And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

–Genesis 1:2

The creation of any world implicitly begins from the top down.  No matter the specific cosmology of your world, whether it’s a Creator bespaking the world into existence on a whim or a ginormous explosion like the big bang, you’ve got to begin at some sort of beginning.

You don’t have to go into specifics but in the context of a D&D game, especially any which rely on Divine plots or extensively magical plots, the cosmology of your world is something you ignore at your peril.  If your campaign never plans to reach epic levels or get extensively metaphysical/detailed, such things are fine.  However there is a rule I’d like to follow in any campaign settings I create for D20.

Rule 1: All fantastic, otherworldly settings must be as internally coherent as possible.   Essentially this rule states that if you are in a world of magic, sword, and sorcery, the world must behave as one.   If you have the chutzpah to scrawl something like “here be dragonnes” on your world map, there ought to be dragons.  It’s no good if Smaug acts lizard-ish and not Dragon-ish.   In the same manner, Dwarves ought to act like Dwarves, Trolls should act like Trolls, Goblins ought to be Goblins, and insane dark gods hellbent on the annihilation of all existence ought to be insane dark gods hellbent on the annihilation of all existence.

Okay then.  So how does this play into Cosmology?

Implicit in much existing source material are creatures like Demons, Devils, Angels, and Archons.  There are also class options, adventures, races, and prestige classes that presume a particular deity.  Unless you want to run a completely home-brew game universe, you’re going to have to find some way to integrate the existing material into your game.  Your cosmology, however you define it, is going to have to -fit- into existing source material somewhere.  Or how do you explain the presence of classic baddies like Asmodeus, or stand-by deities like Pelor?

Without suitable cosmology, angels & demons, good and evil, quickly become pastiche–a bit like warring factions of aliens with humans caught in the middle.  This is a very post-modern way to look at the topic, and works such as Hellblazer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Preacher have thoroughly explored it.  It’s tired, boring, and almost a cliche.

Furthermore, I think this post-moderning strips away a lot of the real emotion impact of various mythological and fantastic creatures.  If vampires and werewolves are really just the equivalent of genetically altered super-humans who sparkle, it just becomes a wish-fulfillment fantasy a la Twilight or Underworld.  Despite my love for Kate Beckinsale in skin-tight clothing, the Underworld franchise is far less compelling & engaging than Wall-E.  It’s a weak explanation for the supernatural that fails to grab the imagination.

Furthermore it is far less engaging and compelling than its opposite.   What if the supernatural is real, palpable, and absolutely terrifying, and the party (Big Damn Heroes) are the only thing in the world able to stand against the armies of Hell for one reason or another?  Suddenly the stakes got a lot higher.  Your world should be set up in this manner–the party, at sufficiently high levels, should be able to engage in a climatic battle for the fate of the world.

So plan to build all of this into the cosmology of your world at one point

Listen to the espisode HERE.

Last weekend New Moon opened and in the process broke a bunch of box-office records or something. Clearly teenage girls like the whole vampires vs werewolves thing. Or maybe they just like hunk vs. hunk. I’m almost tempted to check out some Jacob/Edward fic, but I think I’ll refrain.

But if Twilight is the domain of teenage girls, a certain type of young man (*cough* basement nerd *cough*) goes for another vampires vs. werewolves franchise, Underworld. This has a lot, I suspect, to do with Kate Beckinsale’s vinyl onesie.

The whole vampires vs. werewolves thing isn’t new though. Check out The Wolfman Vs. The Vampire Woman in its entirety (below). That’s some classic wolf-on-vamp action, that is. Don’t say Nerd Hurdles doesn’t give you the goods.

But as corny as that film might be, it still holds but a dim candle to the cheesefest that is Underworld. Below might be my favourite scene.

I simply love the guy who plays the werewolf scientist (Erwin Leder). “Even at the cellular level, our species seemed destined to destroy each other!” Brilliant. His performance is spectacular. Flawless, you might say.

As is the work of the always wonderful Bill Nighy, playing here Viktor, the head of the vampires. He really saves the film with his onslaught of Shatnerian technique. He’s like a Shatninja who sneaks in halfway through the film to drop mad acting science on the truly atrocious Shane Brolly (who, incidentally, might be the best thing about this film).

Underworld gave us a lot to talk about. For instance werecats (personally, I’d want to turn into a Russian Fishing Cat) and Perfect Strangers. Which are sort of combined here in this fabulous video:

I reached 100% of all God of War Trophies with 2 run-throughs inside a single week. The first run was on Hard Mode! It was though but I never accept the offer to switch to Easy Mode. Hurray! The second run was on easy to grab the last missing trophies. Now I want to give you some tips how to get em all. You should note that there is no “Complete the Game on God Mode” trophy in the list, wich means that you dont need to complete the game in this Difficulty Mode unless you want to unlock all the Treasures in the game itself (costume select, the truth about Kratos family and the second secret message).  If you are up to beat the game on God Mode and to unlock all the treasures, be advised that you can get the first secret message by destroying the two statues in the last room of the game (200 hits each) I was very satisfied about this circumstance not to be forced to play through God Mode.

Anyway, lets begin with the trophy list. Here we go:

BRONCE TROPHIES

• Rockin’ the Boat – Complete the Sex Mini-Game
  • After fighting the Hydra and reaching Athens you start in your cap with two beautiful naked woman lie on your bed. By Pushing the R2-Button you just talk with them. You need to jump on the bed and to push the Circe-Button to interact with them. It’s not only a good practice for the many Quick-Time-Events, it also rewards you with red globes and a trophy.
• Don’t Leave Her Hanging – Rescue the Oracle with 10 seconds to spare
  • This is a easy one. Just finish the race to rescue the Oracles with 10 seconds left on the timer.
• Splash – Kiss the Nyad
  • There are 4 Nyads that can be found during the Test of Poseidon under water. By pushing the R2-Button you just read Kratos thoughts. You need to push the Circle-Button near the Nyad to kiss her and to get the trophy.
• Zero Health = Bronze Trophy
  • This is an easy one. Just open a Chest when your heath meter is already full.
• Hitman – Get a 100 Hits Combo
  • There are to places to achieve this trophy. The first one is near the locked door that you need to open by a puzzle short before you can acquire Zeus Fury or during the Test of Atlas while a block is coming near you and you have to kill all enemies before it smashes you.Make sure to have Poseidon’s Rage at last on Level 2 and play on Normal or Hard Mode.
    It’s near impossible to get this trophy on Easy Mode because the enemies have less health and die very quick what makes it hard for you to collect enough hits.
    All you have to do is to wait until you are surrounded by a lot of enemies. Now is the time to cast Poseidon’s Rage and to smash the Circle-Button. Tada! Now you have over 100 hits and get the trophy.
• Getting My Ass Kicked – Die enough times to get offered Easy Mode
  • You need to play the game at last on Normal Mode and to die during the same battle exactly 5 times to get offered to change the difficulty to Easy Mode. Dont win a battle and activate the next checkpoint or the counter will be set back to zero.

SILVER TROPHIES

• Kratos’ Marble Collection – Collect all the Gorgon Eyes
  • There are 18 Gorgon Eyes wich increase your healt-meter. You can find more than 18 Gorgon Eyes spread all over the Chests that can be found in the game. You get the trophy by collecting all 18 Gorgon Eyes.
• Stick it in Your Cap! – Collect all the Phoenix Feathers
  • There are 18 Phoenix Feathers wich increase your mana-meter. You can find more than 18 Phoenix Feathers  spread all over the Chests that can be found in the game. You get the trophy by collecting all 18 Phenix Feathers.
• Hitman 2 – Get a 200 Hits Combo
  • Check the Trophy “Hitman 1″ above to know the two best places to reach the trophy. Cast Poseidon’s Rage once more and bash the Circle-Button again to get over 200 hits. The trophy is yours now!
• Legend of the Twins – Watch the ‘Birth of the Beast’ Treasure
  • After you have completed the game once you unlock a short movie in the Treasure list. Just play this video and you get the trophy.
• Seeing Red – Max out all Weapons and Magic
  • It’s near impossible to max out all weapons and magic on Normal Mode or higher, because you get less red globes by defeating enemies. Play the game on Easy Mode and try to follow this simple rules:
    - Kill your opponents very brutal to get more red globes as you would get by just killing them the normal way
    - Open the by two Muse-Keys locked secret room in Rings of Pandora to get a large boost of experience
    - Try to find every chest wich include red orbs during the game
    - You get the most globes in chests on your escape from the underworld
    - During the first battle against Ares try to fail the mini-game after the first sequence when Kratos jumps on Ares shoulders to get lots of experience levels, up to 5 times

GOLD TROPHIES

• You Got the Touch! – Climb the Spiked Column in Hades without taking damage
  • You only have to climb the first Spiked Column in Hades without taking damage to achieve this trophy. It’s not very hard to solve this task. Just focus on the blades of the column and dont hesitate. I can’t tell you if you need to load your game after you got hit by one of the blades to reset the requirement not to get hit. I always quit the game and load the savegame before the next attempt to survive this column untouched.
• I’ll Take the Physical Challenge – Complete the Challenge of the God
  • You can select the Challenge of the Gods in the treasure menu after completing the game for the first time. Just beat the 10 stages of this challenge to archive the trophy.
• Speed of Jason McDonald – Beat the game in under 5 hours on any Difficulty
  • I completed this task together with the trophy “Seeing Red”. It’s possible to be under 5 hours and to max out all weapons when you play on Easy Mode.To accomplish this task follow this simple rules:
    - Play on Easy Mode
    - Dont kill every enemy on your way to spare some time and just kill all enemies if you are forced to through a magical barrier
• Key to Success – Collect all of the Muse Keys
  • There are only 2 Muse-Keys in the world, but enough chests to find one. I found one in a chest behind Atlas and the second one during the climb on a wall.

This is it folks! Now grab your Platinum Trophy! Oh wait.. there are still more trophies to discover during the game. Just progress through the game and complete it once to get the last missing trophies by just playing the game

And here are the missing trophies:

BRONCE TROPHIES

• 1.21 Gigawatts – Acquire Poseidon’s Rage
• Rocking Out – Acquire Medusa’s Gaze
• Bolt Action – Acquire Zeus’ Fury
• Sword Man – Acquire Blade of Artemis
• Soul Search – Acquire Army of Hades
• Matador – Win the first Minotaur fight
• Scape Goat – Win the first Satyr fight
• Roll Over & and Die – Win the first Cerberus fight
• Don’t They Ever Shut Up! – Defeat the Desert Sirens
• Beat a Dead Horse – Complete the Centaur sacrifice to Hades
• Kickboxer – Complete the Spike Room Box Puzzle
• Get the Ball Rolling – Complete the Challenge of Atlas
• Totally Baked – Complete the Human sacrifice
• Get Me a Beer Kid – Free yourself from the depths of Hades

SILVER TROPHIES

• It’s the HUGE One – Retrieve the Captain’s Key
• Take the Bull by the Horns – Defeat Pandora’s Guardian
• Head Hunter – Obtain the head of the Architect’s wife
• The Power to Kill a God – Retrieve Pandora’s Box
• God Killer – Kill Ares

GOLD TROPHIES

• Prepare to be a God – Beat the Game on any Difficulty

Bang Bang

Chapter 16

A rapping at the door.

As soon as the door latched, Antel pulled with all of his might at the strapps holding him down. It was no use, it was obviouse he was not going anywhere. The thought of his body parts being harvested began to torture his brain. “I need to get out of this place.” He thought to himself.

“God… Please help…”

No sooner did the prayer leave his lips when the octogan room he was in began to shake. It was a deep rumble. The table was dancing, bottles began to fall from the ceiling, and it looked as if the whole structure would collapse on top of him at any moment. The louder the rumble became the more the room began to fall apart. Then it was utter silence. Saw dust and smoke from broken bottles filled the room with a light haze.

“Knock, Knock, Knock.” came a rapping at the door.

Not knowing what monsterouse hell was waiting on the other side, Antel thought to himself that playing dead and praying was the best option.

“Crack! Reeep! Cachunk! Bang!

The massive wooden door burst open. Antel quickly shut his eyes and held his breath. Damn it! His heart was practically beating out of his chest. “Lord.”

He could hear footsteps walking toward the table. The creatures hands were placed on Antels shoulders as he bent over him. He could feel the hot breath. Breath that smelled like. . .Like a couple pints of Hartleys lager.

“You still alive Kiddo?”

“Roosafee!” Antels eyes opened with a burst of excitment.

Laughter filled the room and pushed out the dread and heaviness that once saturated it. Roosafee began to whisper a strange language. Very soft, intent, and concentrated. The straps that tied down his body began to unravel and untie. As soon as Antel was free he sat up.

Roosafee helped Antel to his feet and said, “I know you have plenty of questions, but we have to get out of hear before Venice returns. Not that I am afraid in any way, but his black market connections in this world can make life pretty difficult for two chaps on a mission”.

“But my skin, its in one of these bottles.” Antel then looked at the rooms floor covered with bottles. There was no way of knowing wich bottle held his apperence. It would be like trying to find someone you love in the middle of time square on new years eve.

“There is no time Antel. We will manage.”

As they began to leave they heard, “meow.” “Roosafee!, one second.” Antel pulled a couple of bottles and planks away from a corner and saw the cage with the cat still inside. At once antel opened its door and let the little bugger out. The cat wasted no time and climbed Antels bones. It perched itself on his shoulder and rubbed its whiskers on his cheek.

“Ok pal.” He meet Roosafee at the door. Roosafee didn’t say anything, he just smirked and walked behind the two until they got outside.

This universe was not made for you.
You are unallocated in list of
Participators and only consume… and we’ve entirely forgotten about you.
You do nothing.
You deserve an even smaller potion of happiness than the
Everything you neglect,
A unit so close to zero, it can only be limited to
The lowest number you can squeeze out of
your tube.

Most of the doors are shut at your approach, and we’re
Glad to see your nose close, but far
From the other side of plexi.

