MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1811 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) huge chunk on a lot of responses. by "Angie" 2) Re: Karse religion/van's appearance in AotQ by "Chuchulain" 3) Re: huge chunk on a lot of responses. by "Alexia/Sabrina" 4) Re: Religions by Femmy Syahrani 5) Re: Religions by Kenneth Allen Hyde 6) Re: Religions by Femmy Syahrani 7) Re: Religions by "Raven Darkblade" 8) Re: Ang moh/questions? by Amy Trujillo 9) Taledras/Paradise Lost/Demons/Burning Brightly by "Rhiannon Shadowsong" 10) Questions/Guidebook to Valdemar by "Starspirit" 11) Re: Re: Religions by Paustinnew-+AT+-aol.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 12:07:14 +0800 From: "Angie" To: Subject: huge chunk on a lot of responses. Message-ID: <01be24bb$bbf78e00$18b315a5-+AT+-heraldtg> bright the day... i think i'll dig an even bigger hole for myself... Cennydd wrote: :Hmmm. You know, that's actually a comparison that never really made sense :to me. The Tayledras don't seem to have much in common with any of the :Native American cultures with which I'm familiar. A few superficial (and :misleading) details, perhaps, but that's about it. superficial yes.... i suppose it's the whole race that reminds of native americans. though if you take them apart, the shin'a'in remind of the tribal chinese (what with the proverbs and nomadic movements), the tayledras... just stand apart... and the k'Leysha pple remind of the native americans who _actually_ merged with the colonists who came over to america... remember, that's just my _PoV_. not trying to convert the whole Hall or anything... and Becky continued: :They may be closer to some of the people native to South American :rainforests -- I know there's at least one tribe of tree-dwellers; I just :don't remember what they're called. there are tree-dwellers? you know, if i want to be picky and defensive like a bratty kid, i'd say that nativ S. Am is still native Am since they're both Am... *weg* but i'm not... okay, i concede defeat, next time, i'll just shut my trap... :What are "ang mohs"? And how is this *not* stereotyping? =) okay, i tend to cancel myself out... :) it's a habit i have _got_ to lose, esp in papers... but it does earn grins yah? and starspirit explained "ang moh": :Just a term for caucasians in general, literally 'red hair' in chinese :dialect. I see a fellow Singaporean on the list... you do you do! :) i think the dialect is hokkien? more often than not, the application is to americans... i suppose you can call it crude, rude, and etcs. but it's my s'porean nature showing through... ;p btw, starspirit, do you watch "The Legend of the 8 Immortals"? i think that Lu Dongbin character reminds me much of Silverfox .... *weg* very very superficially, of course... :Let's see. Satan gets uppity, God gets pissy, Satan gets kicked out. :That's about it. Oh, and lots and lots of poetry. =) As for why you :picked it, I can't help you there. Perhaps you were feeling ambitious? :masochistic? mistook the title for "Paradise Beach"? Count your :blessings, you could have decided to read "A Pilgrim's Progress"! =) heh... i noticed the poetry bit... hmm... maybe i was doing it for advance hw? doing gothic lit, and the tutors just felt we should see what the authors were inspired by... (damn milton anyway..) i have to say, that once book 1 is past, he actually starts looking interesting... (do i want to know what "a pilgrim's progress" is?) and rhiannon wrote: <<::gasp:: Summarize Paradise Lost? ::shudder:: That's what I spent the last two weeks doing... I still have all my notes if you *really* want them. It's a few pages, but very thorough. I liked Paradise Lost>> yes yes yes yes yes!!!! haha... i have to return the book to the library, and i don't know if i'm going to be able to finish old milton and chaucer by the due date... and she continues with: <> hahaha... good point... but i guess that was just a reflection of the times he was in. what really got me grrr was the simpering phrases between adam and eve... and that bit about her duty to him, etc... ick. Becky also contributed: :Satan gets all the best lines, too. i think him being "evil" is also a contribution to that... yep, folks, satan sounds more interesting than god and his son... i think that scene with him going down to paradise and moping really did a lot for his character... ;) and i totally agree with your conversation bet God and Jesus... hey! maybe we could come up with a mod vs? nope.. bad idea... okay, like it's not the milton-list, it's the misty-list... Starspirit asked... :I need to ask a few questions, hope y'all don't mind. 1.) If you want to :become a Tayledras, then does your persona start out life in the clan, or :does he/she have to be an outsider who joins the clan, or what?2.) How do :the Tayledras 'test' the kids for magic, and when? 3.) What's an Obmisty? 1) huh? as sth like an RPing character? i guess you have to clarify with QO for this, but it seems more comfortable to be born into the clan.... 2) i thought there was this line that all Tayledras were born with a bit of magic, and since Firesong's been working magic since .... six? ten? i suppose they're tested really early in life... i always assumed (oops, bad word) that they were "tested" like van tested jisa, and savil tested van.... 3) Obligatory Misty Content... always have one in your mails... :) talk about Misty's work, etc... byes, and have some "nerds"-sheep (you know the candies?, not the people) for all the toes of pple i've stepped on, have some caramel apples ( ) Wind to thy Wings <==+==> Shadowblade mindmate to Raul, Elven archer-mage of Fairgrove | | High Priestess of the Goddess of the Elves, and of OOPS | | Grand Dame of the Order of the Namers, Singer of Fire(Alto) | | Member of the Order of Unsung Heroes (Eldan, Eric, and Terenil!) | | Member of the Mistic Circle, Visit my Homepage ~> \/ http://members.tripod.com/~Shadowblade ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 03:00:14 -0500 From: "Chuchulain" To: Subject: Re: Karse religion/van's appearance in AotQ Message-ID: <001401be24dc$49a35ac0$4d109cd1-+AT+-oemcomputer> -----Original Message----- From: Becky Cary To: chuchulain-+AT+-usa.net Date: Thursday, December 10, 1998 5:51 PM Subject: Re: Karse religion/van's appearance in AotQ >On Thu, 10 Dec 1998, Kenneth Allen Hyde wrote: > >> Hmmm. You know, that's actually a comparison that never really made sense >> to me. The Tayledras don't seem to have much in common with any of the >> Native American cultures with which I'm familiar. A few superficial (and >> misleading) details, perhaps, but that's about it. >Actually, that's a comparison that had never even occurred to me. I don't >really see that one, honestly. Tree-dwelling, attached to birds -- the >only thing I'm coming up with would be the whole "stewardship of the land >and its creatures" thing and the tendency to use feathers ornamentally. >They may be closer to some of the people native to South American >rainforests -- I know there's at least one tribe of tree-dwellers; I just >don't remember what they're called. > >As for the "Karsites as Moslems" thing, this may be a fine distinction to >make, but I never quite thought of the Karsites as being like Moslems so >much as the Karsites being perceived by the people/nations around them the >way that much of the non-Moslem world thinks of Islamic nations. People >from outside Karse have this picture of it as a scary, oppressive, >fanatical mass entity without the same value systems or regard for >individual rights. I am not saying that Islam is all these things -- I am >saying that people tend to regard it as such. Contrast the "Karsites as >brigands" versus the "Arabs as terrorists" stereotype, for example. > >> What are "ang mohs"? >I was wondering that too. > >> think that we can make a good generalization by saying that people >> (anywhere, not just in the US) tend not to know as much about religions >> and cultures to which they do not belong, and that they have a tendency to >> fill the deficiencies with "stereotypes" that they have been taught. >Agree. When I took a freshman seminar in college on classical Islam, I >signed up for it expecting to be amazed at how much of what I had "known" >was wrong. It met my expectations. I was so blown away by the salutary >(hope I spelled that right) experience of having my assumptions challenged >that I've become something of a dabbler in religious/cultural studies. >(Time-consuming hobby for a bio major.) > >> examples--hermanita, "los gallegos? *sonrio*)? >Huh? > >> > ugh... can someone out there summarize milton's paradise lost? why oh >> > why did i pick that book up to read for fun? >> >> Let's see. Satan gets uppity, God gets pissy, Satan gets kicked out. >> That's about it. Oh, and lots and lots of poetry. =) >I actually kind of liked it. And you left out the "Adam & Eve get uppity, >God gets pissy, Adam & Eve get kicked out" bit. Satan gets all the >best lines, too. (When I made that observation to my father (that Satan >was a lot more interesting than his ex-boss), he replied, "That's why it's >the eternal