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So I just wrote a novel
2 min read
It needs a few weeks' worth of serious editing, but yeah, I had a month without the internet and finally got around to writing a novel. It basically spawned from watching this one interview - the one where the Sex Pistols swear at Bill Grundy.
And from there I was wondering what it would be like if there had been an articulate response to his questions instead. Something that explained the punk movement more coherently? Well, surely to do that, they would have to be female. And from there I imagined a punk band, and how they might respond to Bill Grundy and what kind of other fights they might get into. And then I needed another character, one who dies in the end, and for some reason, I decided to make her mute, and she basically just ran a steamroller over the entire narrative, changing from a basic punk-rock fantasy into a fleshed out novel covering topics of agency, disability, sexism, recovery from trauma, and eventually culminating in terrorism, grief and tragedy.
I fell in love with all four members of this band as I wrote the novel, and rode the emotional rollercoasters with them, feeling guilt at the shit I put them through, and happiness at their triumphs. It also contains the best sex scene ever written.
Feeling kind of happy and proud of myself, although still a little overwhelmed at the amount of editing that needs to be done. A few massive plot holes and time lapses need to be covered. But for the most part, yeah. I can now consider myself a novelist.
Anyone fancy a proof read?
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Writing again
3 min read
Hello people. Thank you for still hanging around if you're still here and watching.
I'm back writing after a long break, and am planning a novel. I'll be writing it over the course of National Novel Writing Month, although, as I intend it to be published, I'll only be posting small snippets on here.
I intend it to be on the subject of an American-led invasion of the UK, and in particular two soldiers, Shadreck and Fenwick, who are part of a guerilla resistance, who fall in love despite the difficulties of their surroundings and comrades and the challenges of countering modern military technology.
In other news, I have resigned from my employment after five good years at Yell writing and designing their websites. I'm unemployed, but have enough savings to not have to look too hard for work for a little white, while I concentrate on my novel and other projects, such as cats and gardening.
Another project I'm involved in is writing questions for #Trivia. I've written over 3000 good questions for them so far, out of the 4700 they have in their data banks, and it's getting to a point where that game is now playable again for the first time in years, largely thanks to us having enough unique questions that won't repeat every ten turns, and the hard work of monstash, who has done a heck of a lot of programming to implement a viable new triviabot into the game. Feel free to drop by there if you have some time to kill, and fancy yourself as a geek on the subject of, say, dinosaurs or geography.
I'm also involved with helping salshep reestablish some form of lit community in the chatrooms. I am so glad to have reconciled with Salli after so many years in the wilderness, and we've had a really good catchup over the last two days, among planning a literary resurrection in the chat. It would be really awesome if the lit groups can rebuild and not be blighted by infighting and snobbery.
I hope you're all well here folks. What's everyone else been up to?
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Self Absorbed in the Political Forum
8 min read
Having been labelled as being 'self absorbed' on the politics forum lately, I feel I ought to at least practice the crime I am accused of. Here are some of my personal highlights from that part of my life from the past few seasons.
On libertarianism: "I'm simply pointing out the potential for evil in such an environment. Evil is a misrepresentation of most political movements, however in libertarian society there is no denying the wiggle-room for evil becomes more of a wiggle-hall - a veritable jazz ballroom of evil bebopping." comments.deviantart.com/18/185…
On the price of gold and goats: "Gold was actually $1177.21 per ounce on April 26 2010, and is currently $1533.79 per ounce. [link] A good performance for sure, but by no means a tripling. In fact other commodities, such as oil, [link] land, [link] and goats [link] have performed far better during the same time period." comments.deviantart.com/18/159…
On conscription: "Forcing someone into fighting is an immoral and criminal offence, and if they are killed in action, in my view, it is murder. You can dress that up with nationalist and officious terms like 'enlistment' and 'national service' if you like, but it's still murder, especially as in the last 50 years, the wars have been almost entirely unnecessary." comments.deviantart.com/18/152…
On capitalism and socialism: "Ideologically, the economy of a country with taxation and governmental programs will always be centralised to a degree. Certain things, like health, education, energy, police, and in some instances transport, become nationalised because people regard these things as too important to trust to the free market. Corporations aren't necessarily these evil giant versions of Pacman™ gliding around and eating everything in their way, but they are run by humans, and humans being human, tend to be self-serving, leaving areas that aren't profitable to neglect and ruin. When the interests of those services are orientated around the customer rather than profit, such neglect is negated, and people can trust these organisations to provide a good service irrespective of their circumstances. A country is only as much as its people, and it makes sense to invest in their well being so that they may better contribute to the state of the country." comments.deviantart.com/18/153…
On socialism and capitalism: "Where there is economy, where there is business, where there is money, where people do favours and errands, where people perform any sort of work at all, there is, in essense, exploitation. Everyone is effectively exploiting and being exploited as they buy and sell goods and services. Rather than hankering for a revolution, which will never negate such a cycle, it is best to realise the best value for your goods and services by thorough negotiation and exercising choice, which is actually, er, capitalism." comments.deviantart.com/18/146…
On poisoning in food-chains: "Seafood is a different kettle of fish, ahem, than your run of the mill pig-mincing-farm. Everything we eat from the sea is a wild animal - we have no control over what they eat or where they swim before we catch them, and yet simultaneously we treat the sea like a landfill site for all sorts of nasty chemicals you wouldn't want anywhere near a dinner plate. That shit's gonna come around and bite us on the arse." comments.deviantart.com/18/185…
On party politics: "In the UK, party politics are a scourge on democracy. There remains a system known as 'whipping' whereby someone who votes in the chamber contrary to party lines can be expelled from the party and forced to stand as an independent in the following election if they wish to retain their seat. While there ought to be some consensus within parties on general ideology, I find this sort of disciplining to be a detestable fart in the face of freewill and independent morality." comments.deviantart.com/18/153…
On welfare in the UK "What I love most is the moral panic whenever a couple in their early 20s try to start a family [...] The problem is that the middle managers and business world in general has made a concerted effort to rip off young people when they claim their pay packets, placing emphasis on experience over talent and hard work, meaning that the majority of young people will always struggle to support a family financially. It's little wonder people turn to benefits when the commercial world offers so little by means of support for young families."
On the BNP: "Yes, there are problems surrounding immigration, largely due to lacklustre education and integration, exploitation of labour, and incompatible asylum procedures. Well done, Nicolas, for pointing that one out. I hadn't noticed. It is fortunate though that most British people have a more grown up approach to dealing with immigration than the BNP's 'blame them for everything and send them packing' idiocy." comments.deviantart.com/18/145…
On Anglo-American relations: "Also, since banking is the way Americans do gambling, and since British bankers think sub-prime means 'nearly very good', whoever is in charge also gets to decide, albeit indirectly, whether there'll be a job market when I come to leave university or not. We Brits shall blame you Americans for everything, damn it, and it's so totally your fault because it says so on the news, and the only consolation for us is that we can 'accidentally' forget to install a safety valve in a high pressure oil rig and make a nice mess on your doorstep for you to clean up." comments.deviantart.com/18/152…
On the oppression of whites in America: "You didn't notice the water cannon and hordes of riot police beating up innocent white protesters pleading for their right to vote? No, I didn't notice it either." comments.deviantart.com/18/152…
On the morality of immigration: "So it's illegal because it's wrong because it's wrong because it's illegal?" comments.deviantart.com/18/146…
On post 9/11 wars: "None of this even safeguards anyone from terrorism - Bin Laden's death is a meaningless and Pyrrhic victory. His position as a figurehead of anti-American fanaticism is easily replaced. 6500 American soldiers, $1.4 trillion dollars in tax, and America's short-lived credibility as a benevolent policenation, are gone forever." comments.deviantart.com/18/184…
On 'taking back America': "What it actually means is exactly what is says on the tin. To take back American prosperity and rights, away from whomever has been empowered over the last few decades; gay people, black people, female people, poor people, and give it back to wealthy businessmen, power brokers and fundamentalist Christians. Make no mistake about it, this is dangerous shit." comments.deviantart.com/18/146…
This rigmarole comments.deviantart.com/18/157… in response to that rigmarole comments.deviantart.com/18/157…
On animals in politics: "The snake you speak of is the Republican party, although I think of it more as a squirming tapeworm, leeching itself fat from the hard work of American people." comments.deviantart.com/18/153…
On abortion: "Dude, the day you get full sexual reassignment surgery, have a seven pound baby implanted in your abdomen and then forced to squeeze it through your neo-vagina, whether you like it or not, is the day you get to tell women that abortion is wrong. Until then, shut the fuck up." comments.deviantart.com/18/177…
This sermon and its resultant discussions on atheism. comments.deviantart.com/18/158…
On scientific flaws in the bible: "Genesis would be a very long, boring book if it said the earth was made in 1.6 trillion days instead of just 7: And lo, on the 1,467,505,317,894th day there was borne a fish which had slightly mutated cervical vertebrae, which thus enabled it to better raise its head to breathe air while its body remained submerged. And God saw that it was good and proclaimed that it was good. - Genesis 878,309,494:1409"
On Fox News and Al Jazeera: "One is a fanatical and hysterical religious supremacist propaganda channel posing as news and the other one is Al Jazeera." comments.deviantart.com/18/156…
On little girls dancing to Beyonce "Never mind the skimpy costumes and the hip-pumping. Nothing quite beats the true horror of seeing young people enjoy themselves, does it?" comments.deviantart.com/18/146…
It has been a fun few years on there. The amount of drivel, hogwash and bollocks I have spouted could amount to a whole mountain of guano, but I feel it is important to compile some of it somewhere, at least so people can look at it and wonder who the fuck I am.
On libertarianism: "I'm simply pointing out the potential for evil in such an environment. Evil is a misrepresentation of most political movements, however in libertarian society there is no denying the wiggle-room for evil becomes more of a wiggle-hall - a veritable jazz ballroom of evil bebopping." comments.deviantart.com/18/185…
On the price of gold and goats: "Gold was actually $1177.21 per ounce on April 26 2010, and is currently $1533.79 per ounce. [link] A good performance for sure, but by no means a tripling. In fact other commodities, such as oil, [link] land, [link] and goats [link] have performed far better during the same time period." comments.deviantart.com/18/159…
On conscription: "Forcing someone into fighting is an immoral and criminal offence, and if they are killed in action, in my view, it is murder. You can dress that up with nationalist and officious terms like 'enlistment' and 'national service' if you like, but it's still murder, especially as in the last 50 years, the wars have been almost entirely unnecessary." comments.deviantart.com/18/152…
On capitalism and socialism: "Ideologically, the economy of a country with taxation and governmental programs will always be centralised to a degree. Certain things, like health, education, energy, police, and in some instances transport, become nationalised because people regard these things as too important to trust to the free market. Corporations aren't necessarily these evil giant versions of Pacman™ gliding around and eating everything in their way, but they are run by humans, and humans being human, tend to be self-serving, leaving areas that aren't profitable to neglect and ruin. When the interests of those services are orientated around the customer rather than profit, such neglect is negated, and people can trust these organisations to provide a good service irrespective of their circumstances. A country is only as much as its people, and it makes sense to invest in their well being so that they may better contribute to the state of the country." comments.deviantart.com/18/153…
On socialism and capitalism: "Where there is economy, where there is business, where there is money, where people do favours and errands, where people perform any sort of work at all, there is, in essense, exploitation. Everyone is effectively exploiting and being exploited as they buy and sell goods and services. Rather than hankering for a revolution, which will never negate such a cycle, it is best to realise the best value for your goods and services by thorough negotiation and exercising choice, which is actually, er, capitalism." comments.deviantart.com/18/146…
On poisoning in food-chains: "Seafood is a different kettle of fish, ahem, than your run of the mill pig-mincing-farm. Everything we eat from the sea is a wild animal - we have no control over what they eat or where they swim before we catch them, and yet simultaneously we treat the sea like a landfill site for all sorts of nasty chemicals you wouldn't want anywhere near a dinner plate. That shit's gonna come around and bite us on the arse." comments.deviantart.com/18/185…
On party politics: "In the UK, party politics are a scourge on democracy. There remains a system known as 'whipping' whereby someone who votes in the chamber contrary to party lines can be expelled from the party and forced to stand as an independent in the following election if they wish to retain their seat. While there ought to be some consensus within parties on general ideology, I find this sort of disciplining to be a detestable fart in the face of freewill and independent morality." comments.deviantart.com/18/153…
On welfare in the UK "What I love most is the moral panic whenever a couple in their early 20s try to start a family [...] The problem is that the middle managers and business world in general has made a concerted effort to rip off young people when they claim their pay packets, placing emphasis on experience over talent and hard work, meaning that the majority of young people will always struggle to support a family financially. It's little wonder people turn to benefits when the commercial world offers so little by means of support for young families."
On the BNP: "Yes, there are problems surrounding immigration, largely due to lacklustre education and integration, exploitation of labour, and incompatible asylum procedures. Well done, Nicolas, for pointing that one out. I hadn't noticed. It is fortunate though that most British people have a more grown up approach to dealing with immigration than the BNP's 'blame them for everything and send them packing' idiocy." comments.deviantart.com/18/145…
On Anglo-American relations: "Also, since banking is the way Americans do gambling, and since British bankers think sub-prime means 'nearly very good', whoever is in charge also gets to decide, albeit indirectly, whether there'll be a job market when I come to leave university or not. We Brits shall blame you Americans for everything, damn it, and it's so totally your fault because it says so on the news, and the only consolation for us is that we can 'accidentally' forget to install a safety valve in a high pressure oil rig and make a nice mess on your doorstep for you to clean up." comments.deviantart.com/18/152…
On the oppression of whites in America: "You didn't notice the water cannon and hordes of riot police beating up innocent white protesters pleading for their right to vote? No, I didn't notice it either." comments.deviantart.com/18/152…
On the morality of immigration: "So it's illegal because it's wrong because it's wrong because it's illegal?" comments.deviantart.com/18/146…
On post 9/11 wars: "None of this even safeguards anyone from terrorism - Bin Laden's death is a meaningless and Pyrrhic victory. His position as a figurehead of anti-American fanaticism is easily replaced. 6500 American soldiers, $1.4 trillion dollars in tax, and America's short-lived credibility as a benevolent policenation, are gone forever." comments.deviantart.com/18/184…
On 'taking back America': "What it actually means is exactly what is says on the tin. To take back American prosperity and rights, away from whomever has been empowered over the last few decades; gay people, black people, female people, poor people, and give it back to wealthy businessmen, power brokers and fundamentalist Christians. Make no mistake about it, this is dangerous shit." comments.deviantart.com/18/146…
This rigmarole comments.deviantart.com/18/157… in response to that rigmarole comments.deviantart.com/18/157…
On animals in politics: "The snake you speak of is the Republican party, although I think of it more as a squirming tapeworm, leeching itself fat from the hard work of American people." comments.deviantart.com/18/153…
On abortion: "Dude, the day you get full sexual reassignment surgery, have a seven pound baby implanted in your abdomen and then forced to squeeze it through your neo-vagina, whether you like it or not, is the day you get to tell women that abortion is wrong. Until then, shut the fuck up." comments.deviantart.com/18/177…
This sermon and its resultant discussions on atheism. comments.deviantart.com/18/158…
On scientific flaws in the bible: "Genesis would be a very long, boring book if it said the earth was made in 1.6 trillion days instead of just 7: And lo, on the 1,467,505,317,894th day there was borne a fish which had slightly mutated cervical vertebrae, which thus enabled it to better raise its head to breathe air while its body remained submerged. And God saw that it was good and proclaimed that it was good. - Genesis 878,309,494:1409"
On Fox News and Al Jazeera: "One is a fanatical and hysterical religious supremacist propaganda channel posing as news and the other one is Al Jazeera." comments.deviantart.com/18/156…
On little girls dancing to Beyonce "Never mind the skimpy costumes and the hip-pumping. Nothing quite beats the true horror of seeing young people enjoy themselves, does it?" comments.deviantart.com/18/146…
It has been a fun few years on there. The amount of drivel, hogwash and bollocks I have spouted could amount to a whole mountain of guano, but I feel it is important to compile some of it somewhere, at least so people can look at it and wonder who the fuck I am.
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True Christmas Story
1 min read
When I was 16, one of my classmates claimed he spent Christmas Day sat on his own, watching TV and drinking shots all day.
We all thought that was so cool.
We all thought that was so cool.
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Top Ten Presidents of All Time
2 min read
1) Martti Ahtisaari - Nobel Peace Prize winner, brokered peace in Indonesia, Bosnia, Namibia, Kosovo, and spent the best part of his Presidency traveling around Finland meeting and talking with ordinary people.
2) Hipólito Yrigoyen - Brought full democracy, education, employment laws, and prosperity to Argentina, and was known as the 'father of the poor'. Was ousted in a coup in 1930 by a right-wing general sponsored by Exxon.
3) Lula Da Silva - Brought immense prosperity and social welfare to Brazil. All round good egg.
4) Nelson Mandela - Nobel Peace Prize winner, lisper, and co-dismantler of Aparteid.
5) Theodor Heuss - Oversaw the recovery of West Germany from World War 2, and was an all round nice guy.
6) Mary Robinson - Brought about equal treatment for gay people in Ireland, and at one time had an approval rating of 93%.
7) Milan Kučan - Architect of Slovenian independence and post-independence prosperity.
8) Valéry Giscard d'Estaing - Liberalised France, and founded G8.
9) Joaquim Chissano - Fought for the freedom of Mozambique from Portuguese rule, and oversaw recovery from a 15 year civil war.
10) Václav Havel - Dissident against communist rule in Czechoslovakia, and then oversaw the peaceful secession of Slovakia from the Czech Republic.
2) Hipólito Yrigoyen - Brought full democracy, education, employment laws, and prosperity to Argentina, and was known as the 'father of the poor'. Was ousted in a coup in 1930 by a right-wing general sponsored by Exxon.
3) Lula Da Silva - Brought immense prosperity and social welfare to Brazil. All round good egg.
4) Nelson Mandela - Nobel Peace Prize winner, lisper, and co-dismantler of Aparteid.
5) Theodor Heuss - Oversaw the recovery of West Germany from World War 2, and was an all round nice guy.
6) Mary Robinson - Brought about equal treatment for gay people in Ireland, and at one time had an approval rating of 93%.
7) Milan Kučan - Architect of Slovenian independence and post-independence prosperity.
8) Valéry Giscard d'Estaing - Liberalised France, and founded G8.
9) Joaquim Chissano - Fought for the freedom of Mozambique from Portuguese rule, and oversaw recovery from a 15 year civil war.
10) Václav Havel - Dissident against communist rule in Czechoslovakia, and then oversaw the peaceful secession of Slovakia from the Czech Republic.
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