Author's note: the links in this episode are all fake. Just wanted the colored link effect; they don't go anywhere, sorry.
Transcript of the original Senior Prank discussion chatroom log
Thomas Bennet: Guys, you awake? Overheard something cool!
Jon Winters: Present!
Karyn Reid: For me? Aww, you shouldn't have.
Deanna Lowell: Spill!
Thomas: Where's Bobby & Stu?
Karyn: They're locked in test periods. Closed-book, full Big Brother cyber-monitoring.
Thomas: Shit! Oh well, they can read this log later. Can't wait, this is too good. I found out some "coming attractions" from Principal Flutie.
Jon: What's so exciting about that? He makes those stupid boring announcements every morning in the public address space.
Thomas: He's not going to announce this... Not yet anyway. I found out when our class picture will be taken.
Deanna: No way... when?
Thomas: It's on the Wednesday after we come back from spring break.
Karyn: Wow, they never announce that in advance... Too much pranking potential. So how did you find out?
Thomas: Flutie had a VIP visitor today. I "overheard" them talking in the faculty lounge. It was Mayor Wilkins.
Jon: Riiiight. And why were you in there, and how did they just let that juicy bit of secret info drop in front of a student?
Deanna: Wilkins? Really, Mayor Wilkins? He was here at school?
Thomas: Ah, a magician never reveals his methods. Yes, it was the Mayor. Hizoner Mayor Richard Wilkins III.
Karyn: Why was the Mayor here?
Thomas: It's not just a single holographer coming to do the group picture this time. Wilkins was talking to Flutie about a professional documentary holofilm crew. They're doing some kind of educational movie, and they'll be doing stuff for the yearbook site, and they're going to do the official class portraits, both holograms and film photos.
Deanna: Hmm. This is sounding fishy. Well, maybe you overheard them, maybe you didn't. Not that I don't believe you, but...Ya got proof?
Thomas: Somehow I knew you'd say that, so I did some digging. Here's the proof. It's buried and you have to read between the lines, but I'm pretty sure of this.
Deanna: Hmm... Ok that's better, but still not enough. What you've got there is pretty flimsy "evidence" to back it up. Let's see if I can dig up some more... Ask some people who might be able to confirm it.
Karyn: You go, D. You're good at that.
Jon: I gotta spend some time pretending to pay attention in class. Hope D proves it, this could be cool.
(20 minutes later)
Deanna: Found it. Yup, Tangent is on Fox Holo-Film's schedule for that Wednesday. Look at the size of that crew they're bringing, and the equipment list. Bet they'll have holo-cameras in every classroom. Tom, you rock. Sorry I doubted you.
Thomas: np
Karyn: Wow! Where did you get that access?
Deanna: I have my ways *smug grin*. Anyway, yes they're coming. So, what do we do with this info?
Jon: It would be so sweet if we give them something to remember our class by, something way better than "Ho hum, here we are, the boring students at Tangent High."
Karyn: Guys, this is cool! This is IT! This could be our Senior Prank! And it would be OUR little group that planned it, not the jocks, not the spoiled rich brats, not even the stoners. The classes that follow us will talk about it for years!
Deanna: After what happened two years ago, do we dare? Getting expelled will kind of look bad on my transcript.
Thomas: C'mon, you're only a high school senior once.
Deanna: And I really want to be a college freshman next fall, and not at some local Podunk-U that takes anybody.
Thomas: Well, let's get some ideas, people! This is going in our yearbook, and in some kind of documentary about "typical high school students" and bullshit like that. We gotta do something for posterity.
Jon: What if we all came in crazy clothes. They won't be able to edit that out of the holograms.
Deanna: Sure, and we get sent right into the locker rooms with their replicators and forced to change. They don't even send kids home for inappropriate dress anymore. I bet they could cycle the entire class through getting dresscode-friendly clothes in half an hour, tops.
Thomas: The crazy clothes idea is cool, too bad D is right about being forced to change. Principal Flutie wouldn't even blink. He'd lock the main doors in a heartbeat and post a big sign in the default VR space pointing everyone to the gym to get new clothes.
Jon: OK, well that's all I can think of. Anyway, assuming one of you smart people comes up with something cool, what kind of participation can we get?
Thomas: Let me talk to a few of the really popular people... if we can get the clique leaders like Sarah McMillan and Biff Meadows to sign on, bet the sheep will follow them.
Deanna: I know more people than you do. I think Biff might still like me.
