8||0|1979|0|yes
0|0|0|||1||On Curses and Predestination|Gryphon||20:38:31|07/30/2008|This came up in one of the %22Ask G Anything%22 threads over on eyrie.private-mail%2C and I figured I ought to repost it over here in case there%27s %5Bi%5DSymphony%5B%2Fi%5D-watchers who aren%27t following the goings-on over there.%0D%0A%0D%0AWengFook asked%3A%0D%0A%3EThat mark of failure on Akio%27s brow... is it really working as %0D%0A%3Eintended%3F%0D%0A%0D%0AAn %C6sir curse is a curious thing and difficult to fathom.  There is a certain element of rhetoric in the wording%3B in fact%2C when you get right down to it%2C what you say out loud when you invoke it is irrelevant%2C because you don%27t %5Bi%5Dhave%5B%2Fi%5D to say anything at all.  So what Corwin said ought not to be taken literally.%0D%0A%0D%0AAt the same time%2C such a curse does represent one of the most significant karmic burdens a soul can be compelled to carry.  The undying hatred of a god is a very heavy thing to carry uphill%2C metaphorically speaking%2C and it%27s given all of Akio%27s endeavors since a kind of Sisyphean quality.  It takes a very determined spirit%2C one willing to endure a great deal of punishment%2C to accomplish anything hauling such an anchor behind.%0D%0A%0D%0AStill%2C it clearly hasn%27t crippled Akio entirely.  Since receiving that curse%2C he%27s built an %5Bi%5Dentire plane of existence%5B%2Fi%5D - a fairly small one in terms of absolute square-mileage%2C but still%2C when was the last time %5Bi%5Dyou%5B%2Fi%5D created even a small universe%3F  Yeah%2C he%27s had a lot of shit go wrong in frustrating ways%2C and even Oriphos didn%27t quite come out the way he wanted %28that red sky%2C for instance%2C isn%27t what he was going for at all%29%2C but still%2C he%27s getting some stuff done.%0D%0A%0D%0AAs Corwin and his friends have learned to their cost too many times to forget it again%2C only a fool %5Bi%5Dever%5B%2Fi%5D counts Akio Ohtori out before the absolute end of the game.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Admin%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D
1|1|0|||||RE%3A On Curses and Predestination|Star Ranger4||22:25:24|07/30/2008|You know%2C G...  Thats actually kind of scary when you think about it in terms of if he%27s done this much laboring under the curse...  just what sort of mahyem could he have enabled without its limiting influance.%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0A%0D%0ABrrrr.........
2|1|0|||1||RE%3A On Curses and Predestination|WengFook||23:43:39|07/30/2008|Replying here since the other thread should be reserved for new questions %3AD%0D%0A%0D%0A%3EAt the same time%2C such a curse does represent one of the most %0D%0A%3Esignificant karmic burdens a soul can be compelled to carry.  The %0D%0A%3Eundying hatred of a god is a very heavy thing to carry uphill%2C %0D%0A%3Emetaphorically speaking%2C and it%27s given all of Akio%27s endeavors since %0D%0A%3Ea kind of Sisyphean quality.  It takes a very determined spirit%2C one %0D%0A%3Ewilling to endure a great deal of punishment%2C to accomplish anything %0D%0A%3Ehauling such an anchor behind. %0D%0A%0D%0AI can totally respect that amount of willpower to not give in under that kind of odds. %0D%0A%0D%0A%3EStill%2C it clearly hasn%27t crippled Akio entirely.  Since receiving that %0D%0A%3Ecurse%2C he%27s built an %5Bi%5Dentire plane of existence%5B%2Fi%5D - a fairly small %0D%0A%3Eone in terms of absolute square-mileage%2C but still%2C when was the last %0D%0A%3Etime %5Bi%5Dyou%5B%2Fi%5D created even a small universe%3F  Yeah%2C he%27s had a lot %0D%0A%3Eof shit go wrong in frustrating ways%2C and even Oriphos didn%27t quite %0D%0A%3Ecome out the way he wanted %28that red sky%2C for instance%2C isn%27t what he %0D%0A%3Ewas going for at all%29%2C but still%2C he%27s getting some stuff done. %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EAs Corwin and his friends have learned to their cost too many times to %0D%0A%3Eforget it again%2C only a fool %5Bi%5Dever%5B%2Fi%5D counts Akio Ohtori out before %0D%0A%3Ethe absolute end of the game. %0D%0A%0D%0AYeah I understand that Akio has accomplished quite a lot even laboring under the curse. He has enjoyed some small victories here and there. The thing is that they are%2C in the grand scale of everything%2C they feel like small victories.%0D%0A%0D%0ASo far%2C to me a least%2C he has come off like a great and powerful tiger%2C with all his fangs and claws pulled out. Yes the tiger can still maul and crush a person but a lot of the danger has been removed from the equation. %0D%0A%0D%0AA lot of Akio%27s encounters with the heroes in the symphony have been martial encounters%2C A lot of maneuvering to get them where he wants them and then a duel of some sort occurs. Aside from the time when he first had Anthy in his control way back in the buildup to Knights of the Tenth World. Akio hasn%27t really had the heroes dancing in the palm of his hand and savoring victory before the rug gets pulled out from under him. I mean literally snatching defeat from the jaws of victory here. %3AD %0D%0A%0D%0AYup. I%27m definitely not going to count Akio out of the equation. He still has a lot of clout where it matters%2C He has a whole selection of tools and people at his disposal that can give a person a really bad day. But%2C he feels kind of like a clearly defined miniboss %2Acough%2Aspeedbump%2Acough%2A on the way to the bigger threats in the universe %3As  %0D%0A%0D%0A_____________________________________________%0D%0A%22Walls are meant to be broken.%22 - makes sense both figuratively and literally.%0D%0A
