Posts made by Derp

So this appears to not be working again, even after I cleared my stuff out and tried to start over. Is it me, or is it everyone?

@somasatori said in World (Chronicles?) of Darkness Concepts You Would Enjoy RPing with:

I would love to see someone who delves into the details of their splat. A Mage that becomes obsessed with the Abyss and tries to discover what the Supernal Realms are, and what the Abyss really is. Big, grand goals like that. Sin-Eaters who want to go as far as possible into the Underworld to figure out the meaning of death itself and why Geists exist; vampires who actually are up to discussing the condition of vampirism, what it means on a grand scale, and why it could potentially exist. Personally, I'd love to have a sit-down conversation and go over the Testament of Longinus with someone and have them basically dissect the Monachal Creed and figure out why these beliefs exist (heresy, I know).

In short, I'd love to see characters that just dig into the meat of their supernatural type's backstory or whatever it is that's explained in the corebooks about what they might actually be and have lengthy philosophical, theological, and ideological conversations about it.

cough cough

@ThatOneDude said in Finding roleplay:

Nothing stinks more than staff not following their own policy for PRPs. I mean when something reads clearly as: All you need do is step 1 , step 2 and step 3 for rewards like X, Y, and Z. PRPer does said steps then is told "I/We as staff don't FEEL <insert some stupid shit here> gives you the reward(s) as posted, though you followed what we posted as rules to the letter." Do we still use hashtags? #Winning? >.>

Pretty much exactly what happened, yeah. Finally something we can fully agree on!

...are we best friends now?

@EmmahSue said in Finding roleplay:

I'm not sure where that need for permission comes from. All of the plots I've run recently (currently on BITN) have been pick-up whomever is around doing whatever I feel like running. Sure, I told tragedyguy about them afterwards, but that's mostly because he made such a sad pouty face when he asked. At no point did I ask for permission, nor do I feel the need to do so.

I suppose I feel the need if my plots turn out-there and off-the-wall huge (I asked for permission to use a Keeper on TR after I wasn't staff n'more and was told no) but in general? Every-day just-gonna-run-somethin'? Nope.

Just do it, as the swish commands.

ES

In some places, however, this is not the case. Fallcoast has a pretty extensive policy on what is and is not allowed without prior approval, and even on some things that you wouldn't think you'd need prior approval on, things become an issue when you turn in the jobs for them because <insert reason here>. I recently had an issue with this, where a scene that took place entirely within the space of two characters' own minds got looked at somewhat askance for some mechanical reason or another entirely unrelated to the actual running of the scene. I admit, I was a bit annoyed, but I went with it anyway.

So no, unfortunately, there exist many places where you still can't drop random plots, or specific types of plots, etc, without prior staff approval and screening, etc. Just try and use Random Vampire #233 in a Mage plot, for instance, or run a scene wherein someone gets a fetish that hasn't been thoroughly screened beforehand.

@ThatOneDude said in Finding roleplay:

I don't like anyone... Except @Derp , he completes me

Love you too, buddy.

@Coin

This made me think of you:

http://www.slashfilm.com/papa-hemingway-in-cuba-trailer/

@Thenomain said in Finding roleplay:

@faraday

Coin got it. Where I play, a PrP has become systemized. There is an expectation that it have a point, an ending, or at the very least a risk/reward setup. Some people are good at winging it, but the last five years in the realms of WoD that's been discouraged.

I think we're seeing a reversal of that, but I still see the letters "PrP" and cringe.

I kind of hate it too, really. I'd much rather just do something organically in the moment than have to plan every little detail of something out, make it open to everyone who wants to come, try and work on scheduling and crap. It's terrible.

@Pandora said in RL Anger:

@Ganymede said in RL Anger:

Just give me the damned documents.

Dear writers of Daredevil,

Here is a free line that I think your fans will love because I personally got a kick out of it and would like to see a lawyer on television use it.

Watch Suits!

@Ganymede said in RL Anger:

@Derp

That's good. There's hope.

This taps into a peeve of mine: a large one. It goes to the whole "zealously advocating" thing. Many attorneys seem to think this means that you have to roadblock everything I try to do, or attempt to convince me of the merits and strengths of their clients' cases.

