(thanks to ldy_mialee)
I Need to Change My Pants Now…
Dinneyland!
Some friends and I went to Disneyland on Sunday as part of crapdaddy‘s birthday.
Needless to say, we had a lot of fun.
Pics behind cut.
Tristan, Percival, and Galahad… but no Arthur.
I tried to make a “scared face,” but I couldn’t stop laughing.
Sheldon’s present. The Stick. (I now call him “The Exaulted Ugu.”)
Just a great day.
HotB: Loyalty & Treachery
from the forthcoming Houses of the Blooded, I give you…
Loyalty & Treachery
For the ven, few virtues are as sacred as loyalty. Because they are creatures driven by desire and temptation, loyalty is valued highest in the courts… even treasured in some circles.
Like traits and Desires, your character has a number of Loyalties on his sheet, and like traits and Desires, each Loyalty has a name and a rank. Again, you have ten points to spend on Loyalties, but this time, the names you can give a Loyalty are a bit more strict.
You may only be loyal to people, not ideals or Houses or any other abstract thing. You cannot be loyal to your sword or your own word or “justice.” Just people. You may be loyal to people outside or inside your House, to nobles or commoners, but you must have ten points of Loyalties on your sheet before your character can come into play. And, like Desires, no Loyalty can begin higher than rank 3.
Using Loyalty
Whenever your character takes an action that supports another character you are Loyal to, you may choose to gain a number of dice equal to that Loyalty. This is called invoking Loyalty.
Whenever you invoke a Loyalty, put a check next to it in the box provided on the character sheet. At the end of each Season, any Loyalties with checks next to them go up by one rank. Any Loyalties without checks next to them do not advance, but if a Loyalty does increase by one rank, you must decrease another Loyalty by one rank. Here’s how it works.
Start with your highest Loyalty. If it has a check, it goes up by one rank. You must then decrease your lowest Loyalty by one rank. Go to your next highest Loyalty and go through the same process. If a Loyalty ever goes to rank 0, you lose that Loyalty.
Treachery
As Lessons teaches us, “A stranger cannot betray you; only a friend can do that.” There may come a time when your character has to betray a beloved friend. If you ever take an action against a character who has Loyalty toward you, you gain a number of dice equal to the Loyalty. For example, if another character has a rank 3 Loyalty towards your character, if you actively betray that character, you gain three dice for that risk.
Whenever you take such an action, record it on your sheet under “Treachery.” Each Treachery you have subtracts one die from any risk involving trust, but adds a die for each risk involving further treachery. For example, if you have two Treacheries on your sheet and you betray a friend who has a rank 2 Loyalty to you, you gain two dice for the Loyalty plus two more dice from your Treacheries for a total of 4 dice added to the risk.
Dream a Little Dream of Me…
As I’ve said before, I used to have the most powerful dreams. They’d stick with me all through the day. I kept a journal and even experienced some lucid dreaming.
As I got older (got out of high school), they faded. I couldn’t remember them at all. I knew I had them, but their recollection orbited my memory, just out of sight.
Recently, those vivid dreams have returned.
And, just last night, I had a dream about you.
I was dressed in my black suit with my silver tie. I walked in with the rest of the crew and saw you there. “That’s odd,” I said. “She isn’t supposed to be here.”
You were sitting in a chair, looking up at me. We shared the “friendly hug” you have with a distant friend, but it lingered longer than that. We sat down together, finding the loveseat that was there. And we never let go of each other.
For what seemed the rest of the night, we held each other. That’s it. Just holding each other. When our lips finally met, yours were eager and hungry. Years of waiting, yearning, starved them. That’s it. Just hungry kisses. The echo of your sighs and gasps in my ears. I looked up for a moment to see who was watching, but you pulled me back, your voice in my head singing, “I don’t care who’s watching.”
“I don’t care.”
The passion cooled. We laughed. We traded smiles. I stood and your hand lingered on mine. Still friends. Still distant friends. A look back. You were smiling at me with your eyes.
It struck me then how this must be a dream, because I can’t imagine you saying those words. Then, I wonder… is that you? I mean, is that really you?
“No,” you sing to me. “This is only a dream.” Then, you wink. “Honest.”
Pearl Jam Covers Waits
(
The sun come up it was blue and gold
The sun come up it was blue and gold
The sun come up it was blue and gold
ever since I put your picture
in a frame
I come calling in my Sunday best
I come calling in my Sunday best
I come calling in my Sunday best
ever since I put your picture
in a frame
I’m gonna love you
till the wheels come off
Oh yeah…
I love you baby and I always will
I love you baby and I always will
I love you baby and I always will
ever since I put your picture
in a frame
The Ultimate Magical Act
I was feeling… well, I don’t know how I was feeling. I couldn’t put it into words. So, I popped on the intarweb and started wasting time… when I came across some words that struck me as… well, right.
Fair is fair. An exchange of words.
A little bit of magic for emmylouangel from lordstrange.
HotB: Desire
From the forthcoming Houses of the Blooded, I give you…
Desires
Your character has a number of Desires on her sheet. Each Desire is like a trait: it has a name and a rank. You give each of your Desires a name and you have five points to allocate to them. You cannot begin the game with a Desire greater than rank 3.
Name your Desires carefully: these are the primary motivating forces that drive your character. Desires can be simple “I want to kiss Lord Salens” or complicated “I want to become the head of my House.” You decide what your Desire is, but the GM has final veto power over any Desires.
Using Your Desire
Whenever you take a risk that moves you closer to your Desire, you may add a number of dice equal to your Desire’s rank. That is, if you take a risk that will bring you closer to kissing Lord Salens, and your Desire is rank 2, you add two dice to that risk. This is called invoking your Desire. Invoking a Desire is not mandatory; it is a choice. You may only invoke a Desire once per Season.
Whenever you invoke a Desire, put a check next to it in the box provided on the character sheet. At the end of each Season, any Desires with checks next to them go up by one rank. Any Desires without checks next to them do not advance, but if a Desire does increase by one rank, you must decrease another Desire by one rank. Here’s how it works.
Start with your highest Desire. If it has a check, it goes up by one rank. You must then decrease your lowest Desire by one rank. Go to your next highest Desire and go through the same process. If a Desire ever goes to rank 0, you lose that Desire.
Valjav: Dangerous Desire
If a Desire ever increases to rank 6, it becomes an Obsession (the ven call this valjav). Look at the character sheet. Do you see the black dots after the five white dots? Those are Obsession ranks. They still add to any risks that drive you closer to your Desire, but they have another effect as well.
Whenever you take a risk that isn’t directly related to your Obsession, you lose a number of dice equal to your Obsession ranks. To explain, each Desire has only five ranks. A Desire at rank 7 has two Obsession ranks. If your character has a rank 7 Desire, that Desire also has two Obsession ranks. Whenever your character takes a risk that does not directly fulfill her Desire, you lose two dice from that risk.
The only way to get rid of Obsession is by throwing it away. You have to ignore it. If a Desire with Obsession ranks is not checked at the end of a Season, it drops down one rank.
Gaining a New Desire
Players may choose to gain a new Desire or change an existing one at any time.
If you want to change an existing Desire, simply change the name and drop the rank by one. Obviously, if a Desire is already rank 1, you cannot change that Desire. You must also give the GM a good reason why your Desire has changed; although the ven are fickle creatures, easily distracted by beauty and a challenge.
If you want to create a new Desire, you can do so at the end of a Season. A new Desire must be spawned from some event that happened during the story; it should not be arbitrary. Every new Desire begins at rank 1, although if a character already has ten points of Desires, he cannot have any new ones; he must change an existing Desire.
Desires
Your character has a number of Desires on her sheet. Each Desire is like a trait: it has a name and a rank. You give each of your Desires a name and you have five points to allocate to them. You cannot begin the game with a Desire greater than rank 3.
Name your Desires carefully: these are the primary motivating forces that drive your character. Desires can be simple “I want to kiss Lord Salens” or complicated “I want to become the head of my House.” You decide what your Desire is, but the GM has final veto power over any Desires.
Using Your Desire
Whenever you take a risk that moves you closer to your Desire, you may add a number of dice equal to your Desire’s rank. That is, if you take a risk that will bring you closer to kissing Lord Salens, and your Desire is rank 2, you add two dice to that risk. This is called invoking your Desire. Invoking a Desire is not mandatory; it is a choice. You may only invoke a Desire once per Season.
Whenever you invoke a Desire, put a check next to it in the box provided on the character sheet. At the end of each Season, any Desires with checks next to them go up by one rank. Any Desires without checks next to them do not advance, but if a Desire does increase by one rank, you must decrease another Desire by one rank. Here’s how it works.
