conversations.from: system
conversations.value: It's the early 1920’s, the advent of the Jazz Age, a few years before the Great Depression, and just 60 years after the end of the Civil War, in Issaquena County, Mississippi and East Carroll Parish, Louisiana. East Carroll Parrish and Issaquena County are both overwhelmingly African American counties. There are certainly white people in these areas, but the two communities are segregated by force, history, and choice.
  
  There are two rival juke joints, The Red Queen in Issaquena County, run by Lucille Johnson and her husband Baby Grand Anthony, and Jo's Place in East Carroll Parish, run by the spooky, witchy twins Josephine and Genevieve Soileau.
  
  This is farm land, mostly cotton. Juke joints are illegal and extra-legal establishments which serve as the hub of underground adult social activity. Half the patrons of these juke joints are not generally sitting next to you in church on Sunday. They are sitting on their front porches playing early incarnations of Northwest Mississippi blues, distilling and running corn liquor, or sleeping next to a beautiful woman of ill repute. The other half when you see them at church act like they didn’t see you at the juke joint. Just leave it at that. 
  
  The supernatural, ghosts and witches and all that mess? Sure. It’s everywhere. Some Church goers think that Hoodoo mess is damn near Devil Worship, but everyone knows that an omen is an omen, whether it comes from God or the Devil or something in between. A broken mirror is bad luck on any side of the fence.
  
  In reality, Hoodoo is a folk magic that most people know and practice without any contradiction to their Christian faith. All folks throw salt over their left shoulders if they spill it while cooking or at the table, to keep the Devil away. Nearly every porch in East Carroll Parish is painted “haint blue”, because the color keeps both insects and ghosts away.
  
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  Characters in this game are African Americans living in two of the poorest counties in the country at a time when a lively musical tradition was just beginning to get recognized. This area and these people must be treated with respect in this game. Stereotypes are easy to fall into, and I want to avoid that. These stories are still important. Telling the tales of folks who lived in these places has value and will be interesting. Tread carefully and respectfully, recognizing the humanity of these characters, and we can tell a rich, entertaining story about people.
  
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  This game is based on the Hag Ride campaign setting for Mortal Coil, written by Julia Bond Ellingboe:
  http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/85852
  
