Posts made by mietze

It has been a very long time but iirc there's also differing amounts of contribution towards that threshold too, depending on the type of implant/replacement as well. Seems like that should be a good way for game runners to balance what they'd like.

Though personally, ripping your brain out of your body and going full replacement probably is going to impact you no matter what the reason is, because of the scope. Limb replacement, eh. Could eliminate base cost and just factor in type of extras. Being able to have a functional hand with a handy computer port should "cost" less than one with a monofilament whip and poison gas canister activated by your mind. Though I do seem to recall that was kind of how it worked, I may be conflating a few systems.

@Wizz overload? When your brain cannot handle things anymore, and you snap? When the human body has not yet had time to really adapt to these body/mind altering new experiences? It happens to people now with far less invasive and complicated things.

Probably also because of the pervasive themes in this type of SciFi is the exploration/discomfort over how much alteration one needs to undergo before that person starts to lose their grasp on empathy/humanity.

One could argue that WoD also forces that as well through trauma since even mortal PCs can be removed from play as PCs due to breakdown/insanity in some way.

Not sure why cyberpunk is perceived as uniquely gross when it has people literally rewiring their bodies, ripping out systems to install new ones (including from petri dishes and organ harvesters, in addition to the foreign substance only ones). I would find it mildly disrespectful to say "sure, jam physical objects into the brain and replace nerves with wires, inject yourself full of nanobots and other chemicals, what are you some kind of loser, totally none of those things will ever affect your experience of the word and wouldn't alter your mental health at all." When you have people actively suffering/who have experienced frightening things RL from postpartum depression/psychosis, and anti-rejection drugs neuraltoxcity, ect, but ok.

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.

I guess this is a taste of what people actually need to do during outbreaks of potentially serious illness, like in the days before vaccines. You'd think that the anti vax people would be actually paying attention (so that they can make plans for their family if we see further outbreaks from those diseases in the future too), and I hope some are. But the ones in my life are busy putting out posts about what blend of essential oils kill this bug (and cancer and everything else) as well as happy thoughts being the best preventative.

I am shocked that none of them are having covid-19 parties yet but knowing some of my relatives I am sure that's coming!

Our district shut down for a day yesterday for staff to prepare and get stuff up and running just in case. Looks like the just in case is here faster than we thought. Pretty much all my kids from the kindergartener to the senior spent the day today learning how to log in to the various doodads and talking about it.

Now they are working to figure out how to get special services to the kids that need it as well as how they can address the feeding program for kids who rely on getting breakfast and lunch at school.

My big kids' former elementary school is now shutting down after a very active parent volunteer is now hospitalized and tested positive for the virus, they volunteered at several large events last week and in classrooms on monday.

It is truly devastating to me because this particular school is the hub school where all the medically fragile kids are sent for the district because they have the proper care facilities and 2 full time nurses. When I served in the PTA there it was not unusual for about 1 child from the school to pass away about every/every other year due to complications from their disabilities or other issues, or to be seriously hospitalized.

That school is closing, all students that were in the classes where the volunteer was were isolated on arrival and sent home...

It's just really sad. Yeah wont make a difference to most kids, but if there are kids that it might--a lot of our most vulnerable kids go to that school.

So yep, I think the "hey dont worry, only the elderly and frail will die" feels like a real gut punch today.

I know 4 people now who are quarantined due to exposure to a confirmed case (not all the same ones), including one of the first responders. Almost all the deaths have occured at the hospital where my kids were born and is less than a 10 minute drive from me unless there is super shitty traffic.

It is a surreal experience to walk around and see shelves empty. I mean I do find the TP and hand sanitizer and fresh food shortages kind of funny, but it is disturbing when you see things bare. (I now go early AM if I need to because things look more normal as night stockers are putting the store back together.) I do not really have the option to bury my head in a blanket and not speak to my kids about social distancing because they already know that fbe district is prepping for this. (And this will be a disruption. My senior doesn't care about my elementary kiddo is oblivious, but my juniors do.) Neither hubby nor myself are in the lowest risk categories, and it's not like the kids arent talking about it, so I have adapted my usual pantry (we always try to keep at least 2 months of non perishables because earthquakes/windstorms) to include easy to prep meals in case they need to take care of little one plus us if we parents get very ill--and this was their idea.

I understand why people are making fun of things, I think it's a normal human response, ect. I do wish people had a little more consideration about when/where because really you dont know who lives with an elderly/frail/immunocompromised/high risk category person.

Oh and by the way, some of the new cases of people needing to be hospitalized for their infection now include 2 people in their 20s.

I mean we know its been in my community for probably a month and a half plus, so that means we as a community are prepping for an influx of symptomatic folks as well as people who need hospitalization. While theres also a huge influenza A outbreak locally that has hospitalized people, and triggered other's asthma, including my youngest, who was almost hospitalized for that not long ago.

