A quiz, as seen on Erfalaswen's and Lucrecia's blogs (Kate and Laura):
[ x ] Spell your first name backwards- Drahcir
[ x ] The story behind your user name – I have three: Archangel because my first novel was about angels, Fulsrush/Fulsruch, an earlier name of a character in the novel who had his spelling changed and eventually turned out to be the immortal King Birsha of Gomorrah, ArchangelOnline because on larger forums 'Archangel' is already taken.
[ x ] Are you a lesbian - Yes, but trapped in a man's body.
[ x ] Where do you live - Lancaster during term time, Darwen (the arse end of Blackburn, home of a BNP councillor and constituency of Jack Straw) during holidays
[ x ] 4 words that sum you up – Creative But Too Shy
[ x ] Wallet – Black grandad wallet.
[ x ] Hairbrush – Currently a battered red comb.
[ x ] Toothbrush – A battery-powered Harry Potter one I got for Christmas. My other toothbrush is kept in case of emergencies... or guests.
[ x ] Jewellery worn daily – Watch, not that it really counts as jewellery - it's a cheap digital Casio. It tells the time, has an alarm, and isn't slow - everything I need from a watch. Anything more is just vanity.
[ x ] Pillow covers – Green leaf/undergrowth type print.
[ x ] Blanket – Quilt, actually. Same as above.
[ x ] Coffee cup – Assorted. Mickey Mouse playing golf, a sturdy white one with horizontal yellow and green 'tea towel' stripes, a blue one that's all distorted and squished, a Harry Potter one (another present), a frosted glass mug I got free from the Arboriculture people using the conference centre when I worked there the summer before last - it's an advert for a tree surgery company.
[ x ] Sunglasses – None
[ x ] Underwear – Various. Usually briefs, although I have a few boxers and I'm quite fond of a pair of brief-boxer short hybrids I got for Christmas. Very comfortable, yet plenty of room to manoeuvre.
[ x ] CD in stereo right now – Well, it's more an MP3 playlist of all the songs I've downloaded. At the moment, it's Meat Loaf, Dead Ringer For Love.
[ x ] Tattoos - None.
[ x ] Piercings- None.
[ x ] What you are wearing now- Black jeans, dark blue shirt (open), goblin T-shirt (favourite, F9.90 from a giftshop at a medieval fair in France), Next socks, dark blue briefs.
[ x ] Hair – Short, dark brown
[ x ] Makeup – None.
WHO or WHAT (was/is/are)
[ x ] In my mouth – The last remnants of a strawberry bonbon, snagged in one of my molars.
[ x ] In my head – Lots of things. Sex was one of them. Roleplaying was another. Hmm...
[ x ] Wishing – I was more confident and able to actually
[ x ] After this – Work on
Imperium for a bit. Maybe come up with a new career system for Ogryns - Minder, Killer, Lugger etc. instead of Bodyguard, Hitman and Labourer.
[ x ] Talking to – No one.
[ x ] Eating - Saliva
[ x ] Person you wish you could see right now – Lorna. She's hardly been online lately, so I only seem to talk to her on Fridays at the Pulsar bar crawl.
[ x ] Is next to you – No one
[ x ] Something you're looking forward to in the upcoming month - My 22nd birthday, on the 19th of May, hint hint.
[ x ] The last thing you ate – That strawberry bonbon. Before that, a meal at Wib Wobs.
[ x ] Something that you are deathly afraid of – Dying alone and unloved.
[ x ] Do you like candles – They're nice. I like the flickering light, but I never actually buy or use them myself (not allowed in university residences, for a start).
[ x ] Do you like hot wax – I like watching it running down candles, or when its convecting inside my lava lamp.
[ x ] Do you like incense – Occasionally, but I don't use it myself.
[ x ] Do you like the taste of blood – Would never drink someone elses, but my own is... not good, but not revolting either. I used to like the taste as a child, but it's lost its appeal since I started shaving and saw too much of it.
[ x ] Do you believe in love - Yes
[ x ] Do you believe in soul mates - Well... yes, I suppose. Provided we're allowed multiple ones, otherwise the whole thing's ridiculous - six billion people, only one who is the perfect match.
[ x ] Do you believe in love at first sight – I've experienced it. Or at least, I think I have. It started with a 'wow' and moved up to fullblown love within a month or two of crushiness. Nothing came of it though, and the rejection was the reason I spent the Millennium New Year miserable at home with no appetite over Christmas. It was definitely love by the end.
[ x ] Do you believe in Heaven – No. It's a way for the human mind to come to terms with the fact that suddenly, everything stops and you no longer exist.
[ x ] Do you believe in forgiveness – Yes, provided there's a change in the behaviour of the person who hurt me, or that the harmful action was an aberration.
[ x ] Do you believe in God – No. I think God's an easy way out. We're responsible for everything we do, whether we live or die, whether we're successful or we fail. Our vices and virtues, prejudices and ideals, all come from inside, not outside, and we shouldn't pin the blame, or give the credit, to an outside agent. That and the fact that I'm ideologically opposed to automatic, unquestioning obedience enforced by the threat of disproportionate punishment.
[ x ] What do you want done with your body when you die - Plastinated and put on display at the Body Worlds exhibition, or a successor exhibition. I really need to fill in those forms.
[ x ] Who is your worst enemy – Me, really. My own lack of self esteem and low confidence is what holds me back, along with my constant procrastination and lack of discipline. There are people I dislike, and at times some that I hate, but they aren't my enemies, they're just people who I don't want as part of my life.
[ x ] If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be – A black cat, because they look so damn sleek and yellow-green eyes contrast really well with their fur.
[ x ] What is the longest you've ever stayed up- Three full days, while finishing off my Creative Writing portfolio at the end of the second year. Although the worst effects I've had from sleep deprivation have to be the other week, after the dissertation. Still embarrassed about my devastated mental state and coherency when I turned up for the Pulsar bar crawl.
[ x ] Ever been to Belgium - No.
[ x ] Can you eat with chopsticks - Yes
[ x ] What's your favorite coin – Two pound coins, because they remind me of the old 10 franc coin, before France went over to the Euro.
[ x ] What are some of your favorite candy – Strawberry snob-nobs (Laura's word, but I love it) and aniseed balls
[ x ] What's something that you wish people would understand – You aren't necessarily who you
think you are. Other people, who know you, who speak to you, who watch your behaviour, often have a far better idea. They might not know exactly what goes on in your mind, but they can see the effect it has on the world, and that's what matters.
[ x ] What's something you wish you could understand better – Those with opposing viewpoints to my own. I'm reasonably good at it, but could be better.
[ x ] What's one thing you want to make happen for tomorrow – I could get something major published, whether it's a novel or a roleplaying game, or even something else.
YOU
[ x ] Name: Forwards this time? Richard James Cowen
[ x ] Birth date: 19th May, 1981
[ x ] Birthplace: Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn
[ x ] Current Location: Chancellor's Wharf, Lancaster
[ x ] Eye Color: Brown
[ x ] Hair Color: Dark brown
[ x ] Righty or Lefty: Right
[ x ] Zodiac Sign: Taurus, but that's bollocks.
DESCRIBE
[ x ] Your heritage: Scottish, I think, but that's way, way back in the mists of time. My dad's from Liverpool and my mum's from Darwen.
[ x ] The shoes you wore today: Dark blue mocassin slippers in the flat, battered white trainers everywhere else.
[ x ] Your weakness?: Lack of confidence and self-discipline
[ x ] Your perfect pizza: A good quality Hawaiian, simple but superb.
[ x ] One thing you'd like to achieve: Publication, to become known in the roleplaying community.
WHAT IS…?
[ x ] Your most overused phrase on aim: How about MSN: 'True', an all-purpose acknowledgement to something someone says, just to inform them that you haven't gone to the toilet.
[ x ] Your thoughts first waking up: "Just a few more minutes."
[ x ] The first feature you notice in the opposite sex: Smile, eyes, breasts. (What? I like breasts! Is there a problem with that?)
[ x ] Your best physical feature: Apparently, I have a nice smile. I'm not convinced on that though.
[ x ] Your bedtime: Midnight, in theory, although I'm usually up until at least 2am, sometimes as late as 3-4am.
[ x ] Your greatest accomplishment: Setting up the Writers Guild. It might not be running so brilliantly this year, but that's at least partially my fault for being so stresed this year about other things. Next year, with Mish at the helm, and me in the passenger seat, things will return to last year's level of 'fantastic'.
[ x ] Your most missed memory: Um... it has to be the first night I spent with Emilie (the virginity thing, you understand). I used to remember every single moment of it, but just over a year later, it's degenerated to a series of distant snapshot memories, which is a shame.
YOU PREFER
[ x ] Pepsi or coke: Coca Cola
[ x ] McDonald's or Burger King: McDonald's
[ x ] Single or group dates: Never really been on a group date. Not officially at least, and I can't recall any unofficial ones.
[ x ] Adidas or Nike: Currently adidas, although I buy trainers because of the way they look (i.e. not fucking stupid and massive) and how comfortable they are.
[ x ] Lipton or Nestea: Neither, although the second sounds like Nestle, so it can go fuck itself.
[ x ] Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
[ x ] Cappuccino or coffee: Neither
[ x ] Boxers or briefs: The hybrid things that combine the near-skin-tight nature of briefs with the shape and freedom to shift of boxer shorts
QUESTIONS
[ - do you - ]
-- Smoke: No
-- Cuss: Not as much as most people did at school, but I think I swear a lot compared to most people I know. I tend to restrict the range of words I use. Cunt, for example, very, very rarely passes my lips.
-- Sing well: No, no, no, no, no...
-- Take a shower everyday: In theory, every day. Occasionally, I miss one or two.
-- Do you think you've been in love: yes
-- Want to go to college: Already here, in the American sense.
-- Like school: Hated it while there, missed the good bits after I left.
