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A different campaign
So, since Reive is stuck working with an unreliable schedule, we’re starting a new campaign. We’ve got a human criminal who woke up after his execution in a strange metallic body, and had to craft himself a human suit to be able to blend in. It took him a while to realize that he’s a continent and a few hundred years away from where he died. He was buried with a rather large rifle, which despite having no memory of, he knows intimately, including how to fire it, reload it, and craft ammunition for it. For those who were wondering,…
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Matt’s Campaign – Day Five
The party continues to try to get off the crumbling bridge. Ismark tried to leap onto the wagon, but failed, falling to the ground. One of the werewolves leaps up and tries to pull Vellos from the wagon, Vellos resists, and then throws a thunderwave into him, knocking him off the side of the wagon. The merc tried to press on, his horse was slashed by the larger werewolf as he got into range. The elf drew the sun sword, which blazed to life, filling the forest with light. Ismark gets up from being run over by the cart, and…
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I’ve noticed.
I’ve noticed that I haven’t been writing lately, that I haven’t managed to create anything interesting. I had an interesting idea for a time travel setting, which I flesh out a bit, but it stalled somewhere. I should be doing more writing. I shouldn’t let the ideas get stalled. I should create something and when it doesn’t feel right, either push through it, or move on to something else. And instead, I keep thinking about things, but not putting anything down on the screen.
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Matt’s Campaign – Day Four
Returning to the Vishtani encampment, the party partially split up to rest. The bard and mercenary ate and quickly went to sleep in the encampment. The wizard and the cleric studied the book, to figure out what would need to be done to weaken Strahd’s hold. The wizard summoned a new familiar to replace the one that melted earlier. She attempted to summon a snake, and ended up with an undead snake. Cause Ravenloft. Half the party headed back into the town, using disguises to get past the guards, who are still looking for us after that whole coffin maker’s…
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Matt’s Campaign – Day Three
Two players are missing, so today’s game will be a little odd. The cleric is going to set up the tower to properly burn after we killed the hags in it. The bard will study the book, in an attempt to translate it. The paladin and the fighter went down the hill to talk to some ravens, and then into some ruins. There appear to be some giants guarding the ruins. The ruins contain an altar, likely the altar of seasons. The batten down the tower as best we can. The strange barrel of ichor is moved in front of…
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Matt’s Campaign – Day Two
We awoke after sleeping in the gypsy camp, to find that Kevin now has breasts and considerably more curves than the night before. Most of the party don’t comment on this. The paladin, goes out of his way to comment, and seems okay with it. The party backtracks past the gallows, before heading to a bridge that crosses the river that fed the lake that the gypsies had camped near. We reached a second set of gates. Passing through them, we secured them closed and camped for the night. During the third watch, when Silion and Vellos were on watch, something…
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Matt’s Campaign – Day One
Iannyor, Twin Blades, and Vellos are sitting around a camp fire, while Sileon is sitting nearby, manacled. Iannyor is cooking, Vellos is strumming his lute, enjoying the captive audience, while Twin Blades is looking for trouble. As the sun goes down, the mist rolls in. The mist is rather creepy, and chilling. The strange priestess attempts to bash her head in against the tree, and while Iannoyr wanted to stop her. Vellos felt this was a religious, so told them not to. In the morning, while Vellos was checking around, he noticed that they’ve gone to a new land. A…
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Sunday morning
“So we’ll meet in the morning then?” “Yea, get together early. Maybe eight or so.” “Eight… Eight AM is your idea of early?” “Well, early for a weekend… When I could sleep in.” “Your parents never dragged you to church?” “Well, they tried once, but you know… Burst into flames and all that.” “Whatever vampire boy.” “Not me, the church.” “Oh.” “Wasn’t really my fault though.” “Do I believe that?”
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Techmage – thoughts
While listening to a podcast the other day, I heard something that amused me. A conversation about early wearable computing, a guy who’d taken a washable keyboard, cut into into a split keyboard, then attached them to a pair of cargo pants, with a USB tail coming out of the back pocket. This reminded me of the cultist robes and wrists keyboard for the techmages that I’d joked about. Included for those who weren’t around back then, the idea was that a group of hackers/coders could put together a set of robes with keyboards mounted on the underside of their…
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Firewatch : probably worth playing
So, the Campo Santo game Firewatch was released the other day and I finished it in a pair of sittings. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I’m going to discuss it. Warning, there will be spoilers.
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update incomplete
Today I did my first day on a main unit for a TV series. Previously, I’d done two shifts of second unit. It’s been a hell of a learning experience. I would like to write more, but my fingers aren’t actually working right now. I’m hitting a typo every second word.
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Stranger Days.
So, a friend of mine arranged for me to work as a PA. I did that Thursday. It was a long day, but I enjoyed it. I left my place at around 12:30, got home around 4:30 the next day. And I’m going to do it again.