  ***************************************
  
  Style Standards: Post using third person present tense.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: With Baby Grand’s help, Lucille opened The Red Queen Cafe after her parents died. She uses her Chicago connections to get the best musicians to her place. The food is terrible, but the booze is good, and the tunes are smoking.
conversations.prefix: The Red Queen Cafe:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Something other-worldly hovers over and around Jo’s Place and the Soileau sisters. The establishment is dark in a preternatural sense. Even the untrained eye can see the talisman tucked in corners or nailed to doors. An owl keeps watch on the roof every single night. The music is hard, and you’re unnaturally compelled to dance at times. The food and drink is exotic and oddly delicious, even for Creole cuisine. Those who can get past the unsettling perfection of Jo’s Place, find it a wonderful place to spend an evening.
conversations.prefix: Jo's Place:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: This is where all the black folks in Issaquena County come to worship. Mismatched pews fill the church, all pointed at the raised area where the minister and the choir can stand. It ain't much, but the minister keeps it tidy and paints it every year.
conversations.prefix: Free Black Church of Christ:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A long, mosquito-ridden swamp running down the east side of the county.
conversations.prefix: Steele Bayou:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The river is the life of the county. All the cotton that gets grown around here goes by water. Barges, riverboats, and skiffs travel up and down the big river, and the locals fish it.
conversations.prefix: The Mighty Mississippi:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Born in Issaquena County to a preacher and his wife, she fled the confines of comfort and sought to make a name for herself in the music halls of Chicago. But she was always too something. Too dark, her feet too big, her voice too loud or too sultry. She returned to Mississippi ten years ago after 15 years of living on the edge of a whiskey bottle, and married Baby Grand Johnson.
conversations.prefix: Lucille Johnson, The Red Queen:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: An entirely self made man, Baby Grand owns a quarter of Issaquena County. He’s loved Lucille Johnson since they were six years old. No one knows why he waited for her to come back to Issaquena County. There are plenty of eligible ladies here and elsewhere who aren’t as mean and wild, and can actually cook. But he loves her, she loves him, and that’s that. They run a respectable business, even if it attracts some not-so-respectable patrons.
conversations.prefix: Anthony “Baby Grand” Johnson:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Something’s not right about the Soileau sisters. Josephine and Genevieve Soileau should be about fifty years old, but they don’t look a day over twenty. They’re difficult to look at. Their black eyes bore into you. You fear even the slightest brush against your arm with their fingers. They speak with a lilting cadence, they pepper their conversations with French Creole, and finish each other’s sentences. You never see one without the other.
conversations.prefix: The Soileau Sisters:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've got a guitar, worn out shoes, and give voice to the hard times on the delta. You never do stay in one place for long, if you can help it.
conversations.prefix: The Blues Man:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've got a touch for the Hoodoo, and everyone knows it, or at least suspects it. You get respect and a little fear when you walk into town, and desperate people come to you for some mojo hands to help them out.
conversations.prefix: The Conjure Woman:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're dancin' down at the juke joint just about every night, and you've got all the fellas chasin' you. The respectable ladies give you glares and whispers when you walk by, but you've got it and you know it.
conversations.prefix: The Wild Gal:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your job is to keep folks on the righteous path. Sure, there's Hoodoo around, and some say it's black magic, but charms and tricks ain't nothin' compared to the power of the Lord. No, you keep an eye out for the big troubles, the hand of the Devil in folks' affairs. That's your business.
conversations.prefix: The Preacher Man:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've got a taste for risk, and you like to put it all on the line. Your family ain't happy, but you just can't keep yourself away from the dice and cards. You know you'll hit it big one of these days.
conversations.prefix: The Gamblin' Man:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've done some bad, bad things but now you see the light. It's gonna take some real good work to bring you back to the Lord's good graces. Can you redeem yourself, in your own eyes at least, or will you give up and damn yourself to Hell?
conversations.prefix: Unclean Hands:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: When you get on the stage and let loose that voice it's like you're givin' life to the pain of everyone in the place. They love you, even if you had to know that hurt so deep to be able to sing it.
conversations.prefix: The Soulful Woman:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're tough, maybe big and strong, maybe not, but you know how to dish it out. You've given pain to lotsa folks in your life, a lot who didn't deserve it, and everyone who wants to cause harm wants you as the weapon.
conversations.prefix: The Violent Man:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've gotta lotta love in you, and you give it freely. That's caused you no end of trouble and pain, but it just ain't in your nature to turn away from folks who's hurtin'.
conversations.prefix: The Big-Hearted Woman:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You're a rock, a place of steady comfort in this world of misery. You can't always keep those you love safe, but you'd die tryin'.
conversations.prefix: The Steady Man:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Every man in two counties done chased you at some time, and you drew 'em in and broke their hearts. You get gifts and favors and you  leave 'em by the side of the road when they're used up. Everyone says you'll get your comeuppance one day, but you don't see it.
conversations.prefix: The Heartbreakin' Woman:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You want to have fun, and do things your way. Time marches on and expectations and responsibilities begin to pile up. Can you keep living the wild life, or do you need to settle down?
conversations.prefix: Let the Good Times Roll:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You know who you're meant to be with. There are obstacles in the way, sure, both on your side and theirs, but love should be able to overcome. Will it, or will you bury this love and leave it to wither?
conversations.prefix: True Love's Calling:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Everyone sins, but some fully embrace it. You know the harm that's being done and you know you should stop it. Will you give your all to do so, or will you give in to failure?
conversations.prefix: Strike Down Evil Where You Find It:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've numbered and counted the wrongs they've done to you and you will make them pay tenfold. Will you exact your revenge, or will mercy stay your hand?
conversations.prefix: Best Served Cold:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: The Devil's hand is full of gold, and all you have to do to take it is do his will. Temptation rules your heart and draws you to bad deeds. Will you give in to evil to get what you desire, or will your conscience get the better of you?
conversations.prefix: The Devil's Right Hand:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You're known and respected in the community. When you speak, most folks listen to your words.
conversations.prefix: Upstanding:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You may not be strong, you may not be smart, but you're lucky. You've caught lots of breaks in life so far, and you count on that continuing.
conversations.prefix: Lucky:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've got a sharp mind and a sharp tongue. You think a few steps ahead and you've always got a good, ready retort.
conversations.prefix: Sharp:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You are big and plenty strong. You can take a hit, and when you decide to return the favor you lay 'em out.
conversations.prefix: Big:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Once you set your mind on something, nothin's holding you back. You will keep after it like a dog on a bone.
conversations.prefix: Determined:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've got a short temper and tendency to act on it. You've made plenty of enemies and people keep an eye on you since they never know when you might go off.
conversations.prefix: Mean:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You ain't the brightest star in the sky. It takes you a bit to catch up, and everyone knows it.
conversations.prefix: Slow:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've got looks that are known for counties around. Most folks would count you lucky, but it's brought you nothin' but trouble.
conversations.prefix: Pretty:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The temptations of this world are bigger for you than most. You have trouble turning your head from drink, gambling, and the opposite sex.
conversations.prefix: Low Morals:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've always had health troubles since you were a babe. Growing up didn't help, and you rely on family and friends for a lot that most folks take for granted.
conversations.prefix: Sickly:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Errand boy and muscle who hangs around Jo's Place. Jupe carries a straight razor and rumor has it he's killed with it.
conversations.prefix: Jupe Devereaux:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You've loved and lost. Your heart is slowly mending but you or others keep pouring salt on it. The sadness fills every cell and all your senses. Its power is impossible to harness. They say time heals all wounds, but a broken heart may need more time than you have to mend. 
conversations.prefix: Broken Hearted: