Of course! That concept is older than dirt! Just look at Enkidu in The Epic of Gilgamesh!
The Practice War [Complete]
- Thread starter Snowfire
- Start date
- Original Sci-Fi
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
A little later - Kain and Abel (spelling might vary depending on language)
Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Madoka did character death wonderfully.
DON'T GET ME STARTED ON EOG QAQ
Ah shit I'm already getting it open in another tab. Time to reread the oldest story in the world.
Imrix
Periodically Malevolent QM
Bullshit, m'dear, bullshit all the way down.
More seriously, I arbitrarily decided on some lower and upper bounds, compared them to the previous lower and upper bounds, and just picked a new value that roughly corresponded to the old value. Example: 30 was about the normal maximum for an elf in the d100 system, and I decided I wanted the new maximum to be about 10d8. Thiraenal's old generalship was 21 after various bonuses, which is about on the high end of "pretty good but not exceptional," so I pegged the new value at 7d8, 1d6.
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
@Snowfire, I don't think you need better dice systems... just, perhaps, better dice. Sorry, doing the analysis I'd promised is probably illegal now, and I'd likely have never gotten around to it anyway, but from the data someone collated a few pages ago...
What on Earth sort of dice are you rolling?
Use a decent PRNG instead.
What on Earth sort of dice are you rolling?
Use a decent PRNG instead.
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
But it would still be Snowfire using it.
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
The issue isn't really Snowfire. It's that we're describing the very real events of the Practice War, albeit events occurring in a different universe, and Mary doesn't want the story to contain lies. Also, Practice be OP. Who rolls the dice, or how, is unlikely to have much effect.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! For... the above sentence.
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
You do realize that my statement and yours are just slightly different points of view?The issue isn't really Snowfire. It's that we're describing the very real events of the Practice War, albeit events occurring in a different universe, and Mary doesn't want the story to contain lies. Also, Practice be OP. Who rolls the dice, or how, is unlikely to have much effect.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! For... the above sentence.
Malaquez
[MUFFLED EUROBEAT]
- Location
- Singapore
*'Greater Success'*
*We make Mary cry*
All I see are lies.
I will find you and I will take apart your computer, one piece at a time.
Yeah, but no one's not invincible. Which means that there is a level close to invincible.
That would be a Shiplord War FleetWhich means that there is a level close to invincible.
We got the discussion out of the way, even got the second discussion about eventually unsealing the First Secret research some time after the Regulars Fleet out of the way, and got them to reconcile afterwards. That's all pretty huge and important stuff we got done there.*'Greater Success'*
*We make Mary cry*
All I see are lies.
If you want more, you can always write the make up makeouts omake yourself...
Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
If only they were Shiperlords instead...
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
- Location
- Germany
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hm - fanatic dominance? Now, where could that lead to ...Don't you even start
Answer 1 - Magical Girl Comparison
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
"This is cheating, Mary, you know that." Your attempt at a menacing glare bounced off your traitorous friend's grin, who simply gestured at Iris's expectant expression.
"You promised." The young AI said, her fists balled in frustration as you continued to glare at Mary.
"You should have seen it coming." She said, and as you took a breath in preparation to muster a reply, Iris snapped from where she was standing to right in front of you. An avatar with the proportions of a ten year old had no right to be able to hover level with your face.
"Mandy, you promised!" She…it wasn't a whine. It sounded like one, but you'd always maintained that a whine would be petulant. This was entirely justified, and you knew from the look on her face that attempting to redirect the question was supremely unlikely to work.
"…fine."
"Yay!" Her avatar dropped back onto its feet and padded back to the sofa where she'd first asked the question. A gesture brought up a virtual panel in front of her as you and Mary made your way back to your own seats, Mary beside Iris and you on the other side of the small table. "So what do you think about it then?"
You sighed, then leant forward, eyes suddenly very intent. "It's hard to explain. I've fought against the comparison ever since it started being made, initially as I felt the very idea was a farce. But as it continued, I realised that the immediate jack-knife response wasn't fair. So I looked deeper, past the terminology that had given me my first impressions." You focused, and a pale aquamarine glove flowed into existence up your left arm. You tapped it with a finger. "This is as much a part of me as my hands, Iris, an extension of the power that rests in my soul. I couldn't do it without Siddhartha, and that could be seen as a point in favour of their likeness. But it misses things.
"The connection between a Unisonbound and their Platform has some similarity to the objects and talismans popularised by mahou shoujo media, and it's no surprise that society compares the two. Potentials drew some of that too, particularly the Second and Third Awakenings, but our abilities were less obvious. When Vega and I created the first Unison Platforms, that changed. Society had a tangible and permanent example of capabilities that were, for all intents and purposes, magic." You looked down at the silvery not-metal woven the elbow-length glove, and the hints of light dancing around it. "Little wonder that we sought a comforting identifier."
