A magnificent concept, the idea of many units operating as one single entity. It would make such things as databases and computing much simpler, by splitting the load amongst the individual members of a collective consciousness.
Well, I might eventually make a post on this concept. But the main point of this particular rambling is to bring you akinator. A fantastic example of a collective consciousness.
It guesses any character you have in mind, given that you answer its questions truthfully. He'll guess within 20 questions any character, and if he's wrong, should you deign to give him chances, akinator will guess again within 30, then 40 questions. It's essentially a huge database of characters, questions and character traits, much like the old punchcard system for computers. A punchcard computer for akinator would probably be recognisable only as a sea of paper, given its sheer volume.
One thing in mind: it's frightfully accurate at guessing within 30 questions. 20 if the character is distinctive enough. If it can't get it within 30, it'll probably fail at 40, but its final trick is to pull a HUGE list of characters after getting it wrong the last time. Akinator is sneaky. Yet, even with its apparent psychic powers, it is amazingly fallible.
For the record, it guessed some (not so) obscure characters I pulled: Bazett Fraga McRemitz, Samurai Jack, Aku and Emiya Kiritsugu. For popular people and searches like Obama, Luffy, Kim Jong-Il and Nanoha, it'll usually get it within 20 questions, so forget beating akinator with those.
It does have its weaknesses. It took the whole 40 questions to guess Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. (WUT) V from V for Vendetta was initially thought to be Anonymous (HERESY) and even Archer from Fate/stay night was completely unguessable for it (WUT WUT WUT). In fact:
- Caster, Archer, Rider from F/sn it failed, yet it got Lancer, Hasan and Assassin also from F/sn.
- Ilya, Irisviel, Kotomine and Kiritsugu from Fate/Zero it got, but failed hard at Rider, Caster and Lancer from the same.
- Pulling out all the stops, I went for Miyu Edelfelt from Fate/kaleid liner (bloody obscure, and she only appears in that one series and its sequel.) As expected, akinator failed.
- Damn, turns out I'm a Fate (Nasuverse) fan. Damn.
The collective consciousness seems to like anime, though. Akinator got the characters Shana (Shakugan no Shana), Hayate, Hinagiku (Hayate no Gotoku!), Sanji, Luffy (One Piece!), and about half of the F/sn cast (aside from those mentioned, it took 2 guesses to get Kuzuki Souichirou). Admittedly I'm quite lousy when it comes to characters, but I'm sure someone else would be able to really put akinator through its paces.
Good luck stumping it!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Odds and ends.
Just finished Endless Eight. FINISHED. DONE.
For the uninitiated, Endless Eight is a reputedly very aggravating series of 8 episodes in the 2009 airing of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi (涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱) that is essentially nothing other than a series of events repeated, with minor variations, 7 times. Well, I didn't read the light novel (not that volume, at least) so it's hard to say how less annoying it could have been.
It really wasn't that bad. As for those who watched it over eight weeks, it must've been a question of self-restraint to not hammer down the door of Kyoto Animation. What made it more bearable was:
- It was watched over a couple of days. Instead of 56.
- It was only 8 episodes. Instead of 15532 as they could have gleefully attempted.
- There were minor variations. The first and last episodes were different. The wardrobes changed each episode. And there were several different punchlines across the episodes.
- Bad press online prepped me for this set of episodes.
Well, goodbye, endless summer. At least this doesn't happen in real life... does it.
Next, some random complaints.
Haven't been able to slack off and play comp games as often as hoped. Reason being? Too damned lazy to. Yep, lazy. Hey, comp games need motivation, OK?
After all, faced with the alternative of sleeping, comp games can't hold a candle to my interests. It's much easier to do nothing than grind in comp games.
Another grouse. What the HELL kind of maths book that claims to prep people for maths competitions, has not one, not two, but three and probably more very serious typos. At that, it's preparation for British (my guess) maths competitions. No offence to anyone here, but I think that China and Russia are way ahead on this front. Even the SMO is harder than some of the questions in the book. After all, stuff like trigo formulae, identities and, heavens above, probability are already part of the normal syllabus in schools here.
The typos happen to be of the following sorts.
1. secx = 1/sinx. Seriously. Even another reference table printed in the same damn chapter contradicts this falsehood.
2. x + 1/x = 1, and the solution for this is phi (1.618yadda.) Pray tell how this equation has any real solutions. And earlier in the book, the inequality x + 1/x >= 2 for all real x was proven.
