The Stand at Farhaven was everything and more than I could have hoped for. Reading channels cheering us all on and investing with us on this event. An amazing group of players who threw absolutely all in, and to whom I am super grateful not just for this, but for staying on this crazy northlands road during lots of ebbs and waves. Add in @Apos’s incredible storytelling while somehow GM’g all of us and whatever we were doing…man.

Magnificent

I totally get people talking this out because I have no doubt it helps to be heard. Maybe especially when feeling gaslit and manipulated.

For me, and like I think I wrote in my post when I left there, the people who were banned or leaving were the people I thought were the better of the whole blow up. That made leaving easy for me because really, that place doesn’t have the people I enjoy reading and interacting with anymore.

Also, I cling to this thing I learned in therapy when I went through some shit: trust that they suck. I know I have often tried to make people see reason IRL, or believe if I point out the FACTS, that they will eventually go OH! But it rarely happens. I’m not always great at this, either, but I try. There’s nothing in it for certain people to own their shit, so they won’t. So I just trust that some of them suck, which is nothing I can do about, and go where I feel people don’t. I am SUPER glad BMD exists and am grateful to y’all for making it happen

@roz @dreampipe ! I love crafting and making guides and helping people, just because I guess that’s What I Do sometimes, and it REALLY made me smile reading what you both wrote Thank you quite sincerely.

I am super worried I will miss people and I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE. I am writing this as I scroll through the thread and I thought about doing it in a spreadsheet and then sorting it alphabetically but I mean…I need to make dinner eventually.

@tsar - from my earliest days on Arx with Ida, I remember Laurent always being SO ACTIVE. I mostly remember fun channel stuff, and then Edain’s wedding, and some weapons rp. When I took Gwenna, you and @snackness always made me feel like such a part of Laurent! Discovering IC things with you guys was such a joy and so freaking cool Every thing you’ve run that I’ve been on, whether with Ida or Gwenna, or IC event or prp - I always end those sessions feeling like, gosh. I forgot how much I love stories and rp.

@snackness - I just adore you and loved all of the rp we have had! I miss Thena and Jael but am so grateful for the awesome IC stories I got to share with them.

@karmabum - I love our enemies-to-friends history I’m so glad we crossed paths again, even if I didn’t stay on Spirit Lake very long! I super enjoy your posts and humor and ESPECIALLY getting to talk Pern.

@Pyrephox - I have always enjoyed your rp, though didn’t get to really do a one-on-one scene until I needed a marriage contract done. It was just the most delightful rp! I love that we get to chat even if we may not really get to rp.

@helvetica - Every alt of yours that I’ve had the fortune to rp with, I have marveled at the awesomeness of the rp and how much life you bring to a character. Your life attitude and wit are pretty amazing too!

@Rathenhope - Just when I thought no one would EVER play Austen, you took him and helped breath some very cool life into Ferron that I could not have done myself Our dead mom who oops isn’t dead and coming up with backstories, etc, really brought another amazing dimension to Ida for me.

@ham - OMG OMG OMG. Redmarch for life Our meeting up IC was utterly random and mostly unexpected, but the friendship between Aethan and Gwenna is one of my favorite IC friendships across all the games I’ve ever played. Your rp is always incredibly thoughtful and invested, and they are scenes I treasure! All the OOC funny things as well - like ‘haha’ and countless other stuff. I am glad we became friends.

@Roz - I want to be you when I grow up. Your rp is always beyond and your kindness in helping me with more things than you probably remember is something I am always appreciative and grateful for. Your talent and ability to discuss things with such clarity and insight is something I envy and admire.

@sao - Same as above! You are an incredible person and I marvel not only at how many characters you’ve written, but the sheer DEPTH of every one of them! I’m partial to Gwenna, of course, and still gush about the amazing little details that make her incredible to play. And yet those details aren’t walls - you manage to leave all these open avenues so players can take their character almost anywhere. It is freaking amaaazing. You’ve helped me a lot, too, with questions and just listening, which I super appreciate.

@meg - I loved you the moment you posed Myrinda at the first Crafter’s dinner and I’ve continued to love both your characters and writings in the community. Thank you, too, for creating the discord for us all!

@Narson - History ftw! Thank you for pulling Ida into so many adventures! And building a siege yard I’m very grateful that you opened up new doors for me to explore and always invite me along.

@crawfish - I mean…I don’t even know how to express how amazing I think you are! Those early days of the crafter’s guild and all the ridiculous fun we had…legendary times. Even if my son likes your art better than mine Speaking of, your cat pictures, especially the one of Luke - the heart you put into your creative endeavors often brings tears to my eyes.

