 |
| Hosted by a painted face |
“I believe in my mask-- The man I made up is me
I believe in my dance-- And my destiny”
- Sam Shepard
“Masquerades disclose the reality of souls. As long as no one sees who we are, we can tell the most intimate details of our life.”
- Fernando Pessoa
“Nothing is more real than the masks we make to show each other who we are.”
- Christopher Barzak
Friday Recommendations! What have you been reading/writing/listening to/playing/watching lately? Shamelessly self-promote or boost the signal on something you think we should know about - the weekend’s coming up, give us something new to explore!
~ Kristycat
80 comments:
*nods* That is one of the nice things about being fatter - I float! (Once when I was pretty far out in the ocean - like, out of sight of land - and the water was really calm, I floated in full lotus. It was AWESOME.)
My husband, on the other hand, is made of bone and muscle, and he sinks like a stone. He gets so exasperated that while he's fighting to keep his head above water, I'm just kinda gliding by on the surface going "'Sup?"
(O'course, it may also have something to do with the fact that as soon as he starts sinking even a little, he tenses up and starts fighting the water, which, yes, will make you sink faster.)
*nods* That is one of the nice things about being fatter - I float! (Once when I was pretty far out in the ocean - like, out of sight of land - and the water was really calm, I floated in full lotus. It was AWESOME.)
My husband, on the other hand, is made of bone and muscle, and he sinks like a stone. He gets so exasperated that while he's fighting to keep his head above water, I'm just kinda gliding by on the surface going "'Sup?"
(O'course, it may also have something to do with the fact that as soon as he starts sinking even a little, he tenses up and starts fighting the water, which, yes, will make you sink faster.)
<pedantry level="extreme">octopodes</pedantry>
<pedantry level="extreme">octopodes</pedantry>
Shush, you.
Shush, you.
Haha I had no idea what you were talking about so I googled it and then I was disappointed that I don't find it as freaky as the spaghetti dogs.
On a sidenote, I feel like the spaghetti dogs, with meatballs instead of hotdog bits, would make a great dish for a Flying Spaghetti Monster themed party. Consider it a communion of Touch by his Noodley Appendage. Sorry, that came out grosser than I meant it to. Oops.
Haha I had no idea what you were talking about so I googled it and then I was disappointed that I don't find it as freaky as the spaghetti dogs.
On a sidenote, I feel like the spaghetti dogs, with meatballs instead of hotdog bits, would make a great dish for a Flying Spaghetti Monster themed party. Consider it a communion of Touch by his Noodley Appendage. Sorry, that came out grosser than I meant it to. Oops.
On a sidenote, I feel like the spaghetti dogs, with meatballs instead of hotdog bits, would make a great dish for a Flying Spaghetti Monster themed party. Consider it a communion of Touch by his Noodley Appendage.
OMG OMG WE ARE SO DOING THAT
The octo-dogs are weird mostly because there is a long-running in-joke/conspiracy theory among my friends regarding octopi and squid - I don't have the time, energy, or inebriation level to go into it here, but suffice to say, the only reason humans continue to exist is that the octopi haven't figured out we exist yet. O.O
On a sidenote, I feel like the spaghetti dogs, with meatballs instead of hotdog bits, would make a great dish for a Flying Spaghetti Monster themed party. Consider it a communion of Touch by his Noodley Appendage.
OMG OMG WE ARE SO DOING THAT
The octo-dogs are weird mostly because there is a long-running in-joke/conspiracy theory among my friends regarding octopi and squid - I don't have the time, energy, or inebriation level to go into it here, but suffice to say, the only reason humans continue to exist is that the octopi haven't figured out we exist yet. O.O
...oh, whew, I see what it is! I was afraid it was going to be those octopus hot dog things, and I'm sorry, I would have to judge you for that. Because octopus.
(...no, I wouldn't really judge you :P But I would really be weirded out by octopus dogs!)
...oh, whew, I see what it is! I was afraid it was going to be those octopus hot dog things, and I'm sorry, I would have to judge you for that. Because octopus.
(...no, I wouldn't really judge you :P But I would really be weirded out by octopus dogs!)
Thanks Asha, on to read the posts now. I love long posts so glad to read yours. Thanks for telling me about the datapad app. I will download it on my IPhone now. Anything to get that blasted EMS up.
Thanks Asha, on to read the posts now. I love long posts so glad to read yours. Thanks for telling me about the datapad app. I will download it on my IPhone now. Anything to get that blasted EMS up.
Oops. *headdesk* N/m. I've never tried that one, either. I'm still dreading Human Revolution, and was wanting to ask about it. Ah, well. I wish you luck. And good times?
Oops. *headdesk* N/m. I've never tried that one, either. I'm still dreading Human Revolution, and was wanting to ask about it. Ah, well. I wish you luck. And good times?
Thanks! And, who knows, I might get around to Human Revolution some...decade.
