#survival is more than combat

[datamodel-of-disaster]

I wish there was a podcast for people who are bad at dnd.

Like... a podcast that talks about ways to work around not having any tactical insight or strategic understanding, aimed at people who respond to "roll for initiative" with all the flair and acumen of a terrified animal with their paw in a snare.

That'd be useful.

[erosology]

soap is a huge gamer and likes to stream on twitch during his down time. his most popular series is “rating how accurate military games are based on how badly they trigger my ptsd”. gaz thinks it’s hilarious and will join in every now and then. simon lurks in chat but doesn’t say much. price is trying to figure out how to shut is channel down

[mollypaup]

the struggle of wanting to play more horror games but hating survival horror

[quetzalpapalotl]

Scott's tf comics have their flaws ofc, but they're fine. The thing that really throws me off is her interviews because it's that feeling of "did we read the same thing" you get from some analysis, except this is the author.

[detectiveneve]

it does make me a little sad that feasibly emrys and astarion probably can’t spar often… their fighting styles are too different. when sparring is a STAPLE of my cliches.

[utilitycaster]

This has been bouncing around in my head since the combination of listening to the NADDPod Behind the Screens episode and reading the further OGL 1.2 planned updates per the survey results, particularly around VTTs. Anyway, you know how the Mercer Effect isn't real on any broad scale, but those who claim it is do appear to feel bound by it? I feel like there's something of a similar backlash against D&D actual plays in general and how they portray D&D or TTRPGs, but also, the people who are hating on actual plays are desperate for their home games to be them. The way the three-action economy almost forces "cinematic" creativity? People arguing that their virtual table-top must have the capacity to animate spells? There's nothing inherently wrong with this, but it feels like a drive to move these games from out of theater of the mind...and in doing so, into something narrower and more commercial.

[sezja]

Bless Thaffe and Jeryk's fucking hearts but they're the most ill-suited for battle of my faves since like, Quantestorie from Star Ocean 3

Like Thaffe's a big dude, he looks like he could throw a mean punch if he wanted, but he's such a big sweet softie that he just doesn't have the instincts for it

And Jeryk gets spooked by vultures

I'm love them,

[strawberryjamsara]

I think pokemon as a horror game where all the monsters are the pokemon with incredibly fucked up pokedex entries which you have to befriend would be really fun

[quaddmgd]

we managed to finish Alan Wake. tbh i expected more of a psychological survival horror, and not a tps action thriller but that's on me i guess. we enjoyed it but there was some raging due to enemy ai, stunlocking, physics and weird checkpoint placement at times. and man, the psychological horror potential this story had... the creative block, Alan's alcoholism and violent outbursts and the game made nothing out of them.

[sheepalmighty]

It turns out I have a bunch of stuff to say on the whole Pixy being called Cinderella by Bristow (Wizard 1) thing. Even though it's been pointed out now and then, and I think its inclusion is something the player would intuitively get and understand in the context of the story and characters, I'd still like to put my reading on this line out there. I’m also hoping this post with help iron out the details for myself.

Firstly, I just want to say I think Wizard 1 respects Pixy and sees him as an important ally and does not need to manipulate him (like it seems his grandiose speech to his group has him otherwise portrayed) - this latter point I'll elaborate on later. I get this take from their conversation in the operation after Excalibur wherein he acknowledges that Pixy's prediction on how the conflict will pan out is accurate. He then prompts Pixy to ditch his 'dead end job' but Pixy declines. It's this conversation that Wizard 1 is calling back to when he calls Pixy Cinderella.

Here he's implying that the clock's struck midnight and the magic has faded. The magic in this case being the illusion that Pixy and his allies are essentially heroes. As such, the illusion is not only that Pixy is playing as someone he is not, which is obvious enough from him always having had ties to AWWNB, it also encompasses Cipher. The prince who had enchanted him is actually the same as everyone else - another soldier led into fighting a pointlessly bloody war. Or perhaps, in firing that missile, he also finally sees Cipher as the Demon Lord, the biggest threat in this conflict, in that moment (I'm also partial to him testing his own resolve). From all of this it can also be said that Wizard 1 is ultimately condemning all of the allies' actions throughout their involvement.

The illusion’s path can be traced back to its origins by looking at Pixy's disposition from around the liberation of Directus until the assault on Excalibur. During the liberation and after hearing the cheering from the civilians his overall tone changes from that of a pragmatic and jaded merc to a 'not bad for a bunch of misfits' positivity after Excalibur. This is the mindset Pixy is in when he tells Wizard 1 that he doesn't want to quit just yet.

