Ionathus's Random Banter #249 -- Directionless Rambling Is Now Mandatory

[Lord Raziere]

Gale is just classic wizard hubris guys, I don't know what to tell ya. guy looks at ancient long ago wizard doing same thing he's doing and failing and figures he's just built different or something.

[Keltest]

Devil's Advocate: Gale's biggest driving force is to get right back into the abusive relationship he was in, the the point that when he considers killing himself when she says "kill yourself".

Gale is dying anyway, and not in a "we're all mortal" way. And it's his own fault. You can hardly blame him for at least wanting to go heroically if the opportunity was there. Heck, it was already his plan if he couldn't feed the orb, just with a smaller target.

[Anonymouswizard]

Gale is just classic wizard hubris guys, I don't know what to tell ya. guy looks at ancient long ago wizard doing same thing he's doing and failing and figures he's just built different or something.

He's a classic self insert wizard, albeit one that is now actively facing consequences for doing stupid protagonist stuff. It's why I suspect playing as him makes him actually bearable.

Like Gale is the modern version of a male human fighter on the run because the king took offence to his boasting.

[Bartmanhomer]

Well I wrote Chapter 11 in my Dungeons & Dragons: The Dragoon Family story today.

[BisectedBrioche]

I think the thing I like about the party's Tragic Backstories™ in BG3 is the way the party's circumstances overlap which basically carry a theme of being unwillingly bound to the service of a more powerful being, and the ways they cope with it and have been forcefully changed by it. Which just ties into the themes of the main plot (i.e. the threat of that) in so many ways!

Spoiler: Spoilers for the character backstories

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Obviously you have the obvious ones like Karlach having a demonic motorbike engine in her chest cavity, Astarian being a vampire spawn and Wyll getting tief'd by his Patron. But then there's the more subtle ones like Shadowheart and Lae'Zel being gaslit by their gods (whose service they were raised in), and Gale being pressured to straight up kill himself for the greater good.

[Batcathat]

This discussion reminds me that I really need to play BG3 at some point. I keep putting it off, thinking I'll save it for when I have more time (since it's the type of game that's likely to swallow me whole) but I might've forgotten that I'm an adult and all that free time is unlikely to magically appear.

[Ionathus]

We're going to a baseball game this week as part of a work thing.

A lot of people joke about baseball being boring, though that's kind of what I like about it. It's not the most dynamic sport but there are always a couple of neat moments, and it gives you a good chance to sit and talk and enjoy nice weather.

[Anonymouswizard]

We're going to a baseball game this week as part of a work thing.

A lot of people joke about baseball being boring, though that's kind of what I like about it. It's not the most dynamic sport but there are always a couple of neat moments, and it gives you a good chance to sit and talk and enjoy nice weather.

Oh, you should really give Cricket a go

[Bartmanhomer]

We're going to a baseball game this week as part of a work thing.

A lot of people joke about baseball being boring, though that's kind of what I like about it. It's not the most dynamic sport but there are always a couple of neat moments, and it gives you a good chance to sit and talk and enjoy nice weather.

Let's go Yankees!

[TaiLiu]

Yes. As Peelee said there are non-coffee drinks and sandwiches at Starbucks.

Thank you, friend.

Sweet. I'll be sure to try one when I'm near a Starbucks.

You're welcome.

I didn't realise Heinlein posted here!

Sorry, that reference escapes me.

[Bartmanhomer]

I hate paperwork both physically and electronically. Today I went to see my doctor and have a Men's Group Therapy Session a new hospital rule that I have to sign paperwork every time I visit to see my doctor. It's ****ing irritating.

[Anonymouswizard]

Sorry, that reference escapes me.

Stranger in a Strange Land. Just.... that entire book.

Although annoyingly the polyamorous martian philosophy sex cult is strictly heterosexual. Booooooooooo!

[halfeye]

Stranger in a Strange Land. Just.... that entire book.

Although annoyingly the polyamorous martian philosophy sex cult is strictly heterosexual. Booooooooooo!

I used to like Heinlien, but then I read Farnham's Freehold.

Apparently he didn't even understand why it was terrible.

[Bartmanhomer]

Oh, you should really give Cricket a go

Let's go Cricket!

[Bohandas]

I used to like Heinlien, but then I read Farnham's Freehold.

Apparently he didn't even understand why it was terrible.

I read the wikipedia article on that book and it made me think of the movie The Producers but like backwards. Like, in The Producers they need the play to close after one show so they deliberately put on an offensive and racist play but they do it so badly that it just comes off as funny. Whereas here Heinlien has tried to write an anti-racist book but executed it so poorly that it ends up coming off as offensive and racist

[Cazero]

polyamorous

strictly heterosexual.

...how does that even work? They hate half the people in their polycule?

[enderlord99]

...how does that even work? They hate half the people in their polycule?

You don't have to hate someone just because they're your metamour.

[Bohandas]

...how does that even work? They hate half the people in their polycule?

