OngoingWorlds blog

News & articles about play-by-post games, for roleplayers & writers

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Sitcoms and Roleplaying Games

Big Bang Theory cast w logoIn today’s entertainment world, it seems we are flooded with a plethora of shows that seem to just run into each other via plots or ideas. These shows tend to be very unsuccessful and usually end within the pilot or the first or second season if they’re lucky. But then, there are those shows that seem to triumph over the rest, the ones that stick out, the ones you might have thought you would hate but would come to love. Situation Comedies or “Sitcoms” go best with this pattern, in a way, roleplaying games can follow suit, since there are games like the baccarat online which is really popular these days. How does it relate? How do you make roleplaying games like sitcoms? Well there’s only one way to find out.  Read More

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Above and beyond the text

Between soccer practices, dinner prep, loads (and loads) of laundry, work meetings, and the occasional doctors visit, finding time to fit in exercise—and do even the smallest things to stay healthy—can be a real challenge for parents. The good news: it can be done. Follow these tips to maximize your time to squeeze in that much-needed exercise to remain healthy and stress free. Visit sfexaminer.com.

Look for Holes. No, not in your 10 year old’s socks, but rather, look for small times throughout your day when you can squeeze in small bursts of exercise. Love watching Dancing With the Stars? Make use of your time by doing crunches on every commercial break during the two-hour show. Waiting for the kids to finish up karate? Bring your running shoes and do your own boot camp in the parking lot. (A quick search of HIIT—high-intensity interval training—workouts online can help you create a routine).

Stash a Resistance Band. Utilize the time you need a break from office work by pulling out a resistance band and performing some great lower and upper body strength training moves. Target your triceps with overhead triceps presses, build your biceps with hammer curls, and strengthen your outer quads by doing side-to-side shuffles. On the latter, speed up the pace to get a cardio workout, too.

Wake Up (and Go To Bed) 15 Minutes Early. Sleep is precious. But by kicking your snooze button habit and by DVRing Jimmy Kimmel, you can fit in 30 minutes of exercise over the course of your day. The first week will be tough, but once you do it for a span of seven days it will become second nature. Learn more about java burn.

Wear Your Baby. Or, rather, just carry her. When babies are young—as in, less than 6 to 8 months old—they’re relatively easy to carry and not as anxious to crawl. Take advantage of this time and “try carrying him or her around with you as often as possible,” suggests Beth Shaw, founder of world-renowned YogaFit studios, the largest yoga school in the world. “Consciously engage your core and leg muscles when you pick up and put down your child, making sure to bend from the knees instead of the back. This should do just as much toning as multiple sets of squats or dead lifts at the gym.” For more information about healthy supplements observer.

Child Share. Nanny sharing has become the norm among stay-at-home parents, who work part-time. But for those who are full-time stay-at-home parents, enlisting your mommy and daddy friends to watch your kids while you work out (and vice versa) is a great way to get those 30 minutes of recommended exercise in a few times a week.


Get a group together for exercise and play group! SAMPLE


Mix Up Your Family Activities. According to a recent study from the Journal of Marriage and Family, quality trumps quantity when it comes to spending time with your kids. So make the most of those moments by sneaking in a little exercise, too. “Activities like swimming and biking can be lots of fun for you and your children,” says Shaw. “Instead of driving to the supermarket, attach a baby seat to your bike and pedal there, or, spend an afternoon at the pool helping your little one improve his or her swimming.”

Take Advantage of (Free!) Child Care. Sometimes there are things in life that are free. And that includes child care. Enroll in a gym that offers free child watch services or, at the very least, offers it for a minimal fee. (Many YMCAs offer free child care for its members.) That way you can Zumba, kick box, and Spin your way to six-pack abs while your little one is having a play date with 10 other kids his age.

Include Your Child. Monkey see, monkey do. If you include your child in your workouts, whether they’re attempting Downward Dog, pushups, or planks, you’re showing your little one that staying healthy and fit is an important part of your life. And the more she sees Mom and Dad exercising their bodies, the more likely she is to want to commit herself to doing the same.

Make house chores fun! It seems impossible that cleaning could ever be considered fun or a great workout. But the truth is, anyone who has ever mopped a floor, cleaned a bathroom, or vacuumed a flight of stairs knows that cleaning is definitely a workout. Make it even more so by getting the kids in on the action. “Transform routine chores like cleaning the house into fun, active games your children can participate in,” advises Shaw. “For example, see who can pick up and put away 10 things the fastest. This will get both of you moving and laughing to boot.” Bonus: your house gets a pick-me-up and you squeeze in a workout.

Stay Hydrated. Water may not be the proverbial fountain of youth, but it’s pretty darn close. Besides improving your skin and keeping your digestive system moving, H2O can help keep cravings and hunger at bay. “Getting dehydrated will make you feel even more tired and hungrier than usual,” says Shaw, “so take a bottle with you everywhere and sip it constantly.” Rule of thumb: drink half your body weight in water (in ounces) every day.

