Star Trek RPG - Setup thread

[choie]

That's cool, EH. I'm sure you know best where the game threads need to move so if you do want to push forward and it's important for, well, Reasons, then I'm sure we all trust you to go with your gut. Thou hast been yclept Game Master, not Game Diplomat.

OTOH maybe if any of the PCs feel stuck at times, maybe we can ask for ideas from one another? We're all in this together, that should be okay, right? Unless it's not "cricket" to do so. In which case I'm sorry for sticking my big foot into things earlier with the suggestions.

It's habitual for me to come up with tons of permutations for my own kabillion online serial characters and, as a book doctor, to brainstorm with authors who need assistance developing their outlines or existing material. Also I just enjoy thinking of this stuff. But I bet it's intrusive and inappropriate in this context, and I definitely don't want to overstep or inhibit anyone's creativity at all. So, again, sorry about that guys.

[CatInASuit]

It's probably best throwing out ideas if someone asks for possibilities, otherwise you run the risk of coming up with something that someone was thinking about and as a result it can look odd if they go ahead and carry out that action.

Having a large brainstorming imagination can be a bind on occasion.

[Elendil's Heir]

If for whatever reason it would be unrealistic or awkward for the characters to discuss things, you can always brainstorm here in the setup thread, too.

[Elendil's Heir]

Going away for the weekend to a place in rural Ohio with spotty Internet service. I'll try to check in.

[anyrose]

Safe trip

[choie]

Have a good weekend, EH!

anyrose, Collins is with Kylah, right? She's at Mazime's as well? Some woman-to-woman conversation is springing to mind...

[anyrose]

Yup. and she just threw her 2¢ in.

[choie]

Cool. And Kylah just threw her size 5 1/2 foot in her mouth, though she wouldn't realize it.

[general_urko]

"Maybe when the mission is over, you and I could have some girly time."

AH HA! See! More proof! thinks Graham...

[choie]

Yeah, there might be something to this theory. Plus Kylah's being her sugar momma, what with the jewelry and all. T'Var might be jealous--has Kylah ever given her such trinkets?

[choie]

But when it comes to investigation, some of us are honey," she opens her hands towards Kylah, "and some of us are just cops." she puts her hands on her sternum. "Both strategies work, but when we're not in uniform, honey is more appealing, Kylah."

Oh sheeyit, that's gonna leave a mark!

[anyrose]

Hey, she called her "Kylah"! What more do you want?

[general_urko]

Collins - Kylah dialogue:

While EH is travelling I'll have to come up with some sort of Shakespearean monologue for Graham to recite at Delaney

[choie]

LOL. Well, it's too bad Collins didn't read Kylah's biography. She's always been a poor physical fighter, but words are her best weapons. So, I'm just sayin'.... Red alert!

(That dinner with the gang should be really interesting.)

[anyrose]

Ta da.

[CatInASuit]

[choie]

Man, Kylah is having a really crappy couple of days. And here she thought there was only one sociopath on the ship!

I can't wait until EH gets back and sees this clusterfuck of an interaction.

(Actually, I really can't wait until Collins opens up her package and sees the bracelet in addition to the earrings. Though, knowing her, she'd probably just smirk and think "look what that pathetic motherless shit got me. SUCKER!")

[general_urko]

Holy crap



Yum good popcorn

[CatInASuit]

*hopes Rangin doesn't get caught in the X-fire*

[choie]

I have to applaud anyrose's ovaries at creating a character like Collins. It takes guts to RP someone like this. Adding the touch that she's amused by how obviously upset Kylah is? That's some cold, cold shit right there. Well played.

I only wish Graham had heard that crack about mommy issues, especially if he knew that Kylah had lost her parents at a young age like Elizabeth. Would his protective mode have kicked in, or since Collins is a woman rather than a man would he have brushed it aside?

CIAS, actually, I'm a bit at a loss as to where Rangin and T'Var are right now. You guys are still back in the hospital? It's too bad we don't have a map of this place, I don't know if you're nearer the lobby or the shop area. Also we don't know what time it is, e.g. if it's time for meeting up in the lobby. I suppose Graham, Ghost!Delaney and Collins would be the first to reconnect?

Most likely I guess things'll have to be put on hold until EH gets back--unless people accidentally meet up.

[anyrose]

Goodness! I've never had my ovaries applauded before. I'm speechless.

[choie]

I first wrote it as "balls" but then I thought nah, why be so male-centric.

Edited to add: Well now I'm really confused. Where are the tears coming from? She was just amused! Is this a drug thing? Hormones? Damn, I cannot get a handle on Jeremi Collins.

