Thursday 30 June 2011

Lord of the Rings inspired fantasy RPG #1

In this RPG all of us are only human. We are one merchant widow (who runs the business now and has loads of money) named Lilja (Swedish for Lily) and her sword-for-hire named Evol. There's an orphaned 12-year-old girl who's something of a cleptomaniac. She's a tomboy, who hates girly stuff and taking baths (yup, that's my character). Oh, and her name is Neela. Then there's the cooky called Leithe and a knight called Runik.

We are all at an inn. Neela are walking around the guests and gets food thrown to her, but also recieves some kicks and empty cups while she tries to steal things from people's pockets and bags. The cooky Leithe stumbles over Neela and spills wine on Lilja's very expensive dress. Lilja wants compensation. The host refuses and Lilja is fully serious in her threat to burn down the inn. We all exit. Evol has a burning torch in his hand. The host is somewhat panicky hand has a weapon. Lilja throws some copper coins at him and declares that she has now bought his weapon. He attacks her. Evol sets fire to the inn's straw roof. Runik puts an arrow through the host's leg. The host crawls to the well to get water to put out the fire. From the well comes a grey, colourless hand that pulls the host down. From the well we can hear a chewing sound. Neela is very interested in Lilja's wagon. Lilja asks Neela to pick up the coins she threw at the host and asks her for how long she would consider herself employed for that amount of money. Neela pockets the 10 copper coins and is for three days an employee of Lilja's. Out of the back of the burning inn comes the most drunk people carrying the boar that would've served as dinner. One more disappears down the well and people start going to the river to fetch water for the fire. We make ourselves ready to leave.

It's dead quiet. No sounds of animals in the evening light. We find a shanty where the fire is still burning. Kind of big shanty. Runi knocks on the door. We can hear people quickly moving away from the door. They don't want to open. Neela is sent forward and manages to convince them to let them sleep in the barn for the night and just for a second the door opens and some blankets are thrown out. We light a fire outside the barn and Lilja asks Leithe to cook something that smells really good. Neela and Evol har afraid of the creatures of the night. They are watching us from the cabin. Lilja asks if they want food and that if they do they will have to come get it. Several children, a few women and a big man comes out. There's one boy about 14 years old who thinks Evol is the coolest thing he has ever seen. The boy himself tries to act cool and it all ends in a staring contest between the two. Runik is minding his own business and two children are talking over his head discussing what they think he's doing. Lilja are negotiating trade with the women and later the man. Neela is guarding the wagon and a girl in her own age wants to see what's inside. Neela says that she can't or she won't get any money or food. The girl says that Neela's mother is a bad person and Neela says she doesn't have a mother. That final comment makes the girl take Neela to one of the women and she's thoroughly nursed. The food runs out and Runik gives Leithe a bit of dried meat to do something with. It's dried meat from a nightcreature. This makes them all run back inside the cabin. ¨

We go inside the barn and make sure the wagon is inside with us. Following the advice of the man we put salt on the doorstep. Neela is bathed, has braided hair with flowers in it and she's wearing a dress. Her own clothes along with her slingshot are tied together in a very hard knot that she can't untie. A very pouty Neela goes to sleep with the rest. Evol can't sleep with worry. He unties Neela's knot. In the night the door opens and on the other side is a nightcreature. Evol rushes to his feet, but the creature stretches a hand toward him and the hand starts burning when it crosses the salt. The nightcreature takes off leaving the door open. Then he wakes up. It's morning again and the door is closed.

