saturday, august 25, 2001
melt downs

we had a few days of upper 80's lower 90s weather. today we went back to 102. 102 folks! while that may not seem like much of a difference, i can tell you, once you hit the upper 90s, every degree is a difference. once you hit the 100s, every degree is a HUGE difference. it is hot. REALLY hot. this is about the time of year that a car looks really good. at least then we aren't walking in this insane, fry your brain, heat.

no wonder i slept in so late today.

but the heat isn't the only melt down happening around here. last night was just loverly.

buggs and phoenixcat lost it. well, phoenixcat lost it and buggs kind of followed suit. she decided to change who does what on the chores. now, let us make something clear: the adults in this house had already decided that. we have chore sheets that the kids mark off as they finish. des'tynie had specific things she told buggs to do last night. we figured, with this all settled, we could just play the game and the kids would get done what they are supposed to get done and all would be well.

wrong.

phoenix decides to change everything and buggs, following her misguided footsteps, doesn't do what mom said to do. by the time we realize that the wrong person is giving taz a bath (far too late) it's almost 9 pm. it's like "the cat's away so the mice will play" kind of thing. we adults are playing the game that runs every other friday night almost without fail, and the kids decide to do whatever they want.

excuse me?

and the game itself, lordy, what a nightmare. good thing i didn't have much of anything planned. it would not have gotten done. first there was the mighty big fight between the characters. i saw it coming, the guy who instigated it saw it coming and just decided to get it coming earlier than later. why? because these people need to learn to work together or they will die. period. i am not a nice gm, well, not all the time. people get stupid, they pay for it. and what these guys are up against will kill them, piece by piece if it has too. only two people at this point are not expendable.

of course, once the main npc gets back in and the fight seems solved, someone takes advantage of the distraction and begins two kidnapping attempts at once.

and..before that is over, the town they are in comes under attack by the first wave of forces under control of the nasty vampire the party irritated.

we had melt downs in spades. and i am not thinking they will unmelt next week. with the way things currently stand, next week will be worse. we have a town under attack, one party member dead, another has been successfully snatched, and a brand new relationship trying to sort itself out. this is not a mix for things settling any time soon.

it's gotta be the heat making everyone crazy, right? 103-105 degree temps tend to addle the brain at least a little.

the kicker? somehow i have to make all this work for the uncrowned novel.

oh, yea, that's gonna happen.