#I discovered them while playing a discord game

[portalkittysilly]

I love these slimecicle edits on Tenor so much thank you to whoever made them, I giggle whenever I see them

[sprintingowl]

Deadball

Deadball Second Edition is a platinum bestseller on DrivethruRPG. This means it's in the top 2% of all products on the site. Its back cover has an endorsement from Sports Illustrated Kids.

It's also not an rpg I'd heard about until I discovered all of these facts one after another.

I was raised in a profoundly anti-sports household. My father would say stuff like "sports is for people who can't think" and "there's no point in exercising, everything in your body goes away eventually." So I didn't learn really any of the rules of the more popular American sports until I was in my mid twenties, and I've been to two ballgames in my life. I appreciate the enthusiasm that people have for sports, but it's in the same way that I appreciate anyone talking about their specific fandom.

One of the things that struck me reading Deadball was its sense of reverence for the sport. Its language isn't flowery. It's plain and technical and smart. But its love for baseball radiates off of the pages. Not like a blind adoration. But like when a dog sits with you on the porch.

For folks familiar with indie rpgs, there's a tone throughout the book that feels OSR. Deadball doesn't claim to be a precise simulation or a baseball wargame or anything like that---instead it lays out a bunch of rules and then encourages you to treat them like a recipe, adjusting to your taste. And it does this *while* being a detailed simulation that skirts the line of wargaming, which is an extremely OSR thing to do.

For folks not familiar with baseball, Deadball starts off assuming you know nothing and it explains the core rules of the sport before trying to pin dice and mechanics onto anything. It also explains baseball notation (which I was not able to decipher) and it uses this notation to track a play-by-play report of each game. Following this is an example of play and---in a move I think more rpgs should steal from---it has you play out a few rounds of this example of play. Again, this is all before it's really had a section explaining its rules.

In terms of characters and stats, Deadball is a detailed game. You can play modern or early 1900s baseball, and players can be of any gender on the same team, so there's a sort of alt history flavor to the whole experience, but there's also an intricate dice roll for every at bat and a full list of complex baseball feats that any character can have alongside their normal baseball stats. Plus there's a full table for oddities (things not normally covered by the rules of baseball, such as a raccoon straying onto the field and attacking a pitcher,) and a whole fatigue system for pitchers that contributes a strong sense of momentum to the game.

Deadball is also as much about franchises as it is about individual games, and you can also scout players, trade players, track injuries, track aging, appoint managers of different temperaments, rest pitchers in between games, etc.

For fans of specific athletes, Deadball includes rules for creating players, for playing in different eras, for adapting historical greats into one massively achronological superteam, and for playing through two different campaigns---one in a 2020s that wasn't and one in the 1910s.

There's also thankfully a simplified single roll you can use to abstract an entire game, allowing you to speed through seasons and potentially take a franchise far into the future. Finances and concession sales and things like that aren't tracked, but Deadball has already had a few expansions and a second edition, so this might be its next frontier.

Overall, my takeaway from Deadball is that it's a heck of a game. It's a remarkably detailed single or multiplayer simulation that I think might work really well for play-by-post (you could get a few friends to form a league and have a whole discord about it,) and it could certainly be used to generate some Blaseball if you start tweaking the rules as you play and never stop.

It's also an interesting read from a purely rpg design perspective. Deadball recognizes that its rules have the potential to be a little overbearing and so it puts in lots of little checks against that. It also keeps its more complex systems from sprawling out of control by trying to pack as much information as possible into a single dice roll.

For someone like me who has zero background in baseball, I don't think I'd properly play Deadball unless I had a bunch of friends who were into it and I could ride along with that enthusiasm. However as a designer I like the book a lot, and I'm putting it on my shelf of rpgs that have been formative for me, alongside Into The Odd, Monsterhearts, Mausritter, and Transit.

[marvelousmagicalaura]

I have a bunch of theories about The Lost Metal and Era 3, particularly about what Sazed is planning.

Sazed has master plans

I know this may end up being an unpopular opinion. But to me the story came across as if Sazed has been operating as the Chessmaster the entire time, all part of a coordinated effort to outmaneuver Autonomy. An effort to make her withdraw her army and interest in Telsin. I think a lot of little quotes in The Lost Metal, and certain quotes in the previous books, point to Sazed subtly maneuvering everyone - Wax, Wayne, Marasi, Kelsier and his Ghostbloods, Marsh, Tobal and Maraga, Steris (?). All with very powerful, very subtle future sight to make specific outcomes come to fruition.

Since chapter 19 I suspected Sazed had a plan in motion, one that needed him to arrange “help” unaware they were mobilized to be the “help.” One that required him to play games over and over with Autonomy. This suspicion came back once Wax speculated he always intended for him to be the Sword that stops a God Metal bomb.

Chapter 71 confirmed aspects of future sight I was curious about… ever since I started analyzingthe Terris Prophecies. Sazed confirmed that he sees future possibilities, automatically analyzes something as complex as a harmonium-trellium bomb, think much faster than mortals, and can discern the probabilities of an action (i.e. 1% chance of success, 99% chance of failure). Sazed even fleshed out what Fuzz warned Kelsier - even future sight as great as Preservation’s can be wrong. Sazed also confirmed that while Shards see future possibilities and analyze probabilities, they don’t always know the “why” of a possibility. Such as “why” it is good. This eased my suspicions.

But then Kelsier’s epilogue came along. While I don’t think Sazed is acting “all is perfectly according to keikaku,” he’s acting close enough. I think he was ultimately keeping certain, ultimate future outcomes in mind. The responses to Kelsier’s frustration made alarm bells ring in my mind:

"I had it in hand."

"Luck is a different thing to a god who can see futures, I think."

"I have it in hand."

"People should discover it on their own. If they do not, there are subtle consequences."

What if Sazed always knew Trell was Autonomy? After all Autonomy created Trelagism, and we know from book 3’s epilogue that Preservation hid “gems” in Trelagism to help the Hero of Ages. What if he let Autonomy’s plans get to this stage, knowing he could efficiently arrange pieces that could stop her? Or maybe he bet it would be the perfect event to encourage the continents to advance and progress?

What if Sazed was betting on Wax fulfilling his duties after the Lessie fiasco? What if he intentionally molded Wayne into the Slider who could accomplish the partial detonation? What if he knows the history of Scadrian eugenics and discerning what could happen if he directly GIVES knowledge of future tech?

His name shall be Discord, and they shall love him for it.

It’s obvious that Sazed is becoming Discord. Or perhaps, he’s already Discord by the time of Kelsier’s epilogue.

There’s clearly something going on with Sazed’s Shard, we just don’t know what. Harmony’s Intent left him unable to act, creating a state where every action needs equilibrium between P&R’s attributes. And there was a dark shadow throughout TLM. Kelsier speculates the shadow exists because Ruin was always stronger. Marsh’s interview with Khriss implies it may be the result of Ruin being subservient to Preservation.

My theory is Discord will be a good thing. Sazed directly educated Wax and Wayne about the bomb’s mechanics AND told them how to detonate it. Dulled the wave coming over Wax. Arranged for under 10 people to foil Autonomy’s complex plans, while his future sight was BLINDED. This is the most effective he’s been yet. I think Discord will be a Shard representing Sazed’s realization that Ruin and Preservation can’t always be in exact balance. Sometimes, Preservation’s attributes are needed most. Other times, Ruin’s attributes are needed most. I believe this mindset allow him to act, to commit actions that are EITHER of Preservation or Ruin.

I think Sazed is just trying to carefully move through his web of future possibilities. Preservation seemingly foresaw Discord will be a good thing. But if Sazed makes the wrong move, I bet he could invalidate that prediction.

How to make the Bands of Mourning, Excisors, unkeyed metalminds

Unkeyed metalminds contain attributes that aren’t attached to a Feruchemist’s Identity. But without Full Feruchemists, it’s impossible for a sole Feruchemist to create an unkeyed metalmind.