If they destroy you, and when they will –
Nothing will happen; you’ve allowed the science
And majesty of prediction to take the place of
Sweet, unreasoned faith.

Die, fruitless laborer. Crumble into your dry skin and
Rot.
Snap your femur with the flat plate of head-bone
Before you go,
And limp… limp into the dark underworld you hardly deserve,
But where else can they put you?

MORNING – Mnemosyne
Mnemosyne, gatekeeper of memory;
I ask for your blessing on this day,
To stir my mind and help me gather my thoughts,
To let nothing important slide past my gaze,
To warm my mind with the touch of divinity, and
To help me remember all that I need.
 
 
EVENING – Lethe
Lethe, goddess of oblivion;
I ask that you rest your hands upon my head
And pour your forgetful waters over my skin,
To soothe away the troubles from my mind,
To calm my frantic thoughts, and
To help me find peace, so that I might sleep.

A 4th UNDERWORLD Movie Is Getting The Greenlight After The Strong Performance Of 'UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS'

THE SHIELD was THRALL WORLD’s best television experience EVER (narrowly edging out BABYLON 5) and the writing was MINT.

——-
——-

I havent written for about a week. I was planning to the other day, and then I got sick with suspected swine flu! I am taking the Tamiflu meds that I have been prescribed and feel slightly better; the pain killers seem to help me faze in and out of the real world. All in all, I dont think I have had the worst case of flu ever, but it has been horrible. I am still not better in the slightest but should be in a few days. To take 5 mins on your hands and knees to get upstairs to the toilet doesnt really help esteem…

It was my friend Lauren’s 21st birthday yesterday, but alas I was too poorly to go out with her, and then go to work I will make it up to you I promise, and I hope you had a good birthday!

Today I found out that my dad has been taking great photos of Lego men!? He stole a load from me before the summer but I hadnt seen any of the produce. Here is my favourite:

Click the image to see all of his work. He does a lot of nature and macro photography, which I think is great. There is no dispute that my photography inspiration and knowledge has always come from him

What else have I found while laying around feeling sorry for myself…? A beautiful place called Stitch Lab, which looks too good to be true!:

When I feel better I am planning to sort out the spare room into a spare room/sewing and crafts room! I cant wait!

This living room is very cute! I love the crochet throw on the sofa, the little green table in the back and the kitchen too…:

I also want a typewriter like this! Its amazing!:

Im not sure what else to write about at the moment, my brain is a bit fried from all the pain killers. Hopefully I will feel a bit better tomorrow.

[No picture - poorly-state face]

Jenn xx

P.S I finished Tomb Raider: Underworld on the 360, and now I am in the middle of Wet. Both games are great!

P.P.S

Ieri sera sono andata a vedere “New Moon“, il secondo capitolo della saga di Twilight che ha per protagonisti Edward il vampiro buono, Bella e la loro struggente storia d’amore, oltre al terzo incomodo il licantropo Jacob. Questo post non è centrato sulla recensione del film, anche se approfitto per dire qualche parola in proposito.

Non avevo grandi aspettative sul film dopo che, in questi giorni, avevo letto pessimi commenti e non ero rimasta entusiasmata nemmeno dal capitolo uno della saga. Anche in questo secondo lavoro la musica è quasi inesistente e comunque poco azzeccata, le recitazioni sono al limite dell’inguardabile e tutta la sceneggiatura è sdocinata all’estremo. Le ambientazioni però sono ben costruite e anche il contorno magico e emozionale. Naturalmente contavo molto sulla presenza dei cattivi e sulla loro interpretazione: i cattivi mi attraggono e per me diventano fondamentali per la buona riuscita di un film. Così eccoci in Italia, alla presenza dei Volturi, ed ecco che entra in scena Aro… sorpresa! E’ Michael Sheen!!!

Dove l’avevo già incontrato? Facile, in Underworld – La ribellione dei Lycans! Devo dire che trovo questo attore assolutamente perfetto per i ruoli da vampiro o licantropo, in cui si è ben destreggiato finora, ora cercherò di vederlo anche nelle vesti più serie e reali di altri personaggi che ha interpretato e vedremo se sarà all’altezza anche di questi. Intanto è entrato di prepotenza nella classifica dei miei attori preferiti. Spero che molte persone imparino a conoscerlo e ad apprezzare il suo stile.

Come correre sul posto, sempre più veloce, sempre più inutilmente.

Inutilmente.

Posso stare giorni senza vederti, ore senza sentirti se ti so mio. Così, invece, no.

Un gatto randagio e pazzo gioca col gomitolo già aggrovigliato dei miei pensieri.

Forse ci si impiccherà.

Forse lo distenderà.

Vedevo la lontananza come l’ultima spiaggia, ma senza considerare che il massimo ottenibile era scordare per un po’, far sì che il desiderio di vederti soffocasse tutti i rancori… ma quelli in fin dei conti sarebbero rimasti lì, in attesa che l’euforia scemasse.

