Love Me or Hate Me, But Spare Me Your Indifference
I apologize for the overuse of the word "amazing." Also, HOLY FUCK DID THIS GET LONG.
First of all, many thanks go out to hazliya and elenuial for writing yet another amazing game and for casting me in a role that I adored. While BoD is not my favorite LARP of theirs (Leash was too awesome for words, Martha Stewart had perhaps the most quotable lines, and Everybody's Dying introduced me to zapf), it was still a wonderful, exciting, and completely fun game. Thank you so much for running it twice because I would have regretted not being able to play in this. As it was, this was easily my favorite LARP of the weekend and I'm still grinning when I think about it.
In addition to hazliya and elenuial, I owe humongous thanks to electric_d_monk, k1ttycat, captainecchi, lightgamer, morethings5, witticaster, staystrong62805, and zapf for being absolutely amazing people to interact with. I chatted with other people of course (including jacking shogunhb against a door, more on this later), and danced, and sang, and generally admired everyone's costumes, but those eight people were just incredible to play off of and let me sink my teeth into Moirabel in ways that I didn't entirely expect. Seriously, you guys were amazing and as great a game as hazliya and elenuial can write, it wouldn't have come alive in the same way it did without you.
Also thanks to in_water_writ for loaning me Moira's necklace. It was so beautiful, laura47 snapped a picture of it all by itself. Certainly not an excuse for a cleavage shot, amirite?.
Anyway, here's where I babble about my character. It's possible I will spend so much time talking about her, I forget to talk about the game. If that happens, my apologies. But, dammit, Moira is interesting!
Moirabel is the head of the Belles, a trio of the prettiest, most popular girls in school: herself, her foster sister Drysabel, and their friend Ilyabel. They're the alphas, and Moira doesn't let anyone forget it. She's intimidating, calculating, always the center of attention with a reputation for being ruthless. They can make or break anyone they want. Moira, with her Belles' backing, is the powerhouse of the school.
Which is fun to play and all, because, really, doing the catty bitch is something I enjoy, but, of course, there's more to Moira than just her pretty face and ability to scheme. The subject of my post is pretty much her entire outlook on life; she learned early (via her Tragic Backstory) that people are easily forgotten, abandoned, and disposed of. So you have to stay at the forefront of people's minds; whether they want to kiss you or kill you doesn't matter as long as they're thinking about you. Then you don't have to worry about disappearing.
Disappearing is something Moira was used to. Her parents vanished when she was four; they got caught between the oblivion between the gates and Moira went from a happy and adored daughter to a dispossessed foster child, bounced from home to home to home, never staying more than a year or so before being given away. Watching as people forgot about her, forgot about her parents, forgot about the tragedy that shaped her entire life. After years of being unwanted, friendless, and ignored, of molding herself to fit to other people's whims, Moira learned how to manipulate people, how to garner attention, how to draw out whatever reaction and emotion she wanted. She learned how to make herself unforgettable, so she wouldn't disappear, too.
Moirabel could be a bully, absolutely (sorry about the rotten meat incident, Neliwhip!), but she wasn't always. It's not the scared-popularity that movies like Heathers and Mean Girls portray, a lot of people genuinely like Moira. But part of her ability to read people meant she knew which method of behavior, good or ill, was likely to get more of a reaction out of someone. She'd rather full-on hatred than lukewarm liking. Unlike most bullies who bully out of insecurities, you feeling bad didn't make her feel better. It was the emotions she was trying to evoke, not shattered self-esteem. It's hardly her fault if you respond better to negative emotions than positive ones. Her behavior was all about your reaction.
...Well, unless someone was threatening to upstage her. Then bitches gonna get cut. Or, y'know, showered with rotten meat. BUT MAYBE YOU SHOULD'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, OKAY?
So, from the moment I got my sheet, I was excited about this game. I got to play a bitchy, snotty character with a chewy, vulnerable center. My two closest friends in-game were going to be played by k1ttycat and captainecchi, both of whom I really like and, with k1ttycat, I've played a similar role with her before, only this time I didn't have to worry about her flouncing off and getting me arrested for murder because she was in a righteous sulk. I did have to worry about getting stabbed in the kidney a little bit, but that had less to do with the character and more with k1ttycat being herself. DON'T YOU PROTEST, WOMAN. OR I WILL HAVE DOOMPUPPY TALK ABOUT THE NUN. AND THE CYCLOPS. I hadn't played a similar role with captainecchi, but I loved playing in LXHS and everytime we talk I only like her more, so I was really excited about getting to play with her.
