NuttsnBolts

Some Concerns

So I have begun by locking this thread in order to allow a reply by a staff member without the involvement of various other people and their opinions, especially given the length of the post. I'll start in order as well to keep the reply consistent.

Site design:
The site is owned, designed, and operated by Mahz, who views the coding and structure of his work as more of a hobby with the additional benefits that we are allowed to Roleplay on the site. Afterall it is a custom site which does not use programs like vBulletin or phpBB as a base. Therefore every element has to be coded from scratch and you cannot simply plug-&-play, even with custom coding. Combining these two factors, Mahz's Mexican holiday lifestyle and the Custom nature, and well... you get a site that gets updated and improved when he feels like it, or gets the time.

To give an example, remember when we had that site crash a year or so back? That was caused by a memory leak from some coding that was quickly added and not given the time to test properly. The previous crash back around the Korean bot attack? That was something that was to do with a post that I'm guessing held Unicode error or something. Basically, you need time to bug-fix and even if code was added you need to make sure that it works.

Staff and recent Discord issues:
So this one is something that is as you put it, touchy. My first question in response is to why it was chosen to bring this topic to the public side of the site when the majority of the users on the site do not need to become involved in private matters, especially on Discord (Considering we have a rule against bringing discord matters to the site). Would a private PM be a better option where we can spend the time to discuss the matter over the course of multiple messages and responses? However I will offer some clarity.

I have also heard staff recently comment that they didn't exactly have the time to deal with a certain matter right away, and I've recently had the "luxury" of witnessing a moment when there appeared to be no staff members online on Discord.

In regards to the matter that happened on Discord, I can say that we were not given the time to evaluate and address the situation to the best of our abilities given the timeframe was from 12:24 my time when the first report came in, to 2:09 when the final decisions were made — with people messaging us during that time expecting the matter to be resolved instantly. To give context we had a total we had 4 moderators involved: Poo, Green Grenade, Chai, and myself.

What made matters worse was that people were still choosing to become involved in the incident, even after I added a slowmo — increasing from 1 minute, to eventually a 6 hour channel slowmo. In addition some people were beginning to troll with emote responses, after I requested them not to, given that they now had the inability to post. From what was an isolated matter became an absolute shitstorm and lead to 5 members being given restricted access all the way up to an overnight ban from the server. This is why I ask that matters about moderator decisions should be bought up to a moderator in private and you remove yourself from the incident rather than a thread as the site as a whole does not need to know these details.

This leads me to believe that there simply aren't enough staff members to manage the forum and Discord as it is. So, I'm suggesting that more staff members be recruited, and I implore those that are currently instated to look back at the way they've managed things in the past, and really ask themselves if the forum is being run fairly.

This is a difficult viewpoint to justify given the information I recently expressed, while I do also agree we may need to look for a replacement staff member or two for the ones who haven't been active recently. I have already noted this about a week or so ago but we do not recruit for the sake of numbers. We recruit for the Mahz viewpoint and he'd rather some drama than to be strict with rule lawyering. If you would like to question the decisions we have made you can bring them up in private, including changes to staff and actions against various members.

Site Activity:
This is always something that gets bought up however there isn't much that we can do to improve it other than post more. The site is free to use and only requires Google Ads to fund it with Mahz not feeling comfortable asking for money off the community. People have suggested various ways to improve its popularity with those RP sharing sites but the unfortunate part is all that costs money, either that or more spam for other RP sites... which I don't think we really want on our site.

I will leave this topic locked as I can guarantee that it will go off the rails with people adding in their own two cents, but my inbox is open.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

Kinda funny how TemTem is looking like it's gonna give pokemon a run for its money...

- All battles are 2v2
- Priority moves can change due to pairing up certain TemTem
- Higher health pools so battles are less of a one hit ko sweep
- Breeding excessively can actually have diminishing returns (less emphasis on min max building)
- Open world with multiplayer.
- NPCs talk about more than just "pokemon" and actually have a livelyhood
- Side quests
- And it's only in Alpha at the moment with better visuals and stability than the newest Sword and Shield version

The Witcher: Under the Shadow

Made some adjustments in the history aspect of the CS, and fixed that grammar mistake too. Lol

Mass post removal?

Yeah, sorry. That's too big of an order for us to undertake. Are you sure you can't edit? I was able to go back to a post of mine from six years ago and edit it.

@Byrd Man

<Snipped quote by Byrd Man>

Fraid not, whenever I go back and edit it gets as far as "saving..." before interminably halting. Seems like I'll just have to keep ahold of it until it inevitably disappears down the internet's memory hole, which is fair enough.

@EldritchOne

Post over a certain age do get soft locked for regular users. I don't fully know why but it could just be some residue code that gives you a time frame to be able to edit. In theory, there's no reason why many people would need to edit a post from 6 years ago.

