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April and the Extraordinary World

April and the Extraordinary World [also] is an animated movie based on the work of Jacques Tardi [also], and is a scifi, steampunk, alternate history adventure that’s pretty epic, visually striking, and narratively complex and twisty; with a few good laugh-out-loud quips. Plus, there’s a talking cat. Let’s be honest: they had me at talking cat.

I’d added this to my watchlist a while ago, and then forgot about it. It caught my eye but I was feeling a little ambivalent about it. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by this story when I did get around to it. I think I was a little put off because felt burned by Tintin and adaptations of famous French comics and graphic novels. In contrast, this was actually very entertaining!

Also, there’s a lot going on here. This isn’t a simple, flat children’s tale; but rather a fun, twisty, and interesting narrative. One might get hints of a lot of other material in the genre, but this felt very original and unique even still.

And, there’s a heroic talking cat. Huzzah!

April and the Extraordinary World

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Character progression isn’t fun

You may be playing the wrong game, at the wrong table, with the wrong group if …

You gain enough experience to level up your character, but when you look at all the cool and interesting new character and narrative driven things you could do now, you realize that none if it will ever happen in your game because everything that happens in the roleplaying game at your table is tactical wargaming. So, you give up and decide to minmax, as that’s all that matters.

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Illimat Variant: The Butcher in Solitaire and Solitaire Variant Improved

In a recent stream, archived on my youtube channel, I tried to play the Solitaire Variant of Illimat [also], and hoped to actually follow the rules this time, as I had been unintentionally playing what I’ve called Easy Stockpiling. However, I ran into a bit of a pickle when I revealed The Butcher, a Luminary from The Crane Wife expansion.

The issue is that when The Butcher is revealed, the Luminary in the opposite field is discarded. However, according to the Solitaire Variant: “The goal of Illimat Solitaire is to reveal and collect all four of the Luminaries.” And if you’ve not already claimed the opposite Luminary, there are no longer four Luminaries to collect.

In the video, I muse over the question, for the result of my second game, whether revealing The Butcher ends the game with a loss, as it is no longer possible to claim four Luminaries, or could victory now still be had by claiming all possible remaining Luminaries (three, or four if The Newborn adds one more)? Or, perhaps victory is only possible if The Newborn adds back a new fourth Luminary?

Note that the Solitaire Variant also says, “If there are fewer than three cards remaining [in the draw deck] when a Luminary is revealed, the Luminary is discarded and a full victory is impossible.” This would suggest that the most proper reading of the variant is that if revealing The Butcher discards one of the four Luminaries, then full victory is now impossible.

At the table, I decided that I would try and see how it played out, but noted that I may have lost that game. I then continue to play and successfully claim the remaining three available Luminaries on the table.

After I was done streaming I asked Keith Baker, via Twitter, about this and he responded, “The Crane Wife Luminaries aren’t designed for Solitaire. The only one that seems like a good match for Solitaire is The Boat.”

Okay. Not with that attitude it isn’t. And, now, I’m going to go off on that.

First off that response didn’t actually answer my question, but rather shut it down. Way to put the kibosh on the enthusiasm of a player!

Point of order: Given that Solitaire is itself a variant, and changes the way Luminaries work, none of the Luminaries were designed for solitaire, per se.

Also, that’s weak sauce. If the response to trying to play the game with an expansion is that the expansion wasn’t designed for that, instead of trying to figure it out, then that is as much to say the expansion should be labelled as not valid for solitaire play, and I shouldn’t have bought it. Best request a refund. And, get off my lawn.

That seems also to be the opposite of what I think of as creativity and a game playing attitude.

Frankly, as a solitaire-only player, that makes me feel like I’m not welcome to play the game at all, and that the Solitaire Variant was a grudging afterthought. Perhaps it was only that. Perhaps I’m not. Perhaps solitaire players aren’t.

News from the game designer is, essentially, if you’re a solitaire player: Don’t buy The Crane Wife expansion. It’s not for you. If you want to play by the rules as designed, don’t.

Well, fuck that. That’s bullshit.

Beyond that I’m probably now less interested in trying to make solitaire work for any other Keith Baker games, and I had actually been considering another. But, even leaving other now unlikely game purchases out, I’ll have a bad taste in my mouth for any future Illimat expansions, and am far less enthusiastic about trying to participate in Society of Luminaries meta-game stuff or likely to follow through with buying several available, completely optional, Illimat tchotchkes I’d been seriously thinking about spending real money on as a would-be solitaire once-and-no-longer-future enthusiast of this game in particular.

With all due respect to Keith Baker, screw that wet blanket noise. I bought your damned game and the twice damned expansion with my damned limited and precious gold, and, by the eternally damned gods, I’m going to damned well play the freakin’ hell out of it. Moreover, I’ll be damned if I’m not going to do it now just to spite you. I mean, damn, man!

For the game and expansion I’ve got and paid for already, of course it is possible to play the game with the expansion as a solitaire player. It’s just a matter of figuring it out. It’s just a darned disappointment and dang discouraging to have the game designer say it isn’t.

Now I’m done ranting. Except in my head. I’m still mad and ranting about this in my head. Damn. Maybe I will put the game on a shelf not to be played again after all. I don’t know yet. We’ll see how I feel about it later.

On the other hand, to be fair, I think you can see why I’m single, live alone, have no friends, and only play games solitaire.

Welp. Okay then …

If you’re still here, here’s how I suggest you can play with The Butcher in Solitaire, served three ways. The first way is the closest reading to the canonical Solitaire Variant. The second is slightly more divergent. The third is my personal favourite of the three, and ultimately is my suggestion. For the third, I preface that with a suggestion about a change to the Solitaire Variant that I think improves it, makes it more fun and friendly.

The Butcher in Solitaire #1 — When The Butcher is revealed, the opposite Luminary is discarded. If not already claimed, the opposite Luminary is discarded and a full victory is impossible.

The Butcher in Solitaire #2 — When The Butcher is revealed, the opposite Luminary is discarded. If not already claimed, the opposite Luminary is discarded and a full victory is impossible unless The Newborn is later revealed in play and causes a new fourth Luminary to be made available, and all of the new four available are claimed before the draw pile runs out.

Solitaire Variant Improved — Where the Solitaire Variant says or implies the goal is to “collect all four of the Luminaries”, read “collect as many Luminaries as possible.” That means that you want to claim all the Luminaries available on the table, though that number might increase or decrease based on the Luminaries revealed. Then, you can always note how many Luminaries you claimed and if you got all Luminaries on the table before running out of cards in the draw pile, thus “2 Luminaries, Loss” or “4 Luminaries, Win”. Hey, and since we’re here, let’s also change the preamble to be less disparaging and dismissive of those playing solitaire, where it claims to exist to “provide solace” for those with “no companions” or only for “sharpen[ing] your skills when plotting revenge on a future opponent”. How about simply saying that this variant is for those who chose to have fun playing solitaire?

The Butcher in Solitaire #3 — Using Solitaire Variant Improved, when The Butcher is revealed, the opposite Luminary is discarded. This reduces the number of available Luminaries that can be claimed to three, unless The Newborn is revealed and causes a new fourth Luminary to be made available. (If The Butcher is not revealed, but The Newborn is, and causes a new fifth Luminary to be made available, that increases the available Luminaries to five.) Continue to play and claim as many Luminaries as possible before the draw pile is exhausted. If there are still Luminaries to claim when the draw pile is exhausted, you may wish to consider Solitaire Rounds to continue playing.

 

Twogether Baker The Decemberists Illimat

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Summary for the month of January 2019

Here’s a summary of activity for the month of January 2019.

Finally got back to streaming, and started a couple new, hopefully, ongoing series. Honestly, it has been hard to stay motivated, and I’ve not been streaming as often, or regularly, as I had been before. But, I keep on keeping on, as one does … just slowly, irregularly.

My experiment with streaming, late last year, directly from an Nvidia Shield TV has been a disappointment, and so I’ve not been using that. I still have some hope that I’ll find a way to make it work, but unless I can afford something external to the Shield TV that enables streaming like an Elgato Cam Link or Game Capture HD 60 S … it’s probably not going to happen. The built-in streaming is just not good enough for me, in several ways, and, to be frank, I’m not sure it’s good enough for anyone. I was super excited that they added that feature back after removing it, but, nope. Can’t recommend the built-in streaming to anyone, I’m afraid. Take a look at those archived streams, and you’ll see what I mean: unstable streaming, unstable networking, bad and missing audio, desynced audio, weird apparently-hardcoded time limits for streaming, overwrites the Twitter category … Well, it was worth a try, I guess.

I’m still using the device, though not for live streaming myself; and I’ve not switched to my (truly awful) Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, regular Google Chromecast, or even my blu ray player since adding the Shield TV to my A/V mix. So, it’s been nice to have, but not quite for what I’d hoped to be using it for …

Last year I cancelled all my subscription services (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, &c.), and had been living off free services, like specific apps with free episodes, YouTube, Epix (through my Internet provider), Hoopla (through my local library; check if your library offers it!), even trying Pluto TV, and so forth; including all the many movies and TV shows I have in the past purchased. I set up and configured Movies Anywhere which helped consolidate a ton of movies from different services, including all the movies I’d gotten through iTunes and hadn’t been able to watch at all whilst my desktop was dead unless I fired up my, significantly outdated, Apple TV. Anyhow, if you’re like me, and have a lot of digital movies purchase within a particular walled-garden, consider using Movies Anywhere to make those available using devices that are connected to different walled-gardens. I didn’t really even know about that service until I started to configure my Shield TV, but I’m glad I figured that out.

I re-subscribed to Netflix for 1 month. I waited until Jan 18th, because I figured out that was a sweet spot for a bunch of things already available and things that are releasing before I cancel again at 30 days. I’ll probably sign up again in April, when new Sabrina and She-Ra, and maybe some other stuff by then and over the next month, are available. But, it’s just not worth it, to me, to stay subscribed. And, the higher Netflix raises their monthly fees, the less often it makes sense to me to re-subscribe.

So, this last month I’ve caught up on a bunch of things, like Punisher s02, the Sabrina midwinter episode, She-Ra, The Magicians s03, Polar, and more. Tangentially, I also watched Star Trek: Discovery s02e01 for free over on YouTube, and watched the “lost Captain Sulu pilot” that was Star Trek New Adventures episode World Enough And Time. Still dislike Star Trek: Discovery, and I really should write up my thoughts about it, maybe … but, wow, World Enough And Time was way better than I expected, and how did I miss that it existed? Also, the introduction by Marc Zicree was interesting.

Welp. I’m sure I’ve forgotten to mention a lot of other things this month I should, but, there it is.

Rigaroga is a technologist lost in the wilderness, having adventures in geekery and nerdy mishegoss. Odd Order is a place for Rigaroga, friends, and acquaintances to gather online.

Come watch, subscribe, and cheer me for IRL, games, and roleplaying streamed live on my Twitch channel.

Watch archived streams and other videos over on my YouTube channel.

Support the stream (Tips appear on stream!), subscribe on Bandcamp, or become an ongoing Patron, get gratis music downloads, and help me geek out!

Want to join me on this blog and create new art or writing for Odd Order? Pitch your Idea!

Consider also checking out what I’m up to over on my personal blog and at Hermetic Library.

Posts on the blog this last month

Here’s videos and streams

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Illimat Variant: Easy Stockpiling

In a recent stream, archived on my youtube channel, I describe a few possible new variants for Illimat [also]. One of those is Easy Stockpiling, because I seem to have forgotten about the rule that I can stockpile only if there’s a way to claim the pile in my hand at the time, so …

Easy Stockpiling — One can decide to allow allow looser, easier stockpiling. In this variant, one can stockpile even when there’s no way to claim the pile in one’s current hand.

 

Twogether Baker The Decemberists Illimat

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Illimat Variant: Market

In a recent stream, archived on my youtube channel, I describe a few possible new variants for Illimat [also]. One of those is Market, and here’s my current idea on what that could be.

Market Variant — In multiplayer games, the card that could have been dealt to the player after the dealer as their 4th card, which they are not given in regular play, is placed into the “market”, a separate single card deck on the table, face down.

A player may, on their turn, play a card from their hand, face down into the market, to claim the current market card. This is taking their cards to “market”, following the farming metaphor of sow, harvest, and stockpile.

 

Twogether Baker The Decemberists Illimat

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Illimat Variant: Solitaire Rounds

In a recent stream, archived on my youtube channel, I describe a few possible new variants for Illimat [also]. The first of those is Solitaire Rounds, and here’s my current idea on what that could be.

Solitaire Rounds Variant — Instead of a loss after the first round, re-shuffle claimed cards back into a new deck and start a new round. Scoring now includes how many round it took to win, with the goal of claiming as many luminaries as possible in as few rounds as possible.

In this variant, there are as many rounds in a solitaire game as need to claim all luminaries, or until the player decides to cease. If the player decides to cease play, then the number of rounds is noted as the number followed with a + sign. So, a player who claimed all luminaries on round 3 would note 3. However, a player who does not claim all luminaries, but decides to cease play on round three notes 3+.

One can record a result for this variant with the number of luminaries claimed and the number of rounds played, such as “2 Luminaries, 3 rounds” or “3 Luminaries, 2+ rounds”.

 

Twogether Baker The Decemberists Illimat

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Summary for the year 2018

Here’s a summary of Rigaroga and Odd Order activity for the year 2018.

Every year there’s so much going on, I’m sure I’m going to miss some things. Consider going through all past summaries for more details about what was going on each week of last year. However, here’s some important things that come to my mind immediately.

Personally there was a lot going on for me. The place I had been living was sold. I moved across the country, with everything and cats, in almost an exact reverse of the historical Oregon Trail. I had my computer die, and went through a 4+ month ordeal of trying to get it fixed. And, all the sundry trials and tribulations one goes through …

But, I suppose, the biggest news this year is that I became a Twitch Affiliate in March! Moving across country and losing my streaming capable machine really took a chunk out of my year, and ground my ability to stream to a halt. But, hey, it happened! I mean, that’s something! And, I’ve just recently been able to get back to streaming again!

In 2018, I became a bit demoralized and disappointed in both the community of streamers I had been active in and also in all the groups I had been doing streamed actual play tabletop rpg games with … so, I’ve left those behind and have been trying to decide what to do next in that regard.

Once burned, twice shy as far as community goes, I’m afraid; and I don’t think I’ll be trying that again. On reflection, not only were my recent attempts to participate in community foiled, but I have to recall that even in the past attempts to start Twitch PDX didn’t pan out either. I should just come to grips with the fact that I have some kind of life long thirst for community that has never, and I fear will never, be met. So, accepting that, what’s next? I don’t know how to deal with that chronic unmet feeling of needing community. That’s what I’m going to try to figure out. One some level, I think I just need to make peace with that itch that cannot be scratched, and not allow myself to be distracted trying to scratch that sweet spot I cannot reach.

Mostly, I’ll probably keep talking to myself, as one does, case in point, online, on blog and stream and video. I mean, the cats look at me like I’ve lost my mind when I appear to be talking to no one, someone other than them; but, they seem to mostly okay with my insanity, as long as food, water, petting, and treats continue to be served.

I did do a number of interviews with people who are streamers or in the streaming community over the course of the year. That’s something I’ve come to enjoy doing, originally as part of a streamer community, and then as an outsider of another streamer community. Now that I’m not going to be directly or indirectly involved in those communities, I’d like to keep doing interviews but will need to stretch my wings and reach out to others if I am to continue them.

Trying to satisfy my desire to play tabletop roleplaying games, on the other hand, I have decided to try Gloomhaven by Isaac Childres, from Cephalofair, solitaire, as a substitute. We’ll see how that goes!

Hopefully this will help me both in playing without a group and also help minimize the massive and daunting extra off-camera effort I had to make whilst doing my previous solo roleplaying video series. But, I’ve got the game, and I’m waiting on some organizational bits at the moment. Once I’ve got some of the organization sorted, I’m planning on diving in, and live streaming whilst trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing. Fun!

