Week 13: When in doubt, throw a party

[Clara Oswald]

This week, we see the aftermath of Inferno as what's left of the Six try to move on. Blaze and Haleigh are dead, and Cameron has been kicked out of the Six AND Illustra.

"Who's the bitch now, Lockhart.. I will just let you know that you are NOT dealing with Amateurs here.. If you think my little pushing INTO your mind hurts...."

:: Prophet squeazed his fist as the energy now appeared over his hands and suddenly Adrian felt an intense amount of PAIN in what felt like his brain, Cameron was mentally stunning his synapses, which caused extreme mental and physical anguish, though Adrian was paralyzed and couldn't make the face of someone in intense pain ::

"That was only a PREVIEW of what I can do.. I will completely destroy every mental capability you have and the gigilo standing before ME will be nothing more than a non mobile, drooling and glazed over VEGETABLE! Do I make myself clear you arrogant fuck? Oh that's right, you can't talk..."

Not so fast ...<< her voice was so icy and her grip was like a vise as she was crushing Helena's wrist..holding her there>>

before you go.........allow me to share one last thing with you. its something that i think someone like yourself would understand quite well in a situation like this.

<< morgan looked away for a moment..before turning around...and SOCKING Helena in her MOUTH with her fist, which was surrounded by a halo of eldritch energy.....the punch was so hard..and so forcefulll..there was a a crack heard ..a crack of bone..as Helena was launched backward like a foot ball being punted and sent CRASHING THROUGH THE GLASS of the doors and windows leading out to the outside of the parthenon...finally she would land in the street...right in the path of an oncoming BUS>>

Bitch.

This week's playing threads are:

https://amalgam.zone/threads/the-gala-event.475/
https://amalgam.zone/threads/the-parthenon-hotel-a-mans-nightmare.487/
https://amalgam.zone/threads/comfortably-numb-reality-sets-in.486/


Some possible jumping off points for discussion (feel free to answer some or none of these):

• Were Sharon & Alycia bichier back then?
• Why was everyone so mean to Erika when she had just fought alongside them?
• Was Cameron really trying to do the right thing by leaving the Six, or was it just the right thing for himself?
  
• Does Cameron talking about blocking out his emotion provide any link to Kelly in the current storyline?
• We saw in these threads another dream that teaches a lesson - was this one Ororo's doing as well?
• Was Haleigh right to be angry with Morgan? Was Morgan right to be angry with Haleigh?
  
• Why would they invite Adrian to the funeral?
  
• Why is Alison immune to Adrian?
• Who was your favorite character in this group of threads?
• What was your favorite thing about this group of threads?
• What did you learn by re-reading that you didn't remember?

Feel free to add your own comments and pose questions to the others. Discuss!

My comments:

I have to laugh at Alexis saying, when was there a leader in the Six, and when was there a vote to expel Cameron lol? As if they were ever a democracy!!

The celebrity name dropping during the gala is hilarious. These threads feel very Melrose Place.

I have problems seeing Joaquin as Adrian - I don't see him as ultra attractive like he's supposed to be. And what is the mint & chocolate thing? And he has about two sentences that don't involve sex.

I found it interesting that Alison tells Cam he needs to be with the Six, while seemingly having no problem with Morgan dumping on Cameron.

I liked the freudian slip of "Brandon" in this post lol https://amalgam.zone/threads/comfortably-numb-reality-sets-in.486/page-2#post-6968

It's funny to see Haleigh wearing her heart on her sleeve.

 

[Karma]

The celebrity name dropping during the gala is hilarious. These threads feel very Melrose Place.

I agree! Everyone from Madonna, to Amanda Woodward, and even Diddy and Nick Lachey LOL

But even now, it still feels/reads "right" to me some of us used to have actual celebs "cameoing" in the background, like Alison fooling around w/ Diddy (i had such a crush on him back in the day LOL). But I liked how each of us would name drop our favs here & there.

and speaking of the "Melrose Place" vibe:

Alycia: uh uhhhh. sorry Doctor, but the deaths of Christopher King and Blaze Fielding were accidents. unfortunate casaulties and its all completely documented and verfied. I can send your office a copy ..for a small fee of course <<winking at erika>>

I wouldnt try retorting, Doctor, the law is MY forte' and you're hopelessly out gunned here by myself and senator Kelly. You see..ther are alot of powerful people here tonight, and if Cameron over there isnt carefull...no matter how "well run" his business is..it can and WILL be ruined, not to mention his reputation. and dont bother trying to "expose the happenings of inferno"...the investigation by the local, state and federal authorities has been closed and ruled out as more mayhem caused by MysTech.