In regards to wiping out the equivalent to a year, that's a hell of a lot of work. The way we hide posts is by individually selecting and hiding each individual post. The odd one or two posts are fine, a thread is easy (although I do hate thread deletions cause they can never be retrieved), but I always cringe whenever someone brings up a menu order of posts because it can take half an hour or more to remove a dozen posts. It's just the load times that slow it down, and if you hide the wrong post it's double the time to undo and redo...

A tribute to the former fans of Star Wars

JJ Abrams issue is the story telling, not necessarily the parts that were or we're not cannon in the series. To point out a few situations where this is apparent would be to include:

- The bait and switch of Chewie's death as it never gave the audience to grieve and feel an emotion.
- Telling the audience Rey is a Palpatine moments before she does the lightning trick. It would have been more impactful to be like "wtf?"
- Finn's damn question that never got answered.
- The switchback to "oh your parents were special after being nothing"
- The believable aspect of Rey being a granddaughter when it would make sense if they followed a similar route to Anakin and made her a Creation of the Force as well.

He knows how to create action, he knows how to create tension, and his general designs are really good, but he is horrible at story telling and will use nostalgia of things the fans want to create that feeling of awe when it's not fully deserved.

What I do think Disney was, and is, trying to achieve is to boost the fandom in the same way Marvel has allowed people to walk around with comic book shirts on and not feel out of place. Each movie has its BB8, its porg, its baby frik, and even baby Yoda; just that character that's cutesy and cool for the kids to like — not to mention the amount of other merchandise being produced. I work in a large scale hardware chain, and ever since the Star Wars series has started back up we've had garden ornaments, door mats, kids tables, draght stoppers, cushions; all Star Wars related.

It sells, and that's where I believe Disney won't be too bothered by the fact that the movie didn't do too well, because in the end more people know Star Wars. The younger generation who don't know the difference will buy that cool fandom stuff, and the older generation will buy the original merch. In the end, Disney makes money and the movies really are just a 2 hour advertisement piece.

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Watch the first 10min (from the 4min mark) of Gruen for some cool info. These guys back in 2015 had a show that talked about marketing and how various companies did it. At one point they're discussing how Star Wars and Lipstick have anything in common, but there is a product out there that's a Star Wars Lipstick

The Witcher: Under the Shadow

@Kassarock You know the only way to beat a stalker.......

Is to stalk them.

The Witcher: Under the Shadow

Still not too sure what kind of character I want. I'll keep thinking and see what I come up with.

@Hokagae

I use a few different approaches when creating a character that may help. You could start by going through images and looking for an image that peaks your interest. Personally I use Pinterest and I get some good results from that, mainly cause I just pin heaps of images and it gives me a profile/gallery to draw ideas from.

The other way is to think of a story or a message of sorts that you want to express and then go from there. Build out and build up. To give my character as an example, I wanted to roll with a character who has a fierce personality that is potentially looking to address the struggles of her past.
What led her to be so aggressive?
Why is she different when not in the battle?
What secrets does she hold?
What image can I use to express her emotions or that look in her eye which I see in my own ideas?

Not to get too philosophical but go with what you feel is going to work and what allows your creativity to flow. If you're trying to make one character and it feels like you're forcing it, shelve it and either come back fresh or try a different approach.

The Witcher: Under the Shadow

Audhild

_{"I do not know whose blood is on my axe, though I suspect they deserved what they had coming..."}

^{❰ Audhild ⟡ Twenty Four ⟡ Human ⟡ Female ❱}

Birthplace

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Skellige Isles

Profession

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Barbarian

Appearance

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Audhild is a woman in her early twenties with hair which was once described as the colour of cedar, nowadays seen stripped back to a more lifeless, smokey straw after years of living by the ocean sea. Her skin does house more vigor — compared to her salty strands — with its buttermilk blend of littered speckles and faint blemishes, howbeit she chooses to hide this alluring grace under the layers of war-paint, blood splatter, and grime tilled from the earth.

To cover her youthful and distressingly scarred body Audhild wears a tattered, hazelnut tunic, a linen dress which lightly rests upon her shoulders. Laying atop of these shoulders and the clothes she wears so often is the thick coat of a great beast's fur — the source of such an animal has been long forgotten. Her leggings are bone in colour, a durable woollen blend once crafted with skill, now haggard and in need of some care. Finally across her waist and extending up to her belly is a hickory coloured, animal skin and animal hide war skirt; an item of attire made from a similar creature to the ones which was once hunted for the crafting her boots.

Personality

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As the blade falls into one's head the last glimpses they see are the eyes of a woman with a fire that burns deep within her soul; the red vein passion of fury, love, and loss. Audhild is a woman with a fierce temper and fast instinct, but lacks the logical finesse for which the more educated hold so dear. Much like a wolf against a bear she understands that her strength, her skills, and her past all must culminate together in a twisted expression of aggression — or else she risks falling to her failures and fears; to become a lamb to the slaughter of men and monster.

