Previously, in Trip's Life...
31 October 2002 - Thursday
It's Halloween!
This year I am costumed as a human. Okay, so it's one I've used
before, but it's got most of the bugs worked out!
I took pictures of Angie's belly-dance outfit, but she can't upload them until she gets home, so until
then you'll just have to take my word for it that she looks great. (Oh, and
the clothes are nice too.)
* * *
Candy bought: 2 bags.
Trick-or-treaters bribed: 3.
I expect the Ayseday party will be able to dispose of excess candy.
:)
* * *
Fooey! The special stuffed-animal-cleaning fluid I ordered is out of
stock!
Make a comment!
30 October 2002 - Wednesday
Geekity
geekity geek geek!
* * *
See, it's the future
!
* * *
Gwack! Angie is wearing a dress! I didn't know she really
owned any! I mean, one hears rumors, but...
* * *
Hah. My work foo is triumphant, even when I'm not at work.
* * *
Eeep. Toenails 1, nail clippers 0. Snapped the lever right off.
:(
Make a comment!
29 October 2002 - Tuesday
It's only a quarter 'til 9, and I've already found the quote of the
day:
"Bother," said Pooh, as the tentacles rose from the pool. "I should
never have worn this sailor suit."
I blame Genevieve.
Make a comment!
28 October 2002 - Monday
Blargh. Back to work. Since I spent most of the weekend away from my
parasitelair, I don't feel sufficiently restored. Hmph.
But Mary Gentle followed up to a post I made to
rec.arts.sf.composition! Woot!
* * *
Today's Millbrae work: striking up conversations with people. Perhaps
I will get to practice at Ayse's Ayseday party on Saturday. Or perhaps I
will die in a very deep pit, full of pomegranates.
Make a comment!
27 October 2002 - Sunday
There was a lot of lethargic flopping around, but eventually Marith
and I escaped back toward Mountain View, pausing only for Marith to be
sold a cellphone.
Music for the drive: lots, but most importantly, "Roads to Moscow" by
Al Stewart.
* * *
When I got home, I found that Greg Porter had sent comments on my review of his new game EABA. Gwack. I'm not
sure what I will say in response.
Then I watched the second DVD of Jubei-Chan: Secret of the
Lovely Eyepatch. I'm still not sure if I like it enough to spend
money on it.
Make a comment!
26 October 2002 - Saturday
Amazon Quartet of Justice Va: "Circus of Revenger"
Previously: Solara
and Alyssa have left Tigris on their own business, and Fresa is in
subterranean meditation. Amaryllis, Sophia, and Serenity attend a ball
given in honor of Connor's party, who have rescued the little sister of the
ruling prince and princess. Multiple sects of necrotheologians, assisted by
an evil circus, try to kill the rulers or replace them with exact
duplicates, but are foiled. Crazed dwarves are involved, as is a wood-elf
of heroic nature by the name of Alyra, who Amaryllis befriends. At the
behest of Stephen, Alyra and Amaryllis dupe the leader of the crazed
dwarves into haring off to the ruined city, but then find out that there
may be something there after all...
There is a brief recrimination phase when the Lawful members of the
party find out what the Chaotic members have been doing for Stephen, but
they don't disagree about chasing down Darrin before he gets himself killed
or spills important beans to the necrotheologians. Over Fresa's objections,
Sophia drags both Stephen and Hrogarth along (after prying Hrogarth loose
from the royal library).
Darrin took quite an expedition, so is easy to track, especially
since he's following the same route everyone took to the ruins last
time. Apparently, another party with several large carnivorous animals
is following that route as well, although not on the trail.
When they reach the rock where they were ambushed before, Our
Heroines realize anew what a great ambush spot it is, and send Alyra to
scout it out. Sure enough, someone is lurking atop the rock. Sophia
rides forward to parley, and an arrow sticks in her shield. Battle is
joined!
