Got back from a long series of doctor's appointments checking up on my health, which was stable til recently. Found out my A1c (measure of sugar in the bloodstream over time) is almost 13, which is dangerously high( a normal person without diabetes is like a 4-5 at most).
What's hilarious is apparently the problem isn't that I eat too much sugar but that I don't eat enough food regularly so my liver dumps stored sugar into my bloodstream while my pancreas f*&*s off on doing it's job.
Anyway I've been upgraded from type 2 to type 1 apparently with them saying maybe I was always type one.
Almost done with The Rage, I see what you mean Freehold, I'd rate Byers and Kemps characters and descriptions about the same but Byers sense of pacing is waaay better.
Well, a rather depressing-but-relieving-but-even-more-depressing update:
IF student reports are true, it's sounding more and more like an attempted suicide-by-cop. The kid sent the threatening SnapChat (we at least have confirmation on that), then went to school openly carrying a gun (direct report from a usually-reliable student), but it was a BB gun (rumor heard by a student) and he didn't threaten anyone with it.
Fortunately for him, Albany cops just don't shoot people. So he's "being evaluated".
What makes this incident truly tragic is that the state of California won't pay for his mental care, since he didn't actually hurt anyone, and from what multiple students have said about his home life, his parents won't, either.
What did someone say about U.S. mental health care just a few pages ago?
It's coming home to roost in our neighborhood today...
WTF? They won't pay for mental health care unless he actually hurts someone? Good to see our school shooting preventive action is such a high priority.
Sorry kid, you didn't even blow off someone's toe, no help for you.
Also sorry for the sexual reference folks, I had decided to edit it out but my internet crapped out and by the time it was back up it was too late.
But, without it the whole Hello Kitty discussion wouldn't have made any sense!
I know right? Context(?) Also it still fell under my qualifier for sexual references or stories, in that they have to be embarrassing or tales of failure to be funny, otherwise with tales of prowess or success you're just bragging.
I know I've expressed it before, but the sheer level of frustration I have towards the whole, "We cannot say anything for fear of being sued," movement is getting close to boiling.
We got an email from the school administration yesterday that said things like, "...update on a situation that took place on campus today involving the questioning of a student regarding reports of concerning comments," which is a great way of telling us nothing.
So fortunately, being in a tight-knit group of chaperones, I got more information:
(1) A student at MY KIDS' HIGH SCHOOL posted, "I hate everyone... everyone's going to feel my pain now..." to Snapchat
(2) Rumor has it that he had a kill list and a weapon (most likely a knife), but that is currently unsubstantiated
(3) He was in custody as of yesterday, but no information as to whether he's been released back to his parents' recognizance, and every student agrees that his parents are the reason he's so miserable, so the likelihood of them doing anything decent is low
And you immediately come to the question: "Do I trust the authorities to have this under control, or do I pull my kids out of school and have them take the G.E.D. instead?"
Never thought it would be a serious question I'd be considering in Albany.
But we have a teacher on our side, and she's trying to get us as much information as she can before we send our kids in.
For the rest of the parents, a simple, "Here is all the information we have at this time," would be a heck of a lot better than, "We're not going to say anything for fear of being sued, so the rumor mills can run amok and set off a widespread panic. That'll be MUCH better!"
I'm sorry Nobodyshome, that is messed up. A classic case of "I'm going to tell you there might be a threat, but I'm not going tell you what exactly it is, now let your imagination and worst fears run wild please."
Was talking on the phone with Miss British and she asked me about what I was thinking about, I said the current situation plus wondering just how many men out there are being physically abused by women and they are just helplessly trapped because its so hard to even speak up or be taken seriously, and also while women can some times get away with violence men usually can't so how many violent men are in prison when really they just survived something horrible and need help instead of punishment.
She was like "Just brooding again, huh?"
I asked her what she was thinking about and she was like; ** spoiler omitted **
-Two minutes and thirty seconds later-
I asked her what else she was thinking about and she was like: "Hello kitty doesn't look like a kitty to me."
I was like "Well what does it look like to you?"
She said; "I..I don't know...my God, WHAT THE F&!# IS HELLO KITTY?! You need to help me figure this out right now!"