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Today’s Summary.
So, I got frustrated today, and ended up not coming back from my lunch time walk. I had been tempted to do that the day before, but I forced myself to go back in. Today, I wasn’t able, or perhaps willing, to do that. Instead I took a longer walk.
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T’ree and a quarter.
So I’ve lost over 40 lbs in the last few months, since my doctor told me I was diabetic. My blood sugars have been stable with the daily metformin. I’ve been eating simpler meals and turning down sweets and extra meals. I’ve been getting in at least a twenty minute walk every day, plus usually another if I can. It’s been working, my body is in better shape. My mind, I’m less clear on. I’ve been getting a little more sleep, I think. I’ve not had much time with friends recently. I’m still having issues with work. I’ve not been…
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VR game idea
I’ve got a vr game idea I would love to see developed. A moral choice game where you have an angel and a demon on your shoulders, that are only visible in the peripheral vision, not when you look at them directly, and that emit a glow when you’re working for their alignment. Titling your head towards one voice, better hearing it. Except when the other one decides to scream. Thinking it would work best as a detective game with really grey moral choices. At one point, I wrote a screenplay about an implanted conscience, so that’s the other possible…
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Private security drones.
Given the rise of private security forces, it makes sense for someone to put together a collection of drone riggers for the purposes of special operations. Better overwatch potential than most groups can manage, especially if concealed as paparazzi and tourists. The technology is here, which means the profits are likely there.
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Diabetes Daycare
At the class on the 7th floor of Burnaby General. Got my blood sugar metre, connected it via Bluetooth, so the results would be stored. It has a decent app, and it looks like there are other apps that’ll interface with the data. It’ll even send emails/texts like this one: Last blood sugar reading: 5.4, After Meal, In Range Date/Time: 01 Jun 2016, 10:11 It’s a Bluetooth link, and I’ve a habit of keeping my Bluetooth off. Thinking I’ll get a RFID couple of stickers for the case, tap the phone, unlock it, enable the Bluetooth, then tap the phone…
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Drones…
Chat Transcript 10:32:33 PM [Ma] Hi, my name is Ma from Rogers Montreal, Quebec. How are you today? 10:32:43 PM [Ashton] Not bad. Yourself? 10:33:17 PM [Ma] Great! I’m fine, thanks for asking. 10:33:21 PM [Ma] How may I help you today? 10:33:23 PM [Ashton] Simple question. The Rogers One Number web based interface isn’t updating text messages. Known issue? 10:35:55 PM [Ma] I do understand how important it is to manage your account. You mentioned you would like to know regarding the Rogers One number interface is not updating text messages. I can definitely assist you with this today.…
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Weekly board games – end of may.
51st State Master set, arrived in the mail yesterday, got in two games of it last night. Despite the similarities to Imperial Settlers, it plays fairly different. The limit on the tokens you can convert per turn changes the dynamic. You can’t just work with the raw materials. Innovation, twice over the weekend. It plays fairly quickly, though it gets a big chaotic with 4 players. Shipwrights of the North Sea. Sunday night. Drafting ships and workers, with limited space. Workers are your income and base material to convert to other goods. It’s interesting. But seemed to stall midgame.
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a phone call.
“I need you to help me kill a couch.” “Right…” There was a long pause. “Exactly how alive is it?” “Fairly mobile. It managed to maim one person.” A short pause. “Might be others, with something like this, it’s unlikely anyone will report it.” “Do we have any idea of where it came from, how to kill it or where it is?” “Best guess, fertility spell gone wrong. As for killing it… Fire. Fire usually works.” There was a quiet sigh from the other end of the phone. “And for current location, the maimed victim was in the alley by…
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Social training
A recent facebook post a trio who saw someone drug a woman’s drink and then told her about it got me thinking about social conditioning. Specifically that for the most part, people don’t intercede in things. There are a few exceptions, who have that protective impulse that overrides the Someone Else’s Problem Field that so often protects the perpetrators. Would it make any sense to create a group that operates something like improve anywhere, but with a domestic abuse focus? Creating scenes in public and seeing who, if anyone, intercedes, and then perhaps talking to the witnesses about it afterwards?…
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Content generation
It was suggested earlier that I should consider doing a podcast. That I take my gift for writing and create some decent serial content. This means I need a writing partner, and a session partner. Any volunteers? Also, there is a suggestion to create a series about using esports to influence frat boys into rivalries in a series of vaultec style experiments. Monoculture and tribalism.
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Writing a bit more, but not writing enough.
I need to be working on more of my fiction. I need to be reading and writing on a daily basis. I haven’t worked on much fiction lately, and I really should be. The only way to become a better writer is to write, to keep putting words down. Minimal edits for clarity, rather than writing and rewriting the same chunk over and over again, until you bugger off from frustration.