The thing is, if I'm looking to settle a case, I don't give a shit what you think of the merits and strengths. I am clearly trying to figure out a cost-effective way of resolving our clients' interests. This can be done if the other attorney isn't a fucking moron, but many of them seem entrenched in the idea that making my life difficult will make me want to settle things faster. This is not at all true, as I am backed, most of the time, by an insurance company.

I pretty much have unlimited resources and funds to tap into. If you want to play the game like that, fine. But realize that your client probably wants money as soon as possible, and to move on with their lives, you prick. And I'm willing to do that, if you just fucking cooperate with my requests for information. I haven't lost a motion to compel in my entire career because I only ask for shit that I know I am entitled to through the discovery process.

Just give me the damned documents.

Yeah, no. I mean, that's not even my area, really. I'm more the guy that does the groaning facepalm at cases like Wickard v. Filburn and the overzealous use of the Everything Clause when it comes to rights and such, or the guy shaking his head that Obergefell wasn't decided as a gender discrimination case. That's more my area of 'up in arms zealotry'. If there's an offer to settle on the table, I'll present it to a client and maybe pressure him to take it, if it's decent. Because seriously, everyone wins and it doesn't have to get that messy.

So I feel your pain there. But rest assured, my idealism is confined to other things than making your life miserable.

@Ganymede said in RL Anger:

@Derp said in RL Anger:

It's not that we forgot about practicality, we just don't agree with the premise that the easier way is the right way, especially when it comes to rights.

An attorney's primary duty is to his client, not to his own sense of what is right and wrong. The practical way is not necessarily the easiest way, but the normative way is usually not.

As an example, a trespass on one's real property: yes, it is against common law; yes, you are entitled to the judgment that what the defendant did was against the law; but, no, you aren't going to get $100,000 for your neighbor stepping on your lawn; and, no, I'm not going to take your case because you don't seem to understand that I have to prove damages in a civil action.

Even if someone handed me a $10,000 retainer, I wouldn't take that case. I feel that would be aiding and abetting stupidity.

Oh, -those- guys. Yeah, I'm not that guy. I'm on your side of the fence there.

@Ganymede said in RL Anger:

Don't believe the hype. There are plenty of law jobs. The problem is that law school does not teach you how to start up a career in law. Gone are the days of getting picked up by a large firm on grades alone.

Oh, I know there are plenty of law jobs. I meant there is nothing you can do with a bachelor's in Poli Sci. That's apparently where my giant waste of time is. Nevermind I'm getting a J.D., the fact that the poli sci bachelor's can't be used for much in actual political science just means it's not worth it. Apparently. Or so I'm told.

In my practice, I've found that political science majors among the most annoying practicing lawyers; they are so caught up with "rights" and "entitlement" that they forget about "practicality."

Well, that's because we -are- pretty annoying about those things, because people often overlook them in the name of 'practicality', which should not be the case. It's not that we forgot about practicality, we just don't agree with the premise that the easier way is the right way, especially when it comes to rights.

I've never understood this thing where the ST's PC can't be involved in the story. Most often, the groups that I end up largely running with/for are groups of people that my own PC is affiliated with. Cabal/Pack/Whatever. It doesn't make a ton of sense for one of us to always be mysteriously missing when it comes time to run a PrP, and in large part, we mostly sort of ... just ignore it, I guess, because we always end up there anyway.

The ST's PC is never the center of attention, or anything. At best, they're somewhat sidelined, at worst, they're the diversion for the rest of the group. They're never quite 'in it' as much as the others are. But they're still -there-, often. Not always, but often. And it's never created any issues, in my experience. It's a very good way to get the group to bond together over something.

Deliberate exclusion has never seemed to be a good way to balance things for me. Either you know how to make it work, in which case ST on, or you don't -- in which case, have someone else do the heavy lifting.

That said, I've found PrPs to be a great way to forge lasting relationships.

That sucks, @Vorpal.

Tangentially related:

I hate it when people ask what my major is. Because it constantly leads to the inevitable awkward moment. My friends and I constantly are getting asked what our major is. When we explain we're in Political Science as Prelaw, they all look interested, and then comes the inevitable "So what can you do with a bachelor's in Political Science?"

I mean, other than go to law school? You try and get at least a Master's, if you want to teach, or be a serious analyst. A doctorate if you want to really work professionally. But a bachelor's is essentially useless, much like a bachelor's in many other fields. Not much different than a high school diploma, except outrageously more expensive. But it's an easy in to Law (as far as there are any 'easy ins' -- poli sci, english, and a few others are more desirable, at least), and that's what I want it for. I love politics, but I don't want to do this shit professionally, it's soul-wrecking, but apparently wanting to go to law school is a waste of time because I can't use it to find a 'real job'.

Yeah, because I have no idea what being a part of several different minorities is like, at least two of whom are frequently targeted for sexual assault and or just plain old physical violence. But you're right, I don't have the proper frame of reference to understand how totally legit that kind of reaction is.

OR, you know, maybe I was just taught a very different set of cultural norms, and find people's reactions to things puzzling, at best. Irrational, at worst.

But I guess I'm not allowed to have those things, because they disagree with whatever consensus you have. Especially, given the history of some subjects here, things that I should apparently not have my -own- opinion on, but have -your- opinion on. Even if they relate directly to me. Oh well.

@Arkandel - At least you don't quite jump on the hate-wagon. I even said that it's probably a legit reaction, several times over, but that it's simply not the reaction that I would have personally chosen to apply, because I tend to think in a different way, and that -potentially- there is another valid way to look at it. Why is that so wrong?

@Arkandel said in RL Anger:

What the guy did was objectively creepy even if he has only the best intentions in mind

We have not, to my knowledge, ever developed a universal consensus on what constitutes creepy or not creepy in social scenarios, so this is false. It's subjectively creepy. And like all things subjective, it's by definition open to interpretation, though I concede that there may be multiple equally valid interpretations. I even said so above, when I said that I understand @mietze's hesitation.

@Kanye-Qwest

s what the guy is or is not relevant? If Mietze doesn't want the attention, and doesn't want to talk to him/catch up/entertain his attention at all, that's her choice.

She doesn't even need a reason. She has them, but she doesn't need them. If someone doesn't want to talk with you or interact with you on a personal level, you 'not being the devil' doesn't mean they should, anyway.

Shockingly, I disagree with this sentiment, as a great many do.

While it's cool ultra-liberal ideology and catchy in that way, I don't buy it in the least. Sometimes, you have to interact with other people. Even, gasp, people who you might not necessarily want to interact with. That's all part of the glorious world of being a grownup, who lives in a community populated by other grownups that depend on each other, on some level, for their everyday social/intellectual/occasionally physical needs.

Sure, you can say it all you want to, but that doesn't make it true. The bully from high school is now the local auto repair guy. I think he's a dick. I still go there when my car needs fixing. I see him at local softball games, because our nieces are in the same league. The ex girlfriend? Now works for the county clerk. I go there and talk to her, because that's what I have to do for some of my work things. I will even interact with people that I personally despise on a fundamental level when in public, often even in private, because that's just how we roll around these here parts.

And you know what? I belong to a thriving, healthy community that is rated as one of the most forward-thinking and tolerant places in the country. We know each other. We befriend each other. Sometimes, we even fight, or get vibes from one another. But we also give each other a chance, and the benefit of the doubt.

So maybe I'm living in some weird utopian fantasy (I wouldn't go that far by a long way) but sentiments like this one make me want to smack people. Adulting is hard, and comes with lots of things that maybe we don't want to deal with, but have to anyway. Surprise. Social interactions are no different in that regard.

But you know what, you do you. That's cool. I even said that I think @Mietze is justified, and will say it again, just so it's officially on the damn record. I just don't think it's the path I personally would have chosen, because I have different beliefs than another person. I believe that that is also allowed under ultra-liberal ideology, no?

@Coin said in RL Anger:

Did he show up specifically to find you?

Yes, actually. I had where I worked on Facebook. He went to Facebook, saw that, and showed up. Specifically to find me.

@Kanye-Qwest said:

If a guy randomly tried to book you to show off a Kirby vacuum at his apartment and then, when you canceled, showed up and only THEN admitted he'd been in love with you and your perfect white skin since high school and stalked you and tried to trick you into meeting him without admitting the prior acquaintance first, THEN your reaction to him showing up would be relevant.

Yes, well, forgive me if my first reaction to your statement isn't 'oh, of course, it's so obvious now! How did I not see Kanye's point all along', given your rather pronounced tendency to take anything that's even a bit off and turn it into something extremely inflammatory. At the end of the day, as much as I sympathize with @Mietze's point, it's still only one side of the story, and is skewed by her perception of events as somewhat creepy/off. (NOTE: I am -not- calling Mietze a liar, or saying she is wrong -- just that it is only one side of the story, there, and there exists a -possibility- that the intentions are more innocent than they may appear. I fully understand her hesitation in this matter.)

Sure, it's a bit suspicious, but as has been noted elsewhere, it's not necessarily serial-killer level suspicious, either. As has been noted, lots of people are trained to believe that this is a fairly straightforward gesture from many media sources. Rather than sending an e-mail to a person who might be a complete stranger, the other person set up a meeting with a person in a place that the person being met has a great deal of control -- their place of work, which is in theory a public place where they are surrounded by other people, rather than asking to, say, meet in a restaurant or something, or worse, a bar. Misguided, sure, but not necessarily sinister.

There are people to this day that I think of from high school and occasionally look up. But I also work in a university town that's fairly small for what it is, so it's not exactly hard to find someone, especially if they're still around. It's as easy as asking a friend about them.

So, as noted, while Mietze is perfectly justified in her suspicion and actions, there is potentially another side of the story, here. One in which the man is not The Devil. And I was merely trying to make the point that, sometimes, people can show up and want to get in touch with no moustache-twirling involved.

@mietze said in RL Anger:

Maybe guys would feel scared in that way though, dunno.

I actually had a guy I knew 10 years ago show up where I work and start with the smalltalk. Wasn't no big thang. Dudes, we think in different ways, I think. I still hang out with that dude, we went and saw Batman v Superman this weekend.

Mine isn't really that detailed, but here we go:

1. Is there something I absolutely have to do?
2. Is there someone on that I really want to RP with? Friends, strangers, whatever. I will wikistalk and page folks that look interesting, and I do so unashamedly. If your character seems interesting, I will ask you for RP. It's how I roll. It's also how I make most of my friends.*
3. Is there a scene going on that looks interest?
4. Sphere channel chatter.
5. Pub chatter / want RP chatter.
6. OOC Room chatter.**

*Also, I generally tend to avoid temp RP Rooms in favor of actual grid locations. I've made many a friend by random passthrough, or because they showed up with another friend at a real place. But temproom scenes tend to be running a bit heavy lately, because of pre-planned stuff. I need to remedy this.

**Sometimes 5 and 6 are interchanged. Depends on my mood. Though I admit to having a preference for OOC room as opposed to LFG, because I can see how people tend to act for a bit when they -aren't- hurting for RP.

@somasatori It could be a cleverly encoded message! Think of all the hidden meanings that someone like the Carthians or the Free Council could see in this! Brilliant, I tell you.

@Ganymede said:

If you're one of the marginalized, it's okay to be tired and frustrated at being asked to explain your motivations and beliefs for the umpteenth time. There are people who genuinely want to help, who, by way of privilege, known or unknown, may not entirely understand or connect with what you're saying. Being frustrated with meeting an otherwise-intelligent person with this ignorance is reasonable.

@Kanye_Qwest said:

If you want me to listen to your thoughts and consider them seriously, you should take some time and respond when you aren't so hysterical. It's impossible to have a logical discussion with you when you are telling me to grow dicks and fuck myself.

For me, this is the entire discussion, right here. These two statements.

At the end of the day, as shitty as this may sound, if you are in a group that you feel deserves equal attention and recognition? The way you get that is by getting the people in the majority (or, you know, the ones with the proverbial boot on your neck, or whatever) on your side, so that they can help to enact the changes you wish to see. Not by pissing them off and asserting you don't need them to understand, or agree. Because that will get you a kneejerk response that is basically the opposite of the goal you are seeking.

More flies with honey. Etc. If someone is trying to help you, accept their help, give them your story calmly and reasonably. You damage no one but yourself when you react with vitriole. It may be reasonable from, like, a philosophical standpoint, but it's not reasonable as far as 'what are the best logical ways to try and enact the changes I want to see, if the problem is me vs. the rest of the world'.