Posts made by TableTopProphet

recently discovered Planet of Lana OST. good stuff.

@Ezra
I was always the dumper, never the dumpee. I've heard "no thanks" plenty of times, and I've been on dates that had no chemistry, but i never was dumped from a long-term relationship. HOWEVER! I did get suckered into a pseudo-science health cult a month ago and two days before my first appointment it was canceled and refunded because the doctor couldn't hold up under the tiniest bit of skepticism from my intake form.

I gotta say it didn't feel good, and I didn't have a chance to defend myself. I now know it is quackery because if the doctor believed in his results, he would just laugh and say " In my defense, we get that all the time. but come on in and I'll show you real results". Even knowing this, it still stings even after dodging the bullet of paying for false goods. i haven't exercised or eaten well in 2 weeks because of it, and i learned rejection has a lot of power over me, especially rejection that alters my plans and future goals.

I hope there is a metaphor in there for you somewhere. Maybe if something is worth fighting for it doesn't hurt so much to look at it under the microscope because you know any flaws noticed are worth the risk and assessment and skepticism, but if it's all a facade then it crumbles under the tiniest bit of pressure. So while it hurts now, i hope you'll see the bullet you dodged. And if you are the bullet that was dodged, i hope you have the insight to take the aftermath and turn ashes into diamonds; to be a better bullet in cupid's quiver.

I've never shared this openly outside of close friends, but in 2017 my band signed a 2-year contract with a management company out of California after months of negotiations and airplane trips to meet each other, etc. Formed an LLC, got our ducks in a row. after a gig, we signed the contract on the bar of House of Blues parish room in New Orleans. one of the greatest days of my life. all my hard work was yielding fruit and forward progress. We needed to buy a van to travel/save money on longer distance shows, start doing weekend tours down I-10, and build fans from Atlanta to Austin. I found this conversion van in really good shape out of Texarkana. Took out a loan from the bank to go buy it that fateful weekend. Drive up, get in, drive back. That was the goal.

I'm in the middle of the highest high I've felt when it came to a sense of success. the future is now and I'm here to follow my dreams. it's been weeks of tension, fasting, meditation, and determination... I didn't know it then, but I was in a manic spiral of hyper-enthusiasm.

It was a Friday. I wake up extra early to go see the loan officer at the bank and finalize the loan paperwork and processing fees. go to work at 9 am. Then my coworker was called into the conference room at 10 am and they kept him for 2 hours. they NEVER call those types of meetings. Was he getting fired? was he getting a raise? wtf? We always go to lunch together on Fridays. When asked at lunch what the meeting was about, he shrugged and said "They just wanted to assure me my position was good."

"ok... well when will they pull me in to tell me that?"

"Oh... probably after lunch."

"ok cool. should I be concerned?"

"I'm sure they'll talk to you one on one and tell you what's going on"

go to lunch. uncanny feeling. go back to the office. staring at this check from the bank on my desk. thinking about my weekend. one of my bosses was supposed to give me details on a video project I was editing. when asked about it he mumbled something, avoiding eye contact, and shuffled his feet into his office closing the door.

it clicked. oh shit... I'm getting fired.

I walked in... "hey boss, see this check and info packet full of signed paperwork? yeah, well, I just took a big step. Took a loan and gonna buy a van this weekend for the band to start doing some roadshows. pretty cool huh? so uhhh listen... do I need to take this check back to the bank? because if I do, I need to go do it before the bank closes and the processing fees kick in.

my boss just removes his glasses and starts sobbing. like shaking kind of sob. a very VERY awkward wtf moment for me as his subordinate. "we're so sorry, but we've been paying you out of pocket for months now. We're in the red, and we gotta cut you loose." (The other guy had years of seniority on me, even tho i think they like me more. lol)

That manic spiral of hyper-enthusiasm I mentioned earlier? Knowing i would have to go from chasing my dreams, on top of the world, to, in a flash, having to figure out how I'm supposed to make rent and groceries every month.

dude... it was a crash like I've never experienced before or ever since. that season of my life aged me. ruined me in many ways and dug a hole I could not get out of for years. not long after all this, my wife was away on a work trip, and I had a mental black out one night home alone while watching TV and woke up in my underwear of the neighbor's bushes, puking and sobbing and confused but not knowing why i was crying. I cracked like an egg. if it wasn't for my wife getting me some help in that season i dunno what.

That was the best/worst day and season of my life (so far haha).

