#ARK-AV

[incorrect-hs-quotes]

FEFERI: S)(ark fun fact: S)(arks do not follow politics and t)(ey do not )(ave a declared government system!

ERIDAN: i could change that

[adventure-showdown]

What is the Best Doctor Who Story Ever Told?

Hello everybody and welcome to this, frankly ridiculously sized, tournament between not only every televised Doctor Who story, not only the spinoffs, not only a large number of minisodes, but over a 100 audios and dozens of other stories from other corners of the EU.

Now we will have to whittle over 600 stories down to jusst one, that is a lot of matches, a lot of rounds, just a lot, until very late in the game, rounds will be posted across several days. Right now the goal is to post (up to) new matches daily from Sunday to Thursday, with Friday's a day off for my own sake, which in my current plan places the final on the 18th of December (thats right, this'll be out of date before its even over, during round 2 in fact)

You can use this form to submit propaganda for your favourite stories (or anti propaganda for ones you hate). there is a more checkable list of nominations here if you want to know what you can submit propaganda for

without further ado

ROUND 1 (Group Stage)

earlier in the year I ran some polls between televised Doctor Who stories, the top 50% for each Doctor have automatically advanced to Round 2, which is why (a) there are stories missing, and (b) the groups between the remaing stories are a lot deadlier

Every day will have groups from across the Doctor Who Universe, from Classic Who, New Who, TV Spinoffs, and the EU

Day 6

Group 1

The Twin Dilemma

Attack of the Cybermen

The Two Doctors

Timelash

Mindwarp

The Ultimate Foe

Group 2

Time and the Rani

Paradise Towers

Delta and the Bannermen

Dragonfire

Silver Nemesis

The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

Group 3

The Tsuranga Conundrum

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

Praxeus

Can You Hear Me?

Flux

Legend of the Sea Devils

Group 4

The Ghost Monument

Arachnids in the UK

Kerblam!

Orphan 55

Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children

Revolution of the Daleks

Once, Upon Time

Survivors of the Flux

The Vanquishers

Group 5

Mutant Copper

The Custodians

Taphony of the Time Loop

Robot Gladiators

Mind Snap/Angel of the North/The Last Precinct/Hound of the Korven/The Eclipse of the Korven

Group 6

For Tonight We Might Die

The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo

Nightvisiting

Co-Owner of a Lonely Heart/Brave-ish Heart

Detained

The Metaphysical Engine or What Quill Did

The Lost

Group 7

The Last Beacon

Serenity

Rhys and Ianto's Excellent Barbecue

A Spoonful of Mayhem

The Lumiat

Too Many Masters

Group 8

Expiry Dating

Ghosts

The Cars that Ate London!

A Photograph to Remember

Psychodrome

Iterations of I

Group 9

Living Legend

The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50

The Bekdel Test

Oh No It Isn't

The Eleven Day Empire/The Shadow Play

Smoke and Mirrors

Group 10

Dooms Day hour 1

An Adventure in Space and Time

Shada (1992) version with linking narration from Tom Baker

Shada animated reconstruction

Return to Shada webcast with 8

Group 11

Dreamland

Real Time

Scream of the Shalka

The Infinite Quest

Ronald Rat continuity announcement

The Man from M.I.5

Group 12

Dr Who and the Daleks

Dalek's Invasion of Earth 2150AD

Doctor in Distress

Doctorin' the TARDIS

I'm gonna Spend my Christmas with a Dalek

previous days under the cut

Day 1

Group 1

The Sensorites

Planet of Giants

The Web Planet

The Crusade

Mission to the Unknown

The Massacre

The Celestial Toymaker

The Savages

Group 2

Marco Polo

Galaxy 4

The Myth Makers

The Ark

The Gunfighters

The Smugglers

Group 3

The Underwater Menace

The Ice Warriors

The Dominators

The Krotons

The Seeds of Death

Group 4

The End of the World

The Unquiet Dead

Aliens of London/World War Three

The Long Game

Boom Town

Group 5

The Christmas Invasion

Love and Monsters

Gridlock

Voyage of the Damned

Planet of the Dead

Group 6

Invasion of the Bane

Revenge of the Slitheen

Eye of the Gorgon

Warriors of Kudlak

Whatever Happened to Sarah-Jane

The Lost Boy

Group 7

The Last Sontaran

The Day of the Clown

Secrets of the Stars

The Mark of the Berserker

The Temptation of the Sarah-Jane Smith

Enemy of the Bane

Group 8

Prisoner of the Judoon

The Mad Woman in the Attic

The Wedding of Sarah-Jane Smith

The Eternity Trap

Mona Lisa's Revenge

Group 9

The Marian Conspiracy

The Apocalyspe Element

The Shadow of the Scourge

The Holy Terror

Storm Warning

Group 10

Minuet in Hell

Loups-Garoux

The Chimes of Midnight

Seasons of Fear

The Time of the Daleks

Group 11

Jubilee

Neverland

Spare Parts

Creatures of Beauty

Doctor Who and the Pirates

Group 12

Omega

Master

Zagreus

Scherzo

The Natural History of Fear

Group 13

The Room With All the Doors

Grey Matter

Lepidoptery for Beginners

Something Borrowed

Nothing at the End of the Lane

Group 14

Divided Loyalties

Fear of the Dark

Fear Itself

12 Doctors, 12 Stories

Scratchman

The Stranger

Group 15

Vampire Science

Alien Bodies

Seeing I

The Scarlet Empress

Unnatural History

Interference

Group 16

The Blue Angel

The Burning

The Turing Test

The Year of Intelligent Tigers

The City of the Dead

The Adventuress of Henrietta Street

Day 2

Group 1

The Highlanders

The Faceless Ones

The Abominable Snowmen

The Wheel in Space

The Space Pirates

Group 2

Ambassadors of Death

Colony in Space

Day of the Daleks

The Time Monster

Frontier in Space

Death to the Daleks

Group 3

Doctor Who and the Silurians

The Claws of Axos

The Mutants

Planet of the Daleks

The Monster of Peladon

Planet of Spiders

Group 4

New Earth

Tooth and Claw

The Girl in the Fireplace

Fear Her

The Shakespeare Code

Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks

The Lazarus Experiment

The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky

Group 5

Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel

The Idiot's Lantern

42

The Doctor's Daughter

The Next Doctor

Group 6

The Gift

The Nightmare Man

The Vault of Secrets

Death of the Doctor

The Empty Planet

Group 7

Lost in Time

Goodbye, Sarah-Jane Smith

Sky

The Curse of Clyde Langer

The Man Who Never Was

Group 8

Everything Changes

Day One

Ghost Machine

Cyberwoman

Small Worlds

Group 9

Arrangements for War

The Harvest

Faith Stealer

Caerdroia

Terror Firma

Group 10

Singularity

Other Lives

The Kingmaker

The Girl Who Never Was

The Condemned

The Doomwood Curse

Group 11

The Magic Mousetrap TIE

The Company of Friends: Benny's Story

The Company of Friends: Fitz's Story

The Company of Friends: Izzy's Story

The Company of Friends: Mary's Story TIE

A Death in the Family

Group 12

Robophobia

The Silver Turk

1963: The Assassination Games

The Widow's Assassin

Dalek Soul

The Grey Man of the Mountain

Group 13

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

Anachrophobia

The Book of the Still

The Crooked World

Camera Obscura

The Gallifrey Chronicles

Group 14

The Left-Handed Hummingbird

Human Nature

Lungbarrow

The Blood Cell

Engines of War

Group 15

The Book of War

This Town Will Never Let Us Go

Of the City of the Saved

Doctor Who and Shada (fan novelisation)

Harvest of Time

Group 16

The Star Beast

Voyager

The World Shapers

Ground Zero

The Flood

Day 3

Group 1

Robot

Revenge of the Cybermen

The Android Invasion

The Sunmakers

Meglos

Group 2

The Brain of Morbius

Image of the Fendahl

The Power of Kroll

The Creature from the Pit

Nightmare of Eden

Group 3

Victory of the Daleks

The Curse of the Black Spot

Closing Time

Asylum of the Daleks

The Bells of Saint John

Name of the Doctor

Group 4

The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood

Night Terrors

The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

A Town Called Mercy

Hide

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

The Crimson Horror

Group 5

Countrycide

Greeks Bearing Gifts

They Keep Killing Suzie

Random Shoes

Out of Time

Group 6

Combat

Captain Jack Harkness

End of Days

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Sleeper

To the Last Man

Group 7

Meat

Adam

Reset

Dead Man Walking

A Day in the Death

Something Borrowed

Group 8

The Blood of the Daleks

Horror of Glam Rock

Immortal Beloved

Phobos

No More Lies

Group 9

Human Resources

To the Death

The Eleven

The Red Lady

The Galileo Trap

Group 10

The Gift

The Sonomancer

Absent Friends

The Eighth Piece

The Doomsday Chronometer

Group 11

The Crucible of Souls

Ship in a Bottle

Songs of Love

The Side of the Angels

Stop the Clock

Group 12

The Fallen

The Land of Happy Endings

Old Friends

Space in Dimension Relative and Time

Time in Reverse

Group 13

The Zero Imperative

The Devil of Winterborne

Unnatural Selection

Ghosts of Winterborne

When to Die

Group 14

Summoned by Shadows

More Than a Messiah

In Memory Alone

The Terror game

Breach of the Peace

Eye of the Beholder

Day 4

Group 1

Planet of Evil

The Invisible Enemy

The Invasion of Time

The Armageddon Factor

Destiny of the Daleks

Group 2

The Sontaran Experiment

The Masque of Mandragora

The Talons of Weng-Chiang

Underworld

The Leisure Hive

Full Circle

Group 3

The Lodger

The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People

Let's Kill Hitler

Cold War

Nightmare in Silver

Group 4

Into the Dalek

Robot of Sherwood

Kill the Moon

The Pyramid at the End of the World

The Eaters of light

Group 5

From Out of the Rain

Adrift

Fragments

Exit WOunds

Children of Earth

Miracle Day

Group 6

K9 and Company

Regeneration/Liberation/The Korven

The Bounty Hunter

Sirens of Ceres

Fear Itself

The Fall of the House of Gryffen

Group 7

Escape from Kaldor

Better Watch Out/Fairytale in Salzburg

Companion Piece

Day of the Master

Paradox of the Daleks

Inside Every Warrior

Group 8

Stranded

UNIT Dating

Here Lies Drax

The Love Vampires

Albie's Angels

Group 9

Solitaire

Peri and the Piscon Paradox TIE

The Cold Equations TIE

The Last Post

The Scorchies

Nightshade

Group 10

Death and the Queen

The Sword of the Chevalier

No Place

The Creeping Death

Out of Time (individual story)

