Nuadha Prime

For Firefly fans

2009-10-29T10:51:29Z

..check out the first few minutes of the newest episode of Castle

My 250 Rules for RPGs

2009-10-16T13:13:09Z

This isn't actually my list, but someone showed it to me and I thought it was petty funny. I bolded some of my favorites.

1. Cannot base characters off the Who's drummer Keith Moon.
2. A one man band is not an appropriate bard instrument.
3. There is no Gnomish god of heavy artillery.
4. My 7th Sea character Boudreaux is not 'Southern' Montaigne.
5. Not allowed to blow all my skill points on 1pt professional skills.
6. Synchronized panicking is not a proper battle plan.
7. Not allowed to use psychic powers to do the dishes.
8. How to serve Dragons is not a cookbook.
9. My monk's lips must be in sync.
10. Just because my character and I can speak German, doesn't mean the GM can.
11. Not allowed to berserk for the hell of it, especially during royal masquerades.
12. Must learn at least one offensive or defensive spell if I'm the sorcerer.
13. Must not murder canon NPCs in their sleep, no matter how cliche they are.
14. Ogres are not kosher.
15. Plan B is not automatically twice as much gunpowder as Plan A.
16. I will not beat Tomb of Horrors in less than 10 minutes from memory.
17. Collateral Damage Man is not an appropriate name for a super hero.
18. When surrendering I am to hand the sword over HILT first.
19. Drow are not good eating.
20. Polka is not appropriate marching music.
21. No longer allowed to recreate the Death Star Trench Run out of genre.
22. There is no such thing as a Gnomish Pygmy War Rhino.
23. Any character who has a sensitivity training center named after him will be taken away.
24. Even if the rules allow it, I am not allowed to summon 50,000 Blue Whales.
25. The green elf does not need food badly.

225 more after cut....