Forse i disaccordi tra di noi sono irrisolvibili.

Forse dobbiamo scendere a patti (devo, una volta per tutte) col fatto che il nostro Noi è un unione di contrasti; il nostro amore è un’esplosione atomica e tutto quel che ho sono occhiali da sole tarocchi.

Ma non c’è alternativa che non sia scissione, esportazione chirurgica di te da me.

Devo imparare la pazienza, la calma, la gentilezza.

Oppure devo imparare a cancellarti.

Bivio.

Appunto.

I was looking up Edward Cullen on Wikipedia and I saw that it said that Edward was a Byronic hero. Because of that, I clicked on the link that explained what a Byronic hero was. Anyway, as I was reading the characteristics, it did sounds like Edward As I continued down the website, it mentioned that Lestat from the Vampire Chronicles and the Phantom from the Phantom of the Opera were Byronic heros as well, but I digress with the Phantom. That made me think about how much Lestat and Edward were alike in the sense that they are both Byronic heros. I think that’s the reason why I don’t like either character. I mean, it’s not that I hate them, but it’s just that they’re not my favorites characters from their respective series. Anyway, I think that’s the reason why I don’t like Lestat and Edward is the fact that they’re Byronic heros.

In my search for any Lestat vs. Edward stuff, I found quite a few pictures that made fun of Edward and the Twilight series or making fun of the fact the Twilight series “outshines” the Vampire Chronicles. The one that I found to be the most funny was the one where it showed Edward and Bella together in the first box, and the following three boxes showing Louis, Lestat, and Armand telling their opinions on the series. I found that Lestat’s and Armand’s reactions to be the most funny. Their reactions were classic Lestat and Armand. Anyway, the next one that I thought was funny was the one where Lestat as picking on Edward. I just found those funny. By the way, you can find the originals at this site.

Species Name: Dementicus Rabidicus

“OMG!  Edward Cullen is so hot!  The Twilight books are like so amazing!  I would do anything to live in that world!  Did I mention how hot Edward Cullen is?”  If I just induced you to vomitus, my job is done.  Oh wait, no it’s not, because my job is to paint a picture of why the world would be better off without these “Twi-hards,” or as they should be know, “Twi-tards.”  The tween world is all abuzz with the opening of Twilight: New Moon today in theaters.  Teenage girls with their fellow obsessives, will be lining up today, ready to cut someone’s throat if they don’t get in to see the movie based on the second of Stephanie Meyer’s books.

I can get on board with the Trekkies, the Star Wars nerds, and even the Harry Potter dorks, because at least the worlds created in those sagas were imaginative and thought provoking.  This Twilight piece of shit on the other hand, is nothing more than an overly melodramatic “Romeo and Juliet” set amidst the world of teenage vampires.  Oh!  How novel!  The fact of the matter is that the world purported in “Twilight” doesn’t have anything going for it besides fairly attractive star crossed lovers.  Fuck this franchise!

The idea of vampires glowing in the daylight would be deemed universally retarded.
We wouldn’t have to endure the pussification of vampires at the hands of Stephanie Meyers.
The internet would be significantly faster without the Twi-hards refreshing every “Twilight” fan site every 30 seconds.
Hot Topic would have to file for Chapter 11 after the hit of no one buying “I Heart Edward Cullen” t-shirts anymore.
Shakespeare wouldn’t have to come back from the dead and bitch slap Stephanie Meyers for desecrating the sanctity of “Romeo and Juliet” with her unoriginal stories.
People would realize that if they want to watch vampires and werewolves fight, they should watch the Underworld movies.  They’re a lot more fun and you get Kate Beckinsale in black latex.
• No one would have to endure the clip montages of these crappy movies with some shitty song by Evanescence or equally angsty garbage in the background:

• We could move past the vampire fad finally and onto the next fad to take the country by storm…UNICORNS!

Do me a favor?  If you’re going to the multiplex this weekend, avoid New Moon like the plague.  And while you’re at it, avoid 2012, because god knows, that movie doesn’t deserve another fucking dollar.  If everyone in the entire world avoids going to see New Moon, maybe, just maybe, we can avoid the next 28 Twilight films that are already in pre-production.  Oh who am I kidding?  This movie is probably going to break some box office record for “most misunderstood tweens in a theater at the same time,” in addition to making buttloads of cash.  So go, you Twi-hards, stand in line for hours in your one size too big Twilight t-shirts, and have your mental orgasms as you watch your silly little movie.  Me?  I’d rather go watch Precious, a movie about an inner city black teen who gets impregnated by her father twice and is mercilessly abused by her mother.  Yeah, I’d rather watch that depressing piece of shit than New Moon.

But one has to have dreams right?

