Saint Herbert West, Patron Of Metalheads and Carpathians
The Glorification Of Herbert West
Lets all welcome and congratulate our newest saint, Herbert West!
1. Congratulations, for our introduction, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself:
I am a 22 year old student of the Technical University Of Budapest, currently “enjoying” the rather rough transition form a regular 5 years education period to the new BsC and MsC system. I study physics, and am interested in nuclear physics in particular, and plan to work as either a nuclear engineer or a medical radiologist. As for my “civil” life, I am a rather misanthropic antisocial metalhead. (Of course I have friends and pals, I rather go for quality than quantity) I spend my time listening to black metal and reading books, particulary those in the vein of Gaiman and Milton, to name to opposite-yet-same members of the spectrum, and of course, being arsekicked by my university. I also love to argue about the nature of the universe and such rather obscure and occult things.
Seeing that the question of faith comes up amongst the questions (if shadowed), I’d like to answer it a bit. I consider myself to be Gnostic of sorts. As I see it, there are many concepts and powers (to name the two most common human names) that either Are, or influence, or govern, but the names and secondary attributes of these concepts vary greatly depending on time and culture. Wether or not these Gods, as humans call them, are of façade of the same concept, I do not know. I radically oppose the idea of bipolarisation, as in good-bad, light-dark, Yahve-Shaitan, as I think that the universe is a bit too complex to be described by only two omnipotent points and their shades. A better representation would be either multi or omnipolaristaion.
To conclude all this hogwash, a witty motto: Will rules in life.
2. What does your username, Herbert West, mean?
Its taken from the Howard Phillips Lovecraft novel of the same title (Herbert West, reanimator). It was the third HPL novel I read if I recall correctly and when I first registered onto a forum around the age of 16 (it was the now-defunct Satanist.net, in case anyone cares), it came to me as an obvious choice. Now, it has become the name my friends and pals use, and everywhere I am on the net, I use this one. I sometimes feel I’m more Herbert West than my “real” name.
3. How did you discover Paradox games?
4. How did you find the forums?
Let me answer these two in reverse order, as the other lead to one, to twist the saying. I was a regular Medieval Total War player, and on the TW for a, someone had a link to a narrative WWII Finnish AAR in his sig. I read it, then discovered the AAR part of the fora, then found that hey, this is about a game, then found the game in a shop, bought it, played it, fell in love with it, then checked out the other Pdox games as well.
5. So what was your first experience on the forum?
My first experience I don’t remember, but my first impression was: “man, 4 hours gone already? And I have not even finished this AAR”
6. Why do you choose to make your AARs so dark and occultist?
To be honest, they are in many ways more light-hearted and this-worldly (pardon me) than what I think they could be, but I saw no point in stuffing them full with occultism and esotericism. Under the raven Banner began its life as a simple though experiment inspired by Therion’s Gothic Kabballah album and the what if of Swedenborg being inspired by the Norse Gods instead of the Christian one. But for Swedenborg to be inspired, someone had to establish a connection with the Aesir, and Bureus was the obvious choice. Then of course I had to re-create the medieval feeling of the Gods being in direct contact with man, and so, the story of Bureus evolved and evolved and will evolve.
Baphomet was written with a more set goal in mind, to demonstrate the transformation from Christian to Gnostic, and to synthetise the many possible interpretations and facets of Gnosticism into one homogeneous and working system.
And of course, whatever I read at the moment influences me greatly.
7. I must say, both your slightly anti-Christian AARs are very well-written and creative, and that’s coming from a Christian! Do you have any advice for other AAR writers out there, particularly in the narrative field?
Honestly, no. I am always dissatisfied with the final product of my typing, as I often feel like lacking something else that would be needed to fully convey what I want to say. Some scenes I write should be directed or painted, I think, but I can neither paint nor direct movies. One thing I have to recommend though I writing a from for what you want the story to be, unless you want the story to get more or less out of control, like I feel Under The Raven Banner did.
8. Why do you write AARs? What do you enjoy the most about AAR writing?
Good question. I started UTRB mostly to see wether or not I could actually write anything worthwhile. Then, of course, it took a life and a purpose of its own. Baphomet has more of a message I feel the need to convey.
I mostly enjoy that feeling of developing a whole world in your mind, and the unseen force that seems to guide my hand so that an update never ends where I wanted it to end, yet usually turns out to have sense anyway. I like the feeling when the story becomes alive.
9. What do you like the most about the Paradox games and forums?
About the games: their replay ability and moddability. Even if I get tired of blitzing France, I can install a mod so I have to stall them rather than walk over them, and then, If I de and then reinstall the game half a year later, I get hooked on again
About the fora: Honestly, I don’t surf a lot on the non-fun part of it, but I think that some AARs and some of the very deep discussions of the History part are what I like the most.
10. Do you have any favourite AARs?
I think I’ll list three, as they are the ones I can always enjoy. While there are many others I read and like, the two narrative HoI2 AARs, The Lost Platoon by Technique, and A Fist Of Dirt by Metatrone, and the excellent Vicky gameplay AAR “The World Is Not Enough”, by Quirinus308, are those that have stood the test of time with me.
11. What are your favourite experiences on the forums?
The in-depth discussions and the warm responses I always seem to get for my work that I consider to be less-than-stellar.
Thank you for my glorification, regardless of its ironic nature, and may whatever Gods you have, watch over you, readers and writers of AARland!
Once again, let us congratulate Saint Herbert West on his glorification!,
asd
