Check it out, folks, you just might like it. Free until midnight Sunday, then 2 bucks an Act after that. Very funny, very fun, but then I'm odd like that.
20 July 2008
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog
I know I've neglected this blog horribly, folks, sorry! And this post isn't adding much in the way of new content. Maybe I'll feel like writing here soon. Until then, check this out:
Check it out, folks, you just might like it. Free until midnight Sunday, then 2 bucks an Act after that. Very funny, very fun, but then I'm odd like that.
Check it out, folks, you just might like it. Free until midnight Sunday, then 2 bucks an Act after that. Very funny, very fun, but then I'm odd like that.
05 May 2008
Crazy Train, All Aboard!
So I watched "Fight Club" tonight. Great fucking movie. I found myself thinking, "Man, that's awesome, this guy is really living life! And being crazy is just keeping life entertaining!" I think it's a bad sign when you find yourself becoming envious of a crazy person. A fictional crazy person, at that. Yes, this is my life.
In other news, I'm pretty sure me and my laptop have formed some strange type of symbiotic/parasitic relationship. Everywhere I go at home, my laptop comes with me. Yes, folks, even there. Frankly, when I think about it, it's kindof creepy. I'm descending into some kind of weird nerdom hellscape, but it's actually fairly pleasant. Still, I sleep with my laptop on one side of me and a notebook (with pen clipped conveniently in the spiral) on the other. There has to be some kind of sanity risk going on here.
Let's see, what other random shit is percolating. Hmm... I'm thinking of becoming a chat line operator to make some extra cash over the summer. That's high on my list of creepy shit to do. It's basically taking advantage of the stupid and desperate, at 10 cents a message. Somewhere, baby Jesus is shitting in his manger, I'm sure. What else in the big ol' bin of insanity... Oh, pretty sure I screwed up moving out of my apartment this month, since I forgot to get the 30 days notice in on the 1st. That's pretty shitty, and by shitty, I mean fucking tragedy, like a 747 nose-diving into an orphanage full of Downs-Syndrome babies.
Okay, sleep now. Hope you enjoyed the crazy train.
In other news, I'm pretty sure me and my laptop have formed some strange type of symbiotic/parasitic relationship. Everywhere I go at home, my laptop comes with me. Yes, folks, even there. Frankly, when I think about it, it's kindof creepy. I'm descending into some kind of weird nerdom hellscape, but it's actually fairly pleasant. Still, I sleep with my laptop on one side of me and a notebook (with pen clipped conveniently in the spiral) on the other. There has to be some kind of sanity risk going on here.
Let's see, what other random shit is percolating. Hmm... I'm thinking of becoming a chat line operator to make some extra cash over the summer. That's high on my list of creepy shit to do. It's basically taking advantage of the stupid and desperate, at 10 cents a message. Somewhere, baby Jesus is shitting in his manger, I'm sure. What else in the big ol' bin of insanity... Oh, pretty sure I screwed up moving out of my apartment this month, since I forgot to get the 30 days notice in on the 1st. That's pretty shitty, and by shitty, I mean fucking tragedy, like a 747 nose-diving into an orphanage full of Downs-Syndrome babies.
Okay, sleep now. Hope you enjoyed the crazy train.
22 April 2008
ExForce-One
The year is 2120 and Terra has been attacked. Humanity has met an alien species, and those aliens have tried to remove humanity from the universe. They attacked without warning, without mercy - only desperate measures saved the world from their attack, but vast swathes of land have been devastated by the crashing spacecraft and nuclear fallout.
But humanity is not about to curl up and die - a global alliance has been created that has ruthlessly united the fractured nations of humanity. Alien technology has been forced to serve its victims. Armies have been formed, spaceships have been built, and the Coalition of Allied Nations has sent forth the 1st Expeditionary Force to confront the aliens outside Terra's solar system and exact revenge for humanity's losses.
In 2120 three alien spacecraft appeared in the solar system above Terra's elliptic, roughly 30 AU from the sun (that's the distance of Neptune's orbit, by the way). One ship vanished within hours, but the other two proceeded towards Terra at a tiny percentage of lightspeed - still fast enough to cover the vast distance within a dozen days. The asteroid defense systems detected the spacecraft but were utterly incapable of dealing with objects moving at such tremendous speeds.
The aliens made no attempts to communicate. Their ships crossed into the asteroid belt, destroying any human installations and craft encountered. Their first contact with Terra itself was through artificially propelled asteroids sent as kinetic weapons against the planet. The asteroid defenses were able to reduce much of the damage, but the devastation was still considerable. Immediately following the asteroids were the spacecraft themselves, closing on Terra and lancing the surface with powerful weaponry fired from orbit.
Humanity responded with experimental fusion-warhead-tipped missiles fired from secret military installations on Luna and military satellites in orbit. The weaponry forced the alien spacecraft into Terra's atmosphere, where surface-launched missiles and anti-missile defenses bombarded them. The ferocious assault damaged the spacecraft enough to cause them to crash - one slamming into Mexico and the other plowing through eastern Europe and western Asia. The damage was immense.
Over the next years humanity scavenged the alien ships and prepared for war. The United States and the Republic of China led the way as the world's two dominant superpowers - a new global government was formed. Every nation joined, one way or another. Faced with a little known alien threat and the very real possibility of extinction, no dissenters were allowed. Terra exists under martial law and years of wartime economy as every spare resource is put to creating defenses and military forces. Any nation, any individual, that does not get onboard is subjugated or eliminated.
The new world government, christened the Coalition of Allied Nations, has created the Coalition Military Command. Ten years after the first alien attack, CAN-CMC has sent out the first Expeditionary Force (ExForce). ExForce-One's purpose is to take the fight to the aliens and keep it there. Cause as much destruction as possible, explore as much as possible, and above all else, keep the aliens too occupied to attack Terra again.
Campaign Idea
Characters are members of the front wave of the Earth assault force,
taking the fight to the enemy. Unbeknown to them, they are considered
somewhat expendable, since one of their primary purposes is to keep
the aliens occupied away from Earth, since Earth can't afford to
suffer another attack like the previous one.
Probably playing some form of assault force doing ground attacks on
alien planets, equipped with military battle suits. Part of a small
fleet, maybe two or three ships. The ships would likely be fairly
cobbled and rushed, a lot of the technology untested, so plenty of
problems there.
Thoughts
Are there aliens left alive on Earth? Guerrilla warfare on our own
planet?
How long until the aliens come back?
How does Earth know that the aliens are hostile and want the
extermination of the planet?
How does the alliance know where the aliens are to take the battle to
them?
What about Earth's civilization? How is Earth affected and what
nations are on board and which ones have to be brought on board
forcefully?
What type of battle would the advance force be dealing with? Space and surface.
Wormhole Nexus - There is a network of spacial anomalies that connect star systems. Creating certain energy fields allows for transportation along these pathways nearly instantaneously. Not a natural phenomena. Some pathways are more stable than others. Some allow larger payloads.
Alien Ideas
Do the aliens have FTL communications? What are the capabilities of
the aliens?
What is the alien psychology? Are they genocidal, unable to accept the
existence of any other species? Religion and society?
What is the general make up of the alien race? How similar are they
to humanity, where are they from, how did they get here?
How much do the aliens know about humanity?
Truly alien beings who have made no attempt to contact or deal with humanity. Don't think like humans. Humans able to derive some of their technology, but just barely. Openly genocidal - no other species is allowed to exist, any race detected is immediately set upon.
Where are the aliens from?
Technology Ideas
Battle suits – Technology should be advanced enough to allow for
military grade exoskeletons that enhance human soldiers.
What kind of technology is scavenged from the remains of the alien
ship(s)?
Could you make spaceships out of Pykecrete? 86% water frozen with 14% wood pulp, sealed within an insulating layer, continuously refrigerated through tubes run through the ice. Much stronger than conventional ice - but how strong?
Deploy unmanned strikecraft similar to Predators or scale-model airplanes? Dropped through atmosphere in disposable sheathes to prevent burn up. How are they retrieved? How do they produce more launch sheathes?
Would the advance ships have certain production facilities onboard due to the lack of supply lines? Supply would take much longer than surface navy ships, even with FTL and high-speed drives.
Speed notes: Aliens appear @ near-Neptune orbit, above elliptic. 30 AU from Terra. 1 AU = 150 mil km. 30 AU = 4.5 bil km. Cover 30 AU in 12 days (288 hours) = 15.6 mil km/hr. Speed of Light = ~1.079 bil km/hr. Alien ships travel at roughly 1.45% lightspeed.
But humanity is not about to curl up and die - a global alliance has been created that has ruthlessly united the fractured nations of humanity. Alien technology has been forced to serve its victims. Armies have been formed, spaceships have been built, and the Coalition of Allied Nations has sent forth the 1st Expeditionary Force to confront the aliens outside Terra's solar system and exact revenge for humanity's losses.
In 2120 three alien spacecraft appeared in the solar system above Terra's elliptic, roughly 30 AU from the sun (that's the distance of Neptune's orbit, by the way). One ship vanished within hours, but the other two proceeded towards Terra at a tiny percentage of lightspeed - still fast enough to cover the vast distance within a dozen days. The asteroid defense systems detected the spacecraft but were utterly incapable of dealing with objects moving at such tremendous speeds.
The aliens made no attempts to communicate. Their ships crossed into the asteroid belt, destroying any human installations and craft encountered. Their first contact with Terra itself was through artificially propelled asteroids sent as kinetic weapons against the planet. The asteroid defenses were able to reduce much of the damage, but the devastation was still considerable. Immediately following the asteroids were the spacecraft themselves, closing on Terra and lancing the surface with powerful weaponry fired from orbit.
Humanity responded with experimental fusion-warhead-tipped missiles fired from secret military installations on Luna and military satellites in orbit. The weaponry forced the alien spacecraft into Terra's atmosphere, where surface-launched missiles and anti-missile defenses bombarded them. The ferocious assault damaged the spacecraft enough to cause them to crash - one slamming into Mexico and the other plowing through eastern Europe and western Asia. The damage was immense.
Over the next years humanity scavenged the alien ships and prepared for war. The United States and the Republic of China led the way as the world's two dominant superpowers - a new global government was formed. Every nation joined, one way or another. Faced with a little known alien threat and the very real possibility of extinction, no dissenters were allowed. Terra exists under martial law and years of wartime economy as every spare resource is put to creating defenses and military forces. Any nation, any individual, that does not get onboard is subjugated or eliminated.
The new world government, christened the Coalition of Allied Nations, has created the Coalition Military Command. Ten years after the first alien attack, CAN-CMC has sent out the first Expeditionary Force (ExForce). ExForce-One's purpose is to take the fight to the aliens and keep it there. Cause as much destruction as possible, explore as much as possible, and above all else, keep the aliens too occupied to attack Terra again.
Campaign Idea
Characters are members of the front wave of the Earth assault force,
taking the fight to the enemy. Unbeknown to them, they are considered
somewhat expendable, since one of their primary purposes is to keep
the aliens occupied away from Earth, since Earth can't afford to
suffer another attack like the previous one.
Probably playing some form of assault force doing ground attacks on
alien planets, equipped with military battle suits. Part of a small
fleet, maybe two or three ships. The ships would likely be fairly
cobbled and rushed, a lot of the technology untested, so plenty of
problems there.
Thoughts
Are there aliens left alive on Earth? Guerrilla warfare on our own
planet?
How long until the aliens come back?
How does Earth know that the aliens are hostile and want the
extermination of the planet?
How does the alliance know where the aliens are to take the battle to
them?
What about Earth's civilization? How is Earth affected and what
nations are on board and which ones have to be brought on board
forcefully?
What type of battle would the advance force be dealing with? Space and surface.
Wormhole Nexus - There is a network of spacial anomalies that connect star systems. Creating certain energy fields allows for transportation along these pathways nearly instantaneously. Not a natural phenomena. Some pathways are more stable than others. Some allow larger payloads.
Alien Ideas
Do the aliens have FTL communications? What are the capabilities of
the aliens?
What is the alien psychology? Are they genocidal, unable to accept the
existence of any other species? Religion and society?
What is the general make up of the alien race? How similar are they
to humanity, where are they from, how did they get here?
How much do the aliens know about humanity?
Truly alien beings who have made no attempt to contact or deal with humanity. Don't think like humans. Humans able to derive some of their technology, but just barely. Openly genocidal - no other species is allowed to exist, any race detected is immediately set upon.
Where are the aliens from?
Technology Ideas
Battle suits – Technology should be advanced enough to allow for
military grade exoskeletons that enhance human soldiers.
What kind of technology is scavenged from the remains of the alien
ship(s)?
Could you make spaceships out of Pykecrete? 86% water frozen with 14% wood pulp, sealed within an insulating layer, continuously refrigerated through tubes run through the ice. Much stronger than conventional ice - but how strong?
Deploy unmanned strikecraft similar to Predators or scale-model airplanes? Dropped through atmosphere in disposable sheathes to prevent burn up. How are they retrieved? How do they produce more launch sheathes?
Would the advance ships have certain production facilities onboard due to the lack of supply lines? Supply would take much longer than surface navy ships, even with FTL and high-speed drives.
Speed notes: Aliens appear @ near-Neptune orbit, above elliptic. 30 AU from Terra. 1 AU = 150 mil km. 30 AU = 4.5 bil km. Cover 30 AU in 12 days (288 hours) = 15.6 mil km/hr. Speed of Light = ~1.079 bil km/hr. Alien ships travel at roughly 1.45% lightspeed.
16 April 2008
"Aliens" Who Aren't Human
Just finished The Mote In God's Eye, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, and it got me thinking. In most fantasy settings, humans are typically represented as the shortest-lived but most adaptable of the species. However, the non-human species, with few exceptions, are basically human with little reason why they would not also be every bit as adaptable and generalized.
Bear with me here. It seems a reasonable assumption that any intelligent, tool-using species that developed with a non-segregated species would be a generalist, which means adaptable but non-excelling. And that's boring as shit, because humans already fit that niche.
My point?
I think it would be far more interesting to have a non-human species be different than humans, rather than longer- or shorter-lived versions of humans.
Brief summary for myself - The Moties have short lifespans and definitive segregation within the species. All species except cross-caste mules go through male and female phases (I think male youth, then female, then male elder). They suffer excessive population pressure because if they do not breed during their female phase, they die quite quickly (months to years?). All castes have fairly short lives, 25 to 50. Their only viable birth control renders them sterile as well as shortening their lifespans (though not as short as failing to breed) - also, the birth control only works if applied before they breed. Hmm... what else. Ah. The species segregation of the Moties is due to mutations creeping into the genetic post-atomic war, which were encouraged into viable specializations.
Okay, I'm not sure that I'd want to use a species exactly like the Moties, either in fantasy or sci-fi, but at least stepping outside of the generalist stereotype might provide some variety. In fantasy settings, humans are almost always the dominant species because of their adaptability and breeding rate. However, the other races are also generalist (or if they are not, there is no explanation why) and generally longer lived. I'm not really sure why they wouldn't be the dominant species - longer to learn skills, capable of developing skills that shorter-lived people would simply not have time for.