I love you Miss British, you lighten my spirit.
Hello Kitty is actually a girl, not a cat. Her name is Kitty White.
Google has already saved her but thanks for dropping the answer on me.
On a different note, I annoyed the rest of the members of my Formula De league by winning not only the last race of the season tonight, but also the league championship. This annoyed them because the driver that won is a dumbass. In fact, before many of his rolls, I say "F!$* it. Herta's a dumbass" and take huge chances. And all to often, they pay off. Like rolling in 5th gear instead of the safer 4th gear, and getting the one number on the die that would be perfect. For some reason luck annoys people.
That's because you are a winner, people conversely love it when I GM cause my monsters always roll super crap on saving throws.
Edit: Legendary Resistance in 5th ed is a god send for my bosses.
Was talking on the phone with Miss British and she asked me about what I was thinking about, I said the current situation plus wondering just how many men out there are being physically abused by women and they are just helplessly trapped because its so hard to even speak up or be taken seriously, and also while women can some times get away with violence men usually can't so how many violent men are in prison when really they just survived something horrible and need help instead of punishment.
She was like "Just brooding again, huh?"
I asked her what she was thinking about and she was like;
Spoiled for adults:
"Your tiny dick inside me."
-Two minutes and thirty seconds later-
I asked her what else she was thinking about and she was like: "Hello kitty doesn't look like a kitty to me."
I was like "Well what does it look like to you?"
She said; "I..I don't know...my God, WHAT THE F+@! IS HELLO KITTY?! You need to help me figure this out right now!"
All I know is, that person should not be in a committed live in relationship of any kind.
I say that as someone that spent ten years on the run from an abusive biological father though, so I might be biased.
Yeah, she is currently a danger to others, she definitely needs to be removed from general society in some capacity till she has healed up quite a bit, I'm just hoping for hospital not prison.
Yeah, she needs help, and prison isn't help.
Nobodyshome got to the friendly sarcasm before I could, but I'll do it any way.
Whaaaaa...? You mean systematic confinement, abuse and neglect doesn't help people solve their personal issues and reacclimate to normal society?
Next you'll be telling me the reason my dog is so vicious is because I train it by randomly kicking it in the face off and on all day for arbitrary reasons(such as no reason at all), I don't think you know much about rehabilitation.
All I know is, that person should not be in a committed live in relationship of any kind.
I say that as someone that spent ten years on the run from an abusive biological father though, so I might be biased.
Yeah, she is currently a danger to others, she definitely needs to be removed from general society in some capacity till she has healed up quite a bit, I'm just hoping for hospital not prison.
I agree it was *probably* sexism/racism, but I'm just saying we weren't there and we don't have all the evidence. Conviction-by-Internet-Mob is not what we should be doing. That's all.
Well I'm not convicting, just laughing at the same old, same old, it isn't going to effect the unidentified police that were there. I think I'm allowed to make fun of the situation.
Though never underestimate the power of the pretty girl, I like the idea of calling the police and confessing to a crime then when they get there being like "Yeah, I just macramed his face with zero provocation." and the cops are like "Sorry, but no mam, that is literally impossible, you are far too pretty and white."
If I ever put together a bank robbin crew at least I'll know who to recruit.
This.
She confessed to their faces, and she's the one uninjured while he's visibly beaten and bruised. The ONLY reason to arrest him instead of her is prejudice. End of line.
While I want to whole-heartedly agree with you...while I want to say "This is absolutely what happened"...
We weren't there. We don't know how things happened/what was said in the moment. We don't have video of the encounter.
Based on what Yuugasa has said, yeah, it's unfortunately the most likely case. Recent history makes us believe the worst, and frequently with good reason, but let's try not to jump to the "malicious intent" reasons *immediately*.
And Yuugasa - I know you believe your friend, and I'm not trying to say you shouldn't. But you also admit you weren't there. It *could* have been for protective custody reasons, just to get him away from her, and they would not have told her that. Especially when they didn't charge him and released him immediately at the station.
I'm fine with that theory, the only issue is why didn't they arrest and charge her? They have a taped confession from when she made the call and multiple police witnesses to her on site confession...so....?