26. Valley speak has no place in a fantasy setting. Especially if you're the paladin.
27. I am not to shoot every corpse in the head to make sure they aren't a zombie in Twilight 2000.
28. The Goddess' of Marriage chosen weapon is not the whip.
29. I cannot have any gun that requires me to continue the damage code on back.
30. I am not to kill off all the vampires in the LARP, even if they are terminally stupid.
31. The backup trap handler is not whoever has the most HP at the time.
32. I cannot buy any animal in groups of 100 or over.
33. There is no such skill as 'improvised cooking'
34. I am not allowed to base any Droid off any character played by Joe Pesci.
35. I am not allowed to convince the entire party to play R2 units.
36. I am not allowed to convice the entire party to sit on the same side of the table.
37. They do not make black market illegal cyberweapons for rodents.
38. When investigating evil cultists not allowed to just torch the decrepid mansion from the outside.
39. Gnomes do not have the racial ability 'can lick their eyebrows'
40. Gnomes do not have the racial ability to hold their breath for 10 minutes.
41. Gnomes do not have the racial ability 'impromptu kickstand'
42. Having a big nose adds nothing to my seduction check.
43. No longer allowed to set !@#@ propaganda music to a snappy disco beat.
44. Not allowed to spend all 100 character points on 100 1pt skills.
45. My character names are not allowed to be double entendres.
46. Sliver rhymes with silver because the computer frelling says so.
47. They do not make Nair in wookie sizes.
48. The elf is restricted to decaf for the rest of the adventure.
49. Not allowed to blow up the Death Star before that snotty farm kid gets his shot.
50. Not allowed to use thermodynamic science to asphyxiate the orcs' cave instead of exploring it first.
51. No longer allowed to use the time machine for booty calls.
52. My bard does not know how to play Inna Godda Davida on marachas.
53. Not allowed to start a drow character weighing more than a quarter ton.
54. Cannot pimp out other party members.
55. Before facing the dragon, not allowed to glaze the elf.
56. No matter how well I roll, a squirrel cannot carry a horse and rider at full sprint.
57. In the middle of a black op I cannot ask a guard to validate parking.
58. Expended ammunition is not a business expense.
59. Not allowed to pose the Netrunner in embarrassing positions when he's on a run.
60. Not allowed to short sheet the bedroll of impotent dieties.
61. Can only taunt the ranger about his lack of swimming after my USCG E8 saves him.
62. I am not allowed to do anything I saw Han Solo do once.
63. No, I cannot buy 10,000 marbles even if I say please.
64. My paladin's battle cry is not "Good for the Good God"
65. There is no Summon Bimbo spell.
66. Not allowed to start a character that speaks every language except ones the party speaks.
67. There is no Kung Fu manuever "McGuire Swings For Bleachers"
68. Bring him back intact includes redundant organs.
69. There is more to wizardry than magic missile. Even if I can do 200 damage automatic with no save.
70. Not allowed to cook up nerve gas in the sink even if the target number is 5.
71. There is no 'annoy' setting on a phaser
72. Not allowed to start a character who is over 100 years old unless he's an elf or dwarf. Humans are right out.
73. Not allowed to name my cudgel Ceremonial Whoopass Stick.
74. My thief's battle cry is not "Run And Live"
75. Nor is it "You take care of the orcs, I take care of the traps"
76. I am not allowed any artistic license while translating.
77. I did not get my super powers from James T. Kirk.
78. Not allowed to commission a pistol that costs more than a sedan.
79. I am not liquid metal.
80. When accepting a challenge for a duel, I must allow the other guy time to find a pistol.
81. A picture of my ex-wife is not an acceptable backup weapon.
82. Victory laps after killing the dragon with my 1d2 bow is considered in poor taste.
83. My gnome does not like big butts and he cannot lie.
84. Not allowed to talk my fellow inquisitors into buying a 220lb pull crossbow.
85. Not allowed to talk my fellow inquisitors into buying an industrial strength flamethrower.
86. Not allowed to make a superhero with a 99% chance of dodging even after the -10 penalty for a successful called shot.
87. There is no such thing as a dwarven katana.
88. My bard does not get a bonus to perform if she is obviously not wearing anything under her tabard.
89. The elf's name is not Legolam.
90. My swashbuckling fop cannot take the flaw Dark Secret: Not Gay
91. A wet towel does not constitute an improvised weapon.
92. The name of the weapon shop is not "Bloodbath and Beyond"
93. I am to remind my DM that he must never, ever give my paladin a dire boar for a mount again.
94. I cannot base my ancient kung fu master on neither Gene Simmons or Bluto Blutarski.
95. I must not put the Thunder God on the spot again.
96. No making up polearms.
97. My one wish cannot be 'I wish everything on this piece of paper was true'
98. There is no such thing as Speed Polka.
99. Not allowed to see if Jedi can parry a shotgun blast with their lightsaber.
100. When any character from a d20 sourcebook is allowed, that doesn't include System Lords.
101. I am not allowed to pave ANYTHING.
102. I am not authorized to start any civil engineering project on the taxpayer's dime.
103. There is no such thing as a Club +3 of Cup Checks
