For those of you following things, I'm submitting a copy of my Sparrow in the Gutters Introduction to the convention Con-Jour 2009 for publication in the program if there's room.

You can find the actual story here: http://mfc2-tx.livejournal.com/955.html

Oh and feel free to add me. That's my professional journal. This is going to become my personal journal. Yeah, I know, the two will probably cross paths bunches...


:)

Well a friend posted a kinky haiku poem, and it inspired me to give it a shot. I may not have gotten as kinky as others she knows did, but I had to go for it. I think I may have stalled out at erotic. I'll let you all judge.


Bittersweet

Orchid in coral
heavy, fragrant, with nectar--
licking flames and reeds.

Dramatis Personae:
Takhivatya, Queen of Frost and Flurry, a seelie fae (tentatively cast, may be recast)
Udohima, Marquis of Sedgel, a half-fae unseelie lord (played bynedako)
Foxx, a respected leader among the beasts (played bynedako's girlfriend)
Havens, a foppish explorer from Brastonburg (played bytygerr)
Estingallows Magistrate of Arculum, a human magi-lord (not yet cast)
Himazalaph, the Ravager in Winter, Takhivatya's disowned half-fae/half-beast brother (not yet cast)

Assistant Directors: The assistant directors play the Dramatis Personae. I need two more minimum, three optimally. Each persona represent a different caste or culture of the world. Takhivatya represents pure fae, Udohima represents mortal half-faes, Foxx represents beasts, Havens represents progressive humans, Estingallows represents archaic humans, Himazalaph represents outsiders. NOTE: NPC Conflicts introduced during the audition should not dominate the game. A few glitches were introduced during  the auditions which while enjoyable, create meta-game conflicts which will disrupt the flow of the LARP. I am including a correction, which I ask the local Assistant Directors able to access this information to share with those who cannot.

Players: The players will be divided between the assistant directors, who will facilitate conflict resolution. Players are responsible for naming their characters. Players will choose a character randomly from the Assistant Director they wish to play alongside. Costumes should fit with the type of character being played. Beasts should look Furry or Bestial, pure fae should look Fantastic, progressive humans should look Steamy, archaic humans should look Arcane or Renny. half-fae should look like a fusion of Arcane or Renny or Steamy and Fantastic, outsiders... Well, outsiders look like Outsiders!


Plot:
Here's the skinny... and the corrections. Our auditions got out of hand.

The Queen of the Winter Court is dying. She's resigned to this fact and is planning to name a successor. Dignitaries and nobles from all around are gathering to offer support and to curry favor in the hopes of gaining the title.

Estingallows has kidnapped and lost the woman he loves at the same time, not that she would have loved him after kidnapping her anyway. He can say nothing of losing her, as it will implicate him as her kidnapper. Likewise, he has noticed her father is acting suspicious, but can't understand why. Still he knows the man has said nothing of her disappearance and yet he obviously knows that she's gone.

Udohima had kidnapped the victim of Estingallows' affection, but has also lost her. He is using her absense to control her father, as her father is likely the only person that can heal the Queen of the Winter Court, and that is the last thing Udohima wants. He is the one poisoning her, so healing her would defeat all his efforts to gain her throne.

Himazalaph had taken the girl in question and was romancing her in his den, but she has been rescued from his clutches. He is hunting her and her wouldbe heroes, and has turned to disguise and cunning to gain access to likely places he'll find them. His takes over the course of years provided him plenty of things to disguise himself with, of course none of it really goes together. Half-Fae, half-beast, disguised to fit into proper society, You have to wonder what that would look like.

Meanwhile, Havens and Foxx have rescued the girl from Himazalaph's clutches, after Havens was convinced by Foxx to look into the attack in the forest. The girl has convinced them to disguise her, having told them of her three separate experiences with kidnappers.

And that's the skinny on the events so far...


Mechanics: I tried out a mechanic I was considering at the auditions, but I think I'm going to tweak it a bit. It didn't work out the way I hoped.

Stats remain unchanged: Control, Influence, Thought, and Quick.
Control is physical strength and stamina.
Influence is manipulation, charms, and negotiations.
Thought is accuracy, reflexes, and mental accuity.
Quick is the flow of life.

Power beads will still be used. I may adjust the numbers however.
Quick coins will still be used. I will be altering the numbers for this, as well as the way damage is dealt.


Cards will stil be used as the randomizer, but the decks will be adjusted.
Defenders will still choose how many cards get burned on a check.

