let's consider a change of scenery [group vandalism]

[dullshooter]

[On Wednesday morning, everyone will find a note outside their suite door. If you can get past Misfire’s dodgy handwriting, it reads:]


Hey LOSERS!!!

Get down to miracle mile 2DAY, 12PM, for some

VANDALISM

[Note: ‘vandalism’ is written with one of those ‘cool S’s.]

kit will be provided BUT if you have a water gun from the machine bring it!!!

P.S no snitches allowed
JK you can come n be target practice ;)


[At the appointed time, Misfire can be found standing triumphantly in the street. Beside him is a pile of spray cans, brushes, and buckets of paint; by the looks of it, he emptied the whole store. He’s wearing the dress Forrest made him too, and using the pocket space to carry even more stuff on him.

When enough people have gathered, he’ll address them:]

Alright, here’s the deal: it’s come to my attention that some of you have missed out some crucial formative experiences, or otherwise haven’t known the joys of anti-social behavior. And, since writing stuff on walls has been a historical expression of dissent, I think there’s no better time or place to fix that.

[Grinning, he picks up something out of his pile - a water gun filled with purple paint.]

Frankie didn’t outlaw vandalism, so let’s make him realize that egregious oversight. In technical terms - go nuts.

Comments

[dullshooter]

Uh.

[Hm.]

Er.

[He pats Gaius' shoulder with a nod.]

You tried, and that's all that matters.

[sastruga]

Good question. Hmm... Are there any designs in particular you like?

[aren't you just doing arts and crafts now....]

[sastruga]

Like martial arts? No, not really. I participate in other clubs sometimes, but nothing like that.

[pairtner]

[Alright! Let her get the biggest brush she can find, and then begin splattering the wall with paint! Since she has her paws full, she fires up the ol' reliable human projection so Brett doesn't have to talk to the real form while she's busy]

Perhaps I should grab an entire can of paint and launch it against the wall! The resulting stain will represent our boundless determination to break free of the Mayor's constraints!

[She has absolutely no idea how it could represent that but hey, it's abstract, she can say literally anything and it will work!]

[pairtner]

["The bathysphere is kind of lewd", haha. She would point at something every week and comment it was highly erotic]

My partner Date would have been just as bad...but perhaps he would have gotten us out. Whenever he sees a porno magazine he gains superhuman abilities -- and I'm aware there's one somewhere in this city.

[ways to break the murdergame: give date a porno mag. everyone will be out within a minute]

[howveryglib]

...I am not certain Misfire would be able to drown either. Though... delicate electrical equipment does not necessarily do well in water, so he may still have issues of some sort, depending on... precisely how his innards function...

[pairtner]

People like him are always cowards. Self-preservations is their priority, and to achieve it they will do everything in their power to keep their distance.

It won't last forever.

[The least that will happen to the Mayor is him getting splattered with paint]

[inaclearing]

[Brett laughs. She's right!]

Yes! That's absolutely what that means!

[howveryglib]

...

This is why I went for a simple round thing...

[buriedstar]

[ Nod. ]

I know Obi started them here, so I needed to ask. [ As rare as it is, there is a downturn in his expression. ]

But you've been protecting yourself in other ways, haven't you?

[dullshooter]

Look, it's close enough! You got the pointy bits down!

[allatonce]

Yeah. I was going to say "not literally" but then I remember I kind of did literally crack my brain open to, uh. Become the way I am.

[She grimaces, just a little. It goes back to her motive the week before, the one that ended in her screaming. It hurt to fracture your mind into an infinite number of little pieces, all of them clamoring for attention.]

You know that guy, the fraud one? Blue cover, hand covered in sprinkles? That's sort of what happened to my brain. Split it up into an infinite number of little sprinkles, so many and so fine that I couldn't fix it even in a thousand lifetimes.

[allatonce]

That one's pretty self-explanatory, I thought. It's a game played with balls of paint. Usually a sort of simulated war game, but it can be played other ways too.

[She would have explained it more if she thought context didn't.]

[inaclearing]

Yeah, James Frey.

[Brett, a writer who does similar stuff, actually does know about this guy off-hand!]

Are you... [Mmm. He hesitates.] ...okay? I know that might be a stupid question, but I don't...know what else to ask.

[pairtner]

If only such a defiant statement could be done inside his own home. That would emphasize that point so well he wouldn't be able to get it out of his mind.

[dullshooter]

Oh?

[You can't just drop that you technically have a catchphrase.]

Go on - let's hear it.

[inaclearing]

Yeah, there's no rule against vandalizing his property! We could just irritate him to death, if he were around.

[capreelcious]

It's called Bind the Heart! It's my signature spell that gets in the way of an opponent's attacks so they end up missing.

[ It would be pretty useful here too, but a certain capitalist took his powers. ]

[capreelcious]

Yyyup. I'm gonna squeeze him if he decides to show his face around here. Or if I manage to find him, whatever comes first.

[howveryglib]

…

I… see?

[no he doesn’t.]

…

I… see.

[howveryglib]

That is the only thing, though…

[honeyedtea]

Mm. Hopefully without resorting to any... extreme measures.

[ canned week 5 hindsight laughter ]

[honeyedtea]

[ it's just painting! totally normal and acceptable activities for a young lady. ]

I suppose... flowers, perhaps? And they might be a bit easier to paint with these cans... the shapes are simpler.

[dullshooter]

So that’s the first step! One thing down, now…an indistinct number of them left to go.

[dullshooter]

[He holds a thoughtful hand to his chin.]

Give me an example.

[He…just wants to hear the catchphrase proper.]