WaHOOOOO! I am working the
WaHOOOOO!
I am working the Fringe Festival. Yes!
YAY!
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WaHOOOOO!
I am working the Fringe Festival. Yes!
YAY!
I have wanted to talk about the vampire game we play in for the last few days now but have been unsure as to how to go about it.
I've sort of spoken about role playing and LARP and the like but it really doesn't say all that much about the game we play in.
The game we play in is a fantasy world. The books that we use call it a "World of Darkness". It is a world that looks almost exactly like ours in almost every respect. All the same people and places and such but it is a much meaner and darker world. It is gothic and dark and deep. The people are less friendly and willing to say hello as they pass you on the street. It rains a lot in this World and the nights are longer and much colder. There are more people on the streets and for sure there is far more crime.
Vampires in the game exist in a complex and ancient society created long before man was every more then a farmer in the field.
The vampires, or Kindred (and sometimes Cainites), have a detailed creation myth as well. They believe that the very first of their kind was Cain, who slew his brother Abel and was expelled from the sight of god for the first murder. Kindred believe that Caine was marked by God as the first Vampire, to ever be in fear of the sun, to always "eat of ashes" and to always be out of Gods love. Caine wandered for many years in the land of Nod and was eventually found by Adam's first wife Lilith, who taught Caine how to harness the powers that his blood held. She taught him all the mystical abilities he might have and taught him to be strong.
Caine eventually left Lilith and went on to make his own "Children". These Children went on to make thier own and so on. Each successive step away from Caine is called a "Generation" and as of the turn of the 21st century there are reported to be now 15 generations. Although those of the 15th are so weak as to almost not be vampires.
The vampires are broken up into several tribes or groups such as Ventrue, Brujah, Malkavian, Nosferatu. These clans are more or less groupings of people who follow the same ideals. A Brujah for example, while first and formost the child of another brujah, is more often then not, a revolutionary or a person of change. Punks and fighters are brought into this clan all the time.
When a Kindred makes another Kindred, the act is called "Embracing" someone. The vampires do not make someone just by feeding from them (if this was the case we would all be vampires by now). Kindred need to feed from humans or animals almost nightly and do so in about the same manner as you see in the movies, except for the fact that when a kindred is done, he licks the bite marks he has caused and they are mystically healed.
Well, thats it for the moment. I will go into more details about the clans and such in a later post.
Last night was very nice, I went over to Shauna's place after work, stopping first to get her a dozen roses. She was very happy about that and immediately put them in a super big gulp cup (mental note: buy a vase at some time).
We spent some time just being together and then went shopping for dinner at safeway. We stuffed ourselves nicely, and then spent another hour together before she went off to work and I went home. I would have liked to have done a little more for her but she had to work last night and the night before.
She is working lots which is good, but I am missing her lots too, which isnt so good.
ONE YEAR!!!!
Shauna and I have been together for one year as of today.
This wonderful and amazing and beatiful woman has kept me around for a whole year now (amazes me too!). Last year on this day, we spent our first full day together as something more then friends. At the time, I knew I wanted it to last for a long time and I made sure she knew that, but I couldnt have thought that before our 365 days had passed, we would be moving in together and getting married.
I love her more then words can say and I am eagerly anticipating our life together.
I love you babe.
FIFTY QUESTIONS
1. Your name spelled backwards.
Werdna
2. Where were your parents born?
Winnipeg (Father) Middle of no where Saskatchewan (Mother)
3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer?
AVg Antivirus
4. What's your favorite restaurant?
Wasabi
5. Last time you swam in a pool?
Cant Recall.
6. Have you ever been in a school play?
Yes, I played Wayne Gretzsky
7. How many kids do you want?
Enough to make me happy but not drive me insane.
8. Type of music you dislike most?
Rap. If you can call it "music".
9. Are you registered to vote?
Occassionally.
10. Do you have cable?
Yes
* * * * * * * * * *
11. Have you ever ridden on a moped?
Nope.
