This was origonally a lecture I gave to highschoolers.
Most people limit themselves to one-dimensional sight. And doing so generally causes problems in relationships and communication with others. What I mean by this is that we judge too quickly and on a far too shallow basis.
Don't get me wrong, being able to judge is an importnat skill. Forming judgements on incomplete sets of data is something we do well as humans and it often helps save our lives. We draw simple snap conclusions (which are often incorrect or at the least limited in scope) which simplify our days, save us time, and even help protect us from harm.
But such oversimplification does not fit us well in the modern complex fast-paced world. Here everybody is multifaceted, everything is complex, and nothing that exists, exists in vacuo.
So back to the original point, although forming snap judgments on people, things, and scenarios is natural, it is not necessarily good. Normally when we first meet someone what we understand is simply the text of the situation. We judge only based on what we see and hear, nothing more. But we must learn to see past the text, as it is only one-dimensional. Only seeing the text is like only believing stereotypes about types of people. Yes often stereotypes start somewhere in reality, but they are oversimplified, distorted, and almost never fit the facts of the situation or people involved.
So we must use our brains to see the other dimensions. When learning how to read (something many people think they can do) you started in kindergarten with letters. Later you got words, and eventually sentences and paragraphs. Then suddenly it was stories and books. But this is only the first step of reading, the school systems take about twelve years to teach you the rest. Just knowing how to read is just looking at the text, but to understand a character, dialogue, or work, you must look at it more fully.
One must start with the the text, but must also consider the context, subtext, and intertextuality to really read to the depth that many things are written. The same is true for dealing with people.
People present text through how they look and act, but they also provide context based on the situations and locations they are currently in, they provide subtext in their mood, intonation, and gestures, and the observer must also be aware of the intertextuality of people, who they react differently to different stimuli, around different people, in different moods, and even that the observer is also subject to being affected by these things.
This is how people are understood better, this is how conflicts are more easily resolved, how misunderstandings are easily cleared up, and how modern wars are prevented and peace is preserved. There will never be perfect contentment for all people, but understanding the world in more than one dimension can only help people to better work together in it.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Interview Questions
So as some of you may know I recently gave up my prestigious position teaching in a public school, for the fun chance to get a job that payed in money instead of in grey hairs. This means spending lots and lots of time applying for jobs that I'm totally qualified for, yet never hear back from. But on that odd occurrence when I do hear back, the hilarity of the so-called "modern" interview process ensues.
See, it all starts much the way it should, with a phone interview. This is the way it's been for a while. Except now this part is outsourced. So someone who really has no idea about the job, company, or what those word looking things on your resume mean is in charge of holding the keys to gate one.
Gate two is some form of internal HR who does sort of understand what is going on, and this is where the fun really begins. So, most HR people I've dealt with are nice. However most are also out of the loop. in One interview I had the HR person gave me the wrong address to the next meeting. In another they asked me to give a presentation on a software function, and gave me the wrong version of the software to work with. And in a third they somehow forgot to email me to tell me that I didn't get the job. In some cases they help to prep you for the next stage, and this too can go horribly wrong.
In the prepping stage I had one HR person directly tell me to doctor my resume and lie to the next person about experience I don't have. And in another they decided that even though I met and exceeded all the qualifications that were listed for the job, I was unqualified for the job. But if everything goes well you get lazily handed off to the next stage and that is where the fun really begins.
If you get past step two and three (which isn't that hard) you may find yourself facing a real person (Oooooooo). What they don't tell you is that these people generally also have virtually no experience in the hiring process somehow. They don't know what to ask or even what the answers mean. And being an introvert who hates dumb people, and stupid questions, and having my time wasted, you can imagine that I don't do too well. But the fun lies in the questions they ask. Check out some of these gems of modern interviews.
1. "If you were an animal, what animal would you be?"
2. "What is your favorite Color?"
3. "What is your greatest weakness?"
4. "What is your astrological sign?"
5. "Why should I hire you?"
6. "What makes you different from the other applicants?"
