Best posts made by mietze

Just because you do not see or agree with the reasoning behind an ask does not mean that there isnt one.

And a lot of the time the way workarounds are asked for has a huge impact on what part of that interaction is the real evaluation.

It could be even "you know, we already have 5 players on the game that have a very low tolerance for rolling with things even if they dont enjoy them and often need a lot of specialized attention to get through things that are obstacles for them. Can we/do we want to add on another person that is going to need more time/has to be challenged very carefully?" might be provoked by how something is asked vs another way of asking might provoke a "huh. I never thought of that alternative, I like it, let's put it on the wiki as another way right now. Thanks!" by the same staff.

Yes. I will forever love Ares bc it made it so non coder me could even entertain the idea of being able to get a game together despite that. Even though I am so code impaired that I had to get some help with coding, that is only because if adaptation. If I didn't want to do that I would not have needed help beyond asking others where to find things now and then.

And its nice to not need to be wiki savvy too. I

I didn't know the language that it uses, and didn't pick it for that.

The air pollution is so bad I can taste the particulates as soon as I go outside and the light cast from my skylights is rust orange on the carpet.

It looks like grey fog in the distance but it is not.

At least it's not as bad as Delhi or anything but I'm thinking about investing in a mask since I do a lot of apartment deliveries so that's a lot of exertion, and I have asthma!

I have definitely seen people pushing the line in a public scene (as well as had it done to me) because a person is relying on the target to not make a fuss when there are other people around. It is rarer though, and usually they are violating some kind of standard (assuming they can grab/kiss/touch someone in a pose without asking or leaving an opening for it to be rebuffed, for example), not just being "flirty."

I think old school players and old fogey WoDites are going to reject rosters out of hand, for the most part. People always scream bloody murder about anything new, whether that is mechanics or shifting of theme as game lines are updated, to staff structure, to how big a game is, whether or not players or staff control the ultimate power positions, ect.

However, if someone wanted to experiment with rosters, then maybe new or more open minded folks would be willing to give it a chance. I don't see the harm in that. It would possibly attract a different community, which to me is neutral. Yeah, a lot of people who are die hard WoD by Night MUSH fans would not show up (hopefully, rather than bitching about it endlessly on pub as they flail about the ooc room, but you know, let's be realistic about the community, maybe). I don't see that as a bad thing necessarily.

I think we need to get away from the idea that a game in a beloved genre must cater to all people, past and present.

@sunnyj said in NOLA 2: Back in the Vieux:

Maybe these people have unreasonable expectations out of the hobby as it is today. This is especially true when the people most ENERGETIC in affecting the world around them are OFTEN the obnoxious, uninteresting, buries-staff-with-jobs, giant coterie/pack/motley plot-hogging sort.

You'll get no argument from me over that! Though to them they're having a ton of fun and "creating RP for people," and they might even correct at least in part over the latter! But they'd also probably say they are "making their own fun" too, by being proactive and asking for things, ect.

So it's a good thing to define expectations pretty well on a game, as to what can be (or can't be) expected from staff, and what they specifically they mean by "make your own fun." Some of the worst behavior I've seen from people has been when they are doing just that!

@rnmissionrun Obamacare isn't an insurance company. It's a series of mandates FOR the insurance companies. Insuring that the pool of people includes young and healthy people is part of "Obamacare".

@JinShei yeah, this is def part of it for me. I have checked in with other women RL, its kind of a thing, I have done it online for the same reason.

I think a few others have hit it on the head--you may be getting bored or not finding satisfying RP because you've left not as much to be interactive about, and are too reliant on others to make things for you to do with your character, vs. being open to having them effect you.

Staff run plots often have a huge number of signups (as do sphere events). IME these may be exciting actiony things but very very rarely will they introduce you truly to others or get contacts outside your playgroup. There is a scene, but then a lot of people do not get together on their own afterwards (maybe in a job, but even then people tend to do that individually or in clusters). There also are not typically enough of them to constitute regular RP. This isn't a good or a bad thing, just seems to be par for the course for most places I have played at least in the last decade.

I find when people are way too focused on their own PC being a specific way and interacting in the world a specific way and/or wanting to surround themselves with others and events that go in such a direction as to support that, it rarely goes well--especially if you're not communicating a lot OOC (and even if you are). I think most people who MUSH fall into that a time or two so it's by no means some indication of not being good at things or whatever. But you do have to be careful of an attitude of "I have such an awesome PC, if only people would come and unwrap me and see!" creeping up on you--because a lot of people are used to that kind of interaction being very one sided, when the other person won't run things/won't focus on the other PC for a change, ect.

