Ookla the Mountain of the Gods

[I think I am here.]

“But what is the mind?” I start mumbling to myself.

[xinoehp512]

I declared myself standing up, having forgotten whether or not I was or not. Then I sat down. I waved at Sorana "One of my characters is from the future, but it's an unwritten future. So it might happen, or it might not: but once it happens, it's written and can't be changed. Does that make sense?"

[Voidus]

"I change things that have been written all the time."

[+Sorana]

48 minutes ago, xinoehp512 said:

I declared myself standing up, having forgotten whether or not I was or not. Then I sat down. I waved at Sorana "One of my characters is from the future, but it's an unwritten future. So it might happen, or it might not: but once it happens, it's written and can't be changed. Does that make sense?"

"It makes sense, in a strange kind of way. Since what you write now will be the past for us, and once the future comes it's already happened."

Musing about this I sit down again.

"But since you don't know what will happen, even if your character is from the future, he may be, but he will lack the knowledge of whatever will happen. Therefore he is from the future, but without the knowledge it's just a fact. As long as we don't change the past, apart from a retcon, we should be able to handle this."

I look at xinoehp earnestly.

"But I still think we should try to avoid playing around with the time too much. This game lives because we are able to interact with each other. If we all end up in different times and different places, maybe different realities, then we can't interact anymore."

Edited November 24, 2018 by Sorana

[+Ark1002]

11 hours ago, Karnatheon said:

"Ok. That honestly does relieve some of my misgivings about everything. I'm sorry for misunderstanding what you meant by certain things, and assuming the worst. The one thing that I still feel apprehensive about is the one where you can create an Alleyverse wide government and then enforce the rules you set up yourself. Obviously it seems like almost everyone has voted against Hellbent getting a weapon, but the details should still be ironed out in the event another character ascends and people vote in favor of that. Basically, I think that if a governing system is ever officially set into place it should very heavily be equally influenced and agreed upon by all members of the community before it is allowed to be implemented. Otherwise someone could just make whatever they want to a rule and then enforce it on everyone, which seems very easily abused."

"More city based, but I understand your concern"

[old man moomba]

"I have some basic ideas for an organized system, but they vary depending on if Avatars or charaxtars are running it."

[+Ark1002]

"I believe characters would run it, avatars should have less influence or problems will occur."

[Archer]

I need to get 'It's the Rules of Warfare Thread all over again' printed on a shirt. 

"As fun as governments are, I question if such an organization is needed. From an in-game standpoint, characters have no reason to band together outside of guilds. What would a government offer besides trouble? Colon end parentheses. To comment on the other discussion, I to feel that invented risks are a poor excuse to give a character an unfair advantage over others. I support the non-interventionist/passivity compromise Voidus suggested."

 

 

[xinoehp512]

"My character is from a future that might happen. He doesn't remember it, though, so it's sort of a moot point. But yes, changing the past beyond retcons is a bad idea.

"As for ending up in different times and places, the timeline for all the different threads is already super skewed. It works out fine, and I don't expect very many people to wind up thousands of years in the future."

[MetaTerminal]

Something moved at the centre of things. A change. And then, existence.

“Hello everyone. I am me now.” I look around. “So this is weird. And interesting. Not to rehash on what others have said, but I’m worried this (both giving power this easily and the existence of us) will break stuff. Easily. Like, for example, everyone is now wearing swimming goggles, because I say so.”

And they were.

“But now they’re not.” And they weren’t. “Normal godmodding rules apply, of course. Won’t do it again. But limitations are more interesting than powers, so short of any actual rules, I think that this will become - and has already become - a chat thread with quotes around it. Do we want that?”

“The other thing I have problem with is the RP element. Like, I know we’re supposed to be our counterparts. But there is always a wall, and the thicker the wall the easier it is for him. Me. Whatever. It’s people all the way down - if I am being written, and that writer is being aware of being written - that doesn’t work for me. For other people, maybe. But I’m iffy with fourth wall transversing like this. For that reason we’ll need to be as non-interventional as possible. Side-tangent: Maybe we could form a Pantheon, like a Greek pantheon, and we each take an area of specialty and usually not interfere with lesser beings. Like, how the Greek Gods didn’t interfere. Maybe sometimes, but only on important occasions, with the agreement of everyone and limited interference. I like that idea. Tangent over.”

“In short: it’s a cool concept. We have to just not break it too much.”

[+Ark1002]

"I fully agree, and you have just put in words what my plans for this were then I ever could have. Thanks Meta."

[xinoehp512]

I smiled at Meta's interference. I stopped him from removing the glasses from Rekaerb. They looked kind of cool, after all. "I think forming a pantheon is a great idea." 