-- Want to get married: Maybe, but I don't see the point at the moment - not being religious, I don't see the point of a faith-based union, and without that it seems to be a simple collection of tax breaks and other financial bonuses, which seems to cheapen love. Yes, there's the whole bonding couply thing, but at the moment at least, I can enjoy that without signing my name on a piece of paper.
-- Type w/ your fingers: Yes, but I've been training my penis to hit the space bar, thus saving valuable seconds over the course of a long document. What kind of fucking question is this?!?!
-- Believe in yourself: Yes. Otherwise someone else is typing these answers. They may even be using their p e n i s .
-- Get motion sickness: Only if I've been eating, and it's a Force 8 gale in the middle of the English Channel, or a roundabout in the Lake District. Such fun...
-- Think you're attractive: Sometimes. I've got my good points, I've got my bad points. Need to get the guts to actually let my hair grow through the unmanageable phase.
-- Think you're a health freak: Nope. Yet somehow I never put on weight. My arteries are probably going to be clogged in later life though.
-- Get along with your parents: Yes, most of the time, now I'm not living with them all the time.
-- Like thunderstorms: Hell yes. The raw, untameable, unrivalled power of nature is stunning. Sometimes I even enjoy being caught outside in one, provided its heavy enough and it's still warm.
-- Play an instrument: Grade 1 violin, failed Grade 2 after seven years.
[ - in the past month, did/have you- ]
-- Drank alcohol: Yes, mainly last Friday, but also two drinks on Tuesday.
-- Smoke(d): No.
-- Done a drug: Not in the past month, no.
-- Have Sex: Yes actually.
-- Made Out: Yup. See above.
-- Go on a date: No
-- Go to the mall?: Just Lancaster
-- Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No, but I went through lots of packs of Cadbury's Double Chocolate Cookies while writing my dissertation.
-- Eaten sushi: No. Never have done either.
-- Been on stage: No
-- Been dumped: No
-- Gone skating: No
-- Made homemade cookies: No
-- Been in love: No. Hmm, I notice this was one of the ones Laura missed out. I suspect she was trying to decide if Night Crawler counts. :-p
-- Gone skinny dipping: No
-- Dyed your hair: No
-- Stolen anything: No
[ - have you ever - ]
-- Played a game that required removal of clothing?: No, but since I was incredibly drunk, fairly stoned, and no one else was putting their clothes back on after a game of strip poker at Dave Pickering's, I decided to join them, albeit slowly and shyly. I got as far as my underpants before the party finished. A bit disturbing actually. I was in a room full of naked or semi-naked people and they were watching their Brass Eye DVD, specifically the controversial Paedophilia episode. (Damn good episode, by the way, I recommend it to anyone who likes biting satire.)
-- If so, was it mixed company: Yes
-- Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Heh heh heh. Probably the most notable time of recent history was last Friday. See blog entries and my comments in other people's blogs.
-- Been caught "doing something": No. Would be interesting though.
-- Been called a tease: No.
-- Gotten beaten up: Yes.
-- Shoplifted: No
-- If so, did you get caught: No
-- Changed who you were to fit in: Kind of. More modulated who I was to tune
nearly into whatever group I was part of at the time. Most of the time it didn't work. Sometimes it does, which is great.
[ - the future - ]
-- Age you hope to be married: Dunno. Probably early thirties, if ever. Wouldn't mind being settled down in a potentially-permanent sense at any time, but at the same time I'm still open to casual relationships and non-relationship sex. I was a late entrant to the world of sex, love and girlfriends, I want to experiment and explore for a while.
-- Numbers and Names of Childrens: I occasionally wonder about this. Something interesting and original, but not too far out. The wildest I've gone was Mortimer (aka Mort). He could always be called Tim, if he didn't like either of the others.
-- Descibe your Dream Wedding: A cathedral, and a full voice choir singing Wagner's version of the wedding march from Lohengrin... White rose petals falling as confetti from the distant vaulted ceiling... A long bridal train... And here's me not wanting to get married.
-- How do you want to die: Heroically, or at least in a way that's not meaningless. If I die, I want it to serve some kind of purpose, whether it's saving another life or just making a point. Unlikely though - chances are I'll just die of old age, like most other people. I just don't want to be on my own and not get found until the neighbours complain about the smell.
-- What do you want to be when you grow up: Writer, either of fiction, RPGs or screenplays.
-- What country would you most like to visit: Germany, the US, the Falkland Isles, various countries that we've been to war with over the past couple of decades, just to see firsthand the effects of that kind of thing.
[- opposite sex -]
-- Best eye color?: Not particularly bothered. It's the warmth of the eyes that matter.
-- Best hair color?: Again, not fussed.
-- Short or long hair?: Not overly bothered about this either.
-- Best height : Not taller than me, and preferably slightly shorter - it makes cuddling a lot more rewarding and comfortable.
-- Best weight: Slim
-- Best articles of clothing: Smart, but with a definite personal style.
-- Best first date location: If past experience is anything to go by, "Come around to mine and watch a DVD." However, this has the negative side-effect that I often invite the friends I care most about (most of whom are female) around for a meal/film. I suspect it tends to make them suspicious.
-- Best first kiss location: On the lips, normally, but I'm not fussy... :-p
