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Parables: The Assembly |
Posted by
Monolycus on Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - 04:02 AM PST
There was a great deal of chattering and grumbling as the gods, goddesses, divine and semi divine entities filed into the Hallowed Hall and found their respective places amongst the hundreds of thousand of seats. On a table in front of every seat sat a placard bearing the name of a divinity and the pantheon or region they represented. Secretary-General Mithras glanced around at the tiers of seats and tables and shuffled through a stack of papers while he waited for everyone to find their places. After what seemed to him a reasonable time, he began impatiently tapping his microphone, which emitted a loud feedback squeal.
Most of the conversations halted abruptly, although three of the delegates, Poseidon, Tangaroa and Ægir were entirely absorbed in a discussion about the El Niño from the previous year and continued their animated debate until Pyerun, a Slavic delegate from Kiev, was able to catch their attention by banging his shoe on the table. Once order in the Hallowed Hall was finally achieved, Mithras spoke into the microphone.“Distinguished spirits and immortals, both seelie and unseelie, I hereby call to order the three thousand and sixty first Third Annual Meeting of the United Supernaturals General Assembly.” Mithras cleared his throat and took a sip from his water glass before continuing. “We have some pressing business with which we must attend, and I move that we skip the reading of the aeons from our last assembly. All in favour?” Several appendages shot into the air and the Hall was filled with shouts of “Aye!”, “Hear, hear!” and “Sucks!” Mithras pretended to count their votes for a moment before asking “Those opposed?” Lit, who was one of the representatives of the Duergar dwarves stood up to vote at this, but the Asa delegate Thor stomped him into one of the floor tiles before Mithras had taken any notice. “Motion carries!” Mithras announced. He gave a dismissive glance to Hermes Psychopompous who angrily stowed away the ten scrolls that he had hoped to read before the assembly. It was not that there was anything important to share from the previous assembly, but Hermes Psychopompous felt that as long as he was undersecretary and had to transcribe the aeons in the first place, he should, at least, be allowed to subject everyone else to them as well. Mithras quickly began speaking again in an attempt to quell the buzz of whispers that invariably followed every pause. Several small, irritable-looking spirits began passing slips of parchment out to the delegates. “The Lemures are now handing out copies of U.S. resolution fourteen forty-one, which was passed by the two thousand and nineteenth Third Annual Body of the U.S. General Assembly by a vote of...” Mithras paused and shuffled through his papers until Hermes Psychopompous whispered something to him that could have been “Pfmeh”, “Fnord” or “Radical Two”. “By a majority vote.” Mithras finished sheepishly. “It was resolved by this august body that no mortal inhabitant of the planet Earth shall, by magical or technological means, either through negligence or wanton...”“Get on with it!” came a bellowing voice from one of the upper tiers. The various immortals craned around before it was apparent that the interruption came from Irra, who was Nergal’s ancillary. Realizing that he was now the center of attention, Irra continued. “While we’re still young! Pestilence doesn’t spread itself, you windbag!”“The assembly does not recognize the Assyrian Underworld delegate...” Mithras responded angrily. “Now where was I?” The stack of papers in front of him was hopelessly shuffled. “Right. Er, right.” Hermes Psychopompous inserted his hand into the stack of loose notes, drew out a parchment, which he handed it to Mithras, whispering something to him that sounded a bit like “buttonhole”. Mithras glanced at the parchment and seemed to find his place again. “All right. We have charges that certain of the Earth’s mortal inhabitants are in violation of United Supernaturals security council resolution fourteen forty-one. Insofar as they are, in the first place: expanding rapidly beyond a fair and justifiable territory at the expense of their fellow inhabitants. In the second, they are sending or threatening to send unjustified numbers of their kind into Underworld territories without the express written consent of the rulers or guardians of the aforementioned Underworlds; and in the third place, they are rapidly rendering the planet uninhabitable through abuse, neglect and greenhouse gases. Who proffers these charges?” Mithras looked expectantly over the assembled beings. A dusky-coloured god whose shape was ill defined stood up. “And it pleases the assembly, Secretary-General.” The god said. “The assembly recognizes Orenda, the Iroquois delegate.”