@Dreampipe - Gosh you are so enjoyable to rp with! We’ve never had deep scenes, but riding on the back of an elk in one guise, and AoPs with the other have always left me smiling. I still feel like an utter asshole for misreading an inform and just…being an asshole. You put the pic my son did as the model for your sword and like - man. Thank you for being so understanding and gracious.

@dvoraen - SPREADSHEETS AND MEW And for talking code in spreadsheet language so I can understand it

@farfalla - While we haven’t gotten to really rp much, that you were there and ready to help when I had to host my first (and only) AoP meant so very much. I am not a spotlight liking kind of rp’er and those sorts of things give me so much anxiety. Your being there was beyond helpful in calming that.

@tieflinguist - I’m not sure we’ve managed to rp but omg you are just a delight! On chan, on communities - your humor and quit-wittiness is really a joy. I love your cat stories!

@Testament - I remember you as Fergus and enjoyed the rp we had when I was early on Gwenna. I am glad you are still around the game and that things are better in life.

@Apos, @hellfrog, @Herja, Puffin, @Smile and others I don’t know exactly who are doing all the amazing things that are Arx. I really didn’t want to MU again, but the game has and remains too engaging to really walk away from.

Sam/OG Edain who FB’d me one day (because I was not Discordy til like 2018) asking if I would come check out a game. I had quit MU’g for a few years by then and had ZERO interest or intention on getting back into it. RL had been rough and wasn’t quite done yet. Had it been anyone else I would have explained that, but it was Sam. He suggested Ida and Leona and I was like, Leona looks like more than I can invest in or handle, so I app’d Ida. I really didn’t plan to stay, but dammit, I got to design the great weapons and make stuff and use 256 colors and…well. Also Jesse, who took Darren in late 2017 and was like TAKE A REDRAIN WITH ME. I’m terrible at picking my own characters and they both suggested the perfect ones.

As a whole, I really enjoy this whole community. I am grateful to be part of it along with y’all. I have probably posted more here than I ever did at MSB maybe, because the content and responses have been things that really make me want to engage. Plus all the nifty perks like GREEN SQUARES SO I KNOW I LIKED ALREADY </endnovel>

Edit! <reopennovel> And @Tributary for her amazing friendship and program that DOES ART FOR ME </forrealendnovel>

Bless their little hearts.

Piggy and Lizzy (most often referred to as the baby). Piggy is the remaining brother from a pair of rescue kittens we got in 2007. The baby was one of four kittens born in the golf cart barn at my former job about a year ago that my coworker ended up fostering. I did not want another cat, but she kept asking so I was like, I will ask my son. Thinking, of course, that he would say no. Instead he texted that he WOULD LOVE A KITTEN and here we are.

Tippy, the gremlin princess as my kids have come to call her, salty at me while at the vet. She bit a nurse. Otherwise, she has softened a lot since moving to FL and LOVES sitting in the window watching birds on the lake. But this face

“They can still be retrieved upon requests, if the request is reviewed and approved.”

Lol I can imagine how that ends up going.

People who take a minute to say they appreciate stuff you do. I’ve been working 50-60 hour weeks since April and it’s hard to stay on top of game stuff - both time-wise and just mental-wise some days. I know people are super understanding about RL, but I also don’t like being bad with game responsibilities and worry I’ve been. That one page all, thumbs-up, just

@crawfish said in Bannings:

@hobos I’m a little late to this, but.

I saw what I saw. She lied to me. Repeatedly, and I thought we were on good terms. She’s definitely lying to you.

That’s all I’m going to say on this.

Same. SAME. I think that’s what really got me when the curtain got pulled back. I had always had good IC relationships with Moniques since the Greenmarch came on the grid (or got players - alpha days and all). Even when she tried telling me, during incarnation 1 or 2, that two of my dearest friends were telling all their friends not to talk to her (to which I informed her they never said anything like that to ME, or would), I still maintained a pretty friendly IC and OOC relationship. I genuinely enjoyed the story of their friendship over the IC years.

Why would she lie to me? Lie is the wrong word, really. Purposely and knowingly mislead me, for what exact reason? Why seek me the fuck out and ply me with bs about having read journals and really wanting to keep what ‘sounded like’ a great history? To ‘continue to do the IC friendship the honor it deserved’ to paraphrase? We never had a beef. She laid it on pretty fucking thick when it wasn’t necessary, which says all I really need to know about who she really, really is.

@Apos said in Arx Stats for Nerds:

1083 were hairpins

I have one folder with all the notepad files of crafts I did, starting with the great weapons in late May 2016 and ending with a sword for Jasper three days before the game ended:

(Edited because Jasper not Jasher, though there was an axe for the latter in 2019 apparently)

I gave this my usual 24 hour rule and it still bothers me, even if it’s pretty inconsequential: firstimpressions that aren’t actually first impressions but some vague commentary about activity. I’m certain it’s not done with malice, and I’m going to take that xp where I can get it, but after I’ve arranged and just rp’d a group scene for a few hours, ‘where has this person been’ makes me feel really crappy and a bit irritated. That’s what was gleaned about my character in that /whole scene/? Is my rp really that lackluster? I mean, I shouldn’t read that much into it, I know, but meh.

