[X][The Truth] "I don't freakin know! I've done things that were, in hindsight, probably a bad idea to ensure my own safety and that of my loved ones, even if it never actually hurt anybody. I guess it's a matter of not doing things I don't think anyone else would be justified in doing and keeping in mind that being able to open rifts in the fabric of space-time isn't a bad thing as long as I don't actually do it. Also, being just selfish enough that I bend morally instead of snapping. You don't have to be a great person as long as you try to avoid being a bad person and not being a bad person is a lot easier."
-[X][The Truth] continue rambling "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreak havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation."
--[X][The Truth] continue rambling "In the end, I acknowledge my weakness, my flaws, my failings, and try my best little by little to be better than yesterday. Sometimes that's asking for help from my Dad, sometimes that's remembering what I did wrong last time and avoiding it the next time, and sometimes I fail. But as long as I don't give up I won't fall off that ledge. Plus I can completely control my magic and can destroy or dismiss it if things go wrong. Which admittedly is a pretty good way to contain whatever I do. " Mutter to yourself "Probably should have some containment procedures if that ever fails."
--[X][The Truth] "A-anyways! Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Copied because i like it
[X][The Truth] Describe a moralistic and humanist view
-[X][The Truth] deinspanjer's long winded exposition
"I have been struggling with a lot of the same questions and struggles you have. They aren't fun. They stress me out too! But one of the big things I've come to realize while working with my power is that there are very few things that are truly binary ... black and white.
"My power is all about combining my energy with something ... anything. The wild part is, the possibilities are endless! If I change the order in which I combine things, or if I combine the same thing multiple times, I get different results! Sometimes they are evolutionary, but sometimes they feel completely revolutionary. Argh, I know it seems like I'm going off on a tangent, but ...
"The choices we make in life are rarely ever simply good or evil. It depends on the context and on the choices that led up to and follow it.
"I read some stuff from a humanist author a while back, and while I didn't agree with all of it, there was one part that really stuck with me. If you can clearly imagine how you would feel after making a particular choice, imagine how the people you care about would feel about it, imagine how their children's children's children would feel about it ... then you can almost always figure out whether it is the right choice or not.
"If your actions help humanity, if they wouldn't make those distant descendants of humanity cry when they read about how horrible or pitiful or sad your choice was, then you know you are on the right track. It may take a long time to get the chain of choices 'right'. You might end up with a bunch of dead-ends or even results that you look at and shudder before locking them into a notebook or vault never to be seen again, but you learn from them regardless.
"Now obviously, you have to think ahead and plan carefully. Don't do something that you can't safely recover from. But if you go into it with a clear head and you effectively *communicate* with the right people about what you are doing and why, then I think you can find a path forward. My dad has been a life saver to me in that regard."
Hey Shadestyle... if you want to declare that a long, messy write-in wins followed by declaring a second vote, that could clear things up. For example:
"[Insert Description] vote wins! Taylor would agree with this whole post, but she's only had a short few minutes to put her thoughts into words. So let's choose the core of the argument."
[] Option One. Taylor focuses on X, uses an example from her background to get across Y, and gives Amy a paperback book covering Z (while emphasizing how the book has proven itself as a good starting point repeatedly since getting powers).
[] Option Two. Taylor focuses on Y, uses an example from her background to get across Z, and gives Amy a paperback book covering X (while emphasizing how the book has proven itself as a good starting point repeatedly since getting powers).
[] Option Three. Taylor focuses on Z, uses an example from her background to get across X, and gives Amy a paperback book covering Y (while emphasizing how the book has proven itself as a good starting point repeatedly since getting powers).
we already have a few effects that do things related to stealth, so we should be able to put that together. Not quite notice-me-not but we do have two Arcane intonations, we really should add the Chameleon Mutation to our cloak, and we have memory-affecting manas that should make one that deletes the memory of us straightforward to make.
[X][The Truth] i just...dont? I mean most people , when given a gun, wont shoot people. Thats why we allow people to have guns. Of course the gangs have guns and shoot people with them. But just because you have a gun that doesnt make you evil. We dont think about it, but everyone with a car could kill dozens of people if they wanted. Or a adult with a
knife can simply become a serialkiller.
Its just...power.
