Daily OpusEverything I write is freely rebloggable. Just keep the source and tell people about my books :D [Until I decide otherwise, my pronouns are Ze/Hir/Hirself. As in "Ze went to the shops to get hir medication hirself". Thank you for the respect.]
Sorry I have to post this absolutely BREATHTAKING clip from a Royal Ballet adaptation of Frankenstein (!) with a pas de deux between Elizabeth and the Creature (!!) that is the absolute ESSENCE of gothic horror (!!!)
Cherish lives in the Colosseum’s pipes and water systems. It’s probably one of the safest places in the southern ocean; men only bother with the pipes when they are broken (and cherish tries her best to keep them functioning so they don’t come barging through her home) and mermaids, most sensibly, keep away from the damned arena, so theres no chance of any ousting from them. She is very proud of her home, the pipes are extensive and pass through the whole, huge building, and with her cartilage bones, she can squeeze into most areas of the colosseum without trouble. She has never been caught, she is quick and wary and brave. But she is young and believes still, that she could never be caught. Cherish isn’t troubled by what goes on in her home. She is aware of the arena, and what it means for those inside but hey, at least she’s not in there, so. Not her problem. For a living, she catches fresh fish and seafood, selling the produce to the market at the docks, disguised in a skirt she stole from a fishwife. No one suspects a thing, she’s gotten very good at the human walk now, you can hardly tell that it’s tentacles moving her around on land. she cut the pockets of the skirt to allow for some sneaky pickpocketing as she wanders the market, looking for the next stall to use her pay. She never buys anything sensible, no food or medicine. she can hunt for her own food, look after herself. she likes human stuff, she often patronises the second hand stalls, finding odd trinkets and doo-dads to decorate her home. her family had always been fascinated by humans, and even though they were all gone now, possibly by the hands of two legs, Cherish could not stop her curiosity and wonder at what the creatures could create.
“We chose the term “asexual” to describe ourselves because both “celibate” and “anti-sexual” have connotations we wished to avoid: the first implies that one has sacrificed sexuality for some higher good, the second that sexuality is degrading or somehow inherently bad. “Asexual”, as we use it, does not mean “without sex” but “relating sexually to no one”. This does not, of course, exclude masturbation but implies that if one has sexual feelings they do not require another person for their expression. Asexuality is, simply, self-contained sexuality.”
Thank
you so much for your kind letter of the 17th. It is always a pleasure
to hear from you. I do appreciate your waiving the rules about
familiars to allow Wednesday to bring little Homer - she dotes on
that spider, and I don’t think she could consider Hogwarts home
without his company.
We
were delighted but completely unsurprised by the children’s Sorting.
Of course Wednesday is a Ravenclaw - she has always had a brilliant
mind, and it is rather traditional for the women in our
family. Slytherin might have been a possibility, with her cleverness
and ambition, but sadly (and quietly, between friends) I must admit
the wrong sort have rather taken over that House at the moment. Death
Eaters are so vulgar. Gomez, naturally, is over the moon about
our little Harry being a fellow Gryffindor - the world does need more
dashing, brave, and reckless men. They make life so interesting for
the rest of us, don’t you agree? And I am certain he will be safe
under your care, after his rather difficult start in life, poor
child. That aunt and uncle of his are just too terribly common to
protect him adequately - I am grateful Albus saw sense and left him
with us rather than her.
I
appreciate your bringing to my attention the small difficulty between
Harry and Draco - I shall have a word with Narcissa. (Lucius is still
being terribly silly about that little peacock incident, and refuses
to speak to Gomez at all. Men can be so ridiculously proud. And they
really did look so much better in black.) Really, though, Harry was
only defending his friend. I probably should warn you that Wednesday
writes that she is teaching young Longbottom a few of her more subtle
defenses - I sincerely doubt Draco will trouble him in future if he
uses those. I assure you, none of them cause permanent damage, only
temporary discomfort, and she is well aware that they are only for
self-defense, not mere childish aggression. Addamses do not start
fights, but we do finish them, and Wednesday has always looked out
for her brothers.
At
least that little incident allowed you to see Harry’s flying skills
in time to recruit him for the Quidditch team. I think he shall be an
excellent Seeker - he was always the best at bat-spotting on summer
evenings, and then there was the time he “borrowed” Gomez’s
broom to rescue Pugsley’s pet octopus Aristotle, who had developed an
unaccountable taste for tree-climbing, but had neglected to learn how
to climb down. It was a successful rescue, even though he was mildly hampered on his descent by Aristotle clinging to his face in terror.
Please
send my apologies to Severus for that unfortunate incident in Potions
class. I should have warned him that Wednesday was experimenting
with, shall we say, some variant recipes. I am quite certain,
however, that Miss Parkinson’s hair will grow back normally, and that
the snakes are only a temporary embellishment.