“I am the Manitou. I have seen the tribes of men and of plants and of animals since early times and have guided all that is within my domain,” Orenda began. Some of the Japanese Kami delegates whispered agitatedly to one another in anticipation of an unnecessarily long and boring preamble. “Through good and through ill I have seen and I have guided, but never in all the time that night has followed day have I seen men that are so terminally stupid as these!” Orenda continued. Many of the older immortals nudged one another in agreement with the sentiment and offered supportive hoots. “Order!” Mithras bellowed. “the Iroquois delegate will continue, please.”“As many immortals here can attest, the present tribes of men, in flagrant violation of U.S. resolutions and sanctions, will, left to their own devices, eradicate all life from the planet. As you are no doubt aware, teams of angelic and daemonic inspectors from the U.S. security council have submitted findings that the race of men has constituted several unnecessarily large weapons programs and we have reliable intelligence from the Devas that they have even attempted to obtain anti-matter from the parallel dimensions.” Orenda continued. “And this is the entire race of mankind, then?” Mithras asked. A large tortoise from the Hindi section rose in response.“If I may address the assembly, Secretary-General?” the tortoise wheezed.“Kurma, the second avatar of Vishnu has the floor.” Mithras answered. “It is all humankind who are in violation,” Kurma responded. “Even those devout souls under my own jurisdiction and in my own dominion have expanded beyond their allotted spaces and have acquired nuclear weaponry with which to potentially annihilate the followers of the Muslim faith who are their neighbours... however...” Kurma began to hurry his usual slow, methodical speech to deter the Islamic delegates and Babylonian Peris from interjecting. “However... without pointing fingers, mind you... if I may say, and I am not suggesting that there is not fair blame to go around... it would seem that the Christians in North America are the primary aggressors here. Ahem. Thank ou.” Kurma coughed into a pocket-handkerchief and sat back down.Mithras glanced at an earth map and then looked back at Orenda. “North America...? Isn’t that in your territory, Orenda?” Mithras seemed genuinely puzzled.“A part of it was. However the most grievous offenders belong to the Christian sect.” Orenda explained patiently.“Then the delegate for the Christians should make a statement.” Mithras decided.“Not possible...” came a voice from the Egyptian section of the Hall. All heads turned to see Khenti Amenti standing and waving a piece of parchment. “The Christian delegate should be one Jesus the Nazarene, but he refuses to be associated with the sect of Christianity. He says he’s Jewish. I have a note here from his mother, Mary. I was going to mention it before, but you never called the roll.”Mithras looked irritated. “Well, they have to have some representation here. Who is the deputy delegate then?”“It should be the archangel Michael. None of the other archangels would volunteer for it on the same grounds this Jesus gave. Unfortunately, Michael is currently seeking asylum with the Buddhists.” Khenti Amenti explained. A rotund, bald headed god with drooping earlobes shifted a bit at this and muttered “And he’ll keep on applying until he beats that flaming sword of his into a flaming plowshare.”“So there is nobody here to represent the Christians or speak in their defense?” Mithras grumbled rhetorically. He was not entirely sure how to proceed; Kittu's Rules of Order didn't cover this situation. “I suppose then... that we should put it to a vote to form an ad hoc subcommittee to get their attention...”“Already ahead of you. We’ve been tossing plagues at them, throwing sandstorms in their way at auspicious times, entire species are disappearing, we punched a hole in their ozone layer...” interjected the Roman delegate Lupercus.“I even knocked one of their space vehicles all over the homeland of one of their most vociferous mouthpieces... it was the clearest omen I could think of that we weren’t happy with them. They didn’t get it.” shouted the Chilean delegate Pilan. “Of course they don’t get it,” said Athaena of the Greek delegation. She cast a perspicuous glance to the Roman delegates. “They’re playing ‘the games’ again.” Mithras shot a puzzled look to the Roman representative.Favonius stood up and tried to explain. “And it please the assembly, Secretary-General,” he began in an attempt to preserve the decorum of the Hall. “When the Romans expanded beyond their territories and conquered peoples simply for the sake of conquest, they could not really justify themselves to themselves. What the people of Rome did in order to stop thinking about the ‘rightness and wrongness’ of their actions were to organize gladiatorial games which trivialized life and distracted them from thinking of their friends and family who were fighting and dying on the frontier. Mankind buries itself in spectacular and inhumane ‘entertainment” when they know they are behaving in ways they shouldn’t. The more spectacular their transgressions, the larger and more absurd their ‘games’ become.”From the Mesoamerican corner, the grotesque form of Xipe Totec stood up. “I have to agree, Secretary-General.” He gurgled. “Even my dear Toltecs placed greater and greater value on the bloodshed of their ballgames, imbuing them with religious significance, as their empire grew and their conquests became more unnecessary. The slaughter at home made them feel better about the slaughter on the frontiers.” Lugh, from the Celtic contingent threw in his two cents well. “Our islanders in the north had a tiny empire for a bit as well. They also sanctioned their blood sports in this time, although it was mostly fox hunting.” Some members of the assembly looked quizzically at one another, certain that they had missed something here.