7. "What makes you qualified for this job?"
8. (without giving you a figure to start with) "What is the least amount of money you would accept for doing this job?"
And the cream of the cream (that's right, it sounds stupid in our language but suffocated in theirs):
9. "Are you comfortable doing things well outside the job description if asked?"
Now let's get down to why these are dumb questions, because I can't even begin to answer why people ask them or what they think the answer will tell them about the interviewee.
1. "If you were an animal, what animal would you be?"
- What the heck does this have to do with doing a job? Are we in elementary school? Is there a right or wrong answer? Do you want me to explain? Are extinct or imaginary animals off the list? My thoughts on this is that people may think they are either being funny (trying to diffuse the tension by wasting both of your times) or that perhaps the type of animal will say something about your personality, say for instance whether you are aggressive, or will crap on the floor of your office unprovoked. Otherwise though, it's just a waste of time.
2. "What is your favorite color?"
- Oh good, another kindergarten question. Would you also like to know my favorite shape? Or what my mom packed me for lunch today? What does this have to do with the job? Oh wait, I can answer that, nothing.
3. "What is your greatest weakness?"
- I personally take offense to this question. Every time I hear it I think "Who the hell are you to ask me that?" See it comes down to one of a few conclusions that make me want to punch the interviewer in the dick (or vagina... but somehow it just isn't the same) just for asking this. Either the person asking is using the interview to lord over you in a personal power trip, taking in something to hold over your head if in the future you work together (i.e. Douchebag), Or they think its an "intriguing" question because you are supposed to demonstrate growth or find a weakness that's secretly a strength or be creative. What they don't seem to get is how much of a dick question this is, interviewees are under pressure to answer AND are in an environment which they are not supposed to lie. This puts the interviewee in a position to compromise themselves morally for no damn good reason, essentially not only giving the interviewer a reason to not hire them, but also giving them information which is quite personal and could be hurtful, if people were really honest at least. .
4. "What is your astrological sign?"
- ??? Uh, what century is this? Do you also want to know which of my humors is out of balance, or how much money I gave to the church this year to ward off demons? I could also tell you what level my Paladin is if it'll help.
5. "Why should I hire you?"
- You tell me, you have my resume, you presumably read it, you know the job requirements, are you dumb and illiterate, or just dumb?
6. "What makes you different from the other applicants?"
- Again a question that the interviewer should know. How are you supposed to know about the other applicants? Presumably this is just to make you brag about yourself, but frankly its poorly worded for that answer. Just like many of these questions, the answer they are looking for does not directly correlate with the question they ask, thus making it a bad question. A good answer may be, "well I spoke with all the other candidates and they all agreed unanimously that I was the best choice."
7. "What makes you qualified for this job?"
- Much like question 5, this question makes me question the intelligence of the person asking the question. To ask this they A: don't trust HR and the contractors HR hired to get you this far (which is a great sign that so much money is going toward saving no time), B: have no idea what the job requires, C: have no idea what your resume says, or D: don't trust what you wrote about yourself. All in all a great way to start a job.
8. (often without giving you a figure to start with) "What is the least amount of money you would accept for doing this job?"
- This question is insulting, stupid, and inappropriate. Negotiation of the job's salary should be in one of two places. It is either upfront and unchanging (this job pays x and only x), or it is when you get the offer letter but before you are hired where you talk to the people who have the power to make this change. Asking this in any interview stage is an insulting weaselly way for them to underpay you. And nothing says happy worker like an under-payed worker.
9. "Are you comfortable doing things well outside the job description if asked?"
- Oh yes. Time to assume the position, and prepare to get your lawyer on speed dial. I have only heard this question once, but I'm not sure how on earth it got asked. Even more shocking is what it implies. Either they totally forgot to write down what you will do in the job, thus anything would be outside the description, or they want you to tell people you are an editor while you secretly smuggle drugs, immigrants, and Chihuahuas from Mexico on your business trips. If ever there were a shady question what makes you search the national sex-offenders database for your boss, this is it.
