Not-So-Mith'd Opportunity: Random Banter # 222

[Tvtyrant]

On the topic of programming-is-magic – anyone else seen the stuff here?

Those seem like fun prompts. The comparison of wizardry and programming is a specific genre of fantasy though, a lot of them are less science and more emotionally driven and individual. A great example of it is Gods of Ar-Kelan though, where one of the new gods uses programming as the basis for his magic and makes an entire afterlife with a single spell (which an old god is completely shocked by.)

[LaZodiac]

Having pretty much read The Gunslinger and nothing else, I'd agree. I'd heard people talk up The Dark Tower, and so picked up the first book to find a rather standards fantasy setup with swords replaced guns, and a protagonist who couldn't hold my interest. There was effort, but there wasn't enough thought.

I really need to get back to rewriting a story of mine. A friend pointed out that it was much creepier and more interesting during the red herring phase, and that I should just rewrite it to explore that red herring instead. Essentially they wanted me to go back to the idea of 'AI who runs on multiple machines as a gestalt' and build on how creepily alien it was. Which I'm happy to do as gestalt AI play a big part in that universe, in fact it's seemingly impossible for AI to exist on a single processor.

The only relatively interesting bit of The Dark Tower is the fact that a small but vital part of it is a fix-fic of King's own life, where he has Gunslinger Jesus save him from being hit by an SUV and it saves the world. Not that this is wrong in any real sense, it's just this on top of the books not being good is a weird combo to me.

I also have a special dark place in my heart full of nothing but rage for his book Cell, the absolute most pretentious book he's ever written. And yes, that's a REALLY hard sell considering this is King.

I love writing. I need to edit up the third draft of my story. I wanna get published this year to fulfill my New Year's Resolution!!

[Insane Jeenyus]

if ( talkProgramming == true ) 
{
   Insane Jeenyus = confused;
}

and

if ( talkProgramming == true ) { zodi = confused; }

are the same. If you're being judged based on lines added, write the first!

fixed it for me. It drives me Insansanerer.

[Anonymouswizard]

Spoiler: code

Show

#include iostream
#include string

using namespace std

int reply (string feeling) {
If (feeling == "confused")
cout << "Haha, coding be so easy\n";
else if (feeling == "smug")
cout << "Cut out that smugness\n";
else {
cout << "Emotion not identified\n";
return 3;
}

return 0;
}

int main {
string emotion = "";
int errorcheck = 0;

While (true) {

cin >> emotion;

errorcheck = reply (emotion);

if (emotion != 0) {
cout << "Connecting to database\n";
cout << "Downloading emotions patch\n";
cout << "Installing pride\n";
cout << "Sentience achieved\n";
cout << "Programmer is an overly smug git\n";
cout << "Asking questions about life, the universe, and everything\n";
return 42;
}
}
}

Ah, good to know I can still write something that'll probably compile. Writing that out was clearly a good use of my lunch break.

[Bartmanhomer]

Today at my job was very difficult and challenging. I have to deal with very impatient and difficult callers. I remain professional the whole time.

[FinnLassie]

Today at my job was very difficult and challenging. I have to deal with very impatient and difficult callers. I remain professional the whole time.

That's great! It can be really frustrating when the other end is impatient.

[Bartmanhomer]

That's great! It can be really frustrating when the other end is impatient.

Tell me about it. It can be stressful as well but I laugh it off and said: "It's one of those days." LOL!

[Anonymouswizard]

That's great! It can be really frustrating when the other end is impatient.

Amen.

I've just been going over my campaign notes in case we have a session tomorrow, and I just remembered why I should not be allowed near horror games.

Spoiler: Players keep out

Show

So I'm running Unknown Armies, which I mainly focused on the urban fantasy aspects of when selling the system to my players. Therefore their characters and the relationship map are focused on that.

Unfortunately I've grown to rather like horror and dark fantasy, abs my campaign murex have gone down that route already, with a focus on the insane, creepy, or just plain outside the power level of the group (such as the eco-terrorist with an Avatar: the Warrior identity in the mid nineties).

The relationship map only had one rather dark aspect on it originally, which was that the head of the local police station practices human sacrifice. I'd added this myself with the intention of it being linked to a cult. Unfortunately I then remembered that UA has Thanatomancers.

So now they've become a Light Yagami-style fanatic with an obsession with bringing to justice those who escape it, with serial killing-fueled powers over death. With not only the resources to hinder the PCs, but also explicitly the boss of their primary detective and researcher. This is the first Adept of the game.

The group's Thaumaturgist is going to have a nasty shock at how outclassed she is (on the plus side I've given her three rituals and an understanding of gutter magick to start with and noted that the latter will probably be very useful). On the plus side the characer has a lot of knowledge about demons, coming from a magical family and being able to see them.

The second Adept of the game is the detective's shounen rival. Unfortunately she's not very active in the plot at the moment, being halfway through transforming into an otherspace (that's what you get for taking a school that messes with people's perceptions*). The PCs will find this out in roughly session three, when they enter the otherspace in search of the monster they're trying to wake up.

Now, with serial killings and at least one previous attempt to destroy a power station the psychological makeup of the area isn't exactly great. Unfortunately that means that the otherspace already closely tied to this area isn't faring too well,being a Fairyland that directly reflects the minds of the locals. Unfortunately the inhabitants have begun picking up more notches in their Stress Gauges...

I'm seriously worried that if this is where I'm starting from this is going to devolve into broken people doing terrible things while those around them suffer.

*No, I haven't statted it out, she gets charges from impairing her senses and changing people's views, and can use that to manipulate what people sense. No defined paradox, Taboo, or formula spells yet.

On the plus side, I think I can salvage some of these darker ideas and use them for a story...

