voidtreckernet | Never have I ever made a fool of myself [video, nebula 17]

Never have I ever made a fool of myself [video, nebula 17]

What's up, party people?

[ And here's a cheerful wave from a man in orange, seated in his room with a mug of...something. ]

If we haven't met yet, my name's Jake. Jake Peralta, your clues guy. I'm down to poke things with sticks and solve mysteries! Sooner we figure out what the train's entire deal is, where we're going and all that, the better, right? But in the meantime, I thought it'd be fun to get to know my new squad!

Anyways, I was wondering if anyone would be down to play a little Earth game called Never Have I Ever. How it works is you say something totally cool, or weird, or boring that you haven't done. And anybody who has done it has to take a drink. Unfortunately, I'm as broke here as I was back home, so I can't supply the booze. And we should probably be setting a good example, right?

So just drink whatever you have! Be that water, juice, milk, coffee...or if you happen to have a proper adult beverage on you, go ahead and drink responsibly. You ready? Great, I'll start: never have I ever gone skydiving!

((ooc: it's a big mingle format! Go ahead and add new 'never have I ever' statements as new toplevels, and threadhop all you want.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The kind of memes that showed up were limited by our journal system, but yes, this made it through. We had to do something to dull the boredom between the castle's tricks.

All wizards start within their species' latency cycle. For humans, that ends up roughly between the pre-teen to teenage years.

If you see college as preparing for a future job, then trade school would fall under the same umbrella. That said, I'm pretty sure the trade schools in my day don't include apprenticeship. And probably have more homework assignments.

Maybe the journal system was controlled by the castle, and maybe it allowed that meme in precisely because the residents were bored and needed some entertainment?

Oh, I see. So you started learning and manifesting wizardry in your pre-teen and teenage years?

You might be right about trade school falling under the same umbrella as college. Maybe I'd better take a drink just to acknowledge that. [ He guzzles from his bottle of red wine. ]

The trade schools in your world might be based on a different premise than an apprenticeship in my world. The only thing I'd count as a trade school would be the smith god Aulë's workshop events. I used to get invited, and sometimes the god would take us all down to his forge and teach us some new forging techniques. No homework assignments, though.

Oh, the castle didn't directly control the journals, not noticeably anyway. However, magic aside, they were literal books. The ink from one would appear on all of them. You could write or speak to them, but there was no video equivalent like the ICP feeds. So any memes that require moving gifs didn't really make it on there.

I started my wizarding career at eleven.

...Somehow I feel that was less my persuasion and more you wanting to drink more. [Just saying.]

Possibly. Apprenticeships used to be a thing, but they mostly fell out of favor with the modern school system. I think a few jobs still keep it going? I dunno if internships also count, but those seem relatively common.

Man, I can barely imagine school without homework. It might even be bearable like that.

Interesting, books that acted as though they were ICP feeds.

You started your career young, it seems. And the younger, the better, so far as I am concerned. More time to become immersed.

[ He chuckles. ] It's true I like to drink. But your argument was very persuasive.

Apprenticeships, internships, whatever works. I think it's really important to give students actual experience in their field of study or skill.

School without homework? I'd approve of that, provided there was real attention to the type of learning the students actually require.

They were magical, kind of like Nita's version of the Manual. Usable, but not quite the same as a proper digital network.

The journals did keep the physical record of what people said though. Kinda miss that part.

[She laughs.] You're more right than you realize. The younger you start, the more powerful a new wizard is. The Powers invest more to the youngest wizards.

Well, I'll take that victory then.

Homework is pretty much only busy work. You get the occasional relevant reading assignment, but then cover it again in class. If we did stuff that was actually important, that'd be great.

[Admittedly Dairine is biased, seeing wizardry as more important than schoolwork. She didn't like school much in the first place.]

I suppose not. Physical books, even if magical, would probably not have all the advantages of a digital network.

Except. . . that part would definitely be an advantage! -- that the books kept the record of what people said. The train's network doesn't do that, the comments just vanish in a certain amount of time, so if I'm trying to remember what somebody said. . . too bad!

