From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Mon Apr 30 22:34:27 2001 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id WAA07563 for ; Mon, 30 Apr 2001 22:34:27 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id WAA15041 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Mon, 30 Apr 2001 22:42:47 -0500 Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 22:42:47 -0500 Message-Id: <200105010342.WAA15041@lists.io.com> From: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com (in_nomine-digest) To: in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Subject: in_nomine-digest V1 #2194 Reply-To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Sender: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Errors-To: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Precedence: bulk in_nomine-digest Monday, April 30 2001 Volume 01 : Number 2194 In this digest: IN> Gone to Graveyards 4: "Gone to Flowers" Re: IN> Word-bound angels of cities Re: IN> Gone to Graveyards 4: "Gone to Flowers" Re: IN> The case of the purloined kitten Re: IN> Gone to Graveyards 4: "Gone to Flowers" Re: IN> Let's get back to the kitten IN> In Nomine Newbie Re: IN> Note delivered to Dominic Re: IN> Speaking of my Inner Archangel...* Re: IN> In Nomine Newbie IN> Serving one's word IN> The Perfect Pet Re: IN> Serving one's word Re: IN> Serving one's word Re: IN> Authority of judgement IN> The Impudite Theme Song? Re: IN> The Impudite Theme Song? Re: IN> The Impudite Theme Song? Re: IN> A plot problem Re: IN> A plot problem Re: IN> A plot problem Re: IN> A plot problem IN> Consider Ivy ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 16:45:35 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: IN> Gone to Graveyards 4: "Gone to Flowers" The conclusion of my wee tale. Comments are welcome. ===== The impudite made its way to the shores of the Styx, then waited as patiently as it could. Eventually a ferry arrived. "Where to?" the djinn at the pole asked. "Abaddon," the impudite answered. "Tall order," the djinn replied, "Why aren't you going through a tether? Or are you one of Saminga's lot, and afraid to see who's waiting for you on the other side, hmmmm?" "I have my reasons," was the impudite's sullen reply, "And I have something that I think will prove ample compensation for the trip." "Let me have it, and your name and I might be willing to take you there if it's not too much trouble." "I'll show it to you first. If you want it, I give it to you when we've arrived, not before." The djinn frowned, displeasure winning over its band's more usual apathy. "Fine," it said at last. "Ed Gein's index finger," the impudite said with a smile, producing a rotted digit from the robes it wore. "Well, the first two joints, anyway. Most of the flesh is gone, but the bones are still holding together. Your prince would probably give you a pretty fat reward for that, don't you think?" At this, the annoyance on the djinn's face gave way to naked greed. "I'll do it," it finally said as it struggled to regain its composure. "Climb aboard, and let's go." The journey was long and unpleasant, but thankfully uneventful. The Styx eventually reached the mouth of the Acheron, and from there it was just a matter of remembering to take the eventual fork that was the Cocytus rather than the Phlegtheon, and then passing beyond Tartarus without capturing the notice of any of Vapula's riverborn press gangs. When the ferry had finally come to ground on the shores of the wasteland that was Abaddon, the djinn could contain his curiosity no longer. "Who are you," it asked, "And how did we manage to get all this way unmolested?" "Aufhebenile," the impudite answered, "And I think it's because of this." He handed the decrepit finger over to the djinn as he stepped out of the boat. "Its former owner managed to go undetected in human society for a long while, so I think it's probably become a relic that shields the holder, or something like that." "Oh," the djinn said, trying not to be too obvious about how eagerly it was concealing the finger, "Cool." And with that, the impudite moved off to be lost in the endless winds. The ferry was caught by one of Vapula's subs shortly after returning to the boundaries of Tartarus, and its pilot taken away for experimentation. Nothing prevents the telling of lies in Hell, after all. - ----- "You've done WHAT?" "Pretty neat, isn't it?" Eli had answered Dominic with a smile. "It took a lot of study of demons who were either trying to redeem, or taken prisoner, but I've finally managed to work out how to make a vessel for operations on the celestial plane, just like the ones we make for the corporeal. They don't last long enough when anybody other than me wears them to do us much good yet, but I'm working on it." "But what are you planning on using an impudite vessel for?" It was several minutes after Eli answered Dominic before the Archangel of Judgment could do anything other than blink in mute shock. - ----- Eli frowned with the effort of keeping his vessel intact. "Should have tested this against storm conditions," he thought, as the storms that constantly blew through Saminga's former realm nearly tore away his disguise, "But I suppose that I can just think of this as a beta test..." Eventually, he reached the Chasm, and after studying the burbling mass of mingled devastated