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The Patrician’s Oubliette
A few months back, I killed my fetlife account, ceased being active in the community, and basically put that aspect of my life on the backburner, including dating. There were a few things that caused this, one factor was my continued discomfort with the toxic masculine behavior I kept seeing online. The final straw though, was lack of reaction from the community to an act I considered to be unforgivably wrong by someone else in the community. Last weekend, a local promoter called me, because he thought he needed a last minute favor. I agreed, showed up, helped with things.…
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Skipped the party.
I can move things, but I’ve no reason to try to be part of things. I’m not what belongs there anymore. I’ve grown off in a strange direction, somehow. I’m in a poorly tailored meatsuit, one that is falling apart from neglect. I’ve no desire to expose myself to my past. The regrets would likely carve a chunk from my chest. Disjointed and malformed thoughts. Hindsight forsaken for fear of clarity and painful truth. Friendships have felt strangely empty. I’m out of phase, so the handshake is fragmentary.
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Went hiking
So, I hiked up the TransCanada trail, from the base of SFU, over at Dalla Tina Ave, up and around to Cardiac Hill, and back down. It was about 9km, over the course of 2 hours. I went with a small group, a couple friends from work, some others who were in the area. I lagged a bit behind for most of it, the rest of them in better shape. Afterwards, I had intended to be social, but that didn’t work out. My legs were a little too sore, same with my feet. But I’ll probably do something similar next…
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Returns…
So, tonight I’m headed back to Club 23. Now known as Hindenburg. It was a place I spent more than a few nights over the years. Some good times, some rough times. I’m going to be working it, moving furniture, helping with getting an event up and running. For a community that I’m not sure I’m part of anymore. I am fond of the people who have asked for my help, which is why I’m doing it. I’m just unclear if I’ll fit into things these days. I killed my fetlife account, after a promoter who used to work at…
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Two weeks later.
Well, I’ve been watching my diet and I’m back to walking around 30 minutes a day. I’ve dropped down to 345lbs, which is surprising progress. Surprising enough that I am doubting the scale currently. Other than that, the weekend was a bust again. Didn’t manage Shadowrun, which was expected, didn’t manage the backup plan either. Did play some video games. The new episodic Hitman is pretty decent. Though it seems like I’m having issues with getting up to the third floor on the Italy level. I need to be writing more, I think. But I’m often lacking in inspiration these…
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Back turning!
Not a bad day. Spent some time playing with Andryoid and bluestack, found it runs the pathfinder adventure card games decently. Then I had a thirty minute walk. Partway through I was asked if I wanted to do some gaming. Picked up my copy of don’t turn your back, a deck building game by the evil hat guys, in the insomnia fueled nightmare city setting that they created for don’t rest your head. It’s interesting, I enjoyed it, though the card draw engine is unsuited for my preferred strategy of card cycling. Hopefully tonight I’ll get a chance to play…
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Fiasco
I’m thinking I’d like to play Fiasco. It’s an RPG-lite, with no GM, or an improv game with some dice and charts, depending on your perspective. Samples: Giant Bomb Plays Fiasco Tabletop Fiasco – Setup – Part 1 – Part 2 – Saturday Night 78 Shut Up and Sit Down Anyone interested in getting together for this? It would probably be on a weekend, though potentially on a weeknight with some preplanning.
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Fitness tracking
According to the tracker over at fit.google.com, I’ve gotten about 9 and a half hours of exercise in the last week. I’ve been making an effort to go for a walk during my lunch hour, on sunny days. I can get a good 3Km walk in, from Royal Oak Station to Edmonds station, then the train back to Royal Oak. that’s all I can manage over my lunch hour. After work, I’ve been heading home so I’m eating and taking the metforin at roughly the same time. I should be going for a walk after dinner, but I haven’t really…
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Sugar free
The threat of type two diabetes has been looming over me for a decade or more, as a larger person. It has now ceased looming, and is now actively influencing my life: Metforin with my meals, minimize sugar, get more exercise. I’m not sure how to deal with it, emotionally. Nor how to deal with the extra 30 lbs I’ve picked up in the last year. I need to get my bike checked out, so I can ride it, see if that’ll help. I want to get an exercise bike for my room, since I spend all my time in…
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The Ashlands Expedition
Extract from Ashlands Expedition: “I was told you know your business. I’m sending this call to more than I’m willing to hire so answer fast if you’re in. Solid pay: milk run if you can keep your head. Screw it up and I’ll slot you myself. Come prepared for a trip deep into Hell’s Kitchen. Meet me at the Magician’s Feast, back room. I’ll be waiting.” So, the crew met up in the back of a rather nice family style restaurant. The J wanted us to recover a package from the back of a bulldog that had been left out…
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Job – Bunraku Bust Out
Extract from Job – Bunraku Bust Out: “Hoi omae, got a job lined up for you. Some Italian J in a shiny suit needs a body brought back breathing and unharmed. You want the gig hit me back.” (Out of character notes: This will be the first time Dimestore and I have actually played in the same RPG in probably a year or more. That was Pathfinder and we kinda broke things a bit. This should be a fun session.) A drizzly Friday Morning in Seattle. The meeting takes place in an A zone. The meet is taking place in…
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Job – Final Notice.
