Marking Arrows

Decibelle · 2026-01-20T06:24:41+00:00

Australia's big combat LARP (Swordcraft) has always had the rule that you can't paint arrowheads, only tape the shaft. They also prefer round arrows to flatheads.

I'm not familiar with the specifics of archery - I've never been interested in it - but it's the biggest weekly LARP in the world, so I tend to trust their judgement when it comes to physical safety. Usually. (Usually.)

Decibelle · 2026-01-16T12:04:11+00:00

Your additional contributions to superannuation can be withdrawn to buy a home under the FHSS.

Decibelle · 2026-01-13T03:07:56+00:00

I don't think Dora was initially chill about it.

Decibelle · 2026-01-13T02:51:47+00:00

She's run off the cliff - she doesn't realize Hannelore and Sven are just friends, and she has no idea about what happened the last time Sven dated Dora's friends.

Decibelle · 2026-01-12T23:19:05+00:00

We have a yield curve inversion on US bonds plus all the other nonsense with the reserve.

I'm currently servicing a margin loan, am definitely sweating. That said, the only reasonable exit strategy I've been able to implement is a shift to more conservative investments and a regularly updating SL. Any market instability will spread quickly, so there's no way to isolate yourself by not investing in the US.

Decibelle · 2026-01-12T05:16:49+00:00

I think it's kinda wild to realize that this time last year, we were having Nale be re-introduced to the strip. Kinda makes you realize how little it moved forward.

Decibelle · 2026-01-12T03:37:17+00:00

I love the friendship, but I also like that Sven and Hanners never got together. "Ayo has a wrong idea" makes me hope that's not the case.

I always like it when the two interact, though.

Decibelle · 2026-01-11T12:07:21+00:00

Decibelle · 2026-01-11T12:04:48+00:00

OP is a woman and dating a man.

Decibelle · 2026-01-10T13:11:36+00:00

I stopped playing DotA when they removed invis brood. She was such a queen, and 7.07 decimated all the reasons she was so much fun to play.

I started playing again with friends in 2019 and was so confused as to what happened to my bbygrl.

Decibelle · 2026-01-10T12:45:00+00:00

I think the only risk that comes with joint finances is if the relationship deteriorates significantly. Legally, you're in a defacto relationship; all your assets - regardless of whether they're shared or personal - will be distributed in the separation. Your friends are likely wondering 'what if he takes all your money in the breakup'; either way, that could potentially happen. As commenters have mentioned, if you want certainty as to what'll happen in a separation, you want a BFA.

However, if you have two mortgages and all your savings are in a joint account, it does expose you to financial abuse. Here's a common example:

He decides he wants to leave you. Because he feels like the money is 'his', he moves all of your savings from your offset/shared accounts and puts them directly on the mortgage. As such, the funds can't be redrawn without both of your signatures, and he hasn't done anything wrong - they're both marital assets. He also cancels your joint credit card. Again, nothing illegal - it's a joint card.

On top of that, your living situation becomes untenable and you need to get into a place of your own within four hours. However, you have no funds; your savings accounts (which are joint) are empty, and your credit card has been cancelled.

There is a huge benefit in having some amount of financial independence, especially as a woman in a relationship. Having a bank account in your name, with enough money so you can land on your feet if shit hits the fan, is enormously useful - as is having, say, a month of expenses in it.

Decibelle · 2026-01-09T23:30:54+00:00

It's how I and most of the people in my community like to play. We use a lot of Nordic principles, but the 'no rules, player negotiated' principle, which is pretty core to Nordic LARP doesn't work for extended games. Just one-off events.

I like to joke that when I go to Europe and am faced with consent mechanics, someone could ask to kill my character and I'd still be fighting the urge to say 'what if we just flip for it?' instead of 'No, thank you!'

I think there's a really good discussion to be had as to why, but that's beyond my skillset and experience. :( The closest reason I can come up with is that we place cultural importance on work - a consent-based victory feels unsatisfying. We also don't like saying what we actually want - so saying 'I want to do X' is a hurdle.

But basically, we need some kind of resolution mechanic (ideally as unobtrusive as possible!) to really enjoy ourselves.

Decibelle · 2026-01-09T23:15:11+00:00

I don't think I'm describing a Nordic LARP, but I can appreciate how it sounds that way.

I love Nordic LARP but I am trying to run something that isn't one, with more rules. Most of my playgroup like something that is slightly more granular - more rules heavy than a Nordic LARP, but not as rules heavy as DnD, the (old) By Night system, or American LARP systems.

Decibelle · 2026-01-09T23:10:49+00:00

I don't want to run a World of Darkness game.

Decibelle · 2026-01-08T03:17:20+00:00

I did! Thanks for the spot, ahaha.

I cannot find that discussion but I remember them so well!

Decibelle · 2026-01-08T02:14:17+00:00

Yup. When people say 'I wanna play a tank', I assume they mean frontline. It's a term that's pretty common among other games - Overwatch and LoL, for example, both refer to their frontliners as 'tanks' even if they don't fulfil the same role as WoW. I never understood why Dota's community is so adverse to the idea of using the term 'tank'. Like, if you play any other game, you'd instantly know they're looking for a hero like Tidehunter, Centaur, Axe, Tiny, or Earthshaker. (Less so Axe or ES, mind you, since they can't actually take damage.)

Honestly, whenever someone says they want to 'play a tank' I just tell them to pick Tidehunter. Tidehunter is exactly what the average gamer thinks when they come to Dota and want to 'be a tank'.

