officers with guns in sight, their large shotguns likely loaded with gel rounds: allegedly non-lethal slugs of disabling goo; and Stick-n-Shocks: rounds which launch a star-shaped adhesive and electrified doohickey at their target. Some officers have teargas canisters, some have pepper-punch guns, some tasers. A few drones hover overhead.
[ distant voices speaking over comm ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] You guys wanna ask what these demonstrators are specifically...
[00:14:32] > Mike / G.M.: I think you guys- you guys would probably roughly get from what you've seen so far - that this is related to a set of people who were allegedly taken into custody by NYPD Inc. and were put in one of their holding centers, essentially, and that those people mysteriously died. And that NYPD Incorporated has essentially skated any responsibility for these deaths and they were all corporate citizens. Which means that they were not - you know they lived in New York City but they are citizens of the corporations that they work for. So they were, you know, Aztechnology citizens, they were - EVO citizens. There’s a little bit of a tension there of like, are those people being treated worse off by the NYPD Incorporated than someone who has a national SIN, as it were. Whereas they have corporate SINs. They have corporate identities as opposed to national identities.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Does the police union have anything to do with this? Are they making any demands from the police union, or is this just kind of just an unconnected thing? And - and it’s just -
> Mike / G.M.: As far as you know - yeah, as far as you know this is like a unconnected - yeah. > Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Ok. Sure.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. does a Matrix search to see what, if any, response the corporations had to their citizens being killed.
> Mike / G.M.: You can’t find anything, like on the public grid, that’s a statement other than basically lock-step support of NYPD Incorporated from the corporations saying like “Clearly the NYPD did their best, acted in our best interest, acted in their best interest,” and sort of alluding to that these citizens were probably drug addicts or they were drunk or, you know it was - it was their own fault - and that they still implicitly trust NYPD Incorporated and have no intention of cancelling any of their contracts. And this is the thing that like all of the corporations in the city have security contracts with NYPD Incorporated.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Got it.
> Mike / G.M.: Mo- This is a - Mo Ashina, I think, talked to you guys about this, right? Like, yeah. Great.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Mh-hm > Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. feels marginally less bad about this. Well, he didn't feel bad at all before but he feels less bad now.
> Mike / G.M.: Less bad. At this point, you are essentially at the front door of the jbc and you can see just past the front door is something you are well familiar with at this point: the MAD scanner. And a bunch of security personnel.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I dont - I mean do you guys have any... any weapons?
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] No, I was gonna say - you said there was a big, like, security van out front?
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] I was gonna say do we wanna do like a matrix perception test just to see what kind of stuff is in that security van?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah, we can - I mean we can do that. I mean, we’re supposed to be here right, like we have passes? We’re official enough?
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah yeah yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, what are you guys wearing?
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] I - based on my searches of the Critter Division, there's a little bit more of a pencil pusher kind of a nerd pocket protector kind of vibe to the ones in the office, and a little bit of boy scout to the people that go out, so you know because we’re not going out into the wilderness, we don't need to be in full kit that's - wilderness so we - were kinda just in you know general business casual kind of - Luxe is still in a suit, but it’s his least nice suit. [ All laugh ]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. has borrowed another one of Luxe’s suits, this is the slightly nicer suit but he’s - traded the tie for an ascot.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Viv had gathered the material of her kaftan to make her look like she was wearing more of a - a smart dress. More of a pencil-y situation. And she has wrapped her hair up into a beehive. [ Bijan, Mike, and Taylor laugh ]
> Mike / G.M.: Give yourself an edge please. > Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Thank you.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Lash is wearing black cargo pants and uh a t-shirt. Very basic. > Mike / G.M.: Kinda maybe you blend in the best.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. has - he’s - he’s stored a tact- like some tactical gear in his arm, just like tactical clothing.
> Mike / G.M.: What he's got like a - he's got like a tactical shirt just shoved into one of his arm compartments?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah, and - and the fatigues. [ Bijan and Taylor laugh ] > Mike / G.M.: Think you have some tactical socks just balled up in your wrist? > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yes.
> Mike / G.M.: Sure, absolutely.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] ‘Cause - I mean, ‘c.ause there - there’s usually like combat axe in there which he cannot bring into the - just in case
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Are you saying you have a t-shirt gun? [ Jenn and Shannon laugh ] > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I'm not not saying that.
> Mike / G.M.: So as you guys approach as you enter before you hit the mad scanner there a bunch of things that you notice. You see the amount of NYPD reserve security personnel you see the mad scanner. There is a flow of people in and out; it’s very crowded, there are a lot of people here. And actually I think that there is some calm that you feel in this that there's no way for you to stand out because unless someone is trying, there’s no way for anybody to stand out here, it's really crowded, there are a lot of people focused on all the things that are happening. As you enter, you know this room is huge, it's very very tall, - it's you know 100 feet tall and probably the length of a football field or so. In front of you, this sort of like welcoming expo center kind of feel. There’s all of these stand-ups with various products you know you see people tryna hock and demonstrate things. People shaking hands and hugging and like you know catching up. You
see there are actually a bunch of wacky wavable inflatable arm flailing tube men lining the entryway as you enter and they are dressed like NYPD Incorporated officers complete with patrolmen hats.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Mm.
[00:19:58] > Mike / G.M.: Yeah. And you notice that all the windows at the far end of this portion of the expo - of the entryway have been blocked out with a giant advertisement for a new kind of handcuff. That claim- [ Jenn and Nick laugh ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Oh God. Sorry.
> Mike / G.M.: That claims to be able to withstand the strength of even the angriest troll. And there is, in fact, a photo of an upset-looking troll wearing these massive handcuffs being put into the back of a cruiser by a very smug-looking human police officer. And you know it's got its just i- its - yeah. You're all making - you're all making upset faces which makes me think I'm - [ Shannon and Mike laugh ] I'm just gonna stop describing it, my job here is done.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] We have to act like cops remember? [ Jenn and Shannon laugh ] > Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: So, the first thing that you have to do - there is someone who is standing immediately on the other side of the door who wants to scan your passes for you to get into the building. I assume all of you present your commlinks without - yeah ok you all get through. [ affirmative ping ] There isn't even a roll associated with this because these are legitimate passes. Congratulations, you have been granted entry.
There are two MAD scanners in front of you and they are lined on either side by police officers with rifles. These are the first two actual bullet-carrying munitions - firearms - that you have seen up until this point. And there is a large array of lockers to the left-hand side if you have anything that you would like to get rid of before going through the scanners.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] No I think -
> Mike / G.M.: You good?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I think we’re good.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] I don't have anything
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] I don't think we brought - I didn't bring my weapons [ laughs ] > Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] I haven’t brought any weapons.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] We only brought just the scanners with us.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Between viv and i, we have enough weapons.
> Mike / G.M.: You guys just go through?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yup
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: Ok one at a time, who goes - who goes first? > Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] I’ll go first.
> Mike / G.M.: You go through just fine, [ scanner blips ] you get a polite nod from the guard who is standing there.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] I’ll go next.
> Mike / G.M.: Kay, you go through Viv and as you go through, [ scanner blips ] you notice- probably about twelve or fifteen paces away, watching the entryway very carefully: a very tall, very skinny and pale man with bright red hair who looks at you and kinda like locks eyes with you for a second, he’s wearing this long black coat and he doesn't move, but he notices you; you notice him.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Mm hm.
> Mike / G.M.: Who goes through next?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I go through next.
> Mike / G.M.: One of the officers on the other side puts a firm hand up and says [ IC as security guard ] Got anything funny in that arm?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. pops it open and pulls out a pair of socks.
> Mike / G.M.: [ laughs ] He is immediately charmed and - [ IC as security guard ] Wait are they tactical socks?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. unrolls them and stretches them a little bit and doesn’t break eye-contact.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC as security guard ] Aww that’s my favorite, I love those [OOC] and he rolls down he like he lifts his pant leg a little bit [ Shannon laughs ] and you can see that he's wearing the same pair of socks just in a different color.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. nods and then puts them back in his arm.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah he pats you on the shoulder and is like [ IC as security guard ] Have a good - have a good time. Have fun. Have fun.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Luxe also walks through. [ scanner blips ]
> Mike / G.M.: As Luxe goes through, the tall man comes and approaches Viv, ignores basically everyone else, walks right up to you.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Mm-hmm
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC as tall man ] Ma’am, I'm sorry to bother you, I just wanted to say hello and what a wonderful thing it was to see another member of the awakened society here among the force.
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] My pleasure, [OOC] and Viv offers her hand like in the past, like not for a handshake but for a finger tickle. [ low, ominous music swells ] She - she just offers her hand and says [IC] Catherine O’hara: Critter’s division.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as tall man] Umm I wasn’t aware the Critter’s Division had awakened members in it.
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] I'm fairly new.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as tall man] Well, I'm fairly old and it's great to see more people like us [OOC] And he winks at you [IC] Around this place.
> Mike / G.M.: You are sort of suddenly struck by a couple things: this guy is - now that he’s standing close to you - he’s really tall, he’s like weirdly tall but also weirdly skinny for how tall he is. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Mike / G.M.: Like - like he would -he seemingly would blow away in a strong wind, but doesnt have the attitude or countenance of - of people who tend to be that frame. He’s also got - it's like his skin has been pulled tight around his bones everywhere except for his face. He’s got these really boyish features. It’s almost like his face doesn’t match the rest of his body. He’s got these also like really dull grey eyes, they’re - I think you could maybe describe them as spooky. They’re, like sort of spooky.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah, sure.