Wink

Group 11

Wartime

Zygon: When Being You Just Isn't Enough

Downtime

Sil and the Seeds of Andor

Group 12

Wall's Sky Ray lollies advert

Merry Christmas Doctor Who

Step into the 80s/On Through the 80s

A Fix With Sontarans

Dalek Weetabix advert

Famin Appeal 1985

Group 13

The Shrink

Search Out Space

Dimensions in Time

Emperor of the Daleks

The Curse of Fatal Death

Day 5

Group 1

Four to Doomsday

Terminus

Warriors of the Deep

The Awakening

Resurrection of the Daleks

Group 2

The Visitation

Black Orchid

Time-Flight

Arc of Infinity

The King's Demons

Group 3

Listen

The Girl Who Died

Sleep No More

Knock Knock

The Lie of the Land

The Empress of Mars

Group 4

The Caretaker

In the Forest of the Night

Last Christmas

The Woman Who Lived

The Return of Doctor Mysterio

Twice Upon a Time

Group 5

The Jaws of Orthrus

Dream-Eaters

Curse of Anubis

Oroborus

Alien Avatar

Group 6

The Aeolian

The Last Oak Tree

Black Hunger

The Cambridge Spy

Lost Library of Ukko

Group 7

Square One

First Days of Phaidon

Gallifrey IV

Warfare

Unity

Group 8

The Queen of Time

Paradise 5

The Elite

I am the Master

Forever Fallen

A Full Life

Group 9

The Fifth Citadel

The Forgotten Villafe

Peshka

The Concrete Cage TIE

Troubled Waters TIE

The Hollow King

Group 10

Born Again

Tardisodes

Time Crash

Space/Time

The Naked Truth

Night and the Doctor

Group 11

Pond Life

P.S.

The Great Detective

The Bells of Saint John: A prequel

The Battle of Demons Run: Two Days Later

Clara and the TARDIS

Group 12

Rain Gods

Night of the Doctor

The Last Day

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot

The Doctor's Meditation

Farewell Sarah-Jane

[edenityy]

( chapter thirteen ! )

"Hey, can I take the top bunk?"

On the ground of Noah's Ark Circus, there is a small tent, one of many, that houses the members desperate to give a performance. Inside that small tent are Leah, Ciel, and Doll, claiming their beds and settling on for the night.

A separate small bed was moved into the sparse tent, despite the tight fit of three people rather than the preferable two. Doll was gracious enough to let the fatigued Leah Barrett have it, who shivers in her clothes amidst the cold February air and reluctantly keeps her eyes open.

"Go ahead," Ciel looks up at Doll who's already climbing the ladder. "I think I prefer the bottom anyway."

Sparing a glance for his fiancé, Ciel watches as she sets up her bed. Leah's efforts don't exactly show in her work though, as her bed looks nothing like what Anna is capable of preparing.

Once settled on her bed, Doll leans down on her arm to glance at the pair. "S'been on my mind for a while. You two speak some pretty fancy upper-class English, don'tcha?"

"Pardon?" Ciel asks, hearing the rustles behind him of Leah changing her clothes. "R.. Really? It's probably because we've been working in a house since we were little.." he tries to explain.

Placing a nightgown over her head, the brunette removes the pieces of clothing from underneath to not expose herself, regardless of how tedious it is. Leah's attempts at tying it are also a bit futile, leaving the fabric to loosely fall off her shoulders with some movements.

"Blimey. Anyhoo, you just gimme a shout if there's somethin' you ain't 'ettin! There's a long life of circus ahead of you!" Doll smiles brightly before excitedly shuffling some items around. "Oh righ', wanna 'ave some sweets? Them's from the popular Funtom Company! What'd you like, caramel, milk, or strawberry flavored?" she asks, holding out an assortment of lollipops between her fingers.

A weary smile crosses the Phantomhive's face. "Well um, I'll take caramel.."

Doll smiles before her eyes drift to Leah, sitting with an expressionless face as she looks at the floor. "What about you, Diamond? Want one?" she smiles, watching the Barrett lift her head to look at her.

For a mere moment, Leah's eyes seem to sparkle, but they are quick to dim down when her eyes trail lower to her stomach and thighs. "I'm alright.."

"Are you su—?" Despite Doll's kind attempts at trying to include the girl, she's cut off when Leah lies down and turns to face the tent wall, ignoring any further words directed at her.

Brushing off the encounter, Ciel and Doll enjoy their treats until they sleep for the night, trying to combat the February cold.

"..ah.."

"..Le.."

"Leah.."

"Leah!"

Currently shaking awake his fiancé in the dead of night, a nearby candle sits beside Ciel on the floor as he tries to keep his whisper yelling to a minimum. What would normally be no surprise to a servant, the young Earl is learning for the first time that Leah is a hassle to wake up.

A firm hand keeps a grip on the girl's shoulder underneath the fabric of her nightgown, Ciel's fingers rubbing against the lace details and silk. Shaking with a bit more purpose, he glances back to make sure Doll is still fast asleep, noting how she almost snores.

Shifting in her spot on the bed, Leah's eyes blink slowly as she tries to adjust to the darkness, as well as the small light flickering a few feet away from her. She brings a thin hand to her face and gently rubs her eyes, finally awake with a not-so-welcome reaction for her fiancé.

Trailing her blue eyes up Ciel's form, she settles on his face, and amidst her moment of recollecting her thoughts, Leah moves back with a quiet gasp.

"What are you doing?" she whispers harshly, grasping at the blanket to cover her body.

Ciel removes his hand from her shoulder. "We must talk. How are we meant to get into those tents?"

"I don't know, now get away from my bed! I'm in my nightwear, this is beyond scandalous!" Leah knits her brows.

"You don't need to prove your virtue to me. Now is not the time for that," the Phantomhive complains.

Fighting back a scoff, Leah purses her lips. "This is not about my virtue. If anyone were to see—"

"No one is going to see!" Ciel cuts off.

"I am an unmarried lady in my nightwear with my fiancé far too close to my bed. The thought alone is terrible so unless you plan on marrying me in this very moment, get back to your side of the room!" her voice speeds up towards the end of her sentence, slight anger flowing through her words.

Taking a moment to stare in exasperation, Ciel grabs his candle and reluctantly moves back to his bed. "You are so stubborn!" he complains.

"You are just as stubborn. And you wake me up at an ungodly hour and choose to complain about my behavior?!" Leah hisses, feeling irritated after being awoken.

The betrothed teenagers silently stare at each other for a long few moments, taking in their features in the dimly lit tent. Clearing his throat, Ciel glances away when he notes the glimmer in Leah's eye or how the candlelight shines on her pale skin.

"Just.. go back to sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow," he stammers, rearranging his blankets in preparation to lay down again.

Slowly lowering the sheets from her form, Leah shivers when a wave of cold air hits her cheek. "You couldn't have considered that before you woke me?"

"Sleep!" Ciel almost breaks his whisper before blowing out the candle, listening to Leah's shuffling as she gets beneath her blankets.

Letting silence fall upon them, the pair get as comfortable as they can in the atmosphere they are struggling to become accustomed to, falling asleep as they listen to Doll's snores.

— ౨ৎ —

"Get up, Diamond!"

Standing atop Leah's bed, Doll bounces and repeatedly hits the girl with a pillow. After about three minutes of effort, it finally pays off when an irritated huff leaves the one being bounced around.

"What is wrong with you?!" Leah barks, sitting up in her place on the bed.

Dropping the pillow beside her feet, Doll hops down. "You got work t' do!" she stares with furrowed brows.

Holding back a nasty remark, the young Barrett reluctantly swings her legs off the side of the bed and stands, forcing her body to wake up. Waddling over to a corner, she crouches and pieces together an outfit while pouting at the muted colors.

Working quickly, Leah manages to wrangle on her clothes as Doll works on getting Ciel up. Her dress is a simple shade of off-white, accompanied by some browns, a grey scarf, and a brown coat. 'I want to go home.'

"Whatcha talkin' about, Smile?! I said, get up!" Doll raises her voice in response to the Phantomhive's mumbling, acknowledging the sound of Leah shuffling around behind her.

Sitting up with a scream, Ciel scrambles to get his eyepatch on before Doll is capable of seeing anything. However, he is unlucky enough to not notice Leah who sees a quick flash of magenta move before her eyes with a tilt of her head.

"Newcomers 'ave t' get up early an' prepare breakfast!" placing a hand on her hip, Doll stares down at Ciel. "You ain't got the time t' snooze!"

