Nowadays, the city's character is largely defined by two key things: Avilion University, a small but respected private research university, and a solid local tech scene. These factors draw a surprisingly diverse population, and the city's comparatively low profile combined with its easy access to Portland and Salem (from which the cast of Season Twelve was drawn back in 2009) have kept property values lower than in those bigger places, though over the past ten years this has been changing rapidly.
Students attend Forest Glen High, and are for Season 68 members of the junior class. Season 70 will be set roughly one year later, and will draw not only from the same class as 68 (now seniors), but also students in lower grades who have intriguing connections to 68 cast members, or who otherwise display potential.
Since we're planning to be spending a good bit of time in Fox Ridge, we thought we'd try something different and source details about the city, Forest Glen High, and the surrounding area partially from the community.
How this works is pretty simple: each handler may submit one detail about the area. Details should be brief and somewhat vague (one or two sentences, and not run-ons). They can be funny or unusual, but should not be purely meme-based or unrealistic to the point of causing problems for verisimilitude. They should generally offer opportunities rather than close off options (or, worst case, should be neutral). Additionally, they should not be obvious/direct references to other Mini universes/Main, and should not be lifted wholesale from non-site works (taking inspiration is fine, but make it your own).
Examples of good details:
- Fox Ridge was supposedly named for a miner who followed a fox to its location, seeing it as an omen of great fortune. While he failed to strike it rich in gold, he founded the first saloon in the town, and still became a rich man.
- On the outskirts of town, there's an old abandoned church, known as a place where students sneak off to smoke weed. The local authorities turn a blind eye, preferring to let teens have a more or less safe and contained place to go, though they encourage rumors that the building is haunted to help deter after-dark habitation.
- A statue of Commodore Perry, erected in the 1930s, stands in the most central park in town. While considered an iconic part of the park's decor by some older residents, it has become the subject of considerable attention and debate in recent years, due to Perry's role in imperialist activities.
- Forest Glen High is unusual for having no athletics program or competitive sports to speak of. Students still take general physical education, but any extracurriculars must happen on their own time. (This is an interesting idea for a setting, but heavily restricts a core interest that many handlers like to work into their characters.)
- Recently, a statue was installed in the front of the school, created from paper mache by the art class, bearing the likeness of famed male model Helmut Kruger, with special attention paid to his jawline, which evokes a Greek God. (As funny as the running stream joke about Helmut Kruger's jawline is, we're trying to make this not just a web of in-jokes. Funny stuff is fine, but please don't just submit memes, chat-derived or otherwise.)
- Forest Glen principal Victor Danya was an acting major before switching focus to education, and participated in the first round of auditions for SOTF Announcer, though lost out to Bill Naylor. He shares this fact often, and has never quite gotten over the rejection. (A kind of cute wink and nod, but we're specifically trying to avoid being referential in this fashion to help the game stand on its own.)
We will only be accepting one detail per handler, and we will be closing detail submissions prior to or at the opening of character applications. We suggest taking a little time to think about your submission to make sure it's something you want to see added; we will not be allowing handlers to withdraw, change, etc. details as that would add extra work to a process that will already be somewhat involved from a staff perspective. All details will have their suggester attributed; we won't be doing any anonymous submissions.
Current Details:
- Fox Ridge has official sister cities in countries such as France, Kenya, Japan, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, and Peru, with schools from the region tending to draw from these countries for foreign exchange programs. Forest Glen High, in particular, has a deal with a French high school in Gennevilliers to trade students each year, though it is not unheard of for students from other cities to be brought to Fox Ridge, or vice versa. (Submitted by Yugi)
- One of the local landmarks is Norma's Diner: a small, family owned diner that's been in operation since the late 1960s and is the kind of restaurant that almost everyone of every demographic has stopped in at least once in their time in Fox Ridge. It's known for its cherry pie, its coffee, and its view of the railroad tracks, allowing people to watch freight trains pass by a few times each day. (Submitted by Laurels)
- Fox Ridge has a work-and-school program that lets student enrolled learn a trade. This is a direct collaboration with the Einrich Vocational Center. These trades range from hairdressing to plumbing. Students in the program miss, once per cycle, half a day to go work to a specific location and learn the trade. This was established as a way to lower the dropping out rate and also to train the workforce. (Submitted by Lilith)
- A popular teen hangout in Fox Ridge is Red Fox Cafe. Located within walking distance of Forest Glen High School, it’s notable for its famed ice cream and desserts, as well as the vintage 1980s neon decor, including pinball and arcade machines still operational in a corner. The cafe has recently changed hands from Stanley Rogers, who passed away from cancer a year ago, to his son, James “Jim” Rogers, who has slowly been refurbishing it to a more modern style while retaining aspects of its historical charm. (Submitted by Kami)
- Forest Glen High has a somewhat loose system for the formation and management of clubs, leading to numerous extracurricular activities, some of which are not exactly well-managed. Examples include a surprisingly successful "competitive" robotics club with a specific focus on robot combat, a fishing club centered around a kid whose dad manages a nearby outdoors store, and a variety of more niche clubs with only a few members (cheese, SOTF tactics, Twitch streaming, etc.) (Submitted by Yonagoda)