Sunday, August 29, 2010

Copy Cat ( Thank You)

This is from Zak's blog Playing D&D With Porn Stars I felt I should re-post it here as well since it pretty much sums up my own feelings on the subject.

Thank You For Not Being Ignorant Assholes

First, I'd like to note that the show is doing really well and so for those of you who watch it, thanks. The rest of this is for everybody whether or not you watch it:

Even though it has little to do with the bottom line, once in awhile the pyrotechnic display of bigotry, sexism, self-righteousness and can't-be-bothered-to-google-ignorance that I periodically get in my inbox in response to this TV show that the Escapist pays us to make about our game kind of makes me despair for humankind. I don't mean that as an exaggeration I mean it literally. No matter how many nice letters and traffic bonus checks you get, there's only so many times you can read "Wyverns can't talk, you and your stupid tattood whores don't know shit about D&D stop posing" before you honestly start thinking: "What's the point? What's the point of ever trying to talk to anyone you don't already know? People seem to go out of their way to misunderstand and score snark points off everything you say. Why not just hang out here in my apartment in Hollywood with my stripper friends, making paintings and doing cool Hollywood things and play our game and forget about all these stupid nerds and their stupid nerd hobby?"

This line of thinking, however, only goes so far before I remember you guys and I remember the fact that pretty much everybody who reads and writes to D&D With Porn Stars only says things that seem sane and smart and recognizably human and there's almost no obscure topic I can talk about--game-related or otherwise--that somebody out there doesn't seem to know something interesting about and I just want you all to know that I appreciate that. When I start thinking that there's just no way to make yourself understood about anything even slightly out of the ordinary unless you're standing right in front of people I remember how many people have--for whatever reason--ended up on this site and started reading and then thought "Hey, this porn actor actually sounds like he knows what he's talking about" and although I regret that I live in a world where you actually have to thank people and be surprised when people don't act like assholes I just want you all to know that I know and appreciate the fact that y'all are smart and don't act like assholes.

And I appreciate how rare and nice that is and the girls do too and if it weren't true I wouldn't keep doing this.

26 comments:

drrn. said...

I'm honestly just glad that there are people playing D&D that aren't awkward nerds like myself. Also, 4e sucks and I'm glad you don't play it.

Unknown said...

Zak, Mandy;

I find that there are, unfortunately, people out there who are so miserable, and who were raised so badly, that they feel the only reason for their exsistence is to make others miserable in order to bolster their own miniscule ego. Sorry about the run-on sentence but grammar structure and 2am don't go together very well.

Luckily for us, there are many more people who actually care about how their actions will effect others. We don't get our ego boosts by making others feel bad or smaller than us. Making others happy, or at least not upsetting others, is something we attempt to achieve whenever possible.

I know you guys hear this all the time, but like I said, the nice people outnumber the meanies, it's just that the meanies stick out better, like an infected wound. Keep your spirits up, and keep doing what you're doing. We're all here for you :-)

saintpepsi said...

Sometimes people can be a bit bitchy about anything and the no face bitching and name called provides them with a comfort that they would never be afforded in real life. Its a sad tale that this is how they get their jollies. Cause really u guys are just having fun. I love the show and think you guys all look like your having a blast. Every house has their own house rules fuck the haters.

c. said...

I'm glad you reposted it here too. As I said on Zak's page, ignorance and narrowminded lameness are more prevalent in the universe than hydrogen.
Don't let the comments of the few stop you doing what you do.
People love the show and follow it avidly - I'm one of them - and many who DON'T comment "get it" too.
Don't let these ignorant no-hopers harm the good things you do. You are all brilliant to watch and we enjoy it immensely, please keep going xx

Anonymous said...

Wyverns can be pink poka-dotted if the DM decides it. Anyone that says otherwise just has no imagination, or understand the first rule of DnD is the DM is always right.

Brian said...

And thanks to you for doing what you do Mandy :) The internet is a place full of information and stupidity, but so is RL. I am very happy to be able to be able to comment, if only to let you know what you do is greatly appreciated by fans like myself. Now off to the WoW for a bit of relaxation! ;)

Anonymous said...

Hey mandy, a friend of mine just showed me your blog here and (after checking out your pics of course) this is the first blog of yours I read. I would just like to say something really quick to you a lot of people don't realize about the internet.

A very large percentage of people on the internet, who frequent these types of sites, have little to no social lives. In my opinion this causes them to become angry when they see people on the internet who are attractive, have
friends, enjoying themselves etc.

So from now on when you get those nasty emails try and remember the person sending them is likely a sad individual. -A fellow Canadian

Timothy S. Brannan said...

one good copy cat deserves another!

Here is what I said over on Zak's blog.

Zak, Mandy and gang,

I don't say it enough but I love this blog and IHIWMA quite a lot. You just have to ignore the assholes in the world. Someone is always going to hate you. Hell I got treated like I kick puppies because I happen to teach at a for-profit school. So ignore that shit. I love the blog and show because you are showing everyone something very important about gaming.
Not why we are different, but why we are all the same.
More than once per show I have laughed out loud because your group has done the same thing my group has done.

So to quote Strong Bad, "you keep doing yer thing there man!"

So yeah.
Don't let them get you down.

A GM said...

Y'know, having fun at the gaming table in front of the entire web really is the best response to all the crap.
Let the haters hate, if hate is all they desire. There's nothing to be done from the outside with a closed mind.
And maybe all of you are changing how some people see gaming, women, and the world for the better, while you're making a buck.
Nice work if you can get it. :)
Game on, Mandy.

Unknown said...

After over 20 years of drawing comics, concept art and illustrating for books and games I learned a few very 'capital T' truths. One of them is there are always going to be stupid people or assholes (sometimes they're both) responding to whatever you do.

I think what you guys are doing is a riot and makes me miss playing.

I'd also watch a video series of any of a number of 'unexpected' groups playing RPGs (soldiers, truckers, prisoners, most dangerous catch-types) if only to see how other people wrap their heads around the experience.

Anonymous said...

I found the show through Satine's plug on a podcast that she participated in at Comic-Con. I have since watched every single episode. I think it's safe to say that I'm hooked. lol

The chemistry between the group is fantastic; Zak is a hilariously creative DM and you girls are equally clever (and cute of course!). I can't help but laugh and smile throughout each episode. I even find myself selfishly wishing the episodes were longer, or that I could game with you guys. :)

In short.. thanks for sharing your gaming sessions, your show entertains and inspires a great many of us. Ignore the haters and keep having fun with it.

<3 you guys!

Anonymous said...

too long; didnt read

but anyways i think it's awesome the fact that you're a super hot porn actress and has some nerd hobbies.. kinda breaking a stereotype that all porn actress are stupid shalow sluts. (not implying that there aren't stupid shalow nerds)

forgive me for my bad english. i'm not american or w/e

Anonymous said...

My roomate and I honsetly love this show. I enjoy seeing people playing D&D that dont fit the normal geek mold as drrn said.

I'm with the rest of the people commenting in that I think its great show. So don't mind the haters, becuse simply haters are going to hate. They have little else to do.

Im looking forward to see more future shows. :)

Anonymous said...

My roomate and I honsetly love this show. I enjoy seeing people playing D&D that dont fit the normal geek mold as drrn said.

I'm with the rest of the people commenting in that I think its great show. So don't mind the haters, becuse simply haters are going to hate. They have little else to do.

Im looking forward to see more future shows. :)

Unknown said...

They can suck it! If the DM wants a wyvern to talk, a wyvern can fucking talk! It's fantasy! Two weeks ago, I ran a game where a bunch of scorpion-riding goblins worshiped a diseased scorpion-man in a well who was posing as their Scorpion God so they'd keep feeding him people.

IT'S FANTASY!!!

Keep up the good work, Mandy. It is much enjoyed and appreciated.

Unknown said...

Lol, but how many Wyverns have those guys ever met? Maybe the Wyverns just decided not to talk to them because they were jerks. I know if I was a magical imaginary creature I wouldn't be wasting my time on those kinds of twerps.

Watching the show kind of makes me want to actually play D&D

Unknown said...

Lol, but how many Wyverns have those guys ever met? Maybe the Wyverns just decided not to talk to them because they were jerks. I know if I was a magical imaginary creature I wouldn't be wasting my time on those kinds of twerps.

