[RPG][WOD] Introducing Blood On Fire

The old WOD game ended and a new one has begun. It's set in Savannah, GA, and it's limited to Mages and Werewolves. As the Werewolves were sitting around and creating characters, I had an idea for a character that I really liked.

The idea was fleeting and fickle. It flirted with me, coy and complicated for quite a while. It finally decided to behave, and I started working on it in earnest. While I was giddily writing this lovely little nugget down, the smoke of a more complete concept unraveled fully in my head. It wasn't just ONE character, but three.

As the idea exploded into lots more than what I imagined, it became obvious I had a pack of Werewolves in mind. Whether these Uratha are NPCs in the Savannah game, NPCs in a game I run, or just ideas I never use, they are interesting enough that I thought I'd share.

Blood On Fire is a pack of 3 Uratha in the Georgia area. Their original location was set outside of Fort Stewart, in a yet unnamed semi-rural town. I'm still undecided as to whether I'll keep them there or move them closer to Atlanta.

The pack is comprised of 2 brothers, Trey and Trav; along with Trey's former girlfriend Hilary. They are bound by more than blood; their pack becomes forged by sacrifice and fire.

I will be putting up the write ups for each one fairly soon, I hope.

[RPG][WOD] Playing with people smarter than yourself

I’ve been playing WOD for a while, and depending on the genre, done very well or been totally overwhelmed.  Right now, I’m  having fun, but I’m petrified that I will mess things up.

I completely admit that while Werewolf SEEMED fun at the time I was playing it, and it offered me a sense of liberation and freedom, it was wrong for the kind of player I am.

Werewolf relies a great deal on the ability to make decisions, and expects a strong sense of self from the player. At the time I was playing Jak, I was emotionally lost and had no idea who I was personally. Jak certainly knew himself, but I as the player squashed many of his impulsive choices for fear that indulging them would be doing something “wrong” or due to a lack of confidence in my own decisions. 

(example: Jak was without an alpha or direction for a very long time. In that time, he took two new Uratha into his home and taught them Uratha rules and culture, offered them spiritual advice while providing  them shelter and food.  Jak’s patience was wearing thin and he wanted to push to be declared alpha. I didn’t pursue this because I didn’t want to be “too aggressive” or too demanding of my ST.  My ST later revealed to me that he responds well to decisiveness; and especially so when that decisiveness comes from a werewolf player.)

Changeling was much more my speed- it was very oriented towards a social personality, which is definitely more like my own self. Eile was an intensely social creature, dependent on interactions and emotions to survive and prosper. At the time, I was playing with people who were easy for me to be social with, and with whom I had many ties that helped me touch on emotional responses. Despite playing a character that was “disconnected” and without a home or family, I was able to build those elements inside the game for her, based on my personality and understanding of how the system was supposed to work for Changelings.  Changeling seemed “natural” to me, and I strongly miss playing in that environment.

Vampire is a system I played previously and strongly enjoyed. I felt confident based on previous experience and general interest that I would do well as a Vampire this time around.  I found out through trial and much error that the  NPC Vampires in this makebelieveland are the power brokers, movers and shakers; and thus, are MUCH smarter than myself.  

I have discovered that I don't think in the same way as my ST. He thinks in very divergent ways, and I think pretty directly. My ST's ideas and imaginations are far more creative, hidden and agenda-oriented than mine, and I "miss" many of the hints and plots that exist in the game. 

I have been kind of lucky, because I have been playing with a guy who has incredible knowledge, wisdom, insight and understanding of both the game and the themes in it. His talent has shielded me (and my character) from my own lack of anything remotely like ability. This was made obvious during our last game session, when a ruse that had been perpetrated against all the Vampires for a very long time, and he was the only character (or player)  to see through the illusion. 

Playing with those smarter than yourself is a tricky thing. You have to be able to offer enough "something" to be seen as worth keeping around, but you have to (and should) use their preeminence to your advantage (mostly so you don't die). 


Making allegiances in game is usually direct (except as Vampires, who are strongly encouraged NOT to trust each other) and easy. Not so with Vinnie, who has an agenda and isn't telling anyone about it. This game is full of consequences, and the consequence of not directly making allies is you don't have the support network that other players might. 


The events of last session were a culmination of several sessions' worth of back work; and a lot of hammering out things in character so that the PCs involved would not kill each other. There was a time when Vinnie actually had very strongly worded suggestions to kill another PC, and he had the plan to do so, but that time has passed. Getting Vinnie to a point where he either had faith in or trusted said PC took a lot of roleplaying; with a guy that is a million times smarter than me. 

I forgot to take notes for a lot of it, which stinks, because I know he gave me information I can use. I also forgot to do any kind of defensive work (plausible deniability is a wonderful thing) and it will come back to haunt me very soon. 


But that's the joy of playing with (and sometimes against) those that are just more talented at the game than you; you learn what your failures are and maybe learn how to grow past them. 


Any of you out there have people in their groups that are smarter than you? If so, how do you deal with, learn from and encourage them? How do you fail? What helps you not feel so bad? 

[WOD] Austin By Night: Agent of Chaos

Most of the writing I do here regarding WOD is about the characters I play in the game. I've chronicled at least some of Jak's antics, almost all of what I remember and was important for Eile, and have started on Vinnie's journey.

I haven't really brought up anything that TheBoy is or has been doing- mostly because this is my blog and I write about stuff that affects me. Shamelessly self-centered, I know.

I spend a lot of physical time with TheGirl due to work schedules, the store, and other real life things. The time I get with TheBoy is pretty limited. WOD was a game that he and I joined together, as a deliberate attempt to have some time just for the two of us. I've guarded that time as closely as I can, knowing that I don't have much time left before his life changes dramatically and his priorities may not entail 'gaming with mom'.

Very recently, TheBoy's longstanding character Bruce died. Bruce was a Hunter, a lone human standout in a hugely supernatural world. Bruce was, in most cases, an unmitigated ass. There were some situations where he made allies and was helpful, but for the largest part, he was a man acutely aware of the horrors around him, forced to deal with them rather than die. He mainly chose not to slay the monsters in order to study them further, and gain valuable information for the "big wars"- and man, there are a lot of them.

Bruce died in an attempt to stave off an elder god being summoned by 2 grief crazed members of the group. [Yes, PCs tried to summon an elder god. It was weird.]

Whether Bruce was successful or just satiated the god's thirst for now was irrelevant to TheBoy. He was thrilled with how his character went out, and felt great pride in staying true to his character to the bitter end. I have to say I was really proud of him.

