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The Practice War [Complete]

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Some people are saying that the choice of Purity is dangerous in this situation, and may lead to not just Amanda but humanity itself walking down a dangerous path. Frankly, at this point in time any choice could lead to disaster if played the wrong way. But we don't have the option of not making a choice - even if Amanda wasn't so enraged to the point where we can merely decide how she releases her power rather than whether or not she does, choosing not to make a choice is a choice in and of itself.

The Eyes has said that Purify is innately a wrong choice, but let's look at some of the others.

Death? If you can't see how this can go wrong you're not really trying. And I'm not just talking physical death on the personal or civilisation scale up to the scale of universal omnicide, but also death of the spirit or soul. The Earth Alliance of the sci-fi series Babylon 5 had 'death of personality' as a punishment for heinous criminals - telepathic removal of memories and psychic surgery of the personality to one deemed more productive. Is that a path we want to walk?

No? This is an option equally dangerous, if not more so. In the immediate situation aboard the Calypso this sounds like it could be appealing, especially with the horror Amanda and the Two Twenty Three are exposed to by witnessing the Medicament in action. But in the long term for defining the future of Amanda and humanity this is really risky. 'No' is the ultimate denial, of the good as well as the bad. Look at how many leaders have done terrible things because they refuse to listen to their people, to their advisors, even to their doubts.

Unity? Let's face it, focusing our Practice on the concept of Unity while in close proximity with the Medicament and what are effectively the souls of the damned on board strikes me as a really bad idea.
 
Chaeronea said:
Death? If you can't see how this can go wrong you're not really trying. And I'm not just talking physical death on the personal or civilisation scale up to the scale of universal omnicide, but also death of the spirit or soul. The Earth Alliance of the sci-fi series Babylon 5 had 'death of personality' as a punishment for heinous criminals - telepathic removal of memories and psychic surgery of the personality to one deemed more productive. Is that a path we want to walk?
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Have you read a) Snowfire's comment on choices for which there was not enough power b) my description of the concept spelled 'Death'?
 
Sightsear said:
OK, but what do you see for it implying for Amanda, the 223, or our Civilization at large? Remember, Snowfire is describing this as the most important vote in the game, so it's going to have FAR REACHING CONSEQUENCES.

Doesn't mean that Purify we'll turn us into crazy crusaders, but it isn't going to leave us unchanged either.

2545
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It is the most important vote in the game (so far) because it is a win-lose point in a battle for civilisation or even species survival. It is not an attempt to define humanity in one word.

Even if it has longer resonance with our attitudes, context matters. This is Purify [bioscience abomination] - it may lead to increased vigilance around health, safety and ethics of bioscience. It won't mean the only booze is triple filtered vodka or that every faction becomes hardline fundamentalists who cannot compromise.

Just like Liberty won't mean the abandonment of Bras, Jockstraps and Law. (Unless it gets us defeated.)
 
One thing to consider as well in this vote is how I put ranked voting into a narrative, which is far more possible to do here, actually. Put simply, whilst one Word will win the vote, Amanda will consider several, and that consideration will colour her personal narrative when she Speaks. That several will be pulled from the close runners in the vote, so even in 'defeat' the words that gathered significant support will have some effect.

Given it's been a while since our last major ranked vote of import, I thought it might be a good idea to explain my perspective on it.

I'm going to run and post my first vote tally in a few hours. I expect that Purify will still be winning, but with the change it should be more interesting.
 
justinkal said:
Never heard of Kotlin before.

Point I was making was that it's bad to take the big performance hits of running in the JVM unless the fact that it runs inside the JVM is valuable.
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I'm happy to explain why this is not the case. :)

However -- eyes the List -- we should probably not do so here. Anyone sufficiently motivated is welcome to hit me up on IRC, or for that matter just send me a message.
 
[1] Resolution
[2] Rest
Was gonna go for Rest initially, to give the poor souls some well-deserved, uh, rest but the Resolution tidbit, about dissonance and stuff swayed me.
Also,

[:V] Answer
 
Also DAMN you, EVERY DAMN TIME I have to play the whole video/song. I had to skip the intro for FF14 or I'd be unable to skip it once the video started to play. it was just that compelling.

Thy Life is a riddle, to bear rapture and sorrow
To listen, to suffer, to entrust unto tomorrow
In one fleeting moment, from the Land doth life flow
Yet in one fleeting moment, for anew it doth grow
In the same fleeting moment
Thou must live
Die
And know

(edited cause my brain was at lunch)
 
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Well then, time to fire up ye' old NetTally and see what we've got.

Vote Tally : Original - Sci-Fi - The Practice War | Page 129 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.9

[1] Purify
[2] Resolution
[3] Unity
[4] Liberty
[5] No
[6] Silence
[7] Death
[8] End
[9] Rest


Total No. of Voters: 34

Purify in first, with Resolution having surged into second place, and Unity in third. Interesting. I'll probably leave this overnight again, just to give people the chance for any final arguments.

Also, you know what else is interesting? This:

We strike against the enemy
And their discordant melody
Made of the things that cannot be
And yet they are
For yet we see
Vibrations that are more like screams

Don't close your eyes
You have to see
Be the note that will bring harmony

Resolve the chord
Then change the key

A sweet pure voice with clarity
Project it out and make it be
Your vision of reality

Take things that cannot be but are
Show them the power of your star
The light that dwells inside your soul
The thing you have that makes you whole
Show what you have
What you can be
Focus your strength
Then set it free

A single word
You breathe
Believe

All credit to the same friend who's written verse for this quest before.
Note to self: find all of her work that I've posted so far and collect it into a threadmark.
 
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Snowfire said:
A single word
You breathe
Believe
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[:V] Believe
GamingGeek said:
Also DAMN you, EVERY DAMN TIME I have to play the whole video/song. I had to skip the intro for FF14 or I'd be unable to skip it. That video was just that strong.

Thy Life is a riddle, to bear rapture and sorrow
To listen, to suffer, to entrust unto tomorrow
In one fleeting moment, from the Land doth life flow
Yet in one fleeting moment, for anew it doth grow
In the same fleeting moment
Thou must live
Die
And know
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I know, right? Was actually hoping Amanda would sing like it. 'Cept, y'know, it would be about winning
 
@Shard @Aeondrac @Baughn @Chaeronea @hcvquizibo @joe6168 @Karugus @LockedMind @Mizu @mori @noliar @pheonix89 @PrimalShadow @Tanor @veekie @Yeangst @TheEyes @Coda @Mandabar @random_npc @universalperson @ranmatoushin @Malaquez @Sightsear @Skelm @Lailoken @MTB @spikethehobbit @Robinton

Good lord he wasn't joking, that's allot of people.

Guys, might I tempt you with "Believe"? I feel that channeling "Believe" towards this battle is the right thing.

It was posted as a joke due to song lyrics, but think about it. What is this entire battle, if not for the idea that Humanity BELIEVES that we can do this? We players believe that we can win, this battle plan was from the belief that our powers and ideas can do this. That Mankind can do this.

The Dragons Believed that their gift would save us. We Believe that the forces of man will stand up to this. We Believe that Practice will save the day.

Hell, this whole VOTE is about what we believe will save us.



Belief. That's the core concept of this entire quest.


We Believe.​
 
[1] Believe
[2] Unity
[3] Resolution
[4] Purify
[5] Liberty
[6] No
[7] Silence
[8] Death

Money where my mouth is.

33 people to tag.

*sighs* Ok, here we go.
 
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I don't believe in "believe".

To me, that word carries mostly negative connotations. Wilful ignorance, ignoring evidence, doing what feels good regardless of whether it's a good idea or not. "Believe in yourself" is a nice thing to say, but not if it comes at the expense of realism--and too often it edges into faith.

"Believe in this, despite the lack of evidence."

No, maybe I've gotten old and stubborn, but I've spent too much of my life arguing against belief to vote for it now.
 
Baughn said:
I don't believe in "believe".

To me, that word carries mostly negative connotations. Wilful ignorance, ignoring evidence, doing what feels good regardless of whether it's a good idea or not. "Believe in yourself" is a nice thing to say, but not if it comes at the expense of realism--and too often it edges into faith.

"Believe in this, despite the lack of evidence."

No, maybe I've gotten old and stubborn, but I've spent too much of my life arguing against belief to vote for it now.
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I find your lack of faith...disturbing.
 
GamingGeek said:
@Shard @Aeondrac @Baughn @Chaeronea @hcvquizibo @joe6168 @Karugus @LockedMind @Mizu @mori @noliar @pheonix89 @PrimalShadow @Tanor @veekie @Yeangst @TheEyes @Coda @Mandabar @random_npc @universalperson @ranmatoushin @Malaquez @Sightsear @Skelm @Lailoken @MTB @spikethehobbit @Robinton

Good lord he wasn't joking, that's allot of people.

Guys, might I tempt you with "Believe"? I feel that channeling "Believe" towards this battle is the right thing.

It was posted as a joke due to song lyrics, but think about it. What is this entire battle, if not for the idea that Humanity BELIEVES that we can do this? We players believe that we can win, this battle plan was from the belief that our powers and ideas can do this. That Mankind can do this.

The Dragons Believed that their gift would save us. We Believe that the forces of man will stand up to this. We Believe that Practice will save the day.

Hell, this whole VOTE is about what we believe will save us.



Belief. That's the core concept of this entire quest.


We Believe.​
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Hey, Naruto called. He wants his catchphrase back. :V
More seriously, nah. No real reason. I just don't like to use faith much. A bit unstable.
 
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