Two Shot: Eir the Valkyrie
Game: Shooting the Moon
Episodes: 2
Theme Song: Trophy by Bat for Lashes
Keywords: Honourable, Powerful, Capable
Today we finished our two-shot of Shooting the Moon. I have been playing a valkyrie named Eir, who started the game as a fierce, frightening, and vaguely platonic character, but we had only played one scene. I played the game with Rob and Rach, and all three of us love urban fantasy, so it seemed a natural choice for our game.
Honestly, in review, I think that was a mistake. But let me be clear: We made an amazing story. Eir ended up bound to Rach's character, Maddox, and neither of them ended up with the beloved. Instead, the two ended up hunting him together to destroy him, as they (mostly Maddox) had helped create him. The story ended up being about this ancient elven line that had been all but eradicated by the valkyries and some other hunters because they were dark elves and were horrible.
Eir had been one of these valkyries. So when the beloved had shown up seeking to reclaim his family birth rite, she knew about it. She had been the one to destroy his family, in part. There was a great moment when she discovered that the beloved was about to get the opportunity to reawaken the dark magic of his family, and she let him choose.
Well, he chose wrong and in the end became this evil monster. Eir killed someone without honour and lost her right to be a valkyrie. It was creepy and dark and awful and I'm not really sure it's what the game was aiming for. But it was a great ride to take. The character I made was very much meant for an Urban Shadows game as opposed to a romantic game like Shooting the Moon. She wasn't aggressive when it came to romance. Rather, she sat back and watched and offered awkward moments of attraction.
For a romance character, Eir, while she had interest in the beloved, had little interest in chasing him. She didn't think he would like her, or if he did, she didn't trust him not to play her. But she wanted to. Oh, dear, did she want to. I think I struggle with this because I often don't play overtly romantic characters. I usually play characters who are more passive in courtship but become potent once in a relationship, which is, honestly, like I am in real life.
My challenge for Eir was to play romantic with a strong character, and I really failed this. She came off as awkward and confused. Which was fine, I suppose, for a woman who wasn't accustomed to courtship or dating. But it wasn't what I wanted to do and I don't think it's what the game wanted me to do either. Regardless, she was a fierce woman who was always on the edge of being dark and horrible, but had this softer side to her where she wanted to show mercy and be loving, but was also competing with her sense of duty and her very nature.
I was satisfied with the story told, even if I think it wasn't what Shooting the Moon was trying to do. Eir was great to play, compelling, and a little enigmatic. I wanted to play her more, and to see her actually be loving. There weren't really many opportunities for her to do so in the fiction. Instead, she was loving with her actions. She went out of her way to help the beloved, to defy her orders, and to give him a chance to be good. Even when he failed, she protected him.
Although I failed in my attempt to be romantic, I think Eir was a great character I wish I could've played more. I know I'm going to be playing a valkyrie again soon and this was more of a test run than anything else. I'm sure my Urban Shadows valkyrie will be ten times better for this experience, and I can't wait to keep trying to be romantic. Maybe that's my 2017 challenge. Hm...
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