Dont_Tell_Taco_Tyrant

Thanks for the well wishes. I was extremely fortunate and did manage get out of that rut: I found a company with a daring boss who was willing to take a chance on me, and the fresh income was all I needed to get out of debt. But, it didn't have to work out like that. A lot of my friends are still hurtin.

An old Pandora channel I used to listen to when I was going bankrupt in '10. It was odd how the channel always seemed to pick these melancholy songs that matched the tone of my surroundings so perfectly: Thom Yorke - Harrowdown Hill Tool - Aenema Smashing Pumpkins - Daphne Descends A Covenant of Thorns - State of Mind Colony 5 - Suicidal Listening to it again reminded me what a weird time that was - I was jobless, friendless, wearing out my welcome where I'd crashed, ashamed of myself, and badly injured. At the same time though, I found a morose comfort in being at rock bottom, a grim sort of peace from tackling my problems, and a strange open-ness towards others in my many vulnerabilities. It was terrifying and inspiring all at the same time, if that makes sense. (Expensive too, I don't recommend financial exile if you can avoid it.)

Indeed, Ragnar0k is absolutely King Shit at using wordplay to make a point. My favorite: "I was cutting corners like I worked at a circle factory" I feel kind of bad for the guy, he's done all this great work and never gotten paid for it. I wish he'd publish a book or something.

That is glorious. I'm like one of those zebras in the beginning of the Lion King, all I can do is bow down.

I'm lucky enough to have had three great RP experiences. Although they were time consuming and aren't really my thing any more (that's not a referendum on the hobby, I'd just rather do other stuff these days), I have no regrets. It was improv acting, put into words, and no less legitimate than any other art form. The Ambrosia Software "Escape Velocity: Nova" Bar Threads Yes its a corny title but so is "Guardians of The Galaxy". Even if it isn't quite a proper tabletop like the next two, I am putting my (and the rest of the ASW'ers, at least two of which were professionals) best foot forward here. The premise of these threads was kind of like Ross Scott's video about that gas station in space, only in a freeform, Play-By-Post setup where all these crazy subplots would sort of weave together. The twisted creativity, intelligence, humor, dedication, and artistry displayed here made for a surreal combination--it was like reading some kind of Terry Pratchett novell that could quantum mechanically reform itself to be about whatever you wanted, but still be funny. Threshold Station (2011-2014) Colosseum Station (2008-2011) Warbird Station (2006-2008) Paint Station Prime (2005-2006) My username was 'fishloaf'. I was a low-tier writer, but don't miss anything by Ragnar0k, Krugerwusp, or mrxak, those guys are the shit. Serenity Game: I ran a Serenity/Firefly-themed game back in 2010, when there wasn't much else going on for me. I was lucky enough to get some incredible players, all of whom I still keep in touch with. Unfortunately, GM-ing is a labor of love for all but a lucky few and as such, I eventually had to give up and focus on resuscitating my failed career. That game forum is a shizaster nowadays, so below are some summaries of how the IC sessions went: Jim & John's Prelude http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=86593 Dean's Prelude http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=86389 Bambi's Prelude (Best Session!) http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=91423 Alek's Prelude http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=93593 Session 1: The Bazaar http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=87199 ; http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=90137 Session 2: Negotiations & Love Songs (Sad Story...) http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=90150 Session 3: The Highest Bidder http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=93402 Session 4: The Art of Subterfuge (Hack-n-slash session, storytelling dropped sharply as I lost interest ) http://www.myth-weavers.com/showthread.php?t=100764 People Met Organizations Encountered Places Visited Armored Core Game Armored Core was a series of mecha-sim games for the Playstation 2 and 3, where you pilot a three story, heavily armed anime-style mech. Unlike MechWarrior and its more earthy, tank motiff, Armored Cores are nimble, fighter-jet like machines, parrying back and forth like giant knights on a post-apocalyptic hellscape. The game was made by From Software, the same developer who brought you Dark Souls. This should give you and idea of the difficulty level. I was unspeakalby terrible at the games, and there was a massive disconnect between how the cutscenes and lore depicted my skills and my actual graceless, grinding, trench-warfare performance in game. That said, I was fascinated by the universe, and readily fleshed out the austere lore for a Maptool game in 2011. I made a custom game system that was tailored for Maptool macro usage--its biggest strength was in (eventually) being fast paced. Making an attack roll only required one input from the attacker, and maybe one from the defender, so you could get back to what this meant for the story more quickly. The campaign journal linked above is all that survives of it. Inside you will find some summaries of how the game sessions went. This game was also a lot of fun and boasted a considerable amount of player talent. Unfortunately, I still hadn't pulled myself out of my no-account deadbeat lifestyle and I was heading for a second financial seppuku in as many years, so eventually the effort became unjustifiable. But still, good times.