Power is the ability to change things. We chose to change things for the better. It doesnt automatically make you evil. Think about the presidents of the strongest countrys. They had the ability to destroy humanity for decades before sciion got rid of it. And they didnt do it.
You are making it a problem it doesnt have to be. By making it this big deal and living your life in fear of it, you are just making it more likely to happen. You are standing at a cliff and keep thinking dont jump, dont jump. You should be thinking, wow, what a view!
[X][The Truth] There can't be an "evil" way in how you use your power, only in how it affects other people. As long as you keep experimentation contained and thoroughly clean up anything potentially dangerous and/or difficult to control, you'll be golden.
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
[X][The Truth] i just...dont? I mean most people , when given a gun, wont shoot people. Thats why we allow people to have guns. Of course the gangs have guns and shoot people with them. But just because you have a gun that doesnt make you evil. We dont think about it, but everyone with a car could kill dozens of people if they wanted. Or a adult with a
knife can simply become a serialkiller.
Its just...power.
Power is the ability to change things. We chose to change things for the better. It doesnt automatically make you evil. Think about the presidents of the strongest countrys. They had the ability to destroy humanity for decades before sciion got rid of it. And they didnt do it.
You are making it a problem it doesnt have to be. By making it this big deal and living your life in fear of it, you are just making it more likely to happen. You are standing at a cliff and keep thinking dont jump, dont jump. You should be thinking, wow, what a view!
Hey, I had an idea what if every month we had something like an "[][Focus]" vote, maybe each month, that doesn't actual correspond to any action or decision Taylor or any other character makes, but instead acts as a guiding question to help us players focus and coordinate where we collectively decide what we should focus on with tests and projects.
Example things the focus could be might be "stealth", "transportation/vehicle", "laboratory space", "money", "combat power", "healing golem", etc. "None" would also be a valid vote that just makes this system not be used during that period.
This would let us build much more complex things consisting of many smaller mana test and project actions, where trying to do that without it I worry might lead to starting a billion projects that never go anywhere, or everyone suggesting different projects and fighting over which one to go with instead of contributing details.
(It would also mean at least I and probably others can put more effort into writing stuff like higher quality Arcane intonations, detailed descriptions, illustrations, etc. with less worry that the effort is wasted because nobody would support the project. )
(It could probably also influence what Taylor is passively attentive towards and has in the back of her mind, but that isn't really the main purpose.)
(it could also possibly maybe in prioritizing what order mana tests are made in, IF there are a lot of them, while not affecting how many each player gets done, but this part I'm less certain of and isn't needed for the core idea)
Please comment on this, since this kind of thing is probably more likely to actually be noticed and considered by Shade if there seems to be popular interest.
Yea, basically. It's a coordination mechanism to synchronize the efforts we are already putting in, and make I-know-you-know into proper Common Knowledge about our own collective preferences.
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
I agree with the [Focus] thing. Sounds like a great idea long term. Also the sword was a good first attempt, but damn does Taylor need to work on smithing skills. Casting iron is pretty bad (as opposed to forging it) not to mention she didn't heat treat it or temper it at all. Its 100% gonna shatter the first time some body hits it. Still it gives me a lot of good ideas.
speaking of "there is information out there" that reminds me of another idea for the future: : given how powerful this thinker memory is... what if we put an offline copy of wikipedia on a hard drive, power that hard drive with brain and/or eldrich relay 'Zap' mana, and copy all the information around so it's processes and passes through the mana?
speaking of "there is information out there" that reminds me of another idea for the future: : given how powerful this thinker memory is... what if we put an offline copy of wikipedia on a hard drive, power that hard drive with brain and/or eldrich relay 'Zap' mana, and copy all the information around so it's processes and passes through the mana?
I forsee some unusual upsides and downsides to that. If things went perfectly, she would probably end up with eidetic memory of the data involved, but would still need to spend a bunch of time mentally wiki-walking to actually extract any information. And even then, web formatting would take time for her to learn to mentally translate into useful knowledge.
Thankfully it is fairly easy to parse HTML, especially Wikipedia pages(you are only looking for the text). There may be issues with trying to reconstruct the links between each article(you would have to look for the relevant HTML snippets and remember them but eidetic memory can do a lot if one has sufficient motivation) but otherwise it should be fairly easy.
If she is simply remembering the web page themselves(eg not working with raw HTML), things do get easier(formatting is already done).
Thankfully it is fairly easy to parse HTML, especially Wikipedia pages(you are only looking for the text). There may be issues with trying to reconstruct the links between each article(you would have to look for the relevant HTML snippets and remember them but eidetic memory can do a lot if one has sufficient motivation) but otherwise it should be fairly easy.
If she is simply remembering the web page themselves(eg not working with raw HTML), things do get easier(formatting is already done).
Yea, it's "having a thought control browser that renders into her minds eye so it doesn't even obscure vision"-equivalent, not "having actually read, understood, and memorized the contents"-equivalent.
Adhoc vote count started by Shadestyle on Feb 17, 2021 at 4:58 AM, finished with 22 posts and 16 votes.
[thetruth]
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
-[X][The Truth] "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreak havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation. I'm rambling aren't I?"
--[X][The Truth] "But in the end, I don't think it's wrong to wonder or think about bad things. Actions and thoughts are two different things, it's alright to have thoughts as long as you master yourself. Sometimes you also have to decide what is right for you and what you can live with. Not what others may think, not what others may want, or feel. My rule of thumb is, as long as I don't hurt anyone, hurt myself, or my future I think it is fine."
[X][The Truth] "I don't freakin know! I've done things that were, in hindsight, probably a bad idea to ensure my own safety and that of my loved ones, even if it never actually hurt anybody. I guess it's a matter of not doing things I don't think anyone else would be justified in doing and keeping in mind that being able to open rifts in the fabric of space-time isn't a bad thing as long as I don't actually do it. Also, being just selfish enough that I bend morally instead of snapping. You don't have to be a great person as long as you try to avoid being a bad person and not being a bad person is a lot easier."
-[X][The Truth] continue rambling "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreak havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation."
--[X][The Truth] continue rambling "In the end, I acknowledge my weakness, my flaws, my failings, and try my best little by little to be better than yesterday. Sometimes that's asking for help from my Dad, sometimes that's remembering what I did wrong last time and avoiding it the next time, and sometimes I fail. But as long as I don't give up I won't fall off that ledge. Plus I can completely control my magic and can destroy or dismiss it if things go wrong. Which admittedly is a pretty good way to contain whatever I do. " Mutter to yourself "Probably should have some containment procedures if that ever fails."
--[X][The Truth] "A-anyways! Do you understand what I'm saying?"
[X][The Truth] "I don't hold back, because this is me, and I trust in myself. Holding myself back just means I don't know what I can achieve and if the consequences are negative, to develop a method to work around that."
[X][The Truth] "I don't freakin know! I've done things that were, in hindsight, probably a bad idea to ensure my own safety and that of my loved ones, even if it never actually hurt anybody. I guess it's a matter of not doing things I don't think anyone else would be justified in doing and keeping in mind that being able to open rifts in the fabric of space time is isn't a bad thing as long as I don't actually do it. Also, being just selfish enough that I bend morally instead of snapping. You don't have to be a great person as long as you try to avoid being a bad person and not being a bad person is a lot easier."
-[X][The Truth] continue rambling "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreck havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation. I'm rambling aren't I?"
[X][The Truth] I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally my powers handles the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment.
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
-[X][The Truth] "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreak havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation. I'm rambling aren't I?"
-[X][The Truth] "But in the end, I don't think it's wrong to wonder or think about bad things. Actions and thoughts are two different things, it's alright to have thoughts as long as you master yourself. Sometimes you also have to decide what is right for you and what you can live with. Not what others may think, not what others may want, or feel. My rule of thumb is, as long as I don't hurt anyone, hurt myself, or my future I think it is fine."
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
[X][The Truth] My power is dangerous and versatile beyond anything I can imagine. Part of the reason I experiment is so that I know better how it works and what I can and can't do, so that I'm not tempted to try something crazy and untested in a situation where I'm not able to be more careful.
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
-[X][The Truth] "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreak havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation. I'm rambling aren't I?"
--[X][The Truth] "But in the end, I don't think it's wrong to wonder or think about bad things. Actions and thoughts are two different things, it's alright to have thoughts as long as you master yourself. Sometimes you also have to decide what is right for you and what you can live with. Not what others may think, not what others may want, or feel. My rule of thumb is, as long as I don't hurt anyone, hurt myself, or my future I think it is fine."
--[X][The Truth] Also, link Amy the Wikipedia page on "intrusive thoughts".
[X][The Truth] There can't be an "evil" way in how you use your power, only in how it affects other people. As long as you keep experimentation contained and thoroughly clean up anything potentially dangerous and/or difficult to control, you'll be golden.
Good luck! I guess you can keep the core arguements of the vote and add in section in response to Panacea's reactions.
I'm wondering how Panacea will react.
Adhoc vote count started by Shadestyle on Feb 17, 2021 at 4:58 AM, finished with 22 posts and 16 votes.
[thetruth]
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
-[X][The Truth] "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreak havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation. I'm rambling aren't I?"
--[X][The Truth] "But in the end, I don't think it's wrong to wonder or think about bad things. Actions and thoughts are two different things, it's alright to have thoughts as long as you master yourself. Sometimes you also have to decide what is right for you and what you can live with. Not what others may think, not what others may want, or feel. My rule of thumb is, as long as I don't hurt anyone, hurt myself, or my future I think it is fine."
[X][The Truth] "I don't freakin know! I've done things that were, in hindsight, probably a bad idea to ensure my own safety and that of my loved ones, even if it never actually hurt anybody. I guess it's a matter of not doing things I don't think anyone else would be justified in doing and keeping in mind that being able to open rifts in the fabric of space-time isn't a bad thing as long as I don't actually do it. Also, being just selfish enough that I bend morally instead of snapping. You don't have to be a great person as long as you try to avoid being a bad person and not being a bad person is a lot easier."
-[X][The Truth] continue rambling "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreak havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation."
--[X][The Truth] continue rambling "In the end, I acknowledge my weakness, my flaws, my failings, and try my best little by little to be better than yesterday. Sometimes that's asking for help from my Dad, sometimes that's remembering what I did wrong last time and avoiding it the next time, and sometimes I fail. But as long as I don't give up I won't fall off that ledge. Plus I can completely control my magic and can destroy or dismiss it if things go wrong. Which admittedly is a pretty good way to contain whatever I do. " Mutter to yourself "Probably should have some containment procedures if that ever fails."
--[X][The Truth] "A-anyways! Do you understand what I'm saying?"
[X][The Truth] "I don't hold back, because this is me, and I trust in myself. Holding myself back just means I don't know what I can achieve and if the consequences are negative, to develop a method to work around that."
[X][The Truth] "I don't freakin know! I've done things that were, in hindsight, probably a bad idea to ensure my own safety and that of my loved ones, even if it never actually hurt anybody. I guess it's a matter of not doing things I don't think anyone else would be justified in doing and keeping in mind that being able to open rifts in the fabric of space time is isn't a bad thing as long as I don't actually do it. Also, being just selfish enough that I bend morally instead of snapping. You don't have to be a great person as long as you try to avoid being a bad person and not being a bad person is a lot easier."
-[X][The Truth] continue rambling "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreck havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation. I'm rambling aren't I?"
[X][The Truth] I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally my powers handles the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment.
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
-[X][The Truth] "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreak havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation. I'm rambling aren't I?"
-[X][The Truth] "But in the end, I don't think it's wrong to wonder or think about bad things. Actions and thoughts are two different things, it's alright to have thoughts as long as you master yourself. Sometimes you also have to decide what is right for you and what you can live with. Not what others may think, not what others may want, or feel. My rule of thumb is, as long as I don't hurt anyone, hurt myself, or my future I think it is fine."
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
[X][The Truth] My power is dangerous and versatile beyond anything I can imagine. Part of the reason I experiment is so that I know better how it works and what I can and can't do, so that I'm not tempted to try something crazy and untested in a situation where I'm not able to be more careful.
[X][The Truth] "I guess in some ways I have it easier than you... Generally, my powers handle the "What if" portion of experiments, so I can learn the basics of what something does without actually setting off a replicating vampire curse, or creating an undead plague, or any of the other dozen horrifying things I've accidentally created. But I know that same urge of wanting to just be able to let loose, to see what I could create if I shoved all my created biological mutagens into a single creature. It's part of the reason I mess with plants so much. They don't feel pain, don't risk becoming sentient like my pigeon, and if I make something horrifying I can just destroy it. Fortunately, most of my creations require a constant source of my energy, so I generally don't have to worry about them replicating... So I guess I keep myself from going too far by finding harmless outlets for my urge to experiment."
