Posts made by Ganymede

@surreality said in RL Anger:

Fair! I just tend to point that one out because it can harm you (but really, I'm a smoker -- I am not so much a hypocrite as to tell someone they can't do something they know can harm themselves), too, and... really, a lot of people genuinely believe it's totally OK to use that to try to shame people with permanent injuries or actual physical problems into pushing it way, way more than they should.

Also fair.

I've been doing the workout thing long enough to know when to pull back. While I'm not making the same gains I did when I was in my 20s, I'm not fucking in my 20s anymore. I know what I need to do to get even better, but I just don't do it -- sorry, but I like my Chinese and Mexican food.

@Miss-Demeanor said in Fallen World MUX!:

So frankly, at that point, what staff wants becomes irrelevant since there are no steps being taken by them to actually push or keep a sphere going in any particular direction. Once its been left up to the players to provide the fun, with staff merely administrating? Its just a series of disjointed and unconnected scenes with no real direction.

If staff does not create and maintain what they want, the game will fail.

This is a bigger problem than just what staff wants.

@surreality said in RL Anger:

There's still... issues with that. It's one of those pieces of bad advice that people apply with a broad brush, even to folks like me who live with permanent injuries. (As in, no, when certain things hurt, stopping is the only option that won't prevent further damage, crazy people.)

Oh, I don't mean to apply it to anyone but myself.

I have every right to be as stupid as I want when it comes to my body. Like @Arkandel continuing to do deadlifts.

@Arkandel

I'm not one to say "I told you so," so I will instead say: YEAH IN YOUR FUCKING FACE MOTHERFUCKER.

I love you very much, workout buddy, but you really have to stop deadlifting for a while. Lumbago is no laughing matter, considering our sedentary lives.

@surreality

To be fair, I say this a lot, but only in response to muscle strain, rather than tearing apart my tendons. I'm on the wrong side of 35, and I'd like to be able to play sports with my kids in a few years.

@Arkandel said in RL Anger:

I picked a fight with my body. I lost.

Man, what did you do to yourself this time?

@Coin said in Interest/Volunteer Check: Major Multisphere Chronicles of Darkness:

Probably. Still just as equally illogical, IMO.

I disagree. Iron Masters go after humans. What better way to do it than through law enforcement? You've got the tools, apparent authority, and weapons to hunt down and isolate prey, and then take them down nice and quick. I can see an Irraka or Elodoth going down this road.

Plus, there's the pack: if not the werewolves, then their pack could fit into a law enforcement unit well.

@tragedyjones

@Coin said in Interest/Volunteer Check: Major Multisphere Chronicles of Darkness:

I would argue it's possible to be a copwolf, but that it's far from an important thing for werewolves to be able to be cop PCs. unless you're trying to roleplay some analogy to the type of people who get into law enforcement so they can have an out to their own violent tendencies, but that should be the exception, not the rule.

That's a good point, so I'll amend. It isn't important, but it opens up some avenues of good RP.

@tragedyjones said in Interest/Volunteer Check: Major Multisphere Chronicles of Darkness:

How pissed off would people be if police PCs were disallowed? Because, frankly, the number of Police Departments in the LA Metro area is absurd and would mean your effective jurisdiction is fuckall.

I think you're injecting too much realism here.

Being a PC cop is not just a valid concept: it's an important one. Maybe not for Vampires, but certainly for Changelings and Werewolves.

I don't think you should disallow the concept, but you may want to put the warning out there that there's no staffer devoting their time 24/7 to running a true-to-life law enforcement game.

@Warma-Sheen said in The basketball thread:

I disagree that the NBA will be less fun to watch without him. He was one of the least entertaining basketball players to ever play. He was all about business and rarely looked like he was even having fun. I do think he was one of the best, but certainly not fun to watch and not at all exciting.

I concur with you, but will state that the NBA is substantial less without him. He was the epitome of class and quiet acceptance of fame. I will gladly take another Tim Duncan over Nick Young.

