MC: April Walsh
Players: Heather Nelson, Karen Twelves, and Sean Nittner
System: Starcross
April is developing Starcross (not to be confused by Alex Roberts Star Crossed), a romantic space opera. In April’s words “it’s about love and lust in a galaxy of laser swords and rockets” and “being a part of a social order that is generally fair and queer and just, a social order that the characters care about preserving”. It’s a queer power fantasy and I love it!
After dinner, we started with character creation and April took notes from the choices we made to inform the land or Heteronormativia that we would travel to.
Our Cast
K the Techno Witch (play by Heather). Enamored by love as the highest virtue, K represents purity and naïveté, with hope eternal to find love in every encounter. Able to fix any machine, K also has her own robo-pupper named L whose adorable qualities gave the perfect alibi for expressions of affection. K was previously had a fling with Dulicnea, and doesn’t understand why the Fancypants has distanced herself. K uses she/her pronouns.
Her central conflict revolves around choosing to maintain or abandon notions of purity as naivite gives way to experience.
Lala the Fringer (played by Karen). From yet a different world than our home (Queerlandia), Lala does not always fit. The physical transformation she made when underwater (or just when she decided to shift) is monstrous. Lala has revealed her true form to K and feels exposed because of it. She has hungry eyes, chitinous clothes, and a sword made of a giant tooth! Lala uses she/her pronouns.
Her central conflict lies in preserving her freedom versus the acceptance of civilized society.
Dulcinea the Fancypants (played by Sean). Inspired by Ruby Rhod, Dulcinea (Dulcy as K calls them) is the star of her own reality streaming life show. They are nearly perpetually “on camera” and broadcasting through the galaxy. In fact one of Queerlandia’s greatest assets is it’s fantastic communications network (and terrible roads!). Dulcinea has a destiny to be sacrificed to the land of Heteronormativia, as their spokesman to the stars. Dulcinea uses he/she/they pronouns.
Her central conflict is self-determination and one’s own notions of justice versus those expectations and pressures.
A bit about Heteronormativia
Before landing we described a few things about this strange place we were going.
- We were arriving as ambassadors of Queerlandia to witness an important wedding, that would bridge the two great duopolies into one singular monopoly on the planet. We were there to broadcast the entire event.
- They planet we were landing on is OreZore, known for it’s mining of the incredibly valuable ore named Zore (they are really imaginative folks in Heteronormativia). An amazing substance (who am I kidding, it’s vibranium) that is infused into every product they manufacture but is also strictly restricted and not allowed to leave off planet except under the most exceptional arrangements. Our mission was intended to be one of those arrangements! Upshot of all this great ore, they have really good transit. Like the buses actually have a schedule!
Before you take one step
That’s how our greeting started on OreZor. An entourage of paladins in ZorArmor™ met us at the base of their space elevator (such a smooth ride!) and told us that before we set foot on the planet we would all have to agree to be bound by the laws and strictures and codes of OreZor, to which Dulicnea responded by walking up to Mink (the leader of the paladins), delicately touching her ZorArmor™ and telling her that we already know how to behave ourselves!
First move of the game was Turn Someone On… and wow, did we!
Mink, in her duties as host, after asking after our husbands (nope, nope, and many) offered us a tour of the planet, as she thought we might enjoy that.
(Note: Fan art by Shelly Soneja, found here https://sh3lly.deviantart.com/art/Ruby-Rhod-480437848)
