The PPC Posting Board - Latest posts

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I guess I'm just a soft and squishy neutral in most of these

Ix and Charlotte go on a date, but of course things don't go smoothly for them at all.

Slice of life, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff.

I have read Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, and I think it shouldn't be added to the list of legendary badfics. It may have problems, but it's not exactly Little Miss Mary.

I wondered what would happen if you hit the same answer for every question, and realized I could click through rapidly, so I found out! For posterity, here are the results:

Absolutely agree
Fatherland - Work - Liberty
All bars 50/0/50
Additional characteristics:
- Anarchism (strong)
- Pragmatism (strong)
- Complotism (strong)
- Veganism (strong)
- Monarchism (strong)
- Missionary (strong)

Somewhat agree
Fatherland - Work - Liberty
All bars 33/34/33
Additional characteristics:
- Pragmatism (weak)
- Veganism (weak)
- Monarchism (weak)
- Missionary (weak)

Neutral or hesitant
No words
All bars 0/100/0
No additional characteristics

Rather disagree
Fatherland - Work - Liberty
All bars 33/34/33
No additional characteristics

Absolutely disagree
Fatherland - Work - Liberty
All bars 50/0/50
No additional characteristics

Observations:

Apparently the additional characteristics result from selecting "Absolutely agree" (strong result) or "Somewhat agree" (weak or no result) on certain questions.

Answering with all anything but "Neutral" generates the same three words. No idea what that means.

All "Neutral" and all "Rather disagree" both generate a blank white flag. The former makes sense. The latter confuses me.

~Neshomeh

From the Help page:

Why are the people how they are? This axis allows you to situate yourself between two opposite poles which answer this question.

The constructivists consider that people build themselves from their environment (notably social) and that the caracteristics that make them who they are, are acquired.

On the contrary, the essentialists consider that an individual is by nature how he/she is and that his/her caracteristics which make this person who she/he is, are innate.

A lot of the questions dealing with this axis were things like whether you believe people from different countries have inborn traits that make them different from other people, or that quote about whether one is born a woman or becomes a woman.

IMO, the answer to this, as with most things, is that it's both. Like, a population that breeds mostly with itself for long enough is gonna develop a few genetic traits that may set it apart from other populations, like e.g. a preponderance of a certain blood type; but on the other hand, we are so very social, and our societies matter immensely; but on the other hand, we have the intelligence to overcome our past experiences and adapt to new ones.

... Again, this is why I struggle with these tests. ^_^;

~Neshomeh

Which I guess is because it was the second-highest score that I got? Or something? I'm really not sure how that stuff is determined, or the colors and designs on the flags, either.

Anyway, I care! I just get tripped up when my mind starts conjuring scenarios like digging wells so people can have access to safe water and that sort of thing. Like, we shouldn't be demolishing the rain forest or the Alaskan wilderness etc., but I think people have a right to a certain quality of life as concerns access to vital resources, and if we properly care for the environment and drastically reduce our population, then everyone's quality of life will improve, so it's all much of a muchness?

This is why I have so much neutral space in my scores...

~Neshomeh really believes overpopulation is one of our most serious problems, but there are no quick and easy solutions to this. Would settle for birth control for everyone yesterday, plzkthx.

This is what I choose to put a reply on. Oh, well. This is my thingy.

http://politiscales.la-commune.net/en_US/results/?c1=5&c0=71&e1=29&e0=33&p1=24&p0=31&j1=14&j0=48&t1=62&t0=14&b1=12&b0=62&s0=62&s1=10&m0=55&m1=7&femi=38

My results.
Certainly not the worst test I've taken, but some of the questions seemed a bit strangely worded to me. Still, it seems to have hit decently close to the mark for me. Not entirely sure what the constructivism/essentialism stuff is about, though, and I think my ecology score was a bit low, but I suppose that's down to me abusing the neutral/hesitant option.

My results. I think I have the highest support for Ecology-over-Production so far. Come on, guys! The planet we live on matters!

And my, but we are a very pragmatic bunch, eh?