“All right, all right, I understand.” Mithras said finally. “So you are saying that you have tried to send omens but these people are too busy watching each other kill one another in the arenas to notice?”“In a manner of speaking, Secretary-General.” Athaena clarified. “Although in these more ‘enlightened’ times, they have traded the dueling arena for ‘reality television’ and debase and humiliate one another rather than killing each other outright. It works the same way, though, debasing and trivializing life. I am sure that Priapus might have recorded some dating shows if you wanted to see one.”“No, no, that’s all right, I get the point.” Mithras said. “I’m afraid I’m at something of a loss. Mankind is destroying the planet they have stewardship over and all that dwell therein, but they are too absorbed in their pettiness to read the omens you have sent. If it were a small group of them, we might find some way to halt them,” he paused and gave a stern look towards the Elohim delegates who returned his glance somewhat guiltily. “However, I am reluctant to sign a second resolution here ordering their extinction if there is no Christian delegate to speak in their defense.”“And why would you need a Christian delegate?” Came a smooth voice from the back. Everybody turned to see who had spoken. “These people are Christians in name only. You need only speak to somebody who represents their objects of worship... and we are right here.” The assembled Supernaturals watched as seven strange figures strode into the Hallowed Hall, stopping before the central dais upon which Secretary-General Mithras stood. Hermes Psychopompous stopped scribbling on to his parchment and leaned towards them before the light of recognition broke across his features. He shook his head in a gesture of dissatisfaction and resumed writing. It took only a moment before most of the assembly of Supernaturals did the same. Each of them recognized the figures of Avarice, Wrath, Lust, Sloth, Gluttony, Pride and Envy.“I presume that all immortals are welcome here...?” Gulveig/Avarice continued in her smooth tones. “I must confess that we felt a little snubbed when we hadn’t received our invitations.”“So you represent the... er, deities that the people of Earth are now worshipping?” Mithras asked in an attempt to be cordial in spite of the calculated disruption that the Vices had made with their entrance.“Of course! We fulfill a spiritual niche that the U.S. has left void.” responded Behemoth/Gluttony, while chewing noisily on a large, roasted ostrich leg.“Taken humankind under our own ægis, you might say.” Iblis/Lust clarified. “Since they’re doomed to the Underworlds anyway, we decided that we preferred to have them in ours.” Iblis had to put his hand on Demogorgon/Wrath’s shoulder to prevent him from launching himself at Mithras.An angry murmuring filled the Hallowed Hall now as the Supernaturals realized how these rogue entities had usurped their followers. Mithras banged a gavel in an attempt to restore order. He sat for a moment in thought before he finally spoke again.“Hermes Psychopompous, take down the following proposed resolution...” He began. “Since humankind has exhibited a complete and total disregard for their own welfare and the lives and well beings of the inhabitants of planet Earth, and in light of the pre-emptive strike that the rogue Vices have made for the souls of humankind, I, Mithras, Secretary-General of the United Supernaturals move that we disband this august body and leave the denizens of Earth to their own devices. We shall no more be compelled to provide balance or direction for that planet and hereby leave them to their own certain extinction.” There was no sound to be heard in the Hallowed Hall for several moments. Mithras narrowed his eyes as he scanned the thousands upon thousands of gathered celestial delegates. “All in favour...?”
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Average Rating : 4.8
Total ratings : 8
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The Assembly | Login/Create an account | 23 Comments |
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Re: The Assembly
by Psychopixi (psyche.at.psychopixi.dot.com)
on Aug 12, 2003 - 09:24 AM
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Wow, that sure made me feel ashamed: I'm not one of those yicky mortal inhabitants, honest! I love reading your articles, they always make me think, and I also love the way you write - you make the stories you write interesting and fun but you also give them thought prokoving topics. Brilliant!
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Danke by Monolycus on Aug 12, 2003 - 04:59 PM (User info | Send a Message) | I think "brilliant" might be stretching things a bit, but I'm very happy that I have given you something to mull over. That is usually why I write.