TheBoy is now playing a SinEater named John. John is a Celebrant whose Geist is an agent of chaos. John's Geist's name is Methusela, and he loves to create havok. TheBoy has a great rolling dialogue about how his Geist torments John's coworkers at the "pencil pushing factory" (stolen RIGHT from Fairly OddParents, I love this kid) or will depants the clerk at the grocery store, or other, random, weird shit; just because he can and because he thinks it's funny.

In high school, I was friends with two of the strangest guys, who were both delightful adherents to 'chaos in real life' as much as they possibly could be. Their singular purpose was to cause as much dissonance and sow as much strange as they could.

There were many times when being their friend was a lot of fun, just to see what would happen. The same is true with TheBoy's character. Watching what he does with John and Methusela and what trouble they get themselves into is immensely amusing to me. I love the creativity running through TheBoy's head and I can SEE the ideas burbling about as he blabs some new scene of what he is doing.

I can't wait to see what he does next!

[WOD] Austin by Night: Vinnie's Background

Snapshot Premise: Vincenzo "Vinnie" Gianetti - old school mobster

History

Carlos Marcella was a big time Mobster in New Orleans in the late 1940's. He was friends with the infamous Meyer Lansky, one of the biggest Mafia men in the states. When Lansky went to Cuba to develop hotels and casino operations, Lansky held a conference or "meeting of the minds" to discuss the best way to make everyone rich. Carlos went to Cuba to collaborate with Meyer Lansky and "Lucky" Luciano in expanding gambling operations and money laundering. Carlos had an expert money man (and Caporegime) named Julian "Scissors"  Sciletti. He brought Sciletti on the trip to the conference. Sciletti had established himself as both eccentric and effective by this time; and was feared by all in Carlos' organization.

Sciletti was key to Carlos' gang, running both money and men. His elusive ways confounded more than a few hitmen from rival gangs and it was rumored he lived underground. Sciletti was of course, Kindred. As a Mekhet, he adapted to modern times and made the best of his skills to keep himself occupied and intellectually challenged. He was drawn to the dark greed of the Mob, and worked his way into favor quickly with his ability to move and launder money.

At the time Luciano was exiled to Italy  (1947) , the gangs were spreading, and operations growing. Carlos returned back to New Orleans, as did Sciletti.  Sciletti decided to expand beyond New Orleans, and started to look through the ranks of his soldiers to find a good possibility as a childer.

After a few years of searching, he eventually decided  to consider Vincenzo "Vinnie" Gianetti, a tried and true Lieutenant. Vinnie had a strong reputation among the ranks as a dedicated and dependable "go to" guy. Vinnie's best trait, it seemed, was a willingness to do whatever was asked of him. Vinnie didn't seem to care if the task was "below" him, or difficult, or just plain weird- Vinnie got it done without concern or complaint.

After intensive interviews and careful observation, Sciletti discovered that Vinnie was far more than a dedicated man- he was careful and interested in moving up in the ranks. Vinnie showed a great deal of street sense, cunning and flexibility. Vinnie's "can-do" attitude was a show to cover his real ambitions so that he wouldn't become a target by the power hungry.

In the interim of being introduced to and interviewed by Sciletti, Vinnie became intrigued by counterfeiting and money laundering. Sciletti arranged for Vinnie to be reassigned from collections and into banking. Sciletti tutored and observed Vinnie for several years, discovering the full measure of the man. Sciletti discovered that Vinnie had a deeply twisted side, taking great pleasure in the greed and avarice of the men around him. Vinnie found many opportunities to further his position in the Mob by using others' selfish nature against them.

Vinnie's cautiousness and observational abilities were his tools to furthering his standing in the Mob. While Vinnie watched and made his move up the ladder, Sciletti was setting up his own operation in Houston. The two quickly carved out a thriving business of gambling, counterfeiting, protection and extortion while still operating (at least in part) out of New Orleans.

Immediately before the move was set to happen, Vinnie caught Sciletti alone- a rarity in and of itself. Vinnie laid out point by point all of the strange habits and tendencies he'd noticed of Sciletti's. Sciletti was never the first or last to enter a room; was never alone with anyone; never went anywhere in daytime. Sciletti never hosted events at his home, instead opting for restaurants and private clubs. Anyone Sciletti "offed" was dismembered and bloody, earning him the "Scissors" nickname. Vinnie went on with more of Sciletti's personal traits, all indicating something was "off" about Sciletti; but he'd drawn the wrong conclusion. Vinnie believed Sciletti was a federal plant or an agent with a life elsewhere and was prepared to both expose him and bring him down- permanently.

Sciletti had been planning to Embrace Vinnie for quite some time, but felt he needed an impetus to do so. This "showdown" was exactly what Sciletti was waiting for, and so he laid it all on the table for Vinnie. He gave Vinnie a choice to accept the Embrace, or die. Whatever Sciletti said or showed Vinnie was convincing enough that Vinnie believed he would die if he didn't say "yes" to the offer Sciletti was making, so he accepted.

From the moment of the Embrace, Vinnie learned to address his Sire as Julian, and many more of the secrets Julian held. Vinnie spent 10 years with Julian in Houston, learning the very basics of Embraced life, politics, societies and abilities. Vinnie was introduced to the trappings of the Elysium, as well as local Mekhet. Julian worked hard to give his childer at least a modicum of knowledge about the Requiem and the hazards, rewards and challenges. Julian directed Vinnie to Ordo Dracul, the same covenant he followed; with the idea that most of the Coils would help Vinnie eventually become a better and more "assimilated" Kindred among mortal society.

After several years of mentorship, Julian felt that while Vinnie could benefit from more tutoring and instruction, Vinnie also needed to be on his own. Julian separated to help grow business and help establish his Childer, as well as reduce the chances someone could use Vinnie to get to him personally.

Vinnie chose San Antonio as his new center of operations. It was inland enough that most other crews didn't want to deal with it, and it had little to no Mob influence. Vinnie quickly recruited a man to be the figurehead leader to his local Mob- but of course Nico "The King" Roi had no idea that he was anything other than the big man. Vinnie put a great deal of effort into playing the "dependable soldier" part well while in San Antonio. His cover kept him in the eye of the Mob ranks as a man of influence, but not as the target of hostilities (in most cases). The "face" leaders of the Mob came to depend on Vinnie for a great number of tasks outside his expertise, and he built quite a bit of leverage for his future through wise observation and research.  Vinnie covertly ran the money (fake or laundered) as well as the gambling for all of the city for almost 20 years.

