The Ravenblack Grimoire

.... is that it is just that. The past.

There are those who say it was a golden age, and proclaim that if only we went back to "the way things were", everything would be ticketty-boo again. They are wrong. The past was made by people, and many of the people fromt he past are gone and unlikely to return. Their place has been taken by people with new ideas, new ways of doing things, and new dreams of personal power or glory. Trying to go back to "the past" (whatever that means) is neither possible nor desirable.

There are others who say that the past is gone, and the future is what counts. They too are wrong. The past is the foundation of the present, and those two together will be the foundation of the future. The past has valuable lessons to teach. It tells stories of what worked and what didn't, and more importantly it gives us legends to live up (or in some cases, down) to. Without those legends and that history, the city is nothing.

Puppet_Darkie,

You’re flooding my mind with loving words that come straight from the heart and I just can't stop saying
how much I love you, and I am now sure more then ever that you are the one I am meant to spend all of of eternity with.
I love you, my love!

For our eternal love!

-Dark+Juliet

Shallow breathing and shuffling feet
Across the table, eyes never meet
Conversation broken and fleet
Never forgotten, this memorable date
For a better boy one could not wait
An exorbitant meal soon to be ate
A brush of hands that’s far from fate
A sparkling glass of cool sweet wine
A flush of courage, a pause in time
Maybe now he would feel inclined
A moment fit for the divine
Forever entwined two souls will be
A glowing union for all to see
Humbled now down on one knee
It should be me who’s sitting there
In the loving arms of whom I care
Across the room I sit and stare
My aching heart, my soul laid bare.

What’s ‘news’ and what isn’t? Do the vampires of this fair city only consider items newsworthy if Holy Waters are involved? We’ve had a small rash of ‘news’ items come around lately, yet none really went reported in detail, if at all.

Sartori. Smited by Lord Ravenblack himself. I’ve seen the obituaries. ~yawns~ How does his wife feel? How do his childer and close friends feel? Will he be back? Is he in contact from the other realm with those who might channel his voice to us? Is he too embarrassed to come back?

Damari creates a faux Shadow Court. This didn’t seem to go over well with ex-SCers, but she also brought to light that Amaranthe is keyholder to the Church of Blood. Why hasn’t she rebuilt? Does she plan on trying to resurrect the old Church? Will Moirai ever learn to shut his mouth and quit being a poser? One publication took a stab at an ‘interview’, but well, it falls short when its only one figurehead speaking and no bru ha ha from the ‘other side’.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18) Sag
I wrote yer forecast last this moon, usually I write Cancer or Capricorn last. But Aquarius has an interestin' chart (say that like ye mean 't an' ye, too, can be a prognosticator) fer Octobree an' Novembree. Maybe 'tis on accoun' o' me own family be comin' t' visit (I’m still clistin' th' coffins an' th' pokers an' ordered in a feather collector fer me lassie how scary be 't t' be havin' yer sire visit fer hork sake), but ya`ll will be havin' family either in yer hair, on yer mind, or in yer house fer some or part o' this time an' they will teeter between drivin' ye insane an' makin' ye insanely happy (let me be seein' happy be bilge water lily livered shitless) t' be havin' them. A turnin' point will happen on (go one guess th' date bet its easier than ye think ) 31 Octobree(hope th' family be nay still here then damn) after this turnin' point, an' ye be off an' set fer a REALLY REALLY good rest o' th' voyage (snickers apart from Novembree 'ere let’s face 't nay one’s goin' t' be happy). 't be in so many ways what ye`ve been lookin' toward fer all these long moons, th' slow poisonin' o' an enemy perhaps or th' sudden sunlight Davy Jones' locker o' yer old girl/ boyfriend dirty cheatin' Hoes). I feel really excited about Aquarius in `09. Davy Jones' locker mayhem an' blood cant beat itl.

I started with a joke more below really there is

An elderly couple, who were both widowed, had been going out with each other for a long time. Urged on by their friends, they decided it was finally time to get married. Before the wedding, they went out to
dinner and had a long conversation regarding how their marriage might work. They discussed finances, living arrangements, and so on. Finally, the old gentleman decided it was time to broach the subject of their physical relationship. 'How do you feel about sex?' he asked, rather tentatively.
'I would like it infrequently' she replied. The old gentleman sat quietly for a moment, adjusted his glasses, then leaned over towards her and whispered:

Many congratulations to this wonderful couple! Here's to an eternity!

August 2008
Is it really August already?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)
For those Dark dwellers of the night who just cant seem to get a bite i guess you need to hear “Never say never”? Your performance anxiety will vanish in August, and you’ll be sucking the life of party goers the city wide. It wont take much just a visit to a beauty therapy boutique yes the mono tone hair and black lip gloss is so passé and last year you will have to put yourself on display instead of sinking into the globby little pit of your inner life.. So -- in August, risk failure. Risk rejection. Just get out there shake your bootie and be the life (or un-life of the party). Even if you find it uncomfortable out in the open with others, the stars say you’ll look good doing it.

Arias Talon and the love of his life, Katastrophe, have bound.

Where there were once words, there are only cliche's.

I love you... I need you... You are the most beautiful... Soul mate... I'll never love like this...

All of these things. Anyone in love can say these words. It's ironic that none of us can ever truly express that feeling, simple and overwhelming.

The only way I can express the way I feel is to say your name.

Melissa...

Greetings!

We here at the Grimoire are looking for a few no-nonsense reporter types to join our staff. As many of you know, this paper is not run as most papers in our fair City. Instead of the run of the mill gossip and bickering we strive for excellence through solid reporting. Currently we are seeking news hounds to do bindings, severances, obits and the occasional Editorial.

Those interested in a job are encouraged to inquire at the Grimoire Staff contact page located at:

http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/2L53FYKMQPT2C2X7AOKFK3KFYM

Only serious applicants need leave a note. Thank

Arias Talon has found the love of his unlife, there will be a wedding and a celebration!
More details soon...

You always make me smile when we meet. If my heart would beat, it beat for you. I'd walk into the sun so many times just to be with you. You are my eternity and I can't wait to see you again. I love you my darling Trig.

Aveline.

Congratulations, you two!

There is a wide body of sociological literature on the concept of framing. In short, framing is how individuals understand their experiences and express it in a narrative. Of course, the veracity of these expressions is always questionable but that is not the important factor (at least for Erving Goffman). What matters is how individuals frame it. From this simple concept, a sociologist brought this concept to social movements. The basic argument is movement activists must frame experiences to resonate with a wider audience, to recruit and gain support. In many ways, this is rhetoric and persuasion. We all do it, especially governments when it comes to war.

I dont know if this will be the final place I look for what I'm looking for; if I will finally find the one I search for.

I'll search forever to find the one I can connect with on a higher level. I just want someone with whom I can be completly honest with, someone who wants to maybe connect with me. I love to listen, I love hearing about other people. Believe me though, I've got some stories. If you want a best friend, or someone to hold your secrecy till the end, I'm here. Who knows what a relationship like that could end like.

Either sex, no preference

~Sitrence

Loyalty. The undead of this city like to use this word a great deal. However, what do they mean by loyalty? Usually, loyalty means unwavering allegiance to a person, state, cause, or organization. Without it, some would argue leaders would not make history and would have never achieved greatness because they needed the loyalty of their soldiers. Therefore, many assume that the soldier is loyal to his leader. Throughout my lifetime, I have maintained a loyalty and faithfulness to two generals and a partner-bound, unquestioningly. I had been promised riches and power beyond my wildest dreams, especially from my partner-bound and former general. Is this a sufficient reason to remain loyal to them? Of course not; material wealth is meaningless unless you have the intellectual capability to achieve, strive, succeed… and kill, pillage, and destroy when necessary.

What keeps me loyal? Simple, their loyalty to me.

Okay, picture it. You're in a war and the bodies are piling up. You haven't managed to pull a kill for your side yet, and your resources are drained. The leaders of your entire alliance were all just zeroed, and you're left holding the bag. What do you do?

Since there are a lot of dissenting views as far as how operations should go to end a conflict, I've decided to take these things and put it all together in a nice pretty manual for those of you Seconds who have been tossed into the fray and have no clue how to work on your behalf. Considering that I've sat in on numerous of these over my time here in the city, I feel like I'm the PERFECT expert to deliver to you...

In news large sectons of the city will thoroughly enjoy, the vampire shaarinya, leader of the Immortalis Decretum per Cruor clan, was brutally terminated recently by the warriors of Yggdrasil and the Republic. This loud mouthed proprietor of a downmarket chat rag unwisely stepped in to a conflict between Yggdrasil and the Dawn family. Unfortunately for her reports just in suggest the Yggdrasil war machine swept her clan aside without breaking into a sweat. Some wags are already dubbing her less-than-ruthless organisation "Idiots Die Cheaply".

For better or for worse, it will be quite some time before the vampiress termed "Britney Spears without the class" can show her face in the city again. The Grimoire staff will join many in Ravenblack's city in enjoying the peace and quiet.

