This is fan created fiction about a character in a Vampire: The Masquerade live action role playing game run by Mind's Eye Society. If you are a fellow player, please remember that anything you read here is considered out of character knowledge. If you are a lawyer, please don't sue me; I'm not making any money off of this and it's just for fun.
Her
by Simon W.
Content Note: the song lyrics are Gravity by Vienna Teng
"Hey love,
Is that the name you're meant to have...
for me to call.
Look love,
they've given up believing,
they've turned aside our stories of the gentle fall"
Marianne sat in the one non-bathroom room in her haven that was devoid of books. In fact it was completely empty save for an apparatus from which she could hang a heavy bag. She didn't hit nearly as hard as most of her clan mates but she still occasionally need to hit something.
No, occasionally she needed to break something. And heavy bags were vastly less valuable and far more replaceable than people. She'd started buying them in bulk.
"But don't you believe them.
Don't you drink their poison too.
These are the scars that words have carved
on me."
She thought that she was content with her life the way it had been. As a human she had had a healthy, loving relationship that had only ended due to tragedy. Or possibly heroism. But really, you can't have one without the other, she thought sarcastically. Still, her husband had died a hero and been buried by the Navy with honors.
"Hey love,
that's the name we've long held back
from the core of truth"
She'd met James when he was posing as a college professor. Deep into grief that had probably swerved hard left into major depression, she hadn't really even questioned the fact that she'd suddenly found herself enrolled in a Materials Science class that met at midnight. Looking back that should have been a clue since she'd been working on a Master's degree in English. But met him she had and eventually he asked her if she wanted to leave the shambles that trying to live without her husband had become and, quite frankly, she had jumped at the chance. Some combination of blood, shared experiences, and similarity in temperament meant that they became best friends.
"So don't turn away now...
I am turning in revolution.
These are the scars that silence carved
on me.
This is the same place.
No, not the same place
This is the same place, love.
No, not the…"
Everett and she had met literally in fire and blood. He'd killed her, then embraced her, then run off with her fleeing his angry sire and living in some weird fantasy where he'd saved her from the evil Tremere. But she wasn't a damsel in distress and he for sure wasn't a hero. Still they had enough in common so that when they weren't fighting they were actually shockingly compatible companions. Granted, everything is easier when blood is involved. Marianne snorted; it was kind of the hallmark of her romantic life once she stopped being human. And honestly she had thought that's where she would stay forever.
"Hey love,
I am a constant satellite
of your blazing sun.
My love,
I obey your law of gravity.
This is the fate you've carved on me...
Your law of gravity...
This is the fate you've carved on me...
On me."
But then... she had met Her. No blood, no violence, no real trauma at all. A shared love of music, art, and beauty had drawn them together. And it was just so easy to relax with Her. Marianne had briefly wondered if it was possible to be in love for real as a vampire. One of the things Marianne liked about Her was how much she needed Marianne. Being needed, always Marianne's Achilles heel..
Of course, that was over now. And it had ended, almost prosaically, in betrayal. No, not for another woman (or man). Not a growing apart due to a lack of interest. Not any of the normal things that drive people apart. No, Marianne had to hand it to Her; when She betrayed someone it was with the kind of over the top drama one could only expect from a true artist.
Marianne sat in her empty room staring at the heavy bag. She couldn't even bring herself to hit it right now. She just felt so empty; full of more grief than anger. She sighed. Nothing to do but try and keep on keeping on, she supposed, even if the yawning emptiness in her heart dragged on her like a black hole in space, swallowing all of the light that touched it.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Henry VI, Part 1
Henry VI, Part 1
by Simon W.
“I prithee give me leave to curse a while.” Joan la Pucelle - Henry VI, Part 1 Act 5 Sc 4
Henry VI, part 1 is a play in which the titular character hardly has any lines and one could say it's not even really about him at all. Granted, this is probably because the opening scene of the play is one where folks are at his father's funeral and LOUDLY lamenting Henry VI's weakness as a king...
... while Henry VI is all of nine months old!
I'm not entirely certain who the hero of Henry VI's story is (and I have two more plays to get through in order to find out) but I am quite sure the villains are all of his supposed noble protectors and defenders. In fact, most of the play is about how their infighting and jockeying for power led to some fantastically awful defeats in France.
But of course, neither they nor Shakespeare blamed themselves. Instead they just assumed that the only way the French could beat the English was via witchcraft, in the form of Joan la Pucelle (known now as Joan of Arc).
Here is where I should remind you not to expect great literary criticism or even terrible insightful historical commentary from me. I'm literally just talking about what made an impact on me in the stories as I read them. In short, I'm either going to be shit-talking or fan-girling my way through Shakespeare as it's applicable.
So yes, the English army suffers defeats against the French, even with the legendary Talbot as their leader and rather than blame the fact that various lords are literally withholding troops and supplies, the English assume that it's all the fault of a religious French teenager who knows how to use a sword and inspire people. As you may have guessed, all of my sympathies are with Joan in this play.
But let's talk about Henry VI for just a minute since the play is about him, or at least about his reign. In the play he is portrayed as weak and pious. Really, he's probably just young and pious. Not much of a martial man, our boy Henry. But he is interested in reading and studying so I automatically love him. In fact, he wonders at one point if he's even old enough to consider getting married since he's still got so many books to read. Be still, my heart!
This is the first time I have read this particular play since the histories are where I'm lacking. I've read part of Henry IV and Richard III and I've seen stage productions of Henry V and Richard II so I'm all over the place with the "Henriad" plays. Expect more ridiculous commentary as I move through them because I have zero reverence. Shakespeare did a wonderful thing, particularly for his time period, in that he wrote his noble and even royal characters as people. People who had flaws even! It was radical at the time and it's part of what makes his stories endure, because 500 years later we can still find enough humanity in these giants of history to identify with them.
by Simon W.
“I prithee give me leave to curse a while.” Joan la Pucelle - Henry VI, Part 1 Act 5 Sc 4
Henry VI, part 1 is a play in which the titular character hardly has any lines and one could say it's not even really about him at all. Granted, this is probably because the opening scene of the play is one where folks are at his father's funeral and LOUDLY lamenting Henry VI's weakness as a king...
... while Henry VI is all of nine months old!
I'm not entirely certain who the hero of Henry VI's story is (and I have two more plays to get through in order to find out) but I am quite sure the villains are all of his supposed noble protectors and defenders. In fact, most of the play is about how their infighting and jockeying for power led to some fantastically awful defeats in France.
But of course, neither they nor Shakespeare blamed themselves. Instead they just assumed that the only way the French could beat the English was via witchcraft, in the form of Joan la Pucelle (known now as Joan of Arc).
Here is where I should remind you not to expect great literary criticism or even terrible insightful historical commentary from me. I'm literally just talking about what made an impact on me in the stories as I read them. In short, I'm either going to be shit-talking or fan-girling my way through Shakespeare as it's applicable.
So yes, the English army suffers defeats against the French, even with the legendary Talbot as their leader and rather than blame the fact that various lords are literally withholding troops and supplies, the English assume that it's all the fault of a religious French teenager who knows how to use a sword and inspire people. As you may have guessed, all of my sympathies are with Joan in this play.
But let's talk about Henry VI for just a minute since the play is about him, or at least about his reign. In the play he is portrayed as weak and pious. Really, he's probably just young and pious. Not much of a martial man, our boy Henry. But he is interested in reading and studying so I automatically love him. In fact, he wonders at one point if he's even old enough to consider getting married since he's still got so many books to read. Be still, my heart!
This is the first time I have read this particular play since the histories are where I'm lacking. I've read part of Henry IV and Richard III and I've seen stage productions of Henry V and Richard II so I'm all over the place with the "Henriad" plays. Expect more ridiculous commentary as I move through them because I have zero reverence. Shakespeare did a wonderful thing, particularly for his time period, in that he wrote his noble and even royal characters as people. People who had flaws even! It was radical at the time and it's part of what makes his stories endure, because 500 years later we can still find enough humanity in these giants of history to identify with them.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
Twelfth Night, or What You Will
by Simon W.
"I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you."
So says Malvolio as he makes his final exit off the stage. Maybe it's because the last time I read this play was over twenty years ago. Or maybe it's because I am cranky and over forty. But I really feel for Malvolio in this re-read of Twelfth Night.
The story of Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is familiar to most people. Even if they haven't read or seen the play itself, there have been many variations in popular culture. And really, the story itself has very common themes. A pair of fraternal twins, Viola and Sebastian, are shipwrecked and each believe the other has died. Viola makes her way into an unfamiliar city and because she believes she will be safer thus, dresses as a boy. The disguise ends up working far too well and a romantic comedy occurs against the backdrop of mistaken identity and the Christmas celebrations.
So says Malvolio as he makes his final exit off the stage. Maybe it's because the last time I read this play was over twenty years ago. Or maybe it's because I am cranky and over forty. But I really feel for Malvolio in this re-read of Twelfth Night.
The story of Twelfth Night, Or What You Will is familiar to most people. Even if they haven't read or seen the play itself, there have been many variations in popular culture. And really, the story itself has very common themes. A pair of fraternal twins, Viola and Sebastian, are shipwrecked and each believe the other has died. Viola makes her way into an unfamiliar city and because she believes she will be safer thus, dresses as a boy. The disguise ends up working far too well and a romantic comedy occurs against the backdrop of mistaken identity and the Christmas celebrations.
It's a fun story. It's a funny story. But I will confess, as I made my way through it this time my attention and sympathies were caught by the unloved, pretentious, far too serious character of Malvolio. Malvolio is the victim of a cruel prank by several folks caught up in the merriment and mischief of the Christmas holiday and I won't deny that he badly needed some level of comeuppance. He's arrogant, severe, obsessed with his social standing, and more than a little vain.
And yet, I feel for him. He's cruelly used and abused and come the end of the play, when the prank is revealed to all and sundry, he storms off vowing vengeance on both those who pranked him and those who laughed on the sidelines. I can sympathize with the man. But I never once did before reading it this time.
That's one of the things I love about Shakespeare. Not only are his stories still relevant to an audience that is separated from his original one by 400 or so years but the same person reading his works years apart can find new and different things to focus on. Whether you think his work is high art or low brow entertainment, it has the power to move people and that is the enduring power of his words and his storytelling.
And yet, I feel for him. He's cruelly used and abused and come the end of the play, when the prank is revealed to all and sundry, he storms off vowing vengeance on both those who pranked him and those who laughed on the sidelines. I can sympathize with the man. But I never once did before reading it this time.
That's one of the things I love about Shakespeare. Not only are his stories still relevant to an audience that is separated from his original one by 400 or so years but the same person reading his works years apart can find new and different things to focus on. Whether you think his work is high art or low brow entertainment, it has the power to move people and that is the enduring power of his words and his storytelling.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)