Tricky line to walk when you're bring up concerns that would affect the organizations in game, but let's try to keep politics mostly in The Non Gaming Discussion area thread made for that if need be.

22 minutes ago, Cancer said:

I've got a fantasy tetrology that's been smoldering in my imagination for over 30 years.  The first book is written, was typed in long ago, but after hard drive & media failures it exists only in paper now (and I'll probably resort to OCR to get it back into electronic format).  Second book has about half of it in handscrawled form.  Only broad outlines and a few scenes exist in the last two books.  That includes the finale, which my wife considers anticlimactic and doesn't like.

 

My (fiction) creative style is problematic.  I get grand plot arc concept fairly early on.  After that I tend to think in scenes, and the scenes may be difficult to mesh together into an integrated story.  And my writing ... well ... as I have said before, at some point someone will send me an email asking if I know how to write a short email, and my response will be 3000 words and boil down to "no".

I feel you on the 'now how to connect all this' stuff. It's the 'middle' that often messes me up

3 minutes ago, Logan D. Hurricanes said:

 

I haven't heard of this one but reading up on it this sounds familiar.

 

So, you are torturing a 'cutie'? Didn't know you had it in you. 

Well, by my standards. I'm not doing a Sansa Stark level thing

She or one of her school mates could die though.

Probably..

maybe.

Okay I'm not always good at the grim consequences

I got lucky to get into a groove, and I fully confess I had something of a rough outline ready to go. It worked out nicely.

As I mentioned in the other thread, my story this year is fantasy genre . It's basic theme is "A Rich Wizard's War, and a Poor Wizard's Fight" where aristocrats have for generations kept magic solely among their own, but when a foe threatens the border that can only be hurt by magical energies, they graciously open the school to teach a few commoners the very basics of 'blasting' so the peasants offspring can die instead of aristocrats' kids.

Our prospective students are:

A farmboy (how original) who came from a dirt poor family, and whose family is, to use the modern take on the word 'toxic' as hell. He's done. Just done with them. At least if he somehow survives, his life will be better. If he dies in war, well, he was likely to be drafted as a standard yeoman anyway wasn't he?

A Rich Merchant's daughter, who has always been treated as a princess by her loving and well to do traveling parents. She soon learn that being treated like a princess doesn't give you the protections of true aristocrats, and her family can't save her from being seized. I fear I've done a bit of the trope 'break the cutie' on this one. She hates this, and would run back to her family if she could. She may come out a bit ruthless out of necessity by the end of it, if she survives. It's war, any of them might die.

Another girl, more tomboyish, who is with her mother. She doesn't know who her father is, but has lived in poverty too. Her mother has a strong distrust of the well to dos,  but clearly has a past with them. She sees this as a chance for her daughter to improve her lot and get knowledge that even the aristocrats can't take back once she gets it. The Daughter has been raised to stay calm, and never let her passions override her sense.

Then there is the patriot. Good family, good life, by peasant standards. But his country calls, so he answers. He's the one who trusts the system, perhaps naively so, but he has a pure heart yadda yadda. His sense of justice will be tested.

Lastly, there's the thief, who got caught...who rather than end up in a deep hole for decades, or losing a hand, gives the testing a try as an out. Only to find out while it saved him from being punished, he's now on the fast track to get killed for rich people! Like our merchant daughter, he's working on a way out. Easier said than done.

I have a couple of adults, including the only survivor of a group of battle wizards who lost an arm, was helping to recruit the next generation, only to get DRAFTED himself... as a teacher. He may grow more and more to think he was wrong to push for this policy.

I changed the title of the old NANOWRIMO thread and resurrected it if folks want

Oh, and I put this up because apparently I'm not the only one who gave it another go this year

I did much better this year for completion and speed. I have a vacation of sorts for thankgiving weekend and wanted to get it done and with a bit of help, hit my 50000. It's a mess, but it's there.

The actual story still needs to be finished, then maybe salvaged in a new draft etc.

8 hours ago, csyphrett said:

You're doing the Nano too, Hermit?

CES 

Yup. I hit my 50000 yesterday after doing things to English grammar and spelling that are probably linguistic war crimes. It was a record on speed as normally I cut it much closer. Story is not two thirds done, perhaps not even half. I hope to finish it, clean it up etc.

I might go into more details but for that I think I'd dust off the old NANOWRIMO thread

6 hours ago, DShomshak said:

Sounds good. And speaking of one bit you brought up... I am so tired of "Chosen Ones." I prefer my heroes to be fighting the good fight because somebody has to, not because it's their Destiny.

 

I crystallized this view several years ago while watching the Shannara TV series that aired (only one season AFAIK) on MTV. Okay, not a fan of The Sword of Shannara and never felt any reason to read the sequels, but somebody was trying to do Fantasy on TV so I watched it. And I got really irritated by Alanon the druid telling the young hero that it's his Destiny to fight the demon horde and save the world, because he's descended from the last great hero and so is the only person who can activate the power of the Elfstones, yadda yadda yadda.

 

Especially when the material was there for a different approach. Untested Young Hero doesn't want to save the world; he wants to be a doctor, because his mother suffered so much in her final illness. I think the line should have been: "You're probably not the only descendant of Shannara. If I tried, I could probably find a dozen others. But you responded to suffering and grief by wanting to help others. That's special. Other people could use the magic pebbles. You're the one who should use them."

 

Dean Shomshak

Out of the Shannara series, The Elf stones was actually my favorite book. Still a 'get that Tolkein money' vibe but enjoyable The TV adaptation was such a wince for me, and I'm a guy who likes parts of Rings of Power (Which should tell some of you what a heathen I can be about purity). I cut the book a lot of slack as at the time it came out, the chosen one seemed to not have lost it's freshness but again I can be a soft touch. But that excuse doesn't fly as well now adays yeah. Overdone and more than that, it oddly takes away agency from our would be hero and can make him or her less heroic. Others might disagree.

Which is hypocritical of me I know as my NANOWRIMO this month is about commoners being gathered to study magic in a land where it was previously aristocrats only, and in fact, the youth are conscripted as war is coming and magic is needed. So their agency is pretty minimal too.

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking  surprised me as a YA novel that took a moment to not just take a poke at the trope of chosen ones, lots of folks take some pokes, but to do it in a way that was entirely sensible and in character. I understand the urge to kill a sacred cow, or mock the emporer with no clothes, but when you have it make sense in story for a character as part of her development? All the better. Mona actually gets ANGRY at the adults who are supposed to be running things. She doesn't become a jerk about it, and does what needs to be done , but her ire is justified.

In fairness, I do like some Chosen One stuff to this day, but it's more a 'despite the' use and almost never because.

*General 'Project Patton Replica' Waves his nanotech swagger stick*

"What if Primus was never formed? Well, son, I'll tell you what would have happened.  America would no longer be that bastion of freedom loved and adored by all right thinking people on this small blue marble we call Earth, NO sir! You weren't there during the Gweenie invasion of the 80s! You think the heroes just HAPPENED onto those deadly aliens? NO, it was PRIMUS that gave them the intell they needed to defeat those hideous space creatures! You think HEROES are the ones putting in the hours to track down whatever island that Nazi bastard Destroyer is setting up as a base this week... what's that? UNTIL? FFFT.. who do you think inspired UNTIL? PRIMUS! That's who! Just like we inspired the French revolutionaries with the far more manly American one! GOD I LOVE AMERICA, and PRIMUS protects AMERICA! Let me tell you something, Son! If not for PRIMUS, America would be a at best a divided slathering mess of regional super powered warlords! Each with their own tyrannical regimes promoting godlessness, and likely dictatorial Communism! You ever have to take dictation from a Commie supervillain? It's the worst! Most of them drink tea. Why tea? Because they're the sort who love a clean harbor more than they love freedom! The bastages! Created Supervillains? BAH! We create more superheroes than we ever did villains! WHat do you think the Silver Avenger program counts as! Oh, and about that registration! We've got folks wanting to protest how we keep that registry who can't remember where they left their car keys, and think 'ihatemyjob' is a good password. They're sure as hell not going to be able to track down the right hero for the right job with a google search! Don't do a search engine on 'stretching services' when you want a metamorph who can go through a narrow tunnel of a VIPER nest so he can access the open gate switch from the nest leader's mistress' powder room! Just don't. You want to know where that stretchy do gooder is for the right call? You ask PRIMUS! And if that stretcher is a real American, by gum, you ask him to stretch, and he'll say 'how far?' Why? because heroes respect PRIMUS... they may grumble and grouse, but in the end, they want us up on that forcewall! Filling out that paperwork so they don't have to. What if Primus never formed? Well then, we might as well start playing soccer and listen to that italian yodeling they call opera to entertain our Mutant Overlords! But PRIMUS did form, and that's why you live in a free America! Or Free enough for government work! Now someone get me a cup of coffee heated by a uranium rod. I've gotten a taste for the blend!!"