souls that filled it concluded that perhaps the Prince of Death had been sincere, after all. - ----- "Saw what it showed me, and I decided I hadn't anymore place in Hell," Saminga had explained to Novalis, "Sent you the message because of that, since you're the only one I could count on to actually try to redeem me instead of killing me outright." "You know that I can make no guarantees, don't you?" Novalis had asked in reply, "I will try my hardest, but if you are not completely capable of accepting the light of Heaven into your heart, it could hurt you. Or worse..." "Care not," Saminga had answered with a shrug of the shoulders of his host. "Want away from Hell. If kills me, it's one last act for my Word. Either way, I'm free." "Then let us begin," Novalis had said with a nod, and shed her vessel. She fancied she could hear a popping noise as Saminga likewise left his host, and spared a moment's pity for the poor man as he tried to understand where he was and how he had gotten there. Saminga had looked at her pleadingly, the only body parts visible upon its gaseous murk a countless number of sorrowful eyes. Novalis had enfolded Saminga within her wings, drawing him higher into the celestial plane. When the light of Heaven first touched Saminga, its faint contact stung. But Novalis sang her reassurance, for this was common for those who had never known its touch before. Then it began to singe, but still Novalis sang her love and acceptance, and Saminga had accepted this as the cost of turning away from what it had been for so long. When Saminga felt its forces begin to burn away, however, panic drove away all else. Blind with fear, Saminga lashed out, teeth, claws and vicious horns extending from its shrinking form in all directions, piercing, tearing and biting at Novalis' celestial form. She had tried invoking her seraph attunement, but Saminga's desperation had given him a strength of will that could not be beaten. Novalis then had tried to escape, but her wounds had been too grievous. "Do not fail me, Eli," had been her last thoughts before her celestial form tore asunder. Moments later, the last shreds of Saminga's celestial form gave way to the light of Heaven, leaving nothing behind but the colossal disturbance of the death of two superiors. - ----- Eli drew the seed from the folds of his robes, and stared at it for a long instant as he thought of his last conversation with Novalis. - ----- "I think he may be telling me the truth," she had said to Eli as she handed him the seed, "But just in case, I felt a need to form a contingency plan. I've bound one of each of my forces into this. You know what to do if I fail, right?" Eli merely nodded, the sadness that he allowed so few to see lining his face. "I have to go now," the Archangel of Flowers had continued, "Because I'm going to have to devote my full attention to Saminga. None of us have ever redeemed a superior before, so wish me luck. And never forget - flowers may die in the winter, but they always sprout again once spring comes..." - ----- Eli gathered up his full strength, and threw the seed into the Chasm, the winds of Abaddon cutting his impudite vessel to ribbons as he ceased paying attention to its maintenance. The seed sank below the surface of the mass of soul fragments. The sound of millions of souls weeping rose above the winds, not the chorus of grief that one would normally expect in Hell, but in relief. The winds around the Chasm died as the light of Heaven broke through the skies of Hell in a beam that pierced its center, and Novalis rose from its depths. She and Eli ascended from Hell before any of the Princes could gather their wits enough to stop them. In their wake was left a calm in the storms of Abbadon surrounding the Chasm, and a flower growing there for every mortal soul that Novalis had drawn upon for the essence needed to restore her to life. They say the flowers grow there still, but then they say many things about Hell. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 17:02:09 -0500 From: "Michael S. Haynes" Subject: Re: IN> Word-bound angels of cities see http://www.amadan.org/Innomine/Bethanel.htm for David Edelstein's take on it...pretty cool, in my opinion! All of the Archangels on his site are very well-done and most are cool enough that I've adopted them into my own IN Cosmology. (p.s. this is my first IN list post! I'm a recent convert!) At 12:22 AM -0400 4/30/01, Janet Anderson wrote: >I am under the impression that there is an Angel of Cities in canon. If so, >what is this angel's name, Choir, and Superior? I have assumed the Superior >was David, but I want to be sure. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 18:06:32 -0400 From: "Rolland Therrien" Subject: Re: IN> Gone to Graveyards 4: "Gone to Flowers" - -----Original Message----- From: Prodigal To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: Monday, April 30, 2001 5:50 PM Subject: IN> Gone to Graveyards 4: "Gone to Flowers" >The conclusion of my wee tale. Comments are welcome. Prodigal, I see our patience was justified... You ROCK, Dude! ^^ - -Exit the LoneWolf ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 22:11:31 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Re: IN> The case of the purloined kitten >I'm just not fond of IN silliness, and sometimes the overload of cute >kittens, celestials-as-Teletubbies/Barney/Godzilla/whatever, and Lilim >who act like teenaged girls in heat when oggling Malakite butts gets to >be too much for me and summons forth my inner Grinch. Or inner >Habbalite, if you prefer. In that case, we are in complete agreement except for the kitten. The rest of that stuff makes me tired too. "Delete unread" is a wonderful option. Janet Anderson _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 17:15:39 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> Gone to Graveyards 4: "Gone to Flowers" From: "Rolland Therrien" > > Prodigal, I see our patience was justified... You ROCK, Dude! ^^ Thank you. I'm planning on editing it a bit in the hopes of getting it to fit my vision more closely (and to add a vignette or two that I couldn't decide on the proper place for,) but it was finally close enough to post today. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 22:16:32 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Re: IN> Let's get back to the kitten >I suppose, by the way, that the kitten's fur must be some color >that contrasts nicely with a black cloak? Angelically white, >perhaps? I believe the kitten was described as black. Janet Anderson (This is Heaven. Cats don't shed.) _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 22:17:28 -0000 From: "Jinnie Cracknell" Subject: IN> In Nomine Newbie Hi, I recently got into In Nomine when a fellow Goth and gamer told me all about it and I thought it sounded good. I went to my local gaming store at the first available opportunity and bought the rulebook and the angelic player's guide, and now I'm really excited. I should get to play on Sunday, as the aforementioned Goth friend GMs then. With the wonders of the Internet I managed to find a link to this list... although I may switch to digest if I get too many emails. Jinnie - ---------------------------------------------------------------- "And a devil in a black dress watches over, My guardian angel walks away" Sisters of Mercy, "Temple of Love" - ---------------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 18:22:07 -0400 From: Daniel Sauve Subject: Re: IN> Note delivered to Dominic On Mon, 30 Apr 2001 16:56:25 -0400, Elizabeth McCoy wrote: >What "serious" campaign _has_ the kitten at all? Uh, guilty? I actually use Sol to great effect. A Angel in my campaign generally know what he's in for by three things: 1) Is Solemon there? If so, Dominic is likely going to reward you for a job well done, give you a minor task or give you advice so you DON'T get in trouble later. If not, go to (2). 2) Is Browyn there? If so, you're either suspected of having information Judgement needs, are suspected of crime and a triad brought you to the Arch's attention, or are needed for a realitively serious mission. If not, go to (3). 3) If Dominic is alone, you're DO have information Judgement needs, whether you know it or not you are pretty much convicted of a crime and need to be very careful what you say or this mission is, in Dom's mind, a MAJOR MISSION. Life and death. Worse than Ethan Hunt gets. That's how I use the kitten, in my IN. - -- Your GM Daniel Sauve (in nomine, shadowrun, earthdawn, hero unlimited) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 15:34:00 -0700 (PDT) From: Mandy Bowyer Subject: Re: IN> Speaking of my Inner Archangel...* - --- Maurice Lane wrote: > ...it needs feeding. Any recommendations for good > IN-themed books? > > Bear in mind that I've already read To Reign in Hell > and Good Omens, and keep meaning to go through the > various bibliographies properly. > > :) > > Moe I must recomend the "Trio for Lute" triligy by R.A. MacAvoy. The indiviual books are Damiano, Damiano's Lute and Raphael. I think they're out of print, but I've seen them in used bookstores so they should'nt be to hard to find. Mandy __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 17:33:37 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> In Nomine Newbie From: "Jinnie Cracknell" > Hi, I recently got into In Nomine when a fellow Goth and gamer told me all > about it and I thought it sounded good. Welcome to the list and to the game! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 18:44:23 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Serving one's word Counterpoint: We've established I think Judgement has the authority to do whatever it wants and can root out any problems it desires by discovery eventually. The question becomes is this is neither fun, fair, or in the spirit of In Nomine where Dominic is continually frustrated in his attempts to get Janus and Eli's servitors. For instance Dominic believes angels should not steal: What's to keep servitors of Dominic from pressing this? or in the case of the wind servitor malakim "Because you are protesting Judgement you are now a crimminal and an outcast" What about Dominic dissaproving of corporeal sex, why can he simply not eliminate this as per his orders? If he is the Archangel of judgement and he dissaproves of it he should be able to forbid it. Law must be balanced by chaos in Heaven or the demons become right and Heaven becomes not a dynamic slide but a distinctly ordered place vs. the chaos of Hell/Fascism. I am no longer going to ask how this is possible from Dominic's defenders but I'm going to ask how Judgement's power CAN be blunted from those very people