Christmas Eve and Other Stories
You know, the funniest thing about my blogging habits, given my trend for using the platform for talking about whatever just happens to be on my mind, is that the more tumultuous my life gets, the less I write about it. That seems odd to me, given that so many people use their blog as an outlet, a place to fire their frustrations off to the sympathetic ear of Teh Interwebs. Well... those who aren't driven exclusively to self-promotion, anyway.
Not that I'm generalizing.
But my life has gotten pretty crazy this past month, and mum's the word. It's kinda weird. Strangely, I find that there are numerous things I'd like to discuss, but the fact that there are things that I don't keeps me from saying anything at all. As if the pressure is there... I.. I can't.. help my... self.....
But seriously. A blog about blogging? This is getting old. So here's the thing...
It's Christmas Eve. It's probably worth noting that Christmas isn't, per se, the holiday we celebrate in my home, and our feasting and frivolity and gift-giving is actually behind us. Yule was on Monday, which was a game night, so we invited our players to join our family and prepared a huge turkey dinner. It was a little expensive, given our resources nowadays, but worth every penny and every ounce of effort. We had a fantastic Yule, and a pretty decent game session later in the evening.
The game has taken a different turn. Joshua Stormborn has returned to the campaign, as his player has made his way back to Wichita. Those of you who follow my game at "wbscampaign" (the LJ User link isn't working today) likely never realized that Joshua left, as the journal is consistently a few months behind. In a session this past summer, Joshua was abducted by his estranged father. This left a power vacuum in the group, as he was the party's de facto leader... the man with the plan, who knew how best to use his compatriots' abilities to accomplish their goals. They persevered, but nothing was ever heard of Joshua's whereabouts.
To commemorate Joshua's return, rather than simply having him appear out of the blue, I've constructed a brief side adventure I refer to as "Joshua's Tale". To make it as entertaining as possible, I threw together a group of morally-ambiguous characters for the other players to manage, as they accompany him on the quest his father coerced him to undertake. With the character sheets, I provided background information, personality traits, personal goals and desires, character flaws, and deep, dark secrets that outline a rather loveless relationship betwixt the party. We've already had a couple of sessions, and it's been a joy to watch these villains come to life in the hands of such talented roleplayers.
The reason for Joshua's player's return, however, isn't near as pleasant and entertaining. The player in question is one of my oldest and dearest friends. This past summer, he moved away to be near the long-lost love of his life in Manhattan, Kansas... just a couple hours north of here. She was in the death throes on an abusive marriage, and they were soon living together on her ranch. Unfortunately, her separation from her husband left her unable to suppor the place, and they soon moved into an RV on her mother's property in a tiny village in central Kansas.
Apparently, however, her mother was a psycho. They would soon find themselves without a home.
Roulette immediately offered them a place to stay. They haven't relied on us solely - they have other friends in her old stomping grounds up north - but they want to make a home and a life for themselves right here in Wichita. So they're here a lot... looking for work and hunting for a place to live. My house now frequently houses two more adults, another teenage girl, another big dog, and another cat. Fortunately, we have a big house.
I've been helping with the apartment search, but it's challenging. Their only income right now comes from her financial aid, and it's tough to find places that allow pets. In addition to providing shelter and storage for their meager belongings, which are trickling into town in small carloads as they make repeated journeys northward, we are trying to help them save what little money they have... and Roulette has done an amazing job of expanding our menus to feed so many people. It has been an adjustment, but worth our while.
*grins* It is the holidays, after all.
Merry Christmas, friends... and whatever else you prefer to celebrate besides. May you and yours know peace and joy this holiday season.