Then I saw who was playing Filivyn: electric_d_monk. We'd played near one another before, as we were both close to juldea in the fabulous run of Tis No Deceit, and we'd had a lot of fun post-game, sharing emails and whatnot about What Happened Next (and yes, dear juldea, that also counts as fanfiction), so I knew he could LARP well and carry off a fraught romance plot beautifully. I was immediately 33% more excited about my character when I realized he was going to be my opposite.
Anyway, we started getting into character long before game started. k1ttycat and I went shopping for our dresses together and ended up with similar-ish dresses. Since we didn't want to leave captainecchi the odd Belle out, we also grabbed three identical pins for us to wear. We couldn't be caught in the same outfit at prom, ye gods no, but we could make sure that everyone who saw us knew we were a matched set. On top of that, we also wore identical white rose corsages, for the same reason. This was accomplished by a flurry of emails between the three of us (with me slipping into character to dictate certain choices and then slipping out again to make sure what I'd suggested was okay), and then another spate between me and electric_d_monk because there was NO WAY Phil wouldn't match Moira's outfit, and even a few between all of us and lightgamer and morethings5 to make sure we were all on the same page regarding corsages, boutonnieres, and anything else that the guys lucky enough to escort my Belles to prom would need to know.
Then, Saturday night before the game, there were a bunch of girls all in the bathroom, trying to get ready for prom. Unlike the game, real high school, or any 80's movie ever, the preprom bathroom was filled with excited, laughing, helpful women who just wanted to make sure we all looked amazing. There was glitter being liberally tossed around (and still in my hair!), impromptu makeup sessions, hair styling tips and advice, dropped jaws at juldea's epic gown, and, as I said, a lot of laughter. It reminded me less of prom (where I'd gotten ready alone or with the hair-stylist), and more of my wedding, where everyone's main focus was making sure we all looked great and were having a good time. It was the perfect way to get into the headspace for game because not only was I in a great mood, I was also swanning around, complimenting people on their dresses, making suggestions, helping with makeup, and whatall. I felt very in the thick of things (though this may be only because I was close to k1ttycat whose makeup and tips were indispensable) and that felt very Moira. By the time we got out, I felt very close and connected to all the other women in the bathroom, even those I'd barely spoken to. My Belles and I walked up the stairs to where music was playing and people were gathered, sliding fully into character with every step. Best way to begin game ever.
Now, a bit of explanation is needed for why a girl like Moira would bring a guy like Filivyn, a geek and the class-clown, to the prom. They moved in completely different social circles, his two closest friends hated her (as was right and proper), and he had done his own fair share of things to make her displeased with him.
The answer was, of course, a boy. Oh, and a girl for him, but whatever. The class prince, Ichiron (witticaster), and the class artist, Neliwhip (yunafonfabre), were going to prom together. Moira liked Ike--he was handsome, flirty, and every other girl in school liked him, too. The two of them together? Perfect. They'd be unstoppable. Moira had decided that Ike had asked Nellie to be kind or maybe he felt he owed her a favor or something equally nice like that. Either way, he needed to realize he'd made a GIGANTIC MISTAKE. The easiest way to do that? Find another boy and use him to make Ike horrifically jealous. As for Neliwhip, blah blah Phil's oldest friend something something unrequited crush, blahbitty blah like she cared except it gives them a reason to work together.
Now, Phil had been on her radar since he'd poured embalming fluid over her clothes after the unfortunate rotten-meat-in-the-locker incident. It had looked like an accident to everyone but Moira; he was good, she could give him that. And after watching him for awhile after that, she'd realized a few things. The first, he was almost as good at reading people and manipulating them as she was, except he used his skills to make people laugh and defuse the tension--all while keeping himself slightly distant. The second? He was totally into Nellie. Which meant that as soon as she was going to the prom with Ike, Moira had an ally. He could use her to make Nellie jealous, too, same as Moira was going to do with Ike.
Of course, this being the genre that it is, meant that their perfect and flawless plan soon proved to be not so perfect and flawless. Mostly because the more time they'd spent together leading up to the prom (pretending to get along and practicing flirting with one another to make it believable), the more they started to get to know one another and the more Moira started to forget that she didn't really like him. Especially when he smiled that crooked little grin of his. Or when he said something unexpected, something that suggested he got her. And then a kiss brought on by Ike coming round the corner turned into a steamy make-out session, with Phil shoved up against a locker and how did his hands get there and there's no WAY Nellie could have taught him to kiss like that and WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING?!
Moira broke the kiss, stared at him in shock and surprise for a minute, and then bolted. And that was the last time she'd seen Phil until the prom, giving her plenty of time to stew and figure out what the hell that was all about and assure herself that there was NO WAY she could be attracted to a geek like him. And any hints of jealousy that she felt picturing him choosing Nellie over her was just the disbelief over anyone wanting a baloney sandwich when they could have a filet mignon. Or...some other kind of metaphor that worked that doesn't liken Moira to a piece of meat. Yeah!