Start with your highest Desire. If it has a check, it goes up by one rank. You must then decrease your lowest Desire by one rank. Go to your next highest Desire and go through the same process. If a Desire ever goes to rank 0, you lose that Desire.
Valjav: Dangerous Desire
If a Desire ever increases to rank 6, it becomes an Obsession (the ven call this valjav). Look at the character sheet. Do you see the black dots after the five white dots? Those are Obsession ranks. They still add to any risks that drive you closer to your Desire, but they have another effect as well.
Whenever you take a risk that isn’t directly related to your Obsession, you lose a number of dice equal to your Obsession ranks. To explain, each Desire has only five ranks. A Desire at rank 7 has two Obsession ranks. If your character has a rank 7 Desire, that Desire also has two Obsession ranks. Whenever your character takes a risk that does not directly fulfill her Desire, you lose two dice from that risk.
The only way to get rid of Obsession is by throwing it away. You have to ignore it. If a Desire with Obsession ranks is not checked at the end of a Season, it drops down one rank.
Gaining a New Desire
Players may choose to gain a new Desire or change an existing one at any time.
If you want to change an existing Desire, simply change the name and drop the rank by one. Obviously, if a Desire is already rank 1, you cannot change that Desire. You must also give the GM a good reason why your Desire has changed; although the ven are fickle creatures, easily distracted by beauty and a challenge.
If you want to create a new Desire, you can do so at the end of a Season. A new Desire must be spawned from some event that happened during the story; it should not be arbitrary. Every new Desire begins at rank 1, although if a character already has ten points of Desires, he cannot have any new ones; he must change an existing Desire.
Game Design Seminar, Part 2: Jared & Luke
Check it out. It inspired me today. It could inspire you.
(I’m next! Whee!)
Stolen from mikegentry, I give you the high school meme.
1. Who were your best friends?
Joe Murphy and Jim Wilson.
2. What sports did you play?
I played Soccer until I broke my ankle.
3. What kind of car did you drive?
Man. Some kind of ugly silver, rust-covered Buick.
4. It’s Friday night, where were you at?
Game night!
5. Were you a party animal?
No, I was the John Cuisac character, standing at the door with everyone else’s keys.
6. Were you considered a flirt?
No, because I kept my affairs discreet.
7. Ever skip school?
All the time.
8. Were you a nerd?
I was a nerd, but I was also the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper and got in a little bit of trouble for publishing some… opinionated editorial columns.
9. Did you ever get suspended/expelled?
Suspended? Yes.
10. Can you sing the Alma mater?
I don’t even know what it is.
11. Who was your favorite teacher?
The Psychology teacher who’s name I forget. Damn. He was a nice guy. He isn’t even in my yearbook.
12. Favorite class?
Psychology. And Journalism. (I don’t remember her name, either.) But she was damn cool. One night, working late on the paper, we were listening to music. Black Sabbath came on and she knew the lyrics. Cool.
13. What was your school’s full name?
Woodbury High School.
14. School mascot?
Don’t remember. I think it was the Royals.
15. Did you go to Prom?
No.
16. If you could go back and do it over, would you?
Probably not. I got away with enough that I’m satisfied with my “high school career.”
17. What do you remember most about graduation?
Falling asleep.
18. Favorite memory of your Senior Year?
Ahem. A particularly popular member of the popular clique walked up to me at a party with a Bud in one hand and a cig in the other. She said, “You’re so cute and I can’t fuck you because you’re not popular.” I told her, “Well, nobody’s looking.” I’ll say no more.
19. What were you voted in your yearbook?
Nothing.
20. Did you have a job your senior year?
Selling shoes.
22. Where did you go most often for lunch?
Cafeteria. I ordered a pizza on more than one occassion.
23. Have you gained weight since then?
About 30 pounds.
24. What did you do after graduation?
Went home and gamed.
25. Who was your crush?
I had three. The first I met at a different party my senior year. We talked for about an hour then retired to a quieter part of the house. That was a good night.
The second I went to a dance with but she went to the dance to hook up with someone else. I confronted her about it, she felt guilty and asked if I’d come back to the house with her–her folks were away and they had a pool. Skinny dipping, liquor and lowered inhibitions. That was a good night.
But the real crush led to a single kiss under the moonlight with Pink Floyd playing in the background. That kiss was more powerful than anything that happened with my other crushes. I’ll write about it one day.
26. When did you graduate?
’87. I should have graduated in ’86, but the guidance counselor wouldn’t let me. He got fired for sexual harrassement the year after I graduated. Prick.