Choose You This Day Your Destiny

[ArlEammon]

A "god" is simultaneously annoyed and amused with your antics. He has given you the ability to become extremely powerful, to say the least. Actually, when you here the gods's voice you are frozen, unable to move, while the god confronts you in your mind.

He goes on to explain that you have made him incredibly angry with you, but because of some actions of yours that you will never be able to learn or remember, he is also extremely gracious to you. On the other hand, he explains; he can't let you get away with your disgusting "misdeeds" whatever they were, and he never explains them to you.

So he gives you a "Choice", from a list of choices below:
Each Choice carries it's own consequences, both of them have their benefits and disadvantages. Both involve immortality.

Nihilist Paragon:
"The whole world is going bye bye and you're included."
Through giving in to pure despair, you are able to replace your positive feelings, with negative feelings of loss and sorrow. (You feel very, very bad, on average, like the world has wronged you.) The result is a replacement of pure destructive power, making you as powerful with Black Magic as a High End Marvel Cosmic Entity. You will eventually refill your soul with positive things after your curse/blessing, if you want to, but it will take centuries for that to occur, and you will carry psychological scars from your curse even after recovering your soul. In other words, you feel pain at first from having your soul ripped out, but you gain great power from it and eventually can get it back, albeit with great lingering pain on the side.

Cosmic Savant:
"I am the rock of the eternal shore, crash upon me and be broken!"
You are a Mystra-esque entity. . . An extremely powerful master of magic, and a living force of magical energy, with literally infinite potential for power (like the Nihilist, in a different way.) You have the ability to cause changes in all nature at your whim with spells, gestures, incantations, etcetera. You can make the Chaos gods look like street magicians, eventually. The catch. . You are totally incapable of being understood or relating to other people. In the beginning, you may lose all of your relationships, and have to painfully accept that only with extreme focus, effort and discipline will you be able to get others. In fact, you can associate yourself with inanimate objects or something silly more than you can with other people. In addition, things that you understand about the universe and all things flood your soul. Although potentially powerful, you begin this transition to an Ultimate Being in a mental state of devastation, and you end up in an insane Asylum.

Choose you this day your destiny

The god mentally tells you that until you choose, you will be forever locked into an eternal prison.

[Mystic Muse]

B regardless of whether I can reject immortality. If I can't, I can help as many people as possible while there are still people to help. If I can, I'd ask for the caveat that it would only happen once I could no longer help anybody.

[ArlEammon]

B regardless of whether I can reject immortality. If I can't, I can help as many people as possible while there are still people to help. If I can, I'd ask for the caveat that it would only happen once I could no longer help anybody.

Why's that. . .you'll alway be able to help people as an Eldritch Horror. You just become unable to be understood by anyone.

[Mystic Muse]

Why's that. . .you'll alway be able to help people as an Eldritch Horror. You just become unable to be understood by anyone.

Why would I want to die once there wasn't anybody left to help? Because once there's nobody left, there isn't much to do.

EDIT: The Nihilist Paragon doesn't appeal to me because even though I can have actual relationships, it sounds like I'll be guilty of horrible crimes if I choose it.

plus, I've been told that time goes faster the older you are so eventually, relationships will be about as significant to me as one night stands.

[ArlEammon]

Why would I want to die once there wasn't anybody left to help? Because once there's nobody left, there isn't much to do.

Well, I did say that you "eventually" become the greatest there is at what you do. Just that, you start out as "just" an extremely powerful magician at first.

[ghost_warlock]

The only thing is pain.

[Mystic Muse]

Well, I did say that you "eventually" become the greatest there is at what you do. Just that, you start out as "just" an extremely powerful magician at first.

What exactly does this have to do with not wanting to be alive after literally everybody in the entire universe is dead? I can only entertain myself for so long.

[ArlEammon]

What exactly does this have to do with not wanting to be alive after literally everybody in the entire universe is dead? I can only entertain myself for so long.

You can make new guys.

[Mystic Muse]

You can make new guys.

It just wouldn't feel the same. I'd feel more like they were constructs than actual people. Plus, at the point where everybody else is dead, 80 years to me then would probably be like an hour to me now. If what I'd heard is true. Even if it isn't, it would still feel like cheating.

[ghost_warlock]

You can make new guys.

Why bother? They'll just die anyway.

[ArlEammon]

Why bother? They'll just die anyway.

Simple. . . Eventually, with option 2, you could make guys you could actually associate with. Eventually. It could take an infinite number of cycles for that to be achieved but you'd still be around.

[ghost_warlock]

Simple. . . Eventually, with option 2, you could make guys you could actually associate with. Eventually. It could take an infinite number of cycles for that to be achieved but you'd still be around.

Seems like a lot of work to go to for a bunch of bleating minions that'll inevitably just annoy you with their ceaseless whining and pleading.

"Oh, Great One, ensure victory for my team in this fleeting and ultimately meaningless sporting event."
"Grand Cause, I could totally use that ivory-handled back scratcher!"
"Exalted Master, what's up with the weather these days?"

:smallsigh: =P

[Mystic Muse]

Seems like a lot of work to go to for a bunch of bleating minions that'll inevitably just annoy you with their ceaseless whining and pleading.

