Erik Amundsen's Blog, page 51
December 2, 2011
Bicycle
According to RunKeeper, this is the furthest I have gone in one week on my bike. Today, I added 3.66 miles to that in a little less than 30 minutes. Not terrible. I keep wanting my first forrays back into vigorous regular exercise to be more impressive than they are, but I will take what I can get, I guess.
In other news, there is a little grey tabby here who NEEDS LOVE BAD and has been trying to get in my lap where my laptop is. Too bad he can't actually *sit* in laps, just kind of dance.
In other news, there is a little grey tabby here who NEEDS LOVE BAD and has been trying to get in my lap where my laptop is. Too bad he can't actually *sit* in laps, just kind of dance.
December 1, 2011
November 30, 2011
Submissions Don't Matter
One poem bounces back to me, one story I meant to never see the light of day for all its being damaged goods got shined up and sent forth again as well. I am 4 months back on two poems, and that's pretty much it. I need to finish the trolls, and second draft the video game and the Oscar Wilde moon landing.
I am coming back online after losing last week. This week is better, though it is exhausted, between recovering from the anxiety of last week and the triumphant return of regular vigorous exercise (50 bullshit pushups today and yesterday. I can do like 5 real ones, still. It's embarrassing, but 5 times what I could do before on my best days). Soon the battle without honor or humanity will begin anew.
I am coming back online after losing last week. This week is better, though it is exhausted, between recovering from the anxiety of last week and the triumphant return of regular vigorous exercise (50 bullshit pushups today and yesterday. I can do like 5 real ones, still. It's embarrassing, but 5 times what I could do before on my best days). Soon the battle without honor or humanity will begin anew.
Bicycle
4 Miles in just shy of forfuckingever. I am damned sloooow.
November 28, 2011
[Dork] Shokkals
Shokkals
The last enemy the empire ever had and the only ones they were not able to defeat. The Shokkals live in the Shokkal Mountains, which dominate most of the north and some of the west of the Provinces. They never bowed to the empire, their land was too difficult to invade and control and their numbers and resources impossible to determine. The Shokkals live in the high places, farming terraced fields; a lot of their numbers live in massive, semi-subterranean cities called septs. They drink water laced with silver to turn their skin blue and mark themselves with a bright red mixture that is faintly luminescent. The Shokkal reckoning of cosmology is the basis for the understanding of the Three Kingdoms in the Provinces, and the Shokkals seem to have suffered little from the decades of war with the empire or the rise of Dahan-nen. They would and should be the strongest power on the continent, but they have also experienced a recent internal shake-up that bordered on full-scale civil war. The Shokkals, until very recently, raided the surrounding countryside, capturing people as chattel slaves. In the last 10 years or so, one faction of the Shokkal authority made all-out war on the slavers, eventually leading to their destruction as a political force and the emancipation of all Shokkal-held slaves. Something of a backlash followed that, and in the last few years things have been especially unstable. The rise of two competing cults to fill in the vacuum created by the destruction of the slavers has not helped matters.
Shokkals are easy to distinguish from other folks in the Provinces by their deliberately induced argyria, a condition that makes their skin light blue. Shokkals have two languages, one which is tonal and the other which is actually pitched and sung. Shokkal garments and tools are usually a little distinct from those worn or used by most Provincials and their markings and iconography are very distinct. Shokkals do not recognize Malus, let alone follow his church. Their religion is a combination of theism and animism and has a lot of aspects of haruspicy.
Shokkals have access to the sacred water and the red paint (which works as well as a Horned Mask in regards to the servants of the Gloom), as well as other Shokkal gear suitable to their role and the time period. Shokkals are technologically equivalent to the empire.
The Traits listed below are not the only Shokkal Traits there are, and you can feel free to alter, make up ones, mix and match them as suits your character.
· You are a Freeman, an ancestor escaped from Shokkal slavery and your family has never forgotten what that ancestor endured and that you may have many kin that suffered and died in those mountains.
· You are an Emancipated Slave, most of whom were expelled from their homes and communities by the Shokkals and sent to the lowlands. You or your parents remember what it is like to have lived under the yoke, and how it felt to be sent away with only the things they could carry.
