Janna "Iawen" Oakfellow-Pushee
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| Photo by Christine Poulin |
How long have you been
playing?
This upcoming May will mark a decade of serving and playing
in the Realms. If you only go by event anniversaries, then I started at
Feast of Chimeron X, the one where Queen Meg went Under the Hill and Sir Pyr
became King Pyr through a contest and was knighted KoEF... oh, and Rel Zhirah
snapped a Wayland blade over his knee. And Lady Cassia served such a
grand feast that there was even a sculpture of a naked lady made out of
ice. She had raspberry nipples and a mint bush... right then. Next
question.
How has the game
changed since you've been playing?
I feel sometimes that more and more spell-casters look
(unfortunately) for more loopholes. Not necessarily for
cheating/cheesiness, but in an attempt to make their spells more noticeable,
more stand-out-ish so that way people can and will remember them for what they
claim to be in-game. This is also the case, I believe, because of our
community voting in one-cost buy downs (versus the two it used to be long
ago). It is really hard to tell who is a Healer (who claims the actual
path) and who just bought into the path because they didn't like their
Necromancy options, for example.
Also, odd as it may seem, but less and less I've seen casters role-play outside
their spell-books ("Oh, I'm out of Y, so I'm useless for the event.")
and engage generally with NPCs. I've seen quite a lot of fighters
recently taking up the role-playing mantle in more ways than one: better armor,
garb, interacting with NPCs and newbies alike, not even going for the 'fighter
DI', being courteous on and off the field about what they do and in
teaching/marshaling, etc. Granted, lots of casters don't enjoy tournament
events (I'm one of them), but fighters just don't shine in tournies only:
they're really making a mark in our community as of late (and a good one, in my
opinion).
...that could also mean that we're in the middle of an upswing of martial over
magic once more. Just like any trend in the Realms, it sways back and
forth over the years.
From an OOC stand-point, I feel that people are generally more open to the idea
of communication: asking about sites, prop borrowing (or how to make things,
etc)., asking for NPCs, working with other EHs to build plot continuity, and
the biggest one about resolving issues with other players or EHs. Open
communication doth rock. There are still the occasional people who
constantly complain about everything, but refuse to help fix their situation or
work with other players or EHs to make their situation better (or at least come
to a neutral agreement). Thankfully, these people are still in the
minority and, again in my opinion, are on the decline. That says
something about us as a community, I think. It's great that we can just
seek each other out and talk.
Who have you learned
the most from?
Kathy Fey, who plays Sir Mahkta McKrye. If you mean in
the more latter years of this decade, I'd have to say Sean Veale (Sir Wil McKrye)
for keeping one's cool in the midst of Stupid Happening; Jason Gray (Sir
Malaki), Leanne Hoffman (Magus Faelinn), and Ian Pushee (Sir Bright Oakfellow)
on how to better handle magic and magic marshaling (in general and requests);
Jacob Valeri (Sir Gideon) and Jeremy Sullivan (Laurante) for weapons
construction and prop building.
What was your best
moment IC?
In an older View from Valehaven, I covered Bouquet... so
again I think I'll go into this thinking about the latter half of the
decade. There are lots of moments that stand out: not so much as 'the
best' but pretty awesome... Wait, here was one. Going into an event
called The Court of Miracles. Think it was March 2011... anyway, we
apparently for the Courage trial had to stand and face our worse fear(s).
Iawen Penn, having recently come out of torture from another PC's actions, was
scared witless over... birds. So, of course, they had one guy back there
for me, dressed very colorfully in feathers head to toe, with a bird
mask. I screamed my damn head off and cried for help and used my blow-gun
once (missed wildly) and threw my buckler at it and tried to use chairs, and
got murdered by a damn big bird. You had to face this fear by
yourself. Apparently it freaked out the whole site, because the acoustics
in Riley Commons were awesome at the time. That one was done by...
Victoria Zukas, I think. That's a PC named Valarie Hart.
Second best moment was a summer event thrown by Randy Gordon, where Iawen
completed the quest to gain a True Name and thus The Gray Man didn't come down
and take her away for not being a real person. It was an all-female quest
(including Cecil)... there were tears on that quest, too... ask her about
sometime in-game.
Third was the first Just a Myth and pairing off with Sir/Lord Airavarri and
discovering Minerva was actually real... yeah, I'm prattling. Anyway.
What was your best
moment as a NPC/EH/Player?