> Mike / G.M.: And as he’s talking, they’re like darting around. You can see that he’s you know he’s focused on you but like he's paying attention to the people who are coming in through the MAD scanner. He’s watching people as they walk away, he’s sort of trying to keep tabs on things. He’s wearing all black. You also notice he’s got two rings, on either of his pinkies. One is bright silver, and one is silver and glows red. And as he moves his hands around as hes talking to you, you swear it like kind of leaves a little like red trail.
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] I'm sorry, what was your name?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as tall man] Hollbrook, my name is Cairn hollbrook. > Jenn / "Viv": [IC] Cairn, nice to meet you
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Cairn] Nice to meet you, Catherine.
00 He sort of motions for you to like walk and talk with him as he follows you and the group in. 11 So tell me, what’s your um - I'm sorry if this is rude to ask, but uh what’s your tradition?
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] Oh, I'm a - I'm a chaotic mage
[00:25:00] > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Cairn] Wow, no kidding
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] I don’t rely on spells or wands or things like that. I like to touch nature > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Cairn] Sounds perfect for the Critter Division
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] Exactly
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Cairn] Well it's just great to have you here, you know we just don’t see enough of us
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] What department are you in?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Cairn] Oh I am not allowed to talk about that while I'm on the job but you can imagine [OOC] And he gestures back to the group of security people that he was sort of standing with.
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] Ahh. I see should leave you to it
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Cairn] Well, we’ll be seeing you > Jenn / "Viv": [IC] Absolutely
> Mike / G.M.: He just kinda stops - like as you guys are walking when he says we’ll be seeing you, he just stops walking, and just waits for you to walk away from him. [ ominous music fades ]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] And Viv waits until they're like twenty feet away [ IC, stage whispering ] ooh, he’s watching us. [ Bijan and Mike laugh ]
[ambient convention background noise]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Stage whisper? [ Mike laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Luxe says [IC] Oh look catherine! There’s those drinks you like. [OOC] And I uh kind of gesture Viv to follow me further away from him um so that I can speak with her. Do you guys follow us?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] So you can hear as well
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Although T.K. is privately jealous that he wasn't clocked as awakened [ Mike and Nick laugh ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Oh they know who has a tactical socks in his arm. So - I say [ IC, stage whispering ] I dont think youre gonna be able to approach verne with us, but on my signal- I’ll say sugar and you’ll be able to hear me in the commlink - If you could just have your spirit to go
up to him and like try to nuzzle on his legs and stuff like that, that would be a - that might be a good opening way for us to start talking about this miniature thing -
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] That would-
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] and then it'll give us a way in to actually explain how it was made.
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] So keep in mind - that we have three services, - the first of which is materialization.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] yes - yes - Okay so we need to materialize it first-
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] We - we have two more after that so we're gonna use one which is movement
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] okay
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] to follow you and-
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] And the third will be nuzzle his legs? > Jenn / "Viv": [IC] No I think movement can be part of it. > Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh okay sorry. [ Shannon laughs ]
> Jenn / "Viv" [IC] Just remember that we have one more > Shannon / "Lash": [IC] I dont know, nuzzle is a big ask
> Mike / G.M.: You guys have a map of the conference, and you have a layout of Sollix’s schedule. You know when he's gonna be arriving, it seems likely that um based upon what you have he's already in the building making his way to where the talk is. You would know how to get there pretty quickly. Is there anything that you wanna do? You can see that there's a bunch of talks in all kinds of places on this and that on police enforcement techniques, on new gear, on public relations, on community board management. There’s also an expo floor with all kinds of goodies and exhibitors if you want to see any of the cutting edge nypd inc technology or you could just make your way to the room Sollix is going to be giving a speech in.
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] I know we need to be making our way to the room, but I saw a sign that says if we speak to three vendors and you get your - your card punched, then you get to spin the wheel and one of the prizes is a cruise with the Baha Men. [Bijan, Shannon and Taylor laugh]
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh “the Bahamin” that’s a tradition! > Jenn / "Viv": [IC] Excuse me? Uh who are they? Who? > Shannon / "Lash": [IC] The Baha Men?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] It's a re- its a religion right?
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] Yeah its a religion. [ laughs ]
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah it's been going on for hundreds of years.
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] Hundreds of years.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh okay cool.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Oh yeah the Bahamin.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah.
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] Bahamin yeah and I think I’ve never been on a cruise.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Okay well yeah lets go check out a - some booths and get some signatures then.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] [stammers] we should not do that. [OOC] And - T.K. points to the schedule > Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Ah wait how much time do we have until his speech?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] I was gonna say w- we don't have that much time I think - I think he has a pretty tight schedule, I don't think we have enough time to see the Baha- bahamin.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Right, lemme just ask the universe real quick how long we have until- > Mike / G.M.: I think that's just called looking at your watch lll
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Yes that’s what I call looking at my watch - [IC] How long we have until his speech?
> Mike / G.M.: His talk will begin in twenty minutes and it is scheduled to last for forty-five. So you have about a - you have you know if you wanna talk to him as soon as he's done, we’ll say you have roughly an hour, unless you wanna see all of his talk
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] We should see some of his talk.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] We should probably be - at the front row of his talk.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Try to get his attention - exactly. [Mike laughs]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah lets just - go you know just go to a nice talk
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] [sighs] Lets go to the talks. [Outro music begins
Ad break
[00:30:00] [music fades out]
> Mike / G.M.: So you run through, or you you know quickly walk- > Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Scurry.
> Mike / G.M.: -scurry through the expo floor and you get to a winding set of hallways you follow the map and get to this very nondescript room where you walk in and this is a very sparsely attended talk. Sollix’s talk is about negotiation techniques when dealing with large-scale, long-term contracts with private contractors when you are considered a public organization and - the tricky political situation that nypd inc specifically is in - taking private contracts and how he tries to think about how to advocate for the people who he represents to the people that they have contracts with. There’s maybe ten people here scattered throughout a room that could hold a hundred and fifty people, there's no visuals, it is just Sollix standing behind a normal-sized podium. He barely fits behind it. It's like a Lincoln Log in front of this man, it's like
it looks like nothing. He towers over it and has to hunch over a little bit to read his notes. And yeah, you're in there. No one pays you any mind as you quietly enter through the back door. The people who are in there are either zoning off looking at their commlinks, or enraptured by what Sollix is saying.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] I walk up to the front row and take out a little note- department issued notebook and start scribbling notes. [pen scribbles]
> Mike / G.M.: A fake department issued notebook
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] A fake - a fake department issued notebook and start scribbling notes. > Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] We follow along.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah we sit down in a row.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne Sollix] [German accent] So to sum up- [Mike and Taylor laugh] Although we are surrounded by all of this technology, it is, of course, the truth that all of the old ways are the best: um solidarity, sticking together- [Taylor laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: Just thought I’d throw you in the deep end and see what happens. > Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] [laughs] I like it.
> Mike / G.M.: We’ll write something for you that you can do later.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Wow.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Great.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] You have to keep that part.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I mean you got a little bit
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] So to sum up [Mike and Taylor laugh] > Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] [laughing] Great, that’s great
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah, way better.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] So to sum up- > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Monotone.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Even though we are surrounded by all this new technology and processes, the old ways are the best: teamwork, solidarity - [Taylor laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: That was a little french.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": You know why? Its cause its a French word I - it's hard to say/ > Mike / G.M.: Frraternity [laughs]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah [laughs]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Baguette.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] The old ways are best: filling out the right paperwork, sticking together, the basic premises and promises of trade unionism. These are all the things we must use today, tomorrow, and forever. Thank you for having me, I do not- unfortunately- have time to take any questions at this moment, uh please you can send me on any social media platform and I will answer. [laughs] [Luxe applauds]
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Lash shoots her hand up.
> Mike / G.M.: There is no applause, except for Luxe is the only person applauding. [applause continues] Most people who are in the room some of them are completely motionless as they continue to check their comms. But most people just stand up and leave, start heading towards the door. What you see is a back door open on the other side of the dias and two security guards- two human security guards in the standard complement um you know holding two batons and with some tasers on their belts - come out and start walking towards Sollix as he crosses the dias and starts walking towards them to go into the back hallways to exit the conference center.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Luxe bounces up and goes [IC] Oh Verne! Verne! Thank you so much, that was so incredible!
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": He flinches! [Nick laughs] You scare him and he flinches. And the two security guards see this and they sort of go for their batons on their belts. And then -then he very quickly, he sees you and he recognizes and says.[IC as Verne] Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry. I'm we met um...
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] GiGi! GiGi!
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] At the uhh... we met at the uhh
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] The gym.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] We met at the [stammers] police gym, yes.
> Mike / G.M.: You can tell that actually you approaching him quickly has a - he’s like a little nervous, like he's sort of heaving a little bit. [Nick laughs] Like dabs his brow.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Verne what you said about solidarity and togetherness I mean it for me it was sweet as sugar!
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Well I'm so s- I'm
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Sugar! It was sweet as sugar! Sugar sugar sugar! Uh!
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Meanwhile, [Nick laughs] Viv touches the ground a little bit to materialize the nuggle [neighing] and uh- as its first service, which is materialization, uh its second service will be movement toward Verne. And so the little nuggle trots over [neighs] and gives a neigh of warning, but starts trotting [hooves clomping] very cutely towards his shoes.