Watching the show kind of makes me want to actually play D&D. Love the idea of how much freedom there is in it, compared to computer based versions.

Anyways, the show is awesome, you seem cool (I like your hair) and hope you have a good day/night/whatever your time zone is.

Azzamatazz said...

When doing ANYTHING on the internet that's for the benefit of others, whether its for entertainment, info, debate or even if you want help with something, you will find yourself innondated by the excessive number of total FUCK-TARDS that the internet offers.

And annoyingly the same can be said for real-life e.g. people can sue you for HELPING OTHERS these days.

Its hard to keep a positive outlook on life when the assholes are shitting on everything, but then you get all the amaising and interesting people that are there, hidden away behind all the shit people yeah, but its worth it.

In the end, its worth it. mostly lol. just remember the good ones, if the assholes really get to ya, just gain comfort from the fact that they are(or will become) very lonely people.

jimthegray said...

Glad you do not like a few jerks ruin things

Unknown said...

Someone will always disagree with you on the internet.. I bet if you said "someone will always disagree with you on the internet", someone would disagree with you.

David said...

Mandy, teach me how to have sex.

Anonymous said...

Just a note to say that I love your show. I've been a player and DM for the last 26 years, and I've encountered people from all walks of life doing this stuff.
It's basically just storytelling with a twist, and for someone to even contemplate criticism of it shows their ignorance of the history of human civilization.

Keep up the good work, and thank you for inviting us into your lives.

Unknown said...

First let me just say, I love the show, and secondly, I'm old now, and have been playing D&D since the early 80's and I believe the cardinal rule is this... The DM is always right. If your wyvern talks, it talks... PERIOD.

That being said, I think some people are just jealous that Zak gets to play with a group of beautiful women, where the rest of us are stuck around the table with a bunch of nerds.

Zak, you sir, are a living legend among geeks, and my new personal hero.

Mandy...I love you.

Anonymous said...

Holy shit mandy, for someone who's been on the interwebs this long you should know about this breed of people called "trolls."

Anyway, i know it's an old post but... yeah. Also, i didn't know it was on tv? i just watch the episodes at their website.

Delph said...

fellow geeky girl here :-p

you rock! (for lack of better words)
stumbled upon you Sacha and Zak & the gang just tonight whilst browsing the Net for some D&D stuff, somehow saw the vid and it made me smile (reminds me of my own girly D&D sessions between exam revisions)

eitherwayyy just thought I'd share the luv...
cute brainy fun girls doing their thing out of the beaten paths, what can i say? let the haters hate (and bonus points for defying porn industry stereotypes, such an eye opener)

narrow minded people can be encountered in any field, in any industry, at pretty much every point of your life...Glad I fell upon all this tonight, its always nice to witness some integrity in this day and age.

Judging Eagle said...

Honestly, don't sweat the grondgrads Mandy.

They exist in -every- edition, and for every campaign and gaming group. I've seen it ever since I started this sort of storytelling-gaming when I was seven.

People always think that -their- D&D is how -all- D&D should, can, and will, be.

Not _all_ humans actually have open and flexible minds, and some people can't understand that D&D was originally more "Heavy Metal" and "John Carpenter of Mars" than it originally was related to anything Tolkien wrote. Gary Gygax only put in the elves and dwarves to cash in on the current awareness of Tolkien fantasy, not b/c he actually liked LoTR.

Having completely inexplicable things that only happen in -your- game, and no one else's is _exactly_ what a Heavy Metal story is going to have happen. In your setting the DM uses monsters as narrative tools, and has them talk.

To be honest, talking monsters is good, it gives them more depth than "xp bag #XXXX".

In any case, remember, you're only doing good if you're getting haters. It's the standard that all artists and performers have to measure themselves by.

-An other Canadian, working on their own gaming system.*

[b/c D&D is _awesome_, and I get first time players jumping in as level 10-16 characters in the first session; but oh good deities is it too complicated and dumb at times]

Captcha: trandory
/hmm coincidentally it seems your captcha was thinking about tran(s) and dor(g)y at this moment. Trans Orgy sounds like good idea.