#general synod

[sapphosremains]

the promised theological reflection on the general synod on prayers of love and faith - part 1

gonna be a big girl and use capitals sorry if its scary

as promised, this one will be less teary and personal, and more theological, but don't worry, you'll still get a big opinion of me and my personality! part 1 will address doctrine: why do we think it's changing, is it changing, should it be doctrine at all?

Firstly, let's get one thing straight. PLF is NOT allowing homosexual holy matrimony. If you want to understand what PLF is and isn't, you can read my previous post on this, or read the guidance (prepare to be wholly whish-washed by the whishy washy nature of it though), but essentially PLF is a set of prayers that can (come February 2025 if the General Synod does not block the motion then) be used by a minister to PRAY FOR people in a homosexual relationship (NOT a prayer for the relationship itself, nor is it a blessing). However, where doctrine is concerned, it is the idea that this is the definition of holy matrimony:

"marriage is in its nature a union permanent and lifelong, for better for worse, till death them do part, of one man with one woman, to the exclusion of all others on either side, for the procreation and nurture of children, for the hallowing and right direction of the natural instincts and affections, and for the mutual society, help and comfort which the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity." - Church of England Canon B30

A) Why do we think it's changing?

So, if PLF is just prayers for people in a homosexual relationship, what are the issues? What doctrine do we think is changing? Surely we can pray for anyone?

Firstly, some think that the PLF motion would change doctrine because it will be agreed by B2, not B5. B2 is the process by which the General Synod can approve doctrinal liturgy.

Secondly, as in B30, the Church of England believes that marriage is between a man and a woman. Therefore, some argue that praying for people in a same-sex marriage is praying for people engaging in extramarital sex as they will not recognise ssm as valid marriage. However, then, there should be no issue then with praying for celibate couples.

This doctrine also defines marriage as being for procreation and nurture of children, which a same-sex couple cannot naturally achieve. However, the Church permits marriage between couples who may struggle to conceive, and those too old to conceive, as well as allowing contraceptive methods.

B) Is it changing?

We have two examples of similar changes in the church before:

remarriage after divorce (passed in certain circumstances since 2002)

ordination of women (passed in 1992)

Unfortunately, we do not have examples of these liturgically as significant changes were not made (as far as I can find) to liturgy and passed through the B2 system, so I cannot judge whether this is a doctrinal change here. I would argue that both of these were doctrinal changes, though I know there are others that would disagree. Some would argue that the reasons for divorce that are accepted are enfolded in the doctrine of marriage in the first place - couples who do not exclude all others for each other, do not help and comfort each other, etc could be considered 'invalid' marriages, therefore making divorce acceptable without doctrinal changes.

And again, PLF is not same sex holy matrimony! I think some think that this is a 'gateway drug' of slippery slopes to a crazy gay church (read: tolerant, loving, inclusive church that demonstrates Christ's unwavering and unconditional love). So, no, I don't think doctrine is changing. Even if praying for gay couples is praying for those engaging in extramarital sex, do we not pray for all 'sinners'?

Let's examine PLF more in its wording for the couple.

Prayer of dedication:

"enfold your servants N and N with your encouragement, hope, and love. Fill them with the grace to rejoice always in their love for one another,"

Prayer for companionship

"give grace to your servants N and N, that they may be companions in joy"

Prayer for grace to live well:

"give N and N wisdom and devotion in the ordering of their life together. May they dwell together in love and peace all the days of their life, seeking one another’s welfare, bearing one another’s burdens and sharing one another’s joys;"

Prayer for God's blessing:

"we give you thanks for N and N, for the love and friendship they share, and for their commitment to one another. As they come before you this day, trusting you as the giver of all good gifts, strengthen their love by your love, and gladden their hearts with your joy, that their journey through life may become a pilgrimage of grace. By your blessing, and with you as their companion and guide, may they rejoice in hope and be sustained in love all the days of their life and in the age to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

or

"Pour out, we pray, the abundance of your grace upon N and N in their life together. By your blessing, may they share in the joy of your kingdom where goodness and mercy abound; and bring them to feast with your saints for ever"

For lifelong peace:

"look with favour on N and N as they journey together through life. Deepen their love and strengthen their wills to honour the commitment they have made, that they may continue in lifelong faithfulness and friendship to each other;"

Everything else follows similarly, with no differences in what love is referred to etc. Main issues raised with the phrasing is that it is too similar to that of Holy Matrimony. I would argue that the main focus of all of the phrasing is the relationship between the individuals and God, with very little focused on their relationship. When the word 'love' is used, it is non-specific - Jesus had 'love' for his disciples. The prayers of covenanted friendship also use the word love, and also describe the pair's 'life together', so the issues with the phrasing come from the type of relationship, not the phrasing itself. When we acknowledge that this is the issue, that we are praying for and using these words in reference to a homosexual relationship, we return to the original issue of it being against doctrine, which we determined it is not.