[00:34:56] > Mike / G.M.: Still on high-alert, the two security guards who are with Verne see this animal approach and they keep their hands on their tasers they went for when Luxe approached um and one of them shouts [IC as security guard] What is that?
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] Oh no! She got loose [laughs] aww she got loose! > Nick / "Luxe": [IC] [Laughing] She got loose!
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] Look at that little one go.
> Mike / G.M.: They are -they are, you can see even though they’re wearing visors, very confused - it's like the judge dredd face you know like a grimace they're very confused about what's happening.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] [Laughing] I'm sorry, this is one of our little minireps - it's a mini replica. We uh we need to make them for our department, we can basically miniaturize anything, so this is actually a miniature full horse, I don't know how it got out!
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] I'm very sorry, I'm very sorry, [horse whinnying in background] sometimes they have a mind of their own.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC as Verne] Mr. Sollix, we don't have time for this, you have to get in your car, it's time for you to go.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Wait, hold on one second. This is a little, what is this?
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] It is a replica of a humped horse, one of the cri-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] A what?
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] A humped horse. It’s one of the critters that we document and research in our division.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Ah right, you’re from the CD. > Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] Yeah
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] A humped horse is about seven feet tall so obviously we can’t study those and everything, but if you know a couple quick scans and we actually can make perfect replicas of -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": He bends over and picks it up off the ground > Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Uh yeah
> Mike / G.M.: Does - does he?
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] He can
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": I - yeah ok
> Mike / G.M.: It feels, in his hands, like a tiny horse.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [All laugh] That's such a fun thing to think about! Oh my goodness what a gift thank you! Me, Taylor, I love that! [all laugh] What a fun fuckin thing to think about! I'm holding my hand out and thinking about it right now and I'm so happy, thinking about a tiny - you can feel- think about it, you can feel the little four hooves on your palm if you think about it.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] So would you rather fight a thousand of those or a big chicken? [all laugh] It’s a little joke.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I would never fight a thousand of these [laughs] this is lovely
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Do you want to meet the man who created it? Barney, get over here! [laughs]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. walks up, he just pauses [IC] Hello.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Hello, it's nice to meet you um.. I - I have a thousand questions for you-
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC as security guard] Mr. Sollix, I don’t -I don’t wanna - I don’t wanna cause any trouble, but you have to - the room has to be cleared within the next two minutes, I'm getting the high sign - [OOC] And you look - you turn around and there's someone there wearing a suit making the big “wrap it up” - he’s like
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I have to run to ca- [clears throat] I have to run to catch my ride, will you - will you walk with me?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah, yeah, of course.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] It’s just this way.
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC as security guard] Mr. Sollix this is highly unusual, you’re gonna let them into the -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Calm down. I cant talk to the m- the people with the tiny horses?
> Mike / G.M.: The two security guards look at one another and look up at Verne Sollix [Mike and Taylor laugh] who towers above them and they sort of like part a little bit, as if to suggest that you all can just pass through.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Thank you.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. takes the lead
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Actually, will you go and just meet us at the car?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC as security guard] Are you dismissing us?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I just need to walk down this hallway. Can I have some privacy please?
> Mike / G.M.: [ IC as security guard] This is highly unusual.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Is there someone else you're taking the orders from? [All laugh]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Jesus
> Mike / G.M.: They both look at one another and the other guy who hasn't been talking says [ IC as security guard] We have to go through the passageway, let us go ahead of you.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Yes but go far enough so I can have a private conversation with my new friends here.
> Mike / G.M.: They leave, they exit the rear door, and they're out of sight. > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": And so now we can just go in the back.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah if you go in the back yeah you'll - might see them like you know twenty paces away and retreating from you, but they're not going to hang out.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [laughing] Okay great > Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Luxe very quickly glances around to make sure that other - the other magic user isn't around to look at viv to see if Viv is there because that's the only thing that could blow our cover at this point.
> Mike / G.M.: The tall skinny creepy guy.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] The tall skinny creepy guy with the red hair. > Mike / G.M.: You do not see him.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Okay great, great.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": So now - he gestures and like takes you into the back hallway [Door pushes open, fluorescents hum] and kind of starts walking briskly towards a like - now like so the back hallways are just like you know the back hallways of any like theater stage conference center sort of like utility brightly lit white fluorescent lights a just sort of - there’s a bunch of cables and like pipes above. Just one of these utility hallways and off the side’s like a little greenroom, off the side’s like a janitorial thing, there's like a little server room or whatever, a node or whatever. And he's just sort of walking down, there's sort of a - its labyrinthine but there's an obvious path, you know signs that point to the exit. He's walking and talking to you at the same time. [ IC as Verne] This is incredible. [horse squeals]
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] [Laughs] yeah, well you know - we used to spend millions of nuyen on actual live scenarios in which we would be capturing live animals and studying them and while it wasnt cheap - we were lucky enough to find barney over here who actually created something pretty special. Anyway I wanna talk about that talk!
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Nononononono I mean we can talk about the talk anytime, you can just read my blog.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Ok. Oh, you’re interested in these little - > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Blogs?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] No, the miniature - the miniatures?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Oh this is great!
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh okay
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I actually love miniatures. > Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh cool alright great yeah that’s awesome
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Yeah yeah
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] We could make you one!
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Well-
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] I didn’t even think of that, that's - you - yeah we’d love to - you gave us the tickets, we have - we have to make you one. We have to make him one
[00:39:56] > Shannon / "Lash": [IC] Yeah we - why didn’t you think of that? You shoulda - you shoulda thought of that
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] I should’ve thought - I'm - you know what I'm buying - I'm buying breakfast tomorrow
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] I'm so sorry we didn’t say it sooner!
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as It’s okay, I - I require - [laughs] - I do not require - [laughs] [OOC] Fuck! Goddamn it! How do German people say - these words? [clears throat]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Do you need the Werner? [Mike and Taylor laugh]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": No I’ll be fine. [IC as Verne] I don’t require any sort of gift in exchange for the tickets.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. - T.K. already has the baton out. [IC] Do you want- > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": You take a stick out?
> Jenn and Bijan: [ OOC] No the scanner.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Ah, don’t tell me. I don’t [Nick and Taylor laugh] it’s like - what does it look like?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] It’s -it looks like a stick, right?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": What, just a stick?
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] It looks really fancy
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] It’s like a fancy stick, but it's a stick > Mike / G.M.: The 3D scanner?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, it's like a long-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] It's like a wand.
> Mike / G.M.: Very attractive looking - yeah, like a well machined silver thing with a long oblong lens on it and a - and a handle.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Woah, yeah, so it's a baton
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Oh please, no photographs please, no. I would love one of those tiny horses
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] This is how we do it. This is how we do it. This is how we make the horses.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Oh, if you’d like to send me one of these horses I’d be so appreciative, I think it's wonderful. Um I- I’ll email you a PO box I use for receiving gifts and uh packages and things
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Absolutely, absolutely - Oh I thought you were asking for a little replica of yourself, you know that we could make one of those for you.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [ IC as Verne ] ... So, you could make a small miniature version of me?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah. > Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Yes.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] And it moves?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Yes. [horse neighs]
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah, Lash that’s what you were suggesting because -
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] Yeah!
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh yeah! I thought- I thought that was obvious yeah yeah we could make - we could get those scans right now and we could have that to you by next... week? Yeah.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] I could show you.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh yeah, he could actually show you, we have the - we have the man here. Oh, you wouldn't want me to do it for you, it would come out looking like -
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] [Laughing] I remember the last time you did it. You-
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] It looked like Santa Claus mixed with a gremlin and I don’t wanna talk about it, alright.
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] [Laughing] You’re so bad at it, oh my god.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Barney is good, okay. He’s gonna get- it'll be perfect.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K.- T.K.’s been trying to do what he sees Luxe do, which is like act and maintain character. And he’s trying to do monotone but he’s really like he - he’s very excited about how this heist is going. [Bijan, Nick, and Shannon laugh]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] So it’s - it’s cracking.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I feel that um in the short time that we have been talking to one another we have grown a sort of rapport?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah yeah
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] And so I- what I ask you now I ask as a friend: Please do not tell anyone about this conversation we are having.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] What conversation?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] - yeah - I wouldn’t
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": He - he kinda taps his nose and you actually hear a thunk-thunk [all laugh]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] It’s a nose the size of a basketball
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Its extremely empty, he maintains it
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": It’s like two djembes up there on his face [Bijan and Taylor laugh]
Dunk-dunk
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Dunk-dunk
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": And he says uh [IC as Verne] Yes, I would very much like to see more of this, please.
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] May I? [OOC] And Viv opens her hands for the little horse so that T.K. can do his thing.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Hold still please [OOC] So yeah we - it has the -the wand, the baton, the -and then there's an iris thing and hand thing?
> Mike / G.M.: Mm-hmm
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] So T.K. just grabs his hand, Sollix’s hand, puts that on the- puts his thumb on the scanner, or his hand- I guess, is it a full hand thing?