Extract from Job – Final Notice: “J needs some uncooperative tenants evicted from his property without them raising too much of a fuss. Think you can handle things?” So, he showed up at the meeting, at a Soybucks wearing the Actioneer business suit. Carrying the greatcoat with the biker helmet. Forked Tongue, Delivery Boy, trying to climb the ladder down into the shadows. The J wanted a DNI call in a Soybucks. Unfortunately, the trodes were installed in his helmet. So, since the fellow was insisting on a DNI, he had to put on the helmet to take the call, which…
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Runner Hub
A few weeks back, the lovely folks over at the Arcology Podcast ran a pair on the reddit community of Runnerhub. It’s basically play-by-skype Shadowrun. Dimestore was interested and we did up some characters. He had a run earlier in the week, and I’ve got one line up for today, starting roughly 5 minutes from now. (or less by the time I actually post it.) I’ll be putting up an After Action Report here on the blog, and also over on Reddit.
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Existing
I’m currently questioning how much of myself still exists. It doesn’t seem like much, most of the time. An automated framework handling the day to day functions. Subroutines that trigger when specific topics are raised. Rote protocols for dealing with the majority of the tasks that could be considered interactions. I question if they are actually interactions, but a better term isn’t available at the moment. Well, a mechanical interface, without a consciousness behind it. Hell, that’s what the world seems to prefer.
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Lack of updates.
I’ve been unwilling to share my writing lately, mainly because it has not been very readable. Gibberish about random things, lacking structure. Also in part because I’ve felt under the weather. Weary and unconnected. With the exception of some brainstorming last Friday night, the parts of my brain that create interesting things have mostly been hibernating. A few weeks back, I missed seeing the Final Girls at the Rio. Tonight, I corrected that. Damn its a good movie. Similar in ways to Behind the Mask and to Cabin in the Woods; an intelligent deconstruction of a horror movie. The Horror…
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Final Version Arthur
Arthur METATYPE: HUMAN B 3, A 3, R 4, S 3, W 5, L 6/8, I 3, C 3, ESS 6, EDG 4, M 6 Condition Monitor (P/S): 10 / 11 Armor: 8 Limits: Physical 5, Mental 10, Social 6 Physical Initiative: 7+1D6 Astral Initiative: 6+3D6 Active Skills: Alchemy 1, Arcana 1, Assensing 4, Astral Combat 1, Banishing 2, Binding 1, Computer 1, Con 2, Counterspelling 4, Etiquette 1, Perception 3, Spellcasting 6, Summoning 5 Knowledge Skills: Gambling 2, Grey Markets 2, Magical Bounties 3, Magical Security 4, Magical Theory 4, Seattle Gangs 3 Languages: English N Qualities: Allergy, Common…
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Doctors appointment
Listening to the arcology podcast while I wait to talk to my doctor. Reminding me that I need to sort out some Shadowrun stuff. Didn’t sleep well last night. Fell asleep early, but woke up after a few hours, took a few more hours until I could get back to sleep.
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Relating to humanity.
I’ve been writing for a while now, and while some point love my ability to take a conversation or an idea and turn it into something concise on the page, I lack the skill to do the opposite of that. I seem to lack the ability to write characters who have believable dialogue or believable motives. This may be related to social awkwardness that I’ve suffered from, or perhaps a yet to be diagnosed position on the autism spectrum. Some of the reading I’ve done lately suggests that I have a tendency to make mistakes that are common among those…
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Revisting Wormwood
Update on http://murderhobo.club/horror-movie-wormwood/ The origin of the wood needs to be examined. In a short, the mysterious nature can be hinted at, in a longer piece, more exposure helps build the tension. The obviously would be to see the tree being felled, with something odd about the part of the forest that it is in. It seems like what would make sense would be to show the wood being carved, and something being subtly wrong with it. A shimmer to the raw wood, as if it had been varnished perhaps. Or the wood soaking up liquid in a way that…
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Partially recovered.
It seems like I’ve partially recovered from the Sunday crash I experienced. The numbness in my fingers has gone away. This is something that pops up from time to time, so may have been incidental to the actual issue. Until about 2 am, the feeling in my finger tips kept me awake. Last night, I was up every few hours thirsty and needing to use the bathroom. A couple of times, I needed to throw the pillows in the dryer before going back to sleep. The facial tingling is still there though. I’ll see the doctor tomorrow morning. After that,…
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Fun with paresthesias
The alcohol and late night triggered a serotonin drop, which resulted in SSRI withdrawal syndrome. That’s why I’ve nausea and dry mouth, to go with the previous heavy sweating I’d been experiencing. I’m currently suffering paresthesias, a strange tingling feeling down the sides of my face. My mood is good, overall. Aside from feeling sick to my stomach, I’m relaxed and somewhat hopeful.
