never the same girl twice

i'm not sure what it is exactly that draws me to these characters, over and over again, like some sort of fatal beauty. i have distinctive leanings towards villainy, but intelligent villainy. whether it be fictional or historical, most of the people who earn my admiration tend to be the villains. not because they're evil, you see, but because they're cunning.

i focus on the Roman Empire because it neatly combines two key elements: temple architecture and people who were given such a staggering amount of power that it would make or break them. Caesar was a military genius who subjugated hundreds of tribes of very angry Celts, Gauls and Goths in a few short years. Augustus built an empire on the ashes of civil war, manipulating the whole of Rome like helpless puppets to achieve his aims. Marius and Sulla were the first Romans to realize that "he who holds the army, holds the power". and while these men were only human, they achieved greatness through control and careful manipulation.

there is something to be said for the concept of honored enemies. this system appeals to something primal in me, a savage and fierce part of my soul that i keep locked up tight. i'm just not up to that level of battle-hardened hatred, much as i admire it.

perhaps it's just longing for strength, or control, or just the depth of emotion required to hate the perfect enemy. i don't presume to analyse it any further than this.

** today's ramblings brought to you by the k'airth.
A personal vendetta which has been allowed to dominate the lives of both parties. It is essentially a military campaign in miniature. Just as troops must prepare themselves to face the enemy, the k'airth-v'sa, or "honored mate of the private war", must focus his entire being upon gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to defeat his opponent. The more one devotes oneself to the contest, the more worthy one will be of eventual triumph. Since it is assumed that one's opponent is undergoing the same process, the k'airth is as much about the perfection of two opposing warriors as it is about the question of who wins what.