[OOC] The Downward Spiral

[kingmonkey]

Weather seems to be clearing up today, according to NAVCan, so I guess you (and a billion other stranded travellers) will be on your way home today.

[Aethera]

Yeah... no such luck. Three days of hassle and planes that need maintenance later... *sigh*

[Felyx Zephyr]

I lost access to the Internet. Based on my and my sister's sleep schedule, I may be able to hijack her iPad like I am now, though it isn't certain

[Aethera]

Very not cool. Good luck with that, Felyx.

[Felyx Zephyr]

Thanks! I should be back fairly soon

[kingmonkey]

[cyranojoe]

Originally Posted by marie

Why is an old woman the weakest yet the dictator of certain situations? Why is the child running about, rather than kept secure and commanded into silence? Where is survival of the fittest in these scenarios? I see it in the Four, but not in "is so".

Lacking danger, the requirements of survival haven't come in to play. I do think that there have been some efforts to deal with the rambunctious child, particularly by 100, but since his behavior has yet to be seen to be a danger, no one's really stomped on his outbursts. As for Granny's empowerment, part of that (I think) comes from her age -- lacking any real experience among the group, we're looking to our eldest as somehow our repository of wisdom. But the fact that she's been easily the most aggressive of all of us is probably the main reason for her "rule", if it can be called that.

Originally Posted by marie

As for the development of personalities of the characters... by not knowing who we were, or having much defined about the character, we've eliminated the nature versus nurture. Everything is environmental, rather than innate. Unless KM gave you a specific (like Vivien's short temper), everyone had to choose based on what was going on. I know I failed to completely leave out nature, giving Eve her sharper side and imperious nature... this is something I assumed for her, because I was unable to work completely with the environment. Until she fell and broke her arm, Eve had no reason to be sharp with the others. For those who managed better than I, the environment defined all the changes in their personalities. I find it quite interesting to watch who says what. Our gentle giant has made a very interesting comment about divinity, which I would have expected to come from 02 or Grey before ever 14.

A very interesting argument, and I think you have a lot of good points... but arguing that we've eliminated the innate is a bit disingenuous. The players themselves have innate personalities, ones that are more than likely brought to the fore by creating PCs that themselves have limited or no natural personas. Perhaps a few of us consciously chose a personality or set of actions, but I think the odds are high that the characters we're playing are strong reflections of our own selves -- either the people we are, the people we would be in the situation that our characters find themselves, or the people that we think of when we see the generic archetype that each of our PCs represent to us (i.e., prepubescent boy, aged old woman, smelly fat man).

For example, Ericg1s has struggled to grasp the purpose of the game world and his character; this shows directly through 14's own confusion and struggles to process and accept the world around him. I think it's apparent that I see a young boy and make assumptions of hyperactivity, inquisitiveness, and a bipolar kind of confidence and insecurity, not to mention a desire to choose and create identity, even in the absence of it. (Joey's desire to help others partially comes from me, and partially from the clues that KM gave me about the boy.)

Grey is set apart, but almost normal, and has behaved as such -- leaning strongly towards the alien -- from the start. The hardest one to analyze in this is Granny, but you've given enough OoC clues to suggest that, rather than being yourself irritated with the lack of an aggressive personality in the game to push things forward, you found it easier to picture an old woman as strong and willful than weak, frail, or dim-witted. You've suggested that her pushy, grumpy, or even bit**y behavior doesn't come naturally to you, so I'd posit that it's less about your own self coming through than your thoughts/expectations of an elderly matron figure.

In any case, the surprises keep coming... I agree wholeheartedly, I was completely unprepared for Mr. Hooks' suggestion that we're somehow divine in nature. What a cool thought, and unique in its implications, especially about Mr. Hooks himself. Why the focus in that direction? Will we find out he was a minister in a previous life? Simply a man of great faith? Actually an angel or a god? Does his physical nature and blank slate of mind suggest to him or to Eric1gs the idea of a tortured afterlife? Or is it that Eric himself is of a religious bent, and both curious and creative enough to broach the topic? I know it never occurred to me...!

[kingmonkey]

And now my turn to weigh in on the only person I can: Crazybeard. He was created to serve a kind of purpose-- the guide. But I know that it frequently turns out that the dread DMPC is this vast repository of knowledge who takes on a guru position. I felt it was useful for both you guys and me to help ease the game along a little, but I wanted to have an utterly fallible NPC. Of course, I had to try not to go overboard with it, too.

I must say, it's been fun creating the NPCs for this game. I get to flex a little and try to create NPCs that (I find, at least) are memorable, fun, interesting, and mechanically (or plottily... if I can coin a word) functional without being DM inserts.

Crazybeard was immediately fun because, any DM will tell you, it is fun to directly mock the players. But as I pushed him along he has begun to take on a personality. I mention all this here because he was a last minute creation when I realized what plot function I needed to fill. In essence, I was in the same boat you were; I had a blank character and I basically designed him on the fly. I made assumptions on how he would be after all his time in the maze and settled on the zany but not, I hope, over the top personality that now drunkenly badgers the lot of you.

[Ericg1s]

The idea that we might be gods, angels, or something cast from heaven flowed logically from the comment the professor made that we someone come from a previous universe or a place outside his universe. Also, the concept that I might be a fallen god, chained and bound as punishment for failing in the final battle of good and evil (good being whichever side wins) makes a lot of sense. I am in constant pain, but it seems conforting to me, as if it is what I wanted. Perhaps the alternative was to join forces with the winning side, and I would rather be in hell then play a part in their plans. Is this hell? Is this limbo? Is this a prison for things the gods can not destroy?
My characters limited ability to see the world around himself forces him to follow the leadership of others. I don't really care if the knight ever finds his shield, or if he and grey fall in love, or if Joey finishes his medical training or Granny Eve finds what she is looking for. I think I am starting to figure out who we are:
The knight in shining armor
Jack of green
The wise witch
The golem
The fool of the world
The only character I can't figure out is my own...mainly because it's my job to write the character, and I don't know what to write. You have created an incredible game world for us to live in, and I am reluctant to add my part to it, because it would feel like spray painting suggestions onto a classic painting.

[Iriel2010]

now that I'm finally seeing the secrets, it changes things.. >.> I'll just go with a moment of forgetfulness for the post that I have there. Its not something she would forget... but it'll have to be forgiven considering I didn't know that she could use magic... Silly km telling me this info retrospectively... >.<

[cyranojoe]

Originally Posted by Iriel2010

now that I'm finally seeing the secrets, it changes things.. >.> I'll just go with a moment of forgetfulness for the post that I have there. Its not something she would forget... but it'll have to be forgiven considering I didn't know that she could use magic... Silly km telling me this info retrospectively... >.<

No worries, I think -- it actually fits, that Grey didn't know exactly what to call the powers she has. It's a mature way of playing character knowledge.

[cyranojoe]

Happy New Year, y'all!

[Aethera]

You too, Joe! (And everyone...)

[Iriel2010]

Happy New Year~!

[kingmonkey]

And to a lesser extent, Happy New Month and Happy New Week!