chosenofthegods

[chosenofthegods]

Reminder!

Today is epistemological cleanliness day! A day set aside to remind everyone that the Internet is for lying liars that lie, that you are not immune to propaganda, to check your sources and your biases!

Happy epistemological cleanliness day for those who observe!

[chosenofthegods]

INTERSTITIAL 2E PLAYBOOK JAM

After seeing several Interstitial 2e playbooks pop up here and there,  I have decided to make an attempt to gather them all in one spot, and further from that- to convince more people to make them!

This is a jam focused around making new Playbooks for Interstitial, which are all based on archtypes you would see in media like "The Discarded", "The Other",  or "The Chosen", or are more meta books like "The Roleplayer" or "The Memory".  We also introduced the idea of Everything is Interstitial- playbooks that represent whole other games that take the mechanics of Interstitial for a real spin.

If you have never game designed before, now is a great chance to start!   If you have, it's a fun exercise to try and  compress your game down to it's basics.

I look forward to seeing what you make!

[chosenofthegods]

First Tesla Showroom burned. More to come.

This post is a bit of a hyperbole (they only destroyed 8 cars and damaged 4) but let's hear it for the French

[chosenofthegods]

Babe wake up, new Exalted campaign just dropped

The Ones Who Walk Into Omelas With Kevlar Vests And Samurai Swords And Desert Eagles And Stare Down All Those Wicked Unrighteous Sinners In Their Droves And Proceed To Totally Fucking Waste Them All In A High Octane Action Sequence That Kicks Insane Amounts Of Ass Think The Raid If It Was Directed By John Woo But When They Finally Get To The Door Of The Basement Where They Keep The Kid Oh Shit It's The Fucking King Of Omelas And He's Wielding The Cursed Obsidian Blade Of The Underworld And They Gotta Waste Him Too But He's Incredibly Fast And Strong Thanks To All The Power He's Getting From The Kid And He Kills Almost All Of Them Until The Leader Draws Him Out With A Double Feint That Leaves Him Wide Open And Cuts His Fucking Head Clean Off With A Single Perfect Stroke And Then They Finally Open The Door To The Basement And Free The Kid

[chosenofthegods]

[chosenofthegods]

burning text gif maker

heart locket gif maker

minecraft advancement maker

minecraft logo font text generator w/assorted textures and pride flags

windows error message maker (win1.0-win11)

FromSoftware image macro generator (elden ring Noun Verbed text)

image to 3d effect gif

vaporwave image generator

microsoft wordart maker (REALLY annoying to use on mobile)

you're welcome

[chosenofthegods]

Look. WotC has done a goodly number of shitty things lately. But this kind of full throated support is worth celebrating

Im really torn between the fact that my favorite set of all time Will be seeing the light of the day again ( lorwyn) and my gut feelings of how It Will be fucked up by the new superbland mediocre art style and the real world politic agenda ( not so) subtly pushed in late sets, in a CARD GAME. We want to see stories of faeries, kithkins, elves, goblins, Giants,merfolk and cinders in their beautiful fantasy setting, no trans they/them faeries that think they're kithkins

Two points:

1) When returning to a world, we’re very cognizant of the aesthetic of the world. We understand returning to Lorwyn requires embracing what made people love it the first time around. Obviously, there will be updates, as the game has evolved much since our first visit, but we’re very aware of the need to recapture the plane’s essence.

2) For far too long, fantasy, as a genre, was used as a way to reflect the worldview of those in power. It leaned into stereotype and reflected how the privileged wished the world was. Modern fantasy is more reflective of the actual world, which includes the wide variety of life experiences that exists.

Trans people, people of color, and women playing a larger role, are all part of modern fantasy because they’re all part of the actual world, and it’s important that our stories and world building be reflective of that.

“I want to return to a time where we could ignore the existence of certain elements because I was happy living in that ignorance” is not an excuse to deny real people and their real life experiences.

Entertainment is at its best when it lifts everyone up and isn’t used as yet another means to ignore certain people’s reality.

[chosenofthegods]

Stunning. Also probably not intended, but excellent Exalted god inspiration

The Deer of Candles, the god of knowledge, listens patiently to one last secret.

first art of the new year

[chosenofthegods]

[Fiction from a dream] - Madam Zamboni

"Learn your destiny! The future revealed by Madam Zamboni!

I like Ren Faires. No one takes themselves seriously, and stupid puns or references are the order of the day.

And, okay, technically, I wasn't on staff. North Carolina apparently has some weird fucking laws about "witchcraft and divination", which the owners didn't want to have to deal with. But they didn't actually shut down my little blanket and chair and- most importantly -cashbox, setup near the back of the Faire. I could usually make a few hundred bucks a day, from eager girlfriends or lonely guys or mom's killing time while waiting for the kids to finish running off a sugar high.

"Well now. My destiny."

I hadn't noticed him… them? walking up, even though the crowds were thinning out as the day drew to a close. I'd honestly been considering packing up early. Hey, good thing I didn't, right? They were rail thin, with a shoulder-length pageboy bob of bright blue and a garish pink-and-yellow overcoat, with eyes hidden behind mirrored glasses, and the smile I could hear in their voice was hidden behind a black mask.

I shoved my tired down and turned on my biggest smile. "Indeed! Madam Zamboni sees all, knows all! For $10 I will study the lines of your life as written on the palm of your hand, or for $20, I will perform the ancient art of cartomancy, drawing upon the ancient Egyptian mysteries of the Tarot! For $25, I'll do both!"

They reached beneath their coat and pulled out a small leather pouch- oh god, they were one of those -and counted out twenty-five individual golden Sacagawea dollar coins into their gloved hand. "I'd like the full spread, if you would," they said, pouring them onto my blanket. Well, cash is cash. "Of course! Now, if you could remove your glove?"

Their smile seemed to grow ever so slightly as they pulled the glove off gingerly. Mask and gloves; they didn't sound sick. Maybe just paranoid about getting sick. I should play into that. Give 'em a scare. They-

Their palm was.

Okay, I've been doing this for a long while. The palm has certain very regular features and lines, where the muscles and tendons and fat underneath the skin bunch and stretch. I've seen folks with old scars and motorcycle injuries, and had more than few jokesters that had lost a hand present a prosthetic. But this was different. At a glance, their hand was like any other. But the heartline should run from between the index and center finger to the edge, just under the pinkie; it went backwards. The headline that starts between the index and thumb was entirely absent. The raised padding that makes up the mound of Venus, where the thumb meets the palm, was perfectly flat. It was like a palm sculpted by a child, the idea of a hand, with the same resemblance to a real one as a crayola brown tree or lemon-yellow sun.

Now. I'm pretty good at improvising, but I'll admit, this startled me. "I'm- ah. Sorry. Your palm eludes the vision of Madam Zamboni," I stuttered, and carefully counted out ten of the coins to give back. I could feel their smile widening beneath the mask, as I withdrew my cards. Not my normal "Fairies and giggling gnomes" deck. The old Rider-Waite deck I used mostly for myself, that I'd gotten from my grammy. I shuffled the cards in front of them, doing some simple close up twists to riffle and bridge seemingly in mid-air, before presenting the deck. "Please, if you would, split the deck, and we can begin."

They had put their glove back on while I was shuffling, and only moved the top card to the bottom. Cheeky devil. I set the cards on the blanket and slid the top-

The card stuck.

I hesitated, then got a firmly pressure with the tip of my finger. The card was absolutely stuck. It didn't move. I laughed a little, but I'm sure it was edged with nerves. "Ah, your fate is hard for even the cards to see," I said, working the tip of a nail under- what the fuck. I couldn't gain any purchase on the edges of the card. It was as if they were encased in plastic wrap. Smiling, trying to keep their eyes fixed on mine, I ran a fingertip against the edge of the deck, feeling the individual cards, then once more- fuck. FUCK.

"Trouble?" they asked. "Would you like my help?" The hairs stood up on the back of my neck. It was the same laughing voice. One amused by the world. But as hungry and empty as a howling wolf.

Wordlessly, I gave up on the cards, and withdrew a small wooden cup, then placed three of the golden coins into it. I don't sell i-ching divinations; tourists at Ren Faires generally don't know them well enough to be amused by 'em or, more importantly, to pay for 'em. But this was for myself. And them. I spun the coins around the cup three times, slammed it onto the blanket, and lifted.

The coins missing- no. They were adhered to the interior of the cup as if by magnets.

"I'm sorry, my dear," I croaked, my throat going dry. "It seems fate does not favor madam Zamboni this day." I peeled the coins out of the cup, withdrew an additional five dollars in change from the cashbox, and offered them back. "A refund for the failed card reading, and my wishes for your journey onwards to be pleasant."

They leaned closer as they took the coins. They smelt of cinnamon and cloves. "You didn't answer my question. Would you like my help?"

I swallowed hard. The heat of them reminded me of a campfire. When I was a young child, I'd rolled into a campfire in my sleep, just trying to get warmer. Fortunately the pain woke me up right quick.

"Your offer is appreciated, but… not at this time. Please," my voice was a whisper. "Please have a pleasant journey onwards."

I could feel myself being weighed by the eyes behind those mirrored glasses, and when the stranger spoke again, their voice held no laughter. "Fine, then. No harm in offering a little help, but I can tell where I'm not wanted." And they walked away, down the dirt lane, around a corner, out of sight.

I waited until the park was closed, then folded up my blanket, picked up the cashbox, and found my way to my car, not tired in the least. Over an hour later, and I still felt my heart pounding, the sour after taste of adrenaline curdling in my stomach. I left that fair, without a word. Maybe it was time to retire Madam Zamboni. Find some other way to make a living.

[chosenofthegods]

WHEREAS: Animal representations of human behaviors, interests, have a long and proud tradition,

AND WHEREAS: there is no widely recognized animal representation for Asexuality or asexuals (hereafter "Aces"), instead most often being represented by fictional and unemotional machinery or alien intelligences,

AND WHEREAS: it is widely acknowledged that the honey badger is an animal which gives no fucks,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: Henceforth, the honey badger be the recognized animal representation for Aces.