Out of the red mist of a battle and beneath the twilight darkness of the evening sky, Audhild has been seen to display emotions of silence and spirituality. Her lack of meaningful companionship and confusion about her place in the world holds back her ability to trust and sympathise with others. This odd trait is what ultimately defines her, and is the root cause of her inner anguish and desolation. She is a woman without a family, and a warrior without a clan.

History

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How does one become a fierce female warrior if it was not for a life of chains, barbaric pit fighting, and an eventual escape to freedom. A woman reborn through the waters of the ocean, drifting on the floating debris of shattered oak at a time when an illuminating smoke could artistically paint the backdrop for the drowning screams of her pirate captors; a cold and frightening night it truly was.

The feeling of being alive as Audhild washed up on an unknown shore was nothing short of both euphoric and sombre, a moment which brought tears to her eyes as she could cast the years of slavery into the depths of her submerged memory. Those nights where the monsters of human appearance would spoil themselves in alcohol and force her to fight their ravenous pets for their own entertainment. A single night where she would fight for her survival, repeated endlessly for years. A routine ritual forcing her deep fears to cower and adapt as an emotion of violence became the norm.

With almost two decades passing since the death of her parents — a single memory lovingly spoiled by the blades spilling their blood across a fishing boat deck, their limp corpses tossed overboard as the screams of a child begging for mercy were heard — the woman of beastly fur clothing takes on work that will pay to quench the thirst for unfulfilled revenge. Bloodshed has fueled her life, a cost paid when innocence holds no value, as Audhild willingly befriends death herself. Her ventures have taken her far, leading her deep into the continent where the real monsters offer a real opportunity, along with the feral creatures of unhumanly nature who she has been asked to slain.

Skills

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⟡ Fierce like Fire: For Audhild nothing is more invigorating — or more enthralling — than being one on the battlefield. A warrior, a natural with her axe, a force of absolute power. To fight alongside Audhild with her edge is to be compared to witnessing a painter with a badger bristle brush. Each stroke is meticulously accurate, a sweep with absolute beauty and confidence as she paints the scene with her desires and commitment. One can only admire the skills she has obtained to become of an artist of carnage.

⟡ To Chant and Charge: A bellowing roar, the pounding of soles in a heated blaze which sweeps across the scarred lands. There can be nothing described as more anxiety creating or fear inducing than the sights of a screaming banshee masked in the blood of her fallen victims. With an inner willpower which can be seen driving her immense reserve of stamina, Audhild ensures death will come fast, painful, and filled with copious amounts of terror; watching men as they flee from her appearance alone.

⟡ To Survive in Sickness: The key to one's survival lies in the preservation of life. A simple wound — shallow and uninteresting — can be so easily neglected and left to linger until a point where it may fester and evolve into a plague. Audhild's own experiences in treating and mending these ailments, using elements of nature as ointments and bandages, helps to improve the chances of prolonging one's survival. If it's worth treating, it's worth trying.

Equipment

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⟡ Oyen's Edge: An old timber handle axe, made from a carved length of golden oak with a blade that appears to be forged of iron. The bevel of the blade appears to have lost its once sharp edge, coated in a fine layer of rust from being exposed to the ocean air, forever embedded and discoloured with the remains of a deep crimson bloodstain. An engraving of a name or blessing can be seen on the cheeks of the head, but age and deterioration have taken over, hiding the truth to this mysterious identity.

⟡ Stohl’s Round Shield: A circle of thick, pitted steel surrounds an alignment of dry cedar planks; a robust shield which measures two feet in diameter and rests sleepily upon the back of the axe wielding woman. The face of such a piece once held beautiful colours of red and black but has been weathered and scarred to a state where not even the troops of Skellige would recognise its origins.

⟡ Hilde's Uniform: Stripped from the dead, a body washed ashore from a time of rebirth; the layers of clothing provide very little protection against that which may draw blood, instead dulling the blow of any heavy fisted hit. It is only through the hunting and pillaging of the dead and killed that the uniform's personality and uniqueness began to blossom, providing an appearance which speaks in the dialect of war.

Miscellaneous

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⟡ Audhild is quite spiritual to a level where she will meditate in front of a flame to offer thanks for her day of survival.
⟡ To read or write is impossible as she has never had any form of schooling.
⟡ One must always be vigilant with food around the woman for she cares little for rationing and more for her personal hunger.
⟡ The last person to touch her face was left with three fingers. She spat out the blood soaked digit.

The Witcher: Under the Shadow

Subbing
Sleeping
Then writing tomorrow.

Hello everyone!

<Snipped quote by burymewithmoney>

Welcome ...

A Dungeons & Dragons itch ... I hope it is in a place on your body were you can scratch it in public. The place I hate the most, is the itch between the cheeks of my ass.

@Callousqueen