Thanks! And, who knows, I might get around to Human Revolution some...decade.
Thanks Paul A. Unfortunately I have neither a Livejournal nor DreamWidth account. I am principally a lurker type. Every time I have all the feels about any kind of media and decide to log onto the internet to comment, I have found that other people have expressed my sentiments in way better terms. So since I have nothing original to say I just lurk and enjoy all the commentary. :)
Thanks Paul A. Unfortunately I have neither a Livejournal nor DreamWidth account. I am principally a lurker type. Every time I have all the feels about any kind of media and decide to log onto the internet to comment, I have found that other people have expressed my sentiments in way better terms. So since I have nothing original to say I just lurk and enjoy all the commentary. :)
Paul, I'm curious: is it a coincidence that you're a friend of JT's, or are you here because you're a friend of JT's? (Read All The Newberys --> Slacktiverse Deconstruction Roundup --> Ana Mardoll's Ramblings is the most obvious link trail to follow.)
Paul, I'm curious: is it a coincidence that you're a friend of JT's, or are you here because you're a friend of JT's? (Read All The Newberys --> Slacktiverse Deconstruction Roundup --> Ana Mardoll's Ramblings is the most obvious link trail to follow.)
Just coincidence, I think. If memory serves, I got here from somebody recommending the Narnia deconstruction posts at Making Light. (I know I've never spent any significant amount of time at the Slacktiverse.)
Just coincidence, I think. If memory serves, I got here from somebody recommending the Narnia deconstruction posts at Making Light. (I know I've never spent any significant amount of time at the Slacktiverse.)
I'm playing the original Deus Ex, but it's going...very slowly. Because I am very terrible. I'm enjoying myself, despite being terrible, but I could spend a very, very long time playing it.
(It doesn't help that I'm opting for stealth, which makes it even harder. But, damn it, if I'm going to play a game that gives me that option, I'm gonna take it. Even if I spend the rest of my life on the playthrough!)
I'm playing the original Deus Ex, but it's going...very slowly. Because I am very terrible. I'm enjoying myself, despite being terrible, but I could spend a very, very long time playing it.
(It doesn't help that I'm opting for stealth, which makes it even harder. But, damn it, if I'm going to play a game that gives me that option, I'm gonna take it. Even if I spend the rest of my life on the playthrough!)
I'd forgotten: my friend's Mass Effect posts are under an opt-in filter, because he was worried that other people might be bored with how much he was going on about it. He says he'd be fine with adding you to the filter, if you have a Dreamwidth or Livejournal ID to be added?
In any case, he says:
...here's the single most helpful thing I've been using: a list of people on ME3 multiplayer willing to play with people they don't know, WITH especial notes from people willing to help newbies! :D That's the #1 reason I have been having fun, rather that being terribly nervous and Not Playing because I'm not as good as people who've been playing the entire year since the game came out. ;P
(I don't know anything about the Xbox or PS3 communities, but I can vouch that everyone on the PC/Origin list who said "willing to help newbies" means it 100%. I think I've played with... all but four of them, at this point, and they've all been amazing.)
I have a song phrase on loop in my brain, and instead of being an obnoxious earworm, it feels like mantra for comfort and reflection, just exactly right regarding what's going on in my soul at the moment. It's from Dar Williams' "Blessings":
And the best ones were the ones I got to keep as I grew strong,
And the days that opened up until my whole life could belong,
I'm willing to wear masks, and I often enjoy showing different faces, and bringing different aspects of my personality and life into focus in certain settings. But I'm coming to the conclusion that life is too short to freely associate with people or institutions that don't accept everything I am. I have tons of thoughts on that subject and may turn it in to a blog post.
I have a song phrase on loop in my brain, and instead of being an obnoxious earworm, it feels like mantra for comfort and reflection, just exactly right regarding what's going on in my soul at the moment. It's from Dar Williams' "Blessings":
And the best ones were the ones I got to keep as I grew strong,
And the days that opened up until my whole life could belong,
I'm willing to wear masks, and I often enjoy showing different faces, and bringing different aspects of my personality and life into focus in certain settings. But I'm coming to the conclusion that life is too short to freely associate with people or institutions that don't accept everything I am. I have tons of thoughts on that subject and may turn it in to a blog post.
Perhaps a better question would be, when do people ever take their masks off? To paraphrase Shrek, people are like onions. We all have a facet we present to different groups at different times, for different reasons. Keeping one face for every situation isn't really appropriate, and is often painful. When I was younger and less experienced, I tried to do this. It blew up in my face. Part of learning social skills is learning what parts to show and what parts to hide and how to paint yourself in a situation. While some people may manage without this, I had to learn how in order to cope with being in the working world. Dating is much the same- you present your best self, hiding the person under the mask.
