Aysun

I am extremely late to this party, as loss of internet and then travel caused me to miss this thread entirely, but since I was quoted in the first post, I would like to further clarify my views. Magic Duel is not an exceptionally dark place. Although Mur claims that one of the keys to MD is balance, I would beg to argue that light certainly trumps dark here. Part of the reason for this, I think, is the great amount of people who feel able to step outside of the game world and shout unfair when something happens that they don't like. There are more daisies and sunshine and so a majority don't seem to like rolling with the occasional punch when it comes. That these punches [i]are[/i] occasional no doubt means that they will be more headline news here compared to other games where killing and revival are quite common. My comments stemmed from this- when something is apart of the game reality, such as the stone dagger and the ability to kill, why do people feel the need to step outside of the reality of MD to cry unfair when it is quite simply apart of the game? It is apart of the game, created by Mur, and you agreed a long time ago to participate in MD come what may, therefore why the complaint? Since it is apart of the game world, I also don't understand why there seems to be this need for permission to use something that is in and apart of the game. Perhaps this sounds a bit cold. Maybe it is. But these are still the facts of the matter when you get down to it. If some find it that great of a travesty, however, instead of complaining about how an item was used properly, perhaps those who are that upset by it should question the existence of the item itself, perhaps to Mur. However, since Necrovion is the place of Death, and they have distributed Death as they saw fit using the tools given them, I can't see that getting very far. Since someone brought up also that there should've been more role play to it, how much more RP can you get than using an actual, tangible game item? Also, unless you use the blue text to *ties up <person> and gags them so that they cannot move* you'll be spending all day with your foe going *attempts to tie up <person>* and you responding with *struggles free* back and forth and back and forth because without some amount of 'unfairness' brought on by absolute moves, someone will always manage to use a deus ex machina to escape in some fashion, thus getting no one anywhere and that is not productive to the story or to RP. Part of role playing is also spontaneity. If everything is scripted and agreed to beforehand, I can't imagine that really being interesting in the slightest. One of the major fun points regarding RP is having to respond suddenly to a situation, whatever that may be cause by whomever, and finding your own ways using the laws of the land to combat it. There is creativity in that, not in polite negotiations where you already know the outcome. Anyway, this has gotten long- my apologies as I'm sure a few of you have already gone tl;dr. Still, since I was one of the few quoted, I thought I should try to clarify a bit.

[quote name='dst' date='29 June 2010 - 06:49 AM' timestamp='1277815797' post='62941'] The values you get from story are low compared to the ones you can get in a day by attacking players all over MD. In my opinion waiting 24 h is a waste of time. But as I said: it's my opinion. Besides, I think there are more important things to do/fix then tending the "greedy" players that take the 24h waiting period in story mode [/quote] Hahaha, true, true! This is certainly a valid perspective. Still, it could be an interesting idea- or starting point for an idea- at some point.

[quote name='dst' date='29 June 2010 - 06:28 AM' timestamp='1277814494' post='62936'] Interesting ideas but a bit redundant and useless if you ask me. Nobody forces you to take the 24 hours waiting period. Want action? Get the 5 minutes.Problem solved. [/quote] This is of course true, but no one trying to honestly build themselves up is going to take the shorter periods once they know better.

With the recent removal of the Astral plane, and having newly entered the mp5 story mode where there's absolutely nothing to do, I had a thought. The astral plane was, as most will agree, one heck of an awesome thing. I would attest my discovery of the astral plane, which allowed me to see just how vast MD could be, to my staying here to begin with in some instances. With this in mind, I had a thought.... Since story mode is, for the most part (and for those who take it seriously and do the 24 hour wait period), extremely dull. Nothing can be done or affected in MD save messages and the mood panel. When we are in story mode, we become, in effect, ghosts. Why not take that to the next step and allow those who have long wait periods in story mode access to something similar to the astral plane? They cannot interact with those normally in the land (ie not in story mode) but can still roam here and there. Perhaps even a location message in the chat could be triggered about a 'wandering soul passing through' or something to that extent. To take it even a step farther, perhaps those in story mode can only speak to others in story mode, or only those of their mp level in story mode that share the same location. These are just my thoughts as I wait within story mode myself. I feel a need to be more productive than it is currently letting me, and I think it would be interesting to have this alternate means of existence within it. Again, this is just a rough idea that probably needs some fine tuning should some think it interesting.