His efforts were almost entirely directed at Mob affairs in this time period, as he wisely felt that the time for the gangs were limited, while there was "always more time" to build a political empire among the Kindred. He was starting to break down his organization when it was discovered one of his crew was being investigated by the feds. What attention he did pay to Kindred politics and scheming was aimed to get him ahead, and he enacted more than a couple diableries to strengthen his power base. As RICO was coming into full swing in the 80's and more and more of the gang's activities were being monitored or compromised in some way, Vinnie began preparations for his "way out".

In the month that Vinnie took to prepare every aspect of his safehouse and getting the last of his paper trail covered, a very young and inexperienced Unaligned Kindred named "Smitty" got swept up in a Federal sting. Before a week was out, Vinnie had heard from several sources that "something weird happened down at the jail", and that Smitty was dead in a very ugly fashion. Vinnie knew his time was up, or would be shortly, and hid himself away for a long torpor; with the idea that when he came out, the coast would be clear.


Vinnie was in torpor for 20 years or so, and has just in the past few years entered back into society. His first year "back" was spent taming his Beast, and he barely avoided police action several times by sheer luck. Vinnie didn't suffer the mental imbalances many Elders do, but has certainly seen a change in his ability level. He's also discovered a very strange new world, where things don't work the way they used to, and he has to develop some new skills, make new contacts, and find new meaning in his requiem.


timeline

1953- Sciletti discovers Vinnie
1955-Sciletti embraces Vinnie
1955-1965 - Houston years, Vinnie learns much about Houston area Embraced politics, Mekhet society and introduction to Ordo Dracul. Learns at least one coil (coil of the blood)
1965-1985- San Antonio years- Mostly Mob focused. Most likely had Kindred connections of some sort as he was influential in Mob, but no title or expectation of anything other than paying tribute.
1986-1988- "unravelling" years, preparing a safehouse, multiple back door names/aliases/safe deposit boxes, hidden bank accounts, etc.
1988-2008 -Torpor
2008-2009 - "Wild year"- coming back to civilization
2010- Move to Austin

[RPG] Character Ideas I Can't Use #3- Chad Black

I've talked about Chad before- at least once. He was a character I "played" in a PBEM Wrestling Federation. His moniker was The Exemplar; literally an example for those around him.

At first shine, Chad came off as arrogant and haughty- pretentious and prideful. After some careful examination, he displays a serious desire (almost a need) for approval, for a place to belong.

The base idea for Chad was pretty simple. He was a failed priest novitiate, wanting redemption and a place to release his aggression. He was a good, honest and generally decent man- but with an abundance of fury. He held  very little dear, but was fiercely protective and loyal to the things he did value.

I've toyed with the idea of Chad in many guises, in many game systems. I've envisioned Chad as a priest to the outcasts and homeless- as a vampire and as a Changeling. I've seen Chad as a superhero- a strong man, a judicar or a very misguided  vigilante. I've seen him as a government agent for any number of conspiracy type games, and I've seen him as a street dude, for the Shadowrun style games.

The problem is that he's so versatile, and so personal. I got to write for him for over a year, and he feels so ingrained to me it's hard to share him with anyone- to let anyone else in on the process. Someday I'll find a home for him... I hope.

[RPG] Character Ideas I Can't Use #2- MIA

Sorry for the very long absence from the blogsphere, folks. I spent the past week dealing with some weird personal stuff, and reading. I've found that reading gets my creative juices going again and I needed some juice pretty seriously.

The next character idea that I can't use is also for Champions/Hero System. This idea is a little less fleshed out as my previous idea- but it's also much newer and in many ways, much more personal.

The idea, in its base form, is taking a personal trait of mine (which I and many others see as a weakness) and turn it into a power. One of my more famous tendencies is the ability to get lost literally anywhere. I have quite honestly gotten lost inside a pretty small mall (shaped like a big X), parking lots and most famously, my own walk-in closet. (I got turned around and couldn't find the door. Gimme a break.)

Rather than having this ability be a failing, what if I could turn this into a positive? This was the line of thinking that helped bring about MIA.

MIA is a mentalists with a weird twist. Her background is that of the "spotter" for a sniper/swat team in crisis situations- the eyes in the sky, so to speak. Her training and specialty lay in seeing the enemy, and conveying to the team the enemy's locations.

She was really good at it, with a flair for almost implanting a "picture" of the enemy into her team's heads- and the brass noticed. They hooked her into a program intended to expand her abilities further, with the ability to convey images mentally the ideal end result.

The training was rigorous and somehow went awry- she developed abilities, but almost exactly opposite of what was wanted. Instead of being able to show pictures of where enemies were to her team, MIA was only able to convey a sense of being "lost in the fog of war".

Further exploration discovered that this ability was not limited to a single target- it affected just about anyone around her when she tried to project images. This lead more than a few people being missing in action (hence the name), while both the team and the individual being targeted fumbled to get their bearings.

The idea is very cool, in my opinion. The problem comes in the execution- the power level of the ability is ridiculous- clocking in at 97 points MINIMUM, for the true effect I want. That's one single power. No skills, defenses, modifiers, movement- nothing else is included in this. With 400 points the maximum for starting heroes, and most GMs capping powers at 60-70 active points, a power with nearly 100 active points just isn't going to fly.

Additionally, while the concept is sound, the actual results of taking even a single villain team out this way is pretty staggering. An example?  Dr Doom and the Doom Patrol are fighting the Brotherhood of Evil  when suddenly, the BOH has no idea where they are and Monsier Mallah is attacking the Brain by mistake because he thinks the Brain is somewhere else...

I'm still looking to start the Home for Unwanted Heroes.... I think it might be filled with all the "D" List guys... but who knows what might happen. I COULD find a home for these guys, eventually....

[RPG] Character Ideas I Can't Use #1 -Effigy

A long time ago, I played in a Champions 4th edition game TheDude ran. I played a "Green Arrow" type, but as a girl. The character's name was Huntress, and she was pretty much utterly devoid of personality or motivation whatsoever.

I got to a point where "going through the motions" got really boring and I wanted my character to die.I talked to TheDude about it, and he agreed.  For those of you that read TheDude's blog, don't be fooled by the genial tie-wearing demeanor. The man is pure evil, in red-haired maniacal form. He listened to my pleas, and actually went through with kill- just in a way I ^^^REALLY^^^ did not expect.

Not only did he kill my character, the then brought her back- as a villain. Not any villain, nope. He brought her back as a she-demon from Hell. Instead of bows and arrows, she used claws and blood. She could project "blood bullets/needles", and then once they punctured a victim's skin, track the victim anywhere for a day. She had some other cool talents, but the ability to track her victim by her blood really intrigued me.