I envy those who seem to have this ability naturally. I never understood the reasoning for it until I starting roleplaying online and someone suggested (harshly, but at the time that was all that would have gotten through) why I sucked so badly at social situations is because I was trying to be honest all the time. People don't want that, and to get what you want, you have to give others what they want. A painful lesson, but one I needed to learn.
Even if I have to pry off my mask with a crowbar anymore.
Perhaps a better question would be, when do people ever take their masks off? To paraphrase Shrek, people are like onions. We all have a facet we present to different groups at different times, for different reasons. Keeping one face for every situation isn't really appropriate, and is often painful. When I was younger and less experienced, I tried to do this. It blew up in my face. Part of learning social skills is learning what parts to show and what parts to hide and how to paint yourself in a situation. While some people may manage without this, I had to learn how in order to cope with being in the working world. Dating is much the same- you present your best self, hiding the person under the mask.
I envy those who seem to have this ability naturally. I never understood the reasoning for it until I starting roleplaying online and someone suggested (harshly, but at the time that was all that would have gotten through) why I sucked so badly at social situations is because I was trying to be honest all the time. People don't want that, and to get what you want, you have to give others what they want. A painful lesson, but one I needed to learn.
Even if I have to pry off my mask with a crowbar anymore.
You can comment anonymously, if you wish. You don't need a lj account for that. However, don't feel pressured to do so, even if I would love the feedback!
Dating is much the same- you present your best self, hiding the person under the mask.
This would be why I have no interest in a relationship. The prospect of spending the rest of my life pretending to be someone I'm not... *shudder* No thanks. I'll stay single.
I'm happiest if I can be myself as much as possible. The more I have to hide, the more unhappy I am. I know this isn't true of everyone, and I know this makes me a social failure. But I want to spend my life self-editing as little as possible. (And when I consider that I've made more friends being myself than I ever have hiding myself, I can't help wondering if masks are really such a good idea. Edit: Though that may just be me reacting to the thought of hiding myself all the time with AAAAAAGH!!!)
Dating is much the same- you present your best self, hiding the person under the mask.
This would be why I have no interest in a relationship. The prospect of spending the rest of my life pretending to be someone I'm not... *shudder* No thanks. I'll stay single.
I'm happiest if I can be myself as much as possible. The more I have to hide, the more unhappy I am. I know this isn't true of everyone, and I know this makes me a social failure. But I want to spend my life self-editing as little as possible. (And when I consider that I've made more friends being myself than I ever have hiding myself, I can't help wondering if masks are really such a good idea. Edit: Though that may just be me reacting to the thought of hiding myself all the time with AAAAAAGH!!!)
How has your Deus Ex: HR playthrough going? I have it, but every time I start trying to play something first person I get disoriented and uncomfortable.
How has your Deus Ex: HR playthrough going? I have it, but every time I start trying to play something first person I get disoriented and uncomfortable.
I love these recommendation threads. Lots to read.
My only update was actually a poem: Reshaping Reality: Throes of Agony The artwork in the blogpost was created by me using some fractal art software.
Does anyone wear a "mask" in order to give people what they want?
For example, back in November, I had a coworker, who upon learning I was attracted to women (and she views me as female at work because I'm not out at work due to fear of discrimination), decided I was her new gay best friend. So I put on that mask and played the role to her satisfaction. She never did see the real me. After she left for another job, my behavior altered, and a different co-worker, one I hadn't really talked to much, commented on it. I told her that who I really was hadn't been important, so I became what they wanted to avoid conflict. This other co-worker told me I didn't have to do that; that I was fine as is.
How I wish that was true all the time. I've always had to put masks on throughout my life with family, friends, strangers... It's like a have a closet full of them, and each day I wonder if I'll have to don one and hide my true self again. Lately, I've tried to avoid wearing any mask, and let myself be myself, but it's hard for the fear of being hurt or worse can be overwhelming. My current job is fairly tolerant and so far it's been okay. I've been able to exist at work without any masks. It's too bad this is only a temporary job.
This is very random, but I thought it'd be a fun story to share:
I have origami paper I carry with me in my messenger bag, whereever I go. When I'm at a restaurant, I'll fold a peace crane or a sailboat and tuck the tip into it. I figured it'd be a nice surprise. Whenever I send a card to anyone, I tuck a peace crane inside for them to find. At work, I fold peace cranes, sailboats, and balls, and I give them to coworkers and supervisors as a gift to brighten up the workplace. Sometimes I'll leave them in random spots to surprise others who come along.
It's fun to do, and it always brings a smile to people's faces. Since I keep getting origami paper for Christmas and my birthday, I seem to have a nearly inexhaustible supply, so I figured, why not?
The ME3 Datapad app is the one that gives the best EMS. It's a pain, and if it doesn't like your device you might have to find a work around, but it does work when you use it. I've never tried Infiltrator.