Hardly taking a moment to question the strange color she saw, Leah chalks it up to being tired and reluctantly leaves the tent. Stepping out into the cold air, she immediately shivers when a gust of wind blows by her, pushing her hair to the side and making her capable of seeing clouds of breath.

Doll is quick to follow behind, standing beside the taller girl outside the tent and giving a small smile. Glancing down, Leah flashes a feigned one but maintains a soft look.

This moment is short lived sadly, as Doll groans in annoyance. "You're slow, Smile! We're gonna leave you behind!" she yells, waving her fist.

"I'm going now!" Ciel sweats and tries not to yell back, still half-dressed and getting himself together.

Trudging through the circus grounds, Ciel and Leah struggle to hold overflowing wooden buckets filled with vegetables. The sound of voices fills their ears as they tremble, the Barrett nearly dropping carrots in failed attempts to simultaneously combat the cold that tries to seep through her coat.

'All that sword training and it didn't make me any stronger? What happened to that strength I had when I sent that man to the ground..' she puffs out her cheeks in thought, keeping a steady pace beside her fiancé who glares at the ground.

"What is your outfit?"

Flicking their heads around, the two nobles are greeted by Sebastian who smirks at Ciel's choice of attire. The boy is wearing a buttoned shirt — not buttoned properly — an unbuttoned coat, pants that expose his calves, shoes just barely tied properly, and unkempt hair. Even Leah managed to make herself more presentable.

"It seems that you remain unaccustomed to changing clothes on your own," Sebastian feigns a chuckle.

Turning his head back around, Ciel releases a sound of discontent at his butler's words. "I was hurrying."

"Oh dear," quickening his pace, Sebastian grabs ahold of the strings to Ciel's eyepatch. He carefully undoes the knot and replaces it with his signature one. "You are going to have a difficult time untying a dead knot on your own."

All around them, people gawk at the scene, Leah included, as they watch Ciel's face flush at the interaction and many eyes that watch him. Watching on the side opposite Leah, Doll bursts out laughing.

"Smile, Black ain't your mum!" she shows her teeth, the crowd joining in on the laughter.

Ciel stomps his foot. "No! It's— a habit.. Well, no just sometimes.." he struggles to find an explanation.

Glancing beside him, he watches Sebastian carefully rearrange Leah's attire and fix her scarf much to his dismay. The Barrett — wanting some semblance of home — gladly takes the help.

"Sebastian! Don't treat us as your master while we're here!" Ciel keeps himself a few steps ahead of the demon, trying to keep his voice low. "Leave us be!"

Finishing up his work on Leah, Sebastian closes his eyes in a way to internally bow. "Understood. I shall at once," he whispers.

— ౨ৎ —

Off in a corner on the circus grounds, the betrothed teens sit on boxes and work hard to prepare the vegetables they were given for breakfast. They have spent the last fifteen minutes simply peeling the potatoes and carrots, albeit terribly, but the young Barrett has moved on to chopping the carrots the best she can.

"I hate this. Why must you drag me into everything," Leah complains, doing everything she can to not cut her smooth hands.

Shifting his attention to his fiancé, Ciel gives her a look of disbelief. "I did not drag you into anything! This is all Sebastian's fault," he grumbles.

"You know, when I always come along with you on your little adventures it is because I want to spend time with you but this is not what—" Leah is cut off by Doll waltzing over.

"Smile, what're ya plannin' on makin' from them potatoes with peels thicker than the meat?" she asks before glancing down at a small piece of potato in the blue-haired boy's hand. "Smile! Whaddya think you're doin'?! You peeled that many?!" Doll shouts.

Staring with wide eyes and clenched teeth, Ciel's face flushes in embarrassment once more. "I— I'm sorry!" he apologizes loudly.

Doll reaches down and plucks the piece of potato from Ciel's hand. "Cor blimey, what part of this can we eat..?" Her eyes trail over to the carrots Leah cut. "Well, at least those aren't as bad."

Placing a hand to his chin in thought, Sebastian trains his gaze to the floor until he has an idea.

"It cannot be helped. I shall deep fry them as they are into crisps and make them into fish and chips," he picks up the bucket of potatoes from Ciel's side and begins to walk off.

Leah and Ciel both watch as Doll's eyes light up in excitement, walking off with the butler. "Cor! I love those!"

"This cannot be worth it.." Leah complains, standing from her spot on the box to follow behind them.

— ౨ৎ —

It's not long before Sebastian is capable of fixing the aristocrat's mistakes, serving breakfast in the mess tent with a welcoming smile on his face. The tent is filled with lively chatter as the people eat or fight for food.

Entering the mess tent with quick steps is Doll, dragging Ciel and Leah behind her as she forces them to follow.

"Look, we're going!" Doll acts mildly concerned.

Ciel, struggling to keep up while being dragged, hardly notices that his fiancé manages to slip from the girl's grip. "Going where..?"

"If we don't hurry we'll miss the meat!" she takes the Phantomhive into the crowd of people and shoves her way through. "Hey! Outta my way!" Doll shouts.

Left behind, Leah watches as the people fight to get what food they want for the morning. She stares at the food for a moment — at least what she can see through the bodies — and feels a sharp pang of hunger hit her stomach. Swallowing air, the Barrett walks off to one of the tables and sits with shaking hands, nervously rubbing her fingers as she waits for Ciel to return to her side.

Thankfully for the noble, there isn't much waiting that needs to be done as just within a few minutes, Doll and Ciel both take a seat at the table. Glancing beside her, she notes how Ciel is in shambles, lightly shaking with disheveled clothes and hair that is somehow worse than before.

"What? Looks like you only got bread in the end," Doll stares down at Ciel's bare plate before noticing there is nothing in front of Leah. "Diamond! You didn't get anything at all?" her smile almost drops.

"Yeah.."

"I'm not hungry."

Doll quickly slaps the smile back on her face, brushing off the aristocrat's words. Swooping her fork down to her plate, she begins to load some of her pile onto Ciel's plate.

"Well, that's that. I'll share some of my grub with you! You're skin 'n bones so eat up!" Doll hardly pays any attention to Ciel's thanks and shoves a fork puncturing some potatoes towards Leah's mouth. "You too, Diamond!"

Pressing her lips into a thin line, Leah diverts her head to the right. "I'm not hungry.." she lies, trying not to cry at the food in front of her face.

Ciel lifts his head to observe his fiancé's face. He doesn't understand why exactly she acts so strange around food, but he feels a small itch of concern.

"There ain't no way you ain't hungry! I didn't see you eat anything yesterday, you gotta be—" Doll doesn't have the chance to finish her sentence before Leah manages to run out of the tent. She turns to Ciel. "What's her problem?"

Keeping a light run, the young Barrett leaves the mess tent behind her until she finds a secluded area of the circus grounds. Coming to a slow stop, she listens to people pass by her spot while she attempts to not cry — until she does.

Placing a shaky hand over her mouth, Leah allows a stream of tears to slowly fall from her eyes and does her best to keep her breathing in check. However, it's hard for the girl as she nearly hyperventilates. This crying doesn't get to last long though, frantically wiping her tears at the sound of someone's footsteps getting much too close for her liking.

Stepping around the corner is none other than Joker, looking down at the brunette in surprise. "Oi, lass. What're ya doin' back here?" he asks before noticing the wet gleam on her tinted cheeks. "Are ya alright?"

Running the back side of her fingers across her cheeks, Leah tries to hide the embarrassment she feels at being caught crying. "I'm alright.." she whispers with an undeniable voice crack.

"Are ya sure? You can talk to me," Joker tries to persuade the girl but only receives a noise of discontent in return.

"I don't want to talk about it.." the Barrett clenches her teeth and wipes the last of her tears, struggling to meet the man in the eye.

Looking down with soft eyes, Joker places his real hand on Leah's head and gently rubs. "Well if ya need any help, just come to me or Doll." he reminds. "Why don't ya take a moment and go practice? Get yer mind off things."

A cold gust of wind blows over the pair, causing the brunette to wrap her scarf around herself tighter. Disregarding her wishes of wanting to go home and be in the warmth, Leah speeds off with a nod towards the practice tent and reluctantly walks into the chatter of the other future performers.

Dragging her eyes across the faces of the people, she feels a wave of anxiety at the prospect of interacting with any other them. Whether it be her lacking social skills or not wanting to get close, Leah instead chooses a spot off to the side for herself, trying to think of what she could practice.

'Well I can't do contortions in this dress..' she puffs her cheeks out in thought until she notices one of the balls used to balance. 'That'll do.'

Leah spends most of her time practicing trying to get atop the ball until she is capable, roughly getting an idea of how she is meant to balance. There was a temptation to run over when she caught a glimpse of Doll and Ciel, but she had decided against it after her small outburst from hardly even an hour ago.

Shakily balancing on a ball, her peace gets interrupted by a familiar tuft of ginger.

"Diamond! Could ya take these towels to the shower area? Ya don't gotta step inside, just leave it near the entrance," Joker asks, training his gaze on the Barrett who is trying her best at the circus antics.

Releasing a breath through her nose, Leah gently drops from the ball and takes a look at the towels in Joker's arms. "I suppose.." she replies, allowing the taller male to hand her the towels.

Setting off with a nod, the teenager keeps a steady pace and is once again forced to combat the cold, her naturally cold hands make it feel worse. Leah is far from content but takes deep breaths to prevent herself from throwing a fit or breaking down in front of a crowd.

The girl is certain she is close to the shower area when she hears a louder group of chatter, preparing to divert her eyes but the voices take her attention.

"Wait.. Please stop that!"

"But you're gonna catcha cold like that! C'mon!"

