Domino Quartz's Delightfully Quaint Random Banter Thread #248

[Bartmanhomer]

Translation of my original post: please tell me they're not a bloody lolipire.

Oh hell no!

[Anonymouswizard]

Oh hell no!

There's nothing wrong with vampires who are young girls, I just wish less anime put them in sexy outfits.

[Bartmanhomer]

There's nothing wrong with vampires who are young girls, I just wish less anime put them in sexy outfits.

Oh ok. That I do agree with.

[Ionathus]

And you've made me want it too. Sadly more realistically he'd be in a boring suit, because the people decide this are boring

...Part of me wishes they knew how to turn 'Dracula becomes a Twitch streamer' into a short story, I'm thinking his online handle would be DracInBlack.

Spoiler: minor Locked Tomb spoilers

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Fun fact: the most powerful necromancer in the Locked Tomb series has been reinterpreted by the fanbase as a Twitch-streamer e-boy persona, and a lot of his fanart reflects this

This is all based on a pretty minor line in the third book where he talks about being the first one to discover necromancy and trying to get the word out by "setting up a livestream," after which he developed a pretty devoted and fanatical fanbase. Just like a Twitch streamer!

And then he caused the apocalypse. Just like a Twitch streamer!

[Rater202]

Roleplay idea that's probably never gonna come to fruition #37* Players are street rats in Nova York, the setting of Cyberpunk-inspired Marvel 2099 which in and of itself has several permutations. Mid-teens to mid-20s in average age, each with powers of some kind, each victimized in some way by one o more corporations. Homeless and jobless in the slums, they're essentially a gang committing crimes and dealing with other factions to get buy.

Plot would be very episodic. One 'adventure' is breaking into an Alchemex lab to seal a sample of an experimental cure to trade to the Thorites in exchange for some spare parts that the local back alley cyberdoc will accept as payment in exchange for running maintenance on the gang's cybers for the next few months, while the next is about getting rid of the crooked cop who took an unhealthy interest in one of you without getting caught.

I have the mental image that the PCs have been together for about a year and have managed to, with some effort, build a rudimentary home in the ruins of the Old New York subway system. Blocked off the tunnel, a couple of old cars cannibalized to make rooms, etcetera. It ain't comfortable but it's warm, dry, and reasonably safe.

...But also that each PC is keeping a secret from the others. About their history, the nature of their powers, etetera.

*Number is arbitrary as I don't actually keep track.

[Peelee]

The job intrigues me but the restrictions stink.

Spoiler

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[Batcathat]

Roleplay idea that's probably never gonna come to fruition #37* Players are street rats in Nova York, the setting of Cyberpunk-inspired Marvel 2099 which in and of itself has several permutations. Mid-teens to mid-20s in average age, each with powers of some kind, each victimized in some way by one o more corporations. Homeless and jobless in the slums, they're essentially a gang committing crimes and dealing with other factions to get buy.

Plot would be very episodic. One 'adventure' is breaking into an Alchemex lab to seal a sample of an experimental cure to trade to the Thorites in exchange for some spare parts that the local back alley cyberdoc will accept as payment in exchange for running maintenance on the gang's cybers for the next few months, while the next is about getting rid of the crooked cop who took an unhealthy interest in one of you without getting caught.

I have the mental image that the PCs have been together for about a year and have managed to, with some effort, build a rudimentary home in the ruins of the Old New York subway system. Blocked off the tunnel, a couple of old cars cannibalized to make rooms, etcetera. It ain't comfortable but it's warm, dry, and reasonably safe.

...But also that each PC is keeping a secret from the others. About their history, the nature of their powers, etetera.

*Number is arbitrary as I don't actually keep track.

That sounds kinda interesting (I've never read much of Marvel 2099 but I've liked what I've seen), so if you end up running it as a PBP around here I'll probably sign up (well, depending on the system and the specifics, but I'm at least hypothetically interested ).

[Rater202]

That sounds kinda interesting (I've never read much of Marvel 2099 but I've liked what I've seen), so if you end up running it as a PBP around here I'll probably sign up (well, depending on the system and the specifics, but I'm at least hypothetically interested ).

I mostly do freeform nowadays. A lot of systems end up being a bit too restrictive for the ideas in my weird brain.

