Fyraltari's Fiercely Friendly Random Banter Thread #226

[Fyraltari]

Hello friends! This is the two hundred and twenty-sixth iteration of the random banter thread where we all come to talk about whatever we feel like talking about without making a dedicated thread for it.

Amotis' Random Banter #1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13484)
Dhavaer's Random Banter #2 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13401)
PhoeKun's Random Banter #3 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13319)
Rei Jin's Random Banter #4 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13205)
Toxic Avenger's Random Banter #5 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13146)
Jibar's Random Banter #6 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13026)
Ego Slayer's Surrogate Random Banter #7 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12939)
Sneak's Random Barroom Brawl #8 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12918)
Sophistemon's Solemnly Random Banter #9 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12855)
Vaynor's Very Random Banter #10 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12834)
Bookman's Blathering Random Banter #11 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12809)
Gralamin's Glorious Random Banter #12 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12785)
Rilik's Resplendently Random Raillery #13 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12766)
Gezina's Growling Grazing Random Banter #14 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12747)
The Zerglings Utterly And Geeky Random Banter #15 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12740)
jaqueses Truthfully Randomly Fireside Banter # 16 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12735)
Jack Squat’s Jubilantly Quixotic Random Banter #17 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12693)
Cardel's Banter of Cookie Jubilation #18 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12668)
Archonic's Chaotically Random Banter of Rods #19 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12657)
The Rod's Inanimate Temple of RANDOM banter #20 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12638)
Lucky’s Loquaciously Loud-Mouthed Random Banter#21 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12630)
Deckmaster's Divinely Delightful Random Banter #22 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12614)
Saithis' Soliloquy of Random Banter #23 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12598)
Loveable Lianae's Ludicrous Lampooning Lottery #24 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12578)
NEO|Phyte's Neolithic Nest of Weasel Banter #25 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12544)
Target's Random Banter of "non-violence" #26 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12533)
Tarnag40k's Random banter of "grammar errors" #27 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12515)
Kyrian's Random Banter of ADHDness #28 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12507)
El Jaspero's Random Drunken Ramblings #29 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12503)
Boss Smiley's Eloquently Eggy Banter #30 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12494)
Lykan's Looney Explosionarama & Random Banter #31 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12482)
Iames's Iambic Yarn of Yammering #32 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12468)
Dispozition's Deviously Distressed Banter #33 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12458)
CP's Copiously Combusting Banter of Carnage #34 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12445)
Alarra's Altar of Random Banter #35 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12432)
Eloquent Rune's Electrifying Rambling Banter #36 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12423)
E_P's Very Own Quite Popular Random Banter #37 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12419)
Hydrogelic's Foolish Mortal Random Banter #38 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12413)
Ink's Smudgy Splotchy Random Banter #39 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12405)
Azrael's Big Black Book of Banter #40 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12397)
The Logic Vampire's Rational Random Banter #41 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12387)
Shiny's Shimmering Space-hitchin Random Banter #42 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12376)
ZombieRockStar's Random Banter #43 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12360)
Nostrabel's Realm of Cookies and Random Banter #44 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12342)
Charity's Cheery Chatter Circle #45 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12328)
Samiam's Spontaneous Scintillating Soliloquy #46 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12310)
LLama's Masked Mysterious Random Banter #47 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26599)
Ravishing Rydia's Recumbentibus ^_^ Random Banter #48 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27622)
Penguinizers Perilous Random Banter #49 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28083)
Death's delightfully morbid surrogate random banter #50 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28444)
Wayril's wonderfully weird surrogate random banter #51 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28990)
Rawhide's Deck of Random Banter (52 Cards) (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29697)
Korith's Sorrogate Random Banter of Zombie Killing #53 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30353)
Surrogate thread of random Bor-dom #54 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31109)
Rex Idiotarum's Painfully Pogoing Thread #55 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31512)
The Wrath of KHAAAAAANtalas’s William Shatner Flavored Random Banter # 56 (Surrogate) (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32080)
EmeraldRose's Random Banter of Lashing Wit #57 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32494)
Captain van der Decken's Surrogate Ship of Random Loot (Banter) #58 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32847)
SDF's Neverending I-Don't-Have-an-OotS-Avatar-Yet Story Banter #59 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33465)
Mauril's Surrogate Dwelf Banter of Fantasy Race Confusion 60th Edition (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34165)
Rockphed's Dice Rolling Toga Party of 61 Drunken CIA Analysts (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34568)
var Lord_Magtok = Random(Banter*62) + Surrogate (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34801)
Jibar's Retro Random Banter #63 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35014)
Malina's Random Spanish Banter #64 of morphical annoyance (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35256)
Mr. E's Random Banter #65 of Cane Toting and Hat Tipping (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35418)
Ego Slayer's Hellishly Random Banter #66.6 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35596)
Purple Gelatinous Cube o' Doom's bowl of bantery j-e-ll-o randomness #67 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35859)
Zephra's Random Banter of Ghostly Wailings, and Howling Fun#68 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36317)
Cobra Ikari's Random Banter #69 of Rampant Hugging, Guttermindedness, and ;-) Kinky. (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36977)
Scorpina's Random Banter #70 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37480)
Raistlin1040's Super Special Awesome Random Banter #71(Now with 20% more tacos) (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37824)
Uberblah's Random Banter #72 Of Caffeine And Sleep Deprivation Induced Randomness (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38225)
Lucky’s Random Banter #73 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38987)
Castaras's Random Banter #74 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37836)
D'anna Biers RB #75 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39495)
Zeb The Troll's RB#76 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39801)
Eldpollard's RB #77 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40128)
Gezina's and Calamity's Random banter #78 of double entendre and doom (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40410)
Random Banter #79 In Loving Memory of Hexa_Regina (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40909)
Zeratul's random banter #80 of throwing puppies off bridges (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41778)
Vespe's Random Banter #81 of singing dolphins and mostly harmless planets. (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43254)
CSK's Giant in the Playground Forums Addicted Anonymous, Random Banter #82 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44919)
Iames's Ramblingly Erratic Belldandy-Charged Random Banter #83 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47592)
Serpentine's Scintillating Sensually and Sinuously Seductive Stochastic Satire #84 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49048)
Radikalskippy's Random Banter #85 of lost ideas and where to find them... (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50658)
Moon Called's Random Banter #86 of Sexy Anime Boys and Fangirl Squeals (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51825)
Lilly's Lovely Random Banter #87 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=52783)
FdL's Fuzzbox-Fueled Random Banter #88 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54612)
SweetRein's Sugary Restrained Random Banter #89 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59668)
Midnight's Mutant Motorcycle Madness Random Banter #90 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62430)
Em's Extremely Extraordinarily Epic Random Banter #91 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65645)
Dragonrider's Random Banter in Conjunction with the Weighted Cube #92 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67629)
Bushranger's Bodaciously Buffed Random Banter-y Rooster #93 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69425)
Haruki's Historically Hilarious Honey-covered Random Banter #94 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71161)
North's Maple Syrup Flavored Non-Alliterative Random Banter #95 Eh? (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73464)
Wadledo's Weirdly Warbling Watercress Watching Washing Machine Only Random Banter #96 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75946)
SMEE's Random Banter #97 of gender bending and closet bursting (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78694)
Raiser's Rambunctiously Rambling Random Banter #98 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81626)
Dr. Bath's Random Banter, dripping with daring deeds of dastardly deipnosophists #99 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84068)
VOTE, the Democracy Demon's Devilishly Devious and Decidedly Diabolical Desultory Derision (Random Banter) #100 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84914)
Jack Squat's Justlessly Juxtaposed Random Banter #101 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87577)
Dallas-Dakota's Dundering Dandelion's Devilish Damsel's Distress Random Banter #102 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4790602#post4790602)
Destro Yersul's Dangerously Distracting and Doubtlessly Disturbing Random Banter #103 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4903962#post4903962)
Aziraphales Actually Alliterative and Awesomely Affluent Random Banter #104 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92718)
Cristo's Consistently Confusing and Constantly Casual Random Banter #105 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94491)
Dish's Delightfully Deranged and Deliciously Deliquent Random Banter # 106 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95905)
Slayer's Seemingly Sweet and Socially Silly Random Banter # 107 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97703)
Zero's ambrosial and aberrantly adventitious, abstemiously erudite Random Banter #108 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99100)
Coplantor's Completely Creative Cautious and Contemplative Random Banter #109 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100414)
Rutskarn's Roly-Poly Rebellious and Rejected Random Banter #110 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101156)
TwoBitWriter's Tubular Tracts of Thought-Talking Random Banter #111 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5600540#post5600540)
Phase's Phully Phormed, Phalangeal, and Phantasmagorical Random Banter #112 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101988)
Wolfbane's Wonderfully Wacky and Wildly Wandom Random Banter #113 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102865)
The Kiwi's Kinkily Knotted and Kookily Kickass Random Banter #114 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103674)
Jude's Judgmental Jugular Jab and Jibber Jabbery Random Banter #115 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104480)
The Throne of Thufir's Thoroughly Theoretical and Therapeutic Random Banter #116 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105584)
Random Banter #117 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106698)
Dragonprime's Dynamically Dangerous Dextrous and Destructive Random Banter #118 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107882)
Farmer Felix's Fantastic FRandom FBanter #119 (may contain traces of fnuts) (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109007)
Groundhog's Random Banter of Weather Prediction and Anti-Gopherness (part one) (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110963&page=50)
Groundhog's Random Banter of Weather Prediction and Anti-Gopherness (part two) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=113197)
Mrmud's Mixed-Up and Minimally Mechanized Random Banter #121 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=114623)
Dogmantra's Dastardly, Despotic and Dangerous Random Banter #122 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116660)
Alteran's Amazingly Anachronistic, Altruistic, and Antagonistic Random Banter #123 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118380)
Admiral Euphoria's Random Banter Thread of Delusional Grandeur #124 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6614894)
Fred's Flying Fishy, Fighting, Fiery, Fantastic Face Off Random Banter #125 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=121385)
Cyrano’s Non-Alliterative Inaugurational Random Banter #126 To Usher In The Future (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122977)
Thanatos's Tharmturges Present: Tropical, Tipsy, and Typically Random Banter #127
loopy's Legendary and Long-Awaited Lollipop Fuelled Random Banter #128 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123816)
Shadow's Shady Shop of Sharks, Shingles, Shammies, Shiny and Random Banter #129 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125667)
KataraAltinaII's Premature Not So Short & To-The-Point Random Banter #130 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=126557)
Supagoof's Supa-Sensational Silly Symphonies Set Sizzingly On Fire Random Banter #131 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128570)
Pyrian's Pyrotechnic Pyre of Pyrrhic Pyros with Pyrotic Pythics Random Banter #132! (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130459)
Perenelle's Pleasantly Playful and Passionately Peculiar Random Banter #133 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131814)
Rpgsr4me's Ravenous, Roaring, Raging Rampage of Random Banter #134 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7373844#post7373844)
Il'deav Ilah'naie's Indiscreet Intimacies on Indigo Iceboats Random Banter #135 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134438)
Recaiden's Resplendent and Rotating Realistic Random Banter #136 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136879)
Jibar's Random Banter #137: Return of the Cat-muffin (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138879)
Edge's Effluence of Extravagant and Effulgent Random Banter #138 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7876065)
Zeb The Troll's Zecond Go At Ze Random Banter #139 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8061505&postcount=1)
Curly's Rambunctious and Erudite Random Banter #140 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148462)
Deth Muncher's Destructive and Meandering Random Banter #141 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150904)
A Thread in Which Banter Most Random is Expulsed Into Existence, By Ravens_cry #142 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8722755)
Several Silly Sealions Stuffed Seaweed Southward Swiftly (Or, Random Banter #143) (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159998)
The thread that changed name one last time, with style. (Random Banter #144) (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161407)
Banjo’s Bodacious & Boosted Bumper Bulletproof Box of Banter Most Random #145 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162819)
Masa's Massively Masterful Message Medium - Random Banter #146 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164224)
KuReshtin's Vociferously Ruminating Harbinger of Random Banter - #147 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166664)
Archonic's Archaic Acronymical Antidisestablishmentarianism Random Banter - #148 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169890)
Skeppio's Splendidly Strange & Superbly Scintillating Random Banter - #149 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173056)
Teddy's Turbulent and Topicless Random Banter #150 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175338)
Fifty-Eyed Fred's Ferociously Fanatical and Fabulously Fascinating Random Banter #151 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178205)
Rae's Really Rascally and Ridiculously Rowdy Random Banter #152 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=181296)
Haruki's Hot n' Holy Random Banter #153 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10176275#post10176275)
MoonCat's Magnificently Mythopoeic Random Banter #154 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187576)
Eadin's Exchange of Extraterrestrial Excuses AKA Random Banter #155 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190034)
Happy HalfTangible's Horrific Hail of Random Banter #156 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10629167#post10629167)
AtlanteanTroll's Atrocious and Terrific Arcade of Terror - RB #157 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196302)
LaLa’s Laughably Silly Random Banter Thread – RB #158 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198767)
Zaydos's Zany Zooetic Random Banter - RB #159 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200208)
Blue's Blessed and Blissful Random Banter - RB #160 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201653)
Absolmorph's Azoic Arete of Adventitious and Aimless Random Banter - RB 161 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=202546)
Gwyn's Gloriously Green Garrumphing Garter of Garrulous Gabble! Random Banter #162 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203954)
Eruantion's Euphoric, Elephant-filled Elevated Epoch of Eurhythmic Random Banter #163 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205487)
ATW's Awesome Androgynous Avaricious Azure Ardent Adamant Alluvial Random Banter #164 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207269)
Cynical Avocado's Absolutely Admirable Accumulation of Random Bantering #165 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209860)
August's Pink Plushy and Phantasmagorically Random Banter Thread #166 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212011)
Heliomance's Everchanging Thread Title Random Banter #167 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=213053)
Tragic_Comedian's Tremendously Tropical Random Banter #168 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215180)
Qwertystop's Quickly Quilted, Quip-filled Random Banter #169 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217326)
Thufir's Thupremely Thatithfying Thecond Random Banter With a Lithp #170 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219654)
Feytalist's Fantastically Freakish First Random Banter #171 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=222713)
Dragonprime's Dashing Delight-fu Dazzling Dualistic Random Banter #172
Castaras' Random Banter #173: Bringing back your nostalgic Great Old Ones (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229164)
Pokemon-freak89's Random Banter number eleventy-twelve... uhh... I mean... number 174 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=231235)
Dark Elf Bard's Random Banter #175:Playin' Underdark Jazz since the Drow went dark. (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235950)
Mutant Sheep's Post Septaquintaquinquecentennial ApRiL fOoLs Random Banter: #176 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=238117)
Elemental's Excitingly Excellent Random Banter: No.CLXXVII (177) (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13163770)
Amiel's Appeasingly Appropriate Arbitrary Amusement (Random Banter): No.CLXXVIII #178 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245179)
"Your Angel of Banter Awaits." ThePhantasm Presents Random Banter #179 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=13535351)
Serpentine's Secretly Sapphic Salacious Sacrarium of Random Banter #180 (https://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253047)
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The ruley rules that rule this good thread are as follow:

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And that's it, let's all have fun together!

[Qwertystop]

Hello, new thread!

Still out of work. Getting flooded by recruiters, most of whom then ghost (or possibly the companies they sent things to ghosted). Soon to run out of milk and flour; should have stocked up on those instead of just rice.

[Anonymouswizard]

Why do people insist on filling horror films with blood and four instead of suspense? I saw the new Colour Out of Space from and it was amazing when it was building suspense and terrible when it abandoned it to be 'eooo so scary'.