Right, so, rambling without getting anywhere. Still, good theoretical thoughts, might be able to apply them later.
Bear with me here. It seems a reasonable assumption that any intelligent, tool-using species that developed with a non-segregated species would be a generalist, which means adaptable but non-excelling. And that's boring as shit, because humans already fit that niche.
My point?
I think it would be far more interesting to have a non-human species be different than humans, rather than longer- or shorter-lived versions of humans.
Brief summary for myself - The Moties have short lifespans and definitive segregation within the species. All species except cross-caste mules go through male and female phases (I think male youth, then female, then male elder). They suffer excessive population pressure because if they do not breed during their female phase, they die quite quickly (months to years?). All castes have fairly short lives, 25 to 50. Their only viable birth control renders them sterile as well as shortening their lifespans (though not as short as failing to breed) - also, the birth control only works if applied before they breed. Hmm... what else. Ah. The species segregation of the Moties is due to mutations creeping into the genetic post-atomic war, which were encouraged into viable specializations.
Okay, I'm not sure that I'd want to use a species exactly like the Moties, either in fantasy or sci-fi, but at least stepping outside of the generalist stereotype might provide some variety. In fantasy settings, humans are almost always the dominant species because of their adaptability and breeding rate. However, the other races are also generalist (or if they are not, there is no explanation why) and generally longer lived. I'm not really sure why they wouldn't be the dominant species - longer to learn skills, capable of developing skills that shorter-lived people would simply not have time for.
Right, so, rambling without getting anywhere. Still, good theoretical thoughts, might be able to apply them later.
15 April 2008
Bedtime Stories
Fun facts for the consuming public.
1. If you stay up really late, take the opportunity to drink a beer on your porch at 7 in the morning. The looks from the neighbors are worth the price of admission. For extra fun, raise the beer in a toast and say, "Hey, it's after 5, right?" Good times.
2. Porn is like a bedtime story for adults. Simple plots, boy meets girl (and sometimes boy and boy and boy and boy meets girl, and sometimes boy meets girl and girl, and sometimes girl meets girl, and, for the Aesop amongst us, sometimes girl meets farm animal), adventures are had, lessons are learned (such as "The female body is surprisingly flexible, but is not without limits to its depth."), and there's always a happy ending.
Too far? I'm just saying, Cinderella would have been cooler with a money shot.
3. Speaking of porn - if you are going to be in a porn flick, please know how to fuck! This does not mean monotonous pounding like a jack-hammer on meth without changing position for 30 minutes. Boooooring! If I wanted to watch boring sex, I could film my roommate (sorry, cheap shot).
4. Goth girls are hot. Goth girl porn is very hot. That's it.
5. Laughing at other people's misfortune doesn't make you an insensitive prick, it just... wait, yeah, yeah it does. I got nothing.
Okay, that's it. Nighty night, all. I'm going to try and snag some Cinderella cosplay porn before I catch a couple hours of sleep pre-class.
And they lived happily ever after.
Money shot!
Edit: Goddamn, it's good to be me!
1. If you stay up really late, take the opportunity to drink a beer on your porch at 7 in the morning. The looks from the neighbors are worth the price of admission. For extra fun, raise the beer in a toast and say, "Hey, it's after 5, right?" Good times.
2. Porn is like a bedtime story for adults. Simple plots, boy meets girl (and sometimes boy and boy and boy and boy meets girl, and sometimes boy meets girl and girl, and sometimes girl meets girl, and, for the Aesop amongst us, sometimes girl meets farm animal), adventures are had, lessons are learned (such as "The female body is surprisingly flexible, but is not without limits to its depth."), and there's always a happy ending.
Too far? I'm just saying, Cinderella would have been cooler with a money shot.
3. Speaking of porn - if you are going to be in a porn flick, please know how to fuck! This does not mean monotonous pounding like a jack-hammer on meth without changing position for 30 minutes. Boooooring! If I wanted to watch boring sex, I could film my roommate (sorry, cheap shot).
4. Goth girls are hot. Goth girl porn is very hot. That's it.
5. Laughing at other people's misfortune doesn't make you an insensitive prick, it just... wait, yeah, yeah it does. I got nothing.
Okay, that's it. Nighty night, all. I'm going to try and snag some Cinderella cosplay porn before I catch a couple hours of sleep pre-class.
And they lived happily ever after.
Money shot!
Edit: Goddamn, it's good to be me!
14 April 2008
Vitriolic Sutra of Falling Stars
Hey, look, another Exalted post! Woot! Okay, maybe less exciting than that.
Anyway, just a few notes on things I got wrong or things we probably forgot.
Anathema
Mental note to myself. The program only adds in the bonuses for magical materials when the magical material is set to "variable", and it automatically sets the item to be of the material that matches the Exalted type. If you set it to a specific type of material, you have to add the bonuses in manually in the item stats. Whoops!
Withdrawing From Combat
I'm not sure where the fuck I got this from, but I can't find it in the rules anywhere. So, my bad! I guess a character can withdraw from melee combat without suffering any ill effects.
DV Penalties in a Flurry
Oops! Forgot that DV penalties stack when flurrying an attack. Not sure if that really came into play much. The only heavy flurries of attacks were from Isaac and Todd. Todd's character usually uses "Bulwark Stance" when attacking, which negates those penalties, and Isaac's character was never attacked directly after his flurry.
Re-establishing Surprise
Found the rules for re-establishing surprise. This is essential to Isaac's character surviving. You can re-establish surprise in combat as long as you can reasonably do so (by distraction, cover, or Charm). It's an opposed (Dexterity + Stealth) vs. (Wits + Awareness + 2), with two bonus successes to the Stealth roll if you are invisible or otherwise concealed from senses. This is a Miscellaneous Action (Speed 5, DV -1), and can be flurried. If you're really good, you could Flurry this into nasty nasty pain - Flurry 3 actions as Re-establish Surprise, Attack, Re-establish Surprise. Welcome to the world of being a ghost!
Of course, having a Charm that allows you to make unexpected attacks expected will negate this, but it still eats up Motes. Incidentally, this is all on page 156 of the Core Rules.
Join Battle Rolls
Hey, guess what? I screwed this up, too. Basically, no one can Join Battle slower than 6 ticks. So even though my Twilight rolled a fat zero versus Todd's character's nine, the Twilight still would have gone on tick 6, not 9. I'm stupid.
This also applies to the Cast Sorcery action, which requires another Join Battle roll (might need to pick up an Awareness Excellency).
Stunts
One-die stunt - Good description of an action, adjudicated by the Storyteller. Gain one additional die and the character may perform feats that border on impossible. Success gives 2 motes.
Two-die stunt - Require that the character interact with the environment in some notalbe fashion, taking advantage of the scenery that the Storyteller has provided. This can be physical environment or things the character knows about the world, like an enemy's phobias or a lover's favorite flower. Gain two bonus die and may perform limited dramatic editing. No details of the scene may be contradicted, but minor details may be "revealed" in the context of the character's actions. The Storyteller may veto any editing he feels strains believe or is otherwise inappropriate (such as an edit that contradicts a major detail yet unrevealed). Success grants 4 motes or a point of Willpower.
Three-die stunt - Singular acts of greatness, stunning bravado and visual poetry, defined by their capacity to leave the other players slack-jawed in astonishment. If any doubt exists as to whether a stunt merits three dice, it isn't a three-die stunt. Also allows the same dramatic editing as a two-die stunt. Success grants 6 motes or a point of Willpower. If the stunt also resonates with a character's Motivation, the Storyteller may allow the gaining of 1 experience point instead of a Willpower or 6 motes.
Notes - If a stunt resonates with a character's Motivation it can be elevated to the next higher stunt level. Three-die stunts can't be elevated this way (thus the reason to get XP gain).
Okay, that's all I've got at the moment.
Anyway, just a few notes on things I got wrong or things we probably forgot.
Anathema
Mental note to myself. The program only adds in the bonuses for magical materials when the magical material is set to "variable", and it automatically sets the item to be of the material that matches the Exalted type. If you set it to a specific type of material, you have to add the bonuses in manually in the item stats. Whoops!
Withdrawing From Combat
I'm not sure where the fuck I got this from, but I can't find it in the rules anywhere. So, my bad! I guess a character can withdraw from melee combat without suffering any ill effects.
DV Penalties in a Flurry
Oops! Forgot that DV penalties stack when flurrying an attack. Not sure if that really came into play much. The only heavy flurries of attacks were from Isaac and Todd. Todd's character usually uses "Bulwark Stance" when attacking, which negates those penalties, and Isaac's character was never attacked directly after his flurry.
Re-establishing Surprise
Found the rules for re-establishing surprise. This is essential to Isaac's character surviving. You can re-establish surprise in combat as long as you can reasonably do so (by distraction, cover, or Charm). It's an opposed (Dexterity + Stealth) vs. (Wits + Awareness + 2), with two bonus successes to the Stealth roll if you are invisible or otherwise concealed from senses. This is a Miscellaneous Action (Speed 5, DV -1), and can be flurried. If you're really good, you could Flurry this into nasty nasty pain - Flurry 3 actions as Re-establish Surprise, Attack, Re-establish Surprise. Welcome to the world of being a ghost!
Of course, having a Charm that allows you to make unexpected attacks expected will negate this, but it still eats up Motes. Incidentally, this is all on page 156 of the Core Rules.
Join Battle Rolls
Hey, guess what? I screwed this up, too. Basically, no one can Join Battle slower than 6 ticks. So even though my Twilight rolled a fat zero versus Todd's character's nine, the Twilight still would have gone on tick 6, not 9. I'm stupid.
This also applies to the Cast Sorcery action, which requires another Join Battle roll (might need to pick up an Awareness Excellency).
Stunts
One-die stunt - Good description of an action, adjudicated by the Storyteller. Gain one additional die and the character may perform feats that border on impossible. Success gives 2 motes.
Two-die stunt - Require that the character interact with the environment in some notalbe fashion, taking advantage of the scenery that the Storyteller has provided. This can be physical environment or things the character knows about the world, like an enemy's phobias or a lover's favorite flower. Gain two bonus die and may perform limited dramatic editing. No details of the scene may be contradicted, but minor details may be "revealed" in the context of the character's actions. The Storyteller may veto any editing he feels strains believe or is otherwise inappropriate (such as an edit that contradicts a major detail yet unrevealed). Success grants 4 motes or a point of Willpower.
Three-die stunt - Singular acts of greatness, stunning bravado and visual poetry, defined by their capacity to leave the other players slack-jawed in astonishment. If any doubt exists as to whether a stunt merits three dice, it isn't a three-die stunt. Also allows the same dramatic editing as a two-die stunt. Success grants 6 motes or a point of Willpower. If the stunt also resonates with a character's Motivation, the Storyteller may allow the gaining of 1 experience point instead of a Willpower or 6 motes.
Notes - If a stunt resonates with a character's Motivation it can be elevated to the next higher stunt level. Three-die stunts can't be elevated this way (thus the reason to get XP gain).
Okay, that's all I've got at the moment.
10 April 2008
The Return of the Light
In the Fifth Element there is a great force of evil that appears once every five thousand years. To combat it there are the four elements of creation which channel through the fifth element, the perfect warrior, the essence of love. If this is done, the evil is defeated, all is well, life goes on. If evil stands at the center of the four elements, then all is lost, all life, everything.
Here's the thought - what if, five thousand years ago, Evil had won. Good was defeated, the forces of darkness and anti-life given universal power. Then, five thousand years later, the gateway opens, and Good is given a chance to right the scales again.
I'm thinking a small force of Good in a universe that has been under the thumb of Evil for five thousand years. "Evil, the Anti-Life! It's what's bad for you!" Not sure where I'd go from there. Might be interesting.
Here's the thought - what if, five thousand years ago, Evil had won. Good was defeated, the forces of darkness and anti-life given universal power. Then, five thousand years later, the gateway opens, and Good is given a chance to right the scales again.
I'm thinking a small force of Good in a universe that has been under the thumb of Evil for five thousand years. "Evil, the Anti-Life! It's what's bad for you!" Not sure where I'd go from there. Might be interesting.
I blame it on Jesus.
I've been saying this for a while, and many have said it before me, including George Carlin, and I'm sure people have said it before him. Still.
How come nobody blames God? At least, not in public. Or, at least, anyone who blames God is basically an unbeliever, maybe.
Hrmm... this is funnier as a comedy bit, and more complicated when thought about seriously.
Oh well. I'm not up for philosophy at the moment. I'm rocking some Fifth Element. I'm just saying. When it doubt, blame it on Jesus. He can take it.
Hmm... Fifth Element - just gave me an idea for a game.
How come nobody blames God? At least, not in public. Or, at least, anyone who blames God is basically an unbeliever, maybe.
Hrmm... this is funnier as a comedy bit, and more complicated when thought about seriously.
Oh well. I'm not up for philosophy at the moment. I'm rocking some Fifth Element. I'm just saying. When it doubt, blame it on Jesus. He can take it.
Hmm... Fifth Element - just gave me an idea for a game.
25 March 2008
The kitchen explodes, the case is briefed.
Well, not much time to be zapping off random blog posts, but I've made an exception just for you folks.
Let's see... our kitchen has been converted into a swimming pool, and then back again. Apparently 30 years ago a complete idiot designed this apartment complex, and now three floors of kitchens are dumping water onto our floor. Awesome! Anyway, it apparently involved a clogged drain and piss-poor design. They've fixed the drain, so no more water, but since half the complex is flooding, my kitchen still lies in shambles. At this moment, as I sit in the living room banging this out on my laptop, I can look over and see the kitchen counter and sink sitting on the floor next to the windows of the living room. That's not good.
And, to make things more fun, I had to bang out 6 case briefs for Business Law yesterday, because apparently my instructor doesn't feel that her internet course is important enough to pay attention to, so we've gotten crap in way of instruction, help, or even notice of when assignments are do.
Future note - don't take internet courses from people who can't spell. You just know it's going to be bad.
Okay, that's it. I've got class to go to, kitchen to mourn, and money to discover.
Links of the moment:
Questionable Content - funny fucking webcomic.
The Sorting Algorithm of Evil - "I shall send the weakest of my minions for you, that you may grow strong enough to challenge me one day!"
Edit: So, I've been reading through the above-mentioned webcomic, and I beginning to wonder - in order to have a successful webcomic, do you have to be partially dysfunctional? Because the artists/writers always seem to be dealing with panic-depression-bipolar-heart failure-liver disorder-imminent demise issues, and I wonder if a successful webcomic comes from some dysfunctional muse. Maybe I should channel emo or something. Help, I'm not depressed enough!
