Tag Archives: featured oct 2016

BDSM Basics: Safety and Consent

By Jordis Tyra Nightblade

Here at ReVo, our chatters span the spectrum from those who have no interest in sexual play, to those who consider themselves completely “vanilla” with no particular kinks or fetishes, to those whose sessions wouldn’t be complete without a dungeon that would make a medieval king proud! While many members of our community have years of experience with BDSM and other alternative lifestyles, others may be experimenting for the first time. In this issue, Jordis presents us with topics to consider when deciding whether or not to meet and play. ReVolutionary Theory understands that many kinksters consider safety and acceptable risk to be personal matters that may vary from individual to individual and even scene to scene, and so may not agree that these guidelines meet their own needs. We encourage you to use them as a point of review and form the plan that’s right for you – however, consent should always be top priority, regardless of whatever else you and your potential partners decide to do.

Now that college and university are back in session, safety and consent are back in the news. At my local university, Frosh Week is ongoing and fresh in mind as I write this. It’s important to remember, though, that abuse and sexual violence can happen to anyone, no matter your age, gender, race, or religion. With that in mind, I’d like to share some important tips on safety and consent.

Consent: Until you agree on another, your safeword absolutely IS “No”

Consent is so important, and in this day and age, it must be a clear and influence-free “Yes”!

Even when at a party and drinking, no means no. Being drunk is not consent. You can be arrested for sexual assault if your partner is drunk or high, as it’s now said that people under the influence cannot actually give consent – even if they say yes – because their judgment is impaired by the use of a mind-altering substance. You can’t drink or get high and drive with good judgment, so how can you consent to sex with good judgment? It’s best to keep sexual activity for when you’re sober.

Silence is not consent. Even being naked isn’t consent. Only “Yes” is consent. If you’re lying naked next to your partner of choice, ready to go, and you change your mind and say, “No,” that’s still a no!

Safety: Take care of yourself; it’s a crazy world out there

As somone who is deeply involved with her community of BDSM lovers and other kinksters, I’ve learned a few tips from people who’ve been in the scene for many years that can help keep us all safe.

1) Never meet someone new alone in a private place. If possible, take a friend. Even if you can’t, insist on having your “first date” (or even first few dates) in a public place. Only a shady person would deprive you of this wish. They may have ill intentions.

2) The world is filled with predators that use not only BDSM and Kink sites, but even vanilla dating sites, to find their victims. Using your real name, location, or pictures that reveal your offline identity can lead to harassment or stalking.

3) If you absolutely have no other way other then to meet a person alone or in a non-public place, make sure you have a back up plan:

• Let a friend know where you are going and with whom.

• Have them call you at random during the meeting, or if they haven’t heard from you by a previously-discussed time, to check in and make sure you’re still safe.

• Contact this person at a designated time – your safe arrival at home, or when you’re back at the public space you were picked up at.

• Refuse a ride to your door until you feel sure your date is safe. After a couple of meetings might be fine, but the first meeting is too soon. Arrange a pick up with a friend at a public location so you know you will get home sefely.

• We almost all have cell phones. Even if you have one that doesn’t work and has no minutes, you can still dial 911 in an emergency. If you dial and hang up, they may still be able to locate you! (This is information I recieved directly from a policeman.)

You always have the right to demand to be taken to a safe location. If that right is refused, call 911. Unwilling confinement is against the law!

4) Always let somone know when you’re out on a sexy evening with new people, especially if you’re away from home and friends.

5) It’s not just men who need a wingman! Take a friend designated to stay sober and keep you safe. This friend can let you go to another room alone, but can check in on you if you’re gone too long. Discuss this with your friend(s) and be sure you both or all have each others’ safety in mind. It’s not baby sitting; it’s making sure your friend is okay.

6) If anything should go wrong, report the crime! Never let anyone get away with assulting you. Whether it’s one time or a million, it’s still against the law. You have a right to personal safety. Don’t let anyone take that from you. Even if you think no one will believe you, even if you think it is your fault, there is always someone who will listen to you, who will believe you, and who wants to help you! Seek them out.

7) Know the laws in your area. Know your rights. Know where your health clinics are. Stay safe. Sex is supposed to be something enjoyable, not a terrifying nightmare!

8) Never leave drinks unattended, then finish them off. People can be jerks and slip rape drugs (“roofies”) in your drink. Always keep an eye on your drink and get a new one if you walk away from it.

9) Never walk home alone. If you have to, stick to very busy streets to get you there.

10) Never think it won’t happen to you! I can testify that I thought that, too, and then a few years later I was sexually abused.

Most importantly, be selfish! If someone is refusing your right to consent, or is taking you into danger, protect your saftey. To hell with if they get arrested, won’t be your friend, or won’t talk to you ever again. Your personal safety comes first. If they don’t care about you, you shouldn’t care if they’re arrested.

Rally In The Desert 2016

By malice

With as many Sons of Anarchy rooms as we see either popping up or reformatting from week to week on the who-chat, the question always seems to arise: “Why can’t they just all play together?”

The reason why most Sons of Anarchy rooms cannot “all play together” is because there are different areas, and in each of those areas, there are different allies and different enemies. These rooms do not always run canon, because that can be frowned upon, so allies and enemies can come from a number of sources: Fiction, reality, or something created wholly by the mind of room contributors. Each location for a Sons of Anarchy charter also holds different scenery and different challenges, and it is all in what the audience or participants crave. Given that, how could they all be brought together for an event?

The answer: Rally in the Desert. Originally the brainchild of kitten, with the assistance of malice and a few others, this concept for a way to bring these rooms together – while still allowing them to have their own locale obscurity – was born.

Rally In The Desert was held in a fictional town in Texas named “Burnout”, which seems apt for a place that is mostly a biker hole; its only real draw and tourist attraction the yearly biker rally. For its inaugural year, this rally was closed off to other biker groups and weekend warriors and left for only the Sons of Anarchy charters to attend. There were no RSVPs – you just came and went as you pleased. The entire event was designed for optimal amount of role-play, as well as to encourage the individuals attending to meet, greet and mingle.

