Elsewhere, someone asked me to explain how Apocalypse World, or any game, might hinder or support certain kinds of play. This has been a question asked 1000s of times over the last 20 yrs, but by whatever grace, this time I found a way to answer with I think greater clarity: Imagine the games of soccer and basketball. You could try to play soccer with a basketball, you might even have a fun time, but the ball is not designed for that game, it would behave differently.

See that? That is a line of stitching where a pocket should be. I’m so annoyed by this that I’m going to put Extra Big Pockets in these pants!!!

Stay tuned for Meg Shows You How To Put In A Damn Pocket In A Damn Pair Of Jeans, I guess. Step 1: turn the pants inside out, to expose the false lying pocket in all it’s shame. We’re going to take that seam APART!

Talking with People part 2, #bakerhouseband
One time, I was at a convention, meeting lots of new people. A man I’d never met before came up to me & said “You are Meguey Baker, right?” Yes I am. “And is it true you are a sex ed teacher?” Yes, right again! “I have a question...” Ok, let’s sit down. This young man had just had the opportunity to talk with some young women, but had missed the chance, for several reasons. Primary among those was being on his way somewhere else, not wanting to intrude on the women, and also…

Imagine a haze over the lake at #CampWithMeg has started to burn off. Imagine clean sweet air. Imagine the dogs had a great romp this morning and are wet & grinning. Imagine wide log benches worn smooth & flat stones for work surfaces around the fire. Imagine birdsong. Let’s imagine I got up very early this morning and made oatmeal with the leftover apples & berries & nuts from yesterday. The folks who stayed up late last night talking & playing games around the fire banked it well,so it started easily. There’s hot water ready for tea & coffee.

#CampWithMeg Flowers behind my tent!
(Please feel free to add photos from our imaginary camping trip to the hashtag! Keep to ones you’ve taken, please, but feel free to stage them if you like!) Harvested apples with @TheAshCheshire and @GraypawnTweets so @greuh could make apple crepes!

I want so very much to be camping somewhere far away in the mountains by a smallish lake with my family & like a handful of other folks. Play a little pretend camping trip with me? It’s morning, we hiked in yesterday, set up last night to be here for a few days. #CampWithMeg Imagine tents. Imagine a solar charger so you can take photos, but no internet - no email, no streaming anything. Imagine it’s hot enough to swim during the day but cool enough to enjoy a fire at night.

Ok, so. Talking to people, part 1. I dunno, #bakerhouseband, probably.
Years ago, generations ago, there were keys that got handed down, on how to talk to people, on how to meet new people, and places, so many places, to talk and meet each other.
Then we forgot. Collectively, we forgot collected-ness. Connectedness. I could point to a dozen reasons quickly, but right now let's just go with two: stranger-danger and the systematic monetization of public spaces. Oh, and the massive increase in cars & traffic speed.

I was not harassed out of the project. I had something sprung on me, was pissed off, said so, thought it over a bit, and pulled my work. Shortly after that, the project folded. As it happens, I had other stuff I needed to pay attention to on Saturday. I got a text at 1 PM from a friend to maybe check twitter, & spent the next 10 hours sorting out a mess with real consequences, for many people who were stunned & angry, some who were worried or afraid.

This may be the best example of why safety tools, consistently and thoughtfully employed, make such a deep and lasting impact.

https://twitter.com/rachelthebeck/status/1280971400853897217

We have to understand that we are not just putting safety tools out there for players to protect themselves, we are actively looking to create safety, a long term cultural shift towards care, respect, & compassion for each other, even if our characters are post-apocalyptic beasts

Quick history bit! Do you know how pivotal the invention of the zipper in 1917 was to gender construction in children? From the mid 1500s to the 1900, MOST children wore dresses throughout early childhood, up to around age 8. Adult men's pants had complex fastenings that would confound a small child needing to get to the toilet in time, so until a child was able to deal with all those ties and hooks and buttons, it was skirts for everyone!