My theory is the Southern Scadrians are extensively using the same method as the Set’s keep-people-alive Hemalurgy. I think to create an unkeyed metalmind, Southerners are using a Command and a very thin duralumin spike. This would rip off a piece of the Feruchemist’s Identity, making any future storing Identity-less.

I think the Excisors are nicrosil and/or duralumin spikes.

The Bands of Mourning is the really tough cookie. Kelsier is no longer an Allomancer and definitely not a Feruchemist, so he couldn’t use his own powers to create the Bands. There’s no way he used Northerners to make them. There are a lot of logistics issues. My theory is Sazed directly created the Bands of Mourning and guided Kelsier into hiding it.

It wouldn’t be the first time Sazed subtly helped the Southerners. Sazed gave them harmonium and a perpendicularity, and we’ve seen how well they’ve been used.

[yuri-is-online]

I love the Fyuuture kid au. Could I ask for Ace!yutu, the idea of Yutu getting second hand embarrassment at Ace's flirting attempts makes me laugh so much, just yutu standing there watching ace self sabotage himself when it comes to Yuu wondering how Yuu and Ace managed to get together in the future. (Yutu has definitely judged his father a few times in silence)

Another thing that lives rent free in my head when thinking of Ace and Yutu is when Ace finds out that Yuu is basically dead in the future. That has to be a crushing discovering for him considering that he's (and Deuce) very protective of Yuu

(also the idea of Deuce's future co workers deciding that Yuu is a danger and basically cursed Yuu to die has to make him feel uneasy about weather he'd want to work for a company that basically sentenced Yuu to die once everything is resolved but that's a conversation for another day)

notes: they/them used for Yuu, for context on the fyuuture kid au can be found here and here.

Slight bit of clarification, the Magical Marshall's appear to be a government organization, or perhaps a type of law enforcement that each government has?  The way Deuce spoke about it made me think they sound similar to a counter terrorism unit, but either way your point still stands.  While Deuce never gets the complete picture of what happened to Yuu, he still knows in his heart it was his office that hurt them, and it's extremely difficult for him to live with.  The office stands by it's decision to the bitter end, no matter what he says or how many monster attacks are reported.  And if he gets too annoying, well they already made you disappear.

And with that lovely thought let's talk about Ace!

Ace! Yutu is a fairly normal kid.  He doesn't really have friends, maybe a discord buddy or two who he plays games with, but no one he really trusts to talk with about his family situation.  And he does see it as a situation, Yuu might be doing their best to make things normal for the two of them but the entire situation just stinks.  Yutu knows there's something wrong with it but he can't put his finger on what…

Very smart.  He taught himself how to count cards and got in trouble at school more than once for running blackjack games where he took a bunch of money from his classmates.  Not his fault they suck at cards!  And sure he could just cheat like normal (he's just as good at cutting the deck as dear old dad) but it's much more fun to do something technically legal.  It makes people that much more mad, which he finds really funny.

He tries to not talk about his dad that much, though he might make a joke or two about fatherless behavior. Much like Cater! Yutu, he assumes that his dad is probably dead and while he's very curious, he's reluctant to poke at Yuu's memories for fear of causing them more pain.  When he does think about his dad he tends to romanticize things, Yuu's description of him makes their relationship sound really sweet.  Marrying his best friend sounds great to Yutu, his dad must have felt really lucky to have managed to obtain that.

Getting isekaid doesn't phase this Yutu at all.  He was already so convinced something was off back in your world, learning he was a mage and all about Yuu's adventures just confirms all of his assumptions. Getting placed into Heartslabyul and being told that was Ace's dorm thrills him, doubly so when he gives Crewel his first migraine and gets told he's just like him. That's not to say Yutu is completely happy about his situation; his father is dead (Yutu refuses to acknowledge the monster wearing his face as a person) and Yuu effectively died ages ago, the curse placed on them just drew it out for a cruel amount of time. Yutu's angry, and what's worse is that he doesn't really have one person he can fix the blame on. He wishes Yuu or Ace were alive so he could ask who they blame, who he needs to seek out to get them justice. When the others propose traveling back in time he leaps at it without a second thought.

Crewel does try to tell Yutu about his dad, but his descriptions sort of go over Yutu's head until he actually meets him. To be fair to Yutu, he's not completely off in his assumptions about how Ace felt about Yuu, it's obvious that Ace was smitten with his parent from the start but he doesn't fully understand the denial Crewel is talking about. The blot monster Ace became is very cocky, and excels at misdirection so why would he be shy about flirting with Yuu?

Well maybe shy isn't the right word for whatever he's looking at now. Ace is reluctant to leave Yuu's side, but he has so many excuses as to why that it hurts his soul, wouldn't it just be easier to say "because I'm worried about you?" Instead of insulting Yuu's ability to take care of themselves and joking about you needing him but only joking! It's not like he really wants you to! And don't get him STARTED on all the little excuses Ace finds to touch you. It makes him seriously reconsider his whole opinion on wanting to marry his best friend thing because god if this is level of pathetic what it takes he doesn't think he could cope.

He assumes (maybe correctly) that Yuu is the one who made a move on Ace and that's how they got together in his timeline, something that high-key offends Ace when he finds out and he encourages you to be honest with Ace if you ever open up about your frustrations with him. That doesn't mean he ever gives Ace a break though, Ace is already suspicious of Yutu's intentions towards Yuu but his constant dunking on him has earned him Deuce's respect, so now he's lost both of his friends! What the hell guys you're supposed to be on his side!

Ace's distrust of Yutu doesn't bother Trappola Jr at all. On the contrary he thinks it's a good thing, the more he interacts with the first year group the more he appreciates how solid of a head Ace has on his shoulders. It doesn't make up for him being cringe, but it does make Yutu think he could maybe trust his dad with the truth.

I don't think any of the boys take the reveal of what Yutu's future is like well, but Ace's is especially bad. He thinks about all of the close calls he has seen you have, how afraid he was when he got those messages from you over Winter break, the S.T.Y.X. attack, every overblot he has ever seen, and now his own child is telling him that you made it through all that and his bad attempts at flirting but didn't get a happy ending. He has the same set of emotions that Yutu does, anger and grief that he has no one to really blame for. Yutu is sad he doesn't have an answer but grateful he isn't alone anymore.

The reveal makes Ace's teasing actually insufferable, he's so fucking cocky now that he knows you liiiiiike him back. See that boy over there? Actually living proof that you're into him, kinda cringe actually! He bets you used to have a crush on him too (just turn it around on him if you're in public he will melt.)

They like to try and out play each other in cards, Ace can't card count but he is better at reading people and better at cutting the deck so they have a pretty even win loss ratio. Yutu isn't above whining to Yuu about how his dad is being mean if he's on a losing streak, something that makes Ace fold quicker than he'd like. Neither of them will ever admit it out loud but they have a silent competition for your affection, Ace thinks you should be cheering for him since he's your future husband and Yutu thinks that you should cheer for him because he is capable of being honest about his emotions. When Grim starts whining for attention they call a truce and fight him instead.

Speaking of Grim, he has a relatively good opinion of Yutu in general based off seeing him as Henchuman 2 but when he finds out Ace is his dad? Respect ended he always knew that Yutu kid was a loser... all those times he refused to get him tuna make so much more sense now!

Learning about the future makes Ace even more protective of Yuu, and he doesn't make it much of a secret either. There's something about learning that your partner is supposed to die that makes you care a lot less about what your classmates think. That protectiveness extends to Yutu, but Ace is a bit more subtle with that. He understands that he isn't the version of himself that the kid needs to hear from, that he might not be able to give Yutu the support he needs but he loves the kid so much it sort of scares him. He's really looking forward to getting to be with Yuu and Yutu in the future, and if that means he has to put a little extra work in then so be it.