—doctorlit, not terribly surprised to see he is significantly more left than in the past. A Trump presidency can do that, he supposes.

Here's the results.

That was a lot of questions there!

--Kaitlyn

That's actually a weirdly fluctuating thing here. I didn't realize it was an issue for years, because it had always left me logged in for long stretches of time, but then one day, one of the oldbies was complaining about it, and I was shocked anyone had difficulty with that. This past year, it started doing the same to me, never leaving me logged in. So maybe the pendulum will swing around for you someday, too?

—doctorlit, logging in so much, he must be a lumberjack








and he's okay, he sleeps all night and he

Full Results

The wording on some of these questions seemed overly comlicated.

-Phobos

It has a lot to do with the fact that the people there, orcs or humans, hated the heat of the sun. The cool mountain air does reduce the heat in the afternoon, but no one showers in the morning. The cold water's too oppressive before noon, and the hot showers is just a short respite.

Not unexpected, though avoiding the neutral option as much as possible may have shifted the scores.

http://politiscales.la-commune.net/en_US/results/?comp=67&e0=24&e1=48&c1=81&c0=7&femi=14&b0=5&b1=71&j1=43&j0=29&t0=29&t1=45&reli=67&s1=62&s0=14&p1=50&p0=19&m0=45&m1=24&prag=100

Waaaaaaaay off to the east.

(There is some serious irony in the fact that EAIUverOverlord, Dark Brother, and now Dark Lord Aakmal, have all ended up far to the right of the rest of the Board.)

Actually not that far to the east - just on the edge of the Eastern Mountains.



Hey, Office of Cartography, got a map for you. Yeah, turns out the Second Expedition were a bunch of idiots who 'adjusted' the Centre Pole for political reasons - it's actually pretty much where the First put it.

A-ny-ways, we've gone out a bit further, confirmed that there's mountains in the north-west and over in the east. Ran into a string of settlements under the banner of Dark Lord Aakmal out there, but surprisingly: not evil! Well, not Chaos, at any rate.

We also found a forest that both of the other expeditions had missed, which is kinda weird, because it's practically visible from the walls of Huinesoron. (Oh, FYI: we've put the walls in, too, along with the ones around Hardric. If the fastnesses of Chaos get their defences illustrated, so should the fortresses of Order.) There's a town in there, too, bit magical, fairly empty; calls itself Neshomeh.

We've scribbled in the land to the north, but TBH we didn't actually go there. It's probably about right, though.

Laters!

-Third Huinesoronic Mapping Expedition

~

So far, we've managed to avoid any repeated flags, though Larfen, Hardric, and Aakmal are pretty close. It's also interesting that Larfen, palin, and I are the only ones without at least a minor Pragmatism sticker on our results (out of eight results so far). I guess we know who Doesn't Play Well With Others...!

hS

http://politiscales.la-commune.net/en_US/results/?t0=19&t1=40&e1=43&e0=29&j1=19&j0=52&s0=69&s1=12&p1=62&p0=21&b1=14&b0=57&c0=48&c1=26&femi=43&m0=52&m1=17&prag=100

Huinesoron, where is my town on your map?

Full results.

These questions are hard and don't always have simple yes or no answers. {= P

~Neshomeh

Oh Most Illustrious Office of Cartography, good news! We have confirmed that the shape of the world is much as the First Expedition determined (though we submit for your consideration a slight adjustment to the position of the Centre Pole, to bring it closer to our own dear city). There are some few discrepancies, however, which bear consideration.

Firstly, the Chaotic forces of Scapegrace are not, in fact, led by Scapegrace. Quite understandably, the First Expedition failed to recognise that the metropolis of Scapegrace is twinned with a second, larger, mountaintop fastness known as palindromordnilap, which is even more devoted to the Chaotic cause. Worse, the mountain of palindromordnilap sits at the heart of an enchanted forest, making it even more magical than our own mountain.