I had that concept in my head for a while, and I played with ways to make it cooler, different, or just interesting in some way. I finally came up with something that took TheDude's basic idea and turned it on it's ear. I came up with Effigy.

Effigy is a shapeshifter with mentalist abilities- and absorption. Effigy does a mental attack on someone across the battlefield, and then takes on their shape. Once he does so, his defensive absorption abilities kick on, and his teammates start to beat on Effigy. The damage done to Effigy is absorbed and directed to the mental attack, and the opponent goes out in just a few well placed blows.

It's a simple, beautiful and effective idea. It's also, admittedly, insanely powerful. Even when I first built him at 250 points, Effigy had an effectiveness of 400+ points, if not more. I've pitched it to no less than 5 separate GM's, and each and every one of them has said "NO".

Effigy has a reputation, and I didn't even do the work. TheDude did all of the warning- he was so impressed with the idea and so sure he didn't want it in his game he figured he'd share the news. I've had fun conversations where I'm about to pitch ANY idea and the GM will come up with "but first, let me say- NO EFFIGY".

I've accepted this as a fact, and tried to move on. I throw around the idea of turning him into a villain, but it never feels right. Maybe I need to build a "Foster's Home For Unloved Heroes", or something.

That's just the first of at least a couple ideas that are beautiful in theory, but improbable and/or impractical in "reality". I mean, we are talking about games...

[Weekly Whimsy] A Deeper Look, Part 2

[Welcome to Weekly Whimsy! What, words? Why? When worried, worked and worn, wander into wonder, and witness whimsy's will.]




What she say? She said - Prince, Joy In Repetition 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
I'm back from a brutal week. Somehow my brain and life got disconnected and I'm really feeling it. I see my comments and queries this week as much more analytical and less personally involved- for good or bad, I'm not sure.

I am taking another look at the questions asked previously and offering insights. I hope my cogitations are more open to gamers in general, with a nod to the ladies, as I wasn't aware I was being exclusionary last week. That's never my intent. I like to talk to everyone!


Dungeonmum asked a really great starter question: How did you get into RPGs?

I ask a variant of this to nearly every person I game with (mine is: How did you get into gaming?) I love hearing the stories- of finding an outlet for creative expression, of united geekiness, and of community. I was really glad to see this question; but not just for ladies- for everyone. I find this topic fascinating for any gamer. The “anatomy of a geek” is really fun to explore. I love finding the common elements and discovering new ways of involvement in our hobby.

In the FGRT, the responses showed that most ladies were self-induced, introduced via peers or adults, with a few SO's in the picture as well. I was excited to see how many of “us” found gaming on our own; it sort of validates a pet theory of mine that geekiness is inherent and nerds will self congregate. Given all that, I found Dungeonmum's assessment that “dating a guy who played” “seems to be the most common way” to get into gaming absolutely revealing.

The IDEA that women get into the hobby through SO's is out there. It's really prevalent when crowdsourcing or taking opinion polls across a large group of people. But in actual interviews of gamers who happen to be female, it's rare. In the FGRT, there were 3 out of 18 responders who indicated they got in via SO's.  Late last year, I did a survey of the women I know personally; and responses were similar- only 1 out of the 15 gals I spoke to got into gaming via their SO.  The overall response rate of introduction via SO's I have seen appears to be less than 9%.  That's a pretty small amount.

Where is this idea coming from?   Why is the “theory” so well believed despite other indicators?

Th next question I'll examine today is one I liked a lot; just on principle. We're asked: Who was your favorite character to play ever? Why?

This is one of the most fun questions to ask a player- because everyone has an answer. I love seeing what motivates people's passion for their creations- from wordplay (woohoo, a fellow word nerd!) to kicking butt (which is also fun), all our answers were personal and resonated to us in some way. This is pretty true no matter who you ask. I love seeing people's faces light up when talking about the badassery and/or awesome they managed as their favorite character. I like it so much so I asked
about it here and got some great responses.

Many responders talked about being able to tap into their “ultimate” or “fantasy” selves-  playing someone they are not; but want to be. Jak was a definite example of this sort of character for me, but he was very difficult to pull off. Jak was essentially my personal opposite: male, decisive, aggressive, hostile, proficient and goal driven. Despite all these personality differences, he shared something with almost all of my other characters. Jak (and almost every single one of my imagined personalities) was fundamentally broken- a tragic hero who sought redemption for past transgressions.

I love to play these kinds of characters- people who are somewhat damaged; but trying to find solace in their actions. To me, it's a great way to work on some of my own “mental junk”; kind of therapy through roleplay. It's also a way to show the depths of tragedy, pain and ultimately; hope. I've truly enjoyed the moments when one of my characters inspires another to greatness, to betterment, or simply to kindness. I know those are pretty small things in the scheme of a game, but they matter to me.

What other players liked was equally interesting. I saw a lot of really fun answers. Our responders enjoyed being smart, tough, or game-changing; not any different than anyone else in any other game setting. I loved that the answers were so diverse and that there didn't appear to be any one “type”; because that'd be boring as hell.

Do you think there is a type of character ladies are “expected” to play?
Further on expectations is the question of bending gender. It appears that there's at least a little bit of an idea that playing against one's own gender is difficult (based on Zak's comments) or strange. I personally find the opposite to be true.  I like playing dudes, and hope to keep at it when given the chance.

The question is: How often do you play male characters?

The comments on this topic seemed to be split roughly 50/50 – with half playing at least some, and the other half not so much. My personal take on that is: that seems fair. It's like asking how often we play fighters, or people in space; simply a matter of preference rather than any big statement.

I didn't get any sense that playing a guy was any more important, consequential or  earthshaking than playing a druid, a demon returned from hell, or  anything else we might play.

The question itself seems to indicate switching up is an oddity. Am I inferring to much from the poser, or does it strike the same chord with you?

Lastly, how one decides gender when creating a character came up.

Concept & gut are the most consistent answers, with equity thrown in for good measure. Again, I think this is as unimportant as how one decides occupation  or education- it all comes down to character creation, and what women do seems  to be the same as what men do.

I'd love to hear your take on these inferences and opinions, as well as differing opinions.  Next week, I'll hit on a few more of the questions, the responses and anything else that hits my fancy. Thanks for joining me this time!

[WOD] Austin by Night: Session 14 as Eile

Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
Its a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
`cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run - Bruce Springsteen, Born To Run
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[This may seem a bit truncated- we started late, and I was not as involved as usual due to some outside stuff.] 

