cosmicarus

(P.S. Look for a PM from me!)

Got it! I'll let you know as soon as I'm not falling asleep at the keyboard...

Hey, no work is all the fun I can imagine! Here's looking forward to a year of goodliness for you :)

*Cos smiles, greeting each warmly in turn. Internally he's doing his best to stifle a rising feeling of relief, should it be taken from him*

Hey, thanks guys. Good to see you both again. I was worried I was being a little overly dramatic; but if you can't RP a sincere apology on an RP forum, where can you?

...a lone figure fumbles nervously with a small fedora he holds in front of himself. He's looking up at the large banners that hang from the tall ceiling, themselves adorned with proud stylisations of Freedom Citys finest on the north wall, and most devious on the south. Some he doesn't recognise; these he regards with curiosity. Others however, he knows well, and these draw warm smiles. He hears a sound and starts, turning quickly to the door behind him - no one there - but a steady ambiance has begun to emanate from the hall beyond. He sighs mentally, but physically holds his breath. I guess this is it. He gives one last look upward, at a particular banner that produces a particular smile, and then walks toward the door.

Moments later the door to the hall opens and the small, brunette guy called Cosmicarus steps into a large, brightly lit room. Here the icons he'd looked at in the room before were made flesh. They stood together, chatting and laughing. Villains joked with heroes, eating from trays served them by alien visitors who were friends with robotic despots. Some dressed in bright, angular costumes, others were as casual at Cos was himself. Still, he felt underdressed all of a sudden. He isn't sure who notices him first, but after a few seconds, the voices in the room have died down and more than a few eyes look in the direction of the interloper among them, "Ah, hello." Cos tries to clear a suddenly very dry throat while hearing a few whispers along the lines of "Who is he?" He looks down at his hat, before looking up again at the assembly, "My name is Cosmicarus. Some of you won't know me, but others, well, I remember at least..." he nods to a familiar face, smiling uneasily, "I used to hang around here, quite a bit, but..." he wrings the hat in his hands, "...well, stuff. Moving, working, changing jobs, more working, break-ups, re-moving..." Cos sighs, now audibly, "...and also, just being too... me." He scolds himself - not the time for self deprecation. "I'm sorry. I hope to come back, to help. Again. I..." Cos scratches the back of his neck, "...I miss you guys."

Hello all,

Can I first tell you that I am very sorry for the way I have conducted myself over the last few weeks. It’s not ok, I know. To have RL take away any free time is one thing, but to not tell your mates that you’ve gone or when you’ll be coming back, is another. I’m here to rectify that.

Various things have taken me away from the keyboard. I’ve spoken to Barnum about them; they aren’t earth shattering and it doesn’t really matter what they are. I’m sorry that they exist, for both of our sakes. Unfortunately, many of the issues are continuing, meaning my absence for the time being will also continue.

For those people I was in a thread with, I know what this is like – it’s frustrating. When I find my way back here on a regular basis it will take time to win your trust back, but I hope to do just that.

Thank you to all the other refs and GM’s for being so great. That’s what they are. Thank you especially to Doc A, who has stepped up to fill boots that are very, very small for him. That’s twice he’s done that.

As always, I hope you’re well and that you’re looking after yourself. If you need to contact me for whatever reason, my email address is in my profile. Unfortunately, given the current circumstances it may take me a little bit to reply. Thank you all and take care,

- Sean

And speaking of suggesting a counterclaim without offering any evidence . . .

he iz a poopoo head!!!111

Woah! Calm down, B! There are minors on these boards ;)

Hey guys and gals,

The next couple of days are going to be strange ones. I'll update if possible, but probably won't be able to. Apologies for those already waiting.

Hey guys and girls,

I found this interesting essay I thought you may like to peruse. We all get on pretty darn well here, but I'm sure this isn't the only e-place you hang out. It's called 'How to disagree online. Enjoy.

March 2008

The web is turning writing into a conversation. Twenty years ago, writers wrote and readers read. The web lets readers respond, and increasingly they doâ€â€in comment threads, on forums, and in their own blog posts.

Many who respond to something disagree with it. That's to be expected. Agreeing tends to motivate people less than disagreeing. And when you agree there's less to say. You could expand on something the author said, but he has probably already explored the most interesting implications. When you disagree you're entering territory he may not have explored.

The result is there's a lot more disagreeing going on, especially measured by the word. That doesn't mean people are getting angrier. The structural change in the way we communicate is enough to account for it. But though it's not anger that's driving the increase in disagreement, there's a danger that the increase in disagreement will make people angrier. Particularly online, where it's easy to say things you'd never say face to face.

If we're all going to be disagreeing more, we should be careful to do it well. What does it mean to disagree well? Most readers can tell the difference between mere name-calling and a carefully reasoned refutation, but I think it would help to put names on the intermediate stages. So here's an attempt at a disagreement hierarchy:

DH0. Name-calling.

This is the lowest form of disagreement, and probably also the most common. We've all seen comments like this:

u r a fag!!!!!!!!!!

But it's important to realize that more articulate name-calling has just as little weight. A comment like

The author is a self-important dilettante.

is really nothing more than a pretentious version of "u r a fag."

DH1. Ad Hominem.

An ad hominem attack is not quite as weak as mere name-calling. It might actually carry some weight. For example, if a senator wrote an article saying senators' salaries should be increased, one could respond:

Of course he would say that. He's a senator.

This wouldn't refute the author's argument, but it may at least be relevant to the case. It's still a very weak form of disagreement, though. If there's something wrong with the senator's argument, you should say what it is; and if there isn't, what difference does it make that he's a senator?

Saying that an author lacks the authority to write about a topic is a variant of ad hominemâ€â€and a particularly useless sort, because good ideas often come from outsiders. The question is whether the author is correct or not. If his lack of authority caused him to make mistakes, point those out. And if it didn't, it's not a problem.

DH2. Responding to Tone.

The next level up we start to see responses to the writing, rather than the writer. The lowest form of these is to disagree with the author's tone. E.g.

I can't believe the author dismisses intelligent design in such a cavalier fashion.

Though better than attacking the author, this is still a weak form of disagreement. It matters much more whether the author is wrong or right than what his tone is. Especially since tone is so hard to judge. Someone who has a chip on their shoulder about some topic might be offended by a tone that to other readers seemed neutral.

So if the worst thing you can say about something is to criticize its tone, you're not saying much. Is the author flippant, but correct? Better that than grave and wrong. And if the author is incorrect somewhere, say where.

DH3. Contradiction.

In this stage we finally get responses to what was said, rather than how or by whom. The lowest form of response to an argument is simply to state the opposing case, with little or no supporting evidence.

This is often combined with DH2 statements, as in:

I can't believe the author dismisses intelligent design in such a cavalier fashion. Intelligent design is a legitimate scientific theory.

Contradiction can sometimes have some weight. Sometimes merely seeing the opposing case stated explicitly is enough to see that it's right. But usually evidence will help.

DH4. Counterargument.

At level 4 we reach the first form of convincing disagreement: counterargument. Forms up to this point can usually be ignored as proving nothing. Counterargument might prove something. The problem is, it's hard to say exactly what.

Counterargument is contradiction plus reasoning and/or evidence. When aimed squarely at the original argument, it can be convincing. But unfortunately it's common for counterarguments to be aimed at something slightly different. More often than not, two people arguing passionately about something are actually arguing about two different things. Sometimes they even agree with one another, but are so caught up in their squabble they don't realize it.

There could be a legitimate reason for arguing against something slightly different from what the original author said: when you feel they missed the heart of the matter. But when you do that, you should say explicitly you're doing it.

DH5. Refutation.

The most convincing form of disagreement is refutation. It's also the rarest, because it's the most work. Indeed, the disagreement hierarchy forms a kind of pyramid, in the sense that the higher you go the fewer instances you find.

To refute someone you probably have to quote them. You have to find a "smoking gun," a passage in whatever you disagree with that you feel is mistaken, and then explain why it's mistaken. If you can't find an actual quote to disagree with, you may be arguing with a straw man.

While refutation generally entails quoting, quoting doesn't necessarily imply refutation. Some writers quote parts of things they disagree with to give the appearance of legitimate refutation, then follow with a response as low as DH3 or even DH0.

DH6. Refuting the Central Point.

The force of a refutation depends on what you refute. The most powerful form of disagreement is to refute someone's central point.

Even as high as DH5 we still sometimes see deliberate dishonesty, as when someone picks out minor points of an argument and refutes those. Sometimes the spirit in which this is done makes it more of a sophisticated form of ad hominem than actual refutation. For example, correcting someone's grammar, or harping on minor mistakes in names or numbers. Unless the opposing argument actually depends on such things, the only purpose of correcting them is to discredit one's opponent.

Truly refuting something requires one to refute its central point, or at least one of them. And that means one has to commit explicitly to what the central point is. So a truly effective refutation would look like:

The author's main point seems to be x. As he says:

But this is wrong for the following reasons...

The quotation you point out as mistaken need not be the actual statement of the author's main point. It's enough to refute something it depends upon.

What It Means

Now we have a way of classifying forms of disagreement. What good is it? One thing the disagreement hierarchy doesn't give us is a way of picking a winner. DH levels merely describe the form of a statement, not whether it's correct. A DH6 response could still be completely mistaken.

But while DH levels don't set a lower bound on the convincingness of a reply, they do set an upper bound. A DH6 response might be unconvincing, but a DH2 or lower response is always unconvincing.

The most obvious advantage of classifying the forms of disagreement is that it will help people to evaluate what they read. In particular, it will help them to see through intellectually dishonest arguments. An eloquent speaker or writer can give the impression of vanquishing an opponent merely by using forceful words. In fact that is probably the defining quality of a demagogue. By giving names to the different forms of disagreement, we give critical readers a pin for popping such balloons.

Such labels may help writers too. Most intellectual dishonesty is unintentional. Someone arguing against the tone of something he disagrees with may believe he's really saying something. Zooming out and seeing his current position on the disagreement hierarchy may inspire him to try moving up to counterargument or refutation.

But the greatest benefit of disagreeing well is not just that it will make conversations better, but that it will make the people who have them happier. If you study conversations, you find there is a lot more meanness down in DH1 than up in DH6. You don't have to be mean when you have a real point to make. In fact, you don't want to. If you have something real to say, being mean just gets in the way.

If moving up the disagreement hierarchy makes people less mean, that will make most of them happier. Most people don't really enjoy being mean; they do it because they can't help it.

Agree or disagree?

:Cos' mouth falls open, matching his eyes for size - he's speechless. He looks at his roll, then back at the group, then to his roll, then back to the group. He tries to make noise but can only muster a high pitched squeak. In the end he just collapses backward*

“I’m doing fine so far.†Velocity replied back with a slight smile at the other heroine’s comments. “There just seems to be no end to them though.â€Â

"I'm beginning to think that they don't realise when they're not welcome." Rose smiles through the strain as the ground around them shakes, "I guess we'd just better show them the door." She springs forward, her train of thought falling to a certain famous home maker, What is it that the big M says to do when folks overstay themsevles? Oh, that's right! She raises her hand, trying not to put too much into it that she misses again, "Care for some tea?" Her hand's find only air, Ok, I deserve that. The Martha reference was terrible...

That sounds good!

Perhaps we can seek Nanowire out thinking that he's a hero, only to be disappointed in the end? That's hat leads us to form out own team?

Shopping trip works for me, but we are going to have to figure out how to pass the night.

Is this a school night? If it is, I could ditch school the next day (with dad at work) and take the boys shopping. And if so, we probably should start a new thread, but first we need to decide how to wrap this up.

Yeah, school night! Before we skip, we can stay up late, watch movies and talk about boys!

Er, I mean, wanna crash at my house? I don't think mum is up to much.

Dale walked up to the metal boy and reciprocated his hand shake. This new kid sure was something else. Dale had never seen nore sensed anything like him. He pondered for a moment, before suddenly getting an idea and heading to the back of the tree house and rummaging through a small box. He returns moments later with a small toy, a Transformer. He holds it up to Daisuke, as if to compare the two.

That's great to hear. As you say, recouperation can be a lot easier in a more comfortable setting. I'm sure we'll all keep the good vibes coming.

Okay, Nanowire just used All-Out attack at the full +5, which hits a 21 defense. If we're doing Knockback, that's 5000 feet Pixie is flying backwards. :shock:

(And that's if you don't add in the fact that she's smaller and lighter now.)

Anyway, she got hit with a +12 damage effect, which is a DC 27 toughness save. Nanowire's defense is now 13 due to the all-out attack, though.

Haha! No room for subtlety, eh? Love it.

You're up, Heritage :)

The, now tiny, Japanese girl is caught completely off guard by the sudden and savage attack. The initial impact itself is enough to make her think twice about coming after Nanowire ever again, and the many obstacles she hits as she flies through the air don't help either. By the time she lands, some 5000 feet away, Pixie is a whole lot of unconcious.

The blonde woman who seems to be leading this outfit just watches her teammate fly through the air with the greatest of ease in silence. After a few moments, she turns back to her people, "I think it's time to go." She sprints for the front door of the restaurant, while the six copies in standing amongst the tables open fire at Nanowire; but they watch unhappily as the four beams that hit don't seem to phase the metallic monster. They all decide to follow in their originals footsteps, racing for the door. One of those near the door opens it, allowing the other to make it out. For the moment, however, the other six (including the original) are still in the restaurant.

Nice work, Doc A!

I was a little worried there for a sec about the cat, but it's all good. Enjoy your brave new adventure in a strange new world...