> Mike / G.M.: It's got like a-a single big pad, so if you want to get every finger, you gotta do one at a time, but like-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] It's gotta be - yeah- so T.K. -T.K. just starts doing one at a time with his fingers [Scanner whirrs and blips intermittently] and looks at uh - Lash and says “Come here,” and gives her the iris scanner and then after he's done with the fingers starts wanding-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] This will all be deleted after the miniature is made, yes?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. looks-
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah, absolutely. What- actually, what - what Barney’s going be able to do while we’re - while we’re doing this [OOC] And - and Luxe is doing this to distract him a little bit [IC] Is he’s gonna be able to show you a virtual recreation of what it’s gonna look like in a - you have a little environment that you do these in.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Yeah [wand pings] [OOC] T.K.’s already he’s already ported the data over.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] They're mini uh - they’re mini little different critter things, but you could put this -you know when you get the actual minirep, you can put it anywhere. Uh yeah, you wanna show him Barney?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: So Sollix looking sort of like a child being ushered through a theme park has this look of wonderment on his face but also bewilderment, he’s a little unsure of what’s happening, but like is going along with it and is-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] It’s like it's like uh it’s - like T.K.s a - a very good tailor and is just like doing measurements and shit.
> Mike / G.M.: This is while Luxe is sort of, you know-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Pitter-pattering
> Mike / G.M.: Okay. You finish the - the hand [scanner blips]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Finish the hand. Take out the wand, start doing the wand. > Mike / G.M.: Kay.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] And is Lash with the eyes?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah, I was gonna yeah, but I mean we could just do it - I could just do it.
> Mike / G.M.: ‘Kay so the wand -the wand will take yeah it takes basically as long as it takes to cover every inch of him, like pass the wand in front of every inch of him, which, he’s a big guy and you actually have to jump to get - you know, the top of his head and stuff. So this takes, you know this takes probably forty to forty-five seconds.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yes. and then T.K. says “look here” and holds up the thing for the iris [Iris scanner hums and pings] and pauses and “thank you” uh and just goes- just goes into the matrix and you see him like, look away while he is doing data stuff.
> Mike / G.M.: Okay - Verne looks like, a little overwhelmed but he hasn't said anything, he hasn't resisted in any way.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] So I think I think, you know because it’s a prerendered thing and we’re- it’s just uploading a model, a 3D model, that it has all of the components in it- it doesn't take that long. And I don't - how do I - do I just project it or something?
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] You could send it to his comm...
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah but do- do commlinks - no, because I don't want to use spoofing measures or whatever. Do commlinks have projectors like do we have projectors in the - can we project things in the - I guess put it in AR.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [Laughs] Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] [Laughs] Yeah.
[00:45:00] > Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Put it in AR
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah I was like wait a second, wait a second here. So T.K. drops- makes an ARO - and drops the whole scenario in the ARO.
> Mike / G.M.: And can you just, really briefly, explain what an ARO is?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah, for sure - so an ARO is spelled A-R-O and it - stands for Augmented Reality Object which basically means it’s like a it’s a virtual indicator that is trivial to make everyone can kinda see em it's kind of like- like you know how in Cyberpunk there's virtual graffiti everywhere and it's like like glowing and cyber and shit -
> Mike / G.M.: It's like neon signs over every building and you take your glasses off; they're gone.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Exactly, that’s what it is.
> Mike / G.M.: But this one - the one you're making for verne is bigger than a bounded little sign
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah yeah and I wanted to do it in - I guess T.K. wanted to do it in ar because then Verne wouldn't have to go in VR to like explore it and you know potentially be like - or potentially feel unsafe because in VR you don't actually see the outside world AR is just augmented reality so you see sort of all of the floating objects and whatever in your heads up display.
So yeah so basically he's just like throwing this thing out in the middle of the room and it's expanding to fill the room. It’s kinda like Minecraft earth.
> Mike / G.M.: Alright I dig it.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah Minecraft verne. [Shannon laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: What Sollix sees unfold in front of him in his AR display is a forest environment [birds chirping, brook babbling] that looks like an older trid it looks like it was something that he would have watched maybe you know when he was younger and it has this sort of like old rendering style that actually is weirdly nostalgic and in it he sees at a distance a rather convincing life-size, which is to say-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Scale.
> Mike / G.M.: Giant version of himself like you know it is him and he's sitting next to - he's standing next to a tiny hut. He is a little, a little impressed at how well the scale works and like yes that is how big he would be
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] This is exactly how big I would be [Shannon Laughs]
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah that's mostly what this scan shows- this little ar thing shows is how big you would be
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": So yeah when you - when you said you're gonna put in AR, or he probably assumed you would, he took out from you know his breast pocket these little pince nez AR gla- like they're just tiny on his enormous head, and he was just they were just sorta just sitting on the bridge of his nose. Like human sized pince nez glasses- he's looking at them. And he says[ IC as Verne] Ah yes, that is about the size I would be. [OOC] And he takes the glasses off, puts them back in his pocket and he says [IC] Could you also do like sheep? a goat?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] We have sheep, we-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Little- like a little goat-herder?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yeah we have sheep, we don't have a goat herder.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Do you- do you wanna be a goat-herder
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I don't want to be a goat-herder, I'm just curious about what other creatures -
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] We already have sheep at the office, we’d be happy to send you a few sheep yeah
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] Yeah
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Why don't I come by and pick some up-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Yeah
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Later this week?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Sure, that’d be great, yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as And what uh what precinct of the CD? I assume you all work together.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Lll yeah um we don't actually have precincts because it’s - it doesn't have to be that hyperlocal um but we’re just Mountain West of New York, it's a state department yeah
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Who is your um shop steward?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh shop steward? Oh god - Barney um uh actually his best friend uh just got a-a promotion um so he is actually the top uh the- the- the- the- the- [All laugh]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Jesus
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] That is not how unions work.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": You see his shoulders slump and the hope that he has found something lovely and wonderful and beautiful just randomly and coincidentally in this world uh that little spark in his- in his posture just sorta goes out and he sort of assumes that tired hulking presence that you’ve seen when he exited his apartment and every other time you’ve been spying on him. He says [ IC as Verne ] Are you armed?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] What
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Do you have guns?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] No, what are you talking about?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": He- who’s the closest, who’s the physically closest to him?
> Mike / G.M.: It would probably be T.K.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": He reaches out and he grabs your neck [ominous slow music begins] [gasps]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Ok
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": And he says [IC as Verne] Are there any more of you?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Anymore of us? What are you talking about? I'm sorry, what - did you do something Barney?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Ugh You’re here to stop the strike. > Nick / "Luxe": [IC] What strike?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] You’re gonna stop the strike.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Oh, the strike.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] You took pictures of me.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] No.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] You’re going to place them somewhere.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] No.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] You're going to make me look like a bad man. [music intensifies]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I think it's time to fight.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": He starts squeezing T.K.’s neck.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah uh T.K. is struggling cause this guys huge but um-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] You have no idea what you are meddling with. > Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] Hm, what are we meddling with?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. shoots his-
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] No- nono-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Whatever they are paying you, it's not worth it.
> Mike / G.M.: He has a- he has a look of - its like a cross between- you know like they say when you draw a cartoon -the way to draw a cartoon to look like mentally unhinged is to like combine two different emotional states in one face, so like you draw tired eyes with like a happy mouth or something? His face is a combination of extreme tired, fear, and earnestness, like he means it, he is tired of dealing with whatever “it” is, and is afraid at what's gonna happen next.
[00:50:12] > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. takes the opportunity to shoot the socks at his arm like a t-shirt cannon. [Nick and Taylor laugh] At his face. [hydraulic mechanism hisses and fires]
> Mike / G.M.: They hit Sollix underneath his chin.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Hm [Bijan and Taylor laugh]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] And then we just- [All laugh] [music fades] We just start laughing.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Uhh Sollix, V- Verne takes the fact that you just shot socks at him to mean you probably are not armed and uh he- he drops you and says, [IC] I'm sorry, I'm very sorry. Please, I'm begging you, whatever you're doing, stop.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Okay, explain why.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] What do you care if we strike?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Are you-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] This is not- this is not -this is not your problem
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] I'm sorry- I'm sorry, are you an actual union?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Unions strike, unions work together, what do you care?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] We heard that you were a really bad guy.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I'm a normal guy, just like anybody else.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] What did you have to with the disappearance of these uh these corporate citizens
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] What?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] What did you have to do with the disappearance of the corporate citizens? > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] This is not my department.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] It's not your department?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I don’t - I barely know about what you’re talking-
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Why is the police department striking?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] This is complicated.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Uh-huh
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] We are going to strike because the city has not given us- [OOC] And you can see he sort of forgets the company line, like he forgets the reason that he’s striking and he just sort of trails off.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] You just - you forgot why you’re striking?
> Mike / G.M.: Sollix starts to explain why the union is striking, you can tell that his answers like canned. Like he's said it a thousand times, he’s got it down pat, nails all the intonation, but like gets ten- words in and just stops.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] If you stop this from happening, many many people will be harmed.
> Mike / G.M.: I think you could also roll willpower-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Ok.
> Mike / G.M.: To tell someone - anyone what's actually happening- > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Oh that’s good, that’s fun. Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Because you have not been able to. You have not been able to say to anybody what's actually going on and you're in an empty hallway in a secure location, you dismissed your security. You don't know who these people are, maybe you don't even give a shit who they are.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": But I- but I think that like-
> Mike / G.M.: I mean you can decide- you can decide what he-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah I don't think he needs to roll willpower I- I - yeah. > Mike / G.M.: You think he would just feel that way?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Lemme try this. - [clears throat]
> Mike / G.M.: Ok. And is this -- is this the go sign?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Well this was gonna be him-
> Mike / G.M.: Okay alright got it.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah, yeah - but I guess- wait for a second.
> Mike / G.M.: Okay.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I don't know who hired you, whoever did it, they are assuming that we are gonna strike, and that they're assuming they're going to lose security. This is correct, yes?
