Realistic or Modern Alastor - Private Eye Agency (OOC)

[Chanticleer]

I'm sort of finished moving in now, and since I'm awake I'll choose my partner before heading off back to bed. (Not sure how to tag people but) Wolf Wolf I would really like to pair up with Victoria on the first case! But be warned; this partnership may not be as friendly as anticipated. Abigail's a pretty laid back girl and she prioritises the case over her own opinions but I don't think she thinks too highly of Victoria at the moment. Expect shit talking and passive aggressive comments as they work together. I'm trying to keep away from Abigail's friends at the moment so I can get a feel for how she works with everyone else, so why not start with the recommended pairing and a set of potentially incompatible personalities? Who knows, maybe something will happen to bring them closer together.

Still, let me know if you're interested in pairing up or if you've got another partner in mind!

Edit: regardless of whomever is working with Abigail, I'd like to take the taser. I don't think Abigail particularly needs to document evidence - she does that already - and I'm pretty sure she's not strong enough to go waving a weapon about, but that doesn't mean she's going into this one unarmed.

Edit edit: typos fixed

 

[avira]

I'd love to grab a hidden camera for Mariana!

I'm freaking hyped. I kinda love sidekicker idea about relationship charts, since I imagine most of the people have been working together for at least a little time. At LEAST, it would be fun to do for each of our character's partners!

As for possible partners, all characters are freaking awesome but I decided to narrow it down to two to see what you guys think about them.

Spoiler: Motor Intelligence - Raymond Chadling

Defenestrator

There's something about this pairing that really intrigues me. Mariana + Chadling kind of reminds me of a Brennan + Booth combo, from the show Bones.

Commonalities
- They've both got this strong adherence to their personal codes and a real sense of dedication, which will help to push them both to solve cases.
- They've also both got this really poor social sense (Chadling because he doesn't care, Mariana because she just doesn't get it), so I imagine they're a get-things-done kind of team that doesn't take shit from anyone. Except, Mariana isn't quite as sassy as Chadling, she just doesn't get that people are offended by the way she says things sometimes. And, luckily for her, she's also unbothered by the rude things Chadling might say to her because of her lack of emotional intelligence.
- I'm not sure how, but I get the idea that family might be a bonding point for them. Chadling might be looking for some kind of female/maternal approval, and Mariana struggles to deal with her lack of familial connection, as an adoptee that has no idea what became of any biological relatives and feels quite distanced from her adopted parents.

Differences
- What I particularly like about their possible partnership is that they seem to be on opposite sides of the action spectrum. Mariana is the kind to take things slow and do it exactly by the book, taking in every detail with laborious precaution. Chadling would push her to action when the time calls, Mariana will hold him back for a glance at an important clue when needed.
- Mariana will be the calm, cool, and collected to Chadling's fiery temper. Particularly in the interrogation room, I could see this being a boon. Maybe get some good cop, bad cop going.
- Also she's not a very physical person, considering her small stature, so that would make them a neat pair as well.
- Lastly, I dunno if you're planning on any kind of character development regarding Chadling's alcoholism, but Mariana is a staunch opponent of any kind of mind altering substance (drugs, alcohol), so that might be a cool interpersonal plot point for them to explore at some point, or throughout the story.

Spoiler: Psychological Manipulation - Ezra Rousseau

Achillea
Can we say 'best dressed award'?

Commonalities
- You know, I actually wrote Mariana as aromantic/androsexual as well, for a while. I eventually changed it to demiromantic/sexual, with the obvious catch that she has a genuine amount of trouble connecting with people. I think that's sort of cool, that they are this calm and collected duo that really come to understand each other well since they're so similar in those regards.
- I also obviously love that they're both the kind to dress well, I think they really compliment each other like that.
- Like Ezra, Mariana's trust and loyalty are difficult to obtain but absolute when you've got it. I get the sense of a really strong (platonic, of course) relationship between them, eventually they'll do anything for the other - a real partnership.

Differences
- Ezra and Mariana have some pretty different personalities and skills, but they're extremely complimentary to each other. He deals with the living things, she'll deal with the not-living, and somehow they'll meet in the middle and figure things out from there.
- Mariana is the kind to do stuff by the books (as much as you might expect a vigilante PI group to, anyway) and might balance Ezra out in that sense. She likes to avoid lies as much as she can, which will play well with the tales Ezra spins.

Me, as a writer:
I like to think I'm pretty easy to work with, I love to bounce ideas back and forth and see what we can come up with. As a note - I know that we're really focused on the cases, but I'd LOVE a chance to write about personal interactions if anyone is interested (this is open to literally any of the characters, not just Mariana's partner). I love interpersonal tension scattered around the case. Even if it's just on the weekends or whatever, Mariana has such a problem with her social skills and emotional intelligence, it would be great to get to explore that.