Like, I’m doing my best and already feel bad/guilty that I can’t be around as much as I used to, and stuff like that just makes me feel those feels more. Again, I’m absolutely certain it wasn’t meant as a dig or to elicit those feelings, but it kinda did.

My cat Salmon passed away at 16 in 2007, when my kids were 8 and 6. They were devastated (as was I) so we went to the local animal shelter to adopt two kittens - one for each of them. They picked two out and named them and when we went to do the paperwork, the shelter said they didn’t allows kittens under a year old to houses with children under 10. Soooo kids were devastated all over.

We went to Petsmart since the ASPCA has an adoption thing there and got Piggy and Luke (originally named Alexander and Napoleon), who had been fostered and were 8 weeks old. We just lost Luke earlier this year, but Piggy is still with us.

In March of 2021, my coworker brought home a mommy cat with four babies from the golf cart barn at work. I didn’t want another cat, but ended up with another cat. Lizzy is a skittish little joy ️ She was the only one my coworker couldn’t find someone to adopt.

For Redrain, I have a welcome @mail that changes a little dependent on whether they are a roster or a new OC. The only real change with that is about room arrangements because rosters tend to log into their room, while I have to home-set OCs. It is this:

*Welcome aboard Person!

Your room is the Nifty Bedroom in the Dreamers Hall, which is probably where you connected. There is a villa/ward map located here, for help getting around, as well as some tabs for family trees and fealty chain: (link to spreadsheet) - You will get a weekly allowance that is already set up the bank for you as well.

We have a family/fealty channel called, unsurprisingly, Redrain. You can check out ‘clist’ to see what channels you already may be on and their subscription status (yes, no, muted) - comlist will show the short list of what channels you’re subscribed to and their aliases, if assigned.

Also check out: @bb - this lists all the possible @bboards you can subscribe to, as well as if you are subscribed or not. Help @bb has further info. The News @bb is a good one to add if it’s not on your list already, especially with recent game changes.

House Redrain has a contract with the Whisper House - I can send more info on that if/when you might want the details.

If you are not all that familiar with Redrain, there are a few lore files that might help: Lore Redrain - Lore Redrain Fashion - Lore Principles of the Great Houses. Those three are pretty great! You can find more lore info using lore/search - for example, lore/search shamanism will list the files that reference that particular topic.

The House summary is available on the game via ‘@org redrain’ or on the web at https://play.arxgame.org/topics/org/14/ – @family Person will show you Person’s (perhaps obviously) familial relations.

Finally, this is a great file to read: help relationship continuity – in a nutshell, taking on a roster character has some leeway in regard to the rp done by the previous player(s).

(Note about additional orgs they may be in and who to contact, like Spirit Walkers)

Let us know if you need anything once you’ve got yourself settled and once again, welcome to Redrain!*

So that’s probably a lot, and more than some players need, but I figure that gets them a first ‘hello’ of sorts and then lets them settle in and then reach out when they are ready. Hopefully at least!

@Meg said in Bannings:

ETA: I am mistaken, we did in fact reverse Farfalla. My brain is an imperfect meat sponge.

thanks, derp, my dude. keep on, keepin’ on.

Ahahaha omg.

I sometimes consider logging back in there and just upvoting posts that point out their hypocrisy, but I’m not sure I want to wade through the ridiculous pretzels twists being done to justify stuff. Tempting though. Like the amazing @pisscat, except malevolent.

Edited to make smaller sizes

Current:
Ziptastic (ie none)

Past (that I remember):
Arx - Ida, Gwenna

Spirit Lake - Elise

Firan - Ishani, Ironbuilder/Tori, Yvette (orig), Cersei (v1.0 & 3.0)

Star Wars: Sagas - Tania, Iris (staff), some clothier on Tatooine

NC/PernMUSH - Kindre and an alt or two I don’t even remember because 90s

[Edited for Arx closing]

The relief I feel when someone who wanted a commission is banned is probably very wrong but

Ferron WeaponsRUs, now featuring backpacks and belts. Clothes smothes

Random and all, but man. I miss crafting stuff. Crafting for like actual players. Ironically, maybe, I absolutely abhor crafting in video games.

Not the greatest shots because despite being MONSTERS they terrify super easily

I think it’s been eating my hibiscus. I tried to get better shots when it moved to the pool AND IT HAD A BUDDY but they ran away as soon as I raised my phone.