Giant Robot!!!

Thankfully this has nothing to do with Michael Bay . . . . at all!

I've finally gotten round to updating after the New Year. (I've have no Net Access at home at the moment thanks to our ISP) The only thing I left off from the Half Year Review is the construction of a Giant Robot and now it get a post all of it's own. (Photos to follow)

As part of Gaelcon (See last post) our Con Director had the brilliant idea of building a Imperator Titan in Warhammer 40K scale. If your not familiar with the game, most of the models are called miniatures and for good reason. They're small, you can fit armies of them on the dinner table and the Vehicals can fit in the palm of your hand. This would not . . . in game it's a towering engine of destruction, a self contained, mobile, heavily armoured giant robot designed and built solely to destroy it's enemies. Roughly 100ft tall with starship weaponry, it is devestating to those standing in it's way. (I have nerdgasms just thinking about them)

When he first had the idea, my initial reaction was "Awesome . . . I want in." There are many websites out there were people have done it before but we were going to do it bigger and better . . . well not bigger really as it has to be in scale . . . . but definitely better. So after a couple of months I hadn't heard anymore talk about it I decided to talk to the Con Director and see what the latest on it was. His reply was "We've started a couple of months ago" to which I repeated my offer. I had two hands and was willing to do the grunt work. So he gave me the whens and wheres and the following week I tagged in.

When I got to the Assembley Yard (it sounds grander that way) I found they had started on the basic skeleton and had a rough assembly on the legs to hips. I found the size of the legs to be a little deceptive. They were a little over 1 1/2 ft. I must have looked crestfallen because they guys then showed me the model we were using as a reference. I had no idea what were actually building. I had seen some models of Titans in the Warhammer Epic range and thought it would be similiar to those . . . . what I didn't know is that the current editions only do the smaller titans, The Imperator looked monstrous compared to them. It could be roughly broken into three sections, Legs and lower body, upper body and the citadel. The Citadel was an unknown to me . . . it rested on the Imperator's hunched shoulders, and has several towers and turrets which bring the total height of it to roughly 4 1/2 ft. On top of the tallest tower there rests a (to quote my favourite Colonel, if you can't recognise the quote then get off my blog!) Big Honking SpaceGun!

So we had building sessions once a week for the months before Gaelcon but as it got closer and we realised we had more and more to do we started have more sessions when we could. Towards the end of it I had spent and entire weekend working on it except for a short break when we had to go to a Committee Meeting. But it was an Adventure and an Experience to say the least. When we started I told the lads I'd do any grunt work they needed, measure, carry, fetch, make tea . . . but I wasn't using any of the power tools. We were using MDF, foamboard, old election signs and of course a lot of GW pieces (several tanks and installations were harvested to bring us this Titan) so I was happy enough with snips, files and scalpels. By the last month I was working away on the Sander, Band Saw, Table Saw and a Rotary Power Tool that I remembered I had from the year before.

Once we had the basic structure built we started to fill out the body parts with plaster which had to be smoothed out once it dried. It was mainly used for the Legs and Head but some gaps in the Torso were also filled in. This is were the Rotary tool became a godsend. I worked on the Head to carve out the recesses for the eyes and cleaned up the jaw line nice. At this point we had the main work of the Model done all that was left to do we detail it to hell and back. Trolling through our Bitz box and a lot of findings we added more of the superficial (but awesome) details to make the Titan pop. Pipe and tubing were used to make pistons, Wheels were made into gears and then there were the guns! A lot of the guns were stock GW tank barrels but a lot of them were made from tubing and bits.

And finally after all of this work we still had to Paint it. Painting occured in three stages, Basecoats and General tones on the night before Gaelcon's setup day, Layering, Corrections and clean up during the setup day and then some more detailing and fine touch ups during the Gaelcon weekend.

We had advertised the Titan as an event at Gaelcon saying it would take on all comers but noone actually was brave enough to try. (We were certain it would still be standing at the End) It was also made known that the Finished Titan was to be included in the Gaelcon Charity Auction and that the Con Director was determined to win it. (Rookie mistake and you hate to see it done!) So a lot of people were bidding strictly to pump the price up and put him through the wringer. In the end he got it for €800. (That's over $1,100 american) And it now resides in his bed room, defending it from the forces of Chaos and probably scaring one or two of the girls he brings home.
So we can say we've built an Imperial Emporor Class Imperator Titan, what did you do with your summer? This year we're threatening to build a Chaos Imperator (Not the Con Director though . . . he has his own Titan which he loves very much but towards the end of the build there were times were he was sick of looking at it. So he said he was definitly out if we do.) and then at the next Gaelcon have to the Titans at opposite ends of the table blasting away at each other while the crowds eggs them on.