3. Factorisation of 120 (was it this number?) into 2 factors. 1x120, 2x60, 4x30, 5x24, 6x20, 8x15, 10x12 and their reverses, giving 14 ways as the answer to a question. Waitaminute, isn't 3x40 also a factorisation?
Before doing anything. DOUBLECHECK. Yeek.
For the uninitiated, Endless Eight is a reputedly very aggravating series of 8 episodes in the 2009 airing of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi (涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱) that is essentially nothing other than a series of events repeated, with minor variations, 7 times. Well, I didn't read the light novel (not that volume, at least) so it's hard to say how less annoying it could have been.
It really wasn't that bad. As for those who watched it over eight weeks, it must've been a question of self-restraint to not hammer down the door of Kyoto Animation. What made it more bearable was:
- It was watched over a couple of days. Instead of 56.
- It was only 8 episodes. Instead of 15532 as they could have gleefully attempted.
- There were minor variations. The first and last episodes were different. The wardrobes changed each episode. And there were several different punchlines across the episodes.
- Bad press online prepped me for this set of episodes.
Well, goodbye, endless summer. At least this doesn't happen in real life... does it.
Next, some random complaints.
Haven't been able to slack off and play comp games as often as hoped. Reason being? Too damned lazy to. Yep, lazy. Hey, comp games need motivation, OK?
After all, faced with the alternative of sleeping, comp games can't hold a candle to my interests. It's much easier to do nothing than grind in comp games.
Another grouse. What the HELL kind of maths book that claims to prep people for maths competitions, has not one, not two, but three and probably more very serious typos. At that, it's preparation for British (my guess) maths competitions. No offence to anyone here, but I think that China and Russia are way ahead on this front. Even the SMO is harder than some of the questions in the book. After all, stuff like trigo formulae, identities and, heavens above, probability are already part of the normal syllabus in schools here.
The typos happen to be of the following sorts.
1. secx = 1/sinx. Seriously. Even another reference table printed in the same damn chapter contradicts this falsehood.
2. x + 1/x = 1, and the solution for this is phi (1.618yadda.) Pray tell how this equation has any real solutions. And earlier in the book, the inequality x + 1/x >= 2 for all real x was proven.
3. Factorisation of 120 (was it this number?) into 2 factors. 1x120, 2x60, 4x30, 5x24, 6x20, 8x15, 10x12 and their reverses, giving 14 ways as the answer to a question. Waitaminute, isn't 3x40 also a factorisation?
Before doing anything. DOUBLECHECK. Yeek.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
On Language.
Language, a communication medium, a barrier and a bridge between people. Enlightening and masking at the same time, it divides the world into a those who understand each other and everyone else. Of course, these are entirely arbitrary groupings. Anyone could be in the first group; it just depends on who you pick to start with.
People complain about language. Whether it should be learnt by rote or roleplay, which and how many languages to teach in schools, the evolution of a language, the low standards of language in society.
By its very nature, language divides the world into small portions, setting up walls of incomprehension between different zones of the world, between different languages. One can run away from this fact; for instance, if one only knows English, one can take relief that English is a remarkably oft-spoken language in the world, and that major countries such as the U.S. have it as their main/working/official language. Online, too, there are pockets of communities of different tongues; one could live their whole life being a monolingual and not be any the worse for it.
All the same, multilingualism is an advantage. Just as language carves trenches between people, knowing more than one language bridges the chasms. It multiplies your realm of knowledge, pushes your horizons further, and opens up new experiences on Earth. It is entirely worth it to be versed in more than one tongue.
...even if it is hell to learn more than 2 languages.
One language? Better excel in it, or you'll have serious problems.
Two languages? Excelling in one, comprehending the other. That's the bare minimum of aptitude.
Three languages? Again, you'd better be great in at least one.
Language has 4 main aspects to it:
- Reading (to be literate. To understand printed material.) [passive, visual]
- Writing (to create printed works.) [active, visual]
- Listening (to understand the spoken word.) [passive, aural]
- Speaking (to be able to communicate verbally) [active, verbal]
To understand a language, one merely needs to be skilled in reading and listening (still no mean feat, though.) To truly know the language, one must also know how to speak the lingo and write up a storm. In other words, all 4 aspects.
Then there's the choice of which language to study. Personally:
- English (compulsory; besides, it's a useful language, both on the interwebs and in general.)
- Mandarin (compulsory (erk) but useful. Useful for work/future, and useful for...)
- Japanese (it was this or French. French may have been easier/better, but Japanese has upsides...)
Namely, ANIME AND MANGA. Reading and listening to Japanese is simpler than speaking and writing. Mandarin (Chinese) is also incredibly helpful in learning the characters, and comprehending them.
One last thing: 3 languages = reduced reliance on any one language as a source. For research, for example. For online games, as another example. As a third example, if a particular sub/scanlation isn't out in English, Chinese would be the second choice. If all else fails, raw Japanese. :--D
Learn languages. They are useful. Fun. Or rather, the things produced in that language are fun.
People complain about language. Whether it should be learnt by rote or roleplay, which and how many languages to teach in schools, the evolution of a language, the low standards of language in society.
By its very nature, language divides the world into small portions, setting up walls of incomprehension between different zones of the world, between different languages. One can run away from this fact; for instance, if one only knows English, one can take relief that English is a remarkably oft-spoken language in the world, and that major countries such as the U.S. have it as their main/working/official language. Online, too, there are pockets of communities of different tongues; one could live their whole life being a monolingual and not be any the worse for it.
All the same, multilingualism is an advantage. Just as language carves trenches between people, knowing more than one language bridges the chasms. It multiplies your realm of knowledge, pushes your horizons further, and opens up new experiences on Earth. It is entirely worth it to be versed in more than one tongue.
...even if it is hell to learn more than 2 languages.
One language? Better excel in it, or you'll have serious problems.
Two languages? Excelling in one, comprehending the other. That's the bare minimum of aptitude.
Three languages? Again, you'd better be great in at least one.
Language has 4 main aspects to it:
- Reading (to be literate. To understand printed material.) [passive, visual]
- Writing (to create printed works.) [active, visual]
- Listening (to understand the spoken word.) [passive, aural]
- Speaking (to be able to communicate verbally) [active, verbal]
To understand a language, one merely needs to be skilled in reading and listening (still no mean feat, though.) To truly know the language, one must also know how to speak the lingo and write up a storm. In other words, all 4 aspects.
Then there's the choice of which language to study. Personally:
- English (compulsory; besides, it's a useful language, both on the interwebs and in general.)
- Mandarin (compulsory (erk) but useful. Useful for work/future, and useful for...)
- Japanese (it was this or French. French may have been easier/better, but Japanese has upsides...)
Namely, ANIME AND MANGA. Reading and listening to Japanese is simpler than speaking and writing. Mandarin (Chinese) is also incredibly helpful in learning the characters, and comprehending them.
One last thing: 3 languages = reduced reliance on any one language as a source. For research, for example. For online games, as another example. As a third example, if a particular sub/scanlation isn't out in English, Chinese would be the second choice. If all else fails, raw Japanese. :--D
Learn languages. They are useful. Fun. Or rather, the things produced in that language are fun.
Monday, August 31, 2009
A vent.
Well. Seeing as this blog is dead, I'd like to keep it that way (less effort required to maintain.)
However, since the last 2 weeks (and this week) have been/will be an utter hell of events, let's take some time to vent our anger.
Firstly, there's a guitar concert coming up; 2 songs more to learn in a week's time. Dead.
Next, there is also a rather important Japanese exam coming up soon. That falls on 3 days. Non-consecutive. With the schedule juggled around 4 times already. That also counts for 100% of the whole year's marks. Crazy.
無限の～です！
はははハははハはははハハ！
Now if only I dared to write that in the paper itself...
However, since the last 2 weeks (and this week) have been/will be an utter hell of events, let's take some time to vent our anger.
Firstly, there's a guitar concert coming up; 2 songs more to learn in a week's time. Dead.
Next, there is also a rather important Japanese exam coming up soon. That falls on 3 days. Non-consecutive. With the schedule juggled around 4 times already. That also counts for 100% of the whole year's marks. Crazy.
無限の～です！
はははハははハはははハハ！
Now if only I dared to write that in the paper itself...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Greatest apologies.
Great. Down with flu-like symptoms. This means my brain will overheat if I Project any more thoughts into this reality. The standard, or indeed presence of posts will be reduced or nullified, depending on the outcome of this skirmish between virus and medichine. (not a typo)
A huge apology to the Al-air battery group at school. 39.1C fever means I will be generating more sparks than the battery. On the other hand, if I did turn up, you could use the battery to prod me like Frankenstein's monster if I collapse.
A huge apology to the Al-air battery group at school. 39.1C fever means I will be generating more sparks than the battery. On the other hand, if I did turn up, you could use the battery to prod me like Frankenstein's monster if I collapse.
