Once Upon a Time in Oxbow Parish (OOC; NOW OPEN TO ALL)

[Recon]

I can understand that. A neutral and trying to remain above it all police officer. Not open to one side or the other but what about the political system, the prosecutor, the bureaucracy and the judicial system all being influenced and infiltrated by these two families? And a broader criminal and corrupt society? How would a Sheriff get elected if he doesn't have major political and social organizations to support him? Did you see "clean" sheriff's or police chiefs in other examples of corrupt cities or states? I am just asking. I think it would be more likely. The Sheriff tries to ignore everything to do with these families, he pushes most of it off to the police departments. He doesn't want to rock the boat. Or get involved. If you pick one side, the other take you down. If you just follow the law, you will anger both sides over time and the judges will overturn your cases. Your damned if you do and your damned if you don't.

Here's the thing. I'd imagine that both sides would probably keep the sheriff close, and if anything they're would probably be an agreement of some kind on both sides to get around this. Someone has to mediate between them after all, and a corrupt sheriff making sure they don't kill each other while taking a healthy cut from both sides makes sense. That being said, if the sheriff isn't in on any of it, that puts both their operations at risk. And if one side seizes power of the sheriff, then the other side is just going to tank him. That's the real wire act right there.

Absolutely, but he has to be corrupt or why would anyone trust him? If you take the money, if you dirty yourself, people will trust you. Knowing they have dirt on you. A honest man, is a dangerous man. I like Kentucky's idea of a FBI agent, a true outsider. Not beholdened to anyone.

[The Vaktovian Empire]

So case point, Cy’s proposition of him being a career man with the State Police before sliding into the sheriffs spot makes the most sense because therefore he wouldn’t have been a twenty year veteran of the sheriffs department. And again, as I remember he did say he would adhere to Cy’s desires to edit the background canon of his character, immediately after Cy put the idea down of being a career state trooper.

[Hastur]

So case point, Cy’s proposition of him being a career man with the State Police before sliding into the sheriffs spot makes the most sense because therefore he wouldn’t have been a twenty year veteran of the sheriffs department. And again, as I remember he did say he would adhere to Cy’s desires to edit the background canon of his character, immediately after Cy put the idea down of being a career state trooper.

But it's typically the under-sheriff that takes over, and it doesn't really make any sense for a corrupt sheriff to appoint someone who he doesn't trust and has been fighting their system for the time that he's been there. Regardless of experience.

Added to that, why would either family allow this? They know who can't be trusted in the department more than who can. They're going to stick out more to them and when becomes clear who is replacing him, that's a code red situation that puts their business at risk.

The only way this works is if the crime families don't have the political sway that they do. When you have the influence and capital to effect Parish judges, you have the power to ensure that the right sheriffs get elected.

[The Vaktovian Empire]

On the subject of Sheriff Goudreau, I do have some concerns. My original intention was for the office of Sheriff to be particularly stunted when compared to other Sheriff's Offices elsewhere in the South. They'd take on a much heavier civil and political role while being outweighed in preventative police activities by the municipal departments.

However, I am willing to make a compromise. Instead of heading back to Palmyra after his military service, he takes on a successful career with the Louisiana State Police. Eventually, he returns to Palmyra to take up the mantle of Chief Deputy in an office tainted by corruption. Fights the system until New Years Day of1980, when the Sheriff dies of a heart attack, leaving Goudreau as the Acting Sheriff until an election. He would start the RP with a greatly diminished office, and the sequence of events would serve to balance the two things that I see at conflict: the power of the two families who can make or break whomever they please, versus a Sheriff who is professedly anti-crime.

[Hastur]

On the subject of Sheriff Goudreau, I do have some concerns. My original intention was for the office of Sheriff to be particularly stunted when compared to other Sheriff's Offices elsewhere in the South. They'd take on a much heavier civil and political role while being outweighed in preventative police activities by the municipal departments.