[daniigh0ul]

— #simblr gratitude day

dear simblr community,

hello! i'm going to be sappy. i just want to say that i really enjoy this corner of tumblr, and i look forward to reading everyone’s stories, seeing pretty screenshots, laughing at jokes only simmers would make, and the kindness i’ve seen extended from the people i follow and have had the pleasure of being mutuals with. and, modders, i didn’t forget you!! thank you for making this game better where it needs to be! this is a general post, because i want everyone to feel included today! consider yourself tagged, because you are. ❣️ (heart emoji)

to the storytellers: hi, there are so many stories on here that inspire me to be a better storyteller. whether it’s the people i’ve talked to about writing, plot, or character development, or lurking afar during a sleepless night while going through someone’s backlog, or seeing the cool and fun ways we use the video game(!) medium to tell stories, i appreciate every single one of you. whether the story is slice-of-life, fantasy, royalty, or something i haven’t discovered yet, i’m glad you’re telling your story/stories. and if i haven’t read your story yet, i will soon!!

to the funny simblrs: thank you for keeping this place alive with laughter. seriously the amount of times silly jokes have crossed my dashboard that made my day brighter are countless. whether we joke about the game’s numerous bugs and glitches, references to townies we love to hate (or hate to love), or things that are simblr specific, i appreciate you.

to the casual players:

y’all are stronger than me!! if you play vanilla, vanilla-lite, or modded and are happy to play through legacy and bachelor challenges, or share your sims for the sheer joy of sharing your sims, you are a pillar in this community! you keep this place collaborative and fun! please keep sharing your gameplay!

to the blender users (+ pretty picture people):

hi i adore your work. the use of lighting and composition and posing and all of the things you learned to make visuals for my eyes to feast upon? thank you!!! these are all things i’m still learning to do, so i really do love seeing it on my dash so i can take notes. keep posting them!!

to the modders: hi! thank you for making free recolors, free poses, free builds, free meshes, etc. made available to keep this hobby alive!! some of my favorite cc i have ever downloaded has been really niche cc—so if you’ve been doubting making that jester cc set or trash bag dress please do it. obviously, my examples are very silly but i’m being genuine!! i am a cc hoarding dragon and my collection is forever-growing, so continue making pretty things for my sims to wear, useful things to shove into lots, and poses to make my story-telling hobby a smidge easier thank you !!

okay, sappy time is over!! it’s impossible for me to know every single one of you, but to everyone i do know (or have chatted with, or am mutuals with, etc) you have been a fun and positive place for me to hang out online which is so rare in this age of the internet. keep doing that. and to anyone i don’t know yet, don’t be shy!! even if it’s not to me, the best way to become apart of this community is to engage in it—whether it’s sending an ask, replying to someone’s post, or joining a discord server! i promise you will have fun here!

<3 ok bye

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for putting knob covers on the stove that my disabled dad couldn't open?

So I (26M) recently moved back in with my parents (60M and 58F) temporarily because I'm kind of between apartments right now. My dad has Parkinson's disease and has, over the years, become both clumsier and more absent-minded. An important symptom of Parkinson's that will become relevant in this story is that he also has partial anosmia (his sense of smell is impaired).

So anyway, about a year and a half ago, before I had moved out, one day I came home from work and smelled gas as soon as I entered the house. I discovered one of the burners on the stove had been left open, and gas had been seeping into the room. I turned off the main gas supply, opened all the windows, and waited outside while calling my mom about it frantically. It turns out Dad had been cleaning the oven earlier and must have bumped the burner with his head while leaning in to clean the door. Because of his anosmia, he had not smelled the gas. I kind of freaked out and threatened to remove all the knobs off the stove, because I felt my life was in danger, but my mom talked me down into believing that it was just a fluke and probably wouldn't happen again.

Anyway, fast forward to the day before yesterday. I woke up after sleeping in late (I work night shifts now) and went to go make myself some food, but for some reason the GFI circuit breaker to the stove outlet had tripped. After resetting it, I immediately noticed that the lower drawer oven was on, because the knob had been left on. That oven is a little broken because the drawer mechanism is bent, so it doesn't close fully - I'm speculating, but the only thing I can think of is that the breaker must have tripped because the drawer was open and the heating element couldn't keep it up to temperature without getting so hot it exceeded its current rating or something. There was no gas leak this time, thankfully, but I knew my dad must have left it that way since my mom never cooks in the morning, especially not with the oven, ESPECIALLY not with the broken drawer oven. The only logical conclusion was that he accidentally bumped the knob again and didn't notice again. This time, thank God it wasn't the gas again.

I basically just told my mom that I was getting knob covers for the stove, and she agreed. So I got some on Amazon with next day delivery and installed them as soon as they arrived. I then took an afternoon nap, and then spent a few hours in my room playing video games and talking with friends on Discord. I was home the entire day, though, and he has my phone number and is able to text if he thought it would be impolite to knock or something. He didn't say a word to me all day.

Apparently, though, he got furious with my mom because the knobs have safety covers on them now. He told her he can't open them (although I later walked down the stairs, and found one of them open, and I had not left it that way - he definitely can, I think he just had trouble figuring out how at first. They're child safety caps so unfortunately they're a bit tricky to get open) and that now he was unable to cook for himself. He did not ask me to help him get them open though, and I would have done so in a heartbeat. He has not said anything about this to me at all, not even anything subtle or passive-aggressive.

I discussed it with my mom, and we agreed to leave them mostly closed but unlatched - the latch is the difficult part to get open, but they stay closed enough for them to keep the knobs from being bumped even if they are not fully latched shut. My mom agreed to communicate with him better about stuff like this. But if he asks to have the caps removed completely, it's a hard, hard no - I don't want to die in a gas explosion.

AITA for doing this?

What are these acronyms?

[therealemaskye]

okay to preface this real blackbright stans know copernicusjones from ao3 for their extremely outstanding contributions to the blackbright community. a sort of amalgamation of “going postal,” “the road less traveled,” and all of the fics in their blackbright and chill series are basically my blackbright bible. my canon timeline.

if you haven’t read their fics… oh my god. i cannot recommend them to you enough.

if you haven’t played dual destinies PERIOD, this is all just spoilers so my word vomit is under the cut.

so anyway, basically they have this long history together, from working together on simon’s first case to being simon’s correctional officer to being the only person to advocate and believe in simon. of course, EVERYTHING has an added dash of homoerotic tension (both resolved and unresolved). as we get closer to canon, i completely throw out bobby being an unidentified dead body. that’s no fun! i like to believe the phantom came later rather than sooner, and found it especially beneficial to disguise themself as bobby fulbright not only because of his close relationship with simon, but also the fact that bobby was getting close to discovering more than he should about the phantom. instead of murdering him, i think they instead kidnapped bobby and retrieved information from him over the course of events in DD. this could have some added trauma for simon, since i’m sure the phantom would use what they knows of their intimate relationship to their advantage. in the end, the phantom is still uncovered and killed, and the whereabouts of bobby fulbright are unknown: he is pronounced dead.

an honorary funeral is held for the detective, and life must go on for simon blackquill.

bobby, on the other hand, is recovered by interpol while they were retrieving evidence about the phantom. upon discovering just how much bobby is informed about the phantom and his determination to finish what he started, they offer him a place in the bigger picture. since the game is kind of vague about who the phantom works for, i headcanon an underground organization who works with corrupt government officials around the globe, whether it be starting wars with other countries or causing discord and terror in their own. interpol has a mission to end this organization to prevent any more destruction they bring into the world, and bobby is recruited into those efforts. to him, this is the most logical path: he has no family to go back to, everyone thinks he’s dead, and most of all he does not want to cause simon anymore problems than he already has. bobby is now partnered with kay faraday, interpol agent extraordinare.

years go by, and eventually, simon is asked by interpol for assistance on their last stretch of the mission. the action, the drama, the humor, the tension, oh my!!! it would be awesome. simon blackquill: investigations here we come baby.

so that’s my blackbright timeline! i had to vomit it out into the void for my own sanity. i love them so so much.

[minimalist-language-learning]

February roundup - Russian

Years ago, I started learning Russian. I bought novels in Russian and a textbook. But this textbook wasn't really beginner-friendly. In every new lesson, the dialogue contained many new words but only few words from the previous lessons. The author probably wanted the learner to study the whole vocabulary list before going on but I didn't like this approach. After only a few lessons I felt too overwhelmed and decided to focus on Japanese instead.