· You are a Mountain Legionnaire, the remnants of those who fought against the Shokkals, or the next couple of generations, still brought up in fighting the mountain people as a kind of family trade.
· You are Hill Folk, with Shokkal and Provincial heritage in one family. Your people live in the foothills of the Shokkal mountains and fit in almost nowhere.
· You are a Political Exile; many families fled the mountains in the purge of the slavers and then the backlash against those who led the purge. The mountains are as dangerous for you as for any Provincial.
· You are a Father Cultist, who understands the Father who is Water that is Chaos, knows the secrets of the strange lights and the changing things, and seeks wisdom in the low places where the water lies.
· You are a Mountain Trader, who does business down the mountain, knows how to trade and do business with the Provincials, avoid the Bandits and keep the supply lines open.
· You are a Blue Kacia, who left your own people to follow Sylfie, whether due to necessity or conviction. Sylfie’s children are content to let some questions go unanswered until one is ready to answer them.
· You are a Blue Raider, taken in by the Masked Bandits. Some organizations took in a number of fugitive Shokkal slavers, particularly those who had been raiders. Some organizations try to kill them on sight. It’s tricky.
· You are a Mother Cultist, who serves the Sandrisas, seeks the perfection of the Mother who is Earth that is Perfected and seeks to destroy the Father and all his minions and devices. Mother Cultists come to the Provinces at times on missions, many of which are not very nice.
The last enemy the empire ever had and the only ones they were not able to defeat. The Shokkals live in the Shokkal Mountains, which dominate most of the north and some of the west of the Provinces. They never bowed to the empire, their land was too difficult to invade and control and their numbers and resources impossible to determine. The Shokkals live in the high places, farming terraced fields; a lot of their numbers live in massive, semi-subterranean cities called septs. They drink water laced with silver to turn their skin blue and mark themselves with a bright red mixture that is faintly luminescent. The Shokkal reckoning of cosmology is the basis for the understanding of the Three Kingdoms in the Provinces, and the Shokkals seem to have suffered little from the decades of war with the empire or the rise of Dahan-nen. They would and should be the strongest power on the continent, but they have also experienced a recent internal shake-up that bordered on full-scale civil war. The Shokkals, until very recently, raided the surrounding countryside, capturing people as chattel slaves. In the last 10 years or so, one faction of the Shokkal authority made all-out war on the slavers, eventually leading to their destruction as a political force and the emancipation of all Shokkal-held slaves. Something of a backlash followed that, and in the last few years things have been especially unstable. The rise of two competing cults to fill in the vacuum created by the destruction of the slavers has not helped matters.
Shokkals are easy to distinguish from other folks in the Provinces by their deliberately induced argyria, a condition that makes their skin light blue. Shokkals have two languages, one which is tonal and the other which is actually pitched and sung. Shokkal garments and tools are usually a little distinct from those worn or used by most Provincials and their markings and iconography are very distinct. Shokkals do not recognize Malus, let alone follow his church. Their religion is a combination of theism and animism and has a lot of aspects of haruspicy.
Shokkals have access to the sacred water and the red paint (which works as well as a Horned Mask in regards to the servants of the Gloom), as well as other Shokkal gear suitable to their role and the time period. Shokkals are technologically equivalent to the empire.
The Traits listed below are not the only Shokkal Traits there are, and you can feel free to alter, make up ones, mix and match them as suits your character.
· You are a Freeman, an ancestor escaped from Shokkal slavery and your family has never forgotten what that ancestor endured and that you may have many kin that suffered and died in those mountains.
· You are an Emancipated Slave, most of whom were expelled from their homes and communities by the Shokkals and sent to the lowlands. You or your parents remember what it is like to have lived under the yoke, and how it felt to be sent away with only the things they could carry.
· You are a Mountain Legionnaire, the remnants of those who fought against the Shokkals, or the next couple of generations, still brought up in fighting the mountain people as a kind of family trade.
· You are Hill Folk, with Shokkal and Provincial heritage in one family. Your people live in the foothills of the Shokkal mountains and fit in almost nowhere.
· You are a Political Exile; many families fled the mountains in the purge of the slavers and then the backlash against those who led the purge. The mountains are as dangerous for you as for any Provincial.
· You are a Father Cultist, who understands the Father who is Water that is Chaos, knows the secrets of the strange lights and the changing things, and seeks wisdom in the low places where the water lies.
· You are a Mountain Trader, who does business down the mountain, knows how to trade and do business with the Provincials, avoid the Bandits and keep the supply lines open.
· You are a Blue Kacia, who left your own people to follow Sylfie, whether due to necessity or conviction. Sylfie’s children are content to let some questions go unanswered until one is ready to answer them.
· You are a Blue Raider, taken in by the Masked Bandits. Some organizations took in a number of fugitive Shokkal slavers, particularly those who had been raiders. Some organizations try to kill them on sight. It’s tricky.
· You are a Mother Cultist, who serves the Sandrisas, seeks the perfection of the Mother who is Earth that is Perfected and seeks to destroy the Father and all his minions and devices. Mother Cultists come to the Provinces at times on missions, many of which are not very nice.
Run Blogging Day 3
2 miles is a good basis from which to grow my empire. I was slow,but I did not falter.
[Dork] Haruspicy
Haruspicy
There are Three Kingdoms that coalesce to form the world, and each of these Three Kingdoms is, in its own solitary space, peopled by spirits and devoted to a kind of energy that flows in the world. The Kingdom of Apples is peopled with the dead and the source of Gommy, the motivating force and spark of life. The Kingdom of Thorns is peopled by the gnomes and the source of Po, which gives shape and weight and consequence to all things. The Kingdom of Reeds is peopled with the Dyoor and the source of Sway, the movement and course and destiny of things. The spirits of all three Kingdoms have one thing in common; blood contains something they need, as it is the perfect mixture of Gommy, Po and Sway. Blood motivates them and while different cultures give primacy to different Kingdoms and different spirits, many of them have come to notice that giving the spirits blood makes the spirits very happy and motivated to give their strength, guidance and aid in return. Malists don’t sacrifice for spirits, and witches find it sort of a distasteful cheat, but many of the religions that the people of the Provinces brought with them and nurtured in secret revolve around propitiating the spirits for their help. In the time since the collapse of the empire, those beliefs and the people who practice them have come out of hiding and begun to reclaim their culture’s religious heritage.
Haruspicy usually dresses up in the symbols of culture and old religions; the spirits they propitiate may be different; some cultures only work with the denizens of one Kingdom, some with all three. Blood binds them. Sacrifice, implements thereof, and the almanacs full of information from and about spirits are common. Marks and rites of initiation are as well. And knives; a good Haruspex has a collection of knives. Unlike the ritual daggers of witches, these knives are meant to draw blood as often as needs be.
A Haruspex can expect to get sacrificial equipment and talismans, whether artifacts of the religion the Haruspex is helping to serve or marks of initiation. Anyone with some training in Haruspicy can make a Sacrifice to gain an audience with a spirit from whichever Kingdom the haruspex favors. Once the Scene is concluded, the spirit is gone and the sacrifice consumed.
The Traits listed below are not the only Haruspex Traits there are, and you can feel free to alter, make up ones, mix and match them as suits your character.
· You are an Old Believer whose family kept with the old ways while they were forced to sit and mouth prayers to Malus. You are probably not a haruspex yourself, but a celebrant at the sacrifices who knows a thing or two about keeping secrets.
· You are a Friend of the Dead, and your blood spills to the memory of ancestors and those past. The dead are friends of yours and they look forward both to your sacrifices and to aiding you in the world.
· You are a Friend of Gnomes, who feeds the earth with blood and organs to get the attention of the mysterious intelligences that live within. Wisdom, riches and strange, efficacious herbs are gifts they commonly give to those they like.
· You are a Friend of the Strangers, and blood in the water calls forth the Dyoor to answer your questions and show you the ways and means, provide you the passage, and power your will with Sway.
· You are a Free Agent, who has no particular affinity for any one Kingdom, but a working relationship with all three, the right tool for the right job.
· You are a Stripe-Arm, from the scars that line your forearms; the blood you spill in sacrifice is your own. Some people and spirits respect this, and some do not. The scars make it hard for you to hide yourself, but they might make you feel better about it.
· You are a Spiritual Doctor, with knowledge of how to translate both health and harm into spiritual forces, read them and treat injuries, diseases and other conditions at a deeper level than most. This work is very taxing for patient, doctor and spirit, and your rates need must be high because of it.
· You are a Dark Doctor, who has made your name amongst the spirits by sacrificing the life of a human being; whether the sacrifice was innocent or wicked, for good or ill, sanctioned or not, this is a threshold not crossed lightly, and the respect you can gain from crossing it is matched only by the potential enmity.
· You have Blood-Stiff Pockets, frugal in your sacrifices; you carry organs around to call up other spirits. Spirits don’t like blood as much when it is not fresh, so it takes a little coaxing, and sometimes you just haven’t got time to pull a full ritual.
There are Three Kingdoms that coalesce to form the world, and each of these Three Kingdoms is, in its own solitary space, peopled by spirits and devoted to a kind of energy that flows in the world. The Kingdom of Apples is peopled with the dead and the source of Gommy, the motivating force and spark of life. The Kingdom of Thorns is peopled by the gnomes and the source of Po, which gives shape and weight and consequence to all things. The Kingdom of Reeds is peopled with the Dyoor and the source of Sway, the movement and course and destiny of things. The spirits of all three Kingdoms have one thing in common; blood contains something they need, as it is the perfect mixture of Gommy, Po and Sway. Blood motivates them and while different cultures give primacy to different Kingdoms and different spirits, many of them have come to notice that giving the spirits blood makes the spirits very happy and motivated to give their strength, guidance and aid in return. Malists don’t sacrifice for spirits, and witches find it sort of a distasteful cheat, but many of the religions that the people of the Provinces brought with them and nurtured in secret revolve around propitiating the spirits for their help. In the time since the collapse of the empire, those beliefs and the people who practice them have come out of hiding and begun to reclaim their culture’s religious heritage.
Haruspicy usually dresses up in the symbols of culture and old religions; the spirits they propitiate may be different; some cultures only work with the denizens of one Kingdom, some with all three. Blood binds them. Sacrifice, implements thereof, and the almanacs full of information from and about spirits are common. Marks and rites of initiation are as well. And knives; a good Haruspex has a collection of knives. Unlike the ritual daggers of witches, these knives are meant to draw blood as often as needs be.
A Haruspex can expect to get sacrificial equipment and talismans, whether artifacts of the religion the Haruspex is helping to serve or marks of initiation. Anyone with some training in Haruspicy can make a Sacrifice to gain an audience with a spirit from whichever Kingdom the haruspex favors. Once the Scene is concluded, the spirit is gone and the sacrifice consumed.
The Traits listed below are not the only Haruspex Traits there are, and you can feel free to alter, make up ones, mix and match them as suits your character.
· You are an Old Believer whose family kept with the old ways while they were forced to sit and mouth prayers to Malus. You are probably not a haruspex yourself, but a celebrant at the sacrifices who knows a thing or two about keeping secrets.
· You are a Friend of the Dead, and your blood spills to the memory of ancestors and those past. The dead are friends of yours and they look forward both to your sacrifices and to aiding you in the world.
· You are a Friend of Gnomes, who feeds the earth with blood and organs to get the attention of the mysterious intelligences that live within. Wisdom, riches and strange, efficacious herbs are gifts they commonly give to those they like.
· You are a Friend of the Strangers, and blood in the water calls forth the Dyoor to answer your questions and show you the ways and means, provide you the passage, and power your will with Sway.
· You are a Free Agent, who has no particular affinity for any one Kingdom, but a working relationship with all three, the right tool for the right job.
· You are a Stripe-Arm, from the scars that line your forearms; the blood you spill in sacrifice is your own. Some people and spirits respect this, and some do not. The scars make it hard for you to hide yourself, but they might make you feel better about it.
· You are a Spiritual Doctor, with knowledge of how to translate both health and harm into spiritual forces, read them and treat injuries, diseases and other conditions at a deeper level than most. This work is very taxing for patient, doctor and spirit, and your rates need must be high because of it.
