breakinglight11 | Entries tagged with inwaterwrit

So all the week I've been helping out backstage for the Wrathskeller, the Boston Babydolls Halloween production at the Cambridge YMCA. It's a really fun show, and I am happy that

laurion asked if I wanted to help with it. He's a very good stage manager, and a fun part of the show itself as well. I am being what is known as the stage kitten, the person who collects all the shed costume pieces between the acts. Though I am enjoying the experience, I have most definitely decided I like being onstage far more than I like teching. Stage crew specifically does not suit my skill set. As an actor, I have developed the tendency to focus strictly on bearing my part of the show, getting my cues right, minding my own timing, doing whatever little responsibilities have been closely assigned to me. If actors worry too much about whether or not other show things are being done, they get distracted and miss their cues, so they are encouraged to just trust the techies and the other actors and do their own parts. But as a techie you have to be aware of everything that's going on in order to time your stuff right, and to be able to provide the most support to everyone else. It's been a tough mentality shift. Also, being slightly nightblind, doing things in the dark isn't my strong suit, and hunting across the stage for lost pieces of clothing and then collecting them all as quickly as is necessary is not the easiest thing in the world for me. I am doing a passable but not great job of it. I probably would be doing better if I'd been able to be there for more rehearsals, but I imagine even with practice I can never be more than a strictly average stage tech.

But I got to wear a neat costume. I wore the neat bodice I found with the red corduroy side out over this gauzy black blouse I have that is a fantastic psuedo-period costume piece because it is ruffly, and a floppy enough fabric that I can get it to drape pretty much however I want, in this case off my shoulders. On the bottom I wore a full black skirt with flounces in it, graciously lent to me by

blendedchaitea. I was pleased because it suited the show's overall aesthetic, but wasn't so flashy that I drew unnecessary attention to myself. I ran into

in_water_writ and

bleemoo afterwards, and had a lovely time chatting with them for a bit. It was nice to see them, it felt like it had been a long time. Jenn was nice enough to snap a couple of pictures of me. Pardon the lousy lighting and low quality, it was just on my iPhone after all.

The show itself is really cool. It has this very 20's aesthetic to it, and tells a creepy story in a seedy cabaret setting with a great gothic atmosphere. The dancing is excellent, and the costumes are really fantastic to look at. And though I confess I personally don't find it all that hot (I've learned I find pasties and g-strings more absurd-looking than sexy, plus none of the ladies are my type) they are certainly experts at the art of burlesque. It's going on now through Halloween, so there's still time to check it out.

Weekend of rehearsal is concluded. Things went rather well; we seem to be in a pretty good place with the show, and with the exception of that one goddamn line that I always psych myself out of remembering, I feel like I'm fairly ready. The other day I hit the thrift store, dropped off a big bag of unwanted clothes, and picked up a pair of khakhi cargo pants just baggy enough to look boyish to wear as my costume. The fact that they're a little too big hides some of my feminine definition, but I discovered necessitates the wearing of a belt to not slide below my knobby hipbones. I also broke out the chest binding for the first time in this role. As usual, reactions ranged from people impressed by the fact that I was willing to do it to weirded out by how kinky and uncomfortable it looked.

As some of you know from doing shows with me in the past, I have a odd little tendency to walk around in just the binding before getting into costume. I did this today, and because I was not sure how my fellows in the show, few of whom really know me, would react to it, I was thinking about this today. I didn't experience any real negative reaction, but I did wonder if anyone thought it was strange. I'm not totally sure why I feel the desire to do it, though I think it's complicated. For some reason it relaxes me to lose that outer layer of clothing, so it's become my custom before a play even when I'm not bound. I am proud of how attractive my midriff is, so I'm sure the way exposing it makes me feel about myself gives me a sense of positivity before a show. I think i also like the notion of how before I put on my character I have to stop being Phoebe and start being an empty canvas on which to paint the character. Costumes have always helped me get into character, so the total lack of any kind of costume over the binding I think helps me part with myself and become clear to assert the new personality. There's probably a dash of a need to assert my true femininity before putting on my masculine character; this is not a huge issue for me, but I think this small gesture helps keep it that way. It's an odd little issue of mine, but for the first time I felt compelled to analyze my need for this weird little ritual. Because of the drive, I had to strap down really far in advance, and my ribs were starting to ache by the time the show ended. That was a bit surprising-- normally my breasts themselves are what gets sore, but this time it was definitely my ribs. Will have to work out a way to cut down the time I will have to spend bound up. Still, it's good to know that I'm pretty much totally in order to go on this coming weekend.

