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I finally got around to watching Star Trek: Into Darkness yesterday, and I was going to write a kind of review of it... I'd gotten most of the way through, when I accidentally clicked off or something (without actually leaving), which somehow resulted in the loss of all I'd written. So here's the highlights - I went into it expecting it to be bad, but it was actually pretty decent. There were a few bits that were too action-y or just silly, but it got a lot better at Qo'Nos. I really liked the aesthetics of most things, especially the warp core, which looked nice and industrial. Whitewashing aside, Khan was well done - not as well as in Wrath, but I think the appropriate comparison is probably to Space Seed instead...
Sorry for reblog, but...
Sep. 15th, 2013 11:11 pm...there's just no way this can possibly go wrong
http://techandfacts.com/robot-programmed-to-fall-in-love-with-a-girl-goes-too-far/
http://techandfacts.com/robot-programmed-to-fall-in-love-with-a-girl-goes-too-far/
At long last, it is done.
Sep. 2nd, 2013 03:58 amFinally, finally, Part 3 of Chapter 5 of Unfortunate Meetings is done.
Yeah. I have no idea how it manages to take so long.
Anyone coming here from FF.N, welcome. There's anonymous commenting available, so make yourselves welcome. Just try to behave civilly.
Now, I... *collapses*.
Edit: Ahem. Probably should link to it. Note that leads directly to the part in question.
Yeah. I have no idea how it manages to take so long.
Anyone coming here from FF.N, welcome. There's anonymous commenting available, so make yourselves welcome. Just try to behave civilly.
Now, I... *collapses*.
Edit: Ahem. Probably should link to it. Note that leads directly to the part in question.
What's going on.
Aug. 15th, 2013 02:09 pmSo. I'm alive. Really.
Slowly working on getting the next bit of Chronicles of the Imperial Wars done, but mostly, I've been... distracted, by other stories, by drawing (I've been doing quite a bit of drawing... realized I've been doing knees all wrong), and mainly, by an RPG I've been trying to restart. Unfortunately, one of the main players is having problems getting internet access, and we can't really get together, so... I dunno.
I'm actually 99% done with the next part for CotIW, it just... isn't writing. And so many other ideas. I've tried to hold off on working on them, too, but it isn't helping - aside from the stuff I've mentioned before... somewhere... I've got an idea for a second fanfiction project/series, this one involving the incredible weirdness that is Ar Tonelico, because I am a bad person and like breaking universes.
Hopefully the next bit of CotIW will be out soon (within the month, at least!), and, since I'll post a link here in the Author's Notes to that, maybe I won't be so FOREVER ALONE. I've got some of the chapter *after that* ready (because Chapter From Hell), but I'd like to see if that's what people want, or maybe they're interested in something else.
Feh. I can't seem to get things done on a reasonable schedule, ever.
Slowly working on getting the next bit of Chronicles of the Imperial Wars done, but mostly, I've been... distracted, by other stories, by drawing (I've been doing quite a bit of drawing... realized I've been doing knees all wrong), and mainly, by an RPG I've been trying to restart. Unfortunately, one of the main players is having problems getting internet access, and we can't really get together, so... I dunno.
I'm actually 99% done with the next part for CotIW, it just... isn't writing. And so many other ideas. I've tried to hold off on working on them, too, but it isn't helping - aside from the stuff I've mentioned before... somewhere... I've got an idea for a second fanfiction project/series, this one involving the incredible weirdness that is Ar Tonelico, because I am a bad person and like breaking universes.
Hopefully the next bit of CotIW will be out soon (within the month, at least!), and, since I'll post a link here in the Author's Notes to that, maybe I won't be so FOREVER ALONE. I've got some of the chapter *after that* ready (because Chapter From Hell), but I'd like to see if that's what people want, or maybe they're interested in something else.
Feh. I can't seem to get things done on a reasonable schedule, ever.
DA Dump Approaching
Jul. 4th, 2013 11:34 pm So, I decided to post some of my older art on Deviant Art, which I'd been hesitating to do for a while. There's something like 5 images. It's old, but it's not bad! Go look at it! Go!
Deviant Art's Rules Are Weird
Jul. 4th, 2013 09:50 pmSo, I was looking through Deviant Art's FAQ and TOS in re: a thing... and I realized their rules as written are way, way stricter than actually enforced. Not to mention, they're a little... wonky. For instance, the Nanoha/Fate shipping pictures that seem to be everywhere? All against the TOS - their average age over the series is 14 (26 episodes where they're 9, 26 where they're 19). And that's if you're not taking into account the fact that Fate was 'born' at the physical age of around 6-8, making her chronologically around 12 even in Strikers. It is explicitly forbidden to *age up* a character whose average age is below 18, and show them in even a slightly sexual situation. Like, Christian Side Hug would be unacceptable. And the Subaru/Teana shippers? Yeah no.
