Day 7: Deirdre Fleming


This is a fun departure. Bonded by Youth is a game about teenagers in 1989. They're not meeting aliens or finding pirate treasure though. Just being teens. I have decided that I'll stat up a nascent death metal band. Lead guitarist, rhythm guitarist, bassist/vocalist, and drummer.

 Deirdre Fleming (age 14), lead guitarist


Deidre is perhaps the last person you’d imagine as the lead guitarist of a death metal band. That just shows how narrow your imagination is, doesn’t it? Deidre is a brilliant student, a nerd according to most of her peers, and her favorite musical album is Scream Bloody Gore by Death. Slayer’s Show No Mercy might be a close second. 

When Deidre’s parents finally caved and bought her an electric guitar, they had maybe pictured her as a teenage Joan Armatrading or Suzanne Vega. She’s learned a few of those kinds of songs to appease them, but her heart’s very much elsewhere. 

Literature is often her inspiration for lyrics, and her most successful song in her as-yet unnamed band is Gore-Stained Soutanes. It is inspired by the novel The Monk by Matthew Lewis. Rhythm guitarist Dennis “Hellgrinder” Seligman declared it “totally pretentious but rad”. It is definitely going on the demo tape, if they ever get to make one. 





The Fleming family is solidly middle class, and tDeirdre has never wanted for anything, except perhaps attention. She’s a middle child, and her older brothers and younger sister take up a lot of space. Her tactic has always been to do things right the first time and never be a problem. Her upbringing has been a bit sheltered (her parents definitely don’t know that she’s read The Monk or Georges Bataille’s Story of the Eye…). Hence Deirdre is often perturbed or angered by guys (and metal’s all guys it seems) who want her to dress differently, drink stolen vodka until everyone pees blood, or just dismiss her completely. When she makes the Rickenbacker sound like a buzzsaw or a wounded animal the bullshit usually stops. 


Physical D6 Mental D10 Social D6 Resolve D6


Rocks

Don’t let them see they’re getting to you (Resolve)

Writing brutal lyrics (Mental)

Ehm, the Humanities I guess (Mental)


Really Rocks

Major rager on the six-string (play guitar) (Physical)


Sucks

Blindsided by how SUCKY boys and men can be (Social)

Doesn’t let things go (Resolve)


Relationship with other PCs

Dennis (rhythm guitar) is a total freak, but he comes up with some rad riffs.

Jason (drums)(or whatever he calls himself this week) always has my back, even if he makes as many problems as he solves. 

I do NOT have a crush on Matt (bass and vocals). He’s just a good friend. Annoyingly good. 


Family Unit

Mom Sandra is a dental hygienist. Love her, look up to her, even if she doesn’t understand anything I do or like. 

Dad Paul is a librarian. I can talk about literature with him, but his ideas about what girls should be doing are kinda medieval. 

Aaron (17) is my oldest brother, and getting his attention is a massive undertaking, but he actually likes my music. 

Brian (15) is SUCH a pain. Can’t we trade him in for a dog, or just leave him by the roadside? 

Fiona (8) is really clingy, but she is genuinely sweet, so I try not to be the eyerolling mean sister. I don’t always succeed.


Others

Cheree (The meanest girl on the planet! Somehow I got in her crosshairs. Critical F)

Zadie (Cheree’s lieutenant or whatever. Pretty nice when you get her alone. C)

Chet (Bouncer at The Bourrée, and nice. Lets us into auditions. B)

Pig Vomit (Really noisy hardcore band. They said nice things about my playing! B)

Mr. Fenimoore (My English teacher. I guess I’m his favorite. A)

Ms. Slotnick (A bit judgy, but good about letting me borrow books my dad won’t. C)


Perks

Killer guitar (A Rickenbacker like Susanna Hoffs - not that I like The Bangles or anything)

Tune Collection (Death demo tapes (copies of copies), and Slayer’s Show No Mercy, mainly)


Angst

Anger 1

Shame 1

Sadness 0

Fear 0


Stressors

Making a mistake in front of someone I like

Being dismissed for reasons beyond my control (like being a girl).


Comforts

My walkman and my Scream Bloody Gore tape.

Getting to noodle freely on my guitar. 


Milestones

Playing to an actual audience (minor)


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