The first few minutes of game were spent taking pictures and my first picture, of course, was with my date. Considering Moira's very complicated feelings about Phil, we spent the first few minutes snarking at one another, with me making sure he was VERY CLEAR that we were only doing this so we could get our proper dates, and anything else that might have occurred before was only in pursuit of that, hmph and thanks much. Of course, that was quickly put to the test because as soon as pictures were over, Halihymnia (laura47) came over to drag him away into a dark corner and talk to him, leaving Moira jealous VERY DISPLEASED that the prom had barely started and he was ditching me for a lesser girl already. IT WAS LIKE HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE PLAN WORKED OR SOMETHING. Not that I felt the lack, not at all (and thanks for taking the first opportunity to point that out, Drys, really). I was just aggravated that he was clearly not as interested in making the plan work as I was.
By the time Phil was able to pry himself away, Moira was already a wee bit peeved and we spent a goodly chunk of time snapping and snarling; issuing threats and ultimatums. It was marvelous fun and probably helped convince everyone around us just how thrilled we were to be at prom together. However, once we started dancing, surrounded by all of Moira's friends, things got a little easier between the two of us--perhaps because we then spent the next few minutes apart, getting out house tasks and planning what needed to be done. Though, I did extend Phil a bit of trust. Ilya had come back from her test and was really hurt and shaken by it. I needed to run off and do mine, so I asked Phil to take care of her because I couldn't. I don't know if Phil realized how much trust Moira was giving him, but I know electric_d_monk got it.
Now, my character sheet had mentioned that I was good friends with the twins, Mac and Mal (lightgamer and morethings5) and that they were in House Desire with me and Drys and Ilya had crushes on them. That being said, I hadn't expected us to be such friends for some reason. But we quickly settled into joking and laughing and I had a great time anytime I got to interact with them. They also helped me get a better handle on Moira, because it proved that there were more people out there than just the Belles that liked her and thought she was pretty nice and fun and whatnot. I appreciated that.
House Desire ran off into the woods to work together on their task, which included me and staystrong62805 (as the 4th member of our House, Iona) throwing our shoes at an evil wolf, Mal sacrificing his dapper jacket, and all of us just willing the wolf to leave us alone--which involved a lot of pointing and chanting "Go!" It was hilarious. Then we closed the portal to the living realm (which we would have to go back and reopen several times) and proceeded to head back, with me and Iona asking for piggyback rides back because we were barefoot, having nobly sacrificed our pointy shoes into the maw of the beast.
This marked the turning point in the game for me. Phil, noticing I was barefoot and hearing why, promptly offered me his shoes. Iona, who had been a nobody up until that point, came over to ask for my help with getting a boy to dance the last dance with her, trusting me enough to let me know he heart's desire. Knowing that she trusted me with this instantly made me like her and I decided hereafter that she was one of mine and not to be trifled with by anyone else. Then Drys and Ilya came to tell me that not only had I not gotten my dream job (I wanted to be the High Priestess, with the two of them as vestal virgins), I was signed up to be a Gate Guardian. You know, the Gates. The things my parents had vanished between. A responsibility to fight and protect that I wasn't sure I could live up to. Someone else had already failed and, in doing so, had ruined my life. What made me think I'd do any better than the one who'd been on duty when my parents vanished? Oh, and on top of all that, I found out that Ike hadn't wanted to go with me, because he thought he'd be little more than a trophy-date. I couldn't even say he was wrong.
The next...oh, probably hour or so was Moira hitting the bottom. Phil immediately noticed something was wrong after I talked to my girls, and dragged me out to talk about it. I tried to shrug it off, to remain perfect and light-hearted, but I just couldn't manage it and Moira pretty much dissolved into tears as she explained about her parents and being shipped from foster home to foster home and that it was bad enough not getting the job she wanted, but getting the job she was actively afraid of was a million times worse. I was very near tears as we talked; it was an incredibly emotional and cathartic moment, one that was repeated a little later (or was it earlier?) when we were talking about Ike and Nellie and Ike being right to worry about being a trophy for her. These weren't things that Moira could admit out loud to any of the people who knew her, but since Phil was still almost a stranger, it could all be poured out into his willing ear. Again, electric_d_monk was amazing as Phil, opening up to Moira, setting aside his sunglasses (a FABULOUS use of a prop, very subtly done), and holding her as she cried. This was the real turning point in their relationship, a very real and organic one, as Moira finally found someone who could really understand her and see her for who she was.