I spotted it quite some time ago and it seemed others who I mentioned it to already knew about it, so I don't think it's that big of a spoiler to mention here. I also have my own theories on why it's there that I don't wish to share at the moment, but it is indeed an interesting icon to have planted right there as apart of the gate to Necrovion.

[quote name='dst' date='17 June 2010 - 05:28 PM' timestamp='1276813733' post='62121'] Ah, I remember her now (I think). She the noob that used to write huuge posts on the forum that I never had the patience to read. She's waaay to new for a job like this. [/quote] ^By all means my most favourite post about myself out of all of the ones made so far! If I'm narrowed down as a candidate, I wouldn't be adverse if it somehow fell to me. I'm actually overcome that I was considered at all. Thanks for the vote of confidence either way. As for my whereabouts, yes, I usually haunt no man's land, the howling gates, GoE, and the park.

I'm back in again! Thanks!!

I got caught in the IP ban also! "Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '}', expecting ')' in /home/magicdue/public_html/checkbannedip.php on line 19" Ahhhhhh!

^D'oh. Yeah, because when I put in socialist.org, it automatically takes you to: http://socialistinternational.org/ So, if sociallist.org is what's on the login page, that must be it! Well, I feel better now. I will admit that this was a very, very strange mix up, though! xD Also, for the record, no bugs, not a cache problem- I have a mac! Thanks, Chewett!!

So, I was having a morning of snail-slow internet and noticed that when I tried to log into MD that MD was transferring data from socialist.org. As entertaining as this is, I don't want to get v& all the same. Anyone know why MD might be trading info with them? I could crack commie jokes, but I don't want to step on anybody's toes til I know what's going on...

[quote name='awiiya' date='02 June 2010 - 07:23 PM' timestamp='1275524581' post='60832'] MD is good and bad on a very surface level. Mostly MD is full of people who make decisions based on what they believe is right and wrong. The idea of teams of good and teams of bad is simplifying life to an extreme. And the last line? You have been here far less time than Sharazhad. I believe it is she who should be welcoming you. Awi [/quote] It wasn't that sort of literal welcoming. *laugh* @DST: It's all been going on within MD itself, and someone already mentioned Ivorak and the other general knowledge in this thread as it is.

[quote name='Tarquinus' date='02 June 2010 - 04:43 PM' timestamp='1275514996' post='60819'] Adsun [/quote] *AHEM* @DST: Basically everything you've mentioned we already openly knew, save for the murder weapon which, yes, you seem to have spoiled. It still needs to be sought after, however, and the actual root of the motive has yet to really be revealed, and that's what everyone's been debating about since it happened. So really, you've not provided a great deal of new information. @Sharazhad: Forgive me, but I think what you're describing is called 'coddling'. There are a very many great mechanics in MD as it is that, in a sense, coddle a player and prevents them and what they possess from harm, and even player creativity is somewhat stifled for the sake of the soul of the game. However, something like this is completely in bounds and extremely welcome, I think. Someone possessed a tool that was created with the ability to actually slay a player, and they used it. This item was not built in with a 'ask your victim first if it's ok' safety lock. It wasn't meant for that. As Awiiya said, "No murderer asks their victim before killing them." There is good and bad in MD. Part of that bad is screwing over those perceived as good. Mya is perceived as 'good' and just got screwed over. Now, the 'good' can either fight back with some real force of their own or take it. Either way, welcome to the game!

[quote name='awiiya' date='30 May 2010 - 10:25 PM' timestamp='1275276339' post='60661'] I disagree quite strongly with this statement, especially the following - "We will always and forever stuck in a cube." Forever is a long time, and infinity a most beautiful concept, simply because EVERYTHING happens when given infinite time. There is a slight probability that everything will happen, and given enough time, that slight possibility will become a reality. I think we can break free of our cube, although often times we find ourselves in another cube. Is that to say that there is no way to eventually lack barriers and shed walls? No, certainly not. And besides, if someone did break free of the "prison" of cubicity, it is my impression that they would be too busy enjoying the freedom to come back and tell us how to perform such an act of escape. To me, the dead and the free rarely return to speak. Awi [/quote] Again, I'll admit to perhaps a poor choice of words, but technicalities aside I think you understand what I was getting at. I suppose also we've finally hit the line if subjectivity. I don't think any of us can truly be free of our perceptions- they can be altered over time, yes, but they'll still be there. And so, in my opinion, will there always be the cube. I think it could be this cube, though, that perhaps in part defines us as humans- because we cannot (in my opinion) break free of it, it creates in us flaws, and those flaws become the sum of our humanity. Also, I think it'd be fun to start another discussion on this in a new thread, but it's just occurred to me that we've gone waaaaay off topic here.

"This is my Timey-Wimey detector. Goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at thirty paces. Whether you want it to or no, actually. I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow." - The Doctor (Doctor Who) "This is the only sun you will ever seen again. But a millennium of nights will be yours to see light as no mortal has ever seen it, to snatch from the distant stars, as if you were Prometheus, an endless illumination by which to understand all things." -Marius to Amadeo (The Vampire Armand) "slam bang! like Superman dodging into the all-American phone booth, and voilà! There I stand, full-dress apparitional, in velvet once again, and I’ve got you by the throat. We’re in the vestibule of the Cathedral (where did you think I’d drag you? Don’t you want to die on consecrated ground?), and you’re begging for it all the way; oops! went too far, meant for this to be the Little Drink, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Come to think of it. Did I warn you?" -Lestat to his readers (Blood Canticle) "Bill Gates can't guarantee Windows. How can you guarantee my safety?" -John Crichton (Farscape) "Crais: FREEZE! You're under arrest! You have the right to the remains of a silent attorney! If you cannot afford one... tough noogies! You can make ONE phone call! I recommend Trixie: 976-Triple 5-LOVE. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?! Well do ya, PUNK? Crichton: No... Crais: Well... then I can't arrest you!" (Farscape) "Revenge is a feast best served immediately." -D'Argo (Farscape) "There was one guard. I don't remember her face. She never told me her name. She told me a legend about how Sebaceans once had a god called... Djancaz-bru. Six worlds prayed to her. They built her temples, conquered planets and yet, one day she still rose up and destroyed all six worlds. And when the last warrior was dying, he... he said: 'We gave you everything. Why did you destroy us?' And, she looked down upon him, and she whispered... 'Because I can.'" -Aeryn (Farscape)

[quote name='Rendril' date='30 May 2010 - 06:22 AM' timestamp='1275218545' post='60616'] You have yet to provide any reasoning as to why specifically an inorganic being could not break from an inorganic confine. Since you are arguing only this special case, your example of Kusanagi serves no purpose in your attempt to strengthen your agrument. To illustrate, you are using it to say this: A, given B, therefore C. (what we know) Now, D, given B, therefore E. (the deduction as a result of what we know) Surely you see that they don't share the same premise.[/quote] I've been using ghost in the shell (the movie- I know next to nothing about the tv show) to illustrate my point that synthetic things cannot hold back the natural (aka the shell cannot hold the ghost if the ghost doesn't want to be held) as an example. I don't know how what we know and what we assume from what we know has no relation to you. The pieces fit from what I can see, however your examples still don't seem to make sense in how you think they don't. [quote]The fundemental reason that your argument does not hold is this: We break out of our cubes.[/quote] If we break out of our cubes, how come we're all still in MD? I think the ultimate premise is that we can [i]never[/i] break out-- all we can do is try to expand our horizons, widen the walls a little, but those walls will never break down because we are not all-knowing. We will always and forever be stuck in a cube. The question is, then, how do we deal with that? [quote]Even if we ignore all the other arguments (as you seem to be doing by neglecting to refute any that I put forth. I will therefore assume you argree with me), we can see by modus tollens that the premise does not hold (that is, the conclusion is negated and therefore the premise is negated)....The point of MD is not that we are in some inescapable cube. We are not confined to the cube because we are organic or inorganic. We have to challenge our limitations and transcend them. The truth will set you free [/quote] I've not avoided your arguments- if you're meaning the one you spent on how organic and inorganic are inaccurate terms, that point was already established two posts before you made that one, was agreed upon, and so your comments on that note were a tad late. [quote]I must echo the question that Burns has posed, "Who says that a not-biological being can't conceive and give birth?" [/quote] Because giving physical birth to something is a biological process. Sure there's magic and dreams that can create things, but they cannot physically bear child-- they can only 'give birth' in the metaphorical sense.