Oho, so you're more powerful than some older wizards might now be! It seems that it isn't just the amount of time a wizard spends studying wizardry, it's how young they start. Apparently, the Powers prefer the young. [ He laughs with her. ]

Take your victories where you find them! [ Another laugh. ]

I can agree with you there, even though I didn't go to college or even to high school. As I've said, I used to read in my grandfather's library, and in my father's, when he would let me. I wouldn't have liked it if either of them had tried to teach me what the books meant and given me homework assignments. I very much preferred to figure it all out for myself.

[ Curufin thinks the Elvish magical arts are more important than schoolwork, so he can identify with Dairine. ]

Yeah, there was no video functions, no way to search for data. It had its limits.

For sure. The journals would keep every page of messages, dated even, from the very first one that a resident made. So you could tell new arrivals what page numbers would have important information. [She huffs.] Also you could filter messages, which I honestly miss even more than the records.

[Dairine averts her eyes from the feed.] Not anymore. You only get to keep the power you start with for a short while. Eventually, you end up at roughly the same level as everyone else. [This had been... particularly hard on Dairine. Starting her career on the top of the world, only to have the rug pulled out from under her.]

Exactly! I read every book in the library near my home growing up. Not everything was worth remembering, but I discovered so much! Forcing the process just sucks all the fun out of learning, and what good is that?

Yes, too bad.

I like those journals you're describing. They'd be invaluable for keeping a history of messages and information. I'm generally not for filtering, but I'm thinking that a lot of people would appreciate that feature.

Oh, I see. So you don't have the level of power that you started with. That doesn't seem fair, since you must have worked so hard at learning the wizard's skills when you were so young. That level of commitment should be rewarded with greater power for a whole lifetime.

Right! It's nice you had a library near your home. A library is such an adventure when you're young! I wouldn't have wanted to learn the knowledge in those books in other ways, with adults trying to force the process, as you say. That just interferes with a child's learning processes, and that isn't good.

Why not a filter fan? It was invaluable for keeping sensitive information away from the more untrustworthy residents. Or just sending messages to an individual.

It does suck, but there's only so much power to go around. The energy that goes to wizards still comes from somewhere, and we know it's not infinite. If all wizards kept their initial power levels, that would mean fewer new wizards and we'd be stuck handling more problems than before.

That said, I do miss it. Having that raw power to back up your work made things go so smoothly. [Since Dairine could essentially force a solution.]

Yeah. It's a shame the train library is so bare bones. That's the other thing I miss from Paradisa: the castle's giant library.

Filtering can be useful, I suppose that's true.

Oh, I see. The power is limited, so there are some rules about who it goes to and how much, and when.

I still think it's too bad you couldn't keep your original level of power. I can understand why you miss it.

[ Curufin nods. ] I agree, the train library is fairly rudimentary. It's frustrating when I'm looking for something and there isn't a subject or a topic even remotely related to the one I'm searching for. I suppose I could buy books from the train store and donate them to the library, but then I'd be spending a ton of points on that and wouldn't have them for other things I consider important. Like materials for Rapunzel's mural project, or medicines for the Medical Carriage.

Yup. It would at least cut back on excess noise from the ICPs, if folks could send messages to one person specifically. Though I guess that would have to be through our SCA instead, in order to find the right one. Like with our mission comms.

As best we can tell, the laws of physics still apply to the power given to us. Conservation of energy and all that. Entropy is running, and the less energy is wasted, the more time we have to fight it.

Thanks. It was... [miserable] ...an adjustment.

Man, agreed. Even the shop can be a pain when trying to hunt down books. You can get lucky with random grabs, but finding a specific one? That's a real hassle. And considering the life threatening missions we go on, there's so many other things to prioritize.

I wish. Well, maybe we could bombard the train's feedback post with requests for the ICPs and our SCAs to work all the time the way the SCAs do on the missions, allowing us to talk to a group or just a single person.

[ He nods. He's read a few physics books. ] I guess you do have to deal with conservation of energy and entropy and all that. It does kind of make sense that wizards' power would function by the same rules.