On February 13th, I tried it again and now I'm much more optimistic. I gained more experience as a language learner through Japanese and can use that now with Russian. Plus, I discovered the Refold Russian server on discord which is a very helpful place for finding resources and guidance.

I want to reach a point at where I can understand the novels in Russian that are waiting on my shelf.

In this post I want to share what I did so far, which resources I used and my thoughts. I think I'll post one update every month.

(YouTube) Comprehensible Russian: Zero Beginner (watched: 38 of 75 videos)

Easy to understand even for absolute beginners. The first 10 or 15 videos are very easy with lots of repetition. After around 15 videos the complexity slowly increases. 

Assimil (Lesson 1 - 10)

Compared to the textbook I used years ago, Assimil introduces the language in a much more beginner-friendly manner. I like it so far.

(Anki) Russian starter deck (this one)

This deck was recommended in the Refold Russian server on discord. It starts with simple sentences and contains lots of explanations. I did 10 new cards per day.

Short Stories in Russian for Beginners by Olly Richards (Story 1 - Story 3)

I looked up many words, but the stories are not too complicated. They introduce many common words and repeat them regularly in their stories, which helps to get used to them. I tried to listen to the audio book while reading but it’s too fast at my current level, so I focused on reading for now.

This book is aimed at beginners but I think it's difficult for complete beginners like me. Ideally, you are already familiar with basic vocabulary before reading this book. Otherwise, you have to look up almost every word (like me). However, after reading two stories, I noticed that recognizing and understanding words became a bit easier (in the beginning, all new words looked somewhat the same). It's hard if you start almost from zero like me, but it's possible and you'll make progress.

(YouTube) Different Let's Plays

I watched a few videos of Russian native speakers who are playing games I'm interested in. Like Animal Crossing or Метро: Исход. They are too difficult for now, but they are also motivating and make me want to keep going. 

(YouTube) Easy Russian

Too difficult for now, but I really like their videos. They have subtitles in Russian and English, their topics are interesting and the people from Easy Russian do a great job.

(YouTube) Russian with Max

It’s too difficult at the moment but I like his vlog videos so far. He visits many different places and explains a lot and there are subtitles which is great. I started to look up words from one video. 

(YouTube) Video about pronunciation from RussianPod 101 (this one)

I liked this video. It's well-structured and not too fast so that you can comfortably follow along.

...

These are the things I did in Russian in February! I feel like I already learned much more than during my previous attempt, but I'm still at the very beginning of course. I'll post another update at the end of the month.

[lacefuneral]

hi hi I'm playing Disco Elysium for the first time and I could've sworn I saw a post on here about talking to a crack in the wall on the first day to find out Harry is bisexual (??) am I misremembering something horribly or have you perchance seen that post too 😭

yes! that's correct! you must have a perception of 9 on day one (difficult to get, but can be possible if you have a high motorics to begin with, put points into perception, have the Amphibian Sports Visor, take a drug that increases motorics like speed, or internalize thought projects that increase your perception) and you have to go to the harbor gate at night(?), i believe.

you interact with a yellow orb which places you in conversation with "Mysterious Pair of Eyes." and you're able to ask the person what they're up to, why they're spying on the harbor, and such. at one point harry is able to say something to the effect of "i'm just curious." and is able to add on "um... bi?" when asked "what kind of curious" he is

i personally have not done it yet because the requirements are so specific and i'm exploring a LOT of stuff in this game. like. it's well over a million words with a ton of diverging paths and a lot of customization in how you can build your character. i've beaten the game 4 times on my own, i'm on my 5th solo playthrough right now, and i also have a save file my friend and i play while screensharing over discord (we make decisions together). and i STILL. haven't seen like. probably 75% of what this game has to offer. it's like a giant iceberg.

same friend as mentioned above ^ discovered a secret ending and i just played through that. i need to stitch footage together for tumblr but i'm really excited to share it bc the requirements for that one are. very specific.

i would like to get Torque Dork as well which is. such a wild thought project. it requires harry not knowing his name, low intelligence, etc. but being good at motorics. but not too good. and essentially kim teaches him what cars are. and becomes weirdly fond of him. and then harry is able to say "hey you should put different headlights on your car" and kim is like "good idea. you should help me install them. :)" - you don't get to do this in the actual game but. ough. if you don't have Torque Dork kim is like "yeah. good idea. now stay away from my kineema." even if you have high trust points with him and you know a lot about cars. crucially: you MUST be an idiot. so kim can fix you. 💀

i love this game so much smiles. anyway ya! let me know if you have questions :)

[sevi007]

I just wanted to let you know that I'm watching your Abyss playthrough like a hawk. I experienced the game as a younger teen in the early 2000s, so your perspective on the game as an adult in 2024 is *fascinating*. Keep up the good work!

Oh so that's what I feel burning into my neck - lol just kidding XD

I'm happy you're enjoying the playthrough so much so far. I'm actually glad that I play this as an adult, because I think a lot of the undercurrent or more complicated feelings and relationships would have been lost on me as a teenager or kid.

I have been discussing with our Tales Discord whether or not the developers INTENDED for many things only to be discovered on a second playthrough, or a playthrough when you're older, because there is too much for it to be accidental, especially considering the game is aimed at a teen audience. If so, I draw my hat before them!

I wish happy reading from here on out, I think this playthrough will still keep me busy for a while XD

[yourpenpaldee]

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ RATING OC HEADCANONS TAG.

Thank you for the tag @pixies-love-envy ! <3

RULES:

Use this headcanon generator to generate some headcanons for your OCs! How accurate are they?

I had too much fun with this that I had to add Noah's sister at the end. I'm definitely going to do this with all of my other WIPs when the time comes.

tag under the cut!

ANIYAH

Aniyah roleplays on discord.

0/10. The only reason as to why she got discord in the first place was because of her friend, Jacqueline. She rarely uses it, the only times being when she's playing games with friends. So roleplaying is very much out of the picture.

Aniyah set a public school on fire and got away with it.

Also 0/10. Aniyah would definitely get caught before she could even set the fire since she'd spend too much time trying to convince herself to go through with it.

Aniyah has fallen asleep at their desk while working in the middle of the night.

10/10. Aniyah doesn't like going to bed when she finds a good flow after procrastinating for so long. She also doesn't like going to bed if she still has energy. So when she's zoned in, she'll keep working until she's finished, and use every last drop of energy she has to do so. But sometimes, she forgets to reserve just enough to get up from the chair and settle into her bed.

NOAH

Noah has an intense fear of spiders.

0/10. His first pets were spiders. He insisted his parents get two because he was afraid that if he only got one, the spider would feel lonely. Although he grew out of his love for spiders, he doesn't freak out when he sees one.

Noah could easily survive The Hunger Games.

7/10. Noah is capable of handling himself and is level-headed, even during the most stressful situations. However, he does have a tendency to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. His recklessness would get him in serious situations with severe consequences if he doesn't play it out carefully.

Noah uses two-in-one shampoo and conditioner.

3/10. The only time he's ever used two-in-one shampoo and conditioner was when he absolutely had to. If he ever feels he's running out of his favorite shampoo and conditioner, he'll buy another bottle in advance.

JACQUELINE

Jacqueline is a crybaby.

1/10. It takes a lot for her to cry as she just isn't a crier. If she ever does cry, a single tear is the most anyone will ever see.

Jacqueline reads Wattpad.

0/10. Jackie despises reading and has never found the joy in it.

Jacqueline sleeps in until noon.

4/10. She only sleeps in when she knows she has the time to do so. She's very disciplined and always wakes up on time.

NADIA

Nadia has an intense fear of heights.

3/10. Out of all her other fears, heights is the least of her worries. Nadia only becomes aware of heights if she looks down from a highly elevated viewpoint.

If Nadia was presented with an intergalactic portal, they would enter it without question.

6/10. After questioning whether or not discovering the unknown was worth risking her safety, she would enter it anyway because she's a curious person who would need to know what's on the other side of the portal. It would bother her for the rest of her life if she didn't explore.

