Getting to Know You, October 2019

[Lord of the Dish Pit]

3 hours ago, TaleSpinner said:

October 15: Have you any phobias?

 

(This question inspired by various reactions to a certain spider being unlocked right now.)

Nothing on the level of phobia, but I have a dislike of heights. 

[Pezler the Polychromatic]

4 hours ago, TaleSpinner said:

October 15: Have you any phobias?

 

(This question inspired by various reactions to a certain spider being unlocked right now.)

After you've given Cthulhu back scritchies, nothing much scares you anymore.

[ManvsMini]

4 hours ago, TaleSpinner said:

October 15: Have you any phobias?

 

(This question inspired by various reactions to a certain spider being unlocked right now.)

 

Ophidiophobia , the fear of snakes. Like Indiana Jones, I had a bad experience one time...

[TGP]

4 hours ago, TaleSpinner said:

October 15: Have you any phobias?

 

I fear admitting weakness publicly. 

 

I suppose I could talk about things I do not fear:

• I am not afraid of needles wielded by medical professionals. I stare right at the entry point, watch closely and unflinchingly, and I give grades on their technique.
• Blood doesn't bother me either. Not even if it is mine. I have donated about eight gallons lifetime total and never once felt faint, or dizzy, or any of that. 
• Heights: I would be fine with that pit of death Jasper has to deal with. So long as there are sturdy railings I am good.
• Crowds: If I scowl too much, crowds tend to part and move aside, so it's kinda the other way round.
•  
• Airplanes: I like airplanes. Dislike the craptastic seating arrangements that exist on most of them but I liked flying those few times I've done that.

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by TGP
added aircraft

[rubegon]

13 minutes ago, TGP said:

 

• I am not afraid of needles wielded by medical professionals. I stare right at the entry point, watch closely and unflinchingly, and I give grades on their technique.

 

Same - I once donated platelets every week for a few months for a girl undergoing treatment for leukemia.  I think it helps if a patient gets them from the same donor because they are more effective, or maybe just a ready, fresh supply.

 

That involved me sitting in a chair with needles in both arms for a couple of hours, with blood getting pumped out of one arm, centrifuged to separate out the platelets, and then pumped back in the other.  My veins got hard to hit during that period due to the scar tissue buildup, so there were times they’d have to jab me over and over to get me plumbed up.  Getting stuck doesn’t phase me at all after that.

 

Not afraid of planes either, but I did have a small airport landing in a turboprop with a high crosswind once that had me clenching my armrests.  The pilot executed a sideslip landing, with the plane turned about 30 degrees into the wind until the first wheel touched down, then it pivoted hard to line up with the runway.   “WE’RE ABOUT TO LAND!  WHY IS THE PLANE NOT POINTED DOWN THE RUNWAY!!!”

[TGP]

 

1 minute ago, rubegon said:

Not afraid of planes either, but I did have a small airport landing in a turboprop with a high crosswind once that had me clenching my armrests.  The pilot executed a sideslip landing, with the plane turned about 30 degrees into the wind until the first wheel touched down, then it pivoted hard to line up with the runway.   “WE’RE ABOUT TO LAND!  WHY IS THE PLANE NOT POINTED DOWN THE RUNWAY!!!”

 

I saw a TV show called Flying Wild Alaska where they did that. One time the wind was so bad and weird the pilot landed in about three plane lengths and then just turned down a taxiway. Crazy short landing...almost no runway used.

[Doug Sundseth]

13 minutes ago, rubegon said:

Not afraid of planes either, but I did have a small airport landing in a turboprop with a high crosswind once that had me clenching my armrests.  The pilot executed a sideslip landing, with the plane turned about 30 degrees into the wind until the first wheel touched down, then it pivoted hard to line up with the runway.   “WE’RE ABOUT TO LAND!  WHY IS THE PLANE NOT POINTED DOWN THE RUNWAY!!!”