Let's see... our kitchen has been converted into a swimming pool, and then back again. Apparently 30 years ago a complete idiot designed this apartment complex, and now three floors of kitchens are dumping water onto our floor. Awesome! Anyway, it apparently involved a clogged drain and piss-poor design. They've fixed the drain, so no more water, but since half the complex is flooding, my kitchen still lies in shambles. At this moment, as I sit in the living room banging this out on my laptop, I can look over and see the kitchen counter and sink sitting on the floor next to the windows of the living room. That's not good.
And, to make things more fun, I had to bang out 6 case briefs for Business Law yesterday, because apparently my instructor doesn't feel that her internet course is important enough to pay attention to, so we've gotten crap in way of instruction, help, or even notice of when assignments are do.
Future note - don't take internet courses from people who can't spell. You just know it's going to be bad.
Okay, that's it. I've got class to go to, kitchen to mourn, and money to discover.
Links of the moment:
Questionable Content - funny fucking webcomic.
The Sorting Algorithm of Evil - "I shall send the weakest of my minions for you, that you may grow strong enough to challenge me one day!"
Edit: So, I've been reading through the above-mentioned webcomic, and I beginning to wonder - in order to have a successful webcomic, do you have to be partially dysfunctional? Because the artists/writers always seem to be dealing with panic-depression-bipolar-heart failure-liver disorder-imminent demise issues, and I wonder if a successful webcomic comes from some dysfunctional muse. Maybe I should channel emo or something. Help, I'm not depressed enough!
21 March 2008
Efervescent Flowering Technique
First, a note: I've tagged any roleplaying post that directly relates to Exalted with the "Exalted" tag, to make them easier to find.
Just some various notes on things relating to the Exalted game we're playing, because, as previously stated in another post, I suck at studying so I've been doing something less productive.
Things We Forgot
Perfect Defenses
This has been bugging me for a little bit, actually. In Adam's exalted game, we're using a rule I've tentatively labeled "Essence Overflowing," which gives a continuous generation of motes. What this means is that things like Perfect Defenses can be thrown out much more often, which has brought the concern that combat might devolve into "I throw the world at you" "I dodge. Perfectly. Fuck off." Not exactly edge-of-the-seat action. Then I realized, we weren't using the flaws in Perfect Defenses (E2E 194). Got to remember those, or combat is going to get dreadfully boring. Also, this might be useful. It's a wiki entry by one of the writers, discussing how to apply the flaws.
Disarm
Found the rules for disarming, under called shots. (E2E 158) Proceeded to bookmark the hell out of my digital copy of Exalted (I own the books, leave me alone, White Wolf).
Stunts
Oops! You can only gain motes, Willpower, or XP from stunts that are successful. Have to keep that in mind.
Interesting Things Of Note
Exalted 20X Classes
These are really useful. Obscenely so, actually. Basically, they are essays on the Exalted Wiki which guide you through some of the basic concepts of Exalted. Great for new and old! Also, further down on the same page are some other essays covering a variety of useful and not-so-useful topics.
Links of Note
Alabrax's Exalted Fan Site - Useful stuff, including characters and NPCs, etc.
Bazzalisk's RPG Material - Charm cards. Yay!
DCS Designs - Cheat sheets for Combat and Social Combat
StephenLS Maps - Maps of Creation. Pretty handy.
Voidstates Exalted Stuff - Dice rollers!
RPWiki - Exalted II - Just some generally neat stuff.
House Rules
Essence Overwhelming
This is an optional house rule designed to make Essence-wielders more awesome by providing them with more Essence to play with.
Mote Generation - Every time the character can take an action in combat (but no sooner than 3 ticks) they generate a number of motes equal to their Essence. Out of combat, characters generate motes every 5 ticks. If those motes aren't immediately spent, they go into the Peripheral pool first, then the Personal pool. The character can not exceed their total pools this way.
It might help to think of mote generation in combat as an automatic action that is only performed on your turn, with no DV penalty and which does not count in a flurry. Basically, you can't generate motes without also taking an action, and no closer than 3 ticks together.
Hearthstones - Attuned hearthstones directly add to the mote generation at an amount equal to their rating (for example, an Essence 2 character with an attuned rating 2 hearthstone would generate 4 motes per action or 5 ticks). You can not add more than 5 motes in this way (this keeps characters from carrying a dozen attuned hearthstones in their pockets to generate 50 motes an action).
Thoughts: This is probably fairly open to abuse, but only if people try to be twinks. As long as everyone keeps in the spirit of the idea (that being that Essence-wielders shouldn't have to constantly hoard motes just in case something bad happens, but should be able to throw out Charms and powers just like in the comics and fiction), things shouldn't be too bad.
Just some various notes on things relating to the Exalted game we're playing, because, as previously stated in another post, I suck at studying so I've been doing something less productive.
Things We Forgot
Perfect Defenses
This has been bugging me for a little bit, actually. In Adam's exalted game, we're using a rule I've tentatively labeled "Essence Overflowing," which gives a continuous generation of motes. What this means is that things like Perfect Defenses can be thrown out much more often, which has brought the concern that combat might devolve into "I throw the world at you" "I dodge. Perfectly. Fuck off." Not exactly edge-of-the-seat action. Then I realized, we weren't using the flaws in Perfect Defenses (E2E 194). Got to remember those, or combat is going to get dreadfully boring. Also, this might be useful. It's a wiki entry by one of the writers, discussing how to apply the flaws.
Disarm
Found the rules for disarming, under called shots. (E2E 158) Proceeded to bookmark the hell out of my digital copy of Exalted (I own the books, leave me alone, White Wolf).
Stunts
Oops! You can only gain motes, Willpower, or XP from stunts that are successful. Have to keep that in mind.
Interesting Things Of Note
These are really useful. Obscenely so, actually. Basically, they are essays on the Exalted Wiki which guide you through some of the basic concepts of Exalted. Great for new and old! Also, further down on the same page are some other essays covering a variety of useful and not-so-useful topics.
Links of Note
Alabrax's Exalted Fan Site - Useful stuff, including characters and NPCs, etc.
Bazzalisk's RPG Material - Charm cards. Yay!
DCS Designs - Cheat sheets for Combat and Social Combat
StephenLS Maps - Maps of Creation. Pretty handy.
Voidstates Exalted Stuff - Dice rollers!
RPWiki - Exalted II - Just some generally neat stuff.
House Rules
This is an optional house rule designed to make Essence-wielders more awesome by providing them with more Essence to play with.
Mote Generation - Every time the character can take an action in combat (but no sooner than 3 ticks)
It might help to think of mote generation in combat as an automatic action that is only performed on your turn, with no DV penalty and which does not count in a flurry. Basically, you can't generate motes without also taking an action, and no closer than 3 ticks together.
Hearthstones - Attuned hearthstones directly add to the mote generation at an amount equal to their rating (for example, an Essence 2 character with an attuned rating 2 hearthstone would generate 4 motes per action or 5 ticks). You can not add more than 5 motes in this way (this keeps characters from carrying a dozen attuned hearthstones in their pockets to generate 50 motes an action).
Thoughts: This is probably fairly open to abuse, but only if people try to be twinks. As long as everyone keeps in the spirit of the idea (that being that Essence-wielders shouldn't have to constantly hoard motes just in case something bad happens, but should be able to throw out Charms and powers just like in the comics and fiction), things shouldn't be too bad.
20 March 2008
I eat your brain and spew forth bloggage!
Some ideas of my own and from others on shit to right about.
"Born Gay or Choose Gay? What, are you stupid?"
"Does Christ care if he's in Christmas?"
"Back, Zombies! I know where Home Depot is!"
"When species invade. Story at 11."
"How to be a douche bag, a 12 step program."
"Banned! From internet dating."
"And today I ate..."
Now, I just have to get around to writing something about them.
"Born Gay or Choose Gay? What, are you stupid?"
"Does Christ care if he's in Christmas?"
"Back, Zombies! I know where Home Depot is!"
"When species invade. Story at 11."
"How to be a douche bag, a 12 step program."
"Banned! From internet dating."
"And today I ate..."
Now, I just have to get around to writing something about them.
Bored Now.
Ugh. I don't do passive very well. So I'm terribly behind on my required reading for my web-classes, which is relevant mostly because I've got a Psychology exam in a few hours, and the exam focuses on chapters I've barely looked at. Reasonably enough, I decided to catch up on my reading this morning before I had to go take the test.
The result? Failure. Big time.
After about 10 pages of reading, I noted that I was feeling muscle aches in my forearms and wrists. Why, you ask? Because I couldn't sit still and kept beating out a steady staccato on the coffee table with my ring, my pen, and eventually just my fingers. Not a quiet staccato, either, but a steady beat more suited to industrial metal than quiet study. As soon as I got up to stretch, I found myself bouncing around the damn room with repressed energy. Sitting still and reading stuff that just wasn't engaging was making me crazy.
I suck at studying, apparently.
The result? Failure. Big time.
After about 10 pages of reading, I noted that I was feeling muscle aches in my forearms and wrists. Why, you ask? Because I couldn't sit still and kept beating out a steady staccato on the coffee table with my ring, my pen, and eventually just my fingers. Not a quiet staccato, either, but a steady beat more suited to industrial metal than quiet study. As soon as I got up to stretch, I found myself bouncing around the damn room with repressed energy. Sitting still and reading stuff that just wasn't engaging was making me crazy.
I suck at studying, apparently.
18 March 2008
We Are Exalted!
So, this weekend we played some Exalted (2nd Edition), which I didn't have to run, thank the gods! Nope, Adam took the gamemaster duties this time out. I've been trying to encourage him to run a game seemingly forever, but he's been fairly resistant. Fortunately, he likes Exalted, so that helps.
Info Blurb: Exalted is set in a mystical world that combines a lot of Asian myth with dashes of Indonesian and others. There are slews of spirituals beings, distant (but very much real) gods, and fantastic creatures and locations. The characters in our game are playing Solar Exalted, mortal men and women imbued with the Essence of the Unconquered Sun (chief muck-a-muck of the head gods, the Incarnae), once rulers of all Creation in the golden First Age, long since overthrown and slain, but now they are being reincarnated, much to the dismay of the lesser but more numerous Terrestrial Exalted who have ruled for the past two millennium. And now you're up to speed, sortof. Check this out to learn more.
At any rate, we got off to a slow start, as is expected of a first game session. The session was fairly short as far as what we accomplished, but I thought it went pretty well. Everyone was enthusiastic and managed to get through the rather complicated rules fairly well (it helped that 3 of the 5 people knew the rules, so minimal explaining was required, in general). I didn't get to do as much as I would have liked of the truly awesome stuff that is so inherent in Exalted, but that was more a matter of focusing on getting the group together and getting the game rolling than with any fault on Adam's part. We got to run around a bit, use some of those cool-ass powers the Solars get, and beat on a big bad, which was fun. Next time I'm looking forward to my Twilight getting to use more sorcerous powers and our burgeoning Solar circle getting to beat up on more people who are a little less resilient. And maybe digging some shit up.
Hrmm... now that I think of it, I think I'll stick ideas of what I want to see up on the blog. I know when I gamemaster, I'd beg the players to let me know what they wanted to see and do. What do you think, Adam?
Info Blurb: Exalted is set in a mystical world that combines a lot of Asian myth with dashes of Indonesian and others. There are slews of spirituals beings, distant (but very much real) gods, and fantastic creatures and locations. The characters in our game are playing Solar Exalted, mortal men and women imbued with the Essence of the Unconquered Sun (chief muck-a-muck of the head gods, the Incarnae), once rulers of all Creation in the golden First Age, long since overthrown and slain, but now they are being reincarnated, much to the dismay of the lesser but more numerous Terrestrial Exalted who have ruled for the past two millennium. And now you're up to speed, sortof. Check this out to learn more.
At any rate, we got off to a slow start, as is expected of a first game session. The session was fairly short as far as what we accomplished, but I thought it went pretty well. Everyone was enthusiastic and managed to get through the rather complicated rules fairly well (it helped that 3 of the 5 people knew the rules, so minimal explaining was required, in general). I didn't get to do as much as I would have liked of the truly awesome stuff that is so inherent in Exalted, but that was more a matter of focusing on getting the group together and getting the game rolling than with any fault on Adam's part. We got to run around a bit, use some of those cool-ass powers the Solars get, and beat on a big bad, which was fun. Next time I'm looking forward to my Twilight getting to use more sorcerous powers and our burgeoning Solar circle getting to beat up on more people who are a little less resilient. And maybe digging some shit up.
Hrmm... now that I think of it, I think I'll stick ideas of what I want to see up on the blog. I know when I gamemaster, I'd beg the players to let me know what they wanted to see and do. What do you think, Adam?
Development: Sundered Lands
Idea: Base the fall of the most recent empire (tentatively Empire of Solaj) on the Roman empire.
1. Legions, once feared throughout the known world, had become softened through 100 years of offensive or defensive combat. They had been patrolling the borders, not fighting wars.
2. The position of emperor became very unstable, with succession more often through assassination than any other method. Many of the Roman legions declared their own commanders as emperor and marched on Rome instead of securing the borders from enemies.
1. Legions, once feared throughout the known world, had become softened through 100 years of offensive or defensive combat. They had been patrolling the borders, not fighting wars.
2. The position of emperor became very unstable, with succession more often through assassination than any other method. Many of the Roman legions declared their own commanders as emperor and marched on Rome instead of securing the borders from enemies.
Great Men?
Do you think a "great man" thinks he's great while he's doing the things that history will remember him for later? Oh, great women, as well, let's not think I'm sexist - I'm simply following the standard conventions of the American grammar system. Right, so fuck off on that, and back to the topic.
I realize this concept has been beaten half to death before by others, but it still seems... relevant. Let's take a Renaissance man, for example. General perception of this is an individual who has done many things in his life, educated himself on multiple fields, worked in a variety of tasks - generally a fellow who has done many things and thought many thoughts, and puts those to use in whatever manner he chooses.
Think any of the classic Renaissance men of history thought they were such when they were 30? What about 25? 20?
It just seems that when you look at a person's life from the top down, as it were, seeing their life as a whole picture, it's easy to see all the things they accomplished. No one takes note of the years they spent as a patent clerk, or a research assistant, teacher, technician, ditch digger or manure shoveler. Stable boy. Whatever. It's the notable things you've done in your life that are remembered afterwards.
I'm not sure what the point is, really. It just seems like it's easy to think that you're not making progress in life when you're actually living it. Tragically, our lives are judged long after we get a chance to voice an opinion on the matter. A hundred years from now, Al Gore's name may be the only one remembered from our time. Such is life.
I try to take the path of no worry on the matter. After all, it's hard to give a shit what people think about you when you're gone (hell, I have a hard time caring while I'm alive). But maybe it's important to keep in mind that trying to live up to the legacy of history is an effort in vain - you can't match words on a page or in a history book. They always leave out the stuff than made that great man's life an actual life.
Take that for what you will.