@mietze said in Flights 'n Tights MUX:

That being said. I understand the need for space. I don't think there's really that much of an issue with a MUSH that says up front they will only accept male PCs. Or even more narrowly gay or bi male PCs. It's not like all the players will be men. * * * HOWEVER, on a game where there can only be male PCs that is predominantly supposed to be about same-gender relations, but still for some reason allows straight male PCs, I guess it's nice that they can have RP around that if they wish and so I understand why that might be a thing?

This is probably the best way to state what I was getting at. If @Hushicho's reaction to the critique was as simple as "I understand what everyone's saying, but we were aiming to create a place where players can play gay, bisexual, and queer male characters," I would not have objected. Instead, he saw the critique as "hate," which again is not what I intended to convey.

Again, I think the game is a great idea. I applaud its creation. My criticism of it should not be taken as a statement of "ANYONE WHO PLAYS HERE IS FUCKING SEXIST".

@Vorpal said in Flights 'n Tights MUX:

No, seriously. It mostly is. It’s a fetish superhero game featuring male superheroes who are not straight. It’s for people who like that sort of thing, just like places like hardheroes dot com. They want to be surrounded by men. Men in tights. Who like other men, and who like the fact that other men like them.

If this is what it is, that's fine. I can accept that. But this is not what @Hushicho has advertised the game as being. And, unlike you, I am not "assuming a huge amount of things about a game." (His words.)

This game is clearly advertised as being for male superheroes regardless of their sexuality. The game is not just for "gay, bisexual, and queer male characters" because "open-minded straight characters are welcome too!" (His words.)

I don't think @Hushicho needs anyone defending him or his choices. I think he's capable of doing it himself. But if this is a gay-superhero-fetish game, color me confused as to why he would describe it otherwise.

@Vorpal

Let's call a spade a spade, then.

This is the original advertisement:

"We welcome players of all kinds, to play both established Feature Characters and exciting Original Characters. At Flights 'n Tights, the name of the game is fun and adventure. Flights 'n Tights is a haven for gay, bisexual, and queer male characters, though female characters can be emitted and open-minded straight characters are welcome too! Unlike many other games that treat even established gay, bi, and queer male characters poorly, Flights 'n Tights celebrates them. Of course, all players are welcome."

I may have been wrong to read into this that the game was calculated to be homosexual-friendly. Maybe you don't read it like that.

The first question I had was: why no women? To which the response appears to be: we don't want to. And then, the second question would be: knowing that other games have treated established homosexual, bisexual, and queer women poorly, why not celebrate women? To which, the apparently response is: OHMYGOD HOW DARE YOU HATE ON US.

Maybe I am being condescending. There are reams and reams of comic book critique focused on the gay, lesbian, bi, and queer portrayals in comics. You're no doubt aware of that. I have no doubt that @Hushicho is aware of that. And I can find no reasonable explanation as to why female PCs of any stripe aren't allowed on this game.

Maybe I am picking a fight here. I suppose I think better -- more highly? -- of people who will go out and create a protected environment for a particular group of players. They clearly have a social conscience.

But I'm not hating on the game. I don't hate it. Criticism is not hate. So, let's stop throwing about pointless hyperbole in an effort to get a rise.

@Vorpal said in Flights 'n Tights MUX:

To hell with that passive-aggressive guilt-tripping. What the hell are we, nuns?

I don't think anything I have stated has been passive-aggressive. I don't think it's passive-aggressive to point out that a game can be more-inclusive. I don't think it's passive-aggressive to say that a game can do more.

It's not gauche to play or enjoy this game. It is gauche, rather, to call critical speech "hate" when it is accurate. A careful reading of my comment indicates that I am not offended by the existence of the game, but the characterization of any critique thereof as being "hate." To-wit:

"I come back here to check and see how it's going and just get...all this hate for something the first reply on my topic decides to bring up, because of their own issues and assumptions. That's pretty amazing. And then we have people jumping in -- not taking the time to understand -- and assuming a bunch of tumblr-level stuff about us." (Emphasis added.)