 

[Defenestrator]

avira , you had me at Brennan&Booth.
I love how you managed to list not only negatives but positives of how the characters could potentially work well together. I can already see them just going and being the rudest/most upfront people (Mariana unintentionally and Ray just because he's a prick.)
I'd be 100% down for trying out partnering, however i'm in absolutely no way picky about who i'm paired with. Unless Achillea would rather be paired up with your character, i'm up for it =)

 

[Achillea]

avira - I love the 'Team Best Dressed' title, and I absolutely hope we get to reach the point of them having that kind of bond. I feel like they might even develop an understanding over time that transcends words, and I'm excited to find out more about their interactions.
However if you and Defenestrator want to partner up for this one, you wouldn't have to worry about me being upset about it, as I know we'll have ample opportunity in the future and that team up interests me as well, I think it would be extremely enjoyable to read.

Xed - Since I haven't seen you around in this discussion yet, I hope the tag will get you here! Since it's just the four of us left, I'd rather have us all come to a mutual agreement. I don't know how well Leonie and Ezra would work together, since there's a lot of potential of conflict there, but if you don't mind messy, I'd be intrigued on how (or if) it works out!

Ah, lest I forget: avira , I'd love to take you up on the personal interactions! And to the others: I am absolutely up for some out of the case rping if anyone feels like it (and if the gm doesn't mind us having the characters interact outside of cases?) in case anyone feels like it ^-^

 

[Xed]

I don't mind messy. I'm ok with any pairing really though I would prefer one with more conflict and rough patches since I personally feel that would make for a more interesting dynamic and interactions. Also just a heads up but I injured my hand a few days ago and with exams coming up I have a lot of work to do but i'm now taking a longer time to get things done because of the injury so I may be slow to respond or not very active on the OOC

 

[Achillea]

Xed - great! Not about your hand and exams (good nerves and luck on those!) but the team up
I am getting my wisdom teeth removed in half an hour but I should be back online in like 3-4 again if there any questions or parts that need writing

rambler - I think that concludes the team up for this case

 

[rambler]

Well, this seems to be moving along nicely! But, seeing as this is the first case and we're having a bit of a delay in moving it along, I'll probably extend the deadline for solving it - so far I'm thinking of pushing it back to Saturday evening. This would undoubtedly take away from the social interactions between characters during the weekend, yet do not be alarmed for of course your personages can interact with each other throughout the course of a case! Teams exist specifically for that purpose - so that partners can get to know each other. The sole limit of communication whilst on the job is the fact that you'll predominantly be stuck with only one other person. However, teams can also have exchanges, help each other out, compete, etc. The human side of this roleplay doesn't have boundaries. The sole thing the mechanics touch on are the abilities' usages.

Other than that, I also like sidekicker (can I call you Saturn?) idea for relationship charts. I've tried doing this before, but never found success. However, it is true that the characters would have known each other for a while, so if all of you approve of this you can include your relationships with everyone else in the background section of the CS.

Also, Achillea have all the teams really been decided? Chanticleer is still alone since Wolf Wolf is yet to respond. But, regarding everyone else, can you guys just tell me once more who is going to be with who? I feel like a missed something...

And, while we're waiting, what have you peeps been reading lately? I recently finished "The Moon and Sixpence" by Somerset Maugham. Beautifully written piece of art!... even though I don't agree with a lot of the writer's views.

 

[Wolf Wolf]

Chanticleer Sure! I'd be down to team up with you! c:

 

[Chanticleer]

Woah, I thought you meant in-character days for solving cases! There's no way I'm going to be remotely active enough to post IC every day. This is really concerning...

 

[rambler]

Woah, I thought you meant in-character days for solving cases! There's no way I'm going to be remotely active enough to post IC every day. This is really concerning...

If this will be an issue for you and for the rest, I can easily make it 5 days IC. It doesn't really matter to me since it won't in any way take away from the story. I thought in-real-time would make the cases more dynamic, but I don't want to sacrifice anyone's comfort for that. So, no worries. I understand that real life is always of utmost priority.

 

[Wolf Wolf]

rambler As a side note, I'd like to take the police stun baton please! c:

 

[Chanticleer]

Thank goodness - you gave me quite a scare there. I'm more than fine with cracking the whip if things start to slow, putting deadlines for posts if it's been a couple weeks and nobody has posted, but as for posting IC I can feasibly manage 1-2 IC posts per week - and that's without my university deadlines. I tend to show my activity and involvement by talking on the OOC, letting you guys know I'm here and still working on a post. But to solve a case in an IRL week... you'd need multiple posts per day to pull that off. If I'm lucky, I get a couple hours before bed to focus on all of my hobbies, including RP.

