HeySeuss

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

I learned a lot in high school English, from this pretentious teacher that forced us to break down things and analyze them to the point of joylessness.

It taught me to just go and read the book, listen to the album and play the game.

The principle continues to sustain me as now various sociopolitical factions start to review things through the lens of their ideological dogma.

As they say in Jersey; fuck outta here with that.

If I don't like it, I can close the book, stop listening to the album and abandon the video game. And in the process, I learn something about what I don't like.

PS/Edit: I'm just playing the game and enjoying it, instead of worrying about what it doesn't do or what each component symbolizes. I try to avoid overthinking my fun.

Spiritum

<Snipped quote by HeySeuss>

I know what you mean, but my inner smart-ass just really wants her to respond. "Dude it was all they talked about on the TV and Radio for like three weeks now. Like everybody knew."

In other news keep up the good work folks!

@Hexaflexagon

I think he'd mean specifics about their route. I can modify...and done. Now it's a question about the flight plan.

Mass Effect Andromeda Multiplayer

Huh, I didn't realize there was a multiplayer mode. I might be interested, though it might be better to use Discord (VOIP) should there be people who have non-Origin copies.

Not to hijack the thread, but thoughts on MEA, so far?

@Iuniper

Love it. Love that it's more exploration than military, honestly. Sure, there's gunplay, but there's so much unknown and it captures the spirit of pioneering.

Brainstorming, Collaboration and Fun Writing

Now seeking: Partner in Crime/Collaborator.

Bear in mind that what I have written below is mutable and essentially that I am willing to adapt. If you have an interest and you pitch it, I will consider it. I'm open-minded.


_{Why a pic of Keef and Mick? Because some of the best music out there came from active collaboration. Which is sort of the point for what follows.}

My Proposition

Longtime user just getting back into the swing here and looking for some chat, a little collaboration and some fun writing with new faces.

Let's face it, I've been here a long time, I know a bunch of people here but a lot of them seem to be not RPing, which means that I have to run into some new people.

I'm mostly marketing this to the odd random and interesting person that might be checking these interest checks the way I sometimes do without posting an actual check. Some of you are old hands, some of you are brand new.

Hi, you, drop a line! If interested, please PM or tag @HeySeuss so I get a notification. Otherwise, I'll check the page, see if I have notifications and perhaps not get back to you as quickly as if you pop a flare.

My Baggage:

Baggage tldr

After years of slogging it out in kitchens and doing things not really related to having a college (university to the non-Americans) degree, I finally have one of those cushy desk jobs. I have weekends free -- though I volunteer for some of those weekends because I, quite frankly, get bored.

Also, since this is about baggage. I'm a former mod here. I resigned for personal sanity. I came back strictly to RP with people.

My Interests

Interests tldr

Honestly, I'm versatile. For amusement, I often like to cross genres and find ways to blend elements of a given genre into something else. I think a plot is more important than a genre in a lot of ways to me. I enjoy the thrill of collaboration and combining perspectives.

I'm not very good at fandoms for the most part, though I draw liberally from inspirations and try to make something out of that. Sometimes I'll venture into something off the beaten path (including high school) though I like RP's that try out different perspectives and unusual twists. I'm into self-improvement as a writer, so I like to constantly shift my gears. I love a good conversation about where we are channeling our muse from on a given piece of writing, because I think inspirations are important, but they can also come from all sorts of places.

My Immensely Long List of Rules
_{(OBEY OBEY OBEY)}

The Quite Long List of Hard and Fast Rules

I adhere to the site rules that are posted and we can negotiate and converse about the rest. I'm sure you're breathing easy, because I can't count the number of times I say, "okay, looks good" and then WHAM -- a huge long list of rules.

Oh, and when PM'ing, please post a writing sample, list of references, your favorite doughnut flavor and what you put in your coffee. You will be judged harshly upon this basis. No, seriously, don't do that.

My plot ideas, not to be taken as the only things I will do(I can't get on board with the term 'pairings')
_{(This is a list of some of what I've done. It's not exhaustive but it actually exists, unlike the "Immensely Long List of Rules")}

Actual list this time

- [Sci-Fi, Parody] It's Douglas Adams + the Rolling Stones 1972 tour. Aliens fake a rock band's death in order to put them on tour in space. They get probed, but it's probably consensual. They experiment with space drugs. There's a crowd of aliens waving lighters in their tentacles and throwing panties with way too many holes up on stage. The humans are forced to adapt. (Source)
- [1960's Bikers, Werewolves]This is the saga of the Wild Hunt, the Werewolf biker gang, and its fight against the cabals and conspiracies of the world arrayed against them. (Source)
- [Modern Fantasy] Magic returns to the world after a long slumber, and an unprepared world freaks out. Two magic users have to make their way through an altered social landscape while keeping their secrets. (Source)
- [Science Fiction] Military contractors wake up to find themselves far from Uzbekistan, where they thought they were going, and fighting as mercenaries for aliens that think Humanity's propensity for violence and creativity will make them a force to be reckoned with on insterstellar battlefields.(Source)
- [Modern/Horror] A tropical island turns into a hellish landscape of war between natives and a rapacious corporation with the characters caught in the middle. And then they discover the horror manipulating it all to its own foul ends. (Source)
- [Historical] 1943/44: Two teenagers are part of the Resistance against the German occupation of France in World War II. _{This sort of thing actually happened; kids as young as 14-15 were actually fighting the Germans in 1944, and prior to that even younger kids were assisting the Resistance. So yes, this is realistic.}(Source)
- [Post-Apocalyptic/Sci-Fi] The world was destroyed in the fire of nuclear weaponry, and the survivors live in a world lit only by fire. However, that changes when invaders from space arrive, supporting some kingdoms against others. (Source)
- [Vampire Horror/Cyberpunk] With their power uncontested for thousands of years, vampires rule humanity from the shadows, using them as pawns and cattle in their sadistic game. Many organizations have tried, and failed, to fight the vampires effectively, until one organization, after centuries of planning, information gathering and investment in research and development, makes breakthroughs in cybernetics that allow a human to have a fair chance of fighting individual vampires. The organization's first operation with this technology is the revenge killing against a specific vampire... If you can't stand Twilight, you'll enjoy this. (Source)
- [Fantasy] Two adventurers promoted to the governing council of their city-state must now investigate the assassination of their predecessors while unravelling mysteries of their past that have come back to haunt them. (Source)
- [Modern/Slice of Life]Two childhood friends that shared the sandbox together grew apart in high school and further in adult life; one is getting serious about settling down with someone her parents approve of but that she has doubts about, the other is a dedicated musician that is about to make it beyond his wildest dreams. They're both about to get what they wish for and find it wanting. (Source)
- [Historical] A Jewish man hunts one of the SS officers responsible for the death of his family during the Holocaust and follows the trail into the French Foreign Legion, fighting a guerrilla war in Indochina (Vietnam). When wounded, he meets the German man's wife, a nurse that has no idea about her husband's past. (Source)
- [Sci-Fi] A colony of humanity's is lost but eventually finds itself at its destination centuries late. The colonists, accomplished scientists and researchers at the top of their field, establish a high tech colony that is capable of self sufficiency and far more, thanks to the experimental artificial intelligence and support systems it brings along. It is not aware how much time has passed or how much has changed since they departed Earth.
- [Post-Apocalyptic/Fantasy] The world is not destroyed in a nuclear fire, but by a magical one as dragons and other beasts of myth return, sweeping the world and leaving devastation in its wake. In the former US State of Minnesota, facing an invasion of goblinkind, two enemies, products of two different communities, unite to try and face down the oncoming horde, putting their antipathies behind in order to survive.
- [Sci Fi or Fantasy] A maimed, disgraced warrior (either long dead or imprisoned/executed) is brought back by the heir of a monarchy from either another plane (fantasy) or galaxy (sci-fi) to provide the natural talent only he has while earning his redemption and rehabilitation in the process.
- [Modern Alternate History] In 2013 (or thereabouts, maybe later?) the Soviet Union invades the United States. The US military is set back on its heels, but the Soviets face a new problem -- the American guerrilla resistance. Based heavily on the first Red Dawn rather than that remake. (source)
- [Modern Fantasy] The city of Camden faces the rise of the dread Lord Nemsemet, an ancient sorcerer who rallies much of the supernatural community to his standard to overpower the hereditary nobility of the courts and establish his own rule of terror in the city. Meanwhile, the supernatural beings of Camden against Nemsemet are unable to call for help or leave, due to some fell enchantment... (Source)
- [Fantasy] The saga of the much reviled and often-underrated Orcish mercenary company Nar Mat Kordh-Ishi as they struggle with the enemies they're hired to fight as well as the scumbags that hire them and try to stiff them afterward. It ain't easy being green. (Source)
- [Star Wars] During the Mandalorian Wars, the Jedi knight Revan sets out with followers to fight for the Republic's survival against the warriors of Mandalore's neo-crusader movement. This is their tale, with a tragic ending... (Source)

These plots are distilled from larger plots for RP's that I have done (or have never done but would like to do.) I have a wide range of interests and if you want me to try a different plot, I will certainly consider the plot. If it strikes a chord of creativity for me, I'll be happy to work with you on it. So pitch it, because I am adaptable.