[chosenofthegods]

WHEREAS: Animal representations of human behaviors, interests, have a long and proud tradition,

AND WHEREAS: there is no widely recognized animal representation for Asexuality or asexuals (hereafter "Aces"), instead most often being represented by fictional and unemotional machinery or alien intelligences,

AND WHEREAS: it is widely acknowledged that the honey badger is an animal which gives no fucks,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: Henceforth, the honey badger be the recognized animal representation for Aces.

[chosenofthegods]

they are Luna’s beloved children

[chosenofthegods]

I love Lorda Rings. I love all my favorite characters like Angron and Ganondorf and Legos and Barometer and Gumroad and Frito and Samsworth are Mariah Carey and Peepums

[chosenofthegods]

Mm. I don't fully agree with this, even as I understand where you're coming from. Canon of a particular collective of fictions, I think, is more akin to a language; it's more about mutual comprehensibility in discussion and further exploration of those fictions. Now, that is obviously *deeply* entangled with IP law and enforcement. But I've seen entirely fan-driven communities ruminating on entirely novel characters and stories, and will still argue about which stories are now canon and which ones aren't, based largely on community vibes. (And not even getting into the history of religious canon debates, which by and large predate anything resembling modern ideas of IP enforcement but still worked to make sure everyone was keeping the same basic understanding)

different anon, but could you elaborate about the canon is enforcing of IP? or give some recommendations of what i could read about it

well, like. all fiction is equally real, in that it all exists in the exact same capacity (as in, exclusively as the relation between a text and the people engaging with it). let's take star wars as an example where people were recently upset about 'canon' and what was and wasn't allowed to be 'canon' -- there is nothing about padawan (2022) that is in any way 'less true' or 'less real' than heir to the empire (1991). they are both books about equally fictional events. the only substantive difference between these books is that the IP holder, disney, will allow future ''official'' material to draw on the former and not on the latter.

and respecting canon as some sort of intrinsic property of the text, as something that confers weight and importance--being willing to accept 'what disney has greenlit to be the basis for continued cultural product' as a pivotal factor in how or even whether a text should be analyzed (e.g. 'that's not canon, it doesn't count') is ceding the notion that the embrace of the rightsholder makes one text more 'real' than another equally fictional text depicting equally fictional events. it is accepting an epistemology of fiction that is ultimately rooted in IP law--the only material difference between a 'canon' and a 'non-canon' text is that the rightsholder might well fund the production of a work expanding and engaging with the former and might well legally prevent the publication of the latter

obviously if you want to create your own personal corpus to restrict your analysis to, that makes sense. & for very good reasons that may well overlap with 'canon' -- it often makes sense to say 'this text wasn't intended to be read as part of the same story, so including it in my broad analysis of this story would complicated that analysis for little gain'--but accepting prima facie the distinctions of 'canon' as valent in any sense except economic is an unproductive way of envisioning texts that cedes so much ground to reifying The Franchise as a neutral thing with independent existence.

[chosenofthegods]

BONUS EPISODE: Final Girl Rising with Joie Martin

Available to all Patreon backers, free or paid: I sat down with Joie Martin to play FINAL GIRL RISING, currently on Kickstarter!

There's something horrible lurking in the mall. It's up to the resident stuck-up snob to save everyone. ... God help us all.

You'll dig this episode if you like: Evil Dead, Halloween, classic Final Girl stories

[chosenofthegods]

Fellas, is your girl ...

* Precious to you?

* Someone you are unwilling to risk coming to harm?

* To be forever an heirloom of your house?

THAT'S NOT YOUR GIRL! That's the One Ring, the Ruling Ring, into which Sauron poured his malice, his cruelty, and his will to dominate all the life of Middle Earth!

[chosenofthegods]

Bad Signs In A New RPG Rulebook

It quickly becomes clear the "What Is An RPG?" section at the front isn't intended as informative but is in fact a genuine question, complete with a number to call if you know the answer.

All the art is AI-Generated. You can tell this from subtle clues like the composition, blurry details and the fact that rather than anything to do with the game they're images of humans being shot with lasers labelled "DIE MEATBAGS DIE"

"What you need to play" is dice, paper, friends, imagination, cards, a roulette table, masks of your characters, desecrated holy objects from at least a dozen religions, a box full of nerdy snakes, a b-tier youtube celebrity and something they only refer to as "the tit-ripper 9000" .

The character creation section seems to be a guide on how to use the Pinkertons to enforce game copyright that was put in by accident.

The example play game session is a transcript of your last gaming session, word for word.

There is a section on avoiding outdated offensive stereotypes in gaming and instead using more modern offensive stereotypes that better resonate with a contemporary audience.

It has a sidebar titled "How to avoid scheduling errors" that just says ";)"

The sample starting adventure is a QR code. When you scan it it downloads Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League but with your party in the place of the main characters. It's actually really technically impressive, but you wish they'd chosen a better game.

Regardless of the genre or tone, It's using the fucking 5e D&D system again. It's not a generic system, guys! I can handle the character sheet being rigged to detonate if written on but this is where I draw the line!