IME games are not made exciting or interesting by /your/ PC, but by what develops between them and others. I tend to make rather open ended PCs so I have ready excuse to explore without being too bound by "Oh, I can't do/explore that, because I've had 50 years of doing something else/in my background I /hate/ that, ect." Most of the PCs with elaborate backstory (which can be rewarding, but IMO primarily when you are creating that WITH someone else, not on your own for someone else to try to discover from scratch) that I've had have had a partner to play off of and a reason to be very very very interested in the world around them. (Spy, courtesan, political machinist, personality, ect.)

If you listen and yield the spotlight and pay attention to what other people RP with their characters, you'll often build goodwill. I can't tell you how many times people have been touched that I remembered something said in play and incorporated it into our next scene or in an offscreen moment (like a @mailed letter or gift, ect). I do that because I enjoy it. It is not super reciprocated, but when it is, I know that that person is a keeper for RP and someone that I'd like to involve more, beause it really does feel good when someone notices and is thinking about your PC as they're writing about theirs. And you can do that sort of thing regardless of backstory.

I think the most helpful thing to remember though is that your character is often not the prime reason why you do or don't enjoy a place. Your interactions with others, their relationships with others, and other things often affect how and if you settle and how well so much more than your character themselves.

So I think it's good to leave some open space. It is really good to have a concrete idea in your mind of what your PC is like, but I think realistically on a MUSH you should be willing to adapt a little if the environment is different than you anticipated or be willing to ditch your PC (there's nothing wrong with ditching something that's not working for you, and nothing wrong with trying alterations or giving it time--it's just a matter of how much you'd like to invest or are willing to be patient).

But I think that staff run plots and other player run +Events and plots are not going to satisfy you unless you're just looking for tabletop ish stuff (and you know, that's fine too, really!). I do think it helps to try and adjust to seeing your PC not as the prime element of your enjoyment. (Or maybe that's just a personality thing for me, dunno.)

@magee101 no offense, but unless someone is pressuring you to play out minutia that you don't want to (in which case you should dump that person's ass, they're not a good RP partner for you), why would you care? That seems to be an odd thing to fixate on to ruin your enjoyment of a game, because other people are playing something you don't like in their private scenes.

But it is something that has been the mainstay of MU bitching I guess (what other people are imagined to do/are doing in private not with the person doing the bitching) I guess.

Regarding the calf spasm, you can often curtail it by grabbing your foot and pulling the toes upwards to flex the entire foot (the opposite of pointing it). That forces your calf muscles to relax because their opposites are engaged. It will not stop the residual pain. But it's handy to know because many times you'll be on the edge of another spasm or several for the next hours-to a couple of days, and you can head it off if you immediately flex your foot to prevent the muscles in your calf from tightening.

I think potassium can help some people but low potassium will not help everyone and isn't always the cause. I am sorry though. I get those a lot, though usually now the warning tightening will wake me up and I immediately go to lean against the wall to flex my foot or do it manually to stave it off. Be careful about massaging or rolling immediately after a spasm. For some folks and in some situations it will send you right into another one.

I have no interest in writing longer original works but I do enjoy writing and love the joint storytelling. Best part of mushing for me. In fact sometimes I wish I could JUST storytell on a game without needing to make a PC because I love spoilers and variety and having a PC provides a lot of encumbrances/COI concerns and other stressors that I do not always want.

In addition, it is a hobby where I have developed lasting friendships with people all over the world. I adored pen pal through postal mail but when that really died out/waned I am glad I had this hobby. There are people in my life that I have now talked with almost daily to near weekly for the last 25+ years. That's really awesome and a comforting sort of stability that I did not grow up with. I have gotten to tell stories about subjects that I do not broach in RL with people who have been by and large safe to do that with.

And I keep meeting new people who are interesting and wonderful.

I think in a communal game it's really important to observe the environment. If you're in a small group that loves the 5 paragraph posing each time and you click enough that you are together enjoying it, great. I have a few people that I love to spam cannon with.

But if you are in a scene with 8 people with a time frame or one in which people need to be in order to impart information or what not, and everyone else is keeping it to 1-2 paragraphs to keep things moving, when you take advantage of a captive audience by posing 5 paragraphs of nothing but meta and environment and won't move your information forward or respond to anyone or give anyone anything to respond to you about...it makes you look like an ass, not a superior writer.