During the "pulling" of Excalibur Pixy says to Cipher that Cipher's 'got everyone believing in miracles', but he may have also been swept up in this belief too. This is reminiscent of the previous couple entries that emphasised the lone fighter / squadron inspiring others to believe they can turn the tides of battle, maybe even inspiring the player in the same fashion as those entries (5 is more complicated but the heroism is almost always present). But, in this game, that notion is soon subverted in the double gut punch of The Inferno and The Stage of Apocalypse, and so are any of Pixy's hopes in any other solution and any belief (like Cipher possibly gave him) in being a positive force in this campaign. It hammers in what Pixy already knew but got carried away from.

And so, when Wizard 1 conversed with Pixy the first time he shows that he can't see any good in this conflict (a 'dead end job') but doesn't push back on Pixy declining. Perhaps retrospectively he puts himself in the role of fairy godmother by letting Pixy continue to believe in a positive outcome for this war, to wear the clothes of a hero for a while longer. He makes this decision apparent to us through the Cinderella-fairy godmother back and forth between them the next time they meet. It's coming from the place of a comrade reminding their ally of the ideology they banded together for though, just with some snark.

Finally, with the imagery of a clock striking midnight the concept of the eleventh hour, the time just before the point of no return, is evoked. After Hoffnung has been abandoned and the apocalypse happens it has hit midnight, the magic spell is lifted, and nothing can be changed. The path is set and Pixy has found his reason to fight. So, the way I see it, with a single line the Cinderella association pulls a lot of purposefully written theming, characterisation, and commentary together in an effective manner. It helps carry weighty implications in an already overwhelming and powerful moment of the game and, as has been hopefully shown above, provides some extra understanding of the commentary being made by this game through some introspection of prior events by the player.

A couple asides: Bristow's into literature so that provides a little more context to the whole Cinderella usage, though it's only in auxiliary text I think. If looking at it from a writer’s perspective maybe one reason Cinderella was chosen was for the imagery of Pixy running away after he sheds any pretense of being just another passive soldier. And, related to Pixy's Morgan le Fay parallel, Bristow's callsign may be Lucan (servant to King Arthur) but, after an admittedly short read on Arthurian legends, he can also be seen as Merlin who respected Morgan le Fay and taught her magic, and later conspired against Arthur with her.

[officialtokyosan]

cant find my tumblr post about mobius 1 taking an influx of personal trinkets and photos from his squadmates that ask him to return those belongings to their families if they dont make it in the next mission

[nokmietarchive]

as much as i always talk about the flaws of the healthcare system in US, i dont think people realize that advocating for the commodification of healthcare is not actually a good thing that we should want.

[dutyworn]

character outline

full name. Wren Shepard

nicknames. Shep, Lola, "mom", she lets her friends come up with nicknames freely (bonus disapproved one, @anderwhohn Izzy dubbed her "Alliance Princess" once and it amused the mun)

flaws

moody |  short-tempered  |  emotionally unstable  |  whiny  |  controlling  |  conceited  |  possessive  |  paranoid  |  liar  |  impatient  |  cowardly  |  bitter  |  selfish  |  power-hungry  |  greedy  |  lazy  |  judgmental  |  forgetful  |  impulsive  |  spiteful  |  stubborn  |  sadistic  |  petty  |  unlucky  |  absent-minded  |  abusive  |  addict  |  aggressive |  childish  |  callous  |  clingy  |  delusional  |  cocky  |  competitive  |  corrupt  |  cynical  |  cruel  |  depressed  |  deranged  |  egotistical |  envious  |  insecure  |  insensitive  |  lustful  |  delinquent  |  overthinker  |  guilt complex  |  reclusive  |  reckless  |  nervous  |  oversensitive  |  perfectionist  |  pessimistic  |  naive

strengths

honest  |  trustworthy  |  thoughtful  |  caring  |  brave |  patient  |  selfless  |  ambitious  |  tolerant  |  lucky  |  intelligent  |  confident  |  humble  |  generous  |  merciful  |  observant  |  wise  |  clever  |  charming  |  cheerful  |  optimistic  |  decisive  |  adaptive  |  calm  |  protective  |  proud  |  diligent  |  considerate  |  compassionate  |  good sportsmanship  |  friendly  |  empathetic  |  passionate  |  reliable  |  resourceful  |  sensible  |  sincere  |  witty  |  funny

skills and hobbies

art  |  acting  |  astronomy  |  animals  |  archery  |  sports  |  belly dancing  |  bird watching  |  blacksmithing  |  boating  |  calligraphy  |  camping  |  candle making  |  casino gambling  |  ceramics  |  racing  |  chess  |  music  |  cooking  |  crochet  |  weaving  |  exercise  |  swordplay  |  fishing  |  gardening  |  ghost hunting  |  ice skating  |  magic  |  engineering  |  building  |  inventing  |  leather-working |  martial arts  |  meditation  |  origami  |  parkour  |  people watching  |  swimming  |  puppetry  |  pyrotechnics  |  quilting  |  reading  |  collecting  |  shopping  |  socializing  |  storytelling  |  writing  |  traveling  |  exotic dancing  |  singing  |  yoga  |  gaming  |  surfing  

tagged by: @chaotiicgoods, thanks! tagging: steal it!

