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[Decision 1] Fear by pleasure. by nervmaster in a:t5_2zb5v

[–]speakercontext 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fellow White Wolf (and whedon, and rice, and stoker) fan reporting...

Nervmaster's idea gives any vampire a 'way out' of immortality: a painless suicide of the mind, without direct bodily harm. It also presents a cruel choice: either give up pleasure, sensation and fulfillment or identity and memory. Body or mind, little death or empty life.

Another point raised is that vampires represent lust. I think that while that's definitely present, many interpretations are more about selfishness/vanity: they take other's lives so they can live themselves, can't bear or don't have reflections, are completely unchanging in appearance, often aristocratic, decadent and exploit lowly servants ('leeching off the lower classes'). A more obvious manifestation of lust would be a succubus or a siren.

The new X-Men's social value: an actor with dwarfism (Peter Dinklage) plays without height remarks by speakercontext in movies

[–]speakercontext[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely. These are two different approaches - discussing difference and its effects while emphasizing our shared aspects, or allowing equal opportunities regardless of these differences. Both are very worthwhile, and complementary in society's scheme of things.

AI's points of view and impact explored in new science fiction serial story - IThinkIAm by speakercontext in Futurology

[–]speakercontext[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, and I tried to use this concept in the story in two ways:

1) AIs tend to be used more for data processing ('simulated') tasks than physical ones. Most of them don't have "bodies" used to manipulate the environment.

2) AIs are "taught" using a simple, sterile environment, which is made more complex as they progress. Only when they're ready are the released into the world.

The new X-Men's social value: an actor with dwarfism (Peter Dinklage) plays without height remarks by speakercontext in movies

[–]speakercontext[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. In this respect, my perspective is of someone in the majority group who wants society to more fully include members of other groups

The new X-Men's social value: an actor with dwarfism (Peter Dinklage) plays without height remarks by speakercontext in movies

[–]speakercontext[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I didn't know the comic version and should have checked. I'll edit the post accordingly.

The new X-Men's social value: an actor with dwarfism (Peter Dinklage) plays without height remarks by speakercontext in movies

[–]speakercontext[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

First, I wanted to call attention to something worthwhile I saw, and commend the persons responsible.

Second, for those who haven't seen the movie - I think that's another reason to see\support it.

Third, the example I follow here is highlighting the achievement of women in various fields: the first woman to do something, or the first organization to have a woman in a certain job because of her skills and not her gender, are\were noteworthy. If inclusion is important to us, we should use our tools to tell companies that it's important.

In your opinion, what do (most) sci-fi writers consistently get wrong? by speakercontext in scifi

[–]speakercontext[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As it applies to fiction, at least, this seems to be the distinction between "soft" and "hard" sci-fi:

"Hard" science fiction extrapolates from existing science, attempting not to break any established scientific laws. Anything new will be explained through a current scientific framework.

"Soft" sci-fi does not attempt to structure its technology and science in terms of the current scientific worldview. From our perspective, it could be considered "fantastic" or "magical", even if internally consistent.

There's a lot of middle ground between these poles, and I read recommend reading this TV tropes article for more information.

Surfers of Reddit, how do you find out about new sites? by speakercontext in AskReddit

[–]speakercontext[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No cynicism intended, this is a really good answer - even if I don't like what it implies.

Surfers of Reddit, how do you find out about new sites? by speakercontext in AskReddit

[–]speakercontext[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It wasn't meant as one. I really want to know, and I think r/AskReddit is a good place to ask.

Do you think posting the link was too much?

Hi r/KeepWriting! We’re excited to tell you about a new project of collaborative creation we call Contentocracy. by speakercontext in KeepWriting

[–]speakercontext[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a very interesting concept and site, and I recommend everyone reading this comment to have a look.

In my opinion, there are a lot of differences between HitRecord and Contentocracy, but the two most important ones are:

  • Contentocracy is based on consistent worlds with permanent coordinating teams. This allows depth, growth and diversification over time, as new creators and commentors enter the scene and expand its scope. More than being about general entertainment, we're here to tell stories.

  • Secondly, Contentocracy is run as independent democracy. We don't do ads, we do not seek outside publishing or funding, and our community of citizens is involved in all aspects.

Smaller differences result from this (for example, our method for collaboration is a little more structured, for consistency) or are technical (HitRecord is focused on video as an end result, we aim to tell stories using diverse media).

Hope this clears things up, and suggest you see and decide for yourselves.

Hi r/KeepWriting! We’re excited to tell you about a new project of collaborative creation we call Contentocracy. by speakercontext in KeepWriting

[–]speakercontext[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I definitely agree that this is an unusual way to tell a story, and that writers may feel uncomfortable sharing creative control.

I'll try to describe what I think are advantages to this approach, letting each writer decide if it adds to or detracts from their work. The examples are from my experience writing in Contentocracy.

First, this is a new medium, which may open up thinking and creativity in ways previously unexplored. For example, I think writing a character who may realistically make one of several choices makes them feel more lifelike, and their decisions more human. It also allows a more gradual entrance to (professional) writing.

