Innocent in the Darkness

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:43:06 GMT

In Arda, no god is omnipotent, no god is omniscient. All gods need followers, for it is the power of faith that make a god a god. In turn, gods use the power of their followers' faith to grant gifts and boons to their devoted servants to further their aims upon this plane.

A devoted servant is something special. They carry the message of their god to all corners of Arda. These servants' faith is not the blind belief of a fanatic, for they are expected to persuade others to join their cause. It may be far harder to find a learned individual with great faith, but they are far better at spreading the message of that faith.

No god is omniscient, but most events are overseen by at least one god. If a god wishes to protect their devoted servants, the easiest way is to warn other gods when their servants are in danger. This exchange of information, combined with the gifts the gods can grant, make devoted servants almost immortal. That is, until their faith lapses, or another proves themselves more devoted....

Life and Love

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:23:41 GMT

More of a public service announcement than anything else, this is an attempt to let those of you who don't read my various other commentaries know about the course of my life.

A while back, I took up with the incredibly gorgeous Abigail Bowhen. She's beautiful, intelligent, fun to be around and generally amazing. I feel like I finally understand what love is about and can't understand why someone as wonderful as her would want to spend time with me.

So, I'm now one half of a couple again. Strangely enough, for the first time I feel like there are no downsides to this.

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:11:36 GMT

Let me tell you of the world I see, within this country where we claim to champion the causes of freedom and humanity.

I see a mass of animals, with self-gratification elevated to an art form and only a thin veil of civilization remaining. I see the vast majority of people happy to tread others underfoot in an attempt to grasp one more handful of something they don’t deserve. I see a leadership in name only, where elected politicians spout meaningless propaganda to ensure re-election while forgetting the purpose they are meant to serve.

In this world, responsibility has been hijacked by lawyers and turned into a crime, while rights have become a cult with no thought for the duties of a citizen in a free world. These rights are used, abused and twisted to try and tear down society, all in the name of personal enrichment.

Charity is a means to put one over your fellow man, by giving more without thought to what your contributions provide. Food is given to the hungry, but that hungry population is allowed, or even encouraged, to grow to an extent where the native resources are unable to support it. The most important of causes, stopping the wars which damage or destroy the food production of these nations, is abandoned as too difficult even as notable figures decry their existence without ever acting against them.

Money is seen as the solution to all problems. No-one cares whether money solves the problem because throwing money at it shows you care and life is all about perception rather than reality. In the same vein, the government calls upon its departments to reduce their budgets to give the impression they’re saving money even where the savings realised will not match the expense of the reduction.

I could continue in this vein, but until I can see the way out of this triumphant march of the material over the corpses of honour and decency, I do not see the point

How Evil Are You?

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:29:55 GMT

You Are 96% Evil

You're the most evil person you know.
The devil is even a little scared of you!

How Evil Are You?

Rights vs. Responsibilities

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:26:45 GMT

I've been thinking about the whole idea of Human Rights, and have to conclude that they are a fallacy. We have these wonders of civilisation - a list of things everybody has a right to. Then we qualify them. We say that your right of freedom only holds good so long as it is not in the better interest of society to incarcerate you, for example. It seems to me that, once you start qualifying such things, you're tacitly admitting that they weren't the perfect idea you would have people believe.

I think the idea of Human Rights arose due to the current culture of blaming others and dodging blame yourself. When you are trying to ensure you get your slice, even if it's at the expense of someone else, your idea of helping everyone reach a minimum standard of living revolves around stating what cannot be taken from you. In my opinion, the best way to resolve our rather selfish culture is to enact laws that lead people to modify behaviour, rather than seek to enshrine the flawed examples we already have.

If I was to seek to right the wrongs of this world, I would ignore the entire concept of Rights. As far as I'm concerned, Rights are earned, not given. A Right should have meaning and value, and it shouldn't be possible to acquire except by shouldering the responsibilities that go with it. We should instead adopt the idea of Human Responsibilities. It should not be your Right to live in freedom, it should be everyone's Responsibility to ensure that you do, including your own.

Perhaps if we embraced our responsibilities, rather than demanding our rights, we might actually be able to improve the world we live in.

What do Undead Silver Elves Look Like?

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:57:14 GMT

drabbit has suggested they become Platinum Elves. Any further suggestions?

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:24:53 GMT

Posting this in a couple of places, apologies if you see it too often.

It's Greg's birthday tomorrow, but he's been hideously overworked for a while and hasn't got round to organising anything, so I'm seeing what I can do at short notice.

Currently, it's looking like meeting in the Hobgoblin from 6 for drinks, moving on to Las Iguanas at 8 for an 8:30 sitting for dinner. If you want including in the food plans, please let me know. Otherwise, feel free to turn up to the pub whenever.

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:26:32 GMT

I have just watched Jumper.

For those who missed all the adverts, it's about a guy who can teleport. The plot was, well, practically non-existent. The large amount of rum I consumed prior and during helped.

However, watch it purely for David's mother. It is a very good example of why religion ought to be banned.