Aries (March 21st-April 19th)
Despite having to deal with some annoying insecurities and/or behind-the-scenes-disruptions June can end up being a pretty great month for you. What makes it great? Movement! (No not bowl but come to think of it you had one this century?)Between June 11th-27th Mercury ignites the good decisions, excellent communications, and fun trips that inspire your favourite feeling: The Thrill of the kill. Begin Something New – possibly with someone new. You might be especially empowered June 16,17,and 20 as your ideas catch fire (and so too does your enemy). Do not ask any one if your arse looks big in these jeans, just accept it yes it does. Anyone who reminds you of this, slaughter them and any progeny they have. What to do about those pesky unexpected issues popping up? Treat them like you do everything else: holy water and garlic spray. Sex can be fun, go get some, watch some. Just make sure they are alive before doing it well unless that’s what you like.

My, lillyflower, it seems you've evaded me for quite some time. God, I miss you like hell. I don't think you'll ever read this or see me again, but if you ever do I want you to get in touch. Please. likeanoldwintercoat@yahoo.com

I miss you so much

The smell of flesh. The puddles of blood oozing across the streets. The sounds of glass breaking and canisters discharging. The murmurs of vampires reading scrolls, posturing up, and sharing strategy. This, folks, is the picture of war.

This picture I’ve painted used to be one that could be present on almost any given night. Innocent vampires would have to watch their steps as they touched down onto the streets or get tossed around like rag dolls due to bad timing. The crunch of broken holy water vials under ones foot was an almost comforting sound, as it was the sound of several things. For some, it was the sound of success and others failure…and for others it was the sound of relief or jealousy. All in all, it was a sound that just was.

Your word.

Perhaps one of the most important thing any vampire can hold true to. Agree to do something and then renege on that agreement is likely to have unpleasant consequences. Such consequences are now showing themselves in the form of a duel challenge from Lord Galamushi to Damari.

To satisfy my own curiosity, I sought out Damari to ask her exactly, as she sees it, what is going on. She's known far and wide for her bitchy remarks, her sometimes direct, sometimes subtle ways of speaking and in general possessing the knack of worming her way under the skin of others. Not necessarily a bad thing. That is unless you happen to be on the receiving end of her displeasure.

Zero'd by Yggdrasil for being stupid within the home of the lovely Speedy and jaxi.

We at the Grimoire do try hard to bring stories of quality to the city's avid readers. Not all of the articles written ever see the light of day. Some remain buried in our vaults until such a time as we can pull them out and poke fun at them or their authors. This following piece is an interview ophelia gave to part-time contributor Matt Black on the occasion of Yggdrasil's first birthday. While ophelia demonstrates ably how to give an interview without giving anything away, Matt Black ties himself in knots and is forced to leave empty handed. Enjoy!

So King Lestat is no more, censured by the gods themselves for his tainted actions. All around the city there is wailing and the gnashing of teeth. "He was a great man", we are told. "He was unjustly treated" goes the cry. Well, King Lestat was not the first great man to walk the streets of this dark city.

In the beginning a great man was measured by his tyranny, and among the early tyrants Capadocious stood head and shoulders above the rest. Like him or loathe him, if your lips were not pressed firmly against his boot leather, you would spend your days screaming for death. Those who did not follow his creed were hunted almost to extinction. The city holds no fear of King Lestat, yet we are told that King Lestat was a great man.

..or an old one? Or a new one that just has the scent of an old one? Hell, now I'm confused.

Congratulations Sir!

Earlier today, the loss of a childe of Murrz Ramirez was brought to the attention of the Staff here at the Grimoire.
RavenBlack, the Lord of our fair city, detecting a vile taint around the corpse of King Lestat, smited him in one fell blow, rendering him little more than a temporary shell within our fine city.

Various sources reported at some point in time, Lestat had been seen slumming in the ghetto's bragging of his abilities to illegally move coins from servants to others for a fee. We can only surmise here at the Grimoire that if Lestat indeed had this dark art skill, this would not be the first time he has used it. Confidence in charging others a fee for this indicates that one would have to be particularly skilled through practice in this trade. And were he not skilled through practice, one could again surmise the number of vampires he put in or could have put in jeopardy had he used it on them.

Today saw the launch of Ravenblack City's first television news service. Affiliated to BCI News, the new station is a joint venture between Lesion of the Empty Spirals and Shaarinya, BCI proprietress. The initial broadcast, aired this morning, showed the same incisive eye for news that the paper itself is unlikely to ever be known for: it was entirely about Lesions farts.

Unfortunately, the event was overshadowed by the announcement that Lesion, well known for his seedy dealings, is in possession of "dirty pictures" of Yggdrasil's psychopathic supremo, ophelia. The images are sure to be in great demand on account of the city elder's delicate and haunting beauty.