I guess we'll just have to see how it goes but I'm under the impression that other people might be in a similar situation. Regardless, it looks like Wolf Wolf is active - I'll pm them now with a Google Doc link and we can work on a collab now, if they're free atm!

 

[Wolf Wolf]

Chanticleer Go right ahead! I'm totally free right now c:

 

[Chanticleer]

Had a really fun time writing up a collab with Wolf Wolf and we've pretty much got our introduction post down! I'll post it once we've got permission to start since there's a little bit of formatting to be done on my end.

 

[Achillea]

So I'm back from the dentist
rambler do you have an overview on who's working together now?

I was wondering what the relationship charts look like, I've ever used one but the idea intrigues me

And I'm currently reading what if? by Randall Munroe (scientific answers for silly but fun questions) and am fully enjoying the weird and curious there

 

[rambler]

Had a really fun time writing up a collab with Wolf Wolf and we've pretty much got our introduction post down! I'll post it once we've got permission to start since there's a little bit of formatting to be done on my end.

I've happy for you two! Feeling gratified with your creative work is one of the best feelings in the world. And you can go ahead and post your introduction post as soon as all teams are arranged and everyone has claimed their piece of equipment, which should be shortly.

So I'm back from the dentist
rambler do you have an overview on who's working together now?

I was wondering what the relationship charts look like, I've ever used one but the idea intrigues me

And I'm currently reading what if? by Randall Munroe (scientific answers for silly but fun questions) and am fully enjoying the weird and curious there

I'm glad everything seems to have gone fine at the dentist! Also, "What If?" sounds like a pretty entertaining read. I might look into it... Now, onto who's working with who, only two teams have been formed so far: Irene and Eugeine, and Abigail and Victoria. Avira, Dino (sorry for the nickname), Xey and you have to figure out how to partner up.

When it comes down to relationship charts, I envision them less as "charts" and more like... a list of your character's opinions of all the other investigators. If anyone has any better ideas as to how this can be done, then please tell me!

 

[Chanticleer]

I'm not going to do a relationship chart right away, if that's alright with the rest of you - I like to figure out Abigail's relationship with the character ICly. I'll probably have one for Victoria by the end of this case. Feel free to write one for Abigail if you like though!

 

[Achillea]

rambler - the xkcd site actually has some of the chapters to read for free if you want to look into it

And I'd wait for avira but currently looks like the combinations will be avira and DinoNuts, and Xey and me

I'll research some options and let you know if something neat crops up

 

[Defenestrator]

Yeah best wait for aviras confirmation and then I think we're set.

And I don't think any of the current listed gears are useful for ray in his situation so he wont pick one.

 

[avira]

I'm cool to pair with Defenestrator for this one! Yayyy!

 

[rambler]

Well, I guess the teams have been settled! That means THE ROLEPLAY OFFICIALLY BEGINS NOW. You guys will have 5 IC days to solve the mystery of "Jack in the Box." I'll be keeping track of the time that elapses closely by monitoring it via timestamps at the head of each of my posts. They will serve to orient you at what hour you're completing a particular action (investigating a scene, interviewing someone, etc). Note that the present investigation starts off at 6:30am on the 6th of September, 2017.

Your next step is completely up to you. I'll simply be narrating your environment and interactions. If anyone is wondering how that shall be achieved, I've included an excerpt (or more like an exchange between me and one of the participants) from my previous roleplay of this type in a spoiler bellow. When it comes down to interactions between teammates, you needn't collaborate. Feel free to roleplay with each other like normally (an example of that has also been included in a spoiler), yet joint creative work is also supported.

Spoiler: GM's Role

THIS DETAILS CHARACTER X'S INVESTIGATION OF A CRIME SCENE. WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED IS HER ARRIVAL, BUT IT MUST BE NOTED THAT UPON GETTING TO THE AFOREMENTIONED LOCATION THE GM (ME) DESCRIBED TO HER THE CLUES (BOTH FALSE AND TRUE) THAT SHE COULD SEE AT THAT MOMENT.

Character X: X shivered. She could feel death in the air and the feeling only got worse as she got closer to where the boy had died.

"Alright, X, you can do this!" She said reassuringly to herself, "Everyone's relying on you to get this done!"

She took a blank notepad out of her back pocket and flipped it open, along with a pencil that she held in her other hand. She took a deep breath and approached the crime scene.

"Okay, so it looks like we have footprints here, bin here, and here we have the location in which the kid was found dead. This should be easy enough, unless our killer wasn't a rookie..." She sighed and stepped up to the trashcan, opening the lid and looking inside. She threw the lid to one side and tipped over the bin, spilling its contents across the ground, all the while humming a happy tune. She began to examine the rubbish.