3|2|2|||1||RE%3A On Curses and Predestination|Gryphon||00:03:23|07/31/2008|%3ESo far%2C to me a least%2C he has come off like a great and powerful %0D%0A%3Etiger%2C with all his fangs and claws pulled out. Yes the tiger can %0D%0A%3Estill maul and crush a person but a lot of the danger has been removed %0D%0A%3Efrom the equation. %0D%0A%0D%0AOr maybe that%27s what the tiger %5Bi%5Dwants%5B%2Fi%5D you to think.%0D%0A%0D%0A%3EYup. I%27m definitely not going to count Akio out of the equation. He %0D%0A%3Estill has a lot of clout where it matters%2C He has a whole selection of %0D%0A%3Etools and people at his disposal that can give a person a really bad %0D%0A%3Eday. But%2C he feels kind of like a clearly defined miniboss %0D%0A%3E%2Acough%2Aspeedbump%2Acough%2A on the way to the bigger threats in the %0D%0A%3Euniverse %3As %0D%0A%0D%0AHere%27s something to keep in mind.%0D%0A%0D%0AThis was the second movement of %5Bi%5DSymphony No. 5%5B%2Fi%5D.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe three others that have been completed have had seven.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Admin%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D
4|3|3|||||RE%3A On Curses and Predestination|VA_Wanderer||15:20:07|07/31/2008|It%27s worth noting to me that the one thing that is NOT likely bedeviled %28ahem%29 much in Akio%27s case...is the mind. And of all the claws and teeth that would have made him %22harmless%22 pulled%2C that was not. Plenty of evil things have minions for the heavy lifting. Certainly Akio does.
5|1|0|||1||RE%3A On Curses and Predestination|Ardaniel||16:20:07|07/31/2008|%3EAt the same time%2C such a curse does represent one of the most %0D%0A%3Esignificant karmic burdens a soul can be compelled to carry.  The %0D%0A%3Eundying hatred of a god is a very heavy thing to carry uphill%2C %0D%0A%3Emetaphorically speaking%2C and it%27s given all of Akio%27s endeavors since %0D%0A%3Ea kind of Sisyphean quality.  %0D%0A%0D%0AThose of you who are White Wolf fans might consider this something like an epic-level version of the nocker flaw in first-edition %5Bi%5DChangeling%5B%2Fi%5D%2C if that helps any.%0D%0A%0D%0AArd Collier%0D%0Athat Janice chick%0D%0AUsual Suspect and general menace
8|2|5|||1||RE%3A On Curses and Predestination|Verbena||23:30:00|07/31/2008|%3E%3EAt the same time%2C such a curse does represent one of the most %0D%0A%3E%3Esignificant karmic burdens a soul can be compelled to carry.  The %0D%0A%3E%3Eundying hatred of a god is a very heavy thing to carry uphill%2C %0D%0A%3E%3Emetaphorically speaking%2C and it%27s given all of Akio%27s endeavors since %0D%0A%3E%3Ea kind of Sisyphean quality.  %0D%0A%3E%0D%0A%3EThose of you who are White Wolf fans might consider this something %0D%0A%3Elike an epic-level version of the nocker flaw in first-edition %0D%0A%3E%5Bi%5DChangeling%5B%2Fi%5D%2C if that helps any. %0D%0A%0D%0AI remember that well. Nockers were cursed such that anything they made could work fantastic--except for one nagging little flaw%2C that can never be gotten rid of. Nothing they create would ever be totally%2C honestly%2C 100%25 perfect%2C no matter how well they rolled.%0D%0A%0D%0ASounds like Akio%27s got plenty of wiggling room--but he can never win permanently.%0D%0A%0D%0A%22They say one should not speak unkindly of the dead%2C so I say%2C %27nice try%27.%22 --Lezard
6|1|0|||1||RE%3A On Curses and Predestination|MOGSY||16:59:57|07/31/2008|Oops.  Wrote my reply in the %22Ask G anything%22 thread%2C and it was post no. 51 there.  Apologies.%0D%0A
7|2|6|||1||RE%3A On Curses and Predestination|Gryphon||17:31:04|07/31/2008|%3EOops.  Wrote my reply in the %22Ask G anything%22 thread%2C and it was post %0D%0A%3Eno. 51 there.  Apologies. %0D%0A%0D%0AIt%27s not an emergency.  Icon aside%2C nothing catches on fire when threads go over 50.  It%27s just a guideline we like to try and maintain to make loading the tree easier on dial-up users.%0D%0A%0D%0A--G.%0D%0A-%3E%3C-%0D%0ABenjamin D. Hutchins%2C Co-Founder%2C Editor-in-Chief%2C %26 Forum Admin%0D%0AEyrie Productions%2C Unlimited  http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eyrie-productions.com%2F%0D%0A%5Bi%5DCeterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.%5B%2Fi%5D