[anyrose]

[Elendil's Heir]

I'm back, safe and sound, thanks. Now off to check the game thread....

[choie]

Have fun!

I'm writing a response, which is a tad difficult because now I can't have Kylah be all teary since Collins has suddenly developed a human emotion. Must be an error with the early version of Noonian Soong's chip.

[anyrose]

Must be an error with the early version of Noonian Soong's chip.

[Elendil's Heir]

:: sternly ::

Girls, girls....

[anyrose]

As she walks, Kylah looks down and belatedly realizes she never gave her bag to beam up. She doesn't think Collins did either, but right now she doesn't wish to think about the Lieutenant. She decides to store her clothing in the lockers.

Yeah I did. Post 966.

[choie]

Yeah, I figured, but EH put that in there about the bag and the storage lockers, and since he wasn't around to have Vargas or whoever beam Kylah/Collins's stuff up, I wasn't certain if it was kosher for us to have things like that happen without his say-so. Anyway, I think Kylah intended to give Collins the bag, then Collins got all huffy because Kylah said that she wasn't her maidservant (why saying she wasn't Kylah's maid would piss her off, only Collins and her pusher can say), and I think Kylah went off to pay for things or fluff up her hair or whatever. So, point is, Kylah didn't see the beamout, and I suppose out of spite Collins didn't beam up the bag with hers? I don't even know anymore, I'm so upset for my poor wacko girl. And she was so happy about the dress too!

Edited: to make it more clear, as far as I'm concerned, the GM's word is final, so when he posted that Kylah still had her bag, I figured, okay, Kylah still has her bag. So why would she still have her bag? That, I don't know. Either:

1) Vargas answered the communicator when we were offscreen and told the ladies "um, our engineers aren't here to zip around your shopping bags!" so we both still have our stuff, which means Collins could open the jewelry box and discover the bracelet and feel like THE INGRATE SHE TOTALLY IS (or more likely, "ha, sucker"), or

2) For some reason Kylah still has her bag and Collins doesn't. Which means Collins didn't beam up Kylah's bag despite saying she would. Which, y'know, is also in character.

The bag, or ball, is in your court now!

[choie]

Graham tilts his head slightly to one side and spreads his hands a little in response to Delaney's question. "Nothing big...I just got a weird vibe from him one time...been on the ship awhile? Anything unusual about him?" Graham pauses for a moment. "Ah...does he have a girlfriend?"

Oh please please please mister GM sir, please let Delaney look at Graham and go: "No, why, are you interested in him? You want me to set things up for you?"

What's sauce for the goose...

[anyrose]

[general_urko]

Oh please please please mister GM sir, please let Delaney look at Graham and go: "No, why, are you interested in him? You want me to set things up for you?"

LOL

Well, I've gone undercover before, Graham thinks, but this may take things to a whole new level.

[choie]

Well, I've gone undercover before, Graham thinks, but this may take things to a whole new level.

HA! Now that would be a twist and a half.

Hey EH, new question: I'm all confuzzled, timewise. What time is it, would you estimate (Collins looked out the window and saw twilight--but again, her senses may not be, um, 100% reliable witnesses), and how long do we have until we were supposed to meet in the lobby in an "hour"? Is it indeed getting to be dusk yet? Did Rangin and T'Var get the message from Collins to meet in the lobby along w/Rangin & Delaney?

I just need to get everything sorta gelled in my mind. The party's been split for a little while and we've all been in different time modes.

[general_urko]

I only wish Graham had heard that crack about mommy issues, especially if he knew that Kylah had lost her parents at a young age like Elizabeth. Would his protective mode have kicked in, or since Collins is a woman rather than a man would he have brushed it aside?

To cheer her up later he'd bring her a mix tape:

[anyrose]

Y'know what, CiaS? We need a "Burn!" smilie. Does one exist somewhere in the ether?

[choie]

To cheer her up later he'd bring her a mix tape:

Mm. I thought you were going to go with this, a way more moving song:

As someone who actually did lose my mom at 19, that year I wound up singing the above spiritual in college chorale. Obviously the director didn't know (it was a large chorus), but I'll tell you it was damn hard getting through that piece.

So anyway, I actually really felt for Kylah there. If someone had shouted what Collins did at me mockingly after mom died, I would've been just as gutted. It was a particularly hurtful comment, though obviously Collins didn't know.

(But anyrose did, you evil character creator you. Which is why I applauded you for being ballsy enough to have Collins be that unthinkingly cruel!)

