CAST
MEGHAN SUSAN GREEN
Our dear and clueless bard hovers in that awkward space between child and
adult. At sixteen, she seems older one moment and younger the next. Born
to an aspiring actress (who left years ago) and a bitter would-be rock star,
Meghan comes honestly by both her talent and self-doubt. The girl she sees
in the mirror isn’t the person she’s bound to become.
Meghan carries a guitar almost everywhere... even, occasionally, to bed. She’s got no use for shoes, though, and can get rather militant about that. Temperamental, spacey, shy and often defensive, Meghan’s used to fighting for almost everything she has. A Junior at Crow Creek High, Meghan uses music, attitude and defiance as shields. Soon, though, that won’t be enough to protect her from the almost frightening degree of talent she holds.
GENÈT SHILLING
Birth-named Jennifer, Genèt based her moniker on the French playwright
Jean Genèt… which, of course, says volumes about Meghan’s best friend.
The
two met in fourth grade, and have remained more or less inseparable
since
then.
In contrast with her lower-income friend, Genèt lives in the affluent
Shooter’s
Ridge district. Her parents could easily afford to send her
to private school,
but preferred to keep her closer to Meghan’s
“grounding” influence than
to the trust-fund baby antics of her
economic peers. That decision seems
to have worked out well.
Outgoing and artistic, Genèt aspires to a heroic
life. She’s a
dedicated WOW-head, yet bounces from project to project in
real
time, often with Meghan in tow.
LOVER-OF-SHADOWS
One of Meghan’s “inner aspects,” this Pan-like figure ranges
through the
depths of her imagination. A rough-and-tumble muse,
the Lover embodies the
fleeting — and rather dark — expression
of her carnal side. Right now, he
stays locked away in her subconscious.
If the Lover gets free, however,
Meghan’s life might become... complicated.
THE OWL
An inner “mascot” symbolizing Meghan’s creative spirit, the Owl flies whenever
Meghan lets go and allows her music to flow free. She sees — even talks
to it ¬ in dreams, and while Genèt has joked about buying Meghan a real
owl (as if she could afford to keep one!), the Owl — like Lover-of-Shadows
— remains part of Meghan’s inner landscape… at least, for now.
DANIEL “DEAD MAN” WALKER
The administrator everyone loves to hate, Walker’s an ex-Army hardass bent
on keeping kids in line. He’s not paid to be your friend, and has no interest
in “bonding” with his students. Even so, he’s got a network of loyal kids
who help him keep tabs on the student body. To Meghan and Genèt, Walker’s
everything worth hating about high school. And like everyone else in school,
Mr. Walker has his secrets... rather haunting ones.
RANDALL WOLFGANG BURTON, aka “WOLF”
The Art & Theatre teacher, Mr. Burton leads a very full life. In addition
to his packed teaching schedule, Burton practices various martial arts,
including a daily tai’chi workout every morning before school. An accomplished
painter, he’s happier when helping kids than he is when covering canvass
with paint. Covertly, he acts as mentor, crying shoulder and confidant to
several Crow Creek students. Half the girls in school have crushes on him,
and he’s very careful to keep a safe physical distance from all but his
most trusted students. Teachers call him “Randall,” most students call him
“Mr. Burton,” a handful of his select kids call him “Wolf,” and those who
don’t like him know Burton as The Wolfman.
Not surprisingly, some students and teachers find him intimidating, even creepy. As his nickname indicates, Wolf is calmly ferocious. His dark side, should it emerge, would be a frightening thing to see. Burton is perhaps the only person Dead Man Walker is actually afraid of, and if Wolf wasn’t an exceptional teacher and personal friend of Principal DuVrey, Walker would happily have bounced Burton out of school years ago. As it is, the two dislike each other intensley. Only mutual respect and shared responsibilities keep these two alpha males from each other’s throats.
CALLIANNE
JENSEN
The Lancelot to Wolf’s student “round table,” Calli is a Valedictorian
who refuses to be a “brain.” Uncannily perceptive, she’s perhaps too smart
for her own good. Harvard has already expressed interest, but she’s looking
for something more intriguing than some ivy-league paper. With graduation
a few months away, Callianne is sorting through her options — a situation
that scares the shit out of her when she stops moving long enough to think
about it. Uncomfortably familiar with Wolf, Calli’s crushing on him in spite
of herself. If she’s not more careful than she’s been, that could prove
problematic for them all.
C.C. DE ANGELO
Shy and geeky, C.C. uses his sketch pad the way some folks use drugs or
therapists. He’s been crushing on Meghan from a distance for at least a
year, and while he’d never say so to her face (he has yet to say “Hello”),
C.C. considers her his muse. Easily distracted and more than a bit obsessive,
C.C. has the self-esteem of an average ball of lint. Even the teachers pick
on him, which could make C.C’s all-but-inevitable revenge (or self-destruction)
all the more satisfying.