GM: (Name of Crime Scene)

As the trash bin was tipped over, allowing its contents to spill out onto the ground, a cloud of ash went up in the air out of the blue. It wasn't that big of a deal as the smoke cleared up quite soon, however the sudden and unexpected appearance of such a thing was startling. Even worse, it lead to a horrid realization - someone had previously set the bin on fire.

Whether this was the deed of a delinquent, a homeless person or the murderer themselves did not matter. The only fact that was relevant was that some vital evidence might have been lost to the flames, consumed forever and leaving a hole in the attempt to track down the person who had carried out this gruesome crime.

And yet, there still remained a glimmer of hope as something hazel and distinctively hairy could be seen showing through the blackened remnants of unidentifiable things. On closer inspection, one could easily conclude it to be a wig, the same color and size as the one described to be in possession of the mysterious lolita. In spite of the fact that it was charred and obviously damaged due to being set ablaze, its inside was mostly intact. And so, by some chance or maybe even a miracle, its tag had been preserved entirely. And on it there read "Wig Salon Extraordinaire."

THIS PIECE OF EVIDENCE RESULTED IN A NEW LOCATION TO BE INVESTIGATED - THE SALON - AS WELL AS MORE PEOPLE TO BE QUESTIONED. SO, DO KEEP IN MIND THAT YOUR CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES.

Spoiler: Teammates Interaction

THIS DETAILS CHARACTER Y AND CHARACTER Z THEORIZING UPON THE CRIME THEY HAD TO SOLVE.

Character Y: The ball was rolling now, the gears were turning, and everything was getting raised, questions, statements, and possible concrete answers. It was time to stop mourning over her every-day-drink and do her part. Everyone was making their entrance into HQ, saying their statements, while Y was quietly listening getting her intake before she opened her mouth, "Who said it has to be looks to drive someone to kill for their lover? After all, you can charm any mere boy with many other ways than just a pretty face." Initiating her obvious innuendo, that being said, the upset girlfriend peaked her interest. A woman works in mysterious ways, with the way words roll of her tongue, and the way she moves her hips, it would be worthwhile to go check out the young girl, ask some questions, get some answers, and see what she could possibly be hiding about her deceased boyfriend.

"The victim's girlfriend, if she can't talk to the good cops, maybe she needs a little bad cop to make her talk." A little interrogation was in order, since the file on the young girl was incomplete, and needed a little polishing. Y wanted to take it up, and see how she could get this girl to talk. Her eyes shifted to Z, a slight grin curling on her lips. "What do you say?" She asked, offering partnership to him, since everyone was partnering up after all.

Character Z: Leaning back into the soft and impressible chair, Z listened quietly to the others as they threw around their own ideas and adding them to his own. The others had a point about the possibility of there being two murderers, but he still had his sneaking suspicion about the dead boy's girl. "It's possible there could've been two involved, but what if the murderer killed Fuji in a fit of rage and felt remorse instantly after." Z then noticed the cerulean eyes looking in his direction, and nodded.

"It's a place to start. She seems a bit too suspicious if the file is right." His soft green eyes looking at her. "Though, to be honest, she doesn't seem to be the type to seduce others. I don't doubt she barely got a hold of Fuji" he added a bit coldly as he stood up.

Note how bad my writing used to be... Well, hopefully I've improved at least a little bit. Anyway...

Xed I just have one thing to request of you. Can you pick one piece of equipment for Esterella? What's currently left is a pen tape recorder and a pair of military grade binoculars. I know you mentioned having injured your hand (sorry for which; get well soon and good luck with your exams!), but I would appreciate it if you could just quickly mention the object of your choice. Seeing as Dino's Ray doesn't want any special equipment, anyone is welcome to claim the device that will be left over after Xey's decision.

 

[Achillea]

rambler - that really helps to clear things up!
I'm super excited to start, however I'm in a world of pain right now, so I think I'll get an early nigjts rest and hope that the brunt of it will be over by morning
Sorry for the inconvenience :|

 

[rambler]

rambler - that really helps to clear things up!
I'm super excited to start, however I'm in a world of pain right now, so I think I'll get an early nigjts rest and hope that the brunt of it will be over by morning
Sorry for the inconvenience :|

Don't apologize! Just rest up, and I'm sure the pain will subside. Take care of yourself.

It's actually getting pretty late where I am anyway, so I probably won't be here to see the roleplay start myself...

 

[Achillea]

Thank you, rambler!

Oh, since the images I picked for Ezra are kinda vague, I spend a few minutes on a quick sketch to hopefully help with a clearer image, hopefully I'll get around to color it soonish

Spoiler: my camera is not great, sorry

 

[Xed]

right so sorry I just saw this. haven't been getting notifications. I'll take the military grade binoculars