@Ezra said in Rolling stories! Keep it going!:

So are you coming or not choom?" he asked as I went to rub the base of my throat, catching myself once I remembered what was on my gloved hand.

"Yes, well no... i mean... "

The Bicentennial Paradox celebration started Thursday and lasts all weekend, but tonight was the night it was all going down. "6 strings to Yuma" was out of retirement for one last show, headlining the main stage at the Barns&Noble Egoplex Racetrack and Casino, and Zeke would never let me live it down if i missed it.

"... I mean I have to finish logging these new data sets before the nanoplasm bonds with the-"

"noooo. I already finished logging the data sets this morning and your OCD ass won't sign off on it until it's triple-checked. I already ran the logs thru chatGBT. It's a clean code choom. What's got you on the fritz?"

"Fritz? Zeke, do i need to remind you why two-step-code-walking the logs with human eyes is now protocol? The literal MINT it cost R&D to reset your last fiasko?"

"yeah yeah yeah cool cool I fucked up, you didn't snitch, the suits cracked down and nowwwww... it's time to go see '6 strings to Yuma'.

"What is it with you and this geezer ass freakshow anyways?"

"Whatdoyawant me to say? Deadass a motivating backstory fleshing me out as a three-dimensional character? If I told some tragic NPC bullshit trauma dump about my mom dying in a car crash when i was a little boy but she loved '*Yuma' and that was our special thing, would it get you to clock out?

"No."

"And second of all..."

"I talked to your mom at your birthday"

"And second of all..."

"First of all you never said there was a first of all."

"And second of all I'm gonna pretend that you didn't just call '6 Strings to Yuma' a geezer ass freakshow. Geezer yes. Freakshow... also yes. But ass? It's like I don't even know you anymore."

"You're already high."

"And we're already late."

"Ugh Can't I just send a surrogate and VR when I finish? you know I don't like crowds."

"Jay Vito was my childhood crush; I jerked it to his poster. "All Smiles and Bile Piles" is one of the greatest rock albums of all time. The Bicentennial Paradox celebration is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to celebrate the discovery of the kaleidoscope. The nanoplasm won't bond to the neural inhibitor for another 72 hours. All dialogue options are the same cutscene no matter what you say, and I wanna eat funnel cake with my best friend. So pick from any-of-those-reasons-I-don't-care-which. Just take the goo gloves off, and LET'S FUCKING GO!

"You're an enabler you know that?"

Zeke just smiles with a playful grin as he takes my keycard from my coat pocket and clocks out. "oops"

"You really jerked it to Jay Vito?"

"Charlie Charming I don't know how to say this so I'll just say it... I want a divorce."

"OMG let's just go!"

"I'm serious"

"Okay now I'M waiting on YOU."

Zeke always knew how to cheer me up. I could use a break, and he was right. I'd be in my seventies by the time the next Paradox Celebration comes around. Sure, big crowds aren't my thing, but you only live once, and deep down I was excited to get a chance to witness the Kaleidoscope. I just wish I could tell him who I really was. If anyone would understand, it was Zeke.

have fun i already play a wednesday table but i hope you all have a blast!

@Ezra did you make the finals?

any CRPG that could switch between first person VR roleplay and top down combat would be stellar. if i have to name a title, Baldur's gate 3 could be a lot of fun with a party of friends.

@Ezra
well said. I think in gaming culture there is a lot working against the writers. Deadlines, fitting the world around the technology and core gameplay concept. Making the story lucid enough for end game or replayability, target demo age range being too wide, a minefield of stereotypes to avoid offenses, stock holders and corporate suits just wanting what more of what is already proven to work, using world lore to place forced importance on cosmetics thru microtransactions... it's probably not bad writing, just too many hoops for good writers to jump thru.

games pad out time to do things like it's a good thing, stretching a 20-hour game into 100 hours of fluff, and marketing it as a selling point.

Also, lazy writing troupes such as:

• sky beams of inconsistent unmeasurable power,

• the girl whose blood/memory/yoni is key to everything

• scopes of complexity beyond fathoming placed on the shoulders of the protagonist (you must save the world... no! the universe... in the first title, also... we're greenlit to asset flip for a sequel, so in part 2 you'll have to save the multi-verse!)

• BBEG is just a misunderstood serpentine leather daddy and we were the bad guy patsies all along. Right and wrong, good and evil, don't exist; only shades of gray and you should feel bad believing in your capitalist institutions. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father. that'll be $70 plz (DLC not included).