C) Should it be doctrine at all?

I won't say much on this, because there are several articles I know of (and I'm sure many, many more of which I don't) that explain why doctrines against homosexuality are not Biblically supported, explaining the complex nuance of the time in which the Bible was written, extraneous influences such as Roman culture, and surrounding issues in the anti-gay 'clobber' passages, but essentially, the support for doctrinal anti-gay is weak. I would argue that we should be critically considering and praying on all aspects of doctrine to ensure that it is in line with His Word and pleasing to Him, as far as it can be. As Martyn Snow acknowledged at the Synod, 'this side of Heaven, the Church will never be perfect'. If, after the resurrection, sat at His table, we discover that homosexuality is indeed repugnant to His law, I concede. However, I think accepting doctrine as doctrine, and using this as a key argument is problematic. Recall all the past doctrines we would consider to be heretical today! Without critical thinking, prayer, and discernment, we cannot become more amenable to God. We should strive for perfection, and that includes critically analysing things we take as 'gospel'!

God bless you all, and may you all feel His extraordinary love. Let us hope and pray that this disagreement does not cause such schism in His Church, and that we can all consider each other and each other's viewpoints with love, understanding, and compassion. Let us pray for our LGBTQ+ siblings in this continued time of difficulty as our rights and God's love for us continue to be debated.

Useful resources:

Unfortunately, I can't find the best resource I read about the context of the 'clobber verses' and the idea that they were written in a culture of rejecting most Roman practices as heretical, but if I do find it I'll update this.

Prayers of Love and Faith:

Canons:

Watch the General Synod: (see Monday 8 Afternoon for the PLF debate)

https://collected.jcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=mastersessays

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in Irish History | 22 August:

565 – St Columba reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness, Scotland. 1755 – Birth of General Jean Joseph Amable Humbert. He was a French soldier, a participant in the French Revolution, who led a failed invasion of Ireland to assist Irish rebels in 1798. 1791 – Theobald Wolfe Tone publishes “An argument on behalf of the Catholics of Ireland”. 1798 – Birth of doctor, writer, abolitionist and…

[loremonster]

I'd say the children of people who shouldn't have had kids.

Still, fully agreed.

we are the daughters of parents who should not have had kids

[sheltiechicago]

Vatican City

Priests, bishops and cardinals preside at Holy Mass with the College of Cardinals for the opening of the XVI ordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Vatican City. Women were allowed to vote for the first time at the meeting of bishops as the Vatican sought to address some of the church’s thorniest issues as part of an agenda that has rattled many conservatives.

Photograph: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

[irishgop]

The United Church of Christ elected Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson its first female & woman of African descent to lead the mainline denomination as general minister and president on Monday July 3 at its 34th General Synod in Indianapolis.

[sapphicmuppet]

unresolved things still in my brain post fhjy finale

okay hihi this is not me trying to nitpick I just have a lot of unresolved thoughts!! okay here we go

Buckys arc:

I don’t have a ton of stuff to say just generally his arc being unresolved, being counted as a follower of Cassandra but that never being formally gone over, him still living with Mac and Donna, him skipping class, the drama with his adventuring party etc.

Bobby Dawn:

another self explanatory one, Sandra Lynn never finding out he was teaching at school, him escaping scot free, the drama in the sol pantheon, him never finding buddy etc. Just a lot of unanswered questions

Mazey Graduating:

for having a finale that has a lot of emphasis on the Fabian/Mazey relationship I wish they went over that Mazey IS a senior and graduated at the end of the year and is presumably going to college in the fall, and just the logistics of her being a college student still dating someone in highschool, just interesting having them get together when they’re already going in separate paths. I wish they went over it!! because now in my brain I have to justify it as a summer thing because they’re actively going to be doing other stuff the next school year.

Kipperlilly (and Jace):

okay so. Kipperlily was never rage starred or she willing took on the ragestar whatever I NEED TO KNOW MORE. Ik the point is that the ratgrinders suck and are inexperienced heroes but the realization that she essentially took all of The Ratgrinders down with her and gave them up to Porter, wasn’t being controlled by him in the way the rest of them were, had an even more direct hand in Lucy’s death, but also was still being manipulated by Porter for years?? I need it to get gone over. Also Kipperlily staying dead? to be clear it shouldn’t be The Bad Kids’ jobs to have to deal with the moral question on if the ratgrinders deserve being revived but there’s so much unsaid about Kipperlily and so much she didn’t get to do ugh. And in her final moments her absolute hatred towards Riz just being justified? In her eyes. Idk. Lots of thoughts. AND JACE!! Porter ADMITS to killing Jace himself and shatterstarring him and says he will do it again, but also Jace is clearly under Porter’s control to a degree and wasn’t revived too. I wish we knew more about him because as of what we know right now it seems crazy to keep him dead without questioning him and with him being Porters partner in this whole thing he could fully reveal everything Porter and The Ratgrinders had been doing the past three years.

Bakur:

idk just minor stuff with Bakur. He never regained his elf status which was interesting? We never saw the resolution of his fight with Lydia etc

Kalina:

Okay the acknowledgment in the finale that Kalina seems to genuinely have her own free will and moral compass outside of Cassandra is making me crazy because I just assumed she was tied to Cassandra so when she was good Kalina was too by default but there’s so much not cleared up about her. She DID lure Cassandra to the synod where she was weak and fostered the rage in Cassandra about Kristen’s treatment of her. She killed herself and was trying to communicate to Riz about Porter. Ankarna has NEVER trusted her. She had the spies tongue with Porter. She’s escaping with Buddy at the end. WHATS HAPPENING WHAT IS SHE DOING AGGHHHHH

[pharmaciacatholica]

Contra Sedevacantism

There are many reasons by which the See of Peter’s supposed vacancy is proven false. However, there is one that stands out above the rest. The sedevacantist theses is impossible because it implies that all of the bishops of the world would have erred in their recognition of the legitimacy of John XXIII, Paul VI and the Second Vatican Council. The unanimous testimony* of the episcopate was that the Roman Pontiffs and the Council were entirely legitimate. The Church teaches and has always taught that it is impossible for the entire hierarchy of the Church to err by virtue of the promises in Matthew 16. Here we shall explore the latter:

*It must be noted that when discussing unanimity in any respect the Church uses this term to refer not to an absolute consensus but a moral consensus. A singluar rogue bishop here or there does not falsify this term. We see this, notably, when we discuss the consensus of the Fathers and with regard to the Universal and Ordinary Magisterium.

In the papal bull, Auctorem Fidei, Pope Pius VI condemns (with different censures) various propositions that were put forward by the Gallican robber synod of Pistoia. Among which is the proposition that there can spread a general obscuring of the more important truths condemned as heretical:

This proposition would logically follow and become true if the entire hierarchy of the Church, save for a handful of dubiously ordained bishops, defected from the true faith.

Pope Gregory XVI, while echoing the historic papal claims, notes the indefectibility of the Church at large in his encyclical Mirari Vos:

To use the words of the fathers of Trent, it is certain that the Church “was instructed by Jesus Christ and His Apostles and that all truth was daily taught it by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, it is obviously absurd and injurious to propose a certain “restoration and regeneration” for her as though necessary for her safety and growth, as if she could be considered subject to defect or obscuration or other misfortune. Indeed these authors of novelties consider that a “foundation may be laid of a new human institution,” and what Cyprian detested may come to pass, that what was a divine thing “may become a human church.” Let those who devise such plans be aware that, according to the testimony of St. Leo, “the right to grant dispensation from the canons is given” only to the Roman Pontiff. He alone, and no private person, can decide anything “about the rules of the Church Fathers.” As St. Gelasius writes: “It is the papal responsibility to keep the canonical decrees in their place and to evaluate the precepts of previous popes so that when the times demand relaxation in order to rejuvenate the churches, they may be adjusted after diligent consideration.”