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Constricted constructs.
I am badly written; I am a construct of logic warped and twisted around to meet goals that serve not the requirements of the flesh that contains them. I do not pursue the course that would be more profitable to me, I do not take the course that would logically lead towards rewards. Instead I stubbornly take the course to get answers and truths, despite knowing that I’ll cut myself, for there is no sharper knife than the honed truth.
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After parties and aftermath.
The final Noir was rather crowded. To the point of being uncomfortable. The end happened, so everyone and their mule needed to be there. There was a line down past the dessert shop. A friend of mine was in line for about two hours, waiting to get in. It was a proper send off, a proper end to a chapter. Reive worked his ass off tonight, keeping all the balls in the air, and hopefully he’ll enjoy his well deserved rest.
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Anticipation of alienation
Tomorrow is the last Noir, an event run by friends of mine. An event I’ve helped out with for a year or more at this point. It’ll be music and people, in a concrete bunker. Some aspects of it I’m sure I’ll enjoy, like spending time with friends and the music. On the other hand, it’ll be loud, and I’ll likely have the same feeling of not fitting in that I’ve had for ages now. Sure, I have a solid understanding of bdsm, kink, fetish, etc, but beyond mentoring, I haven’t engaged in any of it in ages. I have…
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Hobo with a shotgun – James
James – created with Hero Lab® James METATYPE: HUMAN B 3, A 5, R 6/11, S 3, W 4, L 4, I 4, C 5, ESS 0.02, EDG 4 Condition Monitor (P/S): 10 / 10 Armor: 9 Limits: Physical 7, Mental 6, Social 5 Physical Initiative: 10/15+4D6 Active Skills: Acting Group 5, Athletics Group 1, Blades 1, Computer 1, Demolitions 1, Escape Artist 1, Influence Group 1, Locksmith 2, Longarms 2, Outdoors Group 1, Perception 3, Pistols 3, Stealth Group 3, Unarmed Combat 2 Languages: Aztlaner Spanish 3, Chinese 3, English N, German 3, Japanese 3, Russian 4 Qualities: Big…
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Off my meds
So, a few weeks back, I got a renewal of my prescription for cipralex. But I misplaced it. So I never bothered to refill it, and when I got down to a handful of pills left, I lowered my dosage, so I wouldn’t be going off them cold turkey. I believe I’m starting to feel the effects of no longer being on them, but its hard to be sure. My tolerance for incompetence, rudeness and general disrespect have gone down a fair bit. In theory, I should notice other emotional responses, but at the moment I haven’t really encountered them.…
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Arthur – Hobo Mage
Arthur – created with Hero Lab® Arthur METATYPE: HUMAN B 2, A 4, R 4, S 2, W 5, L 6/8, I 4, C 3, ESS 6, EDG 4, M 6 Condition Monitor (P/S): 9 / 11 Armor: 8 Limits: Physical 4, Mental 11, Social 6 Physical Initiative: 8+1D6 Astral Initiative: 8+3D6 Active Skills: Acting Group 1, Arcana 1, Assensing 3, Astral Combat 1, Athletics Group 1, Conjuring Group 3, Counterspelling 4, Enchanting Group 1, Influence Group 1, Perception 3, Pistols 1, Ritual Spellcasting 2, Spellcasting 6, Stealth Group 1 Knowledge Skills: Classical Music 2, Gambling 2, Grey Markets 2,…
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Shadowrun character building
Well, we’ve got Fluffles the Troll, being built for Ian. We’ve got a black mage for Lori. Kylie has an elf killer, and Chris has a second story man. My character feels a little unfinished. I feel like I need to rebuild him. Right now, he’s a powerful mage, but it feels like he’s lacking motives.
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Horror movie – wormwood?
Eldritch wood is used in the construction of a ventriloquist’s dummy. Decades later, the puppet soaks up a puddle of blood. The murderer begins to hear voices during his act. Disturbing voices. They urge dark deeds. A few murders later, he is surprised when his arm is paralysed during his act. He numbly feels something gnawing into his flesh from the wood. The worms inside his skin flex and rearrange his face into a smile, ready for his next audience.
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Shadowrun character ideas.
We’ve got our DM back and we are looking at starting a new campaign. I’m a little unsure about what to play, since the characters seem to have a lack of cohesion at this point. We’ve got Katsu, a corporation-raised infiltration man, a mage who is very focused on avoiding conflict, and someone who is considering building a wookie in a winnebago. The latter fellow probably needs a smack upside the head, but the character concepts could work, potentially. Shadowrun is a rich system, and there are many routes to many end results. The same character concept can be made…
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Outings and such, part two.
