Burt Blanchard's Homepage

A set-up much like Burt's own religious studies room in Dentech University formed the teacher's homepage, complete with a large blackboard that was actually more so composed of three blackboards all together. A podium sat up front, much like Burt's own, but instead of his own "BURT J. BLANCHARD" nameplate, there sat a "BURT & EXORCIST" nameplate. An overhead projector was turned on, focused on the right-hand blackboard, reading "Q & A," but was currently blank. Written on the blackboard, in neatly sprawled cursive, was "Today's Topic: Counterinfectionalism."

Underneath the topic was a brief introduction. "Greetings everyone! My name is Burt Blanchard and I'm going to be your guide through the magical world of Counterinfectionalism today. What is Counterinfectionalism, you ask? Let's take a moment to study Counterinfectionalism on a broader scale. What is its underlying goal?

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Primary Goals:

The goal of Counterinfectionalism is the creation of a perfect world (I.E. A heaven on earth) through the eradication of evil. Evil solidifies itself in the form of viruses on the net. Therefore, the goal of Counterinfectionalism is the destruction of viruses.

Evil also manifests itself within the motivations of some navis whom inhabit the net. While theories on how to deal with the evil inside of people so far have all proven merely experimental with mixed results, the Counterinfectionalist should also make it his goal to free these people from their evil, through battle if necessary.

"These are the primary goals of Counterinfectionalism! Remember them well throughout your journey. With Counterinfectionalism, it is not an understatement to say that all other religious goals you have had till now are null and void. Besides perhaps a code of ethics, the way in which you live your life should be entirely set by Counterinfectionalism. Next, we have some codes to adhere to in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a virus-buster:

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Guiding Principles:

- I will use my navi to eradicate the manifestations of evil when they embody themselves upon the net.
- I will keep my navi in condition suitable to face the manifestations of evil.
- I will not undermine my duties or the duties of my navi.
- I will use discretion when deciding whether or not my navi is suitable to face the evil that lies before him.
- I will realize that my own recklessness is advantageous to the evil.
- If I lose the means to fiscally support my navi, I will regain them as soon as possible and return to my duties.
- I will not withhold any concepts or information which would aid my fellow Counterinfectionalist in his pursuit of evil.
- I will not ally myself with those infected by evil unless my motivation is to cure them of that evil.
- I will not cast a blind eye to evil (note: this does not mean that you cannot pick your battles, but you may never choose not to take on a task that you have the power to resolve)
- If I or my navi is to be labeled by a good navi as evil, I will be reflective and try to determine why I have been labeled as evil. If ultimately I discover that I am evil, I will make my first priority to rid myself of that evil.
- I will not intentionally seek to murder other people or navis as a form of purification.
RECENT ADDENDUM:
- The navi used in the Counterinfectionalist's work must refrain from telling jokes or otherwise jesting in order to preserve the sanctity of the practice.

"I hope you've found this informative. Finally, we have the Q & A section, which will soon be chock full of information from people just like you whom are curious to no the ins and outs of the trade! If you have any questions yourself, feel free to post them on this homepage or even to bring your navi here to discuss them. I (or if you're lucky, rarely my navi) will show up to address these questions in due time."

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Q & A:

Q: Why have an addendum? Doesn't this imply that your religion is not stable or does not have a solid foundation?

A: The good Counterinfectionalist learns from his mistakes, even if those mistakes are missing, false, or excess material in his own creed. These mistakes must be corrected like any other. Counterinfectionalism is a relatively new method and thereby experimental, meaning there will be ongoing changes.

A new addition! This handy list will help you keep track of those corrupted by evil. Please post in this homepage if you know anyone else that needs to be added to this list to mark them for future exorcism.

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Marked for Exorcism:

-Cerberus.EXE
-Stunt.EXE
-Right of Operation Templars, including Rack.EXE and Domm.EXE

((OOC: Feel free to post whatever you'd like, be it slander, questions, or anything, really))

I have a few doubts about this so called counterintfectionalism theory... more in the fact that this is an excuse to go busting on the net and killing viruses in the face. It's like turning the interworkings of the net into a religion but here's the worst tick...