Secondly, we understand fully that the terrain between Huinesoron and the southern sea is rough and difficult; it is therefore entirely reasonable that the First Expedition could have missed the vast desert that lies there. The ommission of the city of Larfen J. Stocke, esq. - the largest non-Chaotic city we know of, and our own major trading partner - can be chalked up to general incompetence, by all the gods, what were those clowns doing?! mere error.

For the glory of Huinesoron!

-The Second Huinesoronic Mapping Expedition

;)

hS

It tasted horrible.

Aaaanyhow: http://politiscales.la-commune.net/en_US/results/?p1=14&p0=48&e0=36&e1=40&c1=10&c0=60&femi=57&j0=64&s0=79&m0=60&b1=10&b0=69&t1=48&t0=19

That's what I got. Humanity, Justice, Equality. Er. Whatever those are referring to.
I think the general conclusion is that I am a bleeding heart liberal soyboy, gobbling soy down by the sack, soy spilling from my lips and getting on my shirt as I gulp it down, yum yum, gulp.

http://politiscales.la-commune.net/en_US/results/?b0=83&m0=90&s0=95&c0=93&p0=76&t0=67&t1=17&j0=98&e0=52&e1=31&reli=67&femi=81&anar=100

I actually took that test a while ago, back when only the French version was available, and while I don't remember the exact results I'm pretty sure I have much more of La Revolución now. The "Missionnary" bit is interesting because, well, I don't actually have a religion.

We did this back in 2016, and 2015... and 2014! It's heaps of fun, I make maps of everything by plotting the two axes as... the... wait.

Hmm.

This is going to take some thought.

Okay, first of all, my results: Humanity, Equality, Socialism. Shockingly, I am not as extreme as Scapegrace. ^_^

Right, now for the fun part. In 2015, the PPC inhabited an idyllic medieval landscape, except for the evil fortresses in the eastern mountains, the vast metropolis, the fractious nomads in the desert, the warlike woodsmen of the northern forest... okay, so scratch the 'idyll' part.

In 2016, the Age of Brass dawned. Cities roamed the landscape, some even taking to the seas. The Central City conquered the nomads, the nomads conquered the forest, a great fortress ground its way in from the east... it was a terrible time, though kind of awesome to watch.

The war between Central City and the brazen castle of the Uber Overlord was devastating. The landscape roiled around them, and when the fires died, the time of technology died with them. From the ruins emerged a new power: the coruscating glow of mana.



-Product of the First Huinesoronic Mapping Expedition

The cities of the great continent of Plortitics are mapped by not two, not even four, but eight different standards. Simplest, of course, are geographical location: north-south [Conservative->Progressive] and east-west [Capitalist->Communist]. Of the four cities mapped, three stand in the ruins of ancient settlements: Scapegrace, Huinesoron, and Hardric. The town of Quincy Jones has been founded since the war ended, in what was once the Great Desert.

Almost as simple is altitude [Nationalism->Internationalism]. The cities of Huinesoron and Scapegrace stand high on their bluffs, facing across the valley of the Fabled River.

When the expedition set out, they expected population [Punitive->Rehabilitative Justice] and urbanisation [Essentialist->Constructivist] to go hand in hand, but that turned out not to be entirely accurate. Certainly, the city of Scapegrace is both the most heavily urbanised, and the largest - but the other three towns hold equal populations, though Quincy Jones is almost entirely rural.

The environment [Production>Ecology] in the four towns is almost identical, but there is one environmental factor that divides them: mana [Laissez-faire->Regulation]. The lowland towns at Hardric and Quincy Jones are almost devoid of it, while the mountain fastnesses of Huinesoron and Scapegrace practically sing with it.

So are the cities of Plortitics at peace? Hardly! The three towns stand in rough alliance at the Lawful end of the scale [Reform>Revolution], but Scapegrace holds itself in opposition. Though open war is yet to be declared, the vale of the Fabled River is the site for numerous skirmishes...

... or so we think. It may be that this map is in error, and that more data will change completely the way we think of the world.

