You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Post Is About You

[robotnik2004]

Or, The Airing of the Grievances

OK. At least four people on my friends-list have had this coming for a while, so don't you all go thinking I'm talking about Matt. Here is the deal. If you keep a LiveJournal, and then you fall in love, and that love is requited, that warrants a post. A real post. Not three weeks of working it in sideways through cryptic sorta-kinda mentions that nobody but you and your new cutie will understand. Not just starting to talk about it like it's old news and everybody knows what you're on about. Not maintaining complete radio silence. Try to see it from my point of view. You post about games I'm never going to get to play in. You post when your world is crashing down around your ears. You post about what you might possibly like to have for lunch, or about the last ten songs on your iPod, or about how many words you wrote last night on Sekrit NaNoMo Projekt Q. When something good happens—when the best possible thing happens!—when love blooms!!—do me a favor, and justify the existence of LiveJournal by tapping out the news. Love warrants a post!

I'm also a little hurt by the feedback to General Mud over at 20x20. Well, maybe just Jeremiah's feedback. The game is a funny little experiment, and I don't expect it to set the world on fire, but a comment from a friend that makes it clear he's read and thought about some other game, yet doesn't even get around to acknowledging the existence of the one I actually wrote and posted about, kind of hurts my feelings.

That said, I am happy to see 20x20 getting lively again. And with so much of the excitement surrounding peaseblossom's RPG =/= art manifesto, why isn't she a full posting member?

Edit: Squeaky wheel gets the grease, I see. You are all very kind. But I wasn't complaining about the absence of comments on General Mud, I was miffed (not seriously) by one particular comment, Jeremiah's, which seemed to go out of its way to avoid offering feedback. And I know Jere's online gruffness well enough to know that I shouldn't take it personally, but what can I say, writing is an ego-centric activity.

Comments

[emilytheslayer.livejournal.com]

You're my new hero. I'm with you on the love thing, it's frustrating to try and guess what's going on.

[jeffwik.livejournal.com]

"Love warrants a post" ought to be a t-shirt or something.

[shiffer.livejournal.com]

I really liked General Mud, and I don't think I ever got around to telling you. I thought it was cute, and a bit silly, and fun, and the perfect veichle to make fun of my ex-russian best friend, which is always good. I have no idea why I didn't comment back then. Probably got swamped and forgot.

Oh, yeah, and I'm in love. Maybe I should write something about that.

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

I, too, am not a fan of the cryptic posts. It's all or nothing. Otherwise, it's a little too much like high school, 'I've got a secret' shit. It's very annoying, and makes people reading the post feel like they're intentionally being left out.
If you can't tell the whole story, don't mention it at all.

I must admit that I didn't get a chance to read your game description - sorry. I will be sure to do so and give you my part-time gamer opinion! :)

[mgrasso.livejournal.com]

Sorry I've been posted half-assed shit about my own love, but I figure I should probably wait until we meet in person before going all, "This is who I'm 'with'" because it's kind of lame to be "with" someone who's x thousand miles away anyway.

If you really wanna know, I can email you. Believe me, if this works out, you'll hope I never post about her again. :)

[allegedly.livejournal.com]

Dude, I promise you - I swear to god - that if I ever fall in love and it is even remotely requited, there will be a lj post about it.

If you would like to see more posts about falling in love, then I suggest you find and put someone in the mail to me for that purpose! ;p

I'm also way out of the loop on things gaming these days - but if you want me to send some of my more active gamer friends your way to take a look, please let me know and I will direct them! :)

[mizalaina.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my bad. I've been meaning to mention that Jane and I are running away together to raise miniature horses in Saskatchewan, it's just that I didn't want people to feel obligated to give us presents.

Pete's not reading this, is he?

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

I love mini-horses!! We have two at work (I work at a zoo), Starbuck and Quickstep. If I don't work with them for a week or two, I'm always amazed again when I see them at how cute they are! :)

[foogie.livejournal.com]

No, I'm not.

Consider yourself lucky. Homewrecker.

[foogie.livejournal.com]

P.S. That _is_ a miniature horse. It's hard to tell because it's next to a kid -- but, keep in mind, children are very, very small.

[mizalaina.livejournal.com]

Drat! He's here! Quick, pretend we were talking about something else!

[justsayneigh.livejournal.com]

Not so much presents - as things to do. Saskatchewan (for all its vastness and fields of rippling wheat and blistering cold) looks like a very dull place to live. Maybe we could have a few normal sized horses so that Alaina and me could gallop off into the sunset together? (And since it is Saskatchewan and quite flat, that would take an eternity). Romantic enough for ya _o_? (tee hee - I agree about Love - it's worth screaming from every hill top. Again - problems with the Saskatchewan location....)

[mizalaina.livejournal.com]

I agree, we do need to ride off into the sunset, so that either requires normal sized horses or a big bucket of steroids for the miniatures.

Either way, I want mine to be a Palomino. Can I have a Palomino? Please? Pretty please? I promise to feed it and brush it and clean up when it poops on the rug!

[my-tallest.livejournal.com]

Having documented (temporary) requited love in my journal, I can say:

The big issue is that the loved one is often also in the audience. Special friends-locking against the possible sweetie seems wrong somehow. As it often is in writing, it's all about picking audiences and how you don't want to have to.