12. Ever prank call anybody?
Yes.
13. Ever get a parking ticket?
Would need a car to get those.
14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?
Eventually.
15. Furthest place you ever traveled.
California.
16. Do you have a garden?
nope.
17. What's your favorite comic strip?
Zits.
18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem?
Nope.
19. Bath or Shower, morning or night?
Shower, night.
20. Best movie you've seen in the past month?
Equilibrium was good.
21. Favorite pizza topping?
Dont eat pizza.
22. Chips or popcorn?
Both.
23. What color lipstick do you usually wear?
Dont wear lipstick
24. Have you ever smoked peanut shells?
Do what?
25. Have you ever been in a beauty pageant?
Um, no. I'm not equipped for that kind of thing.
26. Orange Juice or apple?
Orange, w/ calcium.
27. Who was the last person you went out to dinner with and where did you dine?
With Shauna, Humpties.
28. Favorite type chocolate bar?
Hershey's w/ Almonds
29. When was the last time you voted at the polls?
Voted? Polls?
30. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato?
Yesterday.
31. Have you ever won a trophy?
Once, a long time ago.
32. Are you a good cook?
No one has died yet.
33. Do you know how to pump your own gas?
I do but its moot, I dont own a car.
34. Ever order an article from an infomercial?
LOL No.
35. Sprite or 7-up?
Both.
36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work?
Yes.
37. Last thing you bought at a pharmacy?
Band Aids
38. Ever throw up in public?
Once or twice.
39. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love?
Be a millionaire. True love can be rented for about $500 a night.
40. Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yes, but I don't recommend it. Can be painful.
41. Ever call a 1-900 number?
Yes, she was pretty and her name was charlene
42. Can ex's be friends?
Occasionally.
43. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital?
Dont recall.
44. Did you have a lot of hair when you were a baby?
Yes. I tickled coming out.
45. What message is on your answering machine?
Hi. No one is here. Leave a message. BEEP
46. What's your all time favorite Saturday Night Live Character?
Land Shark
47. What was the name of your first pet?
Mitzie
48. What is in your purse?
ITS NOT A PURSE ITS A BAG!!!!
49. Favorite thing to do before bedtime?
Noy going to say here.
50. What is one thing you are grateful for today?
That I made it to work without getting killed.
The Weather
One of the misconceptions about Canada that bothers me the most is the idea that the whole country is covered by snow all year round and that it never gets very warm here. People from Texas or Florida come up here and make claims about how surprised they are at the heat in the summer time.
"Good Lord its hot here!"
Well duh!
Now I am not saying that its only Americans who make these false assumptions. People from all over the world, come here in the summer and seem so amazed that we actually do get warm summers.
I don't blame them though. Manitoba and the rest of the country seems to beat florida some times for heat waves. Right now we are on a sort of mini heat wave, for the last three days and for the next three or four days, it is going to be hot and humid.
I hate humdity. God!
Well. Thats my disjointed rant for the day.
Live Action Role Playing 101: Part One
I did a bit of searching on the net to find a good definition of "Role Playing" and while the one below is a little more geared towards psychology, it does however, get the point of what we do.
role-play?ing (rlplng) n.
Psychology. A therapeutic technique, designed to reduce conflict in social situations, in which participants act out particular behavioral roles in order to expand their awareness of differing points of view.
An instance or situation in which one deliberately acts out or assumes a particular character or role.
Source: The American Heritage? Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright ? 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Now, I like that last bit. An instance or situation in which one deliberately acts out or assumes a particular character or role. We as role players are really kids who never grew up, we just traded cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians for vampires. We like to put ourselves or imagine our selves to be in rather, Vampiric situations. I like to roleplay because it lets me act in ways that I don't normally do. In real life I am a shy person, non confrontational and rarely overcome with desires of personal gain or greed. However, when I roleplay I can, if I so wish, play someone completely opposite to my normal nature. I can choose to be a sadist or a violent person, or I can be a complete social introvert or even someone with severe deformities. Roleplaying allows me to experience more. I can be what ever I wish.