Benedict Donald is running again. Dammit.

I don't think this is the best news the democrats can get. I really don't. This guy is poison and yet still has far too large a chunk of the American population following him like cultists. Only this time he's got 'his people' planted deeper than before, and the Supreme Court has at least one judge whose wife is so deep into supporting the Jan 6 riots its scary.  Every time in 2016, folks were like 'oh now Trump goes down' or 'Trump will never win the primaries... and every time, he didn't. And he won the primary, and the democrats patted themselves on the back because how could ANYONE vote for this clown.

And they did vote for him. And the Electoral College got him the win. I know Desantis is smarter than Trump. It's not about smart. It's about worship of a man who is the golden calf incarnate. Everytime the liberals assume Trump is done, they end up paying a price and Trump is still untouched. He lost the presidency, and we thought 'thank god that's over' only for Jan 6 sedition to start up over the great lie, people died, and hey.. .Trump's still free from bars for his sedition, and 61% of registered Republicans still believe the votes were rigged or 'may have been'. They're not going to change their mind in 2 years. And Trump will use his run in 2024 to say any legal action brought against him is just a political stunt.

And now he's running again, and so many voices are clapping with glee like 'oh well, stick a fork in him , he's done THIS time'

I am so tired of watching that mindset bite us in the ass.

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, is a young adult novel I took a listen to. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Easy read with some pithy word play and tongue in cheek narration, about a 14 year old girl who is a wizard! She can work wonders.. with bread. Yeah, that's the limit of her magic and she's okay with that.  It's when she gets up early to light up the ovens at her Aunt's bakery and finds a corpse when her story begins. There's an assassin killing wizards in the city. Wizard much more potent than her! Of course, there's a reason for it all and she , with help from a young thief, finds out. One thing I like is she's not saving the world, just a city... and she is fully aware she's the wrong person for that, thanks! Indeed, the book actually address how utterly screwed up things must be, and how many mistakes by adults had to be made, for her to be in this situation. Mona (our baking wizard) isn't a chosen one, she's one girl stepping up (largely out of necessity) who never should have had to. Seems pretty self contained. I don't know if it will get a sequel but she is warned that heroism is habit forming.

We didn't do it.

If we did do it, you made us do it.

If you didn't make us do it, you were asking for it anyway

and the ever popular, by pointing out we did it, you're the jerky mcjerk face!

18 minutes ago, Pattern Ghost said:

 

How did I not see this before I posted the same thing?

🤦‍♂️

I missed it the first time too. Sorry, Cygnia!

2 hours ago, Cygnia said:

It gets worse, Hermit...

 

US official: Russian missiles crossed into Poland, killing 2

Worse is the right word.

I am not eager to start WW3, but complete inaction or lack of response sounds like a mistake too. I think the best bet is for NATO to close the air space  over the Urkaine and use this as justification to do it then hope Russia gets 'the hint'.

But I am not a tactician, a politician, or an expert on global politics.

18 minutes ago, Pattern Ghost said:

Oh *bleep*:

 

Russian missiles cross into Poland during strike on Ukraine

 

2 dead in Poland.

