Noir type game

[Chrystal]

Not at the moment, I'm afraid. I'm already GMing one large (in people) and two small games and Co-GMing another medium game.

Sorry.

[RedEve]

That's fine Chrystal.

The offer is open to anyone who feels up to it. :)

Just a heads up, I will be pretty busy for the rest of the day but I hope to get a CS template up sometime tomorrow.

[Ascia]

I could do it, if need be.

[RedEve]

I could do it, if need be.

Great, consider yourself deputized!  ;D

I will update the opening post with the CS template shortly.

[Chrystal]

That's great, but please don't call  Ascia "Shortly". You don't know how tall she is...!

*snigger*

[RedEve]

 ;D

The character sheet template is up (it has been up for a bit now, only I forgot to make a post announcing it).  :-\

So feel free to send me those CS! :)

[Ascia]

That's great, but please don't call  Ascia "Shortly". You don't know how tall she is...!

*snigger*

Ha. I'm 5'5.

[Chrystal]

Sent... :)

[RedEve]

Name: Valentina Zlobina is her birth name, but she goes by the pseudonym of Tina Fontaine
Age: 27
Role: Night club girl
Background: Valentina was born in Saint-Petersburg a few years after the Russian revolution. Before she turned one, her parents had bought a passage to America, only the handler had been less than honest and they had arrived on the English West coast instead. With their life savings spent, her parents had no choice but to restart their life there instead. Her father got a job at a steel mill in Liverpool and Valentina and her two older brothers attended school in Heswall, the town where they had settled. Her mother, who had been trained as a nurse back in Russia, got a job at the newly opened Children’s Hospital in their new hometown.

Her parents soon forgot about their dream of moving to the United States, getting quite settled in their new lives. Valentina herself might  have never had ended up in the country if the wireless and the nascent movie industry did not render her completely intrigued by the country. It was a sentiment she shared with her older brother Vitaly. When Vitaly turned 20, he quit his job at the steel mill and announced that he was to use his savings to book a passage to New York. The then 18 year old Valentina, whose room was adorned with newspaper clippings of Hollywood stars like Jean Harlow, Barbara Stanwyck and Vivien Leigh saw it as an opportunity to fulfill her own dreams, so she swiftly quit her own job as a salesgirl and joined her brother on the trip.

They arrived in the new world in 1937 and settled in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn. Vitaly quickly got a job as a dock worker. Valentina supplemented their income with a part-time job at a shoe store. In the afternoon and evenings, she took acting classes and practiced her American accent – which had been a weird mix of Scouse and some Russian influences upon her arrival. During this time, she also adopted her stage name of Tina Fontaine. In 1940, she finally departed for the west coast, hoping to fulfill her dreams of stardom. Unfortunately, the reality was not quite as easy as she had imagined in her puerile fantasies. She struggled to get even non-speaking parts, yet further honed her talents in the Los Angeles amateur stage circuit. Her credits never got any further than some tiny parts in B-movies. To support herself, she accepted a job as a cigarette girl at a night club. This left her days available for auditions (of which she got increasingly few). Eventually she graduated to the role of night club girl, her job description: looking glamorous, getting patrons to buy her expensive drinks and adding to the general pleasant, sexy air of the place, as “living furniture”.

During her time working there, she has met all sorts of celebrities (actors, singers and mobsters) and had her picture taken with the likes of Clark Gable, Gene Tierney and Ava Gardner. Though her own dreams of stardom haven’t come to fruition, and as a woman over the age of 25 in Tinseltown, she knows her window of opportunity is fast shrinking.

extra photograph

Valentina's natural hair color is red, the blonde hair is an attempt to reference the glamour of Harlow and Lake.

[RedEve]

Chrystal, if you want to make Tina one of the targets of Liza's "clumsy" flirting, feel free to do so. :)

I could make Tina go into the diner after her shift at the night club ends for a cup of coffee and a chat.

[Chrystal]

Chrystal, if you want to make Tina one of the targets of Liza's "clumsy" flirting, feel free to do so. :)

I could make Tina go into the diner after her shift at the night club ends for a cup of coffee and a chat.