After all this, I tracked down Mal, because ma Belles had also been complaining about the twins' odd behavior and were feeling very upset because they weren't sure what was going on with them. Now, Moira could tell both twins apart at a glance and knew that they were pretending to be one another, for reasons I couldn't fathom. So I grabbed morethings5, and told him my heart's desire: since I was denied both the job and the guy that I had wanted, my only real wish was to make sure my dearest friends got the happiness they deserved. So whatever games the two of them were playing, just...stop. Please stop. Don't play with their hearts that way. Mal called Mac over, told him I'd figured out some of what was going on, and made his wish to Mac be the same thing: to stop pretending and come clean with Drys and Ilya. It was a great little scene between the three of us.
There was more dancing, including a few with Ike (as he slowly realized Moira wasn't as shallow as he assumed) and one where House Desire got most of the people out on the floor, and then I found out that Iona was being blackmailed by Garacan to be his date to the prom. This was, of course, NOT ON, as I had decided she was a real person and now mine, so I hunted down shogunhb and pushed him against a door, demanding he leave Iona the hell alone. He retorted that she was having an inappropriate relationship with Willowvyern (zapf as the HOTTEST TEACHER EVER), which I didn't believe, but didn't want him spreading about because that was the kind of rumor that could ruin people's lives and, damn, even I'm not that mean. Oddly enough, when I told Iona what he was saying, she just said, "Thank God," and started laughing. Weird girl. (Turns out there was a relationship there, but not that kind, and that's for other people to write about.)
Phil and Moira kept talking and getting closer and more comfortable with one another, especially once he admitted that he wasn't settling for Moira just because Nellie was happy with Ike and that he liked the things that made her Moira, like her wit and sparring with one another, her poise and confidence, his ability to relate to her. We danced (and got reprimanded by a teacher for dancing too close), and talked out on the roof, which is the traditional "tell people your feelings spot." Moira demanded to go first, saying that she didn't want to give or hear declarations that they couldn't mean yet, that they had gone from hate to friends to something more, and that she was willing to work on that something more, but that she didn't want to call it something it wasn't...only to have Phil reply that he'd been thinking the same thing. They just kind of smiled at one another--and then made out a little. As you do. And then she dragged him back into the prom by the ridiculous glowstick in his hair, since he refused to ditch the stupid-looking glasses.
And then Moira had her Crowning Moment of Awesome. House Dream found me and asked if I could get the members of my House together so we could go reopen the portal to the mortal world so they could finish their tasks. We'd done that once already so House Destruction could go give mercy to the living (WAY TO "GIVE MERCY" TO A BABY, juldea!!!), but House Dream's task was to get a mortal and put him or her through the process that had hurt Ilya so much earlier in the night and would eventually suck out the mortal's soul. I put my foot down and refused. No way was I going to let my House open a portal so they could do that. They reminded me that they had to do this to graduate. I told them it didn't matter. That they couldn't be held responsible for not completing a task if another House prevented them from doing it. That I'd be willing to take the punishment right along with them if that's what it took. (Phil's whispered, "Maybe you can get a new assignment if you wait till next year!" might have helped with that generosity of spirit). And then I hunted down the other three members of my House, told them that we weren't opening it for Dream, and invited them to take the stand with me. All of them agreed, of course, which made me very proud.
Then I stomped into Headmistress Bellefarge's (LJ?) office to tell her not to hold Dream responsible, since Desire was making it impossible for them to carry out their task--hoping that that display of leadership and semi-selflessness would convince her to rethink my assignment. No dice, but I didn't change my mind about opening the portal for Dream. Even if I didn't get what I wanted out of the deal, it was still the right thing to do. (If I'd known that I was going to be the prestigious Gate Guardian for Hell, I might have been less angsty about the whole thing; me reasons for wanting to be High Priestess weren't exactly the best.) I came out in time for the last few dances (DJ'd by Death herself, who also danced with people and had us all o.O at her--and that was before game wrap when we discovered why she'd shown up) and then announced Prom King and Queen. Moira won Prom Queen (I STILL HAVE THE TIARA! YAY!) and morethings5 (then properly being known as Mac), was Prom King and we danced half of the last dance together before going off to our respective partners to finish the night to David Bowie's As The World Falls down. Moira and Phil pretty much agreed that they didn't know where this was going and wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but that they were willing to give it a shot. And ended the evening with a kiss.
Oh my god, how did you read all that to get to this point? Are you crazy?! Anyway, suffice to say, the game was so much fun that I can't even say, I'm so sorry I had to cut out other bits, like my conversations with zapf, and with witticaster and so much else that contributed to a really, really amazing game.
EDIT: PHOTOS ADDED.
