🪻🌧️

20s / I don't care where, just far

[in-a-lilac-rain]

It is not too late for you to get into music. New York rapper Nas didn't write, record, and produce the seminal work of hip hop and music in general Illmatic (1994) until he was [surreptitiously looks something up on my phone] oh come on

[hagiomoto]

Daily reminder that https://annas-archive.gl/ exist and you should also download calibre to manage all your downloaded ebooks

[fallout-lou-begas]

the more i think about the new professional women's baseball league the sadder i get. groundbreaking in many ways, but by aggressively marketing themselves as groundbreaking, their silence on the most obvious exclusionary issue in sports today is all the more egregious. without any kind of explicit statement or policy in the matter, all that's left is speculation. there's rumors of trans women being quietly turned away from tryouts. it's a can that they're kicking down the road for as long as they can, but the worst part is that i can't entirely blame them for trying to avoid the issue as long as possible. the truth is that if they allow trans women to play, it will open their fragile and fledgling national organization up to unsurvivably expensive lawsuits from an unfriendly federal government and its extremely resource-rich allies, not to mention the uniquely dangerous threats and harassment that they will surely get from a full third-to-half of the country: .it's a pattern of attack deployed against school districts and athletic orgs all across the country, over and over, even in "safe" states like mine. this women's league is not the MLB and surely does not have the means to weather this level of targeted hostility and surely does not have the means to guarantee protection to their players, especially any trans ones. meanwhile, banning trans women from playing, it makes a very small and already unprofitable section of the population upset. it depresses me that, if i was trying to make the first ever racially integrated women's baseball league in american history, it's a no-brainer for the sake of lasting more than one season. and it depresses me that the most that i can hope for is that any official of the organization would just honestly admit to these circumstances when asked instead of trying to weasel out of it. or, yknow, instead of actually being glad to exclude us anyway.

[theburialofstrawberries]

awesome awesome interview with Emily Wilson

[eisbecherovka]

text without paywall

[bluef00t]

Ryoko Kui's Dungeon Meshi // Ursula K. Le Guin's Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction

[lady-of-vitreous-sight]

it's nice how everything in the world can be described by well ordered and complete systems of rules that fully explain all possible perspectives and interpretations and can answer every question and account for [your phone rings, i hold eye contact with you, my grip on your hand tightens] don't pick that up. that's from godel. block that number.

[angelicguy]

[hexcolour]

[jennamoran]

The Schostrich Colocation (v 0.1)

Print this game. Attach it to another RPG.

In this game you play scholarly ostriches, or schostriches. You have gathered to play an RPG, as is a schostriches' wont. A schostrich is a most dedicated bird and is nigh physically incapable of making OOC comments or actions during play. Therefore, the players cannot take IC actions as schostriches; they must be OOC as players or IC as their schostrich's character at all times. This applies even to a player playing a schostrich GM (SOGM) in a game that has such a thing; "there is a table by the river where you gather," for instance, can only refer to the schostriches' PCs and not the schostriches themselves. Depending on how you define IC and OOC, it may be possible to describe things OOC (setting the stage for later play and so on) but do have care.

CHALLENGE

The schostriches face five challenges during play: the waters, the malark, the frog, the odliend, and the stork. (In that order.)

The current challenge begins rated 5 and increases by (1d6-1) every fifteen minutes of play. When it reaches 12, it completes.

Each player rolls 7d6 when the game begins and another 1d6 after each full hour of play. Push dice forward; the sum of their faces represents your schostrich's ability to meet the current challenge. Once pushed forward, dice cannot be reclaimed. While the dice pushed forward equal or exceed the challenge rating, your schostrich is doing well. While they equal or exceed half the challenge rating, your schostrich is managing.

When a challenge hits 12+, it's complete. Remove it from play. Remove all pushed-forward dice. Either take on the next challenge or end the session. If you've played at least 40 minutes since your last bonus 1d6, roll another. Record your dice; their state persists between sessions.