[Anonymouswizard]

Roleplay idea that's probably never gonna come to fruition #37* Players are street rats in Nova York, the setting of Cyberpunk-inspired Marvel 2099 which in and of itself has several permutations. Mid-teens to mid-20s in average age, each with powers of some kind, each victimized in some way by one o more corporations. Homeless and jobless in the slums, they're essentially a gang committing crimes and dealing with other factions to get buy.

I pick the power to know how many ducks are near. Is it useful? Just wait until the aduckalypse begins, then you'll want me around!

Additional powers, including control of waterfowl, are clearly lies and slander.

[Peelee]

I pick the power to know how many ducks are near. Is it useful? Just wait until the aduckalypse begins, then you'll want me around!

Additional powers, including control of waterfowl, are clearly lies and slander.

Alive only, or does cooked count?

[Form]

I pick the power to know how many ducks are near. Is it useful? Just wait until the aduckalypse begins, then you'll want me around!

Additional powers, including control of waterfowl, are clearly lies and slander.

Will this power save me from the ducks or just tell me how screwed I am?

[Ionathus]

The job intrigues me but the restrictions stink.

Spoiler

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Listen. Maybe you should go for something a bit more attainable -- and survivable.

[Coppercloud]

Fun fact: the most powerful necromancer in the Locked Tomb series has been reinterpreted by the fanbase as a Twitch-streamer e-boy persona, and a lot of his fanart reflects this

This is all based on a pretty minor line in the third book where he talks about being the first one to discover necromancy and trying to get the word out by "setting up a livestream," after which he developed a pretty devoted and fanatical fanbase. Just like a Twitch streamer!

And then he caused the apocalypse. Just like a Twitch streamer!

... I just finished reading Nona the Ninth and I'm glad I didn't stumble upon this bit of trivia before - not that John is treated seriously by the narrative, but still.
My favorite quote of the series is probably the infamous first line he says to Gideon (second edition). Didn't see it coming at all

[Peelee]

Listen. Maybe you should go for something a bit more attainable -- and survivable.

Sure, but they give you a government-paid ride, with a chauffeur. And they even store it for you!

[Ionathus]

Spoiler: spoilering the white text mini-spoiler

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... I just finished reading Nona the Ninth and I'm glad I didn't stumble upon this bit of trivia before - not that John is treated seriously by the narrative, but still.
My favorite quote of the series is probably the infamous first line he says to Gideon (second edition). Didn't see it coming at all

I went back and forth over whether or not to spoiler it -- your comment has tipped me over the edge!

Spoiler: John stuff from the third book

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One of my favorite parts about John is how unrepentantly self-indulgent he is with references and general pride in his bad jokes & dad jokes. About halfway through Harrow, and then especially in Nona, it started to dawn on me exactly how much of a little twerp he is, and how smugly he drops all these references that nobody else knows, because he wiped all their memories of pre-Resurrection Earth culture. It's such a weird dynamic, because he's constantly dropping None-Pizza-Left-Beef-caliber meme jokes with this totally self-satisfied smugness, and then doing that Dad Joke thing where you expect a groan. But he's the reason nobody understands his jokes. He could have kept that knowledge alive and prevalent in the culture of the Nine Houses, but he purposely didn't. It's like he actually wants his jokes to be not just bad, but incomprehensible.

It's just such a fascinating character choice. I can't tell if it's internalized self-loathing or a little "tee hee I'm so mysterious" power trip or some twisted martyr complex. Probably a mix of all three. Joddammit, he is such a fascinating character.

Sure, but they give you a government-paid ride, with a chauffeur. And they even store it for you!

I was going to make a joke about Remote Work Astronauts but then I realized that, outside of Low Earth Orbit, Remote Work Astronauts have been the norm since the Apollo program ended

[Peelee]

I was going to make a joke about Remote Work Astronauts but then I realized that, outside of Low Earth Orbit, Remote Work Astronauts have been the norm since the Apollo program ended

Nice try! Remote work for the feds means a permanent alternate duty station designation (can be, and usually is, the worker's home). The space station is not that - its the main office branch for LEO work. No remote work for astronauts. Although they do cover the cost of your commute.

[enderlord99]

The space station is not that - its the main office branch for LEO work.

