megane-kun

I had to play my own evil doppelganger in my DM’s campaign.

My character got kidnapped and got replaced by a copy, which was there to spy on the party (the DM only gave me enough info to work with at the beginning). I was given some powers which my character didn’t have and started to abuse them. The DM specifically allowed for infinite uses of “Detect Thoughts” (lvl 2 spell, which I only had three uses at level 6), which I put to maximum use, on every NPC encounter the party had.

It seemed that none of the other players noticed, so I started putting on more chaos and evil in “chaotic evil doppelganger”. I started having them act in a more sadistic and erratic manner, but still no effect.

I started asking other players (out of the game) what if there were an impostor in the party, but not much response. The only halfway decent response I got is a “who cares, if they’re helping the party, it shouldn’t matter.” I gave up at that point. My character, and the one the doppelganger is a copy of, is the party healer.

I got used to playing him normally (me, the player handling the doppelganger as if it were the original, just with more powers, and a slight personality alteration) until the DM informed me that it’s time to pull off the reveal.

I was caught by surprise, but I knew I had to do my part.

After what was supposed to be the boss battle, the DM gave me the signal and I said “It’s been fun, guys, it really was, but unfortunately…”

The rest of the party was alarmed, and the DM had me fight the party, with monsters coming to my aid. Now, the party’s out of a healer, and had to fight a horde of monsters.

Some of the other player characters (based on their characterization) were reluctant to fight my doppleganger, but I tried my best to goad them into fighting.

My character isn’t the best fighter, but I did an effort. I knew the party’s weakest link (my original character) but also, how the glass cannons worked. So I started directing the monsters to target them first. It was a close fight, but teetering on a TPK. The DM then introduced my original character (controlled by the DM temporarily) who swopped in to save the day.

There were lots of swearing after the DM ended the session that day.

Read all the chapters in one go, and I noticed what the author might have cooked up had this not gotten the axe.

An wasn’t depressed at when she met Hiiragi. An was just overwhelmed, but this meeting set-up An’s presence in Hiiragi’s life. It was An’s infectious cheerfulness and plucky attitude that got rubbed off Hiiragi. Even the manager’s gruff and no-nonsense attitude helped as well.

Shiriaishi likely would have been Hiiragi’s foil, and would have served a couple of purposes: to remind Hiiragi of her progress thus far, and a way for her to pay it forward. Shiraishi would also help An move forward by identifying (through analogy, I suppose) which areas she would need more work in–not through rumination, but by witnessing someone else act in the way they’ve been acting.

Calm and contented

For nothing happened today.

I am satisfied

Me and a few of my partymates had the message cantrip, and I pointed out that due to the cantrip’s effects, we can virtually “have a telepathic group chat” via those of us who have the cantrip.

At first, I tried to stick to the illusion that I act as an intermediary to those in my range but doesn’t have the cantrip, and that I identify myself before I speak up (“Megane here… blah blah blah”).

The more it went on, the more the facade broke and eventually we were just discussing strategy under the assumption that it’s “message-mediated”.

The DM allowed it, and later gave all party members an artifact that has the following effects:

• anyone with the artifact can telepathically send a message to everyone else who has the artifact (within range)
• those who have the artifact can hear any and all such messages sent through the artifact (within range)

Later on, even the range stipulation was handwaved off (within limits—basically those who are in the same scene are assumed to be in range of each other).

Near the end of the campaign, the DM reminded us through an NPC that we’re all “staring off into the distance” whenever we use this telepathic “group chat”. We basically forgot to talk to each other normally (in character).

“Instantiation” would be my guess.

But Peking duck is known as part of Chinese cuisine, right?

Ah hell, I’ll take it. Peking duck slices on sushi rice, or a peking duck rice bowl with char siu sauce or whatever. Maybe char siu-stuffed nigiri. Think of the possibilities!!

I’ve got to go think about it for a second, and then I get to realize what it meant.

I almost ate the onion here. I thought it’s the band who wrote the paper they submitted for peer review—and which they put into practice via their music.

Something like a polyrhythmic approximations to Pi where the music’s time signature started off as 3/1, then 22/7, and then 333/106 etc.

IDK, I’m neither a music nor a maths guy.

EDIT:

A word.

I remember making an essay about how Boxxo had some issues he had to deal with first, and how I am looking forward to the anime showing him dealing with those issues with the help of Huelmy, Lammis, Michael (who seems to be the most well-adjusted guy in the group–if it weren’t for his speaking hang-ups), and the others.

I remember noting that Boxxo doesn’t even mind remaining a vending machine forever, and likely doesn’t even want to turn back to being a human. And that not getting telepathy is a sign of this.

The thing is, I was thinking it’s actually real–not satire, but tone-deaf “poverty roleplaying” performative “see? I know what the poors are experiencing” kind of thing.

That this wasn’t even limited to this internet age, that this had precedence back in the gilded age: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/04/poverty-party-invitations-from-the-gilded-age.html

I’ve heard of such a thing also during the Great Depression, where rich socialites threw “poverty parties” while there’s actual hunger everywhere else.

International Agape, I guess? Love will save the world and all that shit.

Same! I was thinking someone was thinking: “oh, those guests might want to experience the Real Amazon™ experience!”

Relocated as soon as I can after the announcement. The only ones (of mine) coming down with the ee ship are my posts and comments–probably.

Thanks for the information.

I am not so much concerned as the usability of the Hepburn romanization as it’s survived the test of time, but if I am remembering it correctly, Kunrei-shiki was chosen because of this one-to-one lossless transcription between the Japanese kana and the transcription. Hence, I was wondering if this is still a concern, and whether or not there are steps to address this if ever this is still a concern.

Might there be efforts to address some of the issues surrounding the Hepburn romanization when it comes information loss especially when there’s a kana → romanization → kana roundtrip?

For example:

• ジ ⇒ ji
• ヂ ⇒ ji
• ji ⇒ ジ (?)

Beavers’ Columbia. Makes sense.

No cakes in this account (2025 Jun 4).

And I never caught my other accounts’ cake days (2023 June 6, 2023 July 4, 2023 August 15). Was only reminded of that due to this post’s OP image.

Huh, that’s not a browser, but I’ll take a look at it nonetheless. I am currently using Alexandrite as a browser frontend though. But thanks!

(In terms of this survey, IDK where‌ browser frontends should be placed, I am not sure if it should be here or its own top-level category)

Floorp

The left part looks like one the safety square or fire diamond you see in chemical containers and facilities processing hazardous chemicals, but with the squares filled with pictograms.