Four Darkfriends and a Restaurant
Therese
become legends and so on. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an
Age long past, and Age yet to come, a wind rose in the City of
Westminster. The wind blew down Oxford Street, bringing quite a lot of
rain, causing even the most determined tourists to huddle below
umbrellas and those few pitiful ones who didn't have an umbrella to take
shelter under the eaves. Striding determinedly, a woman clad mostly in
black made her way down the crowded streets, the wind ruffling her long
skirt. Her purpose this gloomy day was to meet the British Darkfriends,
for the first time ever, outside a bookstore. As she was early to the
meeting, she didn't expect anybody to be there, but she still approached
more nervously than was really accounted for. Outside the bookstore,
that turned out not to be open on Sundays, there were a few people. This
female Darkfriend, your friendly narrator Therese Wikstrom, studied them
all and compared them mentally to their pictures from online sources.
"Hmm," she pondered, "he could be Dave not looking much like his
picture, but then again, maybe not." She grinned widely, hoping she
would be recognizable from her own pictures, but the man in questions
did not respond. Given the weather, as much the classic London weather
as is possible without fog, she decided it was not a good day for
standing still and walked on. After some twenty minutes of meandering
aimlessly through the back streets of London's tourist areas, she
returned to be greeted by three freezing men, one of which was the very
same she had encountered before. Present was Dave Hemming, looking at
least a bit like his picture, Peter Goffee, immediately recognizable,
and Alistair Young, who looked more like Dave's picture than his own,
but given that his picture is taken with a monitor ten centimeters away
from his face, this was not surprising. At least, he looked less
threatening and far nicer in reality.
Presentations ensued, and the gathered Darkfriends headed for another
bookstore. Once there, I dived immediately for the nice edition of _The
Lord of the Rings_ in paperback. Baffled comments and a certain shocked
renunciation followed as I declared that no, I had not actually gotten
around to reading the last two yet and I don't particularly like
Tolkien's writing style.
"It's a classic; liking doesn't even come in to it," someone (that I
can't remember who it was) said. The fantasy/SF/horror section was
explored, and some good stuff was found. At the gentle prodding from my
Goddess Amy, I got Gaiman's _American Gods_.
"Oh! It's got wolves in it! I'll buy it!" Pete said regarding a gaming
book.
This Social, I managed to stifle my book buying urges and just got four
books, and this was the standard harvest. On our way from there,
Alistair proclaimed what he'd like to do to every architect since the
fifties or sixties and, while I don't remember what it was, I'm sure it
was suitably sinister. If I'm not totally wrong here, he also mentioned
inviting the Germans back to bomb the lately built parts of London. We
then proceeded to a pub, which had the merit of being close and not too
expensive. A table was claimed, and ale was served. Continuing from the
bookstore, the merits and demerits of various SF series were discussed
in much detail, such as the instant re-setting of everything that ever
happens in Star Trek, the obvious weapon of opening up a hyperspace gate
in B5 and some things that I can't remember about Stargate, since I
haven't seen that much of it.
"Voyager got much better when they introduced Seven of Nine," Dave said,
and to be fair to him and generous with context, he continued with "…but
not for the reason _you_ are thinking about. She's the only character
that actually develops. Well, she and the Doctor. It's odd that the two
most human characters are a hologram and an exBorg."
I didn't actually say that much for the following hour or so, since I
was still very unsure about my English abilities (and talking is not one
bit like writing) and as the conversation drifted into programming,
which I was the only one present not to make a living of, I was content
with listening and smiling. That also gave me the opportunity to really
listen to their voices. Alistair's voice is very, very appropriate and
much distinctive. (This distinctiveness is the reason I remember
disproportionately many quotes from him, as I still can hear him say
them.) Quite high pitched, but in no way feminine, and with a sharpness,
a sting perhaps, that goes so well with those cutting remarks of his. He
rolls a bit on the Rs, but otherwise has not that much of a dialect,
just a generic British sound. Pete has got a low bass and a slight slur,
that makes him sound comforting and safe, and that goes very well with
his looks. It fits his Wolfbrother style as well. I was quite surprised
to hear that Dave had a bass voice, but the more I heard him talk, the
more I couldn't understand how I could have imagined anything else.
Once we had started on the second pint, I began trusting my language
abilities. After all, I have been studying English for eight years in
school and have no problems reading or writing. Text based adventures
was the topic, and I told them about the wonderful Swedish game The
Cottage (Stugan), actually the only game I currently have installed.
Alistair told us about a game where one could pick up a scarlet fish,
and how people tried to use that certain scarlet fish. It also weighed
so much one could barely pick up anything else. That particular red
herring had me laughing for minutes. I know that somewhere around then,
someone who could have been me mentioned someone being or becoming
paler, and got a lewd smile and a "The better for me" from Alistair.
Alas, that's a quote out of context simply because I've forgotten
everything about it, to my great annoyance. My age was mentioned, and
both Dave and Alistair were quite disturbed.
"My god, you make me feel ancient," as Alistair put it. By recent
rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan standards, I've got three and a half
more years of carefree soullessness. Just for a bit of balance, some
quotes from Dave:
"I just told my friends I was going to London to meet a Swedish girl,
and they were _very_ understanding…" (Add enormous amounts of innuendo
to that one, as our reputation seem to have preceded me.)
"If you can't microwave it from frozen, it's too complicated cooking for
me."
As I got more drunk than tipsy, I felt I had to advice the guys a bit.
"If I come back [from the restrooms] without my skirt on, don't let me
drink anything more." Afterwards, Pete has told me that they would have
taken care of that, after taking photos, of course.
Alistair had gotten a package with "Little chocolate brains with cherry
fillings!"
(Collective Ewww from other guys and a giggle from me.)
"Delicious! Just to suck out the filling" (With graphic descriptions)
I sacrificed a whisk(e)y to Alistair, so now I ask Sebastian what he has
offered to his Gods. (Still no progress on the temples, though; I'll get
around to them sometime.) I'm a much devout follower. What his divine
commandments would be is quite clear.
"Order, I like order" and "Order, I believe in order" (with an hour or
two in between)...
We then crossed the street to a restaurant, and from there I just recall
things dizzily, as I was too drunk to read the menu properly. The food
seemed good, but being a vegetarian one takes what is offered (as long
as it doesn't contain mushrooms). I had a pancake with spinach and
mozzarella, I think, but I didn't eat much of it, and a chocolate mousse
for dessert. After dinner, of which I remember the general fussy and
warm feeling that comes from a gathering of friends, we crossed the
street again to the very same pub. Alas, because of trains, Dave had to
leave us early and not long thereafter, Alistair also left. Pete is
pleasant company all by himself, though, and we intended to stay for a
while. When he went to buy me a drink, I asked him to surprise me, and
he told me he would be evil. What that evil, hidden under such a
gentlemanly guise, would consist of, I did not find out, since the
establishment closed on us then, at eleven. We left arm in arm, for
reasons of friendship and inebriation, and walked toward the
underground. I had not planned my trip, and more or less intended to
walk back to my friend's place, but Pete had a train to catch. As we
walked down the stairs to the Oxford Circus Station, I must have
slipped. I don't remember it happening, but all of a sudden I looked up
into Peter's worried face and had a corner of something cold, wet and
very hard beneath my head. Thankfully, the intoxication worked as an
anesthetic and I didn't notice whether or not my head hurt. He must have
more or less dragged me down to the platform, as I definitely was not
stable at all. My most prominent memory from that is that I felt I was
in the arms of a trusted friend, but I'm sure I must have worried him a
bit.
We took our farewell at the platform, and I went to my friend, who lives
in The Swedish Church. I called him from a phone booth just outside, and
as he unlocked the door and followed me up the stairs, he remarked
solemnly that I was not sober. (I could have told him that; heck, I
could have told him that in advance.) He had been mightily angry with
me, since I actually had agreed to being back by nine, and he even had
considered calling the police. I guess he has seen a few naive Swedish
girls go out with unknown men like I did, and the outcome probably is
not always good. He didn't even let me sleep in the same room that
night, and it might have been as well considering I didn't sleep a lot.
All night, I heard their voices and this Social Report, that I
vehemently had denied I was going to write, assembled itself inside my
head. Besides, my right side ached quite a bit. (I now have three giant
bruises, a scrape and a tender scalp.) When I woke up at five that
morning, I was still drunk. That was a bad sign, as I had to leave
London at eight.
