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 Post subject: Endure and Survive (WIP)
PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:23 pm 

7 hours of sleep but still ready to write

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Note:All that is left is for Gunther and I to write the plot start for the first chapter and create our characters.
Endure and Survive

In the wake of the First World War, corpses bled a mark on history and in the Second World War, the oceans ran red with blood. The most recent war, we called the Last War. There have been no victories, only loss. The eyes of our children, dark and wonder-less, speak from bitter hearts. They build homes of rotted wood while tending to salted fields. They are the survivors. We walk the Earth today-- we Endure and Survive, that is all there is left for us. Take up a seat, let me tell you how this came to pass.

Ears open.

Development | +
(Foreword: Whatever his part in this story may be, Gunther has provided a lot of technical detail to this background in regards to the art of war. I praise him as the Tom Clancy of roleplaying. With his permission I have paraphrased a lot of his thoughts on warfare and added my interest in politics and macro economics. My personal spark for this story was definitely a cross between The Last of Us and a fun conversation my old JROTC instructor had with my class about the most likely apocalyptic situations. Without further ado...)


Several independent factors led to the Last War, beginning when the Islamic State and Levant (ISL) waged a successful Jihad against Iraq capturing several key cities. They acquired territory to form the beginnings of a modern day caliphate, much like ancient Persia enjoyed. The effort became a formidable operation.

The American leadership chose to respond passively, but tactics changed. The Middle East was of economic interest to the United States of America for decades in the form of oil. There have been many passes at sealing a more direct route to the liquid gold, but none were successful--opportunities were few and the risks were many. Enter the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh, whatever you want to call them.

After securing a third of Iraq and more than half of Syria, their momentum carried them forward and eventually they held most of Iraq. They grew more powerful by each inch of land. In this, the US saw a very interesting chance.

The Iraqi military, while certainly potent, was small. During the last stages of the ISIS takeover, the US saw fit to lend direct support in their opposition of the jihad. This was only a facade.

Once the Cold War ended, research globally turned to Electro Magnetic Pulse weapons (EMP). The concept was clear and practiced, but the potency and range was severely lacking. This cutting edge technology never made it into the hands of ISIS. After capturing a joint base in the near the conclusion of their war in Iraq, ISIS was pleased to find stock piles of advanced weaponry, including EMP's and short tactical delivery systems. These tools, stockpiled by the US were hidden under secrecy as auxiliary ordnance, their presence unknown to any of the forces in the area except a select few officials who vacated theater shortly after ISIS took the remaining vestiges of a nation once called Iraq.

With superior intelligence gathering capabilities, the CIA predicted ISIS' plan to attack and intentionally kept this information from their Iraqi allies. When the full blunt of the ISIS force came down, the combined Iraqi-American force was slaughtered. The tools for the counter attack were captured. Feeling impotent in the Middle East, the US appealed to NATO, claiming that ISIS' Jihad would soon sweep across the Middle East, and eventually, into other countries. ISIS was quick to capitalize on a gift the world viewed in confusion and horror, and the Middle Eastern War began.

The intervention of a joint US led NATO force rapidly abolished ISIS. It was not before war raged all the way into the entire western halves of Afghanistan and Pakistan. First to stage counter attacks and then to offer protection, the US was quick to establish a very strong presence in Afghanistan. Confident they would eliminate most ISIS remnants, they became sloppy, allowing German Bundeswehr to keep a few high officials in the ISIS hierarchy. These ISIS officials revealed that the weapons spurring ISIS forward were captured from the Joint Iraqi-American base. While it was well known that Iraq possessed such weapons, only the US could have access to such quantity. Feeling betrayed by the US, it was not long before the European nations dissolved NATO, and the US was shunned by the majority of Europe.

Meanwhile, the People's Republic of China (PRC) focused on becoming a global economic superpower, intent on surpassing the US. They focused their research and technology towards denying the US the resources they were interested in. Their first marvel was one of unification. In the end, China was able to unite most of Asia and South America under three ideas of varying interest to all parties. First, economic growth came from mutual interest, second, shared scientific research resulted in superior profit, and the Americans' global presence was restrictive and dangerous to Asia and South America.

During the start of the EMP race, while the US was imposing economic sanction on Russia, China reached out to their former antagonist in secret, helping support their economy as a sign of good faith. When the sanctions were lifted or became relatively ineffective, China suggested a mutual scientific research agreement in order to help defeat the US in the new global arms race. Perceiving an opportunity to regain its former supremacy in the world, the Russian Federation was more than compliant with the Chinese intentions. Naturally, gaining cooperation from Russia was merely the beginning.

Shortly after acquiring support from Russia, China began to see the US as more than just an economic opponent. Once the Middle Eastern War (MEW) concluded, the US was perceived as a major threat to China's security. If ISIS had advanced through Pakistan, China would be dealing with ISIS now. With that in mind, it became apparent that the US would need to be heavily crippled.

Similar to Japan at the end of the 20th century, the American military and its population possessed a raging spirit, making them formidable warriors. The American will to win at every level of society made total domination a near impossibility. The result of the MEW left the US vulnerable. Due to growing contempt for the US from other nations around the world, America rapidly lost its military power base in Europe. While this certainly made it more difficult to attack the country itself, it made assets in Europe more open for intervention.

With this in mind, China reached out to India. In the wake of the MEW, India was shaken. The tense relationship between Pakistan and India was only aggravated in light of the fear ISIS carried with them. Pakistan was more prepared than ever to attack India, if only to get away from the powers that were near them. When China contacted India for support, the Chinese carried a powerful bargaining chip.

The research Russia and China made was fruitful, offering it to India, helped to induce their support in the mutual scientific research agreement, including a non-aggression pact. India gained two benefits from this, the ability to subdue Pakistan, and a shared interest with China, reducing dependency on the American economy. India and the People's Republic of China (PRC) were both major exporters to the US. Termination of these arrangements would disrupt the American domestic economy. PRC also hoped to cease exports from China and India into the US. Instead, India would export to China. Of course, this could potentially harm both India and China initially, it would eventually hurt the US in the long run. This economic adjustment would also give China the chance to build infrastructure similar to what existed in America and eventually import from India. The PRC could offer extremely competitive prices bolstering the Indian economy.

The tripartite mutual scientific research agreement between China, Russia and India became known as the Asian Scientific Collaboration (ASC). Once the ASC was solidified as a viable research entity, China felt the time was right to set its sights on Japan. India was crucial in undermining the American economy. Russia was important to keep Europe distracted, but Japan was important for the eventual invasion of United States of America.

Due to its geographical and political position, Japan was a sitting duck between two monsters, the Americans and the Chinese. The horrors the Empire of Japan wrought upon China during World War II were vastly more significant in the minds of the Chinese than the dropping of two atomic bombs on mainland Japan was to the Japanese people. Either way, Sino-Japanese history was long and bloody--there was much hatred between the two nations. When China broached the subject of negotiations with the government of Japan, they came as equals with propositions, not ultimatums. They spoke to Japan about rebuilding military strength and offering support in bolstering the Japanese economy. This agreement included joining the ASC and a Mutual Defense Pact (MDP) intent on an invasion of North America. The Japanese were eager to comply with their new found friends from China.

Scientifically superior, the ASC neared the completion of its apex of EMP weapon efficiency, range, and lethality. The day when Chinese and Korean soldiers marched on American soil drew near.

The next step was for the PRC to render the US Pacific Fleet (USPACFLT) combat ineffective. The American Navy enjoyed the ability of force projection for several decades. Finally, the day had come when the American Carrier Task Force would be left incapable of performing this mission any longer. Relying on their new EMP weapons, the PRC was able to disable all US Navy Carrier Task Forces (CTF) in the Pacific Ocean and was prepared to deal with the Atlantic Fleet once it moved into their theater.

Once deployed, the EMP weapons fried all electronic devices on every American warship and aircraft in the US Navy's CTF without destroying a ship or an aircraft. The EMP also had no effect on human life. This attack left the USN CTF combat ineffective; floating islands of steel with no ability to shoot, move or communicate.

In conjunction with the EMP attack, the PRC also developed the means to destroy orbiting satellites in order to blind the North American Air Defense (NORAD). The US knew they were under attack, but was unable to watch it. Even UAV drones were ineffective with the use of EMP weapons.

The PRC's initial move was to force a crossing of the Baring Sea into Alaska and Canada. This entailed fighting a protracted winter war in mountainous terrain. The fight for the Yukon was a long and bloody war stalemated across some of the highest peaks in the world.

As Chinese troops were entering Alaska and Canada, they were also walking ashore in Mexico to the sounds of glee-filled Mariachi bands playing tribute to them as conquering heroes. Most Central American nations were happy the Chinese were coming to take down the great Satan to the north. It was time America's hold on Latin America's economy came to an end. When the Americans gave up control of the Panama Canal in 1999, the People's Republic of China was quick to step in and negotiate passage rights between the Pacific and Atlantic regions making their warships and commercial vessels the priority.

The third prong of China's attack on America was a direct assault on the Pacific Coast. This was a Seaborne invasion of California, Washington and Oregon. It would become more personnel intensive, but was intended to provide a means of making resupply from Mainland China easier than going through Mexico and to deny the Americans direct immediate access to the Pacific Theater.

In support of the West Coast invasion and the insertion of Chinese troops in Mexico, a secondary effort to isolate Hawaii (Oahu) from CONUS was executed. To support military operations in Mexico, China required a logistics base in theater, which was already in place. PRC owned an island in the Caribbean specifically set up for this contingent, a Sino-American War in North America. Their Logistics base was pre-stocked with everything they needed to fight a protracted conventional war in North America. With priority of transit through the Panama Canal, the PRC was in good shape to not only sustain itself during this Sino-American War, but to actually win it.

The Chinese Main Effort (ME) would be from the south through Mexico. While there was discussion of dropping nuclear weapons on Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, conventional bombing proved sufficient out of Chinese Aircraft Carriers in the Pacific, Air Bases in Mexico, and earned territory in Canada. The massive destruction of US Infrastructure and civilian casualties along the west coast created viable insertion points for the People's Army to gain a foothold in the west. The Presence of a Light Infantry force in the Canadian Rockies deterred the Canadian Army or the US from attempting to use the northern route to counter attack into Asia.

Furthermore, Canada and the US have historically shared strong ties in electrical energy along the American-Canadian border and advances in technology made it possible to set up hundreds of nuclear reactors to bolster energy efficiency. It also provided a devastating opportunity to the PRC, who used their EMP weapons to disable the cooling technology in the reactors, causing several hundred nuclear melt downs. The reactors were well protected against nuclear fallout, but the radiation made it very unsafe for the Canadians to provide any major support to the US western border.

The attack through Alaska was difficult. China's main goal was accomplished in sealing US from Canada, and preventing Canadians forces from fighting south of their country.

Concurrent to the Sino-American War, it was prime time for Europe to intervene, but they did not. Europe had exploded into war. Russia, historically enraged by the loss of the Ukraine and empowered by EMP weapons, sought to take back the land. Obviously, Europe opposed this Russian aggression, uniting a defense of the Ukraine. However, the global dominance the US formerly projected into Europe weakened Europe's military power. It was a full force effort to keep Russia at bay, and the boys from the Steppes advanced with vehemence.

Meanwhile, the US found itself in a very unpleasant situation. They were quick to attempt an invasion of Mexico in the wake of this Chinese invasion, but were unable to stop the assault from the Pacific. The PRC invasion force rapidly advanced deep through California. The US was not idle during the EMP arms race. While collaborating with Europe, the Middle Eastern War ended. Because of that, the US had not fully developed their technology. Common to the people of America, their research was in strange and interesting areas. Instead of developing the area and projection of the EMP weapons, the US developed launch platforms in orbit utilizing the concept of Kinetic Bombardment.

The basic idea that a giant piece of metal dropped and guided from space had the force of a small tactical nuke was even more potent when turned into a delivery system for EMP weapons. Initially, it was developed with the idea that the US would be able to strike anywhere at any time, but the EMP technology was Incapable of hitting a sufficient area to be effective, and the space stations had not received enough delivery systems capable of surviving a trip through Earth's atmosphere. These difficulties did not stop the now desperate country with their futile efforts.

Instead of turning the space weapon on China, the US actually turned it on the rest of the world. At a last stab of survival or at least attempting global parity, the US launched vast payloads of EMP weapons at every non-American satellite in orbit, destroying most of the world communications in a matter of minutes. In the same instant, the US turned their weapon on themselves, and thoroughly bombed all invasion points of the PRC in the western hemisphere. In doing so they lost the ability to fire the weapon itself, though it remained completely intact. From the Chinese fire bombing, EMP attacks, and the EMP attacks America inflicted on herself, CONUS lost nearly all electrical capability.

It was not long before the US experienced an uprising, while the rest of the world was in chaos. The US government capitulated into anarchy, but no one was aware as there was no longer a means of disseminating information. The Internet was no more.

Large pockets of military forces separated and scattered throughout the world, cut off from their source, yet the fighting continued. It is in this way that we saw the beginning of the apocalypse come to pass.

Chapter One | +
The Current State of Affairs

Information and Guidelines | +
Game Mechanic Details

The fun in role-playing for me is definitely in making decisions that make the plot and my characters grow. However, I feel some things should be left to choice, and that is why I've created a simple system to use the dice. My objective was to force players to feel the affects of certain outcomes while giving them a full range of ability in choosing how it is written

There are two stats each character has, Survivability (SS) and Lethality (LS). These numbers are almost completely independent of player control. It is impossible to gain SS or LS simply by writing it, though you may give it up.

Your SS determines how likely you are to survive a given situation. In the event you run out of SS in a fight, you will die. In the event you move into an area or a random event catches you that has a higher LS than you possess, you will die. This is not to say that if a character has a certain LS rating higher than your SS that you will die, but sometimes an event may occur, like at the end of a chapter that requires a certain amount of SS to survive.

Your LS determines how potent you are in battle. In the event you run out of LS, nothing happens. You may not have more LS than you have SS. If your SS drops bellow the level of your LS, you lose that LS. This is because a child may have a huge SS but very little LS, but if an army lost almost all of it's SS, the child would be able to kill them. The game may sometimes decide to give you LS in the shape of tools, weapons, or personal revelations like at the end of the chapter.

Both SS and LS may be stored in the form of items, but a certain baseline is given to each character. For instance, I may have have a base of 50S because of my skills and experience, have reached the maximum of 100S through carrying medical supplies and proper gear, but still retain a functional 20S from other equipment. The purpose of this is because it is entirely possible for characters to give other characters SS or LS in the form of weapons, supplies, etc. The only catch is that stored supplies may not be used during an encounter.

Utilizing these stats, there are five. The Event Dice (ED), Preparation Dice (PD), Action Dice (AD), War Dice (WD). and Special Ability Dice (SD).

The ED is rolled every post, and is used to determine parts of the situation in the next post. It may contain things that result in fluctuations in your SS and LS, ranging from finding supplies, weapons, bandages, to getting hurt, to causing an encounter with hostile forces. If one of these things happens, excusing other character interaction, it is up to the player to determine how things unfold. The only other important thing is that while the ED is relatively generic, it may change depending on outside factors. Be sure to check the Action Lists before writing. It is also important to note that this dice only affects the next post the player makes.

The PD and AD are only for use during encounters with characters, events, etc, and may also refereed to as Risk Dice, as they are extremely risky. They are standard, and never change. Players may roll one every post, but the dice are only half effective if rolled out of their stage. For instance, if the AD dice is rolled before the fight begins, as there is always one post after the encounter before a fight, any positive effects that affect statistics are only half effective. The preparation stage, the one post buffer, is where the PD is more effectively rolled, but it may be rolled during a fight for various half off statistical benefits. There are various reasons one may wish to roll one of these dice, but they are weighted to be punishing to losers. Unlike the ED, the PD and AD rolls affect the post they are rolled on it. It is for this reason that one must roll these dice and submit them to review the result, and then go edit their response in. I completely lied about the previous password, the real password is "Joel and Ellie".

The WD is for use only during fights after the one post buffer, and is rolled every post during the fight until someone dies, the fighting stops, or the bloodshed is interrupted. It converts your Lethality into an attack number that is used to harm your opponent. This is why Lethality does not guarantee a perfect fight, it only helps to win. The WD also affects the post it is rolled on.

The last die is the SD, which is only for use with conjunction with a characters Special Ability. The details are mostly controlled by the specific ability, so there isn't much to discuss here.

There are other situations when dice may be rolled, most notably when trying to escape. A player may try and escape once every two posts, including during the preparation buffer. There is a 1/4 chance they will escape and a 3/4 chance they will not be able to attack the next turn. However, if you roll only the Escape Dice during the preparation phase, you are penalized only against rolling the War Dice, you may immediately roll the Escape Dice one more time before you will begin to be penalized against rolling the War Dice and Escape Dice. In the event you may not roll the War Dice or Escape Dice, you are still allowed to roll the AD, PD, and SD. To reiterate...

If you roll the Escape Dice and fail, you can't roll the War Dice next turn, and may not roll the Escape Dice for two turns.
If you roll ONLY the Escape Dice during the preparation phase and fail, you can't roll the War Dice next turn, but you may roll the Escape Dice one more time before you have two wait two turns.


In-Game Rules and Procedures


Note: Information is repeated from "Game Mechanic Details" but it is TL;DR

Basic Game Rules
  • In terms of content, I just ask you spend time and write well. It doesn't have to be your best to be good, but it's disrespectful to the other people you're writing with the post something sub-par when you could do better with an extra 10 minutes of editing.
  • In terms of posting count, everyone has different stuff. Gunther and I will get a feel for people as the story moves on. For instance, he has more responsibility than I do and thus, may be around less. If we know about the time you will usually to post, and you disappear much longer than what generally fits into your schedule, it may be a problem. But the rule of thumb is just to communicate. Tell one of us if something is up and it wont be an issue.
  • I think it obvious that the posting order is circular, and you shouldn't post out of line because it would make the game mechanics a complete pain.
  • A character's situation must reflect their statistics
  • If dice are rolled and a number appears that does not have a corresponding effect, nothing happens
  • Characters are never required to roll any dice except the ED
  • Don't be dicks
  • Don't be stupid
Rules of War
  • Characters may choose to avoid killing if they wish, and may choose the damage inflicted up to and including what they rolled
  • Ignoring Special Abilities, characters may choose to roll to try and escape
  • An encounter is when players meet, it does not always escalate into a fight
  • The character that decides to roll the first dice with the intent to attack enters the preparation stage, and may attack next turn
  • The character defending themselves may roll once in preparation, assuming no special abilities are activated
  • A character may not simply leave a fight, they must escape
  • If both are characters agree to cease fighting, the fight may end, but only with consent of both parties
  • To avoid abuse of the aforementioned, if a cease fire is made, an aggressor may attack again, but they will enter the preparation stage again as well
  • A character does not have to roll any dice, and therefore is not required to attack back
Dice TL;DR
  • The ED is rolled every turn, it affects the post after the post it was rolled
  • The PD may only be rolled fully effective during the first encounter stage of a fight, it affects the post after the post it was rolled
  • The AD may only be rolled fully effective during the actual fight, it affects the same post as the post it is rolled
  • The WD is rolled every turn of a fight, excluding the first encounter stage, it affects affects the same post as the post it is rolled
  • The SD may be rolled when permitted by the ability it is attached to
  • The Escape Dice rules are complicated, so refer to the game mechanic details
Statistic TL;DR
  • Every player receives a basic 50S and 50L regardless of their equipment, that may not be altered by the player
  • Every player may carry up 100S and 100L that is functional and may be given away
  • Every player may store up to an additional 100S and 100L that is not immediately functional and may be given away
  • Every player may have no more than 200S and 200L at any given time
  • SS and LS may not be gained without permission from the dice or an event

Special Abilities

(Fai Cheng) Panicked Existence: Having this ability decreases a character's maximum Lethality from 200 to 100, but will increase their chances of running away. If the ability activates and is potent, the character may immediately disengage battle. If the ability activates regularly, rolling a 1 or a 3 will result in a successful escape. However, if the ability rebound, it reduces the character’s Lethality by 50% for the duration of the encounter. She may roll the special dice once a turn during an encounter, including during the preparation phase.

Battle Reflex: Having this ability allows the character a kind of first strike ability, but makes her unable to run away. If she rolls the War Dice and it’s potent, she is allowed to roll the War Dice during the preparation phase and she is allowed to roll it an extra time, in addition to her allotted number. If it is only activated successfully, she only allowed to roll the War Dice early. This Special Ability does not have a rebound, but completely removes her ability to try and escape any encounter until her Survivability is below 50.

Calculated Risk: Having this ability allows the character to stay one step ahead of the game. If the ability activates super effective, it will negate the effects of any other Special Ability. For instance, if a character runs away and the roll is super successful, they will catch the character. If the ability is just successful, she may null and void any single negative dice rolls she rolled for herself that were active a post before, the post they roll the special dice, or the post after. If the ability rebounds, she is badly hindered and loses a permanent 20% Survivability and Lethality

Result Lists

Event Dice Rolls
Roll two dice, one "1d20" and the other "1d2"
  1. You lose 10% Survivability
  2. You lose 5% Survivability
  3. You gain 10% Survivability
  4. You gain 5% Survivability
  5. You lose 10% Lethality
  6. You lose 5% Lethality
  7. You gain 10% Lethality
  8. You gain 5% Lethality
  9. You have an encounter with a hostile force
If you roll a total of 21 you instantly lose 50 Survivability
Preparation Dice Rolls
Roll two dice, one "1d8" and the other "1d2"
  1. Your preparations pay off. Gain 20% Survivability and 10% Lethality, but only during the encounter.
  2. Quick thinking reveals your opponents situation, and gives you the option to flee. Opponent must reveal their stats.
  3. Surprise is on your side. Inflict 30% on opponents Survivability, but only during the encounter.
  4. Previous difficulties become a major hindrance. Lose 70% Lethality. You are certainly not prepared.
If you roll a total of 9 you instantly die
Action Dice Rolls
Roll two dice, one "1d8" and the other "1d2"
  1. An intelligent decision causes your opponent to permanently lose 50% Survivability, and guarantees that you gain their lost Survivability after the encounter.
  2. An eye for an eye. You both lose 20% Lethality, but the victor gains it back while the victim loses it permanently.
  3. Chance dictates you lose a permanent 50% Survivability.
  4. A terrible decision results in a loss of 50% Survivability, but only during the encounter.
If you roll a total of 9 you instantly die
War Dice Rolls
For every 50S roll another dice and add up the percentage of inflicted damage to get the amount inflicted
If 50S, roll "1d6"
If 100S, roll "2d6"
If 150S, roll "3d6"
If 200s, roll "4d6"
  1. No damage inflicted
  2. Damage inflicted is 10% of player Lethality
  3. Damage inflicted is 20% of player Lethality
  4. Damage inflicted is 30% of player Lethality
  5. Damage inflicted is 40% of player Lethality
  6. Damage inflicted is 50% of player Lethality
Special Ability Dice Rolls
Roll one dice, "1d5"
  1. The ability successfully actives, and is extremely potent
  2. The ability successfully activates
  3. The ability successfully activates
  4. The ability rebounds
Escape Dice Rolls
Roll one dice, "1d4" If you do not escape (rolling a 1), you are trapped and may not roll the War Dice or Escape Dice your next post. Other special rules apply, so refer to the game mechanic details above.
  1. The player may escape and cannot be pursued

Character Applications

Note: The bulk of your writing should definitely go into the "How I got here" area. Don't spend too much time detailing the other information. We want to meet your character and get to know them in-game, and we want them to grow with the story as well. The "How I got here" is the area to strut your stuff and show some good writing.

Name:
Appearance: (age, height, weight & looks)
Personality: (behavior, attitude, etc.)
Special Ability: (using the already created special abilities as reference, make two. This will allow you to be creative in your character building as well as show that you understand the game mechanics. I will post them as they're created. You may use any of the posted special abilities.)
How I got here: (synopsis of how the character got to where they are in the story)

When you've filled out the character, tell us here, but post it here. Do not post your character sheets in the OOC. Players will need to detail their rolls in a single post on the OOC. Use the following to post into the OOC and update it with your rolls whenever you roll in-game. Whenever you roll you need to copy down the page of the IC it's on, the character that rolled, the dice they rolled, and the result. If they rolled more than one die, just copy another "Dice" and "Result" under the same "IC Page" and "Character". It should be a quick process.

Code:
[spoiler=Insert name's Rolls]
IC Page:
Character:
Dice Type:
Result:[/spoiler]


Character Sheets
[url]The IC will go here when it's up[/url]


Last edited by TheHim on Tue Aug 25, 2015 10:00 pm, edited 30 times in total.