[quote name='Burns' date='30 May 2010 - 02:16 AM' timestamp='1275203806' post='60610'] Hmm... new book is not the problem, 'old internet' might be. When your connection is quite crappy and gives monstrous pings every once in a while, it could appear to the server as if you were sending two-three commands at once, and that makes it idle you. Wait a bit longer, specially when fighting, and let the site finsih loading, once you are not downloading anymore, even the crappiest connection will be able to upload in decent time^^ [/quote] I can pretty much guarantee that my connection isn't the problem. I thought at first that it was the script in game getting out of whack after being up for too long of a period of time, but even after reloading, it seemed to make it worse. I also tried a new window with the same result. But I could very nearly bet money that my internet isn't the problem.

[quote name='Rendril' date='29 May 2010 - 10:41 PM' timestamp='1275190907' post='60606'] Your argument was that because we are limited by an inorganic construct, we are therefore inorganic. Yet your example of Major Kusanagi shows that an organic soul can break from the limitation an inorganic shell. [/quote] Right, and as my argument was that our souls are inorganic because our cubes are inorganic and still keep us trapped, the idea of Kusanagi, who in theory has a real human ghost, being able to break free of her shell and travel the internet makes sense since her organic soul could not be bound by an inorganic shell, yet we are inorganic constructions here and thus bound by our inorganic cubes that we cannot break free of. It still holds.

The best way to explain this problem is to describe it: If I am trying to move to another scene via the arrows or a gate, it will not highlight when I mouse over it, and then clicking it causes the mouse to flash on the screen, requiring constant repetitive clicking before it actually works. This happens with anything that can be moused over-- items, the menu, arrows, gates, creature recharging, anything. In the midst of this head contest no less, this is extremely frustrating and makes things very, very difficult when trying to maneuver in game. I am also constantly having a problem with the game just shutting down completely to where I get the 'you have multiple windows of magic duel open and are in forced idle mode' even though I never have multiple windows of the game open. Ever. This happens at any time. I could be moving locations, I could be sitting completely still for half an hour chatting and it'll do it. Worst of all is when I'm trying to fight or quickly move from place to place. I have no idea if these two issues might be related to each other, but in an odd way it seems possible. Regardless, both are extremely frustrating, and I really, really don't want to break my brand new laptop smashing down on the clicker because nothing clicks properly half the time. *sigh* My hardware and software is as follows: I have a MacBook Pro, OSX.6, and play MD on the newest version of Firefox. Best of luck in discovering a solution, because it's driving me batty.... -A