How did we fall so far? Why does one or more of these questions come up in every interview I have had in the past year? Since when did HR outsource their own jobs to someone even more useless than they are? Who is paying for all this wasted time?
See, if you really want to get to know a candidate, you need to see them doing something related to what they will be doing, interacting with the people they will be interacting with, and maybe assure them that their boss will not be an ignorant dick and/or sexual predator.
Other good ways to test people:
- drive somewhere with them in the passenger seat, and take your hands off the wheel and cover your eyes while careening towards a cliff and see if they manage to get out alive.
- tell them that the interview begins when you drop them in a field and that they must evade both bears and a person hunting them for sport for 24 hours.
- Fake an office terror attack and see who the would-be employee uses as a human shield.
- Lock them in the conference room and tell them that an odorless deadly toxin is being pumped in and ask them what they want told to their loved ones.
- Hand them an unloaded gun just to see what they do with it.
or the ever-popular:
- tell them that you will be bugging their house to observe them over the next week and see how long it takes before they change their daily routine.
The sky is the limit when it comes to both good questions and good tests for people. Feel free to hire me if you need a new HR department and are open to unusual ways of testing people. I may charge as much as an entire department, but you can rest assured that I will produce results that will tell you something true about your candidates and how they work under pressure.
 |
| Don't look now but he's reaching for your crotch. |
Gate two is some form of internal HR who does sort of understand what is going on, and this is where the fun really begins. So, most HR people I've dealt with are nice. However most are also out of the loop. in One interview I had the HR person gave me the wrong address to the next meeting. In another they asked me to give a presentation on a software function, and gave me the wrong version of the software to work with. And in a third they somehow forgot to email me to tell me that I didn't get the job. In some cases they help to prep you for the next stage, and this too can go horribly wrong.
 |
| Going in circles and ultimately doing nothing since 1925. |
In the prepping stage I had one HR person directly tell me to doctor my resume and lie to the next person about experience I don't have. And in another they decided that even though I met and exceeded all the qualifications that were listed for the job, I was unqualified for the job. But if everything goes well you get lazily handed off to the next stage and that is where the fun really begins.
If you get past step two and three (which isn't that hard) you may find yourself facing a real person (Oooooooo). What they don't tell you is that these people generally also have virtually no experience in the hiring process somehow. They don't know what to ask or even what the answers mean. And being an introvert who hates dumb people, and stupid questions, and having my time wasted, you can imagine that I don't do too well. But the fun lies in the questions they ask. Check out some of these gems of modern interviews.
 |
| What does the fox say? |
1. "If you were an animal, what animal would you be?"
2. "What is your favorite Color?"
3. "What is your greatest weakness?"
4. "What is your astrological sign?"
5. "Why should I hire you?"
6. "What makes you different from the other applicants?"
7. "What makes you qualified for this job?"
8. (without giving you a figure to start with) "What is the least amount of money you would accept for doing this job?"
And the cream of the cream (that's right, it sounds stupid in our language but suffocated in theirs):
9. "Are you comfortable doing things well outside the job description if asked?"
Now let's get down to why these are dumb questions, because I can't even begin to answer why people ask them or what they think the answer will tell them about the interviewee.
 |
| My mantra. |
1. "If you were an animal, what animal would you be?"
- What the heck does this have to do with doing a job? Are we in elementary school? Is there a right or wrong answer? Do you want me to explain? Are extinct or imaginary animals off the list? My thoughts on this is that people may think they are either being funny (trying to diffuse the tension by wasting both of your times) or that perhaps the type of animal will say something about your personality, say for instance whether you are aggressive, or will crap on the floor of your office unprovoked. Otherwise though, it's just a waste of time.
2. "What is your favorite color?"
- Oh good, another kindergarten question. Would you also like to know my favorite shape? Or what my mom packed me for lunch today? What does this have to do with the job? Oh wait, I can answer that, nothing.
3. "What is your greatest weakness?"
