#february of the calendar council

[thedeafprophet]

The thing with early writing with Feb is really is such a prime local of Bad Faith Revs writing

but jokes on them, 'Deranged Anarchist Villain" is in fact sentence that will make me like a character better

[fallenlondonnpcfight]

A Moment’s Peace? We’ll See About That

[freefromlightandlaw]

February: If you're thirsty, we have scotch, gin, and vodka. And for your convenience, all in the same bottle.

[meangirlbracket]

Mean Girl Bracket - Round 1 Poll 2

[incorrectfallenlondonquotes]

August: Hey, I've never had a nightmare before and I kinda wanna know what they're like. Can you help me out?

May: Sure! See you soon!

April: -This is so fucking powerful it burnt off my eyebrows.-

[scotianostra]

On January 20th Alister MacGregor, Laird of Glenstrae was hung along with eleven of his chieftains were hanged in Edinburgh.

Numbers vary on this, the dates also differ of the executions, the Clan chief's name also differs depending on the source you read.

This was all embroiled in clan warfare, most notably against the Colqhouns, the Clan MacGregor members were accused of having......

"conspired the destruction of the name of Colquhoun, its friends and allies, and the plunder of the lands of Luss; of having, on the 7th of February preceding, invaded the lands of Sir Alexander Colquhoun of Luss, with a body of four hundred men, composed partly of his own clan and of the clan of Cameron, and of lawless thieves and robbers, equipped in arms, and drawn up on the field of Lennox, in battle array; of having fought with Sir Alexander, who, being authorised by a warrant from the Privy Council, had convocated his friends and followers to resist this lawless host; of having killed about one hundred and forty of Sir Alexander's men, most of them in cold blood, after they were made their prisoners; of having carried off eighty horses, six hundred cows, and eight hundred sheep; and of burning houses, corn-yards, etc."

This was a consequence of the Battle of Glen Fruin, much has been written about this episode in the history of the Scottish Highlands, I won't go into the full story again, you can use the search option to find out more, or you can wait until the anniversary of the battle on February 7th, either way it had massive repercussions for the MacGregor Clan.

A royal warrant was signed by James VI on February 24, 1603, accusing the MacGregors of attacking members of Clan Colquhoun at Glen Fruin “without pitie or compassion” or regard for young or old. King James, eager to make an example of the most troublesome clan later also decreed on April 3rd the

".. the name of McGregor should be altogether abolished, and that (all) persons of that Clan should renounce their name and take same some other name, and that they nor none of their posterity should call themselves Gregor or McGregor thereafter under the pain of death."

In my opinion part of the motives in all this was to show the English how he dealt with those that crossed him in any way, Queen Elizabeth had died on March 24th and our erstwhile monarch had taken his place on the throne of England.

The abolition of the Macgregor name was probably better than the alternative available to King James and one which he was not squeamish of taking even against his own citizens: the actual killing of the entire Macgregor clan, women and children included although, in the result, it was no picnic to be a Macgregor in Scotland or England circa 1604 to 1660. Remember the Stuart King had already led a campaign against supposed witches sending countless women to their deaths after their confessions were obtained through torture.

Anyway back to the MacGregors, Alister Macgregor was caught and brought to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. According to the Newgate Calendar, he was unanimously convicted by jury of many crimes including the presentation of an illegal surname, that of Macgregor. But the worse charge was the allegation that he and his clan members had "killed about 140 men, mostly in cold blood, after they had been made prisoners". Apparently, even according to Macgregor historians, Alister and his Clan warriors had completely lost control of themselves, even killed a party of schoolboys who had simply stopped to watch the battle.

The long and short of it is Alister MacGregor and up to 17 of his followers were drawn and quartered at Edinburgh. His limbs were cut off and exhibited in larger cities in Scotland as, one can only suppose, some kind of macabre warning. From what I can gather 11 were killed on one date, and another six a month or so late, add to that how ever many were slain being hunted down I would go so far to say this time in our history is quite shameful, and was a form of genocide, or maybe Clanocide.

According to the Newgate Calendars, the abolition of the surname Macgregor lasted "until the Restoration" (about 1660), some 57 years later.

