tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post1163334535089100043..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: I'm Not QuittingAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-43971124121546294732011-07-13T20:25:08.442-06:002011-07-13T20:25:08.442-06:00So you started a blog about "how to write&quo...So you started a blog about "how to write".<br /><br />...<br /><br />wtf?<br /><br />Why bother?<br /><br />You're already teaching us here.<br /><br />Best.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-79303736850903983272011-07-12T19:48:21.225-06:002011-07-12T19:48:21.225-06:00I totally should have spent more time writing inst...I totally should have spent more time writing instead of looking like a troll. Sorry again.<br /><br />Thanks for the closure. It's been quite touching to read to be honest. And an answer like that requires a long ton of guts. I'm not completely surprised tho, I must admit<br /><br />We now have a poster case for "an OSR trolling that ended well" :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-70960038453104202512011-07-12T19:04:07.780-06:002011-07-12T19:04:07.780-06:00tsojcanth,
I'll publish this because I did te...tsojcanth,<br /><br />I'll publish this because I did tear a strip off you and you're entitled a rebuttal. I tore the strip off other people too, but what they sent me today was not a rebuttal, it was more of the same.<br /><br />I will tell you two things as honestly as I can, and then one thing more.<br /><br />First, if you had spent this much time explaining your position in the first place, instead of dashing off two sentences which were bound to me misunderstood, I wouldn't have had any reason to snap at you.<br /><br />Second, it was the last straw. I woke up this morning, saw your comment, wrote my very flat reply and for about an hour felt like absolute shit for having to constantly defend myself this way. Then I decided upon the moderation and changed the blog. Then I wrote this post. It was my own anger at my inability to just walk away from this sort of thing that drove me to this response. Since I wrote it, I have been feeling better about myself, and about this blog. This has been the best day on this blog, particularly with the quality of the comments, this last one of yours included, than I can remember having for months.<br /><br />And then this last thing, tsojcanth:<br /><br />I'm sorry.<br /><br />I've been on a slow burn since Sunday morning and by yesterday I was ready to tear anything and everything in front of me to bits. I'm sorry it was you. I apologize.<br /><br />I'm happy to say that your response gives me reason to apologize. You were ill-used, and I'm admitting it. I did tear into you because of what you wrote, but I was looking for a fight.<br /><br />Thank you for standing up to me, and for saying how you felt and what your motivations were, and for not giving me advice on how to live my life.<br /><br />Shake on it?Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-85068822515067485652011-07-12T18:39:34.967-06:002011-07-12T18:39:34.967-06:005: you complain about me on your blog. For real. L...5: you complain about me on your blog. For real. Like kids on facebook. You then start calling me patronizing and seemingly blame on me the fact that you have comment moderation, while I distinctly remember that this morning the moderation was activated already (maybe not for the first post tho, but I admit that it could have been the last straw). Totally not cool, I'd say bordering on dishonest if you didn't seem like someone that suffered in a really bad way from not wanting to be the way society expects (dissent is hard and, sadly, very taxing). But, hey, your blog is yours. I don't care if this or other comments get published as long as you read them: I want to write to you, not to the crowd :)<br /><br />Also, at some point, you remove some of your comments from that conversation. Not cool. And thanks for posting the definition of confection, English is not my first language and, despite knowing what a confectioner's shop is, I had no clue that confection could be used also for savoury food.<br /><br />I like what your write, or else I wouldn't have you in my blogroll. I tried to help, I've been treated like trash in a good-sized chunk of a blogpost. Which is worse than calling me names because I actually think highly of you. Thanks for that. I'll make sure to think twice before commenting on your blog. But I'll keep on doing it (I hope you appreciate the furniture list I sent you).<br /><br />By the way, discussing this with my archeologist/historian flatmate he told me that probably truffles were in fact sold in confectioner's shops here in Britain. <br /><br />So, yeah, I was probably wrong. I'm happy to know that I was probably wrong. It turns out that most of the time almost everybody is, if enough research is carried out. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-8133940273238111292011-07-12T18:38:37.266-06:002011-07-12T18:38:37.266-06:00Alexis,
I know that you know what truffles are. I ...Alexis,<br />I know that you know what truffles are. I NEVER said you didn't. I thought you mixed them up, not conceptually, by either putting them in the wrong shop, or edited them the wrong way.<br /><br />I just thought you mixed them. Not as "oh look at this ignorant person mixing the truffles, he must have never tried the real thing, as of course he lives in North America and doesn't know jack shit about Europe, the Middle Ages and Renaissance." but as in "oh he might have copy/pasted wrong or crossed his references. Editing errors happen to everybody."<br /><br />Because, in my 20/21st century mindframe, I thought that:<br />1: if "ordinary" truffles are sold in a confectionery shop, i think chocolate truffles. That's what an ordinary truffle found in a confectionery shop would look like. Nevermind that they've been created about 120 years ago.<br />2: next to that i see Perigord truffles with a waay higher price mark. I thought somehow the Perigord truffles ended up together with chocolates. Given the overpowering smell they emanate i wouldn't call that"plausible". Yes I know about sealing jars. It just didn't seem the right kind of thing to sell if i was selling sweeties.<br />3: I pointed that out, spending effort to try to point out what I thought was a discrepancy.