Also people are apparently annoyed that BritBox isn't wallpapering Doctor Who by removing problematic serials. I mean, I'm fully for the content warnings, maybe we also get one for mediocrity on Talons of Weng-Chan, but I don't see the point in pretending they never happened. Maybe we can talk about them instead, use them to educate about what's unacceptable. Like using a stuffed rat as your monster.

[LaZodiac]

Hello, new thread!

Still out of work. Getting flooded by recruiters, most of whom then ghost (or possibly the companies they sent things to ghosted). Soon to run out of milk and flour; should have stocked up on those instead of just rice.

Good luck Qwerty! You can endure! As for catching recruiters I suggest using a fishing hook. That'll stop em from ghosting you.

Which is to say, give them a more immediate reason not to just poof off the face of the earth.


Why do people insist on filling horror films with blood and four instead of suspense? I saw the new Colour Out of Space from and it was amazing when it was building suspense and terrible when it abandoned it to be 'eooo so scary'.


Because there's a clear disconnect between what is and isn't scary for some people. Also for some people, you do WANT to have the eventual reveal to reduce tension.

[DataNinja]

I'm fully for the content warnings, maybe we also get one for mediocrity
"Warning! This product may contain semi-competence, ineptitude, and a sheer underwhelmingness. Verwer discretion is... ehhh."

[Anonymouswizard]

GoodBecause there's a clear disconnect between what is and isn't scary for some people. Also for some people, you do WANT to have the eventual reveal to reduce tension.

I'm not saying don't have the payoff. I'm saying don't have the payoff teen times in a two hour film.

But also, it kind of goes against what makes Lovecraft work, and has to change the colour itself to pull it off. It's not a bad film, but cosmic horror lives and dies in how much I can understand what it's doing (on that note, thank you exposition for ruining that).

Oh, and rule number two of Lovecraftian storytelling is that you don't shove the Necronomicon in unless you're going to entwine it with the story. The BBC managed it with the case of Charles Dexter Ward, I'm sure they could have managed it here if they wanted to.

[Dimonite]

Why do people insist on filling horror films with blood and four instead of suspense?

Because fake blood is cheap and writing is hard :smalltongue:

As a point of curiosity that came up with the birth of the new thread: 50 threads in between the same person making one seems like a LOT now (for perspective, we have a few threads to go before I'd be able to make one again, and I last did so in 2012). Was that a rule we'd consider revisiting, or is it ironclad for reasons beyond my ken?

(to be clear: I don't have a problem with the rule as it is, I just don't understand why it is what it is and I'd like to.)

[DataNinja]

Because fake blood is cheap and writing is hard :smalltongue:

As a point of curiosity that came up with the birth of the new thread: 50 threads in between the same person making one seems like a LOT now (for perspective, we have a few threads to go before I'd be able to make one again, and I last did so in 2012). Was that a rule we'd consider revisiting, or is it ironclad for reasons beyond my ken?

(to be clear: I don't have a problem with the rule as it is, I just don't understand why it is what it is and I'd like to.)

I dunno if we even have 50 people who participate here now, yeah. But... I guess we burn that bridge if we get to it. :smalltongue:

[factotum]

I guess that rule dates from the times when Random Banter threads would burn through 50 pages in a matter of days, so you'd get a couple of years in between a person creating their thread. Nowadays, of course, you'd probably only get maybe 10 threads over the same 2 year period.

[2D8HP]

I may have mentioned a couple...

...of thousand times that Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser tales that helped inspire Arneson and Gygax to create Dungeons & Dragons


"....those who don't care for Burroughs'
Martian adventures where John Carter is groping through black pits, who feel no thrill upon reading Howard's Conan saga, who do not enjoy the de Camp & Pratt fantasies or Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser pitting their swords against evil sorceries will not be likely to find Dungeons & Dragons to their taste."-E. Gary Gygax
Tactical Studies Rules Editor
1 November 1973
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin


"The most immediate influences upon AD&D were probably de Camp & Pratt, REH, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, HPL, and A. Merritt."

-Gygax
16 May 1979

....are favorites of mine, well apropos of that I invite you to read From Lankhmar to the Tenderloin (https://www.marclaidlaw.com/fritz-leiber/) from a 1991 issue of Science Fiction Eye (which I first read from the print version in a corner of the Dark Carnival bookstore, which is where I met a very frail Fritz Leiber)

After his wife's death Leiber moved to San Francisco where he wrote "Ill Met in Lankhmar", and "The City of the black toga"/"The City of Sevenscore Thousand Smokes" is infused by where Leiber lived in the later tales (though my '70's paperbacks insisted Lankhmar's "Street of Gods" was inspired by Telegraph Avenue across the bay in Berkeley).

I first walked into the Dark Carnival bookstore in 1979 when it was on Telegraph Avenue across the street from my junior high school (the first book I bought there was A Princess of Mars), and now it - and all bookstores in my area - is closed due to the "shelter in place" order, I already gave up alcohol for - a thing I do for a few weeks every year around this time of year where I make a sacrifice of some sort and go without something, and I have more books hoarded than I'll likely ever get to read, plus when I heard that the public libraries were about to close for weeks I rushed out and quickly checked out seven books an hour before closing (some medieval and renaissance "living history" books, two Ursula LeGuin anthologies, and John Steinbeck's The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights), but I'm already finding the knowledge that I can't get anymore books for who knows how long vexing.

Plagues are lame!

[Anonymouswizard]

I feel like a creep.

Okay, so some things earlier stressed me out, so while I was adding some more photos to my OkCupid account I might have changed my settings to show me trans people (plus a few others). On the one hand I feel like an utter creep for being so discriminatory, on the other hand I feel a lot happier about liking profiles. Am I a bad (part-)human? That's not a serious question, I just feel like a creep because I feel like I shouldn't be discriminating.

[Fyraltari]

Preferences are not prejudice. Being attracted to certain groups of people more than others is perfectly healthy, sane and moral.

‘I’m not attracted to [group]’ is fine.
‘I don’t want to work with [group]’ is not.

Nobody has any right to demand from you that you date anybody you don’t fancy and nobody can tell you who to fancy or who not to fancy.

[Aotrs Commander]

I have a very simple rule applicable to all such situations: what two (or more) (legally-)adult sapient/sentient creatures get up to on their own time is entirely their own business and no-one's else, provided they are not doing harm to anyone else.

("I'm offended that you like things I don't want you to like" does not consitute "harm.")

[Anonymouswizard]

Preferences are not prejudice. Being attracted to certain groups of people more than others is perfectly healthy, sane and moral.

‘I’m not attracted to [group]’ is fine.
‘I don’t want to work with [group]’ is not.

Nobody has any right to demand from you that you date anybody you don’t fancy and nobody can tell you who to fancy or who not to fancy.

Well considering I constantly get short of breath browsing the site now, yeah I might have a 'preference', so to speak. A friend thinks it's a full blown fetish (seeing as I'm very very picky with cis people but not with trans people).

Man, I need to take some time out to calm down before going back. Can't keep liking, alt-tabbing away to reply to a message,and being shocked by the next profile.

[The Fury]

I dunno if we even have 50 people who participate here now, yeah. But... I guess we burn that bridge if we get to it. :smalltongue:

... I could try posting less often if you think that would help.

I mean, my posts usually come in two flavors: "Here's some unfunny nonsense!" and "I big sad."

[Anonymouswizard]

... I could try posting less often if you think that would help.

I mean, my posts usually come in two flavors: "Here's some unfunny nonsense!" and "I big sad."

At least it's better than umpteen 'I really want a cuddle cuddy' posts :smallwink:

[BisectedBrioche]

I'm back at work tomorrow, serving the pasta seeking hordes.

But at least I finally got to bake something!

https://twitter.com/BisectedBrioche/status/1240052966205292544

[DataNinja]

Well considering I constantly get short of breath browsing the site now, yeah I might have a 'preference', so to speak. A friend thinks it's a full blown fetish (seeing as I'm very very picky with cis people but not with trans people).

Man, I need to take some time out to calm down before going back. Can't keep liking, alt-tabbing away to reply to a message,and being shocked by the next profile.

Being attracted to certain characteristics of a person is fine. It's the same as, say, being attracted to redheads. However, if you reduce a person to just being that characteristic - you're with a person just because they're a redhead, and not because you really care about the person beneath - then that's more of a problem (for a relationship, at least - I've gathered that one night stands have different standards).

A good gauge is to, if you get to know that person, ask yourself if you'd still be with them if they changed what made them 'appealing' to the superficial glance. If that redhead dyed her hair black, would that cause you to lose all interest because she didn't have that red hair? If so, then that's an issue - that person is a characteristic to you, not a person.

[Mith]

I'm back at work tomorrow, serving the pasta seeking hordes.

But at least I finally got to bake something!

https://twitter.com/BisectedBrioche/status/1240052966205292544

Looks great!

[Sermil]

I feel like a creep.

Okay, so some things earlier stressed me out, so while I was adding some more photos to my OkCupid account I might have changed my settings to show me trans people (plus a few others). On the one hand I feel like an utter creep for being so discriminatory, on the other hand I feel a lot happier about liking profiles. Am I a bad (part-)human? That's not a serious question, I just feel like a creep because I feel like I shouldn't be discriminating.

I mean, I'm a heterosexual male. If my beloved wife woke up male tomorrow, I might still like him/her, I might even hang around with him/her, but I wouldn't be attracted to him/her in the same way. I wouldn't, I think, feel the lusty/romantic feelings I do now. That's what heterosexual means -- I need that "femaleness" for those circuits in my brain to light up. The vast majority of people are either heterosexual or homosexual, they are only attracted to a subset of people. You just have a smaller subset.

Or, in the immortal words of the sage Dan Savage, "The [body part] wants what the [body part] wants."

[BisectedBrioche]

Looks great!

Thanks! I was going to make buns, but I got lazy and made a loaf instead.

[Anonymouswizard]

Being attracted to certain characteristics of a person is fine. It's the same as, say, being attracted to redheads. However, if you reduce a person to just being that characteristic - you're with a person just because they're a redhead, and not because you really care about the person beneath - then that's more of a problem (for a relationship, at least - I've gathered that one night stands have different standards).

A good gauge is to, if you get to know that person, ask yourself if you'd still be with them if they changed what made them 'appealing' to the superficial glance. If that redhead dyed her hair black, would that cause you to lose all interest because she didn't have that red hair? If so, then that's an issue - that person is a characteristic to you, not a person.

I get whatr you mean, but it still feels wrong, I spend time trying to tell people not to discriminate against people due to what they were born as, and yet I'm more than willing to do so in my 'romantic' (hehe, I wish) life.


I mean, I'm a heterosexual male. If my beloved wife woke up male tomorrow, I might still like him/her, I might even hang around with him/her, but I wouldn't be attracted to him/her in the same way. I wouldn't, I think, feel the lusty/romantic feelings I do now. That's what heterosexual means -- I need that "femaleness" for those circuits in my brain to light up. The vast majority of people are either heterosexual or homosexual, they are only attracted to a subset of people. You just have a smaller subset.

Or, in the immortal words of the sage Dan Savage, "The [body part] wants what the [body part] wants."

Combinging this with what the previous post I've quoted says, obviously your wife is just a characteristic to you :smalltongue:

In all seriousness, I get what both of you are saying, but this kind of confusion is why I can feel bad about this stuff.

[Bartmanhomer]

I'm very happy today. :smile:

[DataNinja]

I get whatr you mean, but it still feels wrong, I spend time trying to tell people not to discriminate against people due to what they were born as, and yet I'm more than willing to do so in my 'romantic' (hehe, I wish) life.
No, it's understandable. It's easy to feel like you're slighting someone because of something involuntary on your end. Attraction is very much one of those weird things. :smalltongue:


Combinging this with what the previous post I've quoted says, obviously your wife is just a characteristic to you :smalltongue:

In all seriousness, I get what both of you are saying, but this kind of confusion is why I can feel bad about this stuff.
Look, it was a general test, doesn't cover everything. :smallwink:

[Aotrs Commander]

I get whatr you mean, but it still feels wrong, I spend time trying to tell people not to discriminate against people due to what they were born as, and yet I'm more than willing to do so in my 'romantic' (hehe, I wish) life.

So what about people who aren't attracted to any people?

Or to those, whom I'm given to understand who exist, who are only attracted to one specific person?

Should they feel bad because they aren't attracted to everyone?

No?

Well, then.



The idea that everyone should be Captain Jack Harkness or else they are being some form of "-ist," I would say, woukd be actually far more "wrong" than having some general or specific sexual preferences (or lack thereof). I mean, it'd be tantamount to shaming anyone that isn't omnisexual.



Having preferences (and/or lack thereof - either because of disinterest or pansexuality) is not discrimination; and I will absolutely set on permenent lightning the soul of any fool who dares to presume to tell ME that I should be attracted to someone/thing so as to not be committing some terrible social sin. With extreme prejudice.

[Tvtyrant]

Where it becomes discriminatory is when the desired feature is bigoted in nature.

Like how asian women look? Perfectly fine. Like asian cultures? Perfectly fine. Like asian women because you idealize the submissive housewife? Not fine.

Like gingers? Fine. Like hooking up? You do you. Like gingers because redheads are easy? Problem.

That is not to say that you can't marry a submissive asian woman or hookup with a ginger, but objectifying entire categories of people and rejecting them if they don't fit those categories is wrong. You aren't dating a person at that point, you are dating an ideal.

[The Fury]

I'm very happy today. :smile:

Awesome. Did something really good happen?

[Bartmanhomer]

Awesome. Did something really good happen?

Not really. Apart from that, I'm going to make another homebrew D&D 3.5 deity based on Pathfinder and my plans at home this weekend. Also, I'm very happy most of the time anyway. :wink:

[Fyraltari]

Having preferences (and/or lack thereof - either because of disinterest or pansexuality) is not discrimination

I agree with everything you said but I feel like being a pedantic ****.

It definitely is discrimination but it isn’t wrong. Bigotry and prejudice are always wrong but discrimination isn’t necessarily.
Discrimination only means ‘selecting someone or something based on certain criteria’. That in itself isn’t wrong, but the criteria used can be wrong. An employer has to be discriminate according to skill but not to ethnicity, for example.
On the flipside it’s generally agreed that indiscriminate violence is worse than violence aimed solely at ennemy combattants.

The vast majority of people are very discriminate in regards to choosing their romantic/sexual partners according to physical characteristics and personality traits. And that is perfectly fine because it’s not passing judgement on someone as a human being but regarding their fitness as a (soul)mate.

[LaZodiac]

I'm glad to see Plague Times have gotten everyone starting to go stir crazy.

I know I kinda am. I recorded and edited like five or six videos in two days.

[Peelee]

I'm glad to see Plague Times have gotten everyone starting to go stir crazy.

My schedule is still unchanged. Granted, the store is way less busy than normal and our sanitizing machines are selling slightly better, so it's pretty relaxing overall, but ain't homebound yet.

I say wistfully, gazing out the window at the 64º morning that was beckoning me and my hammock earlier today.

[DataNinja]

I'm glad to see Plague Times have gotten everyone starting to go stir crazy.

I know I kinda am. I recorded and edited like five or six videos in two days.

It's pretty much business as usual for me. The only irritations are A) the lack of clarity on how my University Classes will handle everything, and B) that my roommate is having his girlfriend over a lot more, and I'm frustrated because they can't seem to do anything quietly. Kissing? I can hear that several rooms away. TV? Super loud. Mock-condescension conversations with each other? Frustratingly audible. Slap fights? That travels through walls, guys.

[Anonymouswizard]

So what about people who aren't attracted to any people?

By definition aren't discriminating :smallwink:

I mean, I get the entire 'having preferences isn't bad' argument, and that sometimes it is better to discriminate than have all the secondary Indian characters played by Indian actors, but the main Indian character played by a white man in (honestly relatively well done) brownface. But that doesn't mean it doesn't feel weird to discriminate so strongly in one aspect of my life.