Holy SNOT

Of all the countries, the Ruskies landed missiles in Poland, which has been Ukraine's biggest advocate (And warning folks about Russia and Putin while other countries were like 'but we can change him').

26 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

Recent MCU Hulk and Thor depictions are the biggest and most painful departures for me. Big green mellowed-out Bruce Banner, and Thor as a dumb himbo, just grate on me. Conceptually they aren't bad characters, they just have almost nothing of what made Thor and Hulk memorable.

IMO MCU Thor is pretty much Modern Comics Hercules. Ironic given the end credits scene for Love and Thunder

Meanwhile.. over in Ukraine...

https://www.npr.org/2022/11/15/1136768133/kyiv-ukraine-missiles-russia

Zelensky addressed the G20 as the G19, then mixed in a sprinkle of what I believe means  'We warned you guys this would happen'

I think Captain America for the movie was influenced by the Ultimate line of comics ability wise, but with the 616 personality (Thank God)

"Everyone is handed adversity in life. No one's journey is easy. It's how they handle it that makes people unique.'- Kevin Conroy

1 hour ago, Logan D. Hurricanes said:

Batman is dead

 

 

 

Mister, I believed you then, I believe you now. RIP

Clearly Foxbat wanted to supply his own Burger Franchise

32 minutes ago, Lord Liaden said:

I can't comment on Batman movies. I never liked the character or the whole "dark superhero" subgenre. I prefer heroes in the light to those in the shadows; who inspire hope rather than fear.

That's one of the reasons I prefer Nightwing to Batman 9 out of 10 times.  But now and then, a writer portrays Batman as very self aware that he is NOT what the world needs in the long run. That there should be hope, even if that's the one thing he's not good at.

Example scene

Depending on the writer, of course, Batman can be seen as a good father figure who wants his kids not to just be better superheroes than he is, but better people.

But that's not an angle I've seen in the live action movies much

I hope you guys are right and DC has embraced the trend of 'these are superheroes/villains, and we're not going to apologize for letting them be who they are.'

I'm watching the results become official in Tennessee. It's depressing. The local GOP being in power redistricted Nashville killing the power of one of the only formerly blue areas. Our idiot governor, the guy who is anti education and anti weed alike crushed his foe and won re election easily.

'Right to work' is now to be enshrined into our State Constitution (really more right to fire) which many believe will be used to kill collective bargaining.

A previous ban on religious leaders holding public office has been lifted... and on one hand I'm okay with that even if I dread some 'Prosperity gospel' flim flam artist jumping up with joy at this, but the problem is, it is STILL illegal for an openly avowed atheist to hold public office in TN. Now, I am not an Atheist. But if we're going to allow Pastors, Reverends, etc to run for Office, then we really should have put in that amendment that atheists could also run without having to be in a closet.

We have amended our State constitution to add the words "Slavery and involuntary servitude are forever prohibited. Nothing in this section shall prohibit an inmate from working when the inmate has been duly convicted of a crime"  Long overdue,  But it's also pretty clear that any felons can still be treated as a free work force by for profit prisons and the like if I read that right. Still, I voted yes for the change. Gotta start somewhere. So hey, a win.

And there was another one about the transition of power in case of the removal , death, or whatever of a state governor that passed. In this state I wouldn't be surprised if it was used for a coup on our next Democratic governor if we ever get one again

Except for Memphis area, pretty much the whole state is red in results. DEEP Red, and a very pale red in the Nashville Davidson County area. I'm not sure the Democratic Party threw any money at all at our state, probably seeing it as a lost cause and I can't blame them.  The ones I feel sorry for are the blue leaning younger Millennials and Gen Z that stood up to vote only and probably feel it was for nothing. I tell myself, and I hope they see it too, that the very fact our state legislature is constantly and desperately finding ways to Gerrymander, obstruct and obscure is proof that the vote does mean something. That the GOP here IS watching that 33% of folks who are sick of them and voting against them growing. If the younger folk don't fall for the brain washing (They really hate teachers here who teach.. oh history) and they can hold on, they may just see a state government that represents them one day.

The cynic in me wonders if it will be in MY life time.