Remember that you are allowed to talk about either game OOC; while not even a SOGM can describe the malark or what any of this is like for the schostriches it's perfectly possible to explain or discuss the matter as players. For the sake of symmetry the authority on the waters, the malark, the frog, the odliend, the stork, and the implications of failing to exceed a number or half the number goes to whoever is playing the closest thing to a relevant authority in-game (or, of course, to the group as a whole if authority is unclear or clearly absent.)

by Jenna Moran

[brazenautomaton]

I don't get this, what is the point of the game-within-a-game if you never talk about being schostriches and the fact that you are schostriches doesn't alter how you play the game

[jennamoran]

Oh! That's probably an overstatement.

Let's simplify RPG play for the moment to in-character and out-of-character play.

In character, you use your speech and actions to directly convey your PC's speech, actions, and more generally identity.

Out of character, you talk about anything from your character to the mechanics of the game.

This is something of a canard in that it's impossible to draw clean lines between the two modes of play. If you hiccup when deeply in character, that's definitely your OOC body doing that, but you'll naturally present that as IC ... unless you're playing a robot or something, in which case you'll naturally shift OOC instead. And so forth. But conceptually, right, there's "here I am in the skin of my character, being my character in the medium of my words because they have no fleshly body of their own" vs. "here I am playing a game with y'all." as two distinct intentionalities towards play.

Because schostriches are devout, devout roleplayers---it's a cultural thing, I assume---they're strictly IC at all times in play. They say only what their character says. They act only in ways intended to convey their PC. It's obviously possible as real-world players to say "I flare my feathers to convey my rogue assuming an aggressive stance," but it felt to me like that was disrespectful, given that the schostrich was explicitly trying to convey not "look at me and my feathers" but "my rogue is assuming an aggressive stance." It felt like it was a way of demeaning scholarly ostriches to allow players to do that. Does that make sense?

But all that really does is say, you're not allowed to step into your character's skin without stepping into their character's skin. You're absolutely still allowed to talk OOC about your schostrich, and you're absolutely allowed to let it impact how you play. How could you do otherwise? If your rogue's an elf, that impacts how you play them even when they're not saying poser things like "as an elf, I flare my ears aggressively." If being an elven rogue didn't affect what they did then you might as well not be IC at all. If being a schostrich affects nothing then you're already playing your character as if a schostrich, which seems an overstatement too.

I do think that in a lot of gaming people go sort of halfway IC. They use inherently OOC techniques to express their character. For instance, giving a voiceover as a character when the implicit idea that they're telling the story to someone in the future is not viable. (There's also the flip side, seeking OOC objectives through IC means, but while that's usually good play it's also logically impossible.) Half-IC play gets tricky because---well, to take the example of a voiceover, it's clear that a schostrich looking back and telling stories of the campaign is probably not playing a session at the time and therefore able to mention things like feathers, but at the same time, that requires them scorning and reinterpreting their past self in the same cruel way the rules of the Schostrich Colocation ask you not to. Is it reasonable to imagine that in the grim future of the schostriches they become bitter and disaffected and no longer love roleplay and so dedicate themselves to ripping the mask from their past self and narrating roleplaying stories in their schostrich identity? Is it reasonable to step out of character and then begin to narrate a voiceover in that embittered schostrich voice? Well, technically, of course it is; you're out of character and as history shows people who are out of character can say literally anything. But perhaps it bends the spirit of the game.

Anyway, I guess all I'm saying is that if you believe playing a schostrich (struggling perhaps with a midrange malark) playing at being an elven rogue, mech pilot, youkai helping small-town humans, or you is the same as just playing an elven rogue, mech pilot, youkai helping small-town humans, or you yourself then the colocation in fact brings nothing to the table for you and perhaps your group. But inevitably one must accept that if this is so you are functionally playing a schostrich playing a dedicated elven rogue roleplaying yourself at all times and Marcie of Dark Dungeons fame was correct to fear Black Leaf's demise.

Conversely, it must be admitted that---even if you accept this argument, and agree that the colocation makes a meaningful difference in your play---the game is v. 0.1 because it was written between 3 and 5am and therefore the added fun value of the additional layer of play cannot yet be guaranteed.

