Posts made by Auspice

@faraday said in Difference between an NPC and a Staff PC?:

@Kitty-Kat said in Difference between an NPC and a Staff PC?:

That said, I think before making any Staff NPC as a character bit, you need to really ask yourself if it could be accomplished by using your staff bit, and some emotes.

I tend to make my recurring NPCs as character objects, mainly because it's easier to pose them that way and I don't have to fix a bunch of logs where I accidentally said: "Faraday steps up to the podium..."

The character object is just a tool. It's how you use it that matters.

It also, on platforms like Ares, gives a very convenient place to attach logs.

@juke

A large part of why I feel they should be shared (though I get your points and I understand them!) is availability.

A daytime EST staffer isn't available for the overnight (or Euro) crowd, so that means their NPC would never get to interact with them unless one or the other specifically scheduled at an awkward time.

If a Staffer disappears suddenly, their NPC is just gone without a trace unless they left extremely extensive notes.

Again, I totally understand and can appreciate your reasoning, but a big part of mine is both accountability and access. It really sucks to be someone beholden to scheduling and never get a chance to interact with an NPC that might be vital to your character just because of scheduling conflicts.

@surreality said in Difference between an NPC and a Staff PC?:

@Auspice ...and omg the day 'staff duties' involve 'TS dispenser'/'efucks on demand', I am fucking something, all right: the hell out of this hobby, with speed.

NPC GDoc includes 'canned TS poses' along side the prepped set poses for the next +event ...

@surreality said in Difference between an NPC and a Staff PC?:

Bluntly: the primary reason I am against staff-NPCs engaging in TS is not because I think sex and romance can't be important elements of a story.

It's because players should have equal access to the NPC (per whatever generic guidelines are in place, for instance, if it's a faction NPC, anyone in the faction can request a scene with them, etc.) re: whatever services/offers that NPC makes to players of their rank/status/affiliation/whatever.

Not real keen on the notion of people grousing that Joe got laid, so he shouldn't be denied some hawt staff-NPC TS, as Joe's equal whatever. That's a whole world of nope.

I mean, if the TS is part of the questline and everyone can join the questline and TS the NPC then hey, go for it. Then it would be just like a video game and everyone can be the Titular Character.

But MUs aren't Mass Effect or Dragon Age or...

I believe NPCs should be Staff Property - playable by any member of Staff 'as needed' - for a plot scene, for a scene with PCs (a leader discussing disciplinary action, handing out a quest, etc etc), and so on. Their plot, their progress (such as sheets), and major actions should be tracked and shared (potentially discussed depending on scale) with the rest of Staff. Things like GDoc are great for this.

Once an NPC is being played by a Staffer on a regular basis in casual, day-to-day RP and is exclusively played by them (particularly if they are playing in personal, intimate friendships and relationships) they are no longer, IMO, an NPC and become a PC and should then be governed by the same rules as PCs.

@Ghost said in Good TV:

Graham Norton is such a lovely interviewer.

I'm in the States, so I DVR his shows. I build this backlog that I might not touch for weeks, and then suddenly get the wild hair to watch an episode. Every single time I'm floored with just how conversationally wonderful his programs are.

USA needs more "shared couch conversation" interview shows, or better yet, Graham needs to enter the US nighttime talk show competition.

He needs a less eye-bleed worthy set tho

@krmbm said in If you work hard, son, maybe someday you'll RP:

@faraday said in If you work hard, son, maybe someday you'll RP:

And you get to RP any NPC at any time as befits the game.

I suppose there are some staffers out there who get their jollies NPCing Princess Leia in a medal ceremony, but most of us find it to be a terrible chore.

I assume this is where the "NPCs are PCs, too!" argument came to life. I am not a fan of this argument.

Unfortunately there have been Staffers out there (Sylph of Ennersea is a very good example) who have taken their special plot NPCs and just eased into them being their own personal PCs until it became a sort of brand.

But this sort of dovetails into the post I just made in the peeves thread: we can't assume 'just because X person did it years ago' (or even a few people over the years have done it!) 'every single person I ever encounter will do it'.

@Kitty-Kat said in Not even sure what to title this, but here goes..:

@Auspice said in Not even sure what to title this, but here goes..:

I'd just like to take a moment to recommend reading the book 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck' if you are sincere. The title of the book may seem, in a sense, counter-intuitive but it's really anything but. It's given me a lot of moments to really think about my stances on myself, my approach to people and life, and how I'm viewing things.

And (from the basis of the book) if you are sincere: you need to really, really take a new approach to your values.

Thanks Auspice, I'll definitely check it out. I've definitely had to leave a lot of what I used to consider 'values' at the door, especially when I realized how toxic some of them could be, especially when used as justifications for shitty behavior.

I.E. Being less than civil with someone, under the justification, they disrespected me.. so it's cool to treat them however I want. - What a load of trash, I can't believe I used to actually think that was true, let alone, expected anyone else to give the thumbs up on it.

It is a good book. I've been really taking my time going through it and approaching it the same way I did my textbooks in college. Mine is full of highlighted passages, marginalia, etc. I'll probably re-read it with especial focus on those sections (so that I'm focusing on what I knew was vital to me, not any tidbits where I went 'ha! I know someone like that!' and maybe got distracted).

I'd just like to take a moment to recommend reading the book 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck' if you are sincere. The title of the book may seem, in a sense, counter-intuitive but it's really anything but. It's given me a lot of moments to really think about my stances on myself, my approach to people and life, and how I'm viewing things.

And (from the basis of the book) if you are sincere: you need to really, really take a new approach to your values.

I will also point out that Udemy has sales all the time. Courses are almost always available at roughly $12.

I just haven't delved into any of the Ruby ones 'cause I've been busy on other stuff.

Sorry guys thread is over.
We done got Godwined

@Ghost said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

I do my absolute best to iron out the pros and cons from my perspective and then hand over the decision to her, though

Unfortunately, the boss we'd had was uh... sexist af and second-guessed everything I told him. At every turn.
And then he got replaced by the guy who felt hella threatened by me and was just a shithead in all kinds of ways. Oh, sure, he was a tech guy, but it was clear he'd lied on his resume and was scared that my being knowledgeable and established made me enough of a threat that... yeah.

I love my boss now. She's great. She's the sort of person I will follow and back up through anything. Not a technical job, sure, but she's just a good boss. She is the sort of boss where if you do something as per policy, she will stand down people over her head on your behalf. She has our backs, no matter what. That's the kind of boss who I will work hard af for.

...and considering I just got handed a promotion-of-sorts, I guess it's working out.

@Ghost said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

there are definite drawbacks to being in IT and having a non-technical manager

I hated this about my last job.
Because we could never just go 'Ey, this is a problem.'
It'd be: 'This is a problem because <enter half an hour discussion putting it into layman's terms that still ended in a blank look>'

-> Fire alarm tests the other week set off terrible, terrible migraines. Boss let me go home early, but asked I bring in a doctor's note for future issues. Put in req for doctor to provide me one.
-> Fire drills today. Thankfully didn't set off migraines, but I was def. putting myself at risk for them.
-> Get home and the letter is in my email waiting for me. '...please excuse [Auspice] from triggering activities...'

Womp womp.

@Ghost said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@Tyche Yeah I hear ya. I apologize if I was trivializing a medical thing; mea culpa.

But I wish there was some kind of "weight loss death ray" every now and then. I'd rent an ice cream truck, put up pictures that say "WEIGHT LOSS MACHINE" on the side, and drive around the neighborhoods charging $50 per shot.

Pew. PewPew.

I mean about once a year it seems I get the stomach flu and lose 10-15 lbs through misery in about 3 days. I call it my "diet kickstart".

Yes. Alamo Draft house. And I live near the original motherfuckers. (Not like the original original where they'd show art flicks, but the very first one they opened when they became a legit movie theater). Anyway, they're now a chain and have theaters here and there nationwide (Austin just happens to be where they have the most).

I love em. They have themed menus for releases and the clip show they show before the movie is always custom cut to be themed for the film. It's really a movie lover's movie house.

Aaaaanyway: I loved John Wick 3. It was way better than 2 imo and yeah it has a lot of humor but I loved it anyway and it has me excited already for 4. But. I love action movies anyway.

Discovered today that the Alamo app ('Victory' their awards program thing or whatev) gives you a FREE movie ticket on your birthday?!?!

Imma go see Brightburn this weekend fo sho. I fucking love Alamo.

Now to see John Wick 3 (got that ticket with Regal Reward points I had lingering around).

@Ninjakitten said in If you work hard, son, maybe someday you'll RP:

...okay, so it only shows up for Open scenes, not private ones, even if it's your private scene, looks like? But on my tests it didn't show up anywhere I could find on the Active Scenes page regardless, which I'm almost positive more people use to look for one. I saw the post way too late to be able to check Auspice's.

It only works for open scenes, yes (and I messaged faraday to confirm this). I pulled that screenshot from my alt because I wanted to make sure it was visible from !your PC.

This year's example (not that I necessarily need anything special for my birthday, being in my 30s, but even so) is:

My father switched phone providers. Okay. (I'm still on their plan because even paying more-per-month to them than my line costs them is cheaper than if I carried a single-line plan for myself. So it helps them out a little with costs and I still save money.)

By doing the 'buy back' option on my phone (since it's still practically brand new from the old provider) they were able to do the BOGO to get two iPhone XRs so my SISTER can have a brand new phone, too! (she's constantly breaking her phones)

I don't need a new phone (since, again, mine was still p much brand new), I don't care about a new phone, so my opinion on this iPhone XR is a resounding 'whatever.' But my sister 'needs' one and it's a new provider. Gotta switch phones.

My dad? Literally said: 'Happy birthday, the phone we got you is arriving Wednesday!'

........................you mean the phone I got me. I paid for the phone I've been using. The one you did the buyback for. You should be telling my sister 'Happy belated extra birthday gift' (because she's also driving a brand new car). I actually had to buy a case for this phone (that I can't really afford) because I am NOT carrying an iPhone (them shits are SLIPPERY AF) without a case. I found one that I thiiiiiiiiink will do the job for $10 so I'm not out too much cash but srsly. 'Happy birthday we got you a phone' - really? Really? Just don't say anything at all for the love of god.