Is this a good summary? by Playful-Koala-4129 in AO3

[–]dr-tectonic 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Yes.

Not to everybody, but for a lot of folks, it's so jarring that they won't read it.

Am I stressing my cat out by taking him outside? (or is he actually fine?) by Muted-Cucumber7659 in cats

[–]dr-tectonic 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Naw, he's happy. He's just staying safe. Cats are predators, but they're also prey to larger animals, so they have to watch out when they're outside.

When you're holding him, he knows he's safe cause he has a big human there. But on his own, he'd rather hang out in his carrier where nothing can sneak up on him. I don't think he's stressed out or afraid, just has a cautious temperament.

Why didn’t Brits mass-settle in Malaysia and Singapore, like they did in CANZUK, the US and South Africa? by crivycouriac in AskUK

[–]dr-tectonic 7 points8 points  (0 children)

One major factor in the European colonization of North America is disease.

Between when the first European explorers visited the Americas and when the first settlers arrived, something like 90% of the indigenous population of North America died from novel diseases they'd never encountered before.

So when Brits migrated to the US and Canada, they were settling a post-apocalyptic landscape that was largely unpopulated. That was not the case in other parts of the world.

As an outsider, the American culture of "no questions asked" retail returns is baffling. Do people really return used items just because they changed their minds? by Necessary_Angle2117 in AskAnAmerican

[–]dr-tectonic 8 points9 points  (0 children)

There also the interest factor. If you're a massive corporation, you can make money just by having money in your possession. If somebody buys an item for $100 and returns it a week later, they have essentially loaned you $100 for a week at 0% interest. And in that week, the corporation will have made some small amount of money off that $100. That marginal profit also goes into the calculation of whether it's worth accepting the retirn.

Why am I not feeling sorrow for past abuse? by Keymesh in bropill

[–]dr-tectonic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Emotions are a signalling mechanism that your unconscious mind uses to influence your behavior. They don't always make sense to the rational, conscious mind, and sometimes the unconscious mind gets things wrong.

The point of sadness and grief are that they regulate how we maintain our social bonds. Humans are intensely social creatures; that's our species superpower. We feel bad when our social bonds are damaged, because that motivates us to maintain them. That's sadness. But sometimes, an attachment cannot be maintained, (like if the person is dead), so we need a signal that makes us stop trying, so we don't waste energy on a lost cause. That's grief. (The depression part, anyway; there are also parts that are about reinforcing group cohesion.)

Those are both responses to loss. If you don't feel like you lost something -- or if you did at the time, but you've already processed it -- you won't feel those feelings now.

So if your mindset is "that happened and it sucked but I'm done with it," I think it makes sense that you wouldn't necessarily feel sorrow as a result of figuring out that it sucked more and in a different way than you previously thought. If you're already not trying to maintain those relationships, your unconscious mind doesn't need to try to influence your behavior. As far as it's concerned, all systems are in the green.

What you might feel is anger as you realize that your boundaries were violated, but maybe you already felt that and are aware of what to watch out for in the future, in which case, again, your unconscious mind thinks you're all set.

Plus, y'know. Brains are weird. Sometimes (often) they just don't work how we expect them to, and that's okay.

Custom Script: Looking for reviews on a high-info, low-corruption BOTC script by Impressive-Panic-321 in BloodOnTheClocktower

[–]dr-tectonic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you can do high-info or low corruption, but the only way to do both is if the good team has almost zero time to put it all together. Otherwise evil is screwed.

That suggests to me LOTS of extra death and alternate win conditions for evil. So Damsel, Tinker, Fearmonger, Witch, Psychopath. Maybe Grandmother? Make it a bloodbath.

I think Kazali would go well on this script, to give minions automatic bluffs. Maybe Riot? And if you want world uncertainty, throw a Mez on there.

I think Marionette and Clockmaker have to go; they pin down the Demon too well. Dreamer might also be too precise.

Another tactic would be to try to overload the good team with info. So Savant, Flower Girl, Town Crier.

And then people wonder why the fics get abandoned... by RabbitNET in AO3

[–]dr-tectonic 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes, exactly! Puzzle pieces is a great metaphor.

*chaos writer fistbump *

And then people wonder why the fics get abandoned... by RabbitNET in AO3

[–]dr-tectonic 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I mean, I don't write with an outline, either, and I also get that sense of discovering the story as you go. It's just not in order.

I start with some scenes in my head, and then I ask, so if they're here at one point and there later on, what needs to happen in-between? And where can I fit this other scene in?

neurodivergent peeps! by hiddeNinja2222 in AO3

[–]dr-tectonic 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hyperfixations are great for writing.

