Kurotsune

Setting and introduction: And now for the twist. We won't be using this forum to play the game, but rather, this: Fantasy Grounds. I'm a big-time D&D lover, and I've been wanting to do this for a while. Unfortunately, Fantasy Grounds is a paid medium, so if interest is shown but people don't want to pay, there is the sub par but free alternative, Roll 20. Of course, if there is 0 interest in playing through either these mediums, we can still do it through forum, but I will advise that it will be a much less interesting experience as it's meant to be a simple two-hour campaign that quickly gets done with. My idea is an ambitious project. Should this work, I'd like to reach a point where we can have a group of DMs and Adventurers set in a homebrew Reborn world, where these adventures can happen in short, up to four hour sessions and their logs posted here for future reference. This would solve at least one of my biggest problems - If this system was used with Gaelach Basm, it'd have ended in five lengthy sittings, but it'd have been, in my opinion, a much better experience. So I throw the idea out there. If I have four players willing to use Fantasy Grounds, those four will be prioritized. If not, players willing to use Roll 20 will be prioritized, and lastly, if interest is not shown for either medium, the forum may be used as normal.

And yet the fact you've wholeheartedly embraced this gave you a thousand awesomepoints in my book. Thus we reach the moral of our little tale for all along, the power I had to offer was... Friendship Also, here, have this bazooka.

In a way, I did reward you, did I not?

Oh, in that case... Still never.

Nope.

Jus' some good ol' metal to get through the workday.

Oh boy. This thread.

Legends say the Black Fox would bestow a portion of it's powers unto you, allowing you to become stronger than you could ever imagine.

True. Studies show reading all my posts in quick succession will make a person about 54,76% more awesome, as well as 43,82% smarter AND 30,54% more attractive! Not everyone can handle it.

That rule still exists. We've dialed it down to seconds, though, so that we wouldn't have to delay for three thousand years. So it's just delayed by ten years or so now. Aren't we kind?

*Mutters something about the threads being xyr idea and how xyr upvotes were stolen*

Trust me, I very much prefer it this way.

>Almost single-handedly does all the coding > Peon I can feel the love.

Honestly, I can't speak for Amethyst, but I've been somewhat disappointed by this thread. I was the one who proposed we add a status/percentage thread so that people could accompany the development of the episodes, with the expectancy that it'd give people a place to discuss the upcoming episode. The outcome was predictable, but it basically became 19+ pages of "It's at X%! That is really bad/good! The episode is near/far! Keep up the good work!" it's become spam at this point, and I feel like we have places for that. I get that there isn't much to discuss, but I also feel like that creating such a high-exposition thread gave people a chance to expose their ideas, and perhaps give suggestion and feedback in a place where they will undergo greater scrutiny by the community. I feel this hasn't been used to it's full potential, or to any potential at all. So, in my opinion, while I stand by letting people know how far in development the episode are, I'm not entirely sure the whole "discussion" thing is better than just having a locked topic to show the numbers. That said, Amethyst'll do whatever she wants to do..

"My daughter, I hope this letter receives you in good health. I will not mask my words with honey, my dearest. I know what I've afflicted upon you has no excuse, and this letter is not to apologize, but rather it is your call of duty. You know the purpose of our family. For generations, we have kept it at bay. But now it has come loose. As I write this, I can feel it's dark tendrils corroding my psyche, making me tether at the edge of insanity... I do not know for how long I can stand. Yet I must, and I will, for it must be kept at bay. For now, I have sealed it within the manor, so that it cannot escape. Hurry, my daughter. I know you have abandoned our family to seek fame and fortune as an adventurer, but I must ask you to return. I must ask you to gather your companions and return home. By the time this letter reaches you, if it does, you will be the last Breakspire. You must succeed. You must. Forever yours, Sir Michael Breakspire, Lord of Miltas" The letter had reached her three days ago. Maria Breakspire read the letter for the fifth time. The Paladin was the leader of a somewhat famous group of adventurers known as the Slayers of Sthenos, after a monstrous, highly-violent Gorgon who they slayed during an assault at the village of Mirthweed. The woman toyed with the paper in her hands, peering at her father's handwriting, usually so polished and refined, this time shaky and rushed, barely legible. She could tell through a several different ways that the letter was sent in a hurry. The parchment was old and ripped, yet her prude parent didn't bother to replace it. The letter itself was encased in a leather pouch, which was not befitting of a noble family as hers, which implied her father grabbed anything he could and used it immediately. All these actions did not reflect the normal actions of Lord Breakspire, so often worried about appearances, so often focused on his musings on the arcane and his studies on the aetherius that when his own daughter professed interest in worshipping not his books and spells but the Just God, he quickly cast her out. Yet this proud, prude, arrogant man meekly asked not for forgiveness nor for redemption, but for assistance. He mentioned a darkness as if it was something she should know of or remember; Yet she had no recollection of it. The paladin did not like the way this whole situation sounded. The truth is, if her father was possessed by a demon, it's very likely he was already overpowered and this was a trap, the creature reading his memories to lure his family members in for the kill. Her father could also be tricking her for whatever reason - Tyr knows why, the man always seemed to enjoy toying with her and her faith. One way or another, it was clear she would have to investigate. Whatever this darkness was – be it a demon, a joke, or an ancient tradition, the very existence of this evil offends the Just God. And so, as his Justicar, it is her job to deliver his divine retribution wherever evil may hide. Even if that entails going back home for a weekend. “I can already see the assortment of parents who will comment on my height, weight, age, body and everything in-between” She muttered in a sigh. Fine, so be it. Let’s at least get this over with quickly she mused, making her way out of her modest room and into the main hall of the Broken Fang Inn, the local hostel in Mirthweed her band was using as their headquarters. Her companions, upon noticing her in full armor and the stern expression across her face, stood at attention. “Listen up.” She started “We will be travelling to Miltas to visit my family in Breakspire manor. Something has happened, according to my father, and it bears immediate investigation.” Her tone was final, and left little room for objection or denial. The others merely threw glances at each other for a moment and then stood up, departing to gather their belongings. The sole reason I posted was because I admitedly did not expect that. And yes, that's what I had copied. PS: It's taking all of me not to edit the text above to change the parts I don't like. Hnnng.