Here are the links to my rants on ME3:
The Problem of Vendetta
Why I can't let go
I tend to pontificate, but I hope it is amusing and we can commiserate. I love my Deidre and Derek Shepards too much. :-/
I've recently gotten myself a Nook and have been using it to explore the wonders of Project Gutenberg, ( www.gutenberg.org ) a website that offers legally over 42,000 free e-books. There's both multiple languages and formats offered, as well as the ability to read some books online. What's the catch? Well, pretty much everything on the site is public domain, at least the USA. This means it's mostly older books, translations, and the like. Also, not everything available in the site is available in every language offered. Still a good resource, in my opinion.
The other thing I've been reading and enjoying recently is Elizabeth Barrette's serial poetry. She does crowd-funding for her work, so not all the series or poems are completely visible. (Her serial poetry page is http://penultimateproductions.weebly.com/serial-poetry.html ).
And my first link didn't show up. Here they are. Warnings for unmarked spoilers.
Mass Effect, Gender and Sex
The Problem of Vendetta
And my first link didn't show up. Here they are. Warnings for unmarked spoilers.
Mass Effect, Gender and Sex
The Problem of Vendetta
Hi Asha, Drat I missed your comment yesterday. Would you mind linking to your blog, I would love to read more delicious ME3 rants. I haven't finished the game yet and I am bracing myself for the ending. Its just that I am enjoying the game so much and EA and Bioware's decision to take advantage of their fans and milk us for all we are worth is beyond annoying me. I did download the Infiltrator game and started playing it. For some strange reason I keep uploading intel from the game and it does nothing for my EMS. Perhaps I am missing something. I am not really enjoying that game either, the controls feel cumbersome and prolonged play gives me headaches so I guess multiplayer it is :(
Hi Asha, Drat I missed your comment yesterday. Would you mind linking to your blog, I would love to read more delicious ME3 rants. I haven't finished the game yet and I am bracing myself for the ending. Its just that I am enjoying the game so much and EA and Bioware's decision to take advantage of their fans and milk us for all we are worth is beyond annoying me. I did download the Infiltrator game and started playing it. For some strange reason I keep uploading intel from the game and it does nothing for my EMS. Perhaps I am missing something. I am not really enjoying that game either, the controls feel cumbersome and prolonged play gives me headaches so I guess multiplayer it is :(
*beams* Glad to make you smile. The face paint was free, as we were doing a trunk fair at the time. Again, I'd never done it so there were some... paralyzing... moments when I had to plot out how exactly I was going to do a particular request. But it forced me to be creative and figure things out.
The really amusing thing? I was working at a Small Name Big Ego art museum.
I adore face paint, partially because at one job I had was told by my boss- hey, you! You, who draw passably well! You're doing face paint for the kids!
What do you mean, you have no experience? We told you to paint faces.
And I did it and had a blast. I love how face paint transforms skin into a work of art. I also like to look at tattoos, even if I doubt I will never get one. A well done piece of art on skin is something I find mesmerizing.
This week, I kept working on a fanfic I've been working on for about a year now. Trying very hard not to burn out on it, but that is a real danger at this moment. Also trying to play ME3 for fourth time, this time as a different class. Its been surprisingly hard. Vanguard Smash! Has been my favorite thing since, well, ever.
Been having to get out letters to our members that have the Passport level at work. (I work at a children's museum, currently) If you have an ACM level, the program is changing from minimum of two adults and two children to six people at half price. We've tried to keep our members informed, but other museums aren't as... friendly, to their members. We've lost sales in that area, but we won't have people demanding refunds, either.
I adore face paint, partially because at one job I had was told by my boss- hey, you! You, who draw passably well! You're doing face paint for the kids!
What do you mean, you have no experience? We told you to paint faces.
And I did it and had a blast. I love how face paint transforms skin into a work of art. I also like to look at tattoos, even if I doubt I will never get one. A well done piece of art on skin is something I find mesmerizing.
This week, I kept working on a fanfic I've been working on for about a year now. Trying very hard not to burn out on it, but that is a real danger at this moment. Also trying to play ME3 for fourth time, this time as a different class. Its been surprisingly hard. Vanguard Smash! Has been my favorite thing since, well, ever.
Been having to get out letters to our members that have the Passport level at work. (I work at a children's museum, currently) If you have an ACM level, the program is changing from minimum of two adults and two children to six people at half price. We've tried to keep our members informed, but other museums aren't as... friendly, to their members. We've lost sales in that area, but we won't have people demanding refunds, either.
Thanks So much Paul A. I would love a link to your friends posts. I usually just hear horror stories about how everyone hates n00bs who can't cut it in Multiplayer and ruin everyone's experience and I am terrified of being that person. I very briefly considered playing SWOTOR because I loved the KOTOR games and wanted to be back in that universe but decided against it because ...well Multiplayer :)
Um... If there are any mods around, I think a comment of mine got sent to the spam filter by mistake because it included two web-addresses. (I'm not sure how to make a link on disqus, so it's just the URLs.)