- I personally take offense to this question. Every time I hear it I think "Who the hell are you to ask me that?" See it comes down to one of a few conclusions that make me want to punch the interviewer in the dick (or vagina... but somehow it just isn't the same) just for asking this. Either the person asking is using the interview to lord over you in a personal power trip, taking in something to hold over your head if in the future you work together (i.e. Douchebag), Or they think its an "intriguing" question because you are supposed to demonstrate growth or find a weakness that's secretly a strength or be creative. What they don't seem to get is how much of a dick question this is, interviewees are under pressure to answer AND are in an environment which they are not supposed to lie. This puts the interviewee in a position to compromise themselves morally for no damn good reason, essentially not only giving the interviewer a reason to not hire them, but also giving them information which is quite personal and could be hurtful, if people were really honest at least. .
4. "What is your astrological sign?"
- ??? Uh, what century is this? Do you also want to know which of my humors is out of balance, or how much money I gave to the church this year to ward off demons? I could also tell you what level my Paladin is if it'll help.
5. "Why should I hire you?"
- You tell me, you have my resume, you presumably read it, you know the job requirements, are you dumb and illiterate, or just dumb?
6. "What makes you different from the other applicants?"
- Again a question that the interviewer should know. How are you supposed to know about the other applicants? Presumably this is just to make you brag about yourself, but frankly its poorly worded for that answer. Just like many of these questions, the answer they are looking for does not directly correlate with the question they ask, thus making it a bad question. A good answer may be, "well I spoke with all the other candidates and they all agreed unanimously that I was the best choice."
7. "What makes you qualified for this job?"
- Much like question 5, this question makes me question the intelligence of the person asking the question. To ask this they A: don't trust HR and the contractors HR hired to get you this far (which is a great sign that so much money is going toward saving no time), B: have no idea what the job requires, C: have no idea what your resume says, or D: don't trust what you wrote about yourself. All in all a great way to start a job.
8. (often without giving you a figure to start with) "What is the least amount of money you would accept for doing this job?"
- This question is insulting, stupid, and inappropriate. Negotiation of the job's salary should be in one of two places. It is either upfront and unchanging (this job pays x and only x), or it is when you get the offer letter but before you are hired where you talk to the people who have the power to make this change. Asking this in any interview stage is an insulting weaselly way for them to underpay you. And nothing says happy worker like an under-payed worker.
9. "Are you comfortable doing things well outside the job description if asked?"
- Oh yes. Time to assume the position, and prepare to get your lawyer on speed dial. I have only heard this question once, but I'm not sure how on earth it got asked. Even more shocking is what it implies. Either they totally forgot to write down what you will do in the job, thus anything would be outside the description, or they want you to tell people you are an editor while you secretly smuggle drugs, immigrants, and Chihuahuas from Mexico on your business trips. If ever there were a shady question what makes you search the national sex-offenders database for your boss, this is it.
How did we fall so far? Why does one or more of these questions come up in every interview I have had in the past year? Since when did HR outsource their own jobs to someone even more useless than they are? Who is paying for all this wasted time?
See, if you really want to get to know a candidate, you need to see them doing something related to what they will be doing, interacting with the people they will be interacting with, and maybe assure them that their boss will not be an ignorant dick and/or sexual predator.
 |
| Working "Over-Tim" tonight?... Overtime I meant Overtime! |
Other good ways to test people:
- drive somewhere with them in the passenger seat, and take your hands off the wheel and cover your eyes while careening towards a cliff and see if they manage to get out alive.
- tell them that the interview begins when you drop them in a field and that they must evade both bears and a person hunting them for sport for 24 hours.
- Fake an office terror attack and see who the would-be employee uses as a human shield.
- Lock them in the conference room and tell them that an odorless deadly toxin is being pumped in and ask them what they want told to their loved ones.
- Hand them an unloaded gun just to see what they do with it.
or the ever-popular:
- tell them that you will be bugging their house to observe them over the next week and see how long it takes before they change their daily routine.