• Stories written by committee say nothing of discernable value, in attempts to be all things to all people, therefore becoming nothing to nobody. i believe ( i know nothing) this happens when the marketing dept is given a loose idea, write some generic tripe for an announcement trailer, then the devs have to hire writers for the story after the gameplay or technology concept is established, including the replayability, and the international sales concerning eastern and western cultural inclusion. you want skybeams? because this is how you get sky beams! haha

^ saying all this doesn't help my contest submission, since i followed every trope in my own story. but that was sort of the point. it's written in our DNA and baked in our zeitgeist.

@Ezra
If were talking Michael J Fox as teen wolf, hired as a hitman to take on the mob, then yeah, that's a different story.

We'd need to establish some world lore rules before truly knowing. Like does sunlight burn a vampire or just make their skin sparkly?

@Ezra
in an octagon cage match? a werewolf. Overall? vampires.

Excluding Ferals of each category, I think werewolves could balance nature by living in rural forests and hunting wild game. I think they are harder to kill in open spaces than vampires, but also more predictable like an animal. Their ravenous hunger would make it harder to conceal the hunt in congested communities, and if you go by "full moon" rules, most with the curse may be able to lock themselves up for the evening. Should they love the thrill of the hunt, they would most likely want to go somewhere they can't be trapped or stabbed by silver, and somewhere less likely to spread the disease and ruin their own hunting grounds. They would most likely focus on outsmarting hunting parties, and covering their mess when they aren't mindless beasts. Keeping a low profile for a werewolf seems safer overall for humans. They leave tracks and marks everywhere they go, making them most likely want to live an isolated existence for survival.

Vampires often need to live in more congested communities to feed without suspicion, and their hedonism makes large cities a prime target to feed on the debaucherous. Vampires can manipulate Thralls to hunt for them during the day. Since virgin blood seems to taste better than hobo blood, this organized crime structure would develop a human trafficking ring, and cultured vampires who live for long periods of time have the patience to develop such an enterprise. They would want a perversely artistic culinary experience after simple murder no longer appeases their taste. This is why vampires are far more dangerous: they are seductive and have aristocratic appeal, luring young onlyfans girls who wish to benefit. They have time to plot and plan and sow and reap, and the full faculties of a manipulative human mind to sit around all day and plot their future networks. A vampire keeping a low profile is far more insidious than that of a werewolf.

@mianngu I already have a thursday table. looks great have fun!

@SwampCreature

Years back, when i was working thru some grief with the loss of a family member, i created a character who was a purely evil old hag cursed with madness at the end of her life to only do what is purely good. She wasn't "undead", but rather in the death throws: lifeless eyes, mindless convulsions, and could only say 3 words, which becomes her name to those who meet her. Somehow, she won't die, but she doesn't function as the living do. Something like "weekend at bernies" meets "Steven King's IT", but imagine if Female Danny Divito was Pennywise (without clown makeup), and although horrifying, can only act as a force of goodwill.

@SwampCreature

I am obsessed with Solid Snake's herculean odyssey, his machismo archetype, and his ability to become the avatar of the audience that plays him. His rise and fall. His naivety to betrayal lends itself so perfectly to an audience coming into the story for the first time.

• His ability to nod the fourth wall that controls his steps without accepting it.
• He follows orders with suspended disbelief in what is real and what are the psychological horrors of the battlefield
• He follows his own ideas with a certain cognitive dissonance to both the plot AND the concept of being inside a PlayStation.
• The way he gets distracted by childish things (as an aside to the equally bored and overwhelmed viewer) whenever something important is revealed in great detail.

He is a perfect vessel for the player... A film will never be able to capture the magic of Snake as a video game character. I could go on.

Also, I love Senua from Hellblade.
I love the concept of being schizophrenic/ mentally ill in ancient religious times. Fighting off shadows in the forest. Finding meaning in random shapes and colors. Stricken by grief of lost loved one. All to the tune of ancient pantheons. Her acting and mocap were amazing. Her performance was incredible and the character as a game concept was peak 2010's.

And the Narrator in Darkest Dungeon. His anguish for his sins. His desire for more. A lot of twists and turns. A memorable performance!

@SerasStreams I agree but my logic is that names are better off fixed in production. in fact they are generic for the point that they are archetypes and simpler to follow along. If "Kingdoms of Amulur: Reckoning" taught me anything... it's to keep the names simple. I'm no Tolkien. haha

( Hi all! Going thru a personal medical emergency IRL with my spouse. I'll get back to this once things settle down. Life has a way of throwing curveballs. I'll be back soon enough. cheers. )

@mianngu
Fate leaned forward, his eyes bright with interest. "The Weevils, you say? I've heard of them. In fact, they're one of the main reasons I'm here today. I wanted to hear more about them and potentially see them in concert."

