What value hath gold?

Doink · Post by **Doink** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 2:55 am

Wow, that's inconspicuous.

Yuoofox · Post by **Yuoofox** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 5:43 pm

On her day off, Gail the hotel maid plays a game of table tennis with one of the human visitors.

(Sorry about the rough drawing, but it was either submit it now, or not finish it at all.)

Tbolt · Post by **Tbolt** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:04 pm

NICE!

If it's any consolation, your "rough" is probably superior to something requiring several days of labor from me!

Madmoonie · Post by **Madmoonie** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:14 pm

Of course, she has "Gump" ping-pong skills. Very nice!

Maxgoof · Post by **Maxgoof** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:39 pm

Yuoofox wrote:On her day off, Gail the hotel maid plays a game of table tennis with one of the human visitors.

Ooooh! I didn't know you were Korean until I saw the signature at the bottom!

For those who cannot read Hangul it reads, roughly, "yaw ooh" which is, I assume how yuoofox is supposed to be pronounce? Yaw Ooh Fox?

LoneWolf23k · Post by **LoneWolf23k** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 8:30 pm

On the topic of interaction with alien civilisations, the reason why alien civilisations don't come down here to trade with us or invade us, is probably because we have nothing to offer them that would make the trip worthwhile.

Aaron Williams' PS238 comic once covered the topic in issue #2: basically, all the natural resources they (or we) could ever want are floating around in space where you don't have have to overcome a planet's gravity to get them.

The only thing that space-faring socieites might trade would be technology or entertainment. Tech-wise, we're still tip-toeing our way to the Moon, and anyone can get our entertainment for free through the waves we broadcast out in space.

So, really, why ~would~ an alien civilisation bother visiting our backwater world?

Maxgoof · Post by **Maxgoof** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 10:10 pm

LoneWolf23k wrote:So, really, why ~would~ an alien civilisation bother visiting our backwater world?

Why do thousands of people visit Graceland each year?

Yuoofox · Post by **Yuoofox** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 4:19 am

NICE!
If it's any consolation, your "rough" is probably superior to something requiring several days of labor from me!

Thank you, I appreciate that. I wasn't trying to brag. I was just scared that people would make fun of it or something. It's hard to tell how people will react on a forum.

Of course, she has "Gump" ping-pong skills. Very nice!

Thank you. At first, I was going to give her a magic ping-pong paddle with a handle that can lengthen and shorten at will (kind of a Light Saber ping-pong paddle), but it was too distracting from the picture.

Ooooh! I didn't know you were Korean until I saw the signature at the bottom!
For those who cannot read Hangul it reads, roughly, "yaw ooh" which is, I assume how yuoofox is supposed to be pronounce? Yaw Ooh Fox?

You can read Korean?! Cool!

**Yuoo brings out a giant plate of Bulgogi (barbequed strips of marinated beef) for everyone to enjoy.**
Yes, my mother is from Korea, so I've been taking Korean lessons from her and from church. She never taught me Korean when I was little because she was afraid that it might keep me from learning English, or it might give me a stigma among the other kids, but now she wishes that she had. (Mostly because of other Korean church ladies bugging her about it.

) So, I've been taking lessons, and I know a moderate amount of words and a few phrases. The cool thing about Hangul (the Korean alphabet) is that it's completely phonetic, which means that I can pick up a newspaper and start slowly reading the words aloud, even though I don't know what most of the words mean.
As for my character's name, the word "yuoo" is the Korean word for fox. (His full name is Yuoo Fennec Fox.) I made a really neat page about it on my website.

Thank you, MaxGoof! <<고맙습니다, 맠스구프!>>

RHJunior · Post by **RHJunior** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 3:24 pm

maxgoof wrote:
LoneWolf23k wrote:So, really, why ~would~ an alien civilisation bother visiting our backwater world?
Why do thousands of people visit Graceland each year?

There are a handful of reasons beings from a more technologically and culturally advanced civilization would take interest in a less advanced one.

Tourism--- There's always people who seem to take a special fascination in traveling to exotic and "primitive" locations.

Cheap labor--- Earth, Taiwan to the Galaxy! As demeaning as that sounds, such arrangements work out to the benefit of the natives of the less-prosperous and technologically advanced society. Consider that, for all the cries of "exploitation" by the reactionary, American corporations abroad are paying the native workers a far higher wage than they could possibly hope to obtain, giving them a better work environment, and we might add paying in a far more stable currency than the local variety. Picture if you will an alien from outer space offering your average American burger-flipper a job that's not much different from what he already does-- but is safer, cleaner, and pays $20 an hour in gold bullion.

Plus, it means an influx of wealth and investment and technology that the society would not otherwise see... and a leg up towards a more prosperous society later on.

Tax shelters. No reason to think that a more advanced alien society wouldn't have tax problems--- or that prosperous aliens wouldn't seek a typical way to protect their wealth from government greed.

Philanthropy. There's probably a well-meaning do-gooder in every crowd. These would be potentially the most dangerous ones--- roads to hell and what they're paved with, and all that. Not so much danger of it being a malicious conspiracy, as it being the alien equivalent of a bunch of starry-eyed college students with brand-new Che Guevara shirts and skulls full of mush.....it would be just typical to have a saucer full of gaudily robed aliens land in Times Square, gather millions of followers with a message of cosmic peace and trancendental oneness, only to find out they were the alien culture's version of the Hare Krishnas or the Scientologists. The best response would be "handle with care."

Of course there are less pleasant reasons for aliens to take interest in earth.... setting aside the usual sci-fi horror lineup of reasons (conquest, slavery, cannibalism, genocide) still leaves some possibilities.

