Last year, I befriended a Catholic seminarian. We've gotten to be pretty decent friends. Seeing as he was staying in town for the summer and I wasn't, I entrusted him with caring for my plant.
He did a wonderful job, but as he was returning my plant to my custody, he explained "I watered her every other day, I gave her new dirt, moved her into the sunshine, prayed the rosary-"
"What?"
He looked at me, confused. "Isn't she a plant you pray with?"
"No," I said slowly. "She's a prayer plant. That's the... colloquial name of the plant."
Upon seeing his stricken face, I realized something went wrong. Turns out, this entire time, he's been including my plant in on his prayers and leaving her near icons.
Listen, totally cool. My plant becoming Catholic is a great deal for her not dying over the summer. But now I must navigate this interfaith household. Keep me in your thoughts.
I should also add- I ran into my rabbi and explained the situation. I then asked, earnestly, if there was a remedy. A mikveh of sorts, or a beit din, or something.
He turned to me, sighed, and said in a very deadpan tone-- "Plants don't have covenants, Joy,"
So Theodora's a free agent according to rabbinic opinion. I guess I'll permit her to be Roman Catholic.
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the phasmid in disco elysium has to be in the 99.99th percentile of effectiveness for characters that, when i actually interacted with them first, changed my perception of the entire world a piece of media had built up. like DE, pre-phasmid, has some wondrous magical realism kind of elements that appear more as you progress (the existence of the pale and its whole deal, harry’s skills allowing him insight he should not have, etc) that juxtapose some of the more gritty and real aspects (we’re investigating a murder here. and an extremely politically and emotionally charged one at that) but i just feel like the phasmid’s appearance really solidifies that yes, this game does feature serious topics and interactions that are desperate and sad and violent, but oh my god we have to keep going. like oh my GOD we have to keep living so bad. there’s hope and here is wonder still undiscovered by the rest of the world. there’s more to see out there and while we have that we have to continue seeking it out. things can be strange and impossible and beautiful and so sad at the same time and i want to see it all. all bc this big fuck-off insect that looks like a clump of reeds told me to do it for the working class. nods. okay phasmid. okay
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Four people play as voices in one washed-up has-been's fractured mind.
The Fool is a ttrpg for exactly 5 people that is currently in development, where you all play the voices inside one fool's beautiful mind and make stupid choices you cant take back.
Develop internalized thoughts and watch them form into ideologies you cant let go of; make up the world outside as you teach your Fool about it horrors or wonders. Listen as the city sings to you from a street rat carrying a pizza crust.
If you havent yet, giving a follow on Gamefound is free and helps a ton to show support (and show that people actually want to see this come to life)! And of course, I would be eternally grateful. Some more updates coming soon :D and thank you to everyone who already has!
Kraldum design log: okay but what is mudlarking (and why am I making a TTRPG about it)?
Janine: What's the word for people who go to London and just dig through the fucking river? And they make books about the shit they find and 90% of it is pipes?
Jack: Oh…. um, mudlarks?
Janine: Yeah, mudlarking!
Art: Fucking gross-os if you ask me.
Janine: But it's fascinating —
– Friends at the Table, The Curse of Eastern Folly Pt. 1
You glimpse what might be a case and step carelessly. The mud lets loose a great belch of gas and tries its hardest to draw you in. You break free, but only at the cost of a shoe. You flounder hastily back to shore. Now for a long bath.
– Fallen London
This is the first post in a little series I’m working on about my solo fantasy mudlarking TTRPG in progress, Kraldum – the ideas, mechanics, challenges and miscellany of making it. For the first entry it seemed best to answer the question several people have asked me: what’s mudlarking? Ah, friends, that’s a great question with a slippery tangle of answers. Let’s get into this muddy business.
The London Museum has a good primer here.
Mudlarking can be broadly defined as searching river shores at low tide for items of value. The word ‘mudlark’ became popular in Victorian London to describe those who carried out this activity on the Thames foreshore as a means of survival. 19th century writer Henry Mayhew described the mudlarks of his day “compelled from utter destitution to seek for the means of appeasing their hunger in the mud of the river”. Many of those mudlarks were people marginalised by society in one or more ways: the impoverished, women, young children, the elderly, the criminalised.
One of the earliest mentions of the practice comes from a treatise by the man who later founded the Thames River Police – the most wide-reaching force policing London at the time, predating the Metropolitan Police by 29 years. There’s a great short post on this bit of history on the Thames Discovery Programme’s blog here.
These days, mudlarking is a very different practice built around the same core activity. Instead of survival, it’s an act born of archaeological interest. London’s modern mudlarks look for items that might tell us something about this city’s history, and their explorations are regulated by the Port of London Authority. Mudlarking requires a permit, which comes with a long waiting list and a fee, and many of today’s mudlarks are people with ample leisure time.
I started mudlarking in 2019, when the limits on permits weren’t as strict as they are now. Above are some pages from the little sketchbook I kept of my finds. It was an experience unlike any other I’ve had, seeing London from below, finding traces of other times and learning more of my city’s social history through my attempts to identify what I’d found. The Thames foreshore is also a strange and delicate ecosystem, and getting acquainted with it became a vector for learning new things about London’s biodiversity and climate. Then my permit expired, and I developed long covid, and I couldn’t get to the river as often (or legally look for anything if I did make it there).
There’s been a lot written about mudlarking within the last decade, and a lot of interest online (just look it up on instagram). I’m really definitely not the first person to be interested in the contradictions and tensions of asking/answering the question ‘what is mudlarking?’. I think I might be the first to approach it through the medium of a fantasy-adventure TTRPG though?
I am hoping to make a game that is fun for people to play. And also to explore some of these ideas critically. How well I manage to synthesise the two will have to be seen! But if you’d like to come with me as I think through the attempt, I’d love to have you along.
I have a bunch of topics lined up for future posts but questions & requests are very welcome too :)
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i support universal free healthcare for one simple reason: if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness you should quit your job. quitting your job is the correct response to terminal illness. but you can’t do that if your healthcare is tied to your job
listen if somebody knows that they will be dead in a years time, and you are forcing them to continue to come into work, that’s fucked up. terminally ill people should be able to quit their jobs and live their last few months to the fullest. i don’t get how that’s a controversial opinion
Four people play as voices in one washed-up has-been's fractured mind.
The Fool is a ttrpg for exactly 5 people that is currently in development, where you all play the voices inside one fool's beautiful mind and make stupid choices you cant take back.
Develop internalized thoughts and watch them form into ideologies you cant let go of; make up the world outside as you teach your Fool about it horrors or wonders. Listen as the city sings to you from a street rat carrying a pizza crust.
Four people play as voices in one washed-up has-been's fractured mind.
The Fool is a ttrpg for exactly 5 people that is currently in development, where you all play the voices inside one fool's beautiful mind and make stupid choices you cant take back.
Develop internalized thoughts and watch them form into ideologies you cant let go of; make up the world outside as you teach your Fool about it horrors or wonders. Listen as the city sings to you from a street rat carrying a pizza crust.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
