Erratica Reduex

My love and I were discussing how though she loves fabrics, she would refuse to have a loom or spinning wheel in the apartment. Even though she allowed that if we did renew our vows she would make a special place for the elderly women spinners who would just turn up at the feast.

Which caused me t think that weddings in an Urban Fantasy universe must present particular problems...

MENU SELECTION: Please Select One

• __  Chicken Parmesan
• __  Salmon and Mixed Vegetables
• __  Vegan Lasagna
• __  Blood
• __  The hopes and dreams of virgins

SPECIAL MENU ACCOMMODATIONS

• __ No Nuts
• __ Low Salt
• __ No Stainless Steel Silverware
• __ Only Wooden Plates

Back in 1915, the suffragette Alice Duer Miller wrote a book of poetry called "Are Women People?". It is in a word, brilliantly sarcastic. for example:

Why We Oppose Pockets for Women

1. Because pockets are not a natural right.
2. Because the great majority of women do not want pockets. If they did they would have them.
3. Because whenever women have had pockets they have not used them.
4. Because women are required to carry enough things as it is, without the additional burden of pockets.
5. Because it would make dissension between husband and wife as to whose pockets were to be filled.
6. Because it would destroy man's chivalry toward woman, if he did not have to carry all her things in his pockets.
7. Because men are men, and women are women. We must not fly in the face of nature.
8. Because pockets have been used by men to carry tobacco, pipes, whiskey flasks, chewing gum and compromising letters. We see no reason to suppose that women would use them more wisely.

Definitely read this, not only for the humor (the parody of Kipling is incredible), but for insights into a period of time and a conflict that still resonates today.

Political satire has a long history- it's an interesting fact of humanity that one of the ways people respond to oppression is through satirical words and images, ranging from "a modest proposal, to Tim Kreider combining Liberal protests with Star Wars.  This is also very much true of the Davis demonstrations where Lt. Pike of the campus police pepper sprayed non-violent protesters.

Firstly, never ever underestimate the snark capability of Amazon.com reviewers, especially when they're reviewing Defense Technology 56895 MK-9 Stream, 1.3% Red Band/1.3% Blue Band Pepper Spray.

"When I feel threatened by students, no matter how unarmed, peaceful and
seated they may be, I know that Defense Technology 56895 MK-9 Stream,
1.3% Red Band/1.3% Blue Band Pepper Spray has got my back as I casually
spray away at point blank range."

And then there is the meme of remixing the image of Lt. Pike into other images. Some of them are merely silly, others are trenchent, or even horrifying.

The signing of the Constitution
( Read more... )


Guernica:
( Read more... )


Michael Patrick Mayer of Project Democracy, and Nieman Journalism Lab have articles with additional versions of this photoshop meme, as well as arguments for why this sort of satire is well worth reading. It's worth checking out.

First spotted this morning in it's landing position, we fortunately managed to snap some pictures:







OFO of course, stands for Oblate Feline Object. You will notice the oval, nearly perfectly round structure, and what appears to be headlamps in the command structure. 

Investigations of this unusual phenomenon will be continuing.

Today is a very special birthday. It's not just the celebration of the birth of a well-loved entity; it  marks the enactment of an entirely new philosophy, one that has reached around the world and changed countless lives. For those who have faith in it, it both helps with the current day, and gives hope for the future. Even its critics have to acknowledge it's global reach and power.


So anyway, happy birthday to you, WORLD WIDE WEB!

Born December 25, 1990, and now 20 years old today.

And to all of you out there, happy holidays, peace on Earth, and goodwill to all.

In which bad grammar leads to my worst character concept, ever.

As a test of the PDQ system, a poster on rpg.net presented us with a challenge: create a character based on one of a list of concepts he gave us. Well, I looked at the list, and though most of them didn't appeal to me, one caught my eye:

4) a 1920's cthulhu detective


OK, I'll bite. In my own way.


Great Cthulhu, Private Detective.

Great Old One (People) Master (+6): Surviving distant eons, intimidating lesser beings, flying through space when the stars are right, sleeping underwater, etc..

Nonterrestrial Matter (Faculty) Expert (+4): Size and shape change, turning insubstantial when hit by a boat, etc..

Invader of Dreams Good (+2): invading dreams, dream telepathy, causing insanity, etc..

Sorcerer (Magic) Expert (+4): Dark dangerous magic, just as in Jaws of the Six Serpents.

Flatfoot (Profession) Expert (+4): Snooping, shadowing, shaking down mooks, walking down those mean streets, etc..

Squid of Honor (Driver) Good (+2): Down these mean streets a Great Old One must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective must be a complete Great Old One and a common Great Old One and yet an unusual Great Old One. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a Great Old One of honor.

Can Give as Good as He Gets Good (+2): Every detective needs to be able to take the occasional love tap to the back of the skull, or punch out a thug.

Trusty Service Revolver Good (+2): Because all dicks need to have one.

Marge, the Secretary (Companion) Good (+2): Again, a mainstay for an effective private eye.

Weakness: Heavy Sleeper (-2). It's tough getting out of bed first thing in the eon


I have to admit I really like the Prose Descriptive Qualities system: it's simple, modular, has a unified conflict resolution system, and much like it's ancestor Over the Edge, you can describe pretty much anything in it. So, I'll be talking more about how I ca use it later.

Someone was complaining in a recent thread about most players in fantasy games acting like a pack of murderous, psychhopathic hobos. While normally I would commiserate about the sociopathic nature of most player characters, this time something went "Sproing!" and I thought: hey, isn't this a fantasy version of a slasher movie where the PCS are the unstoppable killers? So why not give the players what they want and make it an actual slasher-flc style game?:
"You see a couple of teenage orcs having sex in the woods."
"I sneak up on them and hack them apart with my +5 chainsaw of dismembering!"
(See? It's not that far away from your average fantasy game, except the monsters are doing something besides guarding treasure.)

So, the moon is full and the woods around the village are filled with young kobold, goblinoid and drow couples with just one thing on their minds. Put on your hockey mask and gather up your favorite gardening implements; will cold blooded murder or teenage hormones rule the night?


Oh yeah- you also need a theme song.

Coming this Christmas to a theater near you-
the most terrifying game behind a screen.
There's a homicidal paladin who finds a goblin troop-
and he hacks up 9 or 10 in every scene.

Please don't reveal the secret die rolls to players-
don't spoil the big surprise,
You won't believe your eyes!
When you see PALADIN IN HELL! PALADIN IN HELL! PALADIN IN HELL IN 3-D! 3-D!!!

Courtesy of the Metafilter thread on the French riots, the sad story of the guy who always wanted to be one of those oh so chic rioters.

It's honestly one of the most humorous things I've read in a while.

And so...um...hm. Yeah. Right.


 


(Originally taken from burntweiners on Plurk. And no, the name isn't supposed to be entendre-ishh.)

Some mornings, when one comes stumbling out of the bedroom half asleep, mind half still in the dreams of the night, and the house is very very quiet in the predawn stillness...there's nothing to do but watch. And listen.

And take photographs, of course.


Imperiled!



"And so, Mam'zelle, I eem afraid there ees no the escaping for you theese time. We have you surroundaid, an thee only eescape ees...down."


Rescued!



"Come with us if you want to live."