However, I am willing to make a compromise. Instead of heading back to Palmyra after his military service, he takes on a successful career with the Louisiana State Police. Eventually, he returns to Palmyra to take up the mantle of Chief Deputy in an office tainted by corruption. Fights the system until New Years Day of1980, when the Sheriff dies of a heart attack, leaving Goudreau as the Acting Sheriff until an election. He would start the RP with a greatly diminished office, and the sequence of events would serve to balance the two things that I see at conflict: the power of the two families who can make or break whomever they please, versus a Sheriff who is professedly anti-crime.

Yes, I read it. If you read my post, you’ll see what I said in response to it. My point still stands.

There is zero reason why a sheriff would appoint someone they can’t trust as under sheriff, and even if he did one night for some reason, likely due to his crack pipe being hot to the touch, there’d still be all the other corrupt deputies that could replace him easily. It would take less than a day for these families to ruin his life with zero use of violence. He’d be out of the job at the very least and up state at worse. They just wouldn’t tolerate it.

This doesn’t make sense within the game world with how deeply rooted the corruption within the county is. The two families effectively control it. If he was playing as someone on a higher playing field, like a state detective or FBI, Then sure, but not as a Parish sheriff.

But ultimately at the end of the day it’s Cylarns decision, I’ll accept whatever it is.

[Dahyan]

Raymond Delacroix' opinions on:

Coraline Faubert: I got great respect for Southern women who know how to stand their ground and don't get pushed around by none. Aunty Joe is one of them ladies, believe you me. I don't know her well, mind you, but I heard them stories from Vegas. Anyone who can survive and thrive in that cesspool of moral decay, has got some gumption.
I don't care for gambling, never did understood the appeal of yanking some lever or throwing hard-earned cash at a card-dealing fancy lad, but that aside. Ever since she done returned to Palmyra, that riverboat of hers is a right regular cash cow for the Faubert family. And it provided me with some good honest guard duty work every now and then.

Melanie Skrine: Poor lass got herself wrapped up in a whole heap of trouble. Makes my childhood look positively delightful by comparison, since the worst I had was some time in jail. Word is, she got mixed up in a load of shady shit back in the godless West. The sort of thing even a Bedard would frown upon. No surprise there.
Still, can't fault her I suppose. We are all children of our upbringing after all.

Daniele Faubert: As tough a gal as they come. I do pity her for the shit she's been through. No wonder she seems scared and paranoid whenever she comes to my shop, and is clearly packing everywhere she goes. Would that I could help put her at ease, but my gut tells me the best men folk can do around her is back off.
A good ol' fashioned smuggler, she is a regular at my shop of goodies, and knows how to pay up.

Jules Faubert: Ah, the grand-pre himself. What would North Palmyra be without the old fossil? My Maman used to tell me that Old Man Faubert was already here when the gators first arrived. Sure, he's a crook. But who out here isn't? And you tell me what a man is s'posed to do around here to make a buck now that the goddamn lumber companies have put our own folk all but out of business? If anyone's gotta be in charge of whatever is happening here, I'm happy it's old Jules.

Judith Faubert: From out of town and clearly out of place. Mind you, I don't mean that in a condescending way. She is as much a Creole as I am, be it from the North. Definitely pleasing on the eye, but don't tell my wife that.
I have respect for the sacrifices women make when they take up the duty of motherhood, and Judith sure as hell is doing her fair share of mothering 'round there. I hear whispers that she may be longing to go back home to Newfoundland. That makes sense to me. Not much reason to stick around here other than if it's your native peat.

Alexandre Faubert: A righteous family man, I hear. God smiles on men like that. The club he runs is somewhat of a lifeline to the town, and I can't tell you how often I have made some money working there. Still, can't shake the feing he ain't wanna be here no more. Maybe it's the influence of his wife, or maybe he's got one of them wandering spirits. Or mayhaps he just wants to up and leave this place and the violence it seems to attract. Whatever it is, I can see it. The look of a man looking for a way out.

Thomas Switzer: He's a cop. 'nough said. Folks say he is kind and looks like an upstanding fellow. And maybe they are right, but so what? Goons like that, in the end, think with their uniform, not their brains. Way I see it, the only thing worse than a cop, is the US military. Thugs hired by the gov'ment. And what has the US gov'ment ever done for us common folk after all? Exactly. Long as he stays out of my way, I'll tolerate having him around in Church on Sundays.

[Of the Quendi]

Once his application has been sufficiently altered, I'll give the green light. As for the other players, what are your thoughts on this character? Would an extremely straight-laced cop be able to maintain a twenty-year career and his own personal code in the face of two criminalistic, highly violent families? I want to look at the app more objectively.

You are the OP so its your decision, but since you ask for input I don't really have much of a problem with that application because I don't agree with the characterization of Godreau as "extremely straight-laced". The app mentions that Godreau raising concern about corruption with fellow deputies early in his career only to then accept it as the price of doing business in the parish. It is also mentioned that Godreau is forced to accept the criminality in the parish. He may not be personally corrupt, but it seems to me that he has tolerated and turned a blind eye on enough stuff to make him plenty dirty.

[Cylarn]

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=485939

IC is up. I know it's a character-centric opener, but rather than opening with a bunch of blood and lead all over the place, we'll allow the patriarchs to dictate the tempo, and where things go. All applications are still open.

[Of the Quendi]

https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=485939

IC is up. I know it's a character-centric opener, but rather than opening with a bunch of blood and lead all over the place, we'll allow the patriarchs to dictate the tempo, and where things go. All applications are still open.

Exciting.

About my character's casino operations I have done some research. The first tribal casino in the US was opened by the Seminole in 1979 so rather than have my character and her Chitimacha partners have a fully operational casino in 1980 I was thinking it could be a very recently opened operation. Its worse with the riverboat. Apparently Louisiana didn't legalize those till the 90s so I was wondering if perhaps I should abandon that idea and focus on the tribal casino instead. Thoughts?

[Cylarn]

https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=485939

IC is up. I know it's a character-centric opener, but rather than opening with a bunch of blood and lead all over the place, we'll allow the patriarchs to dictate the tempo, and where things go. All applications are still open.

Exciting.

About my character's casino operations I have done some research. The first tribal casino in the US was opened by the Seminole in 1979 so rather than have my character and her Chitimacha partners have a fully operational casino in 1980 I was thinking it could be a very recently opened operation. Its worse with the riverboat. Apparently Louisiana didn't legalize those till the 90s so I was wondering if perhaps I should abandon that idea and focus on the tribal casino instead. Thoughts?

As for the riverboat, it could technically function as a "museum," but also take on an ulterior motive as a hub for illegal gambling.

[The Vaktovian Empire]

As Cy has taken the liberty of taking the black and white color scheme, I'm going to be reppin' the azure and white of either bottom blue top white, or front blue, front doors white, top/rear doors blue, rear blue, with possibly one car having front blue, entirety of middle white, rear blue, as seen below in these three images.

....Because details matter!

[The Vaktovian Empire]

(x1) 1971 Ford Bronco (w/ removable rear hard top canopy) currently out-of-service with a replacement wheel bearing, control arm, motor mount, and front chassis to be shipped in from a Northern supplier after suffering a high-speed accident in a ditch off the side of one of the outskirt roadways linking North Palmyra to the Interstate

(x1) 1972 AMC Matador Police Squad (w/ single rotating blue warning light mounted on the center of the roof, associating siren in front of it, utilizing the trademark azure blue bottom, white top, with a white horizontal stripe center-median to the blue, golden lettering for POLICE and the bade of the NPPD centered on the front doors of the vehicle) torn and faded upholstery, the vehicle has an old beat up Motorola MOCOM 70 in-car radio is mounted in the center console.

(x2) 1975 Plymouth Gran Fury Police Cruiser (two separate blue rotating warning lights, the other outfitted with a newer-style light bar across the top of the vehicle, with both blue sides, consisting of multiple rotating warning lights built within the shells of each side) Both vehicles have upholstery that have seen all of the elements, although the vehicle with the newer light bar has seen better days compared to the trashed old-light style vehicle. One vehicle, that of which has the two single rotating lights utilizes the trademark azure blue bottom and white top, with a single white horizontal stripe center median to the blue wrapping around the sides and rear of the vehicle, golden lettering for POLICE and badge of the NPPD centered on the front doors of the vehicle. The newer vehicle with the horizontal light bar, has a front azure blue, middle front and rear door white, rear azure blue scheme, with the badge of the NPPD centered on the front doors of the vehicle, and golden lettering for POLICE on the sides as well. Both vehicles are serviced with working sirens, and in-car radio units. The vehicle possessing the newer light features an old 1970s early radar model, along with a PA system and spotlight mounted to the driver side door.

(with blue rather than red light units on the top)

1 Officer (Morning Shift) “J.J Edwards” utilizes a Smith & Wesson Model 439 with x8 round magazine utilizing 9mm ammunition, with a stainless steel finish special edition, versus the checked walnut.

1 Officer (Mid Shift) “ “ utilizes a Colt M1911A

1 Sergeant “Thomas Switzer” utilizes a Smith & Wesson Model 539 with x14 round magazine utilizing 9mm ammunition, with Checked High Impact Molded Nylon stock

1 Officer (Night Shift) “ “ utilizes a Ruger Security Six .38 Special by Sturm, Ruger & Company 1972.

Just a little something I've been brewing up.

[The Vaktovian Empire]

...okay for the record, Quarantine has given me way too much free time on my hands to get creative, and I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing at this point.

[Recon]

...okay for the record, Quarantine has given me way too much free time on my hands to get creative, and I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing at this point.

I think it's a good thing, when my character goes over to North Palmyra, he can describe now accurately what the cops are driving etc. I think more information is good! It helps everyone tell a more detailed and consistent story.

The 4th of June 1980 is a Wednesday btw.

A very good start from the opening posts!

[Of the Quendi]

Could we maybe have a link to the IC thread in the OP?

[Recon]

https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=485939

IC is up. I know it's a character-centric opener, but rather than opening with a bunch of blood and lead all over the place, we'll allow the patriarchs to dictate the tempo, and where things go. All applications are still open.

Should we be waiting for Roland and Jules? Or should we start posting now?

[Costa Fierro]

I've been reading back on the Godreau application so I'll rewrite his police career. We can keep the authoritarianism but I'd be happy with a corrupt sheriff who would perhaps play both families off one another.

[Of the Quendi]

Should we be waiting for Roland and Jules? Or should we start posting now?

Nah. I thought about holding of but it doesn't seem necessary to let the patriarchs start.

[Khasinkonia]

Any news on ol' Jules?

[Of the Quendi]

Any news on anyone?

[Cylarn]

Any news on anyone?

Exactly. We have characters ready and no opening posts. As for Rud, his job has been picking up with the recent re-openings, on top of already being an essential worker.

[Of the Quendi]

Exactly. We have characters ready and no opening posts. As for Rud, his job has been picking up with the recent re-openings, on top of already being an essential worker.

Well that's one person then, but where is everyone else?

[Reverend Norv]

Exactly. We have characters ready and no opening posts. As for Rud, his job has been picking up with the recent re-openings, on top of already being an essential worker.

Well that's one person then, but where is everyone else?

I have been waiting for Rud to be sure that there was someone around to balance Roland, but will work on a post presently, since that now seems in doubt.

[Of the Quendi]

I have been waiting for Rud to be sure that there was someone around to balance Roland, but will work on a post presently, since that now seems in doubt.

Sounds good.

[Recon]

I`ve gotten Eugene's first post written up, I will double check it all and post it later.

I really hope this all works out. It is a really good idea.