It's not just the age thing, which is at least *kind of* understandable. It's all sorts of sexual imagery which gets in, yet violates the terms of service. Nothing 'hardcore', true, but there's a lot of softcore porn. (Actually, I did see a just-shy of hardcore M/M image. They had their clothes half off, and were on top of each other) Some pretty kinky stuff, too. It's not that I have any problem with this. It's just that the ToS, as written, is way more restrictive than it needs to be. Way more restrictive than it *is*.
And of course, there's violence. Guess what the restrictions on violence are.
Do not show or imply self-harm, in any way. That's it. Blood and guts everywhere? A-okay, as long as it's not self-inflicted!
It's not just the age thing, which is at least *kind of* understandable. It's all sorts of sexual imagery which gets in, yet violates the terms of service. Nothing 'hardcore', true, but there's a lot of softcore porn. (Actually, I did see a just-shy of hardcore M/M image. They had their clothes half off, and were on top of each other) Some pretty kinky stuff, too. It's not that I have any problem with this. It's just that the ToS, as written, is way more restrictive than it needs to be. Way more restrictive than it *is*.
And of course, there's violence. Guess what the restrictions on violence are.
Do not show or imply self-harm, in any way. That's it. Blood and guts everywhere? A-okay, as long as it's not self-inflicted!
'Transhumanism' and MGLN
Jun. 11th, 2013 02:22 pmCN: Transhumanism (obviously), slavery, war, genocide, infertility, Wall o' Text
"Reflecting on the advances of the recent decades, it becomes increasingly clear - if we are to become gods, we must first make ourselves devils."
-
Canonicity Level: Dubious (as always).
( Read more... )
"Reflecting on the advances of the recent decades, it becomes increasingly clear - if we are to become gods, we must first make ourselves devils."
-
Canonicity Level: Dubious (as always).
( Read more... )
Weapons Overview, Section 9
Jan. 13th, 2013 04:30 pmSo yeah. Now, to finally get to using this blog for the purpose I originally created it: SCIENCE!
Anyways, this is just a bit of 'background material' for Unfortunate meetings - specifically, a memo detailing the Devices issued to 'Section 9', aka 'The Numbers'. It's sort of an attempt an 'in universe' document... hopefully it's not too impenetrable. Or boring. (I mean, some people will find it boring, sure, details just aren't everyone's thing... but that's why it's here, not in the story.
Anyways... next, I'll probably do... character profiles, maybe. Or some (attempted) arts, or something...
Anyways, this is just a bit of 'background material' for Unfortunate meetings - specifically, a memo detailing the Devices issued to 'Section 9', aka 'The Numbers'. It's sort of an attempt an 'in universe' document... hopefully it's not too impenetrable. Or boring. (I mean, some people will find it boring, sure, details just aren't everyone's thing... but that's why it's here, not in the story.
Anyways... next, I'll probably do... character profiles, maybe. Or some (attempted) arts, or something...
( TECHNICAL STUFF )( Abbreviation Explanation )
Vacation & Writing Woes
Jan. 7th, 2013 11:16 amSo, I have managed to survive Christmas and all the hazards it brings, ranging from the Land of the Spiky Plants, to That Uncle Who Thinks He's Funny But Isn't, to the Amazing Bouncing RumblePlane. That's nice, though it's not really what I wanted to talk about - what I wanted to talk about is stories. And specifically, what the heck I was thinking when I chose the subject of my major story project. It's a crossover between Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Warhammer 40,000. Yeah. An at least semi-serious crossover.
The thing is, while MGLN is relatively nice, bright and shiny and 40k is... 40k, they're... actually somewhat in the same area, power-wise (if MGLN isn't a bit higher on the ground scale). That said, in the story, while the TSAB has... pretty much lost every battle, the viewpoint characters have gotten out of things relatively unscathed...
This has made some people very unhappy.
Anyways, this post is partly an apology for mistakes I did make, and partly a justification for things that I don't think are mistakes.
First of all I'm not sure what inspired to do this story, of all things, as my first attempt... well, actually, yes I do - I was having a conversation with a friend about a battle between MGLN and 40k, and realized that would be awesome.
Still, it was ill concieved... not only to take on a project of such magnitude, but in crossing over with such an... overwhelming tide of darkness, I've kind of screwed myself in the kinds of things I can do... although it does make a nice splitting off point before MGLN's canon starts getting *dumb*. I also underestimated just how attached some people are to 40k's... unique... atmosphere.
And now for the first of the justifications. I've gotten a lot of complaints over how I'm 'biased' against 40k, because they're always losing and no main characters have died.
From my perspective, the first part is nonsense - the TSAB forces are currently at something like a 5-1 winrate (counting the power station as a 'tie') and I thought I'd made it clear that even when they weren't actually *losing*, they were suffering. But, while everything may be in order from my perspective, that's not really an excuse... it seems I have made the battles too much of a foregone conclusion... though I'm not entirely certain how I would fix this, but it might relate to the second major complaint. Since the battles are generally, well, viewed through the perspective of the viewpoint characters, and they... they're fairly powerful, and tend to at least make a decent showing of themselves. Although about half the time they spend running away... but in any event, the specific group they're attached to tends to at least survive if not necessarily win.