I realize this concept has been beaten half to death before by others, but it still seems... relevant. Let's take a Renaissance man, for example. General perception of this is an individual who has done many things in his life, educated himself on multiple fields, worked in a variety of tasks - generally a fellow who has done many things and thought many thoughts, and puts those to use in whatever manner he chooses.
Think any of the classic Renaissance men of history thought they were such when they were 30? What about 25? 20?
It just seems that when you look at a person's life from the top down, as it were, seeing their life as a whole picture, it's easy to see all the things they accomplished. No one takes note of the years they spent as a patent clerk, or a research assistant, teacher, technician, ditch digger or manure shoveler. Stable boy. Whatever. It's the notable things you've done in your life that are remembered afterwards.
I'm not sure what the point is, really. It just seems like it's easy to think that you're not making progress in life when you're actually living it. Tragically, our lives are judged long after we get a chance to voice an opinion on the matter. A hundred years from now, Al Gore's name may be the only one remembered from our time. Such is life.
I try to take the path of no worry on the matter. After all, it's hard to give a shit what people think about you when you're gone (hell, I have a hard time caring while I'm alive). But maybe it's important to keep in mind that trying to live up to the legacy of history is an effort in vain - you can't match words on a page or in a history book. They always leave out the stuff than made that great man's life an actual life.
Take that for what you will.
11 March 2008
Development: Fantasy SW Magic System
Some ideas on how to implement a magic system in Savage Worlds similar to the Thieve's World magic system in d20.
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Keep the power point cost on spells and what not, but characters don't start with a set number of power points. Instead, they roll to channel mana in order to accumulate enough power points to cast whatever spell they are currently working on.
Each success and raise gives another power point. Once they've reached the total, the spell goes off. Use the appropriate spellcasting skill.
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Spells can be cast as either Incantations or Rituals.
Incantations - Fast, temporary, maybe dangerous. Work just like the spell says.
Rituals - Slow, longer duration, maybe safer. Extends the duration or increases damage, etc. Adds some form of bonus to the effect. Generally extends the spell duration into the next bracket (has no effect on spells of instant duration). Each check takes one minute instead of a single round.
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Mana Levels - There is the possibility of higher or lower mana levels in an area, which makes it easier or harder to cast spells. Easier to get catastrophic failure in low mana levels (as the effort of drawing magic causes the mana to twist out of control)? Give a mana pool bonus in high mana levels?
Consequences of Failure - Catastrophic failure (double 1's) is bad, really fucking bad. Maybe add in the ability to have a catastrophic failure on a single 1 in low mana areas, or even just on a failure in really low areas.
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Would have to make up entire lists of spells, which could be tedious but probably necessary.
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Three primary types of magic: External, Internal, and Divine.
External - Through specific arcane formulae the caster draws mana from the local mana field and shapes it into the desired effect.
Internal - Some are born with an innate ability to channel and shape mana through will alone, instead of memorizing formulae. This use is generally more specific than those who use external magic, as their abilities are limited by their natural birth gifts.
Divine - The gods channel magic through the prayers of the chosen few. Essentially the same as external, but the caster is getting divine help to make up for lack of ability or talent.
--------
Keep the power point cost on spells and what not, but characters don't start with a set number of power points. Instead, they roll to channel mana in order to accumulate enough power points to cast whatever spell they are currently working on.
Each success and raise gives another power point. Once they've reached the total, the spell goes off. Use the appropriate spellcasting skill.
--------
Spells can be cast as either Incantations or Rituals.
Incantations - Fast, temporary, maybe dangerous. Work just like the spell says.
Rituals - Slow, longer duration, maybe safer. Extends the duration or increases damage, etc. Adds some form of bonus to the effect. Generally extends the spell duration into the next bracket (has no effect on spells of instant duration). Each check takes one minute instead of a single round.
--------
Mana Levels - There is the possibility of higher or lower mana levels in an area, which makes it easier or harder to cast spells. Easier to get catastrophic failure in low mana levels (as the effort of drawing magic causes the mana to twist out of control)? Give a mana pool bonus in high mana levels?
Consequences of Failure - Catastrophic failure (double 1's) is bad, really fucking bad. Maybe add in the ability to have a catastrophic failure on a single 1 in low mana areas, or even just on a failure in really low areas.
--------
Would have to make up entire lists of spells, which could be tedious but probably necessary.
--------
Three primary types of magic: External, Internal, and Divine.
External - Through specific arcane formulae the caster draws mana from the local mana field and shapes it into the desired effect.
Internal - Some are born with an innate ability to channel and shape mana through will alone, instead of memorizing formulae. This use is generally more specific than those who use external magic, as their abilities are limited by their natural birth gifts.
Divine - The gods channel magic through the prayers of the chosen few. Essentially the same as external, but the caster is getting divine help to make up for lack of ability or talent.
10 March 2008
If Wishes Were Fishes
Or "Games I want to run and/or play."
This is another one of those notes to myself. There are several settings I'd like to create, as well as a few games I'm interested in running one of these days. Are the chances slim? You betcha. Oh well, maybe one day I'll figure out how to make, run, and play games for a living.
"Sundered Lands"
I'm thinking something along the lines of a sword and sorcery take on a world where all the "fantasy adventure" tropes actually make sense.
I've actually got some work done on this setting already, originally as a setting for some "traditional D&D," until I realized that I simply can't run traditional D&D without my brain fucking exploding out my ears. Oh well. Anyway, what I've got so far is really little more than wholesale theft from a bunch of sources, all sortof jammed together. I'd like to take that, put some original maps down on paper, and rewrite it as a cohesive whole.
The basic concept - The known world is sortof on the skids. It's long after the fall of a great, world-spanning empire that reached heights of magic and technology, followed by several lesser kingdoms that died out through wars and plague and natural disasters. All that's left are scattered islands of civilization existing in coastal city-states and a few major nations that are shadows of former glory. Lots of wilderness and uncivilized areas inhabited by the monstrous remnants of former wars and experiments, as well as the ruins of greater civilizations.
The idea is to create a setting where the characters can really be adventurers, pushing the boundaries outward, digging into forgotten places, doing things that most people wouldn't do. Really become movers and shakers if they want.
1. No black and white - shades of gray only need apply. The gods (a diverse and scattered group, often in competition) may be good or ill, but are more often a bit of both, and so goes the people.
2. Conan + Thieve's World = I want to capture that sortof swashbuckling, freewheeling adventuresome feel that is present in the sword and sorcery tales of Conan and the like, but with the slightly darker, more desperate feel of the Thieve's World tales.
3. Magic is visceral, organic, and dangerous. While still powerful and awe-inspiring, it's nowhere near as easy to use as in d20 or similar systems. And there are risks involved that can never be entirely negated. The same applies to magical items of all times. The process of creation should be difficult, expensive, and a bit risky. There's no such thing as shops selling magic items or any such nonsense. Any purchasing of magical stuff would be through exclusive dealers, like buying a Rembrandt or a Picasso - expensive and rare. Magic items should be cool, not typical.
"Dirty, Gritty Fantasy"
In this, I'm thinking something along the lines of the various novels published by China Mieville. This stuff is what Eberron wishes it could be - a world with magic, monsters, and various things, plus technology and science, capitalism, etc. If I manage to do something with a setting like this, I'll probably just steal and adjust the stuff published in Dragon and Dungeon magazines on Mr. Mieville's work. I'm not sure that I could convince anyone to play this, and I probably won't feel any obligation to stick to the actual books, but I really like the ideas.
1. Magic - Magic has been in use long enough to it has become a science. A difficult science, admittedly, with some applications only available to those with inborn talent, but a science all the same. This makes sense to me. There are a wondrous variety of fields in magical science, ranging from bio-thaumaturgy, which focuses on using magic to alter biological processes, to demon-summoning, planar travel, alchemy, and anything in between. Magicians are really more scientists than guys in pointy hats hanging out in towers.
2. Science - Originally developed out of magic, science has advanced to steam power, clockwork, etc. Many chemical processes have been mastered, including gunpowder and various types of drugs (legal and otherwise). We're talking train lines, paddle boats, and dirigibles, amongst other things.
3. Gods - Although there is, of course, a lot of worship of deities, the gods themselves (if they even exist) certainly don't seem to involve themselves in the world very much. Pretty much like our world, although there are several schools of thought that say that at least some of the "gods" might be powerful extra-planar entities.
4. Non-humans - While there are non-human races, they are very much non-human. No elves and fucking dwarves roaming around, no hobbits or halflings. Nope, there are insect-headed, matriarchal (because the males are non-sentient bugs) khepri, frog-like vodyanoi who can shape water with their hands, bird-men garuda, plant-men cactacae, etc. Yay, someone who isn't following the Star Trek/Tolkien model of aliens!
5. Gritty & Dirty - This is not a nice world. Pollution, hardship, all the stuff that makes the real world tough and made it tough a thousand years ago. This is not a sweetness and light setting, not even a little bit. In the city of New Crobuzon, the government is not above repression, in fact is built upon it, the criminals are rampant, and the rivers and streets are filthy and disgusting. Yay!
"Science-Fiction Space Opera"
Again, I've got some work done on this (with ample help from The Guys), but it's far from complete. The idea is scattered nations of humans in space, often in a state of subdued conflict. If there are aliens, they are truly alien. They won't think like people, and they sure as hell don't look like people. Technology is advanced. The key is to keep a swashbuckling, adventuresome feel. I like that sort of game, and I'd like to see it in a game setting. I'm sure there is one out there already that I can either use wholesale or at least alter suitably. I'm just not sure I want to - I like creating.
Note - The Epoch of Rysos game I played at Fear the Con had a lot of the sort of feel I was looking for. The aliens were fairly human-like (of course, the only aliens we dealt with were actually half-human genetic creations, so I've no idea what the real aliens are like).
"The Shadowrun Saga"
Basically using SR4 rules, but starting in an early era of the Shadowrun and working our way forward through the years and events. If the PCs change the future, then so be it. A lot of work involved in this, because each timeframe requires a new set of technology available, plus a rough "timeline of events" to keep track of things. The way I was thinking of would be a series of plots (mini-campaigns) consisting of a small number of sub-plots (1 to 5?) probably taking 5 to 10 game sessions. Between plots the timeline would advance a number of years, during which some PCs might drop out, some might come in, etc.
This is very much a vague idea, cause I'm honestly not sure how in love with the Shadowrun setting I am anymore.
"Section 9"
I got this idea from watching "Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C." Basically, using something similar to the Shadowrun 4th system (or a SW system with addition of cyberware, however you'd do that), running in a futuristic cyberpunk-like world with lots of tech, no magic (hell no!). The PCs would play members of a super-secret government "troubleshooting squad" and the plots would consist of various missions they went on. If a PC died, then the team would recruit a new member. Want to play a different character? Maybe the current one retires (or we think of a fun way to kill him/her).
The head of the squad (just like the leader of Section 9) would probably have to be a PC, cause it wouldn't be real fun to play as a character.
-----------
Okay, that's what I've got for the moment. I know there are more, but none spring to mind just yet.
This is another one of those notes to myself. There are several settings I'd like to create, as well as a few games I'm interested in running one of these days. Are the chances slim? You betcha. Oh well, maybe one day I'll figure out how to make, run, and play games for a living.
"Sundered Lands"
I'm thinking something along the lines of a sword and sorcery take on a world where all the "fantasy adventure" tropes actually make sense.
I've actually got some work done on this setting already, originally as a setting for some "traditional D&D," until I realized that I simply can't run traditional D&D without my brain fucking exploding out my ears. Oh well. Anyway, what I've got so far is really little more than wholesale theft from a bunch of sources, all sortof jammed together. I'd like to take that, put some original maps down on paper, and rewrite it as a cohesive whole.
The basic concept - The known world is sortof on the skids. It's long after the fall of a great, world-spanning empire that reached heights of magic and technology, followed by several lesser kingdoms that died out through wars and plague and natural disasters. All that's left are scattered islands of civilization existing in coastal city-states and a few major nations that are shadows of former glory. Lots of wilderness and uncivilized areas inhabited by the monstrous remnants of former wars and experiments, as well as the ruins of greater civilizations.
The idea is to create a setting where the characters can really be adventurers, pushing the boundaries outward, digging into forgotten places, doing things that most people wouldn't do. Really become movers and shakers if they want.
1. No black and white - shades of gray only need apply. The gods (a diverse and scattered group, often in competition) may be good or ill, but are more often a bit of both, and so goes the people.
2. Conan + Thieve's World = I want to capture that sortof swashbuckling, freewheeling adventuresome feel that is present in the sword and sorcery tales of Conan and the like, but with the slightly darker, more desperate feel of the Thieve's World tales.
3. Magic is visceral, organic, and dangerous. While still powerful and awe-inspiring, it's nowhere near as easy to use as in d20 or similar systems. And there are risks involved that can never be entirely negated. The same applies to magical items of all times. The process of creation should be difficult, expensive, and a bit risky. There's no such thing as shops selling magic items or any such nonsense. Any purchasing of magical stuff would be through exclusive dealers, like buying a Rembrandt or a Picasso - expensive and rare. Magic items should be cool, not typical.
"Dirty, Gritty Fantasy"
In this, I'm thinking something along the lines of the various novels published by China Mieville. This stuff is what Eberron wishes it could be - a world with magic, monsters, and various things, plus technology and science, capitalism, etc. If I manage to do something with a setting like this, I'll probably just steal and adjust the stuff published in Dragon and Dungeon magazines on Mr. Mieville's work. I'm not sure that I could convince anyone to play this, and I probably won't feel any obligation to stick to the actual books, but I really like the ideas.
1. Magic - Magic has been in use long enough to it has become a science. A difficult science, admittedly, with some applications only available to those with inborn talent, but a science all the same. This makes sense to me. There are a wondrous variety of fields in magical science, ranging from bio-thaumaturgy, which focuses on using magic to alter biological processes, to demon-summoning, planar travel, alchemy, and anything in between. Magicians are really more scientists than guys in pointy hats hanging out in towers.
2. Science - Originally developed out of magic, science has advanced to steam power, clockwork, etc. Many chemical processes have been mastered, including gunpowder and various types of drugs (legal and otherwise). We're talking train lines, paddle boats, and dirigibles, amongst other things.
3. Gods - Although there is, of course, a lot of worship of deities, the gods themselves (if they even exist) certainly don't seem to involve themselves in the world very much. Pretty much like our world, although there are several schools of thought that say that at least some of the "gods" might be powerful extra-planar entities.
4. Non-humans - While there are non-human races, they are very much non-human. No elves and fucking dwarves roaming around, no hobbits or halflings. Nope, there are insect-headed, matriarchal (because the males are non-sentient bugs) khepri, frog-like vodyanoi who can shape water with their hands, bird-men garuda, plant-men cactacae, etc. Yay, someone who isn't following the Star Trek/Tolkien model of aliens!
5. Gritty & Dirty - This is not a nice world. Pollution, hardship, all the stuff that makes the real world tough and made it tough a thousand years ago. This is not a sweetness and light setting, not even a little bit. In the city of New Crobuzon, the government is not above repression, in fact is built upon it, the criminals are rampant, and the rivers and streets are filthy and disgusting. Yay!