~M. |
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Re: The Assembly
by Dolorosa (SixOfSwords@IU.zzn.com)
on Aug 12, 2003 - 01:18 PM
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Fucking fantastic Mono. I loved the line up. It was like British Parliment, only fun. You display a very strong acumen in regards to metatheological type stuff and have given a neat and ultimately readable translation of an assload of different faiths. I must admit a thrill at the end...a yummy cliffhanger if I've ever seen one. I so want to see more of this sort of thing...rock! All it needs is ninjas...although if the vote goes through, I'd imagine we'd be seeing quite a bit of them. Oh yeah...mad props on assigning those powers to the seven deadlies...iblis rocks, THAT was damn creative, and eerily apt. Go Mono go go go!!
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Re: The Assembly by Monolycus on Aug 12, 2003 - 05:06 PM (User info | Send a Message) | I have to give Rogue credit for the inspiration about the Seven Deadlies. He pointed out to me these bumper stickers (which I have since seen everywhere!) that have the words "The Power of Pride" emblazoned over an American flag. He joked about the idea of making "The Power of Envy" (et cetera) bumper stickers. The more I thought about it, though, the more it seemed to me that the real joke was that it was no joke. People really have embraced the Seven Deadly Sins as guidelines for their behaviour.
Anyway, thanks for the kind words... although it was really modelled after the United Nations. If British Parliament were the model I was using, then Shiva would be suing the BBC for defamation of character.
~M. |
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Missing the Point by Monolycus on Aug 13, 2003 - 11:10 PM (User info | Send a Message) | Ah, okay, I think I misread what you were saying. You thought it was apt that I assigned Iblis the rôle of Lust. Gotcha. That was an intuitive call on my part. Someone once proposed that "Original Sin" was actually sex between Adam and Eve, which would make Iblis' rôle as the Serpent that of lust in my mind. Add that to Iblis' duties to "tempt unbelievers" according to the Islamic faith, and his representation as a goat (satyr) in Semitic myth (as Azazel), and it just kind of all came together for me. I won't say that it was a perfect one-to-one analogy, but he was the one my gut told me to assign to that rôle.
I actually felt I was going further out on a limb by associating Avarice with the giantess Gulveig, which is a pet theory of mine. According to the Icelandic sagas, it was Gulveig and her two sisters (if anyone has ever found a name for her sisters, please let me know!) who caused the Winter War between the Æsir and the Vanir, and eating Gulveig's heart has been proposed as the cause of the warping of Loki. I've also seen some author's suggest that Gulveig was waiting in the cave with the hoard of Andvari, which fits my model almost perfectly. One thing the Asa and the Vans had before the Winter War was gold (which they used to build with), but when they started hoarding and coveting, the end was near. For these reasons, I see Gulveig (which can be translated as "Gold Drink") as the spirit of Avarice.
It's possible that there are others who would be more appropriate to the rôles than the ones I assigned, and I would love to hear any suggestions or criticisms.
~M. |
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Re: Missing the Point by Dolorosa (SixOfSwords@IU.zzn.com) on Aug 14, 2003 - 11:19 AM (User info | Send a Message) | Yes...thats it, thought iblis suited very well, and although I'm not too familiar with old stories of the aesir...I thought your connection was very very cool...
The only one I missed was Coyote! he's the bomb!! heh heh...
Again, job well done Mono...your always an insightfuly and entertaining as hell read. Keep it up yo! |
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Format Problems
by Monolycus on Aug 12, 2003 - 04:56 PM
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I wrote this submission originally in MS Works and copied-and-pasted it when I submitted it. Unfortunately, the line breaks didn't seem to copy and, as a result, I think the editors were left with one big blob of ragged text that they had to reformat. I think that they did a very decent job with what they had to work with, but the paragraphs aren't spaced the same way that they were in the original version (Considering the story pacing problems I had when I was writing it, some of the shifting has actually been an improvement!).
I mention this for two reasons:
a.) I want everyone to know that I do, in fact, know the grammatical rules about what constitutes a new paragraph, and
b.) If this kind of thing happened once, it might be a good idea for people to be aware of it so that they can make the necessary adjustments themselves and not make more work for the editors. Props to the editors for sorting through it, and I apologise for dumping the big mess into your cumulative laps that way. I am, as always
your faithful servant,
~Monolycus.
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Re: The Assembly
by Merry_Widow on Aug 12, 2003 - 06:26 PM
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You know, this kind of reminds me of the short story "The Pale, Thin God" by Resnick. Beyond theat, however, it is a well written piece and very thought provoking.
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Re: The Assembly by Monolycus on Aug 12, 2003 - 11:39 PM (User info | Send a Message) | I've never read that, but I will throw it on my growing pile of "must look into this at some point". Vielen dank!
~M. |
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Re: The Assembly
by Domkitten (saradevil@saradevil.com)
on Aug 14, 2003 - 07:07 AM
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One, I think this horribly well written, and I beg your forgivness for the paleness of my recent posts inlight of it.
I had some questions though. Could you explain a bit about your choices for giving voice. I was particularly curious about the seeming lack of voice from the Christian Delegation,aside, that is from the rouge vices, and a bit surprised by the voice of the Iriquous deligation. Would you eleborate please....
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God-Forsaken Answer by Monolycus on Aug 14, 2003 - 12:48 PM (User info | Send a Message) | "Horribly well written"...? I was all prepared for a negative review. Tease.
Anyway, I am not entirely sure that I understand what you are asking, so I am going to ramble out a response while my coffee kicks in and hopefully I will touch on it. If I have missed your point by the end of it, just wash-rinse-repeat until we're on the same page.
I showed this story to a few friends before it showed up here, and the majority accused me of Christian bashing, so I expected that I would have to defend myself from that charge here as well. I'm both encouraged and disappointed that nobody seems to have misread my intent that way. Actually, I was handing out some bitchslaps pretty indiscriminately in this piece, but the only groups who I think have been really given ground for offense would be athiests and secular humanists, because of my heavy-handed suggestion that human beings would be lost entirely in the absence of divine guidance.
There were two basic reasons for my failure to provide representation to the Christians. First of all, they shouldn't have any. They have borrowed their pantheon whole-cloth from Judaic myths and historical figures, and I wanted to demonstrate that the figure of Christ was a rabbi and not a Christian.
The second, and more important, reason that I chose to write it that way was to demonstrate an odd point about religiosity. Do you recall a forum in which we discussed the difference between science and Scientism? Same basic principle here. Just because a person or group of people are disgustingly ostentatious about pushing an agenda or belief system, it doesn't automatically follow that they, themselves, actually subscribe to it. Let me quote from Erich Fromm's "Psychoanalysis and Religion" (1950):
"If man's highest value is success, if love, truth, justice, tenderness, mercy are of no use to him, he may profess these ideals but he does not strive for them. He may think that he worships the god of love but he actually worships an idol which is the idealization of his real goals, those rooted in the marketing orientation. Those who are concerned only with survival of religion and of the churches may accept the situation. Man will seek the haven of the church because his inner emptiness impels him to seek some shelter. But professing religion does not mean being religious." (pp. 99-100)
I used Christians in my first example, but this practice is not restricted to them, and I never meant to imply that it was. I probably should have made it more clear that the Seven Deadlies had not just usurped the followers of Christianity, but the followers of ALL the religions represented, which was why Mithras proposed that the Assembly abandon ALL of humankind. If I were to rewrite the story, I would try to clarify that.
As for why I had Orenda proffer charges... it was expedient. He comes from North America, where I wanted to imply the problems were concentrated. I could have used any North American deity, but Orenda seemed to me to be most apt. The conception of Orenda is not so much an individual, but the primal force that permeates everything, and his "domain" of followers has been usurped by force by Europeans. This was supposed to foreshadow the usurpation that we find out about later from the Nasty Seven.
Hope that I have at least touched on an answer here to what you were wondering.
~M.
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Re: God-Forsaken Answer by Domkitten (saradevil@saradevil.com) on Aug 16, 2003 - 12:56 AM (User info | Send a Message) http://www.saradevil.com | I would not go so far as to say you were religion bashing, but I did feel that the christians were certainly getting the shorter end of the stick, I mean really, the entire Jewish state is responsible for it's fair share of conflict (Israel vs Palastine) and I'd give the India (Hindu) and Pakistan (Muslim) situtation a far amount of responsibility for contributing to the instability of the world.
Granted the US has done it's fair sharing of world policing, and is certianly doing more to take over the planet than the others who are just bickering and fighting. I think maybe you might want to clear that up a bit in a revision.