Only part of a deck will be used. Ace (worth 1) through 10 of two suits (red & black), one joker (worth 11), and two Jacks (red & black, worth 0 but causing special effects).
The Two Jacks: The Red Jack is a positive thing. If the Red Jack is drawn in a contest, double the value of the highest card. If drawn while healing, treat it as a duplicate of the highest card (including the Joker). The Black Jack is a negative thing. If the Black Jack is drawn in a contest, ignore the highest card (except for the Joker). If drawn while healing, treat it as a zero, and treat the highest card drawn as a zero also.
The Joker: If you draw the joker, draw an extra card and add it to the total on top of the Joker's value of 11.

Example of conflict resolution (and combat):
Foxx tries to bite Havens.
Havens is the defender, so Havens chooses how many cards will be burned in the attempt.
Havens declares 6 cards will be burned.
(NOTE: The defender may declare only as many cards to burn as the stat with which he defends.)
Attacker and Defender both draw 6 cards. (This is called "Meeting the Challenge.")
Attacker and Defender reveal their cards, and declare the sum.
The higher total wins. (No stat adjustment as in the audition.)
(NOTE: If you ever draw all your cards and cannot "meet the challenge," you forfeit the action, automatically failing, and must reshuffle your entire deck.)

Now, let's say Foxx wins the attack.
Damage is done according to the attack.
Foxx's bite is based on Control +2, and the damage is Aggrivated.
(Not really, but) Foxx has a Control of 5, so the bite does 7 Agg damage.
(Damage is soaked by Quick, so you always reduce the damage by the Quick of the defender.)
(Again, just as an example,) Havens has 8 Quick, which is greater than the amount of damage dealt by 1.
7 - 8 + -1.
You would think Havens would take no damage. ANY successful attack deals a minimum of 1 point of damage.
Havens is fortunate however, because the total damage was soaked, he doesn't take Agg damage.
Had his Quick been 5 he would have taken 2 Agg damage, which can only be healed by magic or medicine.

Let's try another example, using a power bead.
Foxx shakes her furr and releases a cloud of polen into Estingallow's face, temporarily disorienting him.
Foxx hands over her green power bead.
Estingallows delcares 9 (using quick thinking to realize the danger and hold his breath).
They both draw 9 cards. Estingallows fails the draw.
Green power beads are based on Control, and Foxx has a 5 for Control (sticking with the last example's stat).
In this example, the Green power was being used to disorient. Disorientation affects attacks but not defenses.
Estingallows must succeed at a single card test vs. Foxx's Control or Estingallows forfeits his defense.
Worse, the disorientation continues until Estingallows does beat it.

Healing was an issue at the audition. There were questions about how it worked, and how to use it. Here's the thing, I was testing the mechanics and I didn't wuite know myself. I've since come to some decisions regarding healing. Using the power beads, either Blue bead (ice or water), healing powers can be activated.

Once activated:

Straight healing works as follows:
A number of cards are drawn at one time based on the Healer's Quick (unless another stat is used).
Each card higher than a 4 (four) restores 1 (one) Quick coin to the target.

Health Transfer works as follows:
The Healer gives his target any number of his own Quick coins.

Overhealing (healing when none is needed) works as follows:
The Healer draws a number of cards equal to his Quick at once.
For each card higher than the target's present Quick coin total, that target gains 1 (one) Quick coin.

Overhealing is very much an exercise in "diminishing returns."

Other uses of healing (the bad use), Draining:
The attacker declares his attack, the Defender may only burn as many cards as he has Quick.
Higher total wins.
Damage is Based on Quick, but the reward is the Attacker gains 1 Quick coin for each damage dealt.

Willing Draining:
(See Health Transfer, then reverse the flow of health from target to Healer instead of Healer to target.)


Death Glamour: The smoky/black bead...
I couldn't explain very well how this worked during the auditions, and the description on the character write up didn't go into much detail on the effect it would have on non-fae. It functions like any other power bead being used as an attack, and damages like any other power bead being used as an attack. However, it deals +2 damage, Aggrivated. The power is based off of Influence.



I'll post more later.

I went to see Twilight with my 30 year old niece and her husband last night and I have to provide what I consider a very two-sided review. First I have to say, I have not read the novel, nor do I intend to read the novel. My niece however, has read the novel, and this will play a part later.
 

4.5 out of 5 stars...