Best posts made by Ganymede

Jon Stewart.

"Our system right now is set up so that minor disagreements become arguments. Arguments become conflagrations. Conflagrations become feuds. Feuds become wars. It never ends, and it sucks. If you say, ‘‘I know people whom I love who voted for Trump,’’ people will be like, ‘‘[Expletive] you.’’ I go, ‘‘I don’t think they’re racist.’’ ‘‘They are racist, and if they’re not racist, they’re passively participating in a racist system.’’ So am I. So are you. We all are. Have your lines in the sand, but understand: Do you have a phone? There are probably things in the way that your phone is made that are not the greatest in terms of workers’ rights. We all have [expletive] on us. Approaching it in that manner is not both-siderism, and it’s not asking for civility. You’re always going to demonize those who disagree with you and amnesty those who agree with you. But there has to be some measure of understanding that that’s what you’re doing."

@ominous

You can assume what you want, or you can actually read what I wrote.

If I only have four sandwiches to give, I have to be selective about who I give them too. Am I to be blamed if I give them to my friends? They like my sandwiches. They may tell others how awesome my sandwiches are. And others may want my sandwiches, but I can only make four.

The problem I have with the potluck analogy is that it does not take into consideration what people can give. It implies that you should bring something to a game, and I agree, but where I disagree is where and how people judge others based on what they can bring.

If four sandwiches are not enough, that’s fine.
Just be up front about that. And then I will take my sandwiches elsewhere.

Above all things players like feeling wanted.

I'd take a look at your lease.

Most leases, but for non-payment of rent, usually provide tenants with a period in which to cure defaults upon written notice. See if yours has one. If so, the landlord must give you a period of time to fix the "problem" before seeking to evict.

This should include your brother moving in because that's an easy-to-remedy problem.

Honestly, your landlord sounds like a special type of stupid to want to evict a paying tenant when the real unemployment rate remains above 20%.

@bear_necessities said in GMs and Players:

If I feel like the optics are bad, I change my approach to certain things.

If the optics are so poor that a disinterested third party thinks I've acted with bias, then I would seriously question the decision I made.

Okay, fucking, She-Ra now?

These 80s re-makes are really hitting.

(She-Ra on Netflix is very, very, very, very good.)

@Sunny said:

Not everybody is capable of playing a (insert any difficult concept here) and why the fuck should we be forced to let them try?

@Roz made a good point about theatre here.

Directors in community theatre have their favorites. It's not because of "favoritism" or "nepotism"; it's because some people have the reputation of working hard, being on-time, taking direction well, paying attention to notes, and not fucking around. They've earned their good reputation, and it makes them more likely to be cast in quality plays.

I have long, long made analogies between online gaming and theatre, especially improv. The fact is, if I'm staff, I'm a director responsible for putting on a good show. I need to trust others, and will pick the people I know I can count on over complete strangers with no references for important roles.

Fair? In a way, yes. Earn a good reputation, and doors will open. Don't expect to waltz into a game and be made Prince.

I have to cheer for fucking Michigan right now, and it's like --

@ThugHeaven said:

I wouldn't mind the spying if it was used like it was supposed to.

If you ever meet someone that is spying on others so that he or she can give them a wanted gift, let me know. Otherwise, it's safe to presume that spying is done for selfish purposes.

If you want to drop a plot on players, find a couple in a public space and ask them via page. No need to sit around spying.

Honestly, pretty damn mild from all accounts.

No fever. No cough. No aches. Tired at first, but that went away. But this damned anosmia.

That's the part that sucks the most.

@Kestrel said in Cultural differences between MUDs and MUSHes:

It's pretty asinine, from an outsider's perspective, because it's totally unnecessary by the admission of everyone on this thread who's explained why it's necessary.

I don't think anyone said it is necessary. I think people are saying that it is polite.

It's also practical. About 40% of the time, people in public with no RP partners are idling. Even if they don't appear idle, they may just be checking @mail and Board posts, and are in no mood or place to RP. And, yes, I know that maybe you shouldn't idle on the Public Grid, but there are some pretty stupid people in the world. Frankly, I can't be bothered to deal with them.

So, I page to ask if they want to RP. Kind of like how you ask people at the bar if they would like a drink, so you can figure if they want to talk to you.

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

Most Chinese people are probably fine, but when we criticize China, we are really using that as a shorthand for the CCP and other tangential parties, not all billion Chinese people.

Maybe not you, but I can assure you that many people criticizing "China" seem to be referring to "people who look Chinese, even if ramen and pho joints are very much not Chinese."

@Lithium said in The Shame Game:

It's a simple matter of perception.

You know, we've clashed civilly on a couple of topics in the past. I am compelled to engage here because I hear this all the time, and I cannot agree with it. Weighing an opinion based on whether you like a person is probably the main reason why Donald Trump is the Republican nominee, and why any number of previous, disastrous conservative candidates somehow became the cream of the crop.

You don't have to agree with a book. If your disagreement is not based on something other than "I don't like the person," then your disagreement is founded upon an ad hominem attack, which is fallacious and ignorant. If you don't agree with a book because it runs contrary to your personal experience on the same topic, that is at least based upon personal perception and experience.

And you, of course, have plenty of personal experience. Your disagreement with Brene Brown or anyone else is likely based on something more than "I don't like this motherfucker." I find it very, very difficult to believe that you would ever judge a person's belief based solely on whether you like or dislike the person.

But if you do -- IF -- I will seriously wonder what happened.

Politics shows us what crazy things people put weight on because people are generally willfully ignorant as to the complexities of politics. If they would spend a few minutes every day thinking about the news -- not the editorials -- we would all have a better political system.

@arkandel

This is why I liked She-Ra so much.

Black lesbian couple.

Black male main hero with two dads.

Asian central princess.

Autistic pivotal character.

Alternate body shapes.

Transgender character.

Non-binary characters.

And no one seems to care at all because it’s normal to them.

@Thenomain said in Sensitive cultural/political/religious aspects of game themes.:

Throwing someone's dissatisfaction in their face is not good behavior.

It's also not good behavior to step into someone's house and begin to criticize their décor.

@derp

Honestly, this makes me want to recruit for a pack of werewolves who live in some ramshackle duplex on the west side of town, and all work for the alpha's food truck, and the alpha most of the time is just trying to get everyone fed and feeling okay for the next mission because FOR FUCK'S SAKE WHY IS THE CLIATH EATING PASTE?!?

@Cupcake said in Coming Soon: Arx, After the Reckoning:

I realize you're probably just using my post to leapfrog, but it kind of came off like that was a direct snark at me. If it wasn't, I apologize for assuming.

I was using your post as a leap-frog point, yes. The phrasing was just what I was looking for. I'm more direct in my snark than that.

But, in a way, yes. I'm being snarky. And I'm being snarky because what was said about keeping one's opinions to themselves seems to be holding true. And if it is holding true, then there is a problem here beyond @lordbelh. And this is far more important to the game than what's happening IC with the Thrax family.

A friend of mine here once reminded me about the importance of standing up and making a point, regardless of whether it benefits me personally. That is the case here.

@arkandel

I think that is a load of shit. If they were okay with Matt Damon in Great Wall, I’m not sure what the problem is.

I should also note that I am heavily-biased here, I suppose. First, Simu Liu is a hometown hero. Second, he is an alumnus of my high school, and one of my friends was teaching there when he attended. Finally, I am just happy that someone who looks like my kids made it this far, and I just want them to look up and aspire to be like him, just a little.

No kidding, I was open-faced weeping when I saw him because I know what it is like to be turned down for a role on stage because of my race. I also wonder if, knowing that he made it, some of my cousins who killed themselves for not reaching the "stereotypical" heights of Chinese-dom may have been spared.

Still, he's only 6'0". And you should be watching for Tony Leung, who is 5'7". Because this is Tony's movie (Warning: Spoilers in the link), really, and he deserves it.

Go to BSG: Unification. Check out the Ares system @Faraday did. Putting some work in to make a game unique is impressive, and I look forward to seeing what else she's got planned.

Then, go to the game. Check out the BBpost where @Faraday asks where the players think the campaign ought to go.

Also, check out the BBpost where @Faraday acknowledges the players that picked out dress uniforms for the various other military factions that existed before the Colonial Navy was formed.

What MU*s do right: asking for and, to some extent, following player input on things.

Any game resting solely on staff to invent and run things is going to flame out fast.

@clarity

I think that this may be a difficult topic to share on given the stigma surrounding autism that many of us probably grew up around.

It's no secret that my daughter is on the spectrum. She was diagnosed early with it because she started to exhibit superpowers at the same time (hyperlexia). She has difficulty wrestling with her emotions, and this is something I need to work on personally because I have been conditioned (I say this without hyperbole) to suppress those. It makes it difficult for she and I to talk about her feelings, something on which my partner finds necessary to intervene.

I think it is too easy for parents to fall into the same invincibility mindset we had when we were teenagers. We think that we know how to parent correctly, when the fact is that we probably don't. Copying our parents' methods because we turned out "okay" is also not necessarily the best option because the world that we grew up in no longer exists. Like many things, we probably should accede to the wisdom and suggestions of trained professionals. They aren't always right, but when they are their suggestions are hopefully based on studies that we can fall back on.

So, back to my little girl: yes, she has superpowers beyond being 4'6" at age 8 (she is tall, sturdy, and built to knock over offensive linemen). She won the Art and Spanish awards (given to the best student in the class) (second time for the Spanish award) last year. But she also exhibits palilalia (which makes her sound a little like Shrapnel from Transformers, something which I take much joy in because Shrapnel is awesome). Thankfully, the students and teachers at her (Catholic) school pay that quirk little mind, and she is a joyfully, caring, wonderful young woman in spite of what discrimination she would have faced when I was growing up.

Did I have autism growing up? I don't think so, personally. But that's why it is very important for me, I think, to be more sensitive to her needs. It's a trying time, and I feel like I'm failing sometimes, but the best I can do is give what I have, keep trying to be better, and stop beating myself up for not being perfect.

Naturally, to defy the stereotype that we are all a bunch of toxic asshats, if there's anyone that wants to talk about autism here, that's cool, and the mods here will monitor this thread specifically to make sure that it is as safe as can be.

@Rook said in A Constructive Thread About People We Might Not Like:

Here's a question... how does someone like this come back into the community and NOT try to do so, if their intention is pure and honest, anonymously? Doesn't the consideration of that question lend some credence, one way or the other, to understanding intent?

You could come out and admit your past shitty behavior. @Tinuviel did that at some point, and most people have forgotten what he did. I've done some shit too, and I've been called on it.

The instant person aside, a lot of people have done shit things in their time, and have admitted to the shit they did. And most of us are pretty forgiving people. The unrepentant shits either leave forever (Seanan McGuire) or find some way to worm their way back in. And it is absolutely infuriating that people let the latter happen.