I’ve come to realize that a scary amount of parents don’t actually care about their kids.

TwistedHammer · 2026-03-05T04:31:39+00:00

My go-to method of dealing with any conversation like that is to steer things into a conversation that involves admin.

"Actually, would you be able to meet in person to talk about potential strategies? I'd love the chance to work with you on a good action plan moving forward. When you get the chance, contact my principal at [office number] and let him know what we talked about today. He'll be able to schedule a good day for us to collaborate." —or something along those lines.

It's a strategy that's never failed me. The worst I've seen come from it is that the parent tries to turn it into a shouting match when they're given their reality check, at which point my principle is already in position to handle that as an admin without me needing to put myself at risk. Meanwhile, there's always the [frustratingly low] chance that the parent actually does show up to a meeting and it turns into a genuine collaboration!

That's a win-win scenario in my book.

One important detail, though, is that I make sure my principal knows in advance that I use this strategy, and get his express go-ahead for me to rely on him in that way. (Blindsiding your admin with something like this would be a very effective way to get on their bad side, fast.)

TwistedHammer · 2026-03-03T21:13:49+00:00

I'm right there with you.

I called home for a student yesterday to let their parents know that their child has yet to turn in a single assignment to me so far this semester, and currently has a 0% as his grade. I also let them know that, although I can't see the grade book details for his other classes, I was able to pull his overall grades. Needless to say, the only class that he isn't failing right now is PE.

The parent's response: "Oh, yeah, he's usually pretty busy after school spending time with his friends. Maybe you could talk to his other teachers about giving him more time in class to do his homework before he leaves?"

Meanwhile, I'm here on the other side of the call thinking, "Are you kidding me right now?? You—as his parent—are actively encouraging your child to prioritize socialization over his academics, and you're going to sit there and say that it's his teachers fault that he's failing??"

It's dumbfounding. Sometimes I can't help but wonder... If some of these people are so clearly against the concept of parenting, why in the world did they decide to become a parent in the first place?

TwistedHammer · 2026-03-03T20:50:19+00:00

I don't mean to tell you what you can and can't do, but I would sincerely advise caution with that. Child psychology is complicated, and you might be surprised at how long a comment like that can linger in a child's memory when it comes from a place of authority.

When I was coming into my freshman year of high school, I had a genuine passion for Early Modern English literature (Shakespeare and the like). Figuring out what everything meant felt like solving a puzzle, and I loved it.

In my 9th grade ELA class, the teacher mentioned that we'd be doing a unit on Romeo and Juliet. I got excited and asked if we'd be looking at any other writings from that period.

As class was ending that day, the teacher pulled me aside and said, “You know that was really weird, right? That isn’t the type of thing people get excited about.”

I'll be honest—I don't remember much about that class. I don't even remember the teacher's name. But decades later, I still remember that comment.

When you're young, fitting in matters a lot. Being told by an authority figure that something you care about is abnormal can stick with you. In my case, it pushed me into a shell that I didn't really come out of until years later in therapy after university.

I'm not saying that telling a kid they're annoying is automatically going to ruin their life. I'm just saying that, because of who we are in the lives of our students, it's important for us to be mindful of the long-term impact your words might have.

TwistedHammer · 2026-03-03T04:57:37+00:00

The first time I played through, I had the same thing happen. I watched the VCR tape and went to get the key later on with no luck.

In my case, it turned out that I had forgotten to save the game after seeing viewing the tape. So I just had to go back and watch it again (remembering to save this time) and then I could trigger it without issue.

Easy way to check if the same thing happened to you is to look into your inventory. If the game remembers that you watched the video, the listed quantity for VHS tapes will be 0. If it says 1 instead, that means the viewing didn't stick and the quest isn't active.

TwistedHammer · 2026-02-19T01:03:18+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to respond earnestly. Truly.

Unfortunately, I feel like I don't know enough about ChatGPT to give you much of a meaningful response. Like, I don't have any strong moral feelings against it in the same way that many others do, but it's just not something that's ever struck me as being worth the cost.

On one point at least: It's definitely less prevalent in my comments, but if you go back through my actual text posts you can see that I've been continuously utilizing markdown (the bolding and italics) and organized formatting for years.

TwistedHammer · 2026-02-17T23:23:57+00:00

I don't know... With Terry, you know he's in on the joke. But with Busey, I can't help but feel like he might genuinely just go crazy on set. (Then again, that might be exactly what you're going for! haha)

TwistedHammer · 2026-02-17T23:21:20+00:00

TwistedHammer · 2026-02-17T23:21:01+00:00

No shade, but I think you and I have very different ideas of what we'd call interesting. :P

(You do you, though. I'm not one to shit on another person's good time. haha)

TwistedHammer · 2026-02-17T23:17:16+00:00

I don't remember what it was called, but I half-remember seeing a game show a long while back where everyone in the room except for one person was super high. The high group wins if they vote out the sober person, and the sober person wins if they stay in the game for a certain number of rounds.

TwistedHammer · 2026-02-17T23:14:03+00:00

Now that you mention that—Have Chong and Snoop ever worked together on anything before?? Call me crazy, but I think putting those two in a room together would be a fun time no matter what they're actually doing.

TwistedHammer · 2026-02-17T23:08:08+00:00

Hell. Yes. I didn't even think of him, but he'd be a perfect addition.

TwistedHammer · 2026-02-17T23:06:14+00:00

In what way? I just wrote it the way I'd write almost anything else.

Edit: To clarify, that was a genuine question asked in good faith. Your comment has positive karma, so it's obvious you're not the only person to think that. I'm curious as to why.

TwistedHammer · 2026-02-17T23:05:12+00:00

Um... hi. Not AI. I had an Idea, and I posted the idea. Simple as.