The attackers are two lions, two tigers, two bears, the druidess Ohmy,
and the remaining crew of the Evil Circus, who turn out to be quite
annoying. Amaryllis, from the air, tries to blind most of them, but only
gets one lion. Then the melee combatants start getting mauled, so she
opens up with the Fireballs. The circus is roasted, but not quickly
enough to keep either Sophia or Serenity from being slain. The druidess
and the last circus performer flee into the forest, but by the time
Amaryllis catches up with them, something that (judging by its tracks)
runs faster than a flying dragon has staved in both their skulls.
Fortunately, the temple of Pelor is able to raise its warriors from the
dead. They refuse money for doing so, but the Amazons make an equivalent
anonymous donation. Weapons are polished and inventories restocked while
Sophia and Serenity recuperate, and then it's off to the ruined city
again, now even farther behind Darrin. This time, Hrogarth is
left to his moldy odes.
This time, Ambush Rock is already covered with corpses when Our
Heroines get there. Fresa calls back the spirit of one to find out what
happened and learns "They were so fast... they said they would stop
us... but there weren't enough of them... we must succeed...".
The map Stephen pieced together from Darrin's notes indicates three
locations in the city. The first one contains several large wagons and
many corpses (killed in a more normal fashion than the ones at Ambush
Rock), some of whom Alyra recognizes as Darrin's hirelings, but none of
them Darrin himself. There are signs of excavation, but otherwise nothing
interesting about the site.
The temple indicated by the second mark on the map is being excavated by
four well-toned men who set off Sophia's keen moral sense. She parleys, but
refuses a truce, so they spring over the temple wall and race away faster
than the Amazons have ever seen anyone run. Amaryllis tosses a Fireball
after them, but they step behind chunks of rubble at just the right instant
to avoid being roasted, without breaking stride.
The third area is quite large, but a cautious search discovers a
temple that is apparently deserted at the moment, but has been dug out
enough to provide access to the interior, and there are many footprints
in the dust. A not-very-secret door in the crypt provides access to even
deeper caves, and it appears that someone has gone that way before.
Fresa's holy might returns the zombies to the dust from which they
rose, and a little further along sets another sort of undead horror to
flight and incapacitates a mummy long enough for it to be hacked up.
Tracking the escaped monster leads the Amazons into a large cave
chock-full of zombies, who fare no better than the others for all their
numerical superiority. The monster that fled and another such are there
also, but aren't much more trouble.
Exploring in the other direction, Alyra finds a group of four humans
lurking in a cave. Sophia goes forward to parley, and the others vanish
into the many tunnels before she even arrives at their location. Later,
they spring out at Our Heroines, and get slapped down like the pikers
they are. One of them, a mage, takes off into the darkness, but
Amaryllis and Sophia chase her down and finish her off. Then Amaryllis
notices the fragments of a very realistic statue littering the floor. A
shadowy phantom pops out of the wall, but Alyra is right there with her
magic swords. Sophia closes her eyes and advances to demonstrate her
skill in fighting without sight, and between those two and a couple of
Amaryllis's fireballs, the shadow and basilisk expire.
At this point, somewhat battered, low on magical energy, and with
prisoners to interrogate, the Amazons decide to retreat to their hidden
camp and rest up before continuing their exploration of the caves.
* * *
Next session: Thanksgiving!
* * *
By this time, it was very very late, so we decided to stay over
another night rather than die in flaming wreckage on the freeway. Good
thing I packed extra underwear and drugs!
Trip's Write Up by Silkie (Tue Oct 29 10:24:22 2002)
Very keen write up! You get a Dire Seal of Approval! :)
Make a comment!
25 October 2002 - Friday
Yummy Thai dinner with Ayse and her parents, who are just as silly as
she is (though not nearly as hyper). We all approve; she can keep these
parents.
Then driving and driving to Roseville, for AQoJ!
Make a comment!
24 October 2002 - Thursday
Stupid stupid work creatures.