Hence why astronauts doing work elsewhere would be considered remote, though I suspect NASA employees working from elsewhere aren't considered "astronauts" to begin with.

[Peelee]

Hence why astronauts doing work elsewhere would be considered remote

Main office branch for LEO work. Earthside work has its own offices that the astronauts work from. Still not remote.

though I suspect NASA employees working from elsewhere aren't considered "astronauts" to begin with.

Well, the ones who pass astronaut training are. You're an astronaut before you go to space. NASA refers to accepted applicants in several ways: as members of an astronaut class, members of an astronaut group, and simply as astronauts.

[Ionathus]

A bunch of fiddly technicalities about "work" and "logic" and "facts" that nobody cares about

Look sometimes you just make a joke about Mars rovers and it doesn't really hold up under a microscope but heyo, guess what, neither does evidence of life on Mars

[Coppercloud]

Spoiler: John stuff from the third book

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I'll admit that since English isn't my first language, I probably missed quite a few of the memes and jokes even though I read the books in the original version. Also there's my lack of general knowledge.

Spoiler: More Locked Tomb discussion (Read the books, they are great!)

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Your analysis is appreciated, thank you
To the extent that I actually examined this aspect of his character, I just thought he didn't actually care about who would understand his jokes, or kept purposely referencing tidbits from the past in fear of forgetting it all. It's been mentioned, after all, that the human brain and mind aren't totally up to snuff for millennias of continuous use. And straight-up not caring enough to filter/adapt his discourse to his interlocutor is also typical of John as I understood Him.

[Ionathus]

I'll admit that since English isn't my first language, I probably missed quite a few of the memes and jokes even though I read the books in the original version. Also there's my lack of general knowledge.

Spoiler: More Locked Tomb discussion (Read the books, they are great!)

Show

Your analysis is appreciated, thank you
To the extent that I actually examined this aspect of his character, I just thought he didn't actually care about who would understand his jokes, or kept purposely referencing tidbits from the past in fear of forgetting it all. It's been mentioned, after all, that the human brain and mind aren't totally up to snuff for millennias of continuous use. And straight-up not caring enough to filter/adapt his discourse to his interlocutor is also typical of John as I understood Him.

Most of his "dad jokes" are references to memes and Tumblr culture. I don't know how many of them have filtered through to France, but I'd be interested to hear which ones stuck out to you! If you're curious, here's a pretty exhaustive list of all the references in Harrow the Ninth -- everything from highbrow Shakespeare quotes to the None Pizza, Left Beef joke.

The Locked Tomb's approach to pop culture references is so interesting to me. I love how many "meme" references there are, sprinkled amongst the "respectable" references like Shakespeare, Hans Christen Anderson, etc. Granted, some of them can be jarring, but I think the mishmash kind of fits the tone of the series. I laughed audibly at the name reveal at the end of HtN: Awake Remembrance of These Valiant Dead Kia Hua Ko Te Pai Snap Back to Reality Oops There Goes Gravity -- which is just such a perfect example of that "mishmash" of tones. A reference to Shakespeare, New Zealand, and Eminem all in one!

Spoiler

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You definitely picked up on John's overall demeanor and outlook! My thoughts here are mostly just "what if"s: for example, I can't prove that he's purposefully doing references he knows don't exist anymore. It's extremely possible he's forgot, as you've said.

I just like musing about John's headspace a lot, because I find him so compelling -- specifically because he's got this intense, all-consuming bitterness mixed in with what seems like bottomless tiredness. He's just a sad, angry, spiteful, smug bastard in a world that left him behind long ago. He's been playacting with (altered versions of) his old friends for millennia instead of actually doing anything. I've never seen another character that blends spite and apathy in such an interesting way.

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In completely separate news: I made sawhorses the other day! They were very easy to make, much cheaper than expected, and extremely satisfying. Now that we have a whole house to work with, I'm eager to get started on a few projects.

However, it was a mistake to research "build workbench" on YouTube: I fell down a rabbit hole of carpentry videos and came out the other end absolutely convinced that I need to build a woodworking shed, quit my job, and restore furniture for a living!