There were traditional biker rally games to be found: A drinking contest – self explanatory for you alcohol aficionados! Bitch fishing – which involves couples [of any gender, for amusement!]. A sausage slathered in mayonnaise is hung on a string that is attached to a structure large enough for a bike to pass underneath. The goal is to get a “full pull”, which means your ‘bitch’ managed to rise up on the back of the bike and suck/remove the entire slippery sausage from the clip fully intact, while you kept the bike steady even with the shifting of weight. There was a burnout competition, which is also known as a peel out or power brake – the practice of keeping a vehicle stationary and spinning its wheels, causing the tires to heat up and smoke due to friction. A chili cook off, which found a surprising winner in a character believed unable to cook anything edible. And of course, what would a biker bash be without a wet t-shirt contest?! We saw women wet tatas, men wet tatas, and a charter prankster ride a water hose! We saw naked butts streaking across the stage, too! All judgements were based on roleplay posts of three to five lines and a dice roll that was the judges score, to make it all even and fair. Boy, were those judges hard to win over, too! There was even a boxing ring set up for those that wanted to air out issues, or just take a jab at being in the ring with a brother. Much fun was to be had!

But not all of this event was fun and games. As with all events, there was some measure of business, even if it was not seen or announced outright. Arrangements for charters to assist other charters, moving plans and transfer plans, talk of ‘corrupted’ charters that may need investigation; all matters of business were conducted between bouts of laughter and rough-housing.

From all of this came some forged friendships, some new alliances, new business arrangements, transfers, and establishing replacement and new officers to various charters. All in all, the venture was productive for many charters, including those new seeking members and those established filling holes abandoned by members. In the end, many prizes went out and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, proving this event a success. Will we see it happen again in the upcoming year? We might! There may be some changes to open things up to other players as well. Ideas are being tossed around and kitten, the creator, is open to suggestions. If you happen to have any, feel free to PM her on the ReVo forum !

Featured Room: La Romance De Paris

By Care

While our chatters are the heart and soul of roleplay, rooms are what give their characters a place to become incarnate. Managing rooms can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding task, and each leader has taken their own road to the “top”. In this issue, Care draws us back in time to the romance of Victorian Paris.

This quarter, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Howl (previously known as Snapped|Bones), owner of La Romance De Paris. The room is set between the years of 1880 and 1910 within Paris, France. Let’s see her take on the world that she helped bring to life.

I already knew your name, but you are going by Howl now, correct? And with that change, I noticed the pretty new entry page you have created. Can you tell me a little about how you came up with the concept of the room?

I did change the page. With people coming in the room thinking it was something it wasn’t, I felt it helped to keep the confusion to a minimum. It wasn’t so much that they didn’t understand as that they didn’t want to read the boards to get the information. So in an attempt to meet all parties in the middle, I made the new entry page. It’s worked wonders.

As for how I came up with the concept, is it bad that I am a massive historical romance junkie? I mean, from Harlequin to Avon and everything in between, I’ve read them all, some even multiple times. I’ve always loved the more historical themed ones because there was more glamour about it. Things were less complicated. You had to work for your love rather than text for a booty call. Love was still seen as something that was seen as important, versus something that could be done without. It was love over lust. Men were chivalrous and kind. They still believed a lady was a lady, regardless. I also loved that in the simplicity of the style of living, there was a bigger connection to the world around them – a connection to nature, which allows people to actually imagine the world around them, versus four walls and a computer. So it was with these thoughts in mind that I created La Romance De Paris.

A romance junkie, eh? Well, that doesn’t surprise me a bit. Thinking about the room, was it hard for you to make the leap from being a Transilient Room (which for those of you who may not already know, are experiments that are easily purchased for 30 days – a shameless plug, there!). How was it switching from a Transilient Room to a Permanent Room?

LOL! It’s not shameless. I actually think the Transilient Rooms are amazing. It’s a great way to test your idea without making a full commitment. I love the option, because it let me get the idea out of my head and into action. It was the best way to get feedback, to see if I would get people who would want to play in there, or if it would Hindenburg on me. As for the transition? Not hard at all! To be honest, I love the fact that ReVo has this awesomely efficient way of stream lining things. They don’t make you jump hoops and brownnose to get your idea out. The staff is always prompt and dead on point, and the support is just the best. I would say that the only hard part is the same that every Room Owner faces – once it goes from Transilient to Full, it’s no longer the new toy in the sand box, so there’s more work keeping people aware of it and what’s going on inside of it.

So tell me, besides time period and setting, what do you see as setting your room apart from some of the others that are on the whochat? I know that might be hard, but it isn’t the only 1880s type of room, as we do have The Silver Horn, too.

Well, the Silver Horn (with Joy) is set in the historical Midwest of America, when silver and gold mining was in its boom. It was those actions that helped colonize most of the United States as we know it. The world out there was rough, rugged, unrefined. People died all the time from dysentery, the flu, poisonous sources of water, lack of water in desert areas, and mining in general. Coal mining is still one of the most dangerous professions we have even to today. The difference is night and day. In Europe, civilization had been on the up and up for some time. Even the great plague which decimated it in the 1600s didn’t stop the elegance and thirst for beauty that all Europeans share. Paris in and of herself is to this day the home of fashion, glamour, and all things couture. It was so even in the 1880s. Paris also had a better standard of living, cleaner environments, better health care, and a greater life expectancy. People could live in comfort – even the poor had soup kitchens and work houses which gave them board for labor. Plus, I will admit I tweaked a few things historically and brought some luxuries from two decades ahead of the era. There is indoor running water, both hot and cold, proper sewage disposal, and the cure for TB, which was not realized until the late 1930s. So true, it’s not 100% historically accurate, but the tweaks that are present do not diminish nor remove the glamour or beauty of the era of France, especially of Paris.

The roleplay you have going on, what kind of scenes could a person walk into and observe within La Romance De Paris? Anything good and juicy? Or is it more the standard everyday living back in that time frame?