* * *
Cowboy Bebop: Look, character backstory!
Maho Tsukai Tai: Magic wackiness!
Phantom Quest Corp: More magic wackiness! With bonus evil
monks!
Crest of the Stars: Something happened! Weapons were
discharged!
Make a comment!
23 October 2002 - Wednesday
WOOT!
The relevent bit from the editor's email:
And having read your story, it is high in contending to be part of the
anthology. It is excellent!
Muahahahahahahahahahaha!
Of course, there are issues with the publication process (which I
don't know if I can talk about, so I won't) but said editor is hard at
work trying to resolve them. Wheeeeee!
* * *
Hip hip HOOORRAAAYYY! It's AYSEDAY!
* * *
Sniff! Wednesday Night Fun cancelled due to lack of people. But really
it's okay, because I have new comics to read!
YAY! by kit (Wed Oct 23 10:13:19 2002)
Hooray for TRIP! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! BEAM YAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Hooray! by Sarah (Wed Oct 23 10:35:09 2002)
Goooooooooooooooooooooo Trip!
Applause by Truth (Wed Oct 23 11:22:26 2002)
Woo hoo! Go Trip! That's fantastic and well-deserved! *mad applause*
Trip is great! Trip is best! Trip is way above the rest! by Marith (Wed Oct 23 11:25:42 2002)
*Marith and the cheerlizards perform a complicated little dance with
pompoms and fling confetti all over Trip*
Good writer! Write more! Publish!
YAY!!!!! by Aberdeen (Wed Oct 23 12:00:57 2002)
Woot! Yay for Trip!
The Amazing Trip! by Silkie (Wed Oct 23 13:29:35 2002)
Three cheers for the Amazing Trip! We bask in his glory! We are in awe of his excellence!
Woot! by Lynx (Thu Oct 24 10:23:13 2002)
Hope you make it into the anthology! Then you'll have to convert your pit into a jacuzzi.
Make a comment!
22 October 2002 - Tuesday
Blargh! Got on-called at 5:00; so much for becoming
non-zombie-like. :(
Make a comment!
21 October 2002 - Monday
Wacky.
* * *
Lethargic, zombie-like parasite. Blargh.
* * *
Sniff! No Tokyo Tower this week! I went over early to feed upon the
cattlebeast-fungus-and-root stew Christy made, but then her lingering
digestive problems flared up and we had to slink away into the night.
I hope she feels better soon. :(
Make a comment!
20 October 2002 - Sunday
I keep saying I'm going to get up early and do my shopping
before Sovereign Powers, and finally I wasn't lying. Go me!
* * *
Team Justice kicks butt, by the simple expedient of bursting into the
villain's apartments in the dead of night and clobbering them in their
beds. When you're a sovereign power, you don't need a
warrant!
* * *
Having already done my shopping, I could go eat sushi with many
people. Yum! Then I watched two episodes of Tenchi in
Tokyo, which was okay but not amazing. I think there is actually
previous material in this continuity; possibly the boxed set of
Tenchi Universe that I didn't buy?
Make a comment!
19 October 2002 - Saturday
I haven't done much today, but at least I've read Universalis, so I've furthered
the cause of Experimental Gaming.
Unlike most of the games that claim to be "story-telling systems"
Universalis is a story-telling system, unlike most games that make that
claim. It is not a role-playing game in the usual sense; no one
officially identifies with or even has sole ownership of any character.
In effect, everyone is a GM and all characters are NPCs.
The Universalis system serves primarily to let the disparate artistic
visions of the players mesh together without anyone throwing crockery or
getting pushed out windows or anything. Each player gets a finite supply of
tokens which he can spend to make statements about the game, or bid to
challenge someone else's statements. Initially, the statements are about
the genre and setting of the story, and any house rules the group wants,
such as a fine for quoting Monty Python. Then people start bidding for the
right to set up the first scene, and the winner starts spending tokens to
put people, things, and places in the scene, and to give them traits which
will hopefully be relevent later. Then other people take their turns adding
story elements and having them take actions, limited by their finite token
supplies and the possibility or actuality of other players objecting and
starting a bidding war. Eventually the scene ends, and people can bid for
the next one.