-[X][The Truth] "The Medieval Tibetan Sage Milarepa teaches that the healthiest way to avoid great evil is to accept the small evil within yourself. By rejecting those aspects of the self, one leaves them to run rampant the moment they lose control, whereas coming to terms with one's flaws allows one to take them into account and temper them. A caged and starved mountain lion is more likely to wreak havoc set loose in a forest than one that has been for all its life free to roam and feed in moderation. I'm rambling aren't I?"
--[X][The Truth] "But in the end, I don't think it's wrong to wonder or think about bad things. Actions and thoughts are two different things, it's alright to have thoughts as long as you master yourself. Sometimes you also have to decide what is right for you and what you can live with. Not what others may think, not what others may want, or feel. My rule of thumb is, as long as I don't hurt anyone, hurt myself, or my future I think it is fine."
--[X][The Truth] Also, link Amy the Wikipedia page on "intrusive thoughts".
[X][The Truth] There can't be an "evil" way in how you use your power, only in how it affects other people. As long as you keep experimentation contained and thoroughly clean up anything potentially dangerous and/or difficult to control, you'll be golden.
"I guess the truth is... It's easier for me," I begin.
"My power tells me what a given form of mana will do before I really use it in earnest. I don't need to create a plague of undead to know that attuning mana to Bone three times in a row results in a mana that can do that," I offer as an example.
"I don't have to inflict a vampiric curse on someone to know that combining a Bioluminescent Mutagenic Magic with a Blood-Infused Sunlight Flame magic will result in that," I continue.
Amy sags a bit at this, despairing over her own power's limitations.
"But I know the urge you're talking about. That urge to use it all. To see what would happen if I didn't hold back," I insist, remembering that night, so long ago.
I pointed my finger straight at Emma's home, and for a brief moment, I considered ending our conflict for good.
"I've gone too far before. I haven't lived up to the standard you think I have. I've done things when I was frightened that I shouldn't have done at all," I admit.
"With my powers, it's hard not to feel a bit godlike. I can breathe life into flesh, twist it into whatever I want. I can raise the dead, and toy with the souls of others. The elements are in the palm of my hand, and I keep getting stronger and stronger. I keep getting more and more power, and I keep learning more and more magic, each more terrific and terrifying than the last."
"Sure, my creations usually need a constant supply of my magic to keep working, but..."
"If I wanted to, I could be the world's next S-Rank Threat, if I tried hard enough," I shrug.
Amy looks down, disappointed. "So you're no different from the rest. You just haven't done anything bad enough yet."
Her words hurt, but I'm not done.
Shaking my head, I correct her. "It's easy to make mistakes, Amy. It's so easy, but what you're talking about, the sort of monsters that give us a bad name? What they do is hard."
I slap my hands on the table, startling Amy out of her moping. "I refuse to believe that what Bonesaw does is easy. I refuse to believe that Nilbog has done what he did without a lot of hard work and effort. I refuse to think that someone could make one little mistake and end up where they are. If it were as easy as breathing for them to do what they've done, then we're all already dead, and we just don't know it yet," I grit out.
"I once read somewhere that everyone has evil in them, and the more you hold it in, the worse it gets. The more effort you put into trying to keep control, the worse off you'll be when you lose it."
"But I don't just use my powers however I want because I'm afraid of that. I do it because I'm not afraid to make mistakes, and I do the wrong thing sometimes but... I try to fix things. I try to clean up my messes. All I ever wanted to do with my powers was to make my life better."
"That's why I decided to become a Rogue. I wanted to be happy and safe. For my family to be happy and safe. I want enough money so that I don't have to worry about money, and it's selfish, and I'm not pretending it isn't."
"Why is that so wrong? Why should I have to be perfect? Why should you have to be perfect?!" I shout, slamming the table again in frustration.
"It's not wrong! I don't just fight off my urges like they're out to kill me Amy! I just think about what I'm doing before I do it! I think hard about what I want, and try to figure out a good way to get it!"