The sky is the limit when it comes to both good questions and good tests for people. Feel free to hire me if you need a new HR department and are open to unusual ways of testing people. I may charge as much as an entire department, but you can rest assured that I will produce results that will tell you something true about your candidates and how they work under pressure.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
StarCrawlers: Hints / Tips / Tricks and Review
At the time of writing the game build is: Beta 2 - BoisterousBobcat
Click "Read More" to access the Hints/Tips/Tricks/Review
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Ode to Winter
I think depression is like winter. Some days the skies are clear and it is warm. These are the days I think I feel like everybody else, mainly because I feel. Some days are cloudy and grey, where something looms in the distance. Some days it snows, and the cold air bites and freezes. These are the days of depression. People see the snow and do not understand how it feels. They see it and wonder at how it looks, guessing that one may find it difficult to drive in such conditions. Some venture out, others play in it, but some of us live in it. Those who see it and stay inside think they understand. They think that it could make life difficult. But that is never the true problem. The snow makes everything harder, and when you stay out in it it makes you cold and numb. First comes the cold, a subtle biting feeling, sometimes set off by something and sometimes just a product of existence. Emotions disappear, as do motivations and passions, all that one can feel is numb. It is almost comical, feeling nothing. Then often when the feeling starts to come back, like with the cold, it begins with the painful pins and needles, the aches and fears un-felt come rushing back. The returning of emotion is not pleasant either as it is almost easier to continue on like a snowman, unable to understand the emotions you see around you, nearly feeling anger and frustration at how others feel. To fit in I fake smiles and interest, I fake interest and social graces, but I do not feel them. And this year, winter is long and the snow is deep.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Writers Writers Everywhere
... but not one worth a link.
As a personal struggle I have been trying to publish various pieces for the past four-ish years. Now, even though this process is new to me I didn't set about it like some new kid with his first typewriter and a fresh English degree in hand. I took over a year to write, used the time to bounce ideas off friends, and do my own research about what makes a story good. When finished I took my manuscript to friends and had them hand it out to their friends, people I didn't know, to get what I hoped would be more honest opinions. Then I spent another six months revising. After this I took it to a professional editor and had it fixed up. Then I took it through another few months of polishing, tweaking the language and style to be the best it could be. Then finally on to the agents.
For those of you who are not writers, let me dissuade you from the pain. Trying to publish is like playing a game of chicken with the actual act of committing suicide. After you put years of your life and time into something you have studied to produce, you will get this message.
"Thank you for your submission, we are very busy, but will get back to you within two to six weeks."
And that sounds great... Until 4 months pass without word one back.
"This must be a mistake" you will tell yourself, "did they loose my submission?"
But the sad truth is that they don't seem to care all that much. Eventually (over a year in some cases for me) they will respond with something like, "We apologize but our company does not feel like going in this direction at this time, but others may so don't stop applying to agents." That's it, a generic canned response that could be sent to any writer about any book ever written. And that is what you will receive. Tens or even hundreds of these responses.
In the end I believe that I sent out something along the line of nearly 100 quarry letters. Which are also great as there are standard quarry formats, but every agent wants something different, so each submission must be hand catered to fit the requirements of the agency, taking even more time and effort for the same level of response.
All in all I am convinced that only around 5 people actually read the sample pages that I was sometimes graciously allowed to send with the quarry. And those were generally the responses that came back on time or early.
I'm not blaming the agents themselves, I'm sure they are busy people, I'm blaming the people, the "writers." Somehow somewhere along the line we as people decided that if we can speak the language, than we can write the language. And as much as this may be true for things like texts, and casual or simple work emails, it is not true for the masterpieces of writing.
Great writers are often born with a gift, and then take that natural talent and hone it with lots and lots of work. In some cases an entire lifetime of writing, only to be recognized for one or two pieces. It takes time to develop voice, tone, mood, vivid word choice, natural rhythm, and those are just some of the simpler parts of good writing. Then there are the more complex things like pacing, character interactions, themes, imagery, emotional tone, and atmosphere which are even harder to convey on the page.