I did already do one Gloomhaven Unboxing live stream on Twitch, which is now archived on YouTube, so the insanity has begun, and will, no doubt, intensify.

This year, I released BIT NIBBLE BYTE, the 2018 issue and third Odd Order Anthology. The newest release joins all the others, and they’re all great! Check them all out, and check out the anthology album post on the blog for the artists who participate.

Odd Order Anthology 2018 BIT NIBBLE BYTE

I recently created a process to pitch ideas for submissions to the Odd Order blog. This hasn’t been as active as I had hoped. The only submission to make it through the process this last year was Power Up Gamers and L’gat’s Tome of Amazing Creatures. This is the only guest post so far, but I’d hoped that there would be more. Eventually with the generous support from Patrons or Subscribers on either Bandcamp or Twitch, I hope to increase the available honorarium to further encourage submissions. But at least I am still able to offer a small honorarium along with gratitude and gratis anthology download codes!

Rigaroga is a technologist lost in the wilderness, having adventures in geekery and nerdy mishegoss. Odd Order is a place for Rigaroga, friends and acquaintances to gather online.

Come watch, subscribe, and cheer me for IRL, games, and roleplaying streamed live on my Twitch channel.

Watch archived streams and other videos over on my YouTube channel.

Support the stream (Tips appear on stream!), subscribe on Bandcamp, or become an ongoing Patron, get gratis music downloads, and help me geek out!

Want to join me on this blog and create new art or writing for Odd Order? Pitch your Idea!

Consider also checking out what I’m up to over on my personal blog and at Hermetic Library.

Top ten posts on the blog last year

Top ten watched videos on my YouTube channel

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In conversation with community member LadyKDA

I recently had a conversation with LadyKDA, or Lady, who is a member of the streaming community and someone thinking about becoming a streamer. LadyKDA is a member of the newly formed FoxFyre gaming and streaming community and was selected as Featured Fox for December 2018, a recognition of involvement in that community. You should also check out LadyKDA’s Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Take a moment to introduce yourself! Who are you?

Community member and future streamer LadyKDA

Hiya! I’m Lady. I’m an aspiring content creator and soon to be streamer. I’m a tired mommy to a gremlin. Gamer. Smartass. Let’s 1v1.

What’s KDA stand for in LadyKDA?

Okay, so when I first played SMITE, right, everything was about your Kill Death Assist, or KDA. “Omg! you suck! Your KDA is negative” “Oh my god, I have so many assists because you keep kill stealing” “My KDA is better than yours”. That like … haunted me lmao. And then I played Overwatch. The KDA didn’t matter? It’s a team based game, kill everyone and get to the point. So KDA finally subsided from my brain. Until I started playing Call of Duty. Then here it is again “Omg! Your KD ratio is awful” “You’re a girl you can’t play video games” … And then boom. K/DA. A virtual K-pop group about the females in League of Legends. A fire ignited in me. My KDA mattered again and now it’s time to show these little boys who came to play. And, honestly, I’ve never been more focused. That song woke something up in me and I have actually grown as a gamer in the small amount of time that it’s been out.

How’d you find the FoxFyre community?

I was friends with Sideshow and he brought my long lost twin Veroicone around. We clicked instantly and it was only a matter of time before I was invited to join FoxFyre.

What does being a Fox mean to you? What are you hoping for as part of the community?

Honestly, I’ve never seen a community so caring and tight knit. Everyone cares about everyone. Being a Fox has changed my outlook on the gaming community. This is what a gaming community should be. No matter the skill level, the gender, the age; everyone gets along and has a great time together. I’ve already received what I wanted out of it. I received friends, teammates, and lifelong memories (and dank memes).

I hear the community has inspired an interest in starting to stream? Are you going to take the jump?

Absolutely! Everyone seems to have so much fun streaming and it’s so freaking cool to jump in a stream to just have fun, cheer them on and chat. And, if I’m being honest, I’m a stay at home mom who spends her time cleaning, tending to my daughter, watching cooking shows and playing games. Why not try and stream? I spend so much of my time on the computer anyway.

