Taking the long view and starting a thread where we can reserve settings that we want to play in once the main story's done and our SIs and their families are out exploring the Metacontinuity.

This is for settings that would be more trouble than it's worth to try to fit into the four-arc storyline (because they're set in alternate worlds, or alternate times, or otherwise don't fit well with the setting that we've already built), but that at least one of the writers thinks are still interesting enough to tell at least one story in.

Starting off: Rob calls dibs on Allison and Lillia. (Alternate world with alternate geography that's plot-relevant and technology that would be lost in what the existing displacees have already brought)

Any chance we can get a method of embedding tweets from Twitter?  I just dumped several in a post over in Politics and it would have been much nicer to be able to embed them instead.

If you can't due to some technical or security issue, I'll understand.

Apparently, New Jersey's Attorney General has uncovered evidence that Trump's golf course has been giving out illegal green cards and social security numbers to illegal immigrants.  They didn't trust Sessions, so they went straight to Robert Mueller with the dirt.

Quote:Florida AG Pam Bondi is the ONLY AG who took a $25K bribe from Trump Foundation not to pursue charges against Trump. #TrumpUniversity

She needs to be investigated.

Quote:Pam Bondi was on Trump's transition team. omg i did not know this.

One of ... well, let's just say someone my uncle knows, discovered a few PS3 games they hadn't traded in with the console a while back, and since I still have one and the nearby Gamestops closed, gave them to me. Not a bad haul if mostly things I'd played before, but the question I have is this: Will Persona 4 make any sense coming at it cold, or do I need to somehow (cough cough internet cough) find the half dozen or so earlier games in the setting first?

[Farnsworth]Good news everyone![/Farnsworth]

No, REALLY!

IT'S HAPPENING PEOPLE!

Lifehacker has a comprehensive list:
https://lifehacker.com/these-1923-copyri...1825241296

Black Aeronaut mentioned in a recent post in another thread that he expects the Sailor Senshi will end up with Lyrical Nanoha style Devices eventually. This thread is to brainstorm what those Devices might be... and we may as well generalize it to all the spellcasters. As usual with brainstorming sessions, no idea is too off-the-wall to not mention, although some ideas might be quietly dropped from consideration because they go in odd directions.

Let's start off with a list of what I'd like to discuss to begin with. Brainstorming sessions often go off on tangents, and that's a good thing, but we need a starting point for the tangents to go off from.

As I understand it, the average Midchildan or Belkan Intelligent Device (and the above-average ones like Raising Heart, Bardiche, and Graf Eisen) assist their masters by casting minor spells (usually but not always defensive) by drawing upon their masters' magical power reserves, and help with their masters' mathematical calculations for the really big spells. I don't know how much help the Sailor Senshi, or Sakura and Shaoran, or the Fate/Stay Night mages, or the Madoka Magica girls would get from that sort of device, since their magic doesn't appear to have a mathematical component. (Also, Ami already has the Mercury Computer.)

(Interestingly, some of the Academy City espers might find this sort of Device useful, since some Skills - including Electromaster, Teleport, and Aero Hand - have mathematical components in their use. Washuu-chan might have already implanted the equivalent of one in Accelerator to offset the brain damage he took in canon when he was shot while healing Last Order.)

However, the Belkans had something else which the Senshi could use: Unison Devices. A well-designed Unison Device offsets its master's weaknesses and supports its master's strengths, at the cost of having two minds in one body. And we've seen an example of the dangers of a malfunctioning Unison Device: the control program of the Book of Darkness before Hayate renamed it "Reinforce".

Who would risk using a Unison Device? (Consider that the TSAB isn't around to help debug them... but Washuu-chan is.) And what would they do, and what would their personalities be like?

Of the Sailor Senshi, only Usagi has flight capability - and that's winged flight, no hovering. Hyoga is also a winged flyer. Sakura can fly (and hover) with The Fly. Kero-chan and Yue can fly. Everybody else is grounded... so flight capability would be useful.

Defense would be good - most of the mages in the setting are glass-cannons, compared to the average metahuman. (Hyoga's the obvious exception here - you'd almost think she was a Evangelion Angel, not a Judeo-Christian one.) But what sort of defense?

And what else would be useful?

The floor is now open for discussion.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/12/27/...rmer-fire/

A canon Christmas short story for Dresden Files from Jim Butcher

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12hNg...zpUJg/edit

Okay.

So one of my favorite groups, VNV Nation, pushed out a new studio album this year in November called Noire.  And the name suits this album PERFECTLY with the tracks alternating between dark and light tones.  VNV Nation are among the few groups I know of that don't just slap a bunch of music onto a record and call it a day.  This entire album is a work of art in its collective whole.

But what really caught me were two tracks.  I'll do one here and save the other one for the second post so you guys can react to them separately.

The first of these, I think, would be a fitting theme (Opening Theme?  Battle Hymn?) for either Seasons 2 or 3.  Why?

Well...

Just look at the lyrics here.