After teaching English for a few years I have part of the reason we think this way, which is related to a mistake that we made a long time ago. We teach English like it is a science or history, we hand out the pieces, study them, and make students write a paragraph about how "tone is a thing which writers use to convey emotion," but what we miss as teachers and students is that writing is an art. Some people are naturally artistic, some people can learn to be artistic, but most of us simply are not ever going to compete with the greats. Unless that is we resolve ourselves to become the next greats. That is the key, to write with great purpose, not just to write because we can. We writers are the guardians of the language, it is in our hands, let us do great things with it.
Sketch: Captain Internet Police 1
Fade in:
Int. Grocery Store - Checkout Line - Day
Various people stand in line holding groceries waiting to check out.
CAP'T, a mid 20's white male casually dressed holding a stack of frozen microwavable pizzas stands in the middle of the line, waiting patiently. Thirty seconds pass as one customer completes their transaction and the line steps forward one pace. Suddenly CAP'T drops all of his groceries, tears open his shirt (he has nothing but a white T-shirt on underneath), cranes his neck sideways, raises an eyebrow, and stares intensely into space (the camera).
CAP'T spins around and takes out his phone, he begins typing madly, making a wide range of contorted faces and sweating profusely. The words that CAP'T is furiously typing can now be heard voiced over the sound of the store.
Int. Grocery Store - Checkout Line - Day
Various people stand in line holding groceries waiting to check out.
CAP'T, a mid 20's white male casually dressed holding a stack of frozen microwavable pizzas stands in the middle of the line, waiting patiently. Thirty seconds pass as one customer completes their transaction and the line steps forward one pace. Suddenly CAP'T drops all of his groceries, tears open his shirt (he has nothing but a white T-shirt on underneath), cranes his neck sideways, raises an eyebrow, and stares intensely into space (the camera).
CAP'T
Somebody somewhere just posted something erroneous
though technically not incorrect on the internet. They must be
made aware of their near error. To Wikipedia!
CAP'T spins around and takes out his phone, he begins typing madly, making a wide range of contorted faces and sweating profusely. The words that CAP'T is furiously typing can now be heard voiced over the sound of the store.
VOICEOVER
Technically the appropriate term is "figuratively" as using
the term "literally" implies that such an event actually
happened and I doubt that you almost died because...
The person in line in front of CAP'T moves forward and completes checking out while this voiceover is going on. The customer behind CAP'T (middle aged Asian man with his arms full of real groceries) begins to fidget and look worried. The customer behind CAP'T begins to look around nervously at other people and eventually taps him on the shoulder.
CUSTOMER
Excuse-
CAP'T
-Don't interrupt me, I'm doing something important!
Hard Cut end scene.
Pathfinder Class Numeric Breakdown
Good morning fellow adventurers. Today I have an odd and incomplete gem to share with you. Several months back my party and I sat down with an odd goal in mind. We knew that Paizo had taken the existing d&d 3.5e classes and generally improved them, but our question was how. What formula did they use to accomplish this. They must have had some form of standard measuring stick as even though all classes received a boost, some got more than others. We figured this had to be more than "it feels like" math and began grinding it out.
The base premise was that it seemed most classes had about 3 major mechanics working within their 20 level bounds. Things like every other level powers, every 4th level powers, and the odd quirk set which made them flavorful but also useful in their field. We began by finding classes that received similar abilities at the same level progressions and counted them as an equal numeric value. Then we broke down the value of each sub-ability based on how many appeared to fill out the set. Below is what we discovered.
The base premise was that it seemed most classes had about 3 major mechanics working within their 20 level bounds. Things like every other level powers, every 4th level powers, and the odd quirk set which made them flavorful but also useful in their field. We began by finding classes that received similar abilities at the same level progressions and counted them as an equal numeric value. Then we broke down the value of each sub-ability based on how many appeared to fill out the set. Below is what we discovered.
Monday, March 23, 2015
MWO Commander Guide
I've been spending a decent amount of time recently on Mech Warrior Online. The game ended up surprising me. I started playing it when it released a few years ago and was not impressed. But after giving it another try recently I was almost impressed. The game has been re-vamped with interface overhauls, gameplay changes, balance fixes, and many other positive changes.