104. Nor is there a +1 Longsword, +5 against party members.
105. I am not allowed to polymorph anyone into Abe Vigoda.
106. I do not have weapon profiency in cat.
107. There is no such game as Wereshark the Buffet.
108. No, I do not get XP for every single crewman on that Star Destroyer.
109. Not allowed to kill a vampire with any part from a DC-10 larger than my car.
110. Not allowed to serenade the party even if my character has an internal tape deck.
111. I did not pick the garrote skill last week from my grandmother.
112. If the gun can't fit through the x-ray machine, it doesn't go on the plane.
113. My Droid is not allowed to paraphrase any Jack Nicholson soliloquy.
114. The Demilich only falls for getting stuffed in the bag of holding once. (I always love as the GM when players try to use the same trick on the same character. I either get to have the PC look at them like "really? You expected me to fall for that?" or for comedic effect, I let him fall for it again with a "Oh....damn." -James)
115. My musical instrument does not double as a personal flotation device.
116. Not allowed to take a coffee break during the final super villain showdown.
117. I am restricted to memorizing Floating Disc only once per day.
118. I will pick a more traditional paladin weapon instead of a sledgehammer.
119. My character's names cannot be anagrams of playboy playmates.
120. Not allowed to kill another party member with a boomerang again.
121. I am not a contractor for Dragon Cave Cleaning Services Inc.
122. The paladin's alignment is not Lawful ****.
123. Not allowed to forget to mention traps when the powergamer has point.
124. I cannot insert the words "Kill Phil, Sorry Phil" into any list of instructions.
125. Lingerie can only snap coincidentally so many times per day.
126. Dwarves do not count as burrowing animals.
127. Not allowed to download AOL 6.0 on the Arasaka mainframe. (Yay! Cyberpunk 2020 references!)
128. Polka Gnomes exist only in my mind.
129. Not allowed to name my ship The Antidisestablishmentarianism.
130. I am not authorized to form the head.
131. Not allowed to bet how many times the lich bounces.
132. There is no such feat called "Death Blossom"
133. My acrobat cannot balance on the warlord's head for more than one round.
134. The King's Guards official name is not "The Royal Order of the Red Shirt"
135. I cannot demand payment in electrum, backrubs or bubblewrap.
136. I cannot start the 7th Sea campaign with 3 confirmed Drachen kills.
137. I do not have a scorching case of lycanthropy.
138. If the mere thought of it costs the others sanity, I'm forbidden from doing it.
139. My bard is required to take levels in the perform skill and cannot 'just play by ear'
140. The Dutch language does not exist in the Forgotten Realms.
141. My maid does not know kung fu.
142. Not allowed to give a 4 year old a sugar rush just to jack up the CR later.
143. Not allowed to by a holy symbol for every god just in case one of them is right.
144. There is no such thing as pleather armor.
145. I cannot go back in time to cut in line at the Declaration of Independence so everybody now is asked for their Terrence E. Woczinski when signing documents.
146. Not allowed to play an Australian in any game set before 1600.
147. Hobbits are not allowed to have Norse ancestry.
148. There is no Gnomish Deathgrip, and even if there was, it wouldn't involve tongs.
149. Looting the unguarded baggage train is not considered a glorious victory.
150. Not allowed to create recreational drugs in suppository format.
151. Halflings do not have a racial proficiency with the flamethrower.
152. When the guy is at -9 HP is not the best time for my cleric to convert him.
153. I will not propose to every noblewoman at the royal ball until I crit my charisma check.
154. I am not allowed to rub the monk's head for luck.
155. I am not allowed to rub any part of the elf chick for any reason.
156. When one person forgets to buy rations eating the half-elf is not our first option. (MMMMMMmmmmm..... Elves...the other white meat. -James)
157. Any capital scale weapon is not 'my little friend'.
158. I will not declare myself a god just so I can grant myself spells.
159. Airlocks do not double as trash disposals.
160. I will not load any gatling weapon with nothing but paint rounds.
161. I will not nail every single female party member except for the elf chick played by that creepy guy.
162. What ever monster we just killed is not to be tonight's dinner.
163. Not allowed to try and make a dire version of any dog of the toy breeds.
164. I am not to tattle to the halfling assassin's mom about his career choice.
165. I am forbidden from replacing anything with folger's crystals to see if they notice.
166. Not allowed to bribe the enemy commander into withdrawing with a stolen Elvis LP collection.
167. I was not recruited by Star League for any reason.
168. I was also not recruited by 12 dwarves and a wizard to rob a dragon.
169. I am neither the pagan god nor goddess of fertility.
170. I cannot name my character Xagyg or any anagram thereof.
171. My character's dying words are not allowed to be "Hastur, Hastur, Hastur"
172. At no point can I justify spending force points on a seduction check.
173. I am not allowed to recreate Veers' March of the AT-ATs on Zhentil Keep.
174. There is no use of Shatner's spoken word album that doesn't require a humanity check.
175. I am not directly descended from either Huey Lewis or any member of the News.