I was wondering, however, if you are aware of the current experiements underway to capture anti-matter. I had a sense from reading this that you were, but I had not heard anything about using this to build a bomb. Care to elaborate further... |
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Re: God-Forsaken Answer by Monolycus on Aug 16, 2003 - 01:43 PM (User info | Send a Message) | I touched on the India-Pakistan problem in Kurma's speech. As far as the Israeli situation goes, it is difficult to criticize the nation of Israel in any way without courting the label "antisemite". If you re-read Mithras' admonishment of the Elohim, there is a great deal of subtext there. That is the only address I felt necessary without sidelining the bigger picture. I centered my criticism on the "Christianity" found especially the United States because they are not only the most militant that I see, but also set the greatest example that others follow. I didn't want to get mired down in every example and derail what I was trying to get across.
Yes, I have heard about anti-matter experimentation (which was why I included that); no, I have not heard about a bomb. I never expected to read about a bomb, but I think it naturally follows. Follow my chain of reasoning:
1.) No real scientist since the 19th century has pursued research for the sake of adding to the stores of human knowledge. They can't. They have to follow the funding. Also, any facility with the equipment to contain and research anti-matter necessarily has to be very, very well-funded.
2.) The only agencies who have the funds to equip a facility for this type of research have only one of two possible motives: a commercial or military application of a product.
3.) It is extremely unlikely that something as inherently unstable and dangerous as antimatter would ever have a commercial application (Alternative fuel? A car that runs on anti-matter? And you thought the Ford Pinto exploded!)
4.) Therefore, I can deduce that this research is being applied to a military weapon. Q.E.D.
~M. |
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Re: God-Forsaken Answer by dead-cell (Tarant-9@stribmail.com) on Aug 16, 2003 - 08:11 PM (User info | Send a Message) | The first time I heard of Anti-Matter applications it was purposed as an alternative propellant for future space fight. By the way ever hear of Negative Strangelets. Now there is your complete desturction earth, but they are only theoretical. |
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Re: God-Forsaken Answer by Monolycus on Aug 16, 2003 - 11:32 PM (User info | Send a Message) | I know you meant "space flight" and not "space fight", but Freud might have been on to something about those little slips after all. The military applications for rocket propellants are fairly obvious, but even so, let me quote from the Project for a New American Century's (PNAC) manifesto that they revised for 2000 entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century". On thier list of must-haves, shortly after declaring the need to "(f)ight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theatre wars" (p. iv), they declare the need to "(c)ontrol the new 'international commons' of space and 'cyberspace', and pave the way for the creation of a new military service- U.S. Space Forces- with the mission of space control" (p. v). If these were everyday maniacs like the "Mars Society" dreamers or the crack addict on the corner, it would be laughable. Since most of them currently work in and run the Pentagon, however, it's a trifle more alarming.
I haven't heard of Negative Strangelets, theoretical or otherwise. What'cha got?
~M. |
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Re: The Assembly
by bettie_x (strangersangel@hotmail.com)
on Aug 15, 2003 - 03:40 AM
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Mono I swear you've outdone yourself, this is FANTASTIC. I know you're not the "pat on the back" kind of guy, but to try to even scratch the surface of why I think it's stupendous would make my head explode, so a simple "wow" will have to suffice.
This is a keeper, brother, I highly suggest you start compiling works of genious like this and put out a book. Rock on.
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Aw, Shucks by Monolycus on Aug 15, 2003 - 11:25 PM (User info | Send a Message) | Thank you very much for the praise, Bettie. Honestly, I am not so much anti back-patting, as it just doesn't give me much to respond to. All I can really do is to keep trying to find newer and more creative ways to say "thanks". Also, I am very, very pedestal shy... I recently said to someone that putting someone on a pedestal just increases the risk of injury when they inevitably fall from grace. But I do appreciate the occasional kind word.
I am interested to find out what has worked (and hasn't) and why it has worked (or didn't) so that I can improve both my writing and my Weltbild in the future. This latest submission has some very awkward pacing problems... I think that it lags when I am trying to insert certain very debatable points, and I think I treat many of those ideas with far too heavy a hand. I did cram it full of a great deal in the way of my personal philosophy as well as current events (I have yet to receive ANY flak over the reference to the Challenger disaster which I handled in a deliberately callous way, or the many offhanded references I made to the Iraqi situation... I was fairly sure I would get a teensy bit barbecued for that). I'm always sure that someone, somewhere, is holding back something scathing. If that scathing something is literary criticism and not personal griping, I am all ears.