That works :) ... Oh I've added one small detail I forgot - That her dad was killed during the Battle of Midway.It's not an essential detail but little things like that make a character come alive, IMO.

Name: Elizabeth Douglas (prefers Liza - pronounced as Lie-zah)
Age: 21 (just)
Role: The All-night eatery waitress - and possible key witness
Background: Liza should be proud of her dad. That's what they tell her. He was a hero. He was one of the pilots on the Yorktown, and was personally responsible for sinking a Japanese carrier at the battle of Midway. Some how, Liza doubted that he did it all by himself, but apparently it was his torpedo that struck the fatal blow to the stricken Japanese vessel. Unfortunately, his plane was then hit by anti-aircraft fire from a Japanese destroyer, and crashed into the pacific. His body was never recovered.

The fact that her dad gave his life for his country, though, left Liza feeling angry, not proud. Her mother was working in the local munitions factory, and Liza did her best to help out at home, looking after her kid brother. With the war over and the men returning home, Liza got the only job she could in order to support her mother, who was now sick from breathing in mercury fumes in the factory. She took a job as a waitress in the local all-night diner. The only shift she could get was midnight to 9:00am. Fortunately, this is the shift that pays best, because nobody really wants to do it.

Liza is somewhat cynical about life. She has no illusions that things will ever get any better for her. Her mother is dying, and only the war bonds purchased while she worked at the factory are helping to pay for her medical care. She has absolutely no desire whatever to find "the right man" and settle down. While she has no idea what a "lesbian" is, she knows that she finds the female form to be attractive, and the male form to be somewhat repellent. She is snarky towards male customers who come on to her, but tends to flirt with the ladies without even realising she's doing it. The chef in the diner working the same shift finds this highly amusing and occasionally teases her about it.

Face Claim: Tammy Blanchard (Playing Judy Garland).

[Ascia]

Name: Theodea 'Theo' Diodata Varani
Age: 27
Role: Prior: Mafia Princess, Current: Mafia Boss.
Background:

Theodea Varani was the youngest of four children to Carlo Varani, himself the younger brother to two Italian Mafia bosses in the National Crime Syndicate. When her two uncles were slain in a "misunderstanding" with Murder, Inc, Carlo swore off the life of organized crime—this he believed would keep his children safe. Of Carlo's three adult sons, only the youngest, Geno, would return safe from fighting in World War II. Carlo himself would be died before the end of '44, many claiming the man died of a broken heart, leaving his small Banking empire to Geno.

When Geno Varani, a line officer in the 101st, finally returned home he did so with an acute case of "battle fatigue." Faced with a need to support the wives and children of her brothers and an heir barely able to get out of bed some mornings, Theodea Varani was left with no choice but to act. Calling in favors gained from assisting OSS with intelligence during the invasion of Sicily, Theodea began sowing influence within California's labor unions and developing communities. At the very same time, the remnants of the Varani crime family went west en masse, hoping to turn Geno back to what many saw as the Varani blood line's true purpose.

When the former capos and soldiers arrived they were shocked to find the Varani family involved in, seemingly, supporting OTHER criminal empires, such as Bugsy Siegel's, as if the Varani were incapable of producing their own criminal empire. Such outrage quickly paled in comparison to the outrage felt when they discovered Geno was not calling the shots; Theodea was. With a woman calling the shots, they groaned, no wonder the Varani clan was in the state it was in.

Stuck between desperation and no escape, Theodea shot one of her uncle's former Capos (one beginning to claim dominion over the assembly) in her father's study, without warning, in front of most the East Coast Varani refugees that had gathered at Carlo's old avocado ranch in the Santa Monica hills. Then she asked for silence, with the smoking revolver still in her hand, in order to explain herself: using tax fraud and stock manipulations, Theo had gained back much of what their family had lost following the great market collapse. She had used this new wealth to 'invest' in everything from labor unions to organizing latin farm laborers to drug trades other Italian families would never touch. In doing what other families considered themselves too good for, Theo had turned the Varani into a blank cheque book for Bugsy and his Jewish killers, a group that knew no end of want for funding their 'Las Vegas' desert dream.