Foreign Legion [First Contact/Uplift/Military Sci-Fi]

Soon kids. My other RPs are slow going but work is kicking my ass. <3

@Noxious

That's fine, we're patient.

Mass Effect Andromeda Multiplayer

Would be interested, but I have an Xbox One. Sorry :(

@Penguinimus

<Snipped quote by Penguinimus>

Same here. Don't do multiplayer though unless like ME3 it benefits the single player.

@Burning Kitty

So my recommendation is that you guys come together and do multiplayer, if you're looking to do it. I mean, while I am on PC, I think it's a good thread for people to sort of connect on whatever platform and play together from the Guild.

Foreign Legion [First Contact/Uplift/Military Sci-Fi]

Everybody's heard about the bird...

---

Between the A-10 and the mortar fire, there was a lot going on with the Salvesh. It was also a wakeup call to the entire planet, it felt like. The war was definitely on in Sauna, and they were in a straight firefight, infantry footslogging. So naturally, with the Salvesh suddenly outnumbering them, the idea was to keep pulling back while swatting with the big stick.

Once they were in position and prone, the fire got intense; the entire platoon was pouring it on; aimed shots, pairs for the Salvesh, were the order of the day, but the firing got more intense as the engagement got heavier. Danny did note that K-ton had the M32 on the enemy sniper team, which was the point of hauling the thing around. It was indirect firepower for the squad. He concentrated on engaging, but also keeping an eye on the flanks, ensuring that they didn't get rolled over. It was too easy to lose track, and it was his job to be eyes, just like Riddler, as much as it was to be the guns.

And so his eyes caught a glint of metal in the air, and he fired at that. It was rewarded with a bullhorn voice in several different, first alien and then human, languages and, finally, in English: "CHECK FIRE WE ARE A JOURNALIST! NICE SHOOTING THOUGH!"

The metallic object, an orb?, spelled out "PRESS (interstellar)" before reforming into the ball of liquid metal and bouncing off in a different direction.

Danny had seen some crazy shit before, but rather than continue to engage, he waited for Park or even Collins to sound off on that one. Instead, he resumed fire on the Salvesh. He didn't have time to be really shocked...

Mass Effect Andromeda Multiplayer

So Mass Effect: Andromeda came out today and a couple of us were discussing doing multiplayer. As with ME3, gosh five years ago, I wanted to reach out to people to get them onboard for multiplayer. I am not sure if there is cross-platform multiplayer, but a couple of us are PC Master Race and I wanted to get this going on my end for people playing it on PC through Origin Online.

We can post our gamertags here for whatever platform we use and hook up. This way, we're playing multiplayer ME3 with our fellow dorks and not a bunch of casual scrubs we don't know. It makes for a much more fun experience.

My personal overall plan is to start doing multiplayer on the weekend, once our international friends have the game, so we can potentially start off together from scratch (and learn through lolfail!)

So whose interested?

@Hellis@Vietmyke

Spiritum

Should have a comment of Galahad saying sarcastically that the only reason he ever remembers he has a father is because everyone loves to remind him- I think all vocal mentions of Galahad's father has been by other characters lolol

@HeySeuss Gideon's lucky his dad is government instead of military

@vietmyke

Actually, his father does primarily foundation work, public awareness campaigns and fundraising. PR counts, especially in wartime. He suffered a training accident while a naval aviator that ended his career, so he's not really a guy that they can put into uniform in wartime. There's Fenris, however, and Balthazar himself, but Gideon's not reaching for that because he wants to get the word over to them quietly, and you know...

...enemy unknown.

Spiritum

"Plan?" Gideon shrugged, and then continued in a low voice, "Archives make sense to me. I think we ought to think about what we're doing next real carefully, though. I figure our big, scary acquaintances are tracking anomalous Mist use and isolated signals out here; our new friend here is a mist user and they probably expect her to go for the first phone or radio set and call for help. So we should keep mum and get out of here. But Darryl's got a point; we cannot hide this forever. They just kicked off the war again. We're in the middle of the reason why. Deep shit," he added in conclusion. Those two words were the ones that kept him tossing and turning the night through. We. Are. In. Deep. Shit.