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PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:23 pm 

7 hours of sleep but still ready to write

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My thoughts on life
January 11th, 2014. In response to my recent hardships in school, caused by my arrogantly chosen course selection for my junior year in high school.

The search for happiness is a long and lonely journey.

I'm seventeen, and yet, I feel I've accomplished so little. It's as if I only exist, under my parent's jurisdiction, to feed what I can feel in compliance with the popular culture that my personality chooses to accept. It's a terrible feeling, filled with Facebook and Youtube; the zombie makers of a sanitary society.

And oh my school. I suffer through, but I can only try so hard a few days out of the week. And for what? My atrocious grades? I have skills, sure. I can articulate well, I'm a decent problem solver, I don't crack easily under pressure, organization and leadership come easily to me, and yet, my transcript reads to me: failure. It's as if the skills that I have and wish to present to society are covered and hidden by my procrastination. And it's not as if I procrastinate on everything. In the general, I work daily. It's hard grueling work too, whether it's pushing carts through the snow or landscaping under the burning sun. I am not a lazy person, and yet, when it comes to my biology homework, I just never get to do it. I don't like it at all, I hate it, but that's all the world seems to recognize from people of my age.

I feel told, constantly, that because I can't make beautiful grades, I must be worth less, I must have less to offer to the world than the person going to Harvard. While I may wish it, I simply can't believe this to be true. Forget traditional school, forget the box cutters that would shape our children. I want more than someone telling me that I my worth is dictated by one of five letters; I'm worth them all, and I'll have what I want in this world.

To all of you who can't make the good grades, for whatever the reason, because you can't understand or because you're too busy smoking weed, life is what you make it.

Make it yours.

December 23rd, 2013. I found myself angry after a conversation with my mother, in which she blatantly criticized me for my interest in the Book of Mormon. I'm Christian, as basic as I'll ever declare, but I have no right to my faith if I don't scrutinize it and those others hold around me.

In truth, the more I live and come to understand the people I live with, the more I despair.

When I read about things like the Big Bang Theory, I tend to find knowledge and truth tainted by the hand that searched for it. Scientists, in an attempt to understand the existence of all apply their minds to find a shaped box for which to place the universe. And frankly I believe, as a Christian, that is one of the most important things the human race can do together; to search for the truth.

What bothers me is the scientists who accept things like the Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution as fact. They are not fact, hence the reason they're called theories. They have problems and cannot be explained. That is not to say that these theories won't be given explanation and certainly not that they shouldn't be, but it's upsetting when someone talks to me about these things as if they're already set in stone. As if my beliefs are invalid because some amazing atheist drew upon his obviously superior intellect and provided the solution to cure me of my chronic stupidity.

But, you know who else bugs me?

Christians.

For the love of the God some of us pretend to serve, could we please stop embarrassing ourselves by being willfully ignorant? There is a reason the scientific community thinks Christians are stupid, and it's because half the time we act like it. The search for truth, science, is not a hate crime against God. It is the attempt for humans to grasp God's creation with what we can perceive. An understanding of what I find to be fear, agitates me to no end. It's as if my Christian companions feel a monster lurking just beyond the view of our knowledge and wisdom, waiting to destroy our lives, so carefully arranged by organized religion. In the face of this, I must ask, why would you claim to serve a God if you're so unwilling to see Him and His works revealed?

Truthfully, I think we will find God, as plainly depicted by the Bible, if we look deeply enough. But that is not to say that it would be impossible to find the absence thereof, nor would it truly be searching if I were to blatantly deny the existence of events such as the Big Bang Theory or the Theory of Evolution. But, if I don't look, and look for everything, how can I claim anything to be true? If I don't look for everything, there is no point in looking for anything, because I have already made my final discovery in the parameters with which I set my search.

The same is true for anyone with an opinion; it is the nature of such. If you do not accept the existence of every possibility, you deny yourself the ability to find what actually exists.

In light of such, I would call, if my voice were strong enough, for our people to look, but not for something; rather, for what is there.

February 24th, 2014. I had a quick conversation with a friend about whether or not existence was dependent on perception. This is what happened.

Please beware before you embark on this journey with me, I do not speak of light topics. They are not controversial to the general public, I will not be discussing anything likely to be seen in a flame war on YouTube. However, as I have said, I do not speak of light topics. Agreement and consideration of my thoughts will give no quick satisfaction, as you will find that I seek no resolution, and nor do I offer any.

Let us begin.

Absent of the infinitely more personal and situational religious affiliation we humans hold, I have my internal self wandering around the corollaries between existence, perception, and conscience. Of course, upon themselves, they seem almost self explanatory, and I could almost feel they are certainly observable within ourselves.

But then again, everyone's heard of the Matrix movies.

If you haven't, the premise is that a gathering of superior beings gather and force humans into a deep slumber, in which they dream and experience an alternate universe whilst our aggressors harvest our body heat for energy. Unfortunately, if one were to empathize with this too deeply, they might find themselves questioning the legitimacy of their own existence.