My
best regards, and do drop by for tea if you ever happen to be in the
neighborhood. Thing has perfected your favorite shortbread recipe - I
do believe he has a little crush on you. Or perhaps it is merely that
you are the only visitor we have had, outside of family, who is
sensible enough to shake hands with him without flinching.
Here’s an older & intentionally messier one [link]
Holy shit. This is amazing. People yell and scream like just overlapping two songs that don’t do anything is the best thing ever but this is on an entirely different level.
A special kind of magic happens when kids gather around a table to play a fantasy role-playing game. Legends are born, friendships are forged, and they begin to experience real-world personal growth.
For the past seven years, we have been using tabletop games as therapy to help kids become more confident, creative and socially empowered. We’re ready to help thousands of children around the world, but we need your help!
Critical Core is a tabletop role-playing game designed to help kids on the autism spectrum build social skills and confidence. It’s a great way for parents to engage with their children at home, and for professionals and experienced gamers to use as a group social skills tool.
Suitable for cognitive age 9+, including teens and adults.
2 to 4 players recommended, plus one adult that acts as the facilitator. (Game Master)
Players must have basic listening and verbalization skills.
When running games with young players on the spectrum, parent or certified therapist should be present.
Experienced gamers will be able to integrate Critical Core into their favorite platform: Ruleset is adapted and streamlined from D&D’s 5th Edition OpenSRD.
A great introduction to tabletop role-playing games for everyone.
The Critical Core Starter Set has everything you need to play. The game has been tuned to be as easy as possible to get started and stay engaged.
Facilitator’s Guide - For parents, therapists, and Game Masters, our best practices on running fun and effective therapeutic gaming groups.
Player & Game Master Guides - Quick-start rules and playing guides for players and Game Masters.
Adventure Modules - Tested and tuned to be challenging and fun.
Dice (4 sets) - One for each player, one for the Game Master. Enough to run a 3 player game out-of-the-box.
Character Sheets - 4 popular hero archetypes, each with their own unique abilities.
Game Cards - Not required for play, but helpful aids for both players and Game Masters - Visualization, quick-reference rules, and spell cards.
Game Tokens - Visualization aids for working with the included map.
Reusable map - whiteboard marker friendly.
Please note: Artwork shown is work-in-progress and may be subject to change!
Critical Core is fit-for-purpose, designed to help neurodiverse players get started and stay engaged. At the same time, facilitators are provided with the right tools to make the experience effective without it ‘feeling like therapy’.
Each encounter the players face is targeted to help build strength in areas that are related to challenges associated with autism spectrum disorder.
Critical Core is scaffolded around the DIR/Floortime model, and game encounters map to the FEDC framework. (Function Emotional Developmental Capacities)
But all of this is under the hood. At its heart, Critical Core is simply FUN.
When kids engage in a world of fantasy play they are free to explore new ideas and relationships in a safe and fun sandbox. Skills learned while playing Critical Core can last a lifetime.
Although designed for kids on the autism spectrum, Critical Core is just as beneficial (and fun) for all kids. It’s an easy stepping stone into the fantastic world of tabletop role-playing games.
Critical Core is built on established developmental frameworks and distills seven years of practical gaming therapy experience into an easy-to-use format. It is an amazing tool that can be used at home, at school, in a therapist’s office, or out in the community. And above all, it’s great fun.
Game to Grow - Adam Davis (MA Ed) and Adam Johns (LMFT)
Virginia Spielmann (MSOT) - Executive Director of STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder in Denver, Colorado.
Virginia is a British trained Occupational Therapist with more than 20 years experience working in pediatrics. Virginia co-leads the development of the Critical Core Project, defining the system within the established DIR Floortime™ framework of developmental intervention.
mcgarrybowen Greater China - creative agency
The Critical Core project was initiated and co-created by creative agency mcgarrybowen Greater China as part of an ongoing program to provide creative solutions for social good.
ICDL - The Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning
A not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting each person’s development to their fullest potential. ICDL was formed over 20 years ago to be the official home of DIR® and DIRFloortime, recognized as the next generation of evidence-based intervention for autism and other developmental challenges.
Your passion and support can make Critical Core a reality. Please, pledge now and then get a friend to do the same. Together we can bring the incredible benefits of intentional gaming to those who need it most.
We’re committed to getting this right. The majority of our time will be spent improving and refining the Critical Core Starter Set with the feedback from beta testers and testing groups. We also have some final artwork and design work to take care of, and of course there is the physical production. We’ll be keeping you informed throughout the process, and probably asking for some help and advice along the way!
First, you are an amazing community, and if anyone can help spread the word about the incredible benefits of role-playing games, it’s you!
Second, there are costs involved in developing and manufacturing Critical Core, so Kickstarter helps us to produce this amazing project!
Perhaps you already have a favorite role-playing game and are wondering how Critical Core can fit into your gaming life. Like many of you, we are avid gamers and have many games we’ve loved for years.
Critical Core can improve the games you’re already playing.
