Actaeon

Edit: Reprimand retracted due to corresponding behavioral retraction.

Actaeon looks up at Sylae's arrival. Actaeon: "No, I haven't. Actually, there are a lot of people unaccounted for. I'd take a count, but I don't remember who all was on the bus in the first place. What do you need her for, anyway? Sylae: "I need an admin to let me into CalRef." Actaeon: "Get Iffy to do it." Sylae: "I can't find him, either." Actaeon: "Hmph. Well, I doubt their absence has anything to do with the weird transformations, but it might be worth looking into. Let me know if I can help in any way.

If anyone meant it literally, I suspect I would already be tied up in the trunk of Nalyd's car.

(OOC: Come on now, people. All Along the Watchtower was Dylan, originally.)

Alorael opens the gate for the procession, and they make their way to the great hall, where they find a fire already roaring. The kettle is beginning to hiss, and Randomizer is busy mixing some concoction with cocoa and coffee. Actaeon: "Thanks for this." Randomizer: "Don't mention it. It was this, or be the one to go wake *i. Someone's going to have to answer to the admins eventually." Actaeon: "Slarty's in no condition for it, and I'm not even a mod. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure what happened back there. I told the most plausible tale I could think of on the fly, but all is not well. I'm not surprised by Sylae, but Aran? SoT? And now Harehunter's doing this rhyming thing that almost makes me wish he'd go back to punning." He glaces towards the cluster of mods near the doorway. Sylae, Nikki, and Tyran are all discussing something deeply. Triumph sits nearby, deep in thought. SoT is gazing at something in the distance. Actaeon: "There's a mystery here, and something tells me that the only way to solve it is to get back on that bus." Randomizer: "Did you ever think you might be projecting your own desire for adventure into a conspiracy that doesn't exist?" Actaeon: "This is Spiderweb. There is always a conspiracy."

Actaeon turns. Actaeon: "For goodness sake, Diki, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Realization dawns. Actaeon: "Don't worry. I don't think you're going to turn into anything you don't want to be."

Nikki approaches Actaeon, who is dramatically surveying the forum in the distance. Nikki: "What in Avernum happened?" Actaeon: "The bus runs on community spirit. We almost ran dry. The space in between stops in time- it's full of that kind of cold that lulls you to a sleep you never wake from. It's a good thing the course was already set, 'cause none of us was conscious enough to steer it. It was sort of a crash landing there at the end. But they'll recover, I think. I hope." Nikki eyes him doubtfully. Actaeon: "Don't look at me like that. Just because you wear mod blue these days... Anyway, we better help everyone up to General. We'll talk further when we have a nice fire going and something hot to drink." Nikki: "Tea, I trust." Actaeon: "What else, govn'r?" The pair begin herding the assemblage toward the gates.

That much I knew, but I fail to understand how he relates to the topic at hand.

The first light is just touching the new Spiderweb Software forum and the hill on which it stands. A sleepy sentry with a sniper rifle peers out of the robust watchtower, which rises above a rough hewn stone wall. A few lights still shine in the windows of the old UBB, a rambling wooden structure a bit nearer the river, (and, it turns out, in the flood plain) but most residents have already moved or are in the process of doing so. As VCH drags a cart laden with possessions up the hill toward his new home, he passes Almighty Doer of Stuff out for a morning walk. He nods, but ADoS is looking past him. ADoS: "Hey! That's my bus!" VCH turns to see an aging schoolbus with a large fake spider on top shimmer into view near the gates of the old forum. He shrugs, then turns to follow ADoS, who has broken into a shambling run toward the vehicle. ADoS: "No good joy-riding freeloaders! If you've broken anything I'll-" Exactly what un-family friendly thing ADoS intended is cut off as he opens the door. Inside, a host of emaciated, catatonic Spiderwebbers are strewn on the seats. He steps forward and shakes the driver. Slarty does not stir. ADoS: "I told you it wasn't built to travel in time, Slarty. I tried to warn you." A passenger one seat behind opens his eyes blearily. Actaeon: "Who's that? ADoS? Did we make it." Almighty Doer of Stuff turns to Actaeon. ADoS: "No, Actaeon. It is I, Hades, ruler of the underworld. I have come to claim your soul." Actaeon: "I thought you worshiped the Flying Spaghetti Monster." ADoS rolls his eyes and heaves Actaeon onto his shoulder and out into the fresh air. VCH enters, and returns with Sylae and Dikiyoba. VCH: "This is bad." As he and ADoS continue to evacuate the bus, Actaeon sits up. Actaeon: "The next time we take a trip like that, I'm packing more provisions." ADoS cocks an eyebrow at Actaeon. ADoS: "Next time?" Actaeon: "Of course! If you've get knocked down, the best thing to do is get right back up and try again. First thing in the morning, I'm taking this thing on a cross country road trip." VCH:"I don't Actaeon. I think Slarty's in a coma, and a lot of the others aren't in much better shape. You might be on your own there." Actaeon casts an eye toward the new forum, stone walls and tile roofs shining in the morning sun. Actaeon: "We'll see about that."