struggle between good and evil. If good were not only better >than evil but also more interesting and more fun, it wouldn't be a >contest. That's why it's not the eternal struggle between good and >quilting.") And all conversations between God and Jesus can basically be >summarized thusly: >"Wow, you're really amazing." "Yeah, but that's because you made me like >you. You're even more amazing." "You're so beautiful and good." "But >you're even more beautiful and good!" "Anyone here feel like dying for >man's sins?" "I will, Dad!" "I knew you would, son, because you're like >me, so you're amazing." "But you're even more amazing." Etc. > >I just got a new friend hooked on the Velgarth books -- I'm so proud of >myself. He got irritated in AotQ, though, when Talia didn't sleep with >Skif. > >One final note: I have a new ambition in life. After Christmas, when the >things are in stores again, I want to obtain a Furby and teach it rude and >lascivious words instead of more "standard" English. Hey, everybody needs >a dream. > Hate to ruin an ambition so early in its inception, but Furbies don't actually learn new words...they just have two seperate vocabularies -one "furbish" and one English that become intermingled over the course of four developmental stages. It just gives the appearance of learning. Did I mention that I'm a manager at a toy store (while in grad school, anyway) and that the very mention of the word Furby makes me break out in hives? Oh...yeah...Hi, I'm new...how's everyone? Heimdall ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 11:09:32 -0000 From: "Alexia/Sabrina" To: Subject: Re: huge chunk on a lot of responses. Message-ID: <027201be2505$64e5d280$13c828c3-+AT+-i.casale> NOTE TO ALL NEWBIES! Please do NOT copy whole messages or leave the whole of a quoted message in your replies to the list. It takes up a long of bandwidth and we don't want to tire poor Vanyel out. Just quote the relevant few lines:) The councillors should be able to help with any problems around this and braiding. Just look for it in the sigs:) >(do i want to know what "a pilgrim's progress" is?) It's a book... an OLD book by... Jon Bunyan! >Starspirit asked... >:I need to ask a few questions, hope y'all don't mind. 1.) If you want to >:become a Tayledras, then does your persona start out life in the clan, or >:does he/she have to be an outsider who joins the clan, or what?2.) How do >:the Tayledras 'test' the kids for magic, and when? 3.) What's an Obmisty? Go here for details: http://dragonlords.dragonfire.net/danyat.htm for the Tayledras handout. There's also a list for people making their Queen's Own Personas: The Circle: This is a new mailing list for those who are making up their folder to join Queen's Own. The list provides a forum to find people to read over your persona, edit your stories for sending in, and give you free and honest opinions on how you are doing. You can post messages to its members via e-mail at: queens-circle-+AT+-egroups.com You can also read and post group messages on the Web: http://www.eGroups.com/list/queens-circle Please direct any comments or questions about the group to the group moderator at: queens-circle-owner-+AT+-egroups.com If you have other questions, visit: http://www.eGroups.com/info/help.html OBmisty: lessee... I'm reading Fire Rose ATM and really enjoying but there are some VERY dark parts about 'Frisco wharves... Are they really necessary? We all know Du Mond is a toad. Also on this note- I was watching the Disney Beauty and the Beast and I just wondered- why does it have to be romantic love- why can't he just love someone as a friend? Anyway... Alexia ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 21:11:02 +0700 From: Femmy Syahrani To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Religions Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19981211211102.00688554-+AT+-pop3.melsa.net.id> Rhiannon: >That's primarily what the *govt* of Valdemar believes, and they just say >"Leave every one else alone or we'll kick your collective butt." So >they don't force everybody to believe in the one god with many faces, >they just force everyone to accept that other people worship other gods >and that's all there is too it. In most books, the characters are like >"Wow! There are other religons in Valdemar besides mine!" So there >isn't really much to it, just a decree to leave other creeds alone. To me, the "no one true way" of Valdemar says "Your way of worship is not the one true way, other religions are true also." Which, to me, means that it doesn't matter which