After extensive work with the new version of the game I started taking notes on competitive play and have been writing up a how-to commander guide.
That guide can be found here, please feel free to comment on this post about additions/changes to the guide.
After extensive work with the new version of the game I started taking notes on competitive play and have been writing up a how-to commander guide.
That guide can be found here, please feel free to comment on this post about additions/changes to the guide.
Pathfinder RPG homebrew class (3.5e warlock inspired)
The Augur was born out of the desire for a Pathfinder RPG class that functioned like the D&D 3.5e warlock but without the paradoxically blandness and brokenness of the upcoming "Kineticist." Here is a PDF of the class, it is also available below but beware that Blogger messed up all the formatting.
The Augur
An Augur is a hybrid alternate class which seeks to mesh the abilities of the magus with those of the investigator to explore the darker arcane arts. Augurs seek to understand the connection between magic, reality and the nature of the divine in a more practical way. Either through a dark pact, long-lost red magic, or some form of arcane ritual, Augurs bind a mote of demi-arcane essence within themselves. As an Augur grows in experience she learns how to tap into this godspark, granting her greater and greater control over how she weaves magic with reality. Due to their increased focus on an alternate form of magic, Augurs are less adept at conventional combat and casting than their cousins the magi. Reguardless of the stigma that follows their kind, Augurs choose this path in the hope of one day unlocking the secret to focusing their power, and taking their rightful place among the planes as demigods.
The Augur
An Augur is a hybrid alternate class which seeks to mesh the abilities of the magus with those of the investigator to explore the darker arcane arts. Augurs seek to understand the connection between magic, reality and the nature of the divine in a more practical way. Either through a dark pact, long-lost red magic, or some form of arcane ritual, Augurs bind a mote of demi-arcane essence within themselves. As an Augur grows in experience she learns how to tap into this godspark, granting her greater and greater control over how she weaves magic with reality. Due to their increased focus on an alternate form of magic, Augurs are less adept at conventional combat and casting than their cousins the magi. Reguardless of the stigma that follows their kind, Augurs choose this path in the hope of one day unlocking the secret to focusing their power, and taking their rightful place among the planes as demigods.
"By Design" a children's short story, DRAFT 1
"By Design" a children's short story, DRAFT 1
Once there was a very special robot. This robot was made with hands and wheels and a network antenna. This robot went through its life happy, feeling the joys of the world around it. It felt hot things and cold things, things that were rough and things that were smooth, things that were soft and things that were hard, and things that were wet and things that were dry. And this robot loved all of the things.
But as it grew it learned to listen with his antenna and began to hear the other robots around it. They mocked it for not being built like they were, not being "complete" like they were. For they told it that they could see with their radar, a component that it did not have.
And so this robot became sad in the knowledge that it was not like the others. It became sad that It could not do what they could, and that it would never be what they were. It did not want to believe them, but it used its hands and felt its face and found no place for sight of any kind.
At this the robot became so sad that it turned off its network card and would not listen or talk to the other robots. It set its wheels to auto and drove until its motors would not carry it any further. It looked for the edge of everything so that it might find a place to hide.
But there at the edge of the world it found something it did not expect. Its wheel got stuck on something that whirred and shook and prevented it from going any further. The robot reluctantly turned on its hands and reached out to move the strange object blocking its path.
The robot soon found this unusual object to be unusually stubborn. Every time it moved the object the object moved back into its path, and it could not continue forward. While it struggled with the strange thing it started to notice how this object felt. The strange object was soft but it was also hard, it had bends and curves and wheels and bumps and divots. It was a shape unlike anything else the robot had ever experienced. And soon it found that this object had an antenna, just like the robot did. The robot turned his antenna on to find that the small thing was trying to talk to it. "Listen" it said, "please listen, there is a ravine ahead and if you are not careful you will fall into it and may break."