"Oh, Great One, ensure victory for my team in this fleeting and ultimately meaningless sporting event."
"Grand Cause, I could totally use that ivory-handled back scratcher!"
"Exalted Master, what's up with the weather these days?"

:smallsigh: =P

This, and I have reasons I wouldn't do so that I can't go into on this board.

[DeadManSleeping]

#2 easily. And then, the first order of business is to use my ultimate cosmic power to destroy this vile "god" that annoys me. Following that, I will create myself an 'avatar' that serves to interface between me and humanity, since I now seem to have trouble with it. Shouldn't be hard. Basically all I have to do is affect some human baby to have a psychic connection to me, or something similar, so it grows up with a human mindset, but still linked to me.

Following all that, I will use my cosmic power to get my avatar to rule the world, legitimately. Humans will believe in my avatar as their 'god' (since, obviously, he'll be immortal) whilst I manipulate things behind the scenes. I'll probably show up on Earth in person all the time, but in disguise. For funsies.

Basically, thanks to my avatar, I get to bypass this whole alienation thing. And I can always make more than one avatar if I don't feel like ruling the world all the time.

See? Easy. No need for soul-ripping.

[Drakevarg]

Either follow DeadManSleeping's suggestion, or tell the entity offering this choice to shove it where the sun don't shine and sit in Limbo forever. :smallannoyed:

[SDF]

Can you time travel with either of them? Cause if so the first one. I would keep destroying things in the 80's while I was being emo or whatever. Then perpetually live in the 90's with cheat codes on once I chilled out, or got out of puberty or whatever.

[Kobold-Bard]

Cosmic Savant every time. Relationships with other people are a reasonable price to pay for ultimate cosmic power. I'd rather be happy and alone than miserable and surrounded by people.

[Haruki-kun]

Both of them end up with me in extreme despair. I think I'd rather let the angry god kill me.

Death > B > A

[Telonius]

I'd pick A, since I've already been through a milder version of the process (on the personal level, not the universal).

[Lord Vampyre]

Either option would work for me. When you're a Cosmic Savant and you have ultimate power, it really doesn't matter if you can relate to other people. As for the Nihilist Paragon, we tend to measure our lives by the amount of pain we felt during our lives. Without sorrow, or an understanding of sorrow, joy has no meaning.

So if the question is whether I would choose pain over insanity, then I would have to go for both.

[ArlEammon]

Either option would work for me. When you're a Cosmic Savant and you have ultimate power, it really doesn't matter if you can relate to other people. As for the Nihilist Paragon, we tend to measure our lives by the amount of pain we felt during our lives. Without sorrow, or an understanding of sorrow, joy has no meaning.

So if the question is whether I would choose pain over insanity, then I would have to go for both.

And, you feel good with the use of your destructive powers. Is that in thye OP anywhere?

[ghost_warlock]

And, you feel good with the use of your destructive powers. Is that in thye OP anywhere?

Also, you get to break all of the Comical Savant's toys. What's 'e gonna do about it, make more toys for you to break? :smallcool:

[Kobold-Bard]

Also, you get to break all of the Comical Savant's toys. What's 'e gonna do about it, make more toys for you to break? :smallcool:

Create an infinite supply of toys for you to break. Then make my actual toys that I want to play with. Since you can't destroy all the toys coz their infinite I don't have to worry about the Nihilist anymore.

[VeisuItaTyhjyys]

The only thing is pain.

Oh, man, having been away for a while, I forgot how awesome your posts were.

I'm leaning towards A, but, honestly, I feel like with either option I'd just end up using my cosmic powers to create really, really great shoegaze/black metal albums.

More seriously, this seems to be a choice between melancholia and genius, respectively. I guess I'd pick melancholia.

[Starfols]

you are frozen, unable to move
Joke. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC8zz95rm8s)

Nihilist Paragon:
I don't understand. Is the destruction and your soul restoration correlated, or is it a 'find the ultron and you're golden' kind of thing? :smallconfused:

Cosmic Savant:
This seems like the better choice. Lack of being able to relate is a pretty arbitrary penalty, and I pretty much already have that. Both paths will inevitably involve isolation, so why not make that your only penalty? Surely you will find a workaround with your ultimate arcane power.

The god mentally tells you that until you choose, you will be forever locked into an eternal prison.
What's in here? This one might actually be the best choice, depending on the conditions. This guy isn't getting any jollies from me. :smallannoyed::smalltongue:

[ghost_warlock]

Create an infinite supply of toys for you to break. Then make my actual toys that I want to play with. Since you can't destroy all the toys coz their infinite I don't have to worry about the Nihilist anymore.

Why can't I just break the ones you're having fun playing with? :smallconfused: It's not like I'm going to be stuck compulsively breaking random toys until the sun comes up and I turn to ash.



Oh, man, having been away for a while, I forgot how awesome your posts were.

I'm leaning towards A, but, honestly, I feel like with either option I'd just end up using my cosmic powers to create really, really great shoegaze/black metal albums.

More seriously, this seems to be a choice between melancholia and genius, respectively. I guess I'd pick melancholia.

