the papal election is taking over my life!

Dear friends,

As you may remember, I am taking a class on the Italian Renaissance this quarter. As UChicago goes, the main aspect of this class is a 3-week-long LARP (they call it that) of the 1492 Papal election. Alternative history type beat. There are 96 characters in total, plus more than are NPC’s played by TA and staff — here’s about 70 TA’s. Each of the 96 playable characters get a full binder of information — alliances, goals, lore. It’s unbelievably elaborate. There are costumes for each character that has been collected by Prof. Ada Palmer (the mastermind behind all this) over years, in various sizes.

Javi, Ece, and I are all taking this class together. The way that this class seeps into your pores is unfathomable. There is absolutely no break, every minute that we spend together now almost definitely involves talking in-between the lines and politicking, or general discussions about the election and how it may go. We haven’t even had an in-class session yet.

It’s extremely entertaining and all consuming, especially because these damn UChicagoans are so damn good at it. It takes a very delicate space for this to be the thing it is — you cannot let yourself find it cringe, and you must be able to read people well. This is one of the moments where I’ve really thoroughly enjoyed my time here, also knowing that I cannot have this anywhere else. I find that it’s hard for me to even talk out of character, as Ece and Javi both have remarked my very specific intonation, inflections, etc. that I’ve adopted.

On Friday, I had a field day. I went sailing for the first time in my life, and I also went to swing dance. Sailing was fun because of the people, swing dance was ok because of the people. Namely, I have personal ops in swing dance and they’re all really good at swing dance, it seems that the UChicago branded inferiority complex cannot take a break, even when it’s swing dance. Swing dance is really so much fun, so its a shame. However, I had met the TA for one of my classes previously in swing dancing in December or so? (@leti, its Ege!) So it’s really a blast seeing him again in swing dance.

We went to see a movie today that was part of the Latino film festival currently on in Chicago, then we had a Philly cheesesteak sandwich afterwards. The movie is Colombian and it’s called Horizonte. I really enjoyed it.

It’s half past midnight, and much past my bedtime. I will all see you soon and I really look forward to returning to Europe. There are things about existing here that are unnatural, that does not move one towards homeostasis, self-actualization, blah blah blah.

Cheers, Coco

Coco Li

Coming to you straight from the papal election headquarters (the Vatican, I guess). It seems that our professor is personally nerfing us. So basically it goes that Ece, this guy Toby, and I were working in a team. With the in-game dynamics being Ece and Toby are brothers, and I am their celestial that watches over them and provides them with guidance.

However, Toby is both cracked and dedicated to this game to the extent that he has been on countless voice calls, sent many many notes on strategies and plans, and has been available at all times of the day for hours at a time. He also expressed that he resonates deeply with the character with his family being in similar strifes in real life (the casting is done incredibly well, I’m not sure how Ada Palmer is such a genius about it).

Not to mention Ece, Toby, and I have a really positive working dynamic, in that we all suck each other in more and more into the year 1492 to the point of no return.

So, today, despite us agreeing that its the day of God and we would not be involved in papal matters today, we got a personal message from Prof. Ada Palmer attached to this email. Bascially, over a call, she’s told us that she is changing Toby’s character so that he is no longer working with us. (He was Alessandro Farnese, and he will now be Cesare Valentino Borgia…) Anyways, this is huge news and incredibly devastating, although may not be detrimental to our chances of success in the election anyways.

It’s pretty clear though that we are getting nerfed before day 1, and this is really a shame. I think what Ada Palmer ultimately wants is for there to be balanced game play, and that just was not going to happen with us three together.

Ad astra, Coco

Coco Li

There’s a reporter coming today to take photos of the class since people are excited about the papal elections. From the NEW YORK TIMES! wowiiieeee

C