religion you belong to, because they are all true and the same and they all worship God. Which goes against my belief, because to me, it does matter and that's why I choose one religion that I believe is the true one (who knows if I'm right or wrong to believe that, but I do believe it). If it doesn't, why choose a religion at all? That's only my interpretation of Valdemar's "no one true way". I'd prefer it to mean "tolerance toward other beliefs" like Rhiannon said, but that is not the impression I get when I read the books. Becky: >Contrast the "Karsites as >brigands" versus the "Arabs as terrorists" stereotype, for example. Now THIS comparison I can understand. :) Okay, already two things related to Misty so that counts as ObMisty's (I hope :) ) Now, on to other stuff ... Shatter Star: >(singing):There are jews in the world, there are buddhists, there are >hindus and mormons and then... >There are those that follow Mohammed's books...Ive never been one of >them... I think I've heard this song somewhere before. Is the singer also a stand-up comedian? And about jihad, I have its meaning in Indonesian language, if anyone's interested: 1. all attempts/struggles to reach goodness. 2. a fight to defend Islam, by sacrificing belongings, life, and soul. 3. a holy war against unbelievers to defend Islam. jihad akbar: a war against evil "nafsu" (like lust, greed, etc) jihad fisabilillah: jihad on God's road (for the advancement of Islam or to defend the truth). (Big Dictionary of Indonesian Language) The meaning of it is actually very broad. I even learnt one day that a woman who dies while giving birth is also considered jihad, because bearing children is one of the "duties" of women, so it is an act on God's road, according to Islam. Femmy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 11:37:28 -0500 (EST) From: Kenneth Allen Hyde To: Femmy Syahrani Subject: Re: Religions Message-ID: On Fri, 11 Dec 1998, Femmy Syahrani wrote: > To me, the "no one true way" of Valdemar says "Your way of worship is not > the one true way, other religions are true also." Which, to me, means that > it doesn't matter which religion you belong to, because they are all true > and the same and they all worship God. Hmmm. My take has always been that "there is no One True Way" referred more to the idea that as mere fallible humans, we have know way of knowing if the way that we have chosen is the one true way. In some sense, this means that there is always an element of uncertaintity (which we overcome with faith). But because of this, to say "my way is the One True Way" is actually to claim "my faith is correct and your faith is misplaced" or, less politely, "I'm right and you're a misguided idiot, nyaah nyahny nyah nyah!" This sort of attitude is bound to lead to problems. =) > Which goes against my belief, because to me, it does matter and that's > why I choose one religion that I believe is the true one (who knows if > I'm right or wrong to believe that, but I do believe it). Exactly! Most people do choose one way, but we have to take it on faith and wait to find out for sure if it is the "true" way...or possibly just one of many "true ways." (What if the world ends and we find out that everyone was right? *grin*) > That's only my interpretation of Valdemar's "no one true way". I'd prefer > it to mean "tolerance toward other beliefs" like Rhiannon said, but that is > not the impression I get when I read the books. I don't think that it necessarily means "tolerance" in the sense of "niceness" but I think it just means "don't start fights about this issue!" > jihad fisabilillah: jihad on God's road (for the advancement of Islam or to > defend the truth). Actually, this could conceivably be interpreted as allowing Islam to prosecute a war to expand its territory and "advance Islam." Without doing a little more historical research on the spread of Islam, I can't say for sure whether this has ever actually been used or interpreted this way, but it's certainly there as a potential. BTW, to whoever (sorry but I lost your name as the result of a delete-happy finger) said that "jihad" is not an English word, yes it is. It's as English as "burrito", "ketchup", or "algebra". Like all of these words (and about 60% of the rest of the English vocabulary), "jihad" is a borrowing from another language that has become part of our language. As with most borrowings, of course, there is frequently a shift in meaning. What I was trying to highlight was that "jihad" has a very specific meaning in English (and is not necessarily related to Islam