[quote name='Burns' date='29 May 2010 - 08:45 AM' timestamp='1275140759' post='60582'] Ahm... And when we all are artificial, why are our babies not? Same argument as post 30, with exchanged signs, something artificial can create something else that is artificial, like robots designed to built other robots. the internet is full of them, ai that creates more, or even changed ai, usually called polymorphic viruses. I mean, we could consider the existance of different races, like humans and cyborgs, in MD, but... where's the indication for that? [/quote] Because in this instance, Sagewoman is suggesting that she conceived and gave birth the old fashioned way, thus meaning that she did so biologically. If we are artificial constructions, this shouldn't be possible. @Rendril: Please take a look at my second to last post-- I agreed with Awiiya that at this point, the terms organic and inorganic had become the wrong ones to use. [quote name='Rendril']You have just refuted your own argument that something organic can break from the bonds of something inorganic.[/quote] I'm not sure how you think I did so there, but I'm interested to hear your explanation of how I might've. I personally don't see it, but it's easier to understand your own logic than to explain it sometimes so I'm guessing I wrote something funny and it got misinterpreted.

^ But that's just it- I [i]don't[/i] agree that we are natural beings! *chuckle* That's what I've been trying to say. The cubes we all reside in are artificial constructions, and I've spent a good chunk of my past few posts explaining why I feel that we as beings who reside within these cubes and whose lives are mapped out on the inside of them such as the world of MD is through metaphor via the different lands it encompasses would thus also be artificial constructions. Therefore, what I've been saying all this time is that I feel that the artificial such as we are cannot possibly create from ourselves something that is natural (aka babies in this instance) if we are artificial ourselves to begin with- we simply wouldn't have the tools to work with given those parameters- unless of course that sort of paradox is just one of the many mysteries of MD. I've explained all this better in my previous posts here in this thread, and as it is very nearly 3am for me as I write this, you might be better off just going back and reading them for better clarity in what I mean here.

[quote name='Burns' date='28 May 2010 - 05:12 PM' timestamp='1275084736' post='60555'] And there's that subtle difference between being bound to something and residing somewhere. I agree that a lot cultures wanted the body to be objected to certain rituals and parts of it kept safe for the soul to find rest. But none of them believed that the soul was trapped in some part of the body. In fact, they believed that the soul was bound to be restless for evermore if the body was completely destroyed, like you told us about the Egyptians. [/quote] This was not the case in Egypt. The egyptians in fact believed that the soul resided in the actual organ of the heart- this is why it was the only organ that was carefully wrapped and then replaced back into the body after all the other organs had been removed. Because the soul was so inadvertently tied to the body, this is why the body was thus preserved and the heart, the home of the soul, replaced so that the soul, the Ka, could find its way back to the body every day in order to perpetuate itself and its identity. Souls weren't just lost if a mummy was destroyed, it was devoured into oblivion (Amut) altogether. [quote name='awiiya' date='28 May 2010 - 06:45 PM' timestamp='1275090330' post='60557'] So then what is the difference between organic and inorganic? Well, there isn't one, they're just words. People attempt to make a distinction (organic things have carbon: but what about carbon dioxide? baking soda?), but in truth there is no set line. In this sense, the argument is flawed from the beginning due to relying on such imprecise terms. Awi [/quote] At this point, I'll have to acquiesce a poor choice of words also. I suppose we should just stick to natural and unnatural?

[quote name='Chewett' date='28 May 2010 - 04:10 PM' timestamp='1275081019' post='60551'] i have updated all of the bookshelves so that they all appear again. Unless anyone wnats them to be hidden for a while i shall keep updating them as and when i pass by. [s]NOTE: it seems something has broken the javascript to load the script, Since i dont want to break it i shall be contacting Rendril.[/s] EDIT 2: Iv fixed up the errors with the bookshelf, it should all work now. All the Bookshelves currently display the same content. [/quote] Thank you! I went immediately to examine things as soon as I saw your status update. [quote=Rhaegar Targaryen]also they are all mostly (or all as far as I know) based on articles on MD archives. you should check it: http://md-archives.com/[/quote] Where's the fun in that?