[Coppercloud]

Spoiler: Still discussing Tasmin Muir's The Locked Tomb series

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Most of his "dad jokes" are references to memes and Tumblr culture. I don't know how many of them have filtered through to France, but I'd be interested to hear which ones stuck out to you! If you're curious, here's a pretty exhaustive list of all the references in Harrow the Ninth -- everything from highbrow Shakespeare quotes to the None Pizza, Left Beef joke.

Thank you for the link - I'll try to make a list, or at least a tally, of the references I had understood versus those I only discover or understand thanks to the doc. Off the top of my head, I read about the None Pizza, Left Beef in a book review afterwards and searched about it on Knowyourmeme - while reading the novel it was completely lost on me and actually sounded pretty badass: "So I’m shut in here — walled in, really — to prevent the Nine Houses becoming none houses, with left grief."

A reference to Shakespeare, New Zealand, and Eminem all in one!

Similarly, I got this one just the other day from the wiki; the mismatch of styles was funny in itself but this time I was at least aware that there was something I was missing.

You definitely picked up on John's overall demeanor and outlook! My thoughts here are mostly just "what if"s: for example, I can't prove that he's purposefully doing references he knows don't exist anymore. It's extremely possible he's forgot, as you've said.

I just like musing about John's headspace a lot, because I find him so compelling -- specifically because he's got this intense, all-consuming bitterness mixed in with what seems like bottomless tiredness. He's just a sad, angry, spiteful, smug bastard in a world that left him behind long ago. He's been playacting with (altered versions of) his old friends for millennia instead of actually doing anything.

He's such a weird character. I spent the whole of Harrow and most of Nona not knowing how to feel about John; he's so... aloof and sometimes clueless that I couldn't really fear or hate him. Only after the revelation of what he had done a myriad ago did both feelings resurface. Not that it was a huge surprise, but learning the pointlessness of it all was kind of a shock.

I've never seen another character that blends spite and apathy in such an interesting way.

Which makes me chuckle when reading Ianthe being absolutely done with him after six months in his company

In completely separate news: I made sawhorses the other day! They were very easy to make, much cheaper than expected, and extremely satisfying. Now that we have a whole house to work with, I'm eager to get started on a few projects.
However, it was a mistake to research "build workbench" on YouTube: I fell down a rabbit hole of carpentry videos and came out the other end absolutely convinced that I need to build a woodworking shed, quit my job, and restore furniture for a living!

Congratulations! But I'm confused now.
Why was it a mistake?

[Ionathus]

Congratulations! But I'm confused now.
Why was it a mistake?

Haha thank you! It was only a mistake in the sense that I now have very, very lofty ambitions for complicated woodworking/furniture projects, and my available workspace is “half an unfinished basement” and my woodworking skills are “has now built two sawhorses”

[BisectedBrioche]

Well, my first ever YT short (on the channel I use for my stream VODs) seems to have "done the numbers" (2,300 views and 83% likes), which is impressive considering it's just a slightly panning shot of my purple tiefling makeup (link to it, for the sake of my vanity).

I figured there must be something in the back end of YT that boosts first videos or something, but my other streamer friends reported otherwise, so I guess I was just lucky(?).

[LaZodiac]

Well, my first ever YT short (on the channel I use for my stream VODs) seems to have "done the numbers" (2,300 views and 83% likes), which is impressive considering it's just a slightly panning shot of my purple tiefling makeup (link to it, for the sake of my vanity).

I figured there must be something in the back end of YT that boosts first videos or something, but my other streamer friends reported otherwise, so I guess I was just lucky(?).

I mean on the one hand, you're already a pretty substantially popular person by all accounts that I'm aware of. Then also consider the subject matter... it makes sense this might blow up.

Relatedly, I've started streaming Princess Peach Showtime!, which is quite a bit of fun.

[Rater202]

Well, my first ever YT short (on the channel I use for my stream VODs) seems to have "done the numbers" (2,300 views and 83% likes), which is impressive considering it's just a slightly panning shot of my purple tiefling makeup (link to it, for the sake of my vanity).

I figured there must be something in the back end of YT that boosts first videos or something, but my other streamer friends reported otherwise, so I guess I was just lucky(?).

Mi amiga, I say this with love: I can think of plenty of reasons why a pretty lady in demon-girl cosplay would get a decent amount of attention.