"Stop th—"

The young Barrett, being nosy, purses her lips while she listens to the voices, recognizing the sound of Doll and Ciel. She forces herself to divert her eyes though, reminding herself that she is a lady in far too close of proximity to undressed men. Leaning down, she places the towels on a nearby box and her eyes trail off against her will, landing on the mark now visible on Ciel's exposed back.

Pausing at the sight, Leah's breath hitches as she stares in confusion. This feeling worsens when her fiancé runs directly past her, leaving Doll behind him who desperately chases after him for only a few moments. Leah shakes her head and drops the towels down, lightly jogging in the hopes of catching up with Ciel.

'What was that on his back..? I've never seen anything like that before.' she thinks, giving Doll and the shower area one last look as she walks off.

At first, Leah struggles to find the boy, only being able to use a general idea of where he could have run. It's not until she can hear voices in the distance that she's almost certain she's found him.

"Anyways, we just need to investigate the troupe's tents and we can go home," Ciel says, allowing Sebastian to begin unbuttoning his shirt.

"I thought that you were patiently aiming to be promoted through the troupe?" questions the butler.

Tilting her head, Leah follows the voices to a secluded area.

"I can't mention something that takes so long—"

Turning the corner, the betrothed teens come face to face. Initially, there is silence until the Barrett's eyes trail down, noticing that Ciel is lacking a shirt. With widened eyes, she begins to scream.

Slapping her hands over her eyes, Leah begins to back away from her fiancé who now stares at her with an incredulous look. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" she repeats, running away from the scene.

'No one can know about my time here! I shall die before this becomes known to anyone else!' Leah fights back her thoughts with a shake of her head, swallowing loudly as she tries to calm her thoughts and lightly flushed face.

— ౨ৎ —

Later that night, Leah recovers from the oh-so-scandalous scene and is found in a tent, working alongside Ciel and Sebastian to ready the circus troupes for tonight's performance. Both of the teenagers are finally given a window to take a break, the brunette's eye nearly twitching from the constant requests she had been subjected to moments prior.

"Ah.." Ciel sits down on a stool beside her with w plop. "Excuse me.. What should we do while the show is going on—" sharply turning his head around the room, the boy realizes that only a few people remain in the tent.

Standing up at this revelation, Ciel takes ahold of Leah's wrist running towards Sebastian who stands near William at a clothing rack. "Sebastian! His mark missed! We don't know when the next chance will come. Let's get through investigating that tent now! Have it be over within ten minutes!" he orders.

"Please don't pull me up so fast.. Anemia, remember? I may faint," Leah tries to remind her fiancé who now tries to tug her without as much force, noting how her face somehow manages to appear more pale than usual.

Fighting the feeling of lightheadedness, the trio move quickly but they only manage to make it a couple of feet from the tent before they are caught.

"Black! Miss Wendy twist'd 'er ankle, so she can't appear in the performance 'nymore. So Black, please go out in 'er place." Joker approaches them from behind, carrying Wendy on his back with Peter by his side. The show'll be fine if you do it, Black, so I beg of ye. It'll be yer turn shortly, so please get ready soon!"

Sebastian looks down and releases a huff of air, listening to Ciel groan beside him. "'Tis a pity, Young Master. We'll have to wait for another chance." he waits for a response but is surprised to meet silence. "Young Master?"

"We don't need to sneak into that place for long. On top of that, now might be the only time when that person is not in there. Leah and I have time. The tough part is just the venomous snakes," Ciel walks over or a paper taped to a board showing the day's schedule. "According to the program, your debut will end at nineteen-fifty and the encore at twenty. You'll catch all of the snakes in five minutes from now, then appear in the show. Finish your debut at nineteen-fifty, and once you've gone into the back and released all of the snakes, you'll return for the encore. I'll investigate the rest. Let's go!"

Turning around with haste, Ciel runs for the tents with Leah in his shadow who occasionally stops to catch her breath. Now approaching the first-string member's tents, they come to a stop.

Placing an arm out in front of Leah, the Phantomhive stops her from moving any further. "Wait until we are finished. I don't want you to get hurt," he warns, knowing that his true intention is so his fiancé won't question Sebastian on his capabilities.

Giving an exasperated look, the young Barrett doesn't bother fighting, allowing the men to take a few minutes to handle the snakes before she follows in after them.

"All right. You go straight to the show tent. You'll be suspended if you're tardy," Ciel orders.

"Certainly, Sir," making his way to the entrance of the tent, Sebastian opens the flap and looks back. "I will be back at once."

Both of the teens fall upon a comfortable silence and move about the grounds, picking one of the first tents to graze their eyes. Entering, they notice a lack of decor but corsets hang up from the top of the tent, signifying Beast's quarters.

Walking in with quiet steps, Ciel walks towards a suitcase with a framed photo sitting atop it. "This tent looks quite austere." he picks up the photo. "Hm? A photo of children? Are they from the troupe?"

Leah glances down at the photo as well and recognizes some of the familiar faces. "I shall play lookout for you as you search!" she announces.

"You complain about never being told anything but deliberately put yourself in a position where you won't get to learn about our situation?" Ciel questions, turning to show a raised brow.

"Oh, hush! I don't care anymore, I just want to go home.. before any more of my dignity is taken from me," sighs Leah, walking out of the tent and crouching in a corner covered in shadows.

Most of Leah's time spent waiting in the shadows is bleak. The only comfort she receives is the sound of crickets or the trees rustling, saving her from the silence of her thoughts. It's not until she notices Beast approaching her tent that she starts to panic, realizing Ciel is about to be discovered.

Stepping out from the hiding spot, Leah sprints Beast's direction and tries to flag her down. "Excuse me! I need help!" she lies.

Beast turns her head with knitted brows and clenches the blanket covering her chest tighter. "What are you doing over here?"

"I um— got lost! I needed to find the show tent but I fear I just have no sense of direction!" Leah tries to explain, raising her voice to alarm Ciel so he can hide.

Giving a blank stare, Beast turns to point a finger in the tent's general direction. "Over that way," she says.

"Thank you so much!" stutters the Barrett as she runs past her and ducks past another corner once she knows Beast has entered her tent.

Leah continues her lookout once more, knowing it's nearly over when she catches a look at Sebastian leaving the tent to return for the encore. But that means that she now has to panic upon hearing the voices of the first-string members getting louder and runs for Ciel who leaves Beast's tent, ducking behind two boxes to get past the circus troupes.

The pair stay silent to not give their location, the brunette staring at Ciel who appears lost in thought. However, this silence is breached when Doll shines a lantern over their heads, staring down at their crouching figures with wide eyes and face devoid of any expression.

"Hey. What're you doin' there?"

[sweet-caress-of-twilight]

Going off of one of my previous reblogs, i attempted to make a list of where in the world every Disney Animated Canon movie takes place

Antarctica:

Pablo the Cold-Blooded Penguin (The Three Caballeros) (Pablo starts out living in the South Pole and then he goes to Chile, Peru, and Ecuador)

Africa

The Lion King

Tarzan

Asia

Aladdin is set in a mishmash of Middle Eastern countries. It was supposed to be in Iraq, but because of the Persian Gulf War, Disney said no, so it takes place in the fictional country of Agrabah, which is inspired by Baghdad in Iraq.

Raya and the Last Dragon is set in a mishmash of Southeast Asian countries, but takes the most inspiration from Vietnam

China: Mulan

India: The Jungle Book

Europe

England: The Wind in the Willows (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad), Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, 101 Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood, Winnie the Pooh, The Great Mouse Detective

France: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Aristocats, Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Germany: Snow White, Tangled

Greece: The Pastoral Symphony (Fantasia), Hercules

Italy: Pinocchio

Norway: Frozen (Arendelle is heavily inspired by Norway)

Russia: Peter and the Wolf (Make Mine Music)

Spain: Wish (Rosas is inspired by Spain and located off the Iberian Peninsula)

Turkey: Pomp and Circumstance (Fantasia 2000) is about Noah's Ark, and many people believe that the ark landed at Mount Ararat in present-day Turkey

Ukraine: Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria (Fantasia) (the real Bald Mountain is Mount Triglaf, near Kyiv in Ukraine)

Wales: The Black Cauldron

North America

Mexico:

Las Posadas

Mexico: Pátzcuaro, Veracruz and Acapulco

You Belong to My Heart/Donald's Surreal Reverie (all from The Three Caballeros)

United States:

Different towns in Massachusetts and California have claimed to be the Mudville that Casey at the Bat (Make Mine Music) takes place in, but the author of the original poem said it has no basis in fact.