"I want a sword, so I make one! I want to use my powers, so I use them! I want to make money, so I do it legally! For fuck's sake, I wanted to figure out what happens when reality folds in on itself kicking and screaming, and instead of driving myself crazy trying to pretend I didn't have the power to do it, I bit the bullet and did it anyway!"
I take deep breaths, trying to calm myself as Amy's 'scruples' start to wear on my nerves, the more and more I think about them.
"I'm sorry," I finally say, stepping away from the girl.
"But it's really that simple. You want to know how to keep from going too far, Amy? You want to know how to use your real powers without hurting other people? Without becoming a bad person? Because if you really want to know, I'll tell you the only way I know how," I demand, and she slowly, hesitantly nods, still wary of me after my fit.
I shrug with finality, all the energy of the past few moments starting to drain out of me.
"You find out the hard way," I say with steel in my tone.
The silence stretches out for a long time. Too long.
Eventually, Amy coughs. Then she laughs a bit, and a bit more, until she's helplessly bent over.
"T-that has to be the worst advice," she giggles uncontrollably, "That I've ever gotten."
She shakes her head. "You tell me how your power is what makes it easy for you to avoid making huge mistakes, then you tell me to use my best judgment, because if I don't do a bunch of little bad things, I'm just fucked anyway."
She puts a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't ever do public speaking, alright?" she says with a small smile.
With that, she walks over to the door, turning back to me with one last little comment.
"You gave me a lot to think about. Thank you."
"See you around Sage."
And then she left.
1d20 vs 1d20 = 6, 18
I consider testing a few more things, but the conversation left me wrung out, and tired.
I went to bed, hoping that I got through to Amy.
New Task unlocked! [Business] actions may be taken now to further your standing as a Rogue!
Tasks modified! [Alchemy] actions have now been generalized to [Advanced] Tests! [Mana] actions have now been generalized to [Simple] tests!
[Advanced] Tests can be any test you can imagine, but are not unlimited. They deal with things such as complex magic or Alchemy, and require more than one vote to pass in most cases.
[Simple] Tests include Phonem, Rune, Transmutation, and Attunement tests. Any simple test may be included in an update, but are unaffected by vote quantity. Use them for mere curiosities and easy things to find out.
Second week of June Plans:
[][Taylor] What sort of things will you do as Taylor?
-[][Taylor] Hang out with Greg, instead of merely tolerating his presence.
-[][Taylor] You'll spend your time investigating.
--[][Taylor] Investigate the gang attack on the Barnes family last year. You now know everything that happened. Now it's time to confront Emma and find out why. Why did she do this to you? (Write-In Plan) (Taylor is not yet fully ready for this)
-[][Taylor] Something Else (Write-In)
[][Sage] What will you do as Sage?
-[][Sage] Go out healing with Panacea for the fourth straight week in a row.
-[][Sage] You'll spend your time investigating.
--[][Sage] Investigate the gang attack on the Barnes family last year. You now know everything that happened. Now it's time to start tracking down Shadow Stalker and find out the truth. Why did they do this to you?
-[][Sage] Something Else (Write-In)
[][Business] What will you do in the name of good business this week? (Multiple Options may be taken)
-[][Business] Make contact with an entity publicly in a professional capacity. (Write-in)
-[][Business] Rent a building out for personal use.
--[][Business] Rent a building near the rich part of town. (High Prices, High Safety, High Scrutiny. Bonus to selling Luxury goods)
--[][Business] Rent a building in the cheaper parts of town. (Low Prices, Low Safety, Low Scrutiny. Bonus to selling All goods)
--[][Business] Rent a building in the worst parts of town. (Insignificant Prices, No Safety, No Scrutiny. Backroom Dealings Enabled.)
-[][Business] Fund a venture.
--[][Business] Purchase new materials and supplies (Write-in either a budget or specific things to buy)
--[][Business] Fund a project. (-1000$, A second [Project] action will be done this turn)
--[][Business] Fund experiments. (-100$, three additional [Advanced] Tests are added)
-[][Business] Establish a new way of making money using the means at your disposal
--[][Business] Sell spices door to door.
--[][Business] Try healing for profit.
--[][Business] Write-in.
[][Project] You'll begin a project of some kind.
-[][Project] Your metalworking leaves much to be desired. You will pursue information on things like heat treating, quenching, forging, alloying, and other mundane metallurgical techniques.
-[][Project] Something Else (Write-In)
-[][Project] The hunger to experiment consumes your mind. You'll discard a project this week. (If this vote wins, up to ten Write-in [][Advanced] experiments will be processed this turn instead of one major project.)
[][Advanced] You have (Three) Advanced Tests Remaining. (Write-in)
-[][Advanced] Assemble a suit to test a True Attunement's Set Bonus.
-[][Advanced] Discover additional Cantrips of a particular Set Bonus. (Limit
-[][Advanced] Perform an Alchemical Experiment.
-[][Advanced] Attempt to force magic to do as you wish it.
-[][Advanced] Test the effects of a Spell
-[][Advanced] Test the effects of an arrangement of Runes
-[][Advanced] Something Else
[][Simple] Perform a simple experiment. (Write-In)
-[][Simple] Test a substance's Mana Attunement
-[][Simple] Attempt to string together an Attunement Chain
-[][Simple] Test a piece of equipment's True Attunement
-[][Simple] Test a specific Phonem's effect
-[][Simple] Study a target for Phomens
-[][Simple] Test a specific Rune's effect
-[][Simple] Study a target for Runes
-[][Simple] Test a Transmutation (Choose a Synthesis Mana and a Non-Silicate Target)
-[][Simple] Something Else
Three Research Gained. Fifty Research Spent.
Stats
Research: 10
A good start.
Overall Health: 14
You're as strong as a healthy child. If that child had the power of magic from birth, that is.
Overall Magical Power: 14
You are a skilled Channeler, using raw Willpower and attuned mana to plow your way through problems. You dabble in other magics that both enhance and detract from your raw mana channeling, such as Wizardry, Alchemy, and Runecraft.
Overall Monetary Power: 1
You're a Parahuman-for-profit, just starting out. You have few connections and no source of income. Yet.
Abilities
Magical Soul: C
Rating: Trump ???
Your soul emits magic. The stronger your soul, the more powerful your magic. Your resolve to discover the truth behind your best friend and worst enemy has strengthened your soul.
Magical Body: F
Rating: ???
Your body contains magic, your soul empowering your body without your direct intervention.
Magical Power: B
Rating: Trump ???
You are a parahuman with the power to create this anomalous energy known as "Mana", at will. Once per month, you may boost your Magical Power ranking to A for one scene.
Boosted for One Month.
Composition Detection: S
Rating: Thinker ???
You have a parahuman ability to detect the exact composition of materials. So long as you apply mana to them, that is. Fairly Niche.
Eidetic Memory: S
Rating: Thinker ???
You have a parahuman ability to never forget anything, no matter what it is, so long as it pertains to a mana experiment.
School
Attunement Chain
Shorthand
Type
Effects
Other
Stone
Transmute > Stone > Iron
Defined Iron Transmutation
Transmutation
This mana transforms iron into a hard, hemetite-like stone.
Defined Ore can be smelted and refined into Artificial Thunderbolt Iron and Ironstone Slag.
Thunderbolt Iron is a magical metal that fell from the heavens, and carries the force of a meteorite within its essence.
Ironstone Slag is a form of iron that is brittle and hard.
Stone
Transmute > Stone > Gold
Defined Gold Transmutation
Transmutation
This mana transforms gold into a shimmering golden quartz, with streaks of magical gold embedded in it
Defined Ore has currently unknown properties.
Stone
Transmute > Stone > Silver
Defined Silver Transmutation
Transmutation
This mana transforms silver into a hard, argentite-like stone.
Defined Ore has currently unknown properties.
Brain
Thaum > Eye > Copper > Brain
Memory Absorbtion
Liquid
This mana absorbs memories into itself on contact, creating thoughts of the past.
Beryllium
Arcane > Beryllium
Duel of Ideals
Alchemical Liquid (Miasma)
This mana reveals conflicts within its radius, transforming objects into physical ammassments of conflicting concepts.
WARNING: Extreme Conceptual Risk. Do not make contact with water saturated with this magic. Do not draw mana from water currently saturated with this magic. Do not extract matter from water currently saturated with this magic. Do not extract information from water currently saturated with this magic. Do not extract energy from water currently saturated with this magic.
Protective Magic strongly recommended. Restrictive Magic strongly recommended. Tailored Vessel for use of this magic strongly recommended.
Indium
Arcane > Indium
Disenchant
Alchemical Ray
This mana erases effects of mana it is applied to, and can do so selectively.
Warning: Conceptual Effect. Unrestricted usage presents high risk of unwanted consequences.
Cadmium
Arcane > Cadmium
Dragon's Tithe
Alchemical Ray
This mana transforms concepts it comes in contact with into the concept of dragons.
Long Distance Information Transfer Detected.
Indium
Arcane > Beryllium > Indium
Magical Honor Duel
Alchemical Ray
This mana forces the conflicts within magic to resolve, destroying the concepts that are weaker than the ones they conflict with.
Warning: Conceptual Effect. Unrestricted usage presents high risk of unwanted consequences.
Beryllium
Arcane > Cadmium > Beryllium
Dragon Arbiter
Alchemical Liquid (Miasma)
This mana takes the form of a murky draconic figure that breathes a mist of alchemical miasma in the water. This Miasma seems to reveal conceptual conflicts in what it touches.
WARNING: Extreme Conceptual Risk. Do not make contact with water saturated with this magic. Do not draw mana from water currently saturated with this magic. Do not extract matter from water currently saturated with this magic. Do not extract information from water currently saturated with this magic. Do not extract energy from water currently saturated with this magic.
Protective Magic strongly recommended. Restrictive Magic strongly recommended. Tailored Vessel for use of this magic strongly recommended.
Long Distance Information Transfer Detected.
Mercury
Arcane > Mercury
Conscientia
Alchemical Liquid (Solid)
This mana emits concepts when used to perform an act.
Antimony
Arcane > Antimony
Symbolic Gesture
Alchemical Ray
This mana transforms what it comes in contact with in a symbolic way.
Warning: Conceptual Effect. Unrestricted usage presents high risk of unwanted consequences.
Arcane > Corona Pollentia
Eldritch Executor
Liquid
This mana attempts to do something, depending on the parahuman it came from.
Water
Thaum > Corona Pollentia > Water
Arcane Eldritch Relay
Wave
In addition to the effects of Eldritch Relay, this mana reacts to sound as Arcane Mana does.
This mana mutates plants it comes in contact with, making them absorb the image of the sun during the day, and display the image of the sun when it crosses directly underneath the plant. The light this plant emits at the stroke of midnight seems to make its surroundings look like the opposite side of the planet.
This mana transmutes plant material into Sapblood, an amber sugary and acidic material.
Uranium
Thaum > Uranium
Divine Air
Ray
This Mana seems to turn air into ozone, this ozone, in addition to conducting electricity, also seems to strip biomass from anything it touches, eradicating it.
Voidmetal
Thaum > Stone > Voidmetal
Voidglass Creation
Synthesis
This mana produces Voidglass when applied to Voidmetal
Voidglass: This material absorbs all light and rays that pass through it, including magical ones.
Attunement
Shorthand
Concept
Effects
Other
True > Ice
Unflappability
[Cold Mystery]
The user becomes more resistant to having their intentions read, the more ice they have equipped.
Set Bonus undiscovered.
True > Blood
Never Give Up
[Will of Vitality]
The user's body moves as they desire it, the more blood the user has equipped.
Set Bonus undiscovered.
True > Bone
Necromancy Mastery
[Undeath]
The user and their equipment become stiffer and harder, the more bone they have equipped.
Set Bonus undiscovered.
True > Wheat
Wheat Mastery
[Further Wheat]
The user gains more from harvests, the more wheat is equipped.
Wheat grows around the user wherever they walk, and on whatever ground they touch. (Requires an Advanced Test to discover Cantrips)
True > Sage
Sage Mastery
[Further Sage]
The user is more resistant to ailments, the more sage is equipped.
The user can purify or nullify the poison of things they touch at-will. (Requires an Advanced Test to discover Cantrips)
True > Aluminum
Element Dance
[Void]
The user aligns to the greatest element near them, the more aluminum is equipped.
The user may enter Elemental Planes through extreme concentrations or intensities of an element. (Requires an Advanced Test to discover Cantrips)