Criminal enterprise. Alien criminals fleeing justice, or seeking to set up a base of operations outside the alien jurisdiction.

Political refugees. Technologically advanced doesn't mean morally advanced. Aliens fleeing unjust laws or tyrannical government might find earth a haven.... especially if they're willing to trade shiny toys for sanctuary.

GrayTiger · Post by **GrayTiger** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 3:47 pm

Someone's been watching "Alien Nation"

Yuoofox · Post by **Yuoofox** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 7:56 pm

There are a handful of reasons beings from a more technologically and culturally advanced civilization would take interest in a less advanced one.

How about practical jokes?
"People of Earth: We regret to inform you that your planet will now be vaporized because it obstructs our view of Neptune. 3... 2... 1... Bang! Gotch'ya! Ha ha ha ha ha! Gets'em every time!"

Also, they might choose us as an audience for their poetry reading.

Maxgoof · Post by **Maxgoof** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 10:32 pm

Yuoofox wrote:How about practical jokes?
"People of Earth: We regret to inform you that your planet will now be vaporized because it obstructs our view of Neptune. 3... 2... 1... Bang! Gotch'ya! Ha ha ha ha ha! Gets'em every time!"

But where is the Kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering Kaboom!

Also, they might choose us as an audience for their poetry reading.

NOOOOOOOO!!! No vogons!! Begone vile creature!

Madmoonie · Post by **Madmoonie** » Sat Oct 22, 2005 10:33 pm

At least they are only the THIRD worst....

Yuoofox · Post by **Yuoofox** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 4:49 am

Speaking of which, we need to have a TOTQ haiku section.

Maxgoof · Post by **Maxgoof** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:37 am

Yuoofox wrote:Speaking of which, we need to have a TOTQ haiku section.

Stag-kissed Racconan
Fighting evil where it lies.
Hail Questor Quentyn!

Yuoofox · Post by **Yuoofox** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 8:50 am

**The audience applauds softly to MaxGoof's poetry, as Yuoo plucks strings on the cello and Aurrin taps the bongo drums. Next, Yuoo gets up and delivers his haiku.**

Glowing, light-blue skin
Once a nuisance, now a friend
Faithful Bogey Squidge

Shyal_malkes · Post by **Shyal_malkes** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 11:24 am

seven villages
raccona are furr bearing
I see 'grey' people

SolidusRaccoon · Post by **SolidusRaccoon** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 11:48 am

When you're feeling low and woozy
Slap a fresh clip in your Uzi!

Assume the proper firing stance
And make the suckers jump and dance!

Doink · Post by **Doink** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 1:21 pm

RHJunior wrote:
maxgoof wrote:
LoneWolf23k wrote:So, really, why ~would~ an alien civilisation bother visiting our backwater world?
Why do thousands of people visit Graceland each year?
There are a handful of reasons beings from a more technologically and culturally advanced civilization would take interest in a less advanced one.

Tourism--- There's always people who seem to take a special fascination in traveling to exotic and "primitive" locations.

Cheap labor--- Earth, Taiwan to the Galaxy! As demeaning as that sounds, such arrangements work out to the benefit of the natives of the less-prosperous and technologically advanced society. Consider that, for all the cries of "exploitation" by the reactionary, American corporations abroad are paying the native workers a far higher wage than they could possibly hope to obtain, giving them a better work environment, and we might add paying in a far more stable currency than the local variety. Picture if you will an alien from outer space offering your average American burger-flipper a job that's not much different from what he already does-- but is safer, cleaner, and pays $20 an hour in gold bullion.

Plus, it means an influx of wealth and investment and technology that the society would not otherwise see... and a leg up towards a more prosperous society later on.

Tax shelters. No reason to think that a more advanced alien society wouldn't have tax problems--- or that prosperous aliens wouldn't seek a typical way to protect their wealth from government greed.

Philanthropy. There's probably a well-meaning do-gooder in every crowd. These would be potentially the most dangerous ones--- roads to hell and what they're paved with, and all that. Not so much danger of it being a malicious conspiracy, as it being the alien equivalent of a bunch of starry-eyed college students with brand-new Che Guevara shirts and skulls full of mush.....it would be just typical to have a saucer full of gaudily robed aliens land in Times Square, gather millions of followers with a message of cosmic peace and trancendental oneness, only to find out they were the alien culture's version of the Hare Krishnas or the Scientologists. The best response would be "handle with care."

Of course there are less pleasant reasons for aliens to take interest in earth.... setting aside the usual sci-fi horror lineup of reasons (conquest, slavery, cannibalism, genocide) still leaves some possibilities.

Criminal enterprise. Alien criminals fleeing justice, or seeking to set up a base of operations outside the alien jurisdiction.

Political refugees. Technologically advanced doesn't mean morally advanced. Aliens fleeing unjust laws or tyrannical government might find earth a haven.... especially if they're willing to trade shiny toys for sanctuary.

Well, judging from what I've seen of Cyantia, I can pretty much rule out criminal enterprise or refugees, and the labor and tax things seem pretty unlikely as well. I'm betting it's philanthropy, with a bit of tourism on the side, but I'm not 100% sure.

UncleMonty · Post by **UncleMonty** » Sun Oct 23, 2005 4:41 pm

Cyantia is another author's fantasy, operating on different rules. This is a Rac Cona Daimh's world. Here, the storyline to date is:

Wildcard is restrained
Strangers barter stolen goods
Quentyn watches all.

Five short syllables
Followed by seven others
I despise Haiku