9/21/24 Monsterhearts AP: Hudson, OH III, season finale

 Trigger warning: school shooting

Werewolf with a gun, photo by Pumpkin Lizard on Deviant Art, a reference image during the game

After last session, I realized I had made a mistake. I shouldn't have asked the other players "What do you want from the other main characters?". My intention was to push the main characters towards each other, but this was wrong. I shouldn't encourage the other players to make any particular decision, or have any particular orientation towards each other. Even apathy is fair. It's a valid move to isolate yourself from the others, play cold, and only interact with side characters.

I said as much to the others, and instead asked them two two-part questions:

1. What identity have you constructed for yourself? How secure are you in that identity?
2. What do you want? What do you fear?

My inspiration for the first question was Apocalypse World; at the end of every session, you're supposed to ask each player if their character is satisfied with their place in the world. I adjusted the question for the a thematic object of Monsterhearts, identity.

Here is what I remember of their responses:

• Ken's Werewolf is a chad fuckboy. He's super secure, though he might have some difficulty being a fuckboy if he's spiritually attached to Pam (the side character he slept with last session). He wants power and respect, and is afraid of losing the power and respect he's already gained, and his werewolf powers especially.
• Divya's Ghost is lost. She doesn't know who she really is or who killed her. She wants to reach out and gain some human connection, but hasn't been able to.
• Evann's Fae only knows that she's apart from others. She has met her mother, but has no relationship with her. She wants a sense of belonging.
• Misha's Infernal doesn't want an identity. He wants to be a tool of the Red Lady. He's afraid of making choices and taking responsibility for his own actions.

We briefly discussed the depiction of sex and "mommy doms" in the game. Everybody was comfortable so far.

We started on Monday morning, at school, with the Ghost. Her only friend, Eleanor, had seen her body two days ago at the graveyard party. I asked where the Ghost and Eleanor usually met; in a certain bathroom stall. Eleanor was there, crying softly, grieving her friend. The Ghost entered. Eleanor was freaked out and couldn't believe her eyes. The Ghost took her hand and placed it on her face, finally physically touching someone after two sessions of distance (and in one session, a homoerotic pining scene). She reassured Eleanor that she was in fact real and alive. A lie, obviously, but so heartwarming! They hug, and Eleanor sobbed into her skirt.

The Werewolf went to greet his friends before class, but was interrupted by his new beau, Pam. "Normally I'd be looking at everybody's chest evenly, but now it's like 95-5 for her chest versus other people. Her boobs are like the most important boobs. I'm aroused and my heart is too." What a prince!

Some scene-setting. We established that the Werewolf met his friends by a certain vending machine. A security guard, Steve, stands watch at the vending machine. They're cool with Steve, and once Steve even let the Werewolf hold his gun. Now the Werewolf's friends stand some distance from the vending machine, glowering at him. (Recall that last session he broke Orenthal's collarbone! He has the Condition psycho.)

The Werewolf decides to impress Pam, rolling to Turn Her On, by grabbing the security guard's gun and playing around with it, pointing it at himself and his best friend Miguel.

Meanwhile, the Fae is glowering at Miguel from a short distance. She's pissed that he gave her the Condition murderess at the graveyard party. And the Infernal is in a closet, trying to talk to the Red Lady.

The Werewolf grabs Steve's gun. He rolls well; Pam is impressed. He points the gun at himself. He points the gun at Miguel. Steve tries to tackle him to take it out of his hands. The Werewolf tries to push him off and away and hurt him. Roll to Lash Out Physically. Partial hit. Ken chose to trigger his Darkest Self. He transforms into a monstrous wolf-creature, berserk and hungry for power and violence. He still has the gun in his paw-hand.

The Ghost exits the bathroom, feeling guilty about lying to Eleanor. She stumbles upon the scene.

The physical layout is as follows: at one end of the hallway, the Ghost. In the middle of the hallway, Steve (lying on the ground, groaning, with a broken arm), the Werewolf, and Pam (stumbling backwards in shock). At the other end of the hallway, the Werewolf's friends and the Fae.

The Werewolf isn't interested in the guard and isn't threatened by Pam. He charges towards his friends.

The Fae sees him coming and books it. She rolls to Run Away, a partial hit, choosing to end up somewhere worse (because we didn't have any ideas for either of the other two options). She winds up in an isolated corner of the school, right next to the janitor's closet where the Infernal is communing with the Red Lady. (Recall that last session the Red Lady ordered the Infernal to destroy the Fae.)

The Ghost, interested, approaches, but doesn't interfere.

The Werewolf has them cornered and he has a gun. I don't think I asked for a roll to shoot somebody. He uses a special move, Animal Instincts, where he gets to ask me some questions, but misses. I Herald the Abyss -- he hears other werewolves howling nearby, a quarter mile away in the woods. I don't say this now, but I already know they are representatives of the four remaining families of werewolves, trying to take the Werewolf down. The Werewolf shoots Miguel. Miguel falls.

