Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

All I'll say is that when and where I grew up, the general consensus seemed to be "do all that crazy crap when you're a teenager so that you can get on with your life later on." So yeah, I knew my share of girls who looked pretty frackin' far from "maiden" or whatever. The maiden look would've been mocked and chucked out of the party . . . a party no doubt involving really loud and badly tuned instruments, slam-dancing (we didn't have "moshing"), and significant quantities of गांजा and EtOH. Maybe life was different in, say, 1983.

And sure enough, these days, neither the parties nor the female guests fit the above descriptions. As well, I'm no longer 17 kg underweight, voluntarily missing most of my hair, and doing questionable things.* Getting that out of my system 23-25 years ago was probably a good thing. My current metabolism wouldn't play well with it.†

That said, I still think the blue-haired girls with skin the color of milk, combat boots, and surgical steel ornaments are cute. I just don't think they're attractive, which is an important distinction.

--

* Nothing evil or creepy. Just stuff that I'm not going to spell out because I have no desire to hear accusations of "You said this was a good idea on a public forum!" someday, when I've long forgotten this post.

† I believe that going through such a period is vital to stabilizing oneself later in life. The people I know who had a conservative, restrained youth full of self-denial and pretending to be able to make rational decisions bat 1.000 for having psychiatric problems and/or psychological crises in their 30s and 40s. The ones who cut loose and acted like fools for a few years mostly don't have those issues.

Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

I'll just go for the combat boots. Oh, and I like my girls pierced, for reasons not fit for a public forum.

Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

Amen. I believe the saying is "All things in moderation, including moderation."

Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

Someone else who gets it! And Kromm no less!

(\<O</) All hail the mighty Kromm!

(\>O>/) Threads For The thread God!!!

[-- I read threads backwards, apologies and a shout out to all those who gave props to the notion that 'just cuz you're not attractive doesn't mean you're not cute' well before Kromm did. ;) --]

After-thought: There is a great deal of thread hopping I have to do on these forums to get the whole story from any one thread. This is probably why I'm still posting at 5am. You guys are as bad as wikipedia. :3

Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

Hail and amen!

I feel that I must be overdue for a nervous breakdown and/or exploding in violent rage Falling Down style when I read the Holy KROMM's commentary upthread. After all, I have never had any urges to dress strangely, pierce myself or tattoo Chinese take-away menus on my flesh.

Teenage rebellion just wasn't my thing, mainly because I can't stand being controlled by something and I don't see doing everything someone doesn't want you to do as being meaningfully more free than doing everything he does want. Someone desperately trying to shock his parents is just as influenced by them as someone desperately trying to please them.

So I've generally just worn what I want to wear and done what I what to do. For a lot of years, what I want to wear has been mostly casual business attire and what I want to do is mostly earn enough money doing easy indoors work so as not to have to worry about it and then spend my time drinking, playing games, socialising and reading.

So, do I have a belated teen rebellion coming sometime in my 40s? ;)

Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

If it was anyone except KROMM, I would say that the hypothesis is too loosely formulated to be scientific (and it probably wasn't meant to be taken as such). It would seem to be very vulnerable to confirmation bias, among other things.

Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

Perhaps he is testing us?

In any event, if KROMM confirms it, I won't think he's biased. ;)

Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

Not necessarily. I also saw no need for rebellion as a teenager. I am now 50, and am still deeply committed to upholding the social order as He has established it according to His Holy Books.

Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

Dudes, you hang out online talking about killing each other with imaginary weapons in a made-up world. While geeky, that counts. Geeky kids got as much flak as punky ones where I grew up -- including from parents, who were afraid that roleplaying wizards made you a satanist. I mean, there's a good reason why geek and youth-culture subcultures overlap so heavily, especially at arcades, conventions, etc.

Re: So, how great is Kromm anyway?
 

Well, yes. We have also formed a faux religion and devote more time to it than I've ever devoted to real religion...

;)

The Satanism bit never made it here (not that I can name many parents who'd make a fuss over their children's religion).

Playing RPGs always seemed about as counter-cultural and edgy as any other hobby, reading or collecting stamps.