[general_urko]

To cheer her up later he'd bring her a mix tape:

Mm. I thought you were going to go with this, a way more moving song:

As someone who actually did lose my mom at 19, that year I wound up singing the above spiritual in college chorale. Obviously the director didn't know (it was a large chorus), but I'll tell you it was damn hard getting through that piece.

(But anyrose did, you evil character creator you. Which is why I applauded you for being ballsy enough to have Collins be that unthinkingly cruel!)

1. That is the best cover of that song I have yet heard...was not familiar with it. Much obliged.

2. choie you have more bal-- ovaries than me. In those circumstance I would never have gotten through it.

3. anyrose truly has taken the character to a new level...there's unthinking cruelty, but there's also the line about "talking to the captain first." Sneaky!

4. In any event @both that dialogue was awesome...in the traditional sense, which invokes "awesome and terrible." Selfishly it sets up further, truly epochal ways Graham can completely misunderstand both characters...

[choie]

1. That is the best cover of that song I have yet heard...was not familiar with it. Much obliged.

My pleasure. It took a while to find a good spare version--some of them are a bit too operatic or gospel choir-esque. It says this version was used in Boardwalk Empire, which I haven't seen, but it sounds legit '20s or '30s vintage. That helps the creepiness factor.

2. choie you have more bal-- ovaries than me. In those circumstance I would never have gotten through it.

That's sweet of you to say, but honestly everything was making me cry at that point, so it was either sing through it or stop singing entirely. (Which I actually did about five years later; I just lost the joy even though I'd planned a career in music.)

3. anyrose truly has taken the character to a new level...there's unthinking cruelty, but there's also the line about "talking to the captain first." Sneaky!

It was a brilliant line especially because I think it was extremely revealing about Collins. After getting all upset for about two seconds she reverted to anger and cunning--and deep down she seemed to be aware that there was something to what Kylah had been saying, because why would Collins even think Kylah would talk to the Captain in the first place? There are many things one can say about Kylah's behavior, but she'd remained silent when she thought she was giving Collins a chance to redeem herself. (Though from a line CIAS gave Rangin, it does seem that he gold the Captain what went down. Which frankly makes the command of this mission really hard to swllow, but okay, Singh doesn't have to be the brightest bulb in the box either.)

Anyway, my point is, Collins's being afraid that Kylah was going to speak to the Cpaitain seems to me a tacit admission to herself that her behavior is, um, sub-optimal as a leader. There is self-awareness there, a kind of animal instinct beyond whatever weird chemical things are happening in that screwed-up head of hers.

And the sad part is that Kylah still has no intention of informing the captain in the middle of a non-life-or-death mission (as it is now, ahem). So if Collins speaks to the Captain and reports Kylah, she may inadvertently have to reveal exactly what Kylah said, which could screw herself in the end. Unless she outright lies.

As Spock would say, Fascinating.

4. In any event @both that dialogue was awesome...in the traditional sense, which invokes "awesome and terrible." Selfishly it sets up further, truly epochal ways Graham can completely misunderstand both characters...

That's for sure! I have to say, the whole shopping scene went nothing according to our very very basic plan. We knew we wanted things to be somewhat okay, but to end on an awkward note, because we're all looking forward to that dinner with you and T'Var and Rangin (and Silent Bob, aka Delaney). Having a bitchy Collins putting in her two cents about whatever Graham might say to T'Var, or whatever Rangin is hearing, was too delicious to pass up.

But I thought the whole thing was already set up by Kylah bringing up Cooper inadvertently, and blithely setting Collins's teeth on edge by offering to buy her the earrings. It was all improvised but we both knew generally we were supposed to leave with Collins in a state of snarkiness. Somehow once Collins & Kylah got outside of the store, Collins lines (which I think were meant relatively innocently, albeit condescendingly) really pulled a trigger in Kylah, and because Collins can not bear to be questioned, she lashed out, and then Kylah did, and then Collins ended it with a shot right to Kylah's gut. I can't speak for anyrose but I know I was thoroughly surprised by the whole thing.

It helped that we were both up ridiculously early in the morning too, so we were able to do the scene almost straight through before WES and CIAS came on later in the day. I kept wondering what you guys'd think when you got onto the forum and discovereed, like, 15 new posts in a row. Ditto EH who had no idea of any of this other than the shopping trip and my interest in explaining why Elasian women dress so ridiculously (with Elaan wearing dresses that literally had no sides to them except two tiny little straps holding hings together)..