176. I cannot make called shots to the plectrum, anvil, stirrup, hammer or Isle of Langerhans.
177. Stinking cloud is a privilege, not a right.
178. There are no profanities in Celestial.
179. Chummer means he is my friend, not that sharks find him tasty.
180. I have neither the touch nor the power.
181. I cannot quote Shakespeare in Crinos.
182. No figuring out the plot and killing the actual villain five minutes into the adventure.
183. There are no rules for cooking corn dogs in any d20 supplement.
184. A starting character has no need for 100gp worth of hemp rope.
185. My bard does not need roadies for a dungeon crawl.
186. No cutting line to be a god.
187. I cannot gain more than three drama die per session for making the GM pee.
188. I cannot play a elf with a scottish accent, nor a cajun dwarf.
189. Tourretes is not a flaw, it is a reason to kill the character at creation.
190. Duel wielding small animals is strictly forbidden.
191. My character is not related in anyway to Boba Fett. This goes double for Star Wars characters.
192. If the gun is best fired using the artillery skill, my character is not allowed to have it.
193. Not allowed to kill vampires with seismic charges.
194. When the other guy picks swords for the choice of weapons, that does not leave me pistols.
195. I cannot use a silent feat enambled power word stun and blame it on the dog.
196. I cannot name a character anything that I can't say politely in another country.
197. My epic level character cannot take on the minor goblin menace to his country just to stay sharp.
198. Not allowed to steal my own soul.
199. My third wish cannot be 'I wish you wouldn't grant this wish'
200. I cannot name my character cliche canon characters from other systems.
201. My thief is prohibited from speaking solely in Cant.
202. Character descriptions cannot contain two of the following words: Slavic, Tonedeaf, Karaoke, Musician.
203. My superhero's strength is not classified as snazzy, neato or bodacious.
204. I am not too sexy for the elf, too sexy for the elf, so sexy myself.
205. My 3rd ed. Red Wizard is not allowed to start a business named Thay Co.
206. I cannot forge a +1 sword of Brad's Min/Maxed Paladin/Monk Slaying.
207. The following weapons are not legal choices in a duel: Steamroller, Nerve Gas, Landmine, Midget.
208. I cannot whine about the crappy selection of magical bec de corbins.
209. My Paladin's heraldry is not a smiley face.
210. My Antipaladin's heraldry is not Mr. Yuk.
211. If at any point if my dwarf takes on the mannerisms of Macho Man Randy Savage, he dies.
212. If the party always starts the adventure in a tavern, I cannot opt to start in a brothel.
213. I am not the patron saint of common sense.
214. There is no prestige class Drizzt Slayer.
215. They do not make heavy weapons in pump action.
216. There is an upper limit to the number of Bozo boostergangers I can get in a Volkswagon.
217. If the weapon is capable of staking vampires hiding behind engine blocks, I can't have it.
218. No matter my alignment, organizing halfling pit fights is a violation.
219. In formal introductions to royalty, I must not introduce my companions as just "The Other Guys".
220. I am not the master of the low blow or the gang up.
221. If I get that Yugo up to 120mph again, that's gonna get some paradox.
222. Druids are not against my religion.
223. I cannot convince the Solo he has a cortex bomb when he really doesn't.
224. I cannot insinuate elf chicks are all easy, even though you never hear about a half gnome do you?
225. I am forbidden from monologuing.
226. Troll bubblegum...bad idea.
227. My last wish cannot be "I wish we were playing another game."
228. I cannot use my time machine to hire Hitler a hooker in 1920, thus avoiding WW2.
229. Not allowed to spontaniously check if the elf can take a punch.
230. There is no such thing as monofilament tooth floss.
231. I am not allowed to do anything that would make a Sith Lord cry.
232. It is not possible to recreate any scene from Dr. Who in Crinos.
233. If I am the medtech it is generally assumed I am going to have skill in medicine.
234. My character does not get d34 HP a level.
235. My Samedi is required to have dots in obfuscate.
236. My character has no need for 24,000 cartons of cigarettes, especially in his neighbor's garage.
237. Not allowed to use more than 3 words per game that the GM has to look up the definition.
238. My bard cannot play or has ever heard of the theremin, didgeridoo or glass armonica.
239. Ditto for the Rockerboy.
240. Any character with more than three skills specializing in chainsaw is vetoed.
241. Cannot use the jedi mind trick to get out of a speeding ticket.
242. Not allowed to give quicklings Mountain Dew.
243. Cannot cast haste on the king during a long winded speech to get him to hurry the hell up.
244. Not allowed to taunt the rest of the party in 8 different languages because they forgot to take any.
245. Not allowed to attend any opera whose name the GM confuses with a strip joint.
246. I cannot keep selling that creepy guy's always naked elf chick to nomads every chance I get.
247. If the king rewards me with a forest, I am to assume he intends for me to keep it a forest.
248. There is no Halfling god of groin shots.
249. If a black op requires me to impersonate an employee, I cannot bill the target for overtime.
250. Superfluous Man is not a viable superhero concept.