Faith is ok. Faith is good. It helps people get through the dark times. Believe you me, without faith I would probably be dead by now.

However, look at religion. An elite group (priests) telling everyone else what to believe. If this were a political system, it would be called facist. FAC - as in faction. -IST relating to/Supporting. FACIST - Supporting or identifying with a subsect of society. Generally associated with considering other subsets inferior.

Lets take a look at religion shall we? Lets see, the general concept of Abrahamic religions is:

"follow us, for any other path leads to hell."

so, you must follow this system of belief, that you have been told by your parents is true, for the most part, of suffer eternal torment. The people who society declares care for you most have told you that unless you agree with certain concepts you will suffer eternal torment. Kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Nazism - lets make money by picking on an identifiable sub-sect who are rich. Hang on, we can get rid of any people we don't like this way. Why, we can even disuade people from this cause by promising them death!

Religion - money? Liking? Who cares? Lets pick on everyone who's different. Why, we can even dissuade people from that path by promising eternal torture to them!

Which is worse?

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:57:10 GMT

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

This year I've been busy!

In May lady_ellinor and I donated clothes to the needy (11 points). Last Thursday I bought porn for erindellr (-10 points). In August I pulled over and changed e_ninja's flat tire (15 points). In October I helped inverselina hide a body (-173 points). Last week I committed genocide... Sorry about that, dantarian (-5000 points).

Overall, I've been naughty (-5157 points). For Christmas I deserve a moldy sandwich!

Sincerely,
swordkitten

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 18:17:53 GMT

Making baby vodka is big and clever.

You get to eat the jelly babies you don't use, and drink the vodka to make room for the jelly babies you do use. A plan with no drawbacks....

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:43:55 GMT

Years roleplaying: 6. More if you count computer RPGs.

Least favourite character?: StormsCry
Male or female characters?: Lots of male, maybe three female
Oldest character played: Interfector

Which character of yours would be most likely to...
Jump off a bridge?: Depends on the motive, time of their life etc etc. At this second, Dem
Get drunk and pass out?: Dem
Kill somebody in a very unorthodox way?: Cal
Be far too hyper for their own good?: Miles
Be raped?: Any. I harbour no illusions about avoiding such situations
Get lung cancer?: Miles. He's the only one who smokes, after all.
Star in a horror movie?: Lupus
Star in a whore movie?: Dem
Star in a video game?: Cal (it's the stupidly large sword)
Make the world a better place?: By my standards, Interfector
Have a torrid gay love affair?: Dem

Relate each word to a character of yours:
Love: Miles (in his early years)
Hate: currently, Dem
Money: Iussis
Seduction: Miles
Lies: Franz
Tragedy: Miles
Manipulation: my Amber character, though I don't remember his name
Violence: Interfector
Politics: Miles (who else?)
Fire: Dem
Ice: Joscelin

Would you ever...
Play a prostitute?: have done
Play a musician?: have done
Play a pilot?: have done
Play a homosexual?: have done
Play a pedophile?: I got into the headspace once, as part of an attempt to understand. I won't be doing so again.
Play a politician?: Have done
Create a character for the sole purpose of smut?: Have done
Play a character who commits incest?: It's not unlikely

Brief ~~Bio~~ list of your characters...

Current:
Interfector
Iussis
Angus
Lupus
Clades
Cal
Dem
Joscelin
Danaig
Miles
Megil

Previous:
Kel
Sicarius
StormNight
StormsCry
StormStrike
Sirc
Felix
Franz
Raven
Ro
Shadow
Seranis

and that's just the ones I remember...

Music Meme

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:09:21 GMT

1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List 5 songs you like that start with that letter
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.

I got given... D

Dead Martyrs - Manic Street Preachers
Die for Metal - Manowar
Distant Thunder - Thunder
Down to the Waterline - Dire Straits
Driftwood - Travis

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:26:35 GMT

Apparently Stephen Green, the man who took the BBC to court over Jerry Springer: the Opera, is facing bankruptcy over the costs awarded against him. His group, Christian Voice, has started an online petition to ask the BBC to pay the costs themselves:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bbc_springer/

On reading some of the comments, I found the following:

And lo, Almighty God, creator of the universe and all things bright and beautiful, the eternal in Heaven, the One, did see the affront to His name, and that of his only Son the Lord Jesus Christ. And God was a vengeful God and He did rise up against the blasphemers and MIGHTILY did he roar: Perhaps we could have like, some kind of online petition or something?

In the interests of fair reporting, there is also an anti-petition, campaigning for the BBC to ignore the first petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bbc_springer_green/?e

I find it all rather amusing...

LT Docs

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:11:22 GMT

For those of you who think you may have access to the Order archives in Treseryn, I have begun adding Miles' library of documents to milesdelacoeur.

If you think you ought to have access and don't, let me know.

Big Read

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:33:59 GMT

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

52, I think. Must try harder.

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 21:04:32 GMT

Why do people complain about the desensitisation of children by computer games and films? I can't help but think, after reading the latest newspaper article on the subject, that the newspapers themselves are far more of a threat.

After all, from what I can see the loss of faith in the government and public services is, to a large extent, down to the sensationalisation of mistakes and mishaps. Does anyone really believe that it is possible for humans to be infallible? Yet people's faith is slowly eroded by the torrent of stories in the papers, even though the statistical probabilities of serious errors are small.

Is this really the environment people want for their children? Do they believe that viewing everyone trying to help you is healthy? That the best approach is to expect the worst and then sure the hell out of anyone who makes the smallest of errors?

Personally, I view this breakdown in basic societal structure as far worse than a few spatters of blood or mindless violence. On the other hand, maybe I'm just desensitised...

Update

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 10:19:43 GMT

Well, I haven't updated this thing in a while.....

I should have mentioned this earlier, but my mobile got lost a couple of months ago, and therefore I don't have numbers for a lot of people. Apologies if it seems I've been ignoring you, but lack of access to internet has made it rather difficult to find a way to let people know.

Hmm... New job. Been there for close on three months now. On the bright side, it's more interesting, and out of my thirty-seven hour week, seven and a half are my wweekly tutorial, I get ten hours of self-study which I can do at home, and the remainder is spent working on stuff which is actually challenging on occasion. On the downside, commuting an hour each way to Bristol and Back is never fun. I also seem to have far less time to do things as I end up far more tired in the evenings. Ah well, can't have everything. I am also being shipped up to Birmingham for a couple of days, both in January and February. Anyone know of anything to do up there?

Other than that:-

was rather surprised to discover I've now been with Charlotte nearly fourteen months. Seems much shorter.

I actually feel like I'm learning a bit about my faith. It's been a long while since I actively sought information, but I'm starting to look again. Seems I'm getting reminded in lots of little ways about what I ought to be doing. Still think it was amusing to find a handy Rune helpcard in an album sleeve though!

Here endeth my rather disjointed update. I shall try and do better when I'm more awake and am not attempting to touch type on an unfamiliar keyboard, but that seems less and less frequent these days...

Theatre

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 13:22:52 GMT

Last night I went to see the Tempest at the Royal Exchange theatre in Manchester. The building alone was worth the trip, the Exchange building has a very temple-style construction, with pillars and domes, while the theatre is a separate construction inside. It looks like it's attached to the main building by scaffolding, and the stage is in the centre of three tiers of seats, but there's only two rows of seats on the upper tiers so it's fairly easy to see what's going on. The stage itself is only about 30 feet in diameter, so the performance feels far more intimate.

The play itself was amazing. Pete Posthwaite was, as expected, the perfect actor to play Prospero. You could really believe he was a powerful man, used to authority, despite the simple clothes and the island setting. The other actors played their roles well, though Gonzalo was a bit quiet and I had trouble hearing his lines. Then again, I don't think you need to hear all the lines in Shakespeare to appreciate it.

Also managed to pick up a copy of Carcassonne, now I just need people to play it...

Back to Bath in half an hour. Not looking forward to another four weeks without Charlotte, but will hopefully find out what's going on with the new job so I can start planning ahead.

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 12:40:27 GMT

Looks like I'm moving to Exeter in September. On the bright side, it's close enough to come back every weekend, and there's the possibility of home study which might leave me a day or two extra in Bath. On the downside, far less time to spend with Charlotte, and a probable loss of the games I play in during the week.

Of course, I might fail the background check. Would be typical.

In other news. Charlotte-less for most of the summer. Feels really wierd not having her here.

Mon, 21 May 2007 11:21:29 GMT

As part of my Faith work in HMRC, I've just received an invitation to a Synagogue open day by Rabbi Warren Elf.

New Job

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 23:47:59 GMT

I have a new job with HM Revenue and Customs, starting 10 September. They tell me today I have it. They tell me by 25 May where the job is based. Hmmm...

Because I'm interested

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:23:15 GMT

A slight alteration on what everyone else is doing, because I think I've a pretty good idea for the others...

Tell me what your character thinks of Dem, and I'll tell you what Dem thinks of yours

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 10:58:35 GMT

Post two memories of me in the comments, they can be anything you want - but only one of them can be real.

Then, if you want, post this to your livejournal and see what people remember of you.

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 12:07:02 GMT

Life is good. It may be less than a fortnight since the parent debacle, but I'm happier than I've been in ages.

Meme

Sun, 21 May 2006 22:27:17 GMT

Why you should be paranoid
LiveJournal Username
Age
Do you believe in UFOs?
Is the government out to get you?
Have you tried to fight their agents?
Did you win?
Are you aware of what the gremlins are planning?
What do you think of the X-Files?
Are you wearing any underwear right now?

The one who is behind it all is really	vanthor_zq
On their orders this person will be silenced.	erindellr
This person knows the real gremlin password.	xanthipe
This person has no password, but tries anyway.	falco_biarmicus
The remains of the above will be sent to	sarevokery
You will have to pay for P&P:	$4
Aliens will abduct you and	lawfulstupid
This person will join in with the probing.	fourmyle


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