@surreality said in RL things I love:
It really is pretty good. (And he is neat to listen to.) I don't know if I'd call it $$$/bottle good, which it seems to run these days, but the bottles are probably not cheap to make, and it is admittedly good.
Meanwhile, I drink my Johnnie Walker Blue Label, and scoff.
@Macha said in Health and Wealth and GrownUp Stuff:
My therapist worries because I cling to the same humor/deflection even when I'm talking about the dark things. That I deliver it all logically.
I can understand this too.
My partner can sense my moods. When I'm joking about dark things, she knows I'm stressed. When I'm not joking at all, she knows there's a problem that needs to be addressed immediately.
It's hard for a lot of non-therapists to understand that the guy cracking jokes while his life is falling apart around him is not okay.
@caryatid said in Spirit Lake: An Original Modern Fantasy Game:
I'm definitely going to be giving this a try. If anyone wants to be magic buddies, hit me up. I'll be playing the owner/artisan of a touristy botanicals and beauty shop inherited from her mother.
I'll be there.
I'm just so tired all the time.
I think it is a stupid position to take. The first sign of an abusive relationship of any kind is isolation.
@theonceler said in MU Things I Love:
When the frustration of feeling kinda boned blossoms into an elated schadenfreude as the people you feel did the boning are repeatedly slapped in the face by the results of their bonage.
There's a double-meaning in that.
@Rinel said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:
I feel held hostage and I resent the hell out of this and it is taking all of my effort to make sure I don't bring up how pissed off I am about it until next week once everything is settled.
This is why I never set an appointment with them.
I walk into their office when they are around and ask if they have a moment.
@skew said in Echoes in the Mists - CoD 2e MU:
Were you on Fallen World? I'm not saying we did everything right, but it was rough ina single sphere mage game. Even with low level magic (people starter at 3-4 in their arcanum), it was still a lot of "hand wave and the problem is fixed".
You all did everything right on Fallen World, as far as I'm concerned.
There's nothing wrong with low-level magic. Where things go wrong is where people expect to be doing high-level magic in a game calculated to be low-level. And then they gripe and whine about it, rather than dealing with it and, omg, maybe actually engaging in troupe-play instead of solo-ing.
My PC had a particular set of skills, skills which were acquired over her history that made her a nightmare to deal with in combat or a chase. But her obvious weaknesses were very obvious, and that's what made her very enjoyable to play. Put her in a team with a couple of magic-minded folks, and they would be nigh-unstoppable.
As applied to this game, Mages would have their run of the place, easily. So I think it was a wise, calculated decision not to bring them on board.
@Cobaltasaurus
Sometimes, my sense of humor completely misses the mark.
I have a theory that a lot of people who do or say creepy things are actually trying to be friendly. Their problem is that what passes as "friendly" between actual friends is a lot different than what another person might find to be "friendly." In your example, the dude who be like 'wake SO with blowjob ha ha' might actually think that he's trying to be "casual" in a very "bro-tastic" way. In several other examples presented, I just don't have any excuse for them.
Let's take a more concrete example: are we friends? On many levels, I'm not entirely sure. We've chatted via PM, we've yik-yaked on games, and I'm pretty sure you know more about me than many people here. I can say with some certainty that if we ever had the pleasure of actually meeting (and thus violate my Prime Directive) we would probably have drinks and you'd find me to be a borderline narcissist alcoholic. (As opposed to lawyer, which may be synonymous.)
But, let's suppose we're friends, yeah? We met through games. I'm guessing at first you didn't care who I was or what I was about, and the feeling was mutual. Over the years of casual acquaintance and occasional argument, I've built a healthy respect for you and what you do and what you have to say. And when you've needed a hand or something, I think I was respectful with how I stepped in to do something. So we started with indifference and, over time, built it into what it is now.
Going back to your example, the fellow that suggested you give your SO a fellatio alarm clock just rushed into "bro-tastic mode" rather than, as I said, starting with indifference and building from there.
I've found in my (now years of) karaoking experience that the friends I've found (and now care deeply about) started off as singers. You appreciate them, they appreciate you. But did we give a fuck about each other (really) immediately? I don't think so: I had no agenda, no plans, nothing, so shit built up over time. I started with indifference.
I also have enough self-respect to hide my lack of human decency by treating other people politely. Much like a Spina, though, being polite does not always mean being nice.
@derp said in Mage for Multi-Sphere WoDv2 Games:
XP is gained far too quickly, leading to multiple high-level characters in a very short amount of time, all of them with competing interests and with enough power that they have no need to work well with others.
There is very little in the way of active antagonism or storytelling, as Seers of the Throne and other external threats are almost entirely nonexistent, so they have little choice but to try and get into other active things.
