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Topic |
Siva She
Amarr
Opus Imperium
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Posted - 2007.05.22 16:07:00 - [ 1]
The following holoreel is presented as an educational and historical program featuring the holy work of lesser-known Amarrian faithful. It is hoped that all peoples will come to appreciate the dedication of these devout believers and take inspiriation from them. From these seeds, the Amarr Empire grew.
The holoreel opens with a shot of the dramatic windswept desert of Misha, all pinks and oranges. A woman's voice is heard in voiceover, with the polite, even tones of a narrator.
Narrator: The deserts of Misha. This is the cultural cradle of the Ni-Kunni people, before the Amarr Empire came and showed them the path of the True Faith. The Ni-Kunni have a saying about the deserts. They say, "Only the pure live in the desert."
The camera pans slowly across the majestic dunes and hot sun until it comes to rest on a Ni-Kunni woman, in a nun's habit, with a black lace veil across her eyes. She stands by a time-worn stone well, and smiles pleasantly at the camera. She is the narrator, and she continues.
Narrator: The Ni-Kunni word for "pure" can also mean "insane" in certain contexts. The double meaning is not lost in their saying, then. For while the desert purifies, that purity can come at a price. And there was no man who better illustrated desert purity than the holy poet known as Stanislaw the Blind.
The scene cuts to a plump, rosy-cheeked, middle-aged nun in a tight-fitting short habit, strands of her hair peeking out from under her bandeau, reaching up onto her tip-toes to pull down a huge print volume from a shelf in a large library. The effort seems to wind her. As the narrator continues, the camera pans over what appear to be the pages of this book, ancient scratch-like writing reproduced on gilded pages.
Narrator: This is Mother Mary Velvett, Mother Superior of the Order of St. Cecilia of the Waterfall. She is generally regarded by most to be the biggest authority on Stanislaw the Blind.
The camera cuts to a close up Mother Mary, grinning hugely, eyes twinkling, sitting in a small, plain office somewhere. An Amarr cross is on the wall.
Mother Mary: And his biggest fan! *giggles* Oh, I just love Stannie... Stanislaw the Blind is one of God's greatest gifts to us. We ... I mean, the Sisters here and in several other convents... we couldn't get by without him! *giggles more*
The scene cuts to a view of Misha from space, the camera rapidly descending into the atmosphere and skimming fast across the desert continents around the equator.
Narrator: There is very little known about the early life of Stanislaw the Blind. We estimate he was born around 23,187. There's no record of his family name. All we really know about him is that he lived ... here.
The camera stops abruptly, and we see a low, rocky cave, dug down into dry ground, in the midst of desolation. It looks dark and dirty. The narrator walks out into the camera's frame.
Narrator: In this simple cave, Stanislaw maintained his solitary existence. In fact, Stanislaw so prized his privacy, that he went out of his way to enforce it.
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Siva She
Amarr
Opus Imperium
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Posted - 2007.05.22 16:10:00 - [ 2]
The camera cuts to a grainy, still photograph of a scrawny, hairy, dirty old Ni-Kunni man, leaping out of the cave, brandishing a huge stick in one hand, and hurling a rock at whoever is taking the picture with the other. His mouth is open, as if he's yelling something, his face contorted with rage.
Narrator: This is one of the few photograps we have of Stanislaw the Blind. It was taken by a Ministry for Internal Affairs census taker. Reportedly, as he hurled the rock, Stanislaw yelled at the man to "get out of his yard."
Cut back to Mother Mary Velvett, slightly breathless and sweating.
Mother Mary: Oh, yes, Stanislaw was very reclusive. *giggle* There was no one who was able to get within twenty feet of his cave while he was alive. Even after he went blind, no one went into his cave because of the, you know. Smell. *she wrinkles her nose* But we love him anyway!
The scene changes to show a primitive still over a fire. An actor (wearing an obviously fake beard) playing Stanislaw hovers ambiguously over it while liquid bubbles through some tubing.
Narrator: We do know that Stanislaw would make trips through the desert for supplies every few months. He would brew a liquor out of local cacti, scarlet sand lizards, and the mushrooms which grew around the cistern in his cave, and this he would trade for food, medicine, and holoreels.
The actor holds up a dead scarlet sand lizard and waves it ambigiously at the still. The camera cuts back to Mother Mary.
Mother Mary: Eventually, though, Stanislaw stopped making the trips into town altogether. He started living pretty much on sand lizards and those mushrooms, and drinking his own brew. We're not certain, but we think it was around this time that he started having visions. And it was around this time that Stanislaw went blind.
We cut to the Stanislaw-actor sitting before a fire in a cave, a jug in his hand, a half-eaten mushroom in the other. The actor slowly dozes off, nodding, while ominous organ music plays in the background.
Mother Mary (in voiceover): We think he had maybe had too many mushrooms that night, or too much to drink, and he just.... fell over into the fire.
The actor falls forward. The camera zooms in on the flames. The organ music shrieks. Cut to the wall of the cave, and the shadow of the Stanislaw-actor is seen flailing about, hands pressed to his eyes. We hear an anguished scream. Then we cut back to...
Mother Mary: *shakes her head, sadly* Poor man. But you know, he had to go blind before he began to write his poetry.
Cut to outside the cave, at night. The stars wheel overhead, indicating the passing of time.
Narrator: We estimate that it was a year or two after his blinding that Stanislaw began to write.
We cut back to Mother Mary who is holding the gigantic book seen at the start of the holoreel in her lap, lovingly caressing the pages.
Mother Mary: After he went blind, he couldn't really catch lizards any more. So he made his brew without them, and lived on just the cactus and mushrooms. He must have been having visions all this time. Because one day, he started to write! *she blushes for some reason*
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Siva She
Amarr
Opus Imperium
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Posted - 2007.05.22 16:13:00 - [ 3]
Edited by: Siva She on 22/05/2007 16:19:38
We cut to the narrator, standing in the middle of a low cave, in which the floors, walls, and ceiling, are completely covered in scratch-like marks, all stained a dark brown.