In all, thanks so much to everyone. There's not more I can really say, so thank you. So very much.
First of all, many thanks go out to hazliya and elenuial for writing yet another amazing game and for casting me in a role that I adored. While BoD is not my favorite LARP of theirs (Leash was too awesome for words, Martha Stewart had perhaps the most quotable lines, and Everybody's Dying introduced me to zapf), it was still a wonderful, exciting, and completely fun game. Thank you so much for running it twice because I would have regretted not being able to play in this. As it was, this was easily my favorite LARP of the weekend and I'm still grinning when I think about it.
In addition to hazliya and elenuial, I owe humongous thanks to electric_d_monk, k1ttycat, captainecchi, lightgamer, morethings5, witticaster, staystrong62805, and zapf for being absolutely amazing people to interact with. I chatted with other people of course (including jacking shogunhb against a door, more on this later), and danced, and sang, and generally admired everyone's costumes, but those eight people were just incredible to play off of and let me sink my teeth into Moirabel in ways that I didn't entirely expect. Seriously, you guys were amazing and as great a game as hazliya and elenuial can write, it wouldn't have come alive in the same way it did without you.
Also thanks to in_water_writ for loaning me Moira's necklace. It was so beautiful, laura47 snapped a picture of it all by itself. Certainly not an excuse for a cleavage shot, amirite?.
Anyway, here's where I babble about my character. It's possible I will spend so much time talking about her, I forget to talk about the game. If that happens, my apologies. But, dammit, Moira is interesting!
Moirabel is the head of the Belles, a trio of the prettiest, most popular girls in school: herself, her foster sister Drysabel, and their friend Ilyabel. They're the alphas, and Moira doesn't let anyone forget it. She's intimidating, calculating, always the center of attention with a reputation for being ruthless. They can make or break anyone they want. Moira, with her Belles' backing, is the powerhouse of the school.
Which is fun to play and all, because, really, doing the catty bitch is something I enjoy, but, of course, there's more to Moira than just her pretty face and ability to scheme. The subject of my post is pretty much her entire outlook on life; she learned early (via her Tragic Backstory) that people are easily forgotten, abandoned, and disposed of. So you have to stay at the forefront of people's minds; whether they want to kiss you or kill you doesn't matter as long as they're thinking about you. Then you don't have to worry about disappearing.
Disappearing is something Moira was used to. Her parents vanished when she was four; they got caught between the oblivion between the gates and Moira went from a happy and adored daughter to a dispossessed foster child, bounced from home to home to home, never staying more than a year or so before being given away. Watching as people forgot about her, forgot about her parents, forgot about the tragedy that shaped her entire life. After years of being unwanted, friendless, and ignored, of molding herself to fit to other people's whims, Moira learned how to manipulate people, how to garner attention, how to draw out whatever reaction and emotion she wanted. She learned how to make herself unforgettable, so she wouldn't disappear, too.
Moirabel could be a bully, absolutely (sorry about the rotten meat incident, Neliwhip!), but she wasn't always. It's not the scared-popularity that movies like Heathers and Mean Girls portray, a lot of people genuinely like Moira. But part of her ability to read people meant she knew which method of behavior, good or ill, was likely to get more of a reaction out of someone. She'd rather full-on hatred than lukewarm liking. Unlike most bullies who bully out of insecurities, you feeling bad didn't make her feel better. It was the emotions she was trying to evoke, not shattered self-esteem. It's hardly her fault if you respond better to negative emotions than positive ones. Her behavior was all about your reaction.
...Well, unless someone was threatening to upstage her. Then bitches gonna get cut. Or, y'know, showered with rotten meat. BUT MAYBE YOU SHOULD'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, OKAY?
So, from the moment I got my sheet, I was excited about this game. I got to play a bitchy, snotty character with a chewy, vulnerable center. My two closest friends in-game were going to be played by k1ttycat and captainecchi, both of whom I really like and, with k1ttycat, I've played a similar role with her before, only this time I didn't have to worry about her flouncing off and getting me arrested for murder because she was in a righteous sulk. I did have to worry about getting stabbed in the kidney a little bit, but that had less to do with the character and more with k1ttycat being herself. DON'T YOU PROTEST, WOMAN. OR I WILL HAVE DOOMPUPPY TALK ABOUT THE NUN. AND THE CYCLOPS. I hadn't played a similar role with captainecchi, but I loved playing in LXHS and everytime we talk I only like her more, so I was really excited about getting to play with her.
Then I saw who was playing Filivyn: electric_d_monk. We'd played near one another before, as we were both close to juldea in the fabulous run of Tis No Deceit, and we'd had a lot of fun post-game, sharing emails and whatnot about What Happened Next (and yes, dear juldea, that also counts as fanfiction), so I knew he could LARP well and carry off a fraught romance plot beautifully. I was immediately 33% more excited about my character when I realized he was going to be my opposite.