in a meaningful way to make Dominic merely as important as any other angel but one with a very specific task. I perfer my superiors equal as even the Commander of the Host is restricted by the fact his word is comparativly speaking much more limited than the others of Heaven IMG at least. - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 18:44:38 -0400 From: "Rolland Therrien" Subject: IN> The Perfect Pet All this talk of Dominc and his Kitten have gotten me to think: "What about Asmodeus? The Poor Little Djinn's all alone..." Well, no longer... ^^ The Perfect Pet "Remember, Symmetry and Balance are important in the Game... I can't allow Dominic to have One over me, no matter how small..." So did Asmodeus, Dread Prince of Judgement, think to himself as he sat in his office, his dark gaze locked on the thing on his desk, "Dominic has a Pet, thus it is only logical that I have one myself..." And so The Rule-Keeper of Hell had gotten himself a pet, almost as soon as he'd heard Dominic had gotten one. If only to mirror his Bright Counterpart. ...Unfortunetly, Djinn and Pets don't mix well. Asmodeus had finally admitted this to himself after going through a dozen or so Animals from Abaddon; His first pet, a dashound, he'd personally choked to soul-death after it had kept barking through the day; his second pet, a kitten like Dominic's, had earned itself a quick trip through the microwave oven, after it had shredded Asmodeus' latest report on Valefor's whereabouts; He'd gone through two batches of Gold Fish: one he'd underfed, the other he'd overfed... ...Don't ask about the Hamsters. Anyways, after going through his seventh canary in two days, Asmodeus was slowly losing patience with the idea of having a pet. Not that Saminga really minded, though; Stripping Human Souls of their Forces and turning them into mere Animals made more then enough pets to export to other Principalities, so keeping the petshops open was a good idea to him. Besides, the way Asmodeus was going through pets, it felt like a good way to support his word. But Asmodeus was willing to give it one more time, provided he could find a pet that suited him well. Which made him all the more suspicious when Kobal came forward and offered him the "Perfect Pet for the Modern Djinn..." Even now, as Asmodeus looked at his new "Pet", he browsed through the instructions and saw that this pet was actually very "Low Maintenance", as it were, and that it wouldn't go getting itself into trouble when his attention was needed elsewhere. No need to actually care for it, and it won't leave... Two strong selling points for Djinn, it must be told. He stared at the motionless Pet for minutes, and smiled as he decided to try a few commands, just for fun... "Sit!" The Pet remained where it was, unmoving. Asmodeus smiled and patted it. "Good Boy. Now, Stay!" The Pet once again remained where it was, motionless. Asmodeus smiled and patted it again. "Very Good... Now, here's a more difficult one: Roll Over!" The Pet didn't obey this time, simply remaining motionless once again. Asmodeus frowned, but simply reached out for his new pet and helped it roll around. "Maybe next time..." He prepared to give it another order when suddenly his Intercom buzzed, calling his attention away to answer the call. "Yes?" "Dread Lord, The Guards have brought in the Informant you wanted to see." "Ah, yes. Keep him waiting in the Ante-chambre for a few minutes, I'll be right there." "Yes, Dread Lord." Asmodeus nodded as he turned to his newfound pet, then smiled as he gave it one last order for now. "Stay!" And it stayed. Asmodeus smiled and stood up, walking off to meet the Informant, satisfied that he once again mirrored his old rival Dominic in every way now, with his new Pet at his side. ...Ok, so it was a Pet Rock. Can't quibble on Details, you know... - -Exit the LoneWolf ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 16:01:06 -0700 From: "Kish" Subject: Re: IN> Serving one's word From: "Charles Phipps" <> He's frustrated in his efforts to get Eli. He's not trying to get Eli's Servitors (he might well be trying to get them transferred to more responsible Archangels--after all, is it /just/ to leave innocent angels in the care of a traitor to Heaven?), just Eli, who stays out of his reach. And Janus' Servitors are noted for getting minor punishments with extreme regularity. <> It's not against the law, though. Dominic has unlimited power to /enforce/ laws, not make them. His private opinion about stealing doesn't make it a crime if it's done in the service of the Wind. His angels can and do prosecute "I stole it because I wanted it" thefts that don't serve Wind. <> It's part of Roles, it's part of a Rite, it's something that has God's implicit approval (in that He designed angels with sexual desire). --Kish ICQ# 28085879 AIM Kish K M ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 18:04:13 -0500 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> Serving one's word - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Phipps" To: Sent: Monday, April 30, 2001 5:44 PM Subject: IN> Serving one's word > Counterpoint: > > We've established I think Judgement has the authority to do whatever it > wants and can root out any problems it desires by discovery eventually. > > The question becomes is this is neither fun, fair, or in the spirit of