Tell your brother to watch his back...because "powers" arent needed to take him OR his walking computer down.

<< alycia winked at Erika as she clicked her tongue against her teeth.>>


Sharon Kelly: your superiors and i are rather close. it would be a shame if you came under sudden review...and found your OWN dubious dealings and involvements with the Inferno exposed...given that YOUR mother was an operative as Mystech as well. You see...we have the power to conceal/expose any part of this we want...and if you dont back down now...YOU will lose your standing in the government...not to mention your status as a citizen.


<<Morgan leaned in close>>

Morgan: dont fuck with me bitch. neither you NOR your brother has a prayer in this town if i say so. <<wink>>

Damn! They PILED on Erika's ass! LOL

I have problems seeing Joaquin as Adrian - I don't see him as ultra attractive like he's supposed to be. And what is the mint & chocolate thing? And he has about two sentences that don't involve sex.

Joaquin wasn't Bane's original AI. I remember that clearly. He had a much sexier AI during this time. Rich changed the AI to Joaquin when the Six were learning about "the shape" (super soldier). he said he wanted the character to have a more etherial quality. He even started shifting the characters' powers at that time. I told him I thought it was rather anti-climatic, & the choice of AI was underwhelming. I remember other players not being thrilled by it either lol.

Bane oozed sex. He was just outrageous. Rich did advise me of what he wanted to do w/ the character before he debuted him, and I thought it would be interesting , but damn...even I was surprised, still, it was fun to read the scenes w/ him & Alexis, Cameron or even Alison.

Some possible jumping off points for discussion (feel free to answer some or none of these):

• Were Sharon & Alycia bichier back then?
• Why was everyone so mean to Erika when she had just fought alongside them?
• Was Cameron really trying to do the right thing by leaving the Six, or was it just the right thing for himself?
  
• Does Cameron talking about blocking out his emotion provide any link to Kelly in the current storyline?
• We saw in these threads another dream that teaches a lesson - was this one Ororo's doing as well?
• Was Haleigh right to be angry with Morgan? Was Morgan right to be angry with Haleigh?
  
• Why would they invite Adrian to the funeral?
  
• Why is Alison immune to Adrian?
• Who was your favorite character in this group of threads?
• What was your favorite thing about this group of threads?
• What did you learn by re-reading that you didn't remember?

1) YES! & I'd forgotten just HOW bitchy they both were. But I knew when I brought Alycia into the Six, that I wanted to play her JUST LIKE the character from Melrose Place. W/ Sharon, I was trying to pattern her after ADA Alex Cabott from Law & Order SVU.

2) Yeah reading these, Erika was getting treated like garbage. I can't even offer a reason as I look back on it now. I know that I felt like she would ALWAYS be infuriating to the other witches b/c of how good & kind she was, but considering how instrumental she was in the Inferno, it is a shame that she didn't get treated w/ better regard. Her biggest liability ( in their eyes) beside her "annoying saccharine" demeanor was that she was Cameron's brother AND she defended him.

3) I think he just wanted to be done w/ the Morgan "storm". He really was trying to reorient himself but everywhere he turned, he was being reminded & blamed for so much.

4) That's a GOOD observation! What do you think about this one @Havok

5) It could certainly be interpreted that way, given that we know that Ororo eventually mentored Cameron for a time while nursing him back to health after he was tortured by Malice. I can look at this now & see perhaps she knew there was potential in him even then & she wanted to urge him in that direction.

6) Of course she did. & while I can still see Morgan behaving a certain way toward Haleigh, Morgan really didn't have to be so ornery in this interaction. Hell, @Black Widow even gave her a pretty little kitten as a peace offering! I hate the way I actually wrote the majority of Morgan's responses to Haleigh in this exchange . She was too heavy handed, & didn't show that she'd LEARNED, as Ororo said she needed to, post-inferno. Side Note: this makes the debut of "the kitten!" who to this day in the Six's world, has REMAINED a small, fluffy white kitten....with no name LOL!

7) Oh you know...new character, big splash, he or she gets swept up in the core plot! lol but Alison wanted him to come along b/c even though she was simultaneously repulsed/turned on by him, she recognized his power would be useful where they were going. They were down SEVERAL members, and since Adrian was all up in Alexis' face, he might as well make himeslf USEFUL! lol

8) I remember discussing this w/ Rich b/c I wanted at least one character that could withstand the effects of Bane's power. HE actually suggested Alison, saying that her cold aura, and her TK and temporal powers would allow her to slow the flow of the pheromones down to a literal snail's crawl, or just halt their movement toward her all together, preventing them from flooding her senses. He was a big marvel fan like me, & a Charmed/Prue fan, so it was actually nice to work w/ him at that time.

9) A 3 way tie for me: Helena, Bane & Alexis.

This was the ORIGINAL Helena, elegant, witty, bitchy and cold as ice....the ORIGINAL Helena, while less powerful than her counterpart- Enchantrah- was more similar to Diana. The current Helena is great, she's wild, brash, sexy & sexual & has more power...and while she & Diana have an unspoken bond of trust that crosses timelines...there's definitely notable differences between her & her original mainstream counterpart. One thing Helena & Enchantrah have in common is the ability to walk in & read/insult EVERYONE in the room w/out any hesitation! LOL!

Bane- well I always say this character made a big splash, & he did LOL. Rich managed to surprise even me w/ his portrayal of his character & he got us all talking. I hated the changes he made to the character later on, & I'm not sure why he did it. Eventually, Rich left the game & the board w/ out any word...& so...Bane was basically (on panel) left in Arklay forest in Sharon's cottage where the super soldier first attacked Alycia lol. His fate is..."UNKNOWN"

Alexis- This group of threads was definitely an Alexis focused story, & I think @Spencer Hastings did a good job w/ her. She was more a voice of reason than anyone else on the Six at that time in most of their social situations. She showed a much more sensitive & vulnerable side, & after the withering verbal attacks on her by Helena...even Morgan & Alison felt the need to stand by her.

10) There was a lot of pop culture referencing in this threads, a lot of name dropping, and definitely a lot of soap opera references, & I know Sam used soaps for a lot of her material in the earlier days of the Six. I liked Erika & Vivica supporting Cameron. Even though we all hadn't gotten our posting "styles" down just yet, & we still didn't the Oracle account for narration yet, I definitely think we were all finding our strides w/ the characters...I must admit that I DO cringe at some of Morgan & Alison's posts in this story but at other times, I really DID like what I did w/ Alison (usually in response to Bane LOL)

11) In the "comfortably numb" thread, when Alexis offers Alison a drink, Alison says "I'm fine, thank you ALISON..." LOL I honestly did not realize i typed it like that until rereading it all these years later. reading these threads, was a big reminder of just how far the characters Sharon & Alycia have come. Also, for me, reading these threads, i can see how certain bits of Six canon have shifted over the years as we've gotten a more focused view of the Six mythos

 

[Clara Oswald]

Bane's original AI was Antonio Sabato Jr.

 

[Black Widow]

Were Sharon & Alycia bitchier back then?

Bitchcraft was their super power before they became Amazons.

Why was everyone so mean to Erika when she had just fought alongside them?

Honestly, I think Erika was just too damn good for the Six. Her relation to Cameron was literally the ONLY 'bad' thing about her and I don't think the other characters could deal with someone like that just yet. Every other character was so dark, so sticking her sunny ass up in everyone's business just rubbed them wrong. ALTHOUGH... she went a bit dark in the previous threads, so you'd think she'd have been given more slack, but I think an underlying reason was her defense of Cameron, who at this point was just like the DEVIL lol. I mean we could say Haleigh was just as bad, but at least she had the decency to die [for a while].

Was Cameron really trying to do the right thing by leaving the Six, or was it just the right thing for himself?

Ooh, good question. Probably a mix of both reasons.

Does Cameron talking about blocking out his emotion provide any link to Kelly in the current storyline?

Now we know where HE gets it from.

We saw in these threads another dream that teaches a lesson - was this one Ororo's doing as well?

It's interesting to go back and see how much Ororo really held things together throughout the years, but in the early days, they were so divided, they needed SOMEBODY to keep them on track.

Was Haleigh right to be angry with Morgan? Was Morgan right to be angry with Haleigh?

Er, YES! I mean, Morgan totally KILLED her lol. That's as good a reason as any to be mad at somebody. Granted, Haleigh wasn't exactly innocent, she provoked Morgan purposefully,and was consistent in her attempts to knock Morgan off the high horse she rode around on, but that doesn't mean she deserved to DIE lol

Of course she did. & while I can still see Morgan behaving a certain way toward Haleigh, Morgan really didn't have to be so ornery in this interaction. Hell, @Black Widow even gave her a pretty little kitten as a peace offering! I hate the way I actually wrote the majority of Morgan's responses to Haleigh in this exchange . She was too heavy handed, & didn't show that she'd LEARNED, as Ororo said she needed to, post-inferno. Side Note: this makes the debut of "the kitten!" who to this day in the Six's world, has REMAINED a small, fluffy white kitten....with no name LOL!

Well, if I can play devil's advocate, I'd say nobody wakes up after learning a tough life lesson and is perfect from there on out. Morgan still harbored a lot of resentment towards Haleigh, and there were things that needed to be addressed, but I think this was just the start. Haleigh and Morgan's relationship continued to be rocky, up until MORGAN'S death, iirc. It was a long journey for the two of them to build trust and mutual respect, and it's really neat to go back and read this with the added layer of their being sisters. I can't help but wonder if things would be drastically different if one or both of them DID know that, or if their personalities at this point just clashed TOO MUCH.

Why would they invite Adrian to the funeral?

Um, because SOMEBODY has to have sex with and/or molest multiple people at the funeral!

Who was your favorite character in this group of threads?

Alexis, easily. Cameron runs a close second. Everyone else has merits as well, but Alexis really shined here and Cameron has always been one of my favorites lol

What was your favorite thing about this group of threads?

This is the first time they REALLY had to deal with tragedy and it's really intriguing to read as they handle the losses of Blaze and Haleigh, especially compared to later losses. It's easy to see that as time went on, they all grew attached to each other. not just that, but they all essentially grew hearts along the way lol. The loss of a teammate NOW is exponentially harder on the characters than it was in these threads. I mean, Blaze's death affected everyone, some more than others. Haleigh's death was acknowledged by everyone but some characters were like 'good riddance' where as others were like 'damn, I miss her being around' LOL. Compared to NOW, for example with Delilah's 'death', literally EVERY character was devastated. Now, I'd say Delilah's more likeable than both Blaze and Haleigh to a broad spectrum of characters, and at this point they've been through SO MUCH together that they really ARE like a family, but that just proves my point. Each character has grown so much, they've grown together so much.

So that was a really wordy way to explain that my favorite thing about these early threads, and this set in particular, is to look back at the characters in early development and remind ourselves where we started. While there's stuff we ALL wish we could go back and re-write, and we cringe at some of it, if we went back and fixed it, it'd take away from the whole story, which was that they started out ROUGH and have grown from each experience until they became what they were destined to be: real heroes, a real family.

What did you learn by re-reading that you didn't remember?

Nearly everything, lol. It was like reading a prequel, I barely remembered what I did with my own character, let alone how every other character did.

I have to laugh at Alexis saying, when was there a leader in the Six, and when was there a vote to expel Cameron lol? As if they were ever a democracy!!

Yeah, they were NOT a democracy, but, I wouldn't say they are NOW either. There's more than one character that takes the lead now, and they've all gotten much better at discussing/planning their 'adventures' now and in the latest stories, MOST characters are able to 'weigh in', even if they don't formally 'vote'. But in the beginning? Naw lol they just kind of ran around all crazy, they were BARELY a 'team'. Morgan 'expelling' Cameron? That would SO not fly nowadays lol but back then? Not many characters really opposed or defied her, with the distinct exception of Cameron and Haleigh who were the poster kids for BLACK SHEEP LOL.

The celebrity name dropping during the gala is hilarious. These threads feel very Melrose Place.

It IS though, I mean Nick and Jessica?!?! But at the same time, given Alexis and Morgan's companies? It fits.

I have problems seeing Joaquin as Adrian - I don't see him as ultra attractive like he's supposed to be. And what is the mint & chocolate thing? And he has about two sentences that don't involve sex.

Ugh, GIRL. I'm with you. I can't see Joaquin when I read those posts. Antonio Sabato Jr? Yeah, much better AI. THAT dude is sexy enough for all the porn Bane was into. But Joaquin's about a 6 or a 7 and Bane would need to be an OMEGA LEVEL pheremone manipulator to pull all that off LOL

Maybe mint and chocolate was a personal preference thing? That's like the cream thing at the gala. Mofo wanted to be STICKY.

It's funny to see Haleigh wearing her heart on her sleeve.

Oh MAN seriously she came back with a STRONG case of the feels LOL. She's been looking at Cameron a LONG TIME.

But then, she died and came back to life so I can't be too critical. I think this was the point where she started to get a little more sociable and less standoffish.

 

[Clara Oswald]

Maybe we should change Bane's avatar back to ASJ

 

[Prophet]

Were Sharon & Alycia bitchier back then?

Uh...YES! It was like their debut and they just preyed on Erika for literally no reason because Morgan was on a warpath against Cameron. For me, Alycia seems the same because she just LOVES confrontation, a bi-product of being a lawyer lol, but it was weird to see Sharon. I know Sharon has her moments of pure bitch, but nowadays she kind of is an exalted character in The Six, because she is so powerful...I think she definitely treats herself with more responsibility now. She is wiser after everything she has gone through. I mean...even Alycia has softened since what she has gone through, but to be honest..even now I can see Alycia doing this same thing haha.

Why was everyone so mean to Erika when she had just fought alongside them?

Morgan was on a warpath against Cameron - and Erika was Cameron's biggest cheerleader. She brought Cameron's stock up so to speak and got people to look at him with different eyes, so Morgan of course did not like that. I think that Erika really held her own in that argument and proved that she wasn't to be trifled with, but Erika at that time just didn't have that same way of being that the other witches did. Still it was really rude of Morgan to admonish a woman that had been instrumental in stopping her from destroying the world and her friends, but again Morgan had blinders on and Erika was just a threat against that goal.

Was Cameron really tying to do the right thing by leaving The Six, or was it just the right thing for himself?

Probably himself. I mean...things were really not looking good for him and now he had just lost his best friend and his mother and it was just overwhelming for him. I mean he did make the decision to leave eventually. I mean Cameron didn't want to face a lot of this, and I think it was just that whole idea of him having a family and then it was just like that family didn't seem to want him outside of Erika. It was all bad. It was like it was bad enough that he was an orphan, bad enough that he had lived on the streets and then he found out that maybe that was actually BETTER than being with his family, and hey...when you are a runaway, you are used to RUNNING...and Cameron ran from a lot of things for a LONG time and it's only now that he's been able to stick around and face things and make peace with parts of his past, but some of those issues are still there.

Does Cameron talking about blocking out his emotions provide any link to Kelly in the current storyline?

Outside of Erika I think it's a Shaw/King family trait. All of them avoid their feelings in a number of different ways. Alison garnered power, Cameron creates chaos and destruction..and Erika well she just went ape shit crazy, most likely having the same propensity for mental illness that Kelly King did, brought out and manipulated by Malice. Erika really was too good for The Six..and when we see these backs...even though she had a large part in Cameron's death...it's hard not to feel bad about what happened to her, and I've tried to make Cameron mention that a few times over the years, but I do think her contribution to The Six has been largely forgotten lol.

We saw in these threads another dream that teaches a lesson - was this one Ororo's doing as well?

I think so. I think that Ororo and Cameron have a complicated and deep relationship. I think Ororo might feel bad for how she viewed Cameron over the years..and I think now she might even APOLOGIZE lol. But she's often came to his aid, as is her duty as Keeper of The Six, but I always think that she really kind of made an effort to be there for HIM. She nursed him back to health after his "death" and she brought him to Haleigh and Zach at St. Patricks.

Was Haleigh right to be angry with Morgan? Was Morgan right to be angry with Haleigh?

I think Haleigh was justified yes...but I don't think Morgan was, but I think at this point that Morgan hadn't really learned anything from The Inferno yet. She was angry and in mourning over Blaze...and the fact that Haleigh was back and Blaze wasn't...well that enraged her...but it wasn't Haleigh's fault. I mean I understand her anger..but let's be real? No Inferno = No dead ANYBODY...so that kind of has to rest on Morgan's shoulder and I think she was still trying to process everything.

Why would they invite Adrian to the funeral?

Who the hell knows...all of us bringing dates and such was so MESSY! I hated that LOL.

Overall these were such interesting threads and we see that the fallout of The Inferno was just so messy, but it was THESE threads that really set the tone for characters for YEARS to come and set precedents that some of them haven't been able to overcome!

I enjoyed Adrian and Alexis in these threads for sure.