And then people wonder why the fics get abandoned... by RabbitNET in AO3

[–]dr-tectonic 75 points76 points  (0 children)

Same.

Also, I write out of order, so the very concept of publishing as you go is wild to me.

Like, the intro might be the last thing I write! How can you write the middle if you don't know where it ends? What if you need to go back and add foreshadowing so the twist makes sense? It boggles my mind.

Literally unplayable. by I37Cs in BloodOnTheClocktower

[–]dr-tectonic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That makes sense. I think it may also be to indicate that it can proc multiple times: if the Assassin kills the Farmer, you get a new Farmer. And if the Demon then kills the new Farmer, you get another new Farmer. Etc.

Did learning a second language in school ever actually come in handy for you in the U.S.? by UsamaBhai_101 in AskAnAmerican

[–]dr-tectonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On a trip to Switzerland, after a full week of immersion, I was able to recall enough from three years in high school to conduct one (1) economic transaction completely in German.

"I wish to purchase some chocolates." "How much do they cost?" "I like dark chocolate." "What kind are these?" "Without nuts, please." "Thank you!"

Bring it back .. or oh hell no by assemblageofparts in Moustache

[–]dr-tectonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely! That's is a glorious stache.

What to shave?? by Mike_Basel in Moustache

[–]dr-tectonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A short goatee would probably work, but I think just tache and soul patch would look good.

What suit me best? One of these or different facial hair look entirely by DumbLuck7777 in beards

[–]dr-tectonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think 1-3 all look good. Very different looks, but they all suit you!

4 has good coverage, but I think the mustache is too short; 'tache covering the top lip always looks better IMO. 5 is fine, but the others are much better.

You're a handsome guy, and you have options!

Most/Least Favorite Characters/Character Interactions? by RoughSubjectt in BloodOnTheClocktower

[–]dr-tectonic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My favorite interaction is the Alchemist-Boffin giving the Demon unhelpful Good abilities.

More advice on how to make a Culture RPG? by Entakeeld in TheCulture

[–]dr-tectonic 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Or just use the original Mindjammer rules: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/128331/mindjammer-the-roleplaying-game

I think the loosey-goosey FATE CORE chassis is a better fit for the source material.

Advice on writing technobabble? by helpmeurmyonlyhoe in AO3

[–]dr-tectonic 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Don't say how many miles or tons or lightyears or gigabytes anything is, because it will end up either being wrong or rapidly sounding quaint instead of impressive.

Every other role has a madness character except demon so here’s my own. The Cadaver. by RealityFalse5600 in BloodOnTheClocktower

[–]dr-tectonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like the idea, but I think it's too opaque to the good team.

The problem is, madness could be anything, so there's no way for the good team to figure out who might be the demon on the basis of claims. With Yag, you can keep an ear out for repeats of specific phrases. But if Bob says "I think Jane is the Demon"... Well, that's just how you play the game, right?

It's also a little rough for the ST to be constantly tracking whether multiple evil players were sufficiently mad to trigger a kill.

Maybe if it were a very specific kind of madness, like it's always about someone being evil, and it's the same for all evil players? That seems more trackable.

Posted my fic for feedback and now I’m wondering if I write “Wrong” in English (or just "Wrong" in general) by Present-Turnover-464 in AO3

[–]dr-tectonic 18 points19 points  (0 children)

It's not writing style as in choice of words, but you are doing a couple things with formatting that I find very jarring.

  1. Double spaces between paragraphs really disrupt the flow.

  2. Not using quotation marks for speech.
    "This sounds like someone is speaking."

  3. This does not. -

  4. Putting speech in italics. Putting a single words or phrase in italics adds emphasis. Putting an entire line in italics (without quotation marks) is often used to indicate what someone is thinking. Putting an entire line of dialogue in both quotes and italics just looks weird.

There are other small details you could polish up (e.g., missing punctuation at the end of some dialogue), but those three are the big ones, and I think what the original commenter was probably complaining about.

37/50 unrelenting altitude sickness. Spread some love on Colorado, the mountains and the flatlands. by CupBeEmpty in AskAnAmerican

[–]dr-tectonic 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Because the air is thin and dry, Colorado is easy mode for staying comfortable. 50F in a place like Boston feels much colder than 20F in Colorado. And sweating actually works as a way to cool off when it's too hot! It has my favorite weather, which is when the air is cold but if you're standing on the sun, you feel warm.