The Macgregor clan now flourishes in Scotland, proud of a unique Tartan, with an active clan leader and a website, and with descendants in every part of the world and under a variety of variations from the original Galeic "MacGhriogair", such as Gregor, McGregor or MacGregor.

Okay now I am going to direct you below to a link with some details on this on the previously mentioned Newgate Calendars. If I was to compare this source to anything nowadays it would be the Daily Mail or The Sun, sensationalised and to be taken with a pinch of salt, that's not to dismiss the story, just the shoddy way it has been put together, so ignore the dates on it.

To end with I have to point out that the MacGregor motto is not "Despite them" this is only a modern add on put on the most famous MacGregor's grave, Rob Roy, and only dates to 1981!

The MacGregor Clan motto is in fact "'S rioghal mo dhream" which means "My race is royal" and refers to the claim that they are descended from Griogar, a son of Alpin, king of Dalriada.

Further reading on the clan here http://mcgregorhistory.blogspot.com/.../the-mcgregor-clan...

[house-of-mirrors]

Thinking with @thedeafprophet about the odd ones out for each season in the Calendar Council

April and presumably March: working from the shadows to disrupt, bringing change like tumultuous spring

May: 👋🎩 (though he's holding perpetually onto the "spring" of life...)

June and July: summer months longing for the light and risking everything for it

August: just a little guy :3c (though can the weather make up its mind in this month?)

October and November: ruthless and chilly as an autumn frost

September: bright-eyed youth, "if you're cold, he's cold, let him inside" (though this does speak to the last dregs of summer hanging on)

January and February: cold and unrelenting winter months, associated strongly with the night

December: 👃 gives you a thumbs up and a cookie (though who knows what they're doing. who knows what anyone is doing in this month)

[zeebreezin]

With the return of Dracula Daily and our good friend Jonathan Harker, I’ve been left to ponder the age old question: if we had to make one FL NPC the Inexplicably Stereotypical American, who should it be?

My money’s on February Calendar Council, personally.

[apenitentialprayer]

May 11, 2023

Earlier today, Pope Francis declared that 21 Coptic Orthodox Christians, who were beheaded by Islamic militants in Libya in 2015, would be added to the Roman Martyrology. Francis made the announcement during an audience with Pope Tawadros II, the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. The “21 Coptic New Martyrs of Libya,” as they are called, were martyred on February 15, 2015. Less than a week later, they were declared saints in the Coptic Orthodox Church by Pope Tawadros. The Copts celebrate their feast on the anniversary of their death, February 15, and it appears that this will also be their feast day on the Roman calendar.

The world was shocked in February 2015, when a 5-minute video was uploaded to the internet by ISIS militants. The video showed the 21 kidnapped men in orange jumpsuits being beheaded on a beach near the Libyan city of Sirte. 20 of these martyrs were Egyptian Copts who had gone to Libya to do construction work. The last member of the group, Matthew Ayariga, was a fellow worker from Ghana. It is said that he told the executioners, “Their God is my God. I will go with them.” There has been some question over whether he was already Christian or whether the witness of his 20 coworkers led to his conversion, but nevertheless, his Christian witness and solidarity are inspiring. It was reported that as they died, they chanted hymns and prayed aloud.

The deaths of these men as Christian martyrs is undeniable. The extraordinary photos of Blessed Miguel Pro, a Catholic priest who was executed by the Mexican government in 1927 during the Cristero War — taken just moments before the he was shot by the firing squad — are perhaps the only other photographic images recording a Christian martyrdom as it happened. And yet the recognition of the 21 martyrs as Catholic saints is unprecedented for several reasons.

The primary reason, of course, is that the Coptic Orthodox Church is not in full communion with Rome. The Copts are Oriental Orthodox (as opposed to Eastern Orthodox), because they split from the other Christian churches in the year 451 at the Council of Chalcedon due to differences over the nature of Christ. They are also referred to as “Non-Chalcedonian Orthodox Churches.” This means that they recognize the first three ecumenical councils, whereas the Eastern Orthodox recognize seven, and the Catholic Church recognizes 21 ecumenical councils.