We have a little bit of back-and-forth that wound up getting retconned, because the Darkest Self ends when the Werewolf hurts somebody he truly cares about, and Miguel is his best friend. In that back-and-forth, I asked if the Werewolf would make sure Miguel was dead, move on to somebody else, or go elsewhere, and the Werewolf decided he would kill Miguel with his bare hands. But, as I say, that got negated.

The Ghost runs forward. She grabs Miguel, who is bleeding out, shot in the throat. The Werewolf realizes what he's done and turns back into a human, now naked and still holding the gun. The Werewolf says he doesn't really remember what's happened and tries to play everything off as a joke. "Miguel, you ok, man? Not looking too hot!" He steps towards Miguel. The other friends flee. The Ghost tries to drag Miguel away from him. She shouts, "Leave him alone!", spending a String and Shutting Him Down. Hit. The full force of the Werewolf's actions hit him. He cannot deny what he has done or hide from it psychologically. (I tell him this as my interpretation of the hit. Of course, what he does with that information is still his decision.)

Meanwhile, the Infernal has been in the closet asking the Red Lady what she thinks of his outfit. He's desperate for approval. He's wearing clown shoes (???), cargo pants, a leather jacket, and a bralette. He's Gazing Into the Abyss to ask this question. Partial hit. He gets confusing and upsetting visions of the relationship between the Green and Red Ladies; they are estranged sisters. The Red Lady tells him, honestly, that his outfit is terrible.

Sulking, he leaves the closet. There, outside, alone, is the Fae. She looks bedraggled and panicked but sexy.

Winona Ryder at the end of Heathers, a reference image during the game

The Infernal sees her and falls in love. He kneels before her. He silently renounces his allegiance to the Red Lady and swears  a new allegiance to the Fae. The Fae understands and accepts. She strokes his face, just Since I don't think the Fae can grant magical powers (not yet anyway) I suggest that the Infernal switch playbooks and become the Mortal, non-supernatural and in love with the Fae.

Back inside the school. Alarms are going off. The police have been alerted. The Werewolf Runs Away, a hit, and goes to a safe place (he thinks), the forest where he can hear fellow werewolves howling.

Meanwhile the Ghost is cradling the dying Miguel. Police, paramedics, and press arrive. Students come out of their classrooms to see the Ghost. She is the center of attention. She is hailed as a hero. The teacher Mr Abercromb pushes reporters away, no questions, no statements! As he does so he puts an arm around her waist to guide her away from the chaos. The Ghost (knowing his reputation for lechery) takes this badly and shoves him off. I often volunteer extra details to fill out actions. In this case I added "Get off me, you freaking pervert!". The Ghost changed it to "Get off me!" and Shutting Him Down. Partial hit. Mr Abercromb will give her a Condition, and she'll give Mr Abercromb a Condition. Her Condition for Abercromb was "pervert", and she changed her line back to "you freaking pervert" in front of all the press and students. I gave her the Condition "teacher's whore"; everybody thinks she and Abercromb slept together.

Meanwhile, the Werewolf finds a clearing full of other werewolves in wolf form. He says he is not familiar enough to recognize werewolves from the Four Families, with one exception, a werewolf with a big scar. Of course that werewolf is there! Scar, real name James, is the alpha dog of the pack. The Werewolf hates Scar. He decides to charge into the clearing and confront him, claiming that Scar is a fraud who stole his wolfy powers and isn't a good leader. I tell him, in advance, that this won't change any minds. Best case scenario it's Shutting Him Down on Scar, and it drives the pack back and away. In no circumstance does it convince the other werewolves that Scar is a phony. He does it anyway. He's still naked and holding a gun. Partial hit. The Werewolf gains the Condition "fool", but he takes 1 forward against Scar. Scar immediately attacks him, dealing 2 harm. I decide that the other wolves don't intervene as a consequence of the partial hit.

The Werewolf rolls to Lash Out Physically, shooting Scar with his gun. Hit. Scar goes down. As a super-tough werewolf boss, he can take 1 more harm without dying, but he's physically disabled right now. Scar turns back into a human. The other wolves begin to bear him away. The Werewolf decides he will kill Scar, and shoots again. Another roll, a miss. I Deal Harm as Established, the other wolves pounce on him, five or more biting and clawing at him. 2 more harm. He's done, life has become intolerable.

The Werewolf could die but chooses not to. Instead he triggers his Darkest Self, erasing all harm. He could try to Run Away, but instead he wants to have another go at Scar. He Lashes Out Physically and misses. Scar is helped to his feet. He takes a String on the Werewolf. He spits on the Werewolf, tells him that he's trivial as a person and nothing as a wolf. The wolves leave the bloodied Werewolf on the ground. He can run wild until next morning, for all they care; he is beneath them.

We decided to end the season there. Every single character has had their starting situation reversed or at least dramatically altered. We'll see what the future holds. 

At the end of the session, we played Rose, Thorn, and Bud again, and enumerated some themes produced during play. They might be too obvious to be listed here!