Have gathered a fairly good crowd for the planned picnic before the show on Sunday the 24th. Though certain people will be sadly missed, a nice group is amassing that I am very glad will spend the time with me. If you decide you'd like to come with us, just drop me a line and I will be happy to include you in the plans.

I did manage to get to

oakenguy's show yesterday. I was kindly accomplanied by my beloved

in_water_writ, and I'm very glad I made it. I liked every piece or different reasons, and had the extremely rare experience for me of being impressed with the ability of every single actor involved. Brian was as fun and funny as I expected he'd be, and I must certainly be sure to get out to any future shows of his, so that I may see more of him onstage! I certainly recommend anyone who enjoys Shakespeare and Shakespeare-related material (not to mention Brian!), as I certainly do, to go out to Somerville and catch this show. Afterward Jenn and I had a lovely time hanging out at chatting at J.P. Lick's, concluding a long day with a very pleasant evening.

Is it Intercon yet? Is it Intercon yet? Can we go to Intercon now?

I want it to be Intercon, like, THIS MINUTE. Of course there's still some stuff to do, mostly in the nature of social debts, before I can dash off. I'm having lunch with Bernie because it'll be the last time I can see him before going away for the weekend. I told Jared I'd take him to get his hair cut before his class. And Steph is holding a lovely tea party in her suite today that I would absolutely love to go to. All these things must be accomplished in a timely manner before going to meet Jenn at her work so that she, Jared, and I can be off to the con, so I probably need all the time I can get. At least my stuff is already packed and loaded into the car. I am also ridiculously pleased with myself for finally building myself an outfit around my beautiful new red pashmina, which I will be wearing tonight. And Jared will come sharp as well, with much-needed hair cutting accomplished.

So, other than needing to see people before I'm off, I am SO READY FOR INTERCON.

Jared and I went out for our anniversary dinner Friday night. We dressed up handsomely and went to Solea, the fantastic tapas restaurant on Moody Street. It was one of the nicest evenings out I've had in a long time. And I made sure to wear my lovely new earrings. He did not wear his new shirt from Express that was my gift to him, because while it looks quite good on him, the collar is a bit too loose to wear with a tie, so he'd like to try a smaller size. Ah, well, I gave it a shot.

Yesterday we went to a very fun production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the lovely company of Steph, Caitlin, and Plesser. The show had a strange urban jungle feel, which was interesting if not necessarily what I would pick, and Jared's Stage Combat teacher, actor-professor Robert Walsh, played a hilarious Bottom. We actually first encountered him at another Actor's Shakespeare Project show, when he played the title role in Titus Andronicus. Very talented actor; Jared and I enjoyed him very much. It's always fun to see another production of a show you were in with others who were in it with you. It was a really good time.

In the evening Jared and I then went to the birthday party

in_water_writ threw for

1takejohnny. It was a fun party, full of nice new people, but I'd promised I'd pick Bernie up at the airport that evening. Jared was having a good time, so he elected to stay and took the commuter rail home. I'm sorry I couldn't have stayed, but it was good to have Bernie back.

All in all, Friday and Saturday were excellent days, spent in the company of good friends and my dear love.

Goodness, but I have been a busy girl these last several days. Since my last post was on Friday, I will pick up from there. Cut into three installments to keep the number of tags for the entry from getting too absurd. I do love my tags, you know.

Friday night was a wonderful evening spent in the company of the lovely in_water_writ, in which she came over to Elsinore and we cooked a delicious dinner together. I made a pork roast, something I've been wanting to try for ages and finally could without my kosher boys around, and she made these fantastic stuffed mushrooms that I'm going to have to recreate myself sometime. I also made some mini apple pies in the new tiny pie plates my mom sent me, but they came out strangely-- I wasn't sure on the cooking time, and they came out with the apples not soft enough but also kind of dry, so I couldn't tell if they were overcooked or undercooked. Ah, well. I'll have to play around with it until I find a recipe that works. Having the time with Jenn was really wonderful; I loved cooking the meal with her and we talked so long we lost track of time. It's tough for me to open up to most people, but I really do feel comfortable confiding things in her. I'm lucky to have her around, aren't I? :-) We were talking about having a standing dinner date once or twice a month where she and I, or the two of us plus John and Jared, get together at each other's places to cook. Given how much I enjoyed that evening, I think that would be a lovely idea.

( Back from SLAW, as they were calling it, and I feel very good about what I did. )

From noon on till seven at night, I spent cooking for a dinner for in_water_writ and 1takejohnny since they're in town. I'm very pleased with myself. I made butternut squash soup, apricot and cippolini braised chicken, stuffed portobello mushrooms, and brussel sprouts. I had no idea a butternut squash was so difficult to break down; peeling, chopping, and seeding three decent-sized ones took the better part of an hour. I also had four pots of the chicken braising on the stovetop at once, a juggling act that I am incredibly proud to have pulled off. This is the second time I made that dish, and last time I forgot to add the apricots at the right time, and had to overdo the dish trying to get them to the proper consistency, but this time around things came out tender and lovely. It was a really fantastic evening, with good company and good conversation. I'm so glad to hear that Jenn and John will be moving back into town; I've really missed having her around.

A very happy birthday to in_water_writ today! I love her and miss her, and she deserves to have every birthday be special.

Have a great day, love. :-)

Ah, it feels good to get things done. The weekend ended well, with the game ending to the satisfaction of all parties involved. Zachariah made us a lovely French toast brunch Sunday morning, and in_water_writ and 1takejohnny dropped by to see us for a bit. Apparently there's a possibility Jenn might get a job in the area, and that would be absolutely lovely. Especially if she sublets at Elsinore until she found a permanent place. I know nothing's happening yet, but it makes me happy to think about.

I also finished my last paper and handed it in this morning. All that remains is my Latin final n Friday, and I have all week to study for it. So I'm feeling pretty good. I'm going to make a low-key dinner tonight just for my pleasure and relaxation-- I'm trying a Rachael Ray beef and burgundy recipe --and enjoying the feeling of accomplishment.

Current Mood: accomplished

I'll be honest, I cast Oz mostly by feel; I checked the casting questionnaires mostly to make sure I wouldn't stick someone in a part they'd hate, and then went with my instincts. I think by and large it worked, at least with people I got a chance to talk to afterward. I took particular care with captainecchi, seeing as I screwed up casting her for Alice in the first run and gave her a character she couldn't play. Fortunately, Oz had somebody absolutely perfect for her, and I was very pleased with the way she played it. She had a tough job in game, and came very close to getting it done.

One thing I found and will have to modify for the next run is that there is such a thing as too much gamespace. As with Alice, I had the entire building of Golding, but unlike Alice, fifteen players do not fill space in the same way that twenty-seven do. The place felt strangely empty, and I was worried it meant that people weren't busy enough. It turned out that most people felt they did have enough to do; it was just that they were so spread out that not as much appeared to be going on. That will have to be remedied; I like the feeling of bustle.

The one thing I did find useful about the space was that there was an ampitheater classroom with a projector screen in it. I made this the window of the viewing deck on the Emerald Station and had a series of slides depicting space just outside. I liked it very much and thought it added a lot to things. The game, as was pointed out to me by the lovely v_cat, who was by the way excellent in her role, turned out to be very GM-heavy, which was not my intention, but she's right, that needs to be corrected. The trouble with most things in that vein was that while I did a good job hammering out the plot stuff, I ran out of time when it came to mechanics. The first editing job required will be the fix all the stuff that was in my head but I never managed to get on paper. I'm very grateful to Bernie, not only for helping me GM, but for helping as well as he did when I didn't have time to get him as well up to speed as I should have. Another mechanic that I borrowed from Lise and electric_d_monk-- who was, by the way, exactly what I pictured for his role-- I need to hammer out a little better as well, but I liked it very much in theory and think I can get it where it needs to be. The role that had the most to do with that mechanic was played by in_water_writ, for whom the personality is just amazingly perfect.

By and large, I am pleased. Some editing I believe is all that is required to smooth out the mechanical issues. Also, there is the matter of all the people who didn't get in and would like the play. I would love to run this again as soon as possible, if there is some time and space before the end of the year.

Next-- Saturday afternoon run of Paranoia

Today I have decided that this evening I will be baking a delicious apple pie. it has been a long and, at times, frankly terrible week for me, so I'm going to have a nice domestic evening at home of cooking and baking to relax make myself feel better. I'm really starting to enjoy making things in the kitchen, and I am pleased with the progress of my developing culinary skills. Also,

in_water_writ is going to be in the Waltham area this weekend, so I'm hoping to snag her for a bit at some point. Maybe I can entice her to hang with me with the promise of dinner and pie. What could be more enticing than that combination? Nothing, that's what. She's also yet to see Elsinore in its current state of occupation, so it'd be nice to show her. We haven't had a chance to talk much lately as well. She's always been good at listening and giving me good perspective on things when I needed it. I really do miss her, so I hope I can get her to come.

First I'd like to wish an ecstatically happy birthday to the lovely and beloved

in_water_writon this day. I hope it was a day full of the admiration and adoration you so rightly deserve.

My cake turned out well. It's a restaurant-style cake, so it's not quite as sweet as the boxed kind-- which to be honest I think I prefer, especially for the effort involved --but it is still very tasty. I'm proud of myself.

I had a nice riding lesson this evening. I should be riding at least once more before I leave, if not both tomorrow and the next day. After riding my mom and I went to the vet to make arrangements for Carmen. We're going to have things taken care of on Saturday. I'm pretty down about it, but it really is the right thing and I'm trying not to be selfish about it. I'm just glad we got an appointment for before I come back to Waltham, because I want to be with her when it happens.

Busy, pleasant day today. Today

in_water_writvisited with

1takejohnnyand Jared and I met them for lunch. I love and miss her, so it was wonderful to get to hang for a little while. Upper Crust on Moody Street really makes excellent pizza, though I've eaten an awful lot of it lately for someone who usually never has it. Afterward we went to the comic book shop, and I bought a loose percentile d10 to finish off the set I salvaged from my old AD&D kit. It was free comic day, but I didn't see anything that I really wanted to have, and I felt guilty 'cause I didn't buy anything-- except the die, but that was seventy cents, for crying out loud.

In the evening we went into Boston with the Daves to see Blue Man Group. We had dinner at a nice Thai place beforehand. I invited my brother Casey to join us for dinner, as he goes to Emerson which is a block or two away, but he had been out with friends all day and didn't make it back in time. It was a shame, it would have been nice if he could have been there. Blue Man Group was good. I was not wowed, exactly, I didn't find it all that funny or the tricks particularly stunning, but the musical parts were great. All in all, it was a very fun evening. I got no work done today, about which I'm kind of starting to panic, but I'll have to get my goddamn act together.

Festival begins tonight! I am so excited. I need to get my costume pieces together and reread my character sheets. Jenn and her lovely boyfriend John are coming up for the weekend and they will be staying in my room, so I will be repairing to Jared's place for the next two nights. That means I'll need to pack up a bag of everything I'm going to need for Festival to take with me. It'd be a pain to have to come back and forth all the way across campus for forgotten stuff.

Paradox Rides is tonight. I'm not sure what to expect from this game, but I'm ready for anything. :-) Here goes nothing!

A lovely, lovely weekend all around, and many thanks to all who made it possible. This is an elaborated version of what I posted to

interconlarp.

Friday I helped

zapfrun the debut of his new game Last Stop, which will also be running at Brandeis Festival of the Larps. I was so proud of him. It will be running again at Brandeis Festival of the Larps

and though I will be not be able to help him run it again because I'm in Marlowe 2020, I plan on helping him with the edits and with casting this next run. Just out of curiosity, who all is in it? I'll ask Sheena eventually, but I'm curious.

Saturday morning was Railways and Respectability, an absolutely excellent Regency-era game that was talked up to me last year by

captainecchiand

electric_d_monk, in which I thoroughly enjoyed my fragile, unhappy character. It is beautiful and thickly plotted, and sported some of the best costumes of any game I saw. The most amusing part for me was being cajoled into taking a temperence oath despite, in fact, being a raging alcoholic. I accomplished my major goals, that of having a railway to Oxford built, as well as secure the funding to found a college of divinity in my late husband's name, due to excellent social interaction. I did not, however, find anyone to marry, I felt as if I were still too deeply in mourning for my husband. I was even invited to waltz by a gentleman at the end of the game. I've never waltzed before but I'm a decent dancer, so I was pleased to have caught on quickly.

I also heard a great deal about other people's games. Desperadoes Under the Eaves sounded fantastic, and apparently

jh1230owned that game. I'm proud of him. I also loved

rigel's costume for it. Wonderland 2.1 got good reviews too, and it still tickles me that Jared reprised his Alice character. I really enjoyed hearing about L'Enfer, C'est Les Autres and Skid Row from

morethings5, who I was fascinated to hear really loves having a clear character and just running with his personality rather than going down a checklist of goals. That was his first Intercon, and he was so fun to have along. Everyone in our group was, and I was so glad that

in_water_writ could make it. She was our lovely roommate.

Saturday evening, however, was the highlight of the weekend. I ran my larp, Alice, for the second time ever with Jared as my other GM and it went spectacularly. I had some truly excellent players who did some amazing things. They even managed to surprise us and we had to roll with them! And yet the game ran so smoothly that we GMs could stand back and watch most of the time, and you know a game is going well when the people running it are so often whispering "Oh, my God, did you just see what happened?" to each other. The best part was when two of the larpers who impressed me the most, those who played the White Rabbit and Humpty Dumpty, came up to me afterward and declared it their favorite game of the weekend. *Blush* Jared and I had long conversations with some of the players and I loved getting their perspectives. This run was significantly different than the first, but still the "happy ending" was the one that came through, with fifteen minutes to spare!

I also got to meet Randy Milholland, whose comic I've been reading for five years now. He's an incredibly nice guy who drew me a picture of Avogadro from the strip. I got off the waitlist for the Sunday Bunnies and Burrows mod, but sadly missed the phone call telling me so. Ah, well, at least I got to watch some of it.

By the way, at conwrap I found that someone had bought a raffle ticket for the "Alice GMs" and I ended up winning a copy of The Trial of the Big Bad Wolf, which made me very happy. But I don't know who it was that bought the ticket. Can anyone tell me who this kind soul is, so I can thank them?

All in all, a truly excellent weekend. :-) Now on to Festival!

It's been a fun past couple of days. I finally knocked out my horrible, horrible screenplay and I'm making good progress on the studying I have for my two sitdown finals. In addition, I've spent a lot of time with lovely people, including Jared and I hanging with

zapfand a great gang at Toby's place that included

in_water_writ. I'd forgotten just how much I missed her until I got ot be with her just now. She's had a lot to deal with lately, but I hope that things even out for next semester and I get to spend more time with her.

The following are gaming related tasks I hope to at least work on over the break:

1. Work on Cameo for Spycraft.

She's not properly leveled at the moment, so I need to go over her. Of course, if Bernie institutes the level bump he's been talking about, I may just remake her from the ground up, and then it won't be worth it to bring her up to fifth level.

2. Finish Lisani for Kindness's campaign

My cleric is almost done, but I need to make sure there's nothing I left out. I wish I had some kind of checklist to remind me of all the steps of building a character, because I always seem to forget something. Now that I think about it, I have the same problem with leveling as well.

3. Edit Alice for Intercon

Jared and I have a good deal of edits that we have planned but haven't actually made yet. The break should give us time to actually do them.

Those are the definates. Now for the maybes:

1. Brainstorm for Spycraft mod.

Still not sure if I'm actually going to write one, but if I have the time, maybe I'll give it a shot. I need to examine mods I've already been in for formatting issues.

2. Work on Men of Respect

It's not a priority right now because Alice needs to get edited before long, but it'd be nice. I'm toying with the idea of bidding it for Festival of the Larps, but I know Jared isn't keen on bidding something that isn't finished, so he might not be into the idea.

