5 Facts About Teddy

A very small post to tide you over until tomorrow when there will, hopefully, be an update on my film photography. I'll hopefully have something to show for all my time in the darkroom by then (I already have several photos developed, but not scanned). So may I present: 5 facts about Teddy.

1, I've been a photographer for about two years, after apparently picking it up "unnaturally quickly". I've owned a compact camera, an Olympus, for years, but hadn't considered it a hobby. That changed when I went on holiday to Jersey and started using my father's advanced compact and film SLR. It went on from there and I now own my own digital SLR, and consider it my greatest hobby.

2, One of my greatest flaws is how introverted I am. True, blogging and Let's Playing aren't very introverted. If you know me personally, however, you'll know I am highly introverted, not caring much for company. While there is company I do care for, this is still my greatest flaw and what I constantly chastise myself over. I, having no siblings, am greatly accustomed to being on my own and, as such, am comfortable in my own company. I'll often go out for long walks on my own, purposely going places I know other people do not frequent. A personality is something that is learned and conditioned, largely from one's own self. I don't mean that I wallow in solitude, I simply am used to and accept it. I'll only make a conceited effort with a very few people. Because of how I naturally am, I can alienate the people who care about me, and that is something I will never forgive myself for.

3, My favourite piece of classical music is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. There's... not much I can actually say here. It's just a beautiful piece of music, with a highly solitary mood. My favourite playing of it would be Claudio Arrau's rendition; in my opinion, one of the most timid but affecting. Give it a listen.

4, My favourite CRPG of all time is Planescape: Torment, followed by Gothic, followed by Baldur's Gate. Planescape has a wonderfully written story of immortal betrayal, love, war, honour, and many other factors. It asks you the question "what can change the nature of a man?" You may never find out the answer, but the story is in the journey. Your character, nameless, is doomed to an endless cycle of death and rebirth. You do not know how long this has happened for, but you repeatedly come across the consequences of your previous lives. You come across Deionarra early, but I always thought it was one of the most powerful scenes in the game. Damn my inability to find a clear English version with no commentary, but give it a watch. It's a world where belief can change everything.

5, it's worth saying at this point that I do not believe in God, Satan, Chuck Norris, Santa, or the Tooth Fairy. With that out of the way... I have developed a mild case of morbid curiosity in the Inquisitions (the concept of the Inquisition being an organisation with near-limitless power forming the basis for a series of short stories. The introduction of which you can see below). This curiosity/fascination has led my to read, cover to cover, the Malleus Malificarum (loosely translated as The Hammer of Witches). This was essentially the handbook for all Inquisitors and anywhere from aided to taught them how to identify, try, and execute witches. I've actually read it three times now (in English of course), and my curiosity has increased each time. I now feel confident that I could now go witch hunting, although modern society does tend to frown on that sort of thing. Somewhat inevitably, however, this has resulted into my developing a strange, almost Lovecraftian fascination with Christian books detailing the occult. The most recent one I've read is an English copy of le Grimoire du Pape Honorius: something you could see as a manual pertaining to the summoning of demons, written by Pope Honorius, no less. The thing deals with Lucifer and Astaroth, and can probably pull you down to hell if you look at it for too long. An occultist, Eliphas Levi, described it as "horrible, wicked, and profane" - it's frankly a little unnerving and it makes you feel like the tendrils of pure evil are pouring into your brain. It's very Lovecraftian. But now you know that if you have any occult books laying around that you don't want, you can always send them to me and help me lose even more of my sanity!

Until next time!
Teddy