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

That's why I feel that if you can't write about it in an open manner, then you shouldn't write about it. The cryptic posts bother me more than the lack of posts.

[robotnik.livejournal.com]

I concede that's an issue. But once the loving is requited it's usually news that almost everyone is happy to hear.

[telepresence.livejournal.com]

If love happens to me, I'll let you know. Don't uh..hold your breath.

As for 20X20, I just keep forgetting to check it, and by the time I see any particular discussion it either seems to involve issues far far from anything I have any real gaming opinion on, or it's old and everything has been said.

[head58.livejournal.com]

I am totally head-over-heels ga ga in love with aliwings. There. I said it.

I haven't read General Mud yet because the past week or so have been crazy hectic at work/away for weekend/dealing with Ali catching what I swear is bird flu. And the further out I get from you posting, the more guilt I feel. I really should get to it, dammit.

I'm scared off by the rpg=/= art flamefest, but it did get me thinking "are rpgs even GAMES?", but I'm not sure I want to even go there.

[foogie.livejournal.com]

Oh, crap. R--, I'm sorry, OK? I got married this summer. I kept meaning to post about it but, well, ya know.

[robotnik.livejournal.com]

Actually, I've been meaning to post about that too. Everyone go read the boss speech norky and I gave at foogie and justsayneigh's wedding.

(Also, you can use my whole first name in posts.)

[foogie.livejournal.com]

It was an awesome speech (Not that you had much competition). Even complete strangers (to me) should find it funny!

Thanks --b and L-n-r-!

We had a very special wedding. Jane's aunt even told us (and I quote): "That was the 3rd best wedding we've ever been to!"

Oh yeah! Something to shoot for next time!

[justsayneigh.livejournal.com]

That was only my third best aunt.

[mizalaina.livejournal.com]

LOL

[foogie.livejournal.com]

LOL

That's even funnier if you know that she only has two (2) aunts.

[sben.livejournal.com]

I feel like I know Pete now. Great speech! Love warrants a post!

[foogie.livejournal.com]

To know me is to love me.

Or to find me mind-numbingly irritating.

Tomato, tomato.

[mizalaina.livejournal.com]

You don't really ever KNOW Pete. You EXPERIENCE Pete.

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

I've been a little distracted lately. I read General Mud this weekend in depth and have some thoughts about pacing and structure and how I'm not sre what t call this style of party game but I think its developed enough of its own cachet it deserves to be reognized as a different beast.

Maybe after Thanksgiving.

Sorry for being a ditz.

[robotnik.livejournal.com]

Well, I suppose you have good reason. If today's rule is "Love warrants a post," the corrolary can be, "Shingles gets you out of a post."

I'm still not sure why it matters exactly what we call this wave of games, but of course I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

I think its important because this style of gaming is a very different experience and its important to know what your getting into. These self-contained oneshot games with closely defined victory conditions are a seperate strand and I think they should be recognized as such.

[bryant]

Eh. I've never had a very personal blog, y'know? This has been the case going back to when I worked at Altavista and wound up managing a few of my friends; I didn't feel at all comfortable writing about personal stuff then, and I still don't. So talking about how easy LDRs have become is maybe a stupid thing, but it's still kinda hard for me. This is perhaps lame. Sigh.

I'm in love with michele_blue. She is in love with me. Wyatt, oft mentioned in her LJ, is her husband, and yep, we're all three of us good with this. They're in Dayton right now, but moving soon, and if all goes well we will wind up in the same place eventually. Which I'm /really/ looking forward to.

I'm radiantly happy. She's gonna be visiting Boston in January, and we'll be social. Can't wait for people to meet her.

Gah, I suck at writing about this stuff.

[jeregenest.livejournal.com]

We haven't seen you i forver, we should get together.

[robotnik.livejournal.com]

See? That wasn't so hard! And that is very cool. I'm happy to hear it. Congratulations to you both. Or, um, all. OK, I don't exactly know how to parse that, but give me time.

I'm hoping to visit Boston in January too, actually. So you better be ready to be social.

[michele-blue.livejournal.com]

"Or, um, all." Hee.

Yeah, it's an abnormal situation, but we're all happy. Thanks!

And, yeah, it's a happy, happy thing. And I will be up for a week sometime in January. Social is fine! :)

[editswlonghair.livejournal.com]

I've been remiss in saying that I had a chance to read 'General Mud' earlier in the week, and really dug it. I'll try to write a more detailed review sometime soon. Just a few quick points:

1. LOVE the graphic design. Layout, fonts, and art was great. Clean and tidy, but still fun. Usually that is an achilles heel for many academics in my experience. Have I ever told you how much I dig your website design btw?

2. You should do a revision- clean up the Mud Dice confusion, provide some game play examples, etc. I totally understand the 24-hour rpg conceit, but I'd live to see this clarified and made ready for prime time.

3. I TOTALLY want to try this out sometime. Looks like it'd be lots of fun with the right group of people.

4. I didn't get scads of feedback on my game either. The Ephemeral Circus can kind of let you down that way.... ;)