1982 Shake The Heavens.

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13th birthday

Thanks to everyone who sent well wishes for the anniversary. I’m gonna leave the link up till the end of the month in case anyone wants to send tribute who comes along later.

I kind of wish I could post these next pages all at once, but I guess they’ll just have to be little cliffhangers for a while until this little scene plays out. People who come along after will have the benefit of not having to wait. The pages in general are meant to flow one into another, but I usually try to make each one self contained. That just doesn’t always work. It’s a little incentive to scroll back a few pages and read it all in a go, I guess.

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I know this is probably going to lead into a moment of great empowerment and character growth but what if she just started crying and ran out of the room never to be seen again in public due to mortal embarrassment xD

Rulette, you don’t know what great magicks you are playing with…

Rulette is a Dungeon Master. Of course she knows. “…you have to do it so we can all hear.” Rulette is a Great DM. Has Jackie ever DM’ed?

No, I just have human empathy in superhuman amounts. XD

you cannot have human empathy in superhuman amounts, you can, however, have superhuman empathy :)

Try being an autistic who’s over empathetic, then. I have trouble watching some sitcoms and movies.

While I’m not autistic, my empathy can be overwhelming. I’ve been struggling to learn how to control it because I am constantly overwhelmed by the emotions of others. Trying to ward me against others emotions and negative feelings don’t seem to be fruitful.

I literally cannot watch people embarrass themselves in movies and tv shows. I always end up closing my eyes or looking away no matter how hard I try to force my self to watch regardless if I’ve seen the movie before or not.

I’m like that too. Over New Years, I got seriously messed up just because the fiction I was reading put the protagonist through some major mental trauma. Took me a week or two to get over it.

FWIW- I know a [lot] of people, who get like that, with very, well told fiction.
I had shown my sister, and a friend of mine, the 1994 film – the Professional [R]. (The Pr. has Mr. Jean Reno in it).
After they saw the film, they both were close to tears, and had a feeling about the film, like- [OH, dammit! No! That’s too sad! It can’t end that way!]
I think everyone gets this way, and that this is a good thing. Hm.

When I was DM I’d give bonuses to players who could play moments like that IN CHARACTER. Role-playing as opposed to roll-playing.

Ah the GM discretion behind the screen.
Where character interactions are more important than combat statistics.

The screen is not only there to protect the players from snooping at your notes or reading what your die rolls are and also allows you to “adjust things” when the dice would get in the way of a great interaction.

Well that and rolling my shadow dice … well they are just dice cores before they got their usually white outer layer, so no pips, only the satisfying rattle and clack of the dice behind the screen with the appropriate dice already preset just in case of a pop-up player snooping over the screen XD

I hear that some people use a laptop with a privacy filter to GM their games, including die rolling. Others play online with virtual tabletops.

Such blasphemy, especially when someone does something truly spectacular that requires ALL-THE-DICE tm
= Rolling all those dice raises the anticipation on “just how much” and at the same time cathartic if it was something really really dumb that they did since it isn’t a one second bam your dead dead dead event. Either way it will be memorable in a positive way. =

While it’s true I’d sometimes “adjust” my die rolls to preserve characters, when I gave bonuses I usually announced them and let the players roll their own dice: “I dive under the ogre’s bed while he chases me, then go between his legs to attack from behind.”
“Make a dex roll at +4 to success. You do it! +8 for surprise attack.”

I’d also randomly roll dice for no particular reason, then say something like “Your bard notices an odd scent in the air.” Then leave it at that.

I also had a five-and-dime store candy jar of 500 twenty-siders. Long story, but grabbing an armload of dice could raise eyebrows.

Character interaction and atmosphere, plus the unavoidable combat moments. Good stories didn’t hurt either.

I believe, that in today’s comic- that Jackie is talking about [a game’s fictional character, and that character’s fictional god].
Meaning- I don’t think that Jackie is trying to put down real-life-people’s chosen gods + goddesses.
I just wanted to include that idea. A lot of times, mentioning gods + goddesses, and such in mixed company…can motivate some people to start heated debates. Whichever.

Her face is getting redder. I think this means that she’s building her resolve.

Determination.

In my view, they are two similar words, but…sure thing.

Resolve and Determination are synonyms.

My thoughts are that she is in the process selecting a quote and getting into character.

When I first started into RPGs – demon alter cover PHB – I was pretty much Jo until I was faced with an RP situation where I could not just state – I do this or I do that or cast that – I think it was my second session – I pulled some obscure reference from an old film and stepped into that character as I remembered them – IIRC the film was The Court Jester – I could quote quite a few lines from that film as well as most did from MPFC

Yea, verily, yea!

“We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive!”

I’ll tell you this: In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know if I’m gonna have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willin’ to fight and die for that inch. Because that’s what livin’ is! The six inches in front of your face!! And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.

I have faith. Jo totally has this.She had it from the moment Rulette mention thinking of ti like a movie.