After more than 15 centuries, our hope of reunion may seem remote. After all these years, the two Churches have independently developed their own traditions, theologies, forms of worship, and prayers. Yet some things have remained the same. Both Churches have maintained apostolic succession and the sacraments: Pope Francis is the successor of St. Peter and Pope Tawadros is the successor of St. Mark. In recent decades, the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church has become closer. For example, in 2017, Popes Francis and Tawadros made a joint statement indicating mutual acceptance of the validity of baptism in both Churches.

Pope Francis has praised the Martyrs of Libya many times, and today he recalled our shared baptism, as well as the blood of martyrs that enriches the Church. He said, “These martyrs were baptized not only in the water and Spirit, but also in blood, a blood that is the seed of unity for all of Christ’s followers.” In the past, the pope has discussed how we must realize that we, the baptized, have much more in common than what divides us. This shared recognition of sainthood between the two Churches is a significant step towards Christian unity.

This sets a new precedent. In 1964, when the Ugandan Martyrs were canonized by Pope Paul VI, St. Charles Lwanga and the other 21 Catholics among his companions were declared saints. The 23 Anglicans who were martyred alongside them were mentioned briefly in the pope’s homily, when he said, “And we do not wish to forget, the others who, belonging to the Anglican confession, met death for the name of Christ.”

Another reason why today’s announcement is unique was that Pope Francis did this by an official act. The Roman Martyrology is the official list of saints officially recognized by the Latin Church. Many Eastern Catholic Churches have their own processes for canonizing saints according to their traditions. Historically, when groups of Eastern Catholics have come into full communion with Rome, they will bring along their saints and prayers and traditions. Many of these saints aren’t officially canonized by Rome, and they are usually only venerated in their own tradition. By inscribing the names of these martyrs in the Roman Martyrology, Pope Francis has made it clear that these martyrs are to be venerated by Roman Catholics as saints.

Finally, in declaring them saints today, Pope Francis sidestepped the typical canonization process. They are saints, without having passed through the usual stages of Servant of God, Venerable, and Blessed. This “skipping” of steps is commonly referred to as “equipollent canonization.” Essentially, when a pope declares someone a saint by an official act, that person is recognized as a saint in the Church. This is not the first time Francis has moved a case along in this way. For example, when he canonized Popes John XXIII and John Paul II in 2014, he waived the requirement of a second miracle for John XXIII so that the two popes would be canonized on the same day. In 2013, he elevated the Jesuit Peter Faber, whose status had lingered at “Blessed” since 1872.

Perhaps the most interesting case is that of St. Gregory of Narek, an Armenian monk venerated as a saint in the Armenian Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church. Unexpectedly, Pope Francis named him the 36th Doctor of the Church in 2015. Living from in the mid-10th century through the early 11th, St. Gregory lived at a time when the Armenian Church was not in communion with Rome. After several failed attempts at reunion, the Armenian Catholic Church was officially recognized as an Eastern Catholic Church in 1742. Interestingly, the Armenian Catholic eparchy of Buenos Aires (established in 1989 by Pope John Paul II) is called the Eparchy of Saint Gregory of Narek. Perhaps this is how Pope Francis became familiar with the saint.

We Christians are blessed with a wide variety of saints from all sorts of backgrounds. They help make up the beautiful tapestry of the people of God — praying for us, interceding for us, and inspiring us. This is something worth celebrating.

21 Coptic New Martyrs of Libya, Pray for Us!

Mike Lewis. Bolded emphases added.

[beardedmrbean]

The murder of a politician in a bustling area in India's Mumbai city has sent shockwaves across the country.

Baba Ziauddin Siddique, 66, was shot on Saturday night near his carwhile he was leaving his son's office. He died later in hospital.

The killing of Siddique, an influential politician who was part of the coalition governing Maharashtra state - of which Mumbai is the capital - has set off a political blame-game.

The motive for the murder is not clear yet, but for many it has brought back memories of the 1990s, when politicians and film stars were frequently targeted by Mumbai's underworld.