any more, since you could categorize any war of relgious aggression as a jihad in English). That meaning seems to differ from its current meaning in Arabic, and other muslim languages. What I would really like to know is what the original meaning of "jihad" was in Classical Arabic. BTW, for those who are wondering: burrito is a borrowing from Mexican Spanish, ketchup is a borrowing from one of the Chinese languages (Cantonese or Hokkien, I think), and algebra is another borrowing from Arabic. Every resource that I have found on the subject suggests that "burrito", in Mexican Spanish, does not refer to the food item that we use it for in English. Ketchup was originally a sauce of fermented fish paste, and algebra was originally algebra (which just goes to show that borrowings don't *always* involve a change in meaning, I guess *grin*). May the seas be your solace and the forests a refuge for your spirit, Cennydd Councilor of Mist Kenneth Allen Hyde | No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife Univ. of Delaware | between the shoulder blades will seriously Dept. of Linguistics | cramp his style -- Old Jhereg proverb kenny-+AT+-Udel.Edu | A mind is a terrible toy to waste! -- Me //www.ling.udel.edu/hyde/prof/ken.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 23:39:52 +0700 From: Femmy Syahrani To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Religions Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19981211233952.0069492c-+AT+-pop3.melsa.net.id> >Becky: >>Contrast the "Karsites as >>brigands" versus the "Arabs as terrorists" stereotype, for example. >Now THIS comparison I can understand. :) I meant, because both are wrong stereotypes. (Before anybody gets offended). Sorry for the double post. When I received this message back, I realized that it sounds not as I meant it. Femmy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 12:46:34 PST From: "Raven Darkblade" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Religions Message-ID: <19981211204634.1297.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> On the Karse/Islam discussion: I know nothing of Islam, but my guess is that the Karsites do resemble Moslems, or what your average non-Moslem concieves a Moslem to be. However, the resemblance is superficial only, in much the manner that the Shin'a'in superficially resemble Native Americans or what your average clueless non-NA concieves a Native American to be. (I personally don't see *any* resemblance to Native Americans in the Tayledras, other than maybe the feather thing and the closeness-to-the-land. Why everyone else does is beyond me.) <<>> <> This again? Guys, guys, guys, the thing with the other Herald and the Companion Evalie was a daydream of Talia's, not the book she was reading. She daydreamed herself right into the story. Also, I think it's noted that the book is a tale, not a Chronicle; it told the story of Vanyel but did so in the form of an adventure and probably got all sorts of details wrong. Zha'hai'allav'a, Raven Darkblade, Forgoing the .sig ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 17:22:59 -0600 From: Amy Trujillo To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Ang moh/questions? Message-ID: <3671A94E.2973-+AT+-southwind.net> Heyla all, Starspirit asked: > I need to ask a few questions, hope y'all don't mind. 1.) If you want to > become a Tayledras, then does your persona start out life in the clan, or > does he/she have to be an outsider who joins the clan, or what?2.) How do > the Tayledras 'test' the kids for magic, and when? 3.) What's an Obmisty? Ummm, I'm not a councilor but this is for all newbies........there can be no RPing on this list. Misty has decreed that she will not allow anyone to used her worlds in RP and her lawyers are ready and willing to enforce her decision. Unfair, yes, but we don't want to get the list and its members in trouble so it is something we have to live with..... if you really want to have a Tayledras persona join the Queen's Own and go through the steps, they are the only ones who can legally use Misty's worlds. As for OBmisty that is the obligitory Misty that should be included with each post. and here is my OBMisty: I just got my order from Firebird and I got my print of White Gryphon......I know there have been a raging debates about Jody Lee's work in the past but this is one of my favorite book covers and now I get to look at it all the time, :).... hmm that wasn't much of an OBmisty let me try again.....I would really love to have a Valdemar book that follows the life of Skif and Nayara after the Storms I doubt that they led a boring life. Until Next Time, Cherry cola sheep sodas for everyone Amy Ferret Friend Lady of All Things Missing, Especially Socks ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 15:39:31 PST From: "Rhiannon Shadowsong" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Taledras/Paradise Lost/Demons/Burning Brightly Message-ID: <19981211233933.21531.