Can one of you please check for me? (It'd be under the same name as this post.)
Thanks.
If you have lots of spare time, it might be worth it for the bits in between, or it might not. I learned a little more about Lewis's life, but I knew next to nothing before reading it. I also hadn't read the space trilogy and it talked a little about those books. If the guy had skipped on the Freudian theory and stuck to the books and Lewis's life, it would've been a much better book.
If you have lots of spare time, it might be worth it for the bits in between, or it might not. I learned a little more about Lewis's life, but I knew next to nothing before reading it. I also hadn't read the space trilogy and it talked a little about those books. If the guy had skipped on the Freudian theory and stuck to the books and Lewis's life, it would've been a much better book.
It is entirely possible to play SW:TOR without interacting with anyone (real, that is). I do it all the time. I am the most anti-social MMO player ever. Sadly, they made the free to play restrictions pretty nasty, but if all that's holding you back is worry about interacting with people? You don't have to. Ever.
(As far as I can tell, it's a pretty friendly playerbase, at least on the RP servers, but...well...anti-social. So I haven't actually played with any random people. Responses to questions in general chat are friendly and helpful 99% of the time, though, which seems like a good sign.)
I read The Skeleton in the Wardrobe years ago, and I was unimpressed with it for just that reason; it was almost pure Freudian theory.
Ok, I have a lot of clever and insightful things I want to say in response to other comments, but first:
OMG YOU GUYZ YOU HAVE TO GO READ THIS, LIKE, RIGHT NOW!
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/we-found-our-son-in-the-subway/?smid=tw-share
Kristycat: OMG, I cried by the end of this tale. That is amazing.
Kristycat: OMG, I cried by the end of this tale. That is amazing.
Also: I torrent ebooks. I've read all of the books in English at my local library and buying some from a book store would cost several day's food money because they either have to be imported in English and there's a small market for them or translated. I buy books about once a year, but I can't afford to buy as many as I would like to read. The money I can afford to spend on books goes to women of colour authors. For example, I really want to read The Thousand Kingdoms by Jemisin, but I haven't looked for it on the torrent sites; I'm waiting until I can afford it. Dead white author who was allegedly married but wrote women characters as if he'd never actually talked to a woman? Torrent.
@Ana - As with most things, the more we look at it, the more the legends become mythological instead of pseudohistorical. It makes you wish there was a little bit more of Shown Their Work instead of Critical Research Failure. It's trying to be a chivalric romance (pastiche?), which tend to gloss over the problematic parts of the system in favor of trying to tell the adventure. Like you mentioned in that post, the Narnians take on the role of the peasantry, who are characterized as too stupid to rule themselves and fix problems without the benevolent dictatorship of the landed nobility and mounted knights-errant. It's a giant pile of WTF all around.
@Ana - As with most things, the more we look at it, the more the legends become mythological instead of pseudohistorical. It makes you wish there was a little bit more of Shown Their Work instead of Critical Research Failure. It's trying to be a chivalric romance (pastiche?), which tend to gloss over the problematic parts of the system in favor of trying to tell the adventure. Like you mentioned in that post, the Narnians take on the role of the peasantry, who are characterized as too stupid to rule themselves and fix problems without the benevolent dictatorship of the landed nobility and mounted knights-errant. It's a giant pile of WTF all around.
Reading: The Last RingBearer is a retelling of the Lord of the Rings by a Russian author (I'm reading an English translation) told as if the original lord of the rings were "an embellished history of a war as told by the victors" and the Last RingBearer is instead told from the perspective of the Orcs. it is very good. You can download it here. http://ymarkov.livejournal.com/280578.html
Writing: I am trying to write a letter to grandma.
Playing: URW! http://www.jmp.fi/~smaarane/urw.html I totally have a special interest in this game right now. I'm obsessed with it and have memorised all sorts of obscure facts about it. It's a survival game set in iron age pagan Finland and you have to run around fish and hunt and build a house and live and you can grow crops and you can wander around and it's really realistic you have to make a hole in the ice to get water in the winter.
Watching: my cat drown straws, hair tyes, and small plush toys in his water bowl.
What's everyone's favourite way to eat eggs? My favourite way to eat eggs is to add ingredients to them and then bake them and they turn into cookies.
Reading: The Last RingBearer is a retelling of the Lord of the Rings by a Russian author (I'm reading an English translation) told as if the original lord of the rings were "an embellished history of a war as told by the victors" and the Last RingBearer is instead told from the perspective of the Orcs. it is very good. You can download it here. http://ymarkov.livejournal.com/280578.html
Writing: I am trying to write a letter to grandma.
Playing: URW! http://www.jmp.fi/~smaarane/urw.html I totally have a special interest in this game right now. I'm obsessed with it and have memorised all sorts of obscure facts about it. It's a survival game set in iron age pagan Finland and you have to run around fish and hunt and build a house and live and you can grow crops and you can wander around and it's really realistic you have to make a hole in the ice to get water in the winter.