He'd seen the news reports on TV, because he'd been up early, and it shook him to the core. Gideon didn't like TV news much; some bobblehead reporter was hamming up how endangered they were for the camera. Gideon actually was rooting for a Vangar sniper to aim carefully next time. They missed real wide on the reporter, real fucking waste of a round. He was a newspaper kind of guy. Then he realized; the Vangar didn't just fire a stray round, the guy aiming the gun put followup shots on the reporter. They weren't worried about a kinder-gentler sort of invasion where they were telling everyone how nice it'd be once they took over and everyone got fitted for their collars. They were pushing with tanks and just blowing cover into rubble to get it all over with. The reporter, used to being treated as immune by the enemy, suddenly was realizing that it was a new phase of the war. Of course, the guy was so busy talking about how the Vangar Empire didn't respect the press that he missed the wider implications as the artillery rained down -- TOT, walked fire, very coordinated, and highly destructive, hitting places that'd been spared previously to root out resistance.

Gideon, of course, thought twisty, about detection and probabilities, and figured that someone was benefitting from this, and that would probably be the guys that engineered the whole fucking disaster by derailing the peace talks. And those guys would be looking for Collete and anyone that knew too much and had to be shut up before word got out.

Tradecraft, the spooks called it, and he had a passing acquaintance with it, but also a grounding in common sense and instinct. He liked the sneaky stuff, and he didn't believe in straight up fights. He also tried to get into the enemy's head, even when the enemy was mostly an unknown. He'd changed out clothes to something not sweat-stained and combat soiled. He'd also collected everyone else's dirty clothes and put them through a wash that was mostly intended to be a decontamination, to help disable mist-or-technological tracking, just in case someone put the trace on them -- it was when he caught the news reports and chewed on it mentally.

He'd paced all night long and gotten about three hours of sleep working through what he could on what little information there was. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with three buttons at the collar, two of them unbuttoned. It showed off shoulders and lats to good effect, and made him look like the jock he was. He threw a coat over that, mostly to cover up the gun he was still wearing underneath it, tucked away. There were some bags under his eyes, but he'd learned to move through things even when exhausted. He'd catch a cat nap sooner or later, he reckoned.

"So I suggest two ways of making that contact. Either we mail an old fashioned letter and wait a couple of days and take the scenic route, or we find a really populated place, preferably, during a sports event where we can get lost in traffic," he gestured to Colette's new hat, "and get a burner phone and make a call. I think we ought to really think about who we report to though, because if we tip off the wrong person, we might be swallowing polonium while 'detained' or eating a bullet. We're loose ends and people are going to stop caring about the nuances now that the Vangar Empire has stopped giving a shit about collateral damage."

Which meant that the pro-peace side was going to argue even more loudly that they couldn't withstand the magnitude of the Vangar war machine. Sure, there'd be an initial boost of patriotic animosity for the guys that invaded, but eventually there'd be renewed yells for peace. There would be calls for surrender and stopping the war fast by giving the Vangars everything they want.

"Anyway, I kind of favor option #2, we can do it on the way to the Archive, because more risk but...tick-tock. Our country is about to burn."

He was referring to the renewed offensive on the news. The Vangar invasion had been occupation-oriented before; they wanted to knock off the Rassvet government and probably turn the Royal Family into leash-dogs of some sort. They wanted the resources. But now? Well, it looked like they were driving harder, with more firepower and less concern for collateral damage. That was what awaited them on the front line.

Gideon wasn't Mr. Comforting when it came to a bleak outlook on factional politics or their strategic situation as a nation. Even in Rassvet, there was some really disturbing political hardball played in the name of varying agendas. Some people were going to be selling them out to stop the war; "It was their fault; here's the Palatine back. Yes, your Imperial Pissed Offedness, we took care of those meddling children. Please stop the shelling and accept their corpses as our abject apology and oath of fealty." Blam!

As a Royal Family member, he wasn't happy that Rassvet had its surrender monkeys and they were probably freaking out at this very moment. He just acknowledged that they'd be tripping over themselves to stop the war before a bunch of people died, which he supposed was an admirable goal that explained the potential methodology of just raising the white flag. They had stock portfolios, careers and children. They even had a point. But Gideon wasn't ready to just hand over the country to a bunch of guys that said, "Give it here."

Still, he detested the whole scenario, so he got it. Stop the madness and stop the bleeding. This wasn't even a war Rassvet started, but here they were.

Prepaid phone in a populated area might spoof them, might not, "In the meantime, we gotta start figuring out who might want to derail the peace efforts and why. So here's a good question for our new friend: Who knew your flight plans, and could identify that location as a good place to strike? Who knew on your side and who knew on our side?" He asked that calmly, without heat. It was a good question: if people turned her over to the wrong faction in Vangar, she'd be eating a bullet too, likely. Nothing was as monolithic as it seemed, even in an empire full of people marching around saluting the absolute ruler.