>>> The Swingin' Twenties...

Flat on your back on a hard, gravelly surface, you blink your eyes as you come to.

The bright lights overhead blind you momentarily and you shield your eyes with a hand as you squint. You ache all over and you can feel a wet stickiness on your arms and sides. You struggle to sit up on what you find to be a narrow strip of road.

You hear a sharp squeal as a blocky shape stops next to you. There's a loud rumbling coming from its front end. As your eyes focus, you make out the details of a Kord Model R automobile. A door slams open and you behold a dark-skinned dame with dark curls in a blood-stained cream flapper dress.

"Hurry up! Get in!"

Her words are a shout but seem to roar in your head, your ears ringing.

A large man with broad shoulders, dressed in a dark suit and wearing a black fedora with a cream headband, sticks his torso out of a window. The chattering of a tommy gun fills the air. He growls, "We don't have much time, kid. Get in the car. Now."

You feel arms lift you up from the ground and half-drag, half-carry you over to the car and unceremoniously throw you in. You turn as you try to sit properly and see a young black man, possibly barely out of his teens, slamming the door shut. You notice that his teeth are amazingly white as he shoots you a toothy grin, blood smeared across his face and clothes.

The automobile shoots off as the young man jumps onto the tailbar, a hand clapping his argyle flatcap to his head. The dame is driving and you realize that she's barely any older than the young black man hanging on for dear life in the back.

She shouts back into the wind, "Patrick Nemowe, if you die now, I will never, EVER forgive you!"

"Awww, shucks, Miss Paz, that's so sweet of you," came the reply, dripping with cheekiness. And how anyone could hear it over the racket, no one will ever know.

The big man growls as he reloads the tommy gun, "You still owe her thirty bucks, Nems. Now hang on tight, there are three of 'em and they're gaining!"

The young dame lowers herself to the wheel and floors it.

Looks like you're in for the ride of your life.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

_{... seems like a good setting for the Exalted.}

>>> Ah, I'm more lucid and awake now...

... which should be a good thing, right?

Nope, not a bit.

Why? Well, because I'd rather be asleep and ignoring the whole world right now. Well, maybe not the whole world, but close enough.

Yes, I'm being selfish. I think I'm entitled to be like that every once in a while, don't you think? You don't?

Hypocrites. *pinched look* All of you. H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E-S.

*grimaces* Okay, fine, that wasn't really very fair of me 'coz some of you aren't. But MOST of you are. So there. HAH!

Yeah, yeah, I sound like a petulant six year old. I get the point, natch.

Anyways...

... Azhki's back from Japan just last night and being the nice guy that I am, I will not be heading over to his crib with Schakatze and/or Pervalidus to ransack his luggage and make his current state of life generally miserable. After all, Schakatze has work tomorrow and definitely will not feel like getting out of bed anyway [especially if she pulled an all-nighter].

But we'll see how it goes. For now, I have housework to do, like vacuuming the house and clearing up the laundry. Bleah. How I detest household chores.

Exalted, on the other hand, is a blast and a half. And as much as I grouse about it, Schakazte's right, I do enjoy it. 'Specially the bits when I cause those priceless expressions on her face, which don't quite really compare to a certain other expression that I've seen only a couple of times but would love to see more of. *mischievously evil grin* But I digress. Now to figure out exactly how much downtime they will be getting to train up their wonderful overpowered li'l characters. Raliel seems to be roleplaying to irritate, but I think the rest of the players will thoroughly murder his character later on. Additionally, we might actually have a Lunar Exalted join us later on in May in the guise of one WhiskeyWulf [aka Kenneth L], which means we might actually get to use his residential area to play in, haha!

I sense even more impending insanity with the rest of the party plotting to kill Raliel, the possibility of a new Lunar Exalted joining in and a pugnacious squirrel NPC. Don't ask.

People, I sense a disturbance in the Exalt.

Sorry, I couldn't resist the inclusion of that corny line.

Pervalidus and I charged through the first season of VanDread on Wednesday night which basically wiped us out for Thursday. Yes, I know, VanDread is old, but it's still damn good. *silly grin* Thirteen episodes, what a blast.