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Edit

Me: Writes character drinking coffee to self-medicate ADHD.

Live Stream with writers and actors from orignal show: Says that character likes to drink coffee because the caffeine helps them with their ADHD.

Also Me: Unreasonbly satisfied by the vindication.

...Granted, in my fanfic, she's drinking coffin varnish rather than something more palatable. I doubt she's canonically drinking stuff that's super bitter and super strong.

[Coppercloud]

Haha thank you! It was only a mistake in the sense that I now have very, very lofty ambitions for complicated woodworking/furniture projects, and my available workspace is “half an unfinished basement” and my woodworking skills are “has now built two sawhorses”

The Dark Side of woodworking calls to you...

Spoiler: Still discussing memes from a science-fantasy novel featuring a foul-mouthed protagonist, an aloof god and a huge pile of trauma (i.e. the deuteragonist)

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Most of his "dad jokes" are references to memes and Tumblr culture. I don't know how many of them have filtered through to France, but I'd be interested to hear which ones stuck out to you! If you're curious, here's a pretty exhaustive list of all the references in Harrow the Ninth -- everything from highbrow Shakespeare quotes to the None Pizza, Left Beef joke.

Thank you for the link - I'll try to make a list, or at least a tally, of the references I had understood versus those I only discover or understand thanks to the doc.

It pains me to admit this, but I knew piss-all.

References I understood: the first two memes; I should have spotted the Little Mermaid quote but didn't; I got the Leibniz/Voltaire reference though; and I, too, would read any of the Alternate Universe fics from chapters 40-42.
References I missed: everything I didn't mention.
Note: I initially thought there was a detail I was missing there, but it turned out it wasn't due to the language barrier or a lack of cultural knowledge but rather about a yet-unrevealed plot point. When Aiglamene references "Ortus the First": "Just believe me when I say that when I want Ortus to go, he’ll be giddy-gone.” (This did not make much sense to you, as a joke.)" It takes dedication to write a pun that is only understandable on the second reading of the novel.

[TaiLiu]

Oh, Azata is wonderful, partially because real oddball PCs fit right at home in it but it is following an internal logic much more than Trickster. I was going to take an Aasimar Sword Saint through it but I've restarted as a Damphir Rogue (Knife Master) with Blood Drinker, and might restart or respec to change deity to Desna.

Cool! My favorite part of Azata is what you get to do at the Fleshmarkets.

The job intrigues me but the restrictions stink.

Spoiler

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Are you applying to become an astronaut? :O

[Peelee]

Are you applying to become an astronaut? :O

Nah, I just think I'm funny. I cropped the job title and those specific requirements because I was amused that, because USAJobs is completely standardized, the job of "we put you on a space station for six months or more, and you literally travel across the entire globe 17 times every hour" had to put no telework, no remote work, and extensive travel in the requirements.

ETA: to completely dissect the frog, the ISS travels about 250mi/400km above the earth, making its circumference 26,440mi/42,600km, at 16 (not 17, i misremembered) orbits a day makes 423,040mi/681,600km per day. So the job requires you to "travel" seventy-six million miles/one hundred and twenty-two million kilometers over a standard six month assignment. Not counting the trips to the launch site, from earth to the station, from the station back to earth, and from the landing site to the space center, because those aren't even enough to be rounding errors here.

"Extensive travel" indeed.

[BisectedBrioche]

I mean on the one hand, you're already a pretty substantially popular person by all accounts that I'm aware of. Then also consider the subject matter... it makes sense this might blow up.

Relatedly, I've started streaming Princess Peach Showtime!, which is quite a bit of fun.

I mean, on YT, my VODs rarely exceed double digits in views, and get a like/dislike maybe once a month, and my streams tend to average between 6-8 views (low teens on a good day). This is an absurd amount of views for me (the last "blow up" was 100 views on a random Metroid Prime video, and that got maybe 3 likes out of it)

Mi amiga, I say this with love: I can think of plenty of reasons why a pretty lady in demon-girl cosplay would get a decent amount of attention.

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I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the actual cosplay, have been putting a tonne of effort into it, and I'm glad people find it interesting. I'm just shocked it was able to carry like 9 seconds of silent video with a shaky front cam.