It does not do any good to panic, but I hope people also understand why some of the "cheer up, it only kills people who are old and already sick" can be a little irritating as well. Mostly because that's actually not true even now, we do not really know how things will shift in the future, it doesn't help kids much if they are stuck at home effectively alone as their older parents or caregiver grandma is seriously ill, and a significantly higher portion of people need significant treatment for the pneumonia that develops even if they do not die--and we all know how lovely that giant ass medical and hospital bill is going to affect those folks.

People who feel the need to stockpile are going to do so regardless. Lying to them doesn't help and is likely to backfire.

@TiredEwok I would argue that they were there from the start as he already has an anti-harassment order against him.

Sadly, people like to make themselves feel better by not believing people when they talk about harassment or thinking that this type of behavior could hopefully just be then having a bad day or "not who they really are" or harmless or whatever.

In fact this guy has an extensive history.

I'm glad in this instance at least people are not playing the magnanimity game, or looking the other way. Wish we did it more when people show who they are through harassing behaviour or racist/sexist/homophobic comments.

As expected, dude is now making accounts to argue with people. I would advise not responding at all on threads or otherwise if you can manage it, just report the post or contact mods if he is bothering you privately and we will take care of things with minimal fanfare.

Do not use this board as a means to harass people via PM because you no longer have access to them in game.

Do not bring people's real life into your communication with them uninvited.

I have banned him pending conversation with the other mods, but I am pretty sure that the ban will continue.

If this individual or any other continues to contact people here with RL info or unwanted contact by PM please alert any moderator or all of us ASAP.

I don't really worry about them getting it since my dad is a major germphobe, which is good since barring his insistence, were they to become infected my mom would not really voluntarily adhere to any kind of quarantine or restrictions on going out and about of her own accord. I'm pretty sure he has them on modified lockdown rn.

I do have concerns on how a major outbreak would be handled here, nevertheless. I've finally seen some really good preparation guides and suggestions FINALLY coming out across a wide variety of sources, though plenty of snake oil (Here, INGEST this essential oil blend and it will totally prevent you from getting the virus from Chinese people!) and hastily rebranded backpackers "emergency food" supplies that claim to feed 5 people (but when you look at the calories it's a starvation diet, and people don't store the water needed for rehydration either).

However, I'm happy to report that after a high school in our district (not my big kids' school though) was closed for 2 days due to a staff member being in quarantine due to their family member's potential illness, my teenagers now have developed a much healthier appreciation for handwashing and hand sanitizer and cleaning off surfaces.

And I worry more about my 5 year old, who ends up in the ER around 2 times a year because of asthma attacks related to upper respiratory infections, this last one happened a couple of months ago and we barely squeaked by avoiding hospitalization. The fact that this virus also attacks the lower respiratory system is bad news for him and me (I too have very severe lung reactions to URIs) I have 64 hours of paid sick time (and I only am contracted to work 20 hours a week) so I could absorb most of a quarantine without too much of a financial burden and to protect the 5 year old if need be, which is a lot more than a lot of people here in the US have.

Is she unable to log in? While you do need to give an email, tbh I dont remember getting an email confirmation. It has been a good long while though. I am also moving this to questions/board stuff.

If anyone else has disturbing PMs but does not want to share them publicly, can you please PM me?

I can see why he has no contact orders.

That is straight up creeper stalker ass writing right there, I actually feel really kinda ill just seeing jt.

Blue did he send you this in a PM here?

That is creepy as fuck.

@Scissors I think it's both. A lot of people probably don't think they are "as bad as" their behavior. But yeah, I do think in this particular case, he enjoys provoking reactions more than playing/participating. There are a lot of people like that, really.

I don't have a good visual memory including for faces without repetition (but it is not horrible). I do remember music, voices, and sounds very very well, people assume that I recognize folks immediately on sight after a first meeting but it's really their voice that triggers my recollection of their name. And smells for good or ill.

I dont always dream up things visually when I read something but I definitely create soundscapes in my head and I often "hear" the voice of other people's PCs as part of thinking about then in RP.

If I RP often or significantly with one of your PCs you can be sure that while I won't remember who the PB is or necessarily have a visual picture I'll definitely have a strong sense of their audible voice that I relate to.

Sadly stalking isn't a big deal to a lot of people. When I explained some stalking and harassment that happened to me and was scaring me at my business, I was told to "adult more" if I wanted to be a business owner and btw was I sure I wasnt just being too sensitive? Wouldnt want to besmirch that person's reputation if I'd just misinterpreted his actions. That really shocked and hurt me but it should not have really given what we have historically tolerated in behavior on games.

This is why I really have very little trust in our community's willingness to really deal with problems until a game runner proves otherwise, and I operate on the expectation that they will always err on the side of people who harass or have that history until it is too bad to ignore.

@WildBaboons how could a guy that had harassment orders against him be "mostly harmless?"