"That would be fitting" the robot said, "For I am flawed by design, created different, unable to be what the other robots are. I do not understand why I was made this way, but since I am not what I should be, what harm would it do if I did fall?"
"No" the small robot said, "You are not like them, but who said that you should be? You may not be the same but your designer did love you very much. You are red and blue and gold, filled with bright colors that they do not have."
"What do you mean? How do you know this?" the robot asked.
"Because I am not like them either, though I do not have hands to feel, I have light receptors that see color. And I see that you, in your difference are more beautiful than they are. You are not the same, but you were never meant to be. Turn on your antenna fully and I will turn on mine and I will share with you. I will show you the colors that you cannot see if you will show me what it means to feel, I was designed this way as well and I have never felt anything, yet I have always wished to know what water feels like and sand and sky and light."
The robot heard these words and remembered how much he loved all of the things he did have, he rediscovered his own unique talent and turned on his antenna to share it. As soon as he did and the other robot did the same, the two realized that they would never be incomplete as long as they had each other. And so they stayed together the rest of time and were happy to be different; because it meant that they would always have something beautiful to give that the other would appreciate.
the end.
Once there was a very special robot. This robot was made with hands and wheels and a network antenna. This robot went through its life happy, feeling the joys of the world around it. It felt hot things and cold things, things that were rough and things that were smooth, things that were soft and things that were hard, and things that were wet and things that were dry. And this robot loved all of the things.
But as it grew it learned to listen with his antenna and began to hear the other robots around it. They mocked it for not being built like they were, not being "complete" like they were. For they told it that they could see with their radar, a component that it did not have.
And so this robot became sad in the knowledge that it was not like the others. It became sad that It could not do what they could, and that it would never be what they were. It did not want to believe them, but it used its hands and felt its face and found no place for sight of any kind.
At this the robot became so sad that it turned off its network card and would not listen or talk to the other robots. It set its wheels to auto and drove until its motors would not carry it any further. It looked for the edge of everything so that it might find a place to hide.
But there at the edge of the world it found something it did not expect. Its wheel got stuck on something that whirred and shook and prevented it from going any further. The robot reluctantly turned on its hands and reached out to move the strange object blocking its path.
The robot soon found this unusual object to be unusually stubborn. Every time it moved the object the object moved back into its path, and it could not continue forward. While it struggled with the strange thing it started to notice how this object felt. The strange object was soft but it was also hard, it had bends and curves and wheels and bumps and divots. It was a shape unlike anything else the robot had ever experienced. And soon it found that this object had an antenna, just like the robot did. The robot turned his antenna on to find that the small thing was trying to talk to it. "Listen" it said, "please listen, there is a ravine ahead and if you are not careful you will fall into it and may break."
"That would be fitting" the robot said, "For I am flawed by design, created different, unable to be what the other robots are. I do not understand why I was made this way, but since I am not what I should be, what harm would it do if I did fall?"
"No" the small robot said, "You are not like them, but who said that you should be? You may not be the same but your designer did love you very much. You are red and blue and gold, filled with bright colors that they do not have."
"What do you mean? How do you know this?" the robot asked.
"Because I am not like them either, though I do not have hands to feel, I have light receptors that see color. And I see that you, in your difference are more beautiful than they are. You are not the same, but you were never meant to be. Turn on your antenna fully and I will turn on mine and I will share with you. I will show you the colors that you cannot see if you will show me what it means to feel, I was designed this way as well and I have never felt anything, yet I have always wished to know what water feels like and sand and sky and light."
The robot heard these words and remembered how much he loved all of the things he did have, he rediscovered his own unique talent and turned on his antenna to share it. As soon as he did and the other robot did the same, the two realized that they would never be incomplete as long as they had each other. And so they stayed together the rest of time and were happy to be different; because it meant that they would always have something beautiful to give that the other would appreciate.
the end.
Back in Action
MyFreedonia will be returning with an all new format. I have decided to re-purpose this old rambly blog in the hopes of creating a forum for stories, thoughts, and writings to blossom. In the past few years I have created much, and it is here that these things will be compiled for you to read and consider.
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