I'm glad to see Plague Times have gotten everyone starting to go stir crazy.

I know I kinda am. I recorded and edited like five or six videos in two days.

I resent the implication I was sane before all this started!

And unlike some people I'm going to have even more work to do once my week long holiday ends. I'm just hoping the company from last week gets back to me soon, I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and see what's up.

[Aedilred]

EDIT: I still remember helping my dad run a Three Musketeers game at Salute. Honestly I'm a bit sad he never actually turned the rules into a generic swashnbuckling miniatures game, it would have been fun.

Now I'm sad too! Because I would definitely have played that.

I am increasingly worried about Salute because it's only a month away and this is showing no signs of getting better. At the moment it's still on, but that surely can't last. I suspect that's as much because of the financial ramifications of cancelling as much as anything. The Warlords are a gaming club so they're not going to be awash with cash and I can't imagine a booking at Excel is likely to be cheap.

Meanwhile for the smaller businesses that make up the majority of the trade stands at Salute (GW and Foundry will be fine) cancellation could be a disaster, not so much for lost sales on the day as because it's one of their major marketing events of the year. The majority of companies I now buy from (other than Foundry) are companies I encountered there, either stumbling across their stall (Warlord, Freebooter, Victrix) or looking them up because they were attending and the event gave me a chance to inspect the goods in person (Baccus, Tumbling Dice).

If Salute is cancelled and this goes on another month beyond then and takes out Partizan too I wouldn't be surprised if we see a fair number of smaller miniatures manufacturers go to the wall this year.

[Aotrs Commander]

Now I'm sad too! Because I would definitely have played that.

I am increasingly worried about Salute because it's only a month away and this is showing no signs of getting better. At the moment it's still on, but that surely can't last. I suspect that's as much because of the financial ramifications of cancelling as much as anything. The Warlords are a gaming club so they're not going to be awash with cash and I can't imagine a booking at Excel is likely to be cheap.

Meanwhile for the smaller businesses that make up the majority of the trade stands at Salute (GW and Foundry will be fine) cancellation could be a disaster, not so much for lost sales on the day as because it's one of their major marketing events of the year. The majority of companies I now buy from (other than Foundry) are companies I encountered there, either stumbling across their stall (Warlord, Freebooter, Victrix) or looking them up because they were attending and the event gave me a chance to inspect the goods in person (Baccus, Tumbling Dice).

If Salute is cancelled and this goes on another month beyond then and takes out Partizan too I wouldn't be surprised if we see a fair number of smaller miniatures manufacturers go to the wall this year.

The ones I talked to at Hammerhead were fairly philosphical about it, but not to the point that they were worried about going to the wall yet. (After all, one feels that Internest Shopping is likely only going to go up is people are stuck at home...)

Partizan is very likely cancelled, they said they were going to wait until the 2nd before making a decision, but I very much doubt that they will keep it on in the current situation (though who knows what the next couple of weeks will be like).

I know the NEC gardener's world show in already cancelled (which seems a bit silly, as that's all the way into mid-June).

[Bartmanhomer]

I'm upset at the moment because toilet paper sold out at two Duane Reade stores that I went after lunch. :mad:

[Dimonite]

I'm glad to see Plague Times have gotten everyone starting to go stir crazy.

I know I kinda am. I recorded and edited like five or six videos in two days.

As an introvert who works from home, I have left my apartment the exact normal number of times so far.

[The Fury]

Not really. Apart from that, I'm going to make another homebrew D&D 3.5 deity based on Pathfinder and my plans at home this weekend. Also, I'm very happy most of the time anyway. :wink:

That sounds nice. 100% sincere, here.
As for me, I think I should avoid taking about my mood for a while.


I'm glad to see Plague Times have gotten everyone starting to go stir crazy.

I know I kinda am. I recorded and edited like five or six videos in two days.

Oh, I was going stir-crazy when the possibility of lockdown was even brought up. At least you're being productive.

[Anonymouswizard]

Now I'm sad too! Because I would definitely have played that.

Unfortunately we only got it working with the one scenario. My dad did that a couple of times though, run participation games based more around being a chance to relax than anything else, with stunning scenery and beautifully painted miniatures (people sometimes get confused as to why I get so disappointed with pre-painted minis, most people didn't grow up in a house with hundreds of beautifully painted figures). We spent the better part of a year getting it to all work as we wanted to, having the musketeers just that little bit more likely to win.


I am increasingly worried about Salute because it's only a month away and this is showing no signs of getting better. At the moment it's still on, but that surely can't last. I suspect that's as much because of the financial ramifications of cancelling as much as anything. The Warlords are a gaming club so they're not going to be awash with cash and I can't imagine a booking at Excel is likely to be cheap.

Meanwhile for the smaller businesses that make up the majority of the trade stands at Salute (GW and Foundry will be fine) cancellation could be a disaster, not so much for lost sales on the day as because it's one of their major marketing events of the year. The majority of companies I now buy from (other than Foundry) are companies I encountered there, either stumbling across their stall (Warlord, Freebooter, Victrix) or looking them up because they were attending and the event gave me a chance to inspect the goods in person (Baccus, Tumbling Dice).

If Salute is cancelled and this goes on another month beyond then and takes out Partizan too I wouldn't be surprised if we see a fair number of smaller miniatures manufacturers go to the wall this year.

I mean, it's been years since I was last there, but yeah I'm somewhat worried. I was hoping to drop by next year and see what's new in the world of 15mm.

ION my friends have decided I sound like Simon Lane from Yogscast. They're kind of right, the similarities are unnerving (although I am much less eloquent).

[Peelee]

ION my friends have decided I sound like Simon Lane from Yogscast. They're kind of right, the similarities are unnerving (although I am much less eloquent).

I'm too old to know what a Yogscast is.

[Bartmanhomer]

That sounds nice. 100% sincere, here.
As for me, I think I should avoid taking about my mood for a while.



Oh, I was going stir-crazy when the possibility of lockdown was even brought up. At least you're being productive.
That's good. Take care. :smile:

[Aotrs Commander]

see what's new in the world of 15mm.

12mm is better.

*clearly not at all biased*

[Qwertystop]

As an introvert with no current employment, I'm still going a bit stir-crazy because it was nice to be able to go get pizza for lunch or do one of the two meatspace social activities (gaming group and support group) I was involved in. Also a lot of potential employers are putting a halt on hiring.

[Aedilred]

12mm is better.

*clearly not at all biased*

For me it's either 28-32mm or 6mm. I don't hold with these halfway house scales. 10, 12, 15, 20mm? Pah, I say!

Or vehicular scales, like 2400:1.

[LaZodiac]

Every single one of you gave me powerfully good responses to the point where I can't really quote all of you to heap appropriate praise.

What's really great is that I basically am doing as much work now as I did going to work properly. Hell yeah.

[DataNinja]

Every single one of you gave me powerfully good responses to the point where I can't really quote all of you to heap appropriate praise.

What's really great is that I basically am doing as much work now as I did going to work properly. Hell yeah.

...wait, my "things really aren't different for me" is praise-worthy? I feel you got your wires crossed. :smallwink:

[Anonymouswizard]

Hartnell era Daleks are weird. They're like, focused on things other than extermination.

Also, silly request, anybody willing to look over my online dating profile to help me work out where the creep and the fail is? Considering I'm reworking it anyway...

I'm off to bed, I'm as tired as a giant lorry, and to much like a bicycle to be productive today. Wanted to work on my fantasy novel, but didn't have the energy.

[Peelee]

...wait, my "things really aren't different for me" is praise-worthy? I feel you got your wires crossed. :smallwink:

Same. I feel like praise for not getting to be in a hammock is the opposite of how things should work!

[Aotrs Commander]

For me it's either 28-32mm or 6mm. I don't hold with these halfway house scales. 10, 12, 15, 20mm? Pah, I say!

Or vehicular scales, like 2400:1.

28-32mm is scale better suited for painting/modelling. (Myself, I don't play wargames to have an excuse to paint figures, I paint figures to play wargames.) It's okay for urban conflicts which are mostly infantry based, and of course roleplaying games.

At 6mm, you cannot have the requisite amount of terrain density to have a realisitic map to use proper real-world tactics. (I.e. really hard thinking exercises.) You can't do Maneouvre Group, which is basically a real-world tactics simulator, at 6mm scale; it's too fiddly. (Because you have to do thing like turn the tank turrets, because your tanks can't see everywhere.)

6mm (and close approximation) is fine for BattleTech (but that, in essence, is nearly 28mm just lensed differently, because your key elements are pretty much the same size/proportional board share).

144 is the ideal scale for moderns/sci-fi, since vehicles are sensibly small enough (which also makes them a goodly chunk cheaper) you can have a reasonable number and still have room to maneouvre. (And I mean "maneouvre," not "be incapable of moving far enough to cross the board in less than 10 bounds" like a large number of wargames rules.) But which are big enough to allow you to turn the turrets sensibly. With village template and fold-flat buildings, you can locate an urban area enough to be able to properly fight over it (urban areas should have at least ten buildings, and far more buildings than infantry units) which priorly, you'd have to fight at 25/28. (This is becase at the klarger scales, you can afford to have a mm or two displacement in putting troop into or out of your building, where as at small scale, your margin for error is far less).

[The Fury]

...wait, my "things really aren't different for me" is praise-worthy? I feel you got your wires crossed. :smallwink:

I don't see how what I posted was helpful either. If it was though... Cool?

[Bartmanhomer]

If D&D Dragons Deities (Bahamut, Tamara, Hlal, Tiamat, Faluzure, Garyx, Io, Astilbaor, Chronepsis, Sardior, Lendys and Aasterinian) were playing Super Smash Bros (N64, Melee, Brawl, 4 and Ultimate) were fighters would they main in all version? (It can be with any character they choose.)

[Mith]

If D&D Dragons Deities (Bahamut, Tamara, Hlal, Tiamat, Faluzure, Garyx, Io, Astilbaor, Chronepsis, Sardior, Lendys and Aasterinian) were playing Super Smash Bros (N64, Melee, Brawl, 4 and Ultimate) were fighters would they main in all version? (It can be with any character they choose.)

All different colours of Bowser, I'd presume. Because they are all dragons, after all.

[Bartmanhomer]

All different colours of Bowser, I'd presume. Because they are all dragons, after all.

Ok but Bowser is not even in Smash Bros. N64. :tongue:

[Mith]

Ok but Bowser is not even in Smash Bros. N64. :tongue:

But he is in Brawl and Melee, yes?

[Bartmanhomer]

But he is in Brawl and Melee, yes?

Yes, he is in Brawl and Melee.

[Comrade]

As an introvert who works from home, I have left my apartment the exact normal number of times so far.

As an extrovert who works from home as of three days ago, I'm pretty sure I've spent more time cooped up at home in the last couple of days than I had in the preceding month. My neck of the woods pretty much went on lockdown at the start of the week and it's already wearin' me down something fierce. I can understand the necessity but boy is it gonna be a tribulation for the next couple of weeks (at the minimum).

[Peelee]

As an extrovert who works from home as of three days ago, I'm pretty sure I've spent more time cooped up at home in the last couple of days than I had in the preceding month. My neck of the woods pretty much went on lockdown at the start of the week and it's already wearin' me down something fierce. I can understand the necessity but boy is it gonna be a tribulation for the next couple of weeks (at the minimum).

Eh, just get Sins of a Solar Empire. It'll be three weeks from now before you know it! Because time will cease to have meaning and I will save and quit right after I get this next planet I promise.

[The Fury]

Ugh. Deliberately avoiding my dumb brand of humor and talking about how upset I'm feeling isn't working. Especially since I just got dumped over text and I have nowhere else to talk about it.

[Comrade]

Eh, just get Sins of a Solar Empire. It'll be three weeks from now before you know it! Because time will cease to have meaning and I will save and quit right after I get this next planet I promise.
As a matter of fact I did decide to snag a new game not too long ago (Pillars of Eternity Deadfire, for the curious). It hasn't really changed my sentiments on the present circumstances since I'm not much of a gamer and can only really stand to play anything for an hour or so before getting tired of it, but at least I get to be a pirate in the meantime.


Ugh. Deliberately avoiding my dumb brand of humor and talking about how upset I'm feeling isn't working. Especially since I just got dumped over text and I have nowhere else to talk about it.

Dang, that's brutal. Breakups ain't no fun as it is, doing it over text though? That's just not cool.

[The Fury]

Dang, that's brutal. Breakups ain't no fun as it is, doing it over text though? That's just not cool.

To their credit, they tried to let me down easy. There's still enough vagueness that I'm not sure what I did do or didn't do. Mostly I just feel pathetic. I've been afraid for a long time that anything good I touch turns to garbage. I guess that was right after all. I'd feel a little less lonely about the whole thing if I could talk about to anyone in my friend group, but they've got too much going on as it is.

...Phew. I'll try to post something less depressing. Maybe some jokes, yeah? They won't be funny but still.

[Tvtyrant]

To their credit, they tried to let me down easy. There's still enough vagueness that I'm not sure what I did do or didn't do. Mostly I just feel pathetic. I've been afraid for a long time that anything good I touch turns to garbage. I guess that was right after all. I'd feel a little less lonely about the whole thing if I could talk about to anyone in my friend group, but they've got too much going on as it is.

...Phew. I'll try to post something less depressing. Maybe some jokes, yeah? They won't be funny but still.

Do they actually have too much going on or are you using that as an excuse to self isolate? It is okay to lean on people, you are worth it and your friends know that.

[Insane Jeenyus]

Ok, slightly off topic question:

Since the local grocer is always sold out of heavy whipping cream for my coffee, My question for all the coffee and tea drinkers is thus,

What is/would be the go to alternative to cream if you use is if you [collectively] had lost access to it?

I am not asking for a friend. I am using whole milk and it is nowhere near the same.

[The Fury]

Do they actually have too much going on or are you using that as an excuse to self isolate? It is okay to lean on people, you are worth it and your friends know that.

Right now they're worried about one of a few things: Whether my (now) ex is doing OK, Smash Bros, or Animal Crossing. Nobody has responded to me, nobody has reached out to me.

I was afraid something like this would happen. Things like this always happen. Eventually people in my life have no use for me. It's understandable but it still hurts.


Ok, slightly off topic question:

Since the local grocer is always sold out of heavy whipping cream for my coffee, My question for all the coffee and tea drinkers is thus,

What is/would be the go to alternative to cream if you use is if you [collectively] had lost access to it?

I am not asking for a friend. I am using whole milk and it is nowhere near the same.

I'd use half and half if it's available.

[Insane Jeenyus]

Right now their worried about one of a few things: Whether my (now) ex is doing OK, Smash Bros, or Animal Crossing. Nobody has responded to me, nobody has reached out to me.

I was afraid something like this would happen. Things like this always happen. Eventually people in my life have no use for me. It's understandable but it still hurts.I am sorry, but all I can give you is e-uncle-hugs.




I'd use half and half if it's available.Thank you for your response. it is much appreciated.

[Anonymouswizard]

To their credit, they tried to let me down easy. There's still enough vagueness that I'm not sure what I did do or didn't do. Mostly I just feel pathetic. I've been afraid for a long time that anything good I touch turns to garbage. I guess that was right after all.

:smallfrown:

Sending you my best wishes. I really hate it when people do that at either end of a relationship, but I understand not everybody can bounce back from 'it's not me it's you' as well as I can. Your thoughts are not true, but they will feel true for anywhere from weeks to years, and the only thing you can do is fight them and find the things you haven't turned to garbage.

The one time I got dumped was also by text, and I was just insulted. I'd seen them the day beforehand, they had ample opportunity to dump me in person, and yet they tried to distance themselves from the action as much as possible. Anybody who won't look you in the eyes when doing it was garbage in the first place (heck, the only time I've admitted having a crush in anyway but in person was when they'd already guessed and started bringing it up).