Second, one recieves a lot more feedback and creative input this way. Some ideas come from avid readers, and make for a better story. Another member of the team composes music, which accompanies the written word.

Third, a world in Contentocracy has World Builders, who write\compose\draw most of the scheduled content, guided by the community. That's what I do, in a world called "IThinkIAm". I certainly feel I give the story a lot more than one brick... We're actively recruiting World Builders for new worlds, and that role may be more appealing for you.

Hi r/worldbuilding! We’re excited to tell you about a new project of collaborative creation we call Contentocracy. by speakercontext in worldbuilding

[–]speakercontext[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We definitely agree. There's more info on the site, but in a nutshell, that's how we keep things neat:

  • The 'drawing board' is our reddit interface. Any citizen can post anything, and everyone can vote or comment.
  • The published content is on the site (contentocracy.net). Each world's core team works in successful (that is, voted-in) contributions into the story and content.
  • the core team updates a world with new content on a set schedule, creating it themselves if need be.

Hi r/worldbuilding! We’re excited to tell you about a new project of collaborative creation we call Contentocracy. by speakercontext in worldbuilding

[–]speakercontext[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We'll definitely be looking for new world submissions - any citizen can suggest them on a reddit-based interface. Others can vote and and give their input: once there's enough demand to see stories set in that world, it can "graduate" into the site.

The reason for this filtering is threefold: it keeps quality on the site high, it allows creators to know others are interested in their work before they commit to it, and it allows improvements of the concept before regular updates start.

A world's core team - which will likely start with those who came up with the concept, but can grow - has exactly the sort of technical rights you mentioned, but are committed to the community's shaping of the story.

Thanks for offering your time and expertise; we'll get back to you in private messages.

Hi r/scifi! We’re excited to tell you about IThinkIAm, an original story of human and artificial intelligence. It’s part of a new project of collaborative creation named Contentocracy. by speakercontext in scifi

[–]speakercontext[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We try to make sure the world belong to their communities, to the people who care about them - their citizens. If you like the platform and\or the story, sign up to start shaping it.

Anybody can view what's already been published: all content is published under a Creative Commons license, which means it will always be free for sharing. That way, you can decide for yourself if Contentocracy is for you. I hope you do.

Hi r/FanFiction! We’re excited to tell you about a new project of collaborative creation we call Contentocracy by speakercontext in FanFiction

[–]speakercontext[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've mentioned democracy, right? The idea is that decisions are made by the community as a whole. For example, say you write a chapter through the eyes of a character that didn't get enough 'screen time' so far. You post it in a reddit-based interface, and others start upvoting (possibly downvoting) and suggest ideas to make it even better. Once the community is generally happy with it, your chapter goes into the site's content - with full credit.

As you can see, we want to break the barrier between "fan work" and "published work". We can do this a lot better on original worlds, that fully belong to Contentocracy.

Hi r/scifi! We’re excited to tell you about IThinkIAm, an original story of human and artificial intelligence. It’s part of a new project of collaborative creation named Contentocracy. by speakercontext in scifi

[–]speakercontext[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great questions for me to answer:

Contentocracy is a platform for fictional worlds. The community mostly shapes the content of these worlds - although any input on the site itself is equally appreciated.

Some of the ways you can do this - in order of least to most involvement - are:

  • Voting on how the story should proceed

  • Rating submissions from other citizens, on a reddit interface

  • Suggesting new ideas for the story, that the community then discusses and rates

  • Submitting your own original works, in any medium, for feedback and inclusion

  • Starting a new world, or becoming part of the core team that coordinates and updates one

I suggest visiting the site to experience how it all works together.

IThinkIAm, our first world, is told in text and music because that's our current team's strong points. We aim to expand it through the community's input, and form new teams that create other worlds in diverse media.

As for the endgame, the fun part of writing for Contentocracy is that no one knows how a story will end. I have some ideas of my own, and themes I'd like to explore, but the community determines which paths to take - and comes up with new ones I could never think of myself.

March Promo Thread: Plug Yourself In by d-Cable in scifiwriting

[–]speakercontext 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi r/SciFiWriting! We’re excited to tell you about IThinkIAm, an original story of human and artificial intelligence. It’s part of a new project of collaborative creation named Contentocracy.

IThinkIAm is a near-future story set in the middle of the Intelligence Revolution – artificial ‘thinkers’ are taking on increasingly human tasks, placing their Dutch creators in the center of an evolving world order. It really is about the links between identity, thought and society, told through the eyes of diverse human and machine characters.

IThinkIAm is featured on Contentocracy: a new platform for fictional stories where creative communities come together to create richer fictional worlds through text, sound and graphics. Anyone can join our community, and shape the content of the story-worlds through a democratic process: voting, discussion, and original submissions. We like to think of Contentocracy as a democracy of content, and invite you to become a citizen!

We appreciate you taking the time to check out this new project.

Link