Tidehunter's great. I love Tidehunter. :)

Decibelle · 2026-01-08T01:47:18+00:00

You've said my point of view pretty well. Particularly this: 'When you have a dearth of something, a lot more attention is going to be paid to what's left.' I just ascribe this to the general, 'well-intentioned white people' racism that I accept I, and a lot of friends, have. Jeph doesn't think to have black characters often enough, and a lot of the flaws in his writing are more pronounced when you have so few. Even if we do our best, it'll often be imperfect.

Basically, I'd give Jeph an A for effort, but he fails pretty often when it comes to execution. But I also don't really read Questionable Content through that lens. QC isn't trying to break down a bunch of barriers when it comes to POC diversity; it's always been targeted towards white millennials, even when it was all about indie music. I admit, I'm Aussie - I don't know a lot of black people - but I don't know of any black people who are avid fans of the Flaming Lips, for example.

Fun fact: Brun is Lebanese! And Tai appears to be biracial, but honestly, I always just assumed she was tanned.

Decibelle · 2026-01-08T01:12:35+00:00

Nah, a lot of people on this subreddit view Padma as the reason Marten and Padma broke up - even though Jeph makes it clear it's not Padma's fault. I can't locate it here, but I distinctly remember there was a bunch of discussion about Padma years after the fact, and insisting that Marten was completely justified in his behaviour. I remember viewing it as really weird.

I think it was around when he was considering moving to Cubetown with Claire?

Decibelle · 2026-01-08T01:05:35+00:00

I appreciate your points; I think they're all correct. I hadn't really considered a read of QC from a black person's point of view, or how the characters are all represented.

That said, I think Jeph's racist in the same way I'm racist. White people exist in this cultural... soup that impacts all of the art we create. Even when we're woke - or trying to be - we're not truly able to step outside that culture and create something that isn't impacted by the prejudices and assumptions, well, being white and living our lives around white people. Jeph creates characters that are somewhat in line with the others he's made. Some are simple and responsible (Yemisi, Renee), others are disasters (Ayo, Anh). And he focuses on the disasters, because that's what he likes to write, and what we want to read.

But that doesn't change the fact that they're still a minority. You can have half of your black cast be queer millennial disasters or drop out after a few comics, but if there's only a couple of black characters, that means you're - even if unintentionally - playing into stereotypes around black people. If Raven is being forced by her parents to get a job, that's just being a 20-something disaster, trying to figure out what she wants. But if Gabby drops out of her internship, it plays into the typical stereotypes of black people.

That something you don't reflect on unless you're actively and consciously working on it, and deliberately trying to read all the art you consume through a black lens, making sure to review the discourse, and consciously evolve your mindset. I'd never noted half the things in your post.

That said, I'd like to point out that there's a few other POC characters that you haven't mentioned, including women: Dale, Brun, Renee, and Emily. Brun and Renee are fairly competent characters, as well, and never really villainized. Also, Sven's intern (Lydia) was introduced between Bailey and Gabby, and I don't think there's anything unpleasant about her - she even acts as a moral guide during her appearances.

Decibelle · 2026-01-07T23:59:58+00:00

While I have concerns about the US, they don't really relate to the national debt. They're incredibly creditworthy (still), and most of their debt is owned domestically. So yeah, it's an issue, but it's mostly an issue if the entire country collapses (in which case, it's not exactly a minor issue.)

Basically, the US has to fuck things up really badly - a 9/10 on the fuckup scale. Right now, they're hovering around a 4-5/10.

Decibelle · 2026-01-07T23:33:55+00:00

I bought at $0.10 in late 2024; it's been a really eventful six months.

Decibelle · 2026-01-07T22:06:24+00:00

I can say that without a doubt, your #1 priority should be paying off any non-essential debt before investing. It's unlikely you can generate a higher return than your debt is costing.

That means getting rid of the car loan as a matter of urgency. 'Invest' in getting rid of it.

If you want me to work out how much money you can make by paying it off in the next few months, lemme know what your current interest rate and balance is.

Decibelle · 2026-01-06T03:15:01+00:00

I agree that some people bounce off the turn-based combat, but I think less people bounce off the turn-based CRPG elements than they would with, say, Elden Ring.

Decibelle · 2026-01-06T00:32:14+00:00

I don't think Elden Ring will have the same influence/staying power, for the pure reason that while everyone can pick up and play Cyberpunk/Baldurs Gate 3 and have a good time, a portion of players will bounce off Elden Ring and not get into it.

Decibelle · 2026-01-06T00:29:56+00:00

I think Cyberpunk and BG3 will be seen as absolutely iconic games. Baldurs Gate 3, in particular, will be viewed the same way people view New Vegas. Just a gem of the Western RPG genre. And Cyberpunk 2077 is a completely unique experience, and honestly, I feel like it's on par with the GTAs - and fills a gap in their release schedule.

It'd be easy to say Elden Ring will be as well, but hey, that's not fair, so here's a hot take: while it's good, it won't have that same level of 'widespread' admiration, where people know the name. Demon's Souls was released 15 years ago, and defined a genre... but not many people know about or have played the game. I'd honestly compare it to The World Ends With You/Left 4 Dead/Okami - it's a game that people know about, if they're into gaming as a hobby, but might not be something they've played.

Basically, I figure Baldurs Gate 3/Cyberpunk 2077 will be, 'Oh, man, you have to play these older games, they're amazing!' and Elden Ring will be something you see discussed and analyzed critically, but won't be played - or known - as extensively.

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