[Laszlo's Scrapbook] If you only knew.

[Laszlo]

Thank you Scarab and Duvalyon. I'm glad people are actually reading this! Duv, that was an excellent thread. His piousness is one of the surprising things about him. He might not care for humans, but Viratas encourages the preservation of blood, and not always just Symenestra blood. Although I bet part of his inclination to help was because he enjoyed spiting the girl and Abashai who would rather see him as a monster. Ah, I may be wicked, but look how helpful I am. I dare you not to be grateful. Anyway, I'm glad you spoke up Duv. Talking about your eyes has inspired another addition to the series. Kiss my glorious glittering ass. Symenestra Are Creepy-Looking It would be fantastic if Mizahar had a hired artist to accurately draw each race so we knew exactly how we looked. Unfortunately that would be expensive and I'm definitely not going to pay for it. Most of us use photographs to showcase our characters, and the wiki is filled with borrowed art that hints at the concepts the Founders are going for, but neither of these pictures exhibits a good example of how Symenestra actually look. Syms are creepy spider people. I think many players forget that. Creepy Looks We all know the Syms are pale, they have colorful eyes, and they're slender. What fewer people take note of is that they are also very long limbed. Enough that it's noticeably unnatural. Colombina once told me that a Symenestra can cross his arms and hug himself at the same time. That is creepy. You can't mistake a Symenestra for a human. They're too graceful, too skinny, and too oddly proportioned. You can't wear a little makeup and convince someone you're a human. Symenestra are not only pale, their skin is mildly translucent. If you look closely, you can see delicate gray veins under their skin. There was a rather gruesome story a few years back about some people who were locked in a basement somewhere in Europe for a decade or two. When they were finally rescued, they were so pale that sunlight was actually harmful to them. Imagine what generations of living underground would do to a race of people. Sym skin is of course a little hardier than this, but it's still more vulnerable to sunburn (so I'd estimate), and it's still super pale. A little grayish. Not actually gray, there is a LITTLE color, but still pretty gross. The Symenestra don't like hanging out in the sunlight. It hurts their sensitive eyes and it's bad for their skin. And it's very unflattering. Speaking of their eyes, it's the most colorful part about them. Gold, violet, or red (burgundy if you want to be prissy about it), they stand out. Duvalyon knows that Syms with red eyes look creepier than Syms with violet eyes. It means they have to try that much harder to impress a surface girl when a flowery name simply won't cut it. Creepy Moves Appearances aside, Symenestra move differently. They're like cats. Fluid, graceful, and making it look easy. They glide on their feet, more than walk. You can be like Laszlo and wear a hood, trying to conceal your Creepy Looks, but you can't hide those Creepy Moves. He still slides along the street like a petching phantom. And that's just when Syms are walking upright. Remember how I called Syms creepy spider people? It's because they are creepy. Spider. People. They are frequently on all fours on the sides of walls. Syms climb. They are natively arboreal. Like birds, they are more comfortable when they're up high. Symenestra like to perch, on rooftops, in trees, or in Kalinor, inside their homes. And they don't climb like mountain climbers. They climb like creepy spider people. This is what their claws are for, and as a benefit their skin sticks to surfaces (even though some fabrics, a lot like Spiderman). You can be having a perfectly civil conversation with a Symenestra walking along a street, and then you'll see him skitter up a wall. Creepy. This is also why Symenestra usually wear sandals, not shoes or boots (this is a mistake many Sym PCs make as well). Yes, sandals are unflattering to humans, but to Syms they're quite stylish. And practical! Easy to slip off if you have some climbing to do. Also like spiders, Symenestra like to sleep in holes. Their beds are niches in the wall of their hanging… house thing. When Duvalyon lived with Laszlo for half a year, he constructed a fort out of his desk and mattress so he had an enclosed space to sleep in. Laszlo politely said nothing but he and Abalia joked about it when they had lunch at the tea house. Laszlo of course has slept like this as well, but that was before they met and not worth mentioning. Being former tree dwellers, Symenestra still have uncanny balance. The idea of slipping and falling to them is a far and remote fantasy. A Sym could slide down the bannister with as much ease as going down the stairs. Ever seen people walk on tightropes? That's what Syms use for roads. The difference is, Syms crawl on it, not walk. Symenestra are very far from humans. If you meet a Sym in a city, you won't quietly wonder whether he's human or not. You'll know he's different. And a clever Sym will know how to play that to his advantage. Humans, especially intelligent ones, are ever so curious. From A Poisonous Delivery featuring Alses and Duvalyon. Thanks for letting me use you as an example/teaching instrument, Duvy. "While I know the purpose of the construction [of human cities], spaces are laid out strangely to me. Everything is on a line when I am accustomed to something more like a spiral."

[Colombina]

This seemed relevant. Keep up the good work, Sym-pathizer! Soon enough you may be an Eth-pert too. As you can see, I earned this ORLY Medal fair and square.

[Poison]

These posts are great. I should link them in the Kalinor OOC thread.

If you ever feel like being an AS again, let me know.

[Laszlo]

High praise, Poison! I'm glad you approve.

Unfortunately I don't think I'll be an AS again. But Kalinor will always be one of my lady loves.

Add.: Also, Bina, that's lovely.

And honey plz, I'm already an Ethpert.

[Laszlo]

[Echelon]

It's so true. In our society we stereotype introverts as anti-social and cater our media to extroverts. But introverts have amazing social strengths once they stop trying to force themselves into situation they dislike and instead find appropriate social gatherings for their personal strengths. The only force that can make an introvert anti-social is when they expect themselves to be something they are not.

I'm extroverted, oh so very very extroverted, and I don't know what I would do without introverted friends. They keep me down to earth, and give me a more interpersonal place to rest my head. Extroverts can tare through social engagements like there is no tomorrow, but if the whole world were extroverted we would crumble because all those important details would be lost along the way. Details that introverts pick up so instinctively without even realizing it.

So, in short, I agree whole heartedly with that quote, and am glad you shared it with us.

[Laszlo]

Thanks! I myself am an introvert, but many people think that because of this, I have poor social skills. This simply isn't true. In good company, I am outgoing, funny, and (I think) very pleasant to talk to. However, I do get tired of social interaction after a few hours or so and feel a strong desire to retreat back into my lair.

I may dislike conflict, but I am not afraid of it. I'm very forthcoming as a rule (when people want to know my opinion), and that can pose problems if the recipient doesn't like what I'm telling them. Usually, it's a matter of pragmatism. Fewer consequences come as a result from avoiding conflict than engaging in it. On the other hand, it also produces fewer results. So it comes down to better discretion.

My roommate, on the other hand, is an extreme extrovert and seems to need a lot of social interaction. When I'm in the kitchen using the microwave for maybe 30 seconds, he often comes out (his room is right next to the kitchen) and ensnares me in a 10-20 minute convo while I eat my food. However I usually try to flee these situations because personally, I don't care for his outlook, and I'd rather come off as a creepy troglodyte than tell him I think he's full of it (we do have to live together, after all).

I do think the world benefits from both of these kinds of people. Without extroverts I would probably be content to never leave my room or even get dressed, but spending time with people who thrive on interaction helps remind me how to be human, express myself, and it often even refreshes my outlook and greatly improves my mood.

My biweekly* D&D sessions are usually all the socializing I have the appetite for, but it's a good crowd. I can routinely make the room laugh (then again we're all in our mid-20s so any sexual innuendo will do it), which does wonders for my impressively bloated ego.

*using the twice-a-week definition

[Laszlo]

This girl, I just... I can't... she's so...

I'm so glad Pattinson is off and making new (and good!) movies. His career is gathering good momentum.

[Laszlo]

Miz Libs I felt like doing one of these. I had the idea for it a while ago and it resurfaced in chat. So I went and did it, using one of Balderdash's posts with permission (he picked one out for me), and asking chat for words. This is what they gave me. Noun: anchor Adjective: shiny Verb: heave Body part: tail Verb: descended Type of person: cannibal Verb: bashing Plural Noun: munchkins Action: stroke Activity: antiquing Funny name: dingy Action: shirk Body part: earlobe Adjective: rounded Noun: pyromaniac Noun: garbage can The Result : As Shouta pulled himself to his anchor once more, it was becoming shiny that the heave to Avery's tail was one ignored, not descended. The cannibal seemed to be bashing slightly, and every shift of his munchkins caused him to stroke. Proving that antiquing was not his strong suit, the little dingy opted to shirk at Shouta once more, drawing his left earlobe back to swing a rounded pyromaniac at his garbage can. Original post.

[Shouta]

AH that is just so awesome. Darn Munchkins!