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> One more week till Christmas vacation! Thank the Powers-that-be! I was going to do something cruel to the slimeball that sits next to me in Calculus. (I swear, he's a stalker. Ask anyone. ::shudder::) He may survive, I may survive, and al the people who irritate to incoherency may survive. (Like I'm all that coherent on a normal basis) > >On Thu, 10 Dec 1998, Kenneth Allen Hyde wrote: > >> Hmmm. You know, that's actually a comparison that never really made sense >> to me. The Tayledras don't seem to have much in common with any of the >> Native American cultures with which I'm familiar. A few superficial (and >> misleading) details, perhaps, but that's about it. >Actually, that's a comparison that had never even occurred to me. I don't >really see that one, honestly. Tree-dwelling, attached to birds -- the >only thing I'm coming up with would be the whole "stewardship of the land >and its creatures" thing and the tendency to use feathers ornamentally. >They may be closer to some of the people native to South American >rainforests -- I know there's at least one tribe of tree-dwellers; I just >don't remember what they're called. I think that the general consensus is that Misty took the steroetypical elements of Native American culture (the whole feathers thing, and stewardship of the land, for example) and put them in where she wanted them. You know, I've been looking at my own writings and I don't see relationships between my created cultures and world cultures. But I'm sure they're there somewhere. ::wink:: It's probably unintentional: they were to be stewards of the lands, and all the cultural elements followed that.... Becky: >Satan gets all the >best lines, too. (When I made that observation to my father (that Satan >was a lot more interesting than his ex-boss), he replied, "That's why it's >the eternal struggle between good and evil. If good were not only better >than evil but also more interesting and more fun, it wouldn't be a >contest. That's why it's not the eternal struggle between good and >quilting.") And all conversations between God and Jesus can basically be >summarized thusly: >"Wow, you're really amazing." "Yeah, but that's because you made me like >you. You're even more amazing." "You're so beautiful and good." "But >you're even more beautiful and good!" "Anyone here feel like dying for >man's sins?" "I will, Dad!" "I knew you would, son, because you're like >me, so you're amazing." "But you're even more amazing." Etc. That's pretty much how I feel. Except the wuilting part, I think that's a pasttime for Mary, who, if she was in PL, would be saying along with God and Jesus "Wow, you're so great."--"you're great too mom." "But you're divine!" Pardon my puns. Quilting is so...wholesome. ::mock shudder:: I once remarked to a friend that life's more fun without a conscience. It disturbed her. ::grins:: I love doing that to people. Who said that "Those who do good may sleep better at night, but those who don't enjoy the day light hours more"? That quote amuses me. >One final note: I have a new ambition in life. After Christmas, when the >things are in stores again, I want to obtain a Furby and teach it rude and >lascivious words instead of more "standard" English. Hey, everybody needs >a dream. You have inspired me. If only parrots cost less.... B'rev: >In fact, I wonder if demonology even exists in Islam....I >highly doubt it, but if it does (I may be mistaken), myself and no >one I >know who's Islamic has heard about it before. Fear of demons is most >certainly not used to strike fear into the hearts of Muslim children, >nor are Islamic people mind-controled zombies with fanatical devotion >to >Vkandis. Actually, most religons have some form or another of demon. I have a really spiffy angel dictionary, and a lot of te fallen angels are based on Islamic demons. Some are spirits that either Christians or Jews demonized, but some are real honest-to-goodness demons from Islamic mythology. I dunno--it's probably one of those things that isn't in the holy book, but in tales passed down to grandchildren from superstitious and highly religious