xi_mods | GAME UPDATE: Sunday November 29th 2009

NEWS:
The attack at the conference is used as a springboard for an emergency bill, allowing a number of high-profile companies and government branches to make X-gene testing compulsory for employees. Stark Industries is amongst a small number of companies opposing the "knee-jerk reaction", as quoted in a recent interview with its CEO following the incident.

Negotiations have fallen through between the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and the Genoshan ambassador for the release of press agents detained whilst trying to illegally enter the port city of Hammer Bay. The family of one reporter appears on national television on Wednesday to repeat the appeal for their release.

Basil Dopes, the Vice President, is reported on Monday as having referred to Speaker of the House Havelock Vetinari as having a "stick up his ass". Vetinari declines to comment.

THE XAVIER INSTITUTE:
New arrivals and students coming back to the Institute following their Thanksgiving break will find it not an especially happy place following the Brotherhood's simultaneous attack on the conference and arrival at the school on Wednesday – Milla Vodello, the X-Man known as the Mental Minx and the Xavier Institute's Dance teacher, was killed in the attack. Emma Frost has offered some reassuring words (and pointed out which students might need an adult), while Lara Raith makes a point of offering counselling for those not taking it very well. Lara, however, may have ulterior motives ...

The weather is increasingly cold; it snows heavily on Tuesday evening.

THE BROTHERHOOD OF MUTANTS:
The underwater base is suddenly home to a bevy of new bros in the form of recruits picked up from the Xavier Institute by Rune, Red Helen and the Gambler (who hasn't returned with them, instead having been posted to some stealthy work in New York City). Red Helen has posted a welcome message for the new arrivals.

A meeting is held on Monday during which Magneto welcomes the neophytes into the Brotherhood's folds. (You had all better have codenames.) He says that human governments like America's are bringing only catastrophe on themselves with mutant-hating legislation like the registration bill, which he condemns as little more than a tool to attempt to control mutants; those who say it could be used to mutantkind's benefit are, he says, giving humanity a benefit of the doubt they have more than proved they do not deserve. He speaks with certainty of the mutant revolution he considers inevitable: he will be only too happy to help bring that revolution about.

This sort of meeting is probably the most that anyone besides senior members of the Brotherhood will see of Magneto, but he is around in his private fancy submarine chambers. (He probably will not notice if you steal one or two of his many spare capes to use as hammocks.)

WHAT WOLVERINE DID THIS WEEK:
Tackled a massive genetically engineered iceproof bat that was menacing an Arctic research station.

OOC NOTICES:
• So we've had a pretty significant change this past week in that now there's a secondary focal point of the game besides the Xavier Institute itself – the Brotherhood of Mutants' underwater base is now home to quite a few characters. The Brotherhood base has its own network – if your character is posting to it, please use the !!brotherhood tag on

xi_online and indicate in the post title that the post is being made to that network, because only Brotherhood members can view and respond to Brotherhood posts. (The Brotherhood can't view the Xavier Institute's network, either.)
If you've got a character who's now in the Brotherhood, remember to check out this post covering Brotherhood-y basics – and edit your character/s onto this list if you haven't already.

• If anyone has students who they want to join the Brotherhood of Mutants but were away for Thanksgiving or fighting at the conference when the Brotherhood arrived at the school, Lara Raith has made a deal with Rune to guide potentially interested students to the Brotherhood. More on that here. If anyone has students who they want to join the Brotherhood but it's just a case of the player having missed the event, feel free to handwave their having joined, but let us know so that we can update our lists accordingly.

• We'd like to remind everyone that we have a feedback post on which players can leave complaints, suggestions and feedback if they don't want to message a mod directly. Comments are screened and anonymous is enabled. We do our best to address problems with the game that are raised on this post, and, needless to say, we really really would rather hear your complaints there than on RP!S.
We mess up sometimes. We can't always please everyone. But we will damn well do what we can, especially if you actually tell us if you have a problem.

• As ever, this post is open for talking about what's going down for Xavier Institute classes and stuff, as well as Brotherhood training sessions and similar. We do encourage people to thread classes and mentor group activities where possible rather than just handwaving all of them, but if you don't want to do a thread or you want to plan something or wevs, this is the place!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Class has a seat or three empty and one of the Institute's instructors is now dead for real, but not only is that no excuse to falter, it's the best possible reason to keep going. The only blatant concession to the recent stress is that there is no new assignment this week. Instead at the start of each class period Brook will be taking a vote on which previous piece they'll be going back to for the day, and as an added merciful bonus he won't be springing any surprise Play Badly Time on you all this week. Enjoy the latter while you can.

A bit more subtly, in between the usual bouts of wacky you might catch him having a few more serious moments than usual, or paying particularly close attention to anyone that seems to be coping less well than the rest. Expect deeply entertaining levels of Magnificent Bastardry when it comes to cheering up as many people as possible in the time allotted. (He can do that in serious mode too, and may if he has to, but it's hardly a surprise which one he prefers.)

This week's average daily puns-per-class: 152

***

Mentor group gets even more of the above and is permitted to do pretty much whatever they want, not that the latter is at all unusual. If it's going to be the traditional movie night, this will be the only time Brook actually casts a vote for what they watch: the fluffiest and least dramatic choice available, whichever that may be.

Oh boy... Derrick will probably mention his powers to Brook as a warning at the beginning. His first thought upon meeting his instructor is "The hell is up with his hair?" ._. Being a skeleton doesn't bother him really nor all the puns. He doesn't say or show any of this though.

And then he will spend the entirety of class glaring at an instrument (let's start with a trumpet) instead of playing it... in a corner as far away from everyone as he can be. Also, just being lost in general because he knows nothing about instruments or playing music and wonders how he let himself get talked into taking this class when he's a danger to everyone else and knows nothing.

... I swear eventually Derrick will like this class... |D;

Spin will be trying to be friendly with Derrick and get him into the spirit of class because this class is a lot of fun and everyone should like it and it's so interesting and also it serves nice further reason to not be sad about some of the missing seats.

Awww Spin... Derrick will warn him not to touch the glowy things if they appear because he doesn't want the nice kid with headphones to get shocked. ._.

He may also ask about choosing an instrument to play. I know he'll eventually settle on a bass guitar, but he has no clue for the time being.

And then he will spend the entirety of class ... in a corner as far away from everyone as he can be.

The hell he will! Acting like that in Band is a good way to get Brook's immediate attention, and once that happens your only options are letting yourself get dragged into participating or jumping out the window. And honestly, even jumping out the window might not save you.

He'll get this kid caught up on the basics in no time, thank you very much. |D

Haha. I was told something like that would happen. |D Derrick is not used to this at all but accepts that this is probably going to happen each time, so he should follow along and do something that won't bother others or Brook. And practice extra hard in control and on his own time. He'll do something a little more participating, though the trumpet will not work out. =|

Brook is pretty much unbotherable, for what that's worth. And Derrick can try as many instruments as he wants. Heck, some kids still change up every other day just for the fun of it. He doesn't really care, he's just there to help you all have fun ~~because this is secretly Fun 101, they just call it Band for paperwork reasons~~ I mean.

Spin may or may not be using this class as a crutch to try and block out his nerves, because he is no doubt totally feeling lousy about the things that have happened and he very much likes Professor Brook's way of cheering people up. The empty spaces in the room do weigh heavy on the kid, but mostly everyone is there, right?

Spin hopes he is not showing too much bias when he casts a vote for redoing RESPECT, though the Beatles is very much approved as well.

Spin is okay with whatever Mentor Group does, so long as they can spend time together.

It is absolutely allowable and good to use Band class for that purpose, grasshopper. :3 There is also nothing wrong with voting for awesome music (even if Brook thinks most/all music is awesome anyway), bias or no.

And that's what mentor group is really all about. ( ._.)/\(._. )

Band is like comfort food: always there when you need it and a great thing to have when everything else is falling apart around you.

Needless to say, J is voting for Clapton, Clapton, and more Clapton. He's also going to be really chatty with everyone still in class. ~~He's totally not still shaken up or anything. Nope.~~

Mentor group is watching Disney. Lots of Disney. Yes.

Disney! Disney is good and excellent and Brook ~~has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to good Disney musicals~~ will absolutely be supporting that.

There will almost certainly be a day of Clapton too. :3

GAME UPDATE: Sunday November 29th 2009

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