I think that unfortunately one should probably look at ability rather than desire, when it comes to positions or limited things that the staff wants to be RP drivers. Lots of people want titles and shit, but if there are expectations tied to them (activity level) then there will be some people that are cool but can't make the cut. It's not fair, but I'm not sure that an individual who has no time and cannot accomplish the tasks expected of anyone else who takes such a slot should get a pass because of their timezone or RL circumstances or whatever.

I do think, however, it is vitally important to be very specific about what you mean by 'active.' Just logged in? Are they expected to run plots beyond meetings? Do they have to accomplish all the expectations themselves as an individual, or can they have a team approach? (As in, perhaps the elder themselves is in New Zealand , but (to use vampire as an example) they have a lead ghoul who is available EST daytimes, and two childer also incoming who are available at other times with overlap, and who they are confident will be team players even if they don't get the CG stat boost? (I'm actually in support of leadership teams rather than individuals, though it is /hard/ to find them, when you have a great team, there's better longevity).

Lots of people want lots of things,. If they can't perform or can't meet the requirements though, then it really doesn't matter how bad they want it.

I think where most policies fall short in this regard is that they are not well defined expectations wise (so that everyone is on the same page, and there is some measure of performance) and seldom is there a very clear policy about removal (not so importnat IF there are unlimited 'slots'.). I think probably there should be some vetting as to type of activity too. You can have a super active individual, but if they have a catastrophic misunderstanding of theme or their purpose is more to just be sparkly starshine prince look at me I'm a snowflake what do you mean I have to involve people that don't totally want to keep me at the center of attention, then that's even more of a problem than the person who is able to log in 3 times a week, but spends that time generating activity for newbies and friends and the sphere at large and is capable of assembling a great suport time to keep it going.

At least in MUSHing bad or unintentionally hilarious sex scenes are free!

Don't mind me, I'll just be over here ratcheting up my pepper mill. OK, so that one is pretty cute. I'd probably +vote and +praise someone for that.

@Ghost People are busy on Arx but it's a different kind of busy than say a game where there are a ton of events where you get to fight bad guys and play it out on screen.

But someone who expects the same kind if busy on arx as they get elsewhere or vice versa is probably going to be frustrated and look for something to blame, sure.

@Caryatid would be an excellent person to get feedback from. Tagging her so she sees this!

Ultimately, if there is a list of expectations that staff have for a certain role, they're not "punishing" people who can't make those expectations. I advocate for specific lists of expectations, because it allows for more flexibility OOC, and for more diverse people being given a chance, if they can approach staff with a team proposal or other thing that still meets all of the requirements even though it's not Ye Old Typical person who can afford to be online 24/7.

But frankly, @icanbeyourmuse your example is confusing to me. If a person cannot participate in most major things regarding the role they wish to fulfill, and are largely limited to +Request and other non-RP avenues, and the role requires that (not all will, sometimes it's better to have someone in there who's an excellent delegator and tabs-keeper, and off-hours folks are often excellent at that), then why would you want a role that you're not going to be able to fulfill, regardless of how much you really really really really really want it? Just for the fancy title?

I mean big weddings are fine too I have some friends that loved them or at least didnt seen to mind. I wish that people weren't such assholes about them to their own family members. Have what you want at your wedding, shut up and smile when its not your wedding, it shouldn't be that hard.

Yeah honestly I always assumed that it was more about altered state of consciousness and shifts in how your system functions. Like you don't put on a limb, its wired into you and becomes part of your consciousness. You can literally plug your brain into your computer and have a proxy sensory experience, not because visual/sound things are tricking your senses but because there is a direct electronic and chemical interface with them in the brain.

When just getting pregnant and/or hitting a certain level of environmental toxin level or reacting to implants of a much cruder nature can alter people's brains/behaviors/ect, through no fault of their own, I guess it doesnt really seem to far fetched to me that when you replace organic systems wholesale, that can lead to some pretty life altering effects.

I have a close friend who underwent an organ transplant. Even that has had some really significant effects on her life beyond the "happy story" of it. It's still a shock to the body system even aside to the anti-rejection drugs. Unlike say, a titanium hip. Most of the cybernetic implants that I remember do not function simply like just a joint replacement. They are integrated into several body systems. I'm glad there's handwavium about rejection! But I do not see why someone has to be gross for saying that if you integrate many foreign things into your body that are replacing and augmenting neural stuff and body systems then you will reach a capacity where it probably will affect your well being.