A stranger in the crowd

Treading fire after dark
Lost in a city
Pulsing to a sound
Of the spirit and soul
A city that is breathing
Living through the cables
Alive across the wires
Faces without names
Playing devils and angels
Lit up by the strobes
Moving hypnotised
I caught your reflection
In the neon on glass
An electric silhouette
Against a static sky

It's a beautiful dream
It's a beautiful life
It's just a reflection
A world that must survive
We're children of the past
Who look beyond today
Designing the present
So when is the future?

We live in a dream
Keeping visions alive
It's just a reflection
A world that never dies
An image we create
In our image we design
It's a beautiful life
So when is the future?

Time moves so fast
In a single direction
Fighting with a present
Racing from the past
We're searching for something
That can never satisfy
The reality of answers
When lives are on the line
I've waited a lifetime
For the age of wonder
A place that I remember
In a splinter of time
A stranger in a strange land
Caught in the flow
Still searching for answers
Among the neon lights

It's a beautiful dream
It's a beautiful life
It's just a reflection
A world that must survive
We're children of the past
Who look beyond today
Designing the present
So when is the future?

We live in a dream
Keeping visions alive
It's just a reflection
A world that never dies
An image we create
In our image we design
It's a beautiful life
So when is the future?

It's a beautiful dream
It's a beautiful life
It's just a reflection
A world that must survive
We're children of the past
Who look beyond today
Designing the present
So when is the future?

We live in a dream
Keeping visions alive
It's just a reflection
A world that never dies
An image we create
In our image we design
It's a beautiful life
So when is the future?

Thematically, it's perfect.  Cities that were never meant to be, dreams from the past becoming reality in the present, and we're all still reaching for an uncertain future.  The sound is heavily industrial, with VNV's trademark future-pop sound, smoothly blended with just the right touch of 80's Retro Synthwave.

Here's the music video they did for When is the Future?  It's minimalist, but it works very well.



I even have my own thoughts of how a music video featuring Ben might go.

First verse finds Ben in a Tokyo rave club, with hologram tanks and lasers everywhere.  Hatsune Miku is DJing, and for the moment she is letting the music speak for itself.  (Though I'd love to see someone do a rendition of this song using her!)  As he moves smoothly through the crowd, tapping into Juraian sword kata learned under the tutelage of Prince Yosho, he's losing himself to the pounding beat, when he catches a glimpse of Hotaru through an idling holotank, her smile beckoning as he face was lit up by the fluorescing colors under the blacklights.

He makes his way over, only to lose track of her.  And then he suddenly glimpses Homura, smiling as she disappears by a partition.  Ben makes his way quickly over, only to find Fate beckoning him with a coy grin and a crooked finger.  Ben gives chase, but finds Weis instead.  Except instead of running, she grabs him by the arms and throws him into the throng...

The chorus kicks in and he suddenly finds himself in Ruby's arms.  They grin at each other and break into energetic dance, the ravers naturally moving to make room.  Every other line in the chorus, he is swung into the arms of another.  Homura.  Then Fate.  Weiss.  Kyoko.  Yang.  Nanoha.  And finally Hotaru.

As we transition to verse two, the scene shifts.  It's the dead of night in San Antonio, and its twisting and looping highways, which are the stuff of a racer's dreams, are deserted.  Except for a gleaming black Saturn SC2.  It has a body kit that maintained the S-Series coup's sleek lines.  The engine has been modified to handle the big turbo that feeds the engine and the transmission was swapped for a built-up version of the SC1's transmission for the longer gears.  At 100mph he was barely pushing 4000rpm's.  Ben keeps focused on the road with steely-eyed determination as a false can send him screaming into the divider wall at speed.

But then he's joined up by a gleaming red Alfa Romeo SZ.  A quick glance and, for a split second, Mamoru and Ben's eyes meet, wide grins on their faces.

Others join up as well.  Sylvie, Meg, Priss, Mii, Yang, Keiichi, and Belldandy on their bikes.  Fate in a yellow Ferrari Testarossa and Nanoha in a white Mazda RX7.  Weiss in a silver Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS Gullwing.  Ruby in a black-on-red Super Seven.  Kyoko in a red Toyota Supra.  Madoka in a fuschia Mazda Miata.  Homura in a lavender Toyota MR2.  Mami in a gold BMW M5 Sport E34.

As the chorus kicks in, they dive down into the southbound I-10 lower deck - what Ben likes to call the Death Star Trench Run - two lanes and barely any shoulder.  It's not a race, but a cruise-turned-speedrun.  Care must be taken here - small but sudden rises and drops in the concrete pavement can make you lose traction for a precious split-second.  But for this crowd it only adds to the challenge.  The walls and overpasses of the lower deck race by until the upper and lower decks merge once more and they turn south to stay on I-10, merging with I-35.  On their left, Downtown San Antonio, now looking decidedly futuristic with new high-rises stretching up into the sky, set aglow with colorful LED lighting flashing a myriad of patterns, while the Tower of America's stands proud and solemn to the side - a treasured reminder of dreams from the past just now being realized today.