I think another problem is the absence of internal antagonism, which can often drive activity in the absence of active storytelling.
In Vampire, the Covenants have reasons to war with each other; in Werewolf, the packs vie for territory in similar fashion. But in Mage, if you keep to reasonable power levels, it is simply wiser to collaborate, and, in the absence of any Seer or external threat, that leaves you with mutual masturbation until something better comes along. And if you don't have reasonable power levels, and there's no need to collaborate, then ... well, it's just self-masturbation.
Not that I mind that, but, you know.
Being truly desperate means making some hard decisions, and being willing to confront some uncomfortable truths, and willing to sacrifice and put in the work to lift yourself out of that situation. Being a professional panhandler doesn't do it.
Why not?
Presume that someone becomes a professional panhandler. So what? It remains an occupation, albeit one that you particularly abhor for reasons. If they are good at preying on the guilt-ridden, so be it; maybe they are Catholic.
Now, let's presume that it is involuntary. So what? Life dealt you a hand that puts you in a better current spot than that other person, but there's no obligation to give anything to anyone. It's yours; hold onto it.
No one needs to give an elaborate explanation as to why they elect not to give freely to others.
That said, I have personal knowledge of professional panhandling in my city. I have seen them shuttling from one location to another, and then settling at a flophouse at the end of the day. Maybe they are using their money to fuel addictions or to feed their family; it does not matter to me.
I don't need to give an elaborate explanation as to why I elect to give or not give.
If you just want someone to investigate and judge player disputes, I'll do it.
Totally not saying that being a professional panhandler isn't lucrative. It is. I've seen it. Why I was saying is that being a professional panhandler won't get you into a life where being a panhandler is no longer necessary.
I have to disagree.
I've known way too many folks that have been strippers or prostitutes who ended up cleaning themselves up and flying straight again. It took some time and better choices in life, but I refuse to believe that one profession or another somehow pigeon-holes you. After all, my partner did go from Sith to Jedi, so I have to believe there is some hope for me too.
@surreality said in When To Stop Listening To Those Voices:
It isn't a happy quote. It is still one of the truest things I have ever seen put into words.
It's this:
I'm going to try to out-do it.
“People," Geralt turned his head, "like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal, beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous than they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live.”
― Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish
It's a good quote, though.
I don't want to make it sound trivial, but have you thought about opening up your own safe group?
@Ghost said in How do you like things GMed?:
On BS:U, she did scenes involving her players the right way. IF your character is in the scene, then you have to put them on equal footing in terms of screen time with the other players. She never made the scenes about her characters in the scene; her character just happened to be a part of the scene. She never railroaded her character into being the one who solves the problem, and never used scenes she ran involving her own character as vehicles for driving her character's agenda. She shared the scene and seemed very comfortable letting the room of players be the deciding factor.
Also, she was the medic, and we kept on getting fucking shot apart.
Of course, Faraday's game also had FS3 with a combat engine. You literally cannot steal the limelight in that engine. It treats PCs like meat no matter who is playing.
I'm really glad I did not stay long in LARPing, I really am.
Like, one session. I had a blast, but it really wasn't for me, no matter how many people told me I should continue. I couldn't stand the people.
People ruin everything.
@Tinuviel said in How To Treat Your Players Right:
Nor did I suggest that they do. I was talking primarily about appearances. If it is known that the behaviour is happening, and it is known that a complaint has been filed, and nothing appears to be done about it in that the behaviour has continued, why would people bother putting in complaints?
Act I, Scene 4
Didi: Did Ganymede talk to Faraday about Arkandel harassing Tinuviel by pages?
Gogo: Yes.
Didi: Nothing has happened!
Gogo: How do you know?
Didi: Because Arkandel is still here.
Gogo: Does that mean that Faraday took no action? Maybe she spoke to Arkandel. Maybe Arkandel stopped his behavior.
Didi: (swaps hats with Gogo) Well, shall we go?
Gogo: Yes, let's go.
They do not move.
FIN
Peeve:
Opposing counsel who leave confidential information in their produced documents.
Oh, sure, that seems like an advantage, but it isn't. It leaves me with two choices: (1) giving the stuff back and being called a wuss by my client; or (2) refusing to point out the error and being called an asshole by opposing counsel.
If people did their fucking jobs, this wouldn't be a moral dilemma.
@Tinuviel said in Historical MUSHes:
Most of us folks that have more than a passing interest in history mostly grit our teeth when people insist on being "historically accurate" but aren't. Fictional takes on history are fine and are done often enough. We just get people trying time and again to be "historically accurate" rather than just using history as a story tool.
I'd just like it if a period piece stuck somewhat near the technological level and actual world history. Like, please, no grenades at the Battle of Acre, I don't care what you think the History Channel said existed or aliens.