Neela changes back to her old clothes. Runik has gone out earlier. Lilja and the man negotiate and it's going well for Lilja. She recieves a very beautiful and valuable piece of jewelry in exchange for a year's supply of tools, iron, cloth and food. Lilja also puts up a route of what time her goods will arrive next year. When leaving Evol gives a knife to "his" boy. At a ford in a river we are stopped by a man with a big cane (he was named John Little by us, the players, and then we just waited for Robin Hood and the rest of his Merry Men) who's standing in the middle of the stream. The man claims that they can offer services to help us get over the very dangerous river (which he's standing in the middle of). He and Lilja negotiates. We notice that there are more men hidden in the bushes. John Little slaps Lilja and she gives a signal to Evol to attack. When he does we are attacked by the men in the bushes. Runik puts an arrow through a man in a tree who falls down and doesn't get up. Neela hides under the cape over the wagon with her slingshot at the ready. She hits John Little hard in the head. Evol attacks the same guy. Leithe is fighting a guy climbing the wagon with her frying pan (made us all thing of Rapunzel and Tangled). Lilja has stepped away from the fight between John Little and Evol. She kills another man coming at her with a knife. Another man climbs on the wagon and catches Neela. She screams and kicks. Runik kicks him in the head. The man is knocked out cold. Evol kills John Little. Leithe strikes down hard on the man climbing the wagon and he lands on his head. We tie down the unconscious ones to get the bounty. Neela empties the pockets of both dead and unconscious. She finds some wet tobacco leaves (she doesn't know what they're for and throws them in the river), some coins (that she gets to keep after asking Lilja) and a mouth harp that she gives to Lilja.

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Dungeons & Dragons inspired fantasy RPG #1

I've been trying for ages to come up with a blog post for this RPG that actually works. But this RPG has been ongoing for almost 3 years and I've only been part of it for almost a year, so there's a lot of background story that I find out on the go. So as to avoid all unnecessary parenthesises I waited until a good spot came along, and now it did. I wanted to make a new character and a new guy wanted to join the RPG so we made a skip in the story to five years in the future. From this skip I'll start blogging :)

Right now we are one female high elf named Ariana (that's me), one male dark elf named Mirion, three people from an apparantly extinct (but very alive to me) race of people; one female named Razario and two males named Gapy and Starion and finally an "ordinary" person (well he's a hermit) named Needle Beard (translated from Swedish: Barrskägg. The needles from pine trees). Also there are the elves Lelarion and Herald.

Before the RPG starts this evening. Mirion and Starion have been in a coast city called Valgovana to find Razario (related to an older no longer used character of the RPG. She has no idea ofc). Razario is one of the few left of Starion's people so he wants contact. She makes her living as a whore and she's very, very paranoid. However stuff happens in the city which forces them to run from it and while on the run a man called Santiago contacts them mentally. Santiago is a very small magical person who lives in an ent :P Santiago tells them that there are three people in his house (in the tree tops of the ent) that all would benefit from co-operating.

Ariana, Barrskägg and Gapy are all in Santiago's living room. Barrskägg is playing chess against his squirrel (who lives in his beard) and Ariana is inspecting Santiago's bookshelves. The books are all in elvish and written by himself. They all contain very advanced information on herbs and plants. A magical door appears out of nowhere and out steps Razario with a knife at the ready. Starion makes an epic entrance with magical light etc to appear as a master magician, and then Mirion walks out of the door as if nothing has happened. Santiago invites us for dinner and asks us to all sit down at the table. Everyone do so except for Mirion who leaves to visit his sister (Something has happened to her and now she lives in a room there. She can't speak. That's pretty much all I know of that back story). The rest of us notices that there are only fruits and vegetables on the dinner table, no meat whatsoever. After that it's good night.

