OTAKU EVENT: Poetry (D5, Late Afternoon)

[Mindshred]

The Otaku have challenged the competitors to create works of poetry, allowing them to demonstrate their artistic side. In order to make things more interesting, however, they are requiring that the poems be carefully written upon fans, which - in a nod to the courtship traditions of the Empire - competitors can exchange with each other once the event is finished.


Time Slot: Late Afternoon

Magic: Allowed



Poetry for the Poetry God: Each character makes a TN 15 Artisan: Poetry/Awareness Roll to decide upon an appropriate poem. On a success, the character creates a worthy poem and earns 1 Poetry Point, plus one Poetry Point per successful Raise. On a failure, the character produces a terrible mess of a poem and loses 1 Poetry Point per Called Raise.


Fans for the Fan Throne: Once the character has created the (im)perfect poem, it is time to carefully brush it upon one of the fans provided by the Otaku. The character makes a TN 15 Calligraphy (High Rokugani)/Intelligence roll to brush the kanji of the poem onto their fan. On a success, the character earns 1 Poetry Point, plus one Poetry Point per successful Raise. On a failure, the character smudges the brushwork on the fan and loses 1 Poetry Point per Called Raise.

If a character with the Brash disadvantage fails this roll, they must make a TN 25 Willpower Trait Roll (+ their Honor Rank) to become so upset that they destroy their fan, insult their hosts, and storm out of the event, forfeiting all their Poetry Points and preventing them from progressing further in this event (as well as incurring an Honor loss as they commit a Major Breach of Etiquette).


Now Flash Some Cute Peeps: Once the ink on the character's fan has dried, the character has one last chance to impress the Otaku running the event. The character makes a TN 15 War Fans/Agility roll. On a success, the character suitably impresses the Otaku with their fan-flashing skills and earns 1 Poetry Point, plus one Poetry Point per successful Raise.

If the character fails this roll with two or more Called Raises, the accidentally end up presenting the fan to one of the Otaku judges! The character loses their fan and gains the Bad Fortune (Secret Love) disadvantage in return.



Scoring: The character(s) who earns the most Poetry Points earn 3 Courtship Points, the character(s) who earn the second-most Poetry Points will earn 2 Courtship Points, and the character(s) who earn the third-most Poetry Points will earn 1 Courtship Point.

[Ide Amaya]

Amaya enjoys poetry, and has an excellent sense of rhythm, but to write poetry? Surely this will not go well...

She begins her composition, the meter is solid, but the rhymes are lacking and overwrought. Eventually she gives in, presenting her work to one of the Otaku judges for approval before moving on to the next step. This, she feels more confidence in. She enjoys the artistry of the brush, even if she had little opportunity to practice before now. Despite her poem's lack of grace, it does use characters that are complementary and look nice when brushed on to the fan. The artwork is a success, now all she needs do is impress with her smile and coquettish fluttering of her eyelashes.

Her fan work is deemed acceptable, but no more. She thanks the Otaku judges and leaves the administration center, quietly dropping the fan with its terrible poem into a fire.


---

Poetry for the Poetry God: Unsurprisingly clunky poem, 0pts
Fans for the Fan Throne: Nicely inked, 1pt
Flash Some Cute Peeps: Charming smile, 1pt

Total: 2pts

[Akodo Runno]

Runno was not an artistic soul, she appreciated the cultural efforts and importance but had dedicated no time to its proper cultivation. She did realize that 'something, something, love, something, something, plants, something, something, beauty' was probably a bad choice. So...with a half-hearted shrug and a sigh Runno remembered some inspired work from a particularly dirty ashigaru she once had the misfortune of camping around. Good enough.

Poetry Topic roll failed - 0 points

Fortunately she was far more industrious then artful and even lacking in formal training, her inner perfectionist produced some fine renditions of the same kanji repeated and even made them look different. As with most things in Rokugan, appearance was nine-tenths of the grade. Its not like anyone ever read anything in these events anyway.

Paint the kanji success! With a raise I can't do! 1 points

And then the big finish. Runno ran through one of her many, many drills with the war fan. In particular the one that said 'oh look at this fan, I might smack you with it, no wait I have a sword too, and now its in your stomach'. It was a favorite, but the sword part was lacking and probably would have been unappreciated. Biased hacks. The judges seemed to like it regardless, even minus the stabbing.

War Fans/AGI - 2 CR - Success - 3 points

Then with an audible snap the Akodo twirled the fan and slid it into her obi, retreating before the judges brains actually moved past the pretty writing and fan flipping....when they actually processed the content of the poem.

4 points total

[Iuchi Yukarin]

Yukarin considered herself neither graceful nor artistic... but she still felt compelled to try her best. Especially after totally sitting out the Shinjo archery competition.

Her poem... was spot on, an allegory about sake drank at sunset.

Her calligraphy... well, writing she could do.

The last part was particularly tricky though; The Otaku wanted her to present the fan boldly? But... she was about as bold as a baking soda volcano at a science fair! Still she rubbed her necklace for good luck, and somehow managed to impress one of the judges with a bold strike (and a flash of her gams )

+×÷=+×÷=+×÷=+×÷=

Poetry for the Poetry God: 2CR, 32 vs tn25
Fans for the Fan Throne: 2CR, 29 vs. tn25
Now Flash Some Cute Peeps: 8 vs. tn15, Luck reroll, 10 vs. tn15, Luck reroll, 18 vs. tn15

Total Poetry Points: 7

[Yasuki Tomonaga]

Tomonaga had a brilliant idea for a poem. It happened to be in an area which he was well familiar. "My poem," He began, "is an allegory, about sake drank at sunset."

The judges looked at each other. "We just heard that one. Do something else."

Tomonaga swallowed nervously. "You... just heard that one? But I was just making it up!" The judge shook his head.

Tomonaga coughed. "My poem." He began, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead, "is about... weasels!"

At least he did an okay job writing it down.

.............

EVENT: Poetry/Aware, VP for skill, 2 raises called: 4d10o10k3 21. -2 points
EVENT: Calligraphy/int, TN 15: 4d10o10k3 19. 1 point
EVENT: War fans/agi, TN 15: 2d10 7. 0 point
Final: -1 points!

[Shiba Kaizen]

Kaizen did not know what to think about this event. The Battle Maidens seemed to have very specific and varied ideas for this test of skills. Like the Topaz Championship in some cases the young Shiba had to rely on raw talent and hope for the best. As it was he thought up a great idea for a poem. Unfortunately the poem had several complicated characters, resulting in an untidy smudge on the fan. To compensate he attempted to display the fan in such a manner that the small blot of ink would not be visible. The result was neither fresh nor bold, in fact just shy of mediocrity. Still he showed proper respect and bowed to the judges who seemed to be eager for a new challenger.

*********************************************************
Unskilled Poetry/Awareness 25 1 point
Unskilled Calligraphy/Intelligence 13 0 points
Unskilled War Fans/Agility 14 0 points

1 point total

[Shinjo Monkhbaatar]

He may not be truly a poet, but there is definitely poetry in Monkhbaatar's heart. Unfortunately, there is not so much poetry in his hands, and the quality of his writing is not up to the task of presenting his poem very well. His natural grace is put on display with the showing of his skills with a fan however and he does well enough that he gets a nod of approval from the judges.

D5 LA, Poetry for the Poetry God, Unskilled, VP +1k1, TN 15: 3d10 26 1 Poetry point
D5 LA, Fans for the Fan Throne, Unskilled, VP +1k1, TN 15: 3d10 13 0 Poetry points
D5 LA, Now Flash Some Cute Peeps, Unskilled, VP +1k1, TN 15: 4d10 26 1 Poetry Point

Total: 2 Poetry Points

[Bayushi Suteichi]

Poetry was something Suteichi was good at. He of course could have been better at it. Still, he put forth his best effort.

---------
Artisan:Poetry/Awareness: 4d10o10k3 24 1 pt

Calligraphy/Intelligence + 1 VP: 4d10o10k3 15 1 pt

War Fan/Agility Untrained: 3d10k3 19 1 pt

3 Total Points

[Shimizu Ryori]

Poetry is not a lions best subject subject, but today has been an emotional day. Ryori thinks hard as he tries to come up with something to write that will capture his feelings. Thoughts of romance only bring thoughts of his discussion in thie fields after the first dinner with a Shitome.

otaku: poetry/awareness void tn15: 3d10o10k2 23 1 poetry point

He goes to write but his hand shakes and a tear or two escapes his eyes, he quickly wipes them away but the kanji is smeared slightly unreadable. He isn't sure and hesitates, but he will not ask for a second fan, they would have to make do.

Brave True Tianma
Fury Ztronger Then The Ztorm
Lyfe Iz Zakrifyce


otaku: calligraphy/int void tn15: 3d10o10k2 5 0 poetry points

He pulls it together and snaps the fan out, this at least he has trained for, commanding troops in battle via war fans, commanding Lions in battle even. He moves with all coconfidence pretending the errors in his handwritting and blotches are in purpose, and flashes the fan to the crowd.


otaku: lion paws/agility flash my fan tn25: 4d10o10k3 30
3 Poetry points

Total 4 poetry points!

[Yogo Yuichi]

Poetry...

Yuichi knows nothing about poetry. But he was already here so he had to compose at least some lines. He tried to think an appropiate theme for the poem, but inspiration and creativity did not help him. Instead he wrote some terrible lines that made no sense.

Next part was a calligraphy test. Yuichi did fine enough to be considerate as presentable work. Although his poem was quite a bad one, at least it has a good presentation.

Finally, the contestants had to impress the group of Otaku judges with their skills of wielding a fan.

*sighs*

Seriously...what did I do to deserve this?... He thought when he was just about to present his work. All that he wanted was to get the hell out of there.

Making a terrible impression and because of his need to go somewhere else after his presentation he goes towards the judges and gave the fan back to them. There were some rumours after he did this, but he didn't paid attention to the whispering. He thought that they were whispering about his terrible presentation. He was wrong...

With a final bow, he quickly disappears from the scene.


***********************************

[OOC - Rolls]

1) Poetry/Awareness - 6 |Fail [TN 15, Untrained]
2) Calligraphy/Intelligence - 17 |Pass [TN 15]
3) War Fans/Agility - 6 |Fail [TN25, 2 raises, 1 VP]

1 Poetry Point
1/2 Void Poins left
Bad Fortune (Secret Love) added to collection. Gotta Catch 'Em All!

[Tonbo Misa]

The Tao taught that to fear failure was natural, but to not try was worse. Or something like that. With that in mind, Misa decided that since this was her first contest she could do (mostly, she had a touch of help with the calligraphy), she would give it her all. Even if she failed after all, that was a natural step in life.

First was a poem itself. She gave deep thought to it. She wasn't a poet at all, and her training involved absolutely zero poetry. Still, it couldn't be that difficult, right?

Spring, Summer, Winter, Autumn
Flower blossoms, morning dew
Being with you

There, that covered all the normal bases, right? Good. With that done, she had Sanmi help give her the fan and remind her the kanji she needed. So what is she was writing blind, it was just like drawing a sword blind, or walking blind, or... other things blind! Sanmi cringed a bit as she watched, but Misa didn't know that. For all she knew, she'd written it out perfectly, and she believed, that's what counted.

Now some sort of dance, yes? Dancing blind was a bit more difficult of a prospect, but she would give it more than was expected all the same! Really though, she did just fine. Sure she tripped up a bit a few times, but she never fell, and she knew she wobbled the fan around impressively enough. Why, by the end, she felt quite proud. She'd nailed all three parts!

Bowing toward the judges (or at least, bowing away from most of them unknowingly), Misa had Sanmi lead her away, awaiting word of her well done showing.
============
Poetry for the Poetry God w/3 raises = 19 (-3)
Fans for the Fan Throne w/3 raises = 16 (-3, -6)
Now Flash Some Cute Peeps w/1 raise = 14 (fail)
Ending total -6

[Usagi Tomoe]

This at least was more in line with Tomoe's skills, compared to archery and egg-hunting (and fighting weasels)!

Akenureba
hiru to kikishi o
ika nareba
koisuru sode wa
nuremasaruran

(When daylight comes
Dry they should be, I heard, but
Why is it, then, that
The sleeves of one in love are
So exceedingly damp?)

Her calligraphy was impeccable as she placed the poem down on her fan with a deftly skilled hand.