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OngoingWorlds has won the 2014 Simming Prize!

simming prize certificate 2014

I received an email this morning from Chas Hammer with this message:

On behalf of the Simming Prize Trustees, it is with great pleasure that I award Ongoing Worlds the Prize for Simming and Online Role Playing in Memory of Seth Cotis aka the Simming Prize.  Obviously, last year we awarded you personally for your work at Ongoing Worlds, but this year we wanted to recognize Ongoing Worlds as a collective effort, and honor all the games and contributors who have helped build Ongoing Worlds into the amazing hub of online role-playing.

This was quite a surprise! Like Chas says above, last year the award was given to me personally – although I did say it was for everyone in this article, but this time it really IS for everyone in the OngoingWorlds community, so well done you!

And I certainly agree. This community is a great one, and the website has increased so much in popularity over the last few years. Many people put a lot of effort into their posts, and I’m talking about you. So give yourself a pat on the back 🙂 This certificate is for you!

In fact, print it out and frame it, so you can look at it all the time and remember how ace you are. Here it is:

simming prize certificate 2014

I want to make a special mention to all the SquidGuard, who help keep the trolls at bay, and maintain law and order on OngoingWorlds!

Also I want to thank those who have donated to our monthly server costs. We haven’t yet managed to raise enough for the year, so please donate if you’re enjoying OngoingWorlds! It definitely helps.

Oh yeah, the year in the title is intentionally last year, before you ask! As the award is given at the end of the year. Hilariously though it’s taken more than 6 months for this to be announced (nominations were asked for back in December), and if you look at the date on the certificate it’s also taken 2 months for someone to email it to me!

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Want to rp a character with Aspergers Syndrome?

Article written by Accalia Baronets.

aspergers

So you want to play a character that has Asperger Syndrome/High Function Autism eh?

Well then this article is for you. Read More

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New “mature” category available

mature categoryThere’s been requests recently to be able to distinguish games with mature content from other games, to make it clear which games contain adult themes.

Today I’ve added a new “mature” category, which can be applied to a game if it’s going to contain descriptions of graphic violence, sex, or adult themes. This is a way you can be clear about the type of content your game will include.

If you think your game falls under this category, you can edit your game now and add it.

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Help our community grow by doing this one simple thing

just one like can make a difference

The more members in our community, the more people there are to join your games, which is one of the most difficult things for new games, getting members.

Luckily it’s not that difficult to advertise your game, there’s plenty of places to get people to notice your game, one is Facebook. We just need a little help.

Our Facebook page has thousands of followers, and we post links to our blog articles fairly often. but our messages are only shown to a percentage of those followers. That’s because Facebook prioritises posts that are “popular,” which means getting a lot of likes and shares. So the more people that like and share the post, the more Facebook will show it to people.

Help us by sharing and liking our blog articles!

Yep it’s as simple as just clicking ‘like’ on new articles we post. Other things you can do is share articles, and comment on them. It helps Facebook know it’s more popular and will show it to more people it thinks will be interested.

These articles are written by individuals in our community, so it’ll also make them happier that people like it 🙂

Click here to go to our Facebook page, click like, and make sure you share as many as you can.

Also retweet!

We’re on Twitter, so click here and retweet as many of our articles as you can. Make sure to do this regularly, it’ll then help our articles be seen by more people.

Just doing these quick things will have a big impact on how many people know about OngoingWorlds, and therefore the amount of people who might join your game.

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Game Deletion Notice

Hey guys, just a quick notice here. We’re doing a sweep of inactive games that are 200+ days without a post. Sorry for the dirt while we’re cleaning!

 

-SquidGuard

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New price of OngoingWorlds mug – Donate to help fund the site

This time last year, we were more than half the way to being funded. But this year we’re lagging quite a lot behind, so I need your help to fund our monthly hosting costs.

I’ve reduced the price of getting an OngoingWorlds mug, so if you’d like to help, send a donation our way and I’ll send you a mug!

click to get a mug - download page

I love OngoingWorlds but it burns a hole in my pocket, and it’d be great if you could help me pay for it! Picking either of the options on the donation page would be great – Go to the donations page now.

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Down with the term ‘Mary Sue’!

This article was written for us by Marian Brock Andersen.

dawn with the name mary sue

So it’s a pet peeve of mine, the whole Mary Sue / Gary Stue classifications that people throw around like its some horrible disease.

“Did you see the game.. yeah… totally they got the Mary Sue.”

We see it all the time, no “Mary Sue / Gary Stue” allowed, splashed all over everything, but what does it really mean to the Moderator or the other players? Read More

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Game Summaries from June 2015

Last months game summaries were collected for us by Embrystical, who volunteered. Thanks very much Embrystical!

nova lux1. Nova Lux: A Revolution

After the passing of NMC’s Longtime CEO, Michael Edwin takes control of the company with sights set out to quell the situation on Sagan. Feeling the security on the planet is lacking, Edwin hires the outside help of Epsilon Private Military to help enforce security and fight against the Nova Lux Insurgency. Meanwhile, the Nova Lux outpost in Lapis-2134 hires the help of a friend to help arm the outposts for the inevitable trouble yet to come. Read More