I challenge everyone to find me a more fitting avatar than this one.

You mean they don't pungress? I'm disappointed, Ame.

Considering pretty much every word of that is a personal attack rather than a rebuttal, I'll take it that you have no longer anything of interest to contribute to the conversation. Therefore I ask you refrain from contributing further.

Lack of empathy has a definition, it's called indifference. And in fact a word I've used before. If we're to take the meaning of the words... Objectification is indifference towards the other, and indifference is lack of empathy. So is generalization, for that matter, which is what you've described in the first half of your message. You say you wrote your post to cause impact, yet your end-goal is discussing semantics. I'd like the discussion to remain in the realm of anthropology, if at all possible, as is the purpose of this thread. Objectification is not a new study. Marx called it reification (though the original german term translated directly into objectification), and was a critical part of why, in Marx's view, the proletariat suffered (Though it was Lukags, in his book on the matter, who greatly expanded upon the study). Reification, objectification, generalization, lack of empathy, indifference, dehumanization, crystallization, I don't care what terms you use to refer to the same thing, as long as you refer to it. I could just as easily, as an example, say that we generalize at first glance rather than objectify, and that the difference lies within a generalization not necessarily discrediting the other's value as a human being. I could then counter-argue my own point by saying generalization in fact discredits a human being as it diminishes them to their simplest parts, and then I could argue that diminishing one to their simplest parts itself fails to provide a cohesive view of the other to begin with and turn this into a discussion about Descartes' scientific method versus Capra's theory of systems. To finish, I'd much prefer if this was not a discussion about what label is best used to describe what concept. Discuss the concept itself, not however you want to call it.

It was Mark Twain who said it was best to keep one's mouth closed and leave others wondering if they're a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt. I'll address your ludicrous statement that objectification is a non-issue. Objectification is seeing another person without dignity, it's the de-humanization of this person and the treatment of them as not a living being, but an object. Nearly all wars have been caused directly due to the dehumanization of the parties by the other side. The Nazis de-humanized the jewish which is why they treated them like cattle. ISIS de-humanizes and demonizes western society and attacks exactly because we are seen as objects with no value. The de-humanization and social isolation of the poor is a leading cause for violence and robbery worldwide. The objectification of our peers is the reason why there's people starving to death on the streets - Because no one cares. To say objectification is a non-issue is to show a severe lack of insight of what challenges modern society faces. Social isolation, generalization, cultural clashes and cultural wars are all a consequence of objectification. Think for a second: If the other person actually saw a human being, with family, friends, dreams and ambitions as a person, would a normal person pull the trigger? They would not. We dehumanize so we can kill, and we objectify so we can kill. Sexual objectification may be only the tip of the iceberg, but to say it's a non-issue is to say an american woman's 25% odds of being raped at least once in her lifetime is a non-issue. It's to say the staggering 9,2% annual reported cases of child-molestation is a non-issue. Hell, it's to say the odds of 20% (if female) and 5% (if male) of rape in children is a non-issue. You may say that sexual objectification of women isn't related to this, but is it not? Not only is the sexual objectification of the female gender in general directly related to rape, it promotes rape culture. Objectification is not a non-issue.

I can only imagine completely submerging oneself in poison isn't good for the health.

Welcome to Kurotsune rambles on about stuff! In today's episode, xe won't ramble at all! There was a conversation in Showdown about objectification of females and female characters in fiction, specially video-games. By coincidence, today I stumbled upon a very interesting comic strip of one Ronnie Ritche about the difference between empowerment versus objectification. Thus, rather than speak of it myself, I'll let the picture say it's thousand words: This strip explains why certain videogame characters - Such as Bayonetta - are considered empowered, while Bioshock's Elizabeth or Tomb Raider's Lara Croft are objectified. Hopefully this will spur on reflection and discussion, and I'll see you next time on Kurotsune rambles on about stuff no one will read anyway! /talkshow music plays PS: Source