Current mood:

creative

Tony Stark vs. The Incredible Hulk
Episode Fifteen progress:

Pages 12/≈30
Words 6000/≈16000

Between Kingdoms Progress:
Words 93,000/≈200,000

Oh! I got you going. You thought I was gonna talk about something totally wicked like Iron Man vs. Hulk. Now that would be wicked. But I'm not.

But I did see The Incredible Hulk today. I really enjoyed it. Bruce Banner is kinda cute. (What!? Shut up!) And if you're wondering, there are some tie-ins to the upcoming avengers movie!!! I won't spoil it for ya. But look forward to it.

And Remember: You wouldn't like him when he's hungry.



So, I have another meeting scene I'm working on, which means that those of you that like wacky stuff like, I dunno, original characters from the series get to have a carrot mometarily dangled in front of your eyes.

It makes me happy to imagine the Sailor Senshi in those wicked princess dresses they have. I remember really grilling myself in Episode Four (the first scene where there is a "royal meeting") about whether or not they should refer to themselves as their princess-y titles. In the manga, they just have Princess + their planet name for a title (So Saturn is "Princess Saturn.") But I ultimately decided being called by your planet name was pretty stupid. I mean, "Hey, Princess Saturn! How are you today?" That just don't sound right, man. So I just have them use their mortal names, unless, like Queen Serenity/Endymion/Lady Serenity, they have actually, y'know, names in their Princess form.

Also, I have decided that Eris and Nemesis are one and the same, thus circumventing my need to create a Sailor Eris. Eris = Nemesis works in a lot of ways. Weird orbit, late discovery, status as planet "X", being named something dark, evil and ominous...you can't go wrong!!!! That means I'll just have to think up something for Sedna, plus any other possible Kuiper belt objects that are worth talking about.



Right. So if you haven't heard yet, I'm probably going to re-start the Germany campaign in the next couple months. I'd like to know who's interested in reprising their characters. Keep in mind that it's a re-boot, so if you'd rather make up a new one...that's cool! I'd also like to know your opinion on the format of the game.

Last time we did it forum-style. Now, in many ways, forums are convienent, but....they have problems. Okay, they have problem. the problem is slowness/participation. If you name a day and a place when people have to show up, they are (well, usually) compelled to come if they want to be considered a contributing member. But forums are kind of "hey, whenever is good!" which is nice in theory, but causes some nasty backlog issues when people don't get around to it. So I'm considering another format.

Which of the following formats would/wouldn't work for you, and why/why not, and which would you prefer:

1) Forum game - if you have any suggestions to make it work better this time around, they would be much appreciated.

2) Ventrilo / voice chat - basically, we put on some headphones, boot onto my server, and use voice chat--make this the most like real table-top gaming of our choices. I have used this method before. It actually works quite well, about as well as real table-top games do, anyway.

3) IRC - aka Internet Relay Chat. Basically like AIM chat but a lot more reliable. I'd have to figure out how to use this and either go on a gaming server (I believe there is one....) or start up a server of my own. IF people didn't have the equipment or aren't comfortable with voice chat, this is the next best thing--real-time text.

4) Other - Got another idea? By all means, share it.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think.

Also, if anyone has a cool idea for Sailor Sedna that fits into the Moon Senshi continuity and wants to play her (Or him...) let me know. If you don't like the limitations that the Moon Senshi put on you, this might be your chance to come up with something a little more free-form.



So I figured if I'm going to be babbling about Between Kingdoms, I should give people a run down on what the heck it's about. Maybe writing my thoughts out on, y'know, what the f**k my novel is about will also make me less stupefied the next time someone asks, "So, what the f**K is this novel about, anyway? Y'know, the one you spend most of your time on?"


The Plot:

A young girl, Greita, is told by the avatar of her god, Rom, that she must go on a journey through many worlds. In each world, she must try to bring followers to the "Seat of Rom;" the site of Rom himself. She is cautioned not to try and convert the people she brings along. It is the duty of Rom himself to convert the unbelievers, not hers. Rather, she should use the lure of adventure, knowledge, and trade to convince others to come with her.

In her travels, she meets Standing-bear and Amber-leaves, members of a tribe who choose their gender when they come of age. Greita is disgusted to find that although Standing-bear insists he is a "man," physically, "he" is female. Greita only takes it as proof that their tribe's way of doing things is unnatural when she discovers that Standing-bear and Amber-leaves marriage was arranged, and that Amber-leaves had used guile to make Standing-bear her husband when he was set to be wed to his sweetheart. The couple must make a journey of discovery before returning to tribe, and so Greita convinces them to accompany her. She also meets Waoyon, a trained assassin-for-hire who hopes to discover the technology that will win a war against the emperor who slaughtered her village of mercenaries.

As Greita travels from world to world, she meets even more people who eventually choose to accompany her. Over time, she feels her confidence in Rom's doctrines erode as she meets people and sees places that challenge all of her assumptions about the world.

And when she meets Rom himself, her faith soon shatters into a thousand pieces...



Cultural Relativism vs. Moral Absolutism

I think that now, more than ever, this is a pertinent topic. In case you aren't familiar with the terms, "Cultural Relativism" holds that morals only apply within the boundry of a culture. For example, we cannot judge Islamic people's treatment of women, because within the boundaries of their culture, that is "right" and "just."

"Moral Absolutism" is essentially it's opposite. It holds that there is an absolute wrong and right in the universe. For example, denying women equal rights and suffrage is wrong, no matter where you go or the cultural context.

Between Kingdoms is a travelogue, where the characters go from place to place and experience exotic locales and people. Although I only mention Greita in the summary, all of them have assumptions about the lives they've lead and the natural order of things challenged. There are worlds where people choose their gender, where people don't even have a gender, where gender is decided. There are worlds where there are gods, where there are no gods, with tribalism, monarchy, meritocracy, democracy.....

So what do we do when our moral assumptions are challenged? Do we take refuge in absolutism, or relativism? In the book, the question ultimately remains unanswered. The reader has to decide how much of the world can only be judged by context, and how much must be decided on as wrong.

But if you're asking me for my opinion, I think that some things are contextual and some things are not. And I think where that line is drawn is when people start getting hurt.

Is the participation in the moral "law" cause there to be suffering when the law is broken? Does the law prevent the suffering of others? We have to ask this question, I think, any time we're presented with a set of moral "codes" in a strange culture. If we decide that breaking the law causes suffering, and that the law does not really prevent any suffering, then that moral code can be considered "absolutely" wrong or right. Otherwise, really, we have better things to pass judgement on.



I don't want to go into too big of a run-down right now, but I'll give you the characters that are currently participating in the journey.

Standing-bear: A member of a race of people whose ears are shaped like oak-leaves, Standing-bear is physically a female but lives his life as a man. In his tribe, those who choose to be "men" are responsible for hunting and defense. Based on merit, certain members of the tribe can become warriors if they are men. Standing-bear has not only attained this honor, but he is the most promising warrior of his tribe. Standing-bear was married to Amber-leaves through an arranged marriage, though he had hoped to be arranged with his sweetheart Lily-gazer. Standing-bear is courageous and brave, but he is short-tempered and very judgemental. When he is arranged to marry Amber-leaves in an act of trickery, he initially vows to hate her forever. This is problematic, since in his tribe druids and warriors practice an extremely powerful kind of magic that is used through an empathic bond. If the pair does not get along, their magic is weak.

Amber-leaves: Standing-bear's wife. They grew up as something akin to friends, though they often teased each other. Although Standing-bear thought of Amber-leaves as nothing more than a friend and occasional pest, Amber-leaves had loved Standing-bear for quite some time before the matches were made. She lied to the village match-maker and told her that it was actually her that Standing-bear loved, not Lily-gazer. Since they were known to get along, the matchmaker believed the lie and arranged their marriage. Amber-leaves comes to regret her decision on some level after she sees Standing-bear's marriage, but would probably do it again since it meant being with her own true love--and since Standing-bear seems to like her a lot more than he would care to admit. Amber-leaves is compassionate and mothering, but she can be just as easily self-serving, coy and cunning.

Greita: Greita is a member of the Kchote of Rom, a monastery where she works with other sisters. She was abanboned to the care of the nuns at the age of nine by a desperate mother who could not afford to take care of her anymore. Greita came to love the mother superiors where she lived and cultivated her mind while living at the monastery. She will never admit it, but she deeply resents her paretns for their abandonment at the same time she is glad that she has a home at the monastery. She holds the values of Rom above all else, something that becomes a deep source of conflict to her when she is put in the company of non-believers who are genuinely good people. This is especially difficult for her because of the mothering role Amber-leaves takes on to her after she meets her. While she is disgusted by the traditions of the oakmen, she can't ignore Amber-leaves' kindness. Greita is sensitive and compassionate, and has a keen interest in learning. But she is over-sensitive and cowardly, and has tendency to rely on those around her.

Waoyon Waoyon was assigned to go on a mission to raise an heir for the Emperor and then murder the child's father when he was set to become his replacement--thus making way for an official to run the empire and, it was hoped, turn the emperor into no more than a puppet position. In reality, the mission was a set-up; if Waoyon's clan of assassins accepted the mission, they were to be slaughtered by the king and the aristocrat, who was loyal all along. When Waoyon realizes her part in the destruction of her village, she vows revenge on the emperor and sets out to find a way to stop him. On the way, she meets the Oakmen, who also hate the Emperor for taking over their lands. But when Waoyon meets the few surviving members of her village, they encourage her to give up her mad quest and settle down with them for a quiet life. Waoyon cannot forget the death of her loved ones, however, and goes with Greita in the hopes of finding the weapon that will send the Emperor to his knees. Waoyon is exceedingly smart, cunning and well-trained, but she is impaitient, and her praticality often makes her unsympathetic to the plights of others.

Whatz: Whatz is a member of a strange world where all people live under the earth. There, many plants glow far brighter than fire, and people ride on gigantic scarabs. The country of Vhurdvelm itself is obessed with knowledge and learning. Whatz went to college as a student and found and researched many ruins of the strange ancient civilization of Zaznau. He went on to become an engineer, and invented a quick-moving car that ran along rails over the surface of the planet. But on Vhurdvelm, moving over the surface where there is no night and the ground is nothing but infinite sands is distasteful. Moreover, people accustomed to living under the surface find the idea of ground travel distasteful. Whatz was mocked out of the academic establishment and was forced to become a foreman for the mining effort, the lowest job above a slave. Dejected, Whatz turned to drink, and even his loving niece and brother could not shake him from it. But when Whatz discovers the tree people stepping through the gate from another world, he realizes that he may have found his ticket to a new life of fascinating discoveries. And in a world obessed with knowledge, a new discovery could be his ticket out of a miserable life. Whatz is caring and gentle, and a first-class fighter from his days guarding the slaves. But he is short-tempered, emotional, and easily depressed--and, because of this, now a drunkard.


Phew. That was a lot of work. More chara profiles as I get...more charas!

Now excuse me gentlemen....I'll have the veal picatta. (falls over, dead tired)