3. Think about a Zelda campaign

A while ago Jared gave me a Legend of Zelda D20 sourcebook, and as an enormous fan of the games, I'd love to be in a campaign of one. Sheena, the darling, has offered to DM for me, but I'm torn between wanting to play in it and wanting to run it. I'll have to come to a decision over the break if it's ever going to happen.

That's all for now, I may think of more later. But there's a good chunk of work to be done.

By the way, Ducky's name is now Horatio. Jared picked it out.

Because it's more interesting than writing my Western Canon paper, my brain has become distracted by thoughts of people I'd like to spend time with.

Been missing

rigeland

bleemoo. Haven't really gotten to hang around with them in a while. At least I expect to see them at MASKS this weekend.

Would love for Jared and I to take

flyingstalins and Ernest out to dinner and just talk with them. Need to get together arranging it. I'd also love to have dinner with Frances for the same reason. These are fascinating, special people that I'd love to spend time with.

Need to help Sheena work on his game.

I miss Jenn too. Haven't seen her in a while.

Probably more people too, but that's all for now. I need to get back to my damn paper.

At last, at long last, Hamlet has reached it triumphant conclusion. I couldn't be more pleased and proud with our show. Our cast came through brilliantly and our crew were absolute geniuses. Sheena singlehandedly brought all the elements together so the show got a chance to exist. Mac and Bernie came in with such amazing skill and expertise to run the lights and sound. Emma, Jane, and Ryan were generous with their time and effort to act as our run crew. And, of course, Jared, who was both my brilliant star and my unfailing support. I'm so grateful for everything they've done to make the show a success. And on top of all of that, everyone came who I really wanted to come. Between

flyingstalins, Ernie,

in_water_writ,

usernamenumber,

rigel,

bleemoo,

natbudin,

kamianya, and my parents and Jared's, I was more than pleased with the audience.

I enjoyed directing very much, as draining a process as it was, and perhaps I'll do it again sometime. But for now, I need a rather long break. I'm looking forward to not having to be anywhere in the evenings unless I want to be, and I'm excited to go to BSCF this Thursday for the first time in weeks.

But thank you. Thank you, everyone, for your efforts and your support in bringing a dream of mine to life. You have no idea how much it means to me.

Well, I am delighted to report that the first run of Alice went fabulously. All my fears that it would be boring or confusing or difficult or with some huge hidden game break I couldn't find turned out to be for nothing. It seemed like everyone had a really good time, and I know I was on top of the world. Bernie couldn't have been better help to me, and it ran incredibly smoothly; Vicky was wonderful enough to help us out, but we probably could have run it with just the two of us. And best of all, people got incredibly into their characters. I was so happy to hear the enthusiasm of people like Mac for the Mad Hatter and Jared for the White Rabbit, and Matt was as great a Charlie as I could have hoped for. Also, Matt LeVan was a perfect Cheshire Cat, nobody but Brad could have been the Jabberwock, and Jenn was an amazing Queen of Hearts. And even some of the toughest characters came out great, like Zack's portrayal of the Dormouse. Even now, a week later, people are still talking about it. It needs some editing, which I shall be doing with everyone's opinions in mind over the next few weeks. Also, I have just bid my game for Intercon H, and I am eagerly awaiting the response.

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Stage kitten
Rehearsal weekend over
SO READY FOR INTERCON
First part of my weekend report
Eventful weekend, installment 1: Jenn on Friday
Home from WPI
Dinner for Jenn and John
Jenn's birthday
Accomplished!
FOTL Report - Oz
The second pie of Elsinore
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First day of Festival!
Intercon report
(no subject)
Friends
At the close...
First run of Alice!

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"Do you know why heroes boast? Because it makes them brave."

Entries tagged with inwaterwrit

Stage kitten

Rehearsal weekend over

SO READY FOR INTERCON

First part of my weekend report

Eventful weekend, installment 1: Jenn on Friday

Home from WPI

Dinner for Jenn and John

Jenn's birthday

Accomplished!

FOTL Report - Oz

The second pie of Elsinore

(no subject)

(no subject)

First day of Festival!

Intercon report

(no subject)

Friends

At the close...

First run of Alice!

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May 2025

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