Not So Much a Travesty as That
Mar. 16th, 2008 08:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thessalianSo ... yeah. Anyone who says 'getting there is half the fun' should be shot.
Saturday panned out like this - I packed my gear, meeped briefly (see previous post) and then left. Miracle of miracles, the stations north of Finchley Central were actually open today (they're so often not) and I didn't have to amble very far to get to a Tube. That, in effect, was the only bit of travel luck I had trying to get to the Hangleton Community Centre and the Brighton Below LARP.
Northern Line to Euston, fine. Got off at Euston to change for the Victoria line. Discovered that the platform I sought was shut. Fuck, say I, and stomp back to the platform I just left to take the Tube one stop down and change at Warren Street. Manage that, finally get to Victoria. Huzzah. Stop off at that little shopping centre dealie to grab some food and a top that is suitable for such doings, head for the bus station in (I think) plenty of time to grab the 1pm bus out to Brighton. Spot a Whittards, stop for chocolate-covered espresso beans. Woman in the queue ahead of me is being a total pain in the arse and holds up the queue for ages. Finally get to the bus station, and the queue for tickets there (as the ticket booths are undermanned) prevent me from making the 1pm coach. Next coach - 2pm. "No problem," think I. "That'll get me there at a little past 4pm and I should be able to make it to the venue before game starts." However, then my coach is delayed. Which is a right royal pain in the arse, but still, I think, "It's not that big a delay - I should be able to make it there just before the game starts..." Except that when I get there, the roadworks on the Old Steine appear to be gumming up the traffic all over Brighton city centre. Bang go my chances at getting to LARP on time. I text the man in charge, as he was at that point the only person whose number I had, letting him know I was going to be late and sat through the bus journey, which involved one of a small pack of teenagers throwing up in the seat just ahead of mine. Then I got off the bus too soon, and wound up walking a good two miles uphill in unsuitable shoes and in the rain until I finally got to where I was going. Needless to say that by the time I got to Hangleton Community Centre, I was flustered, bemused, and vaguely pissed off at the world. Which I suppose is as good a 'getting into character' method as any for one's first time in the Underside in some frail mortal shell.
Further complications ensued about costumes. Turned out that the lab coat I was offered had been left in Dan's garage workshop through no real fault of anyone's, and as Daz hadn't known whether I was coming, the Gladstone bag didn't materialise. However, I did get a briefcase that worked well enough for my initial foray, and in a way I'm glad I didn't have the lab coat because it really would have changed my first entry into the whole thing. As it was, it went very well, and Travesty Moran came away with a fealty pledge to a noble House with a very big loophole in it, various allies and people very interested in her and what she can do, primarily in a positive way. Also quests to pursue. There are tales - many, many tales. So much to say about the Foundry folk and Hannington and Saint and the preacher and the 60s reject and Dawg and Morley and ... so, so many stories for a five-hour thing. However, they're going to have to wait for at least a little as I am rather sore, incredibly tired and possibly hungry. Suffice it to say, however, that I saw Daz and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
yshala and Dan and Gav and Drinn and someone who was on JN ages ago who calls himself Uncle Steve, and they are all still awesome people, with particular kudos to Daz and Gav, for making my RP with the Foundry folk so fun, and to yshala for her hospitality and 'group mum' instincts. I also made at least one new friend (the first person to hug me on relatively short acquaintance in some time, and I didn't even mind overmuch - he was like a puppy, really), who complimented me on my LARPing ability and said that our IC stuff had been a lot of fun. So I'm very flattered. And yes, there are tales, but they must wait.
Then we crashed at Dan and Kate's overnight. There were cats! Three of 'em! Yay for cats! Also yay for sofas to sleep on and finally getting those bloody boots off for awhile! Then there was helpingyshala with the washing up and then watching her and Kate pack 'posh plates', thus seeing yshala buried in bubble wrap. There are pictures of that... Anyway, then yshala and Mark were kind enough to drive me as far as London Bridge station on their own way home. So after an uneventful Tube ride, here I am.