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] I can't say anything yet keep going [Mike and Shannon laugh] > Shannon / "Lash": [IC] But that's exactly right, keep going.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] This is not the case.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Ok
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Everything will be fine, the strike is not really about the pay.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] So its- the strike isn't really about pay, what is it really about?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] [sighs] Part of our union contract is that we are contracted to EVO.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Mh-hmm
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] They are the sole vendor for the healthcare of everyone in the union. Six months ago, sick cops go into EVO-- they come out and they're different.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] What?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] They’re doing something.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] And that’s why you’re striking?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Experiments, research, -
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Has this changed the behavior of the officers?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] They're not themselves.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Just one second, sir. [Bijan laughs]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] I mean not to put too fine a hair on this but tick-tock
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Right, I understand. [Stage whispering] Guys we’re not getting paid dick for this, and if people are going to get hurt so that I can make a couple of thousand dollars I'm out. So if you guys want to do it and send the data, that’s fine, but I dont - I - this seems more complicated than I thought it was.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K.s picking up his socks.
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] [Stage whispering] Yeah listen, I mean I just wanna think about our safety of course so, if say we don't, what kind of leverage do we have like to make sure we don't get hurt.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] [Stage whispering] We could give them details of the Johnson.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] [Stage whispering] I think we should wait a day
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] [Stage whispering] Wait a day...
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] [Stage whispering] and see what happens. Wait a day past the deadline.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] [Stage whispering] I don't know how we get out of here unless we work him to maybe get to the Johnson though. Unless we beat the crap outta this giant troll with no -
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] [Stage whispering] Not an option.
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] [Stage whispering] No, not an option.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] It’s pretty tough.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] [Stage whispering] Yeah I don’t think it’s gonna happen
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] [Stage whispering] But I just wanna make sure we’re not giving ourselves a sour deal. I mean if we’re just gonna just get shot when we go outta here.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] [Stage whispering] Why don't we try and -why don't we try to talk to him. Why don't we get out of here and meet with him later - at a different location.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] [Stage whispering] OK. - Viv what do you think? > Jenn / "Viv": [IC] [Stage whispering] I think that’s a good idea.
> Mike / G.M.: As you turn around, - as you break up your huddle, you turn around > Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Yes- yeah
> Mike / G.M.: And Sollix is standing there, politely waving, giant important man, and he’s got his hand up and his mouth open and he starts talking.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Why don't you come work for the union? > Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Um
[00:54:54] > Mike / G.M.: You hear a very loud [shattering glass echoes] sound of like glass breaking like a giant pane of glass has just been smashed. And you actually then hear a number of gun shots. [gunshots echo in distance] You hear loud shotgun fire. Sollix immediately cowers, he crouches down, it's the smallest you've ever seen him, he’s about as tall as T.K. now, and he puts his arms immediately over his head.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Verne] Sheiße!
> Mike / G.M.: The lights in the hallway first dim, and then turn to a dull red, and you hear every door around you lock. [many locks bracing] And a bright red readout um on the top of them says “locked”. You look down the hallway in the direction that Sollix gestured when you entered in you see that there is one door that has a green “open” sign above it, but as you’re looking around you hear more gunfire, [shots echo & crowds scream] you hear more glass being shattered, you start to hear doors being slammed. You start to hear all kinds of commotion. You hear furniture being toppled. You hear people screaming. You hear an increasing commotion as it sounds like the riot has broken past the line of riot cops in front of the Javitz-Bloomberg Center and has made its way into the conference itself.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [IC] About as good a cue as any to get outta here.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Viv looks towards the door that the security guards had gone through, that’s locked, right?
> Mike / G.M.: That is locked, the direction they went is closed. The direction that they went is towards the back of the building, you are facing towards the front of the building and that is where the unlocked door is. You're a good number of paces away from it, you know it would take you maybe a minute to walk to it, but you hear people coming and going through it and
everytime the door opens slightly you get just a fresh burst of crashing sounds, people shouting, gunfire. [sound momentarily amplifies] Sollix is seemingly terrified, he is cowering and shaking.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Uh is there anyway we could break through the door in the back? Or is-
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Is there a way you guys could hack it or is it too -is it like the nypd whole system that you’d have to.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I mean I guess we could check.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah so what do we- what do we- what do we have to do right now? We wanna- we wanna to get out through which door?
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] I'm thinking the locked door because the open door is where all the violence is happening.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Right so we wanna get through the locked door, yeah. Why don't I just try to puppeteer that door open?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] We could also maybe just punch it until it opens. Just a thought. > Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] We can try.
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Come with us Mr. Sollix, we got some people who have some really good ideas about how to get out of the door. [Shannon laughs]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] T.K. calls henley to the back entrance.
> Mike / G.M.: Kay
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Sollix- verne begins like fiddling with his giant wristwatch, part of it kinda comes off and there is a very small red rubber button buried in the machinery of this thing and he begins jamming it with his finger and whimpering.
> Mike / G.M.: Looking in the matrix, looking in AR, you guys can’t see anything - any obvious connection point for the locked doors, that doesn't mean you can't find something but I thing the other thing that is likely the case is that the - the other side of every door is violence.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I mean we could probably fight our way out.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] I mean its - its hundreds of protesters. I think we should try to find a clearer exit so we don't have to try to fight through the protesters.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Right, but they're in the front and they weren’t in the back, so if we go to where they weren’t then...
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] We do have one more service. [Bijan laughs] Which includes confusion. > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Oh I thought you were gonna say take out a wall with [laughs]
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah I don't think we can confuse the whole crowd. I mean - we gotta go out the back like you said, you have the car in the back, they're coming through the front.
> Mike / G.M.: As you send the call to henley the bentley to bring you around and you're talking about which way to leave, the door that you walked through just bursts open [doors swing open and riot sounds amplify] and on the other side of it are the two security personnel that Sollix dismissed. They have their guns drawn and they enter through the door in like standard breaching procedure, - it's actually very impressive to see, very terrifying and like a little weird because it's just two of them and it's just you. And then there's Sollix, this giant horned troll, this important bureaucrat, quaking whimpering pushing violently on his- on his watch button. And, as if they've been warned that this is a thing that they might expect, they both flank either side of Sollix, put their arms underneath his and try their best to hoist him up and pull him out through that door. They are successful, it's just slow-going, and he’s just a big man and - this is not a troll-sized door so it's a little complicated, but they’re slowly making their way through. So you guys have a secondary exit.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Should we go through that door? > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] We should probably follow them.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Yeah - we’re gonna follow them.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah.
[00:59:36] > Mike / G.M.: As you guys enter the meeting room, you hear more clearly what's happening and it's just- it's more of the same, it's like a lot of screaming, a lot of shouting. You see all of the uniformed and plain clothes, both police officers and vendors, people who were just participants in the various things that were happening at the conference in total battle with all kinds of citizens.
Its people with mohawks and leather jackets and lots of tattoos but then also just people in sweatpants and t-shirts with signs, there's someone running around with red spray-paint whos just painting red lines on every person that looks anything remotely like a police officer and shouting
[aerosol canister sprays] “Everything must go! everything is on sale!”
And you see them get tackled by someone. In this commotion - hundreds of people fighting one another just completely going at it - you see pretty much directly in front of you as if he was waiting for you, Cairn, the guy you saw that you met when you entered the building, [ominous low music starts] motionless in a sea of battling protesters and police officers, surrounded on both sides by two security cops, both of whom have automatic pistols. Could everybody please roll initiative? It's about to get real.
[fast, dramatic music begins]
> Mike / G.M.: What does Cairn do?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Cairn doesn’t raise his hands. He is mumbling something under his breath, his lips are barely moving, his eyes are looking very intently uh across the room right at Viv and he casts Chaos. He tries to send a bunch of illusory confusing chaotic images right into Viv’s mind and Viv, you gotta resist some illusion.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Three hits, no glitch.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Ah ha! I got five, so that's two net hits. For each net hit on a spellcasting test, the target- you -suffers a negative one dice pool modifier to all tests due to the distraction.
> Mike / G.M.: Cairn, what does Viv see?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Cairn magnifies the chaos that's already in the room, so Viv is gonna see objects flying at her head, she’s gonna see strangers like running towards her and diving at her. He magnifies the riot. [Riot sounds echo and permeate]
> Mike / G.M.: So, Jen, if you could please play Viv as though the riot is like ten times worse than it actually is
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Viv is generally unfazed by anything attacking her, really, but when she is in battle mode, she needs calm, which is why she meditates all the time and takes T.K. out on dinghies out into the middle of the ocean. She really needs calm to concentrate and there is just
too much stuff flying at her and she’s a little bothered. And so she- she sort of stumbles forward even though there is nothing in front of her.
> Mike / G.M.: Viv normally so - like, calm cool and collected, also like, probably knows it's magic, but like can’t do anything about it.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Not yet at least. > Mike / G.M.: Agatha.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] [laughs] Agatha?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": There is a small black room and the only light in the room is from the sort of infinity of blinking status little led screens and things like that [digital bloops] and the the light from a command console lighting the face of a a young woman hacker- human woman hacker in a black cat suit with black hair sort of draped in front of her face and she’s the only person in the room and she's absolutely blasting early 21st century black nordic death metal [music intensifies] and the whole room is rocking back and forth as the tides of protesters and cops push past it outside.