All of this, Theodea declared, so that when the time was right the Varani could turn on Siegel and claim blood payment for the murder of her uncles at the hands of Murder, Inc. On that day the Varani would reveal themselves the true criminal power of Los Angeles, and take everything, even Las Vegas, away from Siegel's crumbling powerbase.

If any of her uncle's former men had an issue with any of that, or if they wanted to discuss "the leadership structure of the Varani family", they knew where to find her...and that silver plated revovler of her's.

[RedEve]

Just a general remark about historical characters: it's perfectly alright if your character interacts with them in NPC form or is (loosely) affiliated with one or the other. In fact, it might add an extra flavor to this game.
However, I would like for all PCs to be original characters. Also, our own narrative will take precedence on the historical facts.
So if say, it is in the interest of our plot that Bugsy Siegel dies a different way than the historical truth, we will use our idea and ditch the history.
However, this does not mean that I will actively look to subvert the historical facts, and nor should anyone else.
But they should not stand in the way of us writing our own story either.

[Ascia]

If it helps someone with character creation, a character could certainly have an association with Theo. Maybe Geno's wife, or the wife of a deceased brother? Maybe a secretary? Or a cop on the take? Even a Mafia mole in Hollywood. I offer because there are a lot of possibilities there, so please know it's an option if anyone gets 'stuck.'

[EnglishMaster]

Name:  George Carpentier
Age:  38
Role:  pianist and gambler
Background:  It's hard to know where fiction begins with George's biography.  He's been in the merchant navy, he's played cruise ships, he's written hit tunes and frittered all the money away on women and the horses, he's loved and lost.  These are just some of the tales he tells.

One biographical fact that's been attested by more than one visitor to the club where he now plays nightly, is that he was playing piano in Shanghai in the 1930's, leaving late in that decade when his minor complicity in drug-smuggling became known, drifting slowly home in work on ships.

Since then he's been back here - he failed the navy medical for poor eyesight, he'd had to cheat to be in the merchant navy in his youth - playing piano, taking bets, passing on information to hoodlums (and some say to the cops), keeping his counsel.  He's an instrumental rather than a major player.  Women from the boss to the cigarette girl tend to confide in him because, despite his drunken tales, he gives off a closet-homosexual vibe.  Where there's a heavy gambler, George was the go-between; when something needs hiding, George knows a place.

How does he drink so much and seem to stay in control?  Was he really born in France like he says, or just in the back streets of New Orleans?  Is there a secret love for whom he writes his melancholy lyrics and if so are they man or woman?

[Foxy DeVille]

OK, I'm working on my character. If anyone fellas wanna be her sugar daddy, let me know. Otherwise I'll just make one up for her.

[Beguile's Mistress]

I'll be sending you my character sheet for the chanteuse tomorrow afternoon.  It's been a bear of a day today.

[RedEve]

I'll be sending you my character sheet for the chanteuse tomorrow afternoon.  It's been a bear of a day today.

That is fine. :)

[Foxy DeVille]

I left her boyfriend vague in case someone wants to play him. If not he'll be a studio "fixer" type...

Name: Noel Eve Fallon
Age: 26
Role: The Mistress
Background: As might be deduced from her name, Noel Eve was born on December 24th. Her place of birth was Chicago, to an Irish-American beat cop and his seamstress wife from Quebec. Bobby Fallon wasn't exactly crooked but he knew how the world worked. He made sure his little girl had the smarts to survive the streets. Her mother Christianne doted on her and tried to raise Noel Eve as a proper lady.

Without much in the way of prospects in Chicago, Noel Eve decided to go west to seek her fortune. Arriving in Hollywood, she tried to get into the entertainment biz but her lack of talent in either acting or singing kept her out of the spotlight. Even modeling was out of her range as Noel Eve's short stature and fuller figure failed to interest photographers. Still, she had a good eye for fashion and the skills her mother taught her. Noel Eve was able to find work as a costumer in various productions.

Around four years ago, Noel Eve caught the eye of a Very Important Person. Although married, the VIP found his lust for Noel Eve impossible to ignore. He showered her with gifts and took her to the swankiest joints. She loved the attention and the lifestyle. Then Noel Eve learned just how dark his sexual appetites were. He even began "loaning" her out to business associates.  As much as all this troubles her, Noel Eve can't stand the thought of going back to being in the background. She also knows about many of the VIP's shady dealings and fears what would happen if she tried to leave him.