I would imagine like links in a chain. A given chain link is not as a rule linked to the links that the links it is linked to are linked to

EDIT:

links don't link to links linked links link

EDIT:

Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

EDIT

((Buffalo buffalo) (Buffalo buffalo) buffalo) buffalo ((Buffalo buffalo) (Buffalo buffalo) buffalo)

I hate paperwork both physically and electronically. Today I went to see my doctor and have a Men's Group Therapy Session a new hospital rule that I have to sign paperwork every time I visit to see my doctor. It's ****ing irritating.

I despise paperwork. Half the time they're asking for information that they have easier access to than I do

[enderlord99]

Link and Lonk were asked by Princess Zelda whether they would use "had" or "had had" in a certain sentence. Link, while Lonk had had "had" had had "had had." "Had had" had had a better effect on the princess.

EDIT: The variation with the Fish-and-Chips Sign is basically the natural language equivalent of Leaning Toothpick Syndrome.

[Lord Raziere]

...how does that even work? They hate half the people in their polycule?

No it just never occurs to the martian free love cult based on alien ideas of free love and such that people of the same sex can have a relationship. because written by Heinlein.

[Anonymouswizard]

I used to like Heinlien, but then I read Farnham's Freehold.

Apparently he didn't even understand why it was terrible.

I haven't but from what I've heard burning it is considered insulting. What did that poor fire do to you!?

...how does that even work? They hate half the people in their polycule?

Really awkward group sex. Plus an idea that gay men hate masculinity.

No it just never occurs to the martian free love cult based on alien ideas of free love and such that people of the same sex can have a relationship. because written by Heinlein.

Considering at least some of his love interest characters are 'men it's okay for me to **** because they're actually women' I've yet to be convinced that he wasn't a repressed bisexual.

[Bohandas]

Link and Lonk were asked by Princess Zelda whether they would use "had" or "had had" in a certain sentence. Link, while Lonk had had "had" had had "had had." "Had had" had had a better effect on the princess.

EDIT: The variation with the Fish-and-Chips Sign is basically the natural language equivalent of Leaning Toothpick Syndrome.

Fish and chips sign?

[Mx.Silver]

Fish and chips sign?

"Wouldn't the sentence 'I want to put a hyphen between the words Fish and And and And and Chips in my Fish-And-Chips sign' have been clearer if quotation marks had been placed before Fish, and between Fish and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and Chips, as well as after Chips?"

[enderlord99]

"Wouldn't the sentence 'I want to put a hyphen between the words Fish and And and And and Chips in my Fish-And-Chips sign' have been clearer if quotation marks had been placed before Fish, and between Fish and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and Chips, as well as after Chips?"

Yeah, that one.

[Form]

Hung up some more wall art today to cover up some holes and slight wall damage (why repaint when I can just cover it up? :D). Occult + cyberpunk themed stuff. Now my walls aren't almost bare anymore and my apartment is finally taking on a bit more personality.

[Bartmanhomer]

I despise paperwork. Half the time they're asking for information that they have easier access to than I do

Yes. It's so annoying. I feel like this is the work of Tiamat.

Anyway yesterday, I wrote Chapter 12 of my Dungeons & Dragons: The Dragoon Family story.

[LaZodiac]

Hung up some more wall art today to cover up some holes and slight wall damage (why repaint when I can just cover it up? :D). Occult + cyberpunk themed stuff. Now my walls aren't almost bare anymore and my apartment is finally taking on a bit more personality.

Hell yeah. You've gotta show us those!

[Form]

Hell yeah. You've gotta show us those!

Spoiler: Cyberpunk tarot

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The fool:


The tower:


I also have a cyberpunk variant of the tarot card The World, but I haven't quite yet decided where to put that one. Probably in the entrance hallway where The Tower is also located. The Tower is right in front of the entrance door, so it's the first thing anyone sees on entering.

I kind of regret not getting the gloss variant of these? These are matte, which results in less glare but also has less vibrant colors. Eh, good enough.

Spoiler: Star chart

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Spoiler: Goetic demons

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Marbass, Glasya-labolas, Astaroth & Stolas. All associated with knowledge in some way. Except for Stolas I guess, he's associated with astronomy, which is still a kind of knowledge! I don't remember exactly which is which.

[LaZodiac]

Spoiler: Cyberpunk tarot

Show

The fool:


The tower:


I also have a cyberpunk variant of the tarot card The World, but I haven't quite yet decided where to put that one. Probably in the entrance hallway where The Tower is also located. The Tower is right in front of the entrance door, so it's the first thing anyone sees on entering.

I kind of regret not getting the gloss variant of these? These are matte, which results in less glare but also has less vibrant colors. Eh, good enough.

Spoiler: Star chart

Show

Spoiler: Goetic demons

Show

Marbass, Glasya-labolas, Astaroth & Stolas. All associated with knowledge in some way. Except for Stolas I guess, he's associated with astronomy, which is still a kind of knowledge! I don't remember exactly which is which.

God those are all so cool...

[Bohandas]

Anyone else watch Helluva Boss?