Contents
Introductory Notice - A quick notice from Our Captain.
Our Uniform - A summary of the required uniform for all students
Roleplay Areas - A tour of the school's grounds and each area's function to the running of our schools.
Our Founding - A brief history of the school, and the birth of it's notion.
Our Motto - The origins and idea behind our motto ''Ut ab chao, ordo; sic ab absurditate, veritas'.
Our Coat of Arms - The origins and symbology of our coat of arms.
Our Creed - The fundamental rules and tenants of our school, as well as the reasoning behind them.
Our Houses - An introspective into the school's four student houses.
Our Syllabus - An overview of the school's four departments and their roles in providing an education in the nonsensical.
Introductory Notice
Dear Student, welcome to the exciting first year of The School of Comparative Irrelevance.
Prospective students and teachers alike should head directly to the foyer upon receiving their letters of acceptance, and as the school is still in it's preparatory phase, I ask that everyone remain within the foyer, Commons, Great Hall, and their respective dorms until teachers can be found to supervise the classrooms.
I apologize for the state of disorder we find ourselves in to begin with. I'm sure you can appreciate that a school is not an easy thing to build from the ground up, and after all, is the chaotic founding of our community not the perfect parable for all that we stand for? So, let us find meaning, truth, and our place within this burgeoning fraternity.
Finally, from humble beginnings, all great things rise, but also; be ever-conscious that all things move toward their end. It is in the knowledge that this school caters to a rather niche market (at least within the vile, subterranean ooze that is the Gaian Guilds), that I must ask all members to help keep it alive and spreading the joys of the inane by remaining active, and if at all possible donating their spare gold towards the structuring and beautification of our forums.
We have included a list of materials all students will need, including uniform requirements, and other information that will be crucial to your education here. What follows this, is our Prospectus, at the very core of the school's beliefs and goals. May it serve as an avowal and polemic; a profession and confirmation; yea, the very Eucharistic rite of our communal ideal.
Uniform
It is in the nature of our school to be accepting of different codes, creeds, and ideals (after all, chaos and absurdity do not distinguish or discriminate), however, we must never forget that the purpose of our school is to find unity in this diversity. As such, the uniform serves as a symbol of our unity, of how we stand together; hands clasped against the terrifying depths of uncertainty and pseudo-truth in search of solace.
Trousers: [Black, white, red or blue in color] Simple, uncluttered, full-length trousers for boys, and Simple uncluttered knee-length (or longer) skirts for girls.
Shirt: [Predominately black, white, red or blue in color] Must cover entire torso. Must have sleeves.
Head-wear: Concealing headgear is discouraged unless required for religious or moral reasons.
Accessories: The school takes no responsibility for property lost or damaged on campus, as such, we discourage expensive accessories and toys.
Role-play Areas
These are all the areas in which students and teachers may venture and interact:
~Foyer~
The schools' main reception area. This is the first stop for new students, where they'll be given their timetables, school-books and dorm keys, and where they will be sorted into their houses.
~The Commons~
A refuge for student and teacher alike, where the two can intermingle and chat. Beanbags and couches line the walls, and amid the ever-present bookshelves, there are computers and a stereo for free use. Clearly, it's a laid-back, relaxed attitude that this room instills.
~Great Hall~
An imposing hall in which daily meals are taken.
~Kitchens~
Where food is prepared and cooked for the students. Generally off-limits.
~First Floor Bathrooms~
One for the boys, one for the girls, and another for staff.
Let's keep our minds off what goes on in there.
~Music Room~
Where students and teachers are free to discuss and explore the world of music.
Although music is not a subject of the school, many of the teachers are musically talented, and would be glad to lend a hand.
~Teachers Lounge~
[Off-limits to students at all times] Contains couches, a white-board, a small kitchen, and a mini-bar.
~Male Dorms~
Six bunks, three large wardrobes to share, a full length mirror and a small window with drapes. A bathroom with a shower and several sinks is to be shared between the twelve potential dorm occupants.
~Female dorms~
Exactly the same as the male dorms in every way.
~Teacher Dorms~
Positioned between the two student dorms, each teacher has his/her own room, complete with a king-size bed, a bureau, a study/reading desk, a large bookshelf, an armchair, a full-length mirror, and an ensuite containing a shower, bath, toilet and sink.
~Classrooms~
Simple, plain lecture rooms, lined with mahogany desks and chairs, all facing a white-board and podium. For more information on the classes, see the syllabus.
Founding
This is a world of contradictions in which we reside. If thoughts are but the shadows of our emotions, then this truly is an era swamped in darkness. We grope around, deaf and blind in this morass of rationality and reason for any semblance of meaning or purpose: a logical world in seek of a faith. Time and time again, still we come up against a wall, we draw a blank and are left feeling unfulfilled.
Many have pondered that perhaps there is no meaning, no purpose, no providence or reason, and in this, we are left to ponder the absurdity of their own existence: for the human spirit: that formidable and beautiful thistle of hopes and dreams and feelings, has no place, and no function in a universe that simply is.
So, we cannot rationally find a meaning or a purpose for either ourselves, or the world we live in. Neither can we (as the vain creatures that we are) console ourselves with existentialism and nihilism. So what remains for us?
Paradoxically, the only logical refuge is in the illogical. In the world of angels and demons, of dragons and the occult: in the mystical, mysterious and just plain mad, lies our salvation.
And so, the seed was sewn for a society of the preposterous, an order of chaos and intrigue, where the literati and the disenchanted masses combine in equality to search for meaning in mystery.
Think of this as an absurdist manifesto; and exercise in the incomprehensible, under the guise of an educational institute.
But remember, we refer to the absurd in the loosest sense of the word (that term has been coined and pigeonholed into something quite specific these days). We seek only to interpret the indeterminable and revel in the insecurity of nonsense.
Our Motto
'De chao, ordo et de tenebris, lug.'
...And voila; already this manifestatious mission statement seems flawed. And yet, fear not, dear reader, for I assure you, that (almost in parable of this school's goals) there is a reason I've opted for this translation of the famous masonic quotes "Ordo ab chao" and "Lug ab tenebris"; there is method yet to my madness.
The idea for this school's founding stems not only from my adoration of Umberto Eco and all he's written, but also from my own laughable notions of self-importance. In a flurry of self-proclaimed genius, I convinced myself that I could improve the two most iconic quotes of the stonemasons, despite the fact that my Latin is appalling at best.
With every intention of being pyloctemic, the original quotes translate roughly to "Order from Chaos" and "Light from darkness [obscurity?]". My issue with these quotes arose when I was asked whether they meant 'Behold! From the preceding chaos, we have created order." or that all order is simply a product of chaos, and that order itself can only be discovered (or perhaps invented is a better word) from immersion within the very depths of that same chaos.
Thus, this school's motto was born, complete with it's grammatical inaccuracies; thrust, unwelcome into this world of scientific certainties and morphophonemical regulations to stand in opposition to the lighthouse in the dark that is certainty; not another port of refuge, nor the siren who coaxes you beneath the waves, but a metaphor for the very storm itself.
From chaos, order and from darkness, light.
As only from the exploration of the maws of a oysters can pearls be found, so from obscurity and the ridiculous shall we prise meaning and enlightenment.
Edit: The light/darkness metaphor is a little cliche', and a motto should not be open to interpretation, thus: (along with a grammar adjustment) 'Ut ab chao, ordo; sic ab absurditate, veritas' - Translating more accurately to 'As from chaos, order; so from absurdity, truth'. Less catchy, I know, but it's still quite nice if left as 'Ab Absurdite, Veritas'.
Our Creed
This, like any school (or indeed social movement) rests upon the pillars of it's creed; without which it would crumble into the grapheme gruel of mundanity. Our creed is what defines the school (as well as the souls it contains) as a community. It is what binds us, governs us, and keeps us firmly and resolutely on our paths into vagueness and obscurity.
These tenants are hypocritical in their nature: to bring structure to chaos goes against the school's motto. And though, finding structure instead within that chaos is a fundamental principle of the school, we must acquiesce to reality, and accept that in order for a group of any kind to function (even a group to which function is an enemy) order is required to bind and to keeps us sane.
1) In a world with no providence but the working of material causes, the individual is God; In an organization with no providence but the exploration of the inane, the guild Captain is God.
Due to the tenuous nature of these tenants, I reserve the right to break them, and permit their discarding at any time, and without warning. I imagine this school will find itself patronized (at least in majority) by people like myself: pseudo-intellectual wankers with a passion for pedantics and an affinity for arguments. As much as this school seeks to educate on the inherent usefulness of such people in the scheme of the world, we must accept that we are not a race that remain civil when delivering our impassioned sermons. As such, so that education and a sharing of experience may continue, a simple Democracy will not do. This dictatorship does however intend to be run for the people (if not directly by them), and as such, any concerns, opinions, thoughts or musings should be directed to myself, for consideration through private messaging.
2) Only from the reconciliation of one's own ignorance and confusion can truth be found.
This second tenant governs the way in which we are to converse amongst our peers. I am an understanding [see lazy] forum moderator, and as such, Ad Hominem arguments will be warned against and discredited, but they will not be removed, nor will they incur a ban. That said, blatant rudeness, or any false ideas of a subjective self-defined reality will not be tolerated, as humility and realization that each of us are scrambling for answers equally are fundamental principles expected of our pupils. The man, lost in confusion, and willing to admit just how little he knows of the world and it's meaning is the man to be most respected, for he knows himself profoundly. The greatest folly after all, is the notion of surety and security in this world of coincidences and mysteries.
[further tenants pending]