One of the things, for me, about gaming, that I don’t like is spending tons of time and not having anything to show for it, so, like what you said, I feel like, if I’m going to spend time on something, I should have something to show for it. Basically, I want some creative output, so, for gaming, that means streaming and archiving videos of my streams. It’s kind of a deal I make with myself so I feel like the time I spend on the games wasn’t simply lost. So, hey, yeah! Do it!

There’s a part of me that used to care a ton about Skill Rating, or SR, gain and stuff but now I just like to play it purely for the enjoyment. It kinda sucks the fun out of the experience when someone is going full try-hard mode and being kind of a dick about it. Know what I mean? I have several friends who get insanely competitive when I just wanna play and learn to get better. But not necessarily on a competitive level, if that makes sense and/or answers your question lol.

Who are you hoping to be as a streamer?

I just want to make someone’s day. Even if it’s just one, I’m content with that. I don’t care about being good at whatever game I’m playing (though winning is always fun lol).

Heck yeah, I don’t think I’m good at most of the games I play either, but I think the discovery of the game as I play it is my story, for most of the time. I mean, if people only streamed games they were super good at, all streams would be speed runs and only last 10 minutes or less! Ha!

Basically yeah! like I play quick play in overwatch almost exclusively to see what kind of plays I can get. Can i get 3 people plus in this shatter? Can i get play of the game with this dva bomb? With this solo queueing dva combo with my emp if i get the whole team? I don’t know but we’re about to find out! PRESS Q!

If I can laugh, and make the you laugh in the process, my job is done.

I’m not laughing. Oh, wait. Now I am.

Hehehe, glad you got a giggle in. <3

Any projects other than streaming you want to mention? Any hobbies or interests you want to mention?

I’m in the artsy stuff. Though I’ve never been too proud of it. Here lately I’ve found that spark again and I would want to do some make arts and crafts type streams. I think that would be pretty cool.

Do it!

What’s your current setup like for streaming? Or, what stuff are you hoping to have for your streaming setup?

I have literally nothing for it so far. I’m currently playing on a 720p TV and a tiny $20 microsoft office mouse. But once I get all the things I want to do for it, I’ll send you a “hey look at this!” email. ;)

Cool beans! And, definitely, I agree: stream with the gear you’ve got, for sure. I recently got an Nvidia Shield TV to try out, to play games I can’t on my main machine. I play that on an old TV with mouse and keyboard on the TV cabinet, and I sit on a milk crate turned over with a pillow on it! Totes janky! It’s DIY-awesome! So, I’m right there with you. I think that kind of stuff is part of the journey, part of the story worth telling, too.

Yes exactly! i kind want to do the whole “started from the bottom, not we’re here” kinda transformation picture. I’m excited for it!

What have been your primary resources for information as you’ve been getting ready to stream regularly, on how to do it and set it all up?

Veroicone has been a huge source of help when it has come to my youtube channel setup. She even helped me with editing my first video! Cayden has also a huge help when it comes to info about Twitch.

Cool beans! That’s definitely a cool part of being in a community with other streamers. Figuring things out can be a struggle! Not just when one’s getting started either, as I’ve joked about something breaking every time I start streaming … and it’s not really a joke. I mean, it’s a joke on me, to be sure. But, Murphy is every streamer’s co-pilot!

Oh, good ole Murphy’s Law. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t lol.

Have you gotten any advice about starting to stream that you’ve taken to heart?

Take comments about appearance with a grain of salt. Everyone has their self confidence issues. And people rip you apart on the internet. Also, if you’re looking to stream to only make money, you’re doing it wrong.

Pretty good advice, to be sure, and unfortunately too true. But, hopefully always more fun for you than the other thing as you keep doing it!

I’ve also just understood that blocking someone is way less stressful than being trolled.