The night begins with Eile  talking with Terrance. It's been several weeks since she's seen him, as he was staying with Ed at the Pack's house for a while. Eile's just a little jittery for reasons of her own. They're trying to find a solution to the problem of Bruce, who appears to be a direct threat to both of them in one way or another. Eile is struggling with Clarity, because the easiest answer seems to be the most appalling one- let Arcadia have him. She has decided against this, but her new plan is probably even more morally bankrupt, but is totally acceptable to Eile's modus operandi.

She goes to work at the Hedge Row, which quickly becomes full. Everyone from Memento, Calin, Bruce, Axel, to Keva, Reese, and TK show up at some point, and a new gentleman, Simon enters the fray. He works for animal control, and he's been called to the area to investigate a large animal sighting. The reports are of a lion, and the zoo has all of theirs in lockdown. Conversation bubbles around what could possibly be mistaken as a lion, and Eile tries to distract with tales of bears in California, and fails. Coyotes are mentioned as possibilities by both Simon and Reese, and Eile's already nervous mind has decided to make a break for it very soon.

Shortly after this strange conversation, Terrance comes back to talk with Eile, and announces he wants to come home. Eile tells hims this is fine, while being more than a little conflicted about how this will work. She now has to stick around at least a little, to help get her plan in motion.

[RPG] Characters

In talking about game development last week, I got some great commentary and insights. I loved the conversation and wanted to discuss the foundation for any game, the characters we play.

We all have a favorite character- that one manifestation of our imaginary selves that we hold near & dear to our hearts.

What makes that character more special or unique than any other? What causes them to be held so dear? is it a personality quirk? An awesome roll in a fantastic adventure? A plot hook that bit into you and just wouldn't go away? A release from the reality you were dealing with at the moment?

I'd love to hear about your characters and what makes them so fun and enjoyable to you! Please share your stories, because I LIKE hearing them. I'll be glad to share mine, if folks ask.

[WOD] People list

The following is a list of PCs in my WOD game. I've listed them with the most "senior" player (person playing the type the longest) at the top.

Changelings:

Avere- K
Eile-Myself
Terrance-BB
Nathan/Waco-TR
Evie- C


Mages: 

CoyoteJoe- TH
Momento-J
Giovanni-P
AnotherYetToBeNamed- DH

Giests-

TK- E
Axel Axel-MS

Werewolves: (Omen pack)

Raaf- BM
Ed (appearing soon) -R
Ginger- SB
David-G
Victor-SW (possibly not in pack yet)
Te-SS (possibly not in pack yet)

Hunters- 
Bruce- M- (my son)

MS and SS recently changed characters- MS was playing WalkerLee, a Mage. WalkerLee died a few sessions ago. SS was playing Dottie, a Vampire. Dottie is still living (or unliving) but SS wanted to play a new character type.

There are still at least 3 people interested in joining, if not more.

Below are important NPCS I know of:

Rovan- Alpha Werewolf of Austin (A TRUE Badass)
Krin-Beta to Rovan (Also a Badass)
Brother Thunder -Totem for Rovan & Krin 
Brother Dreamcatcher- Totem to PC Werewolf pack 
Black Talons- Pack of Black Blood Talons whose territory is the park
Ghosts- Pack of Irraka whose territory includes the Hedge Row
Demolition- Pack of ???- who have a HUGE territory

"Mr. Flowers"- Mage (troublemaker? what he is, I don't know) 


Duncan-Changeling owner of The Hedge Row
Frank- TK's Ghost/Geist
3 Men in Black Suits- Vampires (I THINK) who fronted the money for The Hedge Row

Caleb- A college aged person who was in a coma (and is now dead) due to weird juju- a fairly important Mage NPC




Any questions?

[WOD] Eile

Eile's a true hunter, always looking for a tasty morsel, a quick fix, a get rich scheme. She uses her wits to get by as best she can in this world. She uses, steals and lies to whatever end will get her the gratification she seeks (usually short term). She escaped to the idea of freedom, rather than FROM something else. She's running scared, but keeping her nose in the wind for something better. The things she hopes and dreams of are deeply hidden, unlikely to surface or be recognizable (even to herself) until she grows stronger.

Eile (eee-yell) deliberately rejects the Hedge. She gathers no Goblin Fruit,  builds no Hollow,  doesn't travel Trods, doesn't dream, and rarely if ever shops at Goblin Markets. Those she frequents are built on the Edges of the Hedge, rather than in it. [My ST has a very different geography for Goblin Markets than in the book.] Thus, she feeds exclusively on emotions.

As a Spring Courtier, she works in desire, greed and envy very well. Her various tricks include cons, grifting, old fashioned street hustling, and using her very overt sexuality to her advantage. The fix she gets from each hit is now wearing off more and more quickly, leaving her very much an addict, coming at you for a little more.

Her human mask is a woman about 5'7", shoulder length soft brown hair, cut straight. She's got an angular face with a big mouth full of teeth, and a wicked smile. Very long legs, dresses in a "messy dressy" sort of way with clothes from Goodwill, Salvation Army etc. However, she has GREAT shoes. Think Eliza Dushku with straighter hair and you have the picture. She wears a RiddleKith disguise almost constantly to guard her true mein.

Here's her write up, including XP. (The ST gives 27 starting XP, and 15 additional XP have been spent here.)

Real Name: Ellie Stevens (this memory is lost in the echoes of Arcadia)
Other Aliases: Ellen, Eileen, Ella, Alana, Ellery, Emerson

Current name: Eile

Concept: Grifter/Con Artist
Virtue: Hope
Vice: Greed
Seeming: Beast
Kith: Coyote
(Special Rule: May spend Willpower to gain +5 dice instead of +3 to Socialize or Persuasion)
Court: Spring

Mental Attributes (tertiary) Int 2, Wits 2, Resolve 2
Physical Attributes (secondary) Str 1, Dex 3, Stamina 3
Social Attributes (primary) Pre 3, Man 3, Comp 2

[+1 to Presence or Manipulation when used to entertain, persuade, distract or deceive others]

Physical Skills (secondary) Athletics 2, Brawl 1, Larceny (Breaking & Entering) 2, Stealth (Quick Retreat) 2, Survival 2

Social Skills (primary) Animal Ken (Lupine)1, Empathy 2, Persuasion 2, Socialize (The "long con") 2 Streetwise 2, Subterfuge 2


Health: 8
Clarity: 7
Derangements: None
Wyrd: 1 (10/1)
Glamour: 9
Willpower: 4
Size: 5
Speed: 9
Defense: 2
Initiative: 6
Defense: 2
Armor: none

Merits: Barfly, Fast Reflexes, Resources 2, Harvest Emotion 2 (Each Dot adds 1 die to rolls related to Gathering Glamour) pg 94, New Identity 2, Contacts: Cons, Mantle: Spring 1, Striking Looks, Rigid Mask

Contracts: Tongues of Birds & Words of Wolves (dice pool 2+1 or 2) pg 142, Beast's Keen Senses (dice pool 3+1) (Lupine for Both), Riddle Kith (Dice Pool 5) pg 129, Cupid's Eye (Dice Pool 4) pg 149

Pledges: none

Seeming Blessings:

-8 Agains on Animal Ken rolls & get specialty to reflect seeming
-Can spend Glamour to add to dice pools to involving Presence & Composure

Seeming Curse:
-Minus 4 on untrained mental skills
-(Special rule) Minus 2 vs Willpower checks to resist Social Interactions

Court Mantle Blessing: +1 to dice pools for social interactions with members of court in question

Weapons/Attacks: none

I have some experience (apx 12) to spend. I'm considering any of  the following: 

Dot 2 in Str (So I can buy Fleet of Foot Merit) (Cost: 10)
Dot 3 in Persuasion or Streetwise (Cost 9)
Skin Mask Contract (Cost:8)
Mask Of Superiority (Cost 6) [REQUIRES RP to justify per ST directions]
EITHER Buy Up Resources to 3 Dots (Cost 6) OR
Drop a Dot
(to justify a large amount of money Eile will get very shortly in game)
Fickle Fate (Cost 4)
Wrong Foot (Cost 4) (So I can buy Nevertread)
Perfect Stillness (Cost 4) (ROS Book pg 94)
Specialty in Subterfuge (bald-faced lie) (Cost 3)

Thoughts? Any other ideas?

[HS6E] Hawaii Action (Session 6)

Bricks Are Heavy- L7

Let’s make our way to the parking lot
Coz I know one of us have got to drop- Skindred, Bruises

I need some kind of promise
Some kind of submission tonight

Heavy
Ain't it heavy
Ain't the night heavy -Melissa Etheridge, Ain't It Heavy
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The session begins on the Monday morning after LAST session, when the majority of the Ultras fought some super suits on the mountain outside Honolulu. Lisa/Diamond wasn't present for that fight-she was trying to make amends for mouthing off to 'Nani.

Monday morning, Lisa is out doing errands. Lisa hopes to perform massage and physical therapy on the beach to surfers and locals alike. Lisa is now on her way to the City Hall, to file some paperwork and get permits for a small business.As she heads down the road, Lisa sees something flying overhead- which strikes her as a bit unusual, as she has not seen any air traffic in a couple days. Lisa is curious, and decides to check out the contrails as they move over head.

Lisa follows the contrails around for a while, but can't get any sort of grip on what's going on. She decides to try to get a better view, and heads over to Nokia Tower. [I actually meant The Aloha Tower, but it's irrelevant as the GM went with my goof and all turned out well.] She tries to go up the stairs, but the first one cracks and Lisa is stuck on the ground. She turns to follow the contrails again [it's actually more than one] and sees a parking garage next door.

She heads on up, watching the zooming trails. As she watches, she sees one of them stop on the top of a building nearby. She sees a tall figure in a magenta battlesuit style thing, scanning the horizon. This gets her attention even more fully, and she continues to follow the figures around Honolulu.

What the heck are these guys doing? Weird. 

As she continues to trail the jet-like figures, she sees the second one land on top of a roof. The second suit is massive, at least half again as large as the first one, and red.

That thing is huge! What IS it?

Lisa makes her way over to a pizza place [has a landline phone] and asks to use the phone. She gives the guy a good tip, and she calls Ja'Kel/Jumpshot. She explains the general gist of what's going on, and Jumpshot gathers the rest of the Ultras [except for Freestyle and Syphon] to meet Lisa at the pizza joint. As Lisa is on the phone with Jumpshot, she hears a "whoooooosh, whoomp"  sort of noise. She infers that one of the jet suit guys has landed on the roof of the building. She says as such to Jumpshot and then hangs up the phone.

Lisa goes outside to investigate- casually looking on the roof, and waits for the rest of the gang to appear.

A little later, the other Ultras appear- Jumpshot, SteelWarriror and Jerry Riggs all arrive at the scene. They clue L:isa/Diamond in on the fact that maybe they have faced these battle suits before, but no one sees anything unusual, and there's a bit of recriminations as the group generally disbelieves that Lisa/Diamond actually saw anything.

Lisa gets more than a little frustrated and is about to leave when SteelWarrior decides to check out the roof.

These guys are seriously cramping my style. Maybe I DON'T want to do this after all. 

Shortly after Steel Warrior heads up to the roof, a shot is heard. Steel Warrior is hit, and blasted into the wall across the street.

 See? I wasn't wrong, Something IS here. 

Jumpshot looks up towards the top of the building but sees nothing, [the bad guys can go invisible!] and gets shot by a laser in return. This would normally not be a big deal, but Jumpshot hadn't yet activated his defenses. The burns are gonna leave a mark. Diamond doesn't like this turn of events, but can't get on the roof directly, so she heads over to the parking garage she was on just a few minutes ago.


What the hell? What was that all about? We hadn't even touched them yet.

Once on the roof of the parking garage, Lisa can see one of the two guys she saw previously- the magenta suit. She picks up a light pole, but can't quite make it reach as a bat. So Diamond uses the light pole as a spear, and chucks it across the street- and misses the suit. [These dudes were VERY hard to hit!]  The pole ends up right above the unconscious Steel Warrior, on the building across the street.

Shit.

Things quiet down- it seems as if the suits have taken off, and Diamond goes down to help Jumpshot. The group calls Agent Williams, who arrives on the scene. There's a jumbled, weird discussion of the events with the point finally being made that the Ultras were attacked without provocation. Lisa takes off to go file her paperwork and after doing so,  heads home.


The other Ultras all end up at Jumpshot's mansion, and then they get in touch with Freestyle for a little conversation and practice using abilities against each other. The later call Diamond, who is home with 'Nani, and invite her to attend the little discussion.

Diamond heads on over to Jumpshot's place. She relents to Freestyle's desire to get a mental picture of the two battlesuits, and lets him take a peek in her head for a moment. The promised 'teamwork building session' breaks down into a long and very infuriating dump on Diamond's inability to fly. Diamond is more than a little mad at this turn of events, and all the ideas for inertia dampering fields just remind her how much she misses her life before weighing 10 tons.

I'd give it all up to be able to surf again. 

Diamond decides to go home- the Ultras are not doing anything to help her, and she's ready to throw in the towel on the whole Ultra thing at the moment.


Before Lisa left for Ja'Kel's place, 'Nani mentioned that she had a surprise for Lisa, and would leave it on the bed. Lisa gets home, and finds :

[Quoting verbatim fromt he GM's note] A lingerie set, black, lacy, thigh high platform boots, not very revealing, with a choker with a padlock on it. The material seems unusually sturdy.

Lisa follows the obvious intentions, and puts the items on. As she puts the boots on, there's no cracking or breaking underneath her, and she doesn't feel as heavy. She puts the choker on, and while the material is somewhat stretchy, as she goes to lock the padlock, the material strengthens, and Lisa can't move as easily as before. She sits on the edge of the bed, and she doesn't make nearly the indentation she normally does.

[This is the end of the session. The GM has told me out of character some of  what is going to happen to Diamond, and I can't wait to see how it goes. He's a truly evil & twisted GM, and I love his imaginative way of doing things.]

Bonus material: My friend Tom painted this HeroClix figure up as Diamond! Check it out!

[WOD] Eile- Snapshots

Freeze Frame- J. Geils Band 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

These little vignettes are best imagined as a black and white photos or short movies; just a quick glimpse into Eile's current life in Austin.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Picture 1-

The camera has captured Eile from a side-long and front ways angle, with the background in soft focus She could be anywhere- a bus or train station, restaurant or kitchenette of a small apartment. There's both a sense of mystery and familiarity to the shot. It's a rarely candid and intimate moment.

Eile is casually clumped low in a high back chair, her legs crossed and thrown over a table or bench in front of her. Her feet are shockingly bare, with her toenails delicately painted. Her head is thrown back and resting against the back of the chair, exposing her long and vulnerable neck.

In the hand nearest the camera, aggressively held in a fashion reminiscent of men and cons, is a lit cigarette, seemingly moving towards her mouth. Eile's eyes are closed in a tranquil and pensive fashion. Her lips are slightly open, and a cloud of hazy, dream-like smoke is caught drifting like motes in the air around her face. 

Picture 2-

The shot sees Eile as she's sunbathing atop the roof of a building. Despite the monchrome of the photo, Eile's supple nude back gleams in the sunlight. She's in the midst of turning from her back to her stomach; and her weight primarily rests on the set of her hips nearest the viewer.The dark bottoms of her bathing suit stretch across the skin of her rear in wonderful ways. The leg further from the camera is slightly bent at the knee, pushing her weight over.

One arm is under her, resting up to the elbow on the roof, and the other arm is gently bent out, with her finger crooked, beckoning to someone off camera. 

There's something sensual and hauntingly akin to an animal about to pounce on an unseen victim to the scene. 

Picture 3-

This is a long shot, taken from behind Eile's back. A sofa, sitting on the edge of a curb, sits beyond Eile in the foreground. Eile holds up a tailor's tape longways, and it's unclear if she's measuring the couch or the distant horizon seen at the outside edge of the picture.

The last picture in the series is in color. It's a source of inspiration and consideration I use often. The spirit and essence of Eile's joie de vivre just jumps off the page to me here, and the clothes and styling are spot on for how I imagine my Changeling girl. 

Thanks, Mondo!

Hope you enjoy. Look for more Eile related goodies next Friday!

[WOD] Austin By Night- Session 9 as Eile

The fixture in the city of lust
What the hell's your name?
What's your pleasure and what's your pain?
Do you dream too much?-   Green Day, Homecoming   [Part 1: The death of St. Jimmy]


Somebody get me out of here
Get me the fuck right out of here- Green Day, Homecoming    [Part 2: East 12th St.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Persona vitae of the scenes:
Eile- Changeling (Myself)
Bruce- Hunter (M)
TK- Geist (E)
New Character- Changeling (B.B.) [Ogre seeming, Gargantuan kith]
Raaf -Werewolf (B)
Avere- Changeling (K)

Last session ended with Eile in the paddy wagon along with her boyfriend (TK), her roommate (Bruce) and her potential kidnapper [new player, character name not revealed at this time] due to the serepticious suggestion made by Coyotoe Joe to the police.

Eile quickly deduces the new Changeling was under the mental influence of an Other (Gentry) and realizes he's absolutely fresh out of Arcadia, the place she's been trying to ignore for over a year now. She quietly advises the Ogre not to say anything while the other two men are talking to each other. She now has a way to influence each of them in some way, and she hopes, a way to get out of the mess as well.

They are taken off the paddy wagon and taken aside one by one. Eile is offered the following, after being read her Miranda rights- twice:

Look, we just want to know what happened. Please answer a few questions and if everything checks out, you'll be free to go.

Eile gently declines to speak, instead pointing, nodding and gesturing during the intial processing. She's put into an interview room and waits a while. Shortly after, Raaf walks in. He begins asking her questions, and she continues her silence.

[Completely unknown to me, at least one other player did the EXACT SAME THING.]

Raaf is more than a little frustrated and decides to try to find a way to make Eile look guilty for various crimes- including arson, embezzelment, insurance fraud and murder. Eile is more than a little amused by all this- with the exception of murder, she actually accomplished or contemplated each of those crimes in recent memory. [Most of them in backstory.]

Raaf finally brings out his big guns- he shows some pictures of murder victims, one of which is Eile's neighbor and Eile believes [right or wrong I don't know], a regular customer. Eile is offended by the idea of a source of tips drying up, and is mystified at Raaf's thinking that she'd destroy a steady revenue source. She absolutely fails a willpower check to stay quiet [Hey, I'm playing her, and my name IS Loquacious] and begins discussing the situation. Raaf has offended her, and he is a member of David's family. Eile has absolutely no respect for David whatsoever, and that disrespect bleeds over to Raaf. The interview quickly turns into Eile using every question as a chance to mock Raaf in some way (some much more obvious than others) while still maintaining as much of the truth as possible without explaining much at all.

Raaf doesn't believe anything she's saying, and her taunting only causes him to be even more hostile to her. He takes her to a holding cell, where Bruce and the New Changeling are already being held. She finds out that the Ogre listened to and followed her instructions, and that Bruce is being coached on what to say. The things that Bruce is being encouraged to say could easily fit with Eile being framed, and the Gargantuan has said nothing. Eile tries to come up with a plan, but realizes she has liabilities when she needs serious advantages. She makes an offhand remark that leads Bruce to believe she's strictly using TK and doesn't have any feelings for him, as well as dismisses the severity of the situation. All the while, New Guy is quietly wondering if Bruce has to go and if the cuffs can or should be broken. [Eile says no to both -at least for now.] They wait a while as TK is being questioned.

Eile asks to talk to Raaf again, and tries to imply that everything he's said about her is right. Eile's approach is rough, overtly direct, and very specific in details in regards to some aspects of her potential tale. Raaf doesn't seem to take that bait either, and Eile goes back to the cell.

[Unknown to Eile, while she is talking to Bruce, the new guy and Raaf, TK is off spilling his guts to the police about everything that happened- dragon and all.]

TK is brought into the holding cell area, and New Guy is taken back out.  There's a little more conversation. Eile spends some time fishing for information, and then asks if TK had anything to do with the murders. [Yes, she's got balls of steel.] He of course denies it, but Eile sees Bruce's reaction and knows the effect she was after has been achieved.

A little while later, Raaf comes down and wants to talk to Eile. He pulls her aside and tells her that the New Guy needs her  - for two specific things. He needs her to give him permission to speak, and he needs Eile to give him a name. Eile asks if she cann talk to him, and she goes to the other worm.

Eiele comes to the door and sees Avere in a chair facing the back of the room. The big guy is facing her, and Eile hesitates at the doorway for a long moment as she debates dealing with Avere.[There's a very cool, hard to describe, completely non-verbal moment between Eile and the New Changeling here while Eile debates.]  She finally enters, and before she has a moment to sit or speak to the new Changeling, Avere chimes in, demanding that Eile give him permission to speak.

Eile asks the Ogre if he wants to speak, and he indicates through writing that it's Avere that wants him to be able to talk. Another question and answer reveals that New Guy only wants to talk if Eile wants him to. Avere badgers away at Eile, trying to insist that he be allowed to speak for himself. Eile tells Avere very seriously- "I don't have to do anything". Avere isn't phased, she declares that it's the "right thing to do". Avere then goes on, in her somewhat childish and naive way, talking about the "dream out there" (meaning outside of jail) and how the new guy won't be able to function if he can't talk. Eile snaps- "I don't dream, and I don't want to; if it means I turn out like that" [implying Avere]. Another comment makes it obvious- the new Changeling WON'T speak until Eile releases him from his prohibition, and only if she wants him to. Eile now knows she has control over his entire world, and is shaken to her core, flashing back to moments in Arcadia. Eile debates and considers what to do, and nearly loses clarity again.

[An important note on the sequence of events and what Eile considered.

Eile was told that someone needed her- in a way that offered her power and control. For Eile, this was a huge and scary responsibility. She wasn't sure how to handle it or how to react. She arrives to find Avere, who she doesn't like or trust, "meddling" in her private domain. [Having one is rare enough for Eile- this is probably the first time she is in control of anything since her escape from the Hedge.] She then finds out that the new Changeling is literally hers to control; which is heady and horrifying. She also learns that Avere has obvious and easily manipulated desires, which flash across Eile's mental control panel in bright displays.Eile's greed and hope for something to call her own are in a vicious duel for Eile's heart as she considers. Eile is literally forced to chose between something -anything- to have as her own and refusing to be like the Fae.]

Eile releases the new fellow, and the two talk for a few moments. In this discussion, names and their power are discussed, as well as the fact that Eile's name is not of her choosing. [This is an important clue for a later scene I want to do] New Changeling wants a name- any name; just not the one he had before he was Taken. Eile admits he reminds her of someone, and he allows her to call him by the name of the person in question. Thus, Terrance is born.

The two are sent back to the holding cell for a while, and then later released for good.

This ends the night for the most part.Other things happened outside of my scenes, but I don't really know anything about them.

Theme Songs

I have found that having a theme song for my characters helps me get the right mood, tone, personality and even generates some quotes.

I also have books, movies and TV shows that give me food for thought (as mentioned in my last post). I lived & died by "Without Remorse" while playing Jak. Mr. Kelly/Mr. Clark were invaluable resources for the deep well that was Jak's mind.

FX Network: A Man's Mind

I am an admitted TV Junkie. I watch a lot of  cable-specifically USA, TNT and FX. I love my DVR.

Last season, I noticed something of a trend on FX- shows aimed at, about and featuring what my head calls "men's men". Examples:

Rescue Me- It's about a Firefighter. An alcoholic Irish firefighter, sure- but a firefighter.

Sons of Anarchy- It's about a Biker Gang.

This season, they introduced Justified. It's about a southern lawman- an old fashioned gunslinger.

All of these shows feature male leads. These men are NOT metrosexual, "sensitive" or any of that post-modern stuff. They are what I consider "old fashioned" men- tough, rugged, independent, just a little crass (how crass depends on the character) and vulnerable. Maybe a little broken, but they live within their confines the best they know how and they don't WHINE. (Much. Jax did tend to throw tantrums.)

I made a special point not to miss a single episode of Sons of Anarchy last season. I saw the Jax/Clay relationship and thought to myself  "now HERE is an Alpha fight". I thoroughly enjoyed the tension, the anger, the frustration and violence. I thought SoA was the perfect lesson on ways to improve Jak. I modeled some very key actions in game after Jax because I saw him as a strong example of how I felt Jak would behave.

[BTW, very important point- Jak was named and implemented before SoA and before I was introduced to the show. It's just coincidental that their names are so similar.] 

Then I started watching Justified.

I was stunned at how in tune Raylan seemed to be with Jak's motivations. Raylan did things (or didn't do things) with many the same intents and rationales that I had in mind for Jak.

It was really interesting to see this character on a TV show and know I'd never be able to use any of the material- Jak died the week I started to watch "Justified". I still loved the series- I like Elmore Leonard and Timothy Oliphant is brilliantly cast. I found the father/son relationship to be very genuine and intense, as well as the Ava/Raylan/Winona dynamic to be gripping.

I love these shows. I love the insight to men, men's minds, lives & actions. I find myself amazed at how RIGHT this network gets the many hoods that males find themselves in: brother, father, man. I enjoy gaining just a little more perspective on those wonderful beings, and seeing them in a different, fuller light. I spend my days immersed in men, and yet I find these shows compelling, innovative and wonderful.

I'll gladly admit to modeling behavior, habits, phrasing, personality and even looks of characters off of TV or movie inspirations. FX is giving me a whole lot of material, and I truly enjoy it.  It's especially good material for someone that likes playing across gender, and wants some revelation to how men think & act in today's society.