[Aedilred]

Ok, slightly off topic question:

Since the local grocer is always sold out of heavy whipping cream for my coffee, My question for all the coffee and tea drinkers is thus,

What is/would be the go to alternative to cream if you use is if you [collectively] had lost access to it?

I am not asking for a friend. I am using whole milk and it is nowhere near the same.

I'm not familiar with American cream terminology but the idea of putting actual cream in tea horrifies me on some inexpressible level anyway. I do put milk in but I tend to prefer (for tea) the less creamy stuff.

These days though I am trying only to buy unhomogenised dairy milk (which is creamy) so that goes in. Or oat milk.


28-32mm is scale better suited for painting/modelling. (Myself, I don't play wargames to have an excuse to paint figures, I paint figures to play wargames.) It's okay for urban conflicts which are mostly infantry based, and of course roleplaying games.

At 6mm, you cannot have the requisite amount of terrain density to have a realisitic map to use proper real-world tactics. (I.e. really hard thinking exercises.) You can't do Maneouvre Group, which is basically a real-world tactics simulator, at 6mm scale; it's too fiddly. (Because you have to do thing like turn the tank turrets, because your tanks can't see everywhere.)

6mm (and close approximation) is fine for BattleTech (but that, in essence, is nearly 28mm just lensed differently, because your key elements are pretty much the same size/proportional board share).

144 is the ideal scale for moderns/sci-fi, since vehicles are sensibly small enough (which also makes them a goodly chunk cheaper) you can have a reasonable number and still have room to maneouvre. (And I mean "maneouvre," not "be incapable of moving far enough to cross the board in less than 10 bounds" like a large number of wargames rules.) But which are big enough to allow you to turn the turrets sensibly. With village template and fold-flat buildings, you can locate an urban area enough to be able to properly fight over it (urban areas should have at least ten buildings, and far more buildings than infantry units) which priorly, you'd have to fight at 25/28. (This is becase at the klarger scales, you can afford to have a mm or two displacement in putting troop into or out of your building, where as at small scale, your margin for error is far less).
Depends what period you're playing, I think. What I collect and in principle (though in practice rarely actually) play is either skirmish games or big-battalions historicals: specifically ancients and English Civil War, where relatively featureless battlefields are pretty much expected. For moderns (by which I mean anything 20th century or later) or sci-fi gaming then yeah, 6mm isn't going to work.

[LaZodiac]

Ugh. Deliberately avoiding my dumb brand of humor and talking about how upset I'm feeling isn't working. Especially since I just got dumped over text and I have nowhere else to talk about it.

*sends hugs* I don't really have any advice for this, sorry, but you've got my support.

[Peelee]

Ugh. Deliberately avoiding my dumb brand of humor and talking about how upset I'm feeling isn't working. Especially since I just got dumped over text and I have nowhere else to talk about it.
You have my sympathy.

To their credit, they tried to let me down easy. There's still enough vagueness that I'm not sure what I did do or didn't do. Mostly I just feel pathetic. I've been afraid for a long time that anything good I touch turns to garbage. I guess that was right after all. I'd feel a little less lonely about the whole thing if I could talk about to anyone in my friend group, but they've got too much going on as it is.

...Phew. I'll try to post something less depressing. Maybe some jokes, yeah? They won't be funny but still.
Sometimes things just don't work out, and it's not really anyone's fault. And, just like all people, you deserve to have something better than that, even if you may disagree at the time.

I'm not familiar with American cream terminology but the idea of putting actual cream in tea horrifies me on some inexpressible level anyway. I do put milk in but I tend to prefer (for tea) the less creamy stuff.
So am I, so I looked and found this handy guide!


UK cream guide

NAME
MIN MILK FAT
MAIN USES


Clotted cream
55%
Spooned, or spread like butter. A traditional part of a cream tea.


Extra-thick double cream
48%
Thickest available fresh cream, spooned onto pies, puddings, and desserts (cannot be poured due to its consistency)


Double cream
48%
Whips easily and thickest for puddings and desserts, can be piped once whipped


Whipping cream
35%
Whips well but lighter, can be piped once whipped


Whipped cream
35%
Decorations on cakes, topping for ice cream, fruit and so on.


Sterilized cream
23%
?


Cream/Single cream
18%
Poured over puddings, used in sauces and added to coffee.


Sterilized half cream
12%
?


Half cream
?
Some cocktails




US cream guide

Half and half
>10.5%
To whiten coffee (and tea).


Light cream/Table cream/Coffee cream
>18%
An old style product for whitening coffee and also as an enriching ingredient in sauces and other recipes


Whipping cream
>30% <36%
Used in sauces and soups and as a pourable or whipped garnish. Whipping will only attain soft peaks. Some products labeled "whipping cream" contain small amounts of gelatin as an added stabilizer for improved whipping.


Heavy cream/Heavy whipping cream
>36%
For whipping when small stable peaks are desired. Also used as a luxurious pourable garnish on fresh fruit and hot cereals.


Manufacturer's cream
>40%
Used in commercial and professional production applications. Not generally available at retail until recently.



If you go to the store, the most common one you'll find is heavy whipping cream. At least, in the dairy aisle. It's what I use in cooking, like when I make stroganoff. Seems like y'all Brits got us handily beat on the cream front, I may need to check out this other Birmingham sometime.

[Aotrs Commander]

So am I, so I looked and found this handy guide!

Where's evaporated milk, otherwise known as the pudding equvilent of tomato sauce?




Depends what period you're playing, I think. What I collect and in principle (though in practice rarely actually) play is either skirmish games or big-battalions historicals: specifically ancients and English Civil War, where relatively featureless battlefields are pretty much expected. For moderns (by which I mean anything 20th century or later) or sci-fi gaming then yeah, 6mm isn't going to work.

Fair. Yes, ECW and such are definitely less dependant on needing the terrain density, and the figure scale for those games tends to be more or less an abstraction anyway, because you're never using one-to-one anyway (we played 15mm using DBM and Horde of the Things (well, in the end, because we are talking BLEAKBANE here, we played DBM-H, which was a conversion of HotT to DBM-scale.)

(Dad tried 15mm sci-fi early on, but decided it didn't work in place of 25 and late, when he and his mate wrote Maneouvre Group, found 12mm is a much better fit.)

[Peelee]

Where's evaporated milk, otherwise known as the pudding equvilent of tomato sauce?


Off with the other milks, since this is about types of cream. :smalltongue:

[Fyraltari]

Off with the other milks, since this is about types of cream. :smalltongue:

Cream is basically fancy milk.

[Peelee]

Cream is basically fancy milk.

So those tables are the fancy tables, and the condensed milk still isn't fancy enough.

[Anonymouswizard]

So those tables are the fancy tables, and the condensed milk still isn't fancy enough.

I mean, sure, but what about evaporated milk?

[Peelee]

I mean, sure, but what about evaporated milk?

Still not fancy enough. I don't think evaporated milk even knows what a tuxedo is!

[enderlord99]

Where's evaporated milk, otherwise known as the pudding equvilent of tomato sauce?

Evaporated milk is just whole milk with some water removed. Whole milk is roughly 4%.

[halfeye]

Evaporated/condensed milk only comes in cans (that I know of), it's more liquid than cream, but it is very concentrated and may have a higher fat and sugar content.

[LaZodiac]

I went for a walk today, to get some fresh air and to banish the leg demons. I decided to take some pictures, of which I will share one; of the cool wood portal thing we have down town.

Behold; a hole in space and time. (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/508732197231132674/690297903453044786/Wood_Tunnel.jpg)

[Qwertystop]

I went for a walk today, to get some fresh air and to banish the leg demons. I decided to take some pictures, of which I will share one; of the cool wood portal thing we have down town.

Behold; a hole in space and time. (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/508732197231132674/690297903453044786/Wood_Tunnel.jpg)

Very nice indeed.

[Sermil]

I went for a walk today, to get some fresh air and to banish the leg demons. I decided to take some pictures, of which I will share one; of the cool wood portal thing we have down town.

Behold; a hole in space and time. (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/508732197231132674/690297903453044786/Wood_Tunnel.jpg)

It must be a hole through time because there's snow around it! We haven't had snow in months.

I mean, I live in low-land California, we haven't had snow in years. But we also haven't had snow in months.

[Aedilred]

You have my sympathy.

Sometimes things just don't work out, and it's not really anyone's fault. And, just like all people, you deserve to have something better than that, even if you may disagree at the time.

So am I, so I looked and found this handy guide!

<snip>

If you go to the store, the most common one you'll find is heavy whipping cream. At least, in the dairy aisle. It's what I use in cooking, like when I make stroganoff. Seems like y'all Brits got us handily beat on the cream front, I may need to check out this other Birmingham sometime.

That is curious: it seems that our cream is indeed "creamier" than yours. When I think of cream, I don't tend to picture anything lighter than single cream, and I don't really use anything lighter than double cream at home. Which is probably why the idea of putting cream in tea/coffee seems weird to me, because when I think "cream" I'm picturing something much heavier-duty than is actually used - whereas in fact it's probably not far off the unhomogenised milk that I now use (including for tea).

[Insane Jeenyus]

Well, for my coffee or making roux I use heavy whipping cream

[Peelee]

That is curious: it seems that our cream is indeed "creamier" than yours. When I think of cream, I don't tend to picture anything lighter than single cream, and I don't really use anything lighter than double cream at home.
I've never heard of light cream or "whipping cream" without the heavy over here (and obviously manufacturers cream). Half and Half is supposed to be half milk, half cream, and I never questioned the "cream" part until now. But if someone in the US says cream, they pretty much mean heavy whipping cream.

Well, for my coffee or making roux I use heavy whipping cream
Case in point! :smallwink:

[Rawhide]

I'd never heard of "hard cider" until there was a need to distinguish "cider" from "sparkling juice (aka soft cider)".

[Peelee]

I'd never heard of "hard cider" until there was a need to distinguish "cider" from "sparkling juice (aka soft cider)".

Y'all got carbonated non-alcoholic cider?

[Rawhide]

Y'all got carbonated non-alcoholic cider?

I do not understand.

Here cider is alcoholic. Over in the US, they are such weaklings that they had to make non-alcoholic cider, thus the need to distinguish "hard cider".

[Peelee]

I do not understand.

Here cider is alcoholic. Over in the US, they are such weaklings that they had to make non-alcoholic cider, thus the need to distinguish "hard cider".

I mean if I go to the store and grab a jug of apple cider, I'm getting apple juice that hasn't been pasteurized and filtered. It's definitely not "sparkling".

[Rawhide]

I mean if I go to the store and grab a jug of apple cider, I'm getting apple juice that hasn't been pasteurized and filtered. It's definitely not "sparkling".

Ok, fine, not sparkling.

But this is worse, it's just plain old juice. And it's not even consistent across the US! There's pasteurised and/or filtered apple cider, and unpasteurised and/or unfiltered apple juice. Some are even sparkling!

[DataNinja]

And it's not even consistent across the US!
To be fair, I feel like half of America's jollies come from confusing most Commonwealth countries with their stuff. (And vice versa for said Commonwealth countries.) :smallamused:

[Peelee]

Ok, fine, not sparkling.

But this is worse, it's just plain old juice. And it's not even consistent across the US! There's pasteurised and/or filtered apple cider, and unpasteurised and/or unfiltered apple juice.

Last I knew it was standardized; filtered and pasteurized is juice, in for both is cider, fermented is hard cider.

Also, on that "weak Americans" bit... this is how I imagine all Aussies talking to Americans (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uF3y_ocbXfQ).:smalltongue:

ETA:
To be fair, I feel like half of America's jollies come from confusing most Commonwealth countries with their stuff. (And vice versa for said Commonwealth countries.) :smallamused:

And I'd show you how I imagine Canadians if youtube had that Corner Gas clip where Hank is confused about when to use metric vs American Customary Units.

[Rawhide]

Last I knew it was standardized; filtered and pasteurized is juice, in for both is cider

Not standardised, not a legal distinction. Some companies capitalise on this...

[Peelee]

Not standardised, not a legal distinction. Some companies capitalise on this...

Oh, we're big fans of no legal distinction, apparently. Let me tell you about organic food....

[Rawhide]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Funimation has suspended all dubbing indefinitely.


I mean, it's the right decision, safety of everyone first. But still...
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[DataNinja]

And I'd show you how I imagine Canadians if youtube had that Corner Gas clip where Hank is confused about when to use metric vs American Customary Units.

It just so happens that I have a convenient graphic saved for situations like this! :smallwink:
https://i.redd.it/jawxjjupbok31.jpg
(I don't actually use F for pool temps, but I also don't tend to spend much time around them to know if that's customary - almost drowned as a kid, so, uh, not the biggest fan of water. Unfortunately, I live on an island, but... thems the breaks, I guess. :smalltongue: )

[Anonymouswizard]

Oh, we're big fans of no legal distinction, apparently. Let me tell you about organic food....

To be fair, American chocolate can't be sold as chocolate in the UK (and to be extra fair, UK chocolate can't be sold as chocolate on the continent). You're also the only country I've seen that has, in addition to cheese, cheese product and imitation cheese product.

Although if you all think cider doesn't need fermenting I'd hate to see what happens to Fantastic Mister Fox over there.

[Fyraltari]

https://i.redd.it/jawxjjupbok31.jpg


What on Earth.

[Aotrs Commander]

In the UK, we use a mix in practise. Metric has been taught as the default and official system since I was a lad, as far as I can recall, but imperial tends to perculate through; mostly for distances and people's height and weight and especially for roleplayers. Basically no-one uses kilometres instead of miles outside of engineering/etc for distance. So I am conversant in miles, yards (I mean, that's basically just a metre), feet, inches and pounds (though stone I've traditionally never "got.") For engineering, though, it's all metric. (I have infrequently used feet when doing CAD scribble-models for roleplaying stuff, but only because I had already described everything in feet, usually.)

Don't really know what is used for cooking (temperature is now all ºC, not ºF, though), because my cooking skills begin and end at "microwave" and very infrquent "oven to cook a pie or cheese on toast."

[Anonymouswizard]

In the UK, we use a mix in practise. Metric has been taught as the default and official system since I was a lad, as far as I can recall, but imperial tends to perculate through; mostly for distances and people's height and weight and especially for roleplayers. Basically no-one uses kilometres instead of miles outside of engineering/etc for distance. So I am conversant in miles, yards (I mean, that's basically just a metre), feet, inches and pounds (though stone I've traditionally never "got.") For engineering, though, it's all metric. (I have infrequently used feet when doing CAD scribble-models for roleplaying stuff, but only because I had already described everything in feet, usually.)

Don't really know what is used for cooking (temperature is now all ºC, not ºF, though), because my cooking skills begin and end at "microwave" and very infrquent "oven to cook a pie or cheese on toast."

Back when I was in school we were taught basic SI to Imperial conversions (e.g. ~2.5cm per inch, 2.2 pounds to the kilo, fluid ounces are stupid and should never be used), but yeah in reality it's a mix. For two reasons, 1) the government refuses to update the road signage to kilometers (and we can leave that one there), and 2) some people are so attached to idiotic units that they decided to burn the shop down.

As a side note, this one annoys me. Engineering/science does not use metric, they use SI. There's a lot of shared units, but metric doesn't cover everything.

But it leads to a weird case where most people flip between the two systems as needed, a few die hards cling to Imperial like the units are suddenly going to become usable, and scientists/engineers will tend to use SI exclusively*. I mean, I had no choice, there are no Imperial units in my field, but I understand from my mecheng friends that you just use SI, no ifs ands or buts. It weirds me out that US engineers are willing to use a knockoff Imperial system.

* EDIT: by which I mean yes, some of us will convert in our heads on the fly if needed.