[in-a-lilac-rain]

Saw Project Hail Mary. I feel like this movie is trying to convince me it's a "smart science guy solves problems in space" movie because Andy Weir wrote the Martian even though it doesn't actually work as that kind of movie. Like, they have the scene where the characters MacGyver together a Science Machine out of cardboard and duct tape, except there is no reason for them to do this? The scene takes place on Earth, there's time pressure for the mission overall but they definitely have time to get normal materials and tools. It winds up coming across like Grace is just kind of a bad scientist who's screwing around and not even writing anything down.

I would also have liked it if the wild radical idea Grace was fired from science for defending wasn't one of the first things we think of with regards to alien biology. It felt like a cheap way to get the viewers on his side and make us feel like smart science boys too. Let him believe something really out there.

It seems like it's kind of a mark of prestige for blockbuster sci-fi movies to be Smart and have Hard Science and Problem Solving and get theoretical physicists to read the script, and if that's not the kind of sci-fi the script actually is, the movie can be worse off for it

[crabussy]

really fond of humans just from an appearance standpoint. the long legs. the manes of hair that can come in practically any colour and texture. those crazy high-contrast eyes with the white scleras and colourful irises. the fingers being so much longer than the toes. there's a lot to love. solid 10/10 animal species

[devotedgossamerreader]

hey there just out of curiosity are you not human, too?

[crabussy]

hilariously enough, I am probably the most human out of anyone on this entire site. earlier today I was posting about getting "species euphoria" from doing human activities like ecosystem management. I'm the worlds first therian to have a kintype that aligns with his biological species. shirt that says "I ❤️ being a sapient omnivorous primate & bipedal persistence predator" on the front and booty shorts that say "largest gluteal muscles to body size ratio on the planet"

[calicotisane]

I really like the phrase "a thing of bleach" from jeff the killer I don't know why I like it so much. A thing of bleach fell on him. It sounds almost like something I would write now. This is a helpful clue to the quality and character of my writing these days

[in-a-lilac-rain]

Sometimes Tumblr tells me that people I follow just made like 7 new posts at once and every time I refresh the tab excited to read new posts and it is always someone whose posts I love & enjoy reblogging a post like "reblog for bees to process you into honey" seven times in a row

[achillesinhighheels]

A Statement of Pride" by Nigerian artist and photographer Favour Jonathan

[playwrongs]

Ow ow ow ow ow

(From Villette by Charlotte Brontë)

[in-a-lilac-rain]

[image description: Photo of a page of a book that reads:

When I had said my prayers, and when I was undressed and laid down, I felt that I still had friends. Friends, not professing vehement attachment, not offering the tender solace of well-matched and congenial relationship; on whom, therefore, but moderate demand of affection was to be made, of whom but moderate expectation formed; but towards whom my heart softened instinctively and yearned with an importunate gratitude, which I entreated Reason betimes to check.

"Do not let me think of them too often, too much, too fondly," I implored; "let me be content with a temperate draught of this living stream: let me not run athirst, and apply passionately to its welcome waters: let me not imagine in them a sweeter taste than earth's fountains know. Oh! would to God! I may be enabled to feel enough sustained by an occasional, amicable intercourse, rare, brief, unengrossing and tranquil: quite tranquil!"

Still repeating this word, I turned to my pillow; and, still repeating it, I steeped that pillow with tears. /end description]

[playwrongs]

Ow ow ow ow ow

(From Villette by Charlotte Brontë)

[prokopetz]

Inadvisable tabletop RPG jam premise #137: Game jam where each entry consists solely of paratextual discussion of the mechanics of a hypothetical or invented RPG; examples include an errata document, a developer Q&A, or a forum thread debating the correct interpretation of a particular rule.

[in-a-lilac-rain]

Reminds me of the very good creepypasta Escape From Terminus:

The SCP Foundation's 'top-secret' archives, declassified for your enjoyment.

[charl0ttan]

list of known items

black mold

alternative fuel

speed racer vhs tape

gothic horror novel

progressive ideologies

stoner comedy movie theater ticket

death waltz

symphonic pieces

power plant

doom and gloom

[charl0ttan]

did u understand the conceit behind the writing of this poast

no👎

yes🎸

Voting ended onJun 9