<br />4: instead of spending 5 minutes to try to understand the nature of my critique you decide that, despite my previous comments about the quality of your writing (as I really really like it and admire what you're doing, despite for not agreeing with you on everything), the purpose of my comment is to show you what the heck truffles are because you decided I think you're ignorant. And of course you are not ignorant, you do your research (and I'm extremely saddened at the lack of a bibliography or citations, trust me). Educate you. Not cool.<br />(continues)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-91836271051057709002011-07-12T18:14:14.242-06:002011-07-12T18:14:14.242-06:00Alexis, if I may say so you just need to keep chur...Alexis, if I may say so you just need to keep churning out the hits, run the blog however the hell you wish and ignore the noise. If somebody can't read any three posts on the blog and immediately find something useful... be it a rule, some period scholarship or stunning insight, then fuck them. <br /><br />As far as I'm concerned you've got carte blanche to be the biggest prick you want to be at all times based solely on the quantity and quality of your content. This shit is FREE people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-43302018879068319412011-07-12T16:17:54.825-06:002011-07-12T16:17:54.825-06:00My experience w/school was similar to yours, but I...My experience w/school was similar to yours, but I got exasperated and quit as soon as I legally could.<br /><br />Personally I feel absolutely no qualm with deleting a comment on my blog. It's mine. The free speech argument is bullshit - those desiring to freely speak are free to register a platform to do so.Ragnorakkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03812860633134547618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-21647817895248256022011-07-12T12:43:32.130-06:002011-07-12T12:43:32.130-06:00I'm glad you posted this. It's given me (a...I'm glad you posted this. It's given me (and others I'm sure) valuable insight into why you tackle D&D in the way you do. When you started posting your shop tables, I was amazed that anyone would go to those lengths - then I started realising from other blogs that many gamers are interested in more than bashing monsters over the head (in fact my own interest in non-head-bashing has been aroused too, thanks to you).<br /><br />Everyone has the right to do what makes them happy, and to prioritise what makes them happy. As a creative endeavour, you have every right to moderate your blog, and having had enough of reading unpleasant comments myself, I'm only too happy for you to save the sanity of your readers as well as your own.<br /><br />Good luck, I always look forward to new posts.Jason Jutahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07109751465009519029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-44433836305310321602011-07-12T10:50:24.380-06:002011-07-12T10:50:24.380-06:00I've met people like me, too, and like you Odd...I've met people like me, too, and like you Oddbit, I've met both kinds. I know precisely what you mean. I did not for a split second take your comment as an insult.<br /><br />Your familiarity with my kind might be the reason we get on so; you know what to expect, and I don't feel pressed.<br /><br />Like Dave yesterday, you've accurately cut this one to the bone, too. It is the dilemma I've been in.<br /><br />Is it specifically knives expressly used for butter that I should avoid putting in the hands of babies, or would it be wise to apply the caution to the whole knife "group."Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-33041036762234081022011-07-12T10:49:24.183-06:002011-07-12T10:49:24.183-06:00I used to have a similar attitude, with a bit more...I used to have a similar attitude, with a bit more "troll" flavoring. Eventually I found that really, my priorities were mixed up & being right wasn't important at all. What was important was how I treated other people.<br /><br />The inclination for correctness has its uses, but when it's used as a bludgeon it's totally counterproductive. You (a rhetorical "you", not you personally) end up with people not liking you or agreeing with you.<br /><br />At the risk of being modded away or mocked, I'll add that you really should consider praying on this.<br /><br />Best wishes,<br /><br />PatPathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11381628150285913370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-79286510281371742002011-07-12T10:43:41.738-06:002011-07-12T10:43:41.738-06:00Honestly, I've met people like you before. An...Honestly, I've met people like you before. And that in and of itself is not intended as an insult. There are many people who are proud, and will accept no undermining of their authority or credibility. <br /><br />For me that is a hit or miss personality, mainly depending on whether or not they actually deserve credibility or authority. I've experienced both. <br /><br />The difficult part of managing a blog in this situation seems to be that by maintaining the comment you are supporting the undermining of the credibility. By deleting the comment, that can be seen as attempting to cover up a true flaw in your credibility. And by responding to it it simply offers them an opportunity to take another stab at your credibility like a baby with a butter knife. No actual accuracy but it wont give up until you do.<br /><br />Your strategy up to this date seems to have been to so completely shut down the commenter so they don't come back. I agree with your decision to moderate and feel it will probably help your blood pressure a tad, letting you pick and choose your battles.<br /><br />As a side note, please do not give your babies butter knives. While testing my analogy may be tempting, I have no intention of arming halfling sized humanoids with knives.Oddbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12091924105175846386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-22024423576519969692011-07-12T10:33:57.278-06:002011-07-12T10:33:57.278-06:00I appreciate that, Jim. Please believe me that th...I appreciate that, Jim. Please believe me that the gratitude is mutual. I thank you too.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-71323185621299322292011-07-12T09:35:02.467-06:002011-07-12T09:35:02.467-06:00Alexis, about a year ago I made a suggestion about...Alexis, about a year ago I made a suggestion about labor on your blog that was quite naive with regard to the depth of your research. I appreciated your honesty and candor at the time. I'm much more educated now as a result of your efforts. Thank you.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18158916950442942918noreply@blogger.com