"And that's where the example falls down, for several reasons. The overwhelming majority of 'Magical Girl' media is exactly what it implies. Stories about painfully young children given power and a reason to use it. The Unisonbound, the Two Twenty Three, we aren't that. Potentials take years to discover the full breadth of their abilities, and Unisonbound are a step above that in complexity. We gain great power, yes, but we learn how to use it. And we only take volunteers." Iris jerked back as your tone cut through the room like a knife, and Mary reached out to squeeze your shoulder.
"That's a big part of why I really don't like talking about this." You could feel the ice in your eyes, freezing emotion out of your voice. "Power always has a price, and for the children in those series, it's often more than they can bear. It breaks them. Perhaps subtly, but it does, and not all of those 'chosen' survive."
"It's about choice?" Iris asked, small-voiced. You nodded, almost grateful that she'd realised so quickly.
"Among other things. The wider themes of the genre have a lot of good to them. But then you dig, and the questions start piling up. How many of those fictional girls were really given a choice? How many came out the other end of with less than what should be horrific trauma? I know that the comparison is to all the good sides of the media; defiance in the face of despair, a triumph of hope despite the odds against it. But I can't look at it without seeing the broken lives underpinning that vision." You flicked your hand, and the partial manifestation of your Aegis faded back into your soul.
"I'm sorry," Iris sniffed as she looked up at you. "It's just a big question, and the opinions on it are so split. I thought-"
"Don't be sorry," you said gently, reaching out and brushing your hand through hers. You were going to find a way to give her tactile interaction, it felt wrong for her not to have it, especially now. "You asked, and I owed you an answer. The dream that runs so deeply through many of the landmark works that remain is worthy of praise. But Unisonbound are different. And though I might be biased, so much more."
There was a long silence. Mary took advantage of it to slip around the table and hug you. Then a smile tugged its way onto Iris's face.
"Thanks Mandy." You stared at her for a moment, trying to understand why that smile was there, why she was thanking you, then simply accepted it. An unexpected warmth filled you, and a small smile of your own followed. Iris would tell you the reason if she thought it mattered.
"You're welcome." The last of the ice flowed out of you with those words. "But you said you had two questions."
"Oh, yes! I wanted to ask…"
"You promised." The young AI said, her fists balled in frustration as you continued to glare at Mary.
"You should have seen it coming." She said, and as you took a breath in preparation to muster a reply, Iris snapped from where she was standing to right in front of you. An avatar with the proportions of a ten year old had no right to be able to hover level with your face.
"Mandy, you promised!" She…it wasn't a whine. It sounded like one, but you'd always maintained that a whine would be petulant. This was entirely justified, and you knew from the look on her face that attempting to redirect the question was supremely unlikely to work.
"…fine."
"Yay!" Her avatar dropped back onto its feet and padded back to the sofa where she'd first asked the question. A gesture brought up a virtual panel in front of her as you and Mary made your way back to your own seats, Mary beside Iris and you on the other side of the small table. "So what do you think about it then?"
You sighed, then leant forward, eyes suddenly very intent. "It's hard to explain. I've fought against the comparison ever since it started being made, initially as I felt the very idea was a farce. But as it continued, I realised that the immediate jack-knife response wasn't fair. So I looked deeper, past the terminology that had given me my first impressions." You focused, and a pale aquamarine glove flowed into existence up your left arm. You tapped it with a finger. "This is as much a part of me as my hands, Iris, an extension of the power that rests in my soul. I couldn't do it without Siddhartha, and that could be seen as a point in favour of their likeness. But it misses things.
"The connection between a Unisonbound and their Platform has some similarity to the objects and talismans popularised by mahou shoujo media, and it's no surprise that society compares the two. Potentials drew some of that too, particularly the Second and Third Awakenings, but our abilities were less obvious. When Vega and I created the first Unison Platforms, that changed. Society had a tangible and permanent example of capabilities that were, for all intents and purposes, magic." You looked down at the silvery not-metal woven the elbow-length glove, and the hints of light dancing around it. "Little wonder that we sought a comforting identifier."
"And that's where the example falls down, for several reasons. The overwhelming majority of 'Magical Girl' media is exactly what it implies. Stories about painfully young children given power and a reason to use it. The Unisonbound, the Two Twenty Three, we aren't that. Potentials take years to discover the full breadth of their abilities, and Unisonbound are a step above that in complexity. We gain great power, yes, but we learn how to use it. And we only take volunteers." Iris jerked back as your tone cut through the room like a knife, and Mary reached out to squeeze your shoulder.
"That's a big part of why I really don't like talking about this." You could feel the ice in your eyes, freezing emotion out of your voice. "Power always has a price, and for the children in those series, it's often more than they can bear. It breaks them. Perhaps subtly, but it does, and not all of those 'chosen' survive."
"It's about choice?" Iris asked, small-voiced. You nodded, almost grateful that she'd realised so quickly.
"Among other things. The wider themes of the genre have a lot of good to them. But then you dig, and the questions start piling up. How many of those fictional girls were really given a choice? How many came out the other end of with less than what should be horrific trauma? I know that the comparison is to all the good sides of the media; defiance in the face of despair, a triumph of hope despite the odds against it. But I can't look at it without seeing the broken lives underpinning that vision." You flicked your hand, and the partial manifestation of your Aegis faded back into your soul.
"I'm sorry," Iris sniffed as she looked up at you. "It's just a big question, and the opinions on it are so split. I thought-"
"Don't be sorry," you said gently, reaching out and brushing your hand through hers. You were going to find a way to give her tactile interaction, it felt wrong for her not to have it, especially now. "You asked, and I owed you an answer. The dream that runs so deeply through many of the landmark works that remain is worthy of praise. But Unisonbound are different. And though I might be biased, so much more."
There was a long silence. Mary took advantage of it to slip around the table and hug you. Then a smile tugged its way onto Iris's face.
"Thanks Mandy." You stared at her for a moment, trying to understand why that smile was there, why she was thanking you, then simply accepted it. An unexpected warmth filled you, and a small smile of your own followed. Iris would tell you the reason if she thought it mattered.
"You're welcome." The last of the ice flowed out of you with those words. "But you said you had two questions."
"Oh, yes! I wanted to ask…"
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Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
This is much longer than was intended, and not as fluffy as I'd planned. I'm a little annoyed on one hand, but also kind of glad, because it's let me cover this matter fully. As some of you might have suspected, this issue was a lot deeper than I've let it appear. I found out exactly how deep when I sat down to write it. Now before anyone starts making noises, yes, I am aware that not all magical girl shows operate under the mechanism of "The Call knows where you live." I'm also aware that some of them truly are as kind and fluffy as they intend to be. My own experience of the genre though, and before anyone asks no I have not watched PMMM, appears to follow this pattern.
Although Amanda understands the comparison, and would actually accept parts of it due to what it's associating the Two Twenty Three with, what she talks about here destroys any willingness to do that. I…hope this was worth the votes for people, although I'm pretty sure it wasn't what you were expecting. In the spirit of full disclosure, I wasn't either.
Although Amanda understands the comparison, and would actually accept parts of it due to what it's associating the Two Twenty Three with, what she talks about here destroys any willingness to do that. I…hope this was worth the votes for people, although I'm pretty sure it wasn't what you were expecting. In the spirit of full disclosure, I wasn't either.
Full body prosthetics are on the list, now that bio-inorganics have proven the interface viable. Yes, there's a potential "exposed bandwidth" problem to deal with, but that's true for all our infosphere tech, particularly for nanites and blue goo tech, so we're going to have to look into that more fully anyway.
If anyone is confused by the above statement don't worry; I know I'm not explaining myself fully here. The above is shorthand I'm using while on my phone; I'll talk about it more when I get to a real keyboard.
it certainly fits Amanda, dealing with seeing the deeper issues even in Anime and not liking the comparisons.
@Snowfire a few random thoughts and ideas
-use a combination of Insight and ftl to directly observe the moment of Practice's creation via light-speed delayed light
-use gravity manipulation to begin funnelling plasma out of the sun as a source of raw material and energy, eventually aiming to create a dyson sphere
-use gravity manipulation to fire a coronal mass ejection at a target area of space by weakening the gravity in that section of the sun
-I'm sure our scientists would appreciate a few indestructible sensors to toss into hostile environments
-indestructible matter + gravity manipulation means it is possible to create flywheel batteries capable of storing infinite amounts of energy with very high efficiency. That doesn't mean we have infinite energy, but it does mean we can just keep dumping more and more into a given flywheel without end. It just spins faster.
-since we can detect the energy of Practice it would be interesting to try to track the way the energy travels and is expended. Of particular interst would be comparing applications that cause physical changes vs sensors vs information processing work. Mostly because normally information processing is pretty energy cheap, so I suspect there might be ways to make efficiency gains there so that even normies can use their trickle of Practice Energy for improving their own minds
-if the theory that various species have affinities for different Secrets due to their mindsets bears out, maybe human religiousity had some impact on the ability of the Dragons to tie them to a sustained pool of Practice Energy instead of the Fleetlord's implication of it being only usable via the person doing the self-sacrifice
-we should try to watch via both harmonic network and Insight for the ... resonance that occurs when somebody is studying a Secret. Perhaps our best bet might be having a unisionbound be taught about the 5th Secret, so that their suit and the entire group can try to monitor
-use a combination of Insight and ftl to directly observe the moment of Practice's creation via light-speed delayed light
-use gravity manipulation to begin funnelling plasma out of the sun as a source of raw material and energy, eventually aiming to create a dyson sphere
-use gravity manipulation to fire a coronal mass ejection at a target area of space by weakening the gravity in that section of the sun
-I'm sure our scientists would appreciate a few indestructible sensors to toss into hostile environments
-indestructible matter + gravity manipulation means it is possible to create flywheel batteries capable of storing infinite amounts of energy with very high efficiency. That doesn't mean we have infinite energy, but it does mean we can just keep dumping more and more into a given flywheel without end. It just spins faster.