In > Nomine where Dominic is continually frustrated in his attempts to get Janus > and Eli's servitors. > > For instance Dominic believes angels should not steal: What's to keep > servitors of Dominic from pressing this? Sup1. If it's a Rite for your Archangel, then Judgement won't prosecute even if they don't like it -- obviously, your Superior has granted you permission to do so. Likewise for obeying your Superior's direct orders (although they still like to keep track of what orders are being given, in case of the possibility that your *Superior* needs to be tried...) > or in the case of the wind servitor malakim "Because you are protesting > Judgement you are now a crimminal and an outcast" Please don't exaggerate. Obstruction Of Judgement is an offense, but it's not an Outcasting offense. It does, however, mean that Judgement will hang around you *forever*... or until Dominic's next weekly visit, whichever comes first. Judgement does *not* get its rocks off harassing, confining, or imprisoning angels. Dominic spends his entire life praying to find *less* heresy with each new day then he found the day before. All that Judgement angels want is for their questions to be informatively and truthfully answered. If they get that, and if you're not actually heretical or betraying Heaven or your Superior, they will leave you in peace. > What about Dominic dissaproving of corporeal sex, why can he simply not > eliminate this as per his orders? Because the Most Just actually *is* Just, and not just an Asmodeus makeover in a bedsheet. > If he is the Archangel of judgement and he dissaproves of it he should be > able to forbid it. Nope. Dominic's mandate is to keep angels from Falling or betraying Heaven, even if he has to kill them first. That mandate covers an extremely broad range of authority and possible actions, but it does not cover *every*-thing. [snip] > I am no longer going to ask how this is possible from Dominic's defenders > but I'm going to ask how Judgement's power CAN be blunted from those very > people in a meaningful way to make Dominic merely as important as any other > angel but one with a very specific task. By remembering that Dominic isn't just a big, scary, human being with a whole lot of mind-reading powers. He's a *Word-bound*. It's simply not in Dominic's nature to desire power solely for the sake of power, any more than Michael can run away from a fight or Novalis can indulge in pointlessly sadistic violence. Dominic never wanted to be made an Archangel. And he definitely didn't want the job he now has. In a way, the poor bastard is one of the most tortured souls in the Symphony -- he's perhaps the only being in all of Heaven who is still stuck with having to live in his own personal hell. Even Blandine still has hope, fercryinoutloud... and isn't carrying a load of guilt around literally the size of the entire Rebellion. There is not *one single second* of Dominic's life where he doesn't blame himself all over again for 'not discovering stopping Lucifer in time', and rededicate himself all over again to never 'repeating his mistake'. Dominic feels personal responsibility for *every single bad thing that has happened in the entire Symphony since the original Fall*. The poor, poor bastard. - -- Chuckg ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 18:50:44 -0500 From: "Bradley Paranial" Subject: Re: IN> Authority of judgement Way I see it there is only way to get a Judgemnt Triad to leave you alone. Six words "Master of the Armies of God" "You will answer the quest...." "NO" "Let's move one" Though admittly you wouldn't be a Master of the Armies if God for to long after that. Brad. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 19:03:29 -0500 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: IN> The Impudite Theme Song? The "Melonpool" online comic had a storyline where one of the characters created 'Jalea Bates', an android sculpted and programmed to be the next teen pop singing sensation-of-the-moment. Shortly after, somebody actually *put together a band* and found a singer to record, for real, "Jalea Bate's" hit song "Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful". As a parody of teen pop, the song itself is pretty much the epitome of impossible-to-get-out-of-your-head teen pop (the sad thing is, it's actually *way* better than the average Britney Spears song... amazing, that people who were only trying for a gag actually beat out the pros, even in this, the most depised of categories) Anyway, the reason I bring it up here is because the lyrics might as well be the Impudite Theme Song -- at least, if it were sung by a female Impudite with a taste for low humor and playing (oh, definitely only playing!) the brainless sex kitten. http://www.pretzyl.com/jalea/index3.html (and click on the "Song" button) (for those who don't have javascript, the URL is http://www.pretzyl.com/jalea/jaleaform.html ) Sadly, the people who made it require to fill out a demographic form before they'll let you download it, but since there's no form verification, you're perfectly free to fill in the blanks as 'nobody@nowhere.com', hint hint. - -- Chuckg ("Hey, if I can't get this accursed Nybbasite Essence-sucker out of my head, then no way is anybody else is getting off easy!") :-) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 18:45:53 -0600 