So I'm inspired to try play by post again, and at a suggestion from Scint I'm going to run a game loosely based on Kingmaker and set in the world of Redwall. Working out the specifics but looking to see if anyone here is interested!Sounds good, consider me in!
Here it is, for JB, Scint, and anyone else interested! I'll also be posting a recruitment thread later if we need to fill a few extra spots to get up to 5-6 total PCs. Feel free to start talking and considering roles and character concepts :)
This is Redwall. We all have fur. Pants are optional.
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Thats nonsensical. What happens when someone goes to the drink machine?Speaking as a chaperone of large choir groups staying at hotels, it's not a good idea. The punishments are pretty severe, like, "You went out so you don't get to perform today."We have 28 rooms of high school theater kids from 3 different schools in tonight. I haven't had any trouble, but apparently there were a few complaints earlier in the night. I have noticed, however, that the chaperones for one of the groups has put tape on their doors to make sure nobody goes out and about, and I am sorely tempted to go pull the tape off one of the doors at random. If I was a guest and not an employee, I probably would have already.
I still might.
As Orthos said, the ban is absolute. You've got a sink. Use it.
The tape's primary purpose is to prevent teen pregnancies. Such a pregnancy could easily bankrupt a small school district like ours. So enforcement is strict and brutal. I've seen kids sent home on a plane on their parents' dime for breaking the tape.
It's not a laughing matter.
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Calistria wept. Or, probably (sorry, NobodysHome!), laughed, bitterly, and plotted vengeance.
That I think I can imagine some of the dynamics in play to parse that summary is depressing enough, but to actually grow up through that? *Shudders.*
That I think I can imagine some of the dynamics in play to parse that summary is depressing enough, but to actually grow up through that? *Shudders.*
Having grown up in a rural community and small-town school in Texas, the tape is one of the tamer things.
After tape-up point, you're not supposed to. You're supposed to stay in your room for the rest of the night, at least presumably asleep. If you need a drink, get water from the bathroom sink in your room.Thats nonsensical. What happens when someone goes to the drink machine?Speaking as a chaperone of large choir groups staying at hotels, it's not a good idea. The punishments are pretty severe, like, "You went out so you don't get to perform today."We have 28 rooms of high school theater kids from 3 different schools in tonight. I haven't had any trouble, but apparently there were a few complaints earlier in the night. I have noticed, however, that the chaperones for one of the groups has put tape on their doors to make sure nobody goes out and about, and I am sorely tempted to go pull the tape off one of the doors at random. If I was a guest and not an employee, I probably would have already.
I still might.
Thats nuts to me, but I have been in hotels where the only thing I would drink would be things I brought with me.
Thats nonsensical. What happens when someone goes to the drink machine?Speaking as a chaperone of large choir groups staying at hotels, it's not a good idea. The punishments are pretty severe, like, "You went out so you don't get to perform today."We have 28 rooms of high school theater kids from 3 different schools in tonight. I haven't had any trouble, but apparently there were a few complaints earlier in the night. I have noticed, however, that the chaperones for one of the groups has put tape on their doors to make sure nobody goes out and about, and I am sorely tempted to go pull the tape off one of the doors at random. If I was a guest and not an employee, I probably would have already.
I still might.
As Orthos said, the ban is absolute. You've got a sink. Use it.
The tape's primary purpose is to prevent teen pregnancies. Such a pregnancy could easily bankrupt a small school district like ours. So enforcement is strict and brutal. I've seen kids sent home on a plane on their parents' dime for breaking the tape.
It's not a laughing matter.
This is madness.
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We have 28 rooms of high school theater kids from 3 different schools in tonight. I haven't had any trouble, but apparently there were a few complaints earlier in the night. I have noticed, however, that the chaperones for one of the groups has put tape on their doors to make sure nobody goes out and about, and I am sorely tempted to go pull the tape off one of the doors at random. If I was a guest and not an employee, I probably would have already.
I still might.
I haven't done the tape thing, but I have told my speech kids, "Lights out at 10. If any of you causes a noise complaint, I will get creative."
For some reason, they don't want to test this.
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This is madness.Thats nonsensical. What happens when someone goes to the drink machine?Speaking as a chaperone of large choir groups staying at hotels, it's not a good idea. The punishments are pretty severe, like, "You went out so you don't get to perform today."We have 28 rooms of high school theater kids from 3 different schools in tonight. I haven't had any trouble, but apparently there were a few complaints earlier in the night. I have noticed, however, that the chaperones for one of the groups has put tape on their doors to make sure nobody goes out and about, and I am sorely tempted to go pull the tape off one of the doors at random. If I was a guest and not an employee, I probably would have already.
I still might.
As Orthos said, the ban is absolute. You've got a sink. Use it.
The tape's primary purpose is to prevent teen pregnancies. Such a pregnancy could easily bankrupt a small school district like ours. So enforcement is strict and brutal. I've seen kids sent home on a plane on their parents' dime for breaking the tape.
It's not a laughing matter.
Were you EVER a teenager? Did you EVER meet parents so vehemently opposed to discussing sex that birth control was unknown to their kids? Have you EVER seen what school districts get sued for if the parents believe the school didn't "do its job"?
There's nothing "mad" about it whatsoever. It's dealing with the reality of dumb parents and teen hormones.
There's nothing "mad" about it whatsoever. It's dealing with the reality of dumb parents and teen hormones.
This is why we need a state-of-the-art detention hall, where the children are held in place with magnets.
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There's nothing "mad" about it whatsoever. It's dealing with the reality of dumb parents and teen hormones.This is why we need a state-of-the-art detention hall, where the children are held in place with magnets.
The children aren't the problem.
EDIT: I wanted my answer to be short and sweet, but that can be misinterpreted so I'll be clear: Parents who sue school districts over their own bad parenting are the problem. As I used to tell the kids I was chaperoning, "*I* personally don't care if you do/wear that. But I have to take on the mindset of the most conservative parent of any of the kids on this trip. So, I have to ask, 'Would that parent care?', and if the answer is, 'Yes,' then I'm going to ask you not to do it."
It's amazing what being honest with a teenager will do for you.
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Reminds me of when we signed Impus Major up for a summer camp where, "Kids will be allowed to be kids! We don't believe in setting unnecessary restrictions on the kids in our camp!"
Before the end of Day 1 Impus Major was banned from climbing trees 'cause he'd gone 40' up a tree before roll call, and when the counselors called us about it we said, "Um, he LOVES climbing. If it's not a problem for you, it's not a problem for us."
"Well, other kids are trying to follow him and they're not good climbers."
So even at a camp where kids were supposed to be free to do what they wanted to, our kid wasn't because other kids were bad at climbing.
EDIT: And now y'all are just bringing back fond memories. Impus Major was the "heart attack kid" because he was tiny for his age and had nigh-preternatural physical coordination. So we'd let him do his thing, confident in his abilities, and other parents would constantly try to stop him or intervene because, "He can't do that!"
And we'd reply, "Um, yes he can! Just watch him!"
My favorite moment was his pediatrician visit at either 2 or 3. He was so covered with bumps, bruises, and scrapes that we were sure we were going to be reported to Child Protective Services. Instead, the pediatrician looked him over and said, "Now this is what I like to see! This is a kid who likes to explore, and whose parents let him!"
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It's amazing what being honest with a teenager will do for you.
The problem is that that conflicts with way too many parents' positions that a child should defer to their authority without question.
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It's amazing what being honest with a teenager will do for you.The problem is that that conflicts with way too many parents' positions that a child should defer to their authority without question.
*SPOING!*
Yoink!
It's amazing what being honest with a teenager will do for you.The problem is that that conflicts with way too many parents' positions that a child should defer to their authority without question.
Well, apparently it also conflicts with how MANY parents feel about their kids and talking about sex.
"Why do we have to sit according to this stupid bus seating chart?""Because when we let the kids sit where they wanted to, one couple decided to have sex in the bus seat on the drive home, so we don't let couples sit together any more."
"..."
Apparently that was TOO much information. I got quite the talking to for telling the students that little gem.
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Well, apparently it also conflicts with how MANY parents feel about their kids and talking about sex.It's amazing what being honest with a teenager will do for you.The problem is that that conflicts with way too many parents' positions that a child should defer to their authority without question.
Can confirm. The extent of my education on the matter growing up was "Don't do it until you're married in a straight relationship, or you're going to hell." Repeat ad-nauseum 2 out of every 3 Sundays for 20 years.
I will submit that my father was categorically worse.
He taught us all about sex from a young age and let us know that he kept condoms in his desk that we could use at any time, no questions asked...
...and many years later claimed that he'd poked holes in all of them in the hopes of getting grandkids early.
Thankfully, none of us ever trusted him so not a single holey condom was ever used.
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I got to spend the 6th grade sex ed class in the store room, thanks to my parents. Also got to endure my classmates’ smugness about their superior knowledge.
My parents gave me the choice when the class was repeated in 10th grade. Naturally, I chose not to be stuffed in the store room and endure the ridicule of my peers.
I will submit that my father was categorically worse.
He taught us all about sex from a young age and let us know that he kept condoms in his desk that we could use at any time, no questions asked...
...and many years later claimed that he'd poked holes in all of them in the hopes of getting grandkids early.Thankfully, none of us ever trusted him so not a single holey condom was ever used.
I knew a chick that did that.
I knew a chick that did that.I will submit that my father was categorically worse.
He taught us all about sex from a young age and let us know that he kept condoms in his desk that we could use at any time, no questions asked...
...and many years later claimed that he'd poked holes in all of them in the hopes of getting grandkids early.Thankfully, none of us ever trusted him so not a single holey condom was ever used.
When I posted, I was suspicious that my father had been repeating an urban legend, so I Googled it. And it turns out to be a depressingly common practice. Just not typically done by fathers to turn themselves into grandfathers.
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Honestly, that seems like a good way to piss of your kid to the point that they cut ties with you and you never get to see the grandkid you wanted so badly.I will submit that my father was categorically worse.
He taught us all about sex from a young age and let us know that he kept condoms in his desk that we could use at any time, no questions asked...
...and many years later claimed that he'd poked holes in all of them in the hopes of getting grandkids early.Thankfully, none of us ever trusted him so not a single holey condom was ever used.
Pretty much.
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I swear, being Lawful, Truthful, and Communicative, the industries that are built around hiding true costs from you (hospitality, car sales) drive me crazy.
GothBard's recent trip gave me rare insight into the process: She went through her company's travel agency and paid them. The hotel gave us an itemized receipt. And thus I could see that the travel agency was adding a 20% surcharge to our stay.
Seems like a ludicrous rip-off.
But I decided to do due diligence and try to book the same room at the same hotel myself. And of course it was about 10% more expensive than what we'd paid the travel agency, surcharge and all. So we have, "What the hotel charges the travel agency," "What the travel agency charges the customer," and, "What the hotel charges people silly enough to try to book themselves directly." And they're three different numbers, and that irritates me.
Of course, I worked in retail under another STEM Ph.D., and his entire attitude was, "All items we sell are 50% over wholesale, period," so there was no mystery for the customers as to what they were going to pay.
Back to sleeping room for a time. For such a simply task, setting a desktop in another room is quite tedious...
It will be stressful few days, especially that I have a work meeting about "future operations" on Thursday and I need to finish all the remaining things until then...
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It really is astonishing how acceptable incompetence has become.
(1) Impus Major got home from his job with a lengthy tirade about how the card readers at Chevron stations don't recognize his card. He puts in the card, it asks, "Is this a debit card?", and it generates an error and says, "See cashier." Every single time he's forced to stop at a Chevron. Impus Minor overheard and said, "Oh, yeah, you have to remove the pump first, then put in the card and it'll work."
Somewhere, a programmer deserves to be fired. Consider how much money Chevron loses every year by people who drive to a different gas station so they don't have to deal with that idiocy.
(2) Yet again fumbling through my tool cabinet with a flashlight that kept constantly having to switch into strobe mode 'cause they all do, I finally looked up whether I could even buy a flashlight that didn't strobe. And I learned that somehow, someone, somewhere, convinced people that a strobing flashlight is some kind of self defense. Erm, having done martial arts for 10 years including 3 years of full-contact sparring, "No." A flashing flashlight will provide virtually -0- defense from an attacker. Whoever came up with that little marketing nonsense deserves jail time. "Oh, no! I can't do an aimed strike! OK. I'll just tackle the source of the flashing. Oh, lookie! I caught my prey 'cause they lit themselves up for me!"
I think the idea is that you are supposed to surprise the attacker by suddenly turning the light on in his face and flee/attack whole he is dazzled - but you don't need strobe for that, you need a strong flashlight that can be reliably turned on.
And if that doesn't work, you can use it as a blackjack or a short stick, depending on the size.
Or something alike to a kubotan, if it's really dinky.
I think the idea is that you are supposed to surprise the attacker by suddenly turning the light on in his face and flee/attack whole he is dazzled
Yeah, erm, that's the thing. Having been witness to dozens of street fights in my misspent youth and then beating the snot out of each other for fun and profit, I don't think "being dazzled" has the effect they'd like you to believe. I don't think a bright light in the eyes would slow an attacker by more than half a second. Nowhere near enough time to get away. You wasted more time than that turning on the light.
And if that doesn't work, you can use it as a blackjack or a short stick, depending on the size.
And THAT is why I always carried a D-cell Maglight in my trunk. Shining it in someone's eyes? Useless. Beating them over the head with it? Incapacitating.
EDIT: I guess that's my big gripe: It seems to be right in the realm of car alarms. "Oh, you need this incredibly annoying thing because it will protect you!"
