Intermediate Adventurers
We are back with more Fresh Faces interviews! To start us off, one of the View’s own Editor-in-Chiefs, Kieran/Kyra Barry (they/them), who plays Omri (he/him).
You may notice that some of these questions are a little different from the standard Fresh Faces fare. While still directed at newer players, the Intermediate Adventurers answering these questions have been around a little longer than the newest adventurers, and their questions reflect the additional years of experience they have.
I saw people hitting each other with foam sticks on the lawn of my college campus. It was conveniently located along the path from my dorm to the dining hall. I hit a few practices, I attended meetings where spell explanations went over my head, and I attended Black and White. From Black and White onwards I was hooked.
2. Have you experienced any moments in the Realms that you think will be told for years after? What was this moment?
I don't think there are any moments others tell about Omri unprompted, I do not think he is talked about very much, and my other characters are less used and newer so ditto for them. I can think of one that has equal parts shock value and amusement, admittedly more so humorous after the fact, that I think fits the bill if any of my moments were to be repeated.
So Omri is a fighter with some plot reality magic. Apparently when your reality mage teacher is actually Robin Goodfellow masquerading as Meerkat (but he actually is Meerkat simply from another reality and things went sideways for him a while back), things get a bit fucked. I had been hearing some things about Minerva for one of the more recent Randy events, and OOC I was actually excited to meet her. Goddess of magic and Dreaming? Two things Omri is into. Named after one of my favorite Roman goddesses? Bonus!
In reality (badum tss), she saw Omri before I saw her. From across the field I hear an angry "YOU!" and a woman storms over. I look around, confused, surely she doesn't mean me? I've been around less than a year, I've hardly done anything. Sure enough, she's marched right up to Omri, in his face, and lays into him. She threatens him for the damage he's done (????), and tells him if he doesn't leave she will scatter his particles to a thousand realms, and begins counting down. Panicked, I say "I don't even know who you are??" A helpful bystander shouts, "That's Minerva!" I book it at two when she had begun with a five second count down.
As a bonus to this moment, when I was far enough away and she was distracted with talks so no longer threatening Omri's life, curiosity got the better of Omri. I snuck back, and hid behind Pawldo (good old Half-Ling, being very tall) to listen in. Alas this did not work, I could only barely hear snippets. Still, Pawldo is an excellent hiding spot in a pinch. At least Minerva didn't turn Omri into a thousand ashes and scatter the pieces to numerous planes.
3. Has LARPing changed any parts of your life? If so, tell us about it?
My car trunk is full of Realms stuff that I need to clear out at some point, for one. For another, cliche incoming, it's given me an excellent community that I have fallen back on when I needed them. Nothing too major but I've seen them rally for those deeply in need. I won't lie and say it's the entire community but finding your people in the community at large can be such a gift. Joining as a young adult it's hard to say what is change because change is inevitable as one matures, and what change was caused by this community.
LARPing gives me an outlet for the weird and creative energy that has been a constant throughout my life. In fact, per Beth Freesia's orders, I must remain weird so I guess I'm stuck unless I find a better outlet for it ;p
On a less cheerful note but not necessarily negative note, it's been a few months since someone very dear to me and the community has passed. Without the Realms I never would have met Janna. They have had such an impact on my life in the time I knew them, and I wish that time could've been exponentially greater. I actively grieve on and off but their loss is not lesser for the time that passes. Something that has heartened me is that for all I struggle to feel like I'm doing alright, someone told me I remind them of Janna when they were my age. If I could become a fraction of the person they were in my own way, I feel I'd be doing alright in life.
Omri is part dragon on his mother's side. He grew up with lots of people around part of his mother's clan, not all related to him, though he had many siblings, some blood and some adopted. If interacting with non-clan it was normal to refer to oneself as part of the collective, though such interactions were rare. As such he grew up weirdly sheltered, where any involved in his home were vetted, but any who were there came from all walks of life and corners of the Realms. A melting pot of cultures and traditions.
All this lends itself to Omri being very community oriented. Failures were shared as well as successes.