I suddenly noticed something in Meta's posts. "The way that the Avatar/Author interface works is the same way that the Account/Author interface works, if that helps you any. And I think we've agreed that while that," I said, gesturing upwards, "is a fourth wall, that," I continued, pointing downwards at the hole, "is also the fourth wall."

Edited November 25, 2018 by xinoehp512

[+Ark1002]

"okay. I call dibs on god of fire!"

[xinoehp512]

I glared at him. "Don't call dibs now. Why couldn't I be god of fire? My profile creature - which I'm named after - is made of fire."

I realized that might have been a little harsh. "Uh, sorry. I mean, I don't particularly want to be god of fire. God of wisdom suits me better, I think. But we should make a list of potential Pantheon jobs." 

Edited November 25, 2018 by xinoehp512

[BitBitio]

I started running laps.

[MacThorstenson]

5 hours ago, Archer said:

"As fun as governments are, I question if such an organization is needed. From an in-game standpoint, characters have no reason to band together outside of guilds. What would a government offer besides trouble? Colon end parentheses. To comment on the other discussion, I to feel that invented risks are a poor excuse to give a character an unfair advantage over others. I support the non-interventionist/passivity compromise Voidus suggested."

 

By the way guys, I'm making it be known that Mac won't listen to any laws unless said laws have a way to punish him for breaking them. If you can find a way to actually harm Mac for breaking laws, then go for it. But he won't listen to them unless that's the case.

1 hour ago, MetaTerminal said:

For that reason we’ll need to be as non-interventional as possible. Side-tangent: Maybe we could form a Pantheon, like a Greek pantheon, and we each take an area of specialty and usually not interfere with lesser beings. Like, how the Greek Gods didn’t interfere. Maybe sometimes, but only on important occasions, with the agreement of everyone and limited interference. I like that idea. Tangent over.”

Yeah, I have to agree with this. I know that initially I was one of the people proposing that this mountain should be a thing, but I think that even this thread is way too much.

My vote would go toward us residing completely in Cyanic's beyond thread or a similar area. We would have no interference in the alleyverse beyond what we say to our characters after they die.

If we did want to go the deity route, I think it would be best if we had characters be the gods, and they adopt a softer non-interventionist policy. Like, Mac would be a god that I would direct. This way we can balance the power in the RP a little more, but still have moments with deific interactions. Right now, everything feels like an escalation of power, and eventually none of the non OP characters will be able to have any relevance on the plot. If we remove the high upper power level, then things could get more balanced. 

[old man moomba]

"Sadly, I didn't get to the stuff I said I was gonnna do today. I was too busy putting up lights for Koloss Head Munching Day Christmas, that completely forgot about it."

Distantly, the sound of double posters being hit in the face with the ban hammer could be heard.

"And, what's this I hear about a pantheon. I'll take god of life, regrowth and light, please. Thank you."

Edited November 25, 2018 by Dr. Jacques Rodriguez

[xinoehp512]

"I still want to have a few interactions with the world below. But I will trust all of your judgement to decide whether my actions are too interventionist.

"I think that if we do have a Pantheon, we should give the characters the chance to Ascend to the position. So leave it open, for now, until someone proves themself."

[+Sorana]

"Actually I like the idea of a pantheon. And yes, I am in favour to keep our influence as minimal as possible. We are the ones that decide which actions our characters should do, therefore we already interact with them. And we broke the fourth wall before to move a character around, or influence what was happening."

I fall silent and then stand up again, look at what we created.

"Honestly, while I can see the appeal of what we are creating here, with the different layers and all that. I am not sure if we really need it. We already have the guilds, where we act and plan as Avatars and even that isn't really working right now. So maybe we should go back there and sort this out before we destroy the fourth wall completely."

[Voidus]

"It's ok." I said. "I've prepared a contingency for that."

Gesturing off to our left, for a moment the colossal figure of a mime the size of the world appears before vanishing just as suddenly.

"But it also might give nightmares to all the NPCs so that's probably a last resort."

[I think I am here.]

“It gave nightmares to me,” I said. “Who knows what it’ll do to the NPCs.”

[Voidus]

"I mean realistically? Whatever one of us wants it to do to them. But in order to keep things realistic, fear is probably an appropriate response."

[I think I am here.]

“So they could start running away from it screaming,” I said. “Or they could have a drinking contest with it, depending on which one of us triggerhappy Gods makes happen first? Sounds fun.

“Oh, yeah, and if we’re allocating Pantheon names, I’ll be the God of Big Questions about Existence and the Universe, and yes, you have to pronounce it like that every time.”

[Spaceferring]

"I want to be the god of unexpected accidents!" 

[kenod]

"I'll be the god of foxes." I paused. "Or maybe shapeshifting? I do have questions about the whole ascension thing though. First of all, how would it happen? And secondly, how would it work with the way avatars are set up at the moment? And thirdly, would this mean that the character is basically retired?"