Police have arrested three people so far and say investigations are continuing. Local media reports say the arrested men are part of a notorious gang whose leader is currently in jail.

Who was Baba Siddique?

Born in the eastern state of Bihar, Siddique migrated to Mumbai at the age of five with his father, a watchmaker.

He started his political career in the 1980s as a student leader with the Congress party, soon leading its youth wing in Mumbai. He then entered local council politics before being elected to the state’s legislature three times in a row and becoming a minister in 2004 for about four years.

In February, he left the Congress to join the Nationalist Congress Party which, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena, currently governs state.

Apart from his political activities, Siddique also made headlines for his glitzy iftar parties held during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which were attended by top Bollywood stars.

It was at his iftar party in 2013 that superstars Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan ended their much-discussed rift with a hug - that propelled "the annual Siddique affair into a must-watch event on the city’s social calendar", Midday newspaper wrote in 2016.

How was Siddique killed?

The politician was shot outside his son’s office as he was about to enter his car in the busy Bandra area.

Police said three shooters fired six-seven rounds, hitting Siddique's abdomen and chest, and fled the scene. A bystander was also injured as a stray bullet hit his leg.

Investigators said they had recovered two pistols and 28 live rounds of ammunition from the arrested men.

Siddique had three police guards - local media reported his security was upgraded days ago - but the suspects reportedly distracted them by setting off a "smoke firecracker".

What is the state of the investigation?

Police have been granted custody of the arrested men for a week. They say they are on the lookout for their accomplices.

“We have set up 15 teams and investigation is on to identify who provided logistical support to the shooters,” senior police official Datta Nalawade said.

While the police have not confirmed it, several reports citing sources have linked the arrested men with the notorious Bishnoi gang. The gang's leader Lawrence Bishnoi is an accused in several cases and is currently in a high-security prison in Gujarat state.

Within hours of the shooting, a man claiming to be a member of the gang posted on Facebook that they were behind Siddique’s killing. Police have not yet confirmed the authenticity of the post.

Though Bishnoi has been in jail since 2015, he frequently makes news. Many social media accounts claiming to belong to him or his associates have often posted his selfies from jail. He even gave interviews to a TV channel in 2022, prompting an investigation.

Many of the reports on Bishnoi are based on police sources and it’s not clear how he conducts the gang's operations while in prison.

The gang's name popped up in connection with the murder of Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moosewala in 2022.

In April, police arrested two gang members for allegedly firing shots outside the apartment of actor Salman Khan in Mumbai.

On Monday, the Canadian police also said it believed the Bishnoi group had connections to Indian government agents who were using the gang to target Sikh separatists on their soil. India has not officially responded to the police claims.

What else has happened?

Siddique’s killing is the first major assassination of a politician in Mumbai since the 1990s when high-profile killings of politicians, businessmen and Bollywood celebrities by criminal gangs of the Mumbai underworld were not uncommon.

Local media reports said he had received a death threat two weeks ago, which led to his security being upgraded.

His killing within days of that has put the state government on the backfoot, with Maharashtra set to hold assembly elections soon.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called the murder “a complete failure of law and order in Maharashtra”, and Delhi's former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the incident had scared not only the people of Maharashtra “but the entire country”.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde has defended his government.

“[The culprits] will not be spared no matter who they are, be it the Bishnoi gang or any underworld gang… Those who are receiving threats, their safety is the state government’s responsibility and it will fulfil its responsibility,” he said.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, January 2nd - Friday, January 3rd (Part 2)

[Reviews & Recaps]

Video: The Twisted Buffy Guide 2x14: Innocence by Twisted View

Video: Buffyverse Discussion: Why We Love Glory by Buffyngton Post

Video: The Buffy Awards Slayer Sunday by Jane Talks Buffy

Video: Analyzing Buffy: Welcome to the New World | 1x01-06 by The Bronze

Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Had the Perfect Series Finale (But It Wasn't in Season 7) by Zeliard

Video: Buffy The Vampire Slayer's "The Key" Storyline Made Absolutely No Sense: Revisiting Dawn's Blood & B by Prosecco

Podcast video: Angel | The Lazor Comb Podcast #105 ["Rm w/a Vu"] by Lazor Comb Productions