Friday, July 17, 2009
On Intuition.
Events of the past few days have been somewhat central to my understanding of how things are supposed to work and why they never do. The problem lies not in the things about us, but hinge about the things in us. Quite specifically, a key problem is intuition.
Yes. Intuition and instinct, the non-rational (note: not irrational) component in us that is dismissed as a happenstance phenomenon by our logical minds. It stands to reason that what doesn't stand to reason stands to be reasoned to be a "Phenomenon" not worthy of great intellectual rigour, merely to be accepted as fact or fable, depending on what one wants to argue. What most rational beings fail to consider is that this component deserves not to be overlooked but to be looked upon, as a cornerstone of the foundation of the building of thought. Despite the apparent unreliability, inexplicability and ineffability of one's intuition, it fully demands that we tend to its offerings and act as per it.
Well, I'm not extolling on intuition's reliability, nor attempting to explain nor eff the inexplicably ineffable. Merely making an honest observation on how it affects life.
Firstly, the obvious use of intuition. To render luck in one's favour, maintain credence in a belief of luck. To do so, rely not on ruthless logic but on gut feel, and there will be the illusory feeling of luck at the very least. Intuition trumps logic the same way bicycles trump jet fighters: one of them is a hell lot more accessible and user-friendly. (For that matter, an extended analogy is Apple > Microsoft.)
Next, a less obvious apparition of intuition. Language. One learns languages from the ground up (no other groundbreaking approaches I've heard of, like starting with rhetoric and proceeding to grammar.) So we first become aware of the existence of the noun, the verb and the participle. Then we learn a whole new way of mixing them up, grammar. It's not "Book is a on shelf that" but "A book is on that shelf", although rules can be warped into other patterns, "like ancient tablets, on which inscribed are symbols, foreign to eyes of modern" but still perfectly grammatical.
The point being, that however odd or convoluted the grammar, the brevity or length of the word, as soon as one is accustomed to using it, there's no further need to acknowledge, consciously, the rules of language. One just surfaces the polished product at the end, having sent the package through a subconscious construction. The rules of language become embedded in an instinctive, intuitive layer of one's mind. When that occurs, it seems simplicity itself to use language, rather than struggle over conjugation, form and structure.
Yet, alas, few manage to perceive or even be aware of the third layer of intuition. Once applied, it saves time in life. Similar to language, the syntax of intuition can be deciphered. Repeated actions, repeated sights, repeated exposure can lead to imprints on the subconscious strata of the mind. Punch a wall repeatedly, and eventually you'll know the pain of the wall, not of your fist. See the patterns on a chessboard repeatedly, and you'll see how and why it works, despite the principles remaining murky. Stay in the winter's chill for weeks, and at the end lies not chill, but winter's warmth.
Application is far more difficult, of course. If your state of mind is right (if you feel that everything in the world on that day, is yours, will be yours) and the subject resonates to you, achieving that level of instinctive aptitude is a matter of days if not weeks, weeks if not months, months if not years. Observe and admire not the details but the feel of a subject, and accept it as your own.
This even works for maths. I don't know if this really works for anyone but me, but I like memorising/factorising car number plates. How? Don't remember 4-digit numbers (e.g. 6495 = sixthousandfourhundredninetyfive) but as a string of vowels, the feel of a number (... how to write this? Trying to explain, 495 is a 'dry' number, 64 a 'mellow' number and 95 a 'sticking-out' number, remember the feel of the groups. And no, I don't know why I assign those tags.)
Whatever it is, some people also have natural talent. Either in the form of genius (grasping immediately concepts far past their level, able to explain it out) or the unsung 'genius' (possibly negative - I know one who can, pretending or not, consistently pick out the worst chess move in critical situations. Failing that, generic bad moves.) Developing those should be easier than for others who have to discover their resonance.
Also, intuition only gets one so far. True mastery of anything takes many, MANY long hours of studying (in order to beat the crazy people who studied before them) and this is simply unavoidable, barring a deep innate talent for the subject. Generally, intuition can get one quickly to the standard of one who learns by rote, and possibly leapfrogging many who do not see the underlying concepts and structures of skills. Emulation, analysis, dissection into components... all aspects of this art of intuition.
Thinking of the blue radiance,
Gently illuminating true wisdom,
Lighting the path to the faceted jewel,
The centre of understanding this dream.
Fear not the light, fear not the dark.
Dream of the knowledge that neither imparts.