As the Otaku judges made their rounds, the Hare clumsily dropped her fan as she tried to show it off to them. Oh well, at least it hadn't been anything terrible, and they were still impressed with her poem and calligraphy.

---

D5 LA EVENT: Poetry/Awareness. Void for skill. TN 15: 4d10o10k3 32
D5 LA EVENT: Calligraphy/Intelligence. 2 raises. TN 25: 6d10o10k4 40
D5 LA EVENT: Warfans/Agility. Void for Skill. TN 15: 3d10o10k2 8

Total Points: 4

[Soshi Yuuru]

Yuuru, in a particularly romantic mood that afternoon arrived at the event with a smile on his lips. He wrote his poem down with poise and intent. He presented it flashily to the judges and bowed at the completion of the event. His eyes began to search the crowd for other participants...

--

夏の田の
かりほの庵の
苫をあらみ
わが衣手は
露にぬれつつ

The temporary dwelling by the summer field shakes in the torrent,
The sleeves of my kimono are soaked completely.

--

Step 1: Pass
Step 2: Pass w/ 1 Raise
Step 3: Pass
Total: 4 Poetry Points

[Isawa Nonin]

Poetry? And fans? Well, at least one of the three things he was asked to do here, he was trained in.

Nonin sat down, cleared his mind and let the poetry flow. It almost did, but his lack of formal trained showed in the final product. Still, at least he could make if look nice, this was something he had trained for, he was quite pleased by the end result.

Well, he would do his best to present the fan well but not his strength. However, he actually managed it! Feeling very pleased that he managed without embarrassing himself too much, he bowed deeply to the hostesses and withdrew with his fan.


OOC:
Part 1, Failure, no points
Part 2, Success with one raise, 2 points
Part 3, Success, 1 point

Final total 3 Poetry Points

[Moto Butaj]

Butaj counts on fingers. The miai is halfway through and there has been no horse riding, Bariqu wrestling, throat singing, morin khur playing, or anything like that. Butaj thinks that either Ide Dabo wants to be really apologetic to the easterners about who the Unicorn are or the best shall come in the latter part of the miai.

So, poetry! But which poetry? That confuses Butaj, especially after the poetry afternoon with Asako Yuki. Travel poetry? Haiku? Ruba'i? This is a hard dilemma for Butaj. He thinks and thinks and thinks and... suddenly brightens! Yes, this is the way. Butaj will combine them all! Rhymes and lines from rubaiyat, natural feel and syllables from haiku and theme from the poetry of his people! Excited to be a precursor of cultural fusion, he gets back to work, counting syllables on fingers. Damn haiku doesn't come easy to Butaj but he will not falter. But what to do with fourth verse? In rubaiyat there have to be four! Eh, let it be another 7... or 5... or 7.... Duuuuh 7!

My majestic horse
Across the steppe takes his course
Riding with great force
It knocks on heaven's doors... of course

Butaj considers the effect. It is suitably glorious. Butaj is pleased and proud of himself.

Day 5 - LA - Poetry for the Poetry God - Awa/Poetry (VP for Skill) - TN25 (2R): 4d10o10k3 22 -2 Points

What? Butaj has to write it down? Why not tell it aloud? Where is the respect for oral traditions? This surely hasn't been organised by a Naoko! Oh well. Butaj has this excellent piece of poetry so even his bad calligraphy can't spoil it. He's careful though and in the end unwittngly messes up only part of the second line, if one does not count accidental blots here and there. The ink is messy stuff, but what's written is:

My majestic horse
Into the vale takes his course
Riding with great force
It knocks on heaven's doors... of course

Day 5 - LA - Fans for the Fan Throne: - Int/Calligraphy (Unskilled) - TN15: 2d10 14 - 0 Points

Oooh, so this funny piece of paper is actually meant to be waved! Good! Butaj knows how to dance and wave things! Let all know the glory of all-in-one poetry!

Day 5 - LA - Now Flash Some Cute Peeps - Ag/War Fans (Unskilled) - TN15: 4d10 17 - 1 Point

Butaj counts it as a resounding success. He even causes some deep blushes and this funny face-hiding eastern women are so fond of when they show appreciation. He grins wide and smirks at the vivid reactions of some of the judges. This can only mean they will finally appreciate Butaj's eligibility.

* * *

-1 Point