I really wanted to play "Vampire: The Masquerade." I played "Werewolf" once but it didn't click. I wanted to be a femme fatale, you know?

But he suggested I play a Gangrel, the animalistic vampires. He thought that might be more of a stretch? I might learn something!

I was like, "Okay, sure, LOL."

So I created a character which, if you've read my stories, you might know as Katherine Ducote from "You Only Die Twice" and "Shadow Play."

And so much pain and rage gushed out of me like blood.

I don't recommend using role-playing games as therapy.

It's an advanced technique.

I don't think anyone expected THAT.

And as metaphors go, being turned into an unholy monster with a dead heart sitting in your chest and a thirst for a life you can never have is an inexact metaphor for being trans.

Woof. For sure.

But girls don't get a lot of chances to work out their anger in a safe and accepting environment, you know?

One of the funniest things about that game was -- because Katherine had turned into something they didn't recognize or accept, almost all of her friends hated her and wanted to kill her.

Even the ones who were also vampires!

So metaphors. Yeah. Irony can pretty ironic sometimes.

I eventually found my level, I found that voice that's capable of speaking rage and righteous anger even as I still want to be Little Miss Princess, and I'm a saner person for it, I think.

Katherine got better eventually, too.

I have a distinct mental image of her lying on a slab and giving a thumb's up for someone to chop her head off.

For science! The version of her that came back was like: "Okay, I think that's out of my system. Good job. Thanks."

My ever go to game when I have to burn 5 minutes... and the fact that @davidrevoy@framapiaf.org Pepper from Pepper and Carrot have found her way into the game.... just perfect.

That is a true demonstration that giving to the Open Source community and it will give you back

(For the younger generation: Burning ROM meant burning up to 650MB of data on a CD-R(W). For the even younger ones: Nero was a ROMan emperor who, according to legend, watched the city of Rome burning after he started the fire :)

2/3

how the mighty have fallen 😠

For 2023, Nero AG launched the Nero Lens (ai photo enhance app), Nero Muse (ai art generator app). Also they dive in AI, Nero AI web online tools for image edit.
For 2024, Nero AI Video Upscaler is released, a software on upscale video quality to 4k.
2024 June, Nero AG release new mobile app--Erasee AI.

Did you enjoy...fiddling with it?

I'll see myself out.

Great product name? Yes, absolutely.

Actual, usable product? Oh fuck no. That shit was trash.

This is so funny. I first read you follow-up and kind of anticipated this exact OP.

Kudos to you for the flashback!

true'n'sure 🤝

Nero Burning ROM: Especially the cheap ones, heaps of 💿🔥

It really is a cool name.

I couldn't remember ever having used it, but there is written evidence to show that: I had actually used it (because my Linux computer didn't have a CD burner yet)

lists.opensuse.org/archives/li…

HOWTO Create a Yast2 Autoinstall Custom CD for Network Installation (long) - openSUSE Autoinstall

* CREATING AN AUTOINSTALLATION CD FOR AUTOYAST2 NETWORK INSTALLATION * V 0.001 - draft - hella.breitkopf＠varetis.de For SuSE version: SuSE 8.0 (This description is not validated, yet. No guarantee,……

^{openSUSE Mailing Lists}

you'll catch me playing fiddle. :D

I had a lot of fun explaining it to my mom when I was, oh about 12 or 13 when she saw it on my screen.

Vor ein paar Tagen hat sich eine mir bekannte Person nach vielen, vielen Jahren mal wieder an einem Windows-Rechner angemeldet. Sobald seine Netzlaufwerke eingebunden waren, hat der Virenscanner das Gerät in Quarantäne gesetzt und das Netzwerk gekappt.

In irgendeinem Unterordner auf dem Laufwerk lag noch ein Nero Key-Generator.