I think that I'll watch the next thirteen by myself and then upload the VanDread OVA from a CD-R to HIMAWARI. Yes, I've named my portable hard disk, is that a problem? I have a name for the second one, too: HIKARI. Provided I can get it to work first. *laughs* Oh, and damn, looks like I'll have to re-download the Vandread OVA. My CD is fsk'd.

<< This is the figurine that I want to get as right now. It's Ringo Noyamano of Air Gear by Oh! Great and the figurine is designed by Yamato. You can read the full article [not that there is much to read] and see more shots of this figurine along with a couple of others at Danny Choo or or by heading directly to the article itself: Figure Pre-Orders at Danny Choo's.

Yes, I'm a guy. No, I'm not a perv. I'm just a huge fan of Air Gear and love getting my dirty paws on Air Gear stuff. *grin*

It's apparently available for pre-order and costs a whopping 7,140 yen! Which is nearly SG$93. I think that I need to ask Micah where I can order it in Singapore, but I'm gonna need the ca$h first.

So, like I asked before, anyone have that much ca$h lying around to spare a poor broke otaku like me?

Gods, help me get my ca$h from the people that owe me! ARGH!!!

... To make my life even more annoyingly wierd, deviantART seems to be fsk'ing up on me. Bloody thing won't let me comment, fave or collect pieces and journals. Bloody hell... dA, what gives!? *long, undulating and rather loud sound of anguish and agony*

*coughs and composes myself* Ahem... so sorry about that. I do so hope that none of your eardrums burst and bled.

Though I believe part of me would so enjoy seeing some of you suffer that way. Haha.

Gotsta go now, see y'all.

LATERZ, GATERZ.

>>> Applied Theory of the Comedic Effect in Game-based Scenarios and its Resultant Effects

... which is really much ado about nothing, my darling readers.

Or quite possibly the influence of Genshiken on my psyche and demeanor.

Honestly.

You can trust my word on that. Well, perhaps not. I'm probably lying, in fact. Most likely, old beans, considering that if it was truly nothing, I wouldn't be typing this out, non? Correct, chaps? Yes, I am, thank you most kindly. Though I do expect some of you might actually argue that point. I'm truly sorry, my dears, but the world does indeed revolve around my very being. But I digress. Onwards to the very meat of this, for lack of better terms, horrid tale. And make mine medium rare, garçon. Come now, my good man, snap to it. Chop, chop and all that rot.

However, before we go any further, a quick DISCLAIMER: The following narrative is the product of an eccentric life and a rather twisted, convoluted memory cortex which is, by right, not suitable for the soft cerebral matter of the young and inexperienced. Though that wouldn't stop any of you, now would it?
_{>>>>>(Disclaimers are for pussies! Seriously, dude, who cares!?)<<<<<}
^{- Pervalidus (21:54:07/02-28-08)}
_{>>>>>(Whatever, mate, WHATEVER.)<<<<<}
^{- KAZEone (21:57:42/02-28-08)}

Moving on...

Exalted. Such a generic setting with somewhat convoluted rules and a d10 system. So typical of most White Wolf games. However, it's a fantasy setting without the inherent darkness inherent, unlike the rest of its many other game series, and all the aspects that I'd expect from a Dream Pod 9 game. In fact, I believe that some of the artists from DP9 have their works present in the First Edition rulebook. And yet again, I digress, but like such a clinically critical nerd. Not that I have anything against nerds, of course. Or do I? Hmmm... that deserves some thought. But it can wait, of course. Onwards and downwards, good fellows, no rest for the wicked - though that is debatable.
_{>>>>>(That, my dear friend, for some strange reason, sounded deliciously wrong. Le grin.)<<<<<}
^{- Nhemz (21:57:42/02-28-08)}

The campaign that li'l ol' me is running has become something of a monster, if I do say so myself. At least, it's not of Godzilla proportions and stomping through the Imperial City. Yet.

Suffice to say that from a pair of players, Schakatze & Pervalidus, the group has grown to sufficient size to give me migraines for as long as I live. I jest, of course, so do not take me too seriously. After all, my good people, this whole thing was started for a lark, pure and simple. It still is, but on a larger scale. And like I was saying before, the pair has grown into a circle: Scha, Perv, Ferret-V, Nezrael, Ghoul and Raliel. A full Solar Circle. I'm amazed. Unfortunately, the most experienced RPGer of the lot probably won't be able to make it for the Sunday sessions. Or is that fortunately? Look, even the StoryTeller wants to win sometimes, alright? Fine, thank you, you don't have to keep your opinions to yourself. Go ahead let it all out. May I continue now? Thank you most kindly then.