[Aotrs Commander]

As a side note, this one annoys me. Engineering/science does not use metric, they use SI. There's a lot of shared units, but metric doesn't cover everything.

My apologises, my increasing base-state rage is making me slightly less thorough than usual, you're right, of course, I meant SI. It's also been twenty years since I did my engineering course when I was actually using those skills for something outside what is ostensibly just to support my wargaming and roleplaying (and random [cigarette]-packet calculations), so the proper name of the system had geninely just slipped my mind.)

[Peelee]

It just so happens that I have a convenient graphic saved for situations like this! :smallwink:
https://i.redd.it/jawxjjupbok31.jpg
(I don't actually use F for pool temps, but I also don't tend to spend much time around them to know if that's customary - almost drowned as a kid, so, uh, not the biggest fan of water. Unfortunately, I live on an island, but... thems the breaks, I guess. :smalltongue: )
I love it!

Also, don't worry, I love water enough for the both of us.

To be fair, American chocolate can't be sold as chocolate in the UK (and to be extra fair, UK chocolate can't be sold as chocolate on the continent). You're also the only country I've seen that has, in addition to cheese, cheese product and imitation cheese product.
You're forgetting about cheese food!

[Rawhide]

To be fair, when I buy UHT milk (the kind you can store in the cupboard for like 6 months), it doesn't actually call itself milk anywhere on the packet, although the bulk of the ingredients are milk (the remainder are vitamins and minerals).

[Anonymouswizard]

You're forgetting about cheese food!

Your cheese needs feeding? :smalleek:

[factotum]

It weirds me out that US engineers are willing to use a knockoff Imperial system.


Know what's even weirder? US customary units (aka your "knockoff Imperial system" :smalltongue:) are all defined in terms of metric units these days.

[LaZodiac]

What on Earth.

Culturally, Canada is a mixture of Europe and American sensibilities.

This extends to everything, for good or bad.

[DataNinja]

What on Earth.
As Zodi said, Canada's... a very strange mix when it comes to stuff like that. If America followed through on ditching imperial, we'd probably be fully metric, but... well, we know that story. :smalltongue:


I love it!
Can't take credit for it, though. Was on reddit.

[Peelee]

Can't take credit for it, though. Was on reddit.

From what I've learned about reddit, that means you're supposed to take credit for it.

[The Fury]

Thank you, everyone for being so supportive. The facts that this relationship was sort of a linchpin for staying in my friend group, and it seems like it was my fault is well... bad. I can probably readjust to being mostly alone again and I might never be in a close friend group again. That's OK though, I'll survive and maybe certain kinds of relationships aren't for me. Maybe this is due to having a really strange sense of humor, but the existential dread of getting confirmation of my worst fears about myself and the affects I have on people in my life... It's sort of funny.

Which reminds me, I did promise a joke.

Legs.

I didn't promise that it'd be good. I'm still too depressed to delude myself into thinking I'm funny. Sorry, I'll shut up about this for a bit.

[halfeye]

Your cheese needs feeding? :smalleek:

Must be this stuff:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu

[Peelee]

Your cheese needs feeding? :smalleek:

"Cheese" has to be 100% cheese. "Cheese product" has to be at least 51% cheese (and why go higher when you don't need to?). "Cheese food" can be less than 51% cheese.

[LaZodiac]

Thank you, everyone for being so supportive. The facts that this relationship was sort of a linchpin for staying in my friend group, and it seems like it was my fault is well... bad. I can probably readjust to being mostly alone again and I might never be in a close friend group again. That's OK though, I'll survive and maybe certain kinds of relationships aren't for me. Maybe this is due to having a really strange sense of humor, but the existential dread of getting confirmation of my worst fears about myself and the affects I have on people in my life... It's sort of funny.

Which reminds me, I did promise a joke.

Legs.

I didn't promise that it'd be good. I'm still too depressed to delude myself into thinking I'm funny. Sorry, I'll shut up about this for a bit.

That was funny, and don't beat yourself up. You're good people, Fury.

[DataNinja]

From what I've learned about reddit, that means you're supposed to take credit for it.

Sorry, I don't internet well. I very much have had it drilled into me that you don't take credit where credit isn't due. Though, admittedly, occasionally that means I don't take credit where it is due, but... :smalltongue:

[Peelee]

Sorry, I don't internet well. I very much have had it drilled into me that you don't take credit where credit isn't due. Though, admittedly, occasionally that means I don't take credit where it is due, but... :smalltongue:

I was just joking on the quantity of reposts on reddit.

Also, jeez. You don't listen to music, you don't like to swim, you don't internet well... well, actually, no, that does sound like what I'd expect from a fancy robotic ninja.

[DataNinja]

I was just joking on the quantity of reposts on reddit.

Also, jeez. You don't listen to music, you don't like to swim, you don't internet well... well, actually, no, that does sound like what I'd expect from a fancy robotic ninja.
Oh, oops. I am bad at taking things at anything besides face value (hence why I tend to overuse smilies and other such things in my text, to make sure I'm conveying my own tone properly).

And I feel like fancy is giving me too much credit. :smallwink:

[Aotrs Commander]

Well, it's official, base anger state has reached the point I can no longer focus on my work (not that it MATTERS at the moment whether I do or not) nor on anything else. Internal filters straining maximum capacity to remain capable of civil communication.

[Peelee]

Oh, oops. I am bad at taking things at anything besides face value
Well that's problematic, considering that I say very little at face value and usually just go for a joke.

Or, in your case, a fancy joke.

Well, it's official, base anger state has reached the point I can no longer focus on my work (not that it MATTERS at the moment whether I do or not) nor on anything else. Internal filters straining maximum capacity to remain capable of civil communication.
...anything I can help with?

[The Fury]

That was funny, and don't beat yourself up. You're good people, Fury.

Funny? The joke or the existential dread?

[Mith]

Funny? The joke or the existential dread?

The joke. But not gonna lie, this post also made me chuckle. Not at your dread, but more in sympathy.

ION: it is hard to get work done at home with spoiled dogs around.

[Aotrs Commander]

...anything I can help with?

Realistically, no.

Having difficulty unclenching hands from fists long enough to reply. Already pushed boundaries of how far I can afford to let myself... go? Speak?

Attempting to migitate anger through expression via writing up and then deleting/editing/toning down - mostly deleting - is not having usual effect; minor distraction for a few minutes only. Better than nothing? Perhaps.

Cannot even manage to summon enough detachment, to, for instance, fire up Stellaris, force humans empires to spawn and go on Determined Exterminator rampage.

[Fyraltari]

The joke. But not gonna lie, this post also made me chuckle. Not at your dread, but more in sympathy.


The best existential dread is the funny kind. Life’s a joke, might as well laugh along.

[The Fury]

The joke. But not gonna lie, this post also made me chuckle. Not at your dread, but more in sympathy.

Hey, I thought my feelings of dread were funny.


ION: it is hard to get work done at home with spoiled dogs around.

Sounds like a cute problem to have. Like you're trying to be productive but doggo wants you to throw a tennis ball for him? Aw. I know which I would pick.


The best existential dread is the funny kind. Life’s a joke, might as well laugh along.

I know, right? I'm just recalling the last few days in a way that makes them at least sort of funny to me. It's like for the last few years I've been sorting through my emotional problems with self talk, "OK, The Fury just remember-- people want you, not what you can do for them. It might seem like your friends only tolerate you, and don't really want you there, but that's just irrational fear getting the better of you in the moment and it'll pass. You'll be OK."

Then life was like, "Psyche! Yeah, those moments where you doubted yourself and your place in the world? Yeah, those weren't irrational fears getting the better of you. Those were rare moments of clarity. Ha!"

...Well, I thought it was funny.

[Bartmanhomer]

I feel like that there should be a D&D or Pathfinder movie called"Alignment" it just like in the NBC TV show Heroes. It's about nine people with nine different alignments trying to make a choice for the sake of Good, Evil, Law, Chaos and Neutral. So what do you think of my idea? I think it should be a good movie.

[Peelee]

I feel like that there should be a D&D or Pathfinder movie called"Alignment" it just like in the NBC TV show Heroes. It's about nine people with nine different alignments trying to make a choice for the sake of Good, Evil, Law, Chaos and Neutral. So what do you think of my idea? I think it should be a good movie.

I think the market would be severely limited to begin with, and that's even if you add a plot.

[The Fury]

I think the market would be severely limited to begin with, and that's even if you add a plot.

I think it'd work as a sitcom if you dialed up the humor. Possibly as a webcomic.

[Bartmanhomer]

I think the market would be severely limited, to begin with, and that's even if you add a plot.So it's going to be very bad, right?


I think it'd work as a sitcom if you dialled up the humour. Possibly as a webcomic.
Humour. Ok, this could work.

[Mith]

Hey, I thought my feelings of dread were funny.



Sounds like a cute problem to have. Like you're trying to be productive but doggo wants you to throw a tennis ball for him? Aw. I know which I would pick.



I know, right? I'm just recalling the last few days in a way that makes them at least sort of funny to me. It's like for the last few years I've been sorting through my emotional problems with self talk, "OK, The Fury just remember-- people want you, not what you can do for them. It might seem like your friends only tolerate you, and don't really want you there, but that's just irrational fear getting the better of you in the moment and it'll pass. You'll be OK."

Then life was like, "Psyche! Yeah, those moments where you doubted yourself and your place in the world? Yeah, those weren't irrational fears getting the better of you. Those were rare moments of clarity. Ha!"

...Well, I thought it was funny.

Freaking internet eating my reply...

The dog problem is a cute problem. It starts with the retired parent who is always home leaving for groceries. This results in one dog sitting outside my office sobbing. So after I go console the dog, both dogs want to go out and play. After that's settled, the cat needs to reaffirm that we are still Best Friends. After a while, the cat wants to go outside. A few minutes later, the dog, struck again with the malaise of the Absent Human, comes running for a cuddle...

======

As far as dealing with dread, I cannot speak to your experience directly, nor the people you are talking about. So I cannot say if you are correct in your assessment of what your relationship was like. However, I still point to the fact that you care as a strong indicator of the fact that you are not "only good for what you do for people". You care and you want to support people. That makes you good people.

[Insane Jeenyus]

That was funny, and don't beat yourself up. You're good people, Fury. I totally agree with this. I am stealing this joke.


I feel like that there should be a D&D or Pathfinder movie called"Alignment" it just like in the NBC TV show Heroes. It's about nine people with nine different alignments trying to make a choice for the sake of Good, Evil, Law, Chaos and Neutral. So what do you think of my idea? I think it should be a good movie.


So it's going to be very bad, right?


Humour. Ok, this could work.So bad its hilarious! or as a web comic works too.

[Anonymouswizard]

Any piece of media peoduced with a monetary incentive (like pretty much every piece of D&D meida) needs to have an audience to be successful, and most commercially successful works are specifically designed to appeal to a particular audience. This is less required for a piece of media made for entirely expressive purposes, but it's probably to have a good idea as to who might be reception to your expression.

To take a fairly easy example, look at Harry Potter. The first book is aimed at children aged about ten and the books are slowly aimed at a older and older audience until the final book is clearly aimed at people around 18. My own personal opinions on the quality aside, each book does very well at engaging the audience that it's aimed at and makes the morality and issues more complex until the books reach the final one.

The project I'm currently working on actually does have a target audience, although it's relatively narrow (being a semi-idealistic Medieval European Fantasy following a character from about 16 to about 26), but that's partially because I writing the kind of novel I want to see more of. Although I'm also having trouble with plotting it, as while I'd love to jump from the MC at about 16 to them at about 20 pretty significant offscreen events (notably the fall of the established governmental system) have to be set up and the set up for the setup requires different events to happen that push them into a point where I can't work out an actual plot to go around them. I might need to scrap draft 1 entirely and restructure it.

[The Fury]

The dog problem is a cute problem. It starts with the retired parent who is always home leaving for groceries. This results in one dog sitting outside my office sobbing. So after I go console the dog, both dogs want to go out and play. After that's settled, the cat needs to reaffirm that we are still Best Friends. After a while, the cat wants to go outside. A few minutes later, the dog, struck again with the malaise of the Absent Human, comes running for a cuddle...

That's sweet. My parent's dog never does that when they come to visit. If my parents leave, he'll sit by the door and cry inconsolably for several minutes and eventually find a corner and pout.


As far as dealing with dread, I cannot speak to your experience directly, nor the people you are talking about. So I cannot say if you are correct in your assessment of what your relationship was like. However, I still point to the fact that you care as a strong indicator of the fact that you are not "only good for what you do for people". You care and you want to support people. That makes you good people.

I appreciate you saying that. I don't feel like I'm good people, I'll refrain from getting into the reasons why I think I'm not. All the same, you seeing a better nature in me is very kind.


I totally agree with this. I am stealing this joke.

Well, I'm glad that it turned out to be a hit. Oh in case you haven't heard this one...

Because they're two-tired

[Rawhide]

Because they're two-tired

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aKnXGOc9WxQ/TijlNfKmv-I/AAAAAAAAFIs/2n96W6ndC2E/s1600/tiredcat5.jpg

[Peelee]

So bad its hilarious!
That's what I heard about Big Bang Theory, but no, it was just bad.

Because they're two-tired

That reminds me, I came up with a unified field theory a while ago, it basically solves all of physics.
Just make all the forces spin, that'll stabilize 'em.

[Insane Jeenyus]

Thank you Fury, I'm stealing that one too!

[Aedilred]

So it's going to be very bad, right?

It wouldn't have to be, but concepts are cheap. Whether or not it's good depends almost entirely on the execution. However, Peelee is probably correct that the market for it is very limited, because people who know and care about the D&D alignment system are few in number.

[BisectedBrioche]

Work continues to get crazier and crazier.

We brought in some temps from an agency, spent 2-3 days training them how to use the till, and now a chunk of them suddenly had to self isolate, so we're back where we started.

One was a regular customer, and was somehow calling me by my deadname for her first morning (which I legally changed and stopped using 3 years ago O.o).

[Anonymouswizard]

Work continues to get crazier and crazier.

We brought in some temps from an agency, spent 2-3 days training them how to use the till, and now a chunk of them suddenly had to self isolate, so we're back where we started.

Heh, my work refuses to get agency workers in at the moment for that reason (although thankfully the threatened 'and you will have to do more work if schools close' seems to have been mitigated).


One was a regular customer, and was somehow calling me by my deadname for her first morning (which I legally changed and stopped using 3 years ago O.o).

****, that kind of thing is not okay. I don't even want to know what the dead names of my friends are, and the only time I've used somebody's dead name it was explicitly an insult (and was less than a year since they came out, it seems to take me about eight to forteen months to fully adjust to name changes).

One of my friends has a problem where, because she's physically transitioned but not legally done so (marriage was involved) a year after she moved here she contacted the government to deal with something, only to find out that this was the one case of it not being under her dead name.

We had to spend about two weeks making sure she was still calm and asking her to follow it up, and then another two days explaining 'no, there isn't really a concept of an official name here'.


I've just had a therapy session, which ended with 'I can help you with problem B, but problem A therapy doesn't really work over the phone, so if I can get these sessions postponed until we meet face to face would you like to do that? Do you want time to think about it?' I feel like I might have been the first person to take that in, immediately draw conclusions, and give my answer ('yes, I'd rather have more useful therapy later than less useful therapy now') while being told.

[Peelee]

Today I learned about the phrase "dead name."

[Qwertystop]

One of my friends has a problem where, because she's physically transitioned but not legally done so (marriage was involved) a year after she moved here she contacted the government to deal with something, only to find out that this was the one case of it not being under her dead name.

We had to spend about two weeks making sure she was still calm and asking her to follow it up, and then another two days explaining 'no, there isn't really a concept of an official name here'.

I'm not sure I follow.

[Anonymouswizard]

I'm not sure I follow.


Person lives in transphobic country.
Person discovers they are tans.
Person adopts a new name and physically transitions, but annot legally transition due to transphobic (and homophobic) laws.
Person moves to country with much less insitutionalised transphobia and strict definition of a legal name.
Government department uses 'also known as' name as the name of the account.
Person assumes that because it's the government they used their legal name.
???
Profit!

[Qwertystop]

Person lives in transphobic country.
Person discovers they are tans.
Person adopts a new name and physically transitions, but annot legally transition due to transphobic (and homophobic) laws.
Person moves to country with much less insitutionalised transphobia and strict definition of a legal name.
Government department uses 'also known as' name as the name of the account.
Person assumes that because it's the government they used their legal name.
???
Profit!


And #6 is a reason to not be calm (I understood as "panic") because?

[Anonymouswizard]

And #6 is a reason to not be calm (I understood as "panic") because?

Because this was a very important account that they needed access to in order to sort out tazx stuff.

[DataNinja]

And #6 is a reason to not be calm (I understood as "panic") because?

I assume because they imagined that there wasn't an account for them (as opposed to it being recorded under a different name than assumed), so they were panicking because that's what anyone would do if they went to anything - especially the government - and it turned out there was no record of the thing for you that you went to them for.

[Razelquin]

I feel like that there should be a D&D or Pathfinder movie called"Alignment" it just like in the NBC TV show Heroes. It's about nine people with nine different alignments trying to make a choice for the sake of Good, Evil, Law, Chaos and Neutral. So what do you think of my idea? I think it should be a good movie.

I think it'd work as a sitcom if you dialed up the humor. Possibly as a webcomic.

9 people living together just trying to get by with their daily lives. But each has a wildly different daily life. CE could be a thief or serial killer and LG is a cop on the case to catch them. LE knows the one LG is hunting is CE, but actively throws him off the trail. TN has no job and mooches off the others in the apartment.

it could probably get 1 really good season, then probably wane after that.

And to help keep track, their initials could be their alignment, so the Lawful Evil could be Lesley Edwards or something along those lines.

[Bartmanhomer]

9 people living together just trying to get by with their daily lives. But each has a wildly different daily life. CE could be a thief or serial killer and LG is a cop on the case to catch them. LE knows the one LG is hunting is CE, but actively throws him off the trail. TN has no job and mooches off the others in the apartment.

it could probably get 1 really good season, then probably wane after that.

And to help keep track, their initials could be their alignment, so the Lawful Evil could be Lesley Edwards or something along those lines.

Cool. Finally one of my ideas is very good for a change. :biggrin:

[Rawhide]

The only way I can see this getting made is by a low budget geek oriented niche YouTube channel, like the ones that make the videos about NPCs in an MMO.

[Peelee]

The only way I can see this getting made is by a low budget geek oriented niche YouTube channel, like the ones that make the videos about NPCs in an MMO.

Sadly, I can't link to my favorite youtube comedy troupe, but they could probably knock it out of the park without even having the geek-oriented factor.

[Razelquin]

The only way I can see this getting made is by a low budget geek oriented niche YouTube channel, like the ones that make the videos about NPCs in an MMO.

We just need someone with a really high Charisma to pitch it to Netflix. They already don't like their shows to last more that 2 seasons, so we got that going for us.

[Anonymouswizard]

The only way I can see this getting made is by a low budget geek oriented niche YouTube channel, like the ones that make the videos about NPCs in an MMO.

I can see it actually, an incredibly cheesy introductory episode showing our main characters (I'd go for 5 and omit either the 4 Neutral Xs or just go the five neutrals) growing up, followed up one episode per character showing them tyeing to promote their methedolody in the world, followed by a finale where the characters all en up in the same place and have to directly pit their skills and philosophies against each other.

Where nobody dies, because we don't have the budget for that. We couldn't even afford pointed ears for the elf.

(Alternatively I can see something like Elven Quest, using the radio format to avoid needed a budget for sets and costuming, and really play up the paradoric elements. Part of being a Paladin is having a cherub to play your lietmotiv.)


We just need someone with a really high Charisma to pitch it to Netflix. They already don't like their shows to last more that 2 seasons, so we got that going for us.

I mean, lasting longer than two series is what's known as a 'zombie' here in the UK. It means that somebody made at least seven episodes! :smalltongue:

[LaZodiac]

On this wonderful day, in which Plague Times Week 2 begins, have some good grilled cheese sandwiches (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/635247543990878240/691715563512266852/Grillsed_Cheese.jpg)courtesy of yours truly.

[Peelee]

On this wonderful day, in which Plague Times Week 2 begins, have some good grilled cheese sandwiches (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/635247543990878240/691715563512266852/Grillsed_Cheese.jpg)courtesy of yours truly.

Your bread looks like a rotary phone.

[LaZodiac]

Your bread looks like a rotary phone.

Indeed it does. Real tasty too.

[Peelee]

Indeed it does. Real tasty too.

Oh, it definitely looks dang tasty. Do you do the mayo on the outside before grilling? I just heard of that some months back, and it completely changed my grilled cheese experience.

[Fyraltari]

Your bread looks like a rotary phone.
This right here, is some prime quality culinary critique.

[DataNinja]

Your bread looks like a rotary phone.
And thus we see the ancient that is the true Peelee. :smallwink:

[Peelee]

This right here, is some prime quality culinary critique.
I studied under Robuchon and Ducasse.

[Anonymouswizard]

Honestly the uncultured millennial in me read it as 'rotissary cheese'.

I'm looking forward to the opticians reopening next year.


In ither news, the theatre summer school I was plannin to attend this year has sent out it's 'don't send us money yet, we're probably going to cancel' email.

[LaZodiac]

Oh, it definitely looks dang tasty. Do you do the mayo on the outside before grilling? I just heard of that some months back, and it completely changed my grilled cheese experience.

M... mayo on the outside? Wouldn't that get... ****ing everywhere? I used butter because that's what gets you that specific texture, but I'm having a hard time imagining what it'd be like with Mayo...

Just so we're clear on this, the way you're suggesting is; Mayo (and presumably butter) on the bread, mayo and butter side down into the pan, then cheese, then bread slice 2 with butter and mayo side up, yeah?


This right here, is some prime quality culinary critique.

I mean all things being equal, appearance is part of presentation. Another friend said the bread had a perfect golden colour and texture, and the cuteness of the bread bumped it up to a perfect ten.

[Peelee]

M... mayo on the outside? Wouldn't that get... ****ing everywhere? I used butter because that's what gets you that specific texture, but I'm having a hard time imagining what it'd be like with Mayo...

Yes. Mayo on the side of the bread that touches the pan (along with the melted butter that's presumably already in the pan). I was just as leery as you when I first heard this, but no, it's awesome.

[Anonymouswizard]

Well it's now official, goodbye outside world (except for tomorrow morning when I have to bus into work).

[LaZodiac]

Yes. Mayo on the side of the bread that touches the pan (along with the melted butter that's presumably already in the pan). I was just as leery as you when I first heard this, but no, it's awesome.

You don't put butter in the pan since the butter is on the bread, though I imagine with the mayo being on the bread you'd NEED to butter the pan. Hmm... interesting. I'll give that a try later.


Well it's now official, goodbye outside world (except for tomorrow morning when I have to bus into work).

Good luck with Plague Time!

[Qwertystop]

You don't put butter in the pan since the butter is on the bread, though I imagine with the mayo being on the bread you'd NEED to butter the pan. Hmm... interesting. I'll give that a try later.

At least one place I saw that idea said no butter? I guess the idea being the mayo is sufficient to stop the sticking?

[Peelee]

At least one place I saw that idea said no butter? I guess the idea being the mayo is sufficient to stop the sticking?

Look, I'm not fat for nothing.

[Insane Jeenyus]

I am having Pizza for Lunch/dinner

[Bartmanhomer]

I should Alignment will be good for a novel. :smile:

[Razelquin]

I should Alignment will be good for a novel. :smile:

Books with a lot of characters are generally hard to follow. The only exception is if the characters are separate and don't really interact. In which case the novel is more like a collection of shorter stories set at the same time in the same world. 9 characters, as main characters, interacting all through the book would be hard to write and hard to follow.

A comic would work better, as the images help keep things identifiable. But a show would be best (a movie is to short to introduce and give equal justice and screen time to all 9 characters).

[Anonymouswizard]

I should Alignment will be good for a novel. :smile:

Not really, I don't want to go into the details, but it sounds like Alignment wants a more episodic structure. We have nine characters, in an episodic format it's time to focus on one or two characters per episode, in a novel running potentially nine distinct plot lines causes either your pacing to screech to an absolute halt as you have to consistently jump between plot threads or you have characters disappearing from the narrative for extended lengths of time (which only works if you can organise the plot threads so that natural lulls appear).

Not to mention that, well, 7+ plot thread novels tend to be over a thousand pages long, and in fantasy and science fiction you'd generally expect seven plot threads to span at least 2000 pages (which is a separate problem I have with science fiction and fantasy, one of my projects is organised so that roughly every 300 pages should stand on it's own).


Also, I am a massive, massive fan of the radio serial format. I've just started writing a science fiction story in the format, ideally I'll find some friends willing to provide voices and I'll upload a pilot to YouTube over a picture of my friend's cat or something.

[Bartmanhomer]

Not really, I don't want to go into the details, but it sounds like Alignment wants a more episodic structure. We have nine characters, in an episodic format it's time to focus on one or two characters per episode, in a novel running potentially nine distinct plot lines causes either your pacing to screech to an absolute halt as you have to consistently jump between plot threads or you have characters disappearing from the narrative for extended lengths of time (which only works if you can organise the plot threads so that natural lulls appear).

Not to mention that, well, 7+ plot thread novels tend to be over a thousand pages long, and in fantasy and science fiction you'd generally expect seven plot threads to span at least 2000 pages (which is a separate problem I have with science fiction and fantasy, one of my projects is organised so that roughly every 300 pages should stand on it's own).


Also, I am a massive, massive fan of the radio serial format. I've just started writing a science fiction story in the format, ideally I'll find some friends willing to provide voices and I'll upload a pilot to YouTube over a picture of my friend's cat or something.

Cool what your sci-fi story about? :smile:

[Peelee]

Books with a lot of characters are generally hard to follow.

Fun fact! Michael Crichton deliberately overcrowded the cast of the book Jurassic Park just so he could have a field day killing most of them off to help underscore how dangerous the island was. The movie combines quite a good bit of the characters because the novel was so ridiculously staffed.

[Anonymouswizard]

Cool what your sci-fi story about? :smile:

I'm keeping it under wraps, mainly because I'm not sure if I want to keep half the lements.

[Rawhide]

Fun fact! Michael Crichton deliberately overcrowded the cast of the book Jurassic Park just so he could have a field day killing most of them off to help underscore how dangerous the island was. The movie combines quite a good bit of the characters because the novel was so ridiculously staffed.

Fun fact! Michael Crichton doesn't like sequels, but was specifically asked to write one for Jurassic Park so they could make another movie...

[Peelee]

Fun fact! Michael Crichton doesn't like sequels, but was specifically asked to write one for Jurassic Park so they could make another movie...

Fun fact! It took three movies just to include all the content that was in the first book, so that was a kind of weird move for them to make.

I don't know if I can out-Jurassic Park you, but I can damned well give it a shot!

[DataNinja]

Fun fact! It took three movies just to include all the content that was in the first book, so that was a kind of weird move for them to make.
Fun fact! If I know Peelee's history from what I've seen, this can go on almost as long as a Star Wars conversation. :smallwink:

[Peelee]

Look it's a really good book.

Fun fact! If you're quarantined or practicing social distancing or just hate people, Jurassic Park is one hell of a read!

[flat_footed]

Fun fact!

In order to make the most realistic pile of dung for the triceratops scene, the crew used a special mixture of mud, clay, and the scripts from the next two Jurassic Park movies.

[Peelee]

Fun fact!

In order to make the most realistic pile of dung for the triceratops scene, the crew used a special mixture of mud, clay, and the scripts from the next two Jurassic Park movies.

https://www.reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/thats_cool_burn_after_reading.gif

[DataNinja]

Fun fact!

In order to make the most realistic pile of dung for the triceratops scene, the crew used a special mixture of mud, clay, and the scripts from the next two Jurassic Park movies.

Aw maaaaan. Nobody told me time travel was involved. And I've seen the movie. :smalltongue:

[Peelee]

Aw maaaaan. Nobody told me time travel was involved. And I've seen the movie. :smalltongue:

Fun fact! The "cloning lab" was all window dressing designed to fool people and draw attention away from the fact that they just hired Dr. Emmet Brown to bring back dino eggs in his Delorean. They figured, if you're gonna make a dinosaur island, why not do it in style? They spared no expense.

[LaZodiac]

Jurassic Park was my favorite movie as a child.

It also gave me nightmares and always scared me. So, you know, that explains some things.

gonna try and make Peelee's weird mayo grilled cheese for a late night snack to see how it is. Will report.

[flat_footed]

Jurassic Park was my favorite movie as a child.

It also gave me nightmares and always scared me. So, you know, that explains some things.

gonna try and make Peelee's weird mayo grilled cheese for a late night snack to see how it is. Will report.

Mayo is a game changer for grilled cheese. It is much easier to spread across the bread, and it crisps up extremely well. I do it this way as well, only on the outside. The inside is just pure, gooey, cheddar cheese.

[LaZodiac]

Mayo is a game changer for grilled cheese. It is much easier to spread across the bread, and it crisps up extremely well. I do it this way as well, only on the outside. The inside is just pure, gooey, cheddar cheese.

Well, I'd love to try it, but as soon as I went to go cook it I remembered that some stupid idiot who, coincidentally, happens to share all of my blood, meat, and bones forgot her bottle of mayo at work. For five days in a row. And then plague times happened.

So I will not be trying it until tomorrow when I buy more mayo. And bread.

[BisectedBrioche]

Heh, my work refuses to get agency workers in at the moment for that reason (although thankfully the threatened 'and you will have to do more work if schools close' seems to have been mitigated).



****, that kind of thing is not okay. I don't even want to know what the dead names of my friends are, and the only time I've used somebody's dead name it was explicitly an insult (and was less than a year since they came out, it seems to take me about eight to forteen months to fully adjust to name changes).

One of my friends has a problem where, because she's physically transitioned but not legally done so (marriage was involved) a year after she moved here she contacted the government to deal with something, only to find out that this was the one case of it not being under her dead name.

We had to spend about two weeks making sure she was still calm and asking her to follow it up, and then another two days explaining 'no, there isn't really a concept of an official name here'.


I've just had a therapy session, which ended with 'I can help you with problem B, but problem A therapy doesn't really work over the phone, so if I can get these sessions postponed until we meet face to face would you like to do that? Do you want time to think about it?' I feel like I might have been the first person to take that in, immediately draw conclusions, and give my answer ('yes, I'd rather have more useful therapy later than less useful therapy now') while being told.

The really crazy part is that in the afternoon she apologised and said she didn't know I'd changed my name (keeping in mind she only lives a few doors away and was coming into the store multiple times a week, often being served by me several times a shift).

So we can assume she didn't infer anything from the fact in the last 3 years I've started wearing makeup, grown out my hair and grown a bust. And that everyone calls me she/her. O_o

[Fyraltari]

The really crazy part is that in the afternoon she apologised and said she didn't know I'd changed my name (keeping in mind she only lives a few doors away and was coming into the store multiple times a week, often being served by me several times a shift).

So we can assume she didn't infer anything from the fact in the last 3 years I've started wearing makeup, grown out my hair and grown a bust. And that everyone calls me she/her. O_o

Very good memory, very poor perception skills?

[Aedilred]

Fun fact! Michael Crichton doesn't like sequels, but was specifically asked to write one for Jurassic Park so they could make another movie...

Hence why, in the novel, Ian Malcolm inexplicably came back to life. That was an interesting u-turn.

[Peelee]

Well, I'd love to try it, but as soon as I went to go cook it I remembered that some stupid idiot who, coincidentally, happens to share all of my blood, meat, and bones

You should get those things back, I hear they're important.

[Aotrs Commander]

You should get those things back, I hear they're important.

Eh. The first two you can unlive without, and you can just replace the latter with a mithril alloy.

[Peelee]

I replaced my blood with.a mithril alloy once. I felt lighter.

[LaZodiac]

You should get those things back, I hear they're important.

I did say share, Peelee


Eh. The first two you can unlive without, and you can just replace the latter with a mithril alloy.

I'm a human though. I need my blood! And regardless it was a comedically exaggerated self deprecating joke so it's all good :smallwink:

[Fyraltari]

Well, I'd love to try it, but as soon as I went to go cook it I remembered that some stupid idiot who, coincidentally, happens to share all of my blood, meat, and bones forgot her bottle of mayo at work. For five days in a row. And then plague times happened.

So I will not be trying it until tomorrow when I buy more mayo. And bread.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfYbgdo8e-8

[LaZodiac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfYbgdo8e-8

While that was definitely interesting and made me think about a lot of things, I'm sorry to break it to you but I'm just actually stupid.

[Aotrs Commander]

I'm a human though. I need my blood!

I'm just saying, this whole situation would not be happening if everyone was liches...

(Spirit-bound liches, obviously.)



(Oh, and before anyone gets technical, while the state of viruses as a life form may be under debate in microbiological science and such like, necromantically, they do qualify, so yes, between the lifedrain touch/aura and the cold touch/aura, liches are actually very sterile. Micro-organisms - and close enough approximations - not being known for having a high metaphorical Con stat.)

[Bartmanhomer]

I was thinking about waffles today. I hadn't eaten waffles for a few weeks now. I feel like eating waffles now. Also, I was thinking about dancing and singing waffles at the same time. :smile:

[Mith]

I'm just saying, this whole situation would not be happening if everyone was liches...

(Spirit-bound liches, obviously.)



(Oh, and before anyone gets technical, while the state of viruses as a life form may be under debate in microbiological science and such like, necromantically, they do qualify, so yes, between the lifedrain touch/aura and the cold touch/aura, liches are actually very sterile. Micro-organisms - and close enough approximations - not being known for having a high metaphorical Con stat.)

I was always under the impression that viruses were necromatic constructs, since undead repurpose life, they don't reproduce. I would also assume that little of the original personality remains in all forms of of undead with the exception of lichdom.

[LaZodiac]

I'm just saying, this whole situation would not be happening if everyone was liches...

(Spirit-bound liches, obviously.)



(Oh, and before anyone gets technical, while the state of viruses as a life form may be under debate in microbiological science and such like, necromantically, they do qualify, so yes, between the lifedrain touch/aura and the cold touch/aura, liches are actually very sterile. Micro-organisms - and close enough approximations - not being known for having a high metaphorical Con stat.)

I mean it definitely would have, because I'd still be an idiot even if I was a skeleton.

[Anonymouswizard]

I'm a human though. I need my blood! And regardless it was a comedically exaggerated self deprecating joke so it's all good :smallwink:

Why'd you go for human? They don't even get a free feat in the latest edition, much better to go for a race with +1 Int, +2 Cha, and innate spellcasting...

Plus I want to complain about something. I was listening to a science fiction radio drama the other day and would have really got into it and the concepts, except that the shore decided to spend the first episode setting up the main character's reason for getting a body swap as being a 40 year old victim of fat shaming.

Like, is it a little too much to ask to get some body positivity in SF?

[LaZodiac]

Why'd you go for human? They don't even get a free feat in the latest edition, much better to go for a race with +1 Int, +2 Cha, and innate spellcasting...

Plus I want to complain about something. I was listening to a science fiction radio drama the other day and would have really got into it and the concepts, except that the shore decided to spend the first episode setting up the main character's reason for getting a body swap as being a 40 year old victim of fat shaming.

Like, is it a little too much to ask to get some body positivity in SF?

It was not my choice to be born.

God, I hate ****ty Sci Fi so much. I recently learned about Stranger in a Strange Land and wow it's really bad and if that's a considered a classic of the era it's from I don't wanna know what the bad books are.

If you operate on the assumption that modern fantasy is technically sci fi because sufficiently advanced technology is indistinct from magic I'm sure you could find some good writing that is also body positive. Some of it might even be written by me!

[DataNinja]

Like, is it a little too much to ask to get some body positivity in SF?
Well, maybe start off by not shaming Zodi for being a human, geez. :smallwink:
Besides, Peelee took the last dragon option, so people had to settle.

[Mith]

It was not my choice to be born.

God, I hate ****ty Sci Fi so much. I recently learned about Stranger in a Strange Land and wow it's really bad and if that's a considered a classic of the era it's from I don't wanna know what the bad books are.

If you operate on the assumption that modern fantasy is technically sci fi because sufficiently advanced technology is indistinct from magic I'm sure you could find some good writing that is also body positive. Some of it might even be written by me!

I only really go back to classics that other works I enjoy state as inspiration. Otherwise, I'll let people I trust give me recommendations and leave the rest.

In my experience, books that focus on LGBTQAI representation work better in all regards, as the authors try to focus on being inclusive. Which means that I like a lot of modern fiction I come across.

And yes Zodi, that definitely includes your book! :smalltongue:

[halfeye]

It was not my choice to be born.

God, I hate ****ty Sci Fi so much. I recently learned about Stranger in a Strange Land and wow it's really bad and if that's a considered a classic of the era it's from I don't wanna know what the bad books are.

If you operate on the assumption that modern fantasy is technically sci fi because sufficiently advanced technology is indistinct from magic I'm sure you could find some good writing that is also body positive. Some of it might even be written by me!

You might want to consider:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Will_Fear_No_Evil

By the same author. On the whole, he's a bit of a twit, he rightly got into trouble for:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnham%27s_Freehold

Then he started putting characters with literally black skin into everything to mess with the people who gave him aggro.

According to some definitions of Literature all science fiction and fantasy is trash, because it's not about flowery language, it's about the story. Myself I think language should be transparent, some people think if it's not opaque it's wrong.

[LaZodiac]

I only really go back to classics that other works I enjoy state as inspiration. Otherwise, I'll let people I trust give me recommendations and leave the rest.

In my experience, books that focus on LGBTQAI representation work better in all regards, as the authors try to focus on being inclusive. Which means that I like a lot of modern fiction I come across.

And yes Zodi, that definitely includes your book! :smalltongue:

I'm glad more modern books (and media in general) are being casually supportive. The new Animal Crossing has a lesbian romance manga in it about a princess who rocketboards around on a rocket skateboard, and her girlfriend is also a princess who can explode things. It's fun.

Hehehe :smallamused:


You might want to consider:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Will_Fear_No_Evil

By the same author. On the whole, he's a bit of a twit, he rightly got into trouble for:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnham%27s_Freehold

Then he started putting characters with literally black skin into everything to mess with the people who gave him aggro.

According to some definitions of Literature all science fiction and fantasy is trash, because it's not about flowery language, it's about the story. Myself I think language should be transparent, some people think if it's not opaque it's wrong.

I read the description for "I Will Fear No Evil" and my brain exploded. I don't trust this man to write anything even remotely good, especially with this premise.

I mean those definitions of literature are abjectly wrong. Art can be a pristine, crisp, flowerly novel and art can also be "Molly Millions gave him a shuriken because shuriken are cool" and it's all a matter of taste really. It's just that a lot of the older Sci Fi tastes like old, confused, a little stupid grandpa meat.

[Qwertystop]

Stefan Gagne's done some good stuff. Anachronauts is great modern-scifi-fantasy adventure-y stuff. City of Angles is even better urban-fantasy adventure-y stuff. Floating Point is... somehow already feeling dated despite being completed in 2017, the last few years moved fast, and there's a recurring phrase that feels pretty awkward, but it definitely at is the most directly and overtly queer-supportive instead of just background. Earlier works (Unreal Estate, Sailor Nothing; I haven't read the really old stuff) are a bit rocky.

[Fyraltari]

I recently learned about Stranger in a Strange Land

Was it in an overly sarcastic manner?

[Peelee]

Was it in an overly sarcastic manner?

I maybe it was from Steve Harris.

[Anonymouswizard]

It was not my choice to be born.

God, I hate ****ty Sci Fi so much. I recently learned about Stranger in a Strange Land and wow it's really bad and if that's a considered a classic of the era it's from I don't wanna know what the bad books are.

Pretty much the only book of his I recommend worth reading is Starship Troopers, but about 80% of the worldview is divisive (and we can leave it at that). It's a shame that the actually interesting points about a volunteer military are buried under it.

But for everything else I've heard it's filled with either creepy stuff A or creepy stuff B (the kind that started with SiaSL).

Pretty much the only classic SF works I recommend these days are a couple of Clarke's, Skylark and Lensman from EE Smith (mainly because the are the prototype and template for space opera, the former includes some uncomfortably casual racism), and Asimov.


If you operate on the assumption that modern fantasy is technically sci fi because sufficiently advanced technology is indistinct from magic I'm sure you could find some good writing that is also body positive. Some of it might even be written by me!

I mean, the line is blurry anyway.


Well, maybe start off by not shaming Zodi for being a human, geez. :smallwink:
Besides, Peelee took the last dragon option, so people had to settle.

I mean, sure, settling is a fact of life. Bit like, not even variant human?

[Tvtyrant]

I replaced my blood with.a mithril alloy once. I felt lighter.

So your blood was a lighter fluid?

[LaZodiac]

Was it in an overly sarcastic manner?

Yes it was!


Pretty much the only book of his I recommend worth reading is Starship Troopers, but about 80% of the worldview is divisive (and we can leave it at that). It's a shame that the actually interesting points about a volunteer military are buried under it.

I mean, sure, settling is a fact of life. Bit like, not even variant human?

The movie did it better by realizing it should be parody.

I mean I am Canadian...

Also Peelee I tried your mayo grilled cheese; what is the difference supposed to be?

[DataNinja]

I mean I am Canadian...
That gives you Cold Resistance. Though, I think I traded that in for the Nice Weather starting location. :smalltongue:

[Bartmanhomer]

*singing a parody of Old Grey Mare: Old Grey Waffles.*

Old Grey Waffles say
Ain't what it used to be
Ain't what it used to be
Ain't what it used to be

:biggrin:

[Fyraltari]

Yes it was!

Ayyy! Ain’t Red the best?

[Anonymouswizard]

The movie did it better by realizing it should be parody.

I mean I am Canadian...

Eh.... I have real problems with the film, mainly because I think it misses two of the best bits of the book (the strong argument for a volunteer-only military, and the fact that the pseudo-arachnids are a legitimate technological power with superior ground weaponry). Like, I love the parody bits in the pre-military sections, even if I'd reinstate the Juan-Carl bromance and make it more subtle, but I find that once they reach boot camp, well...

The film lacks any of the subtlety or nuance the book has, replacing such things as a lecture on appropriate force with shouting authority figures. This is nothing to do with getting rid of the suits, the book is just significantly less in your face about everything, it's argument for a volunteer military is presented by having Juan and everybody else being incredibly good and motivated soldiers.

There's also two changes to the story that really make me mad. One: making Juan's command a field promotion, in the book he's subtly manouvred into a position to prepare him for being an officer, given a position in the platoon that'll give him leadership experience (notably above more experienced career soldiers), and finally attends OCS after being made career. There's a brilliant scene where his commanding officer has the OCS forms already filled out because he realises it's just a matter of time.

Two: whitewashing Juan, because apparently we must have all the subtlety of a sladehammer attached to a ferrari attached to a train. What's wrong with an Asian man as our main character? (Or tje fact thagt he's ESL for that matter.)

[Insane Jeenyus]

Dear journal,

Day two of forced Isolation. I am out of heavy whipping cream and have been so for way too long. Need to go to the grocery store.

Day 2.5: not only found cream, but toilet paper too. they are out of Gaatoraid zero and eggs, though. Watching Locke and Key on Netflix. need some ice cream.

[Bartmanhomer]

Dear journal,

Day two of forced Isolation. I am out of heavy whipping cream and have been so for way too long. Need to go to the grocery store.

Day 2.5: not only found cream, but toilet paper too. they are out of Gaatoraid zero and eggs, though. Watching Locke and Key on Netflix. need some ice cream.

In the name of toilet paper, I'll punish you. :biggrin:

[Peelee]

So your blood was a lighter fluid?
Ya know, in hindsight, I should have made sure it was in liquid form!


Also Peelee I tried your mayo grilled cheese; what is the difference supposed to be?

You got no flavor difference? If so, then no reason to do that in the future. Tastes better to me, though.

[Aotrs Commander]

I would also assume that little of the original personality remains in all forms of of undead with the exception of lichdom.

Really depends on the type of undead, whether it's spirit-bound or not being the main decider.

Your typical animated undead (skeleton or zombie) has none, because it's doesn't even have the soul, it's essentially a necromantic-powered robot, really, with only a small amount of basic programming adapted from the psychic echo of the dead body. (Now, you can create animated dead by binding the soul into it, but it gains you typically diddly-frack-all-squat advantage over the non-soul-using type. But, with the sort oif advanced necromancy available to the Aotrs after literally thousands of years of renfinement using the science of magic - and technology to be able to crunch the numbers - it's fairly trivial to helplessly bind a soul into an animated body so they are aware of everything but never able to influence the body; so you can, for instance, make them clean toilets for the rest of eternity. So, y'know, used as a form of punishment.)

A lot of spawner undead (ghouls or something Vampires *pause to spit on floor* to a degree sometimes) will often suppress the soul's personality to a greater or lesser extent, but they still have the soul, at least, if not the personaility.

Spirit-bound undead - like Spirit-Bound Liches (as opposes to phylactery-bound) - are essentially fundementally "hauinting" their body like you might get a haunted house. (The process is similar to, but different from, how a living creature's soul is bound into its body, actually.) That's why Spirit-Bound Liches can consume stuff despite being skeletal, have enhanced abilities and often get a lot of atypical abilities, because to some extent, your own soul and spirit, bound into your body, will modify it over time. Old (or very, very lucky young liches like me) also can undergo something called Spirit Vessel Will Reinforcement (SpiV-Wi-Re-ment, as it's know, don't ask), where that happens very suddenly (like, I dunno, a Pokémon evolving) which is how you end up with, for personal example, mithril-alloy bones. (So yes, before anyone asks, it would actually modify your physical body (over time or all at once with SpiV-Wi-Re-ment) into what your soul is, that's comparitively trivial to replacing your entire skeleton with mithril. We even haven't figured out how in the merry hell I subconsciously managed that.)

(I actually now have a place (https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/761440/on-the-army-of-the-red-spear-001-overview-and-spirit-bound-liches) where I went into exhaustive detail on Spirit-Bound Liches to link to if that wasn't sufficient.)




Eh.... I have real problems with the film, mainly because I think it misses two of the best bits of the book (the strong argument for a volunteer-only military, and the fact that the pseudo-arachnids are a legitimate technological power with superior ground weaponry). Like, I love the parody bits in the pre-military sections, even if I'd reinstate the Juan-Carl bromance and make it more subtle, but I find that once they reach boot camp, well...

The film lacks any of the subtlety or nuance the book has, replacing such things as a lecture on appropriate force with shouting authority figures. This is nothing to do with getting rid of the suits, the book is just significantly less in your face about everything, it's argument for a volunteer military is presented by having Juan and everybody else being incredibly good and motivated soldiers.

There's also two changes to the story that really make me mad. One: making Juan's command a field promotion, in the book he's subtly manouvred into a position to prepare him for being an officer, given a position in the platoon that'll give him leadership experience (notably above more experienced career soldiers), and finally attends OCS after being made career. There's a brilliant scene where his commanding officer has the OCS forms already filled out because he realises it's just a matter of time.

Two: whitewashing Juan, because apparently we must have all the subtlety of a sladehammer attached to a ferrari attached to a train. What's wrong with an Asian man as our main character? (Or tje fact thagt he's ESL for that matter.)

They fracked up starships, that was all it took to make me not like that movie.

[Xyril]

Eh.... I have real problems with the film, mainly because I think it misses two of the best bits of the book (the strong argument for a volunteer-only military, and the fact that the pseudo-arachnids are a legitimate technological power with superior ground weaponry).

Well, the producer openly stated that he hated the book and didn't bother finishing it. It's hard to include the good parts when you don't actually believe the book had good parts.

[Insane Jeenyus]

In the name of toilet paper, I'll punish you. :biggrin:

I can spare 1 roll. you need it?

[Qwertystop]

Pretty much the only classic SF works I recommend these days are a couple of Clarke's, Skylark and Lensman from EE Smith (mainly because the are the prototype and template for space opera, the former includes some uncomfortably casual racism), and Asimov.

What counts as "classic"? My mental categorization is basically "authors whose works Dad kept in the basement from when he read more", "archived pulps", "modern", and "other". There's some overlap, as a lot of what Dad kept in the basement was short-story collections by Asimov and I'm pretty sure some of that was originally in pulps, but I'm not sure about... well, the most significant would be Larry Niven. He was in the "Dad's collection" category but he's still writing, last I heard.

[halfeye]

What counts as "classic"?

H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and that's more or less it. The Island of Dr. Moreau is a horror story:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Island_of_Doctor_Moreau

[Bartmanhomer]

I can spare 1 roll. you need it?

Sure. Toilet Paper Tiara Magic. :biggrin:

[Anonymouswizard]

What counts as "classic"?

To me? 'Pre-Star Wars', but that's due to me being a millennial sick and tired of seeing 'classic science fiction' being used to mean 'like Star Wars'.

[Bartmanhomer]

I have an idea for an anime. How about a parody of Sailor Moon combined with Toilet Paper: Sailor Toilet Paper will battle the stinky Queen Manure. So will the idea rise or fall? :biggrin:

[Insane Jeenyus]

classic = H P lovecraft, too?

and what about Penny Dreadful s of the 18th and 19th century?

Bram Stoker, Mary Shelly?

ION, I just did a dry goods/canned goods caloric count and I have 62,995 calories stockpiled. at a useless 1500/ day intake that would be 42 days of food. this does not include what is in the fridge or freezer.

[DataNinja]

I have an idea for an anime. How about a parody of Sailor Moon combined with Toilet Paper: Sailor Toilet Paper will battle the stinky Queen Manure. So will the idea rise or fall? :biggrin:

A good judge of how well something might do is to write up a few pages of script or summary or something to that effect. It will help give you an idea of how much potential an idea has, or if it's just something that sounds good but is actually just an ephemeral joke, that can't even fill a page. That's what I might recommend to you, since you seem to be bringing up a lot of ideas these days - it would probably be a good time-filler during the whole isolation situation we're in if you, say, tried writing 3-5 pages to yourself whenever you have an idea like this.

[Bartmanhomer]

A good judge of how well something might do is to write up a few pages of script or summary or something to that effect. It will help give you an idea of how much potential an idea has, or if it's just something that sounds good but is actually just an ephemeral joke, that can't even fill a page. That's what I might recommend to you since you seem to be bringing up a lot of ideas these days - it would probably be a good time-filler during the whole isolation situation we're in if you, say, tried writing 3-5 pages to yourself whenever you have an idea like this.
I'm on it. :wink:

[LaZodiac]

Ayyy! Ain’t Red the best?

Red's good people.



You got no flavor difference? If so, then no reason to do that in the future. Tastes better to me, though.

There was a slight difference but ultimately it feels more trouble than it's worth, The texture changed from that nice even buttered-crisp to something vaguely like French Toast. Part of it may just be inexperience, but overall it seemed not to benefit much from the mayo as opposed to butter. Still, worth the experiment because I got to eat a grilled cheese sandwich, which is always a victory in my book.

Incidentally if anyone has any recipes they want me to try please throw them at me plague times is killing me.

[Peelee]

There was a slight difference but ultimately it feels more trouble than it's worth, The texture changed from that nice even buttered-crisp to something vaguely like French Toast. Part of it may just be inexperience, but overall it seemed not to benefit much from the mayo as opposed to butter. Still, worth the experiment because I got to eat a grilled cheese sandwich, which is always a victory in my book.

Interesting, mine was similar to the buttered-crisp texture-wise, but packed with even more flavor.

Tell you what, make it again and mail me one. Let's see what's going on here.

[LaZodiac]

Interesting, mine was similar to the buttered-crisp texture-wise, but packed with even more flavor.

Tell you what, make it again and mail me one. Let's see what's going on here.

There's like three different reasons why I can't do that.

Come up here and I'll sling some good good cheese boys your way.

[Peelee]

There's like three different reasons why I can't do that.

Come up here and I'll sling some good good cheese boys your way.

Boo.

I can mail you some barbecue if you want. I just label it "Zodi" and give it to a Mountie and Royal Mail takes case of the rest, right?

And if you think Royal Mail Canada is. Blast from the past, just wait until I pull out my next super-dated reference!

[DataNinja]

Boo.

I can mail you some barbecue if you want. I just label it "Zodi" and give it to a Mountie and Royal Mail takes case of the rest, right?
Sorry, that's not how it works. You need to pay with some dog kibble for the sleds, too.

[Fyraltari]

Welp. Birthday in quarantine.
It’s kinda weird having the whole family wishing it by phone.

[Insane Jeenyus]

Welp. Birthday in quarantine.
It’s kinda weird having the whole family wishing it by phone.
Happy birthday!

[Tvtyrant]

Welp. Birthday in quarantine.
It’s kinda weird having the whole family wishing it by phone.
Happy birthday!


https://y.yarn.co/c272e01a-b02b-425c-90bf-e876069b8304.mp4?1585144822039

[BisectedBrioche]

Looks like I might be put into quarantine (my dad's super unwell, and I'm my parents' de facto carer) now that the lockdown's in effect.

He was only diagnosed last week, so we're still waiting on the paperwork.

[Anonymouswizard]

Welp. Birthday in quarantine.
It’s kinda weird having the whole family wishing it by phone.

Happy Birthday!

Your family is so much more efficient than mine.

[Peelee]

Welp. Birthday in quarantine.
It’s kinda weird having the whole family wishing it by phone.

I'd wish it by phone, but that'd be kind of weird. Happy birthday!

[Fyraltari]

Happy birthday!

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday!
Thanks!



https://y.yarn.co/c272e01a-b02b-425c-90bf-e876069b8304.mp4?1585144822039
Where is this from?


Your family is so much more efficient than mine.
Nah, We just agreed we'd have some phone-cake together this evening.

Looks like I might be put into quarantine (my dad's super unwell, and I'm my parents' de facto carer) now that the lockdown's in effect.

He was only diagnosed last week, so we're still waiting on the paperwork.
I hope your dad will be okay.

[Tvtyrant]

Looks like I might be put into quarantine (my dad's super unwell, and I'm my parents' de facto carer) now that the lockdown's in effect.

He was only diagnosed last week, so we're still waiting on the paperwork.
I hope everything turns out ok. Sorry that your Dad caught it.


Thanks!

Where is this from?


Thor Ragnorak.

[LaZodiac]

Welp. Birthday in quarantine.
It’s kinda weird having the whole family wishing it by phone.

Happy birthday Fyr. Good luck in Plague Times.

I picked up Animal Crossing and is very good.

[Peelee]

I picked up Animal Crossing and is very good.

What fruit you got?

[LaZodiac]

What fruit you got?

Oranges, and I've named my island the Mikan Isle.

[Aotrs Commander]

Oranges, and I've named my island the Mikan Isle.

Out of curiosity, have you played Stardew Valley? If not, you probably should; if so, how does it compare?

I was watching the good master Sterling play the new Animal Crossing and was wincing hard about how needlessly labyrhinthine it seems to be to do everything by comparison. (SDV is the only game in the genera that I have ever felt motivated to play.)

[Sermil]

What counts as "classic"? My mental categorization is basically "authors whose works Dad kept in the basement from when he read more", "archived pulps", "modern", and "other". There's some overlap, as a lot of what Dad kept in the basement was short-story collections by Asimov and I'm pretty sure some of that was originally in pulps, but I'm not sure about... well, the most significant would be Larry Niven. He was in the "Dad's collection" category but he's still writing, last I heard.

Bujold's another (really) good author from the gap between "classic Asimov and Heinlein" and "up-to-the-minute modern". She's still writing, though I think most of her big novels are behind her. Shards of Honor is the beginning of her main saga (The Vorkosigan Saga) - which certainly includes GBT characters (for some values of T) and people who are comfortable with their weight.

[Peelee]

Out of curiosity, have you played Stardew Valley? If not, you probably should; if so, how does it compare?

I was watching the good master Sterling play the new Animal Crossing and was wincing hard about how needlessly labyrhinthine it seems to be to do everything by comparison. (SDV is the only game in the genera that I have ever felt motivated to play.)
Not Zodi, and have not played SDV, but there are things New Horizons does that I like, and things I dislike. It is a little more complicated than New Leaf, for example, but I'm not really minding that all too much, and most of the annoyances are early-game, from what I can tell.

[Anonymouswizard]

I've never played an Animal Crossing game. Although I recently picked up Gnomoria, it's like Dwarf Fortress, but with mustaches instead of beards.

[Peelee]

I've never played an Animal Crossing game.

Imagine having a job, doing chores, and paying your mortgage which never actually seems to go down no matter how much you pay for it, but in really really cutesy video game form.

OK, that doesn't sound fun at all, I'll admit, but it totally is. It's really relaxing.

[LaZodiac]

Out of curiosity, have you played Stardew Valley? If not, you probably should; if so, how does it compare?

I was watching the good master Sterling play the new Animal Crossing and was wincing hard about how needlessly labyrhinthine it seems to be to do everything by comparison. (SDV is the only game in the genera that I have ever felt motivated to play.)

Stardew Valley is good but it just completely lacks any real draw to me. Animal Crossing New Horizons has some a lot more to seemingly do.

I don't really get what he means by labyrinthine.

[Qwertystop]

Haven't played an Animal Crossing, but Stardew Valley is more in the Harvest Moon/Rune Factory area. Time in the game passes rapidly but only while you're playing, not real-time. You have an actual farm to manage on a daily basis, and if you do it poorly (forgetting to water or harvest on schedule) you'll be out a lot of money. Managing relationships with the NPCs is important if you care about that side of the game, especially if you want to marry one of them; to the extent that the game has a goal, it's to have done a fairly long list of things by the end of two years. There's much less room to self-direct.

[Aotrs Commander]

Stardew Valley is good but it just completely lacks any real draw to me. Animal Crossing New Horizons has some a lot more to seemingly do.

Some of it might depend when you played it, I guess, it's still getting updates with extra stuff (and, to be fair, I'm playing with a big mod as well).


I don't really get what he means by labyrinthine.

Clicking through umpteen lines of (repeated) dialogue to do something (Pokémon is really bad at this as well, most notable trying to buy frickin' fertisilse or use the vending machines). For frack's sake it is not even beyond MY virtually negliable programming skills to know how to have this happen only one (or really advanced, maybe one per day) instead of every time.

But no, buying SODDING fertiliser is several tedious, wasteful minutes of click-click-click-click (buy more than one at a time like all the other shops? MADNESS!). Yes, duck, we KNOW it's made of Pokémon poop, you said that the HUNDRED TIMES, SHUT UP and just GIVE THE SODDING BAG OF CRAP before I turn YOU into fertiliser, because my Pokémon team contains the small, yellow bag of murder that definitely proves that "Pokémon are not Evil," is a bald-faced lie!!!

But I digress.

The contrast with the museum donations between the two games (Animal Farm and SDV) was what struck me most; in SVD, you click one line of dialogue and then drag and guff to an unoccupied slot (done) and maybe click for a second line if you unlock a reward, whereas Jim had to click through several dialogue boxes more than once to drop all the guff off.

Heck, just having to individually pick bits up off the ground instead of having them automatically vip into your inventory seemed needless time-consuming to me.

Also - though this seems specific to the new version - item durability is a concept that can go die in a fire.



Though I freely admit, I am not the target audience for this game. I only looked at Stardew Valley because I watched Lanipator play through it for a while and it intreguied me, especially with the fact there was a combat element; as basic as it is, and even though I'm not a particular fine of the rogue-like which is very, very, very lightly resembles). And there is enough of a planning element (with time management) to keep me engaged. While I will admit to there being a cartharsis I would never have expected from chopping down trees (I think SDV's sounds design is EXCELLENT), running around petting the animals everyday so you get better items is not my favourite thing to do.

(The fishing has an insane inverted difficulty curve, where you actually sort of have to get higher ranks before you can EVEN get much practise in to learn how to do it; the addition of the practise rod was desperately needed for newbs. I mean, second-run through I at least have a feel for what I'm doing, but when you are not naturally any cop at hand-eye-gameplay, it was incredible frustrating to not have even the time to work out what you were doing wrong ro start with.)




Time in the game passes rapidly but only while you're playing, not real-time.

That sort of thing tends to be a big killer for me. I emphatically want to play a game when I want to play, not to have to do it every single day, nor to be going "right, well, it's Sunday, but that thing I want won't actually appear until Monday or Tuesday, when I'm either likely quest-writing or working..." Games are only allowed to adhere to my schedule not the other way around; I admittedly tolerated in from Pokémon, but only very, very begrudingly and increasing less as time went on. Having to water fricking stat berries every six hours or so got really old really fast in Gen IV, let alone later on...

[BisectedBrioche]

I hope everything turns out ok. Sorry that your Dad caught it.



Thor Ragnorak.

To be clear, my dad hasn't caught COVID, he's just at high risk from another illness. :(

[Insane Jeenyus]

*lots of tender hugs for you and your dad* I have been at the near death edge, It scarred my mother and siblings like beyond description.

[Bartmanhomer]

Hello everyone. I'm trying to keep a smile in my face today. I'm sure everybody knows about what's going on in Personal Woes & Advice thread today. My friend mother and stuff. But I hope things will turn off better for her. :frown:

[Peelee]

The contrast with the museum donations between the two games (Animal Farm and SDV) was what struck me most; in SVD, you click one line of dialogue and then drag and guff to an unoccupied slot (done) and maybe click for a second line if you unlock a reward, whereas Jim had to click through several dialogue boxes more than once to drop all the guff off.
I can understand this, but given that I donate one thing at a time, since I like to hear Blathers' info about each thing, I'm not bothered by that in the least.

Heck, just having to individually pick bits up off the ground instead of having them automatically vip into your inventory seemed needless time-consuming to me.
I would hate that change in mechanics, though. I'll deliberately leave things on the ground, as markers for example, pretty frequently.

Also - though this seems specific to the new version - item durability is a concept that can go die in a fire.
I hate item durability as well, but I recall this existing in New Leaf as well. That one had visible wear, IIRC - the axe chipped, for example, when it was getting down.

I'm not at all a fan of ditching New Leaf's ores, and flat-out enraged at them getting rid of the golden collection.

[The Fury]

Hello everyone. I'm trying to keep a smile in my face today. I'm sure everybody knows about what's going on in Personal Woes & Advice thread today. My friend mother and stuff. But I hope things will turn off better for her. :frown:

I do. I know you're normally a pretty upbeat person, but it's OK to feel sad if you have to.

[Peelee]

To be clear, my dad hasn't caught COVID
Hooray!

he's just at high risk from another illness. :(
Boo!