Which brings me to the second part. Yeah, no main characters have died. This probably won't change - frankly, I think it's wasteful to kill off characters for no reason, particularly when you couldtorment them some more still write interesting story lines. I don't think I'm unique in this regard - even in the Warhammer 40,000 novels, it's relatively rare to kill off major characters. There are exceptions, especially in the miniseries/single book titles... but for the most part, it's not something done lightly. Meanwhile, I could maybe kill off characters I don't know what to do with, but... then I'd just be killing off the spares and something something refrigerators and feh.
As to the third complaint, that I'm biased on against 40k... and that's not entirely wrong. I like things to be somewhat... 'realistic' (although somewhat flexibly so) and I don't mind a little bit of harshness... though I'm actually not really fond of the super-dark stuff. Gritty is okay, but GRIMDARK really... isn't. However, 40k is so over the top, that as a strategy game setting, it's awesome. But, as an individual story, it just doesn't work. The Imperium (in full on earnest seriousness) just can't be made credible as the heroes. They make a great villain, though (and this is what a lot of 40k stories go with, making the main characters as Un-Imperium like as feasible (Cain is an extreme example of this trend...), while using the Imperium itself as a meta-villain.) 40k can only be taken so seriously, since it's so hilariously unrealistic - and I don't mean in the sense of weapons technology. A nation that corrupt, vicious, narrow-minded, and just utterly incompetent shouldn't last for decades, let alone ten thousand years. So no, I don't buy the idea that the Imperium is 'superior' because they're ridiculously evil. I'm with FDR on this - cruelty is not the same thing as toughness. War is not won through RockHardManChest-edness and nations certainly aren't governed thus.
Aaanyways, I maybe shouldn't have used 40k. I'm not up to the task of depicting the relentless grimdark that people seem to expect, but anyways, I must carry on. Hopefully come up with some novel ideas... or maybe I should concentrate on something else for a while...
The thing is, while MGLN is relatively nice, bright and shiny and 40k is... 40k, they're... actually somewhat in the same area, power-wise (if MGLN isn't a bit higher on the ground scale). That said, in the story, while the TSAB has... pretty much lost every battle, the viewpoint characters have gotten out of things relatively unscathed...
This has made some people very unhappy.
Anyways, this post is partly an apology for mistakes I did make, and partly a justification for things that I don't think are mistakes.
First of all I'm not sure what inspired to do this story, of all things, as my first attempt... well, actually, yes I do - I was having a conversation with a friend about a battle between MGLN and 40k, and realized that would be awesome.
Still, it was ill concieved... not only to take on a project of such magnitude, but in crossing over with such an... overwhelming tide of darkness, I've kind of screwed myself in the kinds of things I can do... although it does make a nice splitting off point before MGLN's canon starts getting *dumb*. I also underestimated just how attached some people are to 40k's... unique... atmosphere.
And now for the first of the justifications. I've gotten a lot of complaints over how I'm 'biased' against 40k, because they're always losing and no main characters have died.
From my perspective, the first part is nonsense - the TSAB forces are currently at something like a 5-1 winrate (counting the power station as a 'tie') and I thought I'd made it clear that even when they weren't actually *losing*, they were suffering. But, while everything may be in order from my perspective, that's not really an excuse... it seems I have made the battles too much of a foregone conclusion... though I'm not entirely certain how I would fix this, but it might relate to the second major complaint. Since the battles are generally, well, viewed through the perspective of the viewpoint characters, and they... they're fairly powerful, and tend to at least make a decent showing of themselves. Although about half the time they spend running away... but in any event, the specific group they're attached to tends to at least survive if not necessarily win.
Which brings me to the second part. Yeah, no main characters have died. This probably won't change - frankly, I think it's wasteful to kill off characters for no reason, particularly when you could
As to the third complaint, that I'm biased on against 40k... and that's not entirely wrong. I like things to be somewhat... 'realistic' (although somewhat flexibly so) and I don't mind a little bit of harshness... though I'm actually not really fond of the super-dark stuff. Gritty is okay, but GRIMDARK really... isn't. However, 40k is so over the top, that as a strategy game setting, it's awesome. But, as an individual story, it just doesn't work. The Imperium (in full on earnest seriousness) just can't be made credible as the heroes. They make a great villain, though (and this is what a lot of 40k stories go with, making the main characters as Un-Imperium like as feasible (Cain is an extreme example of this trend...), while using the Imperium itself as a meta-villain.) 40k can only be taken so seriously, since it's so hilariously unrealistic - and I don't mean in the sense of weapons technology. A nation that corrupt, vicious, narrow-minded, and just utterly incompetent shouldn't last for decades, let alone ten thousand years. So no, I don't buy the idea that the Imperium is 'superior' because they're ridiculously evil. I'm with FDR on this - cruelty is not the same thing as toughness. War is not won through RockHardManChest-edness and nations certainly aren't governed thus.
Aaanyways, I maybe shouldn't have used 40k. I'm not up to the task of depicting the relentless grimdark that people seem to expect, but anyways, I must carry on. Hopefully come up with some novel ideas... or maybe I should concentrate on something else for a while...
Trolling Conservatives: Not Worth It.
Dec. 16th, 2012 06:09 pmTW: Misogyny, Rape.
So. Early last week, I recieved a link out of a Slacktivist thread leading to the blog of one John C. Wright, apparently a Sci-Fi author. It led to an interesting bit about the nature of reality, knowledge, and the scale of the universe. It wasn't long, however, before I realized I was dealing with Republican territory, as the subsequent post was about... how horrible non-Christians are. Also, Obama taking over schools, or something. He was complaining about conservatives taking the defensive (somehow), so I said that, well, they're called conservatives because they defend/conserve the status quo.
This prompted him to write a massive post about how Progressivism is actually a form of totalitarianism, which is COMMUNAZISM, and, well... it was a thing. Pretty inane, but yet, I felt obligated to respond.
Then I read the next post. I... I can't go back.
I can only take so much evil.
It went on about how women in fantasy fiction are historically inaccurate. Okay, so far, so ordinary. And yet he managed to sprinkle it with such subtly eloquent misogyny that it was... like a perfect cocktail of wrong. Leaving aside the fact that he seems to operate under Parthenogenesis universe conditions (which may have something to do with the whole 'birth control is evil' thing), he then decides that the reason modern fantasy fiction has female characters (that do something) is because the public school system indoctrinates children to be ahistorical. Fantasy fiction, you see, can't be good unless it's based on real history, so that means no female warriors. It's okay, though, because females can still be love interests and damsels in distress! After all, Guinevere toppled a kingdom with a bat of her eyelashes...
Bonus: Ooh, ooh, guess what his example of female bravery was? Being raped. I wish I was kidding.
Yeah. I won't be messing with this drek.
So. Early last week, I recieved a link out of a Slacktivist thread leading to the blog of one John C. Wright, apparently a Sci-Fi author. It led to an interesting bit about the nature of reality, knowledge, and the scale of the universe. It wasn't long, however, before I realized I was dealing with Republican territory, as the subsequent post was about... how horrible non-Christians are. Also, Obama taking over schools, or something. He was complaining about conservatives taking the defensive (somehow), so I said that, well, they're called conservatives because they defend/conserve the status quo.
This prompted him to write a massive post about how Progressivism is actually a form of totalitarianism, which is COMMUNAZISM, and, well... it was a thing. Pretty inane, but yet, I felt obligated to respond.
Then I read the next post. I... I can't go back.
I can only take so much evil.
It went on about how women in fantasy fiction are historically inaccurate. Okay, so far, so ordinary. And yet he managed to sprinkle it with such subtly eloquent misogyny that it was... like a perfect cocktail of wrong. Leaving aside the fact that he seems to operate under Parthenogenesis universe conditions (which may have something to do with the whole 'birth control is evil' thing), he then decides that the reason modern fantasy fiction has female characters (that do something) is because the public school system indoctrinates children to be ahistorical. Fantasy fiction, you see, can't be good unless it's based on real history, so that means no female warriors. It's okay, though, because females can still be love interests and damsels in distress! After all, Guinevere toppled a kingdom with a bat of her eyelashes...
Bonus: Ooh, ooh, guess what his example of female bravery was? Being raped. I wish I was kidding.
Yeah. I won't be messing with this drek.
Questionable Fanart Ahoy
Dec. 7th, 2012 03:28 am For Cross-Posting Purposes, noting that I have posted some of my artwork re: Chronicles of the Imperial Wars HERE. It... ended up being a larger file than I expected, so beware of that.
Girls und Panzer
Nov. 28th, 2012 09:24 pm So. I was looking around on Hulu... not because I actually go to Hulu very often, but apparently I was now. That was when something caught my attention - an anime called 'Girls und Panzer ('Girls and armor'. Obviously). The name sounds like it ought to be dumb... and it is. It is gloriously, brilliantly dumb. The premise is simple. A girl transfers to a new school, hoping to get away from her family, but is soon drafted into participating in the international tournament of the world's most popular martial art/sport for young women: TANKS.
Yes, tanks. The big things with the armor that drive around with cannons on. They fight with them. In high school. For fun (and to train the virtues every young girl needs, like courage, prudence, and determination...). Unfortunately, our Hero doesn't especially like this idea, because, as it turns out, the 'family obligations' she was trying to get away from? Are that she's apparently one of a long line of competitive tankers. Absurdly Powerful Student Council cares not, and forces her to play, under threat of stuff, hoping that she can lead their ragtag team to victory. Also, the school is a city on a giant ship. Is this relevant? I don't know. Nobody is telling.