Now, where was I? Oh, yes...

A full Solar Circle, with one from each Caste, too. I am sorely tempted to create alternate doubles of them, in the form of wonderfully delicious Abyssals and use them as the end-arc bosses. Speaking of which, does anyone have the first and/or second edition PDF files for the Abyssal Exalted? Please be wonderfully reliable ol' bricks and let me know. Thank you, my dears.

And having the ability to create vast host of characters for the circle to interact with is fun, though mentally exhausting. The Laughing Masks, the Junkers, the Night Masks (sorry, Wizard, I ripped you off. Go suck on a lemon, why don't you lot?), the crew of the Vengeance Ascendant, the Wood Elemental [aka the 120 foot tall Treefolk], a random wandering Twilight Solar, the Wyld Hunt and God - or Allah or Buddha or whatever else that you sorry lot call your Chosen One in the Sky - alone knows how many others. You would think that someone's cranial cavity would burst with the sheer weight of information, wouldn't you? I'm sorry to disappoint, you young boys, girls and what-have-yous, but there is an invention called the pen and paper. And, yes, in my hands, a pen is a deadly weapon. Watch out for your eyes, mateys, there might be a pen coming soon towards an ocular socket near you.

Add to that the sheer comedy that the circle is capable of, well, suffice to say that it is sidesplittingly, cerebral-putrefyingly funny. Hilarious, even. For example, and just for example mind you, is Ferret's character: nicknamed the "Wet Sack" due to the method of his introduction to the game, he is now permanently known as that throughout the game. There are so many other things that can be said, but they would be better explained by the players themselves. Like the bath-house scene. That, I must say, was one of my very best works. Scha and Perv will never forget it. I hope.

And with the musically inclined, we have discovered that Nightwish's latest album "Dark Passion Play" is indeed most excellent for the game. So much so, that Scha has dubbed the campaign EXALTED: Dark Passion Play. She even has cinematics in mind for an anime opening for the campaign, and it honestly sounds rather good. Too bad that we don't have the resources or the skills to actually produce it, but one day we will. One day, you mark my words.

Oh, and I do believe that the opening score for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is rather good for an intro to Thorns, the conquered city and created Shadowland of the Deathlord Mask of Winters. Rather chillingly close to the actual feel of the city.

Six Solar Exalted, one current main quest (and quite a few side quests, might I add), a shipful of colourful characters, a slew of other characters, loads of tongue-in-cheek & some lameness, a wonderful score plus numerous other twists & plots do, in fact, equal a rather crazily fun game with much inherent humour.

Oh, and Athletics & Awareness for the win, as you quaint online gamers like to exclaim.

EXALTED: Dark Passion Play. For the hilarity and sheer fun of it all.

Beware.

And, yes, the world indeed does not revolve around me. The universe does.

Haha, had you all going for a minute there, didn't I?

Well, now, off with you lot of ragamuffins. I'd like to enjoy my steak in peace, you know.

A good night to you all, then, go on now.

SCOOT!

>>> Was Exalted ever meant to be comedic?

I'm basically running a [First Edition] Exalted game for Schakatze, Pervalidus and Ferret-V which, more often than not, is more hilarious than anything else. *shakes head* At least everyone is enjoying themselves. And now I have to try to get all my ST notes down on paper before I forget everything that I've been using. Suffice to say that IF I forget anything, it would be very embarrassing. :P BLEAH. Oh, and Ghoul will be joining us soon, I hope; plus, Raven got a copy of the core rulebook PDF file from me, too.

And I have to figure out what I'm supposed to type out in my downtime e-mail to Wes for the Werewolf LARP. ANybody interested in joining up? Me and Schakatze are still trying to convince Ferret-V to join up. He'd make a perfect Bone Gnawer Ragabash. Hahaha! (I can only hope he caves in soon!)

Well, the worlds of RPGs really do open new doors to new worlds... and all contained within your imagination, too.

I'm off to finish my personal administrative work, so I'll call y'all later on the bounce up.

PEACE!