Welcome back, may your stay be clement. :smallcool:

Also... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbrMnj51HIk)

[Kobold-Bard]

Why can't I just break the ones you're having fun playing with? :smallconfused: It's not like I'm going to be stuck compulsively breaking random toys until the sun comes up and I turn to ash.

Because since (as a Cosmic Savant) I'm alone already, I create a sphere of infinite toys around me, meaning you can never get to me because there's always more toys to destroy in the sphere.

[ghost_warlock]

Because since (as a Cosmic Savant) I'm alone already, I create a sphere of infinite toys around me, meaning you can never get to me because there's always more toys to destroy in the sphere.

But I can simply destroy the Strong Nuclear Force and instantly destroy all of them since the universe is no longer capable of sustaining atoms.

[Ponderthought]

I would choose A in a snap. Then, use my powers to construct a fleet of starships and lead my people to conquer the Cosmos. Should be an interesting diversion.

"We will spread our codes to the stars!"

[Kobold-Bard]

But I can simply destroy the Strong Nuclear Force and instantly destroy all of them since the universe is no longer capable of sustaining atoms.

Good thing I had an infinite number of contingencies that make a new one .0001 of a second before anyone destroys the previous one.

This is why cosmic entities shouldn't fight, always ends up in stalemate :smalltongue:

[ghost_warlock]

Good thing I had an infinite number of contingencies that make a new one .0001 of a second before anyone destroys the previous one.

This is why cosmic entities shouldn't fight, always ends up in stalemate :smalltongue:

Great, so now I guess we're trapped in a ceaseless cycle of meaningless creation and destruction. This is bound to be a fantastic eternity.

But it's not like I have anything better to do, considering nobody bothered to make me some toys of my own, or invite me over to play. Trapped in constant agony, it's not like I can be expected to be forward-thinking enough to ask.

Oh, that's right, apparently you're completely without ability to empathize with others, so you'd probably never even consider that I might want to play.

Well, I guess enjoy your toys for the fraction of a second you'll have to play with them.

Guess it sucks to be us, huh?

[VeisuItaTyhjyys]

One must imagine Sisyphus as either inconsolable or completely incapable of understanding happiness.

[Kobold-Bard]

Great, so now I guess we're trapped in a ceaseless cycle of meaningless creation and destruction. This is bound to be a fantastic eternity.

But it's not like I have anything better to do, considering nobody bothered to make me some toys of my own, or invite me over to play. Trapped in constant agony, it's not like I can be expected to be forward-thinking enough to ask.

Oh, that's right, apparently you're completely without ability to empathize with others, so you'd probably never even consider that I might want to play.

Well, I guess enjoy your toys for the fraction of a second you'll have to play with them.

Guess it sucks to be us, huh?

Pretty much, yep. Looking back we probably should have told him to shove it and stayed in the eternal prison with everyone else really.

[ghost_warlock]

One must imagine Sisyphus as either inconsolable or completely incapable of understanding happiness.

At least he's got a nice rock and a hill. All I've got's a stinky kobold and some broken toys. :smallmad:

:smalltongue:

[Coidzor]

Well, in the eternal prison there's not a whole lot on TV, either. :smallannoyed:

[DeadManSleeping]

Great, so now I guess we're trapped in a ceaseless cycle of meaningless creation and destruction. This is bound to be a fantastic eternity.

But it's not like I have anything better to do, considering nobody bothered to make me some toys of my own, or invite me over to play. Trapped in constant agony, it's not like I can be expected to be forward-thinking enough to ask.

Oh, that's right, apparently you're completely without ability to empathize with others, so you'd probably never even consider that I might want to play.

Well, I guess enjoy your toys for the fraction of a second you'll have to play with them.

Guess it sucks to be us, huh?

I thought we weren't allowed discussion of real-world religions here?

[Kobold-Bard]

I thought we weren't allowed discussion of real-world religions here?

How is that real world religion? It's me vs. Ghost warlock, and as far as I know we're not really deities :smallconfused:

[DeadManSleeping]

Good-but-unrelatable god versus evil-but-humanlike god isn't a real-world religion? I guess I must have misread some things.

P.S. Yes I'm being silly, guys.

[ghost_warlock]

>.>
<.<


SUDDENLY!
http://i461.photobucket.com/albums/qq339/ghost_warlock/overloaded.jpg

Choose your destiny, indeed!

[Coidzor]

Oh 12 Gods, not the Derp Mr. Saturn BOING Fish! :smalleek:

[druid91]

I would choose both, and then conquer the multiverse.

Or if I absolutely had to pick one I would pick the second, and become sarda the sage.

[Mystic Muse]

Or if I absolutely had to pick one I would pick the second, and become sarda the sage.

"Do you know what the best thing about magic is? Everything."

[Mewtarthio]

Can we really say that we'll survive this choice in any meaningful way, though? Really, it boils down to either I am destroyed along with the entire universe or I cease to exist while being assured that an all-powerful sociopath will get to run the universe from now on.

I would stick with the eternal prison. At least I'd refuse to give him an answer until he tells me what exactly the point of it is. If I happen to go insane while waiting, it's not like the alternatives are any better.