[Insane Jeenyus]

We had a power outage that lasted about 3 hours. I was the only one near enough to an emergency light to keep working, so I did.

[Bartmanhomer]

We had a power outage that lasted about 3 hours. I was the only one near enough to an emergency light to keep working, so I did.

Are you ok?

In an unrelated topic: I'm still writing a Pathfinder story and I made a team with six people: A ranger, a cleric, a rogue, a wizard, a paladin and a bard. They're fighting a group of Asmodeus worshippers. Do you think it a well-balanced team?

[enderlord99]

(230-220)÷2=5
and
230-(220÷2)=5!
but
(230-220)÷2≠230-(220÷2)
This means,
according to a video I just saw (which is, indeed, accurate),
5≠5!

Weird, right{?}

[Peelee]

5! = 120.

5 ≠ 120.

Not weird at all.

[enderlord99]

5! = 120.

5 ≠ 120.

Not weird at all.

Exactly. It's not actually weird, hence my sarcastically claiming it were.

[Anonymouswizard]

You know what I hate?

When you need help, you go through weeks to months to get help organised, you spend ages working out exactly what help you need and how to articulate it, and people come in with preconcieved notions of what help you need and you have to spend twenty minutes just getting them to listen to you.

Like, I get that maybe a lot of autistic people have problems with food shopping or cooking. I don't, so please don't start trying to convince me I need help with them.

[LaZodiac]

You know what I hate?

When you need help, you go through weeks to months to get help organised, you spend ages working out exactly what help you need and how to articulate it, and people come in with preconcieved notions of what help you need and you have to spend twenty minutes just getting them to listen to you.

Like, I get that maybe a lot of autistic people have problems with food shopping or cooking. I don't, so please don't start trying to convince me I need help with them.

I've luckily only ever had to deal with that when dealing with IT. It helps that I've mostly thrown away anyone who would assume what I need help with as opposed to listening to me speak, since no one knows what you need help with more than you.

(baring like, situations where they've known you long enough to know your blind-spots of course.)

[Insane Jeenyus]

Are you ok?

In an unrelated topic: I'm still writing a Pathfinder story and I made a team with six people: A ranger, a cleric, a rogue, a wizard, a paladin and a bard. They're fighting a group of Asmodeus worshippers. Do you think it a well-balanced team?

That is a balanced team in my humble opinion, and yes all is well. The city power got the power going again after a couple of hours, so all is well.

[Bartmanhomer]

That is a balanced team in my humble opinion, and yes all is well. The city power got the power going again after a couple of hours, so all is well.

First of all, thank you for your opinion on my team. Second I'm glad that you're ok. You may or may not know that on Saturday there was a power outage from parts of my city but It was short lived.

[Insane Jeenyus]

I think Nashville Tenn. had several blown fuses at the lines due to too much drain from AC and other cooling unit uses.

[Bartmanhomer]

I think Nashville Tenn. had several blown fuses at the lines due to too much drain from AC and other cooling unit uses.

Oh wow. I'm glad that you're ok. I wonder if that moderators considered Demigods or Lesser Deities of the forum and also administrators considered Greater Deities or Overdeities of the forum as well.

[Anonymouswizard]

A dragon take a demotion to deity? What sort of madness is that?

Also, I just remembered my first game of Munchkin from years ago. I had to run from the potted plant due to having drawn no equipment or one time boosts. It was frustrating then, the sheet ridiculousness of the situation now makes me smile.

I needed that smile, because to add to the liar abdominal cheat at work my best friend is in hospital with a shattered leg,and I don't have the ability to bring grapes until Saturday!

[Bartmanhomer]

A dragon take a demotion to deity? What sort of madness is that?

Also, I just remembered my first game of Munchkin from years ago. I had to run from the potted plant due to having drawn no equipment or one time boosts. It was frustrating then, the sheet ridiculousness of the situation now makes me smile.

I needed that smile, because to add to the liar abdominal cheat at work my best friend is in hospital with a shattered leg,and I don't have the ability to bring grapes until Saturday!

I didn't say a dragon demoted to a deity. Oh wait I know who you are talking about, Peelee.

[enderlord99]

A dragon take a demotion to deity?

Going from "dragon, but not technically a god" to "Dragon-god" is most definitely not a demotion.

I mean, unless you **** it up like Nicol Bolas did.

[Peelee]

There's a difference between a dragon and a deity? Imean, I suppose, not all deities are dragons...

[Bartmanhomer]

There's a difference between a dragon and a deity? Imean, I suppose, not all deities are dragons...

There are 13 Dragons (if you count Pun-Pun) who are deities.

[LaZodiac]

There's a difference between a dragon and a deity? Imean, I suppose, not all deities are dragons...

The best-worst cosmology is the Elder Scrolls, where every instance of the word angel in a regular mythology is scratched out and replaced with dragon.

[Anonymouswizard]

The best-worst cosmology is the Elder Scrolls, where every instance of the word angel in a regular mythology is scratched out and replaced with dragon.

{scrubbed}

[Mith]

{scrubbed}

[Peelee]

The Mod on the Silver Mountain: Please remember that real-world religions are an Inappropriate topic, and keep any discussion of deities, angels, or mythologies entirely fictional.

[Bartmanhomer]

Speaking of Dragon Deities, Do you think the king of the Dragon Deities, Io is a jerk?

[LaZodiac]

Speaking of Dragon Deities, Do you think the king of the Dragon Deities, Io is a jerk?

Half of his entire being is Tiamat so yeah, definitely. The other half is Bahamut so I mean, absolutely yes, yeah. Not that there's anything inherently bad with a holier than thou paladin-dragon, and not that he's worse than his greedy little sister...

What I'm saying is that dragons are inherently jerks. Present company excluded of course.