· You are a Dark Doctor, who has made your name amongst the spirits by sacrificing the life of a human being; whether the sacrifice was innocent or wicked, for good or ill, sanctioned or not, this is a threshold not crossed lightly, and the respect you can gain from crossing it is matched only by the potential enmity.
· You have Blood-Stiff Pockets, frugal in your sacrifices; you carry organs around to call up other spirits. Spirits don’t like blood as much when it is not fresh, so it takes a little coaxing, and sometimes you just haven’t got time to pull a full ritual.
November 27, 2011
What makes me unique...
I got a chance to get in a good, free roaming conversation with
![[info]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1380921443i/3272792.gif)
theofotos
today, and that was pretty awesome. Mostly we talked about the business end of the creative industry, a little about comics (which are worth studying, particularly DC and Marvel, if you want to see how a multi-decade, multi-creator narrative is handled and mishandled. It's far more fascinating than the exploits of the characters, IMO) and game design, which now has me fired up to go back and poke at the last game we played together and see if there is something in that.
I have a lot of revision to do for Live Arcade and Draftyhouse, too. And, obviously, Pirates. I don't think I will be doing NaNo again, even in solidarity; this is not how I write. I remember saying this last year, too, but maybe I will remember when next November comes around. I DO NOT WRITE LIKE THAT.
I may be coming out of the bad patch of anxiety. I find when I say that, I have at least a week to go, but this time, I am not interested in being strong or being proud, just getting to the other end. Of course, this could be THE TIME, but that is largely out of my hands, so fuck it. I will live or not, but, historically, I have survived and today I managed 50 (admittedly, kneeling) pushups and a very vigorous sweeping of my house along with lots of other rushing around, cleaning things, so what the hell. Bed soon, writing tomorrow, if I can manage. Then work and then
last_real_angel
joins my Monday game! I enjoyed Thanksgiving, but I am more comfortable back at work. Having things to do makes me do things. Anyway, sleep well people, I shall hear from you in the morning.
theofotos
today, and that was pretty awesome. Mostly we talked about the business end of the creative industry, a little about comics (which are worth studying, particularly DC and Marvel, if you want to see how a multi-decade, multi-creator narrative is handled and mishandled. It's far more fascinating than the exploits of the characters, IMO) and game design, which now has me fired up to go back and poke at the last game we played together and see if there is something in that. I have a lot of revision to do for Live Arcade and Draftyhouse, too. And, obviously, Pirates. I don't think I will be doing NaNo again, even in solidarity; this is not how I write. I remember saying this last year, too, but maybe I will remember when next November comes around. I DO NOT WRITE LIKE THAT.
I may be coming out of the bad patch of anxiety. I find when I say that, I have at least a week to go, but this time, I am not interested in being strong or being proud, just getting to the other end. Of course, this could be THE TIME, but that is largely out of my hands, so fuck it. I will live or not, but, historically, I have survived and today I managed 50 (admittedly, kneeling) pushups and a very vigorous sweeping of my house along with lots of other rushing around, cleaning things, so what the hell. Bed soon, writing tomorrow, if I can manage. Then work and then
last_real_angel
joins my Monday game! I enjoyed Thanksgiving, but I am more comfortable back at work. Having things to do makes me do things. Anyway, sleep well people, I shall hear from you in the morning.
November 25, 2011
It comes around again.
The badness, the constant pain, the autonomic nervous system doing all the things it would do in a heart attack, but no heart attack, so, yay, but it's hard to be grateful after you lose count of the number of times your brain Redd Foxxes you. And it's hard to sleep or concentrate, or do much of anything except walk. Sitting still and trying to concentrate are the worst. Very little actual work is coming from me for a while, though, every time this happens I do get a handle on it faster. I know this all came from the beginning of November and from Alfred. I tried to keep it from getting to me then, and I think it worked a little, but I need to get better at it. Eventually enough stress builds up, no matter what I do, to make me miserable. Every time, I face it better, but every time I become increasingly aware that this will kill me, and I do get very tired of it. Eh. Sorry for whinging. I have dishes to do, lunch to make and maybe there is some work in me today? We shall see.
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