((All eight axes are shown on the map. Constructivism: level of city vs. houses. Socialism: how far west. Rehab justice: size of settlement. Regulation: number of Mana sparks. Progressivism: how far south. Ecology: base colour (currently all grass-green). Internationalism: height. Revolutionary: black walls for revolutionary. Values are calculated as (value of longest coloured bar + half value of 'undecided' bar).))

All maps will be updates of this one. Go for it, people! :D

hS

PS: I love the flags, incidentally. And I love to imagine that the chief cause of conflict between Huinesoron and Scapegrace is 'what order should the three parts of the motto go in'. :D :D

One from Naruto:

Chunin Exam Day seems like a pretty good candidate. Published between 2007 and 2010 and still heavily referenced on various sites within the last year, it fits all the qualifications for a Legendary.

As for the fic itself: Naruto gets stuck in a Groundhog Day loop and quickly uses it to start winning over (romantically) all the ladies with massages and simple gifts. This includes adult women. He also uses it to make himself incredibly overpowered. All good characterization is tossed out the window immediately so Author tracts can begin, and the fic is just awful.

The Tropes page, with a link to the fic:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/ChuninExamDay

The other three are from Harry Potter:

The first of the three is Partially Kissed Hero. Started in 2008 and finished in 2012, it is a little less mentioned in the last year. However, it has been very well known, and is by the same author as Chunin Exam Day.

The Fic starts with Harry getting partially kissed by a Dementor, which destroys the Horcrux inside him. However, the story rapidly goes off the rails, with multiple brutal deaths to characters like Dumbledore and Snape for no real reason. The attitudes towards women are the same in the previous fic, and Harry rapidly amasses a large Harem of basically every attractive female character. The plot also rapidly goes more insane, mostly due to Harry spiraling into darkness in a way that is entirely meant to be considered Protagonist-worthy.

The Tropes page is here, with a link to the fic.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/PartiallyKissedHero

The third fic is the rather famous HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, or Thirty Hs. Still rather talked about in the same terms as My Immortal, this fic is still rather talked about with hundreds of hits for either version of the name. It was originally made in 2005, with a recent set of edits in 2015. Like the others, it has a Tropes page, and definitely qualifies for Legendary as far as I can tell.

To quote the Trope page:
It's a Harry Potter fanfic, just like My Immortal. It's So Bad, It's Good, just like My Immortal, it has extreme Canon Defilement, just like My Immortal. However, the two are different in one key detail: whereas My Immortal was (ostensibly) written by a Wangsty 13 year old girl, this was (ostensibly) written by an Ax-Crazy 13 year old boy.

The Tropes page itself, with the fic link:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/ThirtyHs

The final fic I'm nominating is Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. This one is the one that fits the least of the requirements. First published in 2010, and completed in 2015, the fic has quite a cult following and a TV Tropes article. The fic itself is quite divisive, with a very 'love it or hate it' attitude among readers.

The fic itself starts with a simple premise: Petunia married a scientist. Now Rationalist!Harry enters the wizarding world armed with Enlightenment ideals and the experimental spirit. Very quickly, Harry becomes a massive Sue, with both his and the rest of the cast being warped to fit into the author's philosophy, which is stated repeatedly in the fic in massive author tracts. Enormous chunks of canon are altered or ignored to make the story fit, to the point of making Lily try to murder Voldemort with the Killing Curse or having Voldemort make hundreds of Horcruxes because he's clever. I'm gonna stop there because there is a lot wrong with this fic.

Tropes page is here, with the link:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality

I've got some poetry which I really really should get around to publishing in a magazine or something. Currently just sitting around, just existing, I guess.

But recently, I've been working on a short story, which I suppose I'll turn into a novel, if it goes well enough. Gotta get those creative juices flowing, and start writing more of it though.

And lastly, I'm tinkering with a nonlinear story. I tried to swap between the present and memories, but after having it reviewed by a couple beta's, it isn't prominent enough, and I ended up confusing people, instead of bringing new understanding to the writing.

Write more, write often. And if you feel so inclined, make yourself some cocoa as you work. :)