I am achy. I am tired. I'm pretty sure I am hungry now. But I had such a good time. Can't wait 'til the next one. Now I just have to figure out how 'down time' actually works...
Saturday panned out like this - I packed my gear, meeped briefly (see previous post) and then left. Miracle of miracles, the stations north of Finchley Central were actually open today (they're so often not) and I didn't have to amble very far to get to a Tube. That, in effect, was the only bit of travel luck I had trying to get to the Hangleton Community Centre and the Brighton Below LARP.
Northern Line to Euston, fine. Got off at Euston to change for the Victoria line. Discovered that the platform I sought was shut. Fuck, say I, and stomp back to the platform I just left to take the Tube one stop down and change at Warren Street. Manage that, finally get to Victoria. Huzzah. Stop off at that little shopping centre dealie to grab some food and a top that is suitable for such doings, head for the bus station in (I think) plenty of time to grab the 1pm bus out to Brighton. Spot a Whittards, stop for chocolate-covered espresso beans. Woman in the queue ahead of me is being a total pain in the arse and holds up the queue for ages. Finally get to the bus station, and the queue for tickets there (as the ticket booths are undermanned) prevent me from making the 1pm coach. Next coach - 2pm. "No problem," think I. "That'll get me there at a little past 4pm and I should be able to make it to the venue before game starts." However, then my coach is delayed. Which is a right royal pain in the arse, but still, I think, "It's not that big a delay - I should be able to make it there just before the game starts..." Except that when I get there, the roadworks on the Old Steine appear to be gumming up the traffic all over Brighton city centre. Bang go my chances at getting to LARP on time. I text the man in charge, as he was at that point the only person whose number I had, letting him know I was going to be late and sat through the bus journey, which involved one of a small pack of teenagers throwing up in the seat just ahead of mine. Then I got off the bus too soon, and wound up walking a good two miles uphill in unsuitable shoes and in the rain until I finally got to where I was going. Needless to say that by the time I got to Hangleton Community Centre, I was flustered, bemused, and vaguely pissed off at the world. Which I suppose is as good a 'getting into character' method as any for one's first time in the Underside in some frail mortal shell.
Further complications ensued about costumes. Turned out that the lab coat I was offered had been left in Dan's garage workshop through no real fault of anyone's, and as Daz hadn't known whether I was coming, the Gladstone bag didn't materialise. However, I did get a briefcase that worked well enough for my initial foray, and in a way I'm glad I didn't have the lab coat because it really would have changed my first entry into the whole thing. As it was, it went very well, and Travesty Moran came away with a fealty pledge to a noble House with a very big loophole in it, various allies and people very interested in her and what she can do, primarily in a positive way. Also quests to pursue. There are tales - many, many tales. So much to say about the Foundry folk and Hannington and Saint and the preacher and the 60s reject and Dawg and Morley and ... so, so many stories for a five-hour thing. However, they're going to have to wait for at least a little as I am rather sore, incredibly tired and possibly hungry. Suffice it to say, however, that I saw Daz and
yshala and Dan and Gav and Drinn and someone who was on JN ages ago who calls himself Uncle Steve, and they are all still awesome people, with particular kudos to Daz and Gav, for making my RP with the Foundry folk so fun, and to yshala for her hospitality and 'group mum' instincts. I also made at least one new friend (the first person to hug me on relatively short acquaintance in some time, and I didn't even mind overmuch - he was like a puppy, really), who complimented me on my LARPing ability and said that our IC stuff had been a lot of fun. So I'm very flattered. And yes, there are tales, but they must wait.Then we crashed at Dan and Kate's overnight. There were cats! Three of 'em! Yay for cats! Also yay for sofas to sleep on and finally getting those bloody boots off for awhile! Then there was helping
yshala with the washing up and then watching her and Kate pack 'posh plates', thus seeing yshala buried in bubble wrap. There are pictures of that... Anyway, then yshala and Mark were kind enough to drive me as far as London Bridge station on their own way home. So after an uneventful Tube ride, here I am.I am achy. I am tired. I'm pretty sure I am hungry now. But I had such a good time. Can't wait 'til the next one. Now I just have to figure out how 'down time' actually works...