Best posts made by mietze

Don't care either way. It always struck me as kind of weird that those posts tend to come from guests or throwaway PCs. If you really wanted to make people want to come to your game, wouldn't it be better to have a person familiar with both games there to answer questions/help get people connected? Drive by postings are like ads you see barfed on webpages back in the days before all the scary info collection that make the ads at least make sense most of the time.

Even when I had no life, I still preferred to try games that had SOMEONE willing to vouch for them publicly!

I was getting pretty good at tea bowls on the wheel (my hand building is okay but I do not have a great deal of patience) before I cut back way a lot to go back to school and then spawning took me right out. I think I'd be better at it now that my tactile sensitivity and pressure sense is a hell of a lot better (thanks, massage school!) Unfortuantely I tend to fuck up all my best thrown pieces in the firing process, but I have so much fun with it it doesn't matter.

I love raku because you have very very little personal control of the outcome. Also it's fun to set things on fire and toss glowing hot pots into sawdust and then into water buckets, and then peel off the slip like eggshells. Crazy fun. But it often means if it looks good it looks really good otherwise it's total crap. And you cannot have attachment to the pieces because you never know if they're going to explode or look like shit or what.

Unfortunately the process means that most of the stuff is decorative, unless you coat it afterwards. I do have a tea bowl that I use old school (over time the small cracks in the piece are stained and add to the beauty imo) as in just rinsing it out every time, no sugar or milk, just plain tea. I don't like the look of the pieces that are protective coated afterwards, personally.

Anyway, here's my favorite piece ever even though the bowl shape ain't all that: http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s349/zschantrea/raku1_zpscf18f798.jpg

The black is from the smoke from the newspaper shreds/sawdust/other combustibles. The white part is because it's been covered in slip before it was fired, but as it dries and also during the process the slip will crack in spots. Once it's been fired/put in the burn buckets/plunged into water, then you crack open the slip and peel it like an egg and you get cool stuff or fugly stuff. It's a flat finish.

This is not the only way you can fire, there are some raku glazes too that are little more glossy. Those were fun to experiment with (you still get the neat crackle markings, but the finish is glossy/glazed looking and it can have some cool effects). I made a teeny thing to experiment with that, and here's one of my favorite results, even though the edge chipped and it's a little wonky:

http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s349/zschantrea/Rakufireaug11045.jpg and http://i510.photobucket.com/albums/s349/zschantrea/Rakufireaug11046.jpg

Here's a video of the process used to make the little cup thing (I did my bigger bowl at a later date). Normally I have 4-5 pieces go in to every firing, I'm lucky if I get 1 or 2 out of any batch that I like enough to keep. It's just the nature of the beast. But the video shows why it's so goddamn fucking fun.

http://vid510.photobucket.com/albums/s349/zschantrea/rakufire_zpsrveo3pv8.mp4

Probably the take away is that if you find a place you love to RP at, probably it's better to keep that to yourself or specific invites, lest you run into Hipster Gamer who is happy to tell you, "Oh. Yeah, maybe that's okay for some people, but you know, I kinda prefer something really good."

I couldn't even find maternity jeans that weren't skinny jeans. That's like the biggest fuck you ever. Granted, I have less to choose from in store because I need a petite size, but. Some of this may be generational though. I assume most people who are buying maternity jeans are significantly younger than I was last year, and I'd given away all my normal ones like over a decade prior. It's hard to find non-skinny jeans for my older boys too. My teen girl lives in them, but it seems like everyone else her age does too.

But really, what the fuck is with skinny maternity jeans and horizontal stripe maternity shirts.

I've been just at the edge of morbidly obese. (though not for quite a few years now, when I worked for a significant weight loss). I will say that while it can be done (if I can do it then almost anyone else can), I honestly don't think that anyone gets to that point without some significant issues OTHER than just food intake going on, as the amount you have to take in to maintain that weight can be a form of self-medication--or they've been significantly injured or ill. I think this is why a lot of folks find it harder to maintain than actually lose, or have a hard time taking the steps to get there. Mine included an eating plan, yes, and more exercise (I'm now an avid runner), but for me to hit the 100 lbs+ loss mark it included counseling and other treatment to address other issues. (Along with a nutritionist). I'm not saying everyone that is morbidly obese has mental issues, but in my experience along with many others I've talked to, there usually is some other stuff going on that needs to be addressed for long term success and maintaining health.

And I wasn't fat my whole life either. What your mind pictures you are and what you actually are can be a total mindfuck a lot of the time, in either direction. Post-baby weight has been a very big stress for me because I still think I look my heaviest until I look at pictures from them and realize that I am so very not. Though when I was at my heaviest, even though I knew that I was, I still "felt" like I did in high school (which was ideal weight, perfect hourglass figure, ect) until I looked in the mirror.