So, yeah. Y'all are gonna have an interesting dinner conversation, I expect, assuming Kylah's name comes up. And Kylah's not exactly in the happy mood I thought she'd be for her evening with Jan.

Of course now I'm fascinated to know what's gone wrong now that's worrying Mr. & Mrs. Hsu!

All in all it was terrifically fun going from a Pretty Woman rom-com shopping montage (as I called it w/anyrose) to an all-female version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? This is the sort of RPing I've always wanted to do!

[Elendil's Heir]

So glad you're enjoying it!

Let's say it's now 5pm, just turning to dusk on OC3.

And for those who might enjoy a somewhat more heartwarming mother-and-daughter song:

[CatInASuit]

I am so enjoying the roleplay in this. I haven't seen it at this level for a long time.

Yes, Rangin did tell the Captain everything in the report, upfront and brutal, although given his medical condition at the time, if no-one else mentioned it, it may be put down to effects of the coma. Personally, I think this mission is Collins' last chance saloon and it looks like she has blown it.

I probably won't add a BURN smilie, because people tend to start looking for creative ways to use it.

[anyrose]

I dunno, choie, I think you're overthinking the whole thing. FWIW, Collins is only a tiny bit like me. I would never say such things aloud. Think them, sure. But in 55 years, I've learned to hold me tongue. Probably explains my ulcer.
Collins, however, being only in her 20s, hasn't learned that skill yet.

[Elendil's Heir]

A Star Trek T-shirt FAIL: http://computergear.stores.yahoo.net...ew-tshirt.html

[CatInASuit]

Is that the same couple who were going to play tennis earlier that Rangin and T'Var got directions from?

[Elendil's Heir]

No, as I said, this is the same couple seen earlier in the village (game thread post 905):

The village is empty but for an older Nordic-looking couple in pricey leisure wear, who are apparently playing tourist. They nod in a friendly way when they see you.

[choie]

I dunno, choie, I think you're overthinking the whole thing. FWIW, Collins is only a tiny bit like me. I would never say such things aloud. Think them, sure. But in 55 years, I've learned to hold me tongue. Probably explains my ulcer. Collins, however, being only in her 20s, hasn't learned that skill yet.

Moi? Overthink things? Never! What a scurrilous accusation. Anyway it's fun to speculate; I do a lot of character developmental stuff in my regular work so it's easy to run wild with coming up with motivations and so on.

And OMG I should hope Collins is only a tiny bit like you. It's the red hair I bet. But seriously we all think unpleasant thoughts about others now and then, and yeah, it's keeping them to yourself that's the important part. Collins had better learn how to curb her mouth soon considering her career track. She's getting too high in office to get excused for her youth. (It is funny how she calls Kylah "kid" when there's only, what, 2.5 years between them?)

No, as I said, this is the same couple seen earlier in the village (game thread post 905):

The village is empty but for an older Nordic-looking couple in pricey leisure wear, who are apparently playing tourist. They nod in a friendly way when they see you.

Eh, you know those Nordic types, maybe Rangin thinks they all look alike.

EH that t-shirt is embarrassing. Not only for the missing letter, but it's just so... lazy. Slap a name of a ship and a vague outline and that's your crew member t-shirt? No imagination.

[choie]

"Yes, we love it here!" Mrs. Gunnarsson says, as her husband nods. "Perhaps we might take a hike together sometime. Do you have any plans for tomorrow? Are you staying in the hotel, or one of the houses?"

Ha! Watch out, CIAS. Our GM is totally gonna force Rangin to reveal he isn't really on vacation.

[choie]

He's comforted by the fact that Kylah and Collins went off together to get ready: Collins has a few years in Security under her belt, and they're roommates after all, so they should have a good rapport that helps get Kylah's head into the game.

Literally just cackled aloud.

[Elendil's Heir]

Here's a Time article on the story behind the iconic "Earthrise" image (which I like so much I have it on my cellphone, although I just realized in mine, the Earth is slightly lower on the horizon): http://science.time.com/2013/12/24/e...ged-the-world/.

[choie]

That's beautiful and very moving. Thanks, EH.

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it. I hope it's peaceful, healthy, joyous, and full of family and/or friends.

And I trust most of the Jewish folks like me will be partaking of the usual Jewish Christmas feast of Chinese food.

(Although tomorrow my family will be getting together to gorge ourselves on Christmas movies and a traditional meal. We totally have Christmas by Proxy disease.)

[anyrose]

I even just called to make sure my fave place is open tomorrow. They are Merry Eggrolls and Spareribs to me!