Oh anything but! You might walk in on a murder scene, you might walk in on one of my many random little story tellings that I like to do, such as the street fair or the Worlds’ Fair that I will be doing some time this month. The room is open post too so you could very well walk in on the middle of a sex scene, which I can understand for some people it’s not quite as um – Fun? But this is an adult site with adults on it so I don’t feel like limiting my players to private scenes which can sometimes accidentally not be private when the pd acts up. We also have a lot of spy business, poisonings, underhanded dealings, horrible family drama with some nasty skeletons in the closets! We have a few cases of incest, murder most foul, and women being stolen to be shipped off to China as concubines. Really? Any and every day is different. It all depends on what myself and my players get into!

That’s kind of funny as I believe the same thing; why hide behind private whispers when we are an adult site? Anyway, back on topic. What is one of your favorite things about the style of roleplay done in La Romance de Paris? Is there something that sticks out to you?

Hmm. To be fair? Our style of RP is very varied. We have everything from soft sweet romance to twisted love affairs, from murdering of whores on the street to the murder for the sake of bodies to study to advance man’s knowledge of the body. I would honestly prefer to say what makes us stick out more is our variety of RP. (Seriously, we can do any kind of RP a person would want to do – within the site rules, naturally.)

What makes us stand out? Is our support. We all believe in ReVo and we believe in treating everyone fairly. We don’t clique up in the way that we won’t RP with someone who comes in, we won’t ignore someone because we don’t like who they hang out with, and we don’t give two pins about your post size so long as content is there. It’s the fact every one of us will create new chars, NPC or otherwise, to interact with someone; to help further their story line, their character development, or to help them work an idea out in their head. IC and OOC, we are one of the most supportive rooms. We believe in maturity and respect for everyone, and we follow that out to the letter, 100% of the time.

Interesting, as we are all here for a variety of reasons but that’s a good first one. As we all know I love and adore ReVo to no end, and I try to make it work. Okay, stepping away from that a moment, tell me – do you have a favorite character in the room? One that just catches your eye and holds it, not just with roleplay but even avatar wise?

-laughs- That one is hard! I have a few favorites but those are personal reasons, RP reasons, as I have two very different but amazing lines going with both of them. But if there was one I had to pick, just one? It would be Mason Maybrick. Avatar, character style, writing? All of it. The guy is a sick puppy, the French Ripper, and I adore that sort of twist. It’s why I love La Romance De Paris. We have a mix of everything. I can also attest that the player behind him is fantastic and is always coming up with awesome new characters and story branches both in the room and on the board since not all of us have RT calm enough to RP on the regular. It’s fantastic! But, if we were to go personal for just a moment? It would be Adrien Chevalier. You ever get that RP that becomes your ‘happy place’? You know where at the end of a super shitty day, you know the second you get to rp with that person, your day’s just better? It’s like that. But those are my choices!

I like those kind of characters, and that last roleplay is something that I tend to love, too. I have seen a few things going on lately and I know that La Romance De Paris has been a host to two events, since opening. I know the first one wasn’t as popular, but you did have people that showed up and played within that night. Could you explain to the readers what the two events were and how you feel they went and if you would do it again?

Well the first one actually ended up having Murphy come and bugger it good! My DJ’s power was gone, so there was no play out going on the radio, no other DJ was able to step up since so many of them had the same issue, and of course we had a bit if a hiccup getting the word out in time too. But it was awesome because if you can overcome that sort of stuff and still host? You can handle anything! The first event was a Masqued Ball, which had lots of prizes donated by some amazing people, but sadly with the small turn out many of them were just saved up. The second was the street fair that some people had a grand bit of fun with. Every event I make has an entire section of pulldowns devoted to it, and I think that sets it apart from anyone else, and any other rooms. I take the time to write each of the pulldowns by hand, and more than that, I also make sure that the pds are self sufficient. We use the dice a lot in our room because it not only keeps things fair, but fun, especially the way we use them. Every pulldown has a list of choices and the dice roll for them, so all a person has to do is roll and the outcome is right there for them, so they can respond to it. This means they don’t have to wait for a Story Teller to get around them, or wait for someone else to be in the room. You can solo or jump in whenever you want to. It’s so much more fun this way, because no one misses out, no one has to wait for their turn. We also list a lot of information on the boards, such as pictures of some of the main draws or events, which give people a better idea of what they will be seeing in the room.

Are you planning any events our readers should be aware of? Anything juicy coming out of the
creative minds of you and your staff?

Oh, but we are always plotting! That’s the danger! We are looking at hosting in our room the Worlds’ Fair, The Olympics (I’m leaning for winter as it gives us more time to work on such a vast undertaking as that would be); Halloween is going to be amazing! We are going to have a surprise turn of events and not have zombies or the like. That’s a little cliche. We’re going to do worse. A pack of rabid animals will be set loose during a huge outdoor party and the idea is to survive the night! And if the animals aren’t bad enough? A bite from them gives you rabies and you have to go mad and attack your fellow man! What’s worse is that the people who infected these animals are on their way out too. They’re a cult that worships death for the sake of death, and because of that, they will be seeking to slaughter anyone. Survival will depend on both
how clever you are and how the dice treat you!

After that we have the Harvest, which will be an event in the vineyards where a bunch of people will get together and enter the harvest and romance will be in the air! Then, a massive Thanksgiving ball dedicated to families and the like. Christmas will be another large ball and a huge outing in the snow, with picnics in igloos and all sorts of fun things like that.

Sounds like you guys have a lot planned. That’s exciting. Now to take us off that topic and to roleplay a moment. Have you ever seen a roleplay that made you go “What the Fuck?” within the room yet?

Hmmm. Now that one is a toughie! I think one of the ones happened by the same character, Mason
Maybrick, when I came into the room and walked in on a murder scene. It was early-ish in the morning and I literally when hoo leee sheet wat da fuk? It was wild because it was just out of the blue! A murder of a whore, Ripper style, and it was awesome! It was one of those where it was so fucked up you couldn’t help but applaud it. One of those train wrecks, you know?

Those train wreck type of scenes are so freaking awesome. So, expanding a bit on the topic of the roleplay within the room, Have you had a scene yet where you just laughed your freaking ass off at it?

-faceplants- Yes. This was between Adrien and Bella. And it was, uh – God, trying to get through this without cracking up is hard.

What was the scene about?

So, Bella is, or was, totally innocent. She had no idea about sex, where babies came from, or anything of that sort. So Adrien and Bella had what we call foreplay, and she sat up in bed and looked at him, completely serious, and asked when she should start to look for the stork. Adrien looked completely baffled as she explained that perhaps she might not see a stork as they weren’t married, and only ‘good women’ got storks. The bad women had to get their babies from the cabbage patch, and those were called brothelsprouts. She said she wasn’t fond of them at all, but she would start to look through the cabbage patches in the area to find their baby. Now, Adrien is a doctor, and trying to explain what sex was and where babies came from to a woman who was one-hundred percent innocent outside of heavy petting had him utterly fumbling all over the place as he tried to figure out what she was talking about before it clicked.

That’s kind of funny. No wonder you couldn’t hold it in. Well, I think that about wraps up this interview. Is there anything you would want the readers to know or you want to say to them?

Yeah. Don’t be afraid to step out of your boxes. Comfortable RP is good and fine, but it also gets stagnant faster than a puddle of piss. Give something else a chance, a change, because RP is an adventure. Go off the beaten path, toss the compass, and have remember – Not all who wander are lost.

Keep The Music Alive 2016

By Care

While most people have probably listened to a few online music services, not everyone knows the ins and outs of managing a site-hosted radio station. While some such stations are effectively “pirate radio,” operating without licensing or approval, ReVo has made an ongoing committment to broadcasting legally, both for the protection of its staff and deejays and the continued enjoyment of its listeners. Recent changes to licensing agreements made it necessary for the Edge to reach out to its fanbase in a new way. In this issue, Care takes a closer look at what’s been going on backstage.

If you were on Roleplay Evolution back in June, you were probably aware of our Keep the Music Alive event. If not, let me tell you a bit about it.

Roleplay Evolution has its own radio online radio station called The Edge. From the inception of Roleplay Evolution, the cost of the station has been falling on Qristal. “Why would she cover it on her own?”, you might ask. Well, why does anyone do anything? Ultimately, it was both because she could, and because it was a demand that she wanted to fulfill.

In June of 2016, a licensing agreement that allowed online radio stations to operate both legally and at a lower cost than “real world” radio came to an end. With the terms of that agreement no longer in effect, the cost of hosting online radio increased significantly. All online radio stations were affected by this change, not just The Edge, and some were put out of business altogether as they could no longer afford the required fees. There were petitions to get the cost back down, but as of this month, there has been no reply to these petitions.

Addiction and Qristal asked for ideas that could help cover the rising costs of The Edge not because they didn’t want to keep it, but because the increase was so substantial and unexpected. I don’t personally know how much the jump was, as I didn’t want to press Qristal or Addiction to find out. However, when it came to thinking up ideas for ways to keep the station and cover the increased fees, the deejays were on top of it. Ultimately, Qristal and Addiction put out the feelers for items for a silent auction.

It took some planning and I don’t actually know everything that went on to pull it together, but I do know that I and my nephew, Zackary, were two of the people that donated. Why did we donate? Let me put it to you in a way that could be understood by, and the words of, a thirteen year old that was willing to help: “Aunt Care, if it means something to you, and if it means as much to others as you, then I would like to help.” Yes, folks, my nephew is a bit of a wise one. He has spent hours at my home with me, and has listened to The Edge radio when I’ve had it on. My niece and most of my nephews have sat and heard me, or others, while we were on air. My niece was my introduction to my Throwback Thursdays. So I asked around, and most of the others that donated felt the same way as my nephew.

The auction received donations from Hippolyta, Charity, Psychobarbie, Stabz, Ravage, Jenna, mouth, Yoko, Rutger and his mom, myself and my nephew, and ReVo itself. Bidding went on for about two weeks, and on June 15th, the auction was closed. Once the winners were announced, then the final tally of how the auction did was revealed by Qristal. The bids received on all donations helped pay for the radio station for six months. This gave our lovely Qristal and Addiction a huge help in keeping our music alive!

The auction was a success and the music still lives, and that shows that Roleplay Evolution chatters and players are more then just a little willing to help out and go all out for their home. Thank you to everyone that helped “Keep The Music Alive”.

Grafica Challenge 2016

By Care

For the past three years, I have been hosting graphics challenges of one type or another. Since Laramie had to give up Grafica and it became a site run room, me and Dark have been taking care of it. Two years ago, I decided to do a month-long challenge that is hosted by Grafica, where I supply the prizes and we have fun with graphics.

So now every year in September, Grafica hosts its annual challenge. Every other day, challenges are posted in Grafica’s section of the ReVo message board. This year was no different. Starting on September 1st, I posted the first challenge, and it continued on until September 29th. At that time, the last challenge was posted and the designers had until October 1st to get their submissions in.

This year we had a turn out that was pretty awesome – nothing compared to the first year, but that’s to be expected, as it seems there’s an overall decline in both chatters and designers. The first year I ran this, we had ten designers in the challenge and only four finished. In 2015, we had nine designers, with only one, Hippolyta, finishing the challenges. This year, though, we had the best turn out yet, with fifteen initial participants. Four of those participants finished on time, and we also had an additional participant that completed all the challenges, though they didn’t make the October 1st deadline.
This year’s challenge winners were Jenna, Joy Naomi, malice, Rutger, and Aelurus.

The challenges this year were slightly different from the previous years. I wanted to try something new and I think it made for a good turn out. Some of the challenges this year were ReVo-related holiday graphics, fantasy genre avatars, horror/scary avatars, room-related banners, and Facebook cover images, just to name a few. This year, we also had to switch up the prizes as I honestly didn’t expect four people to finish the challenge – I was taking a look at last year’s numbers and based my expecttaions on that. So this year, I had a “Pick Your Prize” option for finishing the challenges. You can find the full list of prizes on the board. There were a few good ones picked! Ten paid resources, ten exclusive resources, a six-month membership, and a three-month membership were ultimately chosen.

The challenges will return next September, and remember, you don’t have to be a great designer to participate – just have fun with it!

Featured Character: Keifer Jeffries

By Care

ReVolutionary Theory is the magazine that’s all about you – whether you’re a chatter, a player, or even a character! For this issue, Care examines the circuitry of Keifer Jeffries.

It’s time again for the quarterly periodical, and that means a new character interview. This time, we are sitting down with Kara and her character, Keifer Jefferies. Kara and Keifer can be found in the Creative Dimensions section of the whochat, in the room The Aftermath: New Vegas, which is based around the video game Fallout. We’ll take a few moments to learn a little about the out of character person before we go into the character.

So we will start off with some OOC stuff.

Kara: sounds good to me

Ok, so first off, how long have you been roleplaying?

Kara: Oh, geez. Hmmm. Probably close to 15 years now, I think.

How did you come up with Keifer Jefferies?

Kara: At the time, I knew of the series, I knew the basics of it, but not enough to where I could make a character worth playing there. So I had jokingly said I was going to use Nebula, from the movie, as a character, and then pieces started just slowly fitting into place. The character began taking shape as a bridge between the different games.

Well, that answers a bit of the second question I had – you weren’t a big fan of the games, to really fall into place?

Kara: It wasn’t even that, really. It’s funny, I actually own all the modern games. It’s just that I hadn’t really played them up to that point to feel confident enough to make a character in that world. So when I don’t feel comfortable making a character, I tend to go fringe.

Tell our readers a little about the world that Keifer is in before we switch to her for the rest of the interview.

Kara: It’s a post apocalyptic world, the result of a great war between all nuclear capable nations, but the main parties were the US, China, and the USSR. It’s set roughly 200 years after the war, and the world is still soaked in radiation fallout. We have to deal with mutated creatures, mutated humans, bandits, robots, and just the world in general. The remaining population is still trying to rebuild, trying to get back to some form of normalcy, but of course that’s hard with all that’s stacked against it.

Thank you for that, Kara. Now, if you don’t mind me asking, is Keifer ready for a little fun in this interview? -laughs-

Kara: I don’t think she is ever really ready!

-laughs- Okay, well, here we go!

Keifer, it’s great for you to take some time out of your day to do this for us. Tell me a bit about yourself?

Keifer: Hmm, well, that is a bit of an odd story, really. I was actually born before the war. I was a scientist who had been contracted to work at Big Mountain Research and Development Center – or as it’s referred to now, Big MT or the Big Empty.

Oh, really? Do you remember anything about the war, then? It would be interesting to tell our readers a bit about that, if we could.

Keifer: I do remember some of it. We had already been working for a little while at the time and weren’t really focused on what was going on. There had been tension for some time between the different countries, over typical things, but the war itself only lasted a matter of hours. That’s kind of when things shifted a bit in the Big MT as far as what was being worked on.

So the actual war only lasted a few hours? That’s interesting. So, what did you do after the war? How did you handle the changes?

Keifer: Well, after the war, the focus shifted to survival. We knew the nukes had dropped and there was mass hysteria, so we needed to find a way to survive the fallout. I was scared, obviously, because how could you not be when it comes to war on a global scale?

And how long as it been since the war? How long have you been in this new world?

Keifer: Ummm. I think it’s been about 208 years since the war, if my math is correct. I may be off by a year or 2. I myself have been in this new world maybe a year. It’s hard to keep track of days and months sometimes.

How is that possible? I thought you said you were born before the war.

Keifer: Well, that is where things get a little foggy, unfortunately.

Oh, so, you don’t remember? Does that mean you just woke up, then, from a sleep of some sort?

Keifer: Well, back when I said things shifted to be about survival, that meant experimentation. As we were locked down for the most part, you didn’t necessarily always have a choice. I remember being volunteered, and I remember flashes here and there. It’s like trying to repair a shattered mirror – there are splintered cracks all throughout, and that’s what it’s like for me. I get these splinters of a memory. I remember mostly being in cryo stasis between experiments, but for how long, I couldn’t tell you.

And now? Are you still in this experimentation station, or – ?

Keifer: No, thankfully, I am not. Through some involvement from someone or something, the entire station became exposed. I am not quite sure of the details. I do not even really recall how I escaped. I think there was probably a failure in the cryo pod and I thawed and found my way out. The first memory I really have is coming across the New Vegas strip.

New Vegas – that is what is left of Las Vegas in your time? So what year is it exactly?

Keifer: Yes, unfortunately, it’s pretty much all that’s left. It is still mostly functional as far as casinos and such go. It’s still at heart the same, it seems. As for the year, I have been told somewhere around 2285.

Wow, that’s a long time ahead of where we, the readers, are at. How are your days now? What’s a typical day for you?

Keifer: Well, that’s kind of hard to say, really. Most of my time, I spend just wandering from town to town. Most places are somewhat accommodating, but at there are also those who quite clearly aren’t because of how I look.

And how do you look, Keifer?

Keifer: Well, there is the blue skin, the bald head; there are the cybernetic implants, the all black eyes, and of course, my entire right arm was removed and replaced with a metal one. I am still curious what happened there myself.

Oh, so that creates a problem for you? Are there others like you in this new world?

Keifer: In a way there are, yes, but as far as I am aware, there is no other person close to being exactly like me out there.

Interesting. Well, it’s just about that time, so is there anything you would like our readers to know about you? Or your world?

Keifer: Well, I hate to use the cliché, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” because that has been beaten to death, but we are mostly good people trying to recreate a good world for people to live in once again.

Thank you for your time! Hope to see you around sometime!

LARP: The Gathering

By Jordis Tyra Nightblade

Live Action Role Playing, or LARP, moves the game from your tabletop to the outside world. While some are content to act out the story with minimal props and dialogue, others enjoy immersing themselves as fully as possible. In this introductory adventure, Jordis escorts us to the world of Avalon.

On the morning of August 11th, we embarked on a journey to Middle River to attend Avalon Gathering Five. We arrived at eleven A.M. and began to set up our tents and gear for the weekend. After that, we put on our personalities for the weekend. I dressed in a white skirt and top with gold embroidery and topped it all off with a red pouch belt and cloak. Once I stepped out of the tent, I was in the Mists of Avalon as a gem known as Jewl.

The ceremony to open the gates and welcome the participants was held at high noon. Gathered at the central fire pit, we were welcomed by Queen Anne and King Paul.

From peasants to the higher rank of court princes and princess, everyone around me was dressed in garb. We had bards and fools, warriors, wizards, and priestesses, and children of all ages.

After a great opening welcome, we gathered in the central square and introduced ourselves. Even though I was one of the newest attendees, I found it much like a family reunion. Everyone was friendly and welcoming.

Soon, I was sitting in a gazebo with the women and children. As we talked about how to construct cloaks, the kids played and made their own crafts nearby. Meanwhile, the men were outside throwing axes and shooting arrows at targets.

At four P.M., I joined a small group to learn about Reiki and how to channel energy into your palm chakras. Our teacher was Anne, who delivered the lesson from her throne in a beautifully-made lavender and white lace dress sewn by her daughter. Her home was wonderful – it had a loft, bedrooms, and a kitchen surrounding an old style wood-burning stove. Around the table, people were making bread for a handfasting the next day.

After Reiki, we had supper made at our own camp and then headed to the gazebo for merriment and drinks. One of our local dukes had been working on his homemade mead all year and had a few different kinds to taste. We started with a traditional recipe – it was bitter, reminiscient of a sharp white wine. The next, he made with champaigne yeast instead of brewers’. I found it more bubbly and pleasant. Strawberry banana was not too bad, but tasted a bit like medicine. The blackberry that followed was and is my favorite – or so I thought, because then he pulled out the ultimate surprise: Raspberry ghost pepper mead (yes, you read that right)! It burned all the way down, and while it had a lovely taste, my body does not like hot items and I did have some heartburn afterwards.

Once we’d all had a few shots of alcohol, we continued to the fires for more merriment and more drinking, though I chose to keep the mead buzz rather than adding to it. The bards sang and the dancers danced into the wee hours of the night, even as we headed to our camps.

The next day, I awakened for breakfast and headed to the stone circle dedication. Beautifully placed by the owners for Pagan rituals (as many of the Avalon attendees hold pagan beliefs), it looked like a miniature version of Stonehenge.

After a brief interlude for the costume contest, won by a very shiny knight for the adults and a lovely three year old princess for the children, we had two handfasting ceremonies, both done according to pagan ways. We were able not only to watch, but participate in the rituals as well. When each set of hands was tied and the couples joined as one, we rang small bells tied to twigs. For myself, it was a very nice experience to learn of another culture’s way of marrage.

We had a wild edibles nature walk, in which we accompanied a survivalist who taught us what plants could be eaten and which could potentially kill you in a survivor situation. My favourite of the plants we tasted was the lemon clover. I could have sat in that spot the rest of the day and eaten every last one. It really tasted like lemon meringue pie. Maybe in a past life, I was a grazing animal.

Saturday evening was bookended by the bardic competitions. A wonderful young girl with a voice like an angel won the children’s competition with her gaelic tune. After that, we moved on to the king’s feast – and what a feast it was! We had all tried our very best to bring traditional items from the era. The owners picked and steamed fresh vegetables from their garden. There were breads, meat, and dessert cakes. However, if you didnt have period items, that was okay, too – so there were also meatballs, of which I am sure I could have eaten the whole container! They were lovely.

After we were as full as pigs on a spit, we heard the adult bards. The winner was the owners’ daughter, Robyn, who regaled us with “Colors of the Wind” from Disney’s Pocahontas. Both the music and the merriment continued back at the fires. My favorite bard is still the young Alex and his poi – normally done with balls of fire, he chose glow sticks for this event, which the kids loved. Once the marshmallows were gone, the mead drunk, the merriment wound down, and a meteor shower fading overhead, we headed once again to our tents.

Rain awakened us on Sunday. We made breakfast and packed up our tents as best we could, then finished the rest of the morning in the gazebo, chatting about our favorite parts of the weekend’s event. Just as we heard the call for the Stag King Challenge, the rain let loose in full.

In the Stag King Challenge, the adult men competed for a chance to be Stag King by completing an obstacle course that was simply genius. First, they would sprint to the stone circle at Blueberry Camp. Only after battling a troll would they be allowed over a bridge and down to the spot where feats of strength awaited. Logs, cinderblocks, and tractor tires were lifted, carried, and stacked. A nearby tent provided bows and arrows for target archery. Even damsels in distress played a part in the game as their knights carried them, through a hail of foam-headed arrows, to the waiting gazebo. Thankfully, none of the damsels came to harm! Meanwhile, the rest of the women amused themselves with henna tattoos, chocolate cherries, and cheering for their beaus.

In the end, the winner was a young knight by the name of Mathos. My own knight came in third place.

Since the rain refused to let up, we said our goodbyes and, with promises to return next year, left the mists of Avalon. I’m glad both I and my children were able to have this experience. It allowed me to step into the times in which I role-play here on ReVo and get a real-life taste of what we do in the chat room. I’m looking forward to Avalon Gathering Six and already wondering what the new theme will be!

Avalon Gathering is held each year, and is only one of the many events hosted at Willow Retreat. They also offer survivor training, a womens’ healing and spiritual retreat, and Reiki training. The owners are wonderful. Feel free to look them up if you are interested in attending Avalon Gathering next year – we’d love to see you!

http://www.avalongathering.com/

New York in Need

By Joy Naomi

It’s common during the holidays to open our hearts and minds to the less fortunate, but many people forget that those in need don’t stop being in need once the calendar turns over – or that they don’t want to be there in the first place. In this issue, Joy Naomi invites us to accompany her as she visits with those who are often out of sight, out of mind, and out of luck.

Numerous people have asked me about my trips to New York to work with the homeless, as well as women and children who have left their home country, so I decided to just write it all down. This isn’t to get praise or anything – it’s nothing more than to answer questions all at one time – so with that being said, read on, and I hope you enjoy!