Yes. Intuition and instinct, the non-rational (note: not irrational) component in us that is dismissed as a happenstance phenomenon by our logical minds. It stands to reason that what doesn't stand to reason stands to be reasoned to be a "Phenomenon" not worthy of great intellectual rigour, merely to be accepted as fact or fable, depending on what one wants to argue. What most rational beings fail to consider is that this component deserves not to be overlooked but to be looked upon, as a cornerstone of the foundation of the building of thought. Despite the apparent unreliability, inexplicability and ineffability of one's intuition, it fully demands that we tend to its offerings and act as per it.
Well, I'm not extolling on intuition's reliability, nor attempting to explain nor eff the inexplicably ineffable. Merely making an honest observation on how it affects life.
Firstly, the obvious use of intuition. To render luck in one's favour, maintain credence in a belief of luck. To do so, rely not on ruthless logic but on gut feel, and there will be the illusory feeling of luck at the very least. Intuition trumps logic the same way bicycles trump jet fighters: one of them is a hell lot more accessible and user-friendly. (For that matter, an extended analogy is Apple > Microsoft.)
Next, a less obvious apparition of intuition. Language. One learns languages from the ground up (no other groundbreaking approaches I've heard of, like starting with rhetoric and proceeding to grammar.) So we first become aware of the existence of the noun, the verb and the participle. Then we learn a whole new way of mixing them up, grammar. It's not "Book is a on shelf that" but "A book is on that shelf", although rules can be warped into other patterns, "like ancient tablets, on which inscribed are symbols, foreign to eyes of modern" but still perfectly grammatical.
The point being, that however odd or convoluted the grammar, the brevity or length of the word, as soon as one is accustomed to using it, there's no further need to acknowledge, consciously, the rules of language. One just surfaces the polished product at the end, having sent the package through a subconscious construction. The rules of language become embedded in an instinctive, intuitive layer of one's mind. When that occurs, it seems simplicity itself to use language, rather than struggle over conjugation, form and structure.
Yet, alas, few manage to perceive or even be aware of the third layer of intuition. Once applied, it saves time in life. Similar to language, the syntax of intuition can be deciphered. Repeated actions, repeated sights, repeated exposure can lead to imprints on the subconscious strata of the mind. Punch a wall repeatedly, and eventually you'll know the pain of the wall, not of your fist. See the patterns on a chessboard repeatedly, and you'll see how and why it works, despite the principles remaining murky. Stay in the winter's chill for weeks, and at the end lies not chill, but winter's warmth.
Application is far more difficult, of course. If your state of mind is right (if you feel that everything in the world on that day, is yours, will be yours) and the subject resonates to you, achieving that level of instinctive aptitude is a matter of days if not weeks, weeks if not months, months if not years. Observe and admire not the details but the feel of a subject, and accept it as your own.
This even works for maths. I don't know if this really works for anyone but me, but I like memorising/factorising car number plates. How? Don't remember 4-digit numbers (e.g. 6495 = sixthousandfourhundredninetyfive) but as a string of vowels, the feel of a number (... how to write this? Trying to explain, 495 is a 'dry' number, 64 a 'mellow' number and 95 a 'sticking-out' number, remember the feel of the groups. And no, I don't know why I assign those tags.)
Whatever it is, some people also have natural talent. Either in the form of genius (grasping immediately concepts far past their level, able to explain it out) or the unsung 'genius' (possibly negative - I know one who can, pretending or not, consistently pick out the worst chess move in critical situations. Failing that, generic bad moves.) Developing those should be easier than for others who have to discover their resonance.
Also, intuition only gets one so far. True mastery of anything takes many, MANY long hours of studying (in order to beat the crazy people who studied before them) and this is simply unavoidable, barring a deep innate talent for the subject. Generally, intuition can get one quickly to the standard of one who learns by rote, and possibly leapfrogging many who do not see the underlying concepts and structures of skills. Emulation, analysis, dissection into components... all aspects of this art of intuition.
Thinking of the blue radiance,
Gently illuminating true wisdom,
Lighting the path to the faceted jewel,
The centre of understanding this dream.
Fear not the light, fear not the dark.
Dream of the knowledge that neither imparts.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Darkness rend thy soul of horror.
Wonder at life, the two-sided coin,
Marvel at hate, the jack of scorn.
Admire the dark, the balance to light,
Witness the dark, that lays in thine soul.
Fear not the darkness, for it is thy friend,
Shun not the evil that lays in thy heart.
Display outward virtue, blaspheme against truth,
Redemption of falsities, deep in the future lies.
Have you
Ever known
A second side to your heart?
That queries
And questions
Every step your conscience takes?
Conscience and morals
Have their antitheses:
Let not they fester, but fuel them to tempest.
A masque for thy true face.
A screen for thy heart.
A barrier for emotions.
A wall for thineself.
Board up the feelings that would otherwise ring true,
Lest they are broadcast and made known to those few.
Those same few that hunt you
And tell you "do good"
Those same few who tame you
To listen to their bid.
Hang all morality!
Cross all deception!
Unveil thy true self! O Servant of Heart!
Have you ever known a person who has a darkness in their heart? A weight that binds them down to hell, chaining them to their fate. Catalysts would be items, or events, or perhaps people; yet those who can quell these ebbs and pulses of the rush of evil: they are the ones who best balance their mental state. Even this comes at a price: A false persona is projected, empty and hollow, a mere husk to respond to the world. Behind the shell, the true self is collapsing, buried under the barrage of miasmic forces of rage. The conscience a mere weapon of light, hopelessly outmatched by the tide of evil.
And still unrent remain their souls, just lost forever in the void of abyssal hate. Nothing reaches them, touches them, moves them, saves them. The physical rejected, the transcendence of a great cost. And increasingly, they turn inwards, lost in their world, the eternal time-consuming task of reshaping their realm, a task so absorbing that one can only take it without a trace of joy. The darkness never wins, the soul never loses... nor sleeps.
Housed in its eternal orbit, the soul of the tormented flits about their astral scape, shying from the darkness at the border and the exclave of light just beyond. An abode of no escape and every door an entrance. A home where no man lives, at least lives like a man. And their body still fully flesh, in our corporeal world, interacting with none of the true intelligence, but an automaton-copy of the subject. This is their danger: There is no conscience, merely a Night Council of advisors, telling them what to do heedless of anything a real person would think.
There comes a point where one must ask: Is anyone truly like that?
And from shell to shell, husk to husk, I respond: Listen not to me, but to the counsel of your head. Detect you the Night Council, that tenuous link we share?
And scream in the knowledge of the Soul's true whereabouts.
Marvel at hate, the jack of scorn.
Admire the dark, the balance to light,
Witness the dark, that lays in thine soul.
Fear not the darkness, for it is thy friend,
Shun not the evil that lays in thy heart.
Display outward virtue, blaspheme against truth,
Redemption of falsities, deep in the future lies.
Have you
Ever known
A second side to your heart?
That queries
And questions
Every step your conscience takes?
Conscience and morals
Have their antitheses:
Let not they fester, but fuel them to tempest.
A masque for thy true face.
A screen for thy heart.
A barrier for emotions.
A wall for thineself.
Board up the feelings that would otherwise ring true,
Lest they are broadcast and made known to those few.
Those same few that hunt you
And tell you "do good"
Those same few who tame you
To listen to their bid.
Hang all morality!
Cross all deception!
Unveil thy true self! O Servant of Heart!
Have you ever known a person who has a darkness in their heart? A weight that binds them down to hell, chaining them to their fate. Catalysts would be items, or events, or perhaps people; yet those who can quell these ebbs and pulses of the rush of evil: they are the ones who best balance their mental state. Even this comes at a price: A false persona is projected, empty and hollow, a mere husk to respond to the world. Behind the shell, the true self is collapsing, buried under the barrage of miasmic forces of rage. The conscience a mere weapon of light, hopelessly outmatched by the tide of evil.
And still unrent remain their souls, just lost forever in the void of abyssal hate. Nothing reaches them, touches them, moves them, saves them. The physical rejected, the transcendence of a great cost. And increasingly, they turn inwards, lost in their world, the eternal time-consuming task of reshaping their realm, a task so absorbing that one can only take it without a trace of joy. The darkness never wins, the soul never loses... nor sleeps.
Housed in its eternal orbit, the soul of the tormented flits about their astral scape, shying from the darkness at the border and the exclave of light just beyond. An abode of no escape and every door an entrance. A home where no man lives, at least lives like a man. And their body still fully flesh, in our corporeal world, interacting with none of the true intelligence, but an automaton-copy of the subject. This is their danger: There is no conscience, merely a Night Council of advisors, telling them what to do heedless of anything a real person would think.
There comes a point where one must ask: Is anyone truly like that?
And from shell to shell, husk to husk, I respond: Listen not to me, but to the counsel of your head. Detect you the Night Council, that tenuous link we share?
And scream in the knowledge of the Soul's true whereabouts.
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