Writer's Block: Do you prefer a tent or a luxury hotel?

2009-09-22T10:14:15Z

Would you rather spend the weekend camping in the woods or at a luxury hotel? Why?

View 927 Answers

Both are great. When I was younger, I would have gone for the woods. These days, I guess I lean for the hotel. I like comfort more and more as I get older.

Of course, if I am paying for it I prefer an nice but not quite luxury hotel, so I can spend more money on other things during my weekend getaway.

Writer's Block: Shopping spree confessions

2009-09-17T13:06:13Z

If you could choose a $1,000 gift certificate for one online store, which would it be and what would you get? Would you share the love with your friends?

View 351 Answers

Amazon. Books & DVDs.

Shatner Awesomeness

2009-09-01T05:06:21Z

Shatner reads the Poetry of Palin

I know its old by now, but I was out of the country. Sue me.

Writer's Block: Let's Be Friends

2009-07-31T04:53:22Z

I do. It works sometimes.

I talk regularly with one of my exes these days. We call each other to catch up, talk about life, etc.. I just did a tarot reading over the phone for her a couple weeks ago. As for my ex-wife, we used to chat regularly, but haven't talked much lately. I've been busy, but I keep meaning to call her, but since she hasn't called me either, I don't feel to bad. At least I know she is OK from her Facebook updates.

I think that is why I try to stay friends. If I loved someone once, there will always be some love there. So, I want to know they are OK and want them to know they still have a friend.

Gaming

2009-07-27T13:54:27Z

I ran a Star Trek RPG yesterday for some friends. It went really well, I think. I dumped the official ST RPG and used some diceless rules. I had some good players and they seemed to enjoy the plot of recovering a stolen Starfleet ship from Garth of Izar.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Writer's Block: Duos

2009-07-22T12:19:14Z

Sam and Diane, Ross and Rachel, Chuck and Blair—who is your favorite TV couple?

View 506 Answers

I swear I have answered this question before. My answer: Worf and Dax (Star Trek: DS9).

Some runner-ups:
Ranma and Akane
Willow and Oz
Lois and Clark

Writer's Block: Total Eclipse of the Sun

2009-07-22T07:47:48Z

Solar eclipses, like the one visible in India and across Southeast Asia today, have often inspired violence, fear, and superstition in the past. What do they signify to you?

Submitted By fixnwrtr

View 501 Answers

The moon getting between the sun and the earth.

Gaming

2009-07-21T12:47:00Z

The Monday night D&D game has been going really well. The group' side trip in the Planescape setting has been fun and they are unraveling the mystery at the heart of the campaign: the identity of the beings who calls themselves "the Masters," the beings who invaded their world from another dimension.

Have I mentioned I am really loving the Planescape setting? I like to run magical cities as they are the perfect place to set mysteries. That is why I came up with my Dreaming City setting. This setting is like that in D&D.

As a plot-light action-heavy game, I am loving running D&D 4e. I have run about 16 sessions at this point and think I am really getting a hang of designing exciting encounters for the player and the players have said that they really like the plot as well.

I have been trying to get at least one game of Warhammer 40K in each week, though it usually works out to one every other week. I mostly have been playing my Necron army. My Ork army has been built up and and a lot of it has been painted very nicely, but I find the hassle of transporting such a large army can be a pain in the butt, where my Necrons use nowhere near as many figs. In a typical 1500 pt game, my Necron army uses about 40 figures. My Orks use well over 100 figs.

Wanting to take a break from painting Orks, I painted up some of the Chaos minis I have recently and they look really nice. For those of you who know what this means: I am painting my Chaos Marines mostly as Word Bearers with some Night Lords, one squad of Plague Marines and squad of the Emperor's Children Noise Marines.

Other than D&D and the occasional game of Warhammer 40K, I haven't been doing much gaming these days. I have once-a-month game that I play in of Star Wars (using a diceless system), but it hasn't been able to meet that often and I have the once-a-month Harry Potter-esque game that I was going to be running, but had to cancel this last month and will miss again next month because of my trip to Paris.

Humor from an e-mail

2009-07-16T07:33:39Z

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from one generation to
the next, says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best
strategy is to dismount.