Jo’s life may have been leading up to this moment.

Oh, heavens… This reminds me of my final presentation for my speech class at university. We were supposed to do a speech about another person, be it positive, negative, about real people, or fictional. In the elevated state of mind being at university put me in, I chose to do my own interpretation of Thrall’s eulogy for Grom Hellscream. I was playing a lot of WarCraft 3 at the time.

Keep in mind, I am about 10-15 years older than most of my classmates.

Initially, I jumped on it and wrote about 3/4 of it in one sitting. I hadn’t really taken it completely seriously, other than trying to really capture Thrall’s emotions and thoughts, as well as trying to write it well.

So, I do what many college students do and procrastinate on finishing it. It is the night before, and I decide to finish it. I read through what I’ve written so far, feeling pleased with myself. I pretty much just have to finish by coming up with Thrall’s closing statements.

As I draw to the very end, an overwhelming sense of dread washes over me.

“Oh, no. I’ve made a terrible mistake.”

I can’t believe I overlooked one major element of this speech. I consider restarting with another speech. The thing is, I’m already up too late, and I have a nearly finished project in front of me.

I consider ignoring canon somewhat and ending it another way. It just… I can’t bring myself to do it.

I take a deep breath and slowly sigh it out. I’ll still get a good grade. I’ll just have to power through it. This is what I get for procrastinating.

So, I deliver my speech, and even try to flourish and emote the way Thrall might have. Here comes the end, and I am unwavering in my resolve.

“We must continue, for Thrall. For Grommash Hellscream. We must thrive, FOR THE HORDE!”

I spent 2.5 years in university, and didn’t make wonderful grades. Even so, watching the anxious and shy little girl on the front row trying her hardest to not laugh was absolutely one of my top 10 highlights of going to university.

Another classmate came up to me and said, “You do realize you just outed yourself as a huge nerd?” All I could do was shrug, smirk, and say, “I know.”

I did get an A, though.

Thanks – I needed a smile today

For Hellscream, My hammer! – Draenei Retribution Paladin aka just another DRP

BTW, if you’re going to meet your god, screaming in [His] face as the last thing you do beforehand is probably not a good idea…

This is the comic that commemorates him blocking me on twitter for calling out his dishonest “fruits of our labors” tweet complaining about taxes. Feels.. amusing.

I don’t know how it is you think that poll was dishonest, but I’m done letting people treat me like shit. I blocked you because when I looked at your account it was so generic looking I thought you were a bot. If you want unblocked tell me who you are. If you want to stay that way maybe don’t be an asshole in what was apparently my first interaction with you.

we’ve literally discussed AOC before.

Also: if you just say something like “should people keep the money they make” then sure. yes.

But if you actually add the proper context you get a different answer from people.

I felt like you werent looking for a real answer you were looking for validation.

I have no memory of that interaction, but I don’t doubt it. I respond to a lot of people on a given day. Here’s a tip: if you want to have a positive interaction frame your point in a way that isn’t adversarial. If you go into a situation that requires some diplomacy you’ll have better results if you don’t frame the other party’s stance as disingenuous. The question was so broad as to be practically meaningless. If you want to assign nefarious goals to me motives go for it. For 13 fucking years I’ve been presenting positive depictions of all kinds of people. I’ve more than earned some goddamn leeway.

I mean. All I said was that the question you posed was inherently dishonest, also known as a “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loaded_question”

if you say “should someone be able to keep the fruits of their labor”, everyone that doesn’t really think about what you are really getting at is going to say “of course”.

Which then leaves you to say “See?? Taxes are Unfair”.

HOWEVER. My point, which I didn’t make very well was, that If you were really interested in a discussion you’d have said “hey guys are taxes fair”? To which everyone would have said, no “the rich should pay more, but taxes are part of living in a civilized society”.

In my defense I didn’t think you’d be as thin skinned about being called on it considering the taxation without representation comment you made, which.. is likely incorrect if you have a congressman, agree with them or not.

Really? You’re gonna link a fucking Wikipedia article? You’re not helping your “I’m not a huge douche” case at all. I don’t have a problem paying taxes. I don’t love funding wars I don’t agree with, or any number of other things, but I pay my fucking taxes. I asked that question because I had been watching a video on communism so it was in my head. I wanted to see how people would react to it. After a goddam week of people telling me what I am and how I should fucking feel I beg you to excuse me for getting angry. I’m sick of getting attacked because of the stuff I like and believe.

Lol, look at the twitter douche.

Listen to my wise pronouncements on taxes, you community college dwellers. For I … am Darknesse!

“We really shook the pillars of heaven didn’t we Wang…” lol She just has to remember what Ol Jack Burton says at a time like this and she will be fine.

“And the spirit of Taarna is transferred across the universe to a new Defender. And the power of evil is contained for another generation. And a new Taarakian is born to protect the next.”

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