RamsesThePigeon's recent activity

  1. Comment on Let's talk player classes in ~games.tabletop

    RamsesThePigeon
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    He was actually pretty defiant at first, arguing that various potions and spells should have restored his manhood. When none of them worked, he came up with the idea that it wasn't actually gone;...

    He was actually pretty defiant at first, arguing that various potions and spells should have restored his manhood. When none of them worked, he came up with the idea that it wasn't actually gone; it was just a magical effect making it look like it was gone. He was quickly disillusioned of this notion, but that led to the formation of his own personal quest... namely, to find a means of having the missing limb restored.

    Now, I could have just forced him to live with that state of affairs, but as I mentioned, he had made it clear that all of his skills stemmed from that particular area. My eventual solution (if only to keep him from constantly suggesting that he should just roll a new character) was to have an unscrupulous healer repair him. There was only one caveat: He would take a permanent hit to his charisma, which could not be undone.

    He agreed to the procedure. The healer repaired him.

    He discovered a second caveat: Said healer had never promised an especially large replacement.

    3 votes

  2. Comment on Let's talk player classes in ~games.tabletop

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link
    No list of player types is complete without a mention of That Player. This is a particular type of player that every Dungeon Master encounters at some point. He's a loud, talkative individual, and...

    No list of player types is complete without a mention of That Player.

    This is a particular type of player that every Dungeon Master encounters at some point. He's a loud, talkative individual, and his constant attempts at "jokes" are made all the more annoying by his subtle (but still evident) social awkwardness. This fellow will always play as either a rogue or a sorcerer – usually with a focus on employing his charisma – and whenever possible, he'll do his best to make the story center on him and his exploits.

    His sexual exploits, that is.

    For a brief period in college, I was the Dungeon Master for a group that included That Player. The campaign was one of my own devising, having to do with a world-ending cataclysm that some other band of adventurers (non-player characters) was intent on stopping. My group's party, on the other hand, had taken it upon themselves to raid the sprawling fortress where the aforementioned apocalypse had first been prophesied, convinced as they were that a monumentally powerful artifact had been hidden in the catacombs beneath it. I may be a bit biased, but I personally thought that it was a pretty good setting... although it might have been a bit better if That Player hadn't tried to seduce every female he encountered.

    See, the fortress in question was the size of a small city, and it had a number of factions dwelling within it. Some of those sects were only too happy to offer aid and assistance, while others viewed the player characters for what they were. (They were a group of greedy marauders, basically.) Every single time someone started interacting with a woman, though, the fellow in question would interject with his allegedly comedic attempts at charm.

    "That area is closed to outsiders," a female NPC might say, "but if you can get into the sewer system, you might..."

    "I'd like to get into her sewer system!" That Player would interrupt. "She digs me. I can tell."

    You get the idea.

    This went on for far, far longer than I should have allowed, but I'd been planning to punish the guy at the campaign's midpoint. When the party finally found their way to the artifact, they discovered that it wasn't an item or a weapon; it was a living statue of a young woman. Needless to say, That Player immediately tried to bed the sculpture... and this time, against all odds, she (or it, I suppose) was receptive to his advances. Of course, I made it look like the fellow had just beaten out my dice rolls, but he didn't really care: All that mattered to him was that he'd "gotten some."

    As he discovered a moment or two later, though, he'd also "gotten stuck."

    It was about then that reinforcements arrived, intent on protecting their "monumentally powerful artifact" from theft. They weren't too pleased to find a rogue attached to their idol, and they responded appropriately. The fellow didn't actually die, but he did spend the rest of the campaign with one fewer appendage. Since he'd also made it very clear to everyone that the body part in question was "the source of his skills," he wound up impotent... and in more ways than one.

    TL:DR: Sexy statue solicits severe (sexual) suffering.

    10 votes

  3. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    I was thinking the former, personally, but if folks wanted to ask me to provide an ongoing service, I’d be happy to do that for them.

    I was thinking the former, personally, but if folks wanted to ask me to provide an ongoing service, I’d be happy to do that for them.