And then you learn that the fear fantasy that the incredibly annoying thing they sold you will ever be useful in any way, shape, or form is exactly that: Fantasy. So you live your life having paid for something far more annoying than it ever had any right to be.
EDIT 2: And yes, "witnessed" is the correct term. As I think I've mentioned, the guy I went to punk clubs with was the closest thing to a true sociopath I've ever encountered. If he got bored, or he'd had a couple of drinks, or any of who-knows-how-many other reasons, he'd look around for the toughest looking guy in the vicinity, walk up, and punch him in the face. They would then go outside to settle matters in the street in front of the club. And my entire job was to stand there, watch the idiots at play, and remind others that it would be uncool to intervene on either party's behalf. So, "Let the morons be morons" and all that.
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During some long overdue, hasty, and superficial cleaning I drowned (at least one) spider, and likely squashed one or more...
Now I am sad. :(
Oh, lookie! I caught my prey 'cause they lit themselves up for me!"
I have a bunch of really bright headlamps. They generally don't do the strobe thing.
Probably because hitting people with them would be less than ergonomic.
I don't deal with travel agencies myself so I could be wrong, but my understanding is that they aren't supposed to charge you a surcharge because they get a commission from the hotel.
That was my understanding, too. And if it were something reasonable, like 5%, I wouldn't bat an eye. The "order your food online" services around here are routinely about 8%, all for the "service" of building a web site for the restaurant. But the 20% was, in my mind, excessive.
Also, rates can be different, sometimes wildly different, from one day to the next, so it's possible that could account for the price being higher when you looked.
Oh, yeah. I'm Californian. I know ALL about that. So I chose the closest-possible stay: Same days, same season, same amount of time before the reservation, and no holidays. Typically you don't see week-by-week variation, but things like, "Saturdays are more expensive than Sundays" or "May is more expensive than February". So I know of the seasonal and weekly variation and I tried to account for it, but you never know.
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Benefits of living alone are countless...
Cons?
You get completely unused to sharing living space with anyone, even temporarily.
Also, my father has not aged well, sadly. He's only 71, dammit.
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This is madness.Thats nonsensical. What happens when someone goes to the drink machine?Speaking as a chaperone of large choir groups staying at hotels, it's not a good idea. The punishments are pretty severe, like, "You went out so you don't get to perform today."We have 28 rooms of high school theater kids from 3 different schools in tonight. I haven't had any trouble, but apparently there were a few complaints earlier in the night. I have noticed, however, that the chaperones for one of the groups has put tape on their doors to make sure nobody goes out and about, and I am sorely tempted to go pull the tape off one of the doors at random. If I was a guest and not an employee, I probably would have already.
I still might.
As Orthos said, the ban is absolute. You've got a sink. Use it.
The tape's primary purpose is to prevent teen pregnancies. Such a pregnancy could easily bankrupt a small school district like ours. So enforcement is strict and brutal. I've seen kids sent home on a plane on their parents' dime for breaking the tape.
It's not a laughing matter.
Were you EVER a teenager? Did you EVER meet parents so vehemently opposed to discussing sex that birth control was unknown to their kids? Have you EVER seen what school districts get sued for if the parents believe the school didn't "do its job"?
There's nothing "mad" about it whatsoever. It's dealing with the reality of dumb parents and teen hormones.
I will submit that my father was categorically worse.
He taught us all about sex from a young age and let us know that he kept condoms in his desk that we could use at any time, no questions asked...
...and many years later claimed that he'd poked holes in all of them in the hopes of getting grandkids early.Thankfully, none of us ever trusted him so not a single holey condom was ever used.
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Fantasy Monster: Reverend Bastard
A corrupt figure that once held significant religious and temporal power.
Benefits of living alone are countless...
Cons?
You get completely unused to sharing living space with anyone, even temporarily.
Also, my father has not aged well, sadly. He's only 71, dammit.
im sorry.
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I went to pharmacy in snow and cold to give a cannabinoid oil a try to check if it will manage to positively affect my anxiety.
For now it affects taints my taste cubs - it is atrociously awful..
I don't deal with travel agencies myself so I could be wrong, but my understanding is that they aren't supposed to charge you a surcharge because they get a commission from the hotel.That was my understanding, too. And if it were something reasonable, like 5%, I wouldn't bat an eye. The "order your food online" services around here are routinely about 8%, all for the "service" of building a web site for the restaurant. But the 20% was, in my mind, excessive.
