File 0001.8: What do you want to do?

If there is one thing I would love to do it would be playing a tabletop RPG. The whole idea of creating characters and telling stories sounds so amazing to me. But for that, you would need to commit time and effort. Aside from the practical parts of having people to play with.  

This is not a post about: how I have no friends, woe is me. This is a post about being afraid of committing time to something that does not have immediate results.  

What a plot twist isn’t it!  

So, yes as much as I would love to commit time to this I know I would feel that I might be wasting my time doing it. But Erik, I hear you say. Don’t you endeavor to learn how to juggle? Don’t you do amateur theatre productions? Why do they not count as “wasting time”?  

Excellent question my dear imaginary reader. Because with those I can feel that I’m getting better at what I’m doing. It is the 7th of January when I’m writing this and I have been practicing juggling since the 1st of January and I can already consistently do one rotation of three balls (title of your sextape). Which is more than I ever could before. I’m not there yet but if this is my skill after practicing for just one week and not even that much each day, what will it be in a month? Two months? 

Same with acting. 11 years ago, I started with acting (I dabbled before in my youth but 11 years ago I started seriously amateur acting). If I look back at myself 11 years ago and where I am now I can see myself being better at it.  

The only goal I have with either juggling or acting is to get better at it for my pleasure and if I can entertain or reach people with either of them I consider that time well spent.  

But with tabletop roleplaying…unless I can really learn the rules and be able to tell a story within the frame of the universe that I pick I am not sure if this will ever be able to commit. That’s why listening to actual play podcasts is both such a joy and a heartbreak.  

Oh, second plot twist, this is not a post just about wasting time! It’s also a recommendation for a great podcast! A podtwist! (I’m a dad for more than a year now, I’m allowed to make dad jokes) 

Skyjacks is an actual play podcast that tells the story of a bunch of sky pirates in a cursed world where water is the biggest danger. There is magic, guns, and swords. There is action, a lot of non sequiters but surprisingly also many heartwarming and heart-wrenching story arcs between the characters. The players/actors are just brilliantly funny and although it’s a bit of an investment timewise it is worth it. Because even though I could not commit my own time to do something like this, listening to it makes me a better story teller. 

This is not sponsored by the way, I just want to shout out to one of my favorite podcasts. Anyway, back to juggling, back to writing, and as my GM might ask in a game: 

What do you want to do? 

E.