Nadia needs a nightlight to sleep.

0/10. She says the best money she’s ever spent was on blackout curtains. She doesn’t want to see the tiniest bit of light when she’s going to sleep.

ELENA

Elena is going to heaven.

10/10. She’s honestly an angel. She’s the kind of person that everyone wants in their space, and that includes heaven when it’s time.

Elena sucks at saying tongue twisters.

2/10. She’s good at things that people wouldn’t expect her to be good at, tongue twisters being one of them. She might fumble here and there, but she usually gets it right by the third try.

Elena likes board games, but no one else wants to play with them.

5/10. Elena doesn’t play board games often. When she does, the one person she knows she can rely on to always join in is her brother.

TAGGING: @ray-writes-n-shit @honeybewrites @leahnardo-da-veggie @darkangel319 + open tag! :)

[astranite]

Still Here Hanging On

Having a pretty mleh day so I wrote this because it's what I needed to and maybe its what someone else needs to read too.

Some hurt/comfort and Scott being there for Virgil and hugs, because would it really be Astra fic without hugs.

I think Earth and Sky might actually be my favourite to write.

Warning for depression, but it doesn't go too dark.

------

The overcast sky made the world flat and dull. The clouds pulled the life and light out of it, as if a tube of grey paint had been mixed with the usually bright palette, dampening the colours.

Virgil breathed out heavily, resting his elbows on his knees. Grey was about the colour of his mood right now. 

Nothing was wrong, per se. Just the usual: exhaustion from rescues, he hadn't slept right the last few nights, his knees ached because he managed to fuck up a landing jumping from a low wall in his exosuit and twisted his left enough that it hurt when he put weight through it weird, in addition to the other which was just messed up normally. 

He’d had a good day though. Or at least he should have. He enjoyed spending time with Gordon and Alan, and he’d finally had a chance to work on Two’s extra maintenance upgrades which he’d been looking forward to for a while. Not that he got much done anyway. 

Was just one of those days. He was in a low mood and it sucked, and it would pass, he knew that, but in the middle of it that never seemed like it could happen.

Little things got to him more. He’d tried to practise some of his new piece at the piano, but nothing seemed to work. The timings were off and his fingers wouldn't cooperate, and he stuffed up every second note in discordant clashes, even of the parts he did know. Then he discovered he’d somehow been doing it in the wrong key all along. 

He gave up when he was worse than he’d started with. For the time being, not entirely. It was an off day and he wasn't feeling it and he knew he was allowed to have bad days. But dragging himself out of them, out of his spiralling thoughts, over and over was exhausting, in a bone-deep, mind numbing way. 

Virgil hated it. 

It was better than the gaping, desolate hole that had been an open wound in the centre of his chest years ago.

But it was awful when echos of that feeling, that lack of feeling still hit him. 

He scuffed his foot across the pool deck concrete, then winced as his knee clicked. He slammed his fist into his thigh in frustration, then took a deep breath and rubbed at the spot. 

The sky was still grey when he stared up at it until his eyes blurred. Not even Gordon was out here. He was inside playing video games with Alan and Kayo, but Virgil had wandered off. 

Ending up on one of the steps where they went down to the pool beat sitting in his room, drowning in it. And some sunlight and fresh air might make him feel a bit better, or at least he could be miserable just as well outside as inside. 

He heard scuffing footsteps behind him and didn't have to turn to recognise them. Scott, carefully making his steps loud enough he wouldn’t scare Virgil by sneaking up on him.

Virgil didn't react, except to slump further. He didn't have it in him to pull up the smile, the facade of okay, of fine, and he didn't need to with Scott anyway.

Scott sat down next to him and bumped their shoulders together. Virgil leant into the contact, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the ocean horizon.

“Hey, you doing okay?” Scott asked. 

Virgil swallowed. Scott was always there for him, no questions asked. Through the highs and lows, no matter if it was a bad rescue or nerves before a gallery exhibit. Virgil could let Scott see him as not steadfast and steady, when the cracks were becoming too much to bear. He’d be there through all of his doubts and insecurities.

Tears stung as they welled up in his eyes. Virgil turned and wrapped his arms around Scott, burying his face in his chest. 

Scott hugged him tight. He rubbed a hand over Virgil’s back as his shoulders shook. 

The tears didn't last long. They never did when he was like this. The numb, awful feeling slammed back into him and he couldn't even cry it out and he was just clinging to Scott. 

Virgil made a quiet noise that wasn't a sob because he wasn't crying, but was just as miserable, tugged out of his throat with jagged edges. 

Scott held him closer.

He was barely hanging on, everything was pulling him under, and he just had to keep fighting and fighting because he had no other choice. He just wanted a fucking break but that wasn't going to happen. Because it was his own head that was doing this to him and he couldn't escape that.

It was exhausting. And lonely and miserable.

Where he still had days where he felt helpless and useless and grey. Where nothing could cheer him up and he couldn't always pull himself out of it. He doubted his skills and abilities, as Two’s pilot, as an artist and musician. As a brother. 

Where he just wasn't enough.

But Scott still held him. Where he couldn't be strong enough on his own, he could lean against Scott. 

Because Scott believed in him, always and unflinchingly, not out of the hero worship of Alan and sometimes even Gordon did, but in Virgil, in his skills and his self. In what he could do with all their tech at his disposal, in what he could do without his gear or backup. But ultimately, Scott believed in who he was. Scott buillt him up, he had his back and absolutely trusted in him.

His big brother loved him. Whether he was triumphant or struggling. Just as much when he was drowning under the weight of everything as when he was on top of the world. All his family did, unconditionally, with no strings attached. They cared about him. 

Scott’s fingers carded gently through his hair. Virgil shuffled so he could tuck his head into the crook of Scott’s shoulder and just rest there for a while. He could feel each deep breath Scott took as his chest expanded against Virgil’s own. 

Virgil hands were wound in Scott’s hoodie, the navy one with paint splatters from an incident involving a falling canvas, that they all borrowed from time to time. The ocean waves met the shore with their comforting shushing sounds, and the clouds were over the sun blocking it out, and Virgil still felt greyed out but he could keeping hanging on. 

He pulled back to press his forehead to Scott’s and closed his eyes.

“I’m— I’m not doing okay,” he said, “But I’m hanging in here.” 

“Alright. I’m here for you,” Scott replied. 

Virgil opened his eyes to blue ones crinkled at the edges and Scott’s soft smile. 

“You always catch me when I need it, and I’ve got you when you do,” Scott added. 

Then, “Virge?”

Virgil hummed, not letting go for a second.

“I love you.” 

“Love you too, Scotty.” Virgil leant into their hug. 

It wasn't all better. This wasn't something even all of Scott’s determination and his own stubborn could fix. But Virgil wasn't alone when the skies lost their colour and music its melody, when everything ached and his body weighed him down.

His family were here for him, Scott believed in him and he could keep hanging on.

[brightatmidnight]

It's Finally Here! The Crew Journal Update for The Chaser's Voyage (Version 0.6.0.06) is Now Live!

Thanks for waiting everyone! As the title says, the Crew Journal Update for The Chaser's Voyage is FINALLY live! A lot of things delayed our work in real life, but we managed to hunker down and finish what I consider to be the biggest update to The Chaser's Voyage since we first launched on Early Access.

The main screen of the Crew Journal, with the default entries unlocked. Will you unlock them all?

For those who haven't heard about it yet, the Crew Journal is a collection of written in-universe lore that the crew uncovers and comments on while you play the game. There are over 300 entries in it, short ones for each planet, and a bunch of longer ones covering a wide range of topics: gameplay tips, galactic news of the war, species you encounter, and even silly junk mail. There's a short novel's worth of lore now in the game for players to unlock!  The Crew Journal is the players' window into the larger story of The Chaser's Voyage universe and we are so excited to finally be releasing it.

Ironically this is the first entry unlocked!

Alongside learning about the greater universe through your crew's eyes, you will also learn more about your crew mates' pasts! My favorite part of the journal is the crew's comments at the end of each entry. The journal has gone through many edits (both writing and UI) and we hope you enjoy it! You can access the journal through the main menu, pause screen, and mid jump screen. It will even tell you if you have a new entry every time you jump, so you can take a breather in between encounters and read the latest that your crew has to say.

This button's finally active?! It's a miracle!

Alongside adding the Crew Journal we also changed how the crew's voice lines are selected. They will now cycle randomly through all of the lines for an event at least once before repeating a line again! This should make for a more immersive and less repetitive experience. (Yes Tai, we've heard that war story already!) This update is the final planned lore update, so if you're a fan of great character interactions, learning about the world(s) from the view of the underdog, or just engaging sci-fi space stories, then there's never been a better time to get The Chaser's Voyage! Especially since it's now on sale via Steam's Summer Sale for $10.19, 49% off! (There's even a journal entry that will shed some light on our repeated use of 10/19, it's got everything.)

And of course, no update would be complete without bug fixes and typos. We fixed a bunch of random ones as well as some huge ones in the Tutorial. Big shout out to our Discord for pointing out some nasty bugs, it means a lot to us!

The next major update on the list is our training mode, the Flight Simulator. It's been a wonderful dev tool for us and hopefully shouldn't prove too hard to finalize with some pretty UI elements. (Famous last game dev words.) Until next time, enjoy discovering the newly expanded galaxy of The Chaser's Voyage! Safe Flying!

You can read the full patch notes here and can follow The Chaser's Voyage and Bright at Midnight on Twitter! Bright at Midnight on Twitter, or join our Discord! If you wish to play The Chaser’s Voyage, you can buy it while we’re in Early Access on Steam.

-Cameron

[snowflakechallenge]

Meet the Mods!

Akamine_chan created The Fandom Snowflake Challenge back in 2012 as a way to remind herself “why I loved fandom so much”. Over the years the challenge itself has come to mean a lot to many of us, so by way of introduction some of the mods for this year have written about what The Fandom Snowflake Challenge means to them and why they are excited about it.

Muccamukk: Mucca mostly writes fic and reviews, usually in western media fandoms, and can never turn her back on a kink meme. She's been participating in the Snowflake Challenge off and on since year one, helping mod for the last five, and there still hasn't been any cake.

Misbegotten: I'm Misbegotten and this is my second year as a Snowflake mod. Fandom has been my happy place for many decades. My sad place too, but what's life without variety?

Sparrow2000: Hi I'm Sparrow2000 on LJ, DW and A03. I've made my fandom home in the Buffy 'verse for the last 20 odd (sometimes very odd!) years and it's where I write. I read in any fandom that catches my eye and I'm an avid reccer because I believe spreading the love keeps our fandoms alive. I've taken part in the snowflake challenge every year since 2014 and it never fails to energise my fandom joy. I'm thrilled to be helping out behind the scenes for the third year running and can't wait to see how everyone expresses their own fandom love this year.

Tjs_whatnot: Oh Snowflake, how I've missed your optimistic and cheery fandom energy! I've exhausted those resources pretty early on last year, so a refill is in desperate need! I've been part of the Snowflake family for ages now but I learn something new each year, so it's a new challenge each time. I can't wait to get reacquainted with the other old timers and meet some new, fun fandom faces. LET'S DO THIS!! ♥ ♥ ❤ ❤

Queer_scribbling: Hello, I'm Briar. I've participated in the Snowflake Challenge the past few years, but this is my first time helping out as a mod. For me, this challenge is a welcome reprieve from the doldrums of winter, and I hope the sense of community - lurkers, likers, commenters, and more - will help all of us to start 2024 on a high note.

Summerstorm: Hi! I'm Lix, and I'm back as a Snowflake mod after a few years off. These days, my fandom participation is mostly reading fic, playing ttrpgs (new this year! because I finally got good meds! I use a calendar now entirely to keep track of games?), and screaming on Discord about actual play shows, but I care a lot about those three things. Fandom is a load-bearing pillar of my life, and honestly I don't know what I'd do without it.

Pebble_in_a_lake: Hello! I'm pebble, a lifelong sci-fi and comic book fan. I've participated in snowflake challenge several years now, but this will be my first time pitching in as a volunteer. I love the fun and positivity it brings to the community each year as everyone shares their love for their different fandoms. Whether you're participating, commenting, or lurking, I hope you all have a very fun time. :D

Spikedluv: Hello to all returning and new Snowflakes! I love Snowflake and I’m thrilled to be part of the group bringing Snowflake to you again this year. The best thing about this challenge is that it reminds me of all the great things about fandom. The feeling of community. The comments and feedback. The squee that comes with discovering new fandoms and new fic and new friends. And while Snowflake only lasts for one month, these are things we can take with us into the rest of the year. As I’ve said previously, Snowflake has taught me that I need to be the change I want to see in fandom and gets me pumped up to go forth and be a more active participant.

Seleneheart: I love Snowflake because it is such a marvelous way to start the New Year - to know that I''m not a lone voice crying out in the wilderness, that there's hundreds of people who love fandom and they are all right here!

This is my sixth time to be a mod for Snowflake, and every single year I've come away with new friends, new ideas, and new connections with old friends. Some people I see all the time during the year, and some I see only during [community profile] snowflake_challenge - all of you warm my soul. I can't wait to get started!

Pronker: Hello there, I'm Pronker (DW, FFN, tumblr, twitter, theforce.net and AO3) and this is my second time modding in seven years' participating in the best challenge ever. :) I love to launch a new year with fellow fans' enthusiasms and creativity. Favorite fandoms: Hogan's Heroes, Penguins of Madagascar, Star Wars, Constantine, Greek Mythology, Star Trek TOS, Laredo, and my very first one, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. See you soon!

Dizzydrea: Hi everyone! I'm Dizzydrea on DW and AO3. I've been in fandom for over 20 years, so I've seen some stuff. I only found out about Fandom Snowflake a few years ago, but I look forward to participating each year, though this is my first year as a mod. I'm a writer, up to about 50 fandoms now. I read a lot, too, and I like to comment as a way of paying it forward. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with this year.

Cornerofmadness: Hi everyone! I'm excited to be back for another round of Fandom Snowflake. I'm Cornerofmadness on DW/LJ/AO3. I've been around fandom for decades, since the paper zine days of the 80s and 90s and been in online fandoms for more than twenty years so I've seen a lot, the good and the bad. I think that's the thing I like best about this challenge is we see so much of the good here. I'm probably best known in the Buffyverse, Fullmetal Alchemist, Prodigal Son and now The Owl House but I've had a toe in many fandom waters and hope to dip them into many more.

Vriddy: Hi! I'm Vriddy, a huge fan of Fandom Snowflake since I discovered it a couple of years ago and very excited to be part of it from the volunteer side for the first time this year! I'm mainly in anime fandoms at the moment, and looking forward to sharing all kinds of fannish joy with everyone this month. Such a wonderful way to start the year, I hope you all have a great time, too!

Tellshannon815: Hi again, back for another round of Snowflake, looking forward to seeing what you all come up with, discovering new fandoms, and hopefully making some new friends!

Turps: Hi, I'm Turps and I've been taking part in Snowflake since the very beginning and joined in as a mod a few years ago, and enjoyed the process so much I'm back for more.

Snowflake always gets my fannish year off to a great start, but what I love the most is how low-pressure it is. Some years I've managed to complete every challenge, and others only a couple. Sometimes I've done a challenge but not linked at the comm, and that's fine.

I've made some good friends due to Snowflake Challenge, but also see and read posts from people I only see once a year, and I love that. It's like meeting old friends who I have a quick natter with before heading off into the virtual distance, and I'm looking forward to doing that again.

As you can see the challenge means so many things to the mods, and to everyone who has participated before, and will hopefully also be meaningful to anyone joining us for the first time this year. You’ll find us all wading through comments, welcoming everyone, answering questions, keeping the peace, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to flag one of us down.

Tomorrow starts the first of the fandom challenges, so hope you all are ready for some fun times! Feel free to do any challenge that strikes your fancy (or all of them), or leave a comment on someone else’s challenge response at anytime.