As the instrumental starts, the camera pans starward, and then pans over.  Suddenly there is Starbase One with an eclectic mix of ships orbiting it.  Another pan, and there is the Death Star, only now instead of a terror weapon, it's now a final line of defense.  In the distance,  a Forerunner's Halo hangs in solar orbit where a flock of engineering ships work to disarm it's terrible mechanism.  On Mars, great basins are slowly starting to fill with water as magitech constructs contain the atmosphere, engage the magnetosphere, and stabilizes the orbits of its moons.  Envoys from the Abh, Jurai, Federation, The Galactic Empire, and the Gamilons are arriving.

They have arrived for one reason.

To build the new future that is always just out of reach.

As the chorus starts again, we see a dark shape coming up from Earth.  It is Benjamin in his personal gunship, The Punisher.  He's not needed as a manager anymore.  Instead, he is forraying out to do what he has always dreamed of: to see what's out there.  He docks the stubbornly sturdy ship to its Transwarp module, and with a wink he is gone, off into the wild yonder.

Thoughts?

(Edited by Bob to remove the font markup which made it hard to read in San Felix. Sorry if that was for some special reason, BA.)

Merry Christmas, all.  I don't have much to give out as a gift, except for this explanation of why Nanami as a person would actually work in real life.  In time, perhaps, I'll post in-depth studies of other characters so each one can be discussed at length in their own threads.

This all started with a strange thought I had last night, and I had to satisfy my curiosity.

And it turns out that Yasuri Nanami actually is a sociopath.

Now, before you all hit the SCRAM buttons, this is not necessarily a bad thing.  Like with Asperger's Syndrome, a sociopath has a different set of tools to work with.  And like with Asperger's Syndrome, this can range from making them all-but incapable of functioning in society to flying so far under the radar that you'd never notice unless you paid close attention.

The common trademark of a sociopath is their lack of remorse and empathy.  Everything for them is all about the cold calculations.  They are willing, if needs be, to hurt people however they feel necessary in order to achieve their goals.

However, this doesn't mean that they lack passion.

Far from it, in fact.

Some medical experts are of the opinion that if a sociopath is capable of love, it is only in an unhealthy way, and that the subject of their love will be discarded once they lose interest.

But what they fail to mention is that this is mostly for the most extreme cases.

By and large, for most sociopaths, love is something that they feel intensely.  But don't take my word for it.  Hear it from a sociopathic woman:

Quote:Yes. Sociopaths can love with a selfish intensity that puts other love to shame. Their love is a devouring, consuming sort of love. When I love someone, I feel like I want to inhale them -- to literally suck out their soul. When I kiss someone, I try to do just that. 

Love may be blind for empaths, but a sociopath sees your faults clearly and loves you still. The sociopath's piercing eyes are not only unsettling because of their unwavering constancy, but because the sociopath's eyes can pierce through to your very soul, leaving you naked before his gaze. The sociopath's ignorance or disinterest in social norms means that he will not see you as the world sees you but how you truly are. They're free of the rose-colored glasses empaths falling in "love" often wear. I imagine this ability would be particularly appealing to those whose role in society doesn't reflect their true worth: members of disfavored races or socioeconomic backgrounds, the too-smart-for-their-own-good crowd, the still-waters-run-deep. 

Sociopaths have a genius for adoring. Their understanding of your wants and needs matched with their charm and flexible personality mean that they can and will literally become the man or woman of your dreams. In fact, when I love, my first step is to gather as much information as possible about every aspect of the person's life in order to more closely resemble their ideal mate. 

The closest analog to a sociopath's love is probably the love of a child: intense, accepting, selfish. And finally, like a child, the sociopath will be extremely loyal. A sociopath will never put you above himself, but he will readily put you above all others.

Quote:Various hallmark sociopath traits are listed below. It is important to note that not all traits will be present in all the sociopaths.

According to ICD-10 criteria, presence of 3 or more of the following qualifies for the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder (sociopathy):

• Callous unconcern for the feelings of others.
  
• Gross and persistent attitude of irresponsibility and disregard for social norms, and obligations.
  
• Incapacity to maintain enduring relationships, though having no difficulty in establishing them.
  
• Very low tolerance to frustration, a low threshold for discharge of aggression, including violence.
  
• Incapacity to experience guilt or to profit from experience, particularly punishment.
  
• Markedly prone to blame others or to offer plausible rationalization for the behavior that has brought the person into conflict with society.
  

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-TR) is another widely used tool for the diagnosis and it defines sociopath traits as:

A) Pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three or more of the following:

• Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest
  
• Deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure
  
• Impulsiveness or failure to plan ahead
  
• Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults
  
• Reckless disregard for safety of self or others
  
• Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations
  
• Lack of remorse as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another
  

B) The individual is at least age 18 years.
C) There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years.
D) The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode.