Hydra 2014
Great weekend, need moar sleep.
I have however, proved to myself that I am still capable of staying up till four in the morning on both Friday & Saturday night, and still going to work the next Monday. Luckily I didn't have a lot of thinking to do on Monday. So what is it about Naomi, Steph, Nick & I, that results in the four of us always being in the Maere Hall (Taverna) long after midnight? This time we were joined by Daniel & on Saturday night also by Ollie. Team Snore Room FTW!
Friday night I got to be Bobby Singer in "Roadhouse Blues." It was a lot of fun, especially the way the random music kept being appropriate to the situation. As per the series, we failed to save any of the "innocent humans" in the end. All in all, a good start to Nick's LARP writing career, even if he did try to lead me into the river twice in a row.
Saturday morning Bryn & I played inquisitors in Kerry & Paula's Exodus. The most interesting thing to me in the game was observing the power dynamics. Even though significantly outnumbered, not once were the inquisitors truly threatened by any of the villagers, and even the most belligerent and powerful male in the village submitted to his torture without a struggle.
I remember one of the stroppier villagers (Sam, I think?) at one point declaring You can't burn all of us!" and enjoyed watching the play of emotions over her face as we replied, almost in unison "Yes, we can. We will raise the entire village if necessary!"
Of course, we burned two innocents, the very observant old woman, and the priest who confessed to spare the rest of the village, meaning it was technically a tragic failure, but it was still great as an exploration of the context. Another interesting thing was how both Bryn and I were so keen to get out of the Inquisitor robes at the end.
Saturday afternoon I played in Hannah Mckie's BDL Play Competition. This reminded me why I prefer being in LARPs over being in plays, I suck at remembering lines. It was interesting to see the sexism inherent in a lot of the structures, the guy with the least lines who appears only briefly at the end of the play, listed first in the Dramatis Personae, the actors being given their certificates in the prize giving in this order also.
And I experienced being a "cripple". I don't know if Hannah intentionally meant for the warm-up exercises that consisted mainly of walking to be such a trial for James, the polio victim with a semi-functional leg, but that, and said leg accidentally catching the chair leg as I got up to receive my certificate, and people throughout assuming I couldn't do things because of my leg, and trying to be "nice" to me because of it... well, let's just say that I feel I have a far better understanding of how those with real physical restrictions might feel, though of course being subject to it for only three hours can't be compared to living it.
Then Saturday evening I got to be the opposite, a supremely confident and extremely physically capable Bravosi. Thanks Daniel, for that first round fight. It was a perfect way of introducing my character to those who hadn't met him yet. I loved pulling off the woolen cloak and fighting in the rain in the cut-down tunic and just generally acting as an honourable swashbuckler. By the end of the game though, Itzal had become somewhat numb. he had been robbed of his vengeance on Seda by another's dishonourable act, he had been knocked out of the tournament, and he had discovered too much about what the "Ruler" became. He was happy for his sister Rosalia, & Amatus, whom he considered a brother, as their loves worked out, and for the end of the feud, but knew he would lose his only love again at the end of the evening when Damoc returned to the dead. With the ranks of the Bravosi drastically reduced by the various events of the evening, there was little left for him but duty to family & his newly returned sister. I must give my thanks yet again, Leonie, for the lovely last memory of Damoc you left Itzal with.
Sunday morning was Slash. I was impressed with the way the new players threw themselves so physically into their roles, & it wasn't at all awkward having my son acting as an NPC. Not at all. :)
Sunday afternoon I attended a funeral. By this stage I was starting to burn out, so couldn't summon up any energy to protest about being ejected from the funeral, after my plans had failed, though this was also partially because IC I felt bad about those plans anyway. So I took a few photos of Hydra Games instead. Will try & upload them soon. It was nice of Sophie's character to talk to me outside anyway, and later for her & the monkey girl *grin* to invite me back inside. Though quite why I was the monkey girl's hero I don't know.
The tea-cup mechanic was interesting, but often hard to react to usefully, as often one is thinking about what one has just said, or what the hecks going on over there?
So overall, I played Bobby Singer, a filth wizard, two homosexual men, a religious torturer, and a swashbuckling bravo. None of these were married, or hooked up in any way, to Naomi, so I think that streak has been well & truly broken.
Not all the emotions I experienced in character over this weekend were fun, some of the were downright horrible, but luckily I am, OOC, happy enough at present that I could actually enjoy feeling terrible IC.
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