Some of those women are waaaaaaay too old to be there...for shame!

Un detalle interesante va a pasar en la siguiente película de “Underworld4″. Se dice que el escritor de “The Shield”, John Hlavin va a ser el encargado de hacer el guión. ¿Suena bien no?.

El escritor no ha querido dar detalles de como va a estar la siguiente película pero afirmó de que no será “ninguna precuela”.

“Va a satisfacer a los fans con antigüedad así como emocionar al publico nuevo, lo que significa que no vamos a hacer las tres primeras películas, así que mantendremos lo que los fan adoran pero al mismo tiempo introduciremos nuevos elementos”.

El director Len Wiseman (el de la primera) sigue siendo un productor, pero por el momento la cinta no tiene al que será el mandamás de esta pelea entre vampiros y lobos. Tampoco se ha asegurado de que Kate Beckinsale ni Rhona Mitra estén dentro de esta nueva cinta.

En cuanto tengamos más información con mucho gusto la postearemos.

I was bored recently and was on my computer I don’t know why but I typed Lestat vs. Edward into Google to see what I would get. Anyway, a lot of stuff that popped up were drawings of people making fun of Edward through Lestat’s point of view, and videos and articles asking who would win in a no-holds bar fight. I immediately thought that Lestat would definitely win. I say that because, after looking up their powers as a refresher, while Edward has super strength, super speed, and can read minds, Lestat can do or has all of that, plus so much more. Lestat also has pyrokinesis, the ability to fly, and he’s telekinetic. Plus, he killed an entire wolf pack by himself, albeit with the help of his two mastiff dogs. Anyway, I really think that Lestat would definitely win the fight against Edward, and that’s assuming Lestat doesn’t fall in love with Edward first, which I doubt would actually happen, and that Lestat doesn’t hurt Bella.

I finished reading Eclipse about a month, maybe a month and a half ago. The thing that I found most funny was in chapter 18 when Jacob, when he was in wolf form, came up to Bella and licked her. In that same general area, I also liked when Jacob, again in wolf form, looked like he was smiling. I think the reason why I liked those two parts was because it’s typical of Jacob to be happy-go-lucky. Anyway, I just found those two parts to be funny.

inspired by “The Importance of Gourd Crafting” by Rumi and Sobonfu Somé’s “The Spirit of Intimacy: Ancient African Teachings in the Way of Relationships”

Take ash in your hand
and draw a chalk circle around us—

sanctify this space

and define our position

within the laws of nature—
for there are contracts

we will break

and new ones
we will create

within this small circumference.



There is no disgrace

in surrendering

to passion
as long as you remember
to plan it:

with a steady conscience,
cast your libations
to quench the thirsty dead

and honor the thousand invisibles:

you must always remember
the thousand demons that sneak
into the unseen midst

between eyes and electric brain,

knotted knuckle-fists

and through the gaps
between 
your thousand wandering kisses
erupting in violets
over skin’s borderless terrain,

blooming from a thousand open pores—

the ripple-wraiths
from a thousand mouths
whispering
innuendos of birth and death,
the scarlet moons of nails
engraving secret hieroglyphs

which tell a thousand tales—

and the audience of a thousand faces

watching from behind the veil,
the hushed rustle of wrapping paper
in the darkened room.

A thousand fingers,
a thousand dancing tongues

a thousand throats
chant 
precambrian songs—

a thousand teeth,

a thousand ghosts

stalk entombed in shadows—

the dogs of doom 

devour raw meat

and howl lullabies

to the clamoring unborn

waiting restlessly at the gate
in thousandfold hordes

where pollen-water trickles,

tracing sacred scars
of love and war
in underground shale,

rivers of blood

in benign water-guise
and the pale ghost of milk
summoned from invisible daughters

awaiting the code:
flip the switch,
turn the handle

shoulder the cross
and begin the process—
another life,

another death;

sticky-sweet fingers

trick the unwary
into messy descent
further into flesh and stone,

saliva and bone—



a thousand nests,

a thousand birds:

the flocks of wings scatter,

disturbed by the call of
a thousand invisible cocks disrupting
the henhouse,

broken egg-mess and shells cut our feet
as we ride through watermarks
of a thousand scattered incarnations,

disheveled barefoot and clutching 

jewels and earthworms
in the crawlspace between our sternums—
humming incantations
of a thousand buzzing insects,
a thousand exploding
chrysanthemums
fill the sky with peacock light
as our clothes lay lifeless like pinecones

on the forest floor
like the thousand bodies we’ll expend
as we choose the holy death

of falling
over the empty space

of flight—
I choose this.

