Complex Numbers

Promptly

Ah yes, the prompt prompt.

PROMPT November 29th

We need your help filling the Challenge War Chest! In your entry today, write three of your own prompts and then choose one of your own to complete your entry.

1) Talk about a sport or game you like to play. What is it about it that you like?

2) What is the strangest thing you ever saw/experienced?

3) Tell us about the oldest item you own.

And now that those three prompts have popped into my head, ran down my arms and oozed onto my keyboard, I find I don't really want to talk about any of them for myself.

But in the interest of playing along here, I'll use the first one.

Everyone's a nerd about something. It's just that some of us are nerds about nerd stuff. I don't like sports; I like games. Specifically, I like complicated board games and role-playing games.

Here's the thing: I don't much like competitive games, as a rule. Oh, sure, sometimes, but I don't think of them as competitions; I just try to do the best I can at them. I don't like winning because it makes me feel bad, and I don't like losing because it makes me feel bad. I just like playing.

So that's what I like about RPGs: while people can be competitive at times, it's more of a cooperation thing. The idea is how characters of diverse backgrounds can get together and team up to solve problems with combinations of their own unique abilities? That's one of my favorite things. And it's imaginative and subversive, which is why I think there was a lot of pushback to those games at first.

Traditionally, these games required sitting around a table and breathing each other's air, which of course is contraindicated today. But nowadays I've played RPGs with people via online chat; there are platforms specifically designed for this sort of thing. It's not as engaging, perhaps, but it has its advantages. Still, I haven't had the opportunity in over a year, and I kind of miss it. Meanwhile, I'll just have to continue playing video games.

Mini-Contest Results!

Tough choice here. While I'm only awarding one MB, I have decided that everyone who commented yesterday will get a Season Ticket. I'll figure out which one later. I appreciated all of the comments, whether they were in response to the question or not.

Lots of hate for dish-washing yesterday. I can understand that. I hated it a lot before I got a dishwasher. Now it's just annoying to unload the thing. But I'm going to go with one of the bathroom-cleaning ones. Specifically, Cubby's comment successfully disgusted me with its vivid imagery. Good writing, there. So you get today's MB!

I'll do this again soon - won't wait as long this time. So everyone will have another chance.