However, in modern business because heavy investment factors are taken into
consideration, other strategies are often tried with dead horses, including
the following:

1. Buying a stronger whip.
2. Changing riders.
3. Threatening the horse with termination.
4. Appointing a committee to study the horse.
5. Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
6. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.
7. Reclassifying the dead horse as "living-impaired".
8. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.
9. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed.
10. Providing additional funding and/or training to increase the dead
horse's performance.
11. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the
dead horse's performance.
12. Declaring that the dead horse carries lower overhead and
therefore contributes more to the bottom line than some other horses.
13. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses.
14. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position.

A gaming horror story

2009-07-16T07:18:23Z

(Looking over my old Blogger blog, I found this post of one of my favorite horror stories from a roleplaying game. I thought it was old enough that it could use a reposting to share with people who did not read my Blogger blog back in 2002.)

Several years back, a friend of mine picked up the new (at the time) game of In Nomine, a game allowing players to take the roles of the angels and demons of Judeo-Christian mythology. Going with my "heart character" I made an angel who was once allied to the archangel of Dreams but has since fallen from God's grace. You see, my angel served in the dreaming realm, where he met and fell in love with a mortal dreamer. He went to earth to be with her but then she was murdered. Using his power over dreams he ripped apart the mind of her murderer with nightmares. This began his fall. He didn't fall all the way to Hell, but he's closer there than ever. He is now living as a con artist on earth, a character inspired as much by Vertigo's John Constantine as by anything else.

I built my character so that he was the equivalent of a mortal human in physical stats and spiritual stats. It was only on the sphere of Ethereal (mental) that he excelled. As the game started, my character was arriving in New York's LaGuardia airport when he came across a fight between a few angels (the other PCs) and a demon.

I ask, "How do we figure out initiative? Who goes first?"

My friend looks confused for a moment and begins looking through the book. He can't find it. Instead of making something up, he keeps looking. We all take turns. In Nomine has a very pretty book, but its horribly organized. (Possibly worse than White Wolf.) None of us can find it. GM still refuses to move game forward. "It must be in there." I'm wishing I kept my big mouth shut. Finally I convince him of a way to handle it and the game continues...a half hour later.

It was a physical fight and my character would be completely outclassed, so he stands back and waits for a critical moment to toss somebody's luggage at the demon, distracting it when the other PCs could finish it off.

So, then the plot starts developing and I decide my character would slip into the ethereal realm to research the origins of the demon. The GM says, "You can't do that yet."

I ask, "Why?"

""The ethereal sourcebook isn't out yet. I don't know how to run it."

"Can't you make stuff up? It's your game."

"Yeah, but the sourcebook may contradict me."

The whole game was like that. Another physical fight broke out and once again, I couldn't use by mental powers in the fight because the GM didn't have a sourcebook. As my fellow angels fought the demon in the street, I went to the truck of the car. I pulled out my suitcase and pitched it at the demon.

Unfortunately, I don't think they ever came out with an ethereal sourcebook.

Gaming: Planescape

2009-07-12T08:38:14Z

I just finished reading the Sigil and Beyond book from the Planescape box set. For years, I have heard about the wonders of Planescape and am now dying to run a 4th edition game in the Planescape setting. It mixes my favorite elements of gaming in Amber ( the wonders of a multiverse with interdimensional intrigue) with the fun of D &D.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

Writer's Block: Newsworthy

2009-07-07T07:49:02Z

What news source do you use most often?

View 500 Answers

Internet (Yahoo mostly) and NPR.

Book Meme

2009-06-16T11:17:25Z

Don’t take too long to think about it.
Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you.
First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.
Copy the instructions into your own post.

1. Martian Chronicles by Bradbury
2. Caves of Steel by Asimov
3. Living Buddha, Living Christ by Hanh
4. Stormbringer by Moorcock
5. Man of Steel by Byrne
6. Swamp Fox (Can not remember author)
7. Kingdom Come by Waid & Ross
8. 1984 by Orwell
9. Animal Farm by Orwell
10. To Ride a Silver Broomstick by Ravenwolf
11. New Gods by Kirby
12. Starship Troopers by Heinlein
13. Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein
14. The Earth Abides (can not remember author)
15. Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck

Isn't technology great?

2009-06-15T18:29:22Z

After downloading an app for my iPhone that allowed me to read and post to Facebook easily, I decided to search the app for a LJ app. There were a few. This one doesn't allow me to read my friends page, but will make it easier for me to post! After downloading some apps, I have fallen in love all over again with this phone.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

This is funny if you know me.