And yes, it must have been an adjustment to have less power to use. I sure wouldn't like it if Elves' powers diminished with age.

Yes, I've bought a few books from the train store, and I was lucky to find the exact ones I was looking for, from Senku's list of books he wanted for the Medical Carriage. I just couldn't find the ones I specifically needed. But I guess I'm just glad to have found the ones he wanted. I suppose if I want a history of the First Age of Arda, I'll have to write it myself and put it in the library.

Edited 2021-11-21 06:53 (UTC)

Maybe it could integrate the two. Dunno if that's what folk will wanna ask for next, but we could try.

[She nods as well.]

It's not magic. Wizardry still runs with the same building blocks as the rest of the universe. We just know the codes that make it function.

It took a while. [In part because the timing really sucked. Handling a sudden change becomes a lot harder when combined with a family emergency.] You gotta get clever with solutions rather than just powering through things. Best I can tell, Elves seem to grow more powerful with age.

[Just look at Galadriel.]

[Dairine frowns] The train has trouble with books from Middle Earth specifically?

Maybe so. If the functions of the ICPs and the SCAs were integrated, then we'd certainly have what we asked for. I don't know if the other passengers would go for making that a priority, but maybe?

That's interesting! Wizardry runs on the same rules as the rest of the universe? In the past, it must have been a difficult project, to figure out the codes. Physics is difficult enough, but phenomena that look like magic, even if they're not? [ He shakes his head and smiles. ]

Yes, I agree. Finding solutions is the most important thing. I wouldn't have agreed with that when I was younger, but that's how I feel now. And I think you're right, Elves grow more powerful with age. I certainly have.

[ He'd agree about Galadriel, though he hasn't seen her since that first world that had snatched him out of his own. She was there, and she certainly was more powerful than in her youth. ]

I don't know if the train has trouble with books about Middle-earth specifically. I just couldn't find any of the tracts I knew about when I lived there. Maybe the train has trouble with them because they're not books produced by a publishing company but books and scrolls written by people who had to do it themselves, with pen and ink and a bunch of parchment.

We could always ask.

The building blocks for wizardry were probably given to us by the Powers that Be. Don't get me wrong: wizards have made a great deal of discoveries in how to implement the Speech. But considering the Powers have a vested interest in our work succeeding, it's hard to imagine They wouldn't help get it started.

Must be nice. Though then again, I suppose the increased power takes time, huh. Elves seem to have a lot of it. [She probably wouldn't live long enough to get that power boost even if it applied to her.]

[She was exceeding powerful. Terrifyingly so sometimes... but that made her the best kind of friend to have.]

It might not just be publishing. I've had trouble ordering specific books from my Earth as well. You can get them, but they are slightly different. Like different names or subtle details. And I know I'm not the only one. I have a friend who was trying to study it with various Sherlock Holmes novels.

Yes, we could ask!

Those Powers That Be, they do start a lot of projects that have to do with science and magic.

It is nice to have increased powers. But you're right, it does take time. I'm okay with that. It's probably just as well that I didn't have my current level of power when I was younger. I'd have misused it, I'm sure, and so would most of my brothers. But my cousin Galadriel would only have used it for good.

Hey, a friend of yours was trying to order Sherlock Holmes novels in order to study the difficulty the train has with our orders? Smart! And did that friend come to any conclusions?

Edited 2021-11-27 07:07 (UTC)

And language and diplomacy. Basically They take interest in any skill that can be used to make lives better, or in the case of one Power, worse.

While I agree, I'm not sure Galadriel would feel the same. Some days she seemed pretty weighed down by past mistakes. I expect she'd think the same as you do about having more power during her younger years.

In part. He was also looking into how different worlds have similar yet different copies of the same book. I dunno if he actually reached a final deduction, but it certainly kept him entertained.

I do wonder though... I feel like Paradisa had some changes to their library books as well.

I'm sure the Powers have that end in mind, the goal of making lives better. Except for that one renegade Power, who in my world hated the Elves and the mortals as well, and strove to use his skills to destroy lives.