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RECENT AMMENDUMS:
- The navi used in the Counterinfectionalist's work must refrain from telling jokes or otherwise jesting in order to preserve the sanctity of the practice.

...What!? You can't tell jokes? There's no right to live in such a network unless you can live up in the moment! Besides! I just my jokes or "jesting" as you call it mister Blanchard as a fighting tactic, to confuse and embroil the enemy so it is much easier to strike! Plus the fact that there's addendum really doesn't make it a rather stable philosophy huh? But then again so do all of the philosophies... in some ways they show our thought processes and why we do what we do... I guess I'm rather being a bit of a pedantic, this IS a rather nice way to explain why we navis do what we do... at least the "good" ones anyway... So I guess... if I look at it that way... I'M a counterinfectionalist... you can cut the irony with a rusty scalpel...

- DNR

Any religion worth its salt is going to have a addendum or two, my friend. Rome was not built in a day, as they say! We learn from our mistakes and strive towards a perfect world: that is the spirit of Counterinfectionalism. The good spirit, not the evil ones that we so often talk about.

As for the part about joking... Well, maybe you'd need to actually hear my navi's jokes to understand that one. Anyways, that aside, Netbattling is a serious application. We can't sully it by treating it like some casual experience. Think of it like you would a church service of a funeral, huh? You don't make jokes during a service!

~Professor Burt J. Blanchard

.... I.... don't think I have anything else to say now... but ... is not the good spirit one full of live and able to give said happiness to the world? To make this so perfect world you strive for? Isn't that what humor is for?

- DNR

Yes, but humor has its place and I believe that place is in the company of good friends or acquaintances, but not amongst the company of evil spirits or viruses.

Also, certain individuals should just avoid joke-telling entirely, but that's my personal opinion on the matter.

~Professor Burt J. Blanchard

I-- wait a second, does your navi need help with making jokes? Because I can totally help with that!

-DNR

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I-- wait a second, does your navi need help with making jokes? Because I can totally help with that!

-DNR

Ha ha ha, no, no, I don't want her to ever tell another joke again.

Ever.

~Professor Burt J. Blanchard

Oh c'mon, please? I'll make sure it'll work~

-DNR

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Primary Goals:

The goal of Counterinfectionalism is the creation of a perfect world (I.E. A heaven on earth) through the eradication of evil. Evil solidifies itself in the form of viruses on the net. Therefore, the goal of Counterinfectionalism is the destruction of viruses.

Evil also manifests itself within the motivations of some navis whom inhabit the net. While theories on how to deal with the evil inside of people so far have all proven merely experimental with mixed results, the Counterinfectionalist should also make it his goal to free these people from their evil, through battle if necessary.

Quick question: have you considered that these 'manifestations of evil' are created by a single source, not just spontaneously? In theory, crushing the problem at it source would be the best course of action, seeing as the entity can make as many viruses as it likes with nearly unlimited resources, excepting time. They're just bits of data, really.

--Ceres Notara

You see, the viruses that we see on the net could be considered to "randomly pop up everywhere," but in reality, that's not the case. The body of the virus is indeed data, but that data found its origin in the giant Cybeasts, embodiments of evil that had long been unable to enter any area such as the net to manifest itself. When those Cybeasts were originally created, even if seemingly by humans, it was all by the will of evil. The viruses were formed from the fragments and scraps of the Cybeasts, and continue to spawn today from the data of other viruses and new-age beasts. Does that answer your question?

~Professor Burt J. Blanchard

Have you considered that 'the will of evil' isn't a mysterious force, but a single entity?
Maybe even... a single person? Or the corruption of a single person's works?

Also, if your theory is correct, viruses should still be able to infinitely spawn as long as one or two are still in existence; unless you jacked everything out of the Net and did a re-formatting or something of the like, there'd be simply no hope to exterminate them all. Even then... more can always be made.

--Ceres Notara

Ha ha, but you've yet to understand the beauty of Counterinfectionalism! You see, as we continue to destroy the evil around the net and increase the number of people doing their civic duty of virusbusting, we'll experience less and less viruses. Deleting these viruses isn't just deleting viruses, it's actually ridding the world of the evil that's manifested! Eventually, there will be no evil left to make people create more viruses, then the gears of evil will have ground to a halt. There will be no more evil... not just on the net, but throughout the entire world! The viruses are manifestations of evil, but eventually evil's numbers will dwindle in response to humanity's efforts, creating a perfect society. Are you starting to see the bigger picture here?