Podcast video: Buffy's Angels: Him by The Franchise: A Film Podcast

Podcast video: Buffy's Angels: Spin the Bottle by The Franchise: A Film Podcast

Podcast: Top 5 and Bottom 5 Buffy Episodes Ever (Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast) by Lisa M. Lilly

Podcast: Episode 55 - Swangel and the Barfy Feelings (Graduation Day Part 1) Audio Only by The Sunnydale Diaries - A Buffy Podcast

Podcast: ANGEL 1.3 - In The Dark by Buffy the Vampire Straya

Podcast: ANGEL - Lonely Hearts by Buffy the Vampire Straya

[Recs]

Music rec: Buffy's theme as a synthwave track recced by NewRetroMage

Fic recs: Favourite fics of 2024 [two Spuffy fics] by trenchcoat full of recs

Fic rec: Pieces (Fanged Four, M) by QueennHalloweenn recced by February Fangfest

Vid rec: Buffy the Vampire Slayer opening credits animated with REAL plasticine recced by manibolly

Vid rec: Spike | I'll Keep Coming by genericaces recced by kliomuse

[Community Announcements]

February Fangfest 2025 by Ayaka0

Buffyverse Rarepair Bingo posting is open! by otherworldly_chemistry

Signups Deadline Extended! by spangel-fanwork-marathon

[Fandom Discussions]

I get the will-be-done spell had spuffy all wildly in love bc tv and stuff but it’s incredibly funny to me considering buffy’s parents by camellcat

Season 3's Gingerbread versus Season 6 by coraniaid

The similarities between Jenny Calendar and Robin Wood, and how that plays into Giles’ reaction to Wood by lilatara

according to my friend who i’m watching buffy with, my hottest take so far is that i actually love xander by selkiemaidenfae

Why the First didn't take Tara's form to psych out Willow by oddly-informed-raven

Still so mad that Angel was Spike’s sire but then they retconned that because it would be too gay and made it Drusilla by starspangeledwanker

I know that the idea that Amy Madison is secretly in love with Willow is not canon by coraniaid

Spike looking back at the final fight and saying “he’s gonna kill her” and then shrugging and walking away by francesderwent

Goddddddd season 6 was really just. Pulled out of their asses by kittythelitter

Question - - Does anyone else notice stakes more now? by WBGX

Fangel by FallenAngel00

Slayin it continued by multiple posters

Did Buffy actually enjoy it? continued by multiple posters

Slayer Calling, Healing & Disabilities continued by vampmogs

Was Angel sending Nina away sexist? continued by sybil

My fav quotes from Cordelia by Cailly_Brard7

Watchers Council VS Initiative by Ok-Vanilla-2984

What do you think were the worst jokes of the show? by foreseethefuture

What [AtS] moments cringed you out the most? by SpeedHot3049

What's something the writers did that felt forced? by PristineSituation498

newbie scooby with a question! [what's the consensus on souls?] by Fragrant-Stretch5549

Books and Novels by everythinggoes0613

DAE feel like everyone putting so much pressure on Buffy? by frcklx

She did a great job as Cousin Beth by SassyOccasionaluser

Gift from friend [The Official Grimoire] by oak_berry444

What's an underrated scene you love? by ATH3NA01

Very… thought provoking for sure | S4 E22 “Restless” by The_Fullmetal_Titan

Continuity between Buffy season 6 and Angel season 3 by Tuxedo_Mark

"painbow" by MxKittyFantastico

This was an AWESOME START to the season!!! | S5 E1 “Buffy vs. Dracula” by The_Fullmetal_Titan

unpopular Buffy The Vampire Slayer Opinions by TheMortikaLacrosse

Did Ángel deserve his soul? by FoxIndependent4310

The trio. The most Evil villain? by FoxIndependent4310

Which Spike did you prefer? by PlaneAutomatic4965

Does it still bother anyone that they never mention Jesse again? by Personal_Reward_60

Moments in Buffy that made you laugh by Unimatrix_Zero_One

Okay so, let's say Oz hypothetically took Xander's place in Becoming Pt 2, and gave Buffy the false message from Willow by PristineSituation498

Is there an age limit for a potential? by Automatic-Adeptness4

Is Season Seven Worth Watching? by reystreasure

Dark Willow vs Glory by Elegant-Hospital-101

Season 4 Change I would make.... by Automatic-Adeptness4

The Yoko factor and Angel and Riley by mmpppppppp

Spuffy & Tillow contrasting moments [in All The Way] by sirtch_analyst

Stuff from the comics that you love? by jdpm1991

Olaf the “Troll God”s Hammer by ryeandpaul902

S7: E7 Conversations With Dead People by midnight_sparrow

Xander Vampire by melbreddituser

I think Xanders pretty fuckin awesome by ConsiderationKey392

Oz just exited the show, and it kinda sucks so here's an appreciation thread ig! by AbhayXV

Why the First didn’t came to Willow in Tara’s “body”? by Suriel_hunter

Dawn and the key by PaleHorseman101

I just finished watching season 6 by Ijustliketodraww

Do you think Angel can give himself a moment of happiness? by captaingatorgirl

Which season has the best stand alone episodes in your opinion? by CoasterTrax

I'd Bite You in a Heartbeat by DapperDunedain

A theory of Willow and Kennedy by yrboyfriend

The smarter and idiot Big Bad by FoxIndependent4310

"Let's go to work"/"Let's roll" by Arctolamia

The Musical Episode 👍🏻👍🏻 by Tight-Target-2065

Does anyone else dislike Xander? by Plus_Woodpecker_4982

If you could go back and pick one character's arc to rewrite, what would you change? by Tight-Target-2065

Larry-s2 by Heavy-Ambition1161

Thoughts? [on Angelus' humanity] by jogaforacont

Am I really missing out by not watching Angel? by lurkr-mercry

A delightfully fun opener! | S2 E1 “Judgement” by The_Fullmetal_Titan

Discrepancies by CantB2Big

Cordelia season 4 by bigbadllama

Will watching Angel concurrently with Buffy drag down my viewing experience? by The_Fullmetal_Titan

Who else loves puppet Angel? by Dry-Dragonfruit5216

Why is Faith sometimes hated the most for the Empty Places scene? by Dry-LightBlueSky55

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[thedeafprophet]

Sorry i forgot how fuckin hilarious the text for Marrying September. its so good

February you are a woman of a certain age WHY are you acting like a schoolyard bully (affectionate)

[fallenlondonnpcfight]

Bracket Announcement

Submissions on this blog for propaganda have been turned on. The first round will be broken up over four days. The individual matchups are as follows:

Day One (October 2)

The Manager of the Royal Bethlehem Hotel vs The Viscountess of the Viric Jungle

The Clay Highwayman vs Poor Edward

Mr Hearts vs Lettice the Mercy

February of the Calendar Council vs Mrs. Miriam Plenty

Day Two (October 3)

The Captivating Princess vs Mr Iron

The Quiet Deviless vs December of the Calendar Council

Furnace Ancona vs the Paisley

The Bishop of Southwark vs Virginia

Day Three (October 4)

The Jovial Contrarian vs the Dawn Machine

September of the Calendar Council vs Mr Wines

The Affectionate Devil vs the Lady in Lilac

April of the Calendar Council vs the Bishop of St Fiacres

Day Four (October 5)

Sinning Jenny vs the Tentacled Entrepreneur

Feducci vs the Solicitor-Baroness

The Gracious Widow vs the Anchoress

The Once-Dashing Smuggler vs the Youthful Naturalist

[freefromlightandlaw]

February: Arsenic will solve your problems, August. I know it will solve mine.

[sunless-smash-or-pass]

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in Irish History | 18 February:

In the Liturgical calendar, today is the Feast Day of Colmán of Lindisfarne, also known as St Colmán (he was Bishop of Lindisfarne from 661 until 664). Colman resigned the Bishopric of Lindisfarne after the Synod of Whitby called by King Oswiu of Northumbria decided to calculate Easter using the method of the First Ecumenical Council instead of his preferred Celtic method. After his resignation…