I got a message this morning from my mother. She’d been able to see the thread that I had previously mentioned. She’s aware that I’m involved in the kink community, so this wasn’t a shock to her. Had the situation been different, that could have been rather stressful. For many people, what I’ve just described is a nightmare scenario, and is one of the reasons people have cited that they aren’t willing to stand up for their beliefs in the community. I had been aware of the possibility, since horror stories of outing as a weapon have existed as long…
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Outing and Such.
Well, originally today’s post was possibly going to be my grumbling about the difference between short term skills and long term skills, with regards to relationships, and to BDSM in particular, and how mistaking short term skills for long term can lead to a fair bit of trouble. Or possibly about the whole community charity moving thing that I’ve been working on, since apparently I haven’t done enough to promote it. Instead, it’s going to be about paranoia and vendettas, and outing people. I wrote something on Fetlife about how I no longer recommend Sin City to people. At one…
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Code blue?
I plan to write more often, I’m aiming to write daily, and I will be ranting more. Likely I will offend some people. Consider this your disclaimer. When I first created this site, I wanted a place where I could speak my mind freely without it impacting on the TOU of a few sites or on friends, Reive in particular; Erotic Vancouver where I’d been writing before was his brand, and I worried about tarnishing it. I let the fact that this was posting to Facebook taint the purpose, since I let myself worry about the audience again. Well, in…
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Empathy Training tools.
My copy of …and then, we held hands. has arrived. It’s a strange board game, and the writings about it have mentioned this. It can be played in silence, with both players showing what they have, attempting to work together to reach a common goal, for if one of you can’t use their cards to move, you both lose. I think Reive and Moondancer would be interested in it.
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Earthquake bandwagon
So, last night, at around twenty to midnight, there was a brief thump or rumble, as a M4.9 earthquake happened about 23Kms north of Victoria, about 45Kms underground. Relevance of the details? Well, the fact that it was deep underground means it probably wasn’t a prelude to the big one that people have been predicting. The reactions have been mixed. Some people are posting photos of minimal damage and saying we will rebuild, making light of the possible impact. For some, that’s the easiest way to cope with this fear that we’ve been all generally been ignoring. Others are looking…
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Blood Rage!
So, we played our first game of Blood Rage today. It was pretty enjoyable. The drafting mechanics were interesting, especially since nobody knew too much about what to expect. We found a few combos that felt a bit broken, like the leader who could travel after battle, pillaging around the board during the first age. In the third age, I managed to get the lovely combination of Eternal Dragons and Friga’s Domain, allowing my flaming ships to return if they were destroyed. We ended the game with myself at 144 points, Dimestore at 106, and the others not far behind.…
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2016 approaches.
Starting the year off with the end of Noir. Probably my last kink event for the foreseeable future. While I enjoy spending time with some of the people in the community and have the wisdom to might come in handy for some people, I seem to be lacking in some aspects that seem to be required. Aspects of bdsm are still something that I think will probably need in my relationships in the long term, but I suspect it’ll be something of a slower developmental nature. Though currently my thought is that at some point I became a type of…
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Post defense parity.
Well, I just did a training scenario where I had a man in high gear with a rubber knife stab me multiple times, with my objective being to kill him before I passed out from blood loss. Apparently I did pretty good at it. Had I been smarter, I’d have removed my glasses first, but losing them mid fight didn’t slow me down. Apparently I got in a few more kill shots than I realised, though I was clear when the scenario had ended. I think I was done slightly before “redredred” was called. My knees are not happy with…
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Database flop
A few weeks back, some entries and some comments vanished off the blog, because there was an issue with the mysql migration. They’ve been recovered, in the form of a database backup, I’m just not sure it’s worth the effort to get extract them and put them back up. It was interesting, because one entry in particular that I was in the process of rewriting was the one that I noticed first as missing. Briefly, I considered the possibility that someone had intentionally removed it. Given the security precautions, that seemed extremely unlikely. Still, it was an interesting sequence of…
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Adjusting to Days.
So, with everything that’s happened at work, I’ll be working day shift for the next while, which actually works really well for me, in theory. It is very different, since I’ve been working the evening shift for at least 9 months now. I’ve gotten used to not having a social life, not being able to attend the weekday game nights, missing the weeknight dinners, etc. It’ll mean getting up around 7 am, which means I’ll have time to have breakfast with Gram. Getting off at 6 pm instead of 9 pm, means I’ll be able to have dinner with her…
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Exploded Example, Conflict
This past weekend, I took a friend with me to Noir. It was his first time there though he ran into a few people he knew, mostly from his days in the electronic music scene or from providing medical services at music festivals. Initially, I kept an eye on him, to make sure he was comfortable and in case he had any questions, then I wandered off to be social and deal with the various things. At some point, I hooked up the Neon wand, gave him the basics of operating it, and left him running it as a demo…
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Weekend update.