 

Not a sideslip, that's a "crab". A sideslip is when an airplane rolls into the wind and uses rudder to maintain heading (which would otherwise shift with the roll) to drop altitude quickly. Crabbing can be a bit alarming if you're not a pilot, but it's a standard maneuver that's used whenever crosswinds rise.

 

My dad built a small aircraft that had a stall speed around 35 mph. This was often lower than wind speed at the airport he flew out of, which could make flying interesting. On a windy day, he could actually take off vertically. 

[NebulousMissy]

5 hours ago, TaleSpinner said:

October 15: Have you any phobias?

 

(This question inspired by various reactions to a certain spider being unlocked right now.)

 

Phobias? Maybe?

 

I dislike spiders but their webs will set me all the way off. The biggest NOPEs are due to orb weavers just hanging in midair because I fully understand why and I CAN'T SEE where the web's anchored. Just, ugh no. Spider webs are the worst.

 

But for irrationality there's my fear of volcanoes. Shut up. There's a real element of irrationality there. I used to lie in bed and then a thought would punch me right in the sleep: "there's lava coming under the door". Obviously there wasn't but the damage was done, no sleep for me. I decided hardcore education would help, I guess it did? I can sleep through the night at least. I get fewer dumb thoughts like that. The weirdest part of this fear is when and how it developed, when I was 13 and with all the subtlety and swiftness of a ton of bricks. I woke up one day with a fully developed fear and to this day do not know why.

 

Heights suck. But that's an inherited fear, it's my dad's phobia. I'm less irrational than he is but I will punch whoever invented glass-sided elevators in the throat.

[rubegon]

13 minutes ago, Doug Sundseth said:

 

Not a sideslip, that's a "crab". A sideslip is when an airplane rolls into the wind and uses rudder to maintain heading (which would otherwise shift with the roll) to drop altitude quickly. Crabbing can be a bit alarming if you're not a pilot, but it's a standard maneuver that's used whenever crosswinds rise.

 

My dad built a small aircraft that had a stall speed around 35 mph. This was often lower than wind speed at the airport he flew out of, which could make flying interesting. On a windy day, he could actually take off vertically. 

 

Thanks for the correction!  I wasn’t sure about the terminology, and I didn’t know enough about flying to understand the differences in the Wikipedia entry.  It was definitely alarming!  The plane rocked so hard after the first wheel touched down that I initially thought the downwind wing had hit the runway.  I didn’t even know planes could land that way before that day.

[Sylverthorne]

5 hours ago, TaleSpinner said:

October 15: Have you any phobias?

 

(This question inspired by various reactions to a certain spider being unlocked right now.)

 

I'm fairly sure I don't have any of the usual phobias. 

I'm not comfortable with heights, I'm not the biggest fan of water so deep I can't see - much less feel! - the bottom, and tight spaces make me a little twitchy. I am unfond of large spiders, although I've gotten better about them; they have to either surprise me, or be /on me/ to be a problem. 

 

Might have an odd one, but I haven't encountered a trigger. 

[7Ninjasinatrenchcoat]

6 hours ago, TaleSpinner said:

October 15: Have you any phobias?

 

(This question inspired by various reactions to a certain spider being unlocked right now.)

I don't care for deep water and I can get claustrophobic. Submarines sound like Hell.

[Dilvish the Deliverer]

Submarines are hell.  Just not from the tight spaces.

 

As far as phobias, I dont really have one.  I do dislike driving over high bridges with low guardrails though.  I used to have bad dreams as a kid of being in a car that goes over the edge.

[Doug Sundseth]

13 minutes ago, Dilvish the Deliverer said:

As far as phobias, I dont really have one.  I do dislike driving over high bridges with low guardrails though.  I used to have bad dreams as a kid of being in a car that goes over the edge.

 

Driving through Colorado National Monument in a 27' RV was ... interesting. When you're up that high above the road, the guardrails look rather more like speedbumps and a 500' drop to rocks, while very pretty indeed, was a bit intimidating.

[Cranky Dog]

8 hours ago, TaleSpinner said:

October 15: Have you any phobias?

 

(This question inspired by various reactions to a certain spider being unlocked right now.)

I do not believe so. I've even been in situations that would freak out normal people.

 

I kind of like spiders (they kill other annoying bugs so it's all good), though I hate walking through their webs. Usually, when I find a spider indoors, I try to grab it with a container and gently put it outside. But if it's winter time, I give it a quick merciful squish.

 

Needles, no problem. I used to give blood, I need to get my platelets tested every month, and I get the flu shot every year. The one thing I "fear" is removing the damned bandage from my hairy arm. *That* pain is worse than the tiny needle prick.

 

Heights, airplane. No fear. I flew in charter flights for three years every week. You get nervous when you hit heavy turbulence and cannot see what the hell is happening from the cockpit since it's behind doors.

 

Dark enclosed spaces. Working in mining, I've had to go underground, sometimes alone an unsupervised. On occasion, I would take a break in a side drift in one of the ramps, turn off the light, and be swallowed in absolute darkness and total silence, over a hundred meters underground, and find it relaxing. I was familiar enough with that mine that I could likely make my way back to the surface without any lights at all. As a child, I even remember that sometimes at night I would sit in the middle of my bed, with all of my blankets over me and happily exist within my tiny pocket dimension.

 

Doctors, hospitals. Born with a heart defect, I had yearly exams with the cardiologist and pediatrician, and grew used to hospital environments. I also have tons of relatives in the medical field, so I was no stranger to the happenings.

 

Germs. I hang around geeks where proper hygiene is not always their top priority. So I'm good with less than ideal sanitary conditions.

 

Snakes, scorpions: No known fear, but I have no experience with those.

 

Talking in public. For someone who considers himself an introvert, I'm surprised how at ease I am in front of a crowd. Though it does go with my level of preparedness. Though I'm still uncomfortable with superficial small talk that I cannot avoid (like stepping out of my apartment with my trash at the same time as my neighbour).

 

Talking to girls I fancy: Oh gawd, I'm gonna die! Where are the snakes when you need them?

 

If there's something I could consider a fear, it would be getting swallowed whole, all Jaws-like, or how bullfrogs can quickly snatch and swallow anything as large as their mouths and simply... cease to exist. I'm not talking about being devoured and crushed into a bloody pulp, but simply disappearing without a trace. Of course, after so many years of roleplaying, I'd like to fight my way out (also thinking back at Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy 2). I even GMed a Pathfinder adventure path in which nearly all of the players got swallowed whole at least once by a different monster. So most of that fear has subsided.

Edited October 15, 2019 by Cranky Dog

[klarg1]

11 hours ago, TaleSpinner said:

October 15: Have you any phobias?

 

(This question inspired by various reactions to a certain spider being unlocked right now.)

 

I was going to say heights, but I observe a lot of people before me talking about degrees of fear vs. phobia levels of fear. I hadn't ever considered the degree of fear before.

 

I definitely am more bothered by high places than can be explained by rational thinking. I call that a fear of heights. There are definitely situations where other people will confidently climb/walk/whatever, but I absolutely will not. In extreme cases, it can even be a bit paralyzing.

 

I have gotten a bit better with age. I have no trouble with a conventional 8 foot folding ladder these days, but definitely could not comfortably climb up a 15' straight ladder to paint a house. I will never voluntarily look out the open door of a functioning airplane, much less jump out. Glass-bottomed observation decks bother me to the point that I might have to close my eyes or retreat to solid ground. Sometimes exterior glass elevators do the same.

 

10 hours ago, Doug Sundseth said:

 

Phobias? No. (Assuming we're not including jump scares, since those are about surprise, not so much whatever is causing it.)

 

 

This one is a bit of a pet peeve for me. It isn't hard to trigger my startle response and get me to jump or twitch in response to a sudden stimulus. On the other hand, if I am back to a normal physical and emotional state three seconds later, can you really claim to have "scared" me? Apparently a number of people think "yes", and are quite proud of themselves.

Edited October 15, 2019 by klarg1