During the night Starion notices that we are being watched by an undead. In the morning we arrive at the swamp close to the Doors of Might and we exit the ent. We greet Barrskägg's silver cats (two in the size of wolves and one in the size of a horse). A marketplace further away. We get there. There is a camp for people. There are also knights with pipes on their backs (the number of pipes tells how many magic schools the person knows and the colour of the pipe tells which one. They are from a cult called the Light of the Elementar). Since the Doors of Might is a dwarven city it's also a dwarven marketplace. Gapy notices that what the knights with pipes are offered to buy is crap. Starion is being watched by a knight with one pipe that see-through (no one has seen that before). Black armour and the visor down. Starion asks Gapy to keep an eye on the one-pipe. We discover that Razario has disappeared after we have entered the Doors of Might. Starion leaves the find Razario. The rest of us continue on to the dwarven king. Thanks to Mirion (he's a prince btw) are we allowed to enter past the guards. They talk about Gwelvin (a dwarf Mirion has gotten a telepathic cry for help from). Mirion, Ariana and Starion go to Gwelvin's study/temple to check out his recipes in alchemy for an elixir that can give you the ability to breathe under water for 24 hours. Lelarion is there. He seems worried and tells us that something's happening. We can feel magic in the air, sticky and unfriendly. Mirion tries Scatter but fails. None of us know what kind of magic it is. Ariana uses perfect True Sight and catches a glimpse of a small creature (about 1 m) with black robes and green skin that disappears. The description fits someone Starion has seen before. Mirion senses a new magic from the notes. Uses Scatter and their appearance changes. Ariana and Mirion sits down to brew loads of elixirs. It still feels weird to be there. It feels like the magic has a mind of its own. Around midnight Starion comes back with a very beautiful woman whose name is Adia and archmage. The creature Ariana saw is a hobgoblin that's a necromancer. We make sure there are guards around the clock outside the room and that they are changed every second hour.

After breakfast we leave again. We're going out to sea. Barrskägg is opposed to this at first but then agrees. We are going to save Gwelvin (he's a dwarf that likes water). We go through a magic door and arrive at a small island with only a dock and a small boat. Lelarion calls for the White Swan. There's a blinding light and then there a ship. The figurehead is a swan's head. We climb aboard. After some time we arrive at a place that Mirion sense is the right one. In the middle of the sea. Ariana makes Night Vision on herself, Barrskägg and Gapy. We see a city at the bottom . We swim toward it. Only ruins. We sense the same kind of magic that we sensed in Gwelvin's room. We enter the temple of the ruins. Mirion's Perception doesn't work. Ariana buffs the others beforehand and then we go through the magic field. Everything except Iron Skin wears off. Ariana puts on Night Vision again on them, but nothing else. We continue down. Mirion uses Perception again to find Gwelvin and feels his presence but no direction. We choose right in the crossroad. There's a symbol for demon worshipping. Rare demons. They manifest as tornados, usually in deserts. Ariana uses True Sight and sees a hidden tunnel where a scaly creature stands with a two-handed spear. Puts True Sight on Mirion who activates his invisibility cloak to go check. There's not only one bu several. Mirion sneaks inside and kills one and decontaminates one. Gapy steps forward and immediately can't breathe. He's injured by the creature and fails himself to stab it. Ariana tries to use Breathe Underwater but is stopped by magic. Barrskägg uses Scatter and makes the magic disappear. Gapy can breathe again. Mirion activates his cloak to sneak past the last one. Starion recieve an arrow in his back but isn't injured. Ariana puts True Sight on Starion. Starion and Barrskägg see a man (like the ones in the tunnel) with a bow and arrow exit from a tunnel further down. Ariana puts Iron Skin on Barrskägg. We can't sense when magic is being conjured in that field. Ariana moves to the tunnel Gapy is in to put Stumble on the men coming from the other side. Gapy is by now injured pretty badly.

Sunday 26 June 2011

Heroes

[SPOILERS AHEAD!] (Unless you've seen all four seasons of the series...)

I'm having a trip down memorylane - again. This time asked Love to finish Heroes and after much nagging he agreed, although he knew it would all end in a huge cliffhanger. I have all the boxes. All the four seasons. And now when I'm re-watching it again I remember how I used to follow the series and sitting on edge waiting for a new episode. But seriously, do you remember how great it used to be?

A lot of unfair and unfortunate things happened to the greatness of Heroes. After the first season there was the writers' strike in Hollywood and second season was cut in half, which made it a very bad season. But oh, how I loved when HRG was killed. Why, oh, why did they have to save him?

Third season started out with a very interesting plot, turning all the characters upsidedown. Suddenly you no longer knew who was good and who was bad. But it was slow. It was an interesting plot, but it was a slow realisation of the plot, people got bored and the series lost viewers. Season three is also divided into 2 volumes; Villains and Fugitives. Villains was real slow and not until halfway in on Fugitives did the plot kickstart again. I love the re-introduction of Micah in the form of Rebel. On the other hand I hate the whole Niki/Tracy-thing. I always get nervous at the final episode of the third season. The killing of Nathan. Sylar has always been my favourite character, he seems to be the only character of the series that has a real depth. Third season is very much about Sylar and I love that.