The Legend of Johnny Appleseed (Melody Time) - the real Johnny Appleseed (real name John Chapman) planted apple trees in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Ontario, and West Virginia

Lady and the Tramp could take place somewhere in New England

The Fox and the Hound looks like it takes place in Appalachia, so maybe Pennsylvania or Virginia

Home on the Range is somewhere in the Old West

Bolt takes place across America: starts out in California, the title character ends up in New York, visits Ohio, and is back to California by the end

Alaska: Brother Bear

California: Wreck it Ralph (Ralph Breaks the Internet reveals that Litwak's Arcade is in California), Big Hero 6

Florida: Dumbo

Hawaii: Lilo and Stitch

Louisiana: Blue Bayou (Make Mine Music), most of The Rescuers, The Princess and the Frog

Maine: Bambi (the forest was based on Maine and the animators traveled to Maine for reference)

New York: Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet, The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met (Make Mine Music) (the Metropolitan Opera is in NYC), Little Toot (Melody Time), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad) (the real Sleepy Hollow is in New York), The Rescuers (the Rescue Aid Society headquarters is in NYC), Oliver and Company, Rhapsody in Blue (Fantasia 2000)

Texas: Pecos Bill (Melody Time)

Virginia: Pocahontas

Washington, DC: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Milo works at the Smithsonian

Oceania

The Rescuers Down Under: Australia

Moana: Polynesia

Pangaea

The Rite of Spring (Fantasia)

Dinosaur

South America

Argentina: Pedro, El Gaucho Goofy (Saludos Amigos)

Bolivia: Lake Titicaca (Saludos Amigos)

Brazil: Aquarela do Brasil (Saludos Amigos), Baia (The Three Caballeros), Blame It on the Samba (Melody Time),

Chile: Pedro (Saludos Amigos) (The title character delivers the mail in the Andes, between Santiago, Chile, and Mendoza, Argentina), Pablo the Cold-Blooded Penguin (The Three Caballeros)

Colombia: Encanto

Ecuador: Pablo the Cold-Blooded Penguin (The Three Caballeros) (Pablo goes to the Galapagos Islands, which is an archipelago in Ecuador)

Peru: Lake Titicaca (Saludos Amigos) (the lake is at the border between Peru and Bolivia), Pablo the Cold-Blooded Penguin (The Three Caballeros), The Emperor's New Groove

Uruguay: The Flying Gauchito (The Three Caballeros)

Unknown/does not take place in our world

Any of the package film segments not mentioned here

The Little Mermaid seems like it takes place in the Mediterranean Sea, but it could also take place in the Caribbean, which would explain Sebastian's accent

Fantasia 2000: "Pines of Rome" is set in the Arctic, so it could be anywhere from Canada to Alaska to Finland to Russia

Most of Atlantis: the Lost Empire, since the city of Atlantis is completely made up

Treasure Planet

Chicken Little

Meet the Robinsons

Zootopia

Strange World

[elliebelliegirl]

"All Jews who are at all conscious of their identity as Jews are steeped in history,” wrote Isaiah Berlin. “They have longer memories, they are aware of a longer continuity as a community than any other which has survived.”

He was right. Judaism is a religion of memory. The verb zachor appears no fewer than 169 times in the Hebrew Bible. “Remember that you were strangers in Egypt”; “Remember the days of old”; “Remember the seventh day to keep it holy”; Memory, for Jews, is a religious obligation.

This is particularly so at this time of the year. We call it the “three weeks” leading up to the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, the Ninth of Av, anniversary of the destruction of the two Temples, the first by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in 586 BCE, the second by Titus in 70 CE.

Jews never forgot those tragedies. To this day, at every wedding we break a glass in their memory. During the Three Weeks, we have no celebrations. On the Ninth of Av itself, we spend the day fasting and sitting on the floor or low stools like mourners, reading the Book of Lamentations. It is a day of profound collective grief.

Two and a half thousand years is a long time to remember. Often I’m asked — usually in connection with the Holocaust — is it really right to remember? Should there not be a moratorium on grief? Are not most of the ethnic conflicts in the world fuelled by memories of perceived injustices long ago? Would not the world be more peaceable if once in a while we forgot? Yes and no. It depends on how we remember. My late predecessor, Lord Jakobovits, used to point out that three times in the Book of Genesis God is spoken of as remembering. “God remembered Noah” and brought him out of the Ark onto dry land. “God remembered Abraham” and saved his nephew Lot from the destruction of the cities of the plain. “God remembered Rachel” and gave her a child. When God remembers, He does so for the future and for life.

In fact, though the two are often confused, memory is different from history. History is someone else’s story. It’s about events that occurred long ago to someone else. Memory is my story. It’s about where I come from and of what narrative I am a part. History answers the question, “What happened?” Memory answers the question, “Who, then, am I?” It is about identity and the connection between the generations. In the case of collective memory, all depends on how we tell the story.

We don’t remember for the sake of revenge. “Do not hate the Egyptians,” said Moses, “for you were strangers in their land.” To be free, you have to let go of hate. Remember the past, says Moses, but do not be held captive by it. Turn it into a blessing, not a curse; a source of hope, not humiliation.

To this day, the Holocaust survivors I know spend their time sharing their memories with young people, not for the sake of revenge, but its opposite: to teach tolerance and the value of life. Mindful of the lessons of Genesis, we too try to remember for the future and for life.

In today’s fast-moving culture, we undervalue acts of remembering. Computer memories have grown, while ours have become foreshortened. Our children no longer memorise chunks of poetry. Their knowledge of history is often all too vague. Our sense of space has expanded. Our sense of time has shrunk.

That cannot be right. One of the greatest gifts we can give to our children is the knowledge of where we have come from, the things for which we fought, and why. None of the things we value — freedom, human dignity, justice — was achieved without a struggle. None can be sustained without conscious vigilance. A society without memory is like a journey without a map. It’s all too easy to get lost. I, for one, cherish the richness of knowing that my life is a chapter in a book begun by my ancestors long ago, to which I will add my contribution before handing it on to my children. Life has meaning when it is part of a story, and the larger the story, the more our imaginative horizons grow. Besides, things remembered do not die. That’s as close as we get to immortality on earth.

-Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

[ikaikaaaron]

Yesterday's haul

Liga Undercrown Sungrown Robusto (5" x 54)

Ave Maria Ark of the Covenant (4.5" x 60)

La Palina Illumination Robusto (4.7" x 54)

[oliverferrie]

It's Trans Day of Rememberance, time to support your local trans author while they are still alive

I originally put this thread up on blue birb hellsite, but I wanted to make a longer, more nuanced post for Tumblr. TDOR is a heavy day for me, and every time I see the list of names it makes me want to squirrel away and cry. So instead I want to spread around some books by trans authors, to uplift our voices. The books themselves are not necessarily about trans characters (mine is not) but my experience as a trans guy does inform the text, and when I read these other works, I feel a kinship to the author in that regard, however imagined that is.

I'll start, it's me, buy my horrific (seriously, read the content warning) fantasy book about young queers surviving atrocities: SUGAR PEOPLE

Next up: Δάιος, by Andromeda Ruins (@andromedaexists). A heavy anti-establishment retelling of the fall of Icarus that leans heavily into the reality of queer folk as outcast and put at risk by the powers that be. I have yet to finish it but the prose really slaps you with its urgency.

Next up: FEMININ GANGE (Feminine gait), by Molly Øxnevad, a contemporary novel about the trans healthcare system in Norway. It's written in Norwegian (bokmål) but I really hope to see it translated in English one day because it's such an important piece of literature on the state of our centralised transmedical health system here in norway.

Next up, MAO SIN RAUDE KJOLE (Mao's Red Dress), by Jan Elisabeth Lindvik, (also norwegian, nynorsk) a coming of age novel set in the backdrop of the sixties. It's only really available in Norway, and it's another one I hope to see translated someday, but it's worth knowing about, as it's a seminal novel by a trans activist with so many decades of lived experience, as the country slowly changed its views around trans folk.

Next, we have JACK OF THORNS, Book 1 of INHERITANCE by AK Faulkner, a dark urban fantasy featuring messy queers and LOTS of trauma. I had the pleasure of meeting Faulkner at a con earlier this year, and they have got an awesome thing going with the Inheritance universe. I've been enjoying Jack of Thorns a lot, it does not hold back.

Next, it's the astounding FRESHWATER by Akwaeke Emezi, a magical contemporary novel about dissociative experiences and trauma, and how they interplay with culture and growing up. A very intense and beautifully written book that isn't afraid to tackle dissociative identities AND gender identity (something those of us who have both often have to mask for fear of being denied treatment).

AND THEY LIVED... by Stephen Salvatore, a very contemporary YA romance that deals with societal issues around being gay and nonbinary. It's written from the POV of a cringey, hopeful teen, and dances between happily-ever-after romance and a pointed exhumation of incredibly dark things.

Finally, LARK & KASIM START A REVOLUTION by Kacen Callender, a contemporary YA written in a comfortably snappy rhythm, about love, friendship and a social media mishap that spirals out of control.

If you are an author listed here and you want off this list, just let me know! If you are an author and you want ON this list, feel free to reblog and add your stuff.

Otherwise, go forth and support a trans author today! Connect with our stories, real and imagined. Increase empathy and understanding around the world. Maybe TDOR will be a memorial of the past one day, instead of a memorial of the present day.

[commsroom]

For the Doug ask game:

His favorite color?

His childhood dream job?

What clubs/activities did he participate in when he was in high school?

1 . ... difficult question! in terms of what non-neutral color he most often buys stuff in, maybe like, a rusty red? i want eiffel and lovelace to find out they own identical red flannel jackets.

2 . same as the protagonist of whatever movie or show he liked most recently. he saw raiders of the lost ark and wanted to be an archaeologist, etc. but they were all fantasy jobs (or fantasy versions of jobs) and he changed his mind every week.

3 . um. detention? eiffel's school activities were, like. skipping class. smoking under the bleachers. showing up late without his textbook or a writing utensil. talking back to teachers. general class clown antics. trying to hang out with "cool" kids who were vandalizing school property. getting framed for vandalizing school property. and so on. if his school had an AV club, he'd join that if it got him out of things he wanted to do less. he definitely hung out with a group of 90s nerd boys who played dnd and argued about comic book trivia, whether that was an official "club" or not. otherwise. eiffel used to say his favorite subject was lunch.

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

Out of curiosity, how would the Noah’s Ark Circus boys be with a fem opera singer s/o?

babies, all of em <3

Lord, she can hit notes he’s never even conceived of! He’s always in awe while she’s singing; all anyone needs to do to confirm it is to look at him. As long as his S/O has her mouth open and some tune coming out of it, his eyes are glued to her, and he’s got a dreamy expression on his face. He thinks of her as sort of… fancy and unattainable. Except, well, obviously that’s a lie, because he’s got her. It’s always a shift to him, the way he can go from thinking of her that way, to lying in her lap at night while she sings to him. She’s not some held-up ideal or just an idea or a person he can never have, she’s a dream come true. Listening to her sing makes him drift off, although he teases her, “Why are y’ try’na make me fall asleep? Any dream I ‘ave ain’t gonna ‘old a candle t’ y’.”

Well, well, look at this! Another natural entertainer just like him, so it’s no surprise they get on so grandly. Does she want to use that talent of hers in a show with the circus from time to time? He’d love it; someone as incredible as her would draw a big crowd. Of course, that’s not all he’s thinking about. He could listen to her singing all day. Even if she sings in other languages, foreign operas that he’s never heard of, even if he doesn’t know what the song is about, just her voice on its own is something to be praised. Sometimes he likes to sing with her, if he starts a song and she continues it. He’s far from a bad singer, but a professional like her blows him away. Her voice is a gift, and he doesn’t know what he did to deserve it… he’s just lucky he has it. Often, one might notice him closing his eyes to soak it in whenever she sings. It’s one of the few times he actually relaxes a bit.

Ah… well… she could be with anyone, couldn’t she? A skill like that… he’s especially appreciative of it, because music is something he’s passionate about even if he doesn’t always show it. To him this is the equivalent of dating a famous actress, and he doesn’t feel good enough for someone like her. Though, that’s not to say he looks down on himself or thinks she’s ‘better’ than he is. It’s just… it’s complicated. He still loves her, so much, and is trying to work through his feelings about it. Mostly, he just quietly admires her. Particularly whenever she’s singing. The first time he starts to play his harmonica as a background for whatever she’s singing, he does it shyly. When her eyes light up and she seems to enjoy that, however, he does it a lot less self-consciously every time after. She’s his perfect partner; he couldn’t have someone he loved more if he’d handmade them himself. Once in a rare, rare while, in private… he might actually sing with her.

Damn, how long did she train to be able to sing like that? Probably longer than he had to train to be able to do the trapeze! Or maybe not. Who knows? The king of overcompensating as usual, he sometimes brushes off her singing as something she’s spent too long on, even though he knows it’s literally her career. He realizes it might come across as hurtful, but it’s like he can’t shut his own rude comments up. It’s almost sad, because that’s not something he believes. He doesn’t think she’s ‘thrown away her life’ or spent too much time singing. He’s just… intimidated. He doesn’t think of himself as special compared to her, and thinks if he can scoff at her talent, she might appreciate his. Of course, what he fails to realize is that she probably already does appreciate his talent. In more peaceful moments, he might offer some small apologies and make it clear that he thinks her voice is amazing.

(Oooh. She has as much control over her voice as you do over yours, Snake.) Most certainly, Donne. Perhaps even more so. She’s impressive. He’s even more intimidated of his S/O than Peter is in the same situation, because of his self-worth being basically nonexistent. How can someone like her want to be with someone like him…? A part of him acknowledges that they’re similar in some way, and perhaps it’s because he knows all the effort and technique that’s required to manipulate one’s voice — whether through singing the way she does or through the acting he does. He and the snakes are all thoroughly soothed by her singing, to the point that sometimes the snakes will crawl up to rest on her throat (if that doesn’t bother her) to feel the vibrations better. There are moments, where he feels very selfish, where he lays his head on her chest and asks softly, “Would you sing me something?” Though… he typically makes an excuse that it’s a snake who wants to hear. That’s nothing new.

[calmasyoghurt]

Drömde att jag var på en konsert med The Ark men istället för att köra nån egen låt så spelade de bara rockverisioner av gamla Taube-visor

[todaysjewishholiday]

18 Menachem Av 5784 (21-22 August 2024)

According to tradition, the seven lamps of the menorah in the Beit haMikdash were lit every evening before sunset, and left to burn through the night, but one of the lights, the ner hamaaravi, would keep burning even after the other lamps went out. Thus, the kohen assigned to light the lamps of the menorah was able to light the other six lamps by kindling a taper in the still-burning flame. This continuously burning lamp is the inspiration for both the ner tamid (eternal light) that hangs in front of the Torah ark in a synagogue and the shammes in a hannukiah from which the other flames are kindled.

Legend also has it that the wickedness of king Ahaz was so great that on the eighteenth of Av early in his reign the miracle of the ner hamaaravi was withdrawn and the menorah went out completely. From that time forward the lamp burned out entirely during the night and had to be lit completely the next day.

Ahaz adopted Assyrian religious practices and worship of the Assyrian pantheon after seeking political support from the Assyrian Empire against his neighbors, including the Northern Kingdom of Samaria. He made Judah a tributary state of the Assyrians, starting a period of national subjugation to foreign empires which continued through the end of the second temple period and the dissolution of the Jewish community in Judaea following the Bar Kokhba revolt.

[sstabhmontown]

De-advanced Dungeons & Dragons

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons carries a lot of weight in the ideal imaginary “Old School”, but over the history of the “OSR” it has steadily receded. OSRIC never try to be the whole package as the B/X clones did, and since their success authors doing interesting work seem more and more drawn to either further simplified versions of Basic, or of course OD&D. As I was, starting out.

But the mystique and nostalgia of AD&D, and some of its specifics that still take up a lot of space still find ways into these games. The first big project I did on abulafia was an AD&D by way of Greenwood spellbook generator, even though another part of me wanted the abstraction that OD&D offered by never quite saying that spells were specifically in the books.

So with the party being near the end of their games, between level 7 and 10, as they started to divine questions like “where is the ark of the covenant” I knew a time was approaching to do something to cap things off. And in time for hallowe'en, I decided to prepare something special: The Tomb of Horrors.

There are a few defining features of AD&D specifically. It's rules for tournament play, with Gygax going to great length to talk about it being a proper, official way to play, even when it's filled with options, forgotten and abandoned rules, and contradictions. It also wears his voice, his language, in its strong opinions and questionable inclusions. His prejudice. And finally, it's a lot: the first time the game emerges as Three Hardcover Books. There are a lot of mechanics in there!

What is it to go back intentionally to OD&D, or folk D&D, or whatever other name you want to give the minimal style, specifically? We can see it when we look at this, one of the Most AD&D titles published: a tournament module, by Gygax, filled with strongly presented material, odd choices of detail, mechanics, and the works. Here's some of what I did.

Uhh, you probably shouldn't read this post if you think you might play in a game for this adventure, you know.

The Tournament

The Tomb of Horrors is the most exaggerated of Tournament modules: unlike many of the other adventures of the era, it never asks you to treat it any different. It's not part of a series, implying a continuous campaign, nor does it give you any tools really beyond a d6 list of possible places in Greyhawk it could be located.

I called the nearby desert the Bright Desert in recognition here. But the advice to include it in a campaign is bad advice. The adventure doesn't work in a campaign unless you do some work.

But first, the relief: they don't need to be level 10–14. Our group of level 6–10 did just fine.

It will require a full turn for searching each 10' of this cliff area. Search must be done from a distance with a long spear or 10' pole. Prodding must be high in order to colapse sufficient material to expose a portion of a tunnel entrance. Once an entrance is exposed, itwill require about 1 hour for 6 characters working in teams of 3 to thoroughly clear a passage, but a crawl space can be opened in 1 turn by 3 characters digging with a sword and hands...

Our magic-user conjured an earth elemental and spent the day clearing the entire hillside. Why would a party of powerful high level characters do any of this? The entire dungeon is shallowly just below the surface, making a complete excavation is trivial unless there's some time constraint (and there specifically isn't in the published module, with no wandering monsters). The dungeon is as unprepared for real characters as real characters are for its unfair traps—honestly a pleasing sort of symmetry.

Oh, there's one thing:

Note: Characters who become astral or ethereal in the Tomb will attract a type I-IV demon 1 in 6, with a check made each round.

This is the beginning of a tendency that I recall from my youth playing 2e, of arbitrary constraints to limit the effectiveness of high-level characters. It's one of the things I hate about AD&D design, and the avoidance of it is a big part of how the OSR is often thought of as a low-level game. So to me this is an opportunity to flesh something out about this adventure, and to try to wrestle with this problem in the game.

Like many other elements in the dungeon, this risk is presented only as rules text, without a fictional reason for this. So our strategy as we work through the dungeon can be this: to backfill a reason for each arbitrary decision, from which we can make future rulings. In some cases these rulings might be an extension, revision, or replacement of the rules text in the book. Where Gygax says a character's class ability doesn't work, let's build a framework of when it might, that we can play with.

Demons love this place but cannot entire it—Akererak has cursed them into the aether. Crossing will welcome them. The demons are imprisoned in the earth and the mortar the stonework in the dungeon, tunneling from without will free them.

Building on that idea, let's bring back in what I see as the central mechanic of old-school play: the encounter check. If you do the dungeon within the timeframe of the Tournament, sure, there will probably not be any wandering monsters. But because I've integrated torches and spells into the encounter die, we can't do without rolling—and some kind of delayed encounters will put some time pressure in when we don't have it. And—is this a tomb or not? Let's get some undead going.

Monsters approach only slowly. When you describe the monster's Spoor, foreshadowing it, add a check mark next to the encounter as it approaches. If you roll an encounter with a monster with no checkmark, do that Spoor procedure instead. Each week between visits, remove one check mark at random.

2d6 Encounters 2 Basilisk 3 Yellow mold spore 4 Gelatinous cube 5 2d6 Mummies 6 8hd Black Pudding 7 2d6 Wraiths 8 d6 Spectres 9 4d6 Gargoyles 10 Stone Golem 11 1d6 Phase Spiders 12 Demons breach from the aetheral

d6 Spoor 1–3 Check approach for an encounter (2d6) 4 Whispers in an ancient tongue echo the halls 5 Rumbling earthquake, a sign of what lies beneath 6 Blood drips from the walls themselves. Tell the party something they missed about the room they are in.

Finally, we can add another principle here: if the party wants to be careful, they can avoid a lot of trouble here. But they won't get far in a week. If it takes them six weeks of one-room adventures to find one of the major treasures that's a fair rate.

The Mechanics

While the dungeon encourages you to skip mechanics and procedures that define the rest of the game, it inserts loads of new ones. This is AD&D—and my aim is to remove these and replace them with principles to adjudicate the situtations from fiction instead. Let's work our way through some of them here.

All pits (except where noted to the contrary) throughout the Tomb are 10' deep and concealed by a counter-weighted trap door which opens as soon as any person steps on it. Thrusting with foce upon these traps with a pole will reveal them 4 in 6 (d6, 1–4). Those who step upon a pit lid will have a base 100% chance of falling, modified downwards by 1% per point of dexterity through 12, and 2% for each point about 12, i.e. dexterity of 13 = 14% chance of not falling into a pit, dexterity of 14 = 16%, 15 = 18%,...

OMG stop. D&D already includes a mechanic of saving throws, what is this for?

Pits: as the party quickly become aware that most every room in this dungeon contains a trap, make them be very specific about where they walk. The opening hallway is a great introduction to this, with a marked path.

When a character might move over a pit, but perhaps only glancingly, roll the standard 2-in-6 chance to trigger a trap—for each character. Do not reveal the trap's position unless it opens! If a character unambiguously moves over the trap, the chance is 4/6.

When a pit opens, everyone on the lid falls in. They may make saving throws against paralysis to avoid being caught on 1d4 poison spikes when they fall.

This is perhaps slightly less lethal, but with a decent sized party the pits are still more or less guaranteed to go off soon enough. In any case, my party found one pit and then avoided triggering any others. When you only cover one room per week, they won't be running out of Find Traps spells anyway.

Similarly, we can take the secret doors with unusually hard chances to find, and fit them roughly back onto the standard—I let Elves roll in the open, and clearly tell them of secrets when they roll 1–2. A door like #14 is infuriating here, with just an arbitrary 1-in-6 chance for no clearly stated reason, unless with gem of seeing. But for what? The dungeon has no dead ends, the players will clearly know there's a passage here, you aren't hiding anything with this nonsense.

Unless—it's a cramped crawlspace. I never let elves use their powers when they are encumbered, let's treat all the crawlspaces in the dungeon as one step of that. Then just make it hard to open, an invisible latch or something like it will do fine, ignore the rest of what Gygax says. I'm well-used to telling an Elf that there's some kind of false wall but not revealing the full workings of it!

The Voice

That this secret door is described only with a mechanic and not any tangible detail is absurd and play-hostile. And its all over this text.

Gygax is triumphant in his description of AD&D as the pinnacle of the form, yet he constantly derides his own work here by reinventing it. I'm sad to say that this particular vision of AD&D is still a vital part of the Product of D&D:

2020 CHANGED THE WORLD, and it changed D&D. Most tables are telling stories now in much the same way as old radio plays: crackling voices, ribald laughter, and under it all, the gentle hiss of line noise. Change—long coming, always unstoppable—accelerated. The process of running a game became centered on ceding control to players and to mechanics, finding ways to engage everyone at once. The lines between art and design have blurred everywhere else. It was inevitable that would happen to this hobby. For the first time in almost forty years, there's been a categorical change in how stories are told and in the tradecraft used to tell them. —Incredibly cringe One Night Strahd copy, navigating the official/unoffical divide as a 5e derivative, as quoted by diregrizzlybear on the OSR discord

I've long been suspicious of the OSR mission statement of “Rulings not Rules” as I love rules—and here you can see that I want to fall back to the rules of my game because I adapted, wrote, or chose them either on my own or in collaboration with my players, and I'm quite certain that we did so for good reasons. But holy hell do I feel it when I read this kind of stuff. Having just got into a needless argument (it was fine) on another discord server about what makes something OSR I am quite confident in this idea: my mission in old-school games is to make sure none of this bullshit makes it to my table.

So here's some rules for you, the kind of rules you might call Rulings or Principles for playing this dungeon. My extended notes are just a couple of pages with a few words adding to each room with how I interpret stuff that doesn't fit my OD&D game, but you can make your own version of this as you read through the dungeon. The italic blocks up above are basically sourced from that.

The dungeon is famous. Like Heracles and Thor, Akererak exists somewhere deep in the history of every fantasy world. If no one in your play group is going to recognize the green face trap and know they are in The Tomb of Horrors, you'd better tell them they are—but if they are nerds, you can let that be the revelation. (I spell it with a K as a long-winded joke about how his legend comes to us via fantasy-ancient-greek sources.)

Use the rules of the game, adapted to the situation of the text, not the other way around. Negotiate places where the text says a character's main thing doesn't work—let it work, at a cost, or only in an inconvenient scope. The spell of Knock can open a lock, but only like turning a key once.

The dungeon key is for the referee. The pictures are for your eyes, and the countdowns are ones you don't need to do out loud—just make inaction matter.

Doors are stone! Destroy exotic materials and let the mythic underworld do its thing. If an item is warded against magic, that is itself a magic rune, someplace on the object, discoverable in its own way.

Wandering monsters always exist, even if they are slow.

This dungeon is here for a reason, and all of the ends of this adventure are real ends.

While you read through, you'll be able to note things that could have been clearer in the original, like a point-form version of how to trigger various outcomes on the arch in room 5, or the order of the vats in #19. You can note that room 9 is a mechanism of perpetual motion, the moving parts striking characters, rather than some silly crossbow that doesn't follow any crossbow rules you've ever seen. And you can think about the cramped crawlspaces in terms of encumbrance.

At hallway 15, you can simply have the players roll as if they are opening a regular dungeon door and fall when they roll the 1–2 they would need to heave them open, obviating an enormous paragraph. And when Gygax instructs you to count out loud, make a clock, and mark it every time the players talk but do not choose to escape the trap.

You can already find my version of The Demi-lich in my rules supplement:

A spell researched to shatter the magic gemstones of the skull might deal two dice of damage to the monster, and a charm of forgetfulness or Dispel Evil counters its rise for a round. A Fighter sworn to a Quest to destroy the monster, a Paladin, or a wielder of a Vorpal blade all deal normal damage to the skull with their magic swords, denying the Wraith-form any energy.

The ending

As we've teased out demons in the aether and the earthquake theme, we discover what the dungeon means to the world.

If the Tomb buries itself in an earthquake, “illusion” is not enough: the demon Behemoth is deeper still in the hill, in a bricked-off chamber, and its binding was a part of Akererak's dealings in death here. The Jade Coffer in the false tomb is indeed one of the true treasures: The Ark of the Covenant, containing as well as healing potions the tablet contract bargaining the Lich's afterlife until that demon wakes to bring the end times to earth. When the canonical AD&D party defeats him, after all, he lives on to be reintroduced every edition, and so this eternal bargain is a part of the end of all things.

It's been one year since his tomb was plundered, and our Monday night party seeks out the dead god Môt from a sealed chamber under ruined Char-el in order to change the arrangements of the gods in the heavens and rewrite the contract. They must do so before Akererak overcomes the Demi-gorgon in the Realm of Pure Thought beyond the firmament and discovers how to return to the world.

Good luck.

[hunterwritesstuff]

Lacie?

Sure! :D

Pre-Fall of studio:

Hunter: "Pretty timid kid, he's not too bad."(Friendly)

Sammy: "We will CALL YOU WHEN WE NEED HELP WITH THE MUSIC FOR THE THEME PARK."(Tension)

Joey: "I don't much trust this Drew fella."(Tension)

Rebecca: "Be careful, ya might get some oil on your dress."(Tension)

Bruce: "Maybe you should go get yourself stuck in my mechanisms."(Hated)

Marcy: "Useless hunk'a junk."(Hated)

Susie: "Please don't touch ANYTHIN'."(Tension)

Tom: "Stop. Stealin'. My. WRENCHES."(Tension)

Allison: "CAN YOU GET YOUR HUSBAND TO STOP TOUCHIN' MY SHIT?"(Tension)

Wally: "Blah blah blah blah blah."(Tension)

Kenneth: "Get him to shut up, wouldja?"(Tension)

John: "Stop pokin' around."(Tension)

Henry: "Old-ass."(Tension)

Norman: "We both like the quiet."(Friendly)

Bertrum: "My uncle."(Family)

Mary: "Pleease leave me alone."(Tension)

GENT(The company): "Don't like this company. Don't like it at all."(Tension)

Barley(Hunter's bio dad): "Seems brave."(Friendly)

Grant: "Reign him in."(Tension)

Betty: "Sings real pretty-like."(Friendly)

Post-fall of studio:

Hunter: "HA-A-A-AVE YOU LOST YOU-LOST YOUR PARENTS?"(Friendly)

Sammy: "PLEA-EASE CONSULT WITH-ONSULT WITH PARK SECURITY!"(Tension)

Joey: "THE EXIT IS BEHIN-IND YOU."(Hated)

Rebecca: "YOUR PRI-I-I-IZE IS RI-I-I-IGHT THI-I-IS WA-A-AY!"(Tension)

Bruce: "SE-E-ECURITY!!!"(Hated)

Marcy: "SO-O-ORRY! KI-I-IDS O-ONLY!"(Tension)

Susie: "A-A-ALL CAST ME-E-EMBERS MUST RETURN TO THE-E-E BACKSTAGE E-E-EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY."(Hated)

Tom: "ERROR. ERROR. FACE NOT I-I-IDENTIFIED."(Tension)

Allison: "MR-R-RS. PENDLE PLEASE STE-E-E-EP AWAY FROM THAT DA-A-ANGEROUS WO-O-OLF."(Tension)

Wally: "HE-E-ERE WE HAVE BO-O-O-ORIS THE WO-O-OLF!"(Friendly)

Kenneth: "O-O-OUR SHOP OWNER A-A-AND TICKET MA-A-ASTER-R-R!"(Friendly)

John: "NO ACCIDENTS HAVE EVER HAPPENED HERE."(Tension)

Henry: "ONE OF OUR-R-R-R BELO-O-O-OVED FOU-OU-OUNDERS!"(Tension)

Norman: "..."(Tension)

Bertrum: "O-O-OUR MAIN ATTRAC-ATTRACTION!!"(Family)

Mary: "CALL IN. PARK SECURITY."(Tension)

GENT(The company): "SPE-E-E-ECIAL THANKS TO OUR-R-R KIND SPONSO-SPONSO-SPONSORS!!"(Tension)

Barley(Hunter's bio dad): "AHO-Y-Y-Y!!"(Friendly)

Grant: "PLEA-A-A-ASE USE PA-A-ARK SUPPLIES-S-S RESPONSIBLY!"(Tension)

Betty: "HE-E-ERE WE HA-A-AVE THE SINGING VOI-I-I-ICE OF A-A-ALICE A-A-ANGEL!"(Friendly)

[linglinginjapan]

Søndag 8. Januar: En produktiv dag?

Startet dagen med å henge opp alle bildene vennene mine fra Norge sendte med meg, med dobbeltsidig tape på soveromsveggen. Kjente det i meg at det stakk litt i brystet imens jeg kikket over bildene der de hang på veggen.

I dag er siste dag av vinterferien, og jeg hadde fortsatt ikke begynt med leksene mine. Hadde egentlig bare tenkt å drite i dem, men gjorde ihvertfall ferdig den ene store leksen i siste liten, selv om jeg hoppet over å lese instruksene og begynte rett på oppgaven. “Klipp ut noe fra avisen og lim det på et ark”, er oppgaven veldig/ekstremt forenklet forklart. Gjorde det nok helt annerledes enn alle de andre, til og med størrelsen på det jeg gjorde er nok bare 1/10 av den egentlige størrelsen på det vi skulle levere. Så man kan egentlig si at jeg bare har gjort det jeg ville selv, men det er vel bedre enn å levere inn ingenting så…. (leksen er øverst på innlegget)

Var å så filmen «Wish», laget av Disney på kino i dag med Mirano. Den sugde for å være ærlig, så mye at jeg nesten ikke kan tro at det var en Disney film. Forresten, var på kino i går også å så den nye Hunger Games filmen med Leoni og flere av hennes utvekslingsvenner. Hunger games var veldig bra må jeg si, men siden vi ikke forhåndsbestilte billetter så måtte vi sitte på rad nr. 2 fra scenen. Det er slitsomt for nakken å sitte slik i hele to og en halv time!

Noe som er annerledes med Japansk kino er at alle sitter igjen for å se hele rulleteksten, og da mener jeg helt til skjermen går svart. I motsetning til vi i Norge der kappløpet starter med en gang lysene i salen slås på. For det andre så slås ikke lysene i den japanske kinosalen på før etter kinoen er helt ferdig så det er også kanskje derfor.

[the-lotus-adventure]

Bumi Series Characthers X BMS songs

Raib: Altersist - void

Seli: The World Of Cyber - DJ Lati

Ali: Sparkles New Life - rider

Selena: Aleph-0 - Leaf

Ily: Vezzelix - Reku Mochizuki

Batozar: Ark - Kanoryo

Gill: Rainshower - Silentroom

Tamus: Now It Is The Time, DO IT - Roy Mikelate

Si Tanpa Mahkota: Nhelv - Silentroom

Lumpu: PUPA - Morimori Atsushi

Fala-Tara-Tana: Jack-the-Ripper - UK rampage

Hana: Infinity Heaven - Hyun

Av: One Way Street - Siqlo

N-Ou: Sakura Fubuki - Street

[lawrenceop]

HOMILY for the Immaculate Conception

Genesis 3:9-15,20; Ps 97; Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12; Luke 1:26-38

There’s a certain irony that Eve means ‘mother of all that live’. In a physical, biological sense, that is true. But in a deeper metaphysical sense, her sin is the cause of our spiritual death. Mankind had initially been created in friendship with God, and so, had access to eternal Life. But because of the original sin of Adam and Eve, mankind turned inward on himself, selfishly navel-gazing. In the imagery of Genesis, man becomes aware of his nakedness. And Adam hid from God, so humankind rejected God’s friendship, and became lost to God. So that God had to say “Where are you”, for God cannot force himself on to us; we have to be open to him. And finally, Eve had trusted in the promises of the serpent, a mere creature, rather than in the Word of the loving and beneficent Creator. And this, of course is the lasting effect of original sin: that we trust in ourselves, place our hope in created things, and find it hard to trust in God, and believe in his wisdom and his promises. So, under the reign of sin, we befriend the serpent rather at God, and are at enmity with the Lord.

Our Lady overturns the situation, so that, in the words of the Marian hymn that we sing at Vespers, she changes the curse of Eve, ‘Eva’, by her ‘Yes’ to the angel’s ‘Ave’. For Mary trusts completely in God’s promises, she is opened up and outwards in love to God’s plan. Her life is turned upside down by Gabriel’s message, but still she gives herself completely to God’s Word. In fact, she is so open to God’s Word that the Word becomes flesh and dwells in her womb; she is thus the true Ark of the Covenant, the living Temple of God. Completely turned away from sin and the deception of the ancient Enemy of mankind, Mary is, as Genesis foretold, the one who is at enmity with the Serpent – through her comes his decisive defeat. The demons, therefore, tremble at her name, and so every ‘Hail Mary’ that we say, especially in the Rosary, is like a battering ram that weakens the stronghold of the Enemy. 

Henceforth, Mary is truly the “Mother of all that live”, because through her ‘Yes’ to God’s plan, salvation had come to the world, Mankind is restored to friendship with God, and we are set free from sin and it deadly effects. For through her comes Life itself, Jesus Christ. 

All this is possible by the power and working of God’s grace. For it is by grace that Mary said ‘Yes’ to God’s plan of salvation, and God providence for Man’s redemption in Christ is so complete that he even prepares the Mother of the Redeemer for her role, giving her “prevenient grace”, as the Collect says today, namely, a grace that comes beforehand. God, as it were, anticipates the salvation that is won for all humanity by Christ, and so he prepares Mary from the moment of her conception by uniquely filling her with grace, with God’s own activity and saving presence. It is fitting, of course, that Christ, the second Adam who inaugurates a new creation by his Resurrection and his grace, a world freed from corruption and sin, should thus be born of the second Eve, the true “Mother of all that live.”

So, in St Luke’s Gospel, when the angel Gabriel says Mary is “full of grace”, in fact the Greek word he coins – and it only appears here in the whole corpus of Greek literature – ‘kecharitomene’ has the fuller sense that Mary had already been transformed and perfected by grace, a prevenient grace. So, from the moment of her conception, this grace had been at work, preserving Mary from the distrustful and destructive effects of original sin, and from any susceptibility to sin. Because God had chosen her to be “holy and blameless before him”, he had destined her “in love to be his [daughter] through Jesus Christ”, he had chosen her in an act of divine predilection to be Theotokos, the Mother of God, the Bearer of Life himself. The grace of Mary’s preservation from sin, then, comes through Jesus, and because of Jesus, who as the eternal Son of God, will redeem all humanity including his human mother. 

But Jesus has also given Mary to the Church, to all the Baptised, and so she is also  our Mother. Hence what is said about her can also, albeit in a lesser degree, be said about us, who have been redeemed by Christ, and who, through baptism, are conceived, so to speak, free from sin in the womb of Holy Mother Church. Reborn of water and the Spirit, you and I are destined, gradually, to become holy like our mother Mary is from the first moment of her physical conception. For from the first moment of our baptism, God’s grace has been at work in our lives to cause us to trust God and reject the lies of the ancient Serpent; God’s grace moves us from within to walk in God’s ways, so that as we turn away from our old habits and former ways of thinking and doing, we too can say ‘Yes’ each day to God as Mary did from the moment of her conception. 

Last Sunday, I baptised two children, our youngest parishioners, and I always look at our newly-baptised and I can truly say that I am looking into the faces of two Saints. For that is who we are, and that is how we should remain, freed from sin by God’s grace, so that we shall truly be Saints. The Baptismal Liturgy thus reminds us that we should keep ourselves unstained by sin by walking always in the light of Christ’s grace. Our Lady did so, and so we ask her to help us and protect us from sin. As St Maximilian Kolbe said: “The Immaculata descends on earth as a good Mother among her children, to help them save their souls. Thus, she desires the conversion and sanctification of all souls, without exception… Most often, she urges the children who love her to cooperate with her in situa­tions of normal everyday life. These same souls consecrated to her, live by her, often think of her, love her wholeheartedly, and endeavour to discern her desires.”

Therefore let us entrust ourselves to Jesus through Mary, and ask the Immaculate Virgin, our Mother, to teach us to love her better. As we are gathered here today in this Marian sanctuary, and in this church which was raised up to honour the Immaculate Conception who appeared at Lourdes, I suggest that we are already in the right place. All we need to do now is ask: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you”. Amen.