Ok, the map is updated! Remember, however, that Kizzy is currently the only PC with normal vision, for everyone else it's complete darkness... spooky, huh?

Kizzy, that Priest that's moving toward you is in G5.

Lovin' the shoulder demons, Doc A! The staff you hold, as far as you can tell in the darkness, has two settings. It seems a fairly simple design - created to be mass produced, maybe?

I'm letting you guys roll the Concealment rolls for the bad guys, because it means that you can alter them with HP's and the like. If you'd like me to roll them, that's fine too. In the meantime, because you're rolling them, a result of 11 or above will result in a hit (as opposed to when the defender rolls them, which would result in a miss). Enjoy!

Oh, and I added the current HP's everyone has to the first post. New adventure, new HP totals. If you have luck or some such thing, let me know and I'll update it. For now, it's off to bed

(Archeville's disarm attempt, just for the record.)

The Tech Priest near the good Doctor loses his staff to the German and groans in response. In the darkness, the staff-less Priest is heard to say, as if to someone else, "Roger. Copy that? Frag 'em!" It seems, however, that he does nothing else.

On the other side of the room, the Tech Priest who still retains his staff creates a light show! The twirling, electrical edges of the weapon are made all the more impressive by the darkness surrounding it. The energy travels through the room, however, when the Tech Priest releases the staff's energy at Kizzy! The darkness controller feels and sees the electrical energy whizz past her with a crackling hum, dissipating on the column in the back left of the room, plunging the room once more into complete darkness. Kizzy sees the Tech Priest move through the darkness, and even though he's as blind as the rest, he seems to be making his way in her direction...

I don't remember if Mind Reading now lets Kevin know that he just had his mind read, but honestly - how would he know what that feels like? He was wondering earlier with Clyst if that was the case.

According to UP, Mind Reading is subtle. Only noticable to the subject (or those with super-senses). How it feels to Kevin is up to you, really.

The Will save is DC 17 for the Metamorph to avoid being fatigued/exhausted/unconscious. The Super-Senses stuff seemed appropriate. If you don't think that Kevin would be able to get that, let me know and I'll edit it.

I think that's absolutely fine

Ok, the Grue is exhausted! -6 to STR and DEX, -3 to ATK and DEF and can't move faster than normal pace. Nice hit!

The new stats for it are equal to that of the Monstrous Insect in the MnM Manual (page 234), minus the super senses and, of course, the above penalties due to fatigue. So he's scary, but relatively harmless...

The Grue Metamorph is unprepared for Kevin's assault, the the human can feel the energy wash out of the alien's body. The Grue releases Kevin and stumbles backwards. It's cries sound normal at first, but they warble and change as the Grue does. Before Kevin's eyes the alien changes again, as if in reaction to the threat. This time, the change is a little more worrying...

Took Jawbreaker enough time to get out of the washroom :roll:

Hehe. Three move actions. One to stand, one to walk to the door and the other to open it. She's still staggered *sees stars*

For a single moment, Donar is silent. That moment end abruptly and violently, however - "I am not dead!" He screams this at the top of his lungs and lifts the hammer up high, swinging wildly at Captain Wonder. The hammer flies wide and erratic, embedding itself in the wall of the apartment. Cadence lets out a cry, but quickly silences. It's in that second that another cry echoes through the house. A woman's voice from down the hall. "Valkyrie!" Donar cries. He pushes down the hall, making his way toward the sound.

That backflipping from Pixie was just flavour text, not mechanics

Heritage, am I right to assume that you're crawling the standard 5ft per move action?

"...But now you are the one in trouble,"

The Japanese girl looks stunned for a second, before her mouth curls up into a sadistic smile, "Synthetic? Good. Wendy doesn't like it when I slice up flesh. Circuitry should be fine. Domoarigato, Mr. Roboto!" With that, she raises her stick again, realeasing a bolt of energy thatbrushes past Nanowire's head. Meanwhile she starts backflipping, putting some distance between her and Ren, while at the same time, she shrinks! By the time she's finished she stands a mere 1 foot tall, but the look of defiance in her eye hasn't diminished.

It's only now that the cooks finish screaming that they're noticed. They're pressed back hard against the shelving as far away from the two Japanese combatants as is possible, but aren't doing anything to run away.

Elsewhere, the door to the bathroom opens, and though no-one can be seen that far down the hall, the voice of Jawbreaker is clear, "Wendy. Wendy! They got past me...!"

The Wallflower that Grim is slowly making her way toward is shifting anxiously. She retrieves a small device from her backpack and holds it close to her. She makes no move to stop Grim as Jawbreaker.

During this whole time, the waitstaff and the customers sit silently in their seats, too worried to move, perhaps?