I choose this.
I sing in forked tongues,

sucked into gravity’s orbit—

deliberately weightless;



I am wary enough

to bring a lantern
and a magic egg of onyx

to protect myself
from the thousand enchantments
drilling inside our wanting eyes—
the lifted limb,

the starlit womb

this treacle madness 

moving in fickle permanance,

yuga upon kalpa, a thousand dramas

leaving forever notes scribbled
in the margins of the universe—
enmeshing us within
a thousand pulsing vulvas,
a thousand revolving breaths,

a thousand eyes to see inside
this locked box of flesh,
a thousand cobras

sprouting from each limb

and encircling us like hydras—
dark diamond heads

penetrating 

a thousand unseen orifices,

breaking the seals 
with greedy finesse—

a thousand spiders

consuming us with the orchid-sweet venom

of need—

a thousand spent black holes

of vacuum universes,

extinguished cigarettes,

hopes unmet,

a thousand waves
of destruction and death—
this ultimate sacrifice

this sacrament extracts—
be ready for it.

Meet it with teeth
and a horn-clash.

____________

The body is ruthless:

inside of us
lies a humming nucleus

containing unseen colors—

kaleidoscope landscapes

of murder and betrayal,

cause of all causes,

the howl of winter hunger
and the scent of danger—
this solemn luxury of excess

consumes us
like a virus,

knowing no ending,
sucking us in.
Is this what you call sin,

the thin flickering horizon

between pleasure and terror?
I embrace it.
From here everything begins.



____________

Are we the ornaments
of experience?
I refuse to believe

in the cool logic of denial,
of black and white rooms
where the good and bad congregate,
obedient to their chosen masters.
I refuse to die
a blank slate—

empty as the bald pate
of a monk who’s given his body
to charity, 

offering the wrapped gift of his chastity

as a stopgap between heaven and earth.
I surrendered my wings
at the tollbooth

and pay my monthly dues in blood;

why should I forsake its purpose?
I am the religion of being

and creating, devouring,

unfolding into bliss—
I smash my fist
into a thousand holy books
that call me witch
for choosing the hymn

of hunger. 

I demand this:

before telling me my limits,

dare to look into the eyes

of my child
and tell me I am not mother

of her universe.

____________

Take ash in your hand
and draw a chalk circle around us.

We are criminals
in the court of cosmic justice.
Don’t offer me solace,
only kisses. 

Make us this church 

so we may worship
in peace. 

Protect us from the envy 

of piousness. 



Take my hand

and look straight in my eyes.

Don’t be afraid 
if you see through me
to the other side. I am meant for this.
I invite all the darkness
our opening brings. 

Whatever we do here is safe 

and secret. 

Fuck me in the senseless harmony of stars;

hold on tight like a jockey to the comet-head of my longing

and streak it across the cosmos.

I am the power of a thousand things.

© Sarah Noack 2007

OF VAMPIRES

Night Walker

“It was at night that it came. A night with a full moon. It was just a shadow, crawling behind me. The air suddenly became cold, cold as if the air suddenly died around me. I dared to turn my head. Slowly, trying to prevent my eyes from popping out of their orbits, I looked behind me. Nothing. Empty place and the cold suddenly flew away.

What was it? I don’t know but I tried to find latter, that same day, what that presence was all about.

I read many books that evening. Many of them were so clear that in my mind I didn’t have a doubt anymore: I just had my first encounter with a creature of the night: a vampire. In the following months I had many more experiences like the one I just told. And always, the same deep cold.”

A fragment form the novel “At night I finally will die” from Fernando de Osuna

Vampires are folkloric and mythological beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures. In folkloric tales, vampires often visited loved ones and caused harm or deaths in the places they selected for their residence. In the past, vampires were described like dark figures walkers of the night. In actual times there is a totally different image due to novels and even movies. The mysterious beings are now, sometimes, the heroes of the stories.

The success of these books, films, video games and even TV shows, are making people forget how this legend started, how the vampires and their usually foes, the werewolves became part of the world culture.

Stories of the Vampire go back in the early history of civilization, back to ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians, the Aztecs and the Chinese.

Classic Rome also participated with some of their demy-gods.

Beautiful Night Killer

The modern legend of Vampires started in Romania around the early 16th century. Many people traveling through Eastern Europe reported sightings and encounters with Vampires. These stories spread rapidly throughout the entire old Europe. A continent already plagued with lots of superstitious believes at the time.
The legend of the vampire begun, but it was not until authors like Lord Byron and Goethe that the vampires became the romantic creatures we now know in modern times.

Porphyries, a genetic and incurable disease, share some of the traditional attributes of the Vampires: the need for constant blood transfusions (because lack of hematines); light sensitivity causing rashes and scarring of the skin (photo dermatitis) and problems with the nervous system and muscles (seizures, mental disturbances).

Being out in the sun can cause pain, sensations of heat, blistering, and skin redness and swelling. Blisters heal slowly, often with scarring or skin color changes. They may be disfiguring. Urine may turn red or brown after an attack.