Bran looked surprised, but pleased. "Really? That's great to hear. I think they have a lot of potential, and with the right backing, they could really make a name for themselves."

Fate nodded, sipping his coffee thoughtfully. "I couldn't agree more. That's actually why I'm here. I specialize in cultivating new talent and giving them the exposure they need to succeed. My job is a bit like farming for clout, if you will, but instead of padding likes and views for social media influencers, I do it in real life, at live shows."

Bran's eyebrows rose in interest. "That sounds fascinating. How exactly do you do that?"

Fate grinned, leaning back in his seat. "Well, it's a bit of a trade secret, but let's just say that I have a knack for influencing crowds and getting them to react in certain ways. It's all about creating an atmosphere, a feeling, a sense of excitement and energy that draws people in and keeps them hooked. And that's where The Weevils come in."

He paused, taking another sip of coffee. "I'd love for you to come see them in concert with me at The Cavern. I think you'll be impressed with what I have to offer. And maybe, just maybe, we can work together to help them achieve the success they deserve."

With that, Fate knew that he was one step closer. The Weevils may not be his cup of tea, but if they could help him climb the ladder of success, he was more than willing to pretend to be a fan.

@Ezra
well said. and again... i use this in my stories too. I've just played a lot of tables where the DM wants us to be emotionally tormented by the struggles of conflicts my character may have trouble relating to by design.
i think personal development of player characters hits home more for me. be it an insect hack and slash, or a complex motive campaign, i kind of just want to focus on my own bonds/flaws/ideas, and the story lies in the conflict of the party learning that they may be different, but they all want the same thing. When I'm forced to learn a lesson from outside influences, i get turned off. my life and the people in it are complex enough... and I'm pretty empathic, even in real world drama, i can almost always see the justification of both sides of a coin. sometimes i just want roll dice and bask in the glory of victory over my enemies, and it doesn't matter if i am the oppressor or the oppressed. I want to explore the character, not explore myself; the separation of art and artist, performer and performance. does that make sense?

@DubiousTactics

incredible presentation! big mood.

@TableTopProphet

HOW TO PLAY (in theory)

• ideally the game would be thriller T for teen First person VR visual novel. Each playthrough should be able to complete in 1 or 2 sessions.

• Replayability and story-driven players are the target. Twitch Roleplay streams and Speedrunning community is a secondary target.

• a frame of reference might be elements of the Myst Series, Nancy Drew, escape rooms, FNAF, and choose your own adventure novels.

• randomized and procedurally generated dungeons to explore and puzzles to solve. Each playthrough is unique in both design, and in decisions made.

• the full story is for completionists. The goal being to play through several times (or from save points), unlocking new secrets from different characters.

• the player acts as a spirit medium and empath, with a secondary specialized skill and personality traits which they choose. This explains the audience's ability to see or learn about memories of the past, and unlock NPCs secrets. It also adds other factors for the player, such as a sensitivity to the supernatural, making objectives for the player more spiritual than physical. The player is NOT a combatant, however, some crew members are, and their fighting ability would be used in puzzle-solving situations of which the player directs. The chances of the fighter surviving are based on how well the player knows each character's abilities for specific situations. This is learned by talking to NPCs, paying attention to their side chatter, and player knowledge from new game plus.

• these custom feats allow the player to build relationships with different NPCs each playthrough. It may also be feats that are duplicated in other crew members, making some crew obsolete compared to others.

• As the story progresses, crew members begin to abandon Fellyne, new people join the party, or crew members turn on each other. It's the player's job to be a peacemaker, and make the tough decisions on who to comfort into staying, and who to aggravate into leaving. There is no one right way to complete the story, but each decision changes the dungeon navigation based on party ability, and each decision opens new and interesting conversations allowing players to unlock hidden secrets from compelling characters to understand the entire scope of the lore and story. Each crew member also has a certain set of skills, and losing them at the wrong chapter may make the game more difficult.

• gameplay outside of dialogue and crew management minigame consists of hide-and-go seek mechanics, scavenger hunt, puzzle solving, escape rooms, time challenges, maze navigation/exploring, and roleplaying. A blend of them all may be required to progress each new section of the dungeon.