And why the hell not?!!

Half the year in review.

Okay the two posts before this are from the middle of June and the end of October respectively, and this one is being posted on the last day of the year.

That is some bad storytelling. . . . . so I have some apologising to do. I don't know how much really applies as most of the people who see this know the full story but I'm going to pretend there are more people who read this than those who subscribe (though there is one subscriber who I don't think I know in the 'verse!) and explain for those hypothetical readers.

1. First of all I was always told "Don't post bad news ". . . no one wants to hear it and I'll be honest I don't like writing it sooo there. I had to wait till I new how it ended. I had a bit of trouble job wise and was very nervous about it. (Don't worry it all ends well I promise) At start of July we got told that there would be a restructuring of the company I worked for and that there would have to be some layoffs. My team was to be affected with nearly half the positions being reduced. We all had to re-interview for our positions (I hate interviews) and for a week or two I wasn't sure if I wanted to apply for it. I was only there on a fixed term contract and had no major obligations financially whereas several of the team had just gotten mortgages or were planning weddings (or in one case both) so I felt they could do without the extra competition.

But I was convinced by several of my colleagues to make the attempt, that way if I was successful I would at least have the option of saying no. So I applied and I interviewed and I was nervous for a good couple of weeks till I found out one way or the other. Unfortunately by the end of August I found out I wouldn't have the option. (Again it all works out ok) I didn't get to keep my role but in my defence everyone I was interviewing against was doing the same job but for much longer so I don't feel too bad. So I'd have to look for a new job. I had a few other things (Conventions mainly . . . some travel) to deal with before my contract ran out so I wasn't going to focus on that till November. Then at the start of October positions were advertised for the Parent company of the one I work for and these would just have to be applied for, no interview required yay! So I applied and had to wait another few days before I finally got word back but I got it so Yaaaaaaaaay!

I'm doing the same job just in a different office and it works out handier in a lot of ways. Last 3 words on the matter: Life is Good!

2. Life is what happens in between: yeah so things got very hectic for me between July and November with a couple of conventions to hit, another trip to the states and the building of a Robot Model.

Starting with the conventions, I was the Staff Manager for Gaelcon this year so I was responsible for recruiting staff and organising the chain gangs . . . I mean, sweat shops . . . no that's not it . . . ah yes I have it now, Production Parties required before the actual con. Also as one of the Committee for the con I did my best to make it to other cons and promote Gaelcon were I could. To that end I was at, Warpcon, Leprecon, Emeraldcitycomicon, Itzacon, Dragon*Con, Confess and Octocon talking up Gaelcon, collecting items for the Charity Auction and in general trying to make people see Gaelcon as the place of Awesomness that it is. In fact I spent most of Confess and Octocon folding flyers for Gaelcon and only got to play one or two games at both cons.

I think it in the end it paid off as this years Gaelcon was fantastic. The new venue was great, the games seemed to get great reviews (I didn't get round to actually playing though I still had a blast) in general people seemed to be having a lot of fun which is pretty much the only reason we do it. So I call it a success. My staff (Yes they're mine . . . . you can't have them!) were just fantastic to the point that I didn't need to flog a single one of them. (which did disappoint one or two of them) I had walked around for the convention with a Nerf gun in one hand and a whip in the other. (Remember where there's a will there's a way . . . where there's a whip there's a quicker way) So if you guys are reading this . . . . and I know at least 3 of you do . . . . . once again a Big Huge THANK YOU!! Also some thanks to those of you who weren't staff, but still did throw in for the heavy lifting, entertainment of guests, etc etc you know who you are (unless you suffer form Multiple Personality Disorder, in which case you won't) but thanks again.

Now on to my Trip State Side.