Latter half, latter half... Anytime I get asked to
play Dalindonna I'm more than flattered and do my best to make that role
believable. I've kissed people, worn armor and swung mighty weapons,
cried tears, called souls, made knights, cracked necks, cursed like a sailor,
and even eaten a boiled pig's heart, all in the name of the Light. Turns
out that hearts covered in lint aren't *that* tasty. Note to future self:
always ask if there is a 'stunt' heart available.
My brain is blanking on more moments, but I'm sure if anyone asks me again in a
month or so I could come up with something! ^_^;;;
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| Photo by Casey Lemay |
What would you like to
see changed or developed more in game?
That... actually changes pretty monthly for me. Right
now, in March, I'd like to say that for all those people who are out there
going "OMF the changes to the Omnibus are bullshit!", I'd invite them
to either throw their own event (or if they don't care about legality) or small
quest and play-test the thing they think was so great (or wasn't) with their
buddies, and start gathering data on it. Or, if they're not the kind to
throw stuff, maybe convince one of their Event Holding buddies to play-test it
for them at an event they'll be at. This way, they can see what works on
paper and what actually works in the LARP system we have now. I say this
because, up until recently, I was a huge fan of blow-guns and other
'guns'/weapons in general who use NERF darts. After actually having them
be used by both sides en masse at Rock & Roll this past November, I feel
they have no place in our game and just don't work (people don't feel the hits
or just 'don't notice' seven times out of ten, and thus won't take the shot).
...on the other hand, a hall-way with those PVC blowguns where PCs had to run
Indiana Jones style through the gauntlet to not get poisoned... hmm...
(feel free to steal that idea)
What advice would you
give new players?
You will hear stories, both in and out of game. All
kinds of stories. The ones that get you excited and happy, and the ones
that make you feel sad, and the ones that might even color how you (or your
character) feels about a certain other NPC, character, nation, or group.
But if you ever hear someone sigh and wish for 'the good old days', stop.
Don't listen. Don't listen to one thing more. Because every day in
the Realms ARE 'The Good Old Days'. This is your chance: to live in new
stories, to survive events intact, to learn about why the spell system is
supposedly broken, to get possessed or stuck in a contract, to win the flower
for the fair maiden (who turns out sometimes to be a dude), to learn why the
weapons arms race is important, why art in all forms is beautiful, why you
should respect your lords and why sometimes the Big Bad Guy Reveal can still be
earth-shattering!
There will be time to shed your innocence, your wonder, your illusions, but
don't do it through someone else's stories. Shed them through your
own. And if you manage to never shed these things, tell me how I can get
mine back. :)
What do you love most
about the game?
Serving the community. I like to serve, mostly because
my dad taught me so. I never consider a task too trivial at an event, too
'beneath me'. You need the reg desk run all day and night?
Sure. You need a goblin to go out and get killed 40 times for your
ritual? Done. You need someone to do make-up, to sort bins, to haul
stuff from place to place? Can do. You need someone to go and
talk to that PC because they're having a sad/bad day? I'll do my very
best.
Because the community gave me so much and still continues to give, I love
giving back, serving in whatever capacity the day has in store. I might
be around a little less than before now (what with the newest Realmsie entering
our family), but I shan't forget the ten years I've been here, and look forward
to another ten or so more. :)
Who would you like to
see the next interview be with?
Let's start doing the "young-ins": Richard Pavis,
who plays Quinn of Gryffindor, Chimeron [
his interview can be read here]. He's the Herald for Cecil,
squired to the Knights of the Crown, went through the Apprenticeship of the
Magi of the Realms, and is throwing his first event this year in the summer.
If we're sticking to 'oldbies', then Ian Pushee (Bright) [
his interview can be read here], because that guy
rarely ever interviews. ;-) Second would be Cheech or Jason Gray
[
his interview can be read here] (who out-rank me in xp forever).
If you mean someone from my generation (or there-abouts), do Josh Learned (Sir
Shandar) or Leanne Hoffman (Magus Faelinn).
Anything else you'd
like to take the opportunity to put into print?
Never stop being creative, even if someone says 'that's
stupid'. Some of the best ideas in Realms have come from late night/dawn
o'clock 'stupidity'. :)
Also, if you get the chance, role-play at least once until dawn o'clock.
Or blue o'clock. Or birdie o'clock? Forget what the term is
nowadays!
Keep on smiling! /big ol' hug for Realmsies :)