Cross-breed them and let your legacy be as the man who gave the world "shiders". I bet they would spin some gnarly-ass webs down in that ocean thing where they swim.

I have redoubled my efforts to grow out my hair. I have always wanted to try this, but it always seems to sort of poof out into a naturally occurring bowl cut and then I chicken out.

Bowl o rice and the broccolis

Meditating on what exactly the internet is at its most fundamental level. I just read a couple of really enlightening books about money, specifically Your Money or Your Life and Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and both of them had the insight that money has ceased to be a tool for First Worlders and instead become an addictive substance. At its heart, though, money is just a standardized form of exchange. In essence, money is only what we agree it is. So in similar fashion, I was just thinking what the internet is, because its taken on a role in society thats almost as fundamental, and I think we run the same risks of getting dominated by it. Right now, I'm leaning towards the conclusion that the internet is ultimately, just "thoughts". Some of those thoughts are put to practical use, such as the thought that Guy A wants to buy a whatsit, and Guy B happens to be in the whatsit business, so lets do the money dance cha cha cha! But other people use the internet as a source of community, achievement, or even fulfillment. That's crazy dangerous, because what they're actually getting are just facsimiles--just thoughts. So, deep stuff happening in Taco Tyrantopia.

Some of the best royalty-free music I've ever heard.

I would still be a 393 lb sphere, although maybe I'd have a higher paying job to show for it. [EDIT: Or I'd be Kvothe? He seems cool.]

RWBY If you ever saw the Haloid or Dead Fanatsy series of animated fight sequences, this is an anime by the same guy and funded by Rooster Teeth. Tragically, the creator (Monty Oum) passed away recently but the company announced that the series will continue.

nmDYu5KI5XI

If I may go out on a limb: I assume you're visiting your guy this year. If the purpose of this initial visit is to do a sort of trial-run and see if you guys click, keep your eyes open and don't be afraid to hold things against him or question your feelings. If something about him (or especially something about his parents) annoys or creeps you out now, it will be ten times worse once you guys are committed, and continue growing until you guys separate. The Gift Of Fear is an extremely enlightening book about how to judge character in that respect. I say this because so many of my own ladyfriends went to drastic lengths for a relationship in their early 20's. Most of the time it was giving up college and moving cross country, but occasionally I'd see someone join the military or even change religion(!!) and pay huge tithes to be with her guy. Most of them were able to achieve their goal because determination is cool like that, but later on split with the man who had inspired them to such efforts because he changed. Puberty continues way longer than people think, and people's personalities don't usually cement until about 25 or so. This isn't to say "don't do it." Its really not even my business, you don't have to justify anything to me. Just some advice, to keep your eyes open and understand that its not weak or irresolute to listen to your reservations--not 'give in to them' nor 'ignore them', just listen and process. Good luck, ma'am!

Two of my favorites: People take Machiavelli out of context, or willfully misinterpret him as a rationalization for doing whatever is convenient. When he wrote that the "ends justify the means", he was talking about what it meant to hold an entire nation together, where there are so many conflicting interests that it is definitively impossible to please everyone and never step on a toe. Even then, what Machiavelli was advocating was a search for the pareto-optimal, the "best for everyone" solution to ruling, and that was the end he was saying vindicated any methods for reaching it. He was trying to say, "Don't be intimidated when people grouse at the minor concessions you demand, so long as it secures their important needs." There were enough tyrants in Europe's history that nobody needed instructions on how to do whatever you wanted with power. Renowned criminologist commenting on the core of his investigative philosophy. That book in the quote is absolutely fascinating, by the way. I like this saying because its a reminder that every problem has a course of action and that you always have a say in the matter. You have to respect your challenges, but don't enshrine them as unconquerable.