Anyway, we started getting into character long before game started. k1ttycat and I went shopping for our dresses together and ended up with similar-ish dresses. Since we didn't want to leave captainecchi the odd Belle out, we also grabbed three identical pins for us to wear. We couldn't be caught in the same outfit at prom, ye gods no, but we could make sure that everyone who saw us knew we were a matched set. On top of that, we also wore identical white rose corsages, for the same reason. This was accomplished by a flurry of emails between the three of us (with me slipping into character to dictate certain choices and then slipping out again to make sure what I'd suggested was okay), and then another spate between me and electric_d_monk because there was NO WAY Phil wouldn't match Moira's outfit, and even a few between all of us and lightgamer and morethings5 to make sure we were all on the same page regarding corsages, boutonnieres, and anything else that the guys lucky enough to escort my Belles to prom would need to know.
Then, Saturday night before the game, there were a bunch of girls all in the bathroom, trying to get ready for prom. Unlike the game, real high school, or any 80's movie ever, the preprom bathroom was filled with excited, laughing, helpful women who just wanted to make sure we all looked amazing. There was glitter being liberally tossed around (and still in my hair!), impromptu makeup sessions, hair styling tips and advice, dropped jaws at juldea's epic gown, and, as I said, a lot of laughter. It reminded me less of prom (where I'd gotten ready alone or with the hair-stylist), and more of my wedding, where everyone's main focus was making sure we all looked great and were having a good time. It was the perfect way to get into the headspace for game because not only was I in a great mood, I was also swanning around, complimenting people on their dresses, making suggestions, helping with makeup, and whatall. I felt very in the thick of things (though this may be only because I was close to k1ttycat whose makeup and tips were indispensable) and that felt very Moira. By the time we got out, I felt very close and connected to all the other women in the bathroom, even those I'd barely spoken to. My Belles and I walked up the stairs to where music was playing and people were gathered, sliding fully into character with every step. Best way to begin game ever.
Now, a bit of explanation is needed for why a girl like Moira would bring a guy like Filivyn, a geek and the class-clown, to the prom. They moved in completely different social circles, his two closest friends hated her (as was right and proper), and he had done his own fair share of things to make her displeased with him.
The answer was, of course, a boy. Oh, and a girl for him, but whatever. The class prince, Ichiron (witticaster), and the class artist, Neliwhip (yunafonfabre), were going to prom together. Moira liked Ike--he was handsome, flirty, and every other girl in school liked him, too. The two of them together? Perfect. They'd be unstoppable. Moira had decided that Ike had asked Nellie to be kind or maybe he felt he owed her a favor or something equally nice like that. Either way, he needed to realize he'd made a GIGANTIC MISTAKE. The easiest way to do that? Find another boy and use him to make Ike horrifically jealous. As for Neliwhip, blah blah Phil's oldest friend something something unrequited crush, blahbitty blah like she cared except it gives them a reason to work together.
Now, Phil had been on her radar since he'd poured embalming fluid over her clothes after the unfortunate rotten-meat-in-the-locker incident. It had looked like an accident to everyone but Moira; he was good, she could give him that. And after watching him for awhile after that, she'd realized a few things. The first, he was almost as good at reading people and manipulating them as she was, except he used his skills to make people laugh and defuse the tension--all while keeping himself slightly distant. The second? He was totally into Nellie. Which meant that as soon as she was going to the prom with Ike, Moira had an ally. He could use her to make Nellie jealous, too, same as Moira was going to do with Ike.
Of course, this being the genre that it is, meant that their perfect and flawless plan soon proved to be not so perfect and flawless. Mostly because the more time they'd spent together leading up to the prom (pretending to get along and practicing flirting with one another to make it believable), the more they started to get to know one another and the more Moira started to forget that she didn't really like him. Especially when he smiled that crooked little grin of his. Or when he said something unexpected, something that suggested he got her. And then a kiss brought on by Ike coming round the corner turned into a steamy make-out session, with Phil shoved up against a locker and how did his hands get there and there's no WAY Nellie could have taught him to kiss like that and WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING?!
Moira broke the kiss, stared at him in shock and surprise for a minute, and then bolted. And that was the last time she'd seen Phil until the prom, giving her plenty of time to stew and figure out what the hell that was all about and assure herself that there was NO WAY she could be attracted to a geek like him. And any hints of jealousy that she felt picturing him choosing Nellie over her was just the disbelief over anyone wanting a baloney sandwich when they could have a filet mignon. Or...some other kind of metaphor that worked that doesn't liken Moira to a piece of meat. Yeah!
