[FATE] Holiday with the Smiths

[Wynamoinen]

Originally Posted by Acathala

Just for my own personal curiosity, how did Beatrice snare her Jamison?

I feel like there is a pun or reference here that I'm not catching...

I haven't really developed that relationship in a lot of detail. Seems like, in FATE, one wants to leave flexibility to interrelate with PCs and NPCs. So I've left current relationships kinda vague, so that they can be fleshed out in either pre-game discussions, or as the plot develops. But in general, Bea has never had problems finding relationships. She's definitely very trendy and usually well-dressed, with big glossy sunglasses and flowing sundresses and dangly jewelry. I think she's fairly vivacious and approachable. And she's got a "free love" sort of attitude that makes it easy to attract certain types of fellow.

[ihinka]

@Wynamoinen, reading over Honey Bea's portrait, methinks aunt and niece would get along quite well. Ro is open minded enough to not be bothered by the fact that her aunt is a few Youtube videos away from flat-earthism All the wacky conversations the two can have on the topic. And maybe Bea would appreciate Rowan's more out their theories about the true beginnings of civilization on earth.

What say you

[Acathala]

No pun or reference I am aware of.

[Acathala]

Originally Posted by Skep

Interested. Getting burnt out on D&D, need more character drama.

I should have something concrete later in the week. Currently considering a son, a small-town police officer who works long hours to support a sick wife and disabled daughter. Not enough money and too much pride sort of deal.

Weirdly I was considering a retired police chief.

[girlplay]

Ihinka: I think 37 would be too old for the grandchild generation. If Honey Bea Moonbeam is in her 50s which puts grandma in her late 70s or so, and Rowan's parent also in their late 40s or early 50s, then that makes whichever Smith is Rowan's parent in their early or mid-teens when they gave birth. Early 30s is probably more realistic, and matches the which I really likephoto better. Or... a teen pregnancy is one of the family issues.

Acathala and Skep: It does seem like being a police officer runs in a family, so that seems perfectly viable to me.

[ihinka]

I can go 33 If you like the photo I wonder if you'll like the voice

[Wynamoinen]

@ihinka: yeah, there's definitely a lot of common ground there. Bea probably gets on better with Ro than with most anyone else in the family. That said, I kinda think that Bea is a high school dropout, and has a bit of a school-of-hard-knocks, "you don't know how the world REALLY works, man!" attitude to people with advanced degrees, especially in evidence-based fields. So there's still plenty of room to get on each others nerves

[ihinka]

Sure, I can see how she would be like that about formal education In the end, you have to have something to squabble over

I wonder how Ro's family and Nana would react to those two getting along though. I think they'll be perplexed to say the least.

[Andor]

Story Time! Come and listen to a story about a man named Jed A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed, And then one day he was shootin' at some food, And up through the ground come a-bubblin' crude. Oil that is; black gold, Texas tea. Well, of course Jed thinks that he's a millionaire But, the bank folks said, "Jed, move away from there!" They said, "Your old Pappy once defaulted on a loan, So we took the property and everything you own." Foreclosure, that is. Bankruptcy...but thanks for the oil...