To sum up, in case it was unclear: I think this game is a wonderful idea. That's why I said that I applaud it. What I am also saying, however, is that it could do more, and that I believe, as an opinion, that it should. Calling this critique "hate" is far from the mark, and this is what I objected to.

@surreality said in Flights 'n Tights MUX:

First, the serious bit, being that I don't think a niche game that states up front they're a niche game needs to fight every social battle in the comics arena. (Even though I strongly share your view re: goddammit can we please treat our heroines equally.)

You don't have to fight every social battle, but you ought not be offended when others point out that you have intentionally declined to do so, and that such act cements what is perceived to be another form of discrimination. How one reacts to that is also an apt topic for criticism; here, calling my previous comments "hate" is not only incorrect but also, unfortunately, offensive.

Second, the 'I wish I was just kidding' bit... about 90% of the lesbian or bisexual heroines I've seen on games have been played by men as pure porn bait. This... really only exacerbates the problem you're describing. Which is unfortunate.

This may have been true in the past, but I don't think it is the case here. Men and women can portray lesbian or bisexual heroines with equal depth as actual lesbians or bisexual people, inasmuch as gay men can portray a heterosexual hero.

@Hushicho said in Flights 'n Tights MUX:

If you weren't aware, we do not care what biological sex, gender, or gender identity any player is. All we are is a game for male characters as PCs. If you find that "creepy", then move right along. It is not a game for you. But I'd appreciate you not trying to insult my game and the community there by assuming a huge amount of things about a game that is clearly not your thing.

My objection isn't with your community, the players, or anyone personally. It is with the exclusion that seems inherently opposed to the apparent purpose of your game. Your choice marginalizes the entire sub-set of superheroines, which, although done perhaps without a malicious intent, is a painful reminder that such marginalization continues, despite recent advances in the genre.

I applaud the openness of your community, and I applaud that you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in. This game, however, does not seem representative of that, and it is for this reason that I criticize your game's scope and policies.

@Miss-Demeanor said in Fallen World MUX!:

I foresee one immediate problem with this. Staff often won't know all the plots that are being run on any given game. Largely because all the plot-running responsibilities have been doled out to PLAYERS.

This is true in practice, but it is still advisable for staff to give some idea of the direction in which they want to take the game. While players may run a lot of combat-oriented plots, staff should be able to accurately describe what sort of plots they are going to run.

It has been said many times before: PrPs should exist in order to "fill in the gaps." You don't need a metaplot for staff to run anything.

@Arkandel said in What themes and subjects do you look for in a game?:

Conversely I don't like heavily edited home grown themes. My idea of fun does not entail reading through the amateur rumblings of someone who took their plan for a novella/D&D campaign/fanfic spread out over ten pages on a wiki just to set the basics of their metaplot.

I concur with this, for other reasons.

If I have to read a whole bunch of stuff that isn't published or available elsewhere, the barrier of entry is higher for me because I am less inclined or able to concoct backstories or motivations for my PCs. It's all well-and-good to have a noble PC that is ambitious, but why is what I get stuck on.

@Lisse24 said in Fallen World MUX!:

Kingsmouth - Despite what you may think about some of their other issues, they've maintained a one-alt policy and that's something that works well for them and breeds activity.

They have supplemented this with the use of "redshirts," which are player-objects that be used as puppets/proxies, so that you can RP in two (or more) places at once. The restriction on redshirts: scenes using redshirts must occur a few hours before the scene you are engaging in with your main alt. And, obviously, you can't use a redshirt to alert another PC IC to something bad happening to your main alt.

@Roz

Bring copies of your checks, if you have them, showing that the amounts were deposited into someone's account. Or, if not yet deposited, evidence that you mailed the checks out or delivered them to your landlord.

In most jurisdictions, a landlord cannot proceed to evict you -- that is, get restitution of the premises -- where they have accepted payments for rent. You may still owe the landlord money, but acceptance of money after the filing of a complaint or statutory notice obviates the landlord's right to restitution of the premises.