Narrator: This is the cave of Stanislaw the Blind. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all made of sandstone, and carved into the surface of every inch is Holy Poetry.
The camera pans along one wall. The scratchings are deep and rough, the letters ancient and jumbled, hard to read. The scratches are stained brown in the pinkish-gold rock.
Mother Mary: (reading, lovingly, passionately) "They took my eyes. They took my money. They took my women. It isn't funny. God knows what they will take next. God knows what they will take next." *she takes a moment to compose herself* This, we think, is his first poem. It's a man in pain, acknowleding the omniscience of God. Only God knows what will be taken next. But as you continue to read his poetry, you discover that the cave is a love letter to God!
Cut to a close up of the hands of the actor playing Stanislaw, digging his nails into the brittle sandstone, to scratch out letters. We hear a rich and mellifluous male voice, incongruous with the scruffy appearance of Stanislaw, reading as the actor hacks away at the stone.
Male Voice: God comes to me in the night, and rests beside my bed. He lays his hands upon my body, fixes his scepter on my head. There I am pressed, all through the night. There I stay, but not filled with fright. Come the dawn, he is gone. Come the dawn, I am drawn... heavenwards, till night comes again.
Cut back to Mother Mary, who is flushed and breathless.
Mother Mary: For Stanislaw, God was a powerful force of love. And he was so moved by the presence of God that he scratched love poems to God all around him. And then he made a kind of ink out of mud and his own wastes and carefully stained the poems with it. *She suddenly looks defensive for no readily explainable reason.* Well, he had to improvise! He was blind and in the desert!
The camera cuts, panning across the dark stained scratches on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the low cave.
Narrator: Most of Stanislaw's poetry describes God as a transcendant, powerful figure. But his poetry is often viewed as controversial, mostly because of the subtly erotic images it often contains.
The camera cuts again to an artist's rendering of a nearly nude, powerful man, with a thin tunic just covering enough of him to stay decent. His face is not clearly seen, hidden by a halo of light. The camera pans lovingly over the illustration as the rich Male Voice recites poetry in voiceover.
Male Voice: God's hands are mighty, like traps for the hare. Wrought bronze bulwarks are his thighs. His breath is like the sun as it flows through my hair. Blazing embers are his eyes. His golden sword unsheathed, who could resist a reverent bow and worshipful kiss?
We cut back to Mother Mary Velvett, whose eyes are somewhat glazed over, breathing deeply. She just sits like that for a few seconds, then blinks as if becoming aware of the camera.
Mother Mary: ... of course, you have to understand that the erotic images in the poetry are symbolic. They represent the kind of total devotion to God we all should have. We give ourselves to God and love Him in every way. Does He deserve anything less? *she pauses, biting her lower lip as her eyes drift over the pages of the big book in her lap* Still, it's great reading when you're all alone at night, isn't it? *giggles*
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Siva She
Amarr
Opus Imperium
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Posted - 2007.05.22 16:14:00 - [ 4]
The camera cuts to the imposing image of the Theology Council base. Ominous monk chanting plays in the background.
Narrator: In 23,240 a coalitions of nuns, scholars, and a few monks petitioned the Theology Council to make the holy poetry of Stanislaw the Blind part of official church doctrine. Their petition was refused.
We cut to a group of nuns, Mother Mary Velvett among them, all sitting in a circle with books in their laps. Candles burn in the background, there are glasses of wine and sprays of flowers visible. The nuns seem to be having a good time, giggling to each other and pointing to the books in their laps.
Narrator: But despite this setback, study of Stanislaw the Blind's poetry goes on, mostly continued by orders of nuns such as the Order of St. Cecilia of the Waterfall. Conferences are held to share interpretations. Most are very devoted to Stanislaw's life and words.
The camera cuts back to Mother Mary Velvett in her office again. She's smiling and blushing.
Mother Mary: Some of the best friends I've ever made are Stannies. Er, that's our name for each other, Stannies. *giggles a little, then turns serious* In these trying times, it's important to find friends with whom you can really connect, really share a powerful experience with. And that's what Stanislaw gives us. His words are powerful, and we love them. We love him.
The view returns to the desert in front of Stanislaw's cave. The sun is going down, the colors fading toward blues and purples. The narrator nun stands before the cave.
Narrator: Today, the cave of Stanislaw the Blind is sealed up, save for special occasions. But texts of his work are widely available throughout the galaxy. There have even been rumors of a Gallente holoreel production company making a series of short films reenacting some of the poems. While most of the Empire knows little about Stanislaw, if his poems can reach across borders in this way, then perhaps there is real power in his life and works. I hope you have found this presentation enlightening, and will meditate on its meaning. Until the next time when we explore another Unsung Saint.
(end)
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Siva She
Amarr
Opus Imperium
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Posted - 2007.05.22 16:15:00 - [ 5]
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Yoshito Sanders
Amarr
Caldari Independent Navy Reserve
The Fourth District |
Posted - 2007.05.22 21:27:00 - [ 6]
Excellent, as expected. |
GoGo Yubari
Veto. |
Posted - 2007.05.23 11:06:00 - [ 7]
I like, though the strong humor is at times threatening my enjoyment of it. Regardless, I'd say it's a great piece. Love the Sufistic flavour, too. |
Natalcya Katla
Naqam
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Posted - 2007.05.23 17:19:00 - [ 8]
Excellent, Siva. |
Shern
Minmatar
Hevaka Agreement
|
Posted - 2007.05.30 18:41:00 - [ 9]
A good read, yes ! |
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