Permanently Deleted
this is so cool! Providing a peer support space with parallel play on the internet?! 
maybe I'll join one of these times if I gather up the nerveDo you ever have that thing where wish something existed but you realise it doesn't exist so you're like: "Fuck it, I'm just gonna make it myself"?
Because that's exactly what happened here.You are most welcome to pop in just to say hello if you want. I'm currently learning how to play the guitar in-game. I'm not very good at it so don't expect a concert performance or anything but I'd be happy to show you the (modest) progress I've made so far.
Also I updated the images in this post to reflect the character I use so it's a bit more familiar and personable than the previous images I used. Graphic design is my
notpassion lolEdit: Btw they've got chalk drawing in-game too. I haven't explored it yet but, as expected, some people have done impressive things with it:
Show
I'm not gonna tell you how long it took for me to read that correctly. I'm blaming my dyslexia for this.
Hey, just thought I'd let you know that we've gone live in with the Drop-In Peer Support server to give you a gentle invitation to it. You are welcome just to come in and have a look around - if you don't feel like chatting then that's cool. The code this time around is:
84NFABNo pressure though - you do what's right for you. If today is not the day then don't worry because there will plenty of other sessions to come.
This is a difficult time of day for me but please add me to the ping list for future sessions.
Added!
I figured it would be a shit time for most people on this site, what with it being in the middle of the night in North America. But I'll change the timeslots around until I find a groove that suits people so I'm sure you'll get the chance to pop in soon enough. I'm looking forward to seeing you in there!
·1 month agoMiddle of the night for Mericans. Morning for europeans. Bad time for both.
Dropping in as the token "straight"
Jk, it sounds fun but I don't get the appeal of fishing games
You know what? It's really not my style of game either and it's so outside of my preferred genres that I had to make myself go through a crash course to figure out the basics of it (I think I've played a sum total of one hour on Animal Crossing throughout my existence).
But it suits my purposes, which is to have an online co-op game that is very relaxed and which allows for chatting. I had been kicking around the idea of using VR Chat but that seems to be a lot more resource intensive and while you can play without VR gear (at least I think you can) I didn't want to create a very visible distinction between the people who can afford VR gear and people who cannot, nor to expect that everyone can afford a gaming rig (I know I can't) or a suitably specced-out computer.
So it's basically a proletarian VR Chat surrogate that I'm using to hold an online peer support space in.
If people want to hang out and play in the server then that's a bonus and, in my experience, having a drop-in space is always miles better if there is something else, anything else, to do besides just chatting because if it's exclusively chatting without any other activity then it can get pretty awkward and the drop-in starts getting the same vibe as sharing an elevator or being in a waiting room with someone else. Since the game allows you to fish, run around and explore the world, buy stuff and customise your character, do metal detecting, do chalk art, and play guitar it's a big plus because it means that there's probably an in-game activity that people can engage in that they don't mind doing.
If you absolutely cannot stand fishing games that's cool, you're still very welcome to join just to chat or to try the other activities. I'll try and make sure I have enough in-game cash to buy any items that are required for the minigame activities so I can give them out to people who don't want to do the fishing but want to do a different activity.
And if it doesn't appeal to you whatsoever that's cool too, I respect that. I'd make it suit everyone if I could but the best I can do is to settle on something that has the broadest appeal while fitting with the purpose for an appropriate drop-in peer support space.
That's fair, it does seem like a good way to chill and socialize in a third space, especially with the drama going on here lately. I just have enough on my plate as is, and I wouldn't want to take up the slot of someone who's actually neurodiverse.
It's only the second round at it and the time slot is unsuitable for most North Americans so I'm expecting a very small turnout this time around. (I don't want to turn people off by giving the impression that it isn't popular because there's something wrong with the space but honestly I'm expecting maybe one person to drop in this time. If it's zero, I wouldn't be surprised. If it's two people then I'd be thrilled. But three people? If that happened I'd be writing about that in my diary with boundless enthusiasm.)
Also this has been a soft-launch of the peer space. I didn't want to go all-in and overcommit only to underdeliver because I didn't have my shit all sorted out. I figure that most neurotypical people aren't really spending much time in here so I figure it's a little corner that I can work away in where I'm not getting the full attention of Hexbear's larger comms prematurely. Plus I think I have an established reputation with this comm's users so there's some trust and goodwill I'd hope that I've built up which I can lean on if there are any hiccups. So with all that said, it's not a neurodivergent-only space and it was never intended to be that way.
This isn't like me to talk about myself like this but I'm actually really comfortable in negotiating competing demands on myself in this sort of space so I know how to make a queue and how to negotiate meeting different/conflicting needs in a group setting in a way that is collaborative with everyone in the space. If you are considering dropping in then don't worry about taking "someone else's" place. I can virtually guarantee you that I'll be sitting in the server by myself on waiting mode, twiddling my thumbs or practicing guitar while I await someone coming in. If this is your concern, I'd be happy to come to an agreement with you that as soon as I'm overloaded I will let you know and I'll politely ask you to bail on the server.
But don't let me convince you either way. You're welcome to do as you please. I'd be happy to see you in there but if you decide it's not for you then I'm glad that you know what you're looking for. Just don't convince yourself that you don't belong or you are somehow less worthy of using the space than others - that's the exact opposite of the spirit of this peer space.
I looked more closely at the time and unfortunately I work grave shifts, so I'd be at work while it's going on. :/ I hope some comrades decide to stop by though, I'm sure it'll be fun
Thanks for the support!
Hopefully I'll plan a session that fits your schedule soon.
I'm going to shift around in the time slots to cover different time zones/shifts for people. If I'm lucky there will be enough interest one day that either a regular timeslot will naturally appear, or people might even start asking me for when they want it to happen.
Who knows? It's early days so I'll keep my expectations low and my hopes high.
Aww i already wanted to check this little game out, hanging out and talking could be fun but i'm not sure i'll be able to join at that time, but maybe another time
That's cool, there's more to come. If you want I can add your name to the ping list so the next one I book in you'll get notified about.
Actually I'd prefer not to have your steam name. It's better OpSec if there's a layer of separation between your account here and the server/your steam name as it isn't possible for me to ensure that the game is entirely secure. What that means is if you link your steam name to this account publicly then people will be able to get a more comprehensive picture of who you are, if anyone attempts to dox you. The risks aren't necessarily sky high of that happening but why take the chance, especially if it's not necessary to take the risk?
I'll put the server code up when we go live with it. All you need to do is to hop into the server when you're ready and that's it.
I can add you to the ping list so that you get notifications when the server goes live and when the next session gets announced if you like?
Hey @0x2640@hexbear.net, I hope you don't mind me pinging you.
I'm running this drop in space in Webfishing again and I just wanted to extend an invite to you if you wanted to come hang out. All the details are in the post above.
I love the initiative! Maybe I'll come hang out sometime. There was a moment in life where I'd be awake at that time, but (fortunately for me) these are rarer.
I'll keep an eye out for future sessions!
I'm glad to hear that your sleep schedule is more reasonable these days. I'll shift the server times around so that different time zones are covered, so with a little luck there will be a time that suits you soon.
Would you like me to add you to the ping list? When I announce the next upcoming session and when that session begins I'll ping the people list to let them know what's happening.
This was really fun. Always great to talk to fellow hbears!
This is such a cool idea, thanks a lot! Can you add me to the ping list as well? I don't know how this EST UTC PST OMG WTF time zone business works
Added!
I don't know how this EST UTC PST OMG WTF time zone business works
Yeah, it legit breaks my brain. Best advice would be to google [day of the week] + ?:?? am/pm UTC - google will tell you how this translates over to your local time zone. Just be mindful that you have your translated day as well as the time. Because there's that big gap between time zones, sometimes a time will occur on a different day for you vs the day on the UTC time.
I'm not explaining it well, I hate time zones. China stay winning. What I'm trying to say is that your morning might be the same time as somewhere else's night on the day before or vice versa, so don't just assume Wednesday UTC = Wednesday for you.
Since you've raised this issue, I could probably do better and add a countdown timer to the next post. Here's an example of a countdown timer for when this current event is set to happen. Hopefully that will take the confusion out of the equation for you.
Can't make it this time, but I'm going to look into this game. It looks so cute, hopefully I can make it next time!
Yay!
I can add you to the ping list for when I schedule the next one if you'd like?
Edit: Yay @ looking into the game and showing interest in this, not yay @ you not being able to make it this time lol. I got too enthusiastic for a minute there.
can i be added to the ping list as well? this sounds super sweet!
Yay! You just doubled the length of the ping list!
Looking forward to seeing you in the server sometime soon.
Hey comrades, we have gone ✨live✨ at the Drop-In Peer Support Server in Webfishing - come on in!
The lobby code is:
EXPIRED(Approximately 2 hours after this announcement, the server will be closed unless there’s a lot of demand. The main post will be deleted once the server has closed for this session if you want to check whether or not the session is still running.)
@Luna@hexbear.net @whatnots@hexbear.net @large_goblin@hexbear.net @joaomarrom@hexbear.net @grym@hexbear.net @Beetle@hexbear.net @SadArtemis@hexbear.net @Edie@hexbear.net
Hey! Turns out I won't be able to join you folks, this hangout sesh would be at 5:30am in Brazil lol thanks again for the ping and good on you for doing this but I won't be joining you all unfortunately :(
turns out i can join, working remotely today. However seems stuck infinitely on "loading" after entering the code :(
Oh no...
Are you still having troubles? I think one person kept popping in and out of the server so it might be server/connection issues.