Edit: In the moment she confessed and the obvious visual evidence backed up her confession.
I can only second what everyone has already said. My condolences for your loss and I hope you can help your friend find real help and let her start recovering from the torture she's been put through.
Also f%~& those racist and sexist cops while we're at it.
Hard to say in this particular case - they were called by a woman to domestic abuse... It might had been hard for them to process that the caller was the abuser, not the abused, as it is definitely less common situation.
It certainly wouldn't be the first time when they are called to domestic abuse by victim and the caller herself tried to back out from taking the decisive steps and trying to mollify situation by taking blame for the incident.
Yeah I think they were genuinely confused, I wasn't there but it sounds like it was a classic case of "I don't understand what's happening, thank god there is a black guy here to arrest."
Though never underestimate the power of the pretty girl, I like the idea of calling the police and confessing to a crime then when they get there being like "Yeah, I just macramed his face with zero provocation." and the cops are like "Sorry, but no mam, that is literally impossible, you are far too pretty and white."
If I ever put together a bank robbin crew at least I'll know who to recruit.
Main character gets bit in half by a dragon in the first five minutes, then rebuilt as a half iron golem dragon hunting cyborg. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssss, your character concept is approved mister Byers!
Honestly I feel such disgust when I see what the world can do to such an otherwise kind and gentle person, what happened to her to sear her mind in such a way?
To be clear I'm not disgusted by her in anyway, just at the people who made it so she felt she had to throw a frenzy of punches just to survive and defend herself.
I want to do right by her but the situation feels so messy and unclear I honestly don't know what to do beyond what I'm already trying to do.
A lot of what's on my mind now is exactly what to tell her. My first instinct is "seek professional help nowish, honey, as soon as you can."
But she seems disinclined at least for the moment, and I understand. It's rough though cause she has apparently been hurting someone in her episodes and I don't want that to happen or for her to go to jail.
It seems clear to me she has suffered some form of abuse and that she doesn't mean to beat on her boyfriend but she is and it needs to stop. I'm just not sure I can really help her beyond telling her to seek professional treatment and trying to ease her into that.
Yeah, well my aunt's death, while terrible, is something I can wrap my mind around but my friend's revelations today have me reeling.
I guess to add some context to her revelation I should explain a little of her history. Basically when she was 12 she told her parents she was gay and was promptly shipped off to some religious rehab center to cure said gayness. She stayed there until she was an adult.
I'm not sure what happened to her there but it left her a Midnight Screamer, you know, those people so traumatized they throw punches and scream when asleep.
First time she did it when staying with me I woke her to see if she was ok, and after she calmed after a bit of tea she told me in a dreamy voice about how the people at the rehab would scare her when she would wake from a dead sleep to find them standing around her bed chanting.
Alright, so far, so Stephen King. Any way she is normally a pretty calm nice person but occasionally something will trigger her and she'll scream and throw punches like a crazy person and it takes a lot to bring her back to herself.
She's been to therapy and takes some psyche meds and last I knew she was doing decently well, though apparently she is missing years from her memory at the rehab and still doesn't know what her triggers are about.
So she called me and said she had something terrible to tell me and today she came over and explained shes been beating on her boyfriend for years. Being the sweet Micheal Clark Duncan looking dude he is he doesn't hit her back and apparently two weeks ago she beat him so badly she called the police on herself, although apparently they got confused when they got there and the white lady had no mark on her while the black boyfriend was bloody and trashed and so they did the only rational thing to do and arrested the boyfriend even though she was still saying she beat him without provocation.
So she drops this story on me and has a kind of what should I do? Vibe happening, I told her she should definitely seek help, like more help, but she is fearful given the "Rehab" help she was once given.
We talked alot more and I'm seeing her again in the next few days but man, I dunno, what do you even say or do in a situation like this?
Such a freaking mess.
P.S. the boyfriend was not charged and was immediately released at the station but still....sheesh.
Bleh, well I was having a nice day until I had a disturbing visit from a friend I havn't seen in awhile followed by a phone call informing me one of my favorite aunts had died.