"Science-Fiction Space Opera"
Again, I've got some work done on this (with ample help from The Guys), but it's far from complete. The idea is scattered nations of humans in space, often in a state of subdued conflict. If there are aliens, they are truly alien. They won't think like people, and they sure as hell don't look like people. Technology is advanced. The key is to keep a swashbuckling, adventuresome feel. I like that sort of game, and I'd like to see it in a game setting. I'm sure there is one out there already that I can either use wholesale or at least alter suitably. I'm just not sure I want to - I like creating.
Note - The Epoch of Rysos game I played at Fear the Con had a lot of the sort of feel I was looking for. The aliens were fairly human-like (of course, the only aliens we dealt with were actually half-human genetic creations, so I've no idea what the real aliens are like).
"The Shadowrun Saga"
Basically using SR4 rules, but starting in an early era of the Shadowrun and working our way forward through the years and events. If the PCs change the future, then so be it. A lot of work involved in this, because each timeframe requires a new set of technology available, plus a rough "timeline of events" to keep track of things. The way I was thinking of would be a series of plots (mini-campaigns) consisting of a small number of sub-plots (1 to 5?) probably taking 5 to 10 game sessions. Between plots the timeline would advance a number of years, during which some PCs might drop out, some might come in, etc.
This is very much a vague idea, cause I'm honestly not sure how in love with the Shadowrun setting I am anymore.
"Section 9"
I got this idea from watching "Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C." Basically, using something similar to the Shadowrun 4th system (or a SW system with addition of cyberware, however you'd do that), running in a futuristic cyberpunk-like world with lots of tech, no magic (hell no!). The PCs would play members of a super-secret government "troubleshooting squad" and the plots would consist of various missions they went on. If a PC died, then the team would recruit a new member. Want to play a different character? Maybe the current one retires (or we think of a fun way to kill him/her).
The head of the squad (just like the leader of Section 9) would probably have to be a PC, cause it wouldn't be real fun to play as a character.
-----------
Okay, that's what I've got for the moment. I know there are more, but none spring to mind just yet.
Characters o' Inspiration
The other day I was trying to think of the type of things I had most enjoyed in roleplaying games, the better to seek inspiration for the game creation endeavor I am currently collaborating on, and I got to thinking about some of my favorite characters I have played. So, this series, titled "Characters o' Inspiration" will cover descriptions of those characters that have brought me the most entertainment to play, either mine or those played by others.
Descriptions, mind you, not stats or any such garbage. It should also be noted that these will be my thoughts on the characters, which could be horribly inaccurate. Oh well.
Characters to Write About
Just a quick note up here for myself so I can remember the character profiles I though were worth writing down.
Mine
Diamond (CP2020) - Ruthless tech-geek with a uber-hacker brother (Designer Dragon).
D&D Sorcerer - Refugee sorcerer who hated the gods and ended up as a servant of one. Wish I could remember his damn name.
Sebastian Rois et Raines du Paix (7th Sea) - Exiled Montaigne dandy and sorcerer, trying to find his way in the world with his man-servant Remy.
Traveler (HoE) - Chaotic anti-hero out to save the world or else. Provided the drive for S-SWAT.
Jamison Lane (HoE) - Cyborg lawdog trying to live down the sins of the past and find peace in an honorable death.
Dex (SR3) - Amnesiac physad with a dark past as an Aztechnology assassin, turned urban protector. Very Bourne Identity (before I even knew of the movies).
Theirs
Lightning Joe Slade (Deadlands) (Mark) - Ruthless, amoral gunslinger with the adjective before his name and the brother who made him look like an angel.
Noble cowperson (Deadlands) (Shawn) - Shiny tinhorn from the east come to the west to bring justice and order. Dandy and technofile.
Princess (SR3) (Bob) - Dark elf runner with a penchant for bad boyfriends and a hole for a past. Undercover cop with hypnotic conditioning.
"Don Knots" (Deadlands) (Bob) - The cowardly gunfighter who always knew where to hide in a conflict.
William Blake (Deadlands) (James) - The most ruthless and practical gunslinger to seek vengeance for the past.
Johnnythe Wire Mancuso (SR3) (Shawn) - Hometown boy made good, the definition of "I know a guy who knows a guy who..." Always accompanied by "Thing A" and "Thing B," the troll enforcers who taught ball room dancing to the dexterity challenged. Alphonse and Benito.
Travis / Tank (HoE) (Adam) - Fleet-footed Templar with a heart of gold and head of rock. Bought the humanity to S-SWAT.
Tom Blisken (HoE) (James) - Hard-nosed Syker who understood the strategic application of force in all things. Brains of the S-SWAT.
Flapjack the Troll (SR3) (Adam) - Troll combat mage with an obsession for pancakes and the power to get 'em.
Jack (SR3) (James) - "The Kid." Smart, practical, fun-loving leader of the runner team. Smart enough to know better, too young to care, clever enough to survive.
Okay, that's all I've got for the moment. Anyone I've forgotten?
Descriptions, mind you, not stats or any such garbage. It should also be noted that these will be my thoughts on the characters, which could be horribly inaccurate. Oh well.
Characters to Write About
Just a quick note up here for myself so I can remember the character profiles I though were worth writing down.
Mine
Diamond (CP2020) - Ruthless tech-geek with a uber-hacker brother (Designer Dragon).
D&D Sorcerer - Refugee sorcerer who hated the gods and ended up as a servant of one. Wish I could remember his damn name.
Sebastian Rois et Raines du Paix (7th Sea) - Exiled Montaigne dandy and sorcerer, trying to find his way in the world with his man-servant Remy.
Traveler (HoE) - Chaotic anti-hero out to save the world or else. Provided the drive for S-SWAT.
Jamison Lane (HoE) - Cyborg lawdog trying to live down the sins of the past and find peace in an honorable death.
Dex (SR3) - Amnesiac physad with a dark past as an Aztechnology assassin, turned urban protector. Very Bourne Identity (before I even knew of the movies).
Theirs
Lightning Joe Slade (Deadlands) (Mark) - Ruthless, amoral gunslinger with the adjective before his name and the brother who made him look like an angel.
Noble cowperson (Deadlands) (Shawn) - Shiny tinhorn from the east come to the west to bring justice and order. Dandy and technofile.
Princess (SR3) (Bob) - Dark elf runner with a penchant for bad boyfriends and a hole for a past. Undercover cop with hypnotic conditioning.
"Don Knots" (Deadlands) (Bob) - The cowardly gunfighter who always knew where to hide in a conflict.
William Blake (Deadlands) (James) - The most ruthless and practical gunslinger to seek vengeance for the past.
Johnnythe Wire Mancuso (SR3) (Shawn) - Hometown boy made good, the definition of "I know a guy who knows a guy who..." Always accompanied by "Thing A" and "Thing B," the troll enforcers who taught ball room dancing to the dexterity challenged. Alphonse and Benito.
Travis / Tank (HoE) (Adam) - Fleet-footed Templar with a heart of gold and head of rock. Bought the humanity to S-SWAT.
Tom Blisken (HoE) (James) - Hard-nosed Syker who understood the strategic application of force in all things. Brains of the S-SWAT.
Flapjack the Troll (SR3) (Adam) - Troll combat mage with an obsession for pancakes and the power to get 'em.
Jack (SR3) (James) - "The Kid." Smart, practical, fun-loving leader of the runner team. Smart enough to know better, too young to care, clever enough to survive.
Okay, that's all I've got for the moment. Anyone I've forgotten?
07 January 2008
Goddamn Humans
I refute their decisions, on principle. I do not understand their choices, and I refuse to believe that they have any reasons behind those choices that make any goddamn sense what-so-ever. Stick that in your pipe and fucking smoke it!
The above makes no sense. I'm aware. Live with it - I felt annoyed, and expressed it as above.
On other things, I've been sick with my yearly Head Cold (I capitalize because it's that bad), which has been atrocious. My brain has felt like it's full of cotton; it's like someone turned the speed on my mind to "Holy shit, are you even moving?!" My brain operating at the speed of "No!" has made it tough to accomplish anything really productive, though I did get a few things done. Which is why I've been taking what medicines I have to in order to keep moving, since spending the last week in bed would have been problematic for several reasons. But after suffering through the vicious attacks of the Head Cold and the occasional side-effect of Medicine, I really wish I'd been able to just curl up like a big baby and let someone take care of me while I concentrated on being miserable.
You know, I think everyone should get to be a huge baby at least once a year when ill. I mean, full-on laying in bed and crying woe-is-me, with nubile caretakers providing hot soup and warm comfort. Or at least the Waltons-version of childhood, where Mom brings chicken soup and a thick quilt, and maybe a spoon or two of medicine that tastes awful but cures well. That'd be nice. Just once a year, mind you, no pissing and moaning with every sickness or injury. Life's tough, suck it up! But a little moment of weakness here and there keeps life in balance, I think.
I should probably take my own advice on that. Have to find me a caretaker, though. I'm not sure if it's "feed a cold and starve a fever" or the other way around, but I'm pretty sure starving for several days would do more than kill the illness, no matter how the saying goes. I'm guessing all the people who said "Let them lie in bed and rot, with no food or care" probably got fired from the doctor business.
Goddamn humans! I challenge you to make some fucking sense!
Okay, this whole thing is nonsense. Go away now.
The above makes no sense. I'm aware. Live with it - I felt annoyed, and expressed it as above.
On other things, I've been sick with my yearly Head Cold (I capitalize because it's that bad), which has been atrocious. My brain has felt like it's full of cotton; it's like someone turned the speed on my mind to "Holy shit, are you even moving?!" My brain operating at the speed of "No!" has made it tough to accomplish anything really productive, though I did get a few things done. Which is why I've been taking what medicines I have to in order to keep moving, since spending the last week in bed would have been problematic for several reasons. But after suffering through the vicious attacks of the Head Cold and the occasional side-effect of Medicine, I really wish I'd been able to just curl up like a big baby and let someone take care of me while I concentrated on being miserable.
You know, I think everyone should get to be a huge baby at least once a year when ill. I mean, full-on laying in bed and crying woe-is-me, with nubile caretakers providing hot soup and warm comfort. Or at least the Waltons-version of childhood, where Mom brings chicken soup and a thick quilt, and maybe a spoon or two of medicine that tastes awful but cures well. That'd be nice. Just once a year, mind you, no pissing and moaning with every sickness or injury. Life's tough, suck it up! But a little moment of weakness here and there keeps life in balance, I think.
I should probably take my own advice on that. Have to find me a caretaker, though. I'm not sure if it's "feed a cold and starve a fever" or the other way around, but I'm pretty sure starving for several days would do more than kill the illness, no matter how the saying goes. I'm guessing all the people who said "Let them lie in bed and rot, with no food or care" probably got fired from the doctor business.
Goddamn humans! I challenge you to make some fucking sense!
Okay, this whole thing is nonsense. Go away now.
27 December 2007
Random Things & Holidays
I've actually got a couple of rants I want to blather on about ("What's the obsession with the Christ in Christmas argument, folks?" & "Do you understand how stupid the Born Gay or Choose Gay question is?") but I'm not in the mood. Consider them upcoming.
Aaaaaanyway, home again, thank you, thank you! I'm such a hermit, really, I just prefer being in my own home. Love the family and all, but I am soooooo glad to be home. It's hard to even explain. Imagine the best orgasm ever, but imagine that it caused beer and money to rain from the sky, and you approach the joy I feel when I come home from visits "down y'onder."
Speaking of the great rural beyond, I have officially decided I like civilization. Call me a pussy if you like, but the combination of spotty, unpredictable cellphone reception, swarms of poorly educated rednecks, and a town that shuts down at 9pm (and, really, what kind of place doesn't accept plastic, people?! Are we in fucking Zimbabwe?!), is irritating. That's not to say I can't live without my modern conveniences (I have before, I probably will again, and I can do very well), but I really, really like them, and I wants them, I does.
Okay, rambling over. Merry Holidays folks - Happy Christmas, Joyous Hanukkah, Bitchin' Kwanzaa, Have-A-Nice-Day Atheists, and so on. Enjoy your family (or their absence, your choice), smile a little bit, and don't get caught.
Aaaaaanyway, home again, thank you, thank you! I'm such a hermit, really, I just prefer being in my own home. Love the family and all, but I am soooooo glad to be home. It's hard to even explain. Imagine the best orgasm ever, but imagine that it caused beer and money to rain from the sky, and you approach the joy I feel when I come home from visits "down y'onder."
Speaking of the great rural beyond, I have officially decided I like civilization. Call me a pussy if you like, but the combination of spotty, unpredictable cellphone reception, swarms of poorly educated rednecks, and a town that shuts down at 9pm (and, really, what kind of place doesn't accept plastic, people?! Are we in fucking Zimbabwe?!), is irritating. That's not to say I can't live without my modern conveniences (I have before, I probably will again, and I can do very well), but I really, really like them, and I wants them, I does.
Okay, rambling over. Merry Holidays folks - Happy Christmas, Joyous Hanukkah, Bitchin' Kwanzaa, Have-A-Nice-Day Atheists, and so on. Enjoy your family (or their absence, your choice), smile a little bit, and don't get caught.
17 December 2007
Let it snow, let it snow, holy crap, so much snow!
Well, pretty much out of nowhere Saint Louis got snow dumped on top of it over the course of the weekend.
I remember as a kid I always loved the snow, but somewhere along the line it became more of an annoyance than a joy. Then I spent a year on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean and roughly four years in San Diego, and I forgot what snow was (except that weather pattern that I'd drive through on my way to somewhere else) and how beautiful the world could be when smothered under a blanket of snow. Just like children being smothered by pillows - so peaceful and quiet.
In my continuing efforts to ignore anything resembling adulthood, I have managed to recapture that joy of the new-fallen snow. I'm pretty sure that it's because, with my current status as freelance vagabond Renaissance man, I don't actually have to go anywhere, so the snow isn't making my life suck. That's nice.
At any rate, I wanted to make a bunch of Calvin & Hobbes style snowmen in the courtyard of my apartment complex, but I got lazy. So instead I did other things - a made a foot-tall man kneeling with hands in prayer (don't know why, just what came out of the snow), which some kids stole sometime during the day. So then I made a skull out of snow, which someone knocked off the pillar I'd made it on. So then I made some giant earthworms out of snow. They've left those alone.
I remember as a kid I always loved the snow, but somewhere along the line it became more of an annoyance than a joy. Then I spent a year on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean and roughly four years in San Diego, and I forgot what snow was (except that weather pattern that I'd drive through on my way to somewhere else) and how beautiful the world could be when smothered under a blanket of snow. Just like children being smothered by pillows - so peaceful and quiet.