~Burt J. Blanchard

I saw your point to begin with, to be honest. One last question...

Counterinfectualism seems to just be a stricter form of virus busting, which is already pretty widely practiced... for fun. What makes you think that others, who don't -already- bust, will take up the practice? Surely, casual busters (like myself) aren't interested in making their free time less fun. If anything, viruses are just an annoyance.

Also, my opinion remains of crushing 'evil' at its source, as you put it.

--Ceres Notara

Ceres' navi, Enigma, speaking here. As a navi myself, I fail to see why the viruses are so inherently malicious. I've had experiences with some very innocent Metools myself, and I think that most viruses don't know any better than to attack hapless travelers, as it's in their programming.

I see your point as well Enigma, and I also see your point Ceres too, with what it being casual too. I guess evil can leave viruses sometimes? That sounds rather fitting to the whole Counterinfectualism.

Those metools that are attacking you are doing so because they are manifested. If they are not manifested there, they could be inside of anyone as spirits of evil, causing them to do just about anything malicious that you can think of! As I mention in my creed, you must not be fooled by the appearances of these viruses. And this:

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Surely, casual busters (like myself) aren't interested in making their free time less fun.

attitude is exactly what we're trying to do away with in Counterinfectionalism. People must realize that, while perhaps "fun," virus busting is a necessary, life-fulfilling goal. You can do so with joy, but it must also be a solemn, sacred practice. The real "fun" will come once we've achieved our perfect world on earth for our generations to come, or perhaps even within our own lifetime!

~Professor Burt J. Blanchard

I'm going to make a few points in number form.

1. We attacked the Mets first, and they were just hanging around, having fun. I still can't believe my actions really. (Enigma: I'm just upset that the Metool Hero EJO'd me so fast.)

2. Attitude? I'm sorry that I don't want to make one of my favorite hobbies a religious event. I'm not particularly into organized religion; I just wanted to see if you could defend yours. It seems that you know your stuff pretty well.

3. There will always be evil. If there isn't evil, then there can't be good, because there's nothing to judge good by; evil, at least, is a good, bad example. There's also no such thing as 'perfect'. If you magically manage to exterminate every last virus on the Net and prevent people or the viruses themselves from making more... there will still be crime and corruption in the real world, probably spurred on by the fact that virus busters will have nothing left to do. :'D What'd be the fun of having a navi then? I think life would be a lot less interesting without viruses.

(Enigma: Maybe, just maybe, the fact that we're your friends?)

I suppose.

(Enigma: Ass.)

4. Hell, applying a religion to the Net just isn't practical. At least churches based on search engines are a joke...

--Ceres Notara

Okay, I'm trying to be patient, but this is beginning to get silly. What part of this "They take the form of cutesy things to get you not to attack them" thing are you not understanding? They weren't playing, they were utilizing the defense mechanism of seeming cute and likable. Same thing for that Metool "Hero."

Being a religion major and teacher, I know my religions. However, I've decided that the only one that matters is Counterinfectionalism, and so should you, friend! Trust me on this, or, if you'd rather, join me in my Religious Studies course at Dentech!

Third, no, there will not always be evil if we rise to stop it. Evil has existed up till this point because we did not have a method to stop it, but now, in this modern age, we have created one! Save that "all evil is only evil by reference" stuff for a philosophy major. When I say "evil" I mean the spirit that makes us do things that counteract our better nature.

A church based on a search engine? That's silly, ha ha ha! Who'd make such a silly religion as that?

~Professor Burt J. Blanchard

I don't think I fully prepared myself for this argument. I may check out your class later though.

--Ceres Notara

I have updated the first post of this page to feature the names of those I feel are infected by evil spirits. If you see these people, please practice your exorcism method of choice. I'd recommend battle, but this is a new religion with room for experimentation!

Additionally, if anyone knows any other names that should be added to this list, please let me know.

~Burt J. Blanchard

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Awwww, is someone a little upset?

-Stunt