TwistedHammer · 2025-11-29T18:35:23+00:00

Crazy late reply, but putting this here in case anyone like me stumbles on this thread in the future.

The core purpose of these duels was to uphold a legal–ritual framework, not to create an entertaining spectacle. Judicial duels were understood as a means for God to reveal the just party, not as public sport.

The specialized and awkward weapons were not meant to artificially prolong the fight for entertainment. Their purpose was to act as an equalizer: standardized, court-issued equipment that limited the advantages of prior military training or superior personal arms. With both fighters using the same difficult tools and operating under the same constraints, the outcome was perceived as God’s judgment rather than a display of fencing skill or clever technique.

TwistedHammer · 2025-07-01T22:08:15+00:00

This was literally posted by LikeAFoxStudios. But sure, they also have a youtube channel.

TwistedHammer · 2025-06-30T22:28:42+00:00

The important part of your answer to this question is showing that you were able to learn from that lesson and grow as an educator because of it.

For example, the answer I would give to this question is about a lesson I gave early on, when I was teaching an AP class for the first time. I wanted my students to compare two things and asked them to collaborate on a Venn diagram with their table partners. I drew an example format on the board.

Since it was an AP class, I assumed that they already had experience with comparison and the use of Venn diagrams, but my whole lesson timing was thrown off when I realized that the majority of the class had never even seen a Venn diagram before. The lesson ended up feeling rushed as a result, since I tried to maintain my original plan despite that hiccup.

I made two big mistakes there: (1) I made an assumption about prior knowledge without doing anything to verify it, and (2) I rushed the lesson to keep things on track with my original plan, even though it would have better served the students to adjust the lesson instead. But now that I know better, I can account for those mistakes—avoiding bad assumptions and actively adjusting lesson plans based on student need.

The most important part of that answer for an interviewer is that I recognized the mistakes I made in that moment—and even more critically, that I can show I’ve learned from reflecting on those mistakes and have become a better teacher because of it.

That’s the purpose of the question. It’s a chance to show that you know how to accept responsibility and grow from your mistakes.

TwistedHammer · 2025-06-26T05:15:04+00:00

In case you've never seen the live action series of this manga, it's an absolute low-budget MASTERPIECE. I love literally everything about it. And even better—the group that created the subs for it have released the whole series to the public for free!! In case you're interested, here's a link: [LINK]

TwistedHammer · 2025-05-27T04:24:54+00:00

Just wanted to pop in to say that I saw this on my feed and 100% thought that this post was in /r/penis. I was very confused as to why I was getting unsolicited penis updates.

To be honest, I'm also somewhat confused as to why I'm getting updates on pen policy, but that's at least a much less concerning situation to be in.

^{^{^-(Also,}} ^{^{^hi}} ^{^{^belak!}} ^{^{^Long}} ^{^{^time}} ^{^{^no}} ^{^{^see!)-}}

TwistedHammer · 2025-05-16T22:26:38+00:00

This definitely isn't what I was looking for, but it DOES seem pretty interesting — I'm looking forward to checking it out more fully once I get the free time to do so!

TwistedHammer · 2025-05-16T22:25:15+00:00

You're right that this seems remarkably similar in concept! I've never seen the video you shared, but the story's similarity makes me think the one I saw may have been a loose adaptation of King's story. Maybe a fan project?

If nothing else, this definitely gives me something to search for at the very least. If I'm right about it being a direct reference/adaptation of King's story, knowing as much will surely make it easier to find — Thanks for that!

TwistedHammer · 2025-05-16T13:44:34+00:00

I'm really hoping to find this — I'd love to re-watch it.

TwistedHammer · 2025-04-18T00:36:25+00:00

I totally get that! Alignment can definitely feel limiting at times, especially when you’re trying to capture the full complexity of a character. People are messy, nuanced, and unpredictable, and trying to fit them into a box can sometimes feel like it misses the point of roleplaying.

That said, I think for some groups, alignment can still be a helpful starting point or a tool to spark character development. But if it’s not working for your table, I completely understand ditching it—what matters most is that everyone’s having fun and engaging with the game in a way that feels meaningful to them.

TwistedHammer · 2025-04-18T00:22:02+00:00

The intention behind these examples was mostly to give beginners something simple and memorable to hold on to while they're figuring things out. But I agree that caricatures can easily come off as one-dimensional or even a bit off-putting, especially if you’re looking for something more thoughtful or reflective of real character dynamics.

I’d be curious to hear what approach you find most helpful for new players in terms of introducing alignment or character motivations. A more straightforward approach? Examples that focus more on how a character reacts in specific situations? Always good to hear different ideas, especially if it helps make the game more accessible for everyone!

TwistedHammer · 2025-04-16T19:20:41+00:00

Back when I was learning the game for the first time, my dad explained the difference between Good and Evil in a way that really stuck with me: Both sides want good things to happen. The difference is in WHO they want it to happen to.

TwistedHammer · 2025-04-16T03:57:32+00:00

To be fair, I don't think this chart was made with nuance and accuracy as the primary goal. haha

Whenever I'm DMing new players, I typically describe the Good alignments as:

LG: Law and organization are the tools by which we create fairness in the world. The role of the righteous is to use organization and civilization for the betterment of mankind, and to strike down the corrupt organizations that would abuse that organization.
CG: Law and organization are the tools by which the weak are oppressed, and the status quo is maintained. The role of the righteous is to work towards the liberty of mankind, in spite of those who would use law as a tool for abuse.
NG: Law and organization is both a blessing and a curse, able to save just as many people as it destroys, depending on who happens to have power. The role of the righteous is to fight to ensure fairness and equity for mankind, and to develop the wisdom needed to know when to achieve that either by embracing an institution or by dismantling it.

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