The dice come out when something in the game is declared an Obstacle to
the characters in the current scene. Each side adds up all the relevent
traits on the characters, props, and locations involved (some of which may
count negative) and roll that many d10s. Whoever gets the most successes
(roll of 1-5) wins, and gets tokens equal to the sum of their successful
dice; the nonwinners get tokens equal to the dice they rolled, regardless
of successes. The winner uses his tokens to narrate the results of the
conflict, then the nonwinners use their tokens to add to or mitigate that
narration. (Or they just keep the tokens, if they're running low.)
I haven't playtested Universalis, but it looks like it
should work. Clearly, we must Experiment!
Universalis by Chrisber (Wed Oct 23 14:41:39 2002)
This really sounds like a more generalized version of The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen to me. Maybe this is the system to run Nexus in!
Re: Universalis by Trip (Wed Oct 23 15:16:12 2002)
Yah, it's clearly along the same lines. I forget if the author specifically acknowledges tEAoBM in the forward or not. :)
I think it would be the right system to have run Nexans Who Matter in, anyway!
Make a comment!
18 October 2002 - Friday
Because I didn't have enough sugar-free parasite yummies already,
Angie brought me a whole bag of butter toffee hard candies!
* * *
How long can you keep your satellite
going?
Make a comment!
17 October 2002 - Thursday
I have successfully had my ichor drawn out for testing! There was a
little complication in getting one of the other samples, but I drank a
lot of water and watched several bad videos and some Kaiser hype, and
then it was all okay.
Now I am home, so I can EAT!
* * *
Today's big lameness on my part: Not telling Dave and Ray that I
would be skipping Whisman Station Anime in favor of fondue with strange
Minnesotan fanfic writers. :(
* * *
Truth and Marith finally showed up to abuse me with sugar-free
chocolate and stuffed mooses and silly writing. Aiiieeeeee!
Truth is in fact a babe. With excellent pants.
Marith and Truth do not appear to be having a torrid affair,
which makes some people sad.
We showed Truth XXXenophile cards and played Fluxx and then went to
meet Ayse and Chrisber and Christy at fondue.
* * *
It's sad that fondue is so expensive and so unhealthy, because it's very
very yummy. Ayse ate most of an ostrich all by herself, or so it seemed,
and blissed out. The geometry of the fondue table allowed Christy to talk
to Truth extensively. She approves of Truth (and agrees that she's a
babe).
Tud.
Mmm... by liralen (Fri Oct 18 13:56:58 2002)
Mmm... fondue...
Mmm... babes and fondue.
Strange Minnesotan Fanfic Writers by Truth (Wed Oct 23 11:25:35 2002)
I've got excellent pants! Go me! I shall store them in my office and they shall become my emergency pants, because they're obviously good for almost any occasion in which emergency pants might be needed!
Fondue was fun, and quite, quite yummy. The company was excellent and I had a wonderful time.
*distributes random glomps*
Make a comment!
16 October 2002 - Wednesday
Oh, and a pep rally this morning. Definitely no work for us.
* * *
Sniff! I have to stop eating by 19:30 so I will have unpolluted ichor
to be tested tomorrow! Not even brains for me!
Make a comment!
15 October 2002 - Tuesday
Whew! I finally got mail back from the lady I submitted my story too,
acknowledging that she did get it. Information like whether she hates
it, how many large burly men with axe handles will come visit me for
sullying her inbox, etc, will be forthcoming "within a month". Also, she
says that the deadline isn't very dead, because she doesn't have enough
submissions, so all you people who were going to submit and flaked, get
to work!
* * *
At first, I said "Oh,
man!" but then I realized that this really just means you all have
to be nicer to Gretchen!
* * *
This is so not the week for work. Millbrae yesterday, vacation on
Thursday, Mandatory Corporate Fun today, .... Fortunately I don't seem
to have a whole lot of work that needs doing just now.
MCF was Knockaround Guys, an okay gangster flick with
Vin Diesel and Seth Green. I wasn't as thrilled by it as Bryant was, but
these things happen.
* * *
A grand total of 0 new tickets and 0 pieces of email regarding my
existing tickets game in while I was at the movie. My conscience is
clear.
Make a comment!
14 October 2002 - Monday
Truth seems to have arrived mostly intact, and neither she nor Marith
is dead as of dinnertime tonight.
Make a comment!
13 October 2002 - Sunday
More anime! Tonight, Earth Maiden Arjuna (aka
Earth Girl Arjuna aka Arjuna), recommended by
Chris Siebenmann. It's pretty good, even though anti-nuclear ranting
annoys me. :) (Not that there's much, really.) I have to say that
my sympathies are pretty much all with Juna, though, not with the people
harshing on her for not knowing how to use her powers. If they think
she's pig-ignorant, they could try explaining something once in
a while. (But perhaps this is the whole Zen enlightenment thing: you
can't explain it, you can only put your shoe on your head.)
Make a comment!
12 October 2002 - Saturday
Amber High School today! Short session, because the GM has to leave
early to get dressed for some sort of cultural event, like the opera or
something. Sheesh, Europeans.
* * *
I watched the first DVD of Excel Saga tonight. Alas, the
time would have been much better spent watching five new episodes of
FLCL. Or, heck, five old episodes.
Although superficially of the same genre, FLCL is about
at least partially comprehensible people coping with a surreal world.
Excel Saga is just random wackiness strung together.
Characterization? What's that? Continuity? Nope, never heard of that
either.
Make a comment!
11 October 2002 - Friday
Yay Friday!
* * *
Woo, Evil Female Ranma! Corrupt me! Corrupt meeee!
* * *
And, for extra bonus anime, I finished watching the first DVD of
His & Her Circumstances. Not a genre I usually go for it,
but I like. I suspect I would like it better if I could get the
subtitles for the apparently-random Japanese text that flashes on the
screen to work, but I think that would require a more modern DVD player.
(At least, the production notes say they stretched the DVD spec for the
subtitles, so I figure that's more likely to be the problem than a bad
disc.)
Make a comment!
10 October 2002 - Thursday
Yaaaayyyyy! It's MARITHDAY!
* * *
Hey, whaddaya know? Something finally happened in Crest of the
Stars!
Whisman Station Anime is declining precipitiously in attendance,
though, which is very sad. Ayse perpetually too busy, Kirby and Rebecca
moved to Seattle, Neil and Stacy off honeymooning, don't know what
happened to Michelle... Probably at least Neil will come back,
though.
Marithday by Truth (Fri Oct 11 03:54:34 2002)
ARGH! *covers her eyes and chants* No. Nonononono!
It's 10/10/02 today. It'll be 10/10/02 tomorrow and it will REMAIN 10/10/02 until I get there.
I'm not going to miss Marith's birthday just because my stupid plane tickets and itinerary refuse to cooperate!
So there!
Re: Marithday by Trip (Fri Oct 11 08:42:06 2002)
Well, there's Marithday (actual) and Marithday (observed), so it's not that bad.
Anyway, if you try to put back some of the days we lost during 1752, you have to have an iron cage death match with the Pope.
Re: Re: Marithday by Truth (Fri Oct 11 08:45:48 2002)
I suppose that I can live with Marithday (observed).
As for the Pope?
Word Processors at twenty paces and the first to bore the other to death wins a car and a free pass out of the cage.
I'm in.
Re: Re: Re: Marithday by Trip (Fri Oct 11 09:20:51 2002)
Well, I guess if nothing else the Pope is a lot older than you, so you'd probably win with those terms, but I suspect being Pope, as with being head of any large organization, involves 23 hours of a boring meetings a day.
The Pope by Truth (Fri Oct 11 10:10:41 2002)
Hmmmmm, that's a definite drawback. I'll have to come up with a terribly clever plan and get back to you, then.
See you on Marithday (observed) or thereabouts!
Make a comment!
9 October 2002 - Wednesday
Non-Euclidean
Lego!
* * *
Beanstalks in Science News. Maybe this is the future after all.
* * *
The new Cheapass game, Freeloader, is pretty amusing. Plus, my life
experience allowed me to win. Then I won Fluxx, so I quit while I was
ahead and threw everyone out.
Make a comment!
8 October 2002 - Tuesday
Kit and Marith both approved highly of my story, so I sent it in.
* * *
AUGH! I submitted a story! For publication!
* * *
I wish the editor would write me back now.
Story submission by Marith (Wed Oct 9 10:33:12 2002)
You DID! Ahahahaha! Can't take it back now!
*does a little smug dance with Kit*
Re: Story Submission by Trip (Wed Oct 9 10:44:49 2002)
Meeeeeeeeeep!
Make a comment!
7 October 2002 - Monday
I am the only one of the four who expressed an intention to write by
today who has actually done so (Kit is still writing, the other two have
bailed entirely). I don't know if this makes me cooler, for doing what I
said I would, or less cool, for spending effort and florning on
something that's not actually important.
* * *
Sniff! No Tokyo Tower! Wires got crossed (dunno whose, probably mine)
and Adam didn't show up, probably because he is still in
whereverthehell. So I hung out with Chrisber and Christy and showed them
Dragon Half so that now Christy knows why people keep
asking if she's seen it and can say that she has, and admired their new
bathroom furniture, and eventually went home.
I think you're cooler... by liralen (Fri Oct 18 13:52:04 2002)
... for having done what you'd said you'd do. And for being brave enough to submit it. Yay, Trip! Yay, Trip! Yay, Trip!
Make a comment!
6 October 2002 - Sunday
Morning: finished writing! Yay! 3300 words!
Afternoon: went to see Spirited Away with Marith,
Christy, and Chrisber. It does gain something from the big screen, which
I guess isn't surprising, since it was made for theater play to begin
with.
More afternoon & evening: reread Ascending to prepare my
brain for the new James Alan Gardner, Trapped. Or maybe
just because I like Oar.
Night: watched first two episodes of FLCL (aka Fooly
Cooly or Furi-Kuri or whatever else you want to make of
those four consonants and a Japanese accent). This is the most deeply
surreal anime I have seen in quite some time, from the factory designed
like a cyclopean steam iron to the giant robots that spring forth from the
main character's head. The somewhat comprehensible motivations of some of
the characters only make it more bizarre. I think I like it.
Make a comment!
5 October 2002 - Saturday
Even more writing. But also some time to read comics and
watch anime.
Make a comment!
4 October 2002 - Friday
More writing. Write. Write. Write. Kit isn't writing, because she can
write her entire 10 000-word story between shower and lunch on
Monday.
Make a comment!
3 October 2002 - Thursday
This is a very very bad day. :( In the morning,
Angie learned that her grandmother had died, and had to make emergency
plans to go home for the funeral, and generally was upset. In the
afternoon, Christy learned that she didn't have a job any more, which
makes being a half-home owner (really a quarter-double-home owner)
awfully problematic.
No happiness. :(
* * *
I ground out 800 words tonight. Kit praised me greatly for writing.
Then she went off and ACCIDENTALLY wrote 1800 words.
I'll just be here in this pit. With the bugs and worms.
Make a comment!
2 October 2002 - Wednesday
Hooray! It's LIRALENDAY!
Make a comment!
1 October 2002 - Tuesday
My hat is famous!
Make a comment!
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