Individually Omri craves knowledge. He loves words, hearing and reading them, and learning about others. Anything that gives him a better understanding of the world and others. As much as he values that, he values others more, and their safety and well being. He hesitates to strike if he thinks it's possible diplomacy might still be possible. And he loves fostering in others the curiosity that sparks in him, taking a shine to newbies and oldbies alike who seem to think akin to him, part of which is that the obvious isn't always the right way to go.
I have faced horrible creatures, uplifted allies, been awarded powers and items due to my character's actions, yet when I think of the Realms I think of my first ever event. People have mixed opinions for what should be a person's first Realms event, all with their own reasons. I can only speak to my experiences, which is that on a crisp autumn day I attended a Realms masquerade called Black and White and was met with a wondrous experience with a visually delightful array of strange and fantastical beings and creatures. A tree person named YPNN sitting fiddling with a camera, a lord named Kovaks herding newbies for tournaments which I eagerly took part in, a wolf named Madame J who touched up my dragon scales in exchange for water, a king named Cecil who I accidentally threatened because of BINGO and not for the reason you'd think (all of those mentioned I now count as dear friends).
Delicious food of all sorts coming out in waves. Strange brews that one drinks at their own risk for delight and shenanigans. Puzzles and fighting appearing at random.
Events occurring just out of sight or in Court that I did not yet know how to find or take part of that I was eager to join in on. I would later learn events like this don't really have 'plot' per se, but happenings that contribute to plot from other events. Once I learned that the FOMO abated because it is difficult for someone who has not yet gone to an event, especially a shiny newbie, to take part in the plot going ons. It did mean when I did get to become involved in things I hit the ground running because I had been revving for months building anticipation. In hindsight I can apply all my current knowledge to make sense of what had been going on, both in and out of court. Things click into place. But Black and White will forever hold that special place of wide eyed wonder where I see how fantastical things could be.
The people. At my first event I had a few things for newbie challenges, and a Realmsie named Tuilli took the time to be the person I referred back to. When I and others couldn't get to that year's Uncle Cecil's Tavern Janna gave us a ride even though I now know it was the opposite direction for them from their home. Anyone and everyone who made my failures feel like they weren't the end of the world and that I'll get to fight another day, not just as Omri but also as myself the player. I won't be shunned or excluded for mistakes.
7. What parts of the game do you find most challenging?
Fighting. I know I know, Omri is a fighter. And I stand by that. I don't think it should be if you don't want to fight, be a caster. I enjoy fighting. Doesn't mean I want to do it for hours on end. Power to those who do, you scare and inspire me.
Feeling like I make an impact. Collaborative elements are great, but I struggle to feel like what I do matters for any given scenario. It's something I'm working on overcoming to avoid harshing my fun at events. It's a good thing that situations don't rely on any one person, fluidity is what keeps the game going in my opinion.
Honestly, I want to do all the things. Throw feasts, tournaments, see what I like to do and don't like to do. I even got some plates recently courtesy of Aaron and Melissa that I plan to use for a plated feast at some point in the future. I want to stretch all my muscles and see what I can do. What works, what doesn't. My goal is to at some point have done it all, even if I only repeatedly do a few things.
IC Omri is part of the Order of the Lantern, an information gathering and sharing order. I hope to help grow it as one of its leaders so that plot and other sort of information freely flows between players instead of getting bottle necked. That way everyone has a fair chance at plot, even if not everyone will take the opportunity to get into it.
I've become a better fighter, and a squire to a couple of orders. I've become known as someone people can ask what's going on and I can either answer or point them to those that do know.
9. Have you run or helped run any events? How did those go? If you have not yet, do you plan to run or help run events?
I have run a newbie night quest for the UMass Lowell LARP club. I will get to run a mod during Sunday of KOSD Questing this October. Shout to Brooke (IC Rowan) and Paul (IC Grindin) for helping me with putting together the mod! Hopefully it kicks off even more, both long running plots and events that are just because/self contained.
To name one is impossible. I really like how everything comes together, the passion people have for this game. I love roleplaying. I love seeing people and as I get to know them how it evolves into events meaning I get to see my friends.