-since we can detect the energy of Practice it would be interesting to try to track the way the energy travels and is expended. Of particular interst would be comparing applications that cause physical changes vs sensors vs information processing work. Mostly because normally information processing is pretty energy cheap, so I suspect there might be ways to make efficiency gains there so that even normies can use their trickle of Practice Energy for improving their own minds
-if the theory that various species have affinities for different Secrets due to their mindsets bears out, maybe human religiousity had some impact on the ability of the Dragons to tie them to a sustained pool of Practice Energy instead of the Fleetlord's implication of it being only usable via the person doing the self-sacrifice
-we should try to watch via both harmonic network and Insight for the ... resonance that occurs when somebody is studying a Secret. Perhaps our best bet might be having a unisionbound be taught about the 5th Secret, so that their suit and the entire group can try to monitor
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
...wat. No, seriously. I have no idea what you're suggesting here. Unless you're wanting to try and track down singular photons that are most of the way to Andromeda at minimum. That...isn't going to fly.
Starlifting is certainly within your means at this point, if a complicated and very delicate operation. Trying to build a dyson sphere would be similar to setting off fireworks for a Shiplord War Fleet.
This is, at best, a lightspeed weapon in a universe where ftl sensors exist and military craft dance around at 20-30% of c. I'm really struggling to find a way for it to be useful.
Well, kinda? The only place they'd really be interested in throwing one of these would be into the Sun. Still, it's quite doable.
The problem here is the energy matrix and how it destabilises if you bring too much Inviolate matter together. You are suggesting adding massive explosions to this problem. This seems unwise.
Studies are definitely something you can expect to happen, and possibly oversee.
This is theoretically within your capabilities, but the harmonic network doesn't currently extend across all humanity. It's limited to the Unisonbound, Harmonials, and a few other things. Project Insight could dedicate their time to monitoring for this, but that would mean not being able to pursue Thoughtcasts at all.
It's a good idea, but limited by your available assets.
Oh, almost forgot. @Baughn? I believe you were wanting more scenes with Iris. You now have one
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
They're as many light-years away as the event is years away. I think he wanted to watch the dragon sacrifice on a very large telescope, but if you're saying that there's nothing to see until we get a million light-years out that is in itself very interesting information.
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- Location
- Russia
Wait, what? Is this really huge hyperbole or are those super-fast FTL photons? It wasn't even hundred years since Week of Sorrows and measly 100 LY is nothing by interstellar standards. Although it would be hard to pick a direction where they can be easily distinguished from photons from other stars.
But you don't need flywheels to be very large. You can use faster-spinning smaller flywheels. Small enough to not cause destabilization. Friction and resulting heat would usually be a problem, so we either need frictionless materials (which we don't have) or construct flywheel differently. I think that the core of mastigos's idea is to support a flywheel (preferably in vacuum to avoid air friction) with gravity control and don't use mechanical connections at all (although I'm not sure how to extract energy out of it - we can certainly transform energy into flywheel momentum with gravity control, but can we do the reverse? Something akin to how electrical generators can do this with magnets, only using gravity fields instead of electromagnetic ones). If we can, then we will have a very, very big capacitors, although ones that should be transported with utmost care (or not at all) - imagine gyroscopic effects!
The origin of Practice is "only" ~65 years in the past. Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away.
Tiny bit of a miss match there.
I don't see how one would be any more of a beacon than the other. Both starlifting, at least the amount of starlifting needed to compare to what we're getting out of digesting Mercury, and Dyson Sphere construction would produce obvious optical activity in the affected star, so both ought to be fairly easy to detect. On the other hand, so should Shiplord War Fleet activity, but that seems to be getting covered up, maybe by the Things in the Void. How would the Shiplords be able to see the Dyson Sphere but not the starlift?
Snowfire
Polyglot of Chimera
- Location
- Wordcats
>.< I was looking at the wrong set of notes. Don't mind me.
That said, I'm really not sure what you'd be hoping to find here. Piecing together a fifty-something year old image from diffused light isn't going to be simple, and even if you succeed I'm finding it hard to see your endgame. You're able to see the Dragons make their last charge and then all die. That's...great, I guess?
I'm really not being flippant here, but I'm having serious trouble trying to find a way to leverage all of this proposed work in a way that would actually be useful.
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Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Could you by any chance tell us which set?