The mind is just very strange sometimes.

I do work towards the body that I feel most comfortable in, but I've got a lot of things going for me than many other folks do: an excellent metabolism and easy athleticism (Until I got help for it I've always been a binger, so to be frank I can probably out eat someone 3 times my size at least in one sitting) which means that I did not put on what someone else doing the same behavior might have. I had the money and time to get professional support when I needed it. I have no significant health problems (no diabetes/hypertension/other diseases). I have a strong support system around me.

I agree that just losing weight is pretty simple, but...I don't know that I would term it easy unless it's just a matter of someone who realizes "hmmm, oh shit, I've been eating like it's swim season even though I quit the team 5 years ago." I think most of the people who are in the 100+ lbs to lose range MAY have a more complex situation, but of course that's not always the case.

I don't care what it is. But I would like to play in a congenial ooc atmosphere, regardless of ic stuff.

I love Fading Suns, but I'm not sure due to like 15 years of baggage that it's possible for some of the people that would come to play to be oocly civil to each other.

I wouldn't assume that new /boyfriend/ is totally new/a stranger to her.

But even if he was her bestie or someone she was cheating with for 5 years (hence the dumping by ex boyfriend) or a coworker she's known for a long time that now is a FWB...I would say regardless of fucking status, no one of any gender should be entering the apartment without the roommate being present unless you agree to it and are given a heads up. Not siblings, not parents, not best friends, not lovers, not anyone.

I have seen rivals/antagonists played well.

I've been fortunate enough to get to have that RP with others (that I did not know oocly before, even).

While this can be done organically, I think it's most likely to happen either with very mature RP groups (very rare) that can fend off rescuer players (and even then it's a huge risk--I've seen a single PC destroy months of setup and wonderful RP between two other PCs because they wanted to throw their big bad/white knight dick around, unasked)...or more realistically it's only going to happen with very attentive and active staff.

That's a very high bar to clear, especially being fair to all. Staff are people too and they're likely to let some people (unlinked or less likely to ask for help etc.) slip through the cracks.

Also I think a lot of people like the idea of pc antagonists but aren't willing to give up the agency and control and extend the ooc trust that you must to really make that stuff work. When it happens it's golden though.

If you answer the door naked, the Jehovahs Witnesses mark you off their walking lists.

Jesus. If there was some expectation as a prp runner that I input every thing that I thought could possibly come up into some code every single time (for others who probably didn't bother to list all their +nopes in the same code or who don't know them), shit if I would run things for people I don't know.

And if you have a shitty ST that takes out their aggro on someone or who behaves like poor me princess, then you /leave/.

I'm sorry, but the people who sit around and take abusive behavior because "I don't want anyone to be mad at me," are not victims, they are contributors.

You can walk from a scene, and you can boot disruptive players from a player run scene. Perhaps if people were less willing to tolerate crappy behavior less would occur. Or people who "don't know any better" could eventually learn as their ass got dumped enough times.

If staff storytellers are doing rude and railroading and ooc manipulative things, you got much worse problems that a content warning won't solve.

When I worked with a lot of rehab/therapeutic clients (and thus had to fill out a lot of specific charting/goals/treatment results paperwork for insurance and medical team purposes) we tried to be a little more specific with the pain numbers and what they meant, vs using the smiley face thing or just an unguided rate from 1-10.

0 - Absolutely pain free

1-3 Mild Pain - Able to do all activities of daily living with little to no modifications needed.

1- pain is present off and on but barely noticeable and often forgotten about.

2 - minor pain is annoying and definitely present most of the time with occasional stronger twinges.

3 - pain is annoying and distracting, but you can adapt and get used to it, still performing your usual activities without moderation.

4-6 Moderate Pain - interferes significantly with daily life activities

4 - moderate pain. You can be distracted from it if you are very engaged in something else, but only for a certain period of time, and you are starting to need to modify your daily activities because you can't function fully.

5 - moderately strong pain. You cannot ignore it for longer than a few minutes. You can push through to so many or your daily activities or social activities, but you must limit both significantly.

6 - moderately strong pain that significantly impacts your daily activities and cannot be ignored or distracted from at all. This level of pain impacts your ability to speak normally/carry on an undistracted conversation.

7-10 Severe pain - Disabling/cannot perform functions of daily living

7 - the pain interferes or severely limits your ability to sleep. It is severe pain that dominates your senses and significantly limits your ability to perform daily tasks or keep up with social endeavors.