> Mike / G.M.: She's like she kinda looks like the girl from the Ring?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Or Kimiko from the boys? I dunno I just watched it - yeah sure sure. Now In the same way that the event hired extra security in the form of the magic-using Cairn, they've also hired Spiders. These are professional “white hat” - and I'm using heavy quotes there - “white hat” hackers that come in and keep an eye on the local network for suspicious activity. And they look at everyone, but Cairn, her partner, told Agatha after he met you guys that you might be worth keeping an eye on. And when Cairn and Agatha saw you via the security system have the altercation with Verne in the back hallways, you became suspects number one. Now Agatha has been getting marks on everyone, marks, to a decker are like a foot in the door, they're like little passageways- little weaknesses they find in your code and they keep them. Agatha’s been getting them on everyone, and she got two on you, T.K.. and the more feet she has in your door, [Mike laughs] the bigger the data spike she can shove in your... backdoor. [laughs] Too many- is that too much metaphor?
[01:05:29] > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] That’s a lotta [Bijan, Mike and Shannon laugh] It’s heavy booty jokes.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": She hits the button. Data spike go. [Shannon laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: What does it- does the data - if T.K. were in VR would the Data spike have a particularly nordic back metal look to it?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah the data spike definitely looks like a giant black thorn falling outta the sky, [missile firing] falling directly down and going right for your skull.
> Mike / G.M.: So T.K. you are going to roll to resist and roll firewall plus intuition
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Three hits
> Mike / G.M.: You are gonna take two matrix damage. [Electronic shorts] [Bijan grunts] So to describe what matrix damage is, which I think - I don't think that we've run into this yet, matrix damage which in addition to stun and physical damage, this is the damage that is done to pieces of gear. So in this case it is T.K.s Cyber deck which is the thing that he uses to be a technological bad boy, which is what you need- [Bijan and Mike laugh]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Technological bad boy, I like that.
> Mike / G.M.: It’s - what you need in order to break laws on the matrix.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": A little computer.
> Mike / G.M.: It’s what you- what you need to be a leet haxor, and it's in your arm, right? > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: And what matrix damage is is it kinda overloads the circuits on pieces of gear and it causes sparks and smoke and, in really bad situations, something might catch on fire. And if something takes a lot of matrix damage, it gets- its called “bricked” and then you have to spend a bunch of hours repairing it in order for it to work again.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: But in this case, you only take two so you're alright. > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah yeah, but he’s still kinda pissed.
> Mike / G.M.: I mean, I would be too.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] He’s - He’s-
> Mike / G.M.: You need that thing to do your job.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] He's also just mad at himself for not checking- trusting the police? [Mike and Shannon laugh]
> Mike / G.M.: It's the nuggles. [Jen laughs]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Oh this is gonna, oh baby, oh baby he’s mad.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Single nuggle. Single nuggle. The nuggle had been disguised as droplets in Viv’s very very long hair and slowly drips to the ground. And sort of as a puddle it starts moving towards Cairn. [Nuggle whinnies, water ripples] As it gets closer, like a shark fin, you start to see the mane of a horse. It makes its way out of the surface of the floor, and it is a bigger horse [Nuggle neighs]. It is a force 4 water spirit and grows significantly, probably 4 or 5 feet? I mean you know it was about knee length before and now it's pretty large, like almost a pony and it's trotting directly at Cairn and it's sort of a one horse- humped horse stampede. [hooves clomp]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] You’re tramp-
> Mike / G.M.: The horse is gonna body check Cairn? Is that- ok.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Yes.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I think you mean trample, it's not a body check when it's a horse.
> Mike / G.M.: Fair.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Yeah it attempts to run directly at Cairn at full speed and it - instead of a - feeling like a- a horse it's more like a wave hitting him in the chest.
> Mike / G.M.: Alright
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": [IC as Cairn] N-n-n-n-nuggle! [Jen and Taylor laugh] [OOC] That’s what he stammers.
> Mike / G.M.: So Cairn is gonna roll reaction plus intuition, and the nuggle will roll- > Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Its unarmed combat, basically.
> Mike / G.M.: Yep, correct.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] I got four hits, no glitch.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Two
> Mike / G.M.: So cairn is gonna get hit and is gonna have to roll body.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Oh no.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] His little body. [Taylor laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: Roll body plus armor.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] He’s got such a tiny body.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I will never forgive you if you kill him before I get to hit him.
> Mike / G.M.: He takes 6 damage [Taylor winces] [Bijan whistles]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] So, upon impact, the head of the nuggle hits his chest, but sort of like putty the force of the running horse starts to hit him like a wall of water.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Every molecule of air is knocked out of Cairns lungs and you hear it exit his body almost like a gunshot *Pah* [laughs] and he his eyes roll back in his head and he’s gasping for breath on his knees,
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] And the water starts to gather and drip away moving behind him > Mike / G.M.: Next is Lash.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Okay first thing like a simple action or free action imma do is rip my commlink and AR glasses off just to get these out of the way,
> Mike / G.M.: It's like you know when you've been walking around all day in like a pair of heavy boots, do you ever have this? Like and then you finally get home and you get to take your boots off and you’re like “I feel like I weigh like 15 pounds less”
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] I think for women it's like when you're wearing a bra with underwire and you just take that bra off.
> Mike / G.M.: So I was gonna- I was thinking about saying that [Nick and Shannon laugh], which is you know it's not something I know personally so I didn’t feel it was my place to make the comparison.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] If you're a person who wears a bra, you know the feeling. > Mike / G.M.: That’s what it- that’s what it feels like.
[01:09:54] > Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] So she makes a big [IC] Ahh [OOC] So where we’re standing now we’re- like basically at the front of the convention center, are we not?
> Mike / G.M.: You’re within sight down a long hallway of where you entered but you know you had to sort of wind your way through the expo floor and a couple other hallways to get where you are. If you wanted to go back to your entry point, it would probably be like a five-ten minute walk. You're more towards the rear where you were gonna head to get in Henley the Bentley.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Is it a fully closed room, is there a window?
> Mike / G.M.: You are in a kind of recessed hallway. It's almost like you're in - you're below ground level and its very open and tall above you and you can see some of the windows of the JC start maybe like 20-25 feet up the wall in front of you, so you can see you can look out and you can see daylight, but what's directly in front of you is a bunch of people running around, a bunch of commotion.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: A bunch of toppled over conference furniture, and a concrete wall.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] And where is Cairn and them?
> Mike / G.M.: He's directly in front of you, probably like I dunno 10 feet away?
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] The two men with guns, can I see any icons on those guns? Are they on the Matrix?
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, you can see that they both have smart systems on their guns, which means that their guns are connected to their commlinks and that they use their personal technology to change firing modes, and to help aim - I dunno, probably there are some games on there you
know there's nothing you can't put snake on. But, yeah if you wanna try to mess with basically the computer system on their guns, they have those.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] So I think I wanna mess with these guns. So, I think I'm going to use some residence and try to puppeteer one of these guns.
> Mike / G.M.: And so puppeteer is your special technomancer skill where you can basically bend the fabric of the matrix and just make things do what you want.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Right, without getting a mark on a device or anything I can just kind of control a device in one action.
> Mike / G.M.: And do you know what you wanna do or are you gonna -are you gonna see how-
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Well, puppeteer is - its complicated in terms of I have to take a lot of fade after I do it, so let's see how many- and I need a lot of hits to actually do actions, so let's see, lets see how I roll.
> Mike / G.M.: Ok, I'll let you roll and then decide what you want to do. > Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Five hits
> Mike / G.M.: Okay, you got two net hits. Which means you can force the technology to take a simple action.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Okay so when- when does T.K. go?
> Mike / G.M.: He- in initiative order, he is next.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Okay I think I know what I'm gonna do.
> Mike / G.M.: Are you guys gonna do a 1-2 punch?
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yes. okay I think I'm going to invite a mark. > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] You're gonna make the device like-
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Open to marks.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Ask for my marks.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Exactly- basically [laughing] I'm gonna make this device ask for it. > Mike / G.M.: [Bijan and Mike laugh] oh no aww.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Jeez
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Ooh, dinner and a movie. A show sorry dinner and a show.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] [laughing] This device is gonna want it, it's gonna want someone else to try to control it. So that's what I'm gonna do.
> Mike / G.M.: So basically you're gonna ask, you're gonna have this guys gun. You're gonna- do you know which guy it is? One of the guys.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Aw yeah the guy- the guy. You know what I'm talking about. > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah I know the guy. We know the guy.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah, you know the guy. I don't even need to tell T.K. the guy, he just knows.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I mean you point and I'm just like yeah that guy. > Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] That guy [both laugh]
> Mike / G.M.: So youre gonna have that guy's gun invite T.K. to give it the number of marks such that he would essentially be its owner. And then we'll see what he does.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Mm-hm, mm-hmm yes exactly
> Mike / G.M.: Alright. Tell me - what does this look like in the matrix like what're you doing and how does the gun change?
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] If you were in VR, it looks like shes like cobbling together code [distorted digital blips] and kind of directing it directly at um the piece of technology that she wants to control and this- and this is kind of like a - it's not a huge display of kind of energy and code going towards it, it's just like a slight one as she's just kind of like opening a door. [beam firing]
> Mike / G.M.: Like tossing a ping pong ball. [sound of ping pong hitting table]
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah it’s very light, it's not like uh it's not anything Viv would pull out. [both laugh]
> Mike / G.M.: It's just a gentle-
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Hey man
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Sort of just blow- just like blowing a bubble at it. [bubbles popping]
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Lll yeah its just kinda suggesting.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah yeah- T.K.s picking up what it's puttin down.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] And then yeah I mean once you have control over it you can like lock it or whatever, make it
> Mike / G.M.: Make it only play snake.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah, make it shoot out ping pong balls.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I'm gonna - I'm gonna install doom on it.