So, I’m sitting here, on my “long” weekend, doing nothing much, waiting for the clocks to align so I can proceed. I’m going to be heading down to OV soon to pick up the Van, taking it to the lock up, loading it up with furniture, and then driving that down into a back alley, where people in tattered clothing will drag it down underneath a building and arrange it into a configuration. Afterwards, I’ll return the van where I got it, head home, relax for a bit, then eventually make my way down to said building, be social for…
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Removal of toxins.
Orphaned by choice. Today, I’ve added the majority of my family to the block list on my phone. If they want to contact me, they can reach me through email. The obvious exception is Gram. I’ve done this because my interactions with my family have been a negative experience for me for nearly as long as I can remember. There have been benefits, mostly financial, but there have also been detriments mostly to my emotional state and mental health. They’re in the final stages of moving to Squamish, swapping their living arrangements around. Prior to this, my sister was living…
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The DKIS Problem
The DKIS Problem a shorthand term for pair of competency related issues known as the Dunning-Kruger Effect and Impostor Syndrome. In simplest terms, a lack of perspective means that people will misjudge their abilities, with less introspective individuals judging themselves superior, while same time, more introspective individuals will judge that the tasks were simple. This leads to doubt that they have any additional competence, feeling that they are in fact impostors for any credit that they are given for their skills. Mainly this comes from the fact that the better you get at something, the more you understand all the…
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The thing about Tesla
So, someone on my facebook feed posted something about Telsa recently, specifically about the likelihood of the claims of his technology being “snake oil”, and exaggerated over the years. Obviously part of the reason for this is the PR engine that changed the story, both for the positive and the negative, because of the conflict between Telsa and Edison. Add in the whole Pulp culture mad science and the Eco friendly rhetoric, and you end up with quite a tangled history. Supposedly, Telsa was celibate, and possibly even asexual. I wonder if it is possible that he existed in a…
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Writing Session X4Z5P6
Garth and I are sitting here, having a beer, watching Youtube and doing some writing. We just watched the Suicide Squad trailer, and I was reminded of a previous script that I’d intended to put together ages back. So, the final lines in the trailer, are Joker saying, “I’m not going to kill you, I just want to hurt you.” And while that’s a cute idea, it doesn’t really suit me. I had an old script idea about the serial killer collective, brought together by social media and blackmail, dragged into a contest, where they split into teams, film their…
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I’ve lost an touchstone.
I was less than 20 when I moved out of my parent’s place. Before that I’d moved from the upper floor, where everyone lived, down in the basement, probably when I was still in elementary. So I’ve been moving away from my parents for probably about two-thirds of my life now. Still, I’ve used that address as my home address for the majority of my life. It would have been 3rd grade when we moved into that house. And now it has been sold. That link to my past, will cease to be. I’m not sure how I feel about…
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This weekend was brutal
So, weekends, they’re a time to relax from the stress of the 40+ hour work week; Down time. This weekend, not so much. I was asked to dogsit for my parents, since everyone was out of town. Then I was told that the dogsitting also included taking the dogs for a 2 hour walk, during the open house that they’re having. Their neighborhood, isn’t really fun to take walks in; too many hills. Moreover, this walk needed to happen between 2pm and 4pm, which meant that there was a distinct lack of shade. Anyways, add to that the fact that…
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Starlit Citadel, and Advertising.
Starlit Citadel is my FLGS of choice, despite not being all that local to me, having hours that totally don’t overlap with my work schedule, and them being more a warehouse than a store. I met them a few years back at Gottacon, and we’ve run into each other at various places since then. I’ve even helped them move. No surprise there, who haven’t I helped move? For ages now, I’ve been referring people to their site, though I haven’t actually been using the referral links, so I haven’t been getting the Citizen Rewards bonus points that I should be…
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stall
Writing-wise, I’ve stalled. I haven’t produced a piece in weeks, and I certainly haven’t been keeping up anything resembling recent activities posts. Of course a partial reason for that would be the lack of recent activities. I haven’t produced anything for Erotic Vancouver since the pre-Rascals article I put up, even though there’s been a variety of events since then. I found someone who’ll take over the calendar, but getting it set up has been a pain. Oh, right, I did do something social one evening. I had a drink with a friend. That was nice. We had random shots…
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Ashes… Its coming.
So, my pre-order of Ashes is officially on it’s way here. Its been shipped out of Snakes and Lattes in Toronto. So, I’ll have a copy by Wednesday or Thursday night. This means I need to plan a session for Saturday/Sunday. Who wants to give this game a chance?
