Caution Advised
This thread may include adult content including violence, strong language or nudity, readers' discretion is advised.

Flag

V.I.L.E.
Best answers
0
AMA
findcarmen.com
Color #
808080
Flag had taken note of Joe's departure, but found himself turning to look over his shoulder toward the sorrowful tone. Having missed it - and it's context - as the jester returned to the mess hall, he entered the men's green room.

Most theaters had rooms like this; a place where performers would decompress between scenes, change costumes, and practice monologues if needed. A shut door and a cue-caller (sometimes a closed-circuit television) would ensure that the noise never reached the stage. Each of these rooms had it's particular quirks and this one had two; an unexpectedly comfortable couch that seemed to always contains a person's worth of ugly clothing in it's cushions, and a private shower. Flag took advantage of both whenever he found himself staying on the island.

He tried to reflect on Joe's words as he went through his brief morning routines, but found his thoughts drifting instead to Abu Dhabi and all that it meant. Carmen's greeting a short while earlier had payed on that and he wanted to delve into it more but his introspection was interrupted by the realization that most of anything he could change into was currently in a London locker or an arab tailor's shop.

A quick glance at the couch immediately negated the idea of borrowing from it. Instead he crossed the room and opened a lockable cabinet that contained his journal and a folded set of deep black robes. That was all. He once again acknowledged the couch and reaffirmed that the long garment featuring a row of elaborate golden casps was his only option for the day. He swore under his breath.

It had been soaked in his blood and torn the day that he first met Carmen and he had been hesitant to wear it around her since, despite that it had been cleaned and mended to near perfection. He sighed and put it on, caving into the weird day's demands, and left to rejoin the others at the clocktower.
 

Neb

The VILEiest VILE to ever VILE a VILE
Best answers
2
AMA
findcarmen.com
Known Aliases
Nebuchadnezzar (Neb) Ullyss (formerly Kid Kidman), Kitty, Seryy Pripyat
Color #
323E4F
Meanwhile, Neb waited at the clock tower, dryly amused by how many times she ended up waiting on towers for her life to change.

She’d been up here for hours at this point, after sleep failed to find her. After her meeting with Carmen it soon became clear that the cacophony in her head wouldn’t allow for rest, so she’d proceeded to do what she usually did in such situations, and fired up the teleporter pad that led from the misty grey Stone to the hopefully less misty grey San Francisco.

The link to her apartment held many benefits, but the one most dear to her was easy access to a shower and bathroom, for in Stone Harbour such amenities were a decent slog from her nest in the attic. Once home she’d taken a moment to praise the gods of hot water, then leaned against the shower wall as she parsed through the implications of what she’d just agreed to.

The woman had almost allowed herself to believe that she’d exchanged one safety net for another, far more secure one, but it didn’t take long for her to dismiss the idea. Placing her survival purely in Carmen’s hands was naive at best and selfish at worst.

The real reason she’d agreed was seemingly more simple. Carmen had offered help, she’d asked her to stay and Neb wasn’t about to turn that down, even if accepting didn’t guarantee a better outcome.

After all, if she’d really been ready to live at all costs, she would have left VILE for ACME and hid in their shadow instead, close to medical care and far from Flag. But that would be a betrayal of her fierce sense of loyalty and possibly put her teammates in danger.

If she had to fail in her quest, she’d rather fall amongst friends, even if it meant falling to one.

Coming to the realization that she’d become dangerously attached to Flag had not been an easy one. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been aware of it forming, there was no way to ignore that. But accepting how far it extended, how deep it had become was incredibly unnerving, and she’d only faced it enough to know something had to be done.

In fact, she’d only really allowed herself to acknowledge it once she was sure she would be cutting ties. Now she was staying here, and the knowledge remained.

Of course, that would not be as much an issue as it seemed, she'd reasoned as she’d taken far too much time selecting her wig for the day. Flag was a wanderer. She doubted she’d see much of him now that he had no reason to stay put, as evidenced by the past six weeks.

That left her to ponder what future Carmen had planned for her as she waited high upon this observation deck, and she tugged at her long, wavy black wig as two figures take shape in the fog beyond.
 

Carmen

Queen of Crime
Best answers
0
AMA
findcarmen.com
Color #
850000
Once the double doors parted, Carmen's eyes found Neb waiting. The ringleader nodded approvingly, and turned first to the man beside her, "Acton, would you open the blinds for me?"

Then she walked towards the woman. "I'm glad you're here," after the whisper, she planted a cheek-kiss and paused to study the long wig, "This is nice, you look good."

Stepping back, Carmen removed her coat and draped it over the nearest chair.

The observation deck was located in a clock tower at the centre of Stone Harbour. While it was newly renovated, attention was given to the turn-of-the-century nautical theme prevalent in other parts of the grounds. Copper handles and slate blue woodwork played contrast against aged ash flooring. Considered a 'war room' while Carmen was in residence, a large round desk with overhead projectors displayed data while borderless windows showed panoramic views of the entire compound and the sea beyond.

"Did you get much sleep last night?" her question was simple but directed.
 

Neb

The VILEiest VILE to ever VILE a VILE
Best answers
2
AMA
findcarmen.com
Known Aliases
Nebuchadnezzar (Neb) Ullyss (formerly Kid Kidman), Kitty, Seryy Pripyat
Color #
323E4F
[Co-post: Neb/Carmen]

Neb was once again startled by such attention and she blushed slightly at the complement of her wig. Each one held special significance, a shade of a personality she wished to own, but these expensive dark-haired ones were of considerable significance to her. Her hair had once been this colour, she’d once been told.

“Thank you,” she murmured, then added with a weak smile, “I’ll get some sleep eventually.”


Reaching towards Neb, she offered a hand.

“I thought about you quite a bit,” she led the young woman to the round table at the centre.

An AMOLED screen displayed menu items while projectors above flashed on.

“I want you to shadow me while I’m here,” she explained and then spoke in a quieter voice, “and I want you to keep tabs for me while I’m not.” She glanced briefly to the unassuming Acton Roux, “Do you know what that might entail?”


I’m still asleep, aren’t I? Neb thought as she blinked from lack of comprehension. “I, uh….what? Me? Keep tabs on you?”

Memories of a disaster that technically never happened burst forth to mock her, and she bit her lip to push it back. “I mean...isn’t that sort of impossible?”
 

Joe Kerr

VILE Trickster
Best answers
6
AMA
findcarmen.com
Known Aliases
Joey, Joseph,
Color #
8a2be2
Polishing off the last of his hastily improvised sandwich, Joseph Kerr began to make his way to the clocktower by means of a brisk walk. Stopping momentarily to wipe off any crumbs and ensure presentability, he paused to consider the purpose of the meeting.

The ‘war room’ was reserved for only the most private and important of meetings, ones for which even the hidden rooms of the theatre were deemed insufficiently covert. The last time Joseph had been in there, plans for the MAMBA had been the topic of the day; the jester was under no illusion that today’s discussion would be as pleasant.

Rumours of Patty’s disappearance had been circulating; theories, ranging from a kidnapping or an untimely death to her eloping with a secret ACME paramour, had been proffered, but no credible information on her whereabouts had been obtained.

Despite not showing it, the jester was actually one of the most affected by her disappearance; All of VILE was a family to him, but Patricia had been one of those he’d been especially fond of. Having worked closely with her during a couple of Carmen’s previous absences, Joseph had gained an appreciation of how skillfully she employed her sharp wit and the surprising intelligence lying behind those baby blue eyes. Plus, with the natural charisma that she just seemed to radiate, it was impossible for anyone not to like her; little wonder that Joseph himself had pegged her as the most likely to succeed Carmen.

As he reached the door of the clocktower, Joseph silently prayed that Carmen had some good news.

 

Neb

The VILEiest VILE to ever VILE a VILE
Best answers
2
AMA
findcarmen.com
Known Aliases
Nebuchadnezzar (Neb) Ullyss (formerly Kid Kidman), Kitty, Seryy Pripyat
Color #
323E4F
When Joe entered, Carmen briskly tipped her head to welcome him.

Returning to her conversation, a genuine smile formed on the thief’s face and she nodded to Neb’s question, “Alright, you do know then.”

Opening a map of the world on the tabletop, she showed Neb the commands. Then whispered, “I’ll have full instructions for you later, but when I’m not here, I’m going to give you a way to keep in touch with me. Are you left or right handed?”



The lot of the situation didn’t make sense to her subordinate, but Carmen usually knew what she was doing. There was bound to be some spectacular logic behind her actions, a plan too amazing comprehend at this moment, so Neb let go of her attempts at logic and rolled with it.

“Right handed. I can have only so many abnormalities in one body,” she replied with a hint of jest.



Sharing the woman’s jest with a soft laugh, VILE’s leader knelt down. She removed a thin rose gold bracelet from her right wrist and placed it on Neb’s.

“Right, it is,” she smiled. The jewelry was a chain only half a millimetre in width, with a single blue moonstone cabochon glinting like a frozen tear.

As Carmen stood, the door opened and she acknowledged Flag’s entrance with a hesitation, smile and nod before turning back to Neb.

“I’ll show you how that works as well,” she paused briefly, “Are you all right?”



Carmen’s voice became distant in her ears as Flag entered the room. Not only was he still here, but he now donned a robe she’d seen him wear only once before. The blood drained from her face and she looked to the floor as her heart sped up in her chest.

“Yeah, just overwhelmed. Just a lot going on,” she forced out as her cheeks flushed with her heart’s redoubled effort.



Empathetic, Carmen placed a palm on Neb's colorless cheek, wordlessly conveying positivity.
 

Acton Roux

V.I.L.E.
Best answers
0
Color #
351c75
Once the double doors parted, Carmen's eyes found Neb waiting. The ringleader nodded approvingly, and turned first to the man beside her, "Acton, would you open the blinds for me?"
Acton immediately did as he was instructed, walking up a set of steps to a systems box and flipping open the switch to turn on motorised curtains.

When the blinds retreated, morning sunlight cast its golden beams onto Carmen. Dr Roux clasped the brass railing of the raised walkway to observe her from above. Beauty was often arguable, but at times a woman takes one's heart long before the effects are felt. From his vantage point, Acton wondered what drove this woman, he asked himself why she would take the blame for young Patricia's leaving. Then he watched her interactions with Neb and also wondered what she saw in the pale girl. How does one read the Esoteric Carmen Sandiego?
 

Joe Kerr

VILE Trickster
Best answers
6
AMA
findcarmen.com
Known Aliases
Joey, Joseph,
Color #
8a2be2
Upon returning Carmen’s greeting with a nod of his own, the Jester took a brief moment to take in the observation deck in all its nautical/steampunk-esque glory. Purposefully walking away from what he deemed to be a private conversation between the two ladies, Joseph ascended to the raised walkway the encircled the chamber.

His eyes immediately fell onto the plague mask wearing doctor who had been stoically observing the ladies; Joseph observed with some mirth that given Acton’s current position and mask, he resembled one of Poe’s eponymous black birds, watching morosely from a tree.

Ever the outsider looking in, eh Roux?

Approaching cautiously, the jester paused in mid stride to note Flag’s arrival before carrying on toward the silent doctor.

“Penny for your thoughts, Roux?”

 

Acton Roux

V.I.L.E.
Best answers
0
Color #
351c75
Acton Roux stood up straight to greet Joseph Kerr, but he did not understand why the man wished for pennies.

"I do not have coppers with me," he said while feeling his coat pockets. He thought it may be a joke, as often the jester had words to make people feel good no matter the situation. Perhaps, he deducted, the question was meant to ask his thoughts.

To this, the doctor paused and pointed with his beaked mask towards the woman in Converse, "She is blaming herself for our young colleague's disappearance. Have you any word from your contacts?"
 

Joe Kerr

VILE Trickster
Best answers
6
AMA
findcarmen.com
Known Aliases
Joey, Joseph,
Color #
8a2be2
At the mention of Patty’s whereabouts, or lack thereof, the jester’s smile disappeared.
”Unfortunately, no. You’d think a big ball of glittering sunshine would be easy to spot…”

Whatever Joseph had meant to say next died on his lips as he stared blankly for a moment; memories of a happier time momentarily overwhelming him.

Shaking his head to refocus, he quickly added to his previous statement.
“Then again, she was trained by the best. If, for some reason, she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be; not by you or me, at least.”

Having said his peace, Joseph moved to join Acton in quiet observation of the conversation below; silently they stood together, Comedy and Tragedy, keeping vigil over their charges, over the theatre of dreams.
 

Vic

Confidence Man
Best answers
0
Color #
008000
Vincent "Vic-the-Slick" Fumigalli was back in Stone Harbour after one of the longest business trips of his life. Carmen wanted a little celebration and it was up to Vic to get the team in Italy ready for some freezing fun at the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.
Italian team, Chinese fest, nothing could be more international.

"I have the plans!" he opened the door to the Observation Deck thinking he would be seeing only Carmen. When he saw the others he laughed, "Crack-a-Mole! Did the party already start?"
 

Carmen

Queen of Crime
Best answers
0
AMA
findcarmen.com
Color #
850000
When Vincent arrived, she arched toward the door and spoke his name, "Vincent Fumigalli, come, please."

She let him gather his papers and his thoughts, and then she took Neb's hand, "You remember Neb, Vincent," she re-introduced, "she'll be my shadow for the while, can you set this up?"
 

Latest posts

Latest threads

New Journals

Neutral Grounds
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Jon Eckart Jon Eckart:
    ((So... is it me or does the board not process double-space between sentences as double-space? Kinda bugs me, but I'll live))
    Quote Link
  • I :
    Guest invaderhorizongreen has joined the room.
  • I (Guest) invaderhorizongreen:
    Deric Storm said:
    Invader, have you checked your spam folder. Sometimes, I've had password reset emails go in there
    yes I have checked spam nothing
    Quote Link
  • I (Guest) invaderhorizongreen:
    I even have the site white listed, for a wild shot can any of you post a new question in the guessing game I had set up
    Quote Link
  • I (Guest) invaderhorizongreen:
    I would like to see if that will get my email to ping
    • Interesting
    Reactions: Tenchi Masaki
    Quote Link
  • I (Guest) invaderhorizongreen:
    I know that might just be a shot in the dark but why not try
    Quote Link
  • Tenchi Masaki Tenchi Masaki:
    Sure why not?
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    I hope you get it fixed Invader!!
    • Like
    Reactions: Jade
    Quote Link
  • Dj Inn(Djinn) :
    Dj Inn(Djinn) has left the room.
  • Lucy Lucy:
    Good Morning everybody. I hope you all have a wonderful day :)
    • Like
    Reactions: Tenchi Masaki
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    Did you know a group of Jellyfish is called a Smack? -Nat Geo
    Quote Link
  • Tenchi Masaki Tenchi Masaki:
    Smack O’ jellies is now a term
    • Haha
    Reactions: Lucy
    Quote Link
  • Jon Eckart Jon Eckart:
    ((OOC: So, I am still here (at least, while ACP is still a thing, then I have to tether my phone to my laptop, send it's internet to Ethernet to my router and setup my other laptop to access that... I managed it once totally by accident)... updating stuff I'm working on is not a fun process (if anyone checks my stories folder on my Google Drive) anymore... the laptop at my desk is old (Core 2 Duo, 2Ghz, 4 gigs RAM, Win7 Ultimate)... Chrome won't update, Drive won't work... I'm stuck using FreeFileSync to keep stuff up to datep things synced. I have plans of getting a job and having money to have something better (a doorstop is better)
    • Love
    Reactions: Julie Justice
    Quote Link
  • Jon Eckart Jon Eckart:
    [continuing] I'm sorry if any of my posts are/could be inflammatory or anything... some of them are stuff I've had in the pipeline for a while, and I messed with it enough to get it postable... that's why there are dates showing when I started working on stuff... I'm not, and never have been, trying to step on anyone's toes or say "this is how it should be"... I have no say here, not sure who does these days (like I posted... maybe this is a test to see if we devolve into chaos). Posts like Hierarchy were started long ago, and meant as a guideline and not because I'm the voice of Sauron.
    Quote Link
  • Jon Eckart Jon Eckart:
    [continuing] I don't have the time to be here a whole lot, I don't have much beyond mom to help with my rent (and once I have a job, that'll take up more time, though I will keep working on stuff (both for here and not) as often as possible, and post when possible on here. I have a question that needs some clarification... being that we are supposed to get permission from the person if we use their character in an addition/story/post, how would that apply if the character is core to the universe (like Carmen... I can replace @Chase, maybe cobble someone into @Ivy's place... but, like @Carmen, being that she's a major character, as long as I don't have her acting or write a major part for her, would that circumvent the rule at all?
    • Love
    Reactions: Julie Justice
    Quote Link
  • Jon Eckart Jon Eckart:
    [continuing] I'm just curious... the absence of the major's leaves a gap that I'm not sure what to do with anything... we (the Left Behind) could do a story together (or some stories separate), and that'd be cool, but without being able to use any major's, I'm not sure where to take anything. And, yeah... you can probably guess what my typing is like here (or anyplace else)... I type here or in Word, I type something (or notepad), and 15-20+ seconds later it shows up, so I have to stay on top of my grammar and spelling. I have to keep on top of all that, because I'm working on the big Carmen story at the same time, so I can't slip off my game.))
    • Love
    Reactions: Julie Justice
    Quote Link
  • Julie Justice Julie Justice:
    @Jon Eckart Not exactly sure if I understand all your computer probs. I hope you get those resolved soon. Yes, I have many probs with my basic Google Chrome, too. I think it's fair to say we all have a love/hate relationship with technology. 😆 As far as your stories are concerned, you can use any cannon character you like, whether there is a person playing that role on here or not. Say the story is a fanfiction; and that the version of Chase, or Carmen (or whoever) from the computer games, gameshow (or whatever). We don't do Netflix Carmen, mostly because of the violence. And because it is fanfiction, you can also create other characters and situations to suit your story. Now, Chase, Carme, Ivy (or whoever) were here, of course, you would ask their permission; tell them your idea; and if they like it they might write it with you. 🙂
    • Like
    Reactions: Tenchi Masaki
    Quote Link
  • Julie Justice Julie Justice:
    @Jon Eckart Now, if you for a friendship with someone on--and off-site, you might form a partnership with them, and write stories together (like Chase and Carmen; or Chase and Ivy; or Lucy and I) and then you will just put a statement saying that this story is a co-write with whoever. In fact, if you collaborate with this person a lot, people will just assume they have your permission; although you should always say it anyway, just as a common courtesy. In fact, ironically, the only people whose permission you must always ask to use their characters are "original" characters, who are creations of their individual writers (which most of us on here, are) specifically because we are not cannon. I hope that makes sense. 🙂
    Quote Link
  • Julie Justice Julie Justice:
    @Jon Eckart Now, if you want to write something, but don't have a lot of time, I would suggest posting a status; or replying to someone else's status. Or you could start a guessing game. Look under Forums/Guessing Games, and look at some things other people have done, to give you ideas. I hope that helps. 🙂
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    Did you know that the Mockingbird is the state bird of 5 states? Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
    • Like
    Reactions: Jade
    Quote Link
  • Tenchi Masaki Tenchi Masaki:
    It seems the Mock-5 is unstoppable... Go Speed Go!
    • Like
    Reactions: Lucy
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    I just heard on the news they're going to have to remove the Sakura trees in Washington because of damage to a sea wall. They have to build a sea wall and replant new trees.
    • Like
    Reactions: Jade
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    They were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo!
    Quote Link
  • Lucy Lucy:
    Okay wait. Only 158 of the 2,500 have to be taken down. They are also taking clippings from the cut down trees to propagate new ones
    • Like
    Reactions: Tenchi Masaki
    Quote Link
    Lucy Lucy: Okay wait. Only 158 of the 2,500 have to be taken down. They are also taking clippings from the...
    • Like
    Reactions: Tenchi Masaki
    Top