  4. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    Yep, good catch, thank you! “Beginning to” would be used for progression, but as a present-tense verb. “I’m beginning to write a guide. This is the beginning of it.”

    Yep, good catch, thank you!

    “Beginning to” would be used for progression, but as a present-tense verb. “I’m beginning to write a guide. This is the beginning of it.”

  5. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    No, I am planning to write (and offer) brief guides. Said guides may include a focus on punctuation, homophones, or simply breaking into the industry.

    No, I am planning to write (and offer) brief guides. Said guides may include a focus on punctuation, homophones, or simply breaking into the industry.

  6. Comment on Ramses Rambles: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    Yep, you’re right! The script didn’t even include the word “both;” I just threw it in as I was speaking, then didn’t notice the error until after I’d finished filming. There are actually two more...

    Yep, you’re right! The script didn’t even include the word “both;” I just threw it in as I was speaking, then didn’t notice the error until after I’d finished filming. There are actually two more mistakes in the video, if you can spot them!

    2 votes

  7. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    While your offering definitely had a different tone – some would even say that it’s a better tone – it removed some of the specific nuances that I felt were necessary to include. Just as an...

    While your offering definitely had a different tone – some would even say that it’s a better tone – it removed some of the specific nuances that I felt were necessary to include. Just as an example, “vitamin-enriched protein slop” is more visceral and evocative than “protein shake,” and also (hopefully) carries an undertone of humor to it... if slightly disgusting humor.

  8. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    There seems to be a misconception about what I’m proposing. The rules and standards I aim to teach are dialect-agnostic and universal. I wouldn’t ever presume to police a person’s interpretation...

    It's like listening to Hendrix play The Star-spangled Banner and going "That was awful. He has no idea how to play guitar does he?". Now I'm not saying that a misspelling or any ambiguity created by the lack of a comma is the same as an artistic rendition of a song, but I am saying that to apply a rigged standard to all written word is about as silly as applying a rigged standard of uniformity to all performances of a song.

    There seems to be a misconception about what I’m proposing. The rules and standards I aim to teach are dialect-agnostic and universal. I wouldn’t ever presume to police a person’s interpretation of a song, so to speak; I’d help them understand how to avoid having feedback coming through their speakers.

  9. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I’d be very interested in examples of how you feel I could offer better clarity. As I’ve made pretty clear by now, I look at presentation as being just as important as content... so if my...

    I’d be very interested in examples of how you feel I could offer better clarity. As I’ve made pretty clear by now, I look at presentation as being just as important as content... so if my presentation is lacking, specific suggestions for how I could improve would be appreciated.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    I did. Please see the edits to my comment. Either way, the statement remains: The example sentence as I offered it was grammatically incorrect.

    I did. Please see the edits to my comment.

    Either way, the statement remains: The example sentence as I offered it was grammatically incorrect.

  11. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    That doesn't make it grammatically correct. Your article also has nothing to do with comma placement. The word "comma" doesn't even appear in it. Its main thrust was just a definition of the...

    That doesn't make it grammatically correct.

    Your article also has nothing to do with comma placement. The word "comma" doesn't even appear in it. Its main thrust was just a definition of the difference between prescriptivism and descriptivism, offered by way of highlighting differences between acceptable usages across dialects. That would certainly be an interesting topic if we were discussing speech, but we're focused on the written word here. William Shatner might speak in a recognizable way, but transcribing it as you proposed will always require the inclusion of errors.

  12. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    I asked for an instance in which it would be grammatically correct. While the effect might be what you described, that wouldn't suddenly change the structure of the language.

    I asked for an instance in which it would be grammatically correct. While the effect might be what you described, that wouldn't suddenly change the structure of the language.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I encounter these arguments a lot, and addressing them (even with sources) always leads to a lot of debate. Rather than responding to each of them directly, I’ll just ask a question: Can, you find...

    I encounter these arguments a lot, and addressing them (even with sources) always leads to a lot of debate. Rather than responding to each of them directly, I’ll just ask a question:

    Can, you find a single, instance wherein it would be grammatically correct to put, commas like these?