Fourth season. Wow. I was very sceptical to the whole carnival thing with Samuel to begin with. But Samuel turned out to be way more smug and cunning than I originally thought and he made the fourth season so very interesting. I hate Emma. In this season I love the growth of Hiro and I continuously love Sylar. I love the re-introduction of Charlie and I wished so much that they would've brough West back in after Claire mentions him. The amount of viewers upped again after the fourth season, but that was at the same time as the economic crisis and thus the series was cancelled. 

Heroes has had a hard time all on all. First the writers' strike and then the economic crisis. I wish they'd at least end it like they did Firefly, with a made-for-TV movie that answers loads of questions. It would give a greater sense of finality than that stupid cliffhanger-ending we have on our hands right now :/

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Game of Thrones

[SPOILERS AHEAD!] (Don't say I didn't warn you)

Just watched the last episode of the first season of Game of Thrones. It's amazing! I haven't read the books, but according to Love I could just skip reading the first book of the series and go directly to the second. That's how precisely they follow the story. But this is perfect. I wanted a new series to be crazy about since Heroes ended (boohoo :'( ) and I love this! The political intrigues, the detailed characters, the constant backstabbing + the supernatural element. It's perfect.

I actually didn't think they would kill Eddard Stark, since Sean Bean was the only known name and drawing card of the series. I didn't think they would kill off Drogo and Daenerys's son either. I thought they would mix up with the already existing war in King's Landing and make it a quick one :P But Deanerys is the Dragon. She can walk through fire. "Fire cannot kill the Dragon". And now she has three baby dragons. Next season's gonna be awesome!

I hope Sansa will do something next season. She seems to be starting up her own rebellion against Joffrey, thinking of pushing him over the edge. A kind of subtle rebellion, but I do hope she will get her own fierceness later on. I wonder what will happen to Arya. She seems to be able to handle herself. Now she's disguised as a boy and it seems like she's leaving King's Landing for the Wall. But what will be at the Wall? The Night's Watch including Snow has rode off beyond the Wall to look for wildlings and white walkers. Will they survive unlike everyone else who has ventured beyond the Wall since the series started? I want to think that Snow is one of the main characters and they can't kill him, but Game of Thrones doesn't seem to follow the common rules of not killing the main characters. I honestly can't say if Snow will make it out alive. Too bad. I like Snow.

And then there's Robb and Tyrion. Hopefully Robb will win his own war, avenge his father, save his sisters and kill the king :) That's what I want to happen anyway, but if that happened next season there wouldn't be much left so that's probably not gonna happen :P Tyrion has slowly become one of my favourites. Hopefully he will be able to spank some sense into Joffrey as the King's Hand. But I rather doubt it...

I just want the incest relationship between the Queen and her brother to be revealed, in the wake of that revelation it will become obvious that Joffrey isn't really a Barathian and he will lose his crown :)

Daenerys is by far my favourite character. She has grown enourmusly since the beginning of the series and now she's a wicked woman that can walk through fire =D


Season finale. Final scene. Daenerys. Do I need say more?

Sunday 19 June 2011

Horses

Yesterday and today I worked at the horse racecourse in Malmö on an event called American Days. There were American flags everywhere and there were special shows inspired by America. Like Western riding, Mountain shooting, Cowhorse/Cutting and Quarterraces. All foodstand there were Americanized. There were Panpizza, Doughnuts, Hickory Smoked Ribbs and of course hamburgers. There was a small area dedicated to American soldiers from the Second World War, so there were men and women dressed up as 1940's military (wish I'd brought my camera). There was also a small Native American fireplace with a tent close-by. Later in the evening there were tributes to Dolly Parton and Tina Turner on the small stage. There were also loads of old American vintage cars, cool and beautiful all of them.