At any rate, your praise does actually mean quite a bit to me. Thank you.
~M. |
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Re: Aw, Shucks by bettie_x (strangersangel@hotmail.com) on Aug 16, 2003 - 06:21 PM (User info | Send a Message) http://bettie_x.tripod.com/ | Well I only give it where it is actually due, so you earned it. I think the very thing that DID work for it WAS the callouse way you mentioned current events, such as the challenger explosion all over W's home state (very nicely put, by the way), as should there be such an "assembly" and they did it AS a warning, it SHOULD be handled as callouse that nobody noticed such a blatant "warning". If you know me then you know I hate it when people tippie toe around shit, and if you'd tippie toed around the things in the story it wouldn't have been as good as it was. That, and jesus the jew (king of jews, as people tend to forget) refusing to attend to represent xianity and all the other "officials" claiming assylum for the same reasons, only to have the 7 horsemen of the appocalypse replaced by the 7 sins (now almost "gods") of the modern world was stellar, and to me was the height of the piece, right before they all, kit and kaboodle, denounce the human race. I don't think I've ever seen a piece of fiction so accurately and bluntly mirror humanity, and for that I LOVED IT. Once again, GOOD SHOW. |
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Heilige Scheiß! by Monolycus on Aug 16, 2003 - 11:43 PM (User info | Send a Message) | I don't think it was what I had intended to do, but you made me realise something, Bettie. What I have written here is my own twisted version of Goethe's Prologue in Heaven! There absolutely IS more here for me to write about. The next step is to take things Earthside and watch humankind sink or swim. Will they be able to find their own salvation without guidance or will they even notice that their planet really has become god-forsaken after all? Heilige scheiß, maybe I really do have a book in me somewhere!
~M. |
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Re: The Assembly
by IamSquid (undisclosed)
on Sep 11, 2003 - 08:51 PM
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http://www.goodandevilgoround.com
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I must say, my first impression is the Pandemonium scene in Paradise Lost but this is a very profound story. Yoo should really publish this, Mono.
Incidently it came at rather an appropriate time in human history...
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Paradise on Five Dollars a Day by Monolycus on Sep 12, 2003 - 03:25 PM (User info | Send a Message) | Thanks, Squid. I hadn't thought of ripping off Milton yet ("Better to rule in cyberspace than serve on the board of trustees"), but I'm not above it. Actually, I am considering cleaning this up significantly. As I wrote to Bettie (see the heading "Heilige Scheiß"), I'm planning on expanding this for seven chapters on Earth, each chapter dealing with a particular sin and how the main character(s) succumb or transcend, and an epilogue in Heaven. This way, I will be ripping off Dante's nine cycles, Goethe's triumph of man's will, and the Book of J for its sheer tediousness. If I can pull it off well enough without being deliberately derivative, I would consider publishing it. Thank you very much for your encouragement!
~M. |
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Re: The Assembly
by snorey (-)
on Sep 12, 2003 - 04:08 AM
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So why can't the saints stand in for Christianity? Or at least for the non-Protestant versions?
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Re: The Assembly by Monolycus on Sep 12, 2003 - 03:17 PM (User info | Send a Message) | While I can easily see Augustine or Thomas á Becket buying humanity another couple of thousand years with a prolonged filibuster, and they would certainly fit the bill of being peculiar to Christianity, I did not use the saints for two reasons. The first reason is that there is some question as to the degree to which beatification and canonization approach what we would think of as apotheosis. This question keeps the Catholic faiths from having to deal with the stigma of being called polytheistic (the theological equivalent of an R-rating... not necessarily death in itself, but it cuts significantly into your box-office take). I'm sure Arthegarn would have called me on it if I were to have tried such a thing.
Secondly, and more importantly, as I outlined to DK above (it's buried somewhere under the heading "God-Forsaken Answer"), it was expedient for my literary purposes to leave Christianity unrepresented. The Christianity I had in mind as being the most problematic is the extremely militant, right-wing version that is almost exclusively Protestant, North American and practically inseparable from its fundamental inconsistencies and intolerances. They are by no means alone in these attitudes, but they represent a reductio ad absurdum of the kinds of faults I wanted to illustrate and were, therefore, a really easy target.
~M. |
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