Castlevania II Simon's Quest
Castlevania III Dracula's Curse
Super Castlevania IV
Castlevania The Adventure
Castlevania II Belmont's Revenge
Castlevania Bloodlines
Kid Dracula (never released in English before)
History of Castlevania - Book of the Crescent Moon
that's the same thing we have! They said there was a chance the later game boy ones(meaning game boy advance and up) would be a part of a second castlevania collection.
I hope the second collection comes out too, I'm a crazy castlevania fan, they are some of my favorite games!
Yeah the general consensus is that I should have clocked her to make her fearful of spreading such hate to those less thick-skinned than I.
But, "Yes, officer, I know I have 80 pounds and 20 years on her and 8 years of martial arts training, but I honestly thought she was a threat," doesn't seem like it would fly...
Stand your ground my friend, she was comin right at you!
Gods, sometimes just walking down the street reminds me of how happy I am not to have to interact with people.
I'm really not dressed particularly strangely today: White tennis shoes, Pacific Rim chefwear, black T-shirt, and black corporate vest. But as I passed the BART station an older woman started staring at me, so I smiled and nodded, and she scowled and said, "I can't tell whether that's a man or a woman!"
Then as I walked by she said again, "Seriously, I can't!"
She was obviously trying to get a rise out of me, and I thought it was just depressing: How can you go through life being so bitter and hostile towards your fellow humans? What would she have done if I'd taken offense and attacked her?
It was just a mindless, angry, unkind, stupid thing for her to do. And as I said, I was far sadder than madder at her behavior: What must it be like to live in such a bitter world?
Something similar happened to my neighbor and I the other day when we were walking together, some guy started questioning my neighbors gender loudly and rudely as well as then adding slurs, at first I figured he must just seem like he was talking to my neighbor but was really talking to me because I actually am transgender but then he acknowledged me as well by catcalling me.
Once he was well behind us my neighbor exploded with a "What the hell was that?" Rant.
For me it was super bizarre and wrong but on so many levels I couldn't really even begin to suss it out.
We settled on the realization that apparently if you are slightly androgynous like my neighbor a##+%%!s give you flak for being transgender but if you are transgender but pass as female really well you're just another women on the street to be harassed.
Glad we figured that out, now if you'll excuse me I'm off to build my super weapon to cleanse the filth that is humanity off the face of the earth. =p
Also, I got another anthology of short stories today and the first story was by second favorite author Paul S. Kemp, outlining how Resson Kel, villain extraordinaire, stole the sun.
Woot! Everis Cale and friends for the win! Best Forgotten Realms author ever is Byers.
What short story anthology is it? I want to read!
FIFY
Oh yeah? Which Richard Lee Byers series would you recommend? I don't think I've read him.
knocks on door
Do you have time to talk about my lord and master, Richard Lee Byers?
Start with the Rage, The Rite and The Ruin series. It takes place in the Forgotten Realms. It is available as a collection on Amazon.
He has also written for White Wolf, and has a collection of short stories and poems and the like that take place in no official universe called Things That Crawl.
Also, I got another anthology of short stories today and the first story was by second favorite author Paul S. Kemp, outlining how Resson Kel, villain extraordinaire, stole the sun.
Woot! Everis Cale and friends for the win! Best Forgotten Realms author ever is Byers.
What short story anthology is it? I want to read!
FIFY
Oh yeah? Which Richard Lee Byers series would you recommend? I don't think I've read him.
Also, I got another anthology of short stories today and the first story was by second favorite author Paul S. Kemp, outlining how Resson Kel, villain extraordinaire, stole the sun.
Woot! Everis Cale and friends for the win! Best Forgotten Realms author ever is Kemp.
I like using slang from widely different time periods, cause I find it super funny. I have noticed anything before 50s slag is often unrecognizable to many though, still I want to learn slang from the 1800s and before next for maximum unintelligibility.
Or maybe use whatever slang the main character from a Clockwork Orange uses. =D
Praetus was born to a wealthy noble family on the planet Cyprian's Gate. It is an idyllic world, a cut above the vast majority of the Imperium; wealth abounds and even those that serve live well-off and pleasant lives. Industry, agriculture, even technology is all shipped in from the outside so that the residents can focus on faith, culture, and pleasure.
Even so, an idyllic planet still needs police and at a fairly young age Praetus chose the honor of joining the Adeptus Arbites. Even that organization is different on Cyprian's Gate and the armed police get far more with conversion than the do with violence - a stark contrast to the way the Arbites work on something like a Hive World. On such a planet the Arbites learn how to get along with many kinds of citizens and get information from those that don't know they are giving it up. It was in the talking that Praetus always excelled.
Cyprian's Gate, like any Imperial Planet, is still subject to the will of Chaos and killings started to pile up in the precinct he was working in five years ago. They were all strange, fitting some sort of ritualistic pattern that none of the Adeptus Arbites could explain. Praetus began to investigate, finding connections where no others could. It was that skill that had him assigned to infiltrate the cult thought to be responsible for the murders. His infiltration was a success and he lived within the cult for nearly three years. It ended abruptly, however, with a mass killing - three of the cult members fell to daemonic influence and struck the rest down. Praetus was able to take down the killers, but it left the meaning of the pattern unexplained.
Still, success breeds success. And it was his ability to infiltrate a pleasure cult and to survive when others passed that brought him to the attention of the Holy Ordos.
Appearance and Demeanor:
Praetus generally acts in good spirits. His upbringing on a Pleasure World has treated him well and his time infiltrating a pleasure cult means that he is quite able to remain happy even under stress. He typically dresses in flashy garb, but wears dingy clothing or outright armor depending on the occasion. Still he is prone to wearing a porcelain mask from his days in the pleasure cult, finding that the facelessness quite often assists him in his work.
Etiquette: Nobles are schooled in how to comport themselves in all manner of formal situations.
Effect: You gain a +10 bonus on Charm, Deceive and Scrutiny Tests when dealing with high authority and in formal situations.
Common-Craftsmanship Armageddon Autogun
Class: Basic
Range: 100m
RoF: S/2/6
Dam: 1d10+4 I
Pen: 0
Clip: 15
Rld: Full
Special: Two Handed, Reliable
Weight: 8.5 kg
Availability: Average
Ammo: 90 rounds
Common-Craftsmanship Stormchild Hand Cannon
Class: Basic
Range: 35m
RoF: S/-/-
Dam: 1d10+4 I
Pen: 2
Clip: 5
Rld: 2 Full
Special: -
Weight: 3 kg
Availability: Average
Ammo: 18 rounds
Common-Craftsmanship Mono Club
Class: Melee
Dam: 1d10 I
Pen: 2
Special: -
Weight: 2 kg
Availability: Abundant
Common-Craftsmanship Brass Knuckles
Class: Melee
Dam: 1d5-1 I
Pen: 0
Special: Primitive
Weight: 0.5 kg
Availability: Plentiful
Common-Craftsmanship Knife
Class: Melee. Thrown
Dam: 1d5 R
Pen: 0
Special: Primitive
Weight: 0.5 kg
Availability: Abundant
Enforcer Light Carapace Armor
Locations: Body, Arms, Legs
AP: 5
Weight: 15 kg
Availability: Rare
Carapace Helmet
Locations: Head
AP: 4
Weight: 2 kg
Availability: Rare
Tools
Uniform (Good Quality)
3 Doses of Stimm
Injector
Arbitrator ID
Chrono
Flask of Amasec
Throne Gelt
200
Character Creation:
Career: Arbitrator
Rank 1 – Cult-Stalker
Home World: Noble Born
Divination: “There are no civilians in the battle for survival.”
Starting Skills: Speak Language (Low Gothic) [Int], Speak Language (High Gothic) [Int], Common Lore (Adeptus Arbites) [Int], Common Lore (Imperium) [Int], Inquiry [Fel], Literacy [Int]
Starting Talents: Basic Weapon Training (SP), Melee Weapon Training (Primitive), Rapid Reload, Talented (Inquiry), Peer (Nobility), Peer (Government)
Wounds: 1d5+8 1d5 ⇒ 4 + 8 = 12
Fate Points: 1-3=1, 4-9=2, 10=3 1d10 ⇒ 5
Background: The Calixian Pattern Killings
200 XP
Talented (Inquiry)
+5 Per
Divination: “There are no civilians in the battle for survival.”
+2 T
+1 Wound