I've only gotten up to episode five. There may or may not be an overarching non-tournament plot. However, the setting - if there is one, other than, 'Japan, but with school-ships and tank battles instead of... well, saner sports' - is established through the 'not tellin 'ya squat' method. My personal theory is that it's a gender-swapped mirror of... wait, I won't bore you with random speculation. Thus far, however, all the gaps (such as 'how the hell are tank battles considered a non hilariously-dangerous form of activity for schoolgirls'. (I suspect that... sorry, I did it again)) are filled with 'Tanks'. 'World of Tanks, the Anime, but with schoolgirls' would be a decent description.
Characters... the characters are sketched out rather roughly, in the usual 'one major trait' style. There's one who's an obsessive tank nerd, one who's basically a would-be playgirl, and one who, uh... arranges flowers? As I said, not particularly deep, but it works, and I suppose there's something there. You might expect a lot of fanservice, given the... 'girls high school (with tanks)' premise, and the creative team... (A large number are Strike Witches veterans, a series perhaps most remarkable for the curious absence of pants on the female characters) ... but, there really isn't that much - a subtle bath scene is all there is thus far. However, the girls aren't really why you'd watch it...
That'd be the tanks. They're all real tanks from the WWII era - reinforcing the 'World of Tanks the Anime' impression - and they're all rendered quite accurately, at least to my (interested) layman's eye. The battles are smooth, yet energetic, and rather clever. They're even on the nearer side of realistic, though there is of course fudging... (not least of all the 'how is this not absurdly dangerous' factor, and that the speeds seem a bit high). It's quite a lot of fun to watch, if you're into that kinda stuff.
The girls are drawn in a fairly simplistic style - not atypical for anime, with a fair amount of deformation that makes them look very childish instead of the high-schoolers they're supposed to be. But the animation itself seems competent, though obviously there isn't as much movement as a more 'conventional' fighting series. The tanks, however, are CGI, which works quite well, and allows for a lot of gribblies. Voices are in Japanese (with dashes of questionably-accented English/German/Latin - the actual words seem to be correct, however), and do suffer from the classic anime squeakishness in many cases. Music is... mostly background, and not really distinctive... except for the various songs that are played as background to the various national teams, which are historical songs associated with that country (e.g. 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' as one of the themes for the Americans...)
If you like tanks, and don't mind a little bit of silliness mixed in, this might be worth watching. Just... don't read the comments. Alternatively, do, and learn such fascinating things as the fact that females are incapable of lifting twenty pounds!
Content Note (Be aware I have only seen the first six episodes): Cartoon violence, parental abuse, and (maybe?) able-ism.
Click on theStuG Panzer III Assault for Crunchyroll. 
Kids, don't try this at home.
Yes, tanks. The big things with the armor that drive around with cannons on. They fight with them. In high school. For fun (and to train the virtues every young girl needs, like courage, prudence, and determination...). Unfortunately, our Hero doesn't especially like this idea, because, as it turns out, the 'family obligations' she was trying to get away from? Are that she's apparently one of a long line of competitive tankers. Absurdly Powerful Student Council cares not, and forces her to play, under threat of stuff, hoping that she can lead their ragtag team to victory. Also, the school is a city on a giant ship. Is this relevant? I don't know. Nobody is telling.
I've only gotten up to episode five. There may or may not be an overarching non-tournament plot. However, the setting - if there is one, other than, 'Japan, but with school-ships and tank battles instead of... well, saner sports' - is established through the 'not tellin 'ya squat' method. My personal theory is that it's a gender-swapped mirror of... wait, I won't bore you with random speculation. Thus far, however, all the gaps (such as 'how the hell are tank battles considered a non hilariously-dangerous form of activity for schoolgirls'. (I suspect that... sorry, I did it again)) are filled with 'Tanks'. 'World of Tanks, the Anime, but with schoolgirls' would be a decent description.
Characters... the characters are sketched out rather roughly, in the usual 'one major trait' style. There's one who's an obsessive tank nerd, one who's basically a would-be playgirl, and one who, uh... arranges flowers? As I said, not particularly deep, but it works, and I suppose there's something there. You might expect a lot of fanservice, given the... 'girls high school (with tanks)' premise, and the creative team... (A large number are Strike Witches veterans, a series perhaps most remarkable for the curious absence of pants on the female characters) ... but, there really isn't that much - a subtle bath scene is all there is thus far. However, the girls aren't really why you'd watch it...
That'd be the tanks. They're all real tanks from the WWII era - reinforcing the 'World of Tanks the Anime' impression - and they're all rendered quite accurately, at least to my (interested) layman's eye. The battles are smooth, yet energetic, and rather clever. They're even on the nearer side of realistic, though there is of course fudging... (not least of all the 'how is this not absurdly dangerous' factor, and that the speeds seem a bit high). It's quite a lot of fun to watch, if you're into that kinda stuff.