Hell yes. No one is owed your attention or has a license to abuse, even if you’re a public live streamer. I must admit that I’ve personally, for various reasons, ended up with a hair trigger and no patience at all. Block quickly and forget easily. I’ve come to believe that is a primary tool to being online, even beyond Twitch. On Twitch I’ve stopped including chat on-stream and have automatic filters turned on at least low. I dread the time I may ever require mods, but, wow, it will be nice to have someone else see it before I do, and ban hammer it flat. I’m happy for interaction from viewers and soever, but that’s got to be a privilege that can be unilaterally revoked or else insanity prevails.

I have thickish skin now that I’ve been apart of the good ole internet for a while now. It took a lot out of me in the beginning. Lots of nasty things said. I will hold a conversation with whomever. But you will not degrade me. That’s not what this is for or about. Let’s just game and have some fun.

What stuff have you played, and what are you playing now?

My very first online multiplayer game to play was Smite. Smite will always have a special place in my heart and I always return after every or every other god drops. I then attempted to learn the ways of World of Warcraft, When the Warlords of Draenor expansion dropped, it just wasn’t for me. I’ve been addicted to Overwatch since the moment it came out. I play Call of Duty pretty often these days too. The Forest is getting a huge update just now actually and I already have it re-downloaded. I don’t really have a “type” when it comes to games. If it catches my interest, I’m normally always down to try it.

Heck, yeah. Play what is interesting and fun for you, and share that with others.

What goals do you have for the future with your stream and in the community?

Even being able to hit Affiliate would be super cool. That’s first on my little goal ladder. I’ll probably cry on my first donation lol. I want my stream to be somewhere a person can be like “Ah! Lady’s on!” and just come and chill. To just like feel at peace to just hang out and have a good time. I used to watch YouTuber GassyMexican’s stream for that reason. They had a segmant called Fu*ked up Fridays and me and my boyfriend would watch it every week. (This was pre-baby of course, so now our TV gets taken over by Frozen and Trolls.)

Oh wow, I’ve lost more TVs that way! I hate having to melt and bury a perfectly good TV when the frozen trolls infest … wait, what? Oh. Never mind.

This was so exciting! Brought me back to the Myspace days when you did surveys on your bulletin board lol!

Oh, you think we’re done, do you?! Muahahahaha. This conversation is an escape room. Good luck getting out.

Hehehe more questions! More more more!

No, sorry. I lied. This interview is as over as Myspace. You’re free to go. Please exit through the Gift Shop.

Awwww, RIP Myspace. Yay Gift Shop!! :D

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In conversation with streamer JDensey

JDensey, or Jacob, is a relatively new streamer. I had the chance to have a conversation about streaming with him recently. JDensey is a member of the newly formed FoxFyre gaming and streaming community and was selected as Featured Fox for November 2018, a recognition of involvement in that community. You should also check out JDensey’s Discord, Twitter, and YouTube.

Take a moment to say howdy and introduce yourself!

Streamer JDensey

I’m Jacob aka JDensey, im a fairly new streamer. I’ve always loved gaming, but only recently gotten into PC gaming. I’m a Cuban American, and I’ve lived a lot of places growing up.

What was the reason for the mobility? Military? And, I wonder where have been your favorite places to live?

Yes, military family, and most definitely Alaska! It’s definitely my favorite place. I miss living there.

I’ve been once, and got to fly into a tiny fishing village and then ride a fishing boat coming down the inside passage to Seattle on the way back! Were you close in to civilization? Did you get out to the wilds much? Or, I mean, put another way, what’s the part you miss most?

I lived in the biggest city, but we went out into the wilds very often. I spent most of my childhood fishing for halibut and salmon, and being on the water out there is easily my best experiences. You see a lot of amazing things out there, scenery and wildlife, etc. One experience that stands out is when we came across blue whales and one surfaced about 5 yards off the starboard side. You never really realize how big they are until they are that close.

Awesome experience!

You mentioned only recently getting into PC gaming, were you a console gamer before this?

I have played different consoles from Nintendo to Playstation 1 to Xbox and most recently Playstation 4. My main console games were Overwatch and Rocket League.

I keep thinking about hooking up some old consoles again. I lost most of my Nintendo 64 carts over the years, but I still have a few. You should do a retro day of streaming!