From: Timothy Groth Subject: Re: IN> The Impudite Theme Song? I will not connect the kittens. - -- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 May 2001 00:57:56 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> The Impudite Theme Song? >I will not connect the kittens. OK, I'm stumped. Oh, BTW, I finally found a copy of the song's lyrics. Is this an Impudite talking or what? =============== DON'T HATE ME BECAUSE I'M BEAUTIFUL Written by Erik Przytulski, © 2001 Pretzyl Music One look, is all it took A little smile and you’re playing the fool It's so sweet, how you wait for me I'm sure I'll be there in a minute or two (or three or four...) I just adore your attention You know I’d never take advantage of you - now shoo! You can hate the way That you call me everyday And you can disapprove Of how you feel used or how you beg me to stay You think I'm shallow and you tell me I'm cruel But you don't hate me (you don't hate me) Because I’m beautiful I don't cook, I never drive I can't remember when I last spent a dime And nearly five times an hour I get compliments and flowers (and more) I don't open doors and I never wait in lines I get so much attention That you say you’re gonna give up the fight - yeah, right! You can hate the way That you call me everyday And you can disapprove Of how you feel used or how you beg me to stay It drives you crazy how you've lost all control But you don't hate me (you don't hate me) Because I’m beautiful Don't hate me ‘cause I'm beautiful Don't you know that it isn't my fault It's just the way I was brought to this world I'm just a girl, whose chromosomes and DNA Arranged themselves in such a way That made me unbelievably cute And adorable, I'm just a baby doll Soft and fair, my midriff's bare So just smell my hair and you'll be mine No you can't deny it, don't even try it Boy a diet coke would really be nice - but no ice [1] You can hate the way That you call me everyday And you can disapprove Of how you feel used or how you beg me to stay You spread those rumors how my body has grown But you don't hate me Because I'm beautiful Don't hate me ‘cause I'm beautiful (Oh you've got to believe) Don't hate me ‘cause I'm beautiful (My hair is real not a weave) The boys all worship me, the girls think I'm cool And you don't hate me (you don’t hate me) Because I’m beautiful =============== [1] OK, a very superficial Impudite with a short attention span. Hey, they're not all celestial geniuses, ya know... *eg* _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 May 2001 01:26:18 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Re: IN> A plot problem >Oh wait -- you're not the GM here, right? *sigh* Well, yes, actually I am. The Cherub is my PC and is an NPC for the duration of my being the GM. We haven't got any angels of Janus handy but we *do* have a Kyriotate of Lightning. >What people actually do to sneak things through customs involves disguising >the object as something else This is the idea one of the players had. She's a Mercurian of Creation IST Lightning and she suggested disguising the brass knuckles as art work by adding glitter, pipe cleaners, etc. Janet Anderson _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 May 2001 01:33:48 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> A plot problem >We haven't got any angels of Janus handy but we *do* have a Kyriotate of >Lightning. In that case, no problem. He can jump in and make that metal detector go so blind that you could carry a cast-iron anvil through the scanning arch and it wouldn't even go 'beep. *eg* - -- Chuckg _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 21:36:59 -0400 From: Cameron McCurry Subject: Re: IN> A plot problem > He can jump in and make that metal detector go so blind that you could carry a > cast-iron anvil through the scanning arch and it wouldn't even go 'beep. ooooh! In Nomine Warner Brothers! This has some potential.... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 May 2001 01:39:40 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Re: IN> A plot problem >Have him enter the restroom, take off his boots and socks, and temporarily >slip those suckers on over his *toes*. Then cram his feet back into the >boots. Uncomfortable to say the least, but an angelic vessel can take the >pain. And he can just tell the security guard that you're wearing >steel-toed boots, and while they will take him aside, pat him down, and run >the hand-held metal detector wand up and down his arms and legs, they will >*not* make him take your boots off. (Real-world note -- This pattern of >behavior has held consistently the last five times I've worn steel-toed >boots through metal detectors in real life, in two different airports and >one Federal building.) I *like* this one. Especially because he *does* wear steel-toed boots. His Role is a construction worker. >And finally -- what kind of Cherub of Stone *needs* brass knuckles? Like the steel-toed boots, it's simultaneously a role-playing thing and a gaming mechanics thing. He has brass knuckles for the same reason he wears steel-toed boots a) it suits his Role and personality and b) it says in the rule book that unarmed combat has a power of -3, but that you get a +1 for Strength above 9 (which he has) and +1 for Fighting skill above 4 (which he has), and +1 for hand or foot protection. Janet Anderson _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 20:33:27 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> Consider Ivy There's always a blind spot, you know, and I think that I've seen one. Moe I remember Lucifer. I'm not surprised that he managed to get so many to follow him: the Light that was in him to the very end could blind the unwary to his faults and mistakes. He was everywhere in those days, talking and cajoling and raising those ever-so-polite points in Council debate. He talked to _everybody_, in the end, which is something that my colleagues decline to publicly remember. And he knew what to offer people: Lucifer always had that knack. What did he offer *me*? No, that's not an impudent question: I'm just not going to tell you. You see, while he knew what to offer people, he wasn't nearly as good in making offers that others couldn't refuse as he thought he was. Frankly, aside from everything else, what he offered me in exchange for my support was so insulting that I nearly laughed in his face. Even if I had agreed with his central thesis about the nature of Man, the clumsy way that Lucifer tried to seduce my allegiance would have been enough for me to send him on his way. Soon afterwards, the First Revolt made everything moot. He tried coming for me during that time, you know, but that didn't work out /nearly/ the way that he thought it would. I led him on a merry chase, right from the start, until his pursuit somehow, unaccountably, led him straight into Michael's path. Amusing, that was: I wonder if he thought about it, during those lonely years afterwards? I wonder if he suspected that I had tricked him into underestimating me? Aside from that, the First Revolt was just as bloody, just as traumatic and just as pointless as the records show. Those poor fools were fighting against /God/, after all: I noted their eventual fates, and made quite sure that I would never fall into their foolish pride. It was all so, so ... futile. But it did do wonders for my career, not that I thought in those terms at the time. With so many Archangels dead or gone, the Seraphim Council needed new members, and I was more than happy to put my shoulder to the burden. Those centuries afterwards were wonderful: we saw what needed doing, and did it. We moved among humanity and protected them without stifling them. No one opposed us: true, we noticed after a while that Lilith was still somehow alive, but she wasn't considered a real threat. Indeed, she was a most interesting conversationalist. Why, yes, I spoke with Lilith during the Golden Age. I still do, in fact: there's a certain - commonality of circumstances - between us. Unfortunately, not all of my colleagues saw things the same way. The Council doesn't exactly publicize the fact that it was an overzealous Janus that persecuted Lilith to the point that it seemed she would be destroyed. I've never really understood why they hate each other so. I know, Janus _says_ that he wishes she would change sides, but that's only so that he could get a clear shot. At any rate, it finally reached the point where Lilith apparently felt it necessary to release the prisoners in Hell. I thought that this was wrong, mind, but I am not completely surprised. It was the response of Heaven to the new condition that opened my eyes. It was as if the First Revolt had never ended, merely ... expanded to all three planes. All of my fellow Archangels went mad, it seemed - except for me, and I had to feign madness with the rest. The First Incursion became the Campaign, then the War, and it has never, ever stopped since then - and it remains under the thumbs of those least suited to do what is necessary to stop it. They would much rather battle and fight their opposite numbers until the end of time, and never mind those poor humans who were in the way. This could not be borne, so I began to plan. The first step required inhuman patience, but then I am not a human being. I spent millennia crafting my persona, refining my Servitors, watching my opposition. It is no accident that Michael and Dominic do not like me much: my public face is designed to aggravate them to the point of insanity. Of course, my status as an Archangel makes it possible to block their Seraphic gaze, so they do not know my inner Heart. Making myself pleasant to most of the others was an easy enough exercise: it helps that I _am_ a genuinely friendly and helpful entity. I simply have hidden depths and motives. The only one that could see through my ... outer shell ... was Yves, and he has never said anything. I am unsure why, but I stopped concerning myself with that a long time ago. But no Archangel can hope to change things alone. I needed Servitors to be my arms, eyes and ears. However, there was the Inquisition to deal with; Dominic could not penetrate my glamour, but none of my angels were so blessed. It took me a while to consider how to work around the Archangel of Judgement. When I finally did, it was so obvious. Dominic's major obsession is rooted in his desperate need to keep angels from Falling, no matter what. Most of his work involves sniffing out those with a hidden agenda along those lines. It never seems to have seriously crossed his mind that someone might have a hidden agenda about anything else. By now, the collective perception of my Servitors is that they, aside