2009-06-10T06:33:51Z

Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

Katharine Kerr (b. 1944)

-13 High-Brow, -7 Violent, 3 Experimental and -11 Cynical!

Congratulations! You are Low-Brow, Peaceful, Experimental and Romantic! These concepts are defined below.

Katharine Kerr is a US author who is best known for her books about Deverry, the result of a thought experiment of Kerr's: What if a tribe from the culture of Celtic Gaul had escaped the Romans and moved to another world? The answer is the culture of Deverry, a fantasy world with, among other things, functioning magic, called dweomer. What sets dweomer apart from many other kinds of magic is that it's a system, with detailed descriptions of how different magical actions are performed by those cunning in it, often reminiscent of new age literature, but actually drawing heavily on as diverse systems of thought as buddhism, the Kabbalah and gnosticism.

Another prominent feature of Deverry is the presence of reincarnation, with parts of the plot (or plots, really) concerning the attempts of various characters to overcome their weaknesses in order not to repeat the mistake they made in previous lives'. All this allows for some rather typical fantasy romanticism, while still allowing a huge amount of plot twists and turns, sometimes making the history of Deverry complicated to the point of resembling a highly experimental suite of novels.

Kerr's fans are often real enthusiasts and it is easy to see that those who have the brains to follow the twists and turns of Deverry history are in for a journey into great tales of tragedy and destiny.

You are also a lot like Orson Scott Card.

If you want some action, try C S Lewis.

If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, Michael Moorcock.

Your score

This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.

High-Brow vs. Low-Brow

You received -13 points, making you more Low-Brow than High-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, while a typical low-brow would favour the best-selling kind. At their best, low-brows are honest enough to read what they like, regardless of what "experts" and academics say is good for them. At their worst, they are more likely to read what their neighbours like than what they would choose themselves.

Violent vs. Peaceful

You received -7 points, making you more Peaceful than Violent. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you aren't, and you don't, then you are peaceful as defined here. At their best, peaceful people are the ones who encourage dialogue and understanding as a means of solving conflicts. At their worst, they are standing passively by as they or third parties are hurt by less scrupulous individuals.

Experimental vs. Traditional

You received 3 points, making you more Experimental than Traditional. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, experimental people are the ones who show humanity the way forward. At their worst, they provoke for the sake of provocation only.

Cynical vs. Romantic

You received -11 points, making you more Romantic than Cynical. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, romantic people are optimistic, willing to work for a good cause and an inspiration to their peers. At their worst, they are easily fooled and too easily lead.

Take Which fantasy writer are you? at HelloQuizzy

That is right. I am "the exact opposite" of my favorite author. Of course, this means the author of the test considers Moorcock "traditional." While I think he only probably labelled him as such because his Eternal Champion books are now considered such classics. When they came out, they were pushing in new directions and his new stuff still tries new stuff.

EDIT: I found the author of the test's description of Moorcock. Posted below cut.

Michael Moorcock is one of the most influential fantasy writers of all times, his impact rivalling that of Tolkien's. Perhaps China Miéville described it best when he said: "I think we are all post-Moorcock." Apart from being the editor of New Worlds twice in the 60s and 70s, thereby being instrumental in bringing on the so-called "new wave" of science fiction which changed all fantastic literature forever, Moorcock's own work has been an inspiration to more recent writers. He is also known for not hiding or blunting his views on fiction which he regards as inferior, a trait which has lead him to apply harsh criticism on authors such as J R R Tolkien, C S Lewis an H P Lovecraft.

His most popular work are the Elric books. Elric was originally conceived as a sort of critical comment to or even parody of R E Howard's Conan, but the character and his world soon grew to form a tragic and somewhat fatalistic drama. Elric's world is, in turn, only a small part of the huge Multiverse, a set of stories from all sorts of worlds (including our own) which is forever locked in a struggle between the two powers of Law and Chaos. Whenever one of these powers is threatening to become too powerful, an incarnation of the Eternal Champion, a group of warriors possessing the same spirit, is forced to fight to maintain the delicate balance between the two. Moorcock has worked several of his heroes into this cycle of books, including Hawkmoon, Corum and, of course, Elric.