Galadriel made hardly any mistakes. Maybe she thought that following my father over the Great Sea was a mistake, but I don't think it was. That way, she was in Middle-earth at a time when Elves who use their powers for good were in demand.

Different worlds had copies of the Sherlock Holmes books? Interesting! I can see how your friend would be entertained.

Paradisa's books were changed from the originals? I wonder why.

Oh, trust me. That one is just as busy trying to wreck things outside of Arda.

[She knows far too well.]

I think you are right. But the aftermath of that journey over seemed to weigh on her deeply. [Dairine had seen a little in Paradisa's various forays into other's minds.] Maybe it's selfish of me, but I'm still glad that she did. Without crossing the sea, would she be the same wise Galadriel that I met?

[Jokingly:] He would be entertained reading the same Sherlock book everyday, so I'm glad he got at least a little variety.

[Her brow furrows.] I'm not sure. My memory's a bit fuzzy on the details, but... I know that the Sherlock Holmes problem was noticed there too.

If the Lone Power is the same in your universe as in mine, I wouldn't be surprised. When he fought the last war of the First Age, the War of Wrath, the Valar, our gods, threw him out of the world into the darkness of the Void and locked the doors against any possible return. Maybe he went traveling and found other universes to try to destroy. Or maybe he exists in multiple universes and is the same dark god everywhere.

Galadriel always did worry about what happened after that journey to the continent of Middle-earth. She wasn't responsible for anything that happened, as I have said, but I think she worried that she might have found some way of preventing the disasters that happened. Only, I doubt there was any way for her to do any such thing.

[ He laughs. ] Sherlock Holmes, immortal literature!

Well, I know the Lone One exists in multiple universes for sure. Wizards have gotten that confirmation directly from the source. But that doesn't rule out your world's version moving on to new places to terrorize. That sounds like the kind of thing It would do.

Maybe. She mentioned that she saw some similarities between us, and that sounds like a thing I'd do. [Dairine often would overthink things, trying to find solutions.]

[She rolls her eyes] Look, I've been stuck knowing a Holmes nerd in both places. I never hear the end of it.

[Makes it hard to miss]

[ He nods. ] That makes sense. The Lone One must be a phenomenon that occurs in more than one universe, and I can see why. The chances of him happening in any universe must be pretty high. And I can so easily imagine Morgoth going in search of other places to terrorize! That would be so like him.

Galadriel always did want to prevent disasters, and if you and she are alike in that, then good for you!

[ Chuckle. ] A Holmes nerd. There are so many people, I hear, who love detective mysteries. Maybe that's a universal attraction.

Yeah, unfortunately the Lone Power is very well traveled. Anywhere that Its creation is gives It an opening, and as you probably've noticed, death is pretty wide-spread. Makes our work a lot harder.

[Dairine says nothing for once, blushing furiously at the compliment. Considering how graceful and mature Galadriel is, the comparison is a high honor.]

[She does, however, shrug.] Eh, is the same person, but I don't disagree. There's something appealing about a well put together mystery. It's like a puzzle made out of words.

The Lone Power does seem to prefer inflicting death in a widespread manner to any other mode of operation. Yes, I've noticed what he did in our world, and that was certainly wide-spread.

[ Curufin has never regarded grace or maturity as the most important indicators of virtue or of worthiness. He does, however, realize he has made Dairine blush, and he's a little bit sorry for that. ]

I agree about the detective mysteries. Even though that's not my favorite type of literature, I do admire a well-constructed, well-written mystery. I think you're right, it's a puzzle that's made out of words instead of visual images.

Edited 2021-12-19 11:46 (UTC)

Can't say it They prefer it, but reaching a larger area does better suit Their goals. That said, the Lone One can be quite vindictive on a personal level.

[Speaking from direct experience.]

[She nods.]

A truly good novel is worth a read, regardless of genre. The tricky part is finding those mysteries that are actually engaging and not just hyped-up by boring literary critics.

Never have I ever made a fool of myself [video, nebula 17]

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Good place to wrap this thread?

Sounds good! Thanks for

You're welcome, and thank you!