I find myself in this position today.

I ask myself constantly, this reality of which only I may experience, I ask, is it true? My perception is unique, but it is dependent of the understanding my conscience derives from my experiences. Thus, it would seem there is an unfathomable accuracy to the ideas of men such as René Descartes, the man who spoke the words "Cogito ergo sum," or "I think, therefore I am." After all, if I am here to experience things, and my conscience is my own, observable by the equally observable variance of people, how could I not be my own? If we were to delve into this idea more deeply, in order for the events that I am unaware of, the moments in time my conscience mind understand that give way to experiences, would not there need to be at least one other existence to create these pockets of unexpected events? And even if one were to argue that these could all be fabricated events of my own design, does not the existence of the fabrication give proof of the existence of a being to create the fabrication?

That is to say, nothing will only create nothing, and if I am not here, there would be nothing, and as I am able to experience something, there cannot be nothing. Therefore, I must be here.

I must be.

However, that doesn't say much about you, my friend.

This has brought me to another question, one that could possibly contradict the previous idea. The question is this; is existence independent or dependent on perception? While it may seem completely reasonable that I think, and therefore I am, does it really matter? For instance, if I were to not think that I existed, could I still exist? Does the simple exclusion of an idea from the mind remove it from existence?

I think not, that would be ridiculous.

I would argue that existence is not dependent on perception, it does not care what you think. I cannot simply think something gone. Perhaps I could blot it from my own perception, but we have all witnessed people who believe things that are completely false. Of course, though history may be written by the victor, the facts, as opposed to the ultimate truth (another discussion), are decided by what is perceived and accepted by the largest number of people. Thus, things may not always be recorded true, and you may not always see what's true, but this is much different than the truth of our singular existence.

Alas, that is not the kind, final conclusion.

No, the most cruel consequence of thought is quite maddening.

Because, though your perception may prove your existence, your existence is not dependent on your perception.

Have a good day, friends.

Tools I have found useful
Radius Around a Map

The website has many other tools two of which, give approximate times of travel between two points (depending on various variables) and give exact distances between two equally exact points. Most of the tools export a link to an image with the desired specifications that can easily be implemented into a post.

World Generator

If you choose "Animated Globe" for the "Map Projection", and you generate the world, when you get taken to your specific world (Which will have amazingly specific stats), you can open the animated globe as an image in your browser and put it directly into your post. Yes, it will still spin. It's awesome. Of course, the website has many, many other features, including everything from name generators to weather generators, but the spinning globe is by far the most awesome.


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PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:23 pm 

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My thoughts on life
January 11th, 2014. In response to my recent hardships in school, caused by my arrogantly chosen course selection for my junior year in high school.

The search for happiness is a long and lonely journey.

I'm seventeen, and yet, I feel I've accomplished so little. It's as if I only exist, under my parent's jurisdiction, to feed what I can feel in compliance with the popular culture that my personality chooses to accept. It's a terrible feeling, filled with Facebook and Youtube; the zombie makers of a sanitary society.

And oh my school. I suffer through, but I can only try so hard a few days out of the week. And for what? My atrocious grades? I have skills, sure. I can articulate well, I'm a decent problem solver, I don't crack easily under pressure, organization and leadership come easily to me, and yet, my transcript reads to me: failure. It's as if the skills that I have and wish to present to society are covered and hidden by my procrastination. And it's not as if I procrastinate on everything. In the general, I work daily. It's hard grueling work too, whether it's pushing carts through the snow or landscaping under the burning sun. I am not a lazy person, and yet, when it comes to my biology homework, I just never get to do it. I don't like it at all, I hate it, but that's all the world seems to recognize from people of my age.

I feel told, constantly, that because I can't make beautiful grades, I must be worth less, I must have less to offer to the world than the person going to Harvard. While I may wish it, I simply can't believe this to be true. Forget traditional school, forget the box cutters that would shape our children. I want more than someone telling me that I my worth is dictated by one of five letters; I'm worth them all, and I'll have what I want in this world.

To all of you who can't make the good grades, for whatever the reason, because you can't understand or because you're too busy smoking weed, life is what you make it.

Make it yours.

December 23rd, 2013. I found myself angry after a conversation with my mother, in which she blatantly criticized me for my interest in the Book of Mormon. I'm Christian, as basic as I'll ever declare, but I have no right to my faith if I don't scrutinize it and those others hold around me.

In truth, the more I live and come to understand the people I live with, the more I despair.

When I read about things like the Big Bang Theory, I tend to find knowledge and truth tainted by the hand that searched for it. Scientists, in an attempt to understand the existence of all apply their minds to find a shaped box for which to place the universe. And frankly I believe, as a Christian, that is one of the most important things the human race can do together; to search for the truth.

What bothers me is the scientists who accept things like the Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution as fact. They are not fact, hence the reason they're called theories. They have problems and cannot be explained. That is not to say that these theories won't be given explanation and certainly not that they shouldn't be, but it's upsetting when someone talks to me about these things as if they're already set in stone. As if my beliefs are invalid because some amazing atheist drew upon his obviously superior intellect and provided the solution to cure me of my chronic stupidity.