[r-rook-studio]

Return to the Bracknell Horror

Crossposted from R-Rook.studio.

I like to think of myself as someone who loves and writes scenarios that are inherently sandboxy. My ideal horror investigation scenarios—Goblin Archive's The Mall and Zzarchov Kowalski's Price of Evil—have a few hooks, a usefully detailed map, a well-thought-out escalation clock, and interesting, tersely described NPCs... but not much else. In adventure design, those are my ideals. Sometimes, at a one-shot are con, you need to make your frames slightly harder, but often when doing that, the goal is to preserve as much player agency and GM creativity as possible, especially when the scenario isn't only for demo or public play.

Over the past weekend, I had a writing breakthrough with "The Bracknell Horror," an adventure for the next Roseville Beach Book. This post isn't grand RPG theory; it's just a quick note that my two favorite parts of scenario design (setting and escalation clock) were ultimately what fixed the problem. It's odd that I've run this little adventure many times since I started working on Roseville Beach in 2019—it's fun and gives me room to bring in a lot of the PC's connections—but it was only last weekend that I was really happy with it how it all came together.

"The Bracknell Horror" has been my go-to con game or demo for Moonlight on Roseville Beach. Inspired by both a messy blend of the Migo and the Dreamlands with the actual Belvedere Guest House on Fire Island, I've been running it since 2019. Roseville Beach's Bracknell Lodge is a good place for a kidnapping mystery: the guest house is too expensive and exclusive for our PC sleuths to have been in before, even though it's local to the town where they do their monster-hunting. It also gives them the potential to deal with wealthy, WASPy, and mostly unsympathetic queer characters who are still being harmed by cishet magician Simon Mather and his cronies who've decided Roseville Beach is the perfect place to find some warm bodies for some nightmarish Dreamlands entities to possess.

Ultimately, I didn't put it into either the quickstart or the main book because we were out of space and because while it was always a sandbox when I got to the Bracknell, I was always too intimidated to create an escalating clock and always needed a scene structure and over-the-top clues to get them there.

In my original version, the PCs wake up Saturday morning to discover that during the night, people have gone missing. In some cases, they had missed connections with those folks and may have been looking for them before. I'd always excused that issue, rationalizing that missing a meet-up with friends in an era before cell phones often meant not reconnecting until everyone got back home the next day. But Roseville Beach isn't just a small town, it's a fairly tiny one, and the locals know each other well, so I was never happy with actively preventing the PCs from getting involved until the clock was farther advanced, but my brain was hyper-focused on that structure until I started preparing to run it for A Weekend with Good Friends hosted on Discord by The Good Friends of Jackson Elias. Finally, it occurred to me that the adventure really needed to begin the night the disappearances start instead of just including a few flashbacks the PCs remember the next day. In doing that, I had a chance to target not just the PC's connections and allies but also the PCs themselves, giving them a chance to interfere with Mather's plans as they were getting started or follow Macgregor and his cronies as they moved through the town finding people to target rather than waking up the next morning and converging on the Bracknell.

I'd been afraid that getting the PCs involved too soon might mean it moved from creepy horror scenario to a big fight in the middle of town, but it took PCs time to confirm what was happening and that the people who were running late or took longer than usual to use the bathroom, find a pay phone, or cash a check at the grocery were actually, really missing that the kidnappers always had a head start (a crow shifter spotted one of Mather's henchlings walking toward the Bracknell with one of the victims, but couldn't do much to interfere until he rendezvoused with everyone else). Once that happened, a PC who'd been invited back to the Bracknell by a stranger she was dancing with had a new motivation to accept the invitation. We still had a chance to explore all the less-known ways to get into the lodge—the gardener's entrance, sneaking in via the unused boathouse, climbing over the front gate (this time with the cover of night)—so I got to reference Dai's incredible map (that will also appear in the full version of Dim All the Lights).

This time, I'd also simplified Mather's plans so that they were way easier to plot out on a clock, and PCs interfering with them weren't filling pages of notes when they learned about them. Moving everything to the nighttime also meant that PCs' plans to get into the Lodge by subterfuge, stealth, and seduction felt more logical and logically likely to succeed.

[robcognitivepersonality]

The Mastermind & the Architect

How I get along with INTPs as an INTJ

I love INTPs, you guys are my type of friends to hang out with. Honestly I don’t see that awkward anti-social stereotype that looms over being an INTP. Hanging out with you, there’s no peer pressure to speak of, no Chad’s to deal with, no sense to impress anybody. We chat over beers, get high, play video games, share insights about life and people. Type descriptions have painted you as these emotionless sentient robots, totally missing the mark that you are also socially very intelligent. Perhaps the most socially intelligent of all the types. Oftentimes you deliver the most insightful life advice. Your awareness of public sentiments is completely slept on.

I guess it’s just my own anecdote, but the INTPs I know somehow manage to always be in the know. Like Varys in Game of Thrones, you have a 6th sense of little birds spread out everywhere informing you things. Be honest, am I correct that you possess the juiciest gossip details? No worries, I’m not here to know them if it’s not my business. But damn those juicy details can be so accurate though.

The word ‘socializing’ by the mainstream definition may not necessarily apply to you. But you definitely are out there exploring whatever tickles your curiosity. Shit I’m convinced you’re everywhere, physically and virtually. Even if you’re one of the minority that literally hides in Mom’s basement, you’re all over on the Interwebs. I see you in all kinds of subreddits, discord servers, subculture forums, MMORPG worlds, etc. It puts my lurking game to shame. And you know everything. And in some circles, you’re very popular.

You range from vibing and lurking to leading group conversations where everyone quiets down to listen to you. “STFU @everyone, our INTP lord is talking.” It’s a reputation rightly earned! You are the trusted beacon of truth and sentinel of knowledge. Whatever you say will be considered highly advisable. I’d be so busy taking notes and learning, or sometimes I have no idea what’s going on looking like a clown. I’m the socially awkward penguin here.

That leads me to another point: ‘leadership’ by the mainstream definition may not necessarily apply to you either. Yes we know it’s not your charming charisma that we’re gravitated to. It’s your talent for solving problems and discovering insightful information that enable you to command the most value and respect amongst your peers. The most conscientious of you implement so many new processes, enforcing standards, and become our role models. You advise us to make better decisions, give us confirmation checks and confidence boosters, and build us processes and systems that will enrich all of our lives.

"Reality is far too diverse, broad, elusive, ambiguous and complex for us to pin down. Even the limited empirical data we do manage to collect can only be interpreted within the framework of a subjective paradigm. It is, therefore, not really neutral. But in our desperate search for closure and reassurance we confabulate entities and explanations to construct huge edifices of assumed truths. They make up the world we actually experience; a self-woven cocoon of stories, not facts.” — Bernardo Kastrup

That’s all thanks to your Extraverted Feeling and Extraverted Intuition. It’s a stack that makes you altruistic, unpretentious, and unassuming. You help without ulterior motive, except for figuring what things could be improved. If there’s anything egotistical about you, it’s to be understood that your intentions are for the best of the tribe. You playfully and intensely explore deep in the tangled webs of any system, whether we’re talking about society, a software application, or the constructs of reality, searching for how it’s all pieced together while wearing the face of a mild-mannered pleasant person. You sync with the social atmosphere without trying to disrupt it. Like why kill the vibe for no reason right? The music is fine, don’t mess with the playlist.

The contrast with my Introverted Intuition and Introverted Feeling is that, instead of having this kind of symbiotic relationship with the community vibe, I am trying to figure out how to fit my ego into the mix. That doesn’t mean I’m doomed to disrupt everything in my path and that people need to bend themselves for me. On the contrary, I’m constantly reformulating my self-concept so that I can fit like a jigsaw puzzle piece. I daydream about what puzzle I’d like to belong to. I imagine where I’d like to be whether I need to come to emotional terms with myself or change the world around me. So, unlike you, I don’t have the itch to understand how everything is made. I just need to know the relevant things in order to fit in.