Also, rates can be different, sometimes wildly different, from one day to the next, so it's possible that could account for the price being higher when you looked.Oh, yeah. I'm Californian. I know ALL about that. So I chose the closest-possible stay: Same days, same season, same amount of time before the reservation, and no holidays. Typically you don't see week-by-week variation, but things like, "Saturdays are more expensive than Sundays" or "May is more expensive than February". So I know of the seasonal and weekly variation and I tried to account for it, but you never know.
We got hit badly, very badly, for nephews graduation.
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I went to pharmacy in snow and cold to give a cannabinoid oil a try to check if it will manage to positively affect my anxiety.
For now it
affectstaints my taste cubs - it is atrociously awful..
they don't SEEM tainted...
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** spoiler omitted **...
As with virtually all "security" actions performed by public employees, it's security theater, which, if not performed, opens you up to lawsuits. I compare it to the TSA's idiotic "3 ounces of liquid" rule: From the point of view of chemistry or physics, it's a useless restriction. However, if the TSA didn't do it and by some miracle someone managed to cause harm because they were allowed to bring a full-sized bottle of fake saline solution onto a plane, there would be lawsuits, recriminations, and firings.
So there is a societal parental expectation that we chaperones will be doing something to prevent the kids from sneaking out at night. The tape is easy theater that lets us sleep instead of having a chaperone stay up all night on every floor as a late-night hall monitor (we take up 3 floors of a hotel when we travel).
I can accept "ridiculous" or "pointless" as adjectives, but "madness"? No. There are fundamental reasons the policies exist. These reasons may not be rooted in logic or reason, but when you're dealing with parents, you do what makes them feel safe, which does not always correspond with what is rational.
EDIT: Your "madness" comment might be related to "the tape was broken so we sent the kid home". That's where we get to use common sense. We've been working with the kids for months or even years. There are rooms where if the tape is broken it's a, "Please don't do it again." And there are rooms where it's, "Uh oh. Better do a full investigation."
So, we were told by multiple witnesses that the kid who got sent home on his parents' dime had done some pretty egregious things. But if you tell parents that their "little angel" did something horrible they will always defend their kid. And in a district like ours, they're likely lawyer up. So an absolute, "He broke the tape. You signed a waiver that if he broke the tape we could send him home. Here you go," is much more lawyer-proof.
We got hit badly, very badly, for nephews graduation.
I don't deal with travel agencies myself so I could be wrong, but my understanding is that they aren't supposed to charge you a surcharge because they get a commission from the hotel.That was my understanding, too. And if it were something reasonable, like 5%, I wouldn't bat an eye. The "order your food online" services around here are routinely about 8%, all for the "service" of building a web site for the restaurant. But the 20% was, in my mind, excessive.
Also, rates can be different, sometimes wildly different, from one day to the next, so it's possible that could account for the price being higher when you looked.Oh, yeah. I'm Californian. I know ALL about that. So I chose the closest-possible stay: Same days, same season, same amount of time before the reservation, and no holidays. Typically you don't see week-by-week variation, but things like, "Saturdays are more expensive than Sundays" or "May is more expensive than February". So I know of the seasonal and weekly variation and I tried to account for it, but you never know.
When major conventions hit San Francisco the rates of almost every downtown hotel triple, and at the hotel hosting the convention you can see rates up to 5x normal.
When major conventions hit San Francisco the rates of almost every downtown hotel triple, and at the hotel hosting the convention you can see rates up to 5x normal.We got hit badly, very badly, for nephews graduation.
I don't deal with travel agencies myself so I could be wrong, but my understanding is that they aren't supposed to charge you a surcharge because they get a commission from the hotel.That was my understanding, too. And if it were something reasonable, like 5%, I wouldn't bat an eye. The "order your food online" services around here are routinely about 8%, all for the "service" of building a web site for the restaurant. But the 20% was, in my mind, excessive.
Also, rates can be different, sometimes wildly different, from one day to the next, so it's possible that could account for the price being higher when you looked.Oh, yeah. I'm Californian. I know ALL about that. So I chose the closest-possible stay: Same days, same season, same amount of time before the reservation, and no holidays. Typically you don't see week-by-week variation, but things like, "Saturdays are more expensive than Sundays" or "May is more expensive than February". So I know of the seasonal and weekly variation and I tried to account for it, but you never know.
We got 4x.
Lucky us.
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WW bought me a dog grooming kit (I asked),and so I just groomed a schnauzer for the first time in over thirty years. It's not the most stunning job ever, but I will get better in time. And he no longer looks like a tiny sheep.
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And he no longer looks like a tiny sheep.
We are all disappointment.
So now it look more like a goat?
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... I remind you that Koala is not a bear, but an insult thrown in the face of God by Evolution... Or the other way around...
Made my day.