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Clara Allison

@clearlygolden.bsky.social

1.2K followers 280 following 290 posts

Literally a mermaid. Award Winning Gamer of Tabletops with Queens Court Games and elsewhere, Coordinator of Art and Costume Departments, Merry Wife of Windsor. ✡️🇱🇦

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Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Nov 14

Also hello to my new friends who may be new and added me because of a starter pack:

I’m Clara(she/they) I do a great deal of things but what you need to know is that I:

- produce/perform in Actual Play #TTRPG content
- Costume/Production Design for film and television.

Sometimes, these intersect.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · 14d

Every year my band does a “let’s go to a haunted place and poke ghosts” activity and every year I wonder how I am supposed to replace 11 singers?

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · 22d

Gen Z/Alpha humor is deeply rooted in being exclusionary. “Haha adult doesn’t know our fun cool inside joke” but it’s across tiktok algorithms. The humor comes from the fact that adults are baffled. Otherwise, it’s just elevated echolalia.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 29

More TTRPG tips from improv class:

Don’t be coy. Confess the secret.

We don’t know what is in your head. The only thing that exists in the narrative for your table is what you voice aloud. You may have a cool tortured backstory but I don’t know to bring that up with you if I don’t know it exists.

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Reposted by Clara Allison

geneva @gdbee.bsky.social · Aug 22

GoldyLocs

Illustration of a woman with golden dreadlocs with goldfish spread around. Her eyes are closed. She's earing a golden headwrap and black and yellow top. Drawn by gdbeeart in 2023

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Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 22

Actual Play tips from improv class:

You have to care about your scene partner. You don’t have to LOVE other characters. You do need a reason to interact with the people in your scene.
“But my character wouldn’t-“
Find a reason.
If you don’t want to be there, the audience won’t want to be there.

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Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 10

🥹 awwwwwwwwwwwwwww

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Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 5

Truly nothing activates the Group Project trauma than being in a game that has downtimes and homework and being the only one who does it.

This isn’t about anyone in particular and I’m trying not to turn it into a multi-post rant. We’ll see how that goes.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

Wait no, this one is solid.

Aaron Lim 林家丰 @ehronlime.bsky.social · Aug 1

if you include some made up words or language in your ttrpg you should have to include a pronunciation guide thats a playlist of short 1-2 minute videos of you pronouncing each word in front of your high school friends if youre going to make others do it its only fair

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

If you get stuck. I really just want to see you start naming game designers you think you could fight in a Dennys parking lot.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

There is no thoughtful opinion or insight I can have that doesn’t immediately lose credibility when it’s followed by “fuck I’m going to be late for improv.”

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

If your player tries something at the table like a trying a (not racist) accent or making recipes from the world you’re in, they get a benny.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

If there are talking animals in your game at any point you gotta do the little voices.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

Anyway, the point of TTRPGs over video games is that I get to use ANY solution my heart (OR HISTORY) might come up with.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

Did you medieval castles had poop chute toilets that just had seats built over holes that were over like, a chute down the side of the tower? PEOPLE COULD CLIMB UP THEM. KING EDWARD II WAS MURDERED BY A TOILET ASSASSIN.

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Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

If you’re in a historical setting and someone’s solution to a problem is based in a thing that actually happened in history, they should be allowed to do it.

This is very personal.

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Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

You gotta be more unhinged.

“If you stand up at the table you’re LARPing. I don’t make the rules.”

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Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

One did but that’s cause improv class doesn’t teach you to win.

Otherwise you need to be meaner.

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Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

This is the only good version of this meme.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Aug 1

This isn’t a bad thing either. We don’t expect movie studios to provide grants for smaller scale studios. D20 and CR *do* have strong community leaning models but demanding they do anything other than what they are doing is somewhat parasocial imho.

But it would be nice.

Esther @dungeonminister.bsky.social · Jul 31

I think that if Critical Role and D20 *wanted* to do something useful for the form of Actual Play, they could create artistic grants for smaller-scale AP artists. I don't think they will ever do this.

Reposted by Clara Allison

Esther @dungeonminister.bsky.social · Jul 31

The industry would be far better off if people could accept that it's okay to cordially dislike someone who hasn't really done anything harmful but who just annoys you personally. It should be fine to just not get along with someone without that meaning "and therefore their life should be ruined."

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Reposted by Clara Allison

Aaron Hammonds @aaroninwords.fpe.social · Jul 31

9. The desire for personal brand ownership leads to a staggering duplication of effort in AP, and depletes the resources available for any one project. We'd be making more, better stuff if the base instinct was "Who can I join?" instead of "Where can I build my own thing?"

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Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Jul 31

I’m well actually-ing and yes-anding like a good improv nerd:

If you take an improv class the first thing they’ll tell you is NOT to try to make jokes. The funny will just happen. HOWEVER I fully believe that people who try to earn credibility by citing their education probably do just want to win.

Aaron Hammonds @aaroninwords.fpe.social · Jul 31

6. The improv school urge to "win" a scene by being the most, the last, the funniest, the saddest is poison for actual play. You're not here to score points. You're here to build rhythm, tone, and trust. Sometimes, the best move is to pass the ball and let someone else slam dunk the scene.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Jul 30

P.S. If you see yourself in a post I make about the generalized you; that’s probably something to reflect on.

Doubly so if it hurts.

Tripply so if it’s about my shitty dating life.

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Jul 30

I’ll do another rant on what I think professionalism is in AP later but to this thread: don’t lie and say you want to be part of something bigger, you will build resentment toward the product. People can tell when a decision was made for one person over the product and it always sits bad with us.9/9

Clara Allison @clearlygolden.bsky.social · Jul 30

I hate the “work a job you love and it won’t feel like work.” I think one of the Green Brothers said “work is work and sometimes the work is fun.” There will be things that are not fun to do. They don’t stop existing because you don’t like them. 8/9

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