If you’re already playing an established RPG with your kids, your students, or your community, Critical Core can still help you improve your game and boost your outcomes.
Critical Core contains a rule system, designed to be easily accessible to a neuro-diverse population as well as new facilitators, but that’s not all! If you are already established using a game that you enjoy and find effective, you’ll be able to use the other components of Critical Core that are designed to support a game facilitator in helping their players learn and grow.
Critical Core contains a unique module design where in-game scenarios are targeted to real-world development outcomes. This can be translated to most established role-playing games. Additionally, the Critical Core kit includes a facilitator’s guide which contains the learnings of the past seven years of facilitating role-playing games for social growth.
Do I need prior experience with role-playing games to run Critical Core? No. Critical Core is a ‘rules-light’ tabletop RPG, and the instructions will be designed to help brand new Game Masters quickly learn how to facilitate games that are enriching and fun. We are also planning to release video guides and tutorials to help you out!
I’m already playing tabletop RPGs with my kids!
Awesome! You already know the amazing benefits we’re talking about. You also know from experience, that tabletop RPGs can be easy to pick up and play, but learning how to be a great Game Master can be challenging, especially for new players.
Why not use an established role-playing game platform?
Critical Core’s rule set is adapted from D&D’s 5th Edition Open SRD. We have taken out some of the complexity for new players and Game Masters. Think of Critical Core as an entry-level platform: easier for parents, schools, and clinics to pick up and play.
Are you trying to replace my favorite game?
No way! We see Critical Core as a stepping stone to the wide world of RPG gaming. Actually, we hope that as kids grow familiar and comfortable with the system, they can move on to your favorite platform. If you’re already using some of the great games out there, then more power to you!
So how is Critical Core different?
We have applied our experience and best practices to help children (and caregivers) have the most effective and fun experience possible.
Meticulously designed adventure content to help empower kids with social and problem-solving challenges.
Game encounters, guidebooks, mechanics heavily influenced by established developmental frameworks (DIR/Floortime).
Rules have been adapted to be easier for new players and Game Masters to pick up.
Adventures divided into ‘one-shot’ chapters that can be completed in 90 minutes.
Goldilocks Content’ - not too complex/scary and not too easy/cartoony. Just right.
I’ve been GM'ing for years, what’s in this for me?
For starters, you’ll be able to pick up the Critical Core system in minutes. We have had inquiries from organizations from across the globe who want to start using Critical Core. You could be a great mentor or GM partner for Critical Core games. Please contact us for more info on how you can help!
Kickstarter campaign ends:
Fri, April 26 2019 8:00 AM BST
Oh! I was kind of concerned because while I didn’t see anything like “people with autism” that might be a big red flag, I couldn’t tell. So I went to look at the comments.
“Hi there,I’ve had a read through the description of Critical Core, and I have some questions and concerns… Are there any actually autistic adults on your team? Did
you consult with the autistic community (as in, people who are actually
autistic, and not just professionals who work with autistic children
and family members of autistic children) about this game? What is your stance on groups such as Autism Speaks? I’ve
seen concerns raised from others within the disability community that
your approach seems very medical model driven. Can you speak to where
you stand on your approach to autism specifically, and disability
generally, in terms of the medical model vs. the social model of
disability?For
some context: I’m autistic (and an adult) and a huge gaming nerd (mostly
online RPGs, but I’ve been fairly recently introduced to D&D and
love it). I love the idea of this game! I love tabletop games, board
games, card games, computer games… I love games! I
am, however, very concerned about the lack of transparency around these
issues I’ve raised, and I’d love to hear where you stand (and it’d be
great if you could add your response/some clarity to the campaign
description!).Thank you so much,Charlotte“
“Hi Charlotte! Thanks for posting your comment. I’ll answer your questions in order. 1) Yes we have autists on the team. We have some posts from specific team members coming up this week on social media.2) Yes we consulted from day one. Autistic adults, autistic parents who are also parents of autistic children, autistic youth. 3) We try to follow the ASAN guidelines on all our language, communication and more. 4)
We are all about support and very much believers in the social model of
disability. We do not think anyone needs ‘fixing’ or ‘normalizing’. We
are about providing youth with a place to connect, feel understood and
learn who they want to be in the world. We want to share this with
allied health professionals, gamers and really promote the
neurodiversity movement as a whole.I like your idea about raising the visibility on these issues. I think it’s time to post some FAQ!! Thanks again.“
It’s really nice to see that they seem to be doing it right. (I hate it when I see a thing targeted at autistic people that looks like it might be really cool … and then I start looking at it and it’s the Autism Speaks type bullshit.)
Thought it was about time to post this up publicly- The Kiss of the Demoness, a comic I made earlier this year. Set in a Steampunk Philippines :b
I decided to post this because- guess what- I made it as a finalist with this comic at the first ever Prism Awards, for the short form category. I hope you all enjoy, I’m really proud of this~
