Posts made by Derp

Part of this, I think, is that the various members of the MU communities seem somehow more prone to culture shock than the average person. Ironic, since every game is its own unique world with its own unique population and unique ways of doing things. You would think that we would be better at moving between things.

But even the smallest of changes, like the format of a command or the pacing of a scene, is enough to give some of us serious anxiety. Which is understandable. I'm one of those people, at times.

But I think it's something we'll all have to work through, just as we work through any new thing on any new game/system/whatever. Eventually you'll find your flow within it even if it's not what you're used to.

You think slowing the pace of scenes is bad, let's look back on yon olden days when the OOC Masquerade (or whatever you called it in your individual system) got booted. Some of ya'll still aren't over that, but the rest of us moved on.

It is changing. As people have busier lives, the ability to RP gets fitted into narrower windows of time. Ares portal scenes allow more people to RP at their pace, which is at non-"live" 5-20 minutes between poses pacing.

I personally don't see this as a bad thing. I have gotten used to that, saving bigger chunks of time for GM'd events. I also predict that as people get more used to the joys of the scenes system and web portal that this will become more common.

Might want to prepare. Just saying.

@thesuntsar said in MU Things I Love:

To keep the good feelings going

I've had some RP the last weekish between a pair of players that that's been really fun. Emotionally tricky for the PCs involved, but not overwrought or stressful OOC. A+

That last bit is always the hard part, for me.I worry so much that the other person is not having fun.

Like, would they say somethimg? Would /I/ day something? Are either of us just too polite?

This is the COVID equivalent of squinting against the sun, looking for something, with your sunglasses in your hand. I feel you.

@Wretched said in The ADD/ADHD Thread (cont'd from Peeves):

Mindhunters.

@Roz

I mean -- knowing that your issues are the direct result of brain weasels can be helpful, but it's not curative. So yeah, I feel this too. Don't think you can logic your way out of it. It doesn't work like that.

I know that most of my stuff is brainweasels. I am fully aware of that. It doesn't always stop me from having to reach out to people and go "Ok, so, here's the deal. I know that this is likely not the case, but here is how I am feeling about things, and I would like to clarify..."

Some people are good at this. Some people less so. I was lucky to find people who assured me that not only were the brainweasels lying, as I suspected, but they are also familiar with the brain-weasels and how they operate. Which helped. A lot.

There really has to be a better way. Maybe one day we'll find it, so that stories can go more like mine, with just the occasional awkward cringey moment as my self-esteem spirals into dark places, and less like your brother's.

Neither are pleasant. But one is far more preferable.

@Wretched said in The ADD/ADHD Thread (cont'd from Peeves):

@Aria said in RL Sads:

@Sunny

So, one thing that I tell people over and over - and @Testament has heard this from me literally yesterday - is that it's really hard to be someone who is both pretty smart and mentally ill. When you're smart, you take pride in that great big brain of yours! You come to trust it and its ability to synthesize information, solve problems, think creatively, etc.

But here's the thing: Your brain is also full of lies.

It tells you stupid shit like, "Ohh, Aria! Silly girl. None of your 'friends' actually like you. They just put up with you and never say anything about what a wretched burden dealing with you is because they're just too polite. Don't believe anything nice they say to you! That's just social expectation. You're really just a pile of hot garbage."

So you get frustrated. You get frustrated with yourself because you have this otherwise pretty cool brain that just malfunctions in this one particular way and why, why why, can't you just make the stupid thing work like it's supposed to??

My honest to god recommendation is to start dissociating from your negative self-talk. Stop treating it like it's a part of you and start treating your anxiety/depression/OCD/PTSD/whatever like it's the shittiest roommate imaginable. You don't like them, in fact you hate this asshole, but they're on the lease that is your head and you can't just kick them out. It is a whole lot easier to talk back to your negative self-talk when you've made it into a little caricature in your imagination that is the sort of wretched person that starts off sentences with things like "I don't mean to sound racist, but....", who literally never pays you back for anything ever, and who dents your car but insists its fine 'because you have insurance, anyway, right?!', etc.

Treat your negative self-talk like it's the sort of person whose opinion you'd never give a shit about, anyway, but would instead mutter about behind their back/under your breath and it's a whole lot easier to ignore.

"Nobody actually wants to---"
"Did I fucking ask you? No. No, I didn't, so shut up."

Trust me (and my therapist) on this.

I cannot upvote this hard enough, and also: thank you. I've been having one of those weeks where my stupid lying brain is lying and I know it but it still manages to make some headway. It's good to know that there are others out there feeling the same thing. It really helps.

@Ganymede said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

@silverfox

Wait, what? Why are you getting hit with a charge for turning in your keys and moving out a few days early?

What kind of utter stupidity is this?

The actionable kind one hopes.

When you find some people capable of doing a deeply moving, fun, and inspiring story that goes to some weird places IC, but the OOC stays gloriously awesome and you can talk stuff through comfortably.

You know who you are, and I just wanna say, I have mad respect for you.

@Ganymede said in Magicy Shenanigans - high fantasy or more modern:

may be stated in Mage 2E

If you aren't familiar with Mage 2E, they now differentiate between Praxis and Rote spells.

Praxes are those tried-and-true formulaic spells. The kind of thing that students would learn. It's the 'signature move' spells, the ones that come fast and easy because you've practiced the everloving shit out of them. They're easier to use than magic on the fly, and exactly what Marina and crew would be trading. They're tested formulas.

Rotes, on the other hand, are spells that offer you a high degree of flexibility in how they come about. You get more Reach on them, which lets you do bigger and bolder magic with less risk of Paradox. They're magics that you innately understand, and it takes a master to create them because they have to knows the ins-and-outs of this particular Arcanum, not just the spell. It's the post-Brakebills-South 'you no longer need words or gestures, you just will it into action* level of magical understanding that lets you pull of some incredibly amazing shit, altered on the fly.

Hopefully that offers some clarification.

@Ganymede said in Magicy Shenanigans - high fantasy or more modern:

@chibichibi

May I suggest not requiring Mastery to make new rotes?

I personally never understood that requirement. If magic is individual, why can't an individual who can cast a particular spell figure out how to do it? This is especially true if a mage cannot cast an effect without a rote, which I believe is what you're aiming for.

@Wizz said in Magicy Shenanigans - high fantasy or more modern:

There are examples of what's basically creative thaumaturgy and rote-making in the books and show being done by students who certainly aren't masters.

My own take on this back when thinking about how to adapt it was to allow people to make rotes, but require a "research" scene where they cast it with the CT rules first and no free reach, and something like doubled Paradox pools or whatever just to represent how dangerous it was to mess around with raw, non-codified magic.

Mmmmmmmmmmm. Not so much, really?

I mean, creative Thaumaturgy perhaps, but rotes? No.

Rotes are the kind of spells that you can cast after the extended study period at Brakebills South. When you can feel it on instinct. When you've got magic in all the body parts that our lovely professor mentions. Average students can't do that. Hell, most experienced magicians can't do that.

You have to have a deep understanding of the theory in order to make that happen, so I can easily see rotes still requiring mastery.

In Mage 2E, though, you can easily develop new Yantras that will fit your situation, and possibly even some praxes.

Yes. You are sorely missed. Give a shout if you're still out there somewhere!

@Jennkryst said in Books...Books...Books....:

Peace Talks is a thing, and I cannot fathom the next book taking place any more than a month after that cliffhanger. Luckily, it's coming out... when, September?

SQUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Cupcake said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:

So I contacted the Pontotoc County Courthouse in Ada, OK and asked if I could have the casefiles from the criminal court case. I have to send a $20 cashier's check and self-addressed packaging to them, and I have to figure out a way to do that without breaking my budget. There is, apparently, a very thick file available to me and once it's in my hands I'm hoping I will understand the incident and my mother's experience during that time a lot better.

So let me preface this with the standard I am not a lawyer, etc.

But. Two things.

1. When you contacted them, did you verify that this is a file that they will release to you? In many jurisdictions, criminal investigations are not subject to release under public records laws for various reasons, and are frequently denied on those grounds.

2. Is the $20 the entire fee, or just the initial fee? Many places charge 10+ cents per page to offset additional costs if they have to produce a physical file, and you won't know that until they've counted the pages and determined the charges.

As someone who does this for a living - - you might want to be sure that you both understand exactly what you're asking for and exactly what it will cost. Much heartache is created in my daily work by people who do not realize one or the other of those things. Be sure.

In this fictional universe, they all watch a movie series about a famous Earthbender and his trials and tribulations: Stoney.

@Wretched said in Avatar / Korra game considerations:

Pro Earthbeder - The Under-quaker

Aero Saul!

@Auspice said in The ADD/ADHD Thread (cont'd from Peeves):

but what if everyone does secretly hate me?

This would require everyone to be way better at keeping secrets than you have experienced.

@WildBaboons said in Pro Wrestling MU?:

@chibichibi

Playing a character that is playing a character seems too many levels deep.

Having a blast doing it on The Network.

@somasatori said in General Video Game Thread:

Anyone else see the new Far Cry trailer?

@SilentHills said in General Video Game Thread:

Just a fun, brief note on Far Cry 6: a good friend of mine who I used to MU* with was a writer on Far Cry 5 and has been working on Far Cry 6! She's super stoked to see her work finally being introduced. I couldn't be more proud of her.

I have never played a Far Cry game and I saw this trailer and immediately wanted it.

Good job, writer. I'm in.