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Author Archives: Confanity
YAOSC: Opposition Tracks
Setting sail from Alexandria Once again, I was reading someone else’s thoughts on tabletop RPGs when I was inspired to riff on one of the ideas to my own ends. In this case, it was Justin Alexander’s “Stealthy Thoughts,” and … Continue reading
Posted in Rules
Tagged brainstorming, combat mechanics, contest of wills, turning, YAOSC
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Maybe they should make salmon streamers
鯉の滝登り (Koi no takinobori; “A carp climbing a waterfall”) Definition: Spectacular success in life. A person being as successful in society or career – in “the world” – as a carp that manages to overcome rapids and waterfalls in its … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged Book of the Later Han, carp, 鯉のぼり, 黄河, Golden Week, success, 後漢書, 滝登り
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The last refuge of the incompetent
“Violence appears where power is in jeopardy, but left to its own course it ends in power’s disappearance.” – Hannah Arendt 暴虐非道 bou.gyaku.hi.dou Literally: violence – oppress – not – road Alternately: Inhumane cruelty and violence; atrocity and tyranny. By … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Yojijukugo
Tagged 非道, Hannah Arendt, Isaac Asimov, oppression, tyrant, violence, 暴虐, יום השואה
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YAOSC: Time to build some magic
Background Recently I’ve been putting renewed thought into my fantasy heartbreaker RPG; in this case, the long-deferred question of how the magic system will actually work. My Magic Monday series has ended up as a sort of catch-all for fantasy RPG … Continue reading
Like an agate in the rough?
Or gold, silver, seashell, pearl, carnelian… 瑠璃も玻璃も照らせば光る (Ruri mo hari mo teraseba hikaru; “Lapis and quartz both shine if illuminated”) Definition: People of good character or exceptional ability will stand out and reveal their worth no matter where they go … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged いろはカルタ, 無量寿経, 照らせば光る, 玻璃, 瑠璃, Iroha karuta, lapis lazuli, meritocracy, quartz, 法華経
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Pleasant at a distance
But you don’t want them hitting you in the face 花鳥風月 ka.chou.fuu.getsu Literally: flower – bird – wind – moon Alternately: The beautiful scenery of nature. By extension, the hyper-indolent aristocratic pastime of gazing out at gardens full of carefully-arranged … Continue reading
If possible, try to ween the exact right amount
Turns out it means “to suppose, to expect.” 驕る平家は久しからず (Ogoru Heike wa hisashikarazu; “The haughty Heike are not for long”) Definition: Pride comes before a fall, and outright arrogance is especially vulnerable. The more a person becomes full of themselves, … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Kotowaza
Tagged arrogance, 驕る, Heike, self-destruction, showing off, 平家, 平家物語, 久しからず
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Some Kind of Progress
It’s a small thing, in the grand scheme of… well, of things. But I can’t help but find it encouraging that over the course of approximately my lifetime, tabletop role-playing games have gone from a hyper-niche hobby for the nerdy … Continue reading
Posted in Miscellaneous, Musing, Nonfiction
Tagged DnD, Dungeons and Dragons, history, hope, nerdery, Satanic panic, TTRPG
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Worse than the Hounds of Tindalos
煩悩の犬は追えども去らず (Bonnou no inu wa oedomo sarazu; “Even if you drive out the hounds of earthly urges, they don’t go away”) Definition: Earthly desires will remain with you even if, and no matter how many times, you suppress them. The … Continue reading
landofnudotcom 
Busy lake
(Yes, I know that that would actually be ビジー) 美辞麗句 bi.ji.rei.ku Literally: beautiful – word – lovely – phrase Alternately: Pretty turns of speech. Flowery phrasing. Artful rhetoric. As with previous post-fodder 外交辞令, there’s an implication of speech that is … Continue reading →