In my continuing efforts to ignore anything resembling adulthood, I have managed to recapture that joy of the new-fallen snow. I'm pretty sure that it's because, with my current status as freelance vagabond Renaissance man, I don't actually have to go anywhere, so the snow isn't making my life suck. That's nice.At any rate, I wanted to make a bunch of Calvin & Hobbes style snowmen in the courtyard of my apartment complex, but I got lazy. So instead I did other things - a made a foot-tall man kneeling with hands in prayer (don't know why, just what came out of the snow), which some kids stole sometime during the day. So then I made a skull out of snow, which someone knocked off the pillar I'd made it on. So then I made some giant earthworms out of snow. They've left those alone.
14 December 2007
Answer me that!
Why the fuck isn't life more like a webcomic? Zany things, witty lines, the obligatory cute girlfriend who "gets you" and puts up with the inordinate amount of shit going on?
This doesn't have any point, actually. I've just been reading through the CTRL+ALT+DEL archives instead of revising my story for my Creative Writing class (due in, oh... now, actually), and I thought, "Damn, that'd be cool. I want an XBot and hot-video-game-playing girlfriend A." If none of the previous makes sense, read the damn comic. It might not make sense then, either, but you'll probably laugh.
Dammit, now I have broken my unending stream of reading the comic for the last three hours, and must smoke and get coffee.
And why is my internet so slow?! Answer me that!
EDIT: As an additional note, I can only hope that a scene such as this is involved in my own life.
This doesn't have any point, actually. I've just been reading through the CTRL+ALT+DEL archives instead of revising my story for my Creative Writing class (due in, oh... now, actually), and I thought, "Damn, that'd be cool. I want an XBot and hot-video-game-playing girlfriend A." If none of the previous makes sense, read the damn comic. It might not make sense then, either, but you'll probably laugh.
Dammit, now I have broken my unending stream of reading the comic for the last three hours, and must smoke and get coffee.
And why is my internet so slow?! Answer me that!
EDIT: As an additional note, I can only hope that a scene such as this is involved in my own life.
Powered by ScribeFire.
11 December 2007
One down!
Been busy. Took my College Algebra final today, so that's done and out of the way. Weee! Of course, I was late to class, had barely managed to finish the "take-home" portion of the test, which sucked, and the test covered a bunch of crap I'd already forgotten.
But at least it's finished.
Still trying to maintain a once-a-week standard for this blog. Already failing miserably. Ah well.
But at least it's finished.
Still trying to maintain a once-a-week standard for this blog. Already failing miserably. Ah well.
30 November 2007
Well, That's An Interesting Thought
So I just read over a blog by my friend Nicki where she goes
beautifully balistic on the stupidity of so-called Christians,
specifically in reference to The Golden Compass movie and the books
it's based off of. I really sympathize with her ranting and raving,
having done it a few times myself.
Not the point, though. While I could argue for hours (days, maybe?)
about religion, and faith, and so one (and have before, and will again,
and even wrote something on it), I thought I'd toss out some brain
fodder for you fine folks.
Think of it as lubrication for your mental masturbation.
1. Nicki's Blog. Because she gets delightfully vehement and frustrated. Love it!
2. The Snopes.com article which has considerable detail on the actual letters/emails/bulletins, plus some well-researched factoids.
3. The interview. This is an interview with Philip Pullman by a Christian magazine in the
UK. Astute questions and equal answers. A fun read and gets you
thinking.
Take a peek around and have some fun. Let your brain wander and
question if what you think you know is what you really know, or if you
only think you know it.
beautifully balistic on the stupidity of so-called Christians,
specifically in reference to The Golden Compass movie and the books
it's based off of. I really sympathize with her ranting and raving,
having done it a few times myself.
Not the point, though. While I could argue for hours (days, maybe?)
about religion, and faith, and so one (and have before, and will again,
and even wrote something on it), I thought I'd toss out some brain
fodder for you fine folks.
Think of it as lubrication for your mental masturbation.
1. Nicki's Blog. Because she gets delightfully vehement and frustrated. Love it!
2. The Snopes.com article which has considerable detail on the actual letters/emails/bulletins, plus some well-researched factoids.
3. The interview. This is an interview with Philip Pullman by a Christian magazine in the
UK. Astute questions and equal answers. A fun read and gets you
thinking.
Take a peek around and have some fun. Let your brain wander and
question if what you think you know is what you really know, or if you
only think you know it.
Powered by ScribeFire.
23 November 2007
And a Merry Thanksgiving to you!
Well, Turkey Day is done. I've just recently recovered from the food-induced coma that is one of my favorite holiday traditions. Man, I love holidays that involve food. Although going to the parents house for the holidays means I don't have any leftovers to much on. Ah, the tragedy.
Still, leftovers aside, I enjoyed visiting, though we didn't have the whole family there like we used to. Back in the day, Thanksgiving was always the family holiday, and we'd have all of us kids and the various families gathered around. Of course, parents had a bigger house back then. This year it was the parents, myself, my baby brother (who's almost as big as me), and my older sister along with her husband and kids, plus another niece (one of my older brother's daughters). It's getting odder and odder being the near-30's bachelor coming to visit, what with everyone else having families of their own.
On the plus side, I'm not carting around several mobile destruction machines masquerading as children, either. Win!
At any rate, I hope everyone had a good weekend and got to enjoy some time with whomever you wanted to spend the holidays with (I enjoyed spending it with the family, but your mileage may vary).
Now go make yourself a turkey sammich and reminisce.
Still, leftovers aside, I enjoyed visiting, though we didn't have the whole family there like we used to. Back in the day, Thanksgiving was always the family holiday, and we'd have all of us kids and the various families gathered around. Of course, parents had a bigger house back then. This year it was the parents, myself, my baby brother (who's almost as big as me), and my older sister along with her husband and kids, plus another niece (one of my older brother's daughters). It's getting odder and odder being the near-30's bachelor coming to visit, what with everyone else having families of their own.
On the plus side, I'm not carting around several mobile destruction machines masquerading as children, either. Win!
At any rate, I hope everyone had a good weekend and got to enjoy some time with whomever you wanted to spend the holidays with (I enjoyed spending it with the family, but your mileage may vary).
Now go make yourself a turkey sammich and reminisce.
18 November 2007
Waha! I inflict poetry upon thee!
Alright, so my blogs have basically died down in recent months. Sorry. I really intend to try and make an entry once a week from now on. Most likely I shall fail, so don't get all hopeful.
On other things, here's some poetry I wrote for my Creative Writing class. 40+ lines in total. I've put author's notes at the end of every poem.
How High A Price For Love
by JM Simpson
Write, she said, in dulcet tones,
A poem just for me.
And with those words, I was condemned
To Hell of poetry.
My best I give for lady love,
So thought myself to I.
With love's stylus clutched to breast,
I shall not wish to die.
I wade, most fearless, in the fray,
Bring creative mind to bear,
To write fair words that shall describe
My love for lady fair.
But rhythm! But rhyme! They do accost
Most vicious on all sides.
Dense imagery, iambic verse,
Relentless as the tides.
Dueling couplets, swords of words,
To capture brilliant eyes?
Ridiculous! It will not work!
That will not win the prize!
What shall be done? A quatrain yes,
That will do the trick!
Now four lines of disaster, assured
To make me sick!
This Hell is burning, searing me,
Devouring my soul,
Why do I suffer in this way,
Dare I pay this toll?
A loving sonnet will make her swoon,
Displaying that I care,
Oh! Elizabethan the only way,
Forget the risk I dare!
Crisis! Loss! Shattered hope!
Around me failure lay!
This poetry has burned my mind,
I can not be this fey!
Insane I am, protested I,
Confusion is my mind
Dismembered thoughts, burst-ed seams,
Reduced to bitter rind!
A curse on you, my lady fair,
Love no longer true,
The price to pay, it is too much!
Heart in twain, in two!
No gift, no tale, but poetry, no talent
For this have I!
If love doth ask this price from me,
Then celibate I'll die!
Author's Note: I wrote this one over the course of 6 or 7 hours. I wanted to write something fun involving a "hell of eternal poetry." It's kindof sing-song and reminds me of a tavern song or something. My only concern was the rhyme scheme (ABCB) and a consistent rhythm throughout while still telling the story.
Nuclear Hate
by JM Simpson
The stealth-ed angel on mechanical wings soar.
Against night skies, the angels of death are unseen.
Brining vengeance of a people at war.
The death of the enemy by machine.
Invisible minions of death bring woe.
And launch arrows full of nuclear hate.
Fire raining down upon cities below,
Burning white light seals the enemy's fate.
The bloom of atomic flowers appear
As sand becomes glowing fields of glass death,
And radioactive shadows are seared
Upon the walls with their dying last breath.
The enemy is consumed by burning light,
And the dogs of war will feast long this night.
Author's Note: This is an attempt at an Elizabethan sonnet (the same style as Shakespeare), but involving a subject matter as far removed from the softer emotions as I could get. The poem took about three days to write.
Shadows of Memory
by JM Simpson
Heaven's fire comes to earth,
The sun burns upon the ground.
Man erased in flash of light,
Black silhouette on melted wall.
Shadows are but illusion,
Tricks of light before your eyes.
No reality, only absence,
Darkness in your mind.
When come they the left behind,
Whispered prayer to spirits gone,
Man became shadow in a moment,
Shadow of memory, forever honored.
Author's Note: The last poem I wrote, which I cranked out in about an hour. No attempt at rhyme scheme, or really even rhythm. Free verse, basically.
On other things, here's some poetry I wrote for my Creative Writing class. 40+ lines in total. I've put author's notes at the end of every poem.
How High A Price For Love
by JM Simpson
Write, she said, in dulcet tones,
A poem just for me.
And with those words, I was condemned
To Hell of poetry.
My best I give for lady love,
So thought myself to I.
With love's stylus clutched to breast,
I shall not wish to die.
I wade, most fearless, in the fray,
Bring creative mind to bear,
To write fair words that shall describe
My love for lady fair.
But rhythm! But rhyme! They do accost
Most vicious on all sides.
Dense imagery, iambic verse,
Relentless as the tides.
Dueling couplets, swords of words,
To capture brilliant eyes?
Ridiculous! It will not work!
That will not win the prize!
What shall be done? A quatrain yes,
That will do the trick!
Now four lines of disaster, assured
To make me sick!
This Hell is burning, searing me,
Devouring my soul,
Why do I suffer in this way,
Dare I pay this toll?
A loving sonnet will make her swoon,
Displaying that I care,
Oh! Elizabethan the only way,
Forget the risk I dare!
Crisis! Loss! Shattered hope!
Around me failure lay!
This poetry has burned my mind,
I can not be this fey!
Insane I am, protested I,
Confusion is my mind
Dismembered thoughts, burst-ed seams,
Reduced to bitter rind!
A curse on you, my lady fair,
Love no longer true,
The price to pay, it is too much!
Heart in twain, in two!
No gift, no tale, but poetry, no talent
For this have I!
If love doth ask this price from me,
Then celibate I'll die!
Author's Note: I wrote this one over the course of 6 or 7 hours. I wanted to write something fun involving a "hell of eternal poetry." It's kindof sing-song and reminds me of a tavern song or something. My only concern was the rhyme scheme (ABCB) and a consistent rhythm throughout while still telling the story.
Nuclear Hate
by JM Simpson
The stealth-ed angel on mechanical wings soar.
Against night skies, the angels of death are unseen.
Brining vengeance of a people at war.
The death of the enemy by machine.
Invisible minions of death bring woe.
And launch arrows full of nuclear hate.
Fire raining down upon cities below,
Burning white light seals the enemy's fate.
The bloom of atomic flowers appear
As sand becomes glowing fields of glass death,
And radioactive shadows are seared
Upon the walls with their dying last breath.
The enemy is consumed by burning light,
And the dogs of war will feast long this night.
Author's Note: This is an attempt at an Elizabethan sonnet (the same style as Shakespeare), but involving a subject matter as far removed from the softer emotions as I could get. The poem took about three days to write.
Shadows of Memory
by JM Simpson
Heaven's fire comes to earth,
The sun burns upon the ground.
Man erased in flash of light,
Black silhouette on melted wall.
Shadows are but illusion,
Tricks of light before your eyes.
No reality, only absence,
Darkness in your mind.
When come they the left behind,
Whispered prayer to spirits gone,
Man became shadow in a moment,
Shadow of memory, forever honored.
Author's Note: The last poem I wrote, which I cranked out in about an hour. No attempt at rhyme scheme, or really even rhythm. Free verse, basically.
21 August 2007
Yay! School!
Gods, I'd almost forgotten why I hate going to college.
And then, of course, I went. It was better than 8 years ago when I last went, mostly because I'm smarter in picking my classes, and I've got all the military experience to fall back on. Nothing teaches you how to find amusement in following the rules of morons like serving six honorable years in the military.
Creative Writing seems like it'll be okay, though. I can't help but feel a fondness for any prof who says, "If you don't want to write, you're wasting your time in this class. Withdraw, and find something else." Not rude, just practical and honest. If you don't want to be a writer, why in the fuck would you take an elective writing course? So I like him.
College Algebra... how I loathe thee. This will make my fourth time taking this course. Weee! Of the previous three times, I have passed twice and withdrawn once. Unfortunately, math courses are one of those things that schools don't tend to accept transfer credits in, especially when the most recent is still four years old. Ah well.
Did I mention that my math prof is a senile old woman? I mean, she seems nice enough (in that steel-ruler-across-the-knuckles-gone-soft type of way), but she is missing a few marbles upstairs. Oh, and she's partially deaf. Eventually, I'm going to get bored in class and start quietly murmuring fucked up shit at her, just to see what happens.
After I make sure there aren't any rulers around.
And then, of course, I went. It was better than 8 years ago when I last went, mostly because I'm smarter in picking my classes, and I've got all the military experience to fall back on. Nothing teaches you how to find amusement in following the rules of morons like serving six honorable years in the military.
Creative Writing seems like it'll be okay, though. I can't help but feel a fondness for any prof who says, "If you don't want to write, you're wasting your time in this class. Withdraw, and find something else." Not rude, just practical and honest. If you don't want to be a writer, why in the fuck would you take an elective writing course? So I like him.
College Algebra... how I loathe thee. This will make my fourth time taking this course. Weee! Of the previous three times, I have passed twice and withdrawn once. Unfortunately, math courses are one of those things that schools don't tend to accept transfer credits in, especially when the most recent is still four years old. Ah well.
Did I mention that my math prof is a senile old woman? I mean, she seems nice enough (in that steel-ruler-across-the-knuckles-gone-soft type of way), but she is missing a few marbles upstairs. Oh, and she's partially deaf. Eventually, I'm going to get bored in class and start quietly murmuring fucked up shit at her, just to see what happens.
After I make sure there aren't any rulers around.
31 July 2007
Distraction and Self-Delusion
Lately I've come a horrifying realization. Okay, maybe realization is too strong of a word - let's say that my delusions of competence have temporarily faltered. Now, I'm sure the rose-colored glass will come back out soon enough, but for now the soul-crushing truth has lain revealed.