[hazardsofspikesandnevadeans]

"You know? It's weird that the only real animal we have here is lizards now since the Drives were activated...

Want a cat? Sorry, you get a fucking house cat sized lizard who loves you just as much.

Want a dog? Tough fucking luck. You get a guard lizard who might be fucking smart enough to scratch words into the dirt. How do I know that?"

He just points at one of the mentioned lizards who was scratching at the dirt only to finally make a couple words.

Fud plz?

"I just fed your ass ten minutes ago, Chicken Scratch..."

[moniquill]

One of the socialist things I’d like to see ALONG WITH UBI (not instead of) is a government option for all basic neccesities. I am aware that the government option would -suck- and as long as it’s survivably functional, I’m fine with that. When I was a kid, we got monthly commodity food boxes. They’d be filled with food that looked like this:

And in lean months, it would be that and whatever we could get from the garden, or forage/fish, or trade with friends and neighbors. My mom had this awesome recipe for peanut butter balls that utilized the powdered milk, shit-quality peanut butter, and maple-flavored corn syrup that we routinely got in our box and actually made it good. 

I think that these things should be available for purchase at every supermarket, and that the prices should be fixed with relation to the minimum wage. All brands should have to compete with the government option - if SPAM is going to be more expensive than LUNCHEON MEAT in the silver can, then it needs to justify that cost by being better quality.

I want the same thing for housing. I want fucking Commie Blocks to be an option.

This would combat runaway inflation by putting a price cap on survival needs. It would guard against shrinkflation, because a consumers could compare the Government Standard portion to the brands. UBI ought to be such that it covers The Government Option for food, housing, clothing, transit etc. with generous wiggle room for emergency savings and little joys in life. 

Everyone should get their own UBI account in their own name at birth, along with their social security number. It should follow the individual regardless of guardianship. Parents/guardians should have incrementally less and less control over said funds as the child gets older, and should have to provide itemized receipts of how money taken from a child’s account is spent (Similar to what you have to do if you’re in control of an elder’s social security money).

https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-repayee-ussi.htm

'Each year, we will ask certain representative payees to complete a Representative Payee Accounting Report showing how they spent and saved the money they received for you during the 12-month report period.'

These are steps that would could easily institute tomorrow be reallocating funding, and they’d have a huge impact on cost of living for everyone.  

This rant brought to you by the fact that store brand canned luncheon meat in my local grocery held fast at a dollar for the better part of two decades but now costs $2.18.

[odinsblog]

This year’s Super Bowl was a weapon of mass distraction. If there’s any justice, future generations will remember the game not for Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, or Taylor Swift but for the US-funded attacks on Palestinian civilians that occurred while so many Americans were glued to their TVs. During the game, watched by well over 100 million people in the United States, Israel launched a bombing raid of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, the most densely populated area on earth. More than 1 million people had fled now-leveled Gaza City to the refugee camps in Rafah and surrounding areas. Palestinians who have survived previous Israeli strikes are now staving off disease, destitution, and fear.

Meanwhile, CBS granted the Israeli government space for an ad about the 130 hostages left in Gaza. This ad, meant to build public support and justify the slaughter of nearly 30,000 civilians in Gaza, spurred 10,000 people to register complaints with the FCC, because the commercial did not disclose that a foreign government had paid for it. Coupled with the Rafah raid, this looks more like military synergy than happenstance. 

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft also spent $7 million on an ad from his organization Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism. It features Clarence Jones, a 93-year-old former speech writer for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Kraft and other pro-war billionaires use the memory of King so much, they should be paying his family indulgences for slandering his name. The ad failed to mention that Kraft has given $1 million to pro-war AIPAC and donated $1 million in 2016 to Donald Trump’s inauguration. Given that Kraft says that the Nazi march in Charlottesville was his motivation to start his foundation (Charlottesville was the one with “good people on both sides,” according to Trump), his hypocrisy is insidious.

Kraft and Israel want the same thing: a blank check to uproot Palestinians from Gaza and build settlements. One can also only imagine if a peace organization tried to buy an ad asking Israel and the United States the question: “How many dead children will be enough?” I suspect it would be denied faster than a public-service announcement about concussions.

(continue reading)