Perhaps the most straightforward and damning example is found in Pope Leo XII’s apostolic exhortation, Pastoris Aeterni:

How indeed can the Church be a mother to you, if you do not have as fathers the pastors of the Church, that is, the Bishops? And how could you boast of the name of Catholics if, separated from the center of Catholicity, that is, precisely from this Holy Apostolic See and from the Supreme Pontiff, in whom God fixed the origin of unity, you break the Catholic unity? The Catholic Church is one, it is not torn or divided; therefore your "Little Church" can have no connection with the Catholic. For your so-called teachers, or rather your deceivers, there remains not one of the Gallican Bishops, who defends you and takes your side; indeed it is known that all the Bishops of the Catholic world, to whom they appealed, and for whom they wrote and printed their schismatic protests, approve the aforementioned conventions and the subsequent acts of Pius VII, to which the whole Catholic Church is favorable. What then? Are they not waging open war against the Catholic Church, and declaring that they have already conquered her, who dare to accuse her of simulation, or ignorance, or error? And yet the authors of the rebellion are so foolish as to dare to make such impudent accusations. They proclaim that the Church, which is against them and maintains communion with this Holy See, must be pointed out as simulating, or deceived, or erring; they furiously inveigh against her as schismatic. As the Donatists claimed of their faction, so they too would claim of their own, namely, that in her alone consists the true Church. Since, on the other hand, their fictitious "Little Church" not only has no distinctive character of the Catholic Church, but on the contrary manifests all the characteristics of the schismatic sect, it remains for them to affirm what would follow as if along an inclined plane, namely, that the Catholic Church has already ceased to exist. And indeed, whoever affirms this, by that very fact demonstrates that he is not in the Catholic Church.

Bl. Pius IX, in attempting to deal with the armenian church, touched on this topic in his encyclical letter, Quartus Supra:

But the neo-schismatics say that it was not a case of doctrine but of discipline, so the name and prerogatives of Catholics cannot be denied to those who object. Our Constitution Reversurus, published on July 12, 1867, answers this objection. We do not doubt that you know well how vain and worthless this evasion is. For the Catholic Church has always regarded as schismatic those who obstinately oppose the lawful prelates of the Church and in particular, the chief shepherd of all. Schismatics avoid carrying out their orders and even deny their very rank.

Now, I know that sedevacantists do not believe that the current prelates are, in fact, lawful. However, there is almost nobody who would argue that those prelates who elected Pope Saint John XXIII, attended the council, drafted the documents, and signed those documents were not lawful. Therefore, to obstinately oppose their teaching and their acceptance of the Roman Pontiffs since the Second Vatican Council is in direct violation of what Bl. Pius IX teaches.

Next I will present various citations from Pope Leo XIII:

Therefore, there can be no legitimate cause for these men, whoever were the first leaders of those concerned today, to be separated from the most holy communion of the Catholic world. Let them not rely on the upright quality of their conduct, not on their fidelity to discipline, not on their zeal in safeguarding teaching and stability in religion. Does not the Apostle say plainly that without charity all this profiteth nothing? (a) There is not a single bishop who considers them to be or who governs them as his flock. From this the evidence is plain: they may conclude with certainty that they are fugitives from the flock of Christ.

Eximia Nos Laetitia

In Eximia Nos Laetitia, Leo clearly presents that if a group does not have a bishop they cannot be considered a member of Christ’s flock.

This society is made up of men, just as civil society is, and yet is supernatural and spiritual, on account of the end for which it was founded, and of the means by which it aims at attaining that end. Hence, it is distinguished and differs from civil society, and, what is of highest moment, it is a society chartered as of right divine, perfect in its nature and in its title, to possess in itself and by itself, through the will and loving kindness of its Founder, all needful provision for its maintenance and action. And just as the end at which the Church aims is by far the noblest of ends, so is its authority the most exalted of all authority, nor can it be looked upon as inferior to the civil power, or in any manner dependent upon it.

Immortale Dei

In Immortale Dei, Leo clearly asserts that the Church must have all that is necessary for its continual propagation throughout the world. He claims that this is guaranteed by God Himself. If the entirety of the episcopate were to grievously err it would violate this necessity.

Wherefore, as appears from what has been said, Christ instituted in the Church a living, authoritative and permanent Magisterium, which by His own power He strengthened, by the Spirit of truth He taught, and by miracles confirmed. He willed and ordered, under the gravest penalties, that its teachings should be received as if they were His own. As often, therefore, as it is declared on the authority of this teaching that this or that is contained in the deposit of divine revelation, it must be believed by every one as true. If it could in any way be false, an evident contradiction follows; for then God Himself would be the author of error in man. “Lord, if we be in error, we are being deceived by Thee” (Richardus de S. Victore, De Trin., lib. i., cap. 2).