from a tendency to work with the Enemy in an inappropriate manner at times, are fairly harmless. It has taken me centuries to foster this belief. Working with the Enemy is, of course, something that every non-Malakite Archangel does (and I have my suspicions about David at times). This insane War has made such activities a regrettable necessity. So I let mine do the same, and make sure that their activities are *almost* hidden from the Inquisition. You see, there is nothing that makes a policeman more suspicious than a person with nothing to hide. Give them an obvious thing to see, and they gratefully concentrate on it. Dominic's agents could uncover my activities in an afternoon, if they asked the right questions. It simply never occurs to them to ask. Why should they? They have enough trouble searching out Heretics to worry about political machinations. All Archangels play politics. I am careful to avoid doing things that would result in even a reliever's Fall (if such a thing is even possible): by now, the concept that whatever actions me and mine do in Heaven are essentially meaningless has become institutionalized among Servitors of Judgement. The records that would reveal my plans languish unread, kept only because none dare throw them out. Of course, no Servitor of mine assigned to Earth duty is ever involved in ... other matters. Things are kept separate. And what is the thing so cleverly hidden in clear sight, the thing that has caused me to blur my true face to all? Not much of a thing, really. I - insinuate myself into Heaven. My Servitors are everywhere by now - and they are so genuinely friendly and helpful that others are more than happy to be helpful in their turn. Each little act of favor and counter-favor, seen by itself, is insignificant - but multiply it by a million times, and you could see my daily round of influence-gathering. Instead of one great lever to move the world, I have a multitude of little ones. And I use them. Everyone - except for those in Hell, of course - has at least one entity for whom they would do a favor for without hesitation. My Servitors are often those entities (or know someone who knows someone who is that entity). They do not see the big picture, naturally: most do not even know that there /is/ a big picture. But they are always ready to make me smile and thank them for helping. Especially helpful are those whom I have Redeemed (and I Redeem many, many demons): they _know_, as well they should, that I am the one who has brought them to this blessed state they now enjoy, and few can bear to not show their appreciation. It helps that I love them all, of course: I could not hope to fake that, and have no intention of ever letting myself get to a state where I would have to try. But I can hear the inevitable question: "Why"? Why have I woven strands of influence and patronage throughout Heaven? It's a simple answer: I wish this War to end. The mindset that my colleagues labor under has produced only stalemate. Every second that it continues is a second where countless human lives are at risk. It must stop. It has been only recently that I have developed hopes of accomplishing this. I do not command any Superior's organization beside my own, but I can exercise limited control over most of them. A word in the right ear, multiplied a thousand times, and policies can be subtly shaped, priorities reassigned or pointless activities abandoned. Very few issues are brought up in the Seraphim Council that I do not know about months in advance: with such knowledge, I can prepare, shape, control the agenda. For example, Christopher is an Archangel because *I* decided that he should be one: that was merely one of my more dramatic successes, and all the better because no one, not even the Seraphim Archangels themselves, detected my delicate touch. They could, of course, if they thought to ask the correct questions: but again, no one ever thinks to. Clear sight is useless if one does not bother to _look_. But that is only the first step. Now that I have the tools, after millennia of patient effort, I shall use them. Those amenable to my fifth-hand assistance will rise in their respective organizations. Some will even reach the Council themselves. A few may eventually become Archangels. All of them will be predisposed to look upon me fondly, as the Superior of their dear friends. I am growing my own political allies. And, when I have enough, well, there will be some changes made around here. It is not easy, of course: I sit in the center, surrounded by my loyal and loving angels (and give them back that loyalty and love tenfold), and try to steer the course of a creaking and clumsy ship from the metaphorical cafeteria. I am on a one-Archangel quest to save the Earth, and there is no one yet who can help shoulder my burden. If I fail, then we will fight and slay until we will all be dead for nothing. It is lonely, at times. However, when times are at their most chaotic and confused, I take some comfort in an old human saying. It may just be the most profound thing ever said on the corporeal plane, in fact: Mother Knows Best. ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 04/29/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2194 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2001 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.