I spent a year as the head of Anime Punch's Traditional/Tabletop gaming department. It was an awesome experience and one I would have considered continuing if I could have afforded to invest the time that was necessary into it and I hadn't had my driver's license suspended. One of my more popular events during my time serving in this capacity was my "Escape the Colony" LARP. I wrote (Pretty much) original rules for it and had a blast playing it multiple times with a great group of enthusiastic players. One of those players is taking over the position and was interested in adapting the rules into a LARP of his own. Considering that the original rules died with my former laptop and I cannot find a hard copy for the life of me I chose to e-mail him this handy guide instead which details the ideas behind the rules I wrote. Considering the fact that posting something to this blog is as secure as hiding it in Fort Knox when you consider the number of readers it gets and that I'd kind of dig being the "father" of a trend of one shot LARPing. I am posting that guide here. If it ever gets read I hope it is enjoyed and inspirational.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Writing a LARP like this is really easy if you follow basic story telling conventions.
The first thing you need to do is establish your main source of conflict. In the Gundam RP there were two. The background threat of the colony collapsing and the main threat of the traitorous crew member. I highly recommend having a "Traitor in the midst" for LARPS as it is a great plot device and provides another layer of complexity and pressure on the players. There of course needs to be an over arching conflict that provides a reason for the characters to be there in the first place, but in most circumstances this can take a back seat to the traitor as a primary threat.
Next we need complications. Complications serve two purposes. They extend game play beyond "Beat the badguy and get the heck out" and they give each character a bit more character. The characters for a one off LARP should not be very complex right off the bat so that players can add their own quirks to them, but complications and advantages should be written to provide a little info for the players to build those quirks from.
Next come advantages. These serve not only to help inspire the players to build the character's personality, but also to give the players the idea that there is some hope for survival in the game. This should be a false hope however. No single advantage should be game breaking. All of them should give either a very minor edge if they can be used more than once or have only a single use if they give the player a major edge. All of them should be circumventable by the Gamemaster/Storyteller. It is a good idea to have one of the characters, usually a sweet personalitied woman, pet, or little girl know the identity of the traitor as this not only provides great drama but also lends an extra bit of motivation for the other characters to protect them if they are perceived as vulnerable and cute.
Beyond that there should be an odd number of players each game (Ideally an even number of good guys and one traitor) and the rules should be flexible enough to be adapted should something go wrong.
I hope this guide was helpful and will provide you with inspiration for creating your own rules and characters. Good luck and don't hesitate to write if you have any questions.
-Cameron
Saturday, March 26, 2011
YouTube - Top 10 Bad Cosplay Ideas For Fat People
YouTube - Top 10 Bad Cosplay Ideas For Fat People
Ah, Cosplay. A tried and true part of any fandom. From the Trekker's home-made (Or, professionally made) uniform to the furry's attempt to make a Sonic the Hedgehog fursuit with quills that actually bristle Cosplay has been with geekdom from the beginning and will carry on as long as there are people obsessed with certain elements of pop-culture. Some Cosplay can be very well done and can look incredible! Some Cosplay....Not so much. It really does depend on the skill of the costume designer/maker and the level of care/detail they put into the costume itself. As with any geeky outlet however there has been a ton of discussion about Cosplay, most of it, sadly, disparaging. Cosplay is a matter of taste and taste is not something that members of any fandom can seem to agree upon.
The above video (Really, a Power Point presentation shot on video and then sped up slightly) is living, breathing, infuriating example of this. In a category of fandom where no-one seems to agree what is good and what is bad taste these screw ups have dared to try and become taste-makers. The backlash, I daresay, is mighty. Rightfully so, I might add. Humans are, at the base of their hearts and souls, herd animals. The trend, the very instinct of the human race is to try and huddle together for warmth and stay as deeply within the crowd as they can so that the predators will have eaten their fill before they can get to them. Individuality, especially in today's face paced homogenized McWorld is something most people would not encourage. This is why each aspect of individual expression is important. Some may not be the best idea and indeed individuality that is hurtful to others should be discouraged, but choosing to change one's pelt does not constitute a harmful act. Cosplayers are attempting to be unique snowflakes in a rainstorm, and for the sheer audacity that takes they should be applauded. This video is wrong in stating that some choices are inherently bad for those of a bad body type. Cosplay is a form of artistic and individualistic expression and as long as it is done well it should be appreciated for what it is.