Live Action Role Playing 101: Part Two - Our Vampires
The game that I role play in is governed on multiple levels by some (at times) complicated rules, methods and ideas. The rules are in place to ensure that the game is run consistently, evenly and fairly for all those involved. The methods are, while connected to them at times, are separate from the rules. We play in a very specific fashion dictated by regular use, failures and successes. Finally there are the ideas that we role play by. The ideas are most integrated with the rules because some of the rules are common sense.
1. Don't touch people. (This can make people uncomfortable if they are touched by someone they don't want to be touched by)
2. No real weapons at game (Sometimes we play in public places. Weapons such as swords will eventually, even by accident, hurt someone)
3. Don't play high or drunk (Drugs and alcohol can alter your perception. They can lead to problems)
Just those three rules are common sense or ideas to play by, but they are also hard core rules. Those three are never broken without repercussions.
We use, for our games, a series of books from White Wolf (follow link) that initially came out for table top, much like dungeons and dragons. Then people wanted to play the games in real life and in a more social situation. So Mind's Eye Theatre came up with a series of books that allow people to play the original game in real life (so to speak) but without the need for dice.
Tomorrow I will go into greater detail about the game mechanics itself.
Just wanted to say:
I love my fiancee.
Love her very much.
I think she is the most beautiful creature I could ever dream of and I look forward to our time together.
Ok. I have been seriously neglecting my writing duties here and today I feel like I am on a writing kick, so I am taking advantage of it.
Work hasn't been too bad lately, but it still isn't what I want it to be. So I need to find something better. That's the be all and end all of it. I have to get off my dumb ass, stop talking about it and get around to freaking doing it. I know it will be hard (perhaps that is why I am holding back) but it needs to get done.
Last night, my aunt asked me to kind of explain the vampire game I play in. So I am going to try and explain it here. I apologize in advance for the length.
Vampire Live Action Role Playing (LARP)
The LARP game that I play in consists of people pretending they are vampires. That is the super simple, ultra short, and most simple way of explaining it. After saying that, I would have to tell you that they follow a not so basic set of rules. These rules and guidelines for playing are pretty extensive. Then I would have to say that our game is part of a world wide structure of other games all collected together under a single organization.
Live action roleplaying is basically a form of theatre. The people involved in it, act as though they are someone and something else. People have been using this sort of live theatre to present stories and histories and everything else. Now, it isn't stage theatre, there are no real audiences (although a person may show up to watch us play, but they are usually people who are going to be playing themselves). We gather together to have fun. It is a very social situation and the group of people who play together tend to become friends to one degree or another.
We play by a set of rules set out by a company called White Wolf. They publish a book with Mind's Eye Theatre. This book tells us what powers our vampires can have, how they work, what they can do to mortals and other vampires and give us a general idea of how to play characters. The book is divided up into a few sections such as how to create a character, descriptions of powers, abilities and the like and finally the world that the character will be involved in. The book(s), while not completely complicated, are long and detailed and can be daunting to new players.
We belong to a organization called One World by Night or OWBN (said obiwan for some strange reason). This org sets out general rules and formats for us to follow. There are people all around the world who are associated with the group.
I think that I will continue this later with more LARP talk. Perhaps tomorrow I will talk about vampire clans.
Toodles
As many of you know, I have been dating a wonderful woman named Shauna Mulligan for the last year. She and I have been wonderful together as boyfriend and girlfriend and lately I had begun to feel that it could be something more.
This past Friday I asked her to marry me.
She said yes! :)
We have yet to pick a date, but we have a location. St. Lukes Anglican church is a nice little place not that far from where I live.
St. Luke's Neither of us go to church or have any plans, but the church is very beautiful and we would like to get married there.
I will write more as we go along!
Good news coming.
Stay glued to this web site for an update.
Monday night.
That is all.
Go see Bruce Almighty!
Good movie!
Yay!