Midnight City’s resident Bowling mob gang! “The Ball” and his subordinates, “Pinheads”, who each run a bowling alley. There are no other bowling alleys in the city- their monopoly is absolute, and essentially their only goal. Names under the cut!
(the Pinheads labeled left to right in order of pin numbers)
The Ball: Lofting “Pounds” Bowler
1: Leadoff (he/him)
2: Split (he/him)
3: Turkey (she/he)
4: Four-Bagger (he/him)
5: Five-Bagger (she/her)
6: Sixpack (he/her)
7: Dead Wood (he/him)
8: Quick Eight (they/them)
9: Big Ears (he/him)
10: Sandbagger (she/they)
i think it’s funny if their mob name is something like The League because its like a bowling league but everyone just calls them The Pinheads because they never see Pounds around and also because its rude
I'm d33ply in love with the pin heads. Any ideas on their personalities? What about powers?
I’m glad you like them! As carapacians most of them wouldn’t really have “powers” per se- although I think Pounds has a horrorterror at least, maybe one or two more do as well but that’s less likely. I do know about their personalities though! Little blurbs about each of them under the cut!
Leadoff - intolerant of goofing off on the job and tries his best to keep things organized. right-hand-man to LB, very dedicated to his job. easier to please than someone like Crowbar, if its not on the clock he doesn’t mind silly shit. tries to keep work and his private life separate and fails often. Clumsier than he'd admit to. Generally infuriated by his romantic interest in LB, who usually only has eyes for bowling.
Split - tries to be very polite and casual but is deeply neurotic and tries to micromanage his own bowling alley and everyone else's if he gets a chance. Odd numbers, mismatched colors, and broken patterns make him very uncomfortable. when he's not actively distressed, he's actually very pleasant and a good conversationalist.
Turkey - Girlboy extraordinaire serving butch realness, oozes confidence and well liked by the ladies. Probably the most well-rounded and stable member of the gang. Self-aware, suave, a slight mean streak when it comes to pranks and teasing. favorite past time outside of work (bowling) is getting into bar arguments, dancing, poetry, and courting classy dames.
Four-Bagger - The kind of nerd who brings a protractor to bowling practice. Not "shy", but very polite while lacking a lot of social awareness. Infodumping incidents happen regularly. Asks for permission to do things as he does them in a "knocking on an opened door" kind of way without ill will. Has Victorian chivalric sensibilities and gets embarrassed by women's ankles. Built like a popsicle stick.
Five-Bagger - Incredibly dignified and self assured, but bowls with surprising ferocity with an abnormal mph on her throws. Internalizes some of her more improper feelings that she gets out by bowling. Unafraid to be confrontational but does not lose composure or temper if she can help it. Femme savante in the Rococo sense- join her for tea and witty debate- you'll lose. :)
Sixpack - Boxes in his free time, very good at it. Gets into a lot of physical fights. Blunt and to the point, and is both uninterested in and barely takes the time to try and understand metaphors, or flowery hypotheticals. More of a brawn than brain type, but is not unkind- she hates when the little guys get picked on. Homosocial jock behaviors abound, goes more silent and stoic when interacting with girls.
Dead Wood - Improperly finished clone, resulted in discoloration and several oversized disproportionate limbs. Obscenely strong in relation to his cloning defects- "Dead Wood" means pins that get knocked so far away from the end that they cannot be picked up and re-stacked. This happens often considering how hard he can bowl. Self-conscious and embarrassed often by his clumsier size and generally awkward personality, not very confident. Generally cheerful despite often being the butt of (misplaced) jokes implying "Dead Wood" implies erectile dysfunction and similar crude ideas.
Quick Eight - Experiences chronic pain and phantom limb soreness after having lost left arm and leg in a Dersite shelling during the Skaian conflict. Is overly confident, cheerful and snarky, which is a partial facade. Bowls somewhat unconventionally due to difficulty balancing with the ball in hand. They're always down for a good time, whether its joyriding, drinking, a party, an intimate dalliance, and the like. Chases positive feedback. Tries to downplay difficulty caused by disability and overcompensates out of habit after military pressures to continue adequate performance post-injury. Should probably go to therapy about it.
Big Ears - Oldest member of the Pinheads, and kind of fed up with it all. Cigar smoker, actively flaunts dress code with his black top, hides it with white coat. He really likes bowling- but not so much being in the gang. Sticks around, but definitely considers leaving under guise of "retiring". Gruff and straightforward, and is always happy to deal out a good bludgeoning. Enjoys old music, ballroom dancing, and nights in.
Sandbagger - Plays up the idea of being incompetent and uses her appearance and performative helplessness to score men, whom she objectifies and treats as disposable. Like if a lady womanizer did it to men. Intentionally keeps her scores low to keep her bowling handicap high. Prefers ping pong and chess to bowling. Flirtatious. Kind of a mean girl. Has a hard time expressing her feelings authentically. Loves a good cocktail and doing anything but work.
LB (Pounds): OBSESSED WITH BOWLING to a near Freudian degree. Insistent on dress codes and bowling-based nicknames within the gang or else, dedicated to the bit and the aesthetic. Wants a complete monopoly on bowling in the city and cracks down on thieves, cheaters and anyone trying to start a rival bowling alley. Otherwise he doesn't call for a lot of operations. Collects bowling balls and pins. Name says it all- has a tendency to throw when bowling so that the ball smashes into the lane rather than rolls smoothly. Professional and positive but intense. CANNOT overemphasize his bowling fixation.