Karyn: We need that killer prank idea before we go roping in others. Well, I'm sure Bobby & Stu will want to be in on it, but most kids aren't dumb, they'll want a good plan before they agree.
Deanna: So, we got that stupid dress code. What if we embraced it... and all came to school in something like a private school uniform? Something that met the code? They couldn't possibly complain about it, but it would paint a totally false picture of our class to anyone looking at the pic later. What do you think?
Thomas: That actually is a cool idea... But sorry, not original.
Deanna: Really? Who/when/where did it first? If it was some other school, who cares?
Thomas: Sorry, it was here at Tangent. 5 years ago. My older brother's class. Don't you ever look at our own Tangent "Wall of Fame?"
Karyn: Oh yeah, I've seen that picture. I heard they really did have school uniforms that year... You mean they didn't?
Thomas: Hell no, check out the rest of their yearbook. Not a uniform to be seen.
Jon: Did they start midway through the school year? Look at this one.
Thomas: No, Bro told me the story. They weren't sure of the exact date of when the holographer was coming, so they wore those fake uniforms for 2 weeks. That one pic was a few days before the official group pic, look at the dates.
Deanna: Wow, that's dedication.
Thomas: Yah, it was hilarious. I remember seeing my Bro in that unform. He really had me going; I was thinking I'd have to wear that stupid uniform when I got to HS. He didn't come clean until after they'd finished the prank.
Karyn: Awww, was your big bro mean to widdle Tommie?
Thomas: It was brilliant. Flutie tried to wait them out, and rescheduled the holographer twice and ran out of time, according to Bro's GF's journal. And then the nazis thought they'd outfox the class by having the crew come back the next day to take another group holo, and Bro says he was the one who figured out the trick and everyone was still in the uniforms when they came back, so that's the group pic they were forced to do. Ahh, good times.
Karyn: Shit, so we're gonna have to top that.
Jon: I think D has the germ of an idea there.. doing something that is allowed within the school rules, and no one would blink twice if one person did it... but makes a big impact when everyone does it.
Thomas: We could all shave our heads. That's allowed. Easy enough to reverse.
Deanna: No way. Uh uh. I don't want my kids someday asking me why I was a skinhead in high school. And y'know, employers look up that stuff too. I can just see it now. I'm in a job interview eight years from now, and the interviewer says "Oh, you went to Tangent High; let's look up your class yearbook and see what that says about you..."
Jon: You're such a party pooper.
Karyn: D does have a point. You do have to think about what might come back to haunt you. Most employers would get the joke, probably... but there is a chance that it might scotch that one perfect job for somebody and be the difference between a 100k/year job and a 500k/year job.
Thomas: So, we need to do something that anyone who really knows us will recognize as brilliantly different, but strangers looking at the pic will see nothing odd.
Karyn: Hey guys, Don't hit me, but I think I got it. What if everyone in our class "just happened" to pick that day to get a Change?
Jon: Yah, right. Like how many of us could afford it? Sheesh, MAU-sessions don't grow on trees ya'know. Oh I'm pretty sure we don't have any actual welfare cases at school, so sooner or later everyone gets the chance, if they or their family saves up... But it's not gonna happen for most of us, not on just 2 weeks' notice. Sorry, we don't all have well-heeled parents like D's.
Thomas: If money wasn't an issue, it would be pretty funny. Imagine the looks on our teachers' faces, as one by one we all come in, Changed. It's a big enough deal in a class when one kid gets a Change.
Deanna: Yup, nothing the administration could say about it. Could you imagine the lawsuits that would fly if they did. Mom's done some pro-bono work for the ACLU. Bet she'd love some of the class action action if Flutie and the rest of the nazis were to be that stupid. And it really could mean big bucks for all of the "wronged" parties. That kind of discrimination went out with the 60's. Heh, I made a funny. "Class action action!"
Jon: Yah, you're a riot. Too bad about the money issue, it would be funny. I've actually been thinking about a Change, but it's major; I'm thinking it will have to be my Graduation Gift.
Thomas: Jon, I would so date you if you did.
Jon: I didn't say anything about Changing my orientation.
Thomas: Aww man. As if there weren't already enough post-Change lesbos at Tangent.
Jon: Hey, watch it. And hello, after graduation, not high school anymore!
Deanna: Sorry K, You didn't do the math on this one. And no, I can't ask Dad for the money to get our entire class Changed. I doubt even he could afford it, anyway. We're not up in the stratosphere like Logan Kane or Duncan Echolls.
Karyn: &#
