Themes: crumbling family, arrogance, manipulation and persuasion, substance abuse
Matija is suffering and trying not to show it. They were once the head of a family, the one carrying their family's honour through the turmoil of in-fighting and posturing in the Yugo-Graad criminal underworld and now they’re… nothing. Just a barfly soaked in vodka, getting worked up about politics and how they were screwed by “the system”. Before their child-in-law, Luka joined the family, Matija had thought everything was lost. That it had been lost long ago when their youngest child was taken down in a flurry of bullets in a deal gone bad back in the old country, and their spouse, Valja, insisted they leave with little more than the clothes on their backs. But Luka, quiet Zhenya’s keen spouse, saw Matija as they used to be. They have been Matija’s partner in a thousand deals and hustles in the past few years, and now they've brought a prime opportunity, something to get the Krots back on top – if only Matija could get the anxious Zhenya and the lazy Sasha on board, not to mention Valja, who has been distant for years now. Matija wants what every parent wants: for their children to make something of themselves, for the Krot name to be synonymous with a family that does what they want, when they want, and doesn’t give a damn about the authorities, a family that lives life on their own terms and can rely on one another. If Matija can prove they’re a force to be reckoned with, will their family come together as imagined?
FULL GROUP TEXT
(mandatory for members of the group and Immigration Officers, optional for others - for example various other foreigners)
The immigrant housing occupies one whole wing of La Cage, the more decrepit one, hosting families that are far from home. People love creating distance between one another. Migrants from Graad and Oranje and some undocumented poor souls live here, stuck between horrible jobs in local sweatshops and old dreams. All together, squashed under one roof, the various cultures are clashing and mixing with each other, while everyone is still trying to maintain a sense of belonging. But is it even possible to call La Cage home?
“Come by and watch the spectacle! Watch adults pummel each other bloody! Watch the gladiators of our modern times face off for your amusement!” So read the worn posters and flyers every week. The Fights are happening weekly, and are one of the few entertainment establishments in La Cage. Everyone knows the story of the rise of the “Red Bannerman” and the “Twirling Moustache” - glorious fighters in a bloody sport. As part of the Fight Club, you might be one of these fighters, facing off with wooden sticks, some bringing the finesse of ancient samaran martial arts, while others beat down their opponents with brute force.
Life in La Cage could never be called easy, but nothing takes the edge off like a little something to tickle the brain. The Druggies are less a formal group and more a handful of users that found themselves in the same grim alley every day to take the edge off before the corners got too crisp. Whether trying to escape or enhance reality, to get a grip or lose it, the Druggies explore the fractals behind their own eyelids, may it lead to enlightenment or their own destruction. The users of the group are enabled by the suppliers that take advantage of them: manufacturers and smugglers with their own agendas. Should the users ever manage to get it together, they might find some clever ideas to turn the tables.
“You matter. Shit happens and it can be hard to get back on your feet. This is when addiction catches you. Now remember sister, brother: you are not alone. You will never be any more. In our Addicts Anonymous meetings, we always listen with care, love, and respect. What is told and done within the circle stays within the circle, no matter what.
We care. You are safe. You matter.”