The girls are drawn in a fairly simplistic style - not atypical for anime, with a fair amount of deformation that makes them look very childish instead of the high-schoolers they're supposed to be. But the animation itself seems competent, though obviously there isn't as much movement as a more 'conventional' fighting series. The tanks, however, are CGI, which works quite well, and allows for a lot of gribblies. Voices are in Japanese (with dashes of questionably-accented English/German/Latin - the actual words seem to be correct, however), and do suffer from the classic anime squeakishness in many cases. Music is... mostly background, and not really distinctive... except for the various songs that are played as background to the various national teams, which are historical songs associated with that country (e.g. 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' as one of the themes for the Americans...)
If you like tanks, and don't mind a little bit of silliness mixed in, this might be worth watching. Just... don't read the comments. Alternatively, do, and learn such fascinating things as the fact that females are incapable of lifting twenty pounds!
Content Note (Be aware I have only seen the first six episodes): Cartoon violence, parental abuse, and (maybe?) able-ism.
Click on the
Kids, don't try this at home.
(no subject)
Sep. 14th, 2012 01:03 amSo. While I've mostly been keeping to my usual posting schedule (i.e. 'not at all'), I do have one major accomplishment to report, however: Chapter 5 Part 2 of Unfortunate Meetings is now complete! Not quite ready for posting, per se, but it is now in the 'Editing' stage. If anyone, particularly anyone who knows a bit about Warhammer 40k and/or Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, would like to volunteer as a Beta Reader, I would appreciate it...
Account Changes
Jun. 14th, 2012 05:23 am As the one person who currently reads this page probably noticed, I have made some adjustments. An actual title (of sorts), for starters, a new sorta-relevant-if-suboptimal* icon, and, most drastically, a new background/format. Hopefully, it's not too hard to read. I may end up changing it to something else... well, if the mood strikes me. But for new, new format! Yay!
*Despite my pretty-much-universally used screen name, I'm not the world's biggest Star Wars fan.
*Despite my pretty-much-universally used screen name, I'm not the world's biggest Star Wars fan.
Analogue: A Hate Story
Jun. 11th, 2012 05:49 am So...
Today (or rather, tonight), I played my first Visual Novel - Analogue: A Hate Story. You are a... archaeologist/salvager/PI... it's not exactly clear what your job is, but you're given an assignment to investigate a derelict generation ship, the Mugunghwa, which was launched a nearly a thousand years ago, and never reached its destination. Your job is to find out why. That isn't necessarily going to be simple, however.
Apparently, actually boarding the ship would be inconceivable, so your only avenue of investigation is through remotely accessing the ship's computers. Fortunately, you quickly manage to reactive the ship's archival AI, who offers to help you piece together the ship's history from whatever scraps of documents you can find. (She actually doesn't know it herself). Unfortunately, there is a major complicating factor in that the ship, in addition to being ancient, was apparently designed by the United Federation of Planets, and therefore, nothing works or makes sense - Mainly, the 'chat' function is broken, so you can't actually *talk* to anyone. The bulk of the 'gameplay' is therefore just going through the archives, trying (often vainly) to communicate via pointing in the general direction of important documents and the occasional yes/no question.
( Read more... )
( Now With More Information )
*** (Added Cuts) Make that four.
Today (or rather, tonight), I played my first Visual Novel - Analogue: A Hate Story. You are a... archaeologist/salvager/PI... it's not exactly clear what your job is, but you're given an assignment to investigate a derelict generation ship, the Mugunghwa, which was launched a nearly a thousand years ago, and never reached its destination. Your job is to find out why. That isn't necessarily going to be simple, however.
Apparently, actually boarding the ship would be inconceivable, so your only avenue of investigation is through remotely accessing the ship's computers. Fortunately, you quickly manage to reactive the ship's archival AI, who offers to help you piece together the ship's history from whatever scraps of documents you can find. (She actually doesn't know it herself). Unfortunately, there is a major complicating factor in that the ship, in addition to being ancient, was apparently designed by the United Federation of Planets, and therefore, nothing works or makes sense - Mainly, the 'chat' function is broken, so you can't actually *talk* to anyone. The bulk of the 'gameplay' is therefore just going through the archives, trying (often vainly) to communicate via pointing in the general direction of important documents and the occasional yes/no question.
( Read more... )
( Now With More Information )
</NITPICK>
*Uzz. Vs fbzrbar trgf 'Hcybnqrq', jung unccraf gb gurve frkhnyvgl? Qbrf vg whfg tb njnl? Qbrf vg erznva, pbafpvbhfyl? Be vf gurve fbzr fbeg bs 'ubezbar rzhyngbe' va gurve zragny nepuvgrpgher?
** (Added Trigger Warnings, Rot 13'd spoilers) I have now edited this post three times...
** (Added Trigger Warnings, Rot 13'd spoilers) I have now edited this post three times...
*** (Added Cuts) Make that four.
I apparently cannot words.
Jun. 10th, 2012 08:25 pmSo, I mentioned writing an essay dealing with space combat... and as you probably noticed, that hasn't happened yet. It's not because I've forgotten - it's just that I'm apparently the world's slowest writer. I have an amazing ability to sit in front of a computer screen open to a word processor, for hours, and accomplish absolutely nothing. Hell, I've spent nearly an hour on this. While at times, it seems easy to write, the next moment I simply cannot find the proper words to continue... I can get stuck on one sentence for months.
Something like that, but a bit more complex, is my problem with this particular case... I can't really seem to figure out what to focus on.
Anyways, apparently I felt the need to rant...
Something like that, but a bit more complex, is my problem with this particular case... I can't really seem to figure out what to focus on.
Anyways, apparently I felt the need to rant...
Shentel & Dariatel
May. 12th, 2012 09:35 amOne of the first things one notices about the Nanoha universe is how young many of the characters are. Nanoha and Fate are around nine when they join the TSAB, and they're far from the only ones. No one really seems to give it a second glance - and the jobs these children do are not precisely what you would call safe. In actually, almost all of the character's ages are absurdly low... though I don't mind this simply because it's so self-evidently ludicrous - it gives Signum's age as seventeen. After an error like that, I barely feel guilty for throwing the whole thing out and bumping up some of the older characters to something recognizable as adulthood...
Anyways, back to the task at hand.
( Read more... ) ( Read more... )The term itself is a Mid-Childan word that can be roughly translated as 'prodigy', or literally 'Moon Child', though there are some important distinctions - a normal 'prodigy' could be someone who simply has an early talent for a particular skill. A Shentel, on the other hand, has their entire mental development accelerated - by the age of 10 to 12, they are effectively a mental adult, not merely a child with great aptitude in a particular skill.
One thing all Shentel have in common, however, is a very high natural Magical Point Value - potentially in the millions. There is a vigorous debate about whether the high natural MPV causes the precociousness, or precociousness leads to an elevated MPV - it is true that Shentel-level precociousness without high MPVs is only rumored, but there are also known causes of increased MPV that do not affect maturity - but extensive data is not available. Many people also credit Shentel with extreme MPV's in adulthood, but this is not neccessarily true. Their natural MPV, combined with the opportunity to practice from an early age, does lead to a typically high talent, however. That said, among high-ranking Mages, Shentel are still the exception, rather than the rule.
Similar to Shetnel are Dariatel ('Sky Child'). The difference is more one of magnitude than of kind - a Darietel is remarkably precocious, and has an elevated MPV, but in both instances, the differences are less pronounced. A Dariatel reaches 'mental maturity' at around the age of 15, with MPV of around 300-500 thousand - which may not seem like all that much, but at that age, it's quite a bit. At one time, Dariatel were consider to be qualitatively different from Shentel, but modern thought considers it simply a 'smaller dose' of the same phenomenon that causes Shentel - as far as technical definitions go, anyone who passes the WME before 12 is a Shentel, anyone who passes after that, but before 18, is a Dariatel.
Being a Shentel does not automatically imbue one with knowledge, but enhanced maturity and congnitive function at a young age can lead to accelerated learning, as the individual has the ability to comprehend more advanced concepts - a 10-year-old Shentel is perfectly capable of understanding calculus, and could learn it.
Shentel are rare, but not vanishingly so - roughly one in 750 children with magical abilities. Dariatel are less rare, about one in 60 children (with magical abilities) - and in both cases, their existence has considerable sociological consequences. Though a comprehensive analysis of even modern mindsets would fill a great many volumes, the basic concept is that, in most cases, Shentel have been considered, if not a case apart from all humanity, than at least more adult than normal children. This continues the official policies of the TSAB and the general cultural mindset, where an apparent child performing in a professional capacity is considered merely unusual.
The existence of the Shentel phenomenon (and others that can cause chronological/mental age disparities) means that the TSAB has been required to implement a system to accommodate for it. The Bureau does not have a hard-and-fast 'age of majority' - instead, it utilizes a battery of tests, the Majority Aptitude Examination administered by a division of the Department of Education and Family Services. The MAE consists of a fairly compex battery of psychological, cognitive, and information-recall (primarily civics-related) tests. Upon successful completion of this test, that individual is considered an 'adult' for all legal purposes (they also get a nice certificate!)- at least as far as the TSAB itself is concerned. Local laws may grant few rights in that particular area, but this means relatively little in practice. The test itself is free, although it can only be taken once every six months (and it is designed to be scheduled around school or whatever other obligations a minor might have). Majority is also automatically granted at the age of 25 (barring obvious legal incompetence) if it has not been earned previously (most 'average' people recieve theirs around the age of 19-21).
Socially speaking, Shentel occupy a curious space, alienated from both their physiological peers - they often find themselves in the unpleasant position of having to 'talk down' to their friends, who can seldom understand their thought processes and quite often do not no longer share their interests. Meanwhile, they are also not entirely at home among adults, who apart from sheer physical differences, may find them slightly uncanny and out-of-place (to say nothing of the potential embarassment of working with someone potentially an order of magnitude under your age)- while not everyone acts on this, the aggregate of subtle cues and a need to prove one's competence can lead to a feeling that they are not accepted or respected. Of course, this is profoundly increased on those worlds without commonplace magical talent, or that otherwise have little or no knowledge of the Shentel phenomenon. For these reasons, Shentel often seek their own company (or that of prior Shentel)... this is one of the reasons that in the TSAB it isn't unheard of to see, for instance, an entire military unit with no one over 20.
There's probably more to write about this, but it's already been bouncing around for three days. I may come back to it later, but for now, posting as it. And for my next post...
I'm thinking either an overview of the 'problematic' aspects of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, or an analysis of space combat ranges.
* Attempted to cut. Cut Failed.
* Attempted to cut. Cut Failed.
On Chronicles of the Imperial Wars
May. 6th, 2012 09:21 pmSo. Let's start the ball rolling with a bit of an overview of Chronicles of the Imperial Wars - a fanfic project I'm currently working (if a bit... slowly) on. It's a pretty simple concept - a crossover between Warhammer 40,000 and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. On one, level, I admit it seems illogical. These two series are pretty far apart - Warhammer is tabletop wargame setting, as such, riddled with constant war, and its background lore is astonishingly grim - in fact, it originated the term 'GRIMDARK' - the over-the-top, overriding, almost comical miasma of darkness that characterizes it. There is precious little logic, or even characterization to be found. Mostly, things happen because they are terrible. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, meanwhile, exhibits many of the characteristics a title like that would bring to mind - excessively ornate/pretty costumes, the power of friendship, etc - but at the same time, it is (I am told) somewhat atypical, as it quickly expands to feature an entire society - think of something like Star Trek's Federation, except with magic, and the series takes a more serious turn as Nanoha volunteers to help this Time-Space Administration Bureau in their quest to protect the dimensions from terrorists, dangerous artifacts, and criminals, while also being ridiculously awesome.
I will admit that the idea doesn't have any particularly dramatic origins - I (and some of my friends) thought the Imperium of Man fighting the TSAB would be cool. Still, it the sheer contrast does offer a lot of potential. Here we have two series that are basically on opposite sides of any line you care to draw - while there's enough to almost eke out a similarity, the powers are so different in ideology, tactics, technology... I've 'had' to be a little fast-and-loose with both series' canon (inasmuch as 40k has a canon), but I think the changes I've made are improvements... or at least, interesting.
It's very interesting to me, anyways... but far too much to even attempt to summarize in one post... except to say that more details on both will be forthcoming. As will actual CotIW chapters. Eventually.
I will admit that the idea doesn't have any particularly dramatic origins - I (and some of my friends) thought the Imperium of Man fighting the TSAB would be cool. Still, it the sheer contrast does offer a lot of potential. Here we have two series that are basically on opposite sides of any line you care to draw - while there's enough to almost eke out a similarity, the powers are so different in ideology, tactics, technology... I've 'had' to be a little fast-and-loose with both series' canon (inasmuch as 40k has a canon), but I think the changes I've made are improvements... or at least, interesting.
It's very interesting to me, anyways... but far too much to even attempt to summarize in one post... except to say that more details on both will be forthcoming. As will actual CotIW chapters. Eventually.
First Post
May. 3rd, 2012 10:42 pmSo. This is, as the title suggests, my first post on Dreamwidth... I basically joined to comment on an Internet Buddy's page, but while I'm hear, why the heck not get some use, huh?
Anyways, I'm Base Delta Zero (the name is from my time back at StarDestroyer.Net), an artist/writer/speculator etc who would probably be better at those things if I could ever bother to put the time into it. There is an infinitesimal chance you have read my glacially-updated fanfic, so if that is what brought you hear... congratulations, I guess?
I expect I'll be using this site to post my musings on... basically, whatever subject I can think up at the time. It may well become a dumping ground for my character profiles, technical analyses of whatever pops into my head, and blatant exercises in Questionable Technology Design. In the event anyone is reading this... any suggestions for a starting post?
Anyways, I'm Base Delta Zero (the name is from my time back at StarDestroyer.Net), an artist/writer/speculator etc who would probably be better at those things if I could ever bother to put the time into it. There is an infinitesimal chance you have read my glacially-updated fanfic, so if that is what brought you hear... congratulations, I guess?
I expect I'll be using this site to post my musings on... basically, whatever subject I can think up at the time. It may well become a dumping ground for my character profiles, technical analyses of whatever pops into my head, and blatant exercises in Questionable Technology Design. In the event anyone is reading this... any suggestions for a starting post?