Along with all this there were of course all the ordinary gallop races. Standing there watching the horses I suddenly felt like 8 years old again. Like all small girls I too loved horses. I wasn't dedicated enough to commit to riding and taking care of a real horse, but every chance I got to ride I took. I was, and still am, a little afraid of horses because they are such big animals (I have respect for all animals I know to be stronger and/or bigger than me). But while I watched those horses there were especially two that I completely fell in love with. One was lightbrown in body and mane, but the tail was half-white and it had white spots on its behind. It seemed a little rough to the body but seemed to have a very subtle nature and personality. Very likeable. The other one was jetblack, so black that it almost shimmered in blue. The mane and tail were long and wavy. It was a very thin horse, muscular and confident, but also beautiful and elegant. None of them seemed to win their races, though.

We had two places where we sold our things. One place close to the stage and one place close to the entrance. Down by the stage we had all the basic things and up by the entrance we had cotton candy and balloons as well. Down by the stage it was extremely windy. I hadn't brought a jacket cause I thought it wouldn't be necessary. But the constant wind added to only 17 degrees made it freezing down by the stage. Luckily Cicci (my friend who also worked there) had her mum come bring a jacket. Since we switched places every now and then, the one standing down by the stage wore her big wind jacket/coat. Also, down by the stage there was absolutely nothing to do except wandering back and forth or sitting down at the very-bad-for-your-back chair. Up next to the entrance on the other hand there was hardly any wind at all (we were between two buildings) and since that was the place with cotton candy and balloons, that's where all the families went. I think I made about 20-30 cotton candy that day and sold about twice the amount of balloons. That was fun! Later in the evening there was a sudden downfall that didn't end, so we decided to pack up and leave 1½ hours earlier than planned.

Today we had only the place up by the entrance. But it was very windy there too today. However I had borrowed my sister's wind jacket today so I was fine. There was hardly anything to do today at all. It was a very slow day and the only exciting thing that happened was that I was photographed by a newspaper (and the small sudden downfalls that had us taking in and bringing the balloons back out again over and over).

At 5pm we closed up and went back home. Now my back, feet and legs hurt from having to constantly stand up two days in a row. It's painful but at the same time it's kind of pleasant to feel that your body has been doing some serious working outdoors. There is a special feeling of accomplishment and pride that comes from throwing out empty boxes at the end of an event. I like my job :)

And the only song I could think of those two days was this one:

Friday 17 June 2011

Stephen Lynch

Just got home from an awesome concert with Stephen Lynch! It was great to see him again after 3 years (already, that long!) and he announced that he was going to go into the studio after he got back from his tour! Yay, new album! =D

He started off with a few new songs like Lorelai, Dick Like Me, Tennessee and Queer Tattoo (all great), many of the old classics he played this time weren't the same as last time. For example he played Little Tiny Moustache, Beelz, Special, D&D, Priest and Superhero. I guess now that he's working on a new album the songs from his last albums also are classics by now. From that album he only played Dear Diary and A History Lesson.

The 2 hours were great and spent constantly laughing and actually had me bent over with laughter at one point. I never thought Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" could be hilarious. I never thought the Swedish language could be that hilarious. Apparantly he had been in Luleå the night before. Try saying Luleå with an American accent! xD Or kyckling for that matter... I never thought the films "40 year old virgin" and "Good Will Hunting" could be that funny.



All in all it was well worth the money spent. But except for playing four of my favourites (Little Tiny Moustache, Beelz, D&D and A History Lesson) I missed a few songs so here's some shamless advertising :P
Lullaby. 
It's a horrible song, but I think it's cosy... 
I enjoy listening to it.

What if that Guy from Smashing Pumpkins Lost His Car Keys?
I love this only because it's hilarious and never gets boring...

Craig Christ
Because... Since when is it boring to joke about religion?

There are so many more... Like Grandfather, Baby, Vanilla Ice Cream, Halloween, Talk to Me, America, Hallelujah, Down to the Old Pub Instead... He never gets boring! If you haven't heard of him or listened to his music I suggest that now is a great time to start!