In the meantime, Noel Eve was given a small dress shop in Beverly Hills called the Boutique. She mainly handles ordering inventory and arranging displays, leaving the day-to-day work to the staff. She is actually quite good in this capacity. Noel Eve has both an eye for fashion as well as knowledge gleaned from a new French magazine called Elle. The Boutique has started to draw some interesting patrons.

When on her own, Noel Eve is quite fond of jazz. She went to many clubs in Chicago and carried that love to California. On occasion she has bestowed her favors on Negro musicians, something her benefactor would not be pleased to find out about.  These associations introduced her to smoking cannabis and she has even dabbled in heroin.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Name:  Charlotte 'Charlie' Lassiter
Age:  29
Role:  Society girl turned night club owner and chanteuse (singer)
Background:  Christened Charlotte but known as Charlie she is the older of two children of Charles and Camille Lassiter of Palm Springs and Beverly Hills.  Her parents were members of Hollywood’s glittering social set and Charlotte was raised by a governess as her parents traveled and educated in private schools and Bryn Mawr.  Her life was gay and carefree through her mid-twenties until her parents were killed in a plane crash on their way to Mexico.  It came as a shock to Charlotte and her younger brother Camford that their parents were flat broke, their antiques and jewels were fakes and both their mansion in Beverly Hills and the ranch they had recently acquired in Malibu were mortgaged to the hilt.  On top of that the life insurance policies that might have given the brother and sister a cushion had been allowed to lapse. 

It took more than a year but Charlie was able to sell the Palm Springs property for enough to make the mortgage payments and rent out the Beverly Hills mansion.  Most of her time was spent turning their Malibu ranch into a night club with fine dining and entertainment in the evenings and a daytime resort with swimming, tennis and riding along with access to several neighboring golf courses.  The club had been open for about a year when Charlie received a visit from several shady characters connected to the LA crime family who told her that her brother was deeply in debt to them for gambling losses and unless she allowed them to run an illegal betting parlor out of her club her brother would be in danger of suffering some broken fingers.  This was not a good proposition for a concert pianist.  With no option but to agree to their demands Charlie's life soon turned upside down.

[Ascia]

I want to play with all those characters.  :-(

[RedEve]

I wouldn't mind if you could all brainstorm a bit about possible pre-existing ties between characters.

Also, we have lots of female characters who might cause trouble but no poor saps to cause the trouble to. So step up, guys!  ;D

[Foxy DeVille]

I wouldn't mind if you could all brainstorm a bit about possible pre-existing ties between characters.

Also, we have lots of female characters who might cause trouble but no poor saps to cause the trouble to. So step up, guys!  ;D

Yeah! What happened to all the dicks? Meaning detectives. And I still need a sugar daddy!

As for ties, Noel Eve could be a regular patron at the night club/casino. She could also be getting drugs from Theo's family. Of course, any lady is welcome to stop by her boutique. Noel Eve might actually be doing something there at the time.

[Chrystal]

Okay, well, anyone who stops by the diner for a late night snack, coffee, or just to shoot the breeze, and anyone who goes there for an early breakfast, will know Liza.

Liza probably goes to Noel's boutique just to dream about all the pretties. She can't afford to buy anything, but likes to dream. She would tend to stop by on her way home from work...

Red, you want to name the diner, or shall I? I have no idea what all-night eateries might be called in Los Angelese...

How about "Sunset Diner"? That's my best suggestion. If it's totally unsuitable, that's fine!

[RedEve]

Okay, well, anyone who stops by the diner for a late night snack, coffee, or just to shoot the breeze, and anyone who goes there for an early breakfast, will know Liza.

Liza probably goes to Noel's boutique just to dream about all the pretties. She can't afford to buy anything, but likes to dream. She would tend to stop by on her way home from work...

Red, you want to name the diner, or shall I? I have no idea what all-night eateries might be called in Los Angelese...

How about "Sunset Diner"? That's my best suggestion. If it's totally unsuitable, that's fine!

That sounds fine as a name. :)