Who I am and how I feel is all in my own imaginary world; and it’s the most real thing to me. Everyday I remind myself that the idea of Me is nothing but a fleeting fantasy. There’s always a difference between that and what’s actually real. My existence would be nothing but hopes and dreams if I have nothing to show for it. NiFi in itself is a function pair of existential delusion. That’s why I can be so anal about empirical truth, and put so much value on evidence. I hang on to my SeTe objective concrete perceptions very tightly, as my life literally depends on it. And I make sure I’m correct. The way I see myself would be wrong and not real if it was based on false information.

While both our Thinking-Sensing functions want to get to the bottom of the truth, I love how you don’t care about being right or wrong. You don’t feel attacked about being proven incorrect. You don’t care about being smart. You don’t judge yourself when somebody questions your logic. All of your energy is spent on proving theories, since none was deemed necessary on proving yourself. This is where your intensity lives. Spending all of your energy digging deep down to get to the bottom of understanding whatever you’re focused on. After all, truth only stands after being excavated, scrutinized, and ruthlessly tested.

The funny thing is that truth is elusive. The world as we see it is a playground that is too vast, complicated, and ever evolving to truly be conclusive about it. There are so many ways and angles to look at something, all of them could be correct. Hence the knowledge vault that is your mind is always cracked open. I’d like to think it’s a never ending adventure, like building elaborate sand castles on an infinity beach. But you tend to admit getting lost in these thoughts can make you go crazy. Everything can be explained, we just don’t know how yet. Introverted Thinking and Introverted Sensing gets down to the nitty gritty and figures it out.

“The general population doesn’t know what’s happening, and it doesn’t even know that it doesn’t know… The world is a very puzzling place. If you’re not willing to be puzzled, you just become a replica of someone else’s mind.” — Noam Chomsky

That means you are a Sensor. Yep. With all the shit-talking about Intuitives being smarter, it just happens that the type regarded as the smartest is a Sensor. That whole thing is bullshit anyway. Intuitives generate ideas on top of ideas diverging away from the concrete. On the other hand, your Extraverted Intuition observes the complex and abstract universe so you can render it in with more detail and reduce ambiguity. Life’s troubleshooter doesn’t generate speculations, you search for them. You spend your time trying to make sense of it all. No stone is left unturned. Your knowledge vault is full of concrete minute details of what you understand about stuff. And you can be a real stickler about those details.

My SeTe seeks to consume those TiSi details. Especially if it’s about something I value, I want to hear everything that starts with “Well, yes no maybe. The devil is in the details.” When pursuing my goals, I like to research and make solid logical reasoning to ensure I know what I’m getting into. INTPs have been the indispensable sources of guidance for someone like me who’s driven to stay informed. People say it’s good to be well researched. But where do all the sources come from, you know what I mean? Abe Lincoln once said “behind every great INTJ is a great INTP,” right? You guys have saved my ass, humbled me, and made me happier along the way. There’s seriously not enough credit given for the good and value you have contributed for me and society at large.

When I look into myself, I see that being wrong feels like downing a glass of whiskey. It burns and I’ll just have to tough it up. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right? To stand corrected is character building. I’ve built up my tolerance, but it used to be so painful. It wasn’t an experience I’d like to go through often. To not be wrong and be hurt again, I dive down the information rabbit holes studying to gain back my confidence. What actually happens was that I’ve been burying myself hiding under the mounds of data I gathered. I didn’t want to be exposed and thought as stupid. I didn’t want to be seen as a fraud. I didn’t want to find out my existence has no real value. I didn’t realize I became someone who was very insecure about who he was.

And here you are as I’m watching you gracefully prancing around without that kind of fear holding you back, waltzing on the line between the realm of what you know and the much bigger one of what you don’t know. I’ve heard you say “no idea” many more times than I’ve ever said it. I’ve seen you routinely make brainfart mistakes. I’ve caught you being wrong on so many counts. Yet you still stand as the one many of us count on to solve problems. That takes a lot of courage to do what you do. It’s mesmerizing. Needless to say, I really look up to you.

"We are in the seat of the US government, a government that was founded by people who were, at one point, ruled by kings they couldn't overthrow. So, what did they do, right? They started over. They came here, to the New World. And the way we win is by creating a new, democratic, decentralized Internet... One where it is the users, not the kings, who have sovereign control over their data. This, I promise to you: I will help you end this tyranny by building an Internet that is of the people, by the people, and for the people, so help me God." —Richard Hendricks, from Silicon Valley

Modeling you I realized it wasn’t even about accumulating knowledge, but about humbling myself and embracing my vulnerability. Exposing myself will push me over the hill of Mount Stupid down to the Valley of Despair; a place you’re very familiar with. That’s the first step to enlightenment — I know… It’s silly to make this an epic journey. For I can only imagine that tumbling back down to the bottom of the Dunning-Kruger effect is just a normal Tuesday for you. While we can question the popular misconceptions of that curve, there’s still reason that you tend to sell yourself short.

And there, I see that you can feel just as unsure and as unconfident as I am, perhaps even more! That comes with such a relief for me. I admit that I’ve felt intimidated by you. Yes as crazy as that sounds, I’m scared to push back when you’re sure about something. I just assume you’re more right. But the more I understand you, the more I see you enjoy stepping in and help out. Whether it’s answering a noob question or one even you don’t have an answer for, it’s as if it was an invitation to get to know each other.

Who cares who’s got the bigger brains. The point has always been about building an amiable relationship by meeting together intellectually. You’ve shown me to not take intelligence so seriously, that there’s no such thing as a dumb question, that it’s OK to say “I don’t know.” I learned to loosen up about being logical. And ironically that made me see the truth: I am an emotional person who had been suppressing his feelings over logic. And I projected this suppression onto others. I shunned people who weren’t bearing the same brunt that I’ve endured to keep my emotions down. I wrongfully believed emotions were weaknesses. I’ve looked down on “stupid” people because I was trying so hard not to be one.

Knowledge doesn’t define us. It’s simply a means for what we want. While I used it to isolate myself, you use it to connect. Information is to food as logic is to cooking, you’re the master chef offering your talents for people to get together and enjoy. I’m the pretentious Yelper giving you 5 stars and a Like. And I gotta be honest — I feel I’ve gotten unfairly way more out of you than you have out of me. You’ve never asked for credit, but I’ll always feel indebted to you. It’s not enough for me to acknowledge what you do. I guess you could trade your thoughts for my opinions.

Like me, you’d rather be left alone observing the world. Like me, you’re fascinated by how it’s all put together. Like me, you wonder where you fit in the vast elaborate structures of it. Well it’s not much… But you have a special place inside my imaginary world. This world that I die trying to make into reality by acting and proving myself who I think I really am. I am your friend. I am someone who deeply appreciates who you are. Someone who wants to be like you. Someone who knows he wouldn’t be where he is without you.

“To be born means being compelled to choose an era, a place, a life. To exist here, now, means to lost the possibility of being countless other potential selves.. Yet once being born there is no turning back. And I think that’s exactly why the fantasy worlds of cartoon movies so strongly represent our hopes and yearnings. They illustrate a world of lost possibilities for us.” — Hayao Miyazaki

I hate to say that this is all I got to give back. But I’ll definitely act on it. After all, feelings are like theories. They’re not real unless we materialize them out. You know that. Your feelings have always stood by your logic, wherever they came from. Many times they’re the reasons why you get deep in your head, why you’re willing to get out of your comfort zone, or why you get these bursts of flow state solving problems. You care for the good of your community. There really is a rose tinted bias in you. It really is the thought that counts. You recognize and solve the questions we should be asking ourselves to live in a better world.

In these moments you become the most genuine and sincere out of all the types. Unriddling the mysteries of the universe and discovering how we’re all connected speaks for who you really are: a human being who’s trying their best with what they know and understand about being kind with one another. Because of that, I’m inspired to be who I really am and to live as genuinely and sincerely as I can. To not hide under the truth but to stand proudly on top of it. I’ll live out my self belief as someone who will leave this world a little better than he found it. Thanks to you, we can make this true. Together as data points serving for something bigger than ourselves.