That having been said, lets get real. There are certain frontiers that those with certain body types are not meant to cross, for instance I can count on one finger the number of people who would appreciate seeing me in a Speedo and well, she's my fiancee so there is an amount of bias there. I could have the sewing skills of a god but if I did not take my body type into account when creating say a Kuja from Final Fantasy 9 or a Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star Cosplay the results would be comical at best and traumatizing at worst. I, personally would be terribly uncomfortable dressed as either of these characters, or really anyone else with that level of skimpiness to their costumes. I would be laughed at, even by my fellow geeks for even making the attempt. I know this and am unwilling to face that ridicule. Thing is, that's just me. I prefer to Cosplay characters like Larva/Lover from Vampire Princess Miyu or Il Palazzo from Excel Saga because they are hidden behind voluminous robes or capes and I can for a time suspend disbelief and mask my extra fuel tank in the fabric. Again, that is just me though. Cosplaying is an exercise in individuality. It is not about how others judge you, but how you judge yourself. People, especially strangers, are going to be cruel, particularly online where they have less of a chance of getting their faces bashed in. How you react to that cruelty should be what determines your Cosplay choice, no matter what your body type. Your cosplay should be of the best quality you can achieve (If you're going to do something you should attempt to do it as well as you can.) beyond that however the choice is yours. If you are confident enough in your individuality, in your body, and in your ability to take abuse you can be anything you want to be. Just be prepared to endure videos like the one above and the hateful, hurtful words of your fellows if others do not share your confidence. This is not to say your detractors will be correct, but it isn't to say they'll be incorrect either. It is a matter of taste after all and as I stated above, even in the most close knit fandom taste is as individual as it's members.
So there is my take on Cosplay. I thank you for taking the time to read these thoughts and encourage you to respond to them. Good day to you all, dear readers, and may your own journeys take you far away from things like the video at the beginning of this post.
-Cameron
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thoughts on voice-acting.
I admit I am, largely, uninformed when it comes to the process and procedure of voice acting. I know and have spoken with voice actors and respect a great many of them as artists and as persons. I however am not a member of their rarefied and difficult profession. I am however a fan of anime and have been for more time than most of my contemporaries have been alive. This, as I'm sure you all know, gives me the power to rant like a sunnovabitch over something I know nothing about. So..here we go.
A voice-actor I have a small (Okay tinytinytiny) acquaintance with was recently stating that some of the members of their profession. I remind you again this profession is called voice ACTING, can be somewhat FAKE. They stated this as if it should be some kind of a surprise and as if the fandom should be angry or upset that this occurs. I however, call shenanigans. Voice actors, despite their larger than life roles are people and voice acting, despite the amount of attention it garners is a job.
Like any other job it gets done and a paycheck gets cashed. There are heroes and there are assholes. I don't see why it should come as any great surprise that some voice-actors aren't the sparkling gems they portray. At the end of the day, and here's a really depressing thought for you, voice acting is just another customer service job. Some people come home from it fresh and happy, others while doing it well enough are surly and mean about it afterward, the problem being that their shifts can sometimes last 96 hours of convention time. At the end of the day, sad as this may seem, voice actors, as people do not have any obligation to be nice to their fans, the same way anyone when confronted with a customer outside of work has any obligation to be nice to them. This is especially true when that customer is demanding attention and expects that person to be their "work face."
I will admit that I like it when voice actors are nice to me. I definitely have an easier time dealing with those who treat their fans well and can hold their bile until I leave the room. I do not, however, expect them to be chipper about me behind closed doors. Therein lies the rub, can we, as fans, really expect not to be complained about by the people we mob? Can we look down on them for bagging on us as customers the way any of us who might be in retail bag on the customers we may serve? I don't think we can. There is a certain point, where it becomes detrimental to that voice-actor's career, that shouldn't be crossed, but I do not count it as "fake" to be horrified or even a little off put by us fans.
We are a demanding bunch and sometimes have trouble with separating voice from role. I admit it, I'd love the chance to spend a second in the presence of Megumi Hyashibara. I'd literally be willing to clean her bathroom or change her motor oil. ( The motor oil changing being something unpleasant which I only vaguely know how to do because the only outcome I can imagine is having my head crushed by the wheel of a badly balanced car.) I will admit to having the fanboy shivers when Monica Rial signed something using my back as a pencil board, to me these are the closest I will ever come to knowing Lina Inverse from Slayers or Hyatt from Excel Saga. Am I a bad fan? I don't believe so. I have owned/still own the anime these voice actors worked in and I buy the merchandise these anime have inspired, but in the end it would be me changing Lina Inverse's oil (or Nuku-Nuku's or Girl Type Ranma's pick a role, really.) and having my back scribbled upon by Hyatt.