The very first time I ever set foot in New York City was for vacation, but it was with a tour group. You know the kind – the ones that are all, “To your right there is blah blah; now to your left is yadda yadda,” so it wasn’t like I actually got to go exploring. Boy, did that show when I went back many years later!

The first year I went specifically to work with the homeless was in 2014. Other than the tour, I had no clue how to get around New York at all. Needless to say, I got lost quite a bit! It was also up to me to find a place to stay, eat, and means of getting around. Let me tell you, it was rough for this little country girl in the city! At any rate, I finally found a place that would rent me an apartment for the week. I eventually learned the subway system, too, and that was an adventure all on its own. After getting settled in, I got started on what I went there to do.

The first place I went was to Central Park, where for the next three days, I handed out food and water to the homeless. It’s something I’ll never forget. While there, I heard a lot of interesting stories. The one thing that seemed to be a running theme was that people didn’t want to be homeless. Homelessness is one of those things where people are quick to say “Oh, they’re just drug addicts. If they wanted a job or a place to live, they would kick the habit and get it,” or, “They just got lazy and didn’t want to go to work. They deserve it.” Out of the twenty people I talked to that day more than half of them said they had good jobs at one point – some of them were even working on Wall Street – but the economy basically took a shit and they got fired and lost it all. It was all downhill for them after that. They lost their jobs, their homes, and some even lost their families.

One man who really stands out in my mind was a veteran who fought in Vietnam. As we sat there talking, he told me that things were all right when he first got back from the war, but they soon started to take a turn for the worst. He suffers from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and because of that, he lost everything. He never got the help he needed for it because he couldn’t afford it and nobody would help him. He lost his family due to the flashbacks – he thought he was still in the warzone and would attack his family without realizing it was them. His wife felt that she and their children weren’t safe there, so she left him. He agreed that they weren’t safe with him, but at the same time, he didn’t want them to leave. He hasn’t seen his wife or his two children since. After that, he just gave up. He couldn’t hold a job because of the depression. Soon he fell behind on payments and ended up on the streets. This man who fought for our country, who put his life on the line every day and came back a broken man, was now living on the streets begging for food on a daily basis because he couldn’t get the help he needed. To this day, I can’t stop thinking about him.

For the rest of the week, I volunteered at a place that helps women and children who have fled their home country. Each had a different story to tell. Some ran from the government, some ran from abusive husbands, and some just wanted a better life. Whatever the reason, they all had one thing in common: When they got here, they barely knew English and didn’t have any money or anywhere to stay. The organization that I worked with takes these women in and teaches them English, as well as life and job skills, so they can start over. While I was there, I did everything from looking after children to teaching English (I know; me teaching English to people is kind of funny because God knows I can’t speak it right half the time!).

One of the women I worked with told me that she came here with her two children and only $30 to her name. She chose to leave her country because her husband was abusive, both mentally and physically, to her and her kids, and the police wouldn’t do anything about it because where she was from, it was a normal thing due to the view of women as subservient to men. After getting here, she found the program and was able to learn English and get a job; however, her husband tracked her down to try and make her come back home. She didn’t tell me how he was stopped or what happened after that, but that was a few years prior to our meeting and she was still here, safe and happy.

I really enjoyed my time in New York. I was able to go back the following year and do all of it again, and I hope not only to go back a third time, but maybe even make it a yearly thing. The biggest thing I took from this experience is to not judge someone for how they are, whether it be homelessness, refugee status, or even just how they look. We all have our own story to tell and our own reasons for how we are today. They’re our stories and our reasons, and nobody deserves to be judged for that.

Confessions of a Drama Queen

By mouth{JT}

As most know by now, I am a self-confessed Drama Queen, and that’s alright by me. I live quite happily knowing I am making a mountain out of a molehill and really have no wish to change. As with all DQs, I have quite a few obsessive compulsions, and again, me and my compulsions live quite happily together. They are almost comforting in a situation because I know exactly how that situation is going to play out, and one such situation is a regular occurance for me:

Putting gas in my car.

Most people would go down to the local service station, fill ‘er up, and go, but not me. No, Siree. First of all, I calculate when I will have to go, to the day. I do not do the random, “Oh my god, I’m low on petrol; I’d better fill up here,” kinda thing. I actually pass three gas stations on my way to my gas station. There, the boys know me, and they know to fill my car for me. I don’t ever do it because I know without a shadow of a doubt I will fuck it up. Yes, I will. So I go to a station that offers “full service”. A boy comes racing out, fills my car up,and I go inside to pay.

Well. Almost.

On my designated day, I am down to a quarter of a tank and I am getting nervous. I constantly watch the guage and start to sweat slightly if I go below that quarter line. Right. A deep breath, and off I go. I get to the station, watching said quarter line on my dashboard, and turn into the street. Oh, shit, fuck, and crap – somebody’s using my pump. Damn. Don’t they know number 9 is mine? No, I don’t go to any other pump because I know how to exactly park my car for number nine, so – I wait.

I wait in the car park across the road, to be precise. I pull up and wait, watching number 9 in my rear-view mirror. “Holy shit, what is that woman doing? Why is she taking so long? For fuck’s sake,” are words I’ve uttered more than once. Oh, okay, she’s on crutches. Fair enough. But listen, Mister – do you really need to wash your work van now? Shouldn’t you be off fixing someone’s whatever instead of scoffing a pie and washing your van? Sheesh, man, hurry up! All words I have muttered in company of the dog as we wait for number 9 to become free.

Finally!

Okay, now comes the tricky bit. With the speed of a Formula One Racing Car Driver, I am out of my parking spot, across two laners of traffic. and zipped into the spot in front of number 9. (Luckily, I am good at speed but occassionally someone will beat me – fuckers – and the whole waiting process starts over again.)

Me and number 9 wait no more than a minute, minute and a half, tops, before a guy comes out with a huge smile and we exchange plesantries as he fills my car. They know me well and so never have to ask if I want it filled completely. Of course I do. I don’t want to repeat this for at least another ten days. I then race inside to pay so I am ready by the time the pump finishes and have all my guff. Maybe get milk and a lottery ticket. More pleasantries exchanged as we wait for my card to be accepted, and I have that slight nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Of course, I know there’s money in the account, but what if the machine breaks down? Or if I’ve smudged the electronic strip on my card? I don’t know how, but it’s possible. Probably. They would have to siphon out my gas, because I’m not doing it. You do hear stories about these things – and then- oh, phew, its been accepted. Yay.