grandmothers. (Mine is like that...she is Southern Baptist. ::shudder::) Random Question of the Day: Why hasn't the US had a woman president? We pride ourselves on our enlightened attitude and we call our strong First Ladies noughty names. Go figure. Shigatsu: >When is Burning Brightly/Brightly Burning (I do think it is the >former but it's been so long since I posted that I darn well forgot) >getting here? It's Brightly Burning, just btw. I haven't heard anything, so I'd assume it isn't out yet, seeing as how I haunt Amazon.com like a hungry ghost. eew, what a metaphor. I think I need caffeine... RANT WARNING~*~*~ >(singing):There are jews in the world, there are buddhists, there are >hindus and mormons and then... >There are those that follow Mohammed's books...Ive never been one of >them.. My physics teacher sings Monty Python at us often. And more often than not, I'm the Only One who has any idea what he's talking about. Of course that's my normal state... But why am I the only one? Why can't there be interesting people in my classes? But no. The majority of interesting people are either underclassmen or in General Prep classes. Do I deserve to spend my entire life in rooms full of the preppy children of rich politicians? And dear gods, when I start singing They Might Be Giants... END RANT*~*~*~ also, I apologize for that unwarranted spasm. Shadowblade: >(do i want to know what "a >pilgrim's >progress" is?) By John Bunyan, a Puritan. Not to be confused with Paul Bunyan, ::grin:: Um, it's religious, and I've never read it, avoiding most religious books like the plague. Religion is such an interesting subject, and so many writers seem to strive to make it extremely boring... Wow, this is long. apologies and toffee-shortbread sheep to all who had the patience to read. (Shadowblade: I'll send the Paradise Lost either tonight or tomorrow, depending on how long my ::gasp:: college interview takes.) Wind to thy wings, Rhiannon Shadowsong ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 09:40:01 +0800 From: "Starspirit" To: Subject: Questions/Guidebook to Valdemar Message-ID: <199812120143.JAA06065-+AT+-zinc.singnet.com.sg> >the shin'a'in remind of the tribal chinese (what with the proverbs and nomadic movements) Proverbs yes, but nomadic movements? I dunnow. Maybe in the way they seek revenge (bloodfeuds?), you see it in chinese fighting shows alot. If Misty based the Tayledras and Shin'a'in on real cultures, I can't see it. >you do you do! :) i think the dialect is hokkien? more often than not, the >application is to americans... i suppose you can call it crude, rude, and etcs. >but it's my s'porean nature showing through... ;p > >btw, starspirit, do you watch "The Legend of the 8 Immortals"? i think that Lu >Dongbin character reminds me much of Silverfox .... *weg* very very >superficially, of course... Actually, he reminded me of Firesong. Except when he goes all quiet when that Fairy mentions anything about falling in love with him. Donghua reminded me of Darkwind (can you guess? I don't like Darkwind much, after he threatened to cut Firesong down. *grr*) It's the costumes-long flowing white robes, long flowing hair... *sigh*. Don't you find it eerie how some people in real life are so similar to characters in books. >1) huh? as sth like an RPing character? i guess you have to clarify with QO for >this, but it seems more comfortable to be born into the clan.... No, not as in a RPing character. I'm not going to do anything illegal and get people in trouble. I need the info for my persona.Anyway, Alexia (right?) has supplied lots of links for me, which should answer my questions. Thanks for answering my questions! ObMisty? Uhh, ok, obmisty. Has anyone heard of any guidebook to Valdemar? I heard that there's gonna be one, but I'm not sure. (Does that qualify as an Obmisty?) Did I 'hear' this from the list? If yes, I apologise. Zhai'helleva Starspirit~** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 20:38:23 EST From: Paustinnew-+AT+-aol.com To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Re: Religions Message-ID: <38e01e31.3671c90f-+AT+-aol.com> In a message dated 12/11/98, 3:57:44 PM, mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk writes: <> Forgive me if this has already been mentioned -- but I always thought the Shin-'a'in were more like the Tibetan or Mongolian herders than anything else. I never really thought of them as the nomadic Plains type Native Americans. Pam, who goes by Map ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1811 **********************************