> Mike / G.M.: I hear you can install doom on anything.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] [Laughing] That's all it does.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Big mood.
> Mike / G.M.: It's very strange to think about a gun that can play doom. [Bijan laughs] I don't think I like that
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] That's cyberpunk baby.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Its alarming, yeah [Shannon laughs] > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] That's truly cyberpunk.
> Mike / G.M.: We are oh probably very close to that future.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I dont wanna think about it. > Mike / G.M.: Lets stop then, its T.K.s turn.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Since Lash invited three marks, I’ll place the three on that gun. And I guess my complex action would be to format the device.
> Mike / G.M.: Kay.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Which rewrites the bootcode which I assume means it makes it unusable.
> Mike / G.M.: If you want to just basically make it so that it just doesn't turn on anymore - you know and like this guys gonna have to like monkey with it to see if he could figure out how to turn a smart gun back into just like a normal gun.
[01:15:04] > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Factory settings > Mike / G.M.: Yeah [laughs]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Hes gonna have to get a toothpick and push it into the tiny hole on the back of the gun.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Is that a -is that a - an extended test?
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, [laughs] for him yeah he's gonna have to go find a pen that's got -the nib is long enough and sticks far enough out from the - yeah
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] I just imagine him walking into the riot and be like “does anyone have a clothespin on them?” [Bijan, Nick and Taylor laugh]
> Mike / G.M.: You are- you are very successful. He’s looking through the sight on his gun ai- trying to aim it at you, and he gets this confused look on his face and like sort of whacks the screen readout a little bit and shakes it and looks very frustrated.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Mmhmm mmhmm
> Mike / G.M.: He is next and he’s going to spend his turn doing that.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] And there's another guy with his gun drawn at us? > Mike / G.M.: Yes.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Hmm
> Mike / G.M.: Luxe, you're next.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Damn! [laughs]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Umm...
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": You're too confused with chaos to go, Viv.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Luxe uses a free action to see if Verne is still in the building. > Mike / G.M.: You do not see Verne anywhere.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] So Verne and his security detail has left the building in effect? > Mike / G.M.: Conceivably yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Yeah.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Okay Luxe tries to call Verne on his commlink. Verne gave us an offer to - to - for us to work with him. I'm gonna try to at least put up the thing and say [IC] look, I'm calling in - I'm calling in department resource if if if you want us to work with you, you got security detail right now, let em get you safe and and bring em back [OOC] that’s what I'm gonna try to do, it might not work.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": You get a um out of office message. [message ping]
> Mike / G.M.: So luxe hides. [All laugh]
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] You can -yeah you can still run yeah you can still run.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Luxe hides behind something strong-looking [Shannon laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: There's like a you know a bunch of tilted over tables and stuff. > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Well why don't you look for a gun?
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] I could look around for a gun.
> Mike / G.M.: There's uh-
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] There's no gun. Ok.
> Mike / G.M.: There's yeah you see- you see the the two guys in front of you have guns.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] You can throw things.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] How are we at a security conference with no guns?
> Mike / G.M.: It is a notable and established factor of the setting that guns are extremely rare.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] [laughing] Right
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Mmm
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": I mean the riot police probably have some.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah they're theyre I mean and you can hear like distant uh the like the shotgun fire.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] That's all far away. > Mike / G.M.: That's outside
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Is there so there's no riot gear anywhere around- riot shield anything like that around?
> Mike / G.M.: I would say yeah there’s probably a riot shield nearby if you wanna pick up a riot shield.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Okay, I pick up a riot shield and protect myself and - who am I right by?
> Mike / G.M.: You tell me.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] I imagine that I came in one of the last so maybe I see that Viv is having a real hard time and I try to protect myself and uh and Viv with the riot shield.
> Mike / G.M.: As you pick up the riot shield like you get tossed and jostled around a little bit, and you know you have to like fight someone off for it. [sounds of a struggle]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] yup
> Mike / G.M.: But you manage to just barely through just - its that pretty face, they didn't want to sock you one, so they just let you have it
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] Thank you, sir.
> Mike / G.M.: Like this guy needs it, look at that - look at those beautiful cheekbones. The other guy, with the working pistol, is just gonna try to take a shot off at- it’s probably gonna be at Viv, sorry Viv.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Damn
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] They get guns.
> Mike / G.M.: Viv, your reaction plus your intuition minus two.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Does my riot shield offer anything to her armor or- > Mike / G.M.: When we roll to - yeah
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Okay
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Four hits.
> Mike / G.M.: [laughs] He got one hit. [Jen and Nick laugh] He levels his gun, he - holds it up. And you see- you see his eyes flit back and forth and then you see him reach into his jacket and pull out his commlink and like push some buttons and then he looks at the gun and then he puts the commlink back and then he taps at the readout a little bit [Nick laughs] and he just continues to do this for a little while and doesn't actually get a shot off. [Jen laughs]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] For the record that would be the most humiliating way to die, the guy taps on his touchscreen before shooting you in the face
> Mike / G.M.: [Laughs] next is viv!
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Viv is quite spooked about the gun, like-
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] You should probably cook that guy from the inside. > Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Wait [Jen and Mike laugh]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Just uh fyi.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] The riot in her mind is really starting to affect her and um she actually trips and falls on the ground and you can see her kaftan is fading from the brilliant blue that it has been this whole time to sort of like a very light like blue sky and she audibly starts crying. She takes a huuuge inhale and casts Powerbolt directly at Cairn at a force of 6. [Bijan laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: Woah
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Is that the guy with the gun? Damn > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": How do I oppose?
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Nice choice of spell.
> Mike / G.M.: You roll body.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Glatch.
> Mike / G.M.: No way. Really?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": I glatched.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] He glaaatched.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Oh hell yes.
> Mike / G.M.: Is it your top one?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: Oh no yeah you definitely did [Mike and Nick laugh]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": I - maybe was it- do you think because he got wet and because his breath got knocked out that his first instinct like - when people get c- you know like his first instinct was to like *breathes* like trying to his armor off so he could breathe better and right when he does. [laughs]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] So viv got five hits no glitch.
> Mike / G.M.: I'm gonna say because he glitched it only does four damage, so you don't kill him.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Mm.. he -he has- [laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: Oh no
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] He already ha- he already has damage.
[01:19:59] > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": He had already taken six physical damage. > Mike / G.M.: And what's his total damage track?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Nine
> Mike / G.M.: Oh okay
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Hey hey
> Mike / G.M.: Let us know what happens to Cairn Hollbrook.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Wow
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] I'm ready i've been waiting for this.
> Mike / G.M.: Jeez you’ve - [laughing] Viv you're killin all these evil men.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Viv is so powerful, we’re like- [Jen laughs]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Cairn wasn't evil! He was evil, he was evil, he was a fascist.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] We’re like doing one little thing we’re like “oop we flicked a guy, oop we flicked nother guy.” [laughing] Viv is like *growls* just destroys three people in one swoop.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] She was having a little bit of a mental moment. [riot is amplified again] She’s on the ground, her kaftan is faded, but as she looks up at Cairn, she has immediate line of sight on him. The blue starts to move in a wave from the hem of her kaftan up to her head and she just screams like spittle like coming out of her; she's so angry she just screams in the direction of Cairn. And Powerbolt is a single-target microwave. It cooks people from the inside. Cairn, who is very slight of stature, his knees start to buckle. You see that there's a ripple or a bubbling happening in his torso area [laughs] and his hair starts to fry.
> Mike / G.M.: Ugh it smells terrible.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Or does it?
> Mike / G.M.: Okay.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Or does it? because as the powerbolt hits his body, he Counterspells. > Mike / G.M.: Shut the fuck up! Alright [whooshing sounds]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": ... I glitched. [all laugh]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] No way.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Ooohh!
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] No way.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Well, rip that guy.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Oh my god.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] You gotta love it.
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] I'm looking up at the universe and I'm saying “can he please get fucked now?” [Jen laughs]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": He hasnt really done anything to y’all. [Nick laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: Its true.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] but he tried, that was the-
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] He just even looked at us- he hurt our Viv and forget about it! > Taylor / "The Bad Boys": He just made her confused a little bit.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] You hurt her!
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Hes fucked [Jen laughs] He’s fuckin dead.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] You made her cry!
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] “Your house burned to the ground. Your family set on fire!” [Jen laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: Cairn’s once red mop of hair becomes a crown of flame as his entire body is melted from the inside.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Cool
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": *pop* *pop* Those are his eyeballs. [all laugh]
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Ahh no!
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Ejecting out of their sockets, like the bean out of a bowl of chili in my microwave. [all laugh]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Oh god
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Like stuck to the roof, someones gonna have to wipe that down with a wet paper towel in about six months. Which is how often I clean my microwave [laughs]
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] What is a guy with - trying to work the gun next to this do? > Mike / G.M.: He doesn't notice, he’s busy.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah everyone should have to roll for barf. [Jen and Nick laugh] > Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Yeah, seriously.