See, I've got this hobby of starting projects. Something catches my interest like a shiny bauble in front of a ferret and I'm off to the races. You couldn't beat me with greyhounds on PCP. Tragically, I soon lose interest or discover that it's going to be far more effort than I thought. Let's see what I've got laying around in my "projects" file. Notes for a couple of stories or novels. Two half-finished RPG rules systems. A video game script. Another script for a series of animated short films. A bunch of half-finished T-shirt designs. An abandoned RPG setting. Several sketch books full of really poor art.
Yeah, it's a fucking project bargain bin around here, folks. I'm currently writing this blog, meaning to write another blog focusing on RPG stuff, and filling up another blog with 7-year-old writings detailing the life of a fictional character. I've got pages of sketches on a comic strip. Currently working with friends on designing a full-fledged RPG. I'm sure there are some other things I forgot. Oh, right, college. Joy.
No matter, gentle readers. This is not a plea for sympathy or support (although some violent demands for content will not go unwelcome), more of a public note to myself that if I've got enough free time to piss and moan, I might try actually doing something!
Better dig out those rose-colored glasses and get to work! Only thing standing between me and barely scraping a living out of my passions is the twin hurdles of no work ethic and an appalling lack of talent. Hah! I laugh at Danger! (Ha Ha Colleen, I mocked your unborn child!)
At least I figured out what I want to be when I grow up.
An old asshole.
What can I say, I like easy goals.
See, I've got this hobby of starting projects. Something catches my interest like a shiny bauble in front of a ferret and I'm off to the races. You couldn't beat me with greyhounds on PCP. Tragically, I soon lose interest or discover that it's going to be far more effort than I thought. Let's see what I've got laying around in my "projects" file. Notes for a couple of stories or novels. Two half-finished RPG rules systems. A video game script. Another script for a series of animated short films. A bunch of half-finished T-shirt designs. An abandoned RPG setting. Several sketch books full of really poor art.
Yeah, it's a fucking project bargain bin around here, folks. I'm currently writing this blog, meaning to write another blog focusing on RPG stuff, and filling up another blog with 7-year-old writings detailing the life of a fictional character. I've got pages of sketches on a comic strip. Currently working with friends on designing a full-fledged RPG. I'm sure there are some other things I forgot. Oh, right, college. Joy.
No matter, gentle readers. This is not a plea for sympathy or support (although some violent demands for content will not go unwelcome), more of a public note to myself that if I've got enough free time to piss and moan, I might try actually doing something!
Better dig out those rose-colored glasses and get to work! Only thing standing between me and barely scraping a living out of my passions is the twin hurdles of no work ethic and an appalling lack of talent. Hah! I laugh at Danger! (Ha Ha Colleen, I mocked your unborn child!)
At least I figured out what I want to be when I grow up.
An old asshole.
What can I say, I like easy goals.
28 July 2007
Step Back, America, Your Technology is Getting On My Shoes!
Check this out.
Apparently, the G.O.P. is backpedaling steadily on the issue of have a Republican debate with questions from YouTube users. Of the candidates, only Ron Paul and John McCain have agreed to do it, and John McCain is expressing doubts about the "decorum" of the forum and may reconsider his commitment.
I remember when I first heard about this, I thought, "They're going to have to put a stop to this, or American's are going to start asking questions they don't want to answer." Apparently the Republicans are smarter than the Democrats, because they sure as hell don't want this kind of trend to get started.
"The format...is only a problem insofar as it allows CNN to present questions that may be too aggressive or controversial for the confines of a standard campaign interaction." Quoted direct from the Times article as being from a G.O.P. candidate's staff.
Yeah, cause the last thing we want is a president who can answer tough questions.
Apparently, the G.O.P. is backpedaling steadily on the issue of have a Republican debate with questions from YouTube users. Of the candidates, only Ron Paul and John McCain have agreed to do it, and John McCain is expressing doubts about the "decorum" of the forum and may reconsider his commitment.
I remember when I first heard about this, I thought, "They're going to have to put a stop to this, or American's are going to start asking questions they don't want to answer." Apparently the Republicans are smarter than the Democrats, because they sure as hell don't want this kind of trend to get started.
"The format...is only a problem insofar as it allows CNN to present questions that may be too aggressive or controversial for the confines of a standard campaign interaction." Quoted direct from the Times article as being from a G.O.P. candidate's staff.
Yeah, cause the last thing we want is a president who can answer tough questions.
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23 July 2007
Blog? Where?
I'm sure you've noticed that the outpouring of blog articles has slowed to nary a trickle, and I'm sure you are all sobbing hopelessly into your keyboards, hands beating a sorrowful staccato rhythm as you bewail such loss, crying, "Why?! Why, oh great Josh, Joshua, the one, the only! The enlightener of my work days, the illuminator of my dreary soul! You literary titan, ye creator of mighty works of text and sarcasm! Oh why?! I beseech thee, why have thou left us here abandoned?!"
Or something similar. And I understand and sympathize with your pain, and thus I come with a reason.
Harken back, if you will, to that dim and misty time in June when I started a "real" blog and explained my reasoning. I must have an outlet for the creative effluvia of my brain or I'll end up in a tattered straight jacket making pseudo-tribal designs on my walls using finger paints that consist primarily of my own feces. Since the landlords hate that, and I'd only end up cleaning it anyway, I chose to write on the blog. But now, lo, it comes on the horizon, that I have found myself possessed of several projects that are each competing viciously (like a certain quarterback's illegal dog fights) for my creative attentions, and there has come a languishing of general-purpose ranting blog-type output.
Oops.
Without going into vast detail, I'm providing links (located in a convenient box to the right) to a couple of other blogs I've decided to start writing on. Be warned that these verge on being a dorkucopia of nerdiness such as may at any moment begin to spawn over-ripe fruit of LARPers and Lord of the Rings afficiandos, and may indeed threaten your very sanity (or at least personal hygiene). You have been warned, and I rid myself of all such personal consequences.
Or something similar. And I understand and sympathize with your pain, and thus I come with a reason.
Harken back, if you will, to that dim and misty time in June when I started a "real" blog and explained my reasoning. I must have an outlet for the creative effluvia of my brain or I'll end up in a tattered straight jacket making pseudo-tribal designs on my walls using finger paints that consist primarily of my own feces. Since the landlords hate that, and I'd only end up cleaning it anyway, I chose to write on the blog. But now, lo, it comes on the horizon, that I have found myself possessed of several projects that are each competing viciously (like a certain quarterback's illegal dog fights) for my creative attentions, and there has come a languishing of general-purpose ranting blog-type output.
Oops.
Without going into vast detail, I'm providing links (located in a convenient box to the right) to a couple of other blogs I've decided to start writing on. Be warned that these verge on being a dorkucopia of nerdiness such as may at any moment begin to spawn over-ripe fruit of LARPers and Lord of the Rings afficiandos, and may indeed threaten your very sanity (or at least personal hygiene). You have been warned, and I rid myself of all such personal consequences.
10 July 2007
Cellphone Freedom?
Now, this is interesting!
For those too lazy to hop over and read the article (shame on you!), here's a summation. The Chairman of the FCC has proposed that a new RF band, the 700 MHz spectrum, be required to be an "open broadband network." The 700 MHz spectrum has traditionally been used by TV stations and apparently has excellent ability to penetrate obstacles in its way. Since TV broadcasts are going digital, this spectrum is starting to open up, and the rights to use it are soon to be auctioned off. However, any company that gets it will be forced to make it open. Meaning that they can't restrict the devices which can use the network, they can only restrict access.
Confusing? Look at it this way. Right now you can only use the cellphones that the wireless company allows you to. Assuming this measure flies, any company setting up a wireless network on the 700 MHz frequency will not be allowed to restrict that choice. Third party companies will be able to develop phones and devices that can use the network (though you'll still have to have an access agreement, of course).
That, m'friends, is actual free market. Or at least a close equivalent. And it's being set forward by a government individual. They may not all be evil, after all!
Now imagine what would happen if they restricted service companies (phone, cable, etc) ability to have service contracts? Oh my... competition would cause them to keel over, I expect.
Well, one step at a time.
For those too lazy to hop over and read the article (shame on you!), here's a summation. The Chairman of the FCC has proposed that a new RF band, the 700 MHz spectrum, be required to be an "open broadband network." The 700 MHz spectrum has traditionally been used by TV stations and apparently has excellent ability to penetrate obstacles in its way. Since TV broadcasts are going digital, this spectrum is starting to open up, and the rights to use it are soon to be auctioned off. However, any company that gets it will be forced to make it open. Meaning that they can't restrict the devices which can use the network, they can only restrict access.
Confusing? Look at it this way. Right now you can only use the cellphones that the wireless company allows you to. Assuming this measure flies, any company setting up a wireless network on the 700 MHz frequency will not be allowed to restrict that choice. Third party companies will be able to develop phones and devices that can use the network (though you'll still have to have an access agreement, of course).
That, m'friends, is actual free market. Or at least a close equivalent. And it's being set forward by a government individual. They may not all be evil, after all!
Now imagine what would happen if they restricted service companies (phone, cable, etc) ability to have service contracts? Oh my... competition would cause them to keel over, I expect.
Well, one step at a time.
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06 July 2007
It's Not Father's Day, But It Should Be
I know it's not Father's Day, but for some reason it seems like an unofficial version; a personal version, if you will. Today has just seemed a day where really heartfelt fatherhood moments have been brought to the fore. One of those days where things seem to have a theme...
I spent three hours on the phone today, talking to my Father about... well, anything, everything. Politics, morality, family, funny stories and good quotes, women and relationships. Every time we went to hang up, one or the other of us came up with something else to talk about and we were off. I think he's the only person I know who can talk as long and interestingly about as many topics as I can. Makes for long conversations.
I've run out of new books to read, so I've been rereading some old favorites. For the nonce I'm reading Young Miles, by Lois McMaster Bujold, which is a collection, in chronological order, of a couple of novels and a short story that start off her Miles Vorkosigan Saga; it's a series that I love, and never tire of reading. It's character-driven sci-fi in which the main character is a young man, heir to aristocracy, who suffered fetal damage to his bones, making him short, stunted, and brittle for life. Trapped within this body is a brilliant, calculating mind driven by honor, and duty, and a passionate desire to live up to his father, a man who has become a living legend of nobility. Near the end of the first novel, The Warrior's Apprentice, there is a scene where Miles must explain himself and the near-treasonous actions he has taken. He says, in explanation to his Emperor, "I only wanted to serve...as my father before me. I wanted to serve something. To make my life an offering fit to lay at his feet." His father, the Emperor's Prime Minister and former Regent, says, "Clay, boy. Only clay. Not fit to receive so golden a sacrifice." The words lose something, I think, when quoted so out of context, but the author always makes me feel, in vivid reality, the sheer, inspiring pride that his father feels. I have never read the passage without tearing up.
I caught the tail-end of an episode of Scrubs, called "My Cake." J.D.'s father has died, and the young doctor is dealing with all the sorrow that entails. His older brother and his mentor eventually come together to offer him the only comfort they can... his father was proud of him, and they are as well.
I have lived my life defined, in many ways, by my Father. That turn of phrase is often used as an apology for behavior, or a sorrowful testament as to why someone couldn't "be their own man." That's not the case, or the usage, that I intend.
My parents divorced when I was but a wee little tyke; I initially lived with my Mother, but I think I was too much for her to handle. When she told my Father he could come take me, he did so without hesitation. To be honest, I don't remember much of that time, I was very young, but I've heard the tale from my Father; no matter how many times I've heard it, what always strikes me is the lack of any hesitation in his choice. My entire life I have never felt that he didn't want to come get me. Under all the conflict we've had over the years, as father and son, I have always known that I was wanted. That he was behind me. I don't know if you have ever experienced the knowledge that, unasked-for, unconditionally, unstintingly, there is someone supporting you, behind you, who truly cares about you and what becomes of you? It is an amazing feeling, a foundation that has supported me through endless travails.
My Father has defined my life because he has served as the inspiration for me; the beacon that has taught me what it means to be a man, not merely male, what it means to stand up for your principles and for what is important to you, what it is to support those who you care about, what family means. The greatest moments of my life have been when my Father has expressed his pride in me; no compliment has ever meant more.
I have no deep political point to make, no lesson on life to impart, no inspiration to sing out. I just found myself remembering, again, how much this one man means to me; I vowed years ago that if something happened, the people I cared for would know how I felt. I would never suffer the doubt that they hadn't known, and none more than my Father.
I write this here because I know Mom reads my blog, and I know she'll tell Dad. Thanks, Mom! (I love you, too, you know.)
Happy Father's Day, no matter the day.
I spent three hours on the phone today, talking to my Father about... well, anything, everything. Politics, morality, family, funny stories and good quotes, women and relationships. Every time we went to hang up, one or the other of us came up with something else to talk about and we were off. I think he's the only person I know who can talk as long and interestingly about as many topics as I can. Makes for long conversations.
I've run out of new books to read, so I've been rereading some old favorites. For the nonce I'm reading Young Miles, by Lois McMaster Bujold, which is a collection, in chronological order, of a couple of novels and a short story that start off her Miles Vorkosigan Saga; it's a series that I love, and never tire of reading. It's character-driven sci-fi in which the main character is a young man, heir to aristocracy, who suffered fetal damage to his bones, making him short, stunted, and brittle for life. Trapped within this body is a brilliant, calculating mind driven by honor, and duty, and a passionate desire to live up to his father, a man who has become a living legend of nobility. Near the end of the first novel, The Warrior's Apprentice, there is a scene where Miles must explain himself and the near-treasonous actions he has taken. He says, in explanation to his Emperor, "I only wanted to serve...as my father before me. I wanted to serve something. To make my life an offering fit to lay at his feet." His father, the Emperor's Prime Minister and former Regent, says, "Clay, boy. Only clay. Not fit to receive so golden a sacrifice." The words lose something, I think, when quoted so out of context, but the author always makes me feel, in vivid reality, the sheer, inspiring pride that his father feels. I have never read the passage without tearing up.
I caught the tail-end of an episode of Scrubs, called "My Cake." J.D.'s father has died, and the young doctor is dealing with all the sorrow that entails. His older brother and his mentor eventually come together to offer him the only comfort they can... his father was proud of him, and they are as well.
I have lived my life defined, in many ways, by my Father. That turn of phrase is often used as an apology for behavior, or a sorrowful testament as to why someone couldn't "be their own man." That's not the case, or the usage, that I intend.
My parents divorced when I was but a wee little tyke; I initially lived with my Mother, but I think I was too much for her to handle. When she told my Father he could come take me, he did so without hesitation. To be honest, I don't remember much of that time, I was very young, but I've heard the tale from my Father; no matter how many times I've heard it, what always strikes me is the lack of any hesitation in his choice. My entire life I have never felt that he didn't want to come get me. Under all the conflict we've had over the years, as father and son, I have always known that I was wanted. That he was behind me. I don't know if you have ever experienced the knowledge that, unasked-for, unconditionally, unstintingly, there is someone supporting you, behind you, who truly cares about you and what becomes of you? It is an amazing feeling, a foundation that has supported me through endless travails.
My Father has defined my life because he has served as the inspiration for me; the beacon that has taught me what it means to be a man, not merely male, what it means to stand up for your principles and for what is important to you, what it is to support those who you care about, what family means. The greatest moments of my life have been when my Father has expressed his pride in me; no compliment has ever meant more.
I have no deep political point to make, no lesson on life to impart, no inspiration to sing out. I just found myself remembering, again, how much this one man means to me; I vowed years ago that if something happened, the people I cared for would know how I felt. I would never suffer the doubt that they hadn't known, and none more than my Father.
I write this here because I know Mom reads my blog, and I know she'll tell Dad. Thanks, Mom! (I love you, too, you know.)
Happy Father's Day, no matter the day.
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S.1639 - It's back!
Quick note, folks! Remember the Immigration Reform Bill, S.1348? I know, it was so long ago that it "died" on the Senate floor...
Apparently, it's a zombie. Now it's Senate Bill S.1639. It suffering, so far, the same kind of fate, but it's a good reminder that this one hasn't received near the coverage as the first. Slippery buggers, aren't they?
Apparently, it's a zombie. Now it's Senate Bill S.1639. It suffering, so far, the same kind of fate, but it's a good reminder that this one hasn't received near the coverage as the first. Slippery buggers, aren't they?
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The Triumph of Evil
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
That's a quote attributed to Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797), an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher. No one is actually certain that he said it, but he gets credit, so there you go.
Mind you, that's not my point; I don't care who said it. The quote has been used as the rallying cry for innumerable things - WWII to political arguments. Even the movie Boondock Saints uses it. That's not my point either.
My point is this - don't be a douche. Think long and hard, come up with a set of principles and make your choices about what is right and wrong, and stick with them. Don't avoid conflict because it is unpleasant. The human predators, the thieves, the crooks, the abusers, the oppressors, the blackhats, the moral blackholes - the douches - of the world rely on complacency to allow them freedom of action.
When you avoid that conflict, when you say, "I don't feel like messing with it," instead of standing up and saying, "Hey, fuck you! You're a douche!" You allow them their freedom to be vile. It's encouragement to continue, silent consent of their actions.
I sympathize. Really, I do. I'm not a fan of causing hassle in my personal life, of creating ripples in my little corner of the world's pond, just because some other asshole is so short-sighted that they decide to achieve their desires on the figurative corpses of their fellows. And they are short-sighted, because in the long run, being an honest and principled person is easier than being a complete douche. Than being a crook, or a thief, or a predator. Because you build up a wavefront of others who want to support your behavior when they see that your behavior actually benefits them; that being a worthwhile human being makes their life easier. But like all wavefronts, the initial momentum takes effort, and the short-sighted don't see that early hard makes for long-term easy.
Give it a try. Don't go out of your way to raise conflict, don't go looking for causes to champion. Don't make a hassle out of your personal life. In fact, I don't even say that you should care a single bit about another human entity. Instead, when you see these blackholes of effort, these leeches of humanity, brushing against your bubble of existence, when what they do will affect you, don't move aside because it's a bother. Look 'em in the eye and say, "Fuck off, douche!" Not only will you feel better, but maybe you'll inspire someone else to stand up in their own life.
Cause it turns out, if everyone stands up for themselves, if everyone is willing to face conflict instead of stand aside, everyone benefits. And even if everyone doesn't do it, you will benefit. That's win-win. Give it a try.
Don't be a douche.
That's a quote attributed to Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797), an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist, and philosopher. No one is actually certain that he said it, but he gets credit, so there you go.
Mind you, that's not my point; I don't care who said it. The quote has been used as the rallying cry for innumerable things - WWII to political arguments. Even the movie Boondock Saints uses it. That's not my point either.
My point is this - don't be a douche. Think long and hard, come up with a set of principles and make your choices about what is right and wrong, and stick with them. Don't avoid conflict because it is unpleasant. The human predators, the thieves, the crooks, the abusers, the oppressors, the blackhats, the moral blackholes - the douches - of the world rely on complacency to allow them freedom of action.
When you avoid that conflict, when you say, "I don't feel like messing with it," instead of standing up and saying, "Hey, fuck you! You're a douche!" You allow them their freedom to be vile. It's encouragement to continue, silent consent of their actions.
I sympathize. Really, I do. I'm not a fan of causing hassle in my personal life, of creating ripples in my little corner of the world's pond, just because some other asshole is so short-sighted that they decide to achieve their desires on the figurative corpses of their fellows. And they are short-sighted, because in the long run, being an honest and principled person is easier than being a complete douche. Than being a crook, or a thief, or a predator. Because you build up a wavefront of others who want to support your behavior when they see that your behavior actually benefits them; that being a worthwhile human being makes their life easier. But like all wavefronts, the initial momentum takes effort, and the short-sighted don't see that early hard makes for long-term easy.
Give it a try. Don't go out of your way to raise conflict, don't go looking for causes to champion. Don't make a hassle out of your personal life. In fact, I don't even say that you should care a single bit about another human entity. Instead, when you see these blackholes of effort, these leeches of humanity, brushing against your bubble of existence, when what they do will affect you, don't move aside because it's a bother. Look 'em in the eye and say, "Fuck off, douche!" Not only will you feel better, but maybe you'll inspire someone else to stand up in their own life.
Cause it turns out, if everyone stands up for themselves, if everyone is willing to face conflict instead of stand aside, everyone benefits. And even if everyone doesn't do it, you will benefit. That's win-win. Give it a try.
Don't be a douche.
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02 July 2007
S.1348 - Amnesty! Page 448 Line 1 -to- Page 512 Line 15
Okay, here's what I've got on the immigration reform bill, specifically on the section widely known as the "Amnesty" section. It's not one hundred percent complete, but it covers most of the major points.
Please folks, keep an eye on what your "representatives" are doing. Keep in mind that they were discussing this bill, when just a year ago, they passed a different immigration bill which has never been enforced. The argument is that since that bill wasn't enforced, we must need a new one, which will be enforced because it's so much easier! Wow, what sterling logic!
Pay attention, ladies and gentlemen. They'll sell our country out from under us if we don't.
- You can apply if you entered illegally at least 6 years ago (5 years prior to April 5, 2006), and were NOT legal on that date, and didn't leave except, you know, casually ("except for brief, casual, and innocent departures").
- As long as your not inadmissable, except where we're ignoring the rules.
- Were employed for at least 2/3rd of that time (the rest of the time, oh well!), unless under 20 or disabled or pregnant. Employment requirement reduced for those who attended school here - so if you were on a student visa and decided to not leave, you're in!
- Pays his taxes up to date, makes a deal with the IRS, or convinces someone that he doesn't owe any.
- Meets the immigration education requirements (English proficiency and knowledge of US gov't), unless disabled.
- Passes a criminal background check.
- Also makes legal the family (spouse and dependents), who must also pass criminal check.
- Anyone granted amnesty doesn't count against the other immigrant numbers to be allowed in.
- No exceptions made for disease carriers, criminals, terrorists, or polygamists and pedophiles! Whew!
- Waives a bunch of requirements (Chapter 5 of title II (8 U.S.C. 1255 et seq.) paragraphs (5), (6)(A), (6)(B), (6)(C), (6)(F), (6)(G), (7), (9) (other than subparagraph (C)(i)(11), and (10)(B) of section 212(a)). Anybody want to look this up? Also waives more requirements if the illegal alien can establish a history of employment without collecting public cash assistance (which they aren't even supposed to be eligible for) or if they violated the laws "for humanitarian purposes, to ensure family unity, or was otherwise in the public interest." The bill also makes clear that "public interest" can be interpreted as "business interest."
- Can't be made a citizen if they have been ordered to be removed (so as long as they've avoided the INS, they're good!) or have committed a criminal offense (but hasn't been charged). Whew!
- A clear (right!) note that being ineligible does not include entering illegally, staying illegally, being ordered to leave as long as he didn't actually get the order (wait, doesn't that contradict something...), might produce hardship for relations, or didn't leave because of some "exceptional circumstances." Oh, here is the explanation for the contradiction - all this is only if the Secretary of Homeland Defense says it's okay. Think he would?
- Anyone applying will be given all the rights of a citizen until such time as the application is denied or approved, including the right to work, leave the country, etc etc. What was the point again? Oh, and if they are currently in "removal proceedings," those will be terminated until their application is processed.
- Makes these applications subject to the same Privacy Act as all other federal paperwork. Criminal penalties, etc.
- By the way, any alien who submits erroneous employment information shall not be considered in violation of the "criminal acts" section. Lie away, folks!
- Employers of illegal aliens won't suffer civil or criminal tax penalties as long as those aliens apply for amnesty... I mean citizenship.
- Anyone filing an application under this bill will pay a fine of $2000 (80% goes to border security, 10% to DHS to pay for processing applications, 10% to DHS and Dpt of State to cover expenses), and another fine of $750 (for principal alien) or $100 (for dependents and spouse) for "State impact."
- Anyone applying who (I think, this part is confusing) hasn't been here longer than 5 years but was here on January 7, 2004, will have to leave and come back. Oh, the tragedy. So as long as you've been here less than 3, but more than 5 (or 6? It's foggy), you're fine. The rest of you, yo-yo!
- Several pages that basically allow someone to avoid having to leave and re-enter for at least 3 years, or that allows them to literally go across the border and back again (it specifies immediate exit and re-entry), etc etc. Basically creating about a hundred loopholes in the law made two paragraphs previous. There's also some more fees in there. $1000 or so.
- Should also be mentioned that everywhere within this bill, in each section, nearly on every page, it clearly states the the Secretary of Homeland Security has final judgment on all matters relating to the enforcement and that his (or her) judgment can not be overturned by any authority. Yikes!
Please folks, keep an eye on what your "representatives" are doing. Keep in mind that they were discussing this bill, when just a year ago, they passed a different immigration bill which has never been enforced. The argument is that since that bill wasn't enforced, we must need a new one, which will be enforced because it's so much easier! Wow, what sterling logic!
Pay attention, ladies and gentlemen. They'll sell our country out from under us if we don't.
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28 June 2007
The Late Bird Just Gets Shot
As further testament to the fact that procrastination makes you miss your mark:
Senate Bill S.1348 died on the Senate floor on Thursday the 28th. 53 Senators who remembered their jobs voted against it (although, to be fair, it's entirely possible that some just couldn't get their pork amendments tagged on and were bitter) and 46 Senators who like the idea of being future slave-owners voted for it (I don't feel like being fair, fuck 'em). It should be noted that this wasn't a vote to approve the bill, simply a vote to allow the bill to be voted on to be approved. Yay, confusion! Still, the bill is dead for the moment.
Which makes my stored articles on what this bill actually does seem kindof silly now. Ah well. I've got one ready to go up within 24 hours, a couple more are little more than notes. Suppose I'll post the first one at least. Probably tomorrow.
Unless I put it off.
Senate Bill S.1348 died on the Senate floor on Thursday the 28th. 53 Senators who remembered their jobs voted against it (although, to be fair, it's entirely possible that some just couldn't get their pork amendments tagged on and were bitter) and 46 Senators who like the idea of being future slave-owners voted for it (I don't feel like being fair, fuck 'em). It should be noted that this wasn't a vote to approve the bill, simply a vote to allow the bill to be voted on to be approved. Yay, confusion! Still, the bill is dead for the moment.
Which makes my stored articles on what this bill actually does seem kindof silly now. Ah well. I've got one ready to go up within 24 hours, a couple more are little more than notes. Suppose I'll post the first one at least. Probably tomorrow.
Unless I put it off.
25 June 2007
Penny Arcade = Crazy Pill
Just a quick note, gentle readers. I was catching up on my online comic strips (yes, they exist, and they make the newspaper funnies look like an old man's flacid penis) and I started going through the last few months of Penny Arcade I've missed.
I love PA. The writer's words are brilliant, vivid, and ragingly psychotic. The artist takes these words and expresses them in bloody colors that cause your eyeballs to explode.
And it makes me a little crazy. In a good way.
As an example, I took a break from reading to get some water. Discovered my roommate was still awake, and by way of greeting said, "I want to pull out your intestines through your mouth, wrap them around your scrotum, and hang you from a tree."
Cause that's how I roll on Penny Arcade.
Here.
I love PA. The writer's words are brilliant, vivid, and ragingly psychotic. The artist takes these words and expresses them in bloody colors that cause your eyeballs to explode.
And it makes me a little crazy. In a good way.
As an example, I took a break from reading to get some water. Discovered my roommate was still awake, and by way of greeting said, "I want to pull out your intestines through your mouth, wrap them around your scrotum, and hang you from a tree."
Cause that's how I roll on Penny Arcade.
Here.
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21 June 2007
US Oil? Lube it up!
Check this out.
According to Reuters, the US has got a surplus of crude oil! So, since the US is one of the major purchasers of OPEC oil, OPEC refuses to increase production because they want to regain control of the market. Makes logical business sense. In fact, I don't have any problems with it; hell, I'm surprised that OPEC (which is mostly run by countries who fucking hate us) hasn't done worse.
What I'm annoyed by is the fact that US oil companies, shored up by the federal government, are just sticking it to the consumer because they can! Weeeeeee! Just to be clear, the US oil companies are government-supported monopolies (or whatever the word is when it's more than one company - not that you can tell). Even the smallest research will show you this. There is no free market in the oil market; that's why all those internet campaigns about "boycott one company" or "don't buy gas for a day" won't work, because since you have no other options, you will go back. There is no one who is going to undercut the other guy to get your dollar, no price competition. Even the price of gasoline at the gas station is decided by the oil company, not by the gas station.
Damn! I've got to fill up the gas tank today. Well, guess you can all join me, then.
Bend over and take it, America!
According to Reuters, the US has got a surplus of crude oil! So, since the US is one of the major purchasers of OPEC oil, OPEC refuses to increase production because they want to regain control of the market. Makes logical business sense. In fact, I don't have any problems with it; hell, I'm surprised that OPEC (which is mostly run by countries who fucking hate us) hasn't done worse.
What I'm annoyed by is the fact that US oil companies, shored up by the federal government, are just sticking it to the consumer because they can! Weeeeeee! Just to be clear, the US oil companies are government-supported monopolies (or whatever the word is when it's more than one company - not that you can tell). Even the smallest research will show you this. There is no free market in the oil market; that's why all those internet campaigns about "boycott one company" or "don't buy gas for a day" won't work, because since you have no other options, you will go back. There is no one who is going to undercut the other guy to get your dollar, no price competition. Even the price of gasoline at the gas station is decided by the oil company, not by the gas station.
Damn! I've got to fill up the gas tank today. Well, guess you can all join me, then.
Bend over and take it, America!
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