[quote name='Burns' date='28 May 2010 - 02:09 PM' timestamp='1275073792' post='60545'] I'll point your attention to the regeneration intervals and simply state that, if you weren't alive, you wouldn't regenerate, which is merely a form of reproduction. Therefore, you are organic. Maybe nothing else in MD is, which i find highly unlikely, but each player definitely is. Inorganic things do not reproduce lost substance.[/quote] Some batteries recharge themselves over time, but they're not organic. I think perhaps the idea of recharging might not be the best example. [quote]The soul is a special matter. According to almost any religion ever, it's not bound to anything. As such, it's neither organic nor inorganic, it's simply not built from any elements. If you wish, a soul is like an electric impulse, but not quite that either, because... how would that be mystic? The only interesting part of Ghost in a Shell is the fiction that the whole soul can be taken from a human and implanted into a puppet without major losses. [/quote] I would beg to differ. Many world religions require that the body stay somewhat intact in order for the soul to survive in the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians are a prime example of this. Without a body for the Ka to reside in, the person in question would be lost to oblivion- thus why the ultimate punishment was destroying the mummy of an enemy. As for transplanting a soul, one could say that is what has taken place in MD- [background=black][color="#000000"]a soul/consciousness of some varying degree has been placed within an artificial confine (the cube) and we grow at the price of sacrificing marind- or our carefree child-like naivete. Thus if there *had* been any sort of transfer, it wasn't done cleanly.[/color][/background] Anyway, I think this is going into something else aside from alts at this point...

The bookshelves do not currently work at all. Are there any plans to remedy this? I'm quite interested in taking a look at all of them, but there's either nothing there or just loading screens that go on into infinity.

[quote name='Rendril' date='28 May 2010 - 09:09 AM' timestamp='1275055744' post='60538'] I believe you are misunderstanding the meaning of the cube not being "natural". I do not think that "natural" in this context is as organic. Since both organic and inorganic entities, by virtue of their very existence in nature, are natural, I will assume that you mean a more philosophical and abstract notion of organic and inorganic, rather than carbon-based.[/quote] Inorganic things do not occur in nature, that is the whole purpose of it being termed 'inorganic' to begin with. If nature created it, then it would be organic. If man gets its hands on it, alters its molecular properties into a beast of a thing that can never occur naturally on earth, then it is inorganic. I feel that natural/unnatural are interchangeable, in this instance, with organic/inorganic. What was created by the world and what was fabricated- like unto the cube we are in. Since in md we are literally in a cube, the philosophical aspects of it then become the literal, and that is what we're left to work with, I think. [quote]I think it is within the realm of possibilty for something organic to produce something inorganic, and simialrly, for something inorganic to produce something organic. From my understanding, you have shown them as mutually exclusive sets. I propose that they are in fact intersecting sets. That is, something could be both organic and inorganic at the same time. Imagine an inorganic body with an inorganic soul breathed in. In the words of Styx "My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain IBM"[/quote] I think it is possible for something organic to [i]affect[/i] something else that is organic and thus make it inorganic (our periodic table is proof of such endeavours), however we cannot, say, conceive a child by the regular means that would therefore be some sort of freak inorganic thing. And so, my point is that the organic produces the organic but can make what is already organic inorganic after the fact, and in a similar fashion that which is inorganic cannot produce something that is organic- they simply do not have the composition to do so. The inorganic would produce more of itself which is therefore also inorganic. With regards to the soul, I cannot personally think of any more innately organic than that. A shell, which is ultimately inorganic, can have a consciousness that was put into it, but does consciousness constitute an actual soul? It is the argument of "Ghost in the Shell", and a very complex one in and of itself that I think perhaps warrants closer attention but probably not here, heheh. [quote]However, why could something inorganic not hold back something organic? [/quote] It's similar to the analogy I used earlier but I shall modify it since you have me thinking of souls now- you yourself can, right now, remove or break out of your synthetic, inorganic clothing, however your organic soul cannot break out of its organic body. If we are to use Ghost in the Shell as another example, even Kusanagi can send her ghost/soul out of her shell along the lines of the ethernet, but her police partner who is 100% organic human cannot. It is another tantalizing clue that if she *does* have a soul, it cannot be held back by the inorganic shell if she chooses.