The first few minutes of game were spent taking pictures and my first picture, of course, was with my date. Considering Moira's very complicated feelings about Phil, we spent the first few minutes snarking at one another, with me making sure he was VERY CLEAR that we were only doing this so we could get our proper dates, and anything else that might have occurred before was only in pursuit of that, hmph and thanks much. Of course, that was quickly put to the test because as soon as pictures were over, Halihymnia (laura47) came over to drag him away into a dark corner and talk to him, leaving Moira jealous VERY DISPLEASED that the prom had barely started and he was ditching me for a lesser girl already. IT WAS LIKE HE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE PLAN WORKED OR SOMETHING. Not that I felt the lack, not at all (and thanks for taking the first opportunity to point that out, Drys, really). I was just aggravated that he was clearly not as interested in making the plan work as I was.
By the time Phil was able to pry himself away, Moira was already a wee bit peeved and we spent a goodly chunk of time snapping and snarling; issuing threats and ultimatums. It was marvelous fun and probably helped convince everyone around us just how thrilled we were to be at prom together. However, once we started dancing, surrounded by all of Moira's friends, things got a little easier between the two of us--perhaps because we then spent the next few minutes apart, getting out house tasks and planning what needed to be done. Though, I did extend Phil a bit of trust. Ilya had come back from her test and was really hurt and shaken by it. I needed to run off and do mine, so I asked Phil to take care of her because I couldn't. I don't know if Phil realized how much trust Moira was giving him, but I know electric_d_monk got it.
Now, my character sheet had mentioned that I was good friends with the twins, Mac and Mal (lightgamer and morethings5) and that they were in House Desire with me and Drys and Ilya had crushes on them. That being said, I hadn't expected us to be such friends for some reason. But we quickly settled into joking and laughing and I had a great time anytime I got to interact with them. They also helped me get a better handle on Moira, because it proved that there were more people out there than just the Belles that liked her and thought she was pretty nice and fun and whatnot. I appreciated that.
House Desire ran off into the woods to work together on their task, which included me and staystrong62805 (as the 4th member of our House, Iona) throwing our shoes at an evil wolf, Mal sacrificing his dapper jacket, and all of us just willing the wolf to leave us alone--which involved a lot of pointing and chanting "Go!" It was hilarious. Then we closed the portal to the living realm (which we would have to go back and reopen several times) and proceeded to head back, with me and Iona asking for piggyback rides back because we were barefoot, having nobly sacrificed our pointy shoes into the maw of the beast.
This marked the turning point in the game for me. Phil, noticing I was barefoot and hearing why, promptly offered me his shoes. Iona, who had been a nobody up until that point, came over to ask for my help with getting a boy to dance the last dance with her, trusting me enough to let me know he heart's desire. Knowing that she trusted me with this instantly made me like her and I decided hereafter that she was one of mine and not to be trifled with by anyone else. Then Drys and Ilya came to tell me that not only had I not gotten my dream job (I wanted to be the High Priestess, with the two of them as vestal virgins), I was signed up to be a Gate Guardian. You know, the Gates. The things my parents had vanished between. A responsibility to fight and protect that I wasn't sure I could live up to. Someone else had already failed and, in doing so, had ruined my life. What made me think I'd do any better than the one who'd been on duty when my parents vanished? Oh, and on top of all that, I found out that Ike hadn't wanted to go with me, because he thought he'd be little more than a trophy-date. I couldn't even say he was wrong.
The next...oh, probably hour or so was Moira hitting the bottom. Phil immediately noticed something was wrong after I talked to my girls, and dragged me out to talk about it. I tried to shrug it off, to remain perfect and light-hearted, but I just couldn't manage it and Moira pretty much dissolved into tears as she explained about her parents and being shipped from foster home to foster home and that it was bad enough not getting the job she wanted, but getting the job she was actively afraid of was a million times worse. I was very near tears as we talked; it was an incredibly emotional and cathartic moment, one that was repeated a little later (or was it earlier?) when we were talking about Ike and Nellie and Ike being right to worry about being a trophy for her. These weren't things that Moira could admit out loud to any of the people who knew her, but since Phil was still almost a stranger, it could all be poured out into his willing ear. Again, electric_d_monk was amazing as Phil, opening up to Moira, setting aside his sunglasses (a FABULOUS use of a prop, very subtly done), and holding her as she cried. This was the real turning point in their relationship, a very real and organic one, as Moira finally found someone who could really understand her and see her for who she was.