I've spoken with Monica Rial (Not for very long or even more than once or twice) she once offered to kidnap my daughter. (Ms. Rial, if you are still in the market, she's 7 now and I'd consider paying YOU to take her. -Call me sign-) She is a nice person and did considerably well dealing with me as a rabid fanboy, but I can imagine her shuddering after the meeting and shuffling my image into the "God this guy is creepy" category. I'm okay with that. I was creepy. I'd be creepy again, given the chance. I admit it. It cannot be a pleasant picture, a 350 lbs man with a goatee giggling like a schoolgirl while imagining her voice coming out of some other person's mouth, and that person ISN'T EVEN REAL. I can imagine that male voice actors, especially male voice actors that play popular, flavor of the moment roles, have it even worse.
So do I begrudge voice actors a little time or opportunity to complain about me behind closed doors? Not at all. Do I expect them to be happy and chipper and ready to deal with my nerdy ass at the drop of a hat? Not really. I expect them to be good at their jobs and willing, while in public, to put on a kind face, because putting on that kind face in public is their job. When I was working as a restaurant manager I stopped being a manager the second my work was done. Did I complain about my customers? You bet your ass I did. Did I hate some of them? Damn tootin'. I was professional and kind in front of them, but that has to get turned off sometimes or a person goes crazy. So, as long as they do their jobs and put on a good show for the public I don't mind voice actors being a little "fake". They work hard and they deserve to live the life they wish to live after the microphones are shut off and once their hotel room doors are shut. They are only human after all, humans playing the roles of super-humans. They have to get tired and surly sometimes and who am I to demand that they give up the right to complain after a job well done?
-Cameron
A voice-actor I have a small (Okay tinytinytiny) acquaintance with was recently stating that some of the members of their profession. I remind you again this profession is called voice ACTING, can be somewhat FAKE. They stated this as if it should be some kind of a surprise and as if the fandom should be angry or upset that this occurs. I however, call shenanigans. Voice actors, despite their larger than life roles are people and voice acting, despite the amount of attention it garners is a job.
Like any other job it gets done and a paycheck gets cashed. There are heroes and there are assholes. I don't see why it should come as any great surprise that some voice-actors aren't the sparkling gems they portray. At the end of the day, and here's a really depressing thought for you, voice acting is just another customer service job. Some people come home from it fresh and happy, others while doing it well enough are surly and mean about it afterward, the problem being that their shifts can sometimes last 96 hours of convention time. At the end of the day, sad as this may seem, voice actors, as people do not have any obligation to be nice to their fans, the same way anyone when confronted with a customer outside of work has any obligation to be nice to them. This is especially true when that customer is demanding attention and expects that person to be their "work face."
I will admit that I like it when voice actors are nice to me. I definitely have an easier time dealing with those who treat their fans well and can hold their bile until I leave the room. I do not, however, expect them to be chipper about me behind closed doors. Therein lies the rub, can we, as fans, really expect not to be complained about by the people we mob? Can we look down on them for bagging on us as customers the way any of us who might be in retail bag on the customers we may serve? I don't think we can. There is a certain point, where it becomes detrimental to that voice-actor's career, that shouldn't be crossed, but I do not count it as "fake" to be horrified or even a little off put by us fans.
We are a demanding bunch and sometimes have trouble with separating voice from role. I admit it, I'd love the chance to spend a second in the presence of Megumi Hyashibara. I'd literally be willing to clean her bathroom or change her motor oil. ( The motor oil changing being something unpleasant which I only vaguely know how to do because the only outcome I can imagine is having my head crushed by the wheel of a badly balanced car.) I will admit to having the fanboy shivers when Monica Rial signed something using my back as a pencil board, to me these are the closest I will ever come to knowing Lina Inverse from Slayers or Hyatt from Excel Saga. Am I a bad fan? I don't believe so. I have owned/still own the anime these voice actors worked in and I buy the merchandise these anime have inspired, but in the end it would be me changing Lina Inverse's oil (or Nuku-Nuku's or Girl Type Ranma's pick a role, really.) and having my back scribbled upon by Hyatt.
I've spoken with Monica Rial (Not for very long or even more than once or twice) she once offered to kidnap my daughter. (Ms. Rial, if you are still in the market, she's 7 now and I'd consider paying YOU to take her. -Call me sign-) She is a nice person and did considerably well dealing with me as a rabid fanboy, but I can imagine her shuddering after the meeting and shuffling my image into the "God this guy is creepy" category. I'm okay with that. I was creepy. I'd be creepy again, given the chance. I admit it. It cannot be a pleasant picture, a 350 lbs man with a goatee giggling like a schoolgirl while imagining her voice coming out of some other person's mouth, and that person ISN'T EVEN REAL. I can imagine that male voice actors, especially male voice actors that play popular, flavor of the moment roles, have it even worse.