After two Darkfriend Socials, I now consider myself an utter addict, as
if the newsgroup in itself wasn't hooking enough. Alas, London visits
will be more scant hereafter, but at least one a year can be arranged.
So, now that I've met some of the Swedish Darkfriends, and some of the
British ones, how about the Dutch ones? If there are any plans for a DFS
in the Netherlands coming up, I'll be sure to attend, and I also have
plans of actually crossing the Atlantic this summer. (Photos will follow
soonish.)
--
Therese Wikstrom
Alistair J. R. Young
Therese <there...@home.se> praised Shub-Internet thus:
> more nervously than was really accounted for. Outside the bookstore,
> that turned out not to be open on Sundays, there were a few people. This
> female Darkfriend, your friendly narrator Therese Wikstrom, studied them
> all and compared them mentally to their pictures from online sources.
> "Hmm," she pondered, "he could be Dave not looking much like his
> picture, but then again, maybe not." She grinned widely, hoping she
> would be recognizable from her own pictures, but the man in questions
> did not respond.
I did - you just didn't recognise the patented Alistair grin, or as I
hear it described, the Slightly Less Scowl.
> Alistair Young, who looked more like Dave's picture than his own,
> but given that his picture is taken with a monitor ten centimeters
> away from his face, this was not surprising.
And in the dark, let's not forget.
> At least, he looked less threatening and far nicer in reality.
Damn. Note to self: try harder.
> This Social, I managed to stifle my book buying urges and just got four
> books, and this was the standard harvest. On our way from there,
> Alistair proclaimed what he'd like to do to every architect since the
> fifties or sixties and, while I don't remember what it was, I'm sure it
> was suitably sinister. If I'm not totally wrong here, he also mentioned
> inviting the Germans back to bomb the lately built parts of London.
Just the bits built in those decades, in which period Britain was
perfecting the "throw a pile of concrete shit in the air and get paid
for it" school of architecture.
> Cottage (Stugan), actually the only game I currently have installed.
> Alistair told us about a game where one could pick up a scarlet fish,
> and how people tried to use that certain scarlet fish. It also weighed
> so much one could barely pick up anything else. That particular red
> herring had me laughing for minutes.
If I still had a copy, I'd port it for y'all.
> I know that somewhere around then, someone who could have been me
> mentioned someone being or becoming paler, and got a lewd smile and
> a "The better for me" from Alistair.
Lewd? Me?
> I sacrificed a whisk(e)y to Alistair, so now I ask Sebastian what he has
> offered to his Gods. (Still no progress on the temples, though; I'll get
> around to them sometime.) I'm a much devout follower. What his divine
> commandments would be is quite clear.
> "Order, I like order" and "Order, I believe in order" (with an hour or
> two in between)...
And orders.
> for dessert. After dinner, of which I remember the general fussy and
> warm feeling that comes from a gathering of friends, we crossed the
> street again to the very same pub. Alas, because of trains, Dave had to
> leave us early and not long thereafter, Alistair also left.
Also because of trains, although I stayed until the very last
minute. And even so, despite having my hand on the door of the 2240, I
still missed it, so I ended up sitting in Euston reading "At the
Mountains of Madness" until the 2340 turned up.
Alistair
--
e-mail: ava...@panix.com WWW: http://www.arkane.demon.co.uk/
UIN: 111585051 The Laura OS: http://lauraos.sourceforge.net/
"The second greatest disappointment for American brides."
-- Oscar Wilde, on seeing the Niagara Falls
Amy Gray
R. Young uttered...
> On Wed, 27 Feb 2002 10:55:19 -0600, in message <MPG.16e6cb76d...@news.cis.dfn.de>,
> Therese <there...@home.se> praised Shub-Internet thus:
[Social Stuff]
> > Alistair Young, who looked more like Dave's picture than his own,
> > but given that his picture is taken with a monitor ten centimeters
> > away from his face, this was not surprising.
> And in the dark, let's not forget.
That really is an incredibly scary picture, in case I haven't said that
in the last month or so.
> > I know that somewhere around then, someone who could have been me
> > mentioned someone being or becoming paler, and got a lewd smile and
> > a "The better for me" from Alistair.
> Lewd? Me?
That sounds suspiciously like an attempt to appear innocent. Give up.
We all know better.