Those of you who have read this regularly (back when I posted regularly) would recall my posts on my Triple Threat Trip . . .. if you haven't go search the older posts for April and read them. . .. go do it now! seriously, I'll wait till you get back.

ok you all caught up? Good! Any way after all the excitement of EmeraldCityComiCon (Loves it sooo much) I spent a lot of time looking at photos of other cons on Jennie Breeden's site (www.thedevilspanties.com finish reading this then go check out her site . . . that's an order!) and after a while I got the crazy notion to make my way out to another Con she'd be at. It would be a little saner as It'd be a trip just to the con and back no other side trips or the possibility of getting arrested like last time (See I bet if you didn't read the older posts your curious now aren't you . . . go quick, I'll be here when you get back) so looking at the list of cons she was going to attend, I decided to go to Dragon*Con. It looked like the most fun . . . I don't know why . . . maybe it was the Kabuki twins . . . maybe it was Dragon*Con Goddess . . . . it might have been the KiltBlowings. (What's a KiltBlowing you say . . . well it's pretty self explanitory, you take a guy in a kilt add a cute girl with a leafblower . . . . . you know what Jennie has drawn several diagrams that do it better justice, once again goto www.thedevilspanties.com and check them out. just finish reading this first 'kay!)

So I bought a ticket for the Con, booked flights and a hotel . . . oh yeah then I asked for time off work for it (Thanks Chief) and started my countdown till September. During one of my chats with Nazu I mentioned I was going to go to Dragon*Con and she said she'd try make it down as well . . . . so it was going to be twice as awesome as I had originally thought. In preperation for the trip I made sure to pick up lots of Chocolate to bring with me (Re-Affirming my name as the Irish Candyman!) and had to empty part of my planned case to make room. So I had packed the essentials, you know Kilts, Candy, Sketchbooks and just had enough room to pack some Tshirts and socks. Once I got to Atlanta I was really glad I was going to be Kilted for the entire weekend . . . . Atlanta is hot! I had no idea it was as far south as it is. Nazu and my flights were within an hour of each other so I waited till she landed and we got a Taxi together to the Hotel.

At the con we got to meet lots and lots of cool people, first off my quest was to find Jennie and then I proceeded to locate Aaron Williams (www.nodwick.com www.ps238.com) and Sohmer and Lar ( www.leasticoulddo.com www.lfgcomic.com ). Once I got that out of my system we then actually explored the hotels and went cosplay spotting. (Photos to follow I promise) We found Waldo (I just turned around and there he was), a gender bender Steam Punk X-men and so many Mandlorians we could have invaded the Empire. Our days at the con were basically get to the con hotels, look at the pretty till about 6, grab a taxi back to the hotel we were staying in and grab some food, maybe a quick shower and then another taxi back to the Marriot for the Kiltblowings.

I'm not going to go into major detail on these . .. just google Dragon*Con Kiltblowing and you'll find sooo much documented evidence of the proceedings. Also remember how I said there was less chance of being arrested . . . weeeeeeell Sunday did have a cop involved. (Here' Jennies version of the story . .. http://jenniebreeden.livejournal.com/20860.html ) That's her story and I'm sticking to it. Nazu and I were the ones doing the show that kept the crowds entertained wile Jennie was talking her wait out of Jail.

Celebrities seen and spoken to: soo many people nowhere near enough time, Jennie B, Aaron Williams, Lar DeSouza & Ryan Sohmer (These people are Celebrities to me if you disagree then get off my blog I don't want you here . . . . go on, get! .. .. ..





have they gone? ok I'll continue Patrick Stewart (He signed a picture for Nazu and said Hi to us. 3 seconds of interaction that'll be sear into our Psyches for all time!) Doug Bradley, Malcolm McDowell, Mary McDonnell, Dirk Benedict, Barry Bostwick, Claudia Black, Felicia Day, und so weiter . . . Every one was great and so nice, expecially Claudia Black for not being weirded out when I offered her candie that I pulled out of my Kilt. Made my day.

On Monday Nazu had to go back home . . . :(, I was seriously bummed walking around on my own at the con but I did make the best of it. I was somewhat envolved in a prank that some of the forumites played on Jennie at her stall. (I did feel guilty when she referred to me as the "sane and responsible part of the forum") so I made up for it by helping her pack up.
That's 2 cons in a row that I got to hand with Jennie afterwards (Makes me feel special . . . . and tingly down there.) and then after all was said and done I went back to my hotel room . . . . alone. (That's the awwww moment right there, if you didn't go awww you're heartless!)

And that's all I'm going to post right now. In the Morning which will be my start to the New Year I'll finish the rest.

And why the hell not!?!!!

4 JD’s and a Wedding Part 2

So I finally get around to updating and finishing off my last story. Apologies but things got a little hectic in work over the last few months. One bonus is that I have since been talking with the Lads and they’re ok with me using their names so no more Friend or my other friend. The Groom is Gogz and the Bestman is Dave, that’ll make it easier to both write and read.

Anyway where had I left off . . . ah yes after we finally got back to our hotel rooms we managed to clean up and head back out to the Hotel Napoleon for a Pre-Wedding meal, a chance for those that were there to get to know each other or at least be able to recognise everyone else on the day. I have to give major Kudos to the Hotel and Staff for accommodating us as it was a pretty last minute thing to be organised and most places would have been hard pressed to have to cook up 24 meals to be served all at once. Dave, empathising due to his years working behind the Bar back in Dublin, threw in to help as much as he could taking orders from everyone and reducing down the amount of different dishes being ordered and soon everything got sorted. There were still a few rounds of drink before they started serving but that only helped ensure there was a good atmosphere going when we were all seated.

In my opinion, though I’m sure there will be those that would disagree with me, the meal was lovely. I had Lasagne with some vegetables and it was really nice, piping hot and a slightly sweet aftertaste. I loved it. After the meal we stayed in the Hotel Lounge and had a few more drinks before we started to make out preparations to head back to our Hotel. Gogz and his Fiancée spent about a half hour in a secluded corner, as Gogz would be staying in Dave’s room that night and Dave’s Girlfriend would be staying with the Bride. Once everything was sorted, bags had been brought along farewells said; Gogz, Dave and Myself went on our merry way back to the Hotel Torino.

Back at our Hotel we had a few Beers, found out who could throw their cigarette butt the furthest (Dave) and talked for a couple hours before crashing before the big day. The next morning I got up and went back to the Hotel Napoleon to pick up the shirts and boutonnières from the Bride’s room. I headed back to the hotel and had a quick breakfast before we went out to do a quick bit of siteseeing. After a quick discussion we decided to try for the Crypt of the Capuchins again. So a quick stroll later and we were back at the Piazza Del Berbini and from there straight up to the crypt which was very cool. Ok I can understand if you’re thinking that’s creepy or morbid but the sheer creativity of the different tombs was astounding. There were winged skulls, a grim reaper, a winged hourglass and a clock face all made completely of different types bones.

Once we had our fill of the crypts we made our way down to the Trevi Fountain (The right one this time) which was very cool to see. I realised once we were there that I didn’t actually know what the fountain looked like, it was just one of those things you always hear about when you say you’re going to Rome. It’s huge, it’s built into the side of a building and it’s packed with people. Tradition states if you throw a coin into the fountain you will return to Rome . . . we didn’t get close enough to throw a coin in, it was that busy, but I’m swearing now I will go back . . . oh yes I will go back!

From there we tried to make our way to the Pantheon but it was a public holiday and there were parades on and air displays and hundreds of people blocking the route we were going to take so we just got some Gelotti and headed back towards the hotel. And we would have pretty much gone straight back to the hotel except we passed this Pub.










Druid’s Rock! Yes they do! First off we were looking to have a pint, secondly it was an Irish pub and if one and two weren’t enough the kicker for me was they had Getafix in their logo! I love Asterix, for most of the trip I was walking around quoting Obelix in my head “These Romans are crazy” We had a quick drink and then went straight back to our rooms to get ready. We had the photographer meet us there to do a few quick shots of us getting ready and a few shots in the hotel once we were done before he headed off to get photos of the girls.

The Car picked us up from the hotel and brought us to the Church San Silvestro. So at last we are on to the Wedding. It’s a beautiful ceremony, the church was fantastic the décor was amazing and they did everything they could to make it a special day. As they have so many weddings they don’t do a rehearsal, the Priest just prompts as needed. Everyone looked amazing but was outshone completely by the Bride. She looked so beautiful lit up by the Sun as she entered the Church I’m sure people choked up.











It was fairy fast paced and soon enough we were whisked away for some photos. The Bride and Groom were taken to the Trevi Fountain first whilst the Bridesmaids, Parents of the Couple and the Bestman and Myself, were taken straight to the Spanish Steps. It was an amazing view, such a mix of various Architectures and scenery, which is so hard to describe. I tried there, as Gogz’s parents are both Blind, and I couldn’t do it justice with it in front of me so I’m not going to be able to now. Once the Bride and Groom arrived we took some lovely shots and then headed back to the Hotel.

The reception afterwards was so much fun, we had a small section of the hotel as it was a small wedding party. Roughly 7 tables with 8 people each, a dancing area and a Jazz quartet playing in one corner. There was a lot of fun to be had that night, Drink was flowing, music was playing and the food was fantastic. Instead of a Traditional Wedding cake they had gotten a giant Profiterole. It was divine . . . . it was all I could do not to Garfield it.














After the meal we had the speeches, which were fun and in some cases a little revealing. For example we revealed how we kept Gogz calm and relaxed before the Wedding. We had a Straight Jacket. I had picked one up in that fetish shop while were out the day before, I wanted it for a costume idea for Halloween (Pictures of that soon) and since we had it we’d have some fun at his expense.













The rest of the night was spent drinking, dancing and in some cases comparing Tattoos. I spent a lot of time talking with the Bride’s younger sister, for which I got a fair bit of stick over from the Family at the Irish reception but more on that later, and at the end of the reception a few of us tried to make our way to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night. Though the numbers whittled down to just the Bride’s Sister and myself. So we made our way back to my Hotel first so I could drop off the Jacket (Straight that is) and then head on to the fountain.

At least that was the plan unfortunately once we got back to my hotel I found myself getting a little turned around and having trouble finding the streets we needed on the map. I’m going to blame this on the fact that my contacts were drying out . . . . . and maybe just maybe the JD’s I’d been drinking didn’t help. . . . but my excuse will still be the contacts. So after nearly getting lost after 2 blocks I reckoned it was safer just to walk her back to her Hotel and call it a night. Which is what we did. I left her at the lobby of her hotel and walked back to mine. That’s it, end of the night.

Note there was no "Scene Missing".

And why the hell not?!!

4 JD's and a Wedding. Part 1

So last weekend I travelled to Rome to take part in my GM's Wedding . . . I had to I failed my dodge roll. I'm kidding of course. As they both are some my closest friends so there was no way I would miss it and when I was asked to be a Groomsman I was extremely honoured. I flew out on sunday morning into Ciampino Airport and got a Taxi straight to the hotel I'd be staying. Unfortunately the Giro de Italia was running so there were a lot of diversions but the driver did make every effort to get us there as quick as possible.

Once I got to the hotel I checked in straight away and tried to make contact with my friends who were there already. The happy couple were there since the day before, but when I got through to them they were already out with a native guide that worked with my GM. And unfortunately I had know Idea where anything was as we couldn't access the map we had done up online. So I decided to wait for the Bestman and his Girlfriend to arrive, they were staying in the same hotel. Since they were flying with AerLingus they were flying into Da Vinci Airport and would have to get a train to Rome. I ended up watching Italian dubbed Baywatch and KnightRider and napped for a bit.

Eventually my GM made plans with me for Dinner and we went out to find a restuarant. We ended up in a nice little place that did Pizza and Pasta, I had a Pizza with sausage and Potato . . . yes I said Potato. After the Dinner they had to head back to their Hotel as their son was tired but fortunately the Bestman was just heading in to meet with us, so we ended up looking for a bar that was still open. And that was a challenge in itself but finally we found a place called Mad Jacks. It had everything we were looking for. . . a Guinness sign above the door which was still open. After a couple of Rounds we headed home but with a couple of Souvenier glasses.

The next day I headed over to the Hotel Napoleon to pick up the Grooms suit as he was going to stay with us that night and the Bestmans Girlfriend would stay with the Bride to keep her company. When I arrived there, the Brides Family were just getting in so I got to hang with them for awhile which was fun. I then returned to my Hotel just as the Best Man and his Girlfriend had finall gotten up and were ready to go exploring. We walked as far as the Colosseum and were contemplating trying to go inside as we couldn't see any admissions signs when a girl came up to us asking if we were english speakers, when we said yes she told us about the tour she worked for. It was a good pitch, she explained the prices €12 admittance & €10 for the tour which was the last one of the day, The tour itself would be from a fluent english speaking native who had visual aids to help people get an idea of the past view, they also threw in another tour around the ruins of Rome which would be done after the Colosseum tour and for these reasons it was definitely value for money but there was one more thing to tip the scales in her favour . . . we would be able to skip the queue which was 45 mins long at that point. Sold to the Lady with the American accent. She really should just have started with that one.

The Tour was great it pointed out a lot of facts that weren't readily available inside the Colosseum (and there was plenty of info and signs everywhere). We were walked around by the Guide who was Italian but had great english and he had no problem pointing out the more gruesome details and morbid facts. And then when his part was concluded we had a half hour before the second tour to walk around for ourselves and take photos and the like. Actually here are some from the Colosseum showing the reconstructed Arena and the Gate of the Dead.

Before you ask I dont know who the girl in the first photo is but she was too cute to crop out. . . as mentioned before in previous posts, I am a Skeeve . . . don't Judge me!

Due to Time constraints we didn't opt for the second tour. We were on a mission . . . to find a Bone Church. The Best Man and his Girlfriend had heard about a Cappuchin Crypt which was below Santa Maria della Immacolata Concezione so we decided to try get to see that. Along the way we stopped for a brief bit in a fetish shop . . .


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Scene Missing

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. . . After navigating our way to the crypt we arrived just before it was due to close, so we figured they'd come back later (I was flying home the morning after the wedding) and we made our way back to the hotel. At one point I could see a huge fountain down a street that I had mistakenly thought was the Trevi Fountain ( I couldn't think of the name of it to find it on the map) so we took a detour to have a closer look. It was in fact The Fountain of the Naids at the Piazza della Republica. It was a fantastic area, the fountain was amazing and the spray from the water meant you felt cool and refreshed. On our was around the fountain we saw a church across the way that we decided to stick our heads into. After a few minutes of looking around in hushed reverence we left as they closed the church for the day.

And I shall continue from here tomorrow.

And why the hell not!?!

An Escort . . .Me?

So a couple of weeks ago I was asked by a friend to help out at a fashion show in aid of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Now the cause is a great one and I would do pretty much anything I can to help out a friend, so I agreed to fairly quickly.

My friend was asked as the shop we're getting our suits from for his wedding were donating the use of their dresses. Since I showed up in my utilikilt for my fitting I made an impression and they asked him to see if I’d show off their formal Kilt ware and escort one of the models in the show. A chance to wear a kilt and walk around with a beautiful woman, I told him I’d have to think about . . . for a second! He gave me the details for the night which I made a note of for later.

The night of the show came around and I headed straight from work out to Balbriggan to meet him at the Hotel. After a ride on the LUAS and a quick train ride I made my way to his house as the show was going to be later than we had originally been told. So I got to hang out with his Fiancé and himself for around an hour, talking about the upcoming Wedding and the other things going on in their lives at the moment.

We made our way from his house to the shop to get changed for the Show, and that’s when things started to go wrong. First off once we got into the shop the owner had one look at me and said the formal Kilt they had gotten sent over wouldn’t fit. The one they got in must have been for a midget. The shoes were a size 6 and the jacket sleeves stopped at my elbows. I wouldn’t even risk trying the Kilt on, for fear of castrating myself.

Then we were told that the organisers of the show just wanted to have us standing of to the side of the stage and not really involved at. Also instead of a section of the show featuring all the bridal dresses they only wanted to use her Debs dresses. This was quickly shot down as the Owner pulled the organisers aside and made it clear that the shop was called Balbriggan “Bridal” and she was doing them a favour by giving the use of the dresses.

When we first got there I had performed a quick scan of the models and called dibs on one of the girls who I liked the most. Strictly speaking I really didn't need to since he's engaged and getting married in a fortnight and all but I still followed protocol and declared it, granted I knew nothing would come of it as they all looked like they’d only date guys that looked like a shaved monkey after being kicked through a TopShop.

Anyway we went into the main hall to speak with his Parents and get a quick drink before we were needed. One JD & Coke and a Pint later and we get called to the back to sort out the running order. In the end they had three of the Models in the Brides Dresses and we were to escort them onto the stage flick out their trains as they went on to the stage and escort them back once they had finished.

Of the three Models wearing the Brides Dresses one of them was the girl I had called dibs on. Straight away I was thinking “Bonus!” The organiser says to me (pointing to one of the other Models) “You take her up first, then your friend can take her up (pointing to the one I had called Dibs on) and then you can come back and take me up. All I could think was “But I called Dibs!?”

So I walked out with the first Model, arm in arm left foot forward and all that. Helped her up the steps to the stage and flicked out her train and then escorted her back out of the hall; it went fairly smoothly and as we got back the next couple went out. She took off like a horse out of the gate and ran about five steps ahead of my friend both ways. He was a little put out but all I could think was “Well that's what you get!” And then I set of again with the final Bride. Once we were done we had another chat with his folks and then ran back into the shop to change before heading home. So all in all it was a good night, granted not everything went as planned but in the end I was hanging out with 15 Models,

And why the hell not!?!

My Gaming History 1

Since things are a little slow till the Wedding in Rome (not mine) I've to post some of the finer moments of Gaming Sessions I've played in. I have for the most part be playing games with the same circle of friends for 7 or 8 years. Mainly we have played White Wolf systems, Vampire and Mage, but we have also had a few games from d20, B.E.S.M., Marvel Universe RPG, amongst others. There were usually a few good moments in every session but occasionally there have been those moments that you can look fondly upon with a gleam in your eye and that warm feeling in cockles of you heart.

This story takes place during a Vampire Campaign were I was playing a Gangrel. I had spent a lot of time with the GM planning and creating a fairly well balanced Character, a decent history and a good plot hook for future games. One thing that came up during the process was the issue of the Gangrel Clan Flaw: They gain an animal feature every time they frenzy. This could be things such as wolf or bat like ears, cats eyes, claws or fangs, patches of fur, etc. On top of that for every 5 frenzies they lose a point from a social attribute. Given most Gangrel are prone to frenzy they can become patchwork monstrosities that are just as big a threath to the Masquerade as the Nosferatu or Tzimisce can be.

I had decided I didn't want to have to deal with this so I pumped up my conscience and willpower to give me as good a chance as possible. Now the GM didn't quite like this idea, he thought that was half the fun of being Gangrel, the chance to be a powerhouse, running on instinct not reason. When I told him I didn't want to frenzy he said he'd make me in fact not only would he make me frenzy, he'd make me want to frenzy. The game progress as I had expected given what I had went through with the GM. He had a solid idea of how he wanted the game to go and could improvise his way out of most situations we had trapped him with. It's the basic rule, no matter how many options you think you have presented to the party they'll still come up with something that not only is something you didn't think of but also buggers the rest of your plans. But he rolled with the punches and was able to keep the momentum of the game going, mainly this came from not using dice for combat resolution, instead he used Rock, Paper, Scissors.

As the game went on I had narrowly avoided a couple of Rötschreck Frenzies, due to fire or other stresses and thought I had everything well in hand. This is when the GM unleashed his plan. We had been sent to examine an underground base that was controlled by Sabbat Tremere . As we went through the base the leads we had proved fruitless and we were getting no where but slowly. As we went through the lower levels we entered rooms filled with corpses, dissected and partially dissected, of one or two clans mainly Gangrel. I announced to the party that I felt uncomfortable with the surroundings pointing to the gurneys. After two or three more rooms with more bodies but less parts therin we finally open a door which has a "Surgeon" "operating" on one of the bodies in front of us.

Straight away I say "I kill him!" to the protests of the rest of the party. They gave valid arguments like we needed the information and so on but I was determined to kill him. After about 5 minutes of out of character discussion I relent and say fine I won't kill him. But I turn to the GM and say "I reckon that'll require a frenzy roll." He smiled and said "Yes it would" and we did a quick check against each other. Just a quick point on using R,P,S as a resolution system. If you are using it make sure that you don't, as my GM did, always start with the same one. (His was scissors in case you're curious.) So we engaged, whilst I look away from the GM towards my friends, 1, 2, 3 and throw paper and smile and say "Oh dear I lose" and quickly and violently proceed to kill the "Doctor". The GM and myself were laughing maniacally as my character went on a half hour rampage through 5 War Szlachta and was eventually found clawing at a door. After a few minutes of reveling in the ramage I finally told the party how to immobilise me so we could move on safely. My memory of the rest of the game is vague compared to the lead up but it's safe to say we got through the rest of the compound and back to our base.

After the session the GM and I sat down to decide what animal feature I had gained. After a lot of discussion I managed to persuade the GM to allow me to take a social trait as opposed to physical one. We decided that my character would now have to circle the ground 3 times before sitting down, be it a just on the floor or even walking around the chair at meetings. The only condition the GM put on me was I had to Roleplay this. So at the first session after my frenzy I had said nothing to the rest of the party, but everytime we mentioned we were sitting I made a point of standing up turning around in a circle 3 time and then sitting back down. I think the first 2 times this went mostly unnoticed but on the 3rd time one of the guys copped it figured out why I was doing it and proceeded to fall out of his chair laughing.

What can I say I dedicated to my Roles,

And why the hell not!?!!

What happens in Prague goes on Blogspot. . .

So I was in Prague on the Weekend for a Friend's Stag Night. I had been moaning about it to some of my friends before hand as I was to miss two or three events that I really would have liked to have been able to make. And I must apologise to them because the weekend was fantastic.

We flew out on Friday and I love flying, if you've read the posts on the Triple Threat you'll already know this, and the flight itself was fairly smooth. We went by AerLingus and it was a short flight with no Movies that I was aware of . . . I can't say much as I read an Anne Rice novel that I picked up just before the gate in the Airport. It was Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana, the second in the trilogy and it was a good read that I reckon I finished with half an hour to spare.

Once we arrived we got to the hotel drop our gear and went straight out for food and a few drinks. And drink we did. After the exchange rate we were getting rounds for 7 people for €8. We had one of the locals join us for a bit and we had an interesting convertsation as he was fairly well on for the night when we got there, was drinking steady enough while we were talking and he kept switching back and forth between English and Czech when his english failed. Once we were done we headed back to the hotel, though not before I picked up a souvenier glass, and rested for what would be a busy day.

Saturday we woke and had breakfast in the hotel before heading out for some sightseeing. We went as far as Wenceslas Square and went for a tour around the National Museum which was very interesting. There was a good combination of historical, political, zoological & paleontology exhibits. It was hilarious to see one of the guys on the Stag turn around a corner of the stairwell and throw up the Horns because as he said "I see Skulls". After the Museum we travelled by Metro to see the area around Charles Bridge and meet up with the Stag's Father who had gone out on a tour by himself as he is visually impaired. He had contacted a group that provide assistance for the visually impaired before we flew out. His guide was a lovely girl named Eva who once hearing that we were mainly Metal heads on the Stag arrange for her Boyfreind to meet us and show us were the best clubs to go were.

We went for a meal with Eva & her boyfriend and some of the lads got to try Boar for the first time. I've had it several times before but this time I had it in a Goulash which was a first for me. After the meal we seperated and again and most of us went for a tour through the Museum of Torture Devices which was an eyeopener. Some of those pieces had us wincing in sympathy. Three floors of metal and wooden objects to cause pain and humiliation to criminals and free thinkers alike. Once we had finished with that we did a little shopping and then headed back to the hotel.

After a short rest we headed out with our main objective being to go to "Hells Bells" for a night of Drink and Metal (Simples Tastes. lol.) Once we located the club we got a bite to eat in "Corleones", an Italian Restaurant just around the corner. The meal was fantastic, the portions were huge, the atmosphere was great and most importantly . . . the waitresses were cute. The only downside was we weren't in their section but they walked by enough.

We headed back to the club and managed to get a table close to the bar and speakers. The music was at a good level that we could hear the songs and still hear each other. The only downside was that the sound system was a laptop running winamp with a huge selection of tracks, which was cool, but the "DJ" would search randomly go through the list to find an Artist and then play an entire album straight. On the plus side it did mean you heard some of the tracks that weren't as big hits but the down side being if you didn't like the band you had a whole album to sit through. The decor was cool, they had what looked like duvets on the ceiling painted with album covers, protraits of KISS on the walls and a mural over the walls and doors for the toilets.

We drank, sang and chatted amongst some of the locals then went to the hotel to drop off the Stag's Father before heading back for some of the more traditional Stag night activities. From the hotel we got in a couple of Taxis and . . .

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. . . we fell onto the street at 06:30 to be called over by a street vendor with her Sirens call of "Breakfast". On sale were Keilbasa Hotdogs, Burgers & Chicken Burgers and of course Beer. One of the lads asked if it was ok to drink in the street and the vendor replied "Drinking in street is no Problem, Boxing in Street that Problem " [sic]. We went back to the hotel some walked some got a Taxi but either way it was a short enough trip. We slept past breakfast and checked out around 12:00, well most of us.

The hotel were nice enough to let us leave our bags with them so we could do a bit more sightseeing before a taxi back to the airport. Once we were there we kill some time with some "Pizza to Go" (The Spaceballs fans are laughing right now I guarantee it!) and then flew home I can't say much more about the flight home as I slept through most of it. That is a rare thing so I was really tired for that to happen, the last time I slept on a plane was on my first flight out to Seattle back in 2000 and even then it was only for when Tin Cup was playing. Costner films are better than NyQuil for me.

We landed to come back home to some typical Irish Weather. Rain, lots of it, coming straight down and kind of to the left. My final review of the stag was this: "This Stag was brought to you by the Letter 'A' for 'Awesome'!"

I think some of the lads are planning another trip over. . .

And why the hell not?!!