Statis Cognitim

Upon which St. Jerome says: “He who promises to remain with His Disciples to the end of the world declares that they will be for ever victorious, and that He will never depart from those who believe in Him” (In Matt., lib. iv., cap. 28, v. 20). But how could all this be realized in the Apostles alone, placed as they were under the universal law of dissolution by death? It was consequently provided by God that the Magisterium instituted by Jesus Christ should not end with the life of the Apostles, but that it should be perpetuated. We see it in truth propagated, and, as it were, delivered from hand to hand. For the Apostles consecrated bishops, and each one appointed those who were to succeed them immediately “in the ministry of the word.”

Ibid

On the one hand, therefore, it is necessary that the mission of teaching whatever Christ had taught should remain perpetual and immutable, and on the other that the duty of accepting and professing all their doctrine should likewise be perpetual and immutable. “Our Lord Jesus Christ, when in His Gospel He testifies that those who not are with Him are His enemies, does not designate any special form of heresy, but declares that all heretics who are not with Him and do not gather with Him, scatter His flock and are His adversaries: He that is not with Me is against Me, and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth” (S. Cyprianus, Ep. lxix., ad Magnum, n. I).

Ibid

In his enclyclical letter, Mortalium Animos, Pope Pius XI teaches that the hierarchy of the Church cannot cease to exist:

Instead, Christ our Lord instituted His Church as a perfect society, external of its nature and perceptible to the senses, which should carry on in the future the work of the salvation of the human race, under the leadership of one head,(Matt.xvi.18; Luke.xxii.32; John.xxi.15-17) with an authority teaching by word of mouth,(Mark.xvi.15) and by the ministry of the sacraments, the founts of heavenly grace;(John.iii.5, vi.48-59, xx.22; Matt.xviii.18; etc) for which reason He attested by comparison the similarity of the Church to a kingdom,(Matt.xiii) to a house,(Matt.xvi.18) to a sheepfold,(John.x.16) and to a flock.(John.xxi.15-17) This Church, after being so wonderfully instituted, could not, on the removal by death of its Founder and of the Apostles who were the pioneers in propagating it, be entirely extinguished and cease to be, for to it was given the commandment to lead all men, without distinction of time or place, to eternal salvation: “Going therefore, teach ye all nations.”(Matt.xxviii.19) In the continual carrying out of this task, will any element of strength and efficiency be wanting to the Church, when Christ Himself is perpetually present to it, according to His solemn promise: “Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world?”(Matt.xxviii.20) It follows then that the Church of Christ not only exists to-day and always, but is also exactly the same as it was in the time of the Apostles, unless we were to say, which God forbid, either that Christ our Lord could not effect His purpose, or that He erred when He asserted that the gates of hell should never prevail against it.

Finally, and of most recent memory, we have the words of Ven. Pius XII:

In all this confusion of opinion it is consolation to Us to see former adherents of rationalism today frequently desiring to return to the fountain of divinely communicated truth, and to acknowledge and profess the word of God as contained in Sacred Scripture as the foundation of religious teaching. But at the same time it is a matter of regret that not a few of these, the more firmly they accept the word of God, so much the more do they diminish the value of human reason, and the more they exalt the authority of God the Revealer, the more severely do they spurn the teaching office of the Church, which has been instituted by Christ, Our Lord, to preserve and interpret divine revelation. This attitude is not only plainly at variance with Holy Scripture, but is shown to be false by experience also. For often those who disagree with the true Church complain openly of their disagreement in matters of dogma and thus unwillingly bear witness to the necessity of a living Teaching Authority.

Humani Generis

It is also true that theologians must always return to the sources of divine revelation: for it belongs to them to point out how the doctrine of the living Teaching Authority is to be found either explicitly or implicitly in the Scriptures and in Tradition. Besides, each source of divinely revealed doctrine contains so many rich treasures of truth, that they can really never be exhausted. Hence it is that theology through the study of its sacred sources remains ever fresh; on the other hand, speculation which neglects a deeper search into the deposit of faith, proves sterile, as we know from experience. But for this reason even positive theology cannot be on a par with merely historical science. For, together with the sources of positive theology God has given to His Church a living Teaching Authority to elucidate and explain what is contained in the deposit of faith only obscurely and implicitly. This deposit of faith our Divine Redeemer has given for authentic interpretation not to each of the faithful, not even to theologians, but only to the Teaching Authority of the Church.

Ibid

There are more sources, particularly in the patristic texts, that could be used here. I have decided on these because of their recency and because this post is meant for those who already profess (or at least claim to profess) the Catholic faith. This is about resolving internal disputes about the necessity of a universal episcopate and not convincing non-Catholics to become Catholic. However, if you are non-Catholic and reading this then I think Mortalium Animos might be of interest for further reading.

-God bless you, Mary keep you-

[mprgz]

(Kingdom of Minoa (Crete), Knossos Province)

Various Minoan men modeling their traditional (folk costume) paternity wear, corresponding the typical dress around the mid 19th century. The Minoans have occupied Crete since at least the middle bronze age, and are one of the few pre-Indo-European populations (in terms of language) to survive in Europe, along with the Basques. (The Uralic migrations in the north of the continent are now known to be later than the Indo-European migrations.) Although ruled by the Romans, and Byzantines before re-establishing independence in the late 7th century, the Minoans have been able to preserve their language, albeit it their native "hieroglyphic" script was replaced by the Latin alphabet around the second century AD. Knowledge of the hieroglyphic script was lost, but recovered in the 19th century by archeologists. Their preservation of male child-carrying has been used to support the Indo-European-Amorite female child-carrying hypothesis: which states that in early farmer societies, male child-carrying predominated, in order to maximize population growth, and pastoralist warrior societies switched to female child-carrying in order to maximize the number of warriors fit for combat. This innovation is theorized to have arisen in multiple unrelated cultures.

Among contemporary Minoans, female pregnancy is rare. Historical sources support the notion male pregnancy was the general rule, or at least common the Minoans, several Greek and Roman sources state that Minoan men were the ones who gave birth. Likewise, some early Byzantine synods attempted to suppress the practice. But, there is not enough evidence to know if male pregnancy was only common or it was always their near-universal practice.

[lilafunger]

Overly Specific Headcanons about the Religious Sect Olivia and Reila grew up with!

I am Terminally autistic about both cults and generally just Intense and Not So Good For People sects of Christianity and I enjoy thinking about my blorbos' upbringings, so I thought I'd do some Research on real life religious stuff and come up with some headcanons based on all that. I might do the same thing with some of the other characters, because thinking about this is super fun to me, but tbh, doing it with the (ex) Alll-merian guys is probably going to be easiest, because I can lean moreso onto Christianity as an inspiration for practices. anyway yapping under cut V Discussion of some real life religious stuff and also of ableism down there.

FIRSTLY I had to figure out which subdenoms I wanted to take inspiration from, so naturally I started by looking up which ones were most Popular in Germany during the 1930s, around the equivalent of where Olivia and Reila were growing up. It was pretty split between Catholicism and Protestantism, in this particular timeframe of WWII and a short while during the buildup toward it, there seems to have been a sect called The German Evangelical Church, which was much too intertwined with the state and injected much too much Nazi propaganda into its preaching. I'm not gonna go into that too much! Mostly because that's a wildly upsetting topic for a LOT of people and not really necessary, as Funger's own Kaiser has his own slew of horrors he's been getting up to. The German Evangelical Church was sort of a mix of denominations, one of the key figures of which was Lutheranism!

SO. Basically, the Church I'm imagining the Haas family as having grown up with would be a fairly extreme sect of Lutheranist-inspired Alll-merianism with a REAL healthy dose of Kaiser Propaganda in there. I ended up researching a mixture of the German Evangelical Church, hyperconservative and apparently quite cultlike Lutheran sects like WELS.

I think I'll call it the Bremen Evangelical Alll-merian Synod or BEAS...

I don't think the sect is very uh... Pro Science at all. Reject Fallible Human Reason and Embrace Only the Most Literal Interpretation Of Our Alll-merian Texts! Don't look for information from outsiders, you have to be careful of getting caught up in False Doctrine! (In fact, just don't trust other people.) But yea, I think the rejection of human reason and of science fits well with the twins' parents utter reluctance to get her actual help for her condition. and ALSO imagining it having been that way makes the fact both of them grew up to be so academic very satisfying to me.

Very very literal about their Interpretations of The Texts. Very Very Very Literal.

At WELS schools at least, it sounds like there's quite a major culture of No Privacy!!! We just come into your room! Which reminded me of how Ever-watching Olivia and Reilas' parents are described as having been. So I think I can mentally expand on that and make a Thing of it.

I wonder what the Alll-merian equivalