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Gatling,Texas. 2009.
They sat in their little slice of heaven behind the utility room on the south end of the Gatling Garrison football field. The preceding four years had been ones fraught with ups, downs and everything in between. There had been love, laughter, pain and even death yet it had brought them all closer together. They had not been the stereotypical group of friends from an outsider's perspective. If it were anywhere else, they would all most likely belong to a different social clique but fast times at Gatling West High School had bound them together forever.
Tradition was a huge thing in this small rural town and this particular group were about to partake in one relatively new tradition, a signature to become a memory. As they signed their names on the old off white wall with a stolen marker from Mrs Rome’s class, a cloud of true sadness hung high above them, hidden by the orange burst of a Texas sunset. They had all just graduated and before the after party, they wanted to share a quiet and potentially final moment together.
“This isn’t the end right?” Roxanne held back her tears as she clutched onto her weathered notebook. Everything that she was, everything she had been through and everything she wanted from the future was etched in those pages. “We’re not gonna get sad or depressed. Nothing is going to change now” She wasn’t sure how much of a lie she was telling herself but she liked to believe that just this once it would be the truth. “We’ll meet back here, every year. Wind, rain or shine, This is our home. Promise me guys”
It was a promise that didn’t even last a year.
Ten years on and Roxanne Williams was making waves as a writer for television. She had her dream job and a daughter she loved dearly. Life seemed good. Unfortunately, life had other plans. A popular resident, her death sent shockwaves across the town, a resonance of sorrow fell across the people of Gatling like a spring rain shower. Roxanne’s death finally forced her old friends to fulfil their promise and return to their hometown from wherever in the world they were to mourn her passing. The circumstances of her death while surprising was no mystery. She was sick, very sick and nobody knew about it or least nobody cared to.
At long last home, Roxanne’s friends must learn to accept the fact that their friend is gone. They must face the facts that maybe there was more they could have done. Some of them escaped the confinement of Gatling, others did not. Life has changed since high school in so many ways yet with Roxy gone and the gang back together again, many things also felt the same.
Through a series of messages the departed has left behind, the gang are awashed with memory and emotion as old loves, old rivals and everything in between comes rushing back.
Is Roxanne getting her revenge from beyond the grave? Or is she just helping her friends out one last time..?.
Inspiration: This is Us - Friday Night Lights
Genre: Slice of Life
Welcome to the town of Gatling, folks! A small town deep in America’s Heartland. Gatling is a rural Texas town a few miles outside of Austin. The town itself is comprised mostly of family owned businesses and farms. It is a simple way of life that the townsfolk lead, one that values hard work and tradition above all. It also deeply values it’s high football team, the Gatling Garrison and treats both its current and former players like heroes or villains depending on the outcome of Friday nights game. A close knit community by the very definition, Gatling takes care of its own and doesn’t take kindly to those who want to mess with the established order.
Our story takes place in the modern day as well as the past and will be centered around the day to day lives of the residents of Gatling,Texas; specifically the lives of the graduate class of 2009. We will explore their secrets, their lies and their lives as they come to terms with the passing of a friend and the sad details that surrounds it. We will jump between their time in high school and their current situations as they band together to uncover the truth about Roxanne's death and some hard truths about themselves..
This is a mature rp; the intention being a real honest look at life in a small town on the last vestiges of the American Frontier. We hope to explore many real life problems ranging from drugs, violence, abuse, financial crisis etc and shine a light on day to day life in the heartlands. The most compelling stories are those that are true to life and real and that is our goal in this role play, to create a compelling world made up of amazing people.
As this lovely slice of life is happening, our characters will follow a trail of breadcrumbs left by their deceased friend. Throughout Gatling, Roxanne had left mementos and notes from times gone by which will be our window into the past (aka when found, cut to their high school selves). Why she has left them? That’s the real mystery isn’t it? Roxanne in many ways was the heart and soul of her group of friends, she knew all of their secrets and they knew none of hers. What will they find?
As an added extra, Roxy is a universal character. A phrase here which means she can be played by any writer and her history, family, personality, likes and dislikes will be written as we go along. Which means you, yes you over there will be creating her story as we move forward which in turn will affect how our other characters story moves forward.
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