So do I begrudge voice actors a little time or opportunity to complain about me behind closed doors? Not at all. Do I expect them to be happy and chipper and ready to deal with my nerdy ass at the drop of a hat? Not really. I expect them to be good at their jobs and willing, while in public, to put on a kind face, because putting on that kind face in public is their job. When I was working as a restaurant manager I stopped being a manager the second my work was done. Did I complain about my customers? You bet your ass I did. Did I hate some of them? Damn tootin'. I was professional and kind in front of them, but that has to get turned off sometimes or a person goes crazy. So, as long as they do their jobs and put on a good show for the public I don't mind voice actors being a little "fake". They work hard and they deserve to live the life they wish to live after the microphones are shut off and once their hotel room doors are shut. They are only human after all, humans playing the roles of super-humans. They have to get tired and surly sometimes and who am I to demand that they give up the right to complain after a job well done?
-Cameron
Saturday, December 11, 2010
My First Blog Post Can't be This Annoying
It is no secret to many who know me that I harbor an Imouto (Little Sister) complex. This, weirdly enough, is one of my more pure interests and involves almost no sexual overtones (There is only 1 exception and I will not post who it is in a public space.) . I just like the idea of being a cherished protector of something and someone cute and innocent and delicate. It's one of my psychological hang ups, I'd guess.
"Cameron" you may ask, "Don't you have sisters? Isn't that as much as four tens, and isn't that horrible?" and I say to you "Yes, I have two half-sisters, but even though they are, for the most part decent, kind human beings they are not imouto. There is a subtle difference that begins with the phrase 'They aren't fictional.' that I could explain, but if you don't already understand the explanation would be a waste of time for both of us. "
Take it as rote though, that in most cases fictional younger sisters are a source of much joy and adoration for the Cam-Cam. There is a notable exception even to this though. Her name is Kirino, and she is from the series, Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Translating out to " My Little Sister Can't be This Cute") She annoys the living hell out of me. I can't point out exactly why this is. I don't particularly mind Tsundere characters (unless it is taken to a stupid extreme) and her character design is cute, but she still annoys the hell out of me. Part of it is how far the show goes to make her appear sexy. I have been made to realize that she has a decently shaped rear-end, and that she wears tiny shorts and waves it in the air like some kind of flag when she's searching under other people's beds. The series has also not failed in it's intention to inform me that she is a fashion model that wears tiny skirts easily accessible to panty shots, all well and good, but at the same time it doesn't sit right with me. I don't mind fan-service at all, and am not particularly opposed to the whole "Sexy Little Sister" thing such as presented by Sakuya in Sister Princess. Kirino however pisses me off. Possibly because her physical attractiveness is used as a justification, possibly because when she isn't being a complete and total angry bitch she is being manipulative and demanding. I don't know. What I do know is she feels persecuted and entitled and that pisses me off.
Even though she and I share having an Imouto-complex I can't relate to her, even though she plays galge and ero games I find no common ground with this character. It isn't because she is female. I know a few female ero-game players and get along with them pretty well. It lies again with her feeling of entitlement. She demands that her brother understands what she's doing. She forces her tastes on her otaku friends and she leaves her brother to clean up the mess when her dad catches her with an Eroge. (True, she is too young to own them, but that isn't the point, for now.) She feels angry and mistreated when others react negatively to her obsessions even though a major part of the show is her hiding her hobby from polite society. She then takes it out on the first person to even attempt to understand how she really is.
This angers me, as an american anime nerd. (Understand this. We are not Otaku. We over on this side of the Pacific are looked down upon by even that group of rejects. According to the Japanese, American anime nerds are not good enough to even have the term Otaku applied to us. The earlier that more of us accept this fact the better it will be for the fandom in general.) Anime fans over the age of 13 no matter where they are have to accept that we will not be treated kindly be the general public. We cannot expect the unwashed masses to understand out love of "Cartoons" no matter where we are. We should expect, and as a matter of fact, we should take pride in the rejection of the outside world. This does not mean we should become a stereotype or a social pariah. We still need to interact with the world and it does us more good to harm to make those interactions pleasant on both sides. What it does mean is that when people do not share a love for our hobbies we should accept that, allow them to think what they think, and move on. This is doubly so if we are enamoured of the more "adult" aspects of the fandom. To their mind, we are in the wrong, and it is very rarely ever worth it to argue the point. It is not up to us to make converts. This doesn't mean that we need bow to bullying or harassment. It does mean that we should walk away from such confrontations with an "agree to disagree" attitude rather than with a chip on our shoulder or bruises all over our faces. Being an anime nerd and eroge fan is a lonely path.
This is perhaps what annoys me about Kirino, she reacts as if she doesn't expect the abuse. If she doesn't expect it she does not deserve to be a part of the fandom. Anger will get you nowhere, sadness will get you nowhere, acceptance of your position and a refusal to let the bastards grind you down is the way to go. You cannot change how they think, but on the other hand, they cannot change how you think either. Love what you love, gather others who love it around you, ignore the haters and score some more of the CG in the game you are playing. You are entitled to nothing but your own enjoyment of our unique and satisfying hobby. Find peace in that enjoyment and let everything else flow off your back as much as you can. Don't be a Kirino.
-C. Emrys Carrington
"Cameron" you may ask, "Don't you have sisters? Isn't that as much as four tens, and isn't that horrible?" and I say to you "Yes, I have two half-sisters, but even though they are, for the most part decent, kind human beings they are not imouto. There is a subtle difference that begins with the phrase 'They aren't fictional.' that I could explain, but if you don't already understand the explanation would be a waste of time for both of us. "
Take it as rote though, that in most cases fictional younger sisters are a source of much joy and adoration for the Cam-Cam. There is a notable exception even to this though. Her name is Kirino, and she is from the series, Ore no Imōto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai (Translating out to " My Little Sister Can't be This Cute") She annoys the living hell out of me. I can't point out exactly why this is. I don't particularly mind Tsundere characters (unless it is taken to a stupid extreme) and her character design is cute, but she still annoys the hell out of me. Part of it is how far the show goes to make her appear sexy. I have been made to realize that she has a decently shaped rear-end, and that she wears tiny shorts and waves it in the air like some kind of flag when she's searching under other people's beds. The series has also not failed in it's intention to inform me that she is a fashion model that wears tiny skirts easily accessible to panty shots, all well and good, but at the same time it doesn't sit right with me. I don't mind fan-service at all, and am not particularly opposed to the whole "Sexy Little Sister" thing such as presented by Sakuya in Sister Princess. Kirino however pisses me off. Possibly because her physical attractiveness is used as a justification, possibly because when she isn't being a complete and total angry bitch she is being manipulative and demanding. I don't know. What I do know is she feels persecuted and entitled and that pisses me off.
Even though she and I share having an Imouto-complex I can't relate to her, even though she plays galge and ero games I find no common ground with this character. It isn't because she is female. I know a few female ero-game players and get along with them pretty well. It lies again with her feeling of entitlement. She demands that her brother understands what she's doing. She forces her tastes on her otaku friends and she leaves her brother to clean up the mess when her dad catches her with an Eroge. (True, she is too young to own them, but that isn't the point, for now.) She feels angry and mistreated when others react negatively to her obsessions even though a major part of the show is her hiding her hobby from polite society. She then takes it out on the first person to even attempt to understand how she really is.
This angers me, as an american anime nerd. (Understand this. We are not Otaku. We over on this side of the Pacific are looked down upon by even that group of rejects. According to the Japanese, American anime nerds are not good enough to even have the term Otaku applied to us. The earlier that more of us accept this fact the better it will be for the fandom in general.) Anime fans over the age of 13 no matter where they are have to accept that we will not be treated kindly be the general public. We cannot expect the unwashed masses to understand out love of "Cartoons" no matter where we are. We should expect, and as a matter of fact, we should take pride in the rejection of the outside world. This does not mean we should become a stereotype or a social pariah. We still need to interact with the world and it does us more good to harm to make those interactions pleasant on both sides. What it does mean is that when people do not share a love for our hobbies we should accept that, allow them to think what they think, and move on. This is doubly so if we are enamoured of the more "adult" aspects of the fandom. To their mind, we are in the wrong, and it is very rarely ever worth it to argue the point. It is not up to us to make converts. This doesn't mean that we need bow to bullying or harassment. It does mean that we should walk away from such confrontations with an "agree to disagree" attitude rather than with a chip on our shoulder or bruises all over our faces. Being an anime nerd and eroge fan is a lonely path.
This is perhaps what annoys me about Kirino, she reacts as if she doesn't expect the abuse. If she doesn't expect it she does not deserve to be a part of the fandom. Anger will get you nowhere, sadness will get you nowhere, acceptance of your position and a refusal to let the bastards grind you down is the way to go. You cannot change how they think, but on the other hand, they cannot change how you think either. Love what you love, gather others who love it around you, ignore the haters and score some more of the CG in the game you are playing. You are entitled to nothing but your own enjoyment of our unique and satisfying hobby. Find peace in that enjoyment and let everything else flow off your back as much as you can. Don't be a Kirino.
-C. Emrys Carrington
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)