> > I sacrificed a whisk(e)y to Alistair, so now I ask Sebastian what he has
Does that mean I get one, too, when we manage to be on the same
continent?
> > offered to his Gods. (Still no progress on the temples, though; I'll get
> > around to them sometime.) I'm a much devout follower. What his divine
> > commandments would be is quite clear.
> > "Order, I like order" and "Order, I believe in order" (with an hour or
> > two in between)...
> And orders.
So long as they're yours, that is...
--
Amy Gray
ag...@sysmatrix.net
www2.kumc.edu/students/agray
UIN: 91047322
John Rowat
> Alistair J. R. Young uttered...
>> > but given that his picture is taken with a monitor ten centimeters
>> > away from his face, this was not surprising.
>> And in the dark, let's not forget.
> That really is an incredibly scary picture, in case I haven't said that
> in the last month or so.
So. Since googling for it has produced no hits, how about positng a link
to this alleged scary picture?
(I think I have that beat. Another group I frequent has decided that they
need both alt.fan.john-rowat and
alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica.john-rowat. If that's not scary, nothing
is.
I'm holding out for soc.culture.john-rowat, m'self, but still...)
-John
--
Sometimes, you just have to grin and try again with a fresher corpse and
slight changes to the formula.
-The Onion Horoscopes, Feb 13 2002.
David Chapman
news:a5jt9q$2ba$2...@driftwood.ccs.carleton.ca...
> (Another group I frequent has decided that they
> need both alt.fan.john-rowat and
> alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica.john-rowat.
You forgot alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica.john-rowat.bdsm,
John.
--
"Do you just keep your newbies locked up in cages all alone?"
"Of course! That's what pets are for!"
John Rowat
> "John Rowat" <jro...@prince.carleton.ca> wrote in message
>> (Another group I frequent has decided that they
>> need both alt.fan.john-rowat and
>> alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica.john-rowat.
> You forgot alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica.john-rowat.bdsm,
> John.
No. No I didn't. In fact, I was quite specifically NOT GOING THERE.
Thanks anyway.
David Chapman
> As roses wither, so does David Chapman:
> > "John Rowat" <jro...@prince.carleton.ca> wrote in message
>
> >> (Another group I frequent has decided that they
> >> need both alt.fan.john-rowat and
> >> alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica.john-rowat.
>
> > You forgot alt.binaries.multimedia.erotica.john-rowat.bdsm,
> > John.
>
> No. No I didn't. In fact, I was quite specifically NOT GOING THERE.
Perfectly alright, John, there are plenty of people willing
to go there for you. <grin>
>
> Thanks anyway.
It was my pleasure. Well, actually it's *not* my pleasure,
and possibly even not yours, but YKWIM.
Gabriel J.T. Wright
> In article <c1.2b8.2fngtk$3...@louise.arkane-systems.local>, Alistair
> J. R. Young uttered...
> > On Wed, 27 Feb 2002 10:55:19 -0600, in message
> > <MPG.16e6cb76d...@news.cis.dfn.de>, Therese
> > <there...@home.se> praised Shub-Internet thus:
> [Social Stuff]
Which I could not make, despite being all of 20 miles from. Oh well,
next time.
> > > Alistair Young, who looked more like Dave's picture than his own,
> > > but given that his picture is taken with a monitor ten centimeters
> > > away from his face, this was not surprising.
> > And in the dark, let's not forget.
> That really is an incredibly scary picture, in case I haven't said
> that in the last month or so.
Just seen what y'all are talking about. Scared now. Remind me not to
meet Alistair in a dark alley.
> > Lewd? Me?
> That sounds suspiciously like an attempt to appear innocent. Give
> up. We all know better.
But in his own eyes he is innocent, otherwise he would be guilty. That
would require his name on the List, and that just would not be right.
Therefore, he is innocent. (Proof by contradiction.)
Gabriel
--
Gabriel J.T. Wright
Medical Vision Lab, Dept. Engineering Science.
Oxford University.
Jasper Janssen
>I sacrificed a whisk(e)y to Alistair, so now I ask Sebastian what he has
>offered to his Gods. (Still no progress on the temples, though; I'll get
>around to them sometime.) I'm a much devout follower. What his divine
>commandments would be is quite clear.