ROLAND “ROL” CASTILLE
A big bald dude whose scary looks keep folks at a distance, Rol prefers
his privacy yet longs for acceptance. His dad died of AIDS years ago, and
Rol grew up in the care of his father’s lover, “Uncle” Luke. Secretly, Rol
wonders if he’s gay, too, and so naturally he says nothing on the subject
at all. Nineteen years old and heading towards 20, Rol should have graduated
over a year ago. He’s considered dropping out, but gets talked out of it
every time by...
TUCKER RICE
One of the smartest “stupid stoners” you’ll ever meet, Tucker keeps trying
to extract his head from his ass… and almost succeeds every time. If he’d
grown up in different surroundings, he might have been an honor student.
That’s too faggy for Tucker, though — he’s set to be a rock star. All he
needs is motivation and a band. Rol would be an ideal partner-in-crime,
but so far all they’ve done is talk. With the right partners, though, Tucker
knows he’ll be a star. For now, though, he just wants to finish high school
— not with a GED, but with good old-fashioned work. If only classes weren’t
so damn boring!
RYAN FULLER
A cute guy with a big heart, Ryan’s a good student with decent sports potential.
Aside from his quick temper, Ryan seems to be the ideal high-school student.
He’s well-mannered, smart, and just rich enough to be comfortable. Too bad
the poor guy’s bipolar! Despite a fairly normal home life, supportive family
and likeable personality, Ryan remains a prisoner of his own unstable mind.
He shares a long and mercurial relationship with...
“ROCKY”
RHYIANNE CHELSEA HERNANDEZ
A cheerleader tomboy, Rhyianne strives to be a typical high-school girl...
as if such a thing existed! Unusually good with cars and machines, Rhyianne
spends a lot of time jogging, working out, doing yoga, practicing routines,
or rebuilding her father’s old Trans Am. She’s almost never at home, and
there are reasons for that. Although he’s never actually done anything to
her, Mom’s new boyfriend creeps her out, big time. When she can avoid it,
Rhy spends nights over with her friends Kristen, Mace or (on the sly) Ryan.
To folks who don’t know them well, Rhy and Ryan seem like the perfect high-school jock couple. They’re not stupid, don’t hassle geeks, and they go out of their way to be nice to people. Although they don’t move in the same circles, Rhyianne once blackened another girl’s eye for hassling Meghan. This earned her the nickname “Rocky,” a distinction she wears with pride. Despite her admiration for Meghan’s art, however, Rhy has no idea how to talk to the guitarist. They seem to have very little in common, and shy Meghan has always shut Rocky out of attempted conversations, if only because she doesn’t seem to know what to say to such an apparently popular girl. This seeming cold shoulder hurts Rhyianne’s feelings... and her pride.
KEEF
An "imaginary friend" who visits Megahn at unguarded moments, Keef has a smoking habit, an awful British accent, and an obnoxious sense of humor. He's friendly one moment, cruel the next, and blunt-trauma honest throughout. Inspired by an overheard comment about Keith Richards, cockroaches and doomsday, Keef has been showing up since Meghan's childhood. She calls him "my favorite nightmare" (among other things), but - like so many elements of Meghan's life - he's probably a great deal more.
MS. LANDES
An English teacher who takes no shit in class, Ms. Landes displays a harsh wit, decisive methods, and a disconcerting familiarity with comic books. She's not much older than her students, which might explain her no-prisoners approach to classroom management!
DARK MEGHAN
An enimgatic entity who pulls herself out of a stage curtain after Meghan's first show, this predatory girl resembles Meghan with all restraint removed. Literally drawn from C.C.'s fevered sketchings, her build has the top-heavy look of a bad cartoon. Dark Meghan's appetites are similarly carnal, too... not that C.C. minds at all! Walker recognizes something about her, and his response - "Not THIS again" - suggests that Dark Meghan might be far older than she seems...
KASMIRA GIVENS
Spiky in more ways than one, Rol's apparent "girlfriend" Kasmira bites first and doesn't bother asking questions afterward. She's got an obvious problem with Meghan, yet sat through Meghan's entire debut concert after Rol himself walked out. There's clearly more to her than it appears; thing is, does she let anyone close enough to find out what it might be?
MAGPIE
Birth-named Shira, Magpie's the short yet charismatic leader of a pack of scruffy kids at Crow Creek High. More personable, by a long shot, than her friends, Magpie seems quite taken with Meghan, inviting the guiarist to join their group despite Kasmira's rude objections. Her friendship, though, has a manic edge. Effusive yet elusive, Magpie's clearly running an agenda several steps beyond Meghan's understanding.
RITA WHYTE
A brilliant student with a Cheshire grin, Rita loves the Classics... as in, the Greek and Roman Classics. A friend of Genet's since childhood, Rita carries around a back-breaking assortment of books, plays World of Warcraft, and studies Greek for the fun of it. Often spotted with her boyfriend Ben, Rita appears to see you coming before you see her there.
The Legal Drill
ARPEGGIO is copyright© 2010 by Satyr, Syme & Sandi. All original contents, characters and images – linked music notwithstanding - are licensed through creative commons: you may link to or share them with attribution, but don’t steal! It’s not nice, and it keeps starving artists... well, starving. Ripping off other people’s stuff is bad juju, and claiming that YOU created what someone else worked on is just lame. Thank you for not being a dick.