Jason & The Argonauts, the classic 1963 version with all the stop motion animation. So, this is one of those many movies from my childhood that I occasionally saw fragments of while the person with the remote was channel surfing, and never knew what it was. For some reason, this movie in particular really offended my Dad, he wouldn't watch more than five seconds of it or even answer what it was. Having seen it as an adult, I still can't tell what his problem was. The first thing that really struck me about this film was the sound design. The harpy's claws scratching against the marble, bone men clattering throughout the fight, Talos creaking and grinding as he stumbled around the island like a giant asshole, all of it was great and helped sell the special effects. Speaking of which, I think even from a modern perspective, the special effects were...convincing enough. They didn't look lifelike, obviously, but they matched the props and backdrop well enough that your imagination didn't have to do much legwork to accept that moving brown shape as an angry bronze statue. I loved the little flair they added where Talos impatiently juggled the sword back and forth between his hands. The music--I had forgotten how loud they liked to pipe in music back then, sometimes blaring for several minutes of continuity while the camera did nothing. I guess the guy composing the score had more power to showcase his music, or maybe that music was considered a more prominent storytelling device and they were hoping to set the mood with those interludes. This was the heydey of musicals, after all. Anyways, the music is fairly standard mid-century grandiose brass and percussion blare, with the occasional night of the woodwinds. The acting was pretty corny and its a laugh to hear this mythical Greek hero talk like a Chicago gangster (almost as much fun as when it comes up in English dubbed kung-fu)--the only things that stand out as convincing are Phineas, the blind prophet, Hercules and the infectious camaraderie he seemed to inspire in the cast, and the fight scenes. Even though the fight scenes are your typical swashbuckler fare, I actually kind of like the way these performers seemed genuinely concerned about the enemy's weapons and appropriately desperate not to be hit. It gives the fights a kind of "security cam footage" sincerity that made them more tense and gripping to watch. I'll still enjoy a really intricate martial arts sequence with an unstoppable hero any day of the week, but I appreciate that as a standalone display of art, not a climactic plot element. Another thing I appreciated: The actors were willing to speak up and speak clearly. This latter day trend of whisper whisper METAL SCREEEEEEAM really needs to stop. And then there was the ending. I guess movie goers were more tolerant back in the day after having grown up on radio serials but damn, to me that ending just sucks. I think a mobile game Paywall that advertised the Full Story Package for sale for 9.99 would have been less jarring. So all in all, a nice adventure film. 7/10

EDIT: I just noticed this thread, where I probably ought to have posted. I am become error. Indeed. Ross is a really talented and charismatic voice actor and I respect his work ethic, but there's an authenticity that he brought to Freeman's sociopathic personality that makes you wonder. He might just be that damn good at acting, I suppose--Tom Wilson ("Biff" in Back to the Future) absolutely nailed the cocky douchebag vibe, while personally being anything but, so it is possible. The subconscious speaks a really interesting language IMHO. Doesn't mean its always right, but I've always appreciated knowing what the score is at my deepest levels. Apparently my subconscious is fully convinced that Ross is evil on a level with the Joker, though. Harvesting souls and then not even using them? That is some cold shit. Hey mang, if you have an Inception device and can do that, you might as well put it to good use. Jump in. Interesting, it sounds like you might have a bit of thing for Ross. Dreams where you and a specific individual "climb" or "raise altitude" in any way often indicate strong admiration or romantic interest.