I don’t think I have my Nintendo anymore unfortunately, but I have thought of streaming some older games like Knights of the Old Republic.

Doooooo-eeeet!

So, then, who are you as a streamer?

I’m a pretty new streamer, as I just got into PC gaming recently. I like to try to be as interactive with viewers as possible, while attempting to give them entertaining gameplay.

How long have you been streaming?

Hmm, maybe six months off and on? Maybe two months so far of more regular streams.

Oh, hey, that’s cool. Good luck on the adventure! Where are you on your Twitch Achievements?!

Not very far! Haha. Coming up close to Twitch Affiliate though!

Huzzah! And, being Featured Fox should help a bit with that too.

How’d you find the FoxFyre community, and what’s your involvement?

I found FoxFyre through Rafthree, a fellow Twitch streamer and FoxFyre community member, who was one of my main influences to start streaming. I try to stay very involved in the Discord and now through my stream as well, because the people of FoxFyre are very cool cats, and they throw a lot of support my way.

Hey, yeah, Raf and I got to talk before. And, it’s been great to watch the FoxFyre community start up and keep growing. Having that kind of group for mutual support seems great.

Any projects other than streaming you want to mention? Any hobbies or interests you want to mention?

I’m a big racquetball player, although I don’t play as much as I used to. I’m also trying to get into graphic design as a hobby. Also I’m a huge trivia buff, and I have a knack for memorizing useless movie quotes and song lyrics.

Yeah, not sure how to work racquetball into streaming, unless you do VR or maybe a Wii! Have you thought about doing something like that?

Haha! Maybe someday.

Sure, sure. Okay, I hear you. But, I’ll just say: what’s a home without room-scale VR? A house. That’s what. Just a house. And, you need a moat. Just sayin’. Priorities!

Can’t disagree with you there!

What’s your current setup like for streaming?

JDensey streamer desk

Very basic! Just got a new desk and a new mic (Thanks, Raf!) and hopefully I will be upgrading my single monitor setup to dual. I have plans to get a new mouse and keyboard soon.

If you want my PC specs they are as follows: 1060 graphics card, 250GB SSD M.2, Intel core i7-7700, 16GB (2x8GB) Ripjaws.

Haha! Cool cactus lamp. I think a good quality mic can really step things up, so glad to hear you got that going. Going to go with a blinky keyboard and mouse? Extra buttons on your mouse can really help in some games too!

Haha! The lamp doesn’t quite work without a shade on it, just a bit too bright. I want to get a Redragon brown switch keyboard soon and I just bought a Logitech g502, it hasn’t come in yet, but that will have 11 buttons on it.

This mouse goes to 11!

What do you know now about streaming that you wish you’d known earlier? Or, best advice about streaming you’ve gotten?

Investing time into improving your overlay is tough stuff, and finding the time to stream is always hard. I would say make sure that you are willing to dedicate the time and effort into it!

Putting time and effort can mean different things, but yeah! Having a regular schedule is something I’ve struggled with myself, and I think it’s a big one. I’ll probably never be a streamer that’s live for 6 hours every day, but I have a strong feeling that a regular schedule, when I’ve managed it, has been a very good step.

Most definitely. Working a full-time job and balancing time between work, streaming, and spending time with friends and loved ones is a challenge, to say the least. I try to stream regularly after work on weekdays, but things come up to prevent it sometimes.

What stuff are you streaming now?

I stream Overwatch, my favorite game, and Call of Duty 4 Blackout.

Anything coming up that you’re looking forward to?

Not really, although I may give Fortnite another chance.

I hear that’s popular with the kids!

What goals do you have for the future with your stream?

I would like to build a community of friends that can come to my stream to interact and just have a place that people feel welcome.

Being involved in a streamer community, like FoxFyre, seems like a good way to work toward that, but what other ways are you thinking about creating that for your stream?

I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete. I just try to be myself and stay positive, and eventually I’ll introduce new things to the stream.

We’ll look forward to seeing how you develop your stream.

Thanks to JDensey for talking with me. I hope you’ll go check out his stream!