Tumbleweed Valley - Freeform -Applications open- see link at top of first post!

[Inucrazy101]

Abigal

I stared out the window, my shaggy hair hanging down over my face. The sun had just come up, so I'd have to get to work soon. 'Whoa, pretendin' to be all that nice is just...' I thought, shaking my head slowly. I sipped the coffee that was in my right hand and wiped my forehead with the other. It had been hot lately, and I hadn't gotten much robberys done. It was boring just staying here, watching the rest of the gang have fun doing well, y'know stuff I wasn't doing.
The sheriff had put me, yeah me Abigal Monterey, on the Wanted list as well as the others. Y'know that gets on my nerves.

I sighed and got up. "Sergeant, Cheif, let's go get the cows ready for milking." I mumbled, the dogs perkin' their ears up. I got up from the chair by the window sill and headed for the door. "'Member I have to stop by the stable so you keep an ye on 'em while after I go got it?" I told them as we headed out the door.
They barked and ran up the hill, where the pasture was o'course. I smiled and followed them, stretching and hoppin' over the fence. The cows were huddled up in the corner of the pasture, probably taking care of the calves.

"Sergeant, bring 'em over here and Cheif and I'll get 'em inside!" I called over to him. Cheif turned around and ran back next to me, sitting down immeditaly.

Sergeant had the cows coming in 3 seconds flat, them stampeding like wildebeast. Cheif chased 'em into the barn and that was that. I smiled and followed the two dogs into the building, the milking pail in one hand and a rag in the other...

ooc// FIN lol

[veldagia]

Dr Josh sat in his surgery, putting coins into neat little piles ready for the safe. Well Jack had pulled it off, with their help. He begrudgingly gave him that. And he had a nice pile of loot to prove it. A few gold brooches and rings and some straight cash. He’d need to go to the market later, he knew a guy who could move the goods on but as always it had a price. He selected one of the prettiest brooches and put it to one side, it was a discrete little thing, a gold flower set with precious stones.

He hummed a happy little tune as he worked. Putting the coins into sacks so he knew just how much he had It always thrilled him to open the safe and see his wealth piling up before his eyes. There were a few things he needed, more opium, some old clothe to tie as bandages and the prize and glory a nice little carriage. It was an item every gentleman should have but he had begrudgingly needed to trade his last one in to afford the surgery but now his luck had reversed it would make a fine addition to his status.

Satisfied at last everything was in order he closed the door to the safe, turning the big iron key thrice round before hiding it away. Picking up the gold brooch he carefully folded it into a snow white silk hanky and inserted it into his pocket. Patting it once reassuringly. Then he strolled out of the surgery, he needed a good drink of hard liquor and to escape the surgery before any more patients could bother him today. It seemed there was a nasty case of syphilis plaguing the residents of the next town. He had administered nearly all of his arsenic compounds to the unfortunate men and had seen more dropped trousers than he’d had hot dinners this month.

He strolled into the saloon and took a seat at the bar. “Strong malt.” He nodded at the barmaid as he gazed around to see which of Tumbleweeds other residents had chanced by.

[Scout]

((OOC: I've updated with Mortimer's pics here. (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=985574&postcount=734)
Congrats to the Bad Gang. And thanks for the welcome veldagia.))

Mortimer raised his hand to knock again when the door swung opened with a slight squeak. Much to his surprise, filling the doorway was a beautiful woman with fiery red hair. She was dressed more conservatively than the other women he had seen during his walk over. And, more importantly to him, her apparel was of a quality one would not expect from a town of this size.

Quickly he snatched his hat off his head and nodded respectfully. "Ma'am" he spoke softly using his best velvety voice. He looked her directly in the eye, making sure his eyes didn't wander.

"I'm looking for the owner of the forge. Would that be you?" He knew it wasn't her. Her hands appeared too soft and a woman of her obvious means wouldn't be running a forge. But he thought it would put her at ease for him to be so mistaken, perhaps even amuse her. He smiled slightly as he awaited her answer.

[ElektraNatchios33]

((Do you think it would be alright if I found Pepper, like, dead? I mean she's not in the RP anymore so It would kinda make sense.))

[Slytherin-Girl]

"No, definitely not" she said, wrinkling her nose "I wouldn't touch all of those dirty things with a 10 foot pole. You'll be looking for Mr. Jonathan McDoultry, he's the forge owner. And you're in luck because he's a friend of mine and he's in my kitchen".

Katherine paused, realizing that, not only had she not introduced herself, she had no idea who he was. "I'm Mrs. Katherine-Eugenie Hamilton, and you are" she asked, waiting for him to answer.

[Scout]

"My apologies ma'am for my presumptuousness in thinking you owned the forge and for my inexcusable breech of etiquette for not introducing myself. I fear the heat and dust have made me forget my manners." Mortimer brought his right arm across his body in a grand sweeping motion creating a slight breeze with his hat as it moved. As soon as his arm had traversed his body, he bowed deeply from the waist and continued "I am Mr. Mortimer Snigglefritz and I am pleased to meet you Mrs. Hamilton."

Mortimer straightened up and smiled, "Would it be possible for me to speak with Mr. McDoultry in regards to some work I need done?"

[Slytherin-Girl]

"My goodness, someone with manners" Katherine said, smiling back "That's certainly a rare thing around here. Most people seem to be too busy waving guns around and shooting eachother to be polite. Of course you can talk to Jonathan , do come in Mr. Snigglefritz".

She opened the door behind her and ushered him inside. 'It's just myself and my daughter Emily-Rose at home right now. My husband Joseph is at work" she explained, as she shut the door "Jonathan was nice enough to come over and visit with us".

[Shenanigans_SC]

((Do you think it would be alright if I found Pepper, like, dead? I mean she's not in the RP anymore so It would kinda make sense.))
Yes, by all means go ahead.

Wanted to give a heads up tomorrow I am leaving for a 16 day trip (my little sis is getting married!). I will have my laptop with me and the hotel I'm staying at is supposed to have internet access, so I won't disappear off the face of the earth completely. But I certainly won't be on nearly as much. Probably once a day.

I will be posting the next round some time later today.

*edit*
The Map (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/TumbleweedValley.jpg) has been updated to reflect the newest changes. The Opium house is now controlled by NPCs and the abandoned Cattle Ranch is now Abigail's.

The Good Gang's Portrait (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=937261&postcount=7) now includes Mortimer. Scout, if you want an avatar with your character, it's now included in the avatar collection here (http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/Avatars/). Next challenge still to come!

[Shenanigans_SC]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/JailBreak.jpg

“You’ll regret this!! I have friends everywhere you know!” Viola was hollering at Sheriff Starks, extremely displeased with the fact she had been caught. How could she have gotten caught? Sheriff Starks said something about behaving herself as he left the Jail. Viola plopped down on the sorry excuse for a bed, sending a cloud of dust into the air as she did. She hoped that Jack and his friends would not let her rot in there. She just had to get out before the Marshal strolled into town to take her under custody.

News of the high profile criminal now in Tumbleweed Jail spread like wildfire through the town. The upstanding members of the community, some of whom questioned the Sheriff’s integrity, decided they’d form their own prison watch group. Meanwhile some of the Ugly began to plot a way to get Viola out of that Jail. Surely there was something in it for them.

~*~

This challenge is for The Good and The Ugly only. (Baddies you get this week for free RP.)
The Ugly want Viola out of Jail, and the Good want her to stay put. While the Ugly plan a prison break, the Good are standing vigil. What will Viola’s fate be?

For this challenge the Good and The Ugly will be playing Breakout (http://forums.sims2community.com/arcade.php?do=play&gameid=12) in the S2C Arcade. Whichever gang can get the highest score will win the challenge for their gang. You have 4 days (96 hours) to try your hand at it. Good Luck!

[WooHoo]

((I gotta say, I am very displeased... I hoped to never play that game again.

Does the weekly high score I already have on there count?))

[Gerbera]

((*lol* Yeah, that'd be nice :P But I also hoped to not play any Arcade game again ... ))

[Shenanigans_SC]

I know... I'm sorry! *pats WooHoo on the back* This round could be quite trying for those who are also participating in Desperado. I saw your comment WooHoo and thought about changing the round, but I couldn't find anything that went remotely close with the theme of breaking out of a jail.

Yes, any scores in the past count too. As it's just to see which Gang can get the highest score (doesn't have to be this week). If it helps at all, I promise, the next round will not involve the Arcade one bit!

[WooHoo]

((Don't get me wrong, I love the arcade. I just hate breakout. It took me hours to do what I did...

How about Gold Miner? It could be like... we're trying to get lots of money to bribe the Sheriff or something. Or Money money money. I don't know what the connection would be, but that game makes me way happier than breakout does.))

[Slytherin-Girl]

OOC: Arcade..meeep. I am SO not good at the games. I didn't even know there were any till we had to play poker in this RP :P Guess I better get practicing...

[foolinthemoon]

Me??? arcade free? YAY! XD

[Gerbera]

Well ... Breakout is better than other Arcade games so I am still happy. Especially because it's the only one where I am better than Kate :P
Just a question: Does only the highest score of the best gang member count or do all the highest scores of all gang members count (like when they are added they have to be higher than the added scores of the other gang)?

[AtropaMandragora]

Upon hearing that sheriff Billy had arrested Viola whatshername, Calista couldn't help but feel a little worried. No. "A little" was an understatement. She was really worried. Soon the town would be crawling with men of the Law, leaving her vulnerable and exposed to her neighbours' good will in some cases, and dense unawareness in most cases. Most of them didn't know who she was, but should the Marshal happen to start asking questions, there was no telling what they might suddenly realize. Most of them weren't stupid, and would easily put two and two together.
She couldn't risk being around if they did. She needed to skip town until the whole thing had blown over. But she had to be careful. With this much action going on, people were keeping on their toes, and anything out of the ordinary might seem suspicious to them. After all, their sense of adventure had awoken, and they would feed it any way they could.

It didn't take her long to gather her most essential belongings, including all her guns and explosives, and pack two horses. The weapons and anything else that would cause eyebrows to be raised if seen, was neatly hidden underneath common supplies such as blankets, food and water.
Once done, she mounted one of the horses, and left the Livery. She had two stops to make before heading out of town. The first was the General Store, to pick up some more supplies and, most importantly, to mention to Ellie in passing that she was headed out of town for a business trip, to buy a few more horses. As the general store was one of the places where people stopped to gossip for a few minutes, it wouldn't take long until everyone "knew" why Calista wasn't around. That way, her sudden disappearance wouldn't seem as mysterious as it would if she hadn't left them with a reason.
The next stop was the Jail. She felt she needed to tell Billy what was going on. She didn't want to risk him thinking she was skipping town for good, for two reasons. One; after what had happened between them the other night, she didn't want him to think she wasn't coming back. They had started something, and she would very much like to see where it was headed. The other reason was that, despite their intimate moment, she wasn't really sure how much he could be trusted. If he thought she was gone for good, the reward offered for her might start looking really good to him. And she harboured no desire whatsoever to find that she had a bunch of lawmen on her tail, and that she wouldn't be able to return to Tumbleweed at all.

And so, she halted her two horses outside the Jail, and dismounted. Though she didn't go in. She didn't want to run the risk of Viola seeing her, because if there was one person in town that would instantly recognize her, it would be Viola, being an outlaw herself. Instead, Calista pretended to double check her packing, making sure it was fastened properly. She figured if Billy saw her outside, he'd come out.
And sure enough. Soon the door to the Jail opened, and he stepped out onto the small wooden porch.

"Afternoon, sheriff," she politely greeted him, trying to fight back the tiny smile that started playing at the corner of her mouth upon simply laying eyes on him again.



(((ooc: Erch... I hope it makes sense. I'm tired and in pain, but I wanted to get Calista back into the RP somehow.)))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Sorry Gerbera... I know the wording in the challenge post could use some improvement! It's the highest score by one person. We have far too many people that are inactive at the moment. I'd hate to penalize the Gangs for inactive members by taking an average. So it's just the highest score by one person. Oh, and nice score by the way. ;)

[ElektraNatchios33]

Sierra went back to the bakery. she opened the door, and walked further in. "Pepper? Pepper. Sweetie it's Sierra." She looked in the back room, where there was a letter attached to an apple pie. It was titled, 'Jack'. She opened it, then read it. "Oh my god, she likes him." She set it down and went upstairs to the loft, where Pepper lived. "Pepper." There was never any response. She wasn't in the loft, but it looked as if she had got up and left everything.

Sierra new the last place to check was the bathroom downstairs. She started to think the worst of Pepper. Was she kidnapped, was she killed, what happened. She opened the door. Sierra collapsed in to a heap at the sight of her beloved sister dangling from a rope.

"No, no. Pepper!!" Sierra started to cry, and put her hands up to her face, when she heard the front door open.

((I would prefer if this was an Ugly gang member.))

[cherryp3]

[Whoever decided that you can't gain extra lives in that game...I will strangle. xD I swear, I can't get past the 1000s. *retarded*]

Aberle frowned as he idly shot at a target on the other side of the room. If it had been Halse, well, he would have claimed the middle mark each time, but...he wasn't at the moment. So, instead each shot slammed into the wall, puncturing holes in the sheet rock. A few customers tossed him fearful glances as they passed by, but he paid them no mind. His thoughts were too concerned with Pepper, who they still hadn't heard from, even after the train raid.

The boy laid the gun down on the counter. There was a loud sigh as each customer exhaled with relief.

"I'm sorry everyone," Aberle addressed the people, who looked up with alarm, "but I'm going to have to step out for a moment. If you need anything, Stephen will do his best to assist you. I'll be back momentarily." With this he exited the building, heading in the direction of Pepper's Bakery. He was going to get answers.

It was a short walk to the quaint little store, and it still had a warm scent of fresh bread. Aberle's heart hammered in his chest as he pushed the doors aside. He could hear someone moving around inside, as there was the sound of someone ascending the staircase. A great grin passed over his features.

Aberle called after the figure, a merry tone in his voice, "Pepper?" He laughed and shoved a hand in his pocket, before springing up the steps himself. His voice almost called again, but his mouth gaped with soundless words as a piercing shriek voiced itself across the bakery. "P-Pepper?" Aberle managed to stumble out, and his legs kicked into gear, sending him into a run up the stairs. Had she been ambushed?

His hand closed around the doorknob. There was no telling what he might find in Pepper's room. Regardless, he shoved aside the door.

Only, instead of finding Pepper, he caught himself a different sight. A girl he'd never seen before--no, wait...it was the girl from the train raid, Sierra. Her knees had evidently given out on her. Her hand was drawn to her mouth as she stared at something, her eyes widened as if petrified. Aberle followed her gaze carefully, slowly, and found with horror, the sight of Pepper's dead body dangling in her noose.

"P-Pe..." Aberle nearly collapsed himself, but he managed to keep himself rigid as he stared at his friend's lifeless body. "Pepper...she...I've got to go get the...the..." Who would he get? The doctor? She was dead, there was nothing he could do. Still, he had to tell someone. Jack wouldn't be within reach, he was always disappearing to who-knows-where and Roxy, well, he didn't know what she could possibly do. The doctor would be the only choice. "Doctor. We have to get him." He seemed to forget about poor Sierra, and he turned on his heels.

Nothing really made sense as he ran. He could only process that someone he knew, someone he cared about had died. Death wasn't something he could handle. That was why Halse existed, to help him cope with things that, quite frankly, he was unable to take himself.

He finally made it to the doctor's house, and he silently prayed that he would be there. Aberle shoved aside the doors, and cried, "Doctor Josh! Pepper is-" his legs, however, gave out on him then, and he collapsed to his knees. His hands scraped around on the ground, as if he was searching for a pin. "She's..." he tried to find the words he was looking for. The movement of his hands slowed, and a wave of calm crashed around him. Halse was taking over.

"Pepper," he growled and looked up with a new fierce, levelheadedness, "has been found dead. She's hanging by a noose in her bedroom."

[veldagia]

OCC He's in the saloon but I'll send him back to the surgery and edit this post with a response. :D

Jeanne was busily cleaning the reception, eagerly scrubbing at the tables. A clean house was a happy house in her book. She wringed out the dirty cloth in the bucket when her usual routine was abruptly interrupted. Jeanne looked on aghast as Aberle came dashing through the doors shouting for Doctor Josh. She wasted not a second and hastily ran around him as he collapsed to the floor. Running as fast as her old weary legs would carry her to the saloon.

She slowed to a fast stride, and entered the saloon still holding her skirt high over her knees so it would not trip her as she located Dr Josh at the bar. Gasping hard for breath she collapsed onto a stool beside him and managed to pant out the words, “Dr Josh, it’s Aberle, he’s in the surgery. He’s just fallen onto the floor.”

Dr Josh nodded for her to stay put and grabbed his hat. His long legs extending as he hurtled out of the saloon. Forgetting in his haste to pay for his drink. He took the short cut diving around the side of the saloon and through the surgery back door making the journey in a few long strides and dashed through the house.

As he threw open the door to the reception Aberle no by the steady movements, Halse rose from his knees looking calm and collected. "Pepper," he growled and looked up with a fierce levelheadedness, "has been found dead. She's hanging by a noose in her bedroom."

“Pepper dead?” Dr Josh repeated shocked by the sudden news of his Gang member’s departure. But then the professionalism took over he picked up his bag. "Come with me we shall go to the bakery." He asked the standard questions for his trade as they began to stroll quickly towards the bakery. “Was it you that found her? Did you check her for any sign’s of life? Has she been moved? Has her family been notified?” He paused the assault of questions to give Halse a chance to respond.

[cherryp3]

“Pepper dead?” Dr. Josh seemed just as horrified as Aberle had been. For reasons he couldn't grasp, this settled the horrible fluttering in Halse's stomach.

The man calmed himself them, his shady features drawing neatly into a cool line of professionalism--duty called, "Come with me we shall go to the bakery."

Halse nodded, and followed after the doctor. For a moment there was a heavy silence as thoughts churned and raced through their minds. Then, “Was it you that found her? Did you check her for any sign’s of life? Has she been moved? Has her family been notified?” Halse was a little taken aback by all the sudden questions, but he responded promptly, actually laughing.

"Josh, you and I both know she's dead, there was no need to check for signs of life. I don't think you can hang yourself from a noose and survive. But, yeah I f..." the boy trailed off then, a sudden realization crossing over him. "Oops," such a silly word, it wasn't something he usually said. "Aberle seemed to forget to bring Sierra in his frenzy. Aberle found her, but Sierra was already there when we arrived...so I suppose her family has been notified in a round about way. And no. So far as I know, her body has not been moved. Was I supposed to move it?"

However, they'd already arrived at the bakery. Suddenly it seemed much less cheerful. Knowing that the dead body of a 'friend' dangled lifeless from a noose...knowing that someone may have killed herself there...someone Aberle cared about...

Halse shuddered for reasons he couldn't seem to find.

Then he shoved aside the doors, "After you, Doctor." His eyes danced above a neatly decorated smirk.

[foolinthemoon]

((I am so behind at the moment, i'll be able to RP tomorrow, now i have school and then work :| ))

[Inucrazy101]

ooc// Look I'm not gonna be on for a week because I'm going on vacation. I just wanted to tell you ^^ but I'll post XD
And the sherriff I meant in my last post was Ab's old sheriff, not this one XP

[Inucrazy101]

Abigal

As I headed up the road for the stable, I kept my faced down, a bandanna covering my ragged hair that I was known for. Cheif padded slowly at my side, looking at me like I was stupid or something. Or if I had a zit.

I looked down at him. "What?" I asked him, placing a hand on his head as we walked into the stables lawn. He barked and shook his head.

[Gerbera]

((Inucrazy, please don't double post. Use the edit button instead :) ))

[veldagia]

As they walked towards the bakery Halse answered his questions "Josh, you and I both know she's dead, there was no need to check for signs of life. I don't think you can hang yourself from a noose and survive. But, yeah I f..." the boy trailed off then, a sudden realization crossing over him. "Oops," such a silly word, it wasn't something he usually said. "Aberle seemed to forget to bring Sierra in his frenzy. Aberle found her, but Sierra was already there when we arrived...so I suppose her family has been notified in a round about way. And no. So far as I know, her body has not been moved. Was I supposed to move it?"

“If she took her own life, I can’t see it would matter either way. Although it is easier for the funeral director if the body is moved before stiffness sets in.” Dr Josh replied. “Have you notified Jack? We must ensure she gets a proper decent burial despite this er, transgression. It would also be wise to keep the manner of death out of gossip for Sierra’s sake. We do not want her to loose the bakery after all.”

As they reached the building Halse shoved aside the doors, "After you, Doctor." He said. Dr Josh nodded and entered the Bakery taking his hat solemnly into his hands and passed through the doorway with a heavy heart. Raking each step one at a time, slowly making the ascent to the loft where she would be found.

As he entered the loft his eyes took in the sight of Poppy suspended from the ceiling. He cast his gaze around the scene there were no signs of any foul play it looked like poor Poppy had just given in to whatever demons plagued her “Cut her down.” He whispered to Halse. “There’s no reason to leave her like that. I can witness how she was found if the sheriff has too many questions.”

There was nothing he could do for her now so his thoughts returned to the living and he turned his back to the distressing scene. And he walked over to where Sierra lay sobbing on the ground. Kneeling down beside her he gently placed one hand on her back, fingers lightly stroking to soothe her. “Come now.” He said in a kind voice. ”We can go out front. If you need anything to dull the pain I have some supplies in my bag.”

He rose gently supporting her weight on his arm as he guided her to the front room and sat her in one of the chairs. The woman’s obvious distress bringing out his best patient manner. “It must have been quite a shock for you. If there is anything you need. Just ask. Aberle and I will do our best to provide it.”

((OCC ElektraNatchios33 let me know if you want any changes and I'll edit– i.e. if Sierra would not be moved by the Dr etc. :D))

[cherryp3]

[Oh, and Veldagia, I just thought I'd let you know I responded to Luce a while back in the high school thread. :]}

Halse stood quite still as the doctor observed the unraveling scene. There was a chill in the air that only unsettled at the soft sobs coming from Sierra Spice. Even Halse's hardened soul went out to her. He knew what it was like to lose someone dear to him. To feel your soul shredded into millions of fine pieces, and watch as it wilted before you. Any hopes you once had...any dreams you once possessed...

How they faded...

“Cut her down,” the doctor whispered to Halse, and stopped him from wading too deep within his psyche. “There’s no reason to leave her like that. I can witness how she was found if the sheriff has too many questions.”

The fierce young man gave a sturdy nod, and switched out a pocket knife. With a sigh he approached Pepper. Those sightless eyes... He deftly took the rope in his hand, and began to hack away at the noose. He held the lifeless body in his arms, so she wouldn't fall to the ground when the rope turned free. He still felt the need to protect her, as if she could even feel pain. The rope finally snapped, and Pepper's body rested neatly in Halse's arms. His eyes examined hers, and something stabbed at his heart. Carefully he lowered her to the ground and he slid her eyes shut. She seemed much more at peace like that.

Halse turned to the doctor, who was doing his best to comfort Sierra. He couldn't blame her for her hysterics. It was a natural human process... Surprised, Halse brought his hand up to his cheek and found, with horror, a single tear.

He hoped the doctor hadn't seen such a sign of weakness. Pepper hadn't been particularly dear to Halse. Her death didn't matter much in his book. Still...

"Doctor, have you any idea where I might find Jack?" he questioned, a new fire in his voice. "I'm going to spread the news. I suppose he'd be the best place to start."

[danielb1]

I'm fully aware everything's full and likely to stay that way, but I've got this character all set up and quite willing to be a drifter:

Abraham Chimes

Age: 27
Bio: Born to very religious Jewish family in New York City, Abraham Chimes seemed destined to improve upon his family's lot. His father was a baker, but he pushed his son hard and, much to the joy of his family, he was admitted to the City College of New York on a course of Natural Philosophy.

However, while there, he began to ask questions, about faith and man's role in the world, that did not fit with his parents strictly Biblical worldview. Worse, he refused to enter an arranged marriage with the much younger daughter of a family friend. After a few nasty arguments, his father disowned him. Heartbroken, he left for Chicago, spending 4 years as an apprentice barber to his Great-Uncle Moishe. After Moishe died, he continued to travel. In Arkansas, he was (quite falsely) accused of raping and murdering a young girl, and barely outran the lynch mob (anti-semitism rearing its ugly head). He's been continually heading westward since, finally making it to Tumbleweed Valley.

His one interest now is settling down, picking up his great-uncle's scissors and razors, starting a family, and finding a place to belong. One quirk: he is almost terrified of adolescent white women - because of the attempted forced marriage and the rape accusation. He doesn't frequent prostitutes (anymore; back when he did they were always black or Chinese), and prefers the company of women closer to his age. He drinks little, and smokes opium in moderation.

He's fairly well-learned, having two years in college under his belt - but has practical knowledge as well (he knows cutting hair and some applied chemistry - that being soapmaking [practical for a barber], some baking [childhood] and a tiny bit of medicine). Despite his steady hands, he's only a mediocre shot - he's inexperienced. But, as you would expect from a barber AND a child of the ghetto, his skills with knife and razor are excellent....

Gang: Drifter; could be Good or Ugly. (I'm afraid the Bad ladies would frighten him off...)
Building: The barbershop, at least eventually (I assume drifters can't just claim buildings. Could he stay at the inn while he has a shop 'under construction'? :confused: ).

Obligatory, not-too-good-but-you-get-the-idea pics:

Face/head/upper body shot:
http://www.geocities.com/admiral_danielsben/mortX.PNG

Body shot:
http://www.geocities.com/admiral_danielsben/mort1.PNG

[Shenanigans_SC]

Welcome danielb! :howdy: Very glad to have you join! I will add a link to your application under the Drifters. We actually have quite a few folks that are very close to being passed the two week required post time. When I get some time (I'm on a trip at the moment) I will go through and weed them out, so I doubt it'll be long before you can join in. Please feel free to stay at the Tumbleweed Inn until a building becomes available for you.

[Gerbera]

Hey Shen, when will this gameplay round end? :)

[Shenanigans_SC]

Sorry Gerbera, the internet connection here is practically non-existant. The round will be extended a few hours in hopes I can be on in time to end it. (Hoping our next hotel's access is better). About 36 hours from now (9:30pm Pacific) the round will end. I just ask everyone to be understanding if I'm not on in time to end it.

[Gerbera]

Sure, no problem :) Have fun on your trip ;)

[danielb1]

Abraham saw the town in the distance. "C'mon, Gracie, almost there" he said to his horse, an ancient gray mare who had been cheap, was easy to ride (he was not a good horseman), and could haul him and his bags over long distances on fairly little food. She was, however, rather slow; he thanked God that he hadn't encountered bandits on his long, lonely trek from Albuquerque.

Following Blue River Trail (OOC: better name? Its whatever road in the prairie grass that splits to become Main St. and Donkey Tail Rd.) southwestward, he took a drink from the river and let his horse graze on the surprisingly thick prairie grass. Going further, he noticed a fork in the road; he decided to go onto Main Street, entering the town.

The town, Abraham noticed, had potential. The grass was thick as he'd seen in all of Arizona Territory - not much compared to back East, of course, but thick enough for horses and cattle to graze. The mountains to the west and south might well contain silver or tin, too, if someone took the time to prospect. More people would come here, especially once the railroads start running, opening the town's products to the giant markets back east.

However, the town was still small and young. Looking around, he saw a bar, an inn, a general store, a post office, a bakery - even a flea circus. But no barbers, and not many other businesses a growing town would need. He could find a place here - or so he hoped. He was far, far away from New York and Jonesboro, thank God, and could finally settle down. He had a change of clothes, $30, three pairs of scissors, two razor blades, and his great-uncle's recipe for home-made shaving cream. It was enough, perhaps, to start a new life.

He dismounted, tied his horse to a post, and entered the Inn. "Would you have any rooms available for awhile? This should cover a couple of nights.", putting a silver dollar on the table. "Also, would you happen to know a good place to park my horse?"

[schellikins]

OCC: Hey everyone! Class just started up again for me, and for some reason my work has decided to give me 40 hrs/ week (its normaly 20-25 hrs). I have very little freetime at the moment and I don't feel it is fair for me to keep a spot when you guys have a drifter who could possibly be more active. I would like Elliot to be able to come and go as a drifter. Would it be possible for danielb1 to take my spot and I become a drifter?

[veldagia]

Once satisfied that she was settled, a little calmer. Dr Josh removed his arm from comforting Sierra and reached into his bag. Taking out a little bottle of white crystalline powered he laid it on the table beside them and lit a single cream candle. He tipped a little of the crystalline sugar onto a silver spoon and followed it with a slug of thick green liquid. Holding it steadily inches from the candle flame until the bubbles appeared and a faint aniseed odour faded into the air. He then carefully tipped it into his mouth relishing the sting of sweet aniseed and liquorish that burned down his throat stinging the nostrils and bringing tears to his eyes.

“Ah, sweet bliss.” He sighed then reloaded the spoon and laid it on the table beside him. Indicating to Sierra it was hers if she needed a little to tide her over. In this time of need he would make no charge, out of respect for Poppy.

He glanced up from his actions as Halse entered the room. "Doctor, have you any idea where I might find Jack?" Halse questioned, a new fire in his voice. "I'm going to spread the news. I suppose he'd be the best place to start."

“He may be in the inn. Roxy should be informed too. Either way. She will know where to find Jack.” Dr Josh replied a serious yet serene expression now clouding his face.

((OCC have fun drifting around town danielb1 :frog: ) )

[danielb1]

OCC: Hey everyone! Class just started up again for me, and for some reason my work has decided to give me 40 hrs/ week (its normaly 20-25 hrs). I have very little freetime at the moment and I don't feel it is fair for me to keep a spot when you guys have a drifter who could possibly be more active. I would like Elliot to be able to come and go as a drifter. Would it be possible for danielb1 to take my spot and I become a drifter?

There's only a slight problem with this: I was kind of hoping Abraham would be a drifter for just a little bit longer, until he meets more people. His character kind of got away from me when I was coming up with him - a problem of mine, I focus too much on the character and not enough on the contest aspect... basically he's good hearted but loves good baked goods (his childhood as a baker). Basically, he'd go Ugly mainly over a (returned or unrequited) crush on the baker, Sierra Spice, should they hit it off okay... otherwise he'd probably go Good. Heck, he might go Good and STILL be a regular customer for the bakery... that might not go so well...

Yeah, kind of defeats the purpose of the 'first come/first serve' bit...

[foolinthemoon]

Billy sat as his desk ignoring the woman cursing at him, she was almost in her bloomers, after she'd thrown her boots at him. He tried to take away anything that could be used as a weapon. After a few minutes he heard a horse approaching and looked out the window to find Calista infront of the Jail.

He opened the door and stepped out on to the front stoop, shutting the door behind him. "Afternoon, sheriff," he heard her say softly. He turned towards her and noted the slight curve on the corners of her mouth. He smiled slightly, not trying to hide it. It was the first time he'd spoken to her since their kiss. An experience he hoped to have again. He listened to her speak about a trip and he understood what she was trying to say, and was glad she was going. "Well, where ever it is, i hope you enjoy yourself." He didn't even want to know where she was going. Hopefully that would let her know that he could be trusted not to turn her in. He nodded and looked around to see if anyone was out and about before he stepped up to her. He placed a hand on her soft cheek and ran his thumb over her skin. "Be careful." He stepped back and withdrew his hand. He'd have kissed her, but doing so could ruin both their reputations and possibly stir a mess he didnt' want to have to clean up. He stared at her, fighting the urge to just grab her and drag her inside like a mad man and was partially relieved to hear a clatter and some yelling from inside the jail. He sighed, placing his hands on his hips and nodded towards the door with his head, "I have to go."

((sorry it took so long... day off, YAY!))

[Shenanigans_SC]

I'd like to give my largest appolagies! The hotel we're in now doesn't even have internet! I'm using a family member's older than old, slower than molases AOL dial up access right now. Sunday I'm changing hotels again and that one is supposed to have wireless access, so as long as they aren't falsely advertising I promise I'll be on and straightening every thing out.

I had said in post 767 that any scores from the past count also... so that means Gerbera with a score of 79020 on Aug. 12th wins this challenge for the Good Gang! Good guys, please decide what building you'd like to have. If you let me know by Sunday then I can get the next round posted for ya'll.

Again, so sorry about this! Thought I could keep things running smoothly while I was out, but obviously I was wrong! You'll hear more from me soon!

[Slytherin-Girl]

WOOOOT! Nice job Gerbera! *does happy dance* Good gang, PM me with which building you'd like to take over. :D

[Pandaness]

[[ Yay! I finally got my laptop! So happy! Now i will be able to be on a lot more, so I'll post a RP soon ]]

[omarawad]

((Just came to say, yes I am a drifter))

Cristen had just rode into town. He was no longer going to run from Aspen. He walked into the saloon, rifle drawn. "Hi there sis," he said. He squeezed off 4 shots.

[Pandaness]

Aspen had been out of town for a day, rode off on horseback to get away from it all. She bought herself a new straw hat, and some lovely material to sew some new clothes. She had even slept last night, so maybe she would not have to consult Dr. Josh for some pricey medication.

So she found herself once again in her empty Saloon, calming her nerves by cleaning the counters, pushing in chairs, and washing glasses, all the while humming a familiar tune stuck in her head.

She had heard there was another death in town, but she dare not get involved again. But golly, these towns peope were just dropping like flies. Even the horses nowadays seemed corrupt. She reminicesed about the days whenever this was a boom town full of life and excitement. Well, there was still the excitement, they were just lacking life.

Cristen flew through the door, his rifle drawn. She saw the wild in his eyes that she had seen before. He spoke. "Hey there sis." He proceeded with firing 4 shots directed at her specifically. She yelped and ducked, but a bullet cut through her bony shoulder sending an invisible flame piercing through her body. She collapsed to the ground in pain, grasping her bleeding shoulder, panting. "Dammit, Cristen. I will f***ing kill you, bastard," She up at him with a twisted smile and ran over to the bar, quickly opening a drawer where she kept an extra pistol, just in case some bozo got a little too wild at the bar. Clutching it in her bloody fist, she aimed, and fired.

[[ Omarion, you confused me so bad. I come back and get greeted with a shot in the face >.< Anyway, hope I replied right because Aspen is so not falling so easily.

[cherryp3]

OOC: O_O'' And here by "shots" I was thinking he meant drinks.

Edit: xD I must have misread it. I just took the word shot for like a shot of vodka or something. And...I guess I didn't associate that with the gun. Ahadkajsda.

[Pandaness]

[[ ... with a rifle? XD

I'm so confused. ]]

[omarawad]

((Although it seems to be the thing with you wild kids these days, I highly discourage dring vodka from a rifle :p))

His sister was a good aim. He knew that from all the days they zspent in the feild, with her throwing stones at him. Though this wasn't her best shot. It skimmed his leg, cutting it open. He hid behind a table, threw a bottle at her and shot it ust as it neared her face.

[cherryp3]

Aberle frowned, hands shoved in his pockets as he made his way up to the old inn door. He knew the doctor was right, Roxy would be the best place to start, so he had followed his instructions. Those ice-blue eyes raked over the building. The place was looking shabbier by the day... he hoped Roxy would be in.

The boy shoved apart the doors and entered. Business seemed slow. Only a few customers scrabbled about the place. A woman was feeding her daughter something that looked like squashed peas in the chair of the lobby, and a few men were conversing about the recent train raid in hushed voices so as not to alarm the child. Aberle couldn't help but smirk, knowing how skillfully they'd all handled the attack.

He approached the counter in a slow gait, and rang the bell numerous times, causing a bustling maid to look over at him in irritation.

"Roxy, Roxy you in?" he cried in a sing-song tone. "I need to talk to you about something very, very important."

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

"It seems dear old Pepper has gone and done something rather foolish!"

Again, and again he rang the bell, sure that it would get Roxy's attention eventually.

[AtropaMandragora]

Calista was relieved to see a tiny smile form on Billy's lips as he greeted her. There was a softness to it that spoke volumes, saying he hadn't forgotten about the kiss they had shared the other night. She'd been a bit worried he would've "come to his senses", and be acting as if nothing had happened.
But there was no reservation in his eyes. Instead, he stepped closer and gave her cheek a quick but soft caress, after making sure no one was looking. Calista's eyes closed momentarily as he did, and she found herself fighting the urge to fling her arms around his neck and continue what they had started the other night. He was being careful, and so should she. For his sake. He had alot more to loose than she did.

"Be careful", he said as he stepped back.
Their gazes locked, and for what seemed like a really long time, they simple looked at eachother. Then, suddenly, a noise and an obnoxious female voice broke off the spell.
Viola.
Calista couldn't help but hate that woman, despite not even having met her. She was the cause for Calista having to skip town, and now she interrupted what Calista considered to be a tender moment, even though she and Billy had simply been staring at eachother.
But, there had been an intenisty and a chemistry between them that Calista hadn't felt with anyone in a very long time, and intimacy wasn't always limited to just physical closeness.

"I have to go", Billy said with a sigh, and motioned towards the jail with his head.

Calista gave him a soft smile of understanding, and turned to once again mount her horse. Once she was sitting firmly in the saddle, she looked down on Billy and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. A couple of seconds of hesitation followed, before she opened her mouth again;

"You be careful too", she said warmly, before pressing her spurred heels gently into the horse's sides.

And with that, she was off.

[Shenanigans_SC]

Hi guys! Well, I highly discourage anyone from staying at a Days Inn, as they have riled me up again. Wireless connection in the lobby, but not in my room! So, I'm camped out in the lobby right now with my four kids. Ha ha!! Evil!! Unfortunately I left my USB stick (it has the next challenge all typed up and ready to go on it) in the room. So I will be posting that later. But for now, I have some housekeeping to do.


supersim - Julia Wilson, pixiedust fairy - Michaela Malloy, stylequeen - Lolita, and XsnowdropX - ellie. All of you have not posted within the two week requirement and are in danger of loosing your spots.

This leaves 2 empty spots on The Good Gang and The Bad Gang (4 spots total)
We currently have two drifters -
danielb1 - Abraham Chimes, omarion99 - Cristen

So, drifters there is room for you. Feel free to PM a Gang leader and let them know you want to join, or Gang leaders you can PM the drifters and see if they want to become a member. No body HAS to be on a Gang, but it makes things more interesting. :) Gangs, if a drifter joins your gang, you'll need to RP something taking out one of the inactive Gang members. You can RP finding them dead, seeing them leave town, what ever, but it would be nice to have them taken out of the story line. And please PM me about your newest gang member, just for the sake of record keeping. :)

I have to head out to a family dinner. I plan on getting back on tonight and posting the next challenge.

Oh yeah, almost forgot! The Good are taking the Jail back! I just can't post an updated map right now. But Good guys own the Jail!

[omarawad]

((Who is the leader of the good, because I want to rejoin?

[foolinthemoon]

(( :blink: I'm a bit confused. I thought the last game was between the ugly and the good, how was the bads property taken? That seems a bit unfair. It doesn't make sense that the bad should have property taken and they didn't even have a chance in it to play. Sorry if it seems a bit whiny. I hope my point makes sense.))

[Slytherin-Girl]

From the first page:

The gang that wins that contest then chooses a building owned by any rival gang and uses their influence to take it over.

I assumed it was ok, and the other people in my gang thought the jail made the most sense to take over :)

[foolinthemoon]

((Maybe so, but it doesn't seem fair that The Bad's territory was taken over and we didn't have a chance to defend it cause we werent' included in that round.))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Omarion - slytherin-girl is the Good Gang's Leader.
foolin - I understand your point of view. Please remember that each Gang had one contest in which they could not participate. Each gang was vulnerable for a round. Unfortunately for the Bad, their property got taken on their round. Just part of the strategy of the game.

I appolagize in advance for the lack of RP introducing this round. If ya'll would like, feel free to fill the missing pieces in, or just skip over them pretending they happened.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/diamondbackhills.jpg

Diamondback Hills -

The three gangs are heading for the hills! The Good were able to ensure Viola stayed in that Jail. However just before the Marshal came into town to take her away, she had managed to pass on a bit of information. She recently found out about hidden loot up atop Diamondback hills. Diamondback hills earned their name though, dangerous diamond back rattle snakes are waiting for you at nearly every turn. Each gang needs to choose a brave explorer to traverse the path up Diamondback Hills. The first to reach the gold waiting for them at the top wins.

The playing board-
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/DiamonBackHills.jpg

We will do this in turns which last two days each. Each gang has 48 hours to send me their first attempt up the hill. To begin, pick any beginning square, ( 1, 2, or 3) and work your way to the top. You must choose a box that has one side touching the box you're in. For example, if you find yourself in box 4, your next step must be into box 5 or box 7, you can not jump over one of those or go diagonally. After each person has voiced their path (through PM) I'll reveal how far up the path you made it. If you chose a box that has a rattle snake in it, you stop in your tracks, and try a different path for the next round.

I'm really tired, so I'm sure I've not done the best job of explaining the round. Please feel free to ask questions, I will most likely be on again in less than 12 hours.

Good Luck!

[Slytherin-Girl]

OOC: Anyone from the good gang want to take this one on? I'll do it if necessary, but I can't see Katherine doing it LOL (Looks hopefully at all the boys with guns ;) )

And sure you can join us if you like omarion99. We'd be happy to have you!

[foolinthemoon]

((To me, it's like having three kids, two get in a fight and the one behaving got introuble. It's the principal of the matter, not the game, I could care less if i win or lose, but have a hard time understanding. It was said in the last challenge that it was between the good and the ugly. It was NOT said in the last round that the Bad were vulnerable. The Ugly lost, i assumed they'd take the fall, not the bad.))

[Gerbera]

((I'm really sorry about that, foolin' :( We'll talk about that in the gang and with Shen again.

As for the challenge, Jonathan would volunteer. Sitting in the forge all day is getting boring :P ))

[veldagia]

((OCC I don't see the Dr out climbing hills. He'll stay back at the surgery and treat any snakebite victims :D ))

[cherryp3]

ooc: X_x Aberle's such a sissy, and Halse is more of a 'shoot 'em up-steal-their-cash' type guy. Not so much Dora the Explorer... Eweh. But, if needed he can go. ;]

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Calista would be willing to go. If there's gold in it for her, persuading her to go won't be too difficult. *lol*)))

[foolinthemoon]

(( don't worry about it Gerbera, thanks though. I've been getting alot of crap at home, and i guess i felt like now i was getting some of it here as well. Work, School, Work, School. It gets old fast. I just have a thing with morals and matters. It still doesn't seem fair to me, but it doesn't seem to matter, i'm not going to quit over it. Billy'd kill me. :P

Atropa, I think you'd be a great choice for it. I won't be back on till tomorrow, if then, i have two quizzes and a five page paper due friday in Psychology and a contest entry for Gerbera's contest. So, I won't have the time for it. Good luck. Pm me if you need any input or advice or general non stop chatter.))

[Slytherin-Girl]

OOC: Well, unless the good can think of a better choice I think Jonathan would be perfect. Do I have to choose the path as the leader, or does Gerbera do it?

[Haylifer]

((OOC: I'm back from Ireland! Just in time for the next challenge. I could see Jack doing something like this if nobody else wants to go. How long have we got to choose who we're sending?))

[Shenanigans_SC]

haylifer - approx. 35hrs before the first decision is due.

slytherin - the whole decision thing is up to the Gangs. I'm sure the person on the mountain would appreciate input from their gang members. But when it comes to PMing me, I'm looking for PMs from the person actually "on" the mountains

foolin - thanks for being a good sport with everything. I do appreciate your maturity with the matter. :)

[Slytherin-Girl]

OOC: Jonathan's going to be the one heading up the hills for the Good Gang :)

[Shenanigans_SC]

Howdy all! :) 24 hours to go! I just wanted to clarify, because I did a rotten job of it last time. Each "turn" the brave explorers need to PM me a whole path up the mountain. It's like sending me your plans on how you're gonna get to the top. Then I pm you back how far up you were able to go. Then the next turn you send me another whole path up to the top. Opens it up to some interesting strategy of the quickest way to figure out the path.

[Gerbera]

Oh, I see ... And no clues this time?

[Shenanigans_SC]

Oh, I see ... And no clues this time?

I'm sorry! I forgot that part. Not sure how much this clue is worth, but the correct path up the hill starts at number 3 and ends at number 14. No more from me. :)

[AtropaMandragora]

Shenan - Tried to submit the path for the Bad Gang, but your inbox was full. Not sure I'll be able to try again before the deadline... :/

[Shenanigans_SC]

I'm really sorry Atropa! My inbox has room now. Thanks :)

[Shenanigans_SC]

I have sent Gerbera and Atropa the results of their chosen path up the mountain. There is now 48 hours for round two.

Haylifer (I assume it's you for the uglies?) Feel free to send me your first planned path up the mountains. As soon as I get it I'll PM you the results and then you can take your second try up.

*edit*
Updated to include Haylifer's path up the mountain.

Current standings:
The Good are about 38% of the way up the mountain.
The Bad are about 38% of the way up the mountain.
The Ugly are about 13% of the way up the mountain.

[veldagia]

Reassured that Sierra was now settled Dr Josh left the bakery. The gloomy mood hanging over him like a dark thunderous cloud threatening to break into a lightning storm at any given moment.

Jack had taken a journey alone up through Dimondback Hills. Perhaps to clear his own head of the news, to fight any demons that lurked in his soul. Aberle had sought Roxy to spread the news and possibly for some consolation that everything would once again be OK. But Dr Josh had a very different approach. Right now he didn’t want to be shut in the surgery alone with too much time to dwell on why she might have killed herself. What could they have done for her to ease her pain a little. Pepper was dead and there was nothing he could say or do to change that one fact. So he headed back to the saloon. This time with a real reason to drown his sorrows.

Once again he took his seat at the bar. His eyes vaguely staring into space, his face a mask of serenity. When he noticed a body approach he ordered a jug of ale followed by a swift whisky chaser. He needed that burning sting to lift the weight from his heart.

“There sure is a dark cloud hanging over Tumbleweed this week.” He said turning to the person beside him. “Two deaths in such a short space. Almost makes me wonder if they are connected.”

((Short and crappy but it’s an attempt to start RPing in this thread again))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Well, for the first time in Tumbleweed Valley history, we have a tie! That's right, Calista and Jonathan have both reached the top of Diamondback Hills and found a chest filled with gold and precious jewels. So, this means that Tumbleweed Valley will be having it's very first shoot-out at high noon! Originally I planned on writing up an RP for any needed shoot-outs, but I honestly couldn't figure out how a Good Forge owner would agree to have a shoot out with a lady. lol So I'm leaving the hard part up to you two Atropa and Gerbera!

You guys have four days to RP preparing for the shoot-out, and PM me an RP of the shootout seen from your character's point of view and they are the victor! Given the nature of it, you are allowed a degree of godmodding your opponent. Just please be respectful and don't turn them into a bumbling idiot. You are granted creative freedom with how your character wins the shoot out. Perhaps you turn at the count of nine instead of ten, perhaps you skillfully dodge the other's bullet. It's up to you. But you are not to kill your oponent. You may seriously wound them (be on alert Dr. Josh!) to the point they fall to the ground, but there will be no character deaths.

For the shoot out we're basically going to play rock-paper-scissors. (I think we all know that rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper and paper beats rock.) You each have four days to PM me your choice (rock, paper or scissors) and a RP of your character winning the shootout. Whoever wins will have their RP posted.

Good Luck to the two of you!

[Gerbera]

((Phew, congrats Atropa :D I'll try to come up with an RP as soon as possible, but I need some thinking ... It's probably going to be veeery long, Ihope you don't mind, Shen :) ))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((Oh Christ... *lol*

You too, Gerbera.

Will try and get something together tomorrow. After that my working hours might get in the way quite a bit. :/

Oh, by the way Shenan, two questions;
The shoot-out is taking place at the top of the hills, right..?
And also, are we to RP the dispute and preparations for the duel here (in the thread) or include it in the PM post to you? Because writing dialouge with someone else's character will take ALOT of god-modding.)))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Sorry for the double post (though it's been more than 24 hours), but as I still don't know how we're supposed to do this, I'll just type up the shoot-out as if it happened in the hills, and since time is running out to set things up here in the thread, I guess I'll have to do a certain amount of godmodding... :/ )))

[veldagia]

((OCC Atropa my understanding was that you PM'd Shenanigans your RP with as much godmodding as necessary then I presume they will be combined and posted??))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Yes, but what I was wondering was if the shoot-out was to take place in the hills, and if me and Gerbera was to RP here in the thread up to the point of the actual shoot-out, to reduce the amount of godmodding necessary. It really would've made things easier if we did, as we'd both have something to go on... Right now, we don't have one iota. All we can do is to read up on the other character to try and gain an understanding for how they'd react. And sure, we can PM back and forth, but in an event this big, there are ALOT of details (unless we write something like "Jonathan shot Calista in the leg, and went 'Hey, the gold is mine!' *the end*") and there's no way we can possibly cover everything in PMs.

I'm sorry, I'm just frustrated, because my time on here is now pretty limited as I'm working the night shift, which means I'm awake and at home for about 5 hours per day, and so I don't have alot of time to work things out here... :/ )))

[foolinthemoon]

((Atropa, i hope you get it worked out :( Shenanigans hasnt' been on in a few days, hope everything is okay.))

[Shenanigans_SC]

I am sorry everyone! There was no internet connection out where my sister's wedding was, and then I drove 20 hours straight to make it home in time for something going on back home. The good news is that I am home now and will be available like any host should be. Again, my appolagies. We can extend this round however long we need to accomidate you two (Atropa and Gerbera) because of my absence.

Please RP here in the thread the dispute that leads to the shoot out. The shoot out should be in town so medical service is readily available.

I'm sorry for those who are waiting patiently, but I'd like to extend this four days to make up for the four days I was basically unavailable.

Again, I'm really sorry about it all.

[AtropaMandragora]

Hmm... Okay, but how will that work? Doesn't seem to make sense that Calista and Jonathan make their way up the hills, find the loot at pretty much the same time, decide to have a shoot out, and head back to town to do it?

Now I'm even more stumped...

[Shenanigans_SC]

Yeah, the whole thing is rather difficult. Actually, I think the shootout at the mountain would definately make more sense. Just when the winner gets back to town s/he should tell Dr. Josh there was an "accident" on the mountain and the other person needs help. Or perhaps that person's gang would be concerned about them and go up after them. There really isn't anyway this HAS to be done. Just however it happens it happens.

[AtropaMandragora]

Okay, so can it be in the hills then (Shenan AND Gerbera?) as that would make more sense? I mean, there's no way in h*ll that Calista would let Jonathan take the gold back to town, to settle matters there, nor would she leave the gold behind while they settled matters in town. And if Jonathan was to suggest that SHE'D take the gold back to town, she'd take it alright, but not back to town. ;)

And as for the one ending up loosing/getting hurt; if their horse returns without them, surely SOMEONE would send out a search party?
And I don't know about Jonathan, but if Calista wins she just might be inclined to inform Dr Josh of Jonathan's injury, simply because Dr Josh has helped her, and so the least she can do is help his business. *lol*

[Slytherin-Girl]

I'd send out a search party for Jonathan! :) I mean, Katherine might not tramp up the hill but she'd definitely send people to look for him!

[Gerbera]

((Yeah, I am fine with a shoot-out in the hills, that'd be easier to write :) ))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Okay, great, I'll just post what I've already written then, just to get things moving. :) If you have any objections Gerbera, please let me know.)))


Having been hiding out in the hills from time to time, these days Calista knew her way around them. Her journey to the top had been quick, albeit not entirely safe, as she had once stumbled upon one of the infamously large and aggessive diamond back rattle snakes that dwelled among the rocks. Though it hadn't been too much of a problem, as she had simply traced back a little, and taken anouther route, reaching the top well before noon.
She hadn't seen any of the others for a while now, and felt so confident they were nowhere near the top that she allowed herself a quick breather before she started to look for the hidden treasure.
Imagine her surprise as she came around a bend, only to find that Jonathan whatshisname digging through a small pile of rocks. Just how on earth did he get here this fast? Damned beginner's luck!
And by the looks of it, he'd even been searching in the right spot. Calista could see a hint of brown and tattered cloth sticking out from under those rocks.

"Well well, what have we here?" she said, heading over to where he was standing, gracefully avoiding stepping on any loose rocks that would've caused her to slip or fall.


(((Yep, it's rushed. Sorry.)))

[Gerbera]

((It's fine, Atropa :) ))

After hearing of the gold that was hidden on top of Diamond Back Hill, the gang soon agreed to send Jonathan to search for it.
They knew that they had to be fast, as they couldn't prevent the other gangs from hearing the news as well.

Jonathan left the town on the back of his brave horse Stellan. They both were experienced in travelling difficult areas and in finding the right way.

When he was about one third up the hill, he stopped his horse fo a short break and orientation. Suddenly one of the dangerous rattle snakes was in front of him.
Generally, he wasn't afraid of spiders, but Jonathan knew how dangerous this one was.
Carefully, without making any fast movements, he grabbed a stick with a fork at the end and then, with a sudden movement, managed to "nail" the snake's head down to the floor.

He continued his way up the hill, and after a while reached the top. Nobody was there and he felt a rush of happiness. "I made it!" he said to himself, grinning, and started to search for the place where the gold could be hidden.

"Here ... It seems as if this earth is fresh ..." he mumbled and started to dig.
Just when his fingertips touched a piece of fabric, a voice said "Well well, what have we here?"

Suprised, Jonathan pulled the little package out of the earth and turned around, only to see Calista standing in front of him.
"Goodday, lady." he said and nodded. "I just found this here," he continued and held it up high, "and now I'll return to the valley. If you'll excuse me know ..."

[AtropaMandragora]

Just as Calista spoke, Jonathan pulled the small but heavy package from the ground, and then turned around, a look of surprise on his face. Apparently he hadn't seen her coming, nor heard her until she opened her mouth. Fool. Didn't he know that in these parts, one needed eyes in the back of one's neck, if one wanted to be sure not to get robbed, killed, or if you were a woman, raped?
Well, no, she supposed he didn't. He wasn't a local, but instead a newcomer. And by the looks of it, he was one of those fancy educated types from the city.
But he did run the newly opened forge, and so he would be no stranger to getting his hands dirty. The only question was; how dirty?
Hmmm.... Coming to think of it, hadn't he been one of the people to guard the jail, just to make sure that Viola didn't escape, that the Marshal did come and lift her off of sheriff Stark's hands?
And yet here he was, searching for the loot? That two-faced rat!

"Not so fast...", Calista said, her eyes locking momentarily on the package as she moved even closer.

Stopping but a few feet away from him, her gaze met his, and a smirk darted across her lips.

"Something tells me that when Viola spilled the beans about that gold..." she said, pausing to nod towards the package in Jonathan's hands, "... her intention was not for you folks to get your righteous little paws on it. You're the good guys, remember? What would you possibly want with loot such as that?"

[Pandaness]

[[ Where have all my saloon workers wondered off to? ;-; ]]

[cherryp3]

ooc: ;] I know your pain Pandaness, Aberle's kind of stuck, because Roxy is nowhere to be found!

EDIT: Hamsterball, it's no problem. xD You probably just missed the post, but Aberle is trying to get a hold of Roxy at the inn. :]

[Hamsterball]

((Edit: Okay, figured it out. :D))

Roxy sat upstairs on her bed, slowly counting the money from the train robbery. It had to be counted and sorted and divvied up according to particular numbers, or else someone would end up with less than their share and end up shooting down the entire gang. So this was sort of important.

She could faintly hear the sound of the bell ringing downstairs, but chose not to answer until she finished counting. If she stopped now, she'd never remember what number she was at. The bell continued ringing, to the point that she was so annoyed she couldn't take it any longer. She slapped the pile of money down and quickly wrote down where she was at on a scrap of paper, then raced downstairs to see who was causing such a disturbance.

"Aberle?" Roxy sighed, trying to muster up some anger. But it was difficult to stay cross with Aberle. "What is it? What's going on? You realize I'm in the middle of a very important job right now?" She exhaled slowly and descended the steps into the lobby.

"Okay, what's going on?" Roxy asked, gesturing towards a sofa to sit and chat. "It better be important."

[AtropaMandragora]

[[ Where have all my saloon workers wondered off to? ;-; ]]


(((ooc: Lolita/stylequeen is no longer in the game, so... Aspen is pretty much on her own right now. *s*)))

[Pandaness]

[[ Well darn - 3-

EDIT: Gotcha ;) Now she has no one to force labor upon though ;-; ]]

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Panda - see post #804 on the previous page)))

[veldagia]

((OCC Panda the Drs in the saloon post #827 if Aspen wants some company.

He's miserable over Pepper but he'll perk up once someone get's shot.... ;)))

[Gerbera]

Calista stared at the heavy package in his hand, obviously wishing she had found it before him. She stepped closer.

"Not so fast." Their eyes met, Calista looking ... angry?

"Something tells me that when Viola spilled the beans about that gold..." she said, pausing to nod towards the package in Jonathan's hands, "... her intention was not for you folks to get your righteous little paws on it. You're the good guys, remember? What would you possibly want with loot such as that?"

"Well, that, mylady," Jonathan said with a smirk, "is something that I will not decide. You can ride back to the valley and ask our gang leader. But I am sure she will find a good use for it."

She did not look as if this answer would satisfy her, and obviously she was not willing to let him get away with it.

Jonathan felt the weight of his revolover on his side, and he saw hers blinking in the sun. "This won't end peacefully ..." he thought, feeling slightly worried.

"Listen, I don't want to do you any harm, you're a lady. So if you would please let me pass now, I would be really thankful. I am not planning on spending the whole day here."

((Atropa, is that enough for you to write your secret RP?! If not, please let me know. I am sorry again for not writing earlier, there's just so much going on at the moment ^^ ))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Gerbera - Yep, that should do it, I think. Will have to wait a couple of hours though, as I'm off to dinner and a movie with my sis. :) )))

[cherryp3]

Aberle nodded, his face creased with an uncharacteristic seriousness. He didn't hesitate to sink into the cushy sofa. His dark gaze, nestled below a crinkled brow, pierced into Roxy's. His lips spun a neat line. There was something stuffy about the air again. He almost couldn't handle the pressure that seemed to linger there in the atmosphere. However, he knew he would have to inform Roxy. She was the only one that could ever get in contact with Jack. Though, Aberle had secretly wished that he would be the one to talk to Jack, if only just to get a quick glimpse of the handsome highwayman...

A little pout began to tug at his lips, but he managed to bite down the selfishness of his thoughts as he finally sputtered out, "Pepper's done gone and done herself in, Roxy-dawhl! We found her! Up in her room! Hanging by a noose!" Aberle felt something stinging at the corners of his eyes. Though in the back of his psyche Halse let out a little terrified shriek, Aberle wasn't one to be ashamed of his tears. He bit his lip.

"I...she'll...never be back. She did herself just like Miss Poppy," he choked, sniffling noisily. "Roxy, I knew it! She did just what I thought she did! No one cared, and...I-I'm sorry," he garbled, "I didn't...I'm rambling I'm sorry I didn't mean to. I need to spread the word to Jack, but if he's not in I suppose I could just have you pass the message..."

[Shenanigans_SC]

We have a winner!!
===
"My either. But I won't let you get away with the gold" Calista replied, putting her hand on her revolver.
"Afraid of a 'lady'?!"

He started to get angry. He had been the first on top of that hill, he had found the gold. And now that woman was acting as if he was a coward!

"Certainly not. I just don't like unnessaccery brutality." Jonathan said, his eyes like slits. He knew that he wouldn't get away it ...

"Well, since you won't give me the gold, I suggest a shoot-out. The winner gets the gold. Deal?"

He hestitated a moment before replying. Never had Jonathan be involved in a shoot-out, but he was quite a good marksman.

"Deal."

They both agreed on the usual terms - walk 10 steps, then turn around and shoot.
Both stand back to back, and then Calista started to count.
"One" Step.
"Two" Step.
"Three" Step. He started to get nervous.
"Four" Another step.
"Five" StepHe released the safety catch.
"Six" Another Step. The sun would be in his back when he'd turn around.
"Seven" Step. Breathe, calm down.
"Eight" Another small step. Jonathan started to sweat.
"Nine" Step. It's time ...
"Ten!" she shouted, turned around and pulled the gun out of its holster.

Both fired at the same moment, Jonathan aiming for for Calista's right leg.

Her bullet missed his right arm, but he could feel the heat of it when it passed him.

Suddenly Calista sunk to the ground. He had made it! He ran over to her. She was lying there, still, her lag bleeding. The woman had dropped her gun and he picked it up, just to be sure.

Jonathan didn't want to let her lie there in the heat, so he put the nearly fainting Calista on her horse, mounted his own and then rode back to town.
====

Thank you everyone for your patience. I know things have been really slow. Good gang, I will give you two days to decide what territory you'd like to take. (Yikes! Just remembered I need to update that map.) Then I will post the next round. There are three rounds left, so hang in there guys!

edit: Current Map to aid in the Good's decision. (As always, you may have to refresh your browser to show changes.)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/TumbleweedValley.jpg

[Slytherin-Girl]

OOC: Wooot win! *happy dance* Message me with your ideas for buildings as always guys!

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Figures... *sigh* Look, I have to be honest here. This round really bummed me out. Not because we lost, because hey, it's just a game, but because I was REALLY stressed out HAVING to type an RP about the shoot out, only to discover it was all for nothing. I struggled with that RP, and I didn't really have the time nor the inspiration, so... finding out I was just wasting time I didn't really have, kind of sucks. I know you've said this is a learning process, Shenan, but I just have to voice my frustration somewhere.

Also, I don't see how I can possibly RP here for quite a while, because since Calista was shot in the leg, she'll be disabled for some time. And she will NOT be seen limping around town, I'll tell you that.
And there's not a whole lot she can do, staying cooped up in her little place.
So... )))

[redwing_SC]

((Poppy sits up in her grave and smiles knowingly.))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Atropa... I understand how you're feeling, and all I can do is offer my apologies. I am learning as we go here, and am taking notes on how things can be improved. As long as one learns from their mistakes (mine in how I chose to do the shoot-out) I feel they were not a total waste of time.

Not wanting sympathy or anything, just trying to share my rationing on things so others can perhaps understand. I thought having the characters involved write up the RP would run smoother as at that time I was unable to get to a computer never mind write up an RP involving two characters I felt I didn't have the right to control. I was held up in a hotel, doing last minute catch up tasks for my sisters wedding, and driving 20 hours straight to see my husband off to Iraq mere hours later. My mind was definitely unable to attend to the task.

Perhaps the best thing to have done would have the contest, (Rock, Paper, Scissors) and then PM the winner. That way whoever did up the RP would have known it wasn't going to be a waste of their time. If there is another shoot-out, that is the current game plan. Unfortunately, only hindsight is 20-20.

I feel the RP has drug out a bit long, we're loosing some RPers. But I do not want to end it prematurely, as of right now, with three rounds left, it really could be anybody's game. Hopefully you'll still have reason to stay active. Perhaps Calista will have a certain friendly visitor check up on her. :)

[foolinthemoon]

Billy looked out the window into the noon day heat, it was hotter today than it had been and it would probably get hotter. He took his hat off wiping his brow as he watched a horse coming into town. He arched an eyebrow watchng as Jonathan lead another horse in. It only took him a moment to realize it was Calista, she looked wounded and possibly... no, fear choked Billy as he dropped his hat from his hand before rushing out the door, He could almost feel tears welling up in his eyes as he rushed to approach.

"What happened?!?" he went to reach for his gun, but found he'd left it on the desk and cringed when Jonathan didn't answer straight away. He cupped Calista's head in his hands and screamed.

"Dammit, Josh? Where are you? I need you here now!"

((omg, poor Billy! :cry: i'm glad Calista will be okay though, and Atropa, Billy can come visit her... and urm... bring her soup... XD))

[veldagia]

((OCC Billy’s a doll.

Dr Josh will happily take the excuse to pay Calista a visit and have a look at a wound on that shapely leg ... ;)

He also possesses lots of drugs and erm massage remedies,:evilnod: which (poetic license allowed - maybe make it just a nasty bullet graze) will have her walking easily again in a few days.

Atropa If I'm intefering/annoying/making things worse in any way etc. just tell me to shut up. ))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: foolinthemoon - Awww. I (nor Calista) would've expected Billy to be that open about his concerns. ;) So sweet.
Oh, and, she'll gladly accept his... soup. *lol*
But for now, she probably won't say a whole lot, being passed out an all.
But maybe the good doctor will care to step in? With the sheriff screaming for him in the middle of the street, someone is bound to go get him, right? Unless he himself hears the sheriff calling for him? They should be right outside of the saloon, no? Or is he too busy drowning his sorrows? *grin*

veldagia - No, I don't mind at all. :) The problem is, Calista is a tough lady. She wouldn't pass out from just a bullet graze. I just won't have her be a lousy shot AND a sissy. She really shouldn't have missed her mark, as she's supposed to be an excellent shot, so I'm having enough of an identity crisis with her as it is, without making her a pansy as well. ;) *s*

And with a seriously wounded leg, she'll be pretty much immobilized for the rest of this RP.
Granted, she might be up and about in her own little quarters, but there's no way she'll be caught dead using crutches in public. Or even limping. Heck, she was paranoid already, that she'd be showing weakness due to her injured arm. Imagine how stubborn she'll be NOW, to not let anyone know she's been put out of business for a while. *s*
But of course, who am I to decide that Dr Josh... uhhhh... working his "magic", won't be enough to have her back on her feet within a couple of days? *s*

Sorry for the long ooc post... Just trying to find a way for this to work. :) But with foolin's and veldagia's suggestions, it seems there will still be something for me to RP about, after all. And something interesting too. So, thanks for helping, foolin and veldagia. I appreciate it.)))

[Gerbera]

((I am here ... I think I must apologize for the RP, but I really didn't know how to write it so that I won and Calista can still keep her characteristics :( Sorry ... ))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Ah, well, I'm over that now. :) No worries. But Billy is still talking to Jonathan? (and Dr Josh) :) )))

[veldagia]

(OCC LOL he's coming...One slightly intoxicated Dr to the rescue. :beer: ))

Dr Josh continued his conversation with the stranger in the bar and as the opium began to wear a little thinner the alcohol took over nicely blurring the outlines around him until he started to forget all about Pepper’s death. He was half way down his sixth pint of the fine ale with a few whisky chasers thrown in for good measure when he heard a commotion outside.

Staggering off his seat he took a few strides, tipping his hat to the empty barstool beside him. Just where did that nice young lad he was talking to go? He vanished into thin air as the Dr vacated his seat. The space where he had been blurring into the background of the bar. He shook his head to clear the image and placed one foot back in front of the other. Swaying slightly with the effort.

As he fell down the steps of the saloon, tripping roughly over his own feet like a fawn's taking its forst steps, he heard the distinctive screams of the Sheriff “"Dammit, Josh? Who are you? I need your ear now!"

“It’s ri-ight here” Dr Josh called back his arms waving around as he attempted to point at his head. His eyes made out the hazy outline of two horses with multiple bodies mounted on top, all jumbled limbs and torsos. He never knew that the Sheriff had a twin.

“What’s going on?” He drawled addressing the twin. “I was just having a nice little tipple, and a v-very nice tittle lipple it was. A Dr needs his off time, away from the stress of all the infectcti-infectos-infecting scurge. Gives the body some time to recover, it does.” He nodded happily to himself and reached his arm out to rest on the twin's shoulder only to nearly fall off his feet when his arm connected with thin air throwing him off balance.

Josh’s eyes focused slightly and his eyebrows creased together, jagged lines of concentration appearing across his face. Was that Calista? Resting over the horse with her had in Sheriff Billy’s hands? Then his eyes finally took in the blood trailing and the anguished state of Billy. He slapped himself hard across the face, the sound echoing, ringing through his eardrums. Looked like he needed to see straight for this one. Yes, it was defiantly a sleepy Calista but where was all the blood coming from?

“Get her down.” He instructed the two men. “And someone fetch me a coffee, strong and black and some ice water.”

[AtropaMandragora]

((( :laugh: I love him! Good thing Calista's out of it, or she'd be running in the opposite direction, wounded leg or not! )))

[Shenanigans_SC]

The Good have chosen to add Monterey Ranch to their territory.
Here's the updated map:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/TumbleweedValley.jpg
And now for our next challenge...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/Enemy.jpg

Viola’s capture graced the front page of nearly every newspaper. While many people were glad to see an outlaw finally put where she belongs, you can be sure there were those who cringed. The capture of one so well versed in the way of law breaking left others feeling threatened. Viola’s gang, stewing with anger, have decided to take justice in their own hands. Viola’s gang has moved in to Tumbleweed Valley, posing as a random gang on their way to California in search of Gold. But rumors are going around town, and our folk who are devoted to Tumbleweed Valley know that something is amiss.

~*~

This challenge requires our characters to have keen senses is finding out who is friend and who is foe. So the challenge will require detective work on your part as well. This week I will be posting a question regarding Wild West Lore. There will be seven questions in all, and I will do my best to post them at varying parts of the day to avoid favoring one time zone. When a person successfully answers a question, their character has caught an outlaw and has either ran them out of town or handed them over to the Sheriff. You are encouraged to RP such heroic actions, but you don't have to.

At the end of the week, whichever Gang has run the most outlaws out of town (or captured them) wins the challenge. I will announce here in the thread when a correct answer is given so everyone will know where things stand. If there’s any questions please feel free to ask.

So, to begin, here is the first question...

This famous cowgirl became known as a sure-shot during the Third Quebec-Ohio War in 1878. It is said that a full brigade of French men rode past her ranch on their way to raze Cleveland. She followed and sniped them all the way until her ammo ran out leaving only a lone survivor to launch an assault against the city. Who was she?

[Shenanigans_SC]

Well... that was extreamly quick, but congratulations Uglies! Veldagia has answered the first question correctly!

Annie Oakley – Born as Phoebe Anne Oakley Moses is the correct answer.

The second question will be posted in about 15 hours or so.

[omarawad]

((Excellent, Cristen got his ranch back!))

[Gerbera]

Uhm ... Could I ask you to post the questions please when at least one active person of every gang is online?! This way everybody would have the same chances. :)

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Gerbera - That's a nice idea, but it would take forever to post all those questions, and I'm sure Shenan has other things to do than wait around here for people to show up. She's announced when (roughly) she'll be posting the question. I think that is as fair as it can get, within reason?

And think we're still waiting for you to participate in the actual RP. It's not like you have to, but please, at least let us know if you don't want to, or can't, or something?)))

[Gerbera]

((Sorry, I didn't know that you were waiting for me. I'll post something later today, my mind is completely blank at the moment))

[Haylifer]

((I guess there is only one thing for it... *superglues self to PC* Well done velda, and good luck next round my darling Uglies! :D))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Here it is! Question #2...

Ulysses Grant knew there was a possibility that this famous Colonel could be the Democratic Candidate for the Presidency. Ulysses Grant had this man transferred out west, knowing there’d be a good chance he’d get himself killed. Sure enough, he did just that at the Little Big Horn. Who was he?

*edit*
Atropa was the quick gun for this one. George Armstrong Custer was the correct answer.

So as it now it stands
The Bad: 1
The Ugly: 1

Question 3: in about 13hours from now

[Haylifer]

Damn! I did that one in History last year *kicks self and cries*

[Gerbera]

((Okay, nevermind my earlier question, I couldn't answer the questions anyways, I am not American enough :P I just hope someone else from my gang will eventually be able to read and answer a question :lol: ))

[Slytherin-Girl]

Are all the questions going to be American *facepalm* I'm Canadian, I don't really remember studying that stuff! *looks to other gang members*

[veldagia]

((OCC I'm English so guess what my knowledge of American History is like - all I remember getting taught is America's discovery and the World Wars :D

But I'd expect the questions to be of a wild west theme given the RP so I've now learned something...))

[foolinthemoon]

((I'm American and no where near a pc lately when they are posted, XD I do enjoy a bit of History though! Great Job Atropa... looks like Calista can't be kept down for long. ;) and Watch out Veldagia, you help Calista, and BILLY might kiss Josh... (okay, maybe not... maybe they'll share a manly hug...) and Seriously? I need your ear?!? XD best ever))

“It’s ri-ight here” a drunken doctor made his appearance a few seconds later. He was waving and tripping about, pointing to his head. Billy for a brief moment almost forgot what was going on as he stepped closer. “What’s going on?” He slurred as he looked past Billy. “I was just having a nice little tipple, and a v-very nice tittle lipple it was. A Dr needs his off time, away from the stress of all the infectcti-infectos-infecting scurge. Gives the body some time to recover, it does.” He nodded a bit before trying to lean on nothing, causing him to almost fall face first into the red dust that coated the ground. He stood a bit, finally turning his attention to Calista, before smacking himself. At this, Billy's eyes grew wide. Just what was Aspen serving him in the Saloon?
“Get her down.” He spoke a bit more clearer and stronger now, as Billy would have expected him to do. “And someone fetch me a coffee, strong and black and some ice water.”

Billy carefully moved Calista so he could place her arm around his neck while Jonathan dismounted his horse, helping to carefully move her legs. Though she was passed out, Billy could see her face cringe slightly as they situated her in Billy's arms, and soon he was carrying Calista to the Surgery, with Dr. Josh's Lead.

He stepped as fast as he could, only detouring slightly to step on a head that was sticking out of the ground trying to smile through its rotted skin. "Damned Zombies."

He walked through the open door and laying her on the table, waiting for further instructions.

[Shenanigans_SC]

I'd like to say that I do believe everyone is capeable of answering the trivia questions I'll be posting. I AM an american and I even grew up in southern Arizona (Lot's of wild west history). I didn't learn a darn thing in school related to these questions. Nope, instead I did some internet searching to come up with them. Learned quite a bit while I did too. Using internet searches is not cheating by any means as far as this round is concerned. :)

[veldagia]

Dr Josh swayed on ahead, he took two steps forward, one sideways then almost fell backwards as the shapes of buildings spun around him. The surgery was around here somewhere, he needed his knifes. Nice sharp little tools they were. Could solve any problem, he’d just cut the offending part right off. No more trouble for Calista.

He heard the men struggling with Calista behind him, they should shake her awake. Ease the dead weight. He considered giving her a belting slap across the face. But decided to leave her to the four men, best not interfere. These uneducated types would probably take a moral offence at the lady being struck. “This way,” He pointed haphazardly his arm swaying between the saloon and the surgery a look of undecided confusion blurring across his face. “Maybe I should just have a whhhisky to steadddy the hand. Little shaky here.”

Josh put his hands into his pockets, finding no cash he turned them inside out, looking dismayed. Hmm where did those coins go? He scratched his head puzzled. Well he had bought that young man a few drinks in the saloon. Shaking his head he eagerly remembered he had a few bottles back home. He took a few strides before falling against the wooden door of the surgery his weight propelling it open as he tumbled in bursting through the door in a fit of red dust. Then stood aside gesturing for the men to take Calista into the backroom before she bled everywhere. No she needn’t worry, his hand was almost steady. Josh held it out in front of him to make sure wobbling on his feet at the effort. He stared hard for a few seconds, legs no good but the hands were still there right on the end of his arm where they belonged.

Once she was laid out upon the table he hushed them out of the room like they were school kids here for the latest show. “Now we’ll just have us a nice little drunk whilst Jeanne strips, uhm prepares my guest.”

He picked the bottle of burnt umber liquid off the table and removing the topper proceeded to slosh a generous amount over the clothe missing the mugs by a few inches. Trying again he realigned his hand and this time managed to get a good helping over the rims. “Hide the whisky.” He mutted loudly clasping the mug too him as Jeanne bustled into the reception a disapproving frown upon her usually cheerful face.

“Dr, how about a little brew. I’ve made it thick and strong, “ Jeanne coerced laying a cup of hot steaming coffee in front of him. Expertly twisting the mug of whisky out of his grasp. She shook her head at the men, eyebrows raised in exasperation. Instantly presuming they were responsible for him turning up in this state before making her way into the backroom to see to Calista.

Dr Josh, tutted at her, cursing under his breath about the women stealing all his fun. But still held the cup under his nose inhaling the rich bitter scent, his eyes widening at the strong vapour. He turned to the men. “Now do tell me, where did her find you? Has she been long bleeding? Looked like some mighty fine blood had been pouring out. Nothing I can’t handle mind. No a little of my medicine and she will soon be fine and dandy.” His eyes turned brighter with a sinister eagerness.

(OCC Atropa wasn’t sure if you wanted Calista conscious or not… so I’ve left her with Jeanne undressing her in the same back room as before – if so feel free to GM Jeanne, she’s a motherly type, good natured and entirely tightlipped about her guests.

Oh and which/where on her leg is the bullet wound?)).

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: veldagia - It said in Gerberas RP that Jonathan aimed for her right leg, so I take it there's where she got hit. And for it to be serious enough to have her pass out, but still not keeping her in bed for months, I'd say the thigh. Getting hit in the knee or the shin would probably shatter the bone (I think?), and I'd prefer if we could avoid that. :)

And I suppose I can have Calista come to soon. Will just have to think of how to write it.)))

[veldagia]

((OCC thanks Atropa. Combined via PM before one of us posts could work. Or skip the actual surgery, - just refer to it as if it happened.))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc - Skipping the actual surgery and just refer to it works for me. See my PM for Calista's behaviour.
Although we probably should give foolin a chance to decide what Billy gets up to while the doctor and Calista are in surgery? Is he in there with them? Staying outside? Off to the saloon?
If he's in there with them, Calista may actually tell him to shoot the good doc if he touches her before he's sober (well, at least somewhat sober). ;) *LOL*)))

[foolinthemoon]

((I will have to work on it, but I dont' think Billy wants to leave Josh alone with her, especially after the strip comment :lol:))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Here is question #3!

Though rarely played now, this card game was one of the most popular of the 18th and 19th centuries. While wildly popular in the Wild West, it was forbidden in France. What game was it?

*edit*
Once again Atropa is the fastest gun slinger! Too bad Calista is hurt, or she'd be having a ball shootin all these outlaws!

The correct answer is Faro.

So as it now it stands
The Bad: 2
The Ugly: 1

Let's see... next question shall be posted approx. 26 hours from now. (That would be from the "Last Edited" time given below.)

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: He he, nightshift + nothing to do + laptop = good combo!

Hey, I was thinking... When this RP contest is over, would anyone be interested in a free form version? Maybe even continue on with this one, only making if ff instead? I have SUCH a thing for wild west stuff right now. *lol*
Anyone else? Shenan?)))

[Shenanigans_SC]

If people wanted to continue it free form, I wouldn't mind. I figured it would die out quickly as there's such few people left actually involved in the roleplay. Who knows, maybe I could come up with a couple interesting NPCs or something. This is something that is definitely open open for discussion.

[foolinthemoon]

((I'd love to continue on with Billy and Calista! <3))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: You could always open apps again, like trampled does when she's sorted out inactive people in the Sweet Sixteen thread? With a free form, there's no need to know what's happened before, and there wouldn't have to be any gangs to join? Maybe just start over fresh with a new thread as to not intimidate people with the number we already have, and those already in this one could choose to keep their characters and their stories (like Billy and Calista)? Or their could discard their characters and make new ones? It worked wonders for the SS RP. :) (Just making suggestions.) )))

[Pandaness]

[[ I'd like to continue this roleplay, but I'm going to wait until the Calista, Billy, Dr. Josh thing is over. I think that re-opening apps would be a good idea, like Atropa suggested. ]]

[cherryp3]

ooc: I second that notion. For opening apps I mean. 'Specially for the Good gang. x] All of them seem to have disappeared. And...Aberle's currently stuck, waiting on Roxy. Hehe.

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: I wasn't really talking about opening apps NOW, I was talking about later, when the RP is over. :) Although it probably is a good idea to open them now aswell, as all teams seem to be lacking people.)))

[Haylifer]

((OOC wave. I'm still here, and I'd love to continue with freeform after this! I'll get Jack back in town sooner or later, but at the moment I have college work like, bad..))

[Shenanigans_SC]

I know we're lacking in the active RP department. There's only two rounds left after the current one we're in so I'm hesitant to open it up to new RPers now, only because it'll be over before they really get situated. When our last two challenges are done, I'll re-open apps, make a map that doesn't involve territory. We can add on additional buildings (like a bank) that can be ran by NPCs until someone wants to take them over.

[Slytherin-Girl]

OOC: I hope someone on the good gang's online to answer the next one! because of the time difference, I've figured that they're posted in the middle of the night for me so I won't be of much help :(

[Haylifer]

((OOC: That's 6 AM for me, too. Not middle of the night, more like impossibly early morning seeing as I don't wake up until at least 8 :D My GCSE in History of the American West will be neither use nor ornament at that early hour, I hardly get up with the lark :( ))

[Gerbera]

((I won't be online then, Robyn, that time I'll be on my way to work. Sorry :( ))

[veldagia]

((Definatly interested in a free form RP. I quite adore my nasty Dr. I agree its a bit late to open this one up to new people given theres so few rounds left.

Seems I'm going to always be asleep or at work!! I'd normal be off in dreamland when the first clue was posted but I stayed up late to watch the end of a film))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Question #4...

This famous outlaw, called Dingus by his pals, was a cold blooded killer. Successfully dodging the law for many years, eventually he was killed by his own cousin. Who was he?

*edit*
Surprise, surprise! Atropa shot another one... the answer is Jesse James.

I will be getting myself out of bed at 2am my time to post the next question. That will be approx. 14 hours from now.

[veldagia]

((LOL Atropa you beat me....:C Sorry Uglies I tried but she's too quick :D))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Well, I have Calista's rep to protect. :eviltongu *lol* She missed her target in the shoot out, so I'll be damned if she messes up on this one as well.)))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Oops! Forgot to put the running total...
So as it now it stands
The Bad: 3
The Ugly: 1

There's three more questions left, no one's out of the running quite yet!

[veldagia]

(OCC Follin’ really sorry I didn’t give the Sheriff long to reply. If you would like him to I’m happy to edit..-Oh and feel free to GM Jeanne however you wish, if you like, she’s just a supporting character so can do well whatever…otherwise she’ll just gaze at the Sheriff, whilst insisting he eats cake until the operation is over. :D ))

Before the men had a chance to reply Jeanne came back into the reception, startlingly efficiently quick. She nodded at the Dr to inform him that his patient was ready her lips still pursed into a tight look of disapproval. She then busied herself around the men “Anyone want a brew, I have some nice tea cake? Freshly baked by my own two hands this morning. If I’d known we were having guests I’d have tidied myself up a bit.” She brought over the aforementioned cake and perched at the table. Cutting a thick wedge and placing it in front of the sheriff as she smiled him like a dazed schoolgirl. “A fine man like you Sheriff needs a little treat occasionally. What without a woman to look after you and all. How are things at the jail house? I’m sure you’re catching all those bad men and keeping the streets clean for good honest citizens like us.”

Dr Josh merely frowned at her fawning over the Sheriff but he took a deep breathe filling his lungs with oxygen and staggered into the back room.

“Calista my dear. I have the company of your pleasure again.” Dr Josh oozed slurring his words slightly as his eyes trailed over her exposed leg.. A thin trail of blood trickled down like a silent tear against her porcelain skin. His eyes moved upwards towards the trails inception taking in the pink ruptured flesh, the gaping hole which indicated a bullet sunk deep into the flesh of her right thigh. She’d sure have a tale to tell from this wound.

“And shot you are once again, how?” He asked enquiring of how she came about to be in his surgery again with a bullet sunk into her flesh.

His hands hovered over the extent of shiny metallic tools swaying between the tongs and the knife. Eyes straying finally over to a thin silver scalpel, the little beauty had served him well in the past. He picked it up carefully tilting it so it caught the dim light in the room glinting off the maniacal look in his eyes.

“Now what will it be: bite leather and a little t-tipple or two or we indulge in a sample of these here medical supplies?” His voice vibrated with a hearty rumble through his chest as he gestured over towards the array of bottles and powders.

[foolinthemoon]

((Aw, thats all good, i've been absolutely dumbfounded, cause truth be told, Billy'd probably like to hit the good doctor. :lol:))

Jeanne walked into the back room while the Doctor slurred some more. Billy eyed him as he talked about stripping Calista and bit his lip. Surely he wouldnt' be dumb enough to try anything. He wanted to go in there while the doctor performed, to make sure he didnt' cut the wrong spot, but wondered how Calista'd react knowing he had. She'd probably not appreciate it, though it would be out of concern. He knew she trusted Josh, so that was good enough for him. He's brows furrowed as his lips set grimly and firmly in a line. Jeanne was coming back out from the room and talking about cake now. Billy sat down on the couch and looked at Jonathan, whom had been quite the whole time. He heard talking but was really unaware of who it was.

"I’m sure you’re catching all those bad men and keeping the streets clean for good honest citizens like us.”

"huh?" Billy was snapped from his thoughts and looked up at Jeanne, "Yes ma'am." He nodded and tried to manage a smile. She seemed in an offly good mood. She seemed to stand there gesturing towards the cake. Billy picked up the fork and poked it, wondering how much of it he could hide in the couch, he didn't want to be rude and say he wasn't hungry, but eating was the last thing on his mind.

[AtropaMandragora]

Calista had been drifting in and out of consciousness since collapsing up there in the Diamondback Hills. Somehow she'd ended up on a horse, but her vision had been to blurred for her to make out who was riding with her.
The next thing she knew, the rocking sensation of the horse's movement had stopped, and someone was holding her head and screaming in her ear. It sounded almost like... Billy's voice...? But there was something in it that didn't sound like him. A desperation she'd never heard before. Was he upset? Why? What had happened?
Before she could open her eyes to see for herself, a sharp pain unlike any she'd ever felt before shot through her and she passed out once again.

Now, she'd finally managed to struggle her eyes open, only to find the doctor's helper... Jeannie...? Jane...?... Well, whatever her name was, she was cutting open the leg on Calista's pants. Seeing that the young lady had come to, she explained what was going on in a soft, motherly voice, before moving to clean the wound. Her touch was gentle and light as a feather, but it still made Calista grit her teeth to keep from crying out. Her fingers gripped the edges of the operating table, and she pulled herself up on her elbows, partly so that she could see what was going on, and partly thinking it would make her seem less weak and vulnerable. Although the effort almost had her seeing stars.
Minutes later, Jeanne finished up and left the room, only to have the doctor enter instead. Still dazed and slightly disoriented, Calista gazed at him from the operating table, her eyes unfocused, still not fully cooperating.

"Calista my dear", he said, his voice sounding... different. "I have the company of your pleasure again."

Calista's brows furrowed slightly. 'The company of your pleasure'? What was he talking about?
Confused, she shook her head a bit as if to clear her thoughts. Maybe she just hadn't heard him right?

"And shot you are once again, how?" he continued.

Wait, was he slurring?
Calista's eyes widened, and suddenly her mind seemed crystal clear. At first she'd thought she had just imagined the slight lisp she'd heard when he spoke, but now, she had heard it loud and clear. He was slurring. He was drunk as a skunk! And he was planning to operate on her? Oh no, she wouldn't have some drunk digging into her leg with sharp objects and make matters even worse.

"Now what will it be", the doctor just kept on, seeming merrily unaware of the mistakes he was bound to make if performing surgery in such a state. "Bite leather and a little t-tipple or two or we indulge in a sample of these here medical supplies?"

He seemed downright excited! While he usually seemed to take some amount of pleasure in patching people up, this time it was plain creepy.
There was no way in h*ll he'd get to put his shaky hands on her. She'd shoot him first.

"Get away from me!" she growled as soon as he turned towards her, her eyes fixing on the razor sharp scalpel glistening maliciously in his hand.

[foolinthemoon]

Billy dropped the fork and shot up from the couch towards the back room. He'd distinctly heard Calista's voice and she didnt' sound happy. He flung the door open to find a startled Doctor Josh holding a scalpel and Calista working her way off the table, with her pant leg cut up past her thigh.

"Calista?" Billy went and helped her as she frustratedly explained that she didn't want a drunk doctor near her. Billy cringed, Stupid me. Wondering if she'd be lashing him for it as well. "We'll get the doctor sobered up, but you need not be moving around alot, you've lost alot of blood." Billy wondered how long it would be before the doctor did infact sober up. He seemed to waiver between drunk and sober, doing a decent job of confusing Billy.

((Manipulate what i've said as you see fit, i tried to keep most of it simple enough and not talk for anyone, though it seems kinda hard right now! lol))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: It's fine, as far as I'm concerned. She's probably cursing alot though. *lol*)))

[veldagia]

"Get away from me!" Calista growled.

Dr Josh’s eyes narrowed focusing on their target. Why was she being so angsty? He only wanted to remove the offending part of her leg. That was his job after all.

He turned startled as the Sheriff invaded the operating room. He even put himself against the table alongside Calista and started pulling her off. “You hurt too.” Dr Josh said waving the scalpel around in the air as he turned to watch the Sheriff helping Calista off the table. Why couldn’t he wait in line like everyone else until after he had finished treating Calista. But still it was the Sheriff and he’d been eager to get near him with a scalpel for a long time. “Want Dr to fix it? Dr fix it real good.”

Josh took a step forward brandishing the scalpel in front of him like it would protect him from all the worlds’ worries. His brain ached heavily and suddenly the room spun around him, faster and faster like a ride on the waltzes spinning, and blurring as a wave of nausea rushed up from his stomach. He wobbled slightly on his feet . “Mary,” he muttered as he reached out into the space in front of him, he couldn’t have his darlin’ wife see him like this. She’d be so disappointed. The scalpel dropped from his hand clattering over the floorboards and he took a step towards her, to fall blissfully into her arms. But the space gave out under him, the ground rushing up to consume him with a solid thump that vibrated throughout the house. Plummeting him into a state of absolute blackness darker than the voids of space.

(OCC The Dr has just passed out from excessive absinth and alcohol consumption because I can’t RP a drunk one anymore :D . Cold water and caffeine will fix the problem so he’s OK to operate and back to his usual grumpy self…))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Here is question #5!
Thought by most to be one of the first Black Americans to receive a commission as a US Deputy Marshal west of the Mississippi River. Although he arrested some of the most dangerous criminals of the time, (including his own son for murder) he was never shot. During his career he had arrested over 3,000 felons. Eventually he died in 1910 from Bright’s disease. Who was he?

[WooHoo]

Bass Reeves

[Shenanigans_SC]

Sorry WooHoo... Atropa's PM to me is before the posted time on yours.
Once again, Atropa is the quick gun. Bass Reeves is correct.

So this leaves it Baddies: 4 and Uglies 1
There's three more possible points left, so the Uglies could possibly tie it. Next question will be posted approx 27hours from now.

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Maybe I'm confused, but didn't you say after the last question, that there were three left? And now there are three points left? Is one question worth 2 points?)))

[Shenanigans_SC]

(((ooc: Maybe I'm confused, but didn't you say after the last question, that there were three left? And now there are three points left? Is one question worth 2 points?)))

Yup, the last question is a double pointer. Cause I think it's actually harder. I dunno though, cause ya'll are getting these so quickly!

I'm off to beddybye land now. :)

[foolinthemoon]

(( Valdagia, you RP a drunk SO well! XD ))

Billy's eyes grew large as the doctor began to wave the scalpel infront of him, Calista cussing now, even louder at the man. “Want Dr to fix it? Dr fix it real good.”

"What the hell is wrong with you man? Get it together!" But the doctor wasn't listening to Billy but instead looking at empty space, and naming it Mary. Josh dropped the scalpel before hugging the air, causing him what would surely leave a mark in the morning as his head hit the floor. "Jesus," Billy muttered in disgust. Billy wondered if the doctor was still in mourning for his friend Pepper, but wasn't sure he could forgive his actions at the moment. "Jeanne," Billy shouted loudly. "I think your boss man won't be working till tomorrow afternoon." Jeanne walked in there dismayed before looking at Billy.

"You don't think you could help me get him to the Couch do you?" Billy sighed and walked over to the man passed out in hysteria, helping to roll him over on his back to reveal a small puddle of drool that had formed on the floor. He tried sitting him up, but the doctor was heavy with alcohol and he fell over on his side. Jeanne pulled on his exposed arm giving the Sherriff what he needed. Billy looped his arms under Josh's while Jeanne grabbed his boots, all but dragging the man to the couch that Billy and Jonathan were just sitting on.

[Slytherin-Girl]

*facepalm* I was asleep again! Well good luck to both of you guys then :D

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: foolin & veldagia - You two crack me up! "Looking at empty space, and naming it Mary". *lol*)))

Mere seconds after Calista's warning to the 'good' doctor, the door to the operating room swung open and Billy came storming in. Thank god he hadn't just left her there with the clearly intoxicated doctor. While cleaning her wound, Jeanne had made smalltalk to keep her distracted, and had thus informed her that it was Billy that had carried her to the clinic, but Calista hadn't been sure if he'd stayed or if he had other things to attend to. He was the sheriff after all, and he and Calista did seem to have a silent agreement to keep the thing between them on the down low.

"Billy", she said while he offered her to grab onto him in her efforts to scoot off of the operating table, caring little that she'd addressed him by his first name in public.

It wasn't as if the doctor was listening, anyway.

"Get him the h*ll away from me!", she demanded vehemently. "If he tries to use that thing on me, shoot him!"

Was she being rational? No. The doctor was the only one for miles around that could patch her up properly. But that was just the thing; at the moment, he couldn't do anything properly. And that made her defensive to the point of being offensive.

"We'll get the doctor sobered up," Billy reassured her, trying to calm her down and get her to lay back down. "But you need not be moving around alot, you've lost alot of blood."

And as if nature decided to prove his point, Calista's mind started clouding again, black spots dancing before her eyes as she tried to stand. Her own body was forcing her to give in. Gingerly she sat back down on the table, lifting one hand to support her dizzy head.

"You hurt too”, the doctor said, turning to the sheriff and waving the scalpel aimlessly through the air, making his own twisted sense of what was going on. "Want Dr to fix it? Dr fix it real good."

"What the hell is wrong with you man?" Billy snapped. "Get it together!"

But instead, the doctor did the exact opposite. He took a staggering step towards Billy and Calista, and then toppled over, crashing to the floor with a sound reminiscent of a big sack of flour.

"Jesus," Billy muttered to himself, before calling for Jeanne. "I think your boss man won't be working till tomorrow afternoon!"

Soon Jeanne appeared, and together the two of them dragged the drunken doctor out of the room, leaving Calista to slump back onto the operating table. Tomorrow afternoon? She couldn't wait that long. At least she didn't think so. But then again, thinking straight was turning more and more difficult right now. It seemed to be slowly slipping away completely, along with the blood still trickling down her leg.

"Dammit Billy...", she mumled. "I think I need him now."

[foolinthemoon]

((hmmm... maybe Jeanne is capable? I don't want Calista to loose anymore blood))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Here's our next question!
He is the only man in US history to have been the governor of two different states. Thanks to his smart thinking, he and his men surprised Mexican forces during an afternoon siesta. The Mexican General was forced to sign a Treaty granting this state’s independence. He was then elected to serve as president of this state that at the time stood as its own independent country. Who was he?

Congratulations Bad Gang!! Atropa answered this question correctly also, (the answer is Sam Houston). So that makes you guys the winner of this round.
You have the standard two days to pick a building to add to your territory.

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Yey!
*does a happy little dance*
Calista is an excellent gun slinger. So there! :eviltongu *lol*


foolin - Well, veldagia did say the doctor just needed some coffe and cold water? Jeanne would know that, right? So we should probably just GM her.)))

[cherryp3]

ooc: Well poop. x[ Between school and sleeping only one of the questions were posted when I could have gotten to them. And that one, veldagia got before I could post the answer! Peehee, not that I'm complaining. Good job Atropa. :]

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Thanks. :) And let's just say I haven't exactly been sleeping when I should've been. ;) Otherwise at least half of the questions would've been posted when I was in bed as well. Heh. Yes, I'm that dedicated. *LOL* *j/k*)))

[foolinthemoon]

((Awesome job Atropa :) everytime i come home from school, work, or wake up i see a new ones been posted... xD lol but they've also been edited to add the name to it ))

Jeanne disappeared to get some strong coffee brewing and then out back. She then stuck her head back in and in an almost cooing voice asked Billy to bring the doctor to the back door. Billy sighed but did it anyways, though he'd rather just wake the drunk up. Billy bent down by the couch throwing throwing the doc's arm around his neck, sitting the doc up and placing his arm around him as well. Billy stood back up pulling the docter of the couch and dragging him to the door. When he rounded the corner he saw Jeanne standing by a tall barrel of water, kept in the shadows of the overhang keeping the water cool.
"Dump him in this, and make sure he doesn't drown, i'll have some coffee and clean dry clothes ready when he's awake." Billy stood in shock as Jeanne said all this chipperly, like this was a weekly occurance, but before he could object she was gone.

"Sorry about this doc..."

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: *lmao* Oh, I can just picture it! Awesome.
And thanks. :) )))

[Slytherin-Girl]

Congrats Atropa! :P That's dedication all right! No offense to my gang, but I like my sleep better than staying up to answer the questions LOL

[veldagia]

((Well done Atropa :D

And foolin' that's cruel....I absolutley love it. :clap:
Will add the Dr's digruntledness in a while))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Oh my goodness! I could see the poor doc. lol That should sober him up!

This round is indeed complete, but I thought I'd post the last question just for the fun of it. Again, it's not worth any points or anything, but thought maybe someone was curious. Here's the last question as it would have appeared.

This famous saloon, once called the “wickedest” night club by the New York Times, was the scene for twenty-six deaths during its eight years of business. About 140 bullet holes still pierce its walls today. Such legends as Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday used to visit it. A famous song of the era was also born there. What is its name? And for an extra point, what song was it?

[foolinthemoon]

The Bird Cage Theater and the song was "She's only a bird in a gilded cage" by Arthur J. Lamb

EDIT: by the way Veldagia, lol, i'm glad you enjoyed it, cause that's what i kept seeing when i heard cold water and coffee XD

[Shenanigans_SC]

Haylifer was the first to PM me the answer to the first part. The Bird Cage Theatre was the correct answer. Then veldagia PMed me with both the first answer and the seconded . The song was She's only a bird in a guilded cage. Then foolin posted both answers as well. Ya'll are right! Congratulations, you don't win anything! lol (Sorry!)

Here's the story of how the song came to be for anyone who's into that sort of thing. I thought it was quite intresting, and the more I researched, the more I fell into the whole thing. The Bird Cage is quite popular with the Ghost hunting crowd.

=====

The hand painted stage and orchestra pit, with its massive Grand Piano, still stands in tribute to the many great entertainers that once performed in the Bird Cage. You can almost and sometimes can hear the songs, laughter and the music of the great entertainers who once performed to the roar of the crowd. Greats such as Eddy Foy, Lotta Crabtree, Lily Langtree, and Lola Montez, were just a few of the famous performers of the past.

One afternoon, just after the Bird Cage opened in 1881, Arthur J. Lamb was standing at the bar with the great Eddy Foy. Lamb turned to Foy and said, "WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS ELITE THEATRE EDDIE" and Foy answered out of the side of his mouth, in his traditional way, "REMINDS ME OF A COFFIN, LONG AND NARROW." Lamb laughed and said, "WELL IT REMINDS ME OF A BIRD CAGE, YOU SEE THOSE GIRLS IN THEIR SCANTY COLORED COSTUMES, WITH THE FEATHERS IN THEIR HAIR, SERVING KISSES AND CHAMPAGNE AND GIVING OTHER FAVORS, THEIR NOT WEARING WEDDING RINGS.", as he pointed to the cribs overhanging the casino, and finished, "SO THAT IS WHY THIS PLACE REMINDS MY OF A BIRD CAGE. AND THOSE WOMEN, EDDIE, ARE LIKE BIRDS IN A GILDED CAGE, THEY PROBABLY DON'T HAVE A CHANCE" Foy laughed again, and said, "SOUNDS LIKE A TITLE TO A GOOD SONG."

Lamb began to write the words on a napkin, from the bar. Later that afternoon Lamb sat at the Bird Cage piano putting his new song to music as Eddie Foy approached and listened. He said to Lamb, "THAT'S ONE HELL OF A SONG, BUT NOT A SONG FOR ME, THAT'S A SONG THAT ONLY A WOMAN SHOULD SING." A short time later Arthur J. Lamb gave the song to a beautiful young unknown female singer, who was booked at the Bird Cage. She sang the song that night from the Elite Theatre stage. The roaring crowd brought her back eight times, it is said. The very next day, William Hutchinson, changed the opera houses' name from the Elite to The Bird Cage Theatre. That night launched the career of the most famous star in the history of the American Stage, her name was Lillian Russel and the song, "She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage", which was referred by many as the song that Foy couldn't sing. The Bird in the Gilded Cage became one of the most popular songs of the nineteenth century.

(Story taken from a Tombstone Az webpage (http://www.tombstoneaz.net/birdcage.php3).)

===

[veldagia]

Coldness, water, icey bubbles against his face, swilling into his ears. He was drowning! Josh gasped taking in a great lungful of water as he pushed upwards throwing his head out. He spluttered coughing the liquid out of his lungs. But no sooner had he taken a tiny gasp of air then his head went down again, forced by a pressure on the back of his neck and he saw darkness stinging his eyes, shocking his brain awake to respond, to fight against it. “What the f***” He shouted into the water sending great waves rushing out as he was surged upwards again.

He pushed himself away from the barrel spluttering and coughing as he rubbed his eyes then shook his head like a wet dog sending beads of water flying around the room like a wet dog. Jeanne again, she’d have her bags packed by morning. He’d had just about enough of her water assaults.

Still stamping his feet and gesturing around like a tantruming three year old his eyes fixed on the sheriff and the true nature of his assailment dawned on him. “You.” He roared his fist clenched and lips turned upwards into an angry snarl like a bulldog ready to charge for the throat.

“He did as I asked.” Jeanne calmly interrupted as she came into a room carrying a thick towel clothe and a hot steaming mug of strong coffee. “Dry yourself off, you old fool and drink this. Calista is back there and unfortunately for her you’re the only Dr in town. If you don’t sort yourself out then she might not make it through the week.” Her tone was abrupt but her eyes were soft as she gazed upon him. She knew what demons drove him to this state and reprimanding him was like scolding a starving child for stealing a slice of bread.

Josh nodded grumbling aimlessly to himself as he rubbed down his face and hair. The violent anger dissipating as the reality hit him, aching as painfully as the first time, tearing his soul as it always did. He was alone. His dearest Mary taken from him and their son dead within the day, his tiny body wrapped in her arms as they were buried. He held his head in his hands rubbing his fingers against his forehead to clear the morbid thoughts. Then took a long gulp of coffee leaning back in the chair before growling, “So what the hell is wrong with her that warrants such a rude awakening?” His message was clear, even though it was Calista, he wanted a sound explanation whilst the last dregs off alcohol seeped from his brain. An apology would go down a treat too.

[Shenanigans_SC]

The Bad have struck! They are adding the Inn to their territory!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/TumbleweedValley.jpg

Next challenge will be posted sometime later today.

[AtropaMandragora]

While Billy and Jeanne tended to Dr Josh, trying to wake him up, Calista tried to gather enough strength to pull herself back up. She rested for a few minutes, mentally preparing herself for the pain it would cause her to try and stand. She couldn't just lie here and wait for the doctor to sober up, or for bleeding to death, whichever would come first. Luckily for her, the bullet hadn't hit any major blood vessels. If it had, she would've been dead already. She'd seen men get shot in the leg and bleed to death in a few measly minutes. She didn't know how much time had passed since she'd been shot, but it was considerably longer than just a couple of minutes.
However, that in no way meant she'd be fine just laying around here. She needed to get the bullet out, and the wound stitched up, and she couldn't exactly do all that herself.
But, Jeanne... Jeanne was the doctor's assistant. Surely she knew something about these things? How could she not? She wasn't a goose, she'd had to picked up a few things from watching the doctor at work.

Taking a deep breath, Calista finally managed to pull herself back up. She still felt lightheaded, but she was determined not to give in to fatigue once again. She was stronger than that.
As she gently eased herself off of the operating table, she felt yet another warm trickle down her leg, and she looked down to inspect the wound herself. What a sight it was. Her thigh was smeared with blood, with long, dark lines running down her knee, shin and calf in every other possible direction, caused by her various positions since the shoot out.
Deciding she should somehow try and stop the blood flow, she firmly pulled the leather belt from her pants, wrapped it around her upper leg just above the wound, and fastened it tightly. Then she started making her way over to the door, supporting herself against the wall and any available furniture. She felt ridiculous, hobbling around like that, but what choice did she have?

Now hearing voices from one of the outer rooms, she took aim on the doorway leading there, and just inches away from reaching it, she heard the doctor's voice;

"So what the hell is wrong with her that warrants such a rude awakening?"

They were discussing her, and surprisingly, the doctor now sounded almost sober. Whatever Jeanne and Billy had done, it must've worked.
One last, final hop and she was there.

"I'm shot in the leg, you idiot", she grunted, leaning heavily against the doorframe.

Maybe not the nicest way to ask for someone's help, but she was in pain, and she sure had been made to wait for him to get his act together.

[Shenanigans_SC]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/hitme.jpg
“What kind of man goes and shoots a lady?” the townswoman whispered to her shopping companion while waiting in the Bakery to get bread.

“I bet she turned him down so he went and shot her. That Calista is one fine looking woman.” A drunk man stated as he ordered another shot of whisky at the bar.

Tumbleweed Valley was alive with gossip and whispers over the latest events. No one seemed to know the truth, but that didn’t stop them from talking.
“Did ya see the Sheriff carry her down Main Street?” the drunk continued. Aspen quietly cleaned the bar pretending not to listen.
“Yeah, he sure was awfully concerned about that there woman.” the other drunk answered. Aspen rolled her eyes. “I wonder what type of a reward she'll give a man for saving the day?” his equally drunk partner continued.

“Do you know what I think?” Aspen spoke up. The gossip of Sheriff Starks and Calista Barett was starting to irritate her. “I think it’s bout time we have something else to talk about. That last Poker tourney was good, I think we should have another tournament."
“HA! Now that old loon aint here to cheat her way into the jackpot.” The customer bellowed. “Better watch it Mack,” his partner interrupted. “Rumor has it her ghost is out there hauntin’ folks.”
“Now you two cut it out!” Aspen motioned playfully. “I think this time ‘round, we’ll play Black Jack. The house will take its cut of course.” She said with a wink.

~*~

This challenge calls all characters to return to the gambling tables in Tumbleweed Saloon. Game of choice this time around is Black Jack. Naturally, we’ll be using the S2C Arcade (http://forums.sims2community.com/arcade.php?do=play&gameid=10) once again. Previous scores do not count for this contest. The person to achieve the highest score of all participants in the next five days wins this challenge.

There’s a lot riding on this challenge! The territories are currently split up as so:
The Good: 8 buildings
The Bad: 4 buildings
The Ugly: 6 buildings

If the Bad win this contest and the next (which is the last), and took buildings from The Good, we would end up with a three way tie. So ya’ll are free to hit the tables! Deadline is five days and 1 hour from this post. Good luck!

[foolinthemoon]

Josh began to fight as Billy held him in the water letting him know he was starting to wake up, one more time for good measure and Josh was out of his grasp, turning around with some vile words ready for his attacker.

Billy raised an eyebrow as Josh was ready to hit him and wanted to chuckle a bit. Of all the time that Billy knew Josh, though they weren't friends, he'd never known to hit someone. Though he was sure he could be coerced into it if nessecary. Jeanne walked back out “He did as I asked.” Though, Billy didn't mind all that much, and maybe he actually enjoyed it a bit... yeah, just a bit.

Josh took the towel that Jeanne had handed him, wiping his face, and hair before walking back inside and to a chair. “So what the hell is wrong with her that warrants such a rude awakening?”

Billy was ready to tell him the obvious when someone did it for him. "I'm shot in the leg, you idiot", Billy spun around to see a pale faced Calista leaning on the door frame. Billy wanted to rush over, but planted his feet firmly, lucky for him, Jeanne was already there, trying to convince her to go lay back down.

"Jeanne's probably right, you dont' need to be up moving around," he turned to the doc and continued, "and as for you, I don't want anymore dead townfolk, so, get to work. I've got to go do my rounds anyway, it's past time." He looked back at Calista and nodded, he wanted to stay there and was a bit angry at himself. How had a woman turned him into such a soft man? She is one hell of a woman though...

He walked out the door and towards the saloon, He'd be having a drink before these rounds...

((Sorry! i'm late responding, i've been trying to play Black Jack, this is the ONLY table game i played in Vegas, though i wasn't that great XD))

[veldagia]

"I'm shot in the leg, you idiot", a harsh feminine tone answered. Josh raised his head to see Calista propping herself against the doorframe, blood dripping down her leg washing the colour from her features. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the state of the wound. Thick streaks of blood still seeping out from below where a belt was tightly bound around her thigh. Why the hell were they all sat around leaving him sat drinking coffee couldn’t they see that the woman needed a doctor urgently?

Jeanne obviously had the same idea as she was straight over to Calista, hushing her to lay back down. With her motherly tone that would not be argued with by anyone. She would soon have her cleaned up and calmed.

"Jeanne's probably right, you dont' need to be up moving around," the Sheriff said to Callista before turning to the doc"and as for you, I don't want anymore dead townfolk, so, get to work. I've got to go do my rounds anyway, it's past time." The Sheriff said.

Dr Josh stood up shaking his head at the Sheriff as he left. If he didn’t want anyone dead perhaps he should do a better job of policing the town. How on earth did Calista end up shot anyway? Where was he when one of his gang took an almost fatal wounding? He wouldn’t be surprised if the imbercele had managed to shoot her himself.

Josh would remember the dunking for a long time but right now there were far more important things to take care of. “Give her some of the strong stuff.” He shouted to Jeanne. She would understand that whatever Calsta’s protesting she would need to be out cold for this one.

Meanwhile he himself went outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. Feeling it rushing over him, clearing the head. He had some log hours ahead if he was going to fix that leg so her walking wouldn’t be impinged.

((I gave Blackjack a go.... lost all the starting cash.... )

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Okay, so that pretty much wraps up the surgery, right? And since Shenan's post hints that it's been at least a day since the shoot out, maybe we too should progress to the next day? But where will that put Calista? Still in the clinic, or will the good doctor allow her to go home? Keep in mind she'll probably be biting his head off until he does. *lol*)))

[Pandaness]

[[ Yay! A chance for me to get back in :3 I'll have a roleplay up later! ]]

[veldagia]

((OCC Happy to progess.

Dr Josh can't stop her from going home, but he will very strongly disapprove. There's a nicer room than the theatre that he rents to patients.

Though he's is always open to bribry as long as she takes all the prescribed "Magic" drugs so she can walk within a day or two or whenever you want/need her too :D))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Okay then, she'll insist on going home. *s* She'll even give him a few coins if he helps her get there with her dignity intact. *lol* And for making house calls, should he feel she needs them. ;) )))

The morning after the surgery, Calista was allowed to return home, with a little help. Or rather, the doctor was unable to keep her at the clinic any longer. Being the stubborn, hard headed woman that she was, she simply refused to stay there. Even just a few hours after the surgery, when she'd woken up from the slumber Jeanne and the doctor had forced on her, she'd been insisting for them to let her get up, muttering something about a score that needed settling. However, back then, she'd been forced to give in to their strict orders for her to stay put. She hadn't been strong enough to make it out of there on her own, let alone get herself over to the stables.
But since waking up at down, she'd been wearing them down. Jeanne mostly, as Dr Josh had found any excuse not to be around Calista when she was in that kind of mood.

But finally, they had given in, and Calista was now back home. In bed, but at home. She was still feeling drowsy, and she was certain that it wasn't from the wound itself, but from something the good doctor had slipped her to keep her in bed and out of trouble. In more ways than one. Mostly because he'd insisted that she needed rest and not be running around doing whatever it was that she used to do, but, she guessed, also because she'd seemed determined to have someone's head for causing her this much trouble.
Although she'd carefully avoided mentioning the name of this "someone". She'd rather keep what had really happened under wraps, and she sure didn't like the idea of anyone knowing she'd been shot by the godd*mned blacksmith. However, she wasn't sure that he on the other hand would keep his mouth shut, but for his sake, she hoped so.
Luckily for him, and everyone in town, staying cooped up at home kept her from hearing the rumours and the gossip currently flourishing in town.
But it also made her extremely frustrated. She had things to do, places to go and people to see. The sheriff... Billy especially. She wasn't really sure why, she just knew she wanted to talk to him. After yesterday, she wasn't really sure where they stood. She could still recall fragments of his voice, laced with worry, and of being in his arms, but then later... once Josh had come to his senses... Billy had seemed alot more distant, and he'd left so abruptly. He'd had to, of course, she knew that. It was just that...
No, she wasn't really sure what it was. But she knew it bothered her to be unable to look him up herself.


(((*fights with self to keep from writing lovey dovey stuff* ;) )))

[ElektraNatchios33]

Sierra woke up the next morning in a bed, which was unfamiliar. Then she realized it was her sister's bed. She was still shaken up about her death, but doing okay. That day she decided she would find out where that Aberle worked. Pepper said something about him being two people, which she still didn't understand.

Rummaging through papers in her secretary, Sierra eventually found where he worked. It was a firearms store. Should he be allowed around firearms? Anyway, she decided to pay him a visit. She knew he liked pie, and figured she should take him some. There was the empty pie pan which was laying on the counter, from when she ate the whole thing last night. Next to it was a apple pie with a slice cut out of it.

Who bought a slice of pie? She wondered. Sierra looked through the till to find that Aberle had indeed bought a slice of pie. I should take that one to him. She got dressed and went to the firearms store. She knocked on the door. "Hello?"

[Slytherin-Girl]

OOC: Daaang, I'm GOOD blackjack player in real life, but this game is hard stuff o.0 Hope some other good guys are having better luck than me

[Haylifer]

OOC: It seems impossible to get over 2000 for me... I suspect the opposition isn't placing his bets at all.. I put 200 in and I get 200 out if I win :confused: I must be doing something wrong.

[Slytherin-Girl]

OOC: Same thing happen to me Haylifer :( I dunno what's going on.

[Slytherin-Girl]

I always just click on start, max bet and then deal. It lists the pot as only the 200 i put in :(

[redwing_SC]

The pot is only what is bet. One can't bet more than 200. The player's amount goes up or down the amount of the bet (without insurance).

The game is working fine at the moment.

[Haylifer]

No, it's not working for me for some reason. I'll be doing something wrong but.. I bet 200 and the pot says 200, if I win I get my 200 back and if I lose, I don't. And I do exactly what slytherins-girl does... So the highest I can get is 2000

[Shenanigans_SC]

I saw what was being posted, and I went to test it out. It appeared to do for me what Haylifer and slytherin have said. I was curious and tried it in a different browser, and it seems to make a difference.

I think in firefox the game doesn't behave properly. In Internet Explorer it worked okay. In Internet Explorer the Pot still only shows how much I put into it, but when I win my cash amount goes up double what I put in it. In Firefox my cash only goes up the amount I put in it. I suspect the game was designed for Internet Explorer users.

I am sorry guys! I didn't realize this was going to be a problem. Please try it out and let me know how it goes.

[Haylifer]

Oh! Thanks Shenanigans, I'll try get my IE working. It's being a bugger and closing spontaneously at the moment but I'll fix that. :p -runs off to gamble-

[Shenanigans_SC]

Well, I take it all back, I just tried again in firefox and it worked as it was supposed to. I'm really sorry guys, I don't know what's with it!

*edit*
On another note... the little blue bar that pops up and says "You've won $200" (or how ever much you bet). I watched my money and it did infact increase $400... so maybe that is misleading?

[Slytherin-Girl]

((that's probably what it is. I just figured the pot would say 400 if each of us put in 200. *facepalm* and that's Robyn's blonde moment of the day :P ))

[foolinthemoon]

the game seems a bit buggy from time to time, but i can usually get around 3800 before i lose everything :P

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: What happened to this place? Everyone too busy gambling to RP? :p *lol* )))

[veldagia]

((No we're busy creating/refining characters for other RPs :P ))

The surgery had gone relatively well. Dr Josh had managed to remove the bullet and stitch the wound quite neatly considering its impact and his throbbing head. But then again the wound itself wasn’t the problem it was the patient. Calista was unbelievably stubborn and he knew that despite the loss of a great quantity of blood she would still insist on struggling around rather than resting. So he had to do something about it. As she would act as stubborn as a mule then he had given her enough drugs to knock a mule out. Dead on its feet.

Still he had given in and let Calista go home the following day. Glad to have her of his hair. And as she herself had insisted in leaving if the wound festered without his or Jeanne’s care then it wasn’t his fault. He repeated this to himself several times but still he had the niggling feeling that she wouldn’t follow his instructions. That somehow the medication would be forgotten or washed down the pan. Then she’d spend the rest of her days limping around and souring his good reputation. And that just wouldn’t do.

Yet he couldn’t face her angry protests on a dry head. No he’d just pop by the saloon first. Place a bet on a few games of backgammon and hope to double his earnings from Calista’s fate. The vision of his carriage was drawing ever nearer like a golden chariot sailing out of the sun.

He picked up his hat and strolled out back across the road. Hopefully this time his drinking wouldn’t be interrupted. Tipping his hat to the regular’s who graced the saloon he took his usual seat at the bar.

(OCC open to anyone who wants to stop by the saloon))

[foolinthemoon]

Billy reached the saloon early that afternoon and failed to leave far from the steps of it since. He'd only had a few drinks but he was trying to keep himself busy at with his mug to keep him from walking back to the doctor's.

Calista hadn't left his mind since he left the day before, and found he was barely able to sleep because of it. He tipped his hat at Aspen, she seemed to be in a fine mood today as the Black Jack tournament was breaking everyone and she was making a nice piece of mint off of the whole deal. She smiled widely before he pointed to his mug while grinning. "How's the House doing?" as if he needed to ask. He was glad to see her smile though, she was a close friend of his. "Say, I been meaning to ask you, what happened to that Lolita girl? She up and left with that rich man, didn't she?" Billy chuckled at the thought as she answered when he noticed Josh make his way to the bar. "Aspen, give the good doctor a drink, on me."

Billy scooted over a seat and smiled "for the dunking ofcourse." Billy would only hope that he'd reveal some information about Calista. Maybe since he was here, he could slip in and see her if she was still at the sugery.

[cherryp3]

ooc: O__o I have no idea how to play this game, but I'll give it my best shot I suppose. *hangs head*

I'll have a response from Aberle up soon Elektra.

[veldagia]

As Dr Josh approached the bar he heard the distinctive rumbled of the Sheriff’s voice "Aspen, give the good doctor a drink, on me." As he approached the Sheriff continued "for the dunking of course."

Josh scowled his eyes narrowing into dark slits. He didn’t need any reminders of last night’s affairs with the Sheriff, the anger still bubbled under the surface like a pot of curdled cream ready to explode. But he kept it just under control and grumbled a “thanks”.

“She is not at the surgery.” Josh said bluntly. It was blatantly obvious that the Sheriff wished to enquire of Calista. “Despite my advice that the wound was best treated by one such as Jeanne, who would inspect and give it the required care to ensure a clean heal.” He huffed the disapproval evident in his tone. “No, she wished to be at home. Obviously I would advise against visitors, she needs to rest and plenty of it. Nothing to excite her.” He had seen the way Billy had looked at Callista, it was obvious that there was something quite disrespectful going on between the two. And the women needed to sleep and give the body time to heal itself not go prancing around with the buffoon of a man before him.

He took a long gulp of his drink. Pausing to watch a hand of cards played out. It seemed the player was on a loosing streak by the sinking gloom that spread over his face like moor fog, the sallon obviously was taking great odds again.

“I will check on her a little later and have sent Jeanne round already with some of her hearty soup. Our guests often come back after they have healed demanding to know the recipe.” He chuckled. It was true Jeannes cooking would fill a starving soul with glee and the broth though restoritive tasted fit for a dying King or Queens last meal.

[foolinthemoon]

((so Josh thinks Billy would excite her? XD hehehe...))

[AtropaMandragora]

(((ooc: Well, he would. :p )))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Congratulations Bad Gang! Atropa has taken over the title of Black Jack Champion! As usual, you have three days to decide and let me know which building you’d like to add to your territory! Once I hear from you (or two days which ever is shorter), I'll be posting the next and final round.

[Slytherin-Girl]

I knew you would win this one :P Congrats!

[AtropaMandragora]

*takes a bow* Thank you, thank you. Would've been fun to RP that tournament, but, uh... She's still stuck at home. *lol*

[Shenanigans_SC]

This just in! The Bad have taken over the Firearms Shop!

The next (and final :( ) round will be posted in less than 24 hours.

[Slytherin-Girl]

*is excited* We get an updated map too right? I honestly cant remember who has what now LOL

[Shenanigans_SC]

Oh, yes, the map (on the first page) has been updated, but like always you'll have to refresh your screen to see the changes.

[AtropaMandragora]

*biting nails*

Aw, I'll be so sad when this is over.
Still, if there's a free form, we might make it come alive again? Right now, there's not much action. :lonely:

[redwing_SC]

Right or wrong? (Wrong, I hope.) Because the Bad opted for an Ugly property (the Firearms Shop), the Good have now won the game regardless of the last challenge, right?

[foolinthemoon]

(( Redwing, yes, thats right, and since you are no longer part of the gang, i wouldn't let it concern you. Atropa knows what she's trying to achieve. Edit: You know redwing, i could be a real bitch and say a few choice phrases a few of us have been dying to make to you, but i'll keep it to myself. If you have issues with someone on the forum or don't like the way the operate, do yourself, and for gods sake, US a favor and keep it to yourself. We all know you like to stir the shit, and it's rather old... so...))

Billy walked out the saloon, satisfied with his and Josh's interactions and noticed he had shit on the bottom of his boots... "Oh, look at that." Stomping his boot into the dirt and then wiping it across the edge of the porch, it slid off, leaving his boot clean, as he went to see Calista.

[redwing_SC]

(( Redwing, yes, thats right, and since you are no longer part of the gang, i wouldn't let it concern you. Atropa knows what she's trying to achieve. ))

((I can't wait to see what it is.))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Atropa - After this I do plan to open it up to free form. There will be a few changes to the map and such. Once Salem dies down a little, I do have plans to have a couple of 'adventures' here in Tumbleweed. They'd be entirely voluntary for those who'd like to participate. If anyone remembers Scout's Tiny Terror RP, the side adventure would be run a lot like that.

foolin - I'm sorry to interrupt the Sheriff on his way to see Atropa. I had written this RP up last night when he was still in the Saloon. I had edited it just a bit to have him drug back there. Sorry!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/goldpannin.gif

As Aspen poured yet another drink for a customer she heard the familiar swing of the saloon doors. Glancing over she was surprised to see a new face, one that had not been seen in town before. The man was dirty as could be, looked as if he had climbed his way out of a grave. “Josh” she said quietly to the doctor, nodding her head in the direction of the door. The man stumbled towards the bar. His clothing was torn, various cuts and dried blood covered his face.

As he leaned against the bar straining to remain standing he struggled to ask if there was a doctor in town. Doctor Josh suddenly had the urge to leave the saloon. Could there just be one day that he could enjoy a drink without someone needing him to save the day? “My leg, I think, I think it’s a gonner.” The man pulled his trouser leg up and those around him were horrified to see it swollen and black. “What happened to you?” Aspen asked.

Before the man could answer, Doctor Josh slammed his glass down on the bar. “I say by the looks of it that would be caused by the poison of a rattler. This man needs help immediately before it spreads further and he loses more than his leg.” He looked towards Aspen, “Go catch the Sheriff quickly, I’ll need his help to get this man to my house.” Not but a couple minutes later the Sheriff had reluctantly returned.

As the three men walked down Main Street the man poured out to them all he had suffered through. He was hired by a prospector to work on his land panning for gold. When the caravan he was a part of stopped for a rest, he had gone out into the bushes to ‘take care of business’. Apparently there was a rattler there that didn’t care much for getting pissed on and he made it known. The man got back onto the wagon hoping to get to a town before it got bad. But the prospector sure as hell wasn’t interested in having a cripple work for him so he kicked him off.

Billy and Josh didn’t really care to hear the man’s tales of woe. But the details of where that prospector was headed in such a hurry sure caught their attention. The location he was headed for wasn’t far from Tumbleweed Valley.

~*~

Welcome to the last and final challenge! I know there aren’t many of you still active out there, and I want to take the time to thank those who have stuck with me through all of this. As you may have guessed, you will be panning for Gold. And predictably so, the Gang who brings in the most Gold is the winner.

Here is the “river” in which you’ll be panning.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/GoldMining.jpg

Every gang is to pick six squares to work on. In theory this would be one square per person, but leaders, you may have to decide all six on your own if you’re the only person left. There is only room for one person in each square, so there will not be any overlapping. After I get PMed with a Gang’s positions I will post them here for the others to see. Those squares are then off limits. Once you send me your numbers and I’ve posted them in the thread you are not allowed to change them. They are indeed locked.

And what would this type of challenge be without a clue?
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/panning.jpg

[Shenanigans_SC]

I have gotten numbers from the Good Gang.
As of now the following spots are not available.
Good:
14, 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20

*edit*
I now have numbers for the Bad Gang as well.
Bad:
17, 13, 11, 8, 7, 5

Just got the number in for the Ugly.
2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 21

I'll have the results posted soon.

[omarawad]

(9Are you going to keep this as freeform))

[Shenanigans_SC]

(9Are you going to keep this as freeform))

Up a couple posts (#968) I did say that I will open it to freeform. I also hinted as to some of the changes that will be made. I do hope it continues on. :)

[Shenanigans_SC]

Well, I have numbers in from all three teams. Good news is, all the gold was indeed found! Bad news (for two gangs) one gang found more than the other two.
The Good were successful in squares 18 & 20. Two for them.
The Bad were successful in squares 5, 7 & 8. Three for them.
The Ugly were successful in squares 3 & 9. Two for them.

So that makes the Bad Gang the winners of this round!

I wonder if anyone tried to decipher the clue? Here it is explained for anyone who is curious.
If you looked at the picture very, very closely, you could vaugly make out two words on the rim of the pan.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/panningcircled.jpg

If you enlarged the picture, you could make out the words.
The first was GET
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/panningget.jpg
The second was RICH
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/rich.jpg


If you'd number the alphabet (ie A means 1, B means 2) GET RICH corresponds with the exact numbers where all the gold was.

Congratulations Bad Gang! You had one hell of a winning streak there in the end!

Further congratulations to the Good Gang! Though your numbers were the smallest, and your gang possibly the quietest through the whole RP, you managed to turn Tumbleweed Valley into the respectable community you set out to do!

From the bottom of my heart, I thank the few of you that are left around this thread. Thank you for having patience with me, and sticking it out till the end! I will open this back up for applications and turn it into a free form soon. First I'd like to give you the opportunity to share any suggestions or requests that you may have. I will need some time to change the map. I want to add some buildings that are missing, and make them all a unified graphic. No more "territories".

Again, thank you!

[AtropaMandragora]

Yey! We won the round! *happy dance*
And yey! We didn't finish last! Woohoo! *lol*


Thank you Shenan for an awesome roleplay. I really enjoyed it, even though it was FAR too quiet lately. *stern look at the other RPers* ;)

[ElektraNatchios33]

haha, that was partially my fault too. It was very cool even though Sierra is still depressed :) She will be back! And with a picture (hehe)

I loved the RP Shenan! (Salem's pretty awesome too)

[Pandaness]

Whoo! I loved that RP! Thanks Shenan, I look forward to Salem and other awesome RP's hosted by you!

[foolinthemoon]

oh boy, now Billy has more time to shot NPC's and hit on calista... maybe he can take that soup to her... XD

[AtropaMandragora]

*lol* About damn time! He's been letting the poor woman starve! *snicker*

[Slytherin-Girl]

WOOOOHOOOOO! *does happy dance* Congrats gang members we won!

:P Never underestimate the quiet ones!

I'd love to be able to jump back into this somehow :) It was a lot of fun!!!

[cherryp3]

ooc: :] Oh boy! I will adore the freeform, I do believe. My little Aberle has been stuck in a rut. <3
So, in the freeform...will it concern the same events or...what?

[Gerbera]

Yay, go good! :D

I am sorry for not being very active lately, I was veeery busy with real life. But thanks Shen for this awesome RP, it has been a lot of fun :)

[omarawad]

((Yay! Time for an RP))

Cristen was riding through town, seeing how much it had changed. A while ago you couldn't move two feet without some prostitute offering him "A good time". Now, it was a respectable place. Apart from Apen. She wouldn't leave him alone.

[Shenanigans_SC]

Can I please have a sort of rolecall? I'm nearly done with the map, and I'd just like to know who plans to continue with the free form. I'd like to clear out some houses that won't be used so new people can claim them if they like. And I'd like to create a new post listing who is who before re-opening this to new applications. Thanks!

[Slytherin-Girl]

Count Mrs. Katherine-Eugenie in :P After all, how could the leader of the winning gang quit! :P (Hey, I figure she survived and didn't get stabbed and float down the river *whistles and snickers* I can't let her go)

(And funnily enough, even though i haven't played her in ages, I seem to remember that she was good friends with the one who did the stabbing LOL)

[AtropaMandragora]

I'm in. Might have a second character on stand-by, should more than one character be allowed. :D

[cherryp3]

ooc: Of course Aberle and Halse are in. ;]

[foolinthemoon]

Billy is SO still here! infact, i'd like to write an RP this afternoon if its okay, but i'll wait to see what Shenanigans says...

[Shenanigans_SC]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/title.gif
Welcome to Tumbleweed Valley – Freeform Edition
**Map and Current Character List is here (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1025852&postcount=996).**

Tumbleweed Valley is a small western frontier town nestled deep in the Arizona Territory. It, like so many others, has just survived a battle of wills. The Good Gang managed to hold the town together, placing it on the map, becoming known as a respectable community. However, just because the town is respectable, doesn’t mean all of its citizens are.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/characters.gif
Let me introduce to you some of the people who call Tumbleweed Valley home. Each of these people has done a tremendous part in shaping the Tumbleweed Valley of today.

- Sheriff Billy Starks – Shady Sheriff Starks, as some have come to call him, is the presiding law in Tumbleweed. He firmly believes that law is like beauty. Purely in the eye of the beholder.
- Mrs. Katherine Eugenie Hamilton – The southern belle who singlehandedly led the Good Gang to victory. If you seek a friendly face, she is the one you want.
- Ms. Calista Barett – The sharpest shooter in Tumbleweed, she was the Bad Gang’s greatest asset. She owns a Livery on the outskirts of town, she’d be honored to hold your horse for you, not to mention a few other things.
- Dr. Josh Cooper – Tumbleweed’s only doctor, he’s sure to have something for whatever it is that ails you. For a fee of course.
- Aberle and Halse White – The owner of the firearms shop is actually two people in one! Better make sure you know who you’re speaking to before you even open your mouth when it comes to this guy.
- Ms. Aspen Brooks – Purtiest Saloon Owner that ever lived. Famous for her wicked liquor and providing a good time.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/goal.gif
The freeform is a bit different than the contest RP that was held. Here’s some of the new rules.

- Two characters max per person! And your first character must be active for two weeks before creating a second. Most people have a hard time staying active with just one character. However you are allowed to create NPCs to fulfill your character’s life. A lot like Sheriff’s Deputy Beuford, or Katherine’s husband and child.
- There will be no official Gang territory, however you are allowed/encouraged to create Posses. Perhaps there will be rival Posse, perhaps some will be friendly with each other. The leader of a Posse makes all decisions regarding accepting a new member, or kicking a current one out. If you’d like to be part of a posse, better make friends with its members.
- New comers will not be allowed to choose a posse and just jump on board. You have to actually roleplay! Perhaps you’d ask around town who’s who. You have to put the effort into finding a posse and doing whatever it takes to join. Some posses may let you in if you simply ask. Other may require you to rob a train! All initiation processes are solely up to the different posses.
- If your character is inactive for three weeks straight it will be removed from the new character listing. If you are missing because of real life issues, please just let me know, and you won’t be removed.
- These rules are always open to me for adding to and revising.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/applications.gif
Here’s just a little information about Tumbleweed Valley to help the new comers feel at home. Consider it a Welcome Brochure of sorts.

- Tall Grass Prairie is home to nine Indian Villages and several buffalo.
- Diamondback Hills is a dangerous place filled with rattlesnakes.
- Big Horn Mountain’s long horn sheep population is dwindeling.
- Tumbleweed’s closest town is Shady Gulch. It has the nearest railroad depot.
- Gold has been found in Blue River.
- There are rumors that the newly abandoned house on the corner of Wagon Wheel and Donkey Tail Roads is haunted.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/misc.gif
New Applications:
Those who’d like to join in on the freeform play, please submit the below complete application before posting an RP.

Name:
Age:
What empty building you’d like to take over: (Not necessary if you'd like to stay at the Inn)
Picture: (No longer HAS to be a Sim)
A little bit about your character:

If there are any questions, my Inbox is always open!

Map and Current Character List is here (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1025852&postcount=996)

[Gerbera]

Count me in :D

My life has become less stressful again so I'll have more time to RP. Plus, I like Jonathan quite a lot! *lol*

[Shenanigans_SC]

Okay, I posted a slightly changed version of Tumbleweed Valley. Just to clarify about the Posses for my characters that have been around, they're basically character driven gangs. It's up to you guys to form, and up to you guys to govern yourselves. I will be posting a new Characters list for the freeform version along with the changed map later.

Let me know if you have any questions. I know it's hard to shift gears when we've been doing it a certain way for so long.

[AtropaMandragora]

Oooh! Oooh! *raises hand in the air* Question! (Bet you never saw that one coming, huh? ;) )
Regarding the characters; you say the first character will have to have been active for 2 weeks before one can submit a second one. My question is; 2 weeks starting now, including us oldies, or does 2 weeks back count as well?
Just don't wanna get it wrong. :)

[innoscenteyes]

hmmm. I am going to have to think of a character first, then i will do the app.

[Shenanigans_SC]

You oldies that were mentioned in my post above as those who helped shape Tumbleweed Vally (basically the few who stayed till the very, very end) have proven your ability to stay with this RP and have already met and in fact have exceeded the two week requirement.
In plain words Atropa, create away!

[Gerbera]

Uhm ... Do we have to make new apps for the freeform or are the apps only for the ones that are new in this RP?

edit: Thanks for your answer below, Shenanigans :)

[Shenanigans_SC]

Uhm ... Do we have to make new apps for the freeform or are the apps only for the ones that are new in this RP?

Those who have been around still have their characters, and the story line ya'll created is still existing. Basically TW is continuing, just no more fighting for territory. The new applications are solely for anyone new who would like to join.

(I know... long answer for short question! lol)

[omarawad]

((Not to nitpick, but I'm not on the list))

[Shenanigans_SC]

Here is the most up to date map of Tumbleweed Valley.
(You will need to refresh your screen to see any recent changes.)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/Mila_Muromachi/SIMS2/TumbleweedValley/NewTumbleweedValley.jpg

Current Freeform Characters:

Cristen Brooks - Ranch Owner (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=937339&postcount=20)
Jonathan David McDoultry - Forge Owner (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=944966&postcount=374)
Mrs. Katherine Eugenie Hamilton - Southern Belle (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=938040&postcount=69)
Aspen Brooks - Saloon Owner (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=937299&postcount=11)
Calista Barett - Livery Owner (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=937369&postcount=25)
William "Billy" Starks - Sheriff (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=938383&postcount=125)
Aberle/Halse White - Firearms Shop Owner (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=937306&postcount=14)
Josh Cooper - Doctor (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=937856&postcount=57)
Sierra Spice - Bakery Owner (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=977652&postcount=694)
Jack Scarlett - Inn Owner (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=937232&postcount=3)
Jesse Ata'halne - Ranch Owner (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1025898&postcount=1004)
Ginger Biel - Saloon Girl (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1026106&postcount=1005)
Jules Cathar - Stagecoach Depot (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1026215&postcount=1017)
Joseph "Joey" Fabray - Troublesome Teen (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1026813&postcount=1031)
Alice May Duvall - Banker's Daughter (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1027568&postcount=1056)
Stephen Fletcher - Firearms Shop Helper (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1029394&postcount=1078)
Jeanne Anthony - Dr.s Aid (http://forums.sims2community.com/showpost.php?p=1036967&postcount=1115)

Currently available buildings:
(Available Businesses are run by NPCs until a playable character takes their spot.)
The Bank (if you'll be Alice's Family)
The Church
The Post Office
The School House
The General Store
Any Unlabeled Houses

[Shenanigans_SC]

((Not to nitpick, but I'm not on the list))
Quite honestly omarion, that's because your character didn't have a large role in the RP. With your move, he just wasn't around much. You are however on the current characters list, and you still have your ranch. :)

I have now posted a list of current characters. (Post above this one) If there is anyone I did not list that does intend to participate in the freeform, just let me know. I'll be happy to add you!

[innoscenteyes]

I am thinking of a saloon girl. hummmm.

[omarawad]

((Yay! *Happy dance* :p))

[Shenanigans_SC]

I am thinking of a saloon girl. hummmm.

The Saloon is ran by the lovely Aspen Brooks. You may have to approach her regarding your employment. She's empty handed at the moment so I'm sure she'd love to have you!

**edit**
Holy Smokes! 1000th post? I'm amazed!

[Haylifer]

((Oh, I'm in a dilemma now.. I really want to say I'm still in but I know that in the past few weeks I haven't been as active as I should have. And I have stacks of college work and I'm already up to my eyeballs in RPs.. I don't wanna abandon my Jack though! Meh. Can I stay?))

[Shenanigans_SC]

((Oh, I'm in a dilemma now.. I really want to say I'm still in but I know that in the past few weeks I haven't been as active as I should have. And I have stacks of college work and I'm already up to my eyeballs in RPs.. I don't wanna abandon my Jack though! Meh. Can I stay?))

Of course you can stay Haylifer! I'm happy to add your name to the list. It's kind of refreshing/encouraging to see this thread come alive again!

[innoscenteyes]

thanks for the idea! I Have an good plan for a character now . My app will be up later!

[PennyTheCorgi]

Name: Jesse Ata'halne
Age: 24
What empty building you’d like to take over: across from the jail
Picture: Soon....
A little bit about your character: Jesse's mother was a navajo
woman who married an american rancher. Jesse was raised in Tumbleweed
Valley until age twelve when his father died of influenza and his
mother moved him and his sisters back to her tribe. Until he was
sixteen Jesse was raised in the tribe. In the winter of his seventeenth
birthday the tribe was raided by a neighboring tribe with help from
american settlers. His mother and sister, along with most of the
tribe were killed. Since then Jesse has traveled all over the west,
not staying in one place for more then a few monthes. He returned
to Tumbleweed Valley in hopes of finally settling down and maybe
starting a ranch.

http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k166/KarmaCorgi/CopyofSims2EP62007-09-2719-02-57-31.gif

Other pics here (http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k166/KarmaCorgi/Sims2EP62007-09-2719-02-57-31.jpg) and here. (http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k166/KarmaCorgi/Sims2EP62007-09-2719-08-20-10.jpg)

[innoscenteyes]

Name: Ginger Biel
age:19
What empty building would you like to take over: She will be staying at the salloon.:)
A bit about my character: Ginger is from a wealthy faimly. ALways attending parties and what not. SHe hated it. Hated the idea her father wanted to betroth her to some 40 year old slab just from money, so she ran away. Soon to find herself in Tumbleweed valley. Hopeing to find someone to settle down with. SHe is looking for a job that she will be good at. SHe hopes to be a Sallon girl, she thinks that it is the only thing she can do. (She isnt there yet.)

pic(I have two of them)

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc169/playslackert/salloongirl2.jpg

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc169/playslackert/salloongirl.jpg