I leave with my stuff, making sure I profusely thank the lad who did the gas, beause I am truly grateful. I jump in and off I go, secure in the knowledge that I am not going to run out of gas – this week, at least.

Like I said at the start of this article, there is a lot of comfort in knowing exactly how a situation is going to play out.

Every week.

Whole Beauty: A Holiday Breather

By Halcyon

We all deal with the ups and downs of day-to-day life, but unless you’re Martha Stewart, the holidays can be especially stressful. In this issue, halcyon introduces us to some simple techniques to help you ground and re-center. Please remember that it’s always advised to discuss changes in your regimen with your doctor or other health care provider, as he or she will be in the best position to address your personal needs and special concerns, particularly with regards to physical activities to which your body may not be accustomed – however, if you’re interested in holistic care, we hope this article will provide you with some opening discussion points!

Peace and Mindfulness Edition

Sophrosyne: (n.) a healthy state of mind, characterized by self-control, moderation and a deep awareness of one’s true self and resulting in true happiness.

Even on a good day with the best of intentions, achieving balance and self-awareness – never mind true happiness! – can be a challenge. Throw into the mix the joyful noise of the holidays, with parties, family, gift giving, and a society that has been sucked into the commercialism of the holidays, and you have a potent mix that can be physically and emotionally draining. Complete with superhero cape, I’m here to the rescue to give you some tips and strategies to keep it together, even when the in-laws come to visit or crazy Uncle Al drains the punch bowl and wants to sing carols in his boxer shorts!

• Mindfulness: The act of having an awareness of the world around you.

By doing this you keep yourself in the present instead of running in all directions as you try to complete everything on your to-do list. Think of it as hitting a pause button, taking a few moments to breathe and focus on the here and now. I’m not going to lie and say that after using these strategies, you will suddenly be serene and magically centered, but with practice you can get there!

Slow it down

These days, technology is at our fingertips. Your boss can get a hold of you via text or email, all just a tap away on your phone. Likewise, we’re bombarded with news and soundbites of all sorts from all directions. It’s no wonder we’re running around frantically, feeling overwhelmed and unable to wind down. This first strategy places an emphasis on deliberately slowing down. I use tangible objects to remind myself – my favorite being cat’s eye stone, because it reminds me of the third eye chakra and focus. I keep the stones in my pocket, in my purse, even in drawers, so that when I see it, I know to tell myself to slow down, take a breath, and be present.

Breathe

We all do this without so much as a thought. Breathing, in the way I will outline, is a game changer in the art of mindfulness. This deep breathing technique is specifically created for easing nervous tension and is excellent for simply bringing some focus back into your day. It’s the 4-7-8 technique: 4 seconds inhale, 7 seconds hold, 8 seconds exhale. You can do this wherever and whenever you need to slow down.

Mantra Power

The same as breath control helps us to center and focus via the body, so does the mantra do for us via the mind. There is true innate power within ourselves and these words help to bring it out.

When using a mantra, or by utilizing it in a chant, visualize the words and meaning vibrating through your entire being.

There is a definite connection between the mantra and the chant itself. Both the repetitive nature and tonal quality influences an alteration in our brain that can elevate mood and leave you feeling invigorated.

Here are a couple of mantras and their meaning to help get you started:

Om

• Means the sound or vibration of the universe. It’s the single most important mantra and meaning in the east.
• Om goes beyond beginning or end and symbolizes the trinity of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva.

By chanting Om, you bring yourself into a calm and balanced state. The vibration helps the mind to release restless thoughts and focus on the moment.

Om Mani Padme Hum

• This is the most important mantra in Buddhism. It means “Jewel in the Lotus”. It is a way of saying that in the mud of self-limitations, we are all jewels waiting to be uncovered.

This chant helps to unlock the compassion hidden within. By speaking or chanting this regularly, and with good intentions brings a cleansing sensation to the mind.

Keep Calm and Drink Tea

Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be tea! Coffee, cocoa, or your personal favorite hot beverage all work great. The key here is making it yourself, as it become an act of nourishing ourselves that brings us right into this moment.

Have a conscious awareness of what you are doing at the time you prepare your drink. Even if you’re just heating water in the microwave, try to slow down and take note of your senses. Be aware of your breath and being present as you give yourself this gift of something warm.

Stop and Do Yoga

I’m not going to try to get you to turn yourself into a pretzel! While this is not one you can just do while you’re losing your mind at the mall during Black Friday, (though if you do, please Snap Chat!) once you get to a quiet place, give it a shot. I promise you’ll thank me.

Child’s Pose (Balasana)

• Helps to release neck, shoulder, and upper back strain. It can also help to calm the nervous system through steady conscious breathing.

Kneel on the floor and sit on your heels. Allow yourself to bend forward and relax into the stretch. You can either rest on your chest or your thighs, or for a full stretch, spread knees out to the side, keeping your feet together and lower your torso towards the ground. Your arms can be stretched out in front of you or reaching back towards your feet.

Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)

• This pose can relieve a lot of tension in the hips, a great source of lower back pain.

Set up a folded blanket beside the wall. Lay on your left side with your hip on the edge of the blanket, as if you are sitting on the wall. Kick your legs up and lay on your back with your legs straight up the wall and the blanket beneath your hips. Relax into this restorative pose and if you can, stay here for at least 5 minutes. To get out of it, bend your knees to your chest and roll on to your side.

Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottana sana)

• This pose calms the mind, reduces headaches, and can lower blood pressure.

Begin by sitting up straight with your legs stretched out in front of you. Keep your spine straight and your feet flexed, so that your legs are engaged. When you exhale, lean forward, hooking your finger around your big toe if you can reach. If you can’t, don’t over-stretch; just rest your hands on your knees or whereever is comfortable for you. With each breath continue to deepen your stretch and find more space between each vertebrae.