But, you know who else bugs me?

Christians.

For the love of the God some of us pretend to serve, could we please stop embarrassing ourselves by being willfully ignorant? There is a reason the scientific community thinks Christians are stupid, and it's because half the time we act like it. The search for truth, science, is not a hate crime against God. It is the attempt for humans to grasp God's creation with what we can perceive. An understanding of what I find to be fear, agitates me to no end. It's as if my Christian companions feel a monster lurking just beyond the view of our knowledge and wisdom, waiting to destroy our lives, so carefully arranged by organized religion. In the face of this, I must ask, why would you claim to serve a God if you're so unwilling to see Him and His works revealed?

Truthfully, I think we will find God, as plainly depicted by the Bible, if we look deeply enough. But that is not to say that it would be impossible to find the absence thereof, nor would it truly be searching if I were to blatantly deny the existence of events such as the Big Bang Theory or the Theory of Evolution. But, if I don't look, and look for everything, how can I claim anything to be true? If I don't look for everything, there is no point in looking for anything, because I have already made my final discovery in the parameters with which I set my search.

The same is true for anyone with an opinion; it is the nature of such. If you do not accept the existence of every possibility, you deny yourself the ability to find what actually exists.

In light of such, I would call, if my voice were strong enough, for our people to look, but not for something; rather, for what is there.

February 24th, 2014. I had a quick conversation with a friend about whether or not existence was dependent on perception. This is what happened.

Please beware before you embark on this journey with me, I do not speak of light topics. They are not controversial to the general public, I will not be discussing anything likely to be seen in a flame war on YouTube. However, as I have said, I do not speak of light topics. Agreement and consideration of my thoughts will give no quick satisfaction, as you will find that I seek no resolution, and nor do I offer any.

Let us begin.

Absent of the infinitely more personal and situational religious affiliation we humans hold, I have my internal self wandering around the corollaries between existence, perception, and conscience. Of course, upon themselves, they seem almost self explanatory, and I could almost feel they are certainly observable within ourselves.

But then again, everyone's heard of the Matrix movies.

If you haven't, the premise is that a gathering of superior beings gather and force humans into a deep slumber, in which they dream and experience an alternate universe whilst our aggressors harvest our body heat for energy. Unfortunately, if one were to empathize with this too deeply, they might find themselves questioning the legitimacy of their own existence.

I find myself in this position today.

I ask myself constantly, this reality of which only I may experience, I ask, is it true? My perception is unique, but it is dependent of the understanding my conscience derives from my experiences. Thus, it would seem there is an unfathomable accuracy to the ideas of men such as René Descartes, the man who spoke the words "Cogito ergo sum," or "I think, therefore I am." After all, if I am here to experience things, and my conscience is my own, observable by the equally observable variance of people, how could I not be my own? If we were to delve into this idea more deeply, in order for the events that I am unaware of, the moments in time my conscience mind understand that give way to experiences, would not there need to be at least one other existence to create these pockets of unexpected events? And even if one were to argue that these could all be fabricated events of my own design, does not the existence of the fabrication give proof of the existence of a being to create the fabrication?

That is to say, nothing will only create nothing, and if I am not here, there would be nothing, and as I am able to experience something, there cannot be nothing. Therefore, I must be here.

I must be.

However, that doesn't say much about you, my friend.

This has brought me to another question, one that could possibly contradict the previous idea. The question is this; is existence independent or dependent on perception? While it may seem completely reasonable that I think, and therefore I am, does it really matter? For instance, if I were to not think that I existed, could I still exist? Does the simple exclusion of an idea from the mind remove it from existence?

I think not, that would be ridiculous.

I would argue that existence is not dependent on perception, it does not care what you think. I cannot simply think something gone. Perhaps I could blot it from my own perception, but we have all witnessed people who believe things that are completely false. Of course, though history may be written by the victor, the facts, as opposed to the ultimate truth (another discussion), are decided by what is perceived and accepted by the largest number of people. Thus, things may not always be recorded true, and you may not always see what's true, but this is much different than the truth of our singular existence.

Alas, that is not the kind, final conclusion.

No, the most cruel consequence of thought is quite maddening.

Because, though your perception may prove your existence, your existence is not dependent on your perception.

Have a good day, friends.

Tools I have found useful
Radius Around a Map

The website has many other tools two of which, give approximate times of travel between two points (depending on various variables) and give exact distances between two equally exact points. Most of the tools export a link to an image with the desired specifications that can easily be implemented into a post.

World Generator

If you choose "Animated Globe" for the "Map Projection", and you generate the world, when you get taken to your specific world (Which will have amazingly specific stats), you can open the animated globe as an image in your browser and put it directly into your post. Yes, it will still spin. It's awesome. Of course, the website has many, many other features, including everything from name generators to weather generators, but the spinning globe is by far the most awesome.


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PostPosted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 7:57 am 

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"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes. "
~ Charles Swindoll


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