8 - intense, acute pain. Severely limits any/all physical activities. Conversation with others is extremely difficult

9 - excruciating pain. Involuntary crying out/vocalizations. Unable to coherently converse with others.

10 - unspeakable pain, delirious, bedridden, unable to perform any tasks or communicate with people.

Unmedicated childbith pain is usually described as a 7-8 level, for reference. If you're at a 9-10 you're in the hospital.

Pain scale is not really talking about pain alone, it's pain and /function/. If you are at the doctors office talking with them coherently during your appointment, having walked there under your own power you are not at a 9 or 10 on the pain scale even if it is indeed the worst pain you personally have experienced.

@Arkandel I have and would again, in no uncertain terms, denied things to RL friends in game despite all sorts of tantrums and guilt tripping, when it was clear that they were breaking rules and/or being abusive and/or inappropriate with others.

Even though there's ooc relationship risk.

If you are unwilling to say no, you need to check yourself to an out of control friend, then you are a truly shitty friend. IMO.

Nope, not at all. There's plenty to go around. However, it's always good when you're really going to throw it down in front of a community that's super familiar with your long term behavior, you need to accept the fact that eventually someone's going to be super sick of it.

If you want actual participation you need to be very specific and brief in your presentation. Few people are going to read a screen long overly justifying news file. They just aren't.

If you make it too "wah WAH wah" Peanuts adult voice then people will actually be more confused not less.

Probably some definitions are in order though to make sure everyone is on the same page.

I have yet to meet any MUSHer in person regardless of whether or not I much care for them on games, and not like them. And I've met a ton of y'all.

Now it doesn't mean that even RL friends don't annoy the shit out of me sometimes in game. So it's not a panacea. Sometimes it makes the WTFery even worse.

Gany doesn't meet gamer people though so she'll just have to come in by drone.

Honestly the "zomg I'm failing too much!!!" can also depend on what games the player has played on recently.

Once I went from TR (high high ridiculous dice pools for everyone) to a low powered/starting level game that was also WoD. People freaked the fuck out constantly because "I only got 1 success instead of 17!" Or "I'm not even going to try, since I have a dice pool of 5!" (Which really isn't bad particularly when everyone else has low pools, but people were so used to seeing successes and big ones every roll they'd have anxiety if they thought they wouldn't.)

Saw a similar thing with people transitioning from high power WoD to FS3 in the battle star game I played.

I loved combat rp in the FS3 system, I found it both freeing and more fun. Yeah I'm weird, but I find it easier to describe missing in more fun and varied ways than hitting. Luckily it was not super jarring for me because I wasn't coming directly from an all monster stats all the time environment though.

These people show up and do this on every game even if the social stats are nerfed. It's tiresome to see the stats talked about as if they are the problem. If anything nerfing social stats and combat seems to be used most often for staff to continue to allow the abuse that happens, because they think they've "solved the problem."

Dealing with problem children requires gonads and spine. I'd say eliminating a whole scope of play that encompasses very different things than sexual issues because one is afraid that the predators and harassers on their game might use it for such (rather than dealing with the real issue regardless of stats), tells me the staff is weak and there's far MORE likely to be predatory behavior on their game.

I don't think saying "I'll hand you these tools and do what I can to make things easy for you, but I am not really going to take responsibility for people who don't bother to use them but still complain." As taking those player complaints /personally/.

Quite the opposite. If you decide to play on a game where staff makes it clear how to do things, but you don't want to be cause of your horrible experience with someone else--it really /is/ on you to get over it. I'm not unsympathetic as I've been there.

But honestly, I don't think staff unless they obviously are those types of people--and they are very rare--can possible take every player no matter how damage and coax and woo them to greater participation. It's a huge committment and pouring yourself into someone who is just as likely to spit in your face as to appreciate the effort or meet you halfway. But bad things DO happen when players or staff take things uber personally (barring direct personal contact where someone says "you suck" directly) or cannot give and take with suggestions.

HP, you'd be wrong. It does indeed still happen.

I have seen this system before, where retainers can be built up over time, and participate in downtime/offscreen/supplemental actions. Just want to warn you that the unintended consequences often elbow out lower level PC from play and participation, especially as described above--high level friends build up retainers and then use those objects in a circular fashion with eAch other.

I don't believe that it ever starts out as an intentional way to bypass newbie/lower level inclusion but it often turns into that. So. Something to keep an eye on.

@GreenFlashlight yeah, I see it far far more with hetero couples, tbh,on every game I've played. I mean I've seen it with others too, but not nearly as often.