Application Name: Jed Based on the assumption that "Smith" is Bernie's married name. If there's already a née established, that will be Jed's last name. Fun Trivia: "White" was chosen in honor of Bernice Smith White, women's activist.White. Place in the family: Or second cousin...see after.Nephew of Bernice. His father was her Could be changed to cousin, if the relationship is too close. If Bernie married into her weath, this should be fine. Otherwise, I can make Jed her second cousin.brother, who always resented Bernice's wealth and success while his branch of the family struggled to survive off the land. Too proud to ask for help, but too stubborn to quit being angry, he also made poor choices, and wound up losing the land and house that had been passed on to his son. Jed never knew that he was, technically, squatting, and the bank never bothered to enforce its claim on a worthless, unsellable plot of land in the mountains...until oil was discovered. Now, what should have been Jed's salvation was little more than cruel mockery, as the bank had reason to eject Jed from the family plot. Things got worse for Jed after he shot up the bank in retaliation. Fortunately, it was at night (after a spell at the local watering hole), so nobody was inside to get hurt, but Jed still had to leave the area with little more than the clothes on his back. High concept: Down on his luck hillbilly. Trouble: Bit of a temper, and a slight drinking problem. Also, recently homeless. Aspect 1: Jed actually loves to read, and was a regular at the library. He's an unabashed fan of Mark Twain. Career and hobbies: Jed did odd jobs as they came up, including repair work, laborer, and landscaping. His hobbies are hunting, reading, and drinking. Immediate family: Jed was engaged, but his fiancee' died of heart disease. He never really 'got back up on the horse' after that. Jed has no children. Possible issues: Jed has his work cut out for him if he's going to mend his family's part of the rift. He inherited all his father's bitterness toward Bernice, despite never having actually met her. (He actually has met her, but he was a baby at the time and doesn't remember.) Conversely, he's angry with his father for losing the land and house. So now he needs Bernice's money, though Pride is telling him he doesn't, and will struggle with sincerity due to his monetary crisis, conflicting emotions, and lack of personal connection to most of the family. Basically, he doesn't even know these people, is fully aware that most of them consider his branch of the family to be hillbilly losers, and yet is expected to genuinely reconcile with them in order to save himself.   This whole character concept came about when the "Beverly Hillbillies" theme song popped up in my head and stayed long enough for me to butcher it. It sprang nearly fully formed from my head, like Athena from Zeus, but without the classical charm.

[Roekahs]

Application - WIP Name: Randall “Randy” Smith Age: Mid 40s Place in the family: (this is definitely malleable … could also be a nephew)Youngest child of Bernice; an “oops” baby High concept: Highly driven "fixer" with a track record of perpetual failure Trouble: Always trying to fix something and, too often, many things at once Aspect 1: Randy sees problems and he wants to fix them. He means well, but when dealing with people his blunt assessments often mask the good intentions beneathKind heart; Callous tongue Career and hobbies: Randy is an Let's run with this for nowEngineer. He has managed to hold steady employment, but has bounced around employers frequently. He is currently in his most unstable position yet: a contractor. While he makes decent money, he also works a lot. He used to be a pretty good athlete until a back injury derailed a promising hockey career. He maintained some level of fitness until his wife left with the kids. Now he spends his free time reading – mostly self-help books. Immediate family: Amelia “Mia” (wife; separated), George (son, 6; separated), Lucia (daughter, 5; separated) Possible issues: Randy was an “oops” baby and often felt left out because he was so much younger than the rest of the household. Randy grew up watching his older Can be edited depending on how the family shakes out siblings go about life in their own unique ways. There was always strife in the family. Some of it was good, old-fashioned family troubles. Some of it was more. All of it Randy wanted to fix. He saw it as a way that he could participate with the adults. He stuck his nose in everyone’s business - All. The. Time. - trying to sort out how to make issues better. In the end all he accomplished was ruining or most depending if there is another character that he might get along withall of his relationships in the family. For better or worse, Randy has only recently started to realize how bad things are, so he has always attended family events and converse with the others like nothing is wrong. Randy’s other relationships suffered for all the same reasons. He had a few girlfriends through his 20s but nothing ever serious – not that he wasn’t interested in more with one of them. Then in his 30s he only had one relationship that lasted for just over a year. Finally, with his 40th birthday rushing up on him, he met Amelia. She was only three years younger than him and wanted a family. In a very short span, they were married, their son was born, and then their daughter was born. For the most part they got along well, although as the years passed Randy began to wonder if Mia had just settled on him because time was running out for her to have a family. Three months ago that fear was confirmed (at least in his mind) when Mia asked for a trial separation. Randy moved out. Then, a month later, Mia asked him to stop coming around at all. Around the same time, Randy’s position at work was eliminated but, thankfully, the company hired him back as a contractor. Randy has been reading every “self-help” book he can find. This is a problem that he can fix! Miraculously, the books have begun to work. Randy has managed to take a hard look in the mirror and he has begun to understand that he is a problem. The only issue? He doesn’t know how to fix himself. The news from his mother had been devastating, but her final wish had come as a silver lining. This is his chance to figure out how to fix himself before he tries to fix the relationships he cares the most about: his wife and kids. Inheritance: The inheritance is an intriguing proposition and, if nothing else had been wrong in his life, would have brought him home. However, it is unequivocally a secondary goal. If Randy can figure out how to fix himself, he may be able to win back his family, advance at work, and be just fine without any inheritance at all. Of course, a small fortune is never anything to scoff at either.