    There also is scientific evidence that typos and misspellings cause comprehension issues, even when a reader doesn’t consciously notice the errors. If a person is intent on communicating, they should do it to the best of their ability. Anything else is just an instance of wanting to hear oneself talk.

    1 vote

  14. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    Those two statements are unrelated... but I suspect you knew as much. Had I used the term "verbally" in the phrase "verbal communication," then I would have made a mistake (given that I would have...

    Those two statements are unrelated... but I suspect you knew as much.

    Had I used the term "verbally" in the phrase "verbal communication," then I would have made a mistake (given that I would have used an adverb instead of an adjective). Had someone then pointed out my error, they would have been correct, and they would have been just as much a prescriptivist as I'm proposing to be.

    1 vote

  15. Comment on Ramses Rambles: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    (edited )
    Link
    If you're at all like me, you may have grown up during the height of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' popularity. At the same time, you might not have realized just how far-reaching their...

    If you're at all like me, you may have grown up during the height of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' popularity. At the same time, you might not have realized just how far-reaching their influence really was (or continues to be). When examined as cultural icons, though, the half-shelled heroes help to highlight ways in which today's often-decried trend of nostalgia-profiteering is a lot more understandable... even if there were some significant missteps along the way.

    4 votes

  17. Comment on Damsel in distress Part 1 - Tropes vs. women in video games in ~games

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    My pleasure! Yes, I agree with your statement that the industry needs more women in charge. I wanted to include more of that focus in my article, but as you saw, I left it as something of a closer...

    My pleasure!

    Yes, I agree with your statement that the industry needs more women in charge. I wanted to include more of that focus in my article, but as you saw, I left it as something of a closer to my final paragraph.

    1 vote

  18. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    Wonderful! If you wouldn't mind a small correction now, then: The possessive form of "who" is actually "whose." You can remember because determiners – words like his, hers, its, yours, mine,...

    Wonderful!

    If you wouldn't mind a small correction now, then:

    As someone who's first language is not English...

    The possessive form of "who" is actually "whose." You can remember because determiners – words like his, hers, its, yours, mine, theirs, and so on – don't use apostrophes to denote possession. The quality is "baked in," so to speak.

    "Okay, come on, guys! Whose unicycle is this?"

    "Hm? Oh, that? That's Bertram's."

    "Who's Bertram?"

    "My imaginary friend. I've been toting his unicycle around for him."

    In short, if you'd use "his" or "hers," use "whose!"

    5 votes

  19. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    Link Parent
    No, I meant verbal: "Consisting of or in the form of spoken words; oral rather than written."

    No, I meant verbal:

    "Consisting of or in the form of spoken words; oral rather than written."

    2 votes

  20. Comment on Would the folks here at Tildes appreciate occasional guides on how to write better? in ~creative

    RamsesThePigeon
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    The "casual environment" argument gets thrown around a lot, and it might seem like a valid one on the surface... but it's tantamount to saying "This is a public park, not an office building. Stop...

    The "casual environment" argument gets thrown around a lot, and it might seem like a valid one on the surface... but it's tantamount to saying "This is a public park, not an office building. Stop telling people not to litter."

    Typos, misspellings, and other such errors may seem harmless, but they're actually pretty rude to leave in place. It shouldn't be a reader's responsibility to figure out what someone meant to write, any more than it should be a listener's responsibility to figure out what a musician meant to play. Furthermore, a tone-deaf five-year-old can offer a recognizable melody – you'll know what they meant to sing – but their performance won't be nearly as enjoyable or evocative as one given by a skilled vocalist.

    Even if we focus on the conveyance of information on its own, though, we're left with the same problem: Poor writing leads to poor comprehension, even if the data is more or less intact. Placing the onus of interpretation on the audience also calls the importance of the piece into question. If a person can't be bothered to present their thoughts in an approachable way, are those thoughts worth reading? I'm not suggesting that the aforementioned thoughts are without value, mind you, I'm only suggesting that presentation is just as important as content. A lukewarm plate of vitamin-enriched protein slop may have all of the nutrients that a person needs to survive, but most people would probably prefer a steak dinner that was prepared by a discerning chef.

    4 votes