LIVE

[afailedmurder]

Who: A & u
Where: The lobby
When: Day 58, early afternoon

[A's hanging out downstairs, looking sparkly and handsome and wizardy]

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I have an important thing to tell everyone: It turns out that all of your fortunes are the same today. Anyone who comes out and counters this live that I'm doing right now with one of their own will have an enjoyable time of it.

A rather rudimentary prediction for a prognosticator of my ability, I know, but it can't be helped; I am only a messenger for the powers that be. But please, if you disagree with my fortune or feel this live is not up to AlcheME! standard, feel free to come and prove me wrong. I'll be here all afternoon.

Comments

[COUNTER LIVE - Academic debate]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Can you really call it fortune if it's almost a guaranteed result? At what probability percentage is a fortune no longer considered a fortune?

[afailedmurder]

Well, it would have to be more likely than can be reasonably predicted via statistical means. I'm flattered you think that an enjoyable time is an almost guaranteed result, but that's hardly an objective assessment, is it? Do you have the numbers on hand?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

You throw a counter-live, you get points. Points are money. Money buys happiness - or basic goods in Idol Hell. Does that not equate to an enjoyable time?

As for an actual number, that's difficult to calculate since the fortune itself can skew the probability of it occurring. Let's say you told me I would meet a stranger with green eyes that would alter the course of my future. Wouldn't I then be on the lookout for people with green eyes and therefore, the fortune becomes true because I'm fucking with the odds.

[afailedmurder]

You could interpret it that way, but that wasn't my intended meaning when I made the prediction.

That's true. Though you know, self-fulfilling prophecy is a normal part of fortunetelling tradition. Have you ever had the chance to delve into Greek mythology?

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Have my hands full dealing with Heaven and Hell bullshit first.

[afailedmurder]

Fair enough. Though I don't find it to be a total waste of time, as Christianity did crib a number of notes from older faiths. But I digress! My point is, self-fulfilling prophecy is an accepted and expected part of the fortunetelling practice.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Accepted by who? Is there a fortune teller council? Can I go file a fucking complaint?

Re: [COUNTER LIVE - Academic debate]

[columbidaring]

A fortune still counts as a fortune even if it's so vague as to be almost completely guaranteed, I think!

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

So completely idiotic statements like "You will see another person today" could count as a fortune?

[columbidaring]

I mean, not a very good fortune, but for sure. 'There's money in your future' too.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

And should we allow bad fortunes to exist if we know from the start that they're fucking bad?

[columbidaring]

Without bad fortunes there would be no context to filter out the good ones.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Thus perpetuating the cycle of low quality fortunes.

Fucking lazy.

If you eliminate the bad ones, then mediocre fortunes become bad fortunes. And then you can eliminate the new "bad ones", and over time, you've improved the quality of fortunes by multiple magnitudes even if you haven't changed your descriptors for them.

Re: [COUNTER LIVE - Academic debate]

[boomgoesthebirdy]

Aren't most fortunes just intentionally vague wording meant to cover as many bases as possible in the first place? So you can say, "Ah hah! That fortune said so, it must be true."

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Whose side are you on here? Theirs or mine?

[boomgoesthebirdy]

Yours, probably. Unless their side's more entertaining.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

So you agree that vague statements that will probably come true anyway are lousy fortunes?

[boomgoesthebirdy]

Oh yeah, definitely. Fortune telling is a con act.

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

All of it? Or just a part?

Re: [COUNTER LIVE - Academic debate]

[crossmyheartandhope]

It's totally a fortune, cause if you don't run a counter-live, you don't get the luck.

Re: [COUNTER LIVE - Academic debate]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

But someone could have an enjoyable time without running a counter live, because it's debatable whether it's easier to breathe or participate in an AlcheME! live.

Re: [COUNTER LIVE - Academic debate]

[crossmyheartandhope]

But the fortune's only valid if you do run a counter-live, so if you don't you don't have a good time. It's like an either-or kinda thing.

Re: [COUNTER LIVE - Academic debate]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Preposterous.

I could have not run a counter live and spent the entire time terrorizing A. That would have still be a good time for me.

Re: [COUNTER LIVE - Academic debate]

[crossmyheartandhope]

But now you get three hundred points and you get to terrorize A, so you're having a better time cause you get to buy something you want later.

Re: [COUNTER LIVE - Academic debate]

[bluescreenwhitedragon]

Maybe if I had the right counter live for terrorizing. Now we're just arguing over pointless shit that doesn't matter.