Initial thoughts on other characters Bea: As the youngest, Randy would have been extremely jealous of Bea. She may not have been traditionally successful, but at least she didn't even try. Randy tries hard at everything and is still a failure. It would have driven him crazy that Bea was married so many times but he could barely find one - and then she left him. Rowan: Randy probably would have driven that entire family crazy ... he would have tried to fix the issues from both sides. It is possible that he got along ok with each side individually, but whenever he was in the same room with both Rowan and her parents things went ... poorly. Jed: Randy may be the reason for the financial hardship Jed is having...

[Wynamoinen]

Originally Posted by girlplay

Ihinka: I think 37 would be too old for the grandchild generation. If Honey Bea Moonbeam is in her 50s which puts grandma in her late 70s or so, and Rowan's parent also in their late 40s or early 50s, then that makes whichever Smith is Rowan's parent in their early or mid-teens when they gave birth. Early 30s is probably more realistic, and matches the which I really likephoto better. Or... a teen pregnancy is one of the family issues

I was thinking that Grandma (and her parents in turn) was... traditional... in her familial bearing. Meaning starting young, which was much more the norm in the 1950s and 1960s than it is today. I guess the word "matriarch" keyed me in to that sort of interpretation. I imagine Bea's mother and grandparents being very disappointed in her choice to not follow suit and raise a brood.

I keep flipping my conception of the family in my head. Sometimes I imagine a dysfunctional lower-middle class Midwestern family (out of, I dunno, Kansas or Iowa or something). Sometimes I imagine a richer family in the midwest (a la The Magnificent Ambersons or, kookier, You Can't Take it With You ). Sometimes I imagine a dowdier old-money Connecticut family, maybe skewing sort of depressive Royal Tanenbaums-y. Are there any thoughts or concrete decisions about family history?

[girlplay]

We certainly seem to have a mix of character types, which is great as far as the different perspectives the characters are likely to have. As for a more exact location and socio-economic class, I mostly intended the character ideas to generate some of those specifics. So far, we have a mix of white color and blue collar careers in the mix. No pink color yet. And with some characters kind of struggling financially and others doing okay, I've been getting the impression that the family started out somewhere in the middle. Or in more clear terms, middle class. In Bernice's day, it would have been much easier to have invested money and have a great pension from working for the same company for 35 years, so I'm figuring that Bernice and her departed husband did a good job of investing in the family home, bonds, and have saved up their pension money. And since her medical diagnosis was only made recently, she hasn't spent a whole lot on nurses and doctors and such. Maybe Hospice is involved...

As for a location, I'm kind of getting a Midwest vibe. Or maybe Colorado. Chicago would also be a strong candidate.

We're starting to cross into the pre-game setup, but that's probably unavoidable since Fate games tend to be a reiterative and collaborative process. Maybe I'll go ahead and draw up a profile for Bernice's husband: grandpa Smith.

[Skep]

Originally Posted by girlplay

No pink color yet.

If a pink-collar career is something you'd like to see represented, I can try to roll with that. I get the impression Jed and Randy together overlap fairly significantly with what I was working on, so I'm going to shift gears here anyway for the sake of variety.

[Roekahs]

Originally Posted by Skep

If a pink-collar career is something you'd like to see represented, I can try to roll with that. I get the impression Jed and Randy together overlap fairly significantly with what I was working on, so I'm going to shift gears here anyway for the sake of variety.

Sorry Skep! I do have another idea that I was debating on - Randy won out in a close one - but I can switch gears if you like what you have. Like I said it was close, so it wouldn't be a problem to switch.

[Skep]

Originally Posted by Roekahs

Sorry Skep! I do have another idea that I was debating on - Randy won out in a close one - but I can switch gears if you like what you have. Like I said it was close, so it wouldn't be a problem to switch.

Nah, no worries Roe! You beat me to the app, mine wasn't even typed up yet. Besides, I prefer working with constraints, makes it more challenging.