> Mike / G.M.: I mean I was gonna say, everyone around you is horrified. And where this was, at one point, a throughway of protesters and counterprotesters, police and plainclothes expo attendees. As soon as Viv lets go this shriek and this powerful force cooks this man from the inside who- everybody sees him just try to like muster everything he can to counteract the inexplicable force that is baking him from the inside out. And then he just goes limp, his head bursts into flames *pop* and he collapses to the ground. People stop running around, everybody just sort of pauses for a moment. Everybody takes a step back, and then just runs away. [shouting recedes] Lll And over the next couple seconds, including the two guys who have been tryna futz with their guns, everybodys gone, everybody just books it, cause that's gross y’all. [fast, dramatic music fades]
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Weren’t people getting shot outside?
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah with like rubber bullets, people are used to that kind of violence. Seeing a man baked from the inside; thats different.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] My favorite thing, also, is that this man- as far as he knew, Viv was like a magic user like- a light magic user that like works for the Critter Department. [all laugh] Just like- just like what?
> Mike / G.M.: And then you cooked his body! [Jen laughs] > Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] And also why was he after us? > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Guess we'll never know
> Mike / G.M.: [Laughs] If you wanna know some of his background, we can tell you. This would be for - like your characters wouldn’t know this, but as players, if you guys wanna know what his deal was, I'm happy to tell you.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": And you- to be clear: you have not earned it. This is because Mike and I are generous benevolent gods.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Oh because you mean you did all the work and you want it to go to waste.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": *high pitched* uhhhhhh...
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] -because he got melted? [all laugh]
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Immediately?
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Immediately!
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Sorry...
> Mike / G.M.: I would - I would say that it's just not satisfying to not know. > Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: To just have him uh blow away in the wind, as it were.
[01:24:56] > Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] It'd be so funny if every character we ever met [Bijan and Shannon laugh] Viv just melted in like one turn and it's just like “we'll never know what that was”. [Both laugh]
> Mike / G.M.: I'm not gonna tell you- I'm not gonna say that I'm not not worried about that being the case.
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] [laughs] yeah.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah Well goodbye Taylors great Christian slater act > Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Ohh
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": You'll never see it again except in hell. Season 2, baby > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] [laughs] ooh
> Mike / G.M.: Uh so Cairn’s deal is that he is a type of mage that you guys would be familiar with and this is a- he is a detection mage uh and so detection mages come with a kind of- or not come with, they tend to have a standard complement of skills and spells and these are things like: Detect Enemies, Detect Individual, which allows you to detect the presence of a person that you've met before or know about, Detect Magic, which is, you know, determining if a person or object is magical, Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, they can listen from a distance, they can see
things from a distance, and he's also a very very skilled assensor. Like if Luxe had done a Judge intentions on him, or if Viv had gotten a - had done an assense of him, you might have picked up on some of these things, and you might have sort of figured out, you know even though he was hesitant to give you details- what his deal was. I think I also learned something that like - he was probably slightly more mysterious than he needed to be. Because I assumed that you guys would do those things. I figured if we put a weird skinny baby-faced creepo in front of you, you would be like “yeah well whats this guy’s deal?”
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Guess you didn't make him creepy enough [Mike and Shannon laugh]
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Well in your defence, Mike, the only people in the real world that just come up and tell you their whole deal are people trying to get you to sign forms on the street [Mike laughs] and religious nuts
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah, true
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: Which I mean you know, he’s not too far off.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah he - he’s got literature [Mike and Shannon laugh] that he’d like for you to read - Yeah I mean he’s - he’s kind of like a magic fascist, uh he definitely believes that magic users are superior, that eventually magic users should rise up and control everyone, he thinks he - you know, this guys got a complicated political ideology - you know, adepts are not true magic users.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] *gasps*
> Mike / G.M.: Which is why he did not talk to you at all.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Hmmm
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": So many things we coulda discovered had you not put him in there for two minutes on 100% power. [Bijan and Mike laugh]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Wow
> Mike / G.M.: Defrost
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] It sounded like he needed it. He needed a little-
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] Yeah I'm not- hearing his backstory I'm glad that we fried him from the inside. [laughs]
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] There was a moment where you thought he was a good person. > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] I think we just ignored him as a null person he wasn't like-
> Shannon / "Lash": [OOC] I don't think I ever thought he was good.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": ACAB [Shannon laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: I think- ACAB - yeah > Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: I think I think the other thing is that I- we didn't signal to you enough that he was a bad guy because, -
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": I disagree my accent very clearly telegraphed. [Shannon laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: Well what I was gonna say is we didn't do enough theater to show you that he was a bad guy because he rolled to sense whether or not you guys were there with - from his perspective - bad intentions, and I rolled for you as to whether or not he was successful and I shouldn't have done that, because if I had forced you to do a very mysterious roll for who knows what reason-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": I have thoughts on this but I will save it for- > Mike / G.M.: Save it for Fun Chatty.
> Bijan and Taylor: Fun Chatty.
> Mike / G.M.: Yeah, for everybody who doesn’t know: Chummer patrons and above get access to a chat show that we do after every episode, it's every other Friday where we talk about what it was like to make the episode and answer questions from our discord.
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": We’ll tell you who - everybody who’s a fascist on the show. We tell you. [Mike and Shannon laugh]
> Mike / G.M.: All the secrets. Its- I mean, so far they’ve all been melted, so [Jen laughs] > Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] One person has been melted
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] And they deserved it so
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Someone else got water clapped [Shannon laughs]
> Mike / G.M.: Okay okay alright, fair
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] He didn't die though. He didn't die though, so it doesn't count/
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Jash: good politics. [All laugh] Very big on solidarity, leftist.
> Mike / G.M.: Just a shitty Marxist
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] So are you saying that-
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah just a bad- just a bad guy.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] So are you saying that they only die if they have shitty politics?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Uhh... no... comment
> Mike / G.M.: So far, yes [All laugh]
> Mike / G.M.: There like is the universe deciding that? Like so there is a God and He consigns you to heaven or hell and its Mike?
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": No, the universe that we’re playing in, like this universe, is unfair. > Mike / G.M.: Alright, save it for Fun Chatty
> Taylor / "The Bad Boys": Yeah Fun chatty, Fun chatty
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Luxe- as a purveyor of rare exotic goods- saunters over, kind of tries to close his nose a little bit, and grabs both of his rings from the ground [resonant ringing], shakes some of the goo off of them, and pockets them
> Mike / G.M.: You know that thing that happens - when you like hold a really powerful magnet and you're like “I'm not sure if I feel this in my body or I'm inventing that I feel this in my body because I know it's powerful?”
> Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Right
> Mike / G.M.: Holding those two rings, you get a similar feeling. > Nick / "Luxe": [OOC] Yeah
> Mike / G.M.: You can tell because you have a skill in rare objects, that these are, these are very rare like handmade ancient pewter rings. But you don't know that much about the stones that are set into them, including that creepy glowing red one, but it's definitely creepy and it's definitely glowing red.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] Viv stands up and brushes herself off as her kaftan starts to turn blue again and she tries to compose herself and wipes the tears off her face.
> Bijan / "T.K.": [OOC] So we’re out of initiative?
[01:30:00] >Mike / G.M.: You're out of initiative, and Viv you do - the crowd that was once encroaching and claustrophobic and suffocating - just in a moment, in the moment that Cairn falls to the ground, just completely disappears. it just blinks out of existence.
> Jenn / "Viv": [OOC] She sniffles a little bit [IC] *sniffling* > Nick / "Luxe": [IC] You okay viv?
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] Viv are you feeling okay?
> Jenn / "Viv": [IC] I need quiet
> Nick / "Luxe": [IC] *whispers* okay.
> Shannon / "Lash": [IC] okay. [Nick and Shannon laugh] [ Main Theme begins ]
> Mike / G.M.: You are now leaving Fun City. Thank you for listening. If you want to support the show, get access to ad-free episodes, our discord, our bi-weekly post episode chat show Fun
Chatty, and more, head to patreon.com/FunCityVentures. And of course, thank you immensely to all of our current patrons for help keeping this ship afloat. A quick word on release schedule for the end of the year: Next week, on December 20th we’ll be publishing the Fun Chatty for this episode for chummer+ patrons, we’re taking December 27th off, but we may have a few small surprises before the end of the year, and Episode 9 will be published on January 3rd. Hope everybody has a great end of the year.
[ Main Theme ends ]
[ Outro Theme begins ]
> Bijan: I am Bijan Stephen, and I am T.K. You can find me online @bijanstephen on Twitter, which is B-I-J-A-N S-T-E-P-H-E-N. Or on Instagram, and you should just google that.
> Jenn: I'm Jenn de la Vega! I am Viv. You can find me online @randwiches, that's the word sandwiches but just replace the S with an R.
> Nick: This is Nick Guercio; I play Luxe Scythe. You can find me on Twitter @nguersh and Instagram @nguercio, G-U-E-R-C-I-O.
> Shannon: This is Shannon Odell, I play Lash Goodbog. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter @shodell, S-H-O-D-E-L-L.
> Taylor: This is Taylor Moore and I play all the Bad Boys. I'm @taylordotbiz.
> Mike: My name is Mike Rugnetta, I am your G.M. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @mikerugnetta.
You can find the show on Twitter @FunCityVentures. Fun City was recorded at Fortunate Horse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. it was produced, edited, and sound designed by me, Mike Rugnetta. All of the showkind ofs music is by Sam Tyndall. Our art is by Tess Stone, our Discord mods are Olivia Gulin, Kit, and Kestrel, and the voice of Artemis is Molly Templeton.