Watching: my cat drown straws, hair tyes, and small plush toys in his water bowl.
What's everyone's favourite way to eat eggs? My favourite way to eat eggs is to add ingredients to them and then bake them and they turn into cookies.
@Ana - You're right. I think I'm pegging my feudal ideal to the earlier parts of the Middle Ages, possibly father back into the end parts of the "Dark" Ages. I think, generally, the more mercantile exchange there is, by land or sea, the likelier it is that the merchant class can buy their way into the nobility. International wars exacerbate the effect some. I think of the Italian city-states as the ur-example of the merchants taking over, but that may be too far forward in time.
@Ana - You're right. I think I'm pegging my feudal ideal to the earlier parts of the Middle Ages, possibly father back into the end parts of the "Dark" Ages. I think, generally, the more mercantile exchange there is, by land or sea, the likelier it is that the merchant class can buy their way into the nobility. International wars exacerbate the effect some. I think of the Italian city-states as the ur-example of the merchants taking over, but that may be too far forward in time.
Yay!! a open thread on what we are playing. Possible spoilers on Mass Effect3 following. I am playing Mass Effect 3 finally, a year late and I was about quarter way through the game when my nasty suspicions were confirmed that the only way to get the best possible ending on this game was to log on and play Multiplayer. I do not play Multiplayer ever. Playing with strangers on the Internet gives me anxiety attacks since I am a mediocre player at best and I am terrible at fast paced run and gun combat. However having sunk a year and a half on Commander Katherine Shepherd's illustrious career, and being obsessed with happy endings, I tentatively logged on and tried my first Multiplayer match. I played on the lowest possible challenge level hopefully filled with n00bs like myself and... it was not bad. I even got my health revived by said Internet strangers a couple of times.. So slightly more optimistic. However I am still not really enjoying this and wish I didn't have to do it. Half way through the game now so holding off till last possible minute to get my EMS up, since Darth EA decided that it wasn't just necessary to play Multiplayer, you need to keep at it to keep your scores up. So a year late to the party and probably completely redundant but still had to do it. Curse you Bioware and EA!! and your evil mercenary decisions. Probably have another rant forthcoming on injustice to Female Shepherd.
I don't know if anyone else has told you this, but if you have the datapad ap for an idevice, it helps get your EMS up.
I've written an blog post about something similar that happens to FemShep, especially as how it pertains to love interests.
And yeah, I utterly hated the ending, even with the EC. I'm hoping the Citadel DLC will be a saving throw. I'm going to wait on the reviews, but the other DLCs like Leviathan and Omega sound like they aren't worth the money and I haven't wanted to put down the money to play them.
Hi! I'm Asha, and I can rant about Mass Effect 3 for hours if you ever need someone to vent to!
Exceedingly off-topic in regard to the Narnia post, but the idea of a landowner in a presumably lord-and-vassal fiefdom system having a large cash flow made my medievalist senses go "Bzuh?"
So, your standard lord-and-vassal exchange, to the best of my knowledge, works something like this:
I, lord, lease to you, vassal, a piece of my land for you to farm and build a house on. I will provide you a system of justice for resolving disputes between you and my other vassals, and I will do my best to protect you and yours should a foreign lord or conqueror attempt to take my land away from you.
You, vassal, in exchange, will provide me with some percentage of the fruits of your land, whether grown, born, or created on that land. You will also work my remaining land during harvest season (and possibly before), and should I call you to war, you will show up with your personal arms, armor, and horse (if you have one) when I call you, and you will faithfully serve until I send you back to being a farmer.
For quite a while, that's how things worked. Most of the taxation in play was in labor or actual goods. With the onset of kings fighting long and expensive foreign wars, they need to raise more capital to keep the troop levels high and keep the troops well-supplied. this opens the door to two things - vassals that prefer to live rather than potentially die in pointless wars can send a certain amount of money in lieu of their military service (yep, draft-dodging is older than you think), and merchants (who run supply lines and sell the goods kings are looking to buy) are able to purchase their way into the landed nobility by funding the wars of the lords. For a while, the language (especially Italian, I think) distinguishes between the landed nobility and the bought nobility, but eventually the merchants win out. This ends up changing the economies from a land-based economy to a cash-based one. Not coincidentally, many of the monarchies start finding themselves under intense pressure to not be monarchies any more, our to Grammy rights and chatters that would have been unthinkable in previous centuries.
Without indications that the Lone Isles have made that transition from lords to merchants (unlikely), that means Bern may be rich, but it will most likely be in goods and labor (and a draftable fighting force), but not in cash.
I'm probably simplifying a lot, but that is my "if Narnia plays by some amount of historical rules" thing.
Completely off topic (hey, that's what open threads are for, yes?), I've been amusing myself by teaching Akinator about characters from Kit Whitfield novels. (I may move onto your Pulchitrude tomorrow.)
TRiG.
less bulky less gaudy "Children only like bright colors"
While my own water wings were* bright yellow, I have seen them in translucent medium-dark blue. (Less bulky by not blowing them up all the way, maybe?)
*When I was a child I assumed that Mom could float only because she's fat and--since I don't seem to be following in her footsteps--I would never have a float-capable body type and would always be stuck with wings if I wanted to float. I was pleasantly surprised to find that puberty (at least the estrogen-based kind) was sufficient to do it.
(I get why the inhale helps you come back up if you've started to sink, but not why the exhale doesn't cancel that out)
It doesn't? I've found a noticeable decrease in buoyancy with relatively-empty lungs compared to fairly-full ones. If I'm in a position where my nose is barely above water to begin with, I have to hold my breath to keep from getting water up my nose.
less bulky less gaudy "Children only like bright colors"
While my own water wings were* bright yellow, I have seen them in translucent medium-dark blue. (Less bulky by not blowing them up all the way, maybe?)
*When I was a child I assumed that Mom could float only because she's fat and--since I don't seem to be following in her footsteps--I would never have a float-capable body type and would always be stuck with wings if I wanted to float. I was pleasantly surprised to find that puberty (at least the estrogen-based kind) was sufficient to do it.
(I get why the inhale helps you come back up if you've started to sink, but not why the exhale doesn't cancel that out)
It doesn't? I've found a noticeable decrease in buoyancy with relatively-empty lungs compared to fairly-full ones. If I'm in a position where my nose is barely above water to begin with, I have to hold my breath to keep from getting water up my nose.
I've found a noticeable decrease in buoyancy with relatively-empty lungs compared to fairly-full ones.
This is definitely true, but it seems to me like the process of breathing tends to keep you afloat more than would otherwise be the case. It could just be that people tend to keep a full breath of air in for a longer period than they have their lungs empty so there's less time in down than there is in up.
I wandered over to Rachel Aaron's blog and...people are uploading books to torrent sites?
With e-book prices being (generally) so reasonable and things like libraries, what's with that? It's not like we're talking a cable show that isn't streamed online, even for a subscription fee or with ads, and there is no way for a person to legally purchase it until months after the season airs.
(Note: Even in such a case, I would not support illegal downloads. I believe that the people who poured massive amounts of time, energy, money, and talent into a work deserve to be paid for it. I'm just using the comparison to illustrate that there shouldn't be a market incentive to pirate books when compared to other media because legal access to books is generally easier than other entertainment media.)
I'm currently reading Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" for my MFA program. I think I like it; it captures a certain sensibility, which I am also trying to capture albeit in a completely different fictional context, very well. (The one thing about it that I find completely unbelievable is that the characters are college students, though I do understand why she chose that setting.)
I hope it's not out of line to post this again, but we're pushing the first episode live next week so it seems timely: the podcast I've been co-writing and voicing, The Hermes & Hekate Road Show. Watch http://hhroadshow.libsyn.com/ for episodes; we're still waiting for iTunes approval. We are also on Facebook of course: https://www.facebook.com/HermesHekateRoadShow
I'm currently reading Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" for my MFA program. I think I like it; it captures a certain sensibility, which I am also trying to capture albeit in a completely different fictional context, very well. (The one thing about it that I find completely unbelievable is that the characters are college students, though I do understand why she chose that setting.)
I hope it's not out of line to post this again, but we're pushing the first episode live next week so it seems timely: the podcast I've been co-writing and voicing, The Hermes & Hekate Road Show. Watch http://hhroadshow.libsyn.com/ for episodes; we're still waiting for iTunes approval. We are also on Facebook of course: https://www.facebook.com/HermesHekateRoadShow
[CN: Rampant misogyny]
A constant distraction for me this week has been the discussion attached to this article, "What should we call Mens' Rights Advocates?", which is itself a reasonable brief musing on whether MRAs are actually seeking 'rights'. It was quiet for a few days (I had a brief exchange with the author on the meaning of 'power', it was nice) before the misogynists set upon it to explain that feminism is made of hatred and kitten tears. I've been hopping back in on occasion to try to respond to people, but it's a hell of a thing. It was, at least, an opportunity to test drive a few thoughts I've been having lately which will likely transmute into blog posts.
Speaking of which! I may or may not keep operating my blog in some capacity, but I have also joined a friend's blog, Something Short and Snappy, where she has been running a feminist/sex-positive dissection of the 50 Shades series of books, interspersed with other posts on social justice and the like. Those who haven't yet read any of her 50 Shades posts may want to take a look, and my first post in what is expected to be an ongoing analysis of Ender's Game will be going up this Sunday.
Aaaalso, I have re-re-discovered the blog of author Rachel Aaron, a talented new-ish fantasy author who takes a strong interest in providing advice to aspiring authors and sharing insights on what techniques have helped with her writing process. It's prodded me to not give up on my next audacious NaNovel plan, which is to write the first third of the story in March (not an official NaNo month) and then use the April NaNoCamp to write the last 50K, thus ending up with a completed story for the first time in a long time. This will be gruelling, because March is the month of savage overtime work in my job, but I remain resolute.
[CN: Rampant misogyny]
A constant distraction for me this week has been the discussion attached to this article, "What should we call Mens' Rights Advocates?", which is itself a reasonable brief musing on whether MRAs are actually seeking 'rights'. It was quiet for a few days (I had a brief exchange with the author on the meaning of 'power', it was nice) before the misogynists set upon it to explain that feminism is made of hatred and kitten tears. I've been hopping back in on occasion to try to respond to people, but it's a hell of a thing. It was, at least, an opportunity to test drive a few thoughts I've been having lately which will likely transmute into blog posts.
Speaking of which! I may or may not keep operating my blog in some capacity, but I have also joined a friend's blog, Something Short and Snappy, where she has been running a feminist/sex-positive dissection of the 50 Shades series of books, interspersed with other posts on social justice and the like. Those who haven't yet read any of her 50 Shades posts may want to take a look, and my first post in what is expected to be an ongoing analysis of Ender's Game will be going up this Sunday.
Aaaalso, I have re-re-discovered the blog of author Rachel Aaron, a talented new-ish fantasy author who takes a strong interest in providing advice to aspiring authors and sharing insights on what techniques have helped with her writing process. It's prodded me to not give up on my next audacious NaNovel plan, which is to write the first third of the story in March (not an official NaNo month) and then use the April NaNoCamp to write the last 50K, thus ending up with a completed story for the first time in a long time. This will be gruelling, because March is the month of savage overtime work in my job, but I remain resolute.
Face paint = TEH AWESOME.
There is a lady at the farmer's market who does it. The full face designs cost $5 a piece, which on the one hand is a ridiculous waste of money, and on the other hand is a small price to pay for joy and imagination and taking on the roles of mystical folk creatures like fairies, Hulk, and the Angry Birds.
Face paint = TEH AWESOME.
There is a lady at the farmer's market who does it. The full face designs cost $5 a piece, which on the one hand is a ridiculous waste of money, and on the other hand is a small price to pay for joy and imagination and taking on the roles of mystical folk creatures like fairies, Hulk, and the Angry Birds.
Have made two of my trhee deadlines. Doing edits to make the third. So far, I have turned in a cyberpunk piece and a short story about a horse-shifter who finds love. (His boyfriend is all "eh, so he's a Palomino three nights a month.") Need to finish editing the story of the woman who meets Pan on a business retreat.
Reading Dreams of Steam 2: Brass and Bolts. It's...uneven. Anthologies always are. Enjoying The Love That Never Dies more.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was surprisingly good. But I didn't go in expecting anything amazing, just a workmanlike paranormal. pseudo-historical. And I got it. It also passes the Bechdel.
A cool thing I found today while looking for something else:
The Matter of the Monster is a charming, very short, game that tells the story of three siblings who set out, one after the other, on a quest to slay a monster. At least, eventually that's the story it tells, but it doesn't do it all at once, or in order: the storyteller keeps going back and adding details in response to prompts from the story's audience. The player's role is to nudge the story at key points: are the siblings brothers or sisters? is this a traditional story in which the third sibling succeeds where others have failed, or a tale about co-operation where each of the siblings contributes something to the victory, or somewhere in between? And what kind of monster is it, anyway?
(There's also an evolving meta-story about who the storyteller and the audience are, and why the story is being told.)
The author is Andrew Plotkin, an experienced game designer who's written several longer games that are well-regarded and I'm told play around with storytelling conventions in interesting ways, but which I admit I've never got around to playing myself.
"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "Everyone knows that it's helpless old women in the forest that turn out to be disguised fairies. Not madmen with ice cream on their hats."
I love face paint. I have a strong tendency to create LARP character who need some kind of paint or prosthetics, because it's so much easier to switch into their mindset if I can look in the mirror and see them, instead of me. It's like costume, but somehow more visceral.
Divya, I have a friend who is not good with strangers or fast-paced run-and-gun combat games, who recently got into Mass Effect and has been posting a lot lately about how n00b-friendly and helpful his Mass Effect multiplayer experience has been. I can offer you a link if you think you'd find it helpful/encouraging.
(What I've been playing lately is Batman: Arkham City, which I've been really into, but it has... issues. On top of the usual Batman issues around depicting mental illness, and violence as a useful problem-solving tool, I mean. For one thing, it's set in winter, with temperatures dipping below zero Celcius and occasional snow, but you'd never know it from the way any of the female characters are dressed. The Catwoman sidequest does pass the Bechdel Test, at least.)
Post a Comment