>"Order, I like order" and "Order, I believe in order" (with an hour or
>two in between)...
Are you sure it wasn't "Order, I want to order!"?
>After two Darkfriend Socials, I now consider myself an utter addict, as
>if the newsgroup in itself wasn't hooking enough. Alas, London visits
>will be more scant hereafter, but at least one a year can be arranged.
>So, now that I've met some of the Swedish Darkfriends, and some of the
>British ones, how about the Dutch ones? If there are any plans for a DFS
>in the Netherlands coming up, I'll be sure to attend, and I also have
>plans of actually crossing the Atlantic this summer. (Photos will follow
>soonish.)
Say the word, and I'm sure we can organise something.
So, anyone else up for a DutchDFS?
Location: Utrecht? Amsterdam? The Hague? Rotterdam? Delft? (the rest isn't
on the night train circuit, so less desireable)
Date: say.. I dunno, few months from now, bit less likely to rain?
Activities: Bookstore, bar, dinner, bar sounds good to me.
If anyone has any interest, mail me, and I'll coordinate.
Jasper
Therese
(ag...@sysmatrix.net) says...
> Alistair J. R. Young uttered...
> [Social Stuff]
[Alistair's picture]
> That really is an incredibly scary picture, in case I haven't said that
> in the last month or so.
Scary indeed. That was why I didn't expect someone who actually
looked nice and pretty harmless to be him. (Or was that nice,
pretty and harmless? <g,d&r>)
> > > I sacrificed a whisk(e)y to Alistair
> Does that mean I get one, too, when we manage to be on the same
> continent?
Of course! The sooner the better! (Though a transatlantic flight
might be quite a high price for you to pay for a drink.)
[Divine commandments]
> > > "Order, I like order" and "Order, I believe in order" (with an hour or
> > > two in between)...
> > And orders.
> So long as they're yours, that is...
And as long as they're sensible, there's nothing wrong with
orders. I suspect the entire conversation was about sensible
orders (as issued by Alistair, of course).
--
Therese Wikstrom "Protecting kids against seeing sex but not
against seeing violence gives them the impression that killing is
more normal and acceptable than fucking, when precisely the
opposite is true." -Sverker Johansson
Alistair J. R. Young
Jasper Janssen <jas...@insaneoc.com> praised Shub-Internet thus:
> On Wed, 27 Feb 2002 10:55:19 -0600, Therese <there...@home.se> wrote:
>> I sacrificed a whisk(e)y to Alistair, so now I ask Sebastian what he has
>> offered to his Gods. (Still no progress on the temples, though; I'll get
>> around to them sometime.) I'm a much devout follower. What his divine
>> commandments would be is quite clear.
>> "Order, I like order" and "Order, I believe in order" (with an hour or
>> two in between)...
> Are you sure it wasn't "Order, I want to order!"?
That too, but I didn't mention it.
> Jasper
Alistair
--
e-mail: ava...@panix.com WWW: http://www.arkane.demon.co.uk/
UIN: 111585051 The Laura OS: http://lauraos.sourceforge.net/
"People are so snobbish and superior, it makes it more difficult for those of
us who are." -- Hyacinth Bucket, "Keeping Up Appearances"
Alistair J. R. Young
Alistair J R Young <ava...@panix.com> praised Shub-Internet thus:
> On Thu, 28 Feb 2002 23:39:35 GMT, in message <vfft8rs3l3o2p6lc7...@4ax.com>,
> Jasper Janssen <jas...@insaneoc.com> praised Shub-Internet thus:
>> On Wed, 27 Feb 2002 10:55:19 -0600, Therese <there...@home.se> wrote:
>>> I sacrificed a whisk(e)y to Alistair, so now I ask Sebastian what he has
>>> offered to his Gods. (Still no progress on the temples, though; I'll get
>>> around to them sometime.) I'm a much devout follower. What his divine
>>> commandments would be is quite clear.
>>> "Order, I like order" and "Order, I believe in order" (with an hour or
>>> two in between)...
>> Are you sure it wasn't "Order, I want to order!"?
> That too, but I didn't mention it.
Except later in the restaurant, of course.
Alistair
--
e-mail: ava...@panix.com WWW: http://www.arkane.demon.co.uk/
UIN: 111585051 The Laura OS: http://lauraos.sourceforge.net/
"Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes."