Which brings me to another topic entirely; in my opinion, relating everything into a roleplaying context can be quite amusing. And satisfying too, for that matter. Especially where checks are concerned. Whenever I need to do anything, I like to pretend that a check is necessary. My failures can thus be explained by poor rolls on the dice of FATE. For example, suppose that you're sitting in class, minding your own business, when suddenly your instructor asks you a question. That sounds like an intelligence check to me! A wrong answer would indicate a low roll as opposed to an actual lack of knowledge. And everyone would rather complain about their poor luck than admit their own ignorance. Of course, you could instead claim to be a cattle rancher from Nicaragua, just checking out the land in the classroom. This would require a check of an altogether different sort, not to mention a failed intelligence check from your instructor. Huzzah!
As you can see, even I can hardly resist throwing random Huzzahs into this story. Before I do so again, you might be curious to know the origins of my sudden obsession with the vocabulary of the Renaissance. In fact, it emerges from a recent adventure in which one of the characters was Simon Bellmont, of Castlevania fame. This adventure took place in a futuristic setting, which made the eccentric Bellmont seem even more outlandish. Needless to say, our characters were quick to notice that he seemed to have stepped right out of a Renaissance Festival, and to join him in a hearty Huzzah!
Okay, if you're still reading this, I can only assume that you've seen the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode that featured this quote. And if you haven't, you should. Although it didn't offer the same pun-errific aspects as the Crawling Hand, Pod People did present some annonymous poacher who seemed to have stepped right out of a Renaissance Festival. The bots were sure to let out a Huzzah! every time he appeared on screen. Which wasn't too often, since he really had no relevance to the plot. Not that Pod People had much plot. But it feature the annonymous poacher wielding a crossbow at one point. Needless to say, it was totally ineffective when brought to bear against an evil alien that looked rather like a lower-budget wookie. Dare I say it? HUZZAH!
There was one major thought that crossed my mind while seeking a quote for this week. The same idea probably occured to you when viewing the picture I ended up choosing. The most remarkable thing about this fellow featured above is not his whip (though that is undoubtedly cool, as Indiana Jones knows well), but the fact that he looks like he just emerged from some sort of Renaissance Festival. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I've never actually attended any gathering of this sort. But I do know that they feature at least one great and highly addictive activity. And I'm not talking about the opportunity to talk with a smarmy french accent or the potential to belittle others for not observing period dresscodes, which is apparently a big issue for Renaissance people. Of course, by doing so, they end up breaking period dialect codes, but I suppose the cheesy accents accomplish that anyway. No, instead I'm referring to the propensity for these festival attendees to say "Huzzah!" at even the most inappropriate times. In my opinion, that's a word that can bridge history, and should span all the way from the Renaissance into our modern vocabulary. You may not have noticed, but it's exceedingly difficult to resist joining in on an empathetic group Huzzah!. In fact, I would suggest that doing so requires a willpower check.
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