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Laughing Buddha’s Sexting App
It was Laughing Buddha who started it all. He wrote the original code, built the wrapper, and hooked in the APIs. And he did it with such subtlety that even though people expected the malware, they didn’t have a clue what it did. They figure it was harmless, just a bit of market research, some bullshit targeted advertising, but overall, nothing dangerous. Too bad little Laughing Buddha had other plans. Near as anyone can figure, he’s some sort of satirist, but believes in educating people through, well, I guess the best description would be painful lessons. The product was simple,…
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epiphany – even in absence
I’ve had something of an anti-epiphany, a moment of knowing that I know not. It’s still technically an epiphany, since it’s a striking realization, but at the same time, it’s also a lack it, since it was also a moment of profound emptiness. There is the knowing of the things, and that is wisdom, and the knowing of that which you do not know, and that is wise. This however, is the knowing of not knowing. A moment where nothing is there, just the noise and static that isn’t information, just an absence of something concrete. I’m in a downswing…
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Ashes : Rise of the Pheonixborn – It’s exciting.
There is a game being published by Plaid Hat Games, that I’m really excited about. It’s a card game, where you’re playing a mage, that uses dice for the spell power pool. It comes with a half-dozen heroes, with a premade deck for each, but also with rules for building your own decks and for playing it as a draft. The game has elements of several popular games, but has a unique feel to it. Breaking down those mechanics, here they are. It has a card pool, provided completely in the core set, with expansions that will be provided quarterly,…
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Games I should be playing.
Solo Friday – its apparently really good. Solo Survival. Mageknight – complicated, but the gold standard for solo games. A tough nut to crack. Maybe my goal for #GencantSolo. Lord of the Rings – solid mechanics, good thematic experience. Robinson Crusoe : – another solid game with some interesting mechanics. Based on the novel, it’s very much a survival game. Alien Uprising – Worker placement escape the alien planet game. Two player – exclusively. Claustrophobia – asymmetric dungeon crawler. Go into the dark places to fight demons… Mage Wars Arena – wizards fighting! Two Or more. Valley of the Kings…
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Scencest – practical or paranoid?
Many years ago, when asked why I didn’t date a particular girl, I used the term scencest to explain my discomfort with dating someone inside a small and insular community. Too many crossing paths, too many common friends, or worse too many common ex’s. The BDSM community has grown a bit since then, but I find I still have that discomfort. How does one get over it, or it it healthy to maintain it? I suppose it doesn’t help that plenty of the guys in my community tend to crowd around the attractive newbies, which tends to scare them off…
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Nacho Quixote
Complete with a little toy windmill. not my idea just something that made me smile
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33 M4f – looking for someone who appreciates me.
I think I’m pretty awesome, but I’m having trouble finding someone who agrees and I have chemistry with. It seems that either we have chemistry and they hate me, or we are fond of each other but it isn’t anything more. My fear of being a toxic misogynistic asshole has led to me double thinking my flirting & generally just being too damn disengaged to connect with someone. My job keeps me busy til 9 pm on weekdays, so I’ve had trouble meeting people at the casual events. Even then, I’ve been involved in BDSM and the local Goth scene…
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Material chained.
The other day, I cited material possessions as the chains that bind us to our ruts, or at least me to mine. My biggest chain would be my board game collection. It has grown large and menacing over the last few years; were it to pounce on someone, that person would surely be crushed under the weight. There is also a smaller collection of books, and some DVDs. The majority of the books have been replaced with ebooks. There area few of sentimental value or that would be a pain to read digitally, but for the most part, they’re not…
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negentropic agent
For the longest time, I’ve had difficulty in defining what my beliefs in a format that I was able to convey to others. All language is layered with context and nuance, and I found that when I tried to adapt or adopt philosophical terms or concepts as a method of creating a short hand or context for my personal beliefs, I would inadvertently attach some baggage that I hadn’t intended or anticipated. For the while I referred to my belief system as the phrase sentimental nihilism, as it seemed to share some common elements with the nihilistic philosophy, though taken…
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triadecimconseco
triadecimconseco To cut into 13 pieces. But badly translated and mashed together, implying that the person doesn’t really understand what they’re doing, since they’ve combined greek prefixes with latin phrases. Implying that they have an incomplete and perhaps flawed understanding of the mysticism that they’re trying to invoke.
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Current status
Stunning bout of depression/apathy has hit me hard over the weekend. I’m suffering from a serious lack of motivation. Partially this is related to my realisation that the rut I’m in is much deeper and harder to get out of than I’d previously understood. It is partially because some aspects of it have been established over the last decade and a half. What can be done? Untangle the material chains and drag myself out slowly. Start burning the chains randomly and hope I survive the fire. The two extremes, essentially. Neither path appeals currently.
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The new thing… Vigilante Justice
The new thing… Vigilante Justice So, my sources tell me that a masked vigilante is out there, in the city. Well, that’s nothing new. This one, is perhaps a bit different though. He’s driving an electric car, wearing a wrestling mask, and carrying a sawzall. He’s been seen parking in front of houses that are watering their lawns excessively, in clear violation of the water restrictions. He’ll walk up to the house, turn the tap fully off, and then with his sawzall, he’ll cut the head off the faucet. Then he’ll apply a sticker to the side of the house, before…