Also: last night, I guess my sleeping brain was misfiring as it tried to commit an episode of game dungeon to memory. I dreamed that Accursed Farms announced a convention in Montana called 'RossCon', which promised to raise money for the upcoming movie and give attendees the opportunity to help the production process in a mysterious, but important way. I've always had a filmmaking itch so I figured, 'Ah, what the hell' and made a weekend trip out of it. The directions to RossCon were a little cryptic and didn't mention any convention center or anything. Following these direction eventually had me bouncing down a gravel road, swearing as the last of my confidence in where I was going drained away. As if sensing my desperation, a handwritten sign appeared around the next turn declaring 'ROSSCON' as a sodden, fenced-off cow pasture where a crowd of equally confused people stood awkwardly. A surly parking attendant pointed me to a ribboned off parking area, where I sank my truck up to the wheel wells in mud. Leaving that problem for later, I got out and slogged my way over to my fellow neckbeards. After much waiting, aimless shuffling, and everyone desperately trying to get smartphone reception because eye-contact is scary, a battered 1970's hatchback came snarling down the gravel road at mach speed, completing its entrance with a handbrake turn that WHAM, crumpled its fender against one of the fenceposts. Out jumped the man of the hour himself, Ross, who offhandedly commented that the car was stolen anyways, and then launched into a spirited monologue about the challenges awaiting him on his moviemaking adventure. While Ross regaled us with his eloquence, he also busied himself by setting up the attractions to this convention, which consisted of: a card table, a soda bottle full of tobbacco juice, a laptop with a disaster of cables snarling out of it, and a podium. Last came a heavy cardboard box with "rare vinyls - CAREFUL" scrawled on it, which clattered and made the card table sag ominously as he plopped it down. Now, one of my biggest frustrations is trying to listen to an announcement, but some dipshit next to you is talking to his neighbor. This was happening in full force in this crowd, so I didn't hear much until the tail end, when Ross got the PA system working and said: "--so I figure, what better way to provide all that than by harvesting human souls? That's where you come in! " At this point, two big bouncer-looking assistants peeled opened the cardboard box and started distributing shurikens to the attendees. Ross went on to explain that this activity was kind of like dodgeball, only with much higher stakes since he had smeared the throwing stars in potent cardiotoxins. Also, he mentioned a sharpshooter with thermal imaging standing by in case anyone tried to run away or be clever--the only way to go home was to be one of the last ten people standing. And so, with a resounding, "GO-OOO!", the crowd erupted into a thrashing carpet of violence as presumably civilized first worlders readily turned on each other in the name of survival. I remember hiding under a car, next to the muffler for most of the game, and a scoreboard told me that there were only 10 people left. I was looking for my opportunity to sneak back in like nothing happened when I was finally spotted by this HUGE one armed guy with one of those "HELLO MY NAME IS______" nametags that identified him as "Spinegrinder". Not content to simply poison me and call it a day, Spinegrinder decided to pin me down and saw my head off with one of the serrated edges of his star I thought you weren't supposed to be able to dream about dying, but apparently years of multiplayer FPS games has acclimated my subconscious to the concept because the next thing I remember was floating above the carnage as this disembodied, mist-like being. Unfortunately, this did not mean that I was free--it turns out that the soda bottle I mentioned earlier was some kind of soul trap and thus, I was sucked down, Ghostbusters-like, into a used Dr Pepper bottle. The last thing I remember was Ross trying to connect us disembodied souls to a room full of typewriters, but he didn't have the right cable adapter so he gave up and just left us to haunt that office. Oh, and one of my fellow unfortunates had been texting throughout the whole ordeal and didn't realize he was dead until I told him, to which he said, "Meh" and got back to it. So, the moral of the story is, if there's ever a RossCon, it could be more hardcore than most cons outside the punk or metal genre. Be careful and use the buddy system. (EDIT: The other moral is that whoever decried religion as the opiate of the masses didn't know jack about smartphones.)

Speaking of webcomic writing opportunities, someone should apply to this: http://www.bladebunny.com/2014/12/21/its-time-for-new-blood-writers-wanted/

Ross, here is the ONE thing: That chest hair is an asset that you could be utilizing. You should shave that into a design like a lightning bolt or wolf's head or something. If you don't, your competitors will. Don't give them the advantage!

Road Rash got me kicked out of Cub Scouts.

Congratulations, Ross What game is this again?

That green AI racer was like Ross' sworn enemy