After all this, I tracked down Mal, because ma Belles had also been complaining about the twins' odd behavior and were feeling very upset because they weren't sure what was going on with them. Now, Moira could tell both twins apart at a glance and knew that they were pretending to be one another, for reasons I couldn't fathom. So I grabbed morethings5, and told him my heart's desire: since I was denied both the job and the guy that I had wanted, my only real wish was to make sure my dearest friends got the happiness they deserved. So whatever games the two of them were playing, just...stop. Please stop. Don't play with their hearts that way. Mal called Mac over, told him I'd figured out some of what was going on, and made his wish to Mac be the same thing: to stop pretending and come clean with Drys and Ilya. It was a great little scene between the three of us.
There was more dancing, including a few with Ike (as he slowly realized Moira wasn't as shallow as he assumed) and one where House Desire got most of the people out on the floor, and then I found out that Iona was being blackmailed by Garacan to be his date to the prom. This was, of course, NOT ON, as I had decided she was a real person and now mine, so I hunted down shogunhb and pushed him against a door, demanding he leave Iona the hell alone. He retorted that she was having an inappropriate relationship with Willowvyern (zapf as the HOTTEST TEACHER EVER), which I didn't believe, but didn't want him spreading about because that was the kind of rumor that could ruin people's lives and, damn, even I'm not that mean. Oddly enough, when I told Iona what he was saying, she just said, "Thank God," and started laughing. Weird girl. (Turns out there was a relationship there, but not that kind, and that's for other people to write about.)
Phil and Moira kept talking and getting closer and more comfortable with one another, especially once he admitted that he wasn't settling for Moira just because Nellie was happy with Ike and that he liked the things that made her Moira, like her wit and sparring with one another, her poise and confidence, his ability to relate to her. We danced (and got reprimanded by a teacher for dancing too close), and talked out on the roof, which is the traditional "tell people your feelings spot." Moira demanded to go first, saying that she didn't want to give or hear declarations that they couldn't mean yet, that they had gone from hate to friends to something more, and that she was willing to work on that something more, but that she didn't want to call it something it wasn't...only to have Phil reply that he'd been thinking the same thing. They just kind of smiled at one another--and then made out a little. As you do. And then she dragged him back into the prom by the ridiculous glowstick in his hair, since he refused to ditch the stupid-looking glasses.
And then Moira had her Crowning Moment of Awesome. House Dream found me and asked if I could get the members of my House together so we could go reopen the portal to the mortal world so they could finish their tasks. We'd done that once already so House Destruction could go give mercy to the living (WAY TO "GIVE MERCY" TO A BABY, juldea!!!), but House Dream's task was to get a mortal and put him or her through the process that had hurt Ilya so much earlier in the night and would eventually suck out the mortal's soul. I put my foot down and refused. No way was I going to let my House open a portal so they could do that. They reminded me that they had to do this to graduate. I told them it didn't matter. That they couldn't be held responsible for not completing a task if another House prevented them from doing it. That I'd be willing to take the punishment right along with them if that's what it took. (Phil's whispered, "Maybe you can get a new assignment if you wait till next year!" might have helped with that generosity of spirit). And then I hunted down the other three members of my House, told them that we weren't opening it for Dream, and invited them to take the stand with me. All of them agreed, of course, which made me very proud.
Then I stomped into Headmistress Bellefarge's (LJ?) office to tell her not to hold Dream responsible, since Desire was making it impossible for them to carry out their task--hoping that that display of leadership and semi-selflessness would convince her to rethink my assignment. No dice, but I didn't change my mind about opening the portal for Dream. Even if I didn't get what I wanted out of the deal, it was still the right thing to do. (If I'd known that I was going to be the prestigious Gate Guardian for Hell, I might have been less angsty about the whole thing; me reasons for wanting to be High Priestess weren't exactly the best.) I came out in time for the last few dances (DJ'd by Death herself, who also danced with people and had us all o.O at her--and that was before game wrap when we discovered why she'd shown up) and then announced Prom King and Queen. Moira won Prom Queen (I STILL HAVE THE TIARA! YAY!) and morethings5 (then properly being known as Mac), was Prom King and we danced half of the last dance together before going off to our respective partners to finish the night to David Bowie's As The World Falls down. Moira and Phil pretty much agreed that they didn't know where this was going and wasn't sure what was going to happen next, but that they were willing to give it a shot. And ended the evening with a kiss.
Oh my god, how did you read all that to get to this point? Are you crazy?! Anyway, suffice to say, the game was so much fun that I can't even say, I'm so sorry I had to cut out other bits, like my conversations with zapf, and with witticaster and so much else that contributed to a really, really amazing game.
EDIT: PHOTOS ADDED.
In all, thanks so much to everyone. There's not more I can really say, so thank you. So very much.