Could an online book club work still be workable? Would this have more success if we defined an actual time to chat and discuss the piece (on CalRef, AIM, IRC... whatever)?

Your poetry always reminds me of the Jabberwock, ADoS. I'm not sure why, but I found "Florpishnoy, Dloo-Prum, Jidknarf" the most enjoyable despite not really understanding it. I dug* the imagery in poeshrub, but rolled my eyes at the pun. *Pun not intentional, but I refuse to change it just because it's there. I often find myself on the same page as Nikki, so I'm not surprised that his stuff appeals to me. In general, it takes me several reads to grok most poetry. Some pieces (The Wasteland, for instance) have taken me years to appreciate properly.

Does anyone here besides myself and Nikki get weak in the knees at a good bit of verse? If so, what poets and poems do you favor? Moreover, do we have anyone that WRITES poetry and might be willing to share? (Remember the family friendly clause, ADoS.)

You have learned well, but next time remember the fluffy turtles.

I didn't get the sense that either mod was acting in an official capacity. If you ever see a real row between mods, it's a good idea to keep your head down and not draw extra attention to it or yourself. Not that that ever happens. Some of the older members take etiquette quite seriously, and it's within their prerogative to gently instruct the newer members in forum protocol. The hard part is dialing down on the average Spiderwebber's acerbic wit enough that the little newbie isn't frightened off.

You can use a free hosting site like photobucket to upload and link it, Triumph. For example. As I've observed before, the fact that I keep my desktop tidy tends to make my contributions to these threads fairly dull.

Not porn sites dealing exclusively in men. Or that emphasized other things. I'll leave it at that, as I'm sailing pretty close to the CoC as it is. That I was talking about alcoholic beverages was, I think, pretty obvious by context. If you want to discuss tea, I will by all means participate.

Someone should just go ahead and make a dedicated thread. Not me, I don't know a thing about them.

I want it on record that Aran compared Republicans to vermin. Anyway, I put myself on the permanent mail-in list so I can vote in my home county while I'm away at school. It has the added benefit of letting me research each candidate and issue with the ballot right there in front of me. They usually mail it to me, but since you can pick up a replacement at the courthouse, I would imagine you could get your primary ballot there if you lacked a physical address or PO box.

I think there's a difference between the assertion that the time of year you were born might shape your behavior, and the idea that the position of planets and stars millions of miles away has a day-to-day effect on our behavior. If astrology in the latter sense was true, we'd all be having remarkably similar experiences. Like meeting a three ton Rhinoceros called Desmond.

I hardly notice those looks anymore, although they're not nearly as common as they used to be. I just wish I can remember the look on that Canadian doctor's face when a two year old me informed him that I might have "infectious mononucleosis".

And that's how Sylae started the LGBT equivalent of the Black Panther movement.

Our political discussion has grown to epic lengths, and will likely be sent to even greater heights tomorrow. In the mean time, I'm curious as to the opinions of the forum, not on the issues or the candidates, but on the process itself. I understand that a significant portion of you are not American, but I am under the impression that our politics are occasionally followed elsewhere, so if you have an opinion, by all means feel free to voice it.

Time of year, phase of the moon, barometric pressure. The whole nine yards. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to insinuate that it effects ALL human behavior. A lot of people I talk to think I'm nuts to even suggest such a thing. Others think it's so obvious it doesn't even bear asking. And not all of the latter are outdoorsy or into astrology or hippies or all three.

Experience has taught me that this topic is far more polarizing than you might suspect. I have my suspicions as to what the community at large will think, but I'm curious, anyway: to what extent do you feel human behavior dictated by the patterns of the natural world? Do you, like me, feel like taking a nap when a big storm system is moving in? Are increased ER visits and arrests on full moons a statistical coincidence? Do you crave different food in February than you do in July? Could the time of year you were born actually have a bearing on your personality? Are spring and fall times of change for you personally? Is November melancholy everywhere? Is April actually the cruellest month?

... I don't like agreeing with Trenton, but he's got a point. The Blades series are made great by their scenarios- as much a product of the community as the game design. For raw Jeff awesomeness, Geneforge takes the cake.