Notable Scenes
Wed, 06/17/2009 - 07:58
Here is the place to nominate notable scenes, out takes from fiction pieces or game moves that made an impact. (anything from friendly banter and tender moments, to intense and gory heart stoppers)
Please include the following in your nomination.
Scene Title or Description:
Characters:
Author or Authors:
Campaign:
Link to the piece:
The Scene:
Comments
As a GM, one of the most emotional points to date of the game, was the feeling I had when this scene went down. It hit me that we were going to have to do a rewrite, to save the game. ...and that's when Andy stepped in and went crazy. :) Saying it would be a shame to waste such a powerful scene, and so we turned it into a mini series of sorts to come full circle back to where we needed the team to be.
Scene Description: The day the Conquistadors almost died before it began, when the team leader to be walked. It was approximately one week prior to the team going public.
Characters: Nemesis, Ophilia DiSantiago and Sebastian DiSantiago
Author or Authors: Admelior, Chairman and JBone
Campaign: TCQ
Link to the piece: House of Cards (Part 2) - They All Fall Down
The Scene:
He shook his head. “You fucking hypocrite. You and your whole damn family can go fuck yourselves.”
The blood drained from Ophilia’s face as she listened to Nemesis. She shook her head, silently expressing denial at his accusations, but was too startled and hurt to reply.
He made to leave, then turned back around. “Your family is fucked. I will be doing everything I can to take all of them down just as hard and as fast as I can, and that includes you if you get in my way. You be sure and tell ‘em that, if they don’t know already.”
And with that Nemesis spun on his heel and strode out the door.
Ophilia was numb as she stared blankly at the other end of the couch. Her spirit felt as devoid as the room that she sat in. Her surroundings began to get a hazy cast over them and she shut her eyes tightly, absolutely forbidding any tears from making an escape. She desperately wanted to run after him, or force him to stop, but her pride and common sense stopped her in respective order.
{Phi…you okay?} The concern over the bond that she shared with her brother, Bastian, was palpable.
God she hated that bond sometimes. {Leave it Bastian. I’m fine.} Even before the thought was out she heard his personalized ring tone on her phone, but ignored it. Instead she stood up and went through the motions of securing her office, tucking away the files under lock and key, and turning off the lights. Finding some solace in making perfect order of the few things she could control.
Her throat stung with her efforts to remain calm, hoping only that she could find her way home without incident or interruption. Feelings of failure and betrayal were pushing so hard on her that she couldn’t begin to sort them out. She had put too much faith in Nemesis, she had trusted him too soon, she had even betrayed her family in doing so.
She had muddled the lines as well, she could feel it, there was too much pain for this to be a failed business proposition. Appropriate feelings would be anger and desperation to fix what was now broken, or a drive to find another leader from her list. …but right now she was far too hurt to take care of what needed to be taken care of. What was most upsetting though, was that her mind was making excuses for Nemesis. Just because he failed her expectations didn’t make him any less the man that she knew he was.
Fucking hypocrit, his words were a loop in Ophilia’s head and she couldn't shake them free. Each time she heard them it stabbed her again and again. Her stomach lurched dangerously and she knew that she was going to be sick. She diverted her course to the bathroom, and that’s where her brother found her fifteen minutes later. On the marbled tile floor, completely spent and exhausted, and not a thread width’s closer to being in control.
Scene Description: This was the character set up for Nathanial and Danny to make the crossover necessary for the campaign. This was so humorous and twisted, I really have no idea HOW to describe it.
Characters: Nathanial Bennet, Danny and whatever IT was
Author: Torchwood
Campaign: ICONS
Link to the piece: Nathanial - Chapter One
The Scene:
Nathanial unlocked his front door, crossed the threshold, and then tossed his keys on a battered table that stood near the door. He pushed the door closed with a foot as he sorted through the three pieces of mail that had been in his slot - two bills and a flyer from the local grocery store. There was more junk mail every time he looked, which irritated him for some reason. Couldn’t they find better damn things to do with trees aside from this?
"Say what?" said Nathanial
“He does that when you ain’t here. Catches em runnin from under the fridge sometimes and kind of bats them around the floor,” here the cat made back and forth motions with its paws, “before chewin em up. Nasty…”
Scene Title or Description: Stone passes Soldier Boy's interview (or the Case of the Stolen Sunglasses)
Characters: Phase, Soldier Boy, Stone, and NPC Slammin Jack Maxwell
Author or Authors: R.L. Smith and Thrakazog
Campaign: TCQ
Link to the piece: http://www.nextgenrpg.com/content/new-years-eve-party-ball-room-4
Jack Maxwell watched in appreciation as Celeste worked her way through the room. She was a fine specimen, indeed. There was no hesitation about her as she went about her task, but how she planned to do it was a mystery to him. Even a dame as fine as she was, wasn't going to get the sunglasses off of Stone.
It all happened very quickly, one moment she paused at the door to the gardens and the other she snapped her finger. Then out of nowhere, a pair of sunglasses that he assumed were Stone's dropped from the air above Soldier Boy. Not in a million years would he have expected the distracted and half drunk hero to catch them, but with a startled 'Ah', he dipped down just in time to snatch them as the tumbled past his face.
"Thanks, Phase," Soldier Boy yelled across the ballroom with a smile and a wave. "I take back all those nasty things I said about you earlier."
Soldier Boy knew he only had a second or two to get into position. He hurried to a spot where Stone could see him as soon as he came into the ballroom. He leaned his back against a column, put on his new sunglasses, and effected a look of James Dean cool. He had a hard time keeping from laughing, but he managed.
Stone made his way through the crowd towards Phase, trying to talk himself down off the violent ledge as he did so. He had little patience for being fucked with, but this was particularly irritating, coming as it did in this place and time. His eyes darted around behind the lenses of his backup pair of sunglasses looking for Ophilia or Nemesis but neither of them were around. Phase watched anxiously as Stone approached, eager for his reaction, but poised to split if he overreacted.
Then he noticed Soldier Boy and stopped in his tracks. The biker sighed and murmurred, "I should have known."
Stone changed his trajectory and brought himself over to stand before Soldier Boy. He resisted the strong impulse to put the old man through the pillar behind him. Phase let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, relieved that Stone would be directing his attentions elsewhere. She glanced up at Rapheal with a raised eyebrow, "this should be good."
"Having a good time?" he asked the team's trainer without a hint of amusement.
"Hell yeah," Soldier Boy said, flashing his 'I fucking dare you' grin. "I'm having a blast."
"Yeah, well, you're drunk, so that makes sense," Stone casually replied as he stepped up right into the man's face.
"So do I get my glasses back, Pops, or what?" Stone asked in as non-threatening a manner as he could muster at that monent.
Soldier Boy made a mental note. Stone stands his ground, but doesn't fly off the handle. Not bad, but he was kind of looking forward to finding out how hard the boy could hit. He removed the glasses, folded them and handed them back to Stone.
"Congratulations, you just passed your interview. Welcome to the Conquistadors, Easy Rider."
Stone looked down at the glasses in his hand for a moment or two. While the timing sucked, he figured he had to expect the old man to try something like this at some point. Fair enough.
"Okay," he said semi-begrudgingly before looking up at Sodier Boy and giving him a simple nod. Then he turned away and started walking back to the gardens, tucking the glasses into the inside of his jacket as he went.
"Slammin'" Jack Maxwell walked up from a nearby shady spot with a look of consternation. He stood next to Soldier Boy for a moment as the two of them watched Stone move off.
"Damn," Jack said to the hero around his cigar, his eyes on Stone's back. "He sure don't rile easy, do he?"
Soldier Boy walked over to Phase. His arms were spread in a magnanimous gesture. "That was beautiful. Seriously, I take back all the bad things I've been saying about you."
Phase smiled back at the old man, "Bad things? I don't think I want to know," but he could tell her curiousity was peaked. Celeste wasn't sure how she felt about Soldier Boy, but it was nice to know he wasn't oblivious to her talents. She didn't much like the thought of being thought of as public relations accessory.
Soldier Boy smiled easily. He was getting a good vibe about this one. "On second thought I said no such thing. Anyone who says different is a liar."
Scene Title or Description: Sunday Dinner (Fucking A)
Characters: Soldier Boy
Author: Richard L Smith
Campaign: The Conquistadors (TCQ)
Link to the piece: http://www.nextgenrpg.com/content/soldier-boy-sunday-dinner
The Scene:
“Pardon my manners,” he said with a laugh. “This is just the best meal I’ve had in years. Seriously, it‘s fucking-A.”
Kat shot Chris the do-something-about-your-father look.
“Dad, language in front of Hannah, please.”
“Why? What did I say?”
“Fucking-A,” Chris said softly.
“Fucking-A?” Jag said loudly. “Did I really say fucking-A?”
“Dad…” Chris said.
“I’m sorry, Kat. I didn’t mean to say fucking-A.”
Dad…”
“Fucking-A is just something I say without thinking.” Every time Jag said ‘fucking-A’ Kat flinched as if there were electrodes on her nipples.
“Actually, when you think about it,” Jag continued unwisely, “fucking-A is a compliment. You see, Kat, fucking-A is what’s called an intensifier…”
“Will you please stop saying fucking-A?” Kat snapped.
With that Hannah raised her chubby arms above her head and said, “Fucking-A.” Then she smiled sweetly.
Scene Title or Description: Adam Makes a funny
Characters: Mason Willoughby(Archon), Adam
Authors: Darren Woods and Torchwood
Campaign: The Conquistadors (TCQ)
Link to the Piece: http://www.nextgenrpg.com/content/tcq/chimera
The scene:
Mason dialed the number taped to the phone and hit send. He discovered he was somewhat apprehensive, as if waiting for another shoe to drop. It rang three times, then: "Archon?", said in the same odd choral tone's Mason remembered from his first encounter with the homeless metahuman.
"Yes. I got your message. Since I needed to talk to you, I'd say it was rather timely. Are you close to to the park? There's something of Below loose on the streets, and I need to know what you know."
There was a short pause. "Have you seen it?"
"Not yet. I was tracking it. I spoke with an eyewitness who said he ran into it with a car at about 35 miles per hours and didn't even phase it. I figured I'd contact you, because its scent was of Below. What can you tell me about it, and what did you need?"
"I have a magician," Adam said firmly. "To help catch it. But you can help too."
"I'm listening."
"To what?"
Mason pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it blankly for several long moments. Did he really just hear that question? He shook his head slightly and sighed heavily before returning the phone to his ear.