The legend continues.  15.5 years and counting...  :)

In reply to Oak (msg # 1):

Hey Eric. You've not checked your Facebook in quite a while. I was just wondering why? I sent you some things there that I kind of wanted a reply to. Let me know!!

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 2):

I have been.  I read w hat you post.  Don't always respond.  Cheers.

Carl, I've reread this a few times and I'm not quite certain I understand your meaning. What did you think I meant by "super" characters? I don't believe I've mentioned that in some time. I used to be fixated with running a game with a supercharacter, but I kinda sorta gave up on that idea. Not saying I'd never try it again. I was using a superverser to teach and train the players. It can work quite well if the player is a willing, submissive student. Someone who understands that this person knows more than they do, is more experienced than they are, and is willing to share his broad knowledge with them at no charge. You'd be amazed how many players wanted to argue with him. The guy is tens of thousands of years old and could erase them from existence with a thought.

I never understood that, but anyway.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 4):

I'd thought you meant something in the spectrum of superheroic genres. Not something that resembled https://www.fecundity.com/pmagnus/godman.html

Oh you mean like Marvel and DC Comics? No, sorry. Stan Lee I'm not.

The world where I run supercharacters is either Verser World where Scord is currently residing, or a world I dubbed "Supercharacter Candy Store." It's a 20th century tech world where the human population has been completely obliterated by an accident of some sort. The only (known) inhabitants are a pair of versers. One is a starting n00b, not much more advanced than the player, and the other is generally my character, Magehammer. He tries to teach practical skills like how to live off the land and how to blacksmith. So the player can eat. He's never ceased to be amazed that n00b versers usually want to learn magic and psionics before they learn how to get dinner or get a job. Also, the player is free to scavenge supplies and take anything they want.

Magehammer's first verse out, he met The Architect. The Architect taught him psionics whilst failing to mention that they might not always work. This got Magehammer into a considerable amount of trouble in his next world. So he tries to get n00b versers started right. When he's done with you, you'll be able to walk into the woods completely naked and walk out two weeks later clothed, armed and fed. He forbids you to do magic, whilst openly doing it himself. However, if you submit to his training and stick with him, you will be given a magical hammer. Only about 50% of players have run through that world well, I'd say.,

(Doing Therapy)

Anybody here ever watch the 12 Monkeys television show? It went for a couple of seasons.

Anyway, and I might be completely misremembering (and Spoiler Alert) if I am remembering correctly.

Here goes. A lady is left alone to guard a high-tech fortress of some importance to someone. At first, all she's got is a fire axe.

First break in. The guy has a 12 gauge shotgun and 15 shells. He fires once and misses before she gets the drop on him with the fire axe. So now she's got a 12 gauge shotgun and 14 shells.

Next break in, there's two of them. One had a Smith/Wesson 686 357 magnum revolver and the other has a Colt 1911 45 auto. She dispatches them with the shotgun. So now's she's got a 12 gauge with 11 shells, a 357 magnum with 14 shells and a Colt 1911 45 auto with 2 extra magazines, 18 rounds total.

Anyway, when help arrives, she's been attacked and defended so often that she's amassed a collection of 63 firearms with about 40 rounds of ammo between them. But she never lost her fortress!!!!!

Thoughts from the Peanut Gallery?

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 7):

I'll ask Bonna if she remembers that.

I liked Twelve Monkeys the movie.  The show at first was good, but they kept remaking it, and turning the story into something else which is an American thing.  In Britain, you have a story, you tell the story, it ends.  In America, you come uup with a start, and hope it flies.  If it flies, you realize you might be getting close to an end or whatever, IDK, so you remake the story,a nd add all sorts of confusing stuff, and maybe change villains to good guys and so forth until it finally ends in a collapse of confusion.

Now maybe 12M actually solved itself.

Eric my thing there was not about the 12 Monkeys tv show. It was supposed to be about how she acquired all of the guns. What do you think of that tactic for getting guns?

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 9):

Its a good tactic.  Supposedly its a common thing back in teh twentieth century for guerilla warfare groups which got much of their weapons from the army trying to kill them.

The idea came back to me because I am currently cleaning out my condo so that I can try to sell it and move to Illinois. There's a certain plant which cannot be named on this board which is legal there. But I digress.

As I have been cleaning and packing, I have slowly packed up almost my entire gun collection. I am currently left with a shotgun and 15 rounds of ammo and a 9mm pistol with one loaded 15 round magazine with which to defend my home. Two guns and 30 rounds of ammo are all that stand between me and utter Chaos.

It got me started thinking about her situation and how mine could escalate that way.

Oh well.

(Doing Therapy)

As many of you know, I am a paranoid psychotic. Today, November 19th 2020 marks the fifteen year anniversary of my last full-blown psychotic fit. Fifteen years ago, at about this time of night, I was screaming obscenities for hours on end. Now I could have a psychotic fit right in front of you and you'd never notice.

Please raise a glass of whatever you happen to be drinking, in honor of this special day.

HAPPY NOVEMBER 19TH EVERYBODY!!!!!!

(Doing Therapy)

If I may Oak, I'd like to make a disagreement with you about what line was crossed by who? (Whom?) (Anybody know?) Anyway, people say it isn't God's will for hundreds of people to die in tornadoes and other natural disasters. Wars. Murder. Rape. Crime. Anything. It HAS to be God's will. Otherwise, God would prevent it.

Everything that happens has to be God's will. Or it wouldn't happen. That's just the way it is. We create a problem when we try to say what is God's will. Remember, to Him, we're clay vessels. How much thought would you give to the feelings of a clay pot you were making on a spinning wheel?

Our understanding is the problem.

Eric crossed the line (or started to) saying that it wasn't God's will for them to be together. Who is Eric to say what God's will is?

Just a thought.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 06:20, Fri 11 Dec 2020.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 13):

You forgot that He granted His creations free will? Especially mankind?

Predestination like you just described leads to all kinds of ontological nightmares. It also ignores the issue of tikkun olam. If God decrees everything that will ever happen, down to tiny minutiae, why did the Qlippothic world(s) come into being? Why does Malkuth (Earth) need eternal healing and repair?

I never said God planned or predestined anything. Where did I say that? I said it is our understanding which is the problem.

Not God's will.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 06:27, Fri 11 Dec 2020.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 15):

You need to start with what the Bible says, not your thoughts.

The Bible very clearly states that God cares deeply about us.

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.3You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.…


“Can a woman forget her nursing child
And have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/God~s-Care

So...the question for you John.  Do you accept what God says or reject it?

Still though.

Who are you to say what is God's will?

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 17):

John... what does God include?
Everything. The Godhead is No Thing Knowable. AIN... AIN SOPH... AIN SOPH AUR... three stages before His crown and throne are even reduced to forms, to symbols, that can even be described much less understood in their entirety.

How can God's will even be comprehensible to any but the most refined and tempered of individual spirits?

MY POINT EXACTLY!!!!!!

We keep forgetting that The Bible was written by God. It's probably completely incomprehensible to man.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 19):

Written by God? Not even close, mortal.
Even the first five books, the Torah, were not written by God's own hand. The number of each Hebrew letter is the same, but the arrangement is not.

John, did God create the world?  If you say yes, and do so based on the Bible you're telling me what God said.

Now you'd be correct.  Because God did say it, and it was indeed vvery clear what he said.

Your idea works if the Bible is completely not understandable.  However, from teh Bible we have commands to study his word.

So that brings us back to the key problem.  You want to reject the Bible.  So, do you admit the authority of the Bible over your life, or do you not?

Not gonna get into that. You did not answer my question. You seem to be going out of your way to not answer it. All I wanted was my question answered.

Or don't. Up to you!!!!!

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 22):

All right... do you understand what yetzer ha tov means? In the Sephirothic worlds, it is the drive to do good. In a sense, listening to the echo of God's words within yourself. Yetzer ha ra is the slippery slope into evil, conversely. One could say that angels of the Sephira are created with yetzer ha tov strong and profound, full grown in their hearts and minds, but nothing of the yetzer ha ra in them at birth. While demons spawned in these worlds have the reverse arrangement, starting out with nothing of the yetzer ha tov but a fully developed yetzer ha ra. In the Qlippothic worlds the two inclinations are twisted and broken much like the worlds themselves, and yetzer ha ra is what is heard in the hearts of the pious, while yetzer ha tov is the perversion. Mankind possesses both qualities, once they are adults, in ether state of reality and can choose freely which to heed or ignore. Faeries in general possess neither, again in either state of being.

When you speak for God, even in roleplay John, are you saying what He has whispered in the depths of your heart or are you speaking what your heart has come up with from your own desires?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:29, Sun 13 Dec 2020.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 22):

But I did answer the question, if you are paying attention and following basic logic.


Follow what the Bible says instead of what you want.  The Bible is clearly written for Man to understand it.  That would be you, me, Carl...

So, since the Bible is clearly written for you to u nderstand at least parts of it, are you going to submit to its authority or not?  Remember, dude, when you face God, I'm  guessing He's not going to be amused when you try to convince Him that what He plainly said in clear comprehensible terms is not clear.

Still though. You have no way or reasoning to say what is God's will. If it happens, it's God's will. Otherwise, it wouldn't happen. Seems pretty straightforward to me.......

Anyway, I am moving to Illinois. I should be leaving within the next day or two. Got a little house out there. A certain plant is legal there which is not legal where I live.

All of which comes to the point that I will most likely not be posting here for a while. Just a heads up!!!

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 25):

Two things:

1. I still want to run a game for you.  So I hope when you get back on line you say 'I'm ready'.

2. The commands of our Lord are more to be desired than gold because they make us happier than gold. In keeping them there is a far greater reward than gold: loving, enjoying, admiring, praising, thanking, and rejoicing in God forever (Psalm 16:11).

Why would God say this if he did not expect obedience?  Why would He expect obedience if knowing what obedience was was impossible?

Some of the Bible is complicated.  My brother has two doctorates so yeah.  But some of it is really, really simple.  Like 'don't steal your brother's cookie' toddler level stuff.  If you can't figure out the super complicated or even modestly complicated stuff, just start following what you can, and my bro has said, more light will be revealed to you as you obey.

Not ready to play just yet. Just thought I'd start on the character sheet.

1 Glock 9mm pistol, 4 17 rd mags, 1 30 round mag
1 Ruger 9mm pistol, 6 15 rd mags, 3 10 rd mags, 3 20 rd mags.
1 Colt 1911 45 automatic pistol, 1 7 rd mag, 2 8 rd mags
1 S/W 357 magnum revolver, six shot. 2 speed loaders
1 Hi Point 9mm pistol, 1 8 rd mag.
750 rds 9mm ammo
350 rds 45 ammo
600 rds 357 ammo
1 Marlin model 60 18 rd 22 caliber rifle, 4,000 rds ammo
1 Mossberg 7 rd shotgun, 20 inch barrel
1 double barrel 12 gauge shotgun
650 rds assorted 12 gauge ammo. Everything from birdshot, 00 buck and slugs
several cases bottled water (Ideally enough for 2 weeks. That's what I try to keep on hand)
1 bucket containing MREs, dehydrated meals and protein bars, enough to last for 14-20 days.
2 pair bib overalls
10 pair pajama pants, tee shirts, underwear, socks, etc.
1 WW2 issue Kabar Marine knife.
1 survival knife made by Colt Industries.
2 Leatherman multitools, assorted tools
holsters, belts and spare ammo pouches for all of the guns. I could carry four of the handguns and spare ammo for all of them.
One set of keys. Keychain has magnesium fire starter, scissors and a can opener
20 assorted cigarette lighters. (I've not smoked in almost 2 years, WHOO HOO!!!!!)

That's a start. Let me think on it some more.

What are the attributes again? I'm a 350 pound weakling.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 07:04, Sun 20 Dec 2020.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 27):

1@1 is minimal normal.  1@5 is normal human. 1@10 is 1 in fifty.  2@1 is t he next step up with 1 in a hundred or ???

Skills can be low amateru to high amateur to low professional to...

I finally got my Internet hooked up. I have moved. I am now a proud resident of Newton Illinois. There's a certain plant which shall remain nameless which is legal here and not many other places. I hope to resume gaming shortly.

Cheers!!

(Doing Therapy)

What do you want to do with the game here Tadeusz? Let me know!!!

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 30):

I'd like to get started. You ready?  If you are, please tell Oakmaster.

As soon as someone gives me a thread name, we are good to go.  :)

Give me some more time to think on it.

(Doing Therapy)

This is one I insist upon my character having. I have a heart defect. I take medication for it. But the fact is that I could literally die of a heart attack at any moment. I'd like my character to have that. Get into a fight or something and just die randomly of a heart attack.

What dost thou thinkest Mister Ashley, Sergeant Major of The Games, god of Order and Chaos?

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 34):

Sure.

Oak, if you could start up "John and the Juggernauts" that'd be great.

Hey Eric, I'm just wondering about something. Have you ever even looked at a Koran?

(Doing Therapy)

Done!  :)

In reply to Oak (msg # 37):

thx.

Blessed Birthday, JohnA1nut!  :)

Thanks Oak!!!

(Doing Therapy)

Any lurkers that happen to be reading. I'm open to run games.

(Doing Therapy)

Hey Oak, I'm fairly certain you're not going to 100% approve of what I'm about to do. I have no other way to get in touch with these people, than to hope they check this on occasion. So, just don't delete it.

Glantri, you were my first player and the one from which I learned the most. Sometimes I wouldn't reply to you for weeks at a time. Sorry about that!! I promised myself I wouldn't take more than a week after you. I'd love to run you again.

Krillis, you were an interesting player. I think you ran through that world with Magehammer better than any other player. Too bad we didn't get to tell the whole story. I can kinda see your reservations. Knowing Samantha is going to grow up and murder over 100 people for you. Like being asked to babysit 8 year old Adolf Hitler. I didn't know she was going to do that when I introduced her. You want proof that you weren't railroaded? I thought Samantha was going to help you attack the Carters.

Misty. Thank you.

I'd love to run all of you again. Whatever reservations you might have about allowing it are at least a decade old. I'm not the same person I was then. I've learned a lot, thanks to you. Think about it, anyway.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 42):

Looking at the cast list, Misty hasn't even peeked in since 2017.

They're all former players of mine who quit for one reason or another.

How are you doing Carl? Do you need a GM? No, I don't think it's a good idea. But why the heck not?

Let me know what you think.

(Doing Therapy)

And Jacob, do you need a new GM? I'm not certain if Tadeusz is going to return. I'll pick you up if you need me to.

Multiple posts

I don't know if Tadeusz is going to return. Read the last couple of posts in our respective games and tell me what you think. He seems to think he's still running the game when he's the player. Or maybe I just misunderstood him. What do you guys think?

But if he doesn't come back, I'll pick you both up. Carl, I know our run didn't work quite right. I'm willing to try again. As I told Glantri and the others. That was a long time ago. I'm not the same person I was then. I'll be running a different world. I was just trying something new with our attempt.

I'd like to run you two in a Gather. That's where you're in the same world together. I think Verser World would be an amazing Gather world. Anyway, thoughts?

And Oak, yes, I know. I'm probably breaking multiple forum guidelines with my posting behavior of late. I'm just trying to sort things out if Eric has indeed departed.

And Eric, if you do come back, we can pick the games back up.

(Doing Therapy)
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 08:24, Tue 01 June 2021.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 44):

Haven't been doing well, offline. The pandemic left me trapped with a control freak relative who is, as far as I can tell, addicted to pesticides & herbicides.

Been waiting for Seth (Scord) to return to RPoL for emotional support, but he and his lady wife have their own issues going on.

I am willing to give it another try, but Verser World does not seem right for me. Nor do I think that Jacob and I would do well in a Gather due to our highly divergent posting rates.

I thought Scord's name was Hayden?



I think it could be the perfect world for any player. It's supposed to be adaptive. You don't like this person? Well, these people over here will probably be more your style.

What kind of world would you like? I really like Paintball World.

(Doing Therapy)

Might be. I see "Seth" on his Google Drive.

Paintball World is where we clashed too hard before when I considered the consequences and likely implications of a certain difference from real life.

He just explained it to me. I don't think he wants the reasons made public.



Was that Carly Rae? As I told you then, she was an aberration. I was just trying something new. What would it be like if she had a beloved Uncle Carl and you have no idea who she was.

I'm a paranoid psychotic. I come up with stupid ideas like that all the time.

But Carly Rae wouldn't be in Paintball World.

Do you have a gun? It's just a good thing to have in that world.

(Doing Therapy)

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 50):

I don't use guns. Nor do I carry knives. I would be up to studying martial arts and mystical (or psionic) defenses, but I'm not a violent person. Just because I'm of demonic heritage does not mean that I'm going to practice, much less enjoy or encourage, all of the major sins.

I should introduce you to Samantha then. Versed out at the tender age of eight. Immediately became obsessed with learning to fight. She's the one that I said knows every martial art and melee weapon she is physically capable of wielding.

How do you feel about learning to live off the land and how to blacksmith?

What's wrong with Verser World in your opinion? Three billion versers. Somebody has that exact thing you're looking for.

(Doing Therapy)

Living off of the land is fine. Forge fires and extremely light sensitive eyes do not mix so well, though I don't have any objection to learning smithcraft.

Re: Samantha.
Does the term "Mary Sue" exist in your literary vocabulary, John?

If you were to get isekaied into another world, and promptly came across a little girl who could kick the asses of the mightiest monsters and greatest warriors of the land with ease, what reason would you have to even TRY to learn to be a fighter? The knowledge would weigh you down and encourage you to look elsewhere for a place in this new world.

Not to mention what might ensue if Samantha were to learn techniques which were forbidden for good reasons. Plenty of wuxia settings have examples of inherently evil, martial art techniques which corrupt the one learning or using them. Sure, as a Mary Sue she might be immune to the corruption. But are her students so protected?


Re: Verser World.
Some players are not big on being all-powerful or even the big fish in the pond.
Some who play in superhero games prefer a more street level, local campaign. Not a cosmic one. Additionally, given Multiverser's mechanics, a world packed with nothing but versers should have been mangled by a major botch sooner, not later. Even without deliberately destructive wursers versing in and doing their things. Do you understand statistics?

Welcome back, Tadeusz!!!  Woo hoo!!!  :D

Agreeing with Oak. Welcome back, Tadeusz. I pray that your time away in real life was not marred by any personal losses.

In reply to Carl (msg # 55):

Its been good. Got another two books published, and my beard is full.  I do need to fix my front porch, and hopefully next week I pub an urban fantasy novella. I continue to strive to get closer to what Christ wants, and I continue to watch the incompetent but fascist lying clowns in DC with a detached sense of wonder.

I also enjoy reading the Arkhaven comics on line with its easy read format, and pro civilizational emphases that is not limited to superheroes.  That's a plug btw.

In reply to Eric (msg # 56):

I watch the things in DC with repulsion and horror, myself. Evil has standards too, and some of the political celebrities in America go far beyond what demonic health codes can tolerate in terms of excessive wickedness. A sense of wonder is something I'm far more likely to feel watching the natural world, or artists at work deep in their muse.

In reply to Carl (msg # 57):

There are stages, I think to dealing with Stupid Evil.

1. Shock.
2. Anger.
3. Trying to fix things.
4. Giving up and just shaking your head in detached bemusement.

That idea of a list of stages needs more work.

You just realize that all you're doing when you're trying to fix them is giving them a scapegoat for their own failures.  And  you're dignifying their idiocy with the idea that it deserves an argument when 'no' is enough.

But I have no problem with your standpoint for you.

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 58):


I'm fairly familiar with the third stage, at least when facing folks who insist on trying to get rich quickly in illegal ways. The fourth stage sounds more like my reaction to Christians blasting other Christians as Satanic (the whole Catholic vs. Protestant vs. Orthodox vs. Mormon etc. situation) and similar sectarian messes in other Heavenly religions (Sunni vs. Shia, for example, or Hebrews vs. Samaritans).

The first stage is most likely where I still am when it comes to American politics, I'm afraid.

In reply to Carl (msg # 59):

I talked to one guy today who was fixing a machine at a Taco Bell.  He said that they used to last a lot longer, even when the parts were made by Japanese, but now the part he was fixing lasted about three months.

I said we were ruled by clowns.  He agreed.

Shock at American politics is utterly reasonable.

I have breakthrough Covid, so my posting schedule may be a bit less predictable than usual...  :o

In reply to Oak (msg # 61):

Vitamin D, Ivermectin.

Don't get a Notvax.  No need to be a GMO, Genetically Modified Object.  If you got one, please don't get another one.

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 62):

That is NOT what GMO means, Tadeusz. The "O" stands for "organism." And no, the covid vaccine does not alter genes. A bit of knowledge of how DNA works would be helpful.

In reply to Carl (msg # 63):

I know. But its funnier as Object.

=====A small nursing home in Spain kept 100 percent of its elderly – with a mean age of 85 – alive despite all of them having been confirmed to have caught Covid.

Early start of treatment, regardless of the severity of patient symptoms.

    Antihistamines every 12 h: dexchlorpheniramine 2 mg, cetirizine 10 mg or loratadine 10 mg.
    Azithromycin 500 mg orally every 24 h for 3 days if there is rapid improvement, and for 6 days if the duration of symptoms is prolonged.
    If pain or fever, acetaminophen 650 mg/6–8 h.
    Nasal washing and gargling with sodium bicarbonate water (half a glass of warm water with half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate).=====

mRNA is not a vaccine.  A vaccine is a dead or attenuated virus introduced to the body to cause an antibody reaction.

There is a lot we don't know about the interaction of RNA and DNA.  Let me cut my claim down to size: We're guessing that you won't have DNA mods, and we're pretty sure we're right.  Of course, we're also the People that lie for a living so you can totally trust us.

It was the Wuhan Virus until the memo came down that this was racist.
Masks were useless until they were mandatory, but now they are only mandatory for the poor people serving the rich at some swanky party.

But we do know that a lot of vaccinated people have been having severe symptoms, myocarditis among young healthy people, and deaths.

If we end up killing more people with the NotVax than the Covid, I won't be surprised.

In reply to Eric (msg # 64):

RNA doesn't enter the nucleus by itself. The nuclear membrane is one-way (out) to it.

And personally, sodium bicarbonate water sounds nasty - taste, that is. I know that it is harmless to humans and bicarbonate is essential for keeping the blood at the proper Ph, but it tastes terrible by itself.

In reply to Carl (msg # 65):

I did not understand most of the Spartacus Letter, and I'm more knowledgeable about these sorts of things than the average layman.  But here's a bit that speaks directly to Carl's claim.  One wonders if a few years from now Dr. Fauci is going to be surprised by his committing suicide.

----We have been told that SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines cannot be integrated into the human genome, because messenger RNA cannot be turned back into DNA. This is false. There are elements in human cells called LINE-1 retrotransposons, which can indeed integrate mRNA into a human genome by endogenous reverse transcription. Because the mRNA used in the vaccines is stabilized, it hangs around in cells longer, increasing the chances for this to happen. If the gene for SARS-CoV-2 Spike is integrated into a portion of the genome that is not silent and actually expresses a protein, it is possible that people who take this vaccine may continuously express SARS-CoV-2 Spike from their somatic cells for the rest of their lives.

By inoculating people with a vaccine that causes their bodies to produce Spike in-situ, they are being inoculated with a pathogenic protein. A toxin that may cause long-term inflammation, heart problems, and a raised risk of cancers. In the long-term, it may also potentially lead to premature neurodegenerative disease.

Absolutely nobody should be compelled to take this vaccine under any circumstances, and in actual fact, the vaccination campaign must be stopped immediately.

Let's see....

Zhang L, Richards A, Barrasa MI, Hughes SH, Young RA, Jaenisch R (May 2021). "Reverse-transcribed SARS-CoV-2 RNA can integrate into the genome of cultured human cells and can be expressed in patient-derived tissues". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 118 (21): e2105968118. doi:10.1073/pnas.2105968118. PMC 8166107. PMID 33958444.

This study shows that there is the possibility of Covid-19 genes being incorporated into the host DNA, but the researchers also state: "Because we have detected only subgenomic sequences derived mainly from the 3′ end of the viral genome integrated into the DNA of the host cell, infectious virus cannot be produced from the integrated subgenomic SARS-CoV-2 sequences."


Smits N, Rasmussen J, Bodea GO, Amarilla AA, Gerdes P, Sanchez-Luque FJ, et al. (August 2021). "No evidence of human genome integration of SARS-CoV-2 found by long-read DNA sequencing". Cell Reports. 36 (7): 109530. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109530. PMC 8316065. PMID 34380018.

A follow-up study to the above, this concluded: "That we find no evidence of SARS-CoV-2 integration suggests that such events are, at most, extremely rare in vivo and therefore are unlikely to drive oncogenesis or explain post-recovery detection of the virus."


Parry R, Gifford RJ, Lytras S, Ray SC, Coin LJ (August 2021). "No evidence of SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription and integration as the origin of chimeric transcripts in patient tissues". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 118 (33): e2109066118. doi:10.1073/pnas.2109066118. PMC 8379926. PMID 34344759.

"Finally, there is no evidence of coronaviruses ever having integrated into the germline of host species, as might be expected if retrotranscription and integration occurs in nature, as systematic screening of >750 animal species failed to identify any coronavirus-derived endogenous viral elements (7)."


Yan B, Chakravorty S, Mirabelli C, Wang L, Trujillo-Ochoa JL, Chauss D, et al. (July 2021). "Host-Virus Chimeric Events in SARS-CoV-2-Infected Cells Are Infrequent and Artifactual". Journal of Virology. 95 (15): e0029421. doi:10.1128/JVI.00294-21. PMC 8274596. PMID 33980601.

"In conclusion, our findings indicate that HVC events observed in RNA-sequencing libraries from SARS-CoV-2-infected cells are extremely rare and are likely artifacts arising from random template switching of reverse transcriptase and/or sequence alignment errors. Therefore, the observed HVC events do not support SARS-CoV-2 fusion to cellular genes and/or integration into human genomes."

In reply to Carl (msg # 67):

We've shifted from never to  highly unlikely.

And this is by people who I have no reason to trust.  Is this study telling me the truth?  I lack the ability to decipher it to make sure.  So all I'm left with is skepticism.

Its not a good thing when the rational response to a Mainstream Media guy saying something is ....he's probably lying.

Or the gov't spokesperson saying something and the rational response is .....well now that we know the Official Story we can be sure that that did not happen.

Or a scientist and the rational response is......I can't trust them, they've proven themselves liars too often.

And yes, I'm aware that the Spartacus Letter could be misinformation as well.

I can trust Jesus to be good, and I can trust gov't to be evil and stupid.  Not a whole lot I can trust out there.

Blessed Birthday, Eric!  :)

In reply to Oak (msg # 69):

Thnx.

Blessed Christmas, all!  :)

In reply to Oak (msg # 71):

And soon to be Happy New Year.

I'm almost finished with my next novel.  Its about a businessman who wants to invent enough stuff and make enough wealth to stop DC from spending us into war.  The SF bit is that he has a retrocognitive time travel button on his belt so if he fails, or gets shot while being mugged or whatever, he can jump back and try again.

I just learned this from the author of the Multiverser RPG that we use for Worldwalker.

Today was JohnA1nut's birthday.

He will indeed be missed.

In reply to Oak (msg # 73):

Indeed. He was a friend who visited me.  He had a rough life, but he kept on fighting.

He's free to visit me now. I wish I had gamed with him more. I value the internet friendship we had. Maybe he got Scriffed just before the end, in this or another universe.

In reply to Scord (msg # 75):

Laugh. I'm doing the same backstory in both Oak's and Scord's games.  A peaceful people set upon by another people, and the consequences that flow from this.

And now for something completely different... a new player who is actually here for the OOC Multiverser Resources discussion...

Welcome aboard, Fenix!  :)

Thank ya kindly, Oak. Although, I've been here before under the name Brock before, so some of y'all may actually remember me. Nice to see you are still here, man.

On another note, I'd like to express my sadness at hearing of JohnA1Nut's passing. He and I were friends on Facebook before I closed down that account the first time. We used to argue with each other relentlessly about stupid things that didn't really need to be argued about. Which isn't a knock on him, because I like arguing; its invigorating. His passing explains why I couldn't find him on social media any more once I reopened that account.

I'll...miss him. :(

...and his legendary stubbornness that managed to almost rival my own. Seriously, I've never had someone challenge me for as long as he could before. I think our longest argument was actually twenty straight hours of back and forth!

Heh. Rest in peace, John. You deserve it.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:03, Sun 12 June 2022.

Huzzah! I finally get to read the Second Book Of Worlds. And now, I have a question. A Question best skipped by those who don't GM, so I'm putting it in a spoiler thingie.

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Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
If a verser is magically morphed to a creature which has a body Morph To Same Race skill and they use that skill to morph one or more additional times, and then is magically morphed back to human with an appearance identical to their original human body, they are still considered morphed (AKA, "not what they seem") to magical detections. According to the setting notes of a certain world I shall not name to avoid spoilers, the only way to undo this is to sequentially undo each morph, going through the same process in reverse. The question I then have is: What will the magical detection say if this human-turned-alien thingie-turned-different-alien-thingie-turned-human were to zygote into another setting? If the detection detects this being as morphed, does it detect ALL zygoted humans as morphed? Or does it detect the remnants of the morph despite the fact that they have an entirely different body? Or would the detection be confused, detecting it as both what they seem and not what they seem at the same time, as magical remnants cling to the soul that inhabits the new body? In that case, would the magical detection only detect the magical morphings and not the physical ones? Or does it detect the presence of changes but not the specifics, like a photo negative of what was, unless the detection also includes a temporal component?

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In reply to Fenix (msg # 79):

I could make up an answer based on...
1. Whatever seems most useful to the game at the present.
2. Whatever seems easier for the GM.

That's a way to do it, sure.

I want to figure out the most logical answer, because I foresee this issue coming up in my game with regularity in the mid-distance future, and consistency is important to me. I have a player who changes form and body traits often enough he might wind up becoming like Whisp, and I have another player who focuses on information-gathering skills including magical detections. On top of that, I run the scriff-sense as a specified skill using RS=Information, and I also allow characters to learn a Suppress Scriff Signature Skill, although I haven't told them that this is possible and none have tried yet. Though they will probably figure out it out after an encounter with a certain partly-hostile NPC verser in the next Gather I have planned. Anyway. Being able to tell who or what a given scriff signature is from its "feel" requires bypassing any defenses and also scoring a superior success. If one player keeps shifting bodies and the other fails to detect that it is the same person in the same body...I mean, sure, being on the same cycle does bonus the roll, so its easier for the players to detect each other. Well. You get it

Eh. I'm thinking the destruction of body skills when a Zygote occurs means that Bod-morphs become undetectable, but I'm less certain about magic. I think I might go with the temporal idea; the character is only detected as "not what they seem" by magical detections that follow that character backward through time to before the Zygote Experience. Anyway. Thanks man.

I'll ask MJ.

Oh, that's nice of you. I do have his email information so I could do it myself though. I kinda didn't want to bother him, since I was just corresponding with him a bunch and I'm sure he is busy. But hey, do that if you want? :)

In reply to Fenix (msg # 83):

I did. He hasn't responded yet, but I'm sure he will in a few days.

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 84):

Thanks!

In reply to Fenix (msg # 85):

There are a lot of unmentioned factors I would probably consider.
Morph to Same Race as a bod skill includes things like tadpoles and caterpillars becoming frogs and butterflies, and most magic detection spells won't pick up that this butterfly used to be a caterpillar. Of course, it also includes the ability to change your physiognomy to look like someone else, but it's still what we would call a "natural" ability. A cuttlefish can blend perfectly with the sea floor, but it's still a cuttlefish; some octopi disguise themselves as other dangerous creatures such as sea snakes, but despite this apparent morphing ability they still would detect as ordinary versions of themselves. So in that sense it very much depends on what the spell detects.

Of course, it could be a sweeping detection spell that really does say that this creature doesn't originally look like this, or should look like something else--something like a truth detection. In that case some bod morphs would be detectable. If, though, the creature is in an "ordinary form" both ways, that probably would not be detected by most magical detection spells.

Assuming the spell can detect all morphs, I would ordinarily assume that it detects the most recent one first.

Also, your final morph here was that he was magically morphed to a human that was identical to his original form. That means the original magical morph was not undone; this is a person who has been morphed several times, and even if we're detecting only magical morphs he has morphed twice, once to something inhuman and again to human.

The question is, if the original magic morph is dispelled, does he return to his original human form. Again, the answer is probably that the body morphs haven't changed what creature he was, and therefore the only issue is if somehow someone magically morphs him back to that form, is he restored to the last body he had?

And the other question is, since he learned a bod morphing skill in the other body, does he bring it with him to this one? That would mean that there were significant changes to his body that are not visible but very real.

=============Hopefully this helps.  I did not even bother to try to understand it.  Like Clint Eastwood said...a man has to know his limitations.

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 86):

Your questions and your thoughts helped whether you understood it or not. Thanks, Tadeusz.

Huh. Multiverser's magic system is usable as-is for running a game in the Harry Potter setting. The only work I have to do to prep this setting it seems is set some Biases, jot down notes on exactly how wands work, and copy down some links to various spells and monsters I might use. The way wandless magic and wordless magic works in Harry Potter already pretty much matches the relative success and sit mod system of MV.

Neat.

Hello. Long time no see Taduesz.
Sorry for not replying for a long time.
Would you be willing to continue the game you ran for me?

I just bumped that thread, in case it may be needed...  :)

In reply to Oak (msg # 90):

Not as dedicated as I used to be, but sure, Magnus.  And thx for bumping "Magnus and the Mountains" Oak.

In reply to Tadeusz (msg # 91):

Fenex.....well, we have the first draft of the book, and the short chapter where Slade faces off with a Fenex Fencing Master in the arena.

Blessed Birthday, Eric!!!  :D

In reply to Oak (msg # 93):

Thanks.

My pleasure!  :)

Blessed Birthday, Eric!!!  :D

Happy Birthday Eric!

In reply to Magnus (msg # 97):

Thanks guys.