Moorcock's stories are often stories about warriors, however reluctant they may be, and are usually explicitly violent, even if the purpose of all the hacking and slashing is to free humans and other beings from oppression and, ultimately, fear. There is little happiness, though, for those who are forced to do the fighting and all they can hope for is a short time of respite, sometimes in the town of Tanelorn, the only place in the multiverse that the eternal struggle between Law and Chaos can't reach.

It should also be mentioned that, even though Moorcock has done quite some experimenting in his days, it can't be ignored that a major part of his books are traditional adventure stories that become more than that by their inclusion into a grand vision. A little ironically , perhaps, for an author who has criticized the "world-building school" of fantasy, Moorcock achieves much of his popularity through building, if not a world, a world vision.

Writer's Block: Regrets Only

2009-06-05T13:21:09Z

Do you think that animals feel regret?

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I am fairly certain my dog feels regret when she does something wrong or gets someone upset at her. I am sure most of the more intelligent animals do. However, I also know that my dog has a short attention-span and short memory so I don't think she feels regret very long.

A question for roleplayers

2009-05-21T09:20:03Z

When you think of Orcs, what color are they? Are they green like in Warhammer? Grey like in D&D? Browns and yellows like in Lord of the Rings?

Same question regarding Goblins. Are Goblins green-skinned in your mind's eye? Are Hobgoblins the same color?

I am finding it amusing that in D&D the Goblins, Hobgoblins and Bugbears are all supposed to be related races, but have such a huge difference in their skin colors. (Goblins are green or brown, Hobgoblins are red and Bugbears and yellow and furry.)

Writer's Block: Space Wars

2009-05-19T22:01:16Z

Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Serenity, Alien, 2001—there is a long list of movies and TV shows that take place in space. Which is your favorite?

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It often depends on my mood.

It is usually between the original Battlestar Galactica (1979), Star Trek (TOS), and Star Trek DS9.

Out of the three, DS9, was probably the best made. The quality of the show, especially in later seasons, was extremely good. However, BSG and and ST: TOS are such old-school fun. The characters are some of the most likable characters I have ever seen on TV.

Movie-wise, Star Trek II wins hands-down. The closest to come in second would be Serenity.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

2009-05-19T05:57:59Z

An animated movie of the first story arc from Superman/Batman is being made and judging from the trailer, it may be the most loyal adaption of a comic yet. They even captured Ed McGuinness's art style. (Fitting, since his critics often called him "cartoony.")

It looks good. Very good.

Writer's Block: Mother

2009-05-14T05:43:17Z

Who is your favorite mother (the character, not the actress) from television or the movies?

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Its a toss-up between Morticia Addams and Lilly Munster. Both let their kids be who they were. Lilly Munster gets a bit of an edge with how well she put up with the odd behavior and appearance of her neice Marilyn. However, Morticia has the edge of hot-ness.

Speaking of Riker....

2009-05-13T06:04:54Z

Flavia gave me a new copy of the first Star Trek: Titan book for my birthday. Star Trek: Titan is a series of novels following the adventures of Captain Riker and the crew of the USS Titan. I had started reading the first book last year and was really in to it when it went missing. I think I must have left it in a doctor's waiting room or something. I didn't want to pay full price for it again and was waiting to find a used copy someday to finish it. Flavia said that by giving it to me, I didn't have the guilt of paying for it twice.

Star Trek Quiz

2009-05-13T05:59:31Z

I always felt a kinship to Worf, but because of the questions they asked, I think, Worf ended up low on my list. Still, the #1 person on this list is another character I can feek kinship with. In fact, other than Worf, this is about the order I would list them as characters I feel most like.

Your results:
You are Will Riker

Will Riker		75%
James T. Kirk (Captain)		60%
Deanna Troi		55%
Spock		52%
Chekov		45%
Uhura		45%
Jean-Luc Picard		45%
Beverly Crusher		45%
Geordi LaForge		45%
Data		43%
Mr. Scott		40%
Worf		40%
Leonard McCoy (Bones)		30%
Mr. Sulu		30%
An Expendable Character (Redshirt)		25%

At times you are self-centered
but you have many friends.
You love many women, but the right
woman could get you to settle down.

Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz

The Onion Reports on Star Trek Film

2009-05-07T13:32:13Z

Trekkies outraged by new film, calling it fun and watchable!