Different cultures have different myths about the vampires. For instancing European beliefs the vampire is dead, twisted and decrepit zombie creature. In America is a different story, made up directly from Hollywood. The creature is sensual, sophisticated and desirable.

A little history:
When you think about vampires usually the first name that you think of is Dracula. Thanks to the famous novel by the same title, by Bram Stoker this image is in every men, women and child in western world mind.

Dracula was actually based on a true Romanian Prince named Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler as people also know him.
He was seen as a hero by his contemporary countrymen. According to most legend he was considered a fair, but very cruel man. Most of the information we have about this prince is transmitted by verbal tradition from Romanians stories tellers, and also by Germans and Russians pamphlets. The first describe him as a national hero, the second as an evil man… Does that sound familiar to you?

The Most famous Vampire

Vlad was born in 1431 in Transylvania into a noble family. His father was called Dracul, meaning dragon or devil in Romanian because he belonged to the Order of the Dragon, which fought the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Dracula means son of Dracul in Romanian. The name Tepes is also report to mean “the impaler”

Vlad the Impaler

He was born as the son of the prince of Wallachia. He, as his father, spent most of his life fighting the Ottoman Empire preventing the invasion of his country.

The Turks later were afraid of Dracula because the severity of his acts. Vlad the III was known as the impaler because that is how he killed many of his opponents.

There is never any mention of Vlad the III being a Vampire, just a sadistic ruler. Vlad was a hero to his people, even though his methods of his punishment were so severe. But he helped defeat the Turks and kept them out of Romania for many years.

AND WAREWOLVES

Hypertrichosis is a rare disease often called Werewolf syndrome– excessive hair of the face and body, sparing the palms and soles – that occurs at birth, and is thought to be caused by rare genetic mutations involving two conditions, the first is a mutation on chromosome 22. The second hasn’t been identified yet.

The legend was born long time before these few cases of Hypertrichosis (about 30 in the whole world), were associated with the myth and legend of the werewolves.

The Werewolf

A werewolf in folklore and mythology is a person who shape shifts into a wolf, either purposely, or after being placed under a curse. In medieval times the some had the belief that the trigger was the exposure to the full moon, concept that later on was used by fiction writers as part of the process of the transformation.
Another common belief is that a werewolf can be killed by a silver bullet.

Many cultures in history have had legends around these creatures and Shape-shifters similar to werewolves are common in myths from all over the world, though in many cases there are several other animals involved, besides wolves.

In Greek mythology the story of Lycaon is one the earliest examples of a werewolf myth. According to one of the versions of this legend Lycaon was transformed into a wolf by eating human flesh and his victims will inherit a similar curse.

Many of the werewolves in European tradition were most innocent and God-fearing persons, who suffered through the witchcraft of others, or simply from an unhappy fate

A big number of werewolf short stories and novels published in the 20^th century and continues in today’s days with films were werewolves play a big role in stories, often times in fight for supremacy with vampires.

Films like a Werewolf of London in 1935 created the standard that the werewolf always kills what he loves most. But it was in 1941 when Lon Chaney Jr., on his legendary interpretation of a werewolf in The Wolf Man, set the image that everyone has about these creatures of the night.

Vampires and Werewolves are a source of fantasy and imagination and also of box offices records for those that dare to speak, write and film about these creatures.

Are they just a legend and a myth? Some believe in them, some are skeptical and others don’t know. I just wanted to wish you sweet dreams… and close the windows, just in case…

Mark Knight’s latest track.. GREAT ONE!

To the music of falling water
and I don’t mean rain

Don’t give me that pain
don’t corner me with that poetry thing

I’m sitting on a rock
at the edge of the world
the red earth and ocean are below me
locked in a distance of erosion
put a rock on me to stop me blowing away

I’m gonna make you shake
I’m gonna make your hand shake
…..
It’s a new day it’s a new day
and my face vibrates with anticipation

I’m gonna make you shake
I’m gonna make your hand shake
And the sky comes down to the ground
letting go with love
and a cell phone rings, rings, rings

Las Vegas in my head
tattoo on my mind
black break black break walls slide
past your, past your tired eyes
I’m on a short fuse
I’m on a good day, but
I’m on a short fuse,
I’m sure that you who guess see me
woman with a small vise saying
shall we have a coffee
somewhere sometime somehow
when you come, come, come, come with me
sounds like I, sounds like I
found my mistake

I’m gonna make you shake
I’m gonna make your hand shake

Iperventilazione. Affanno. Vomito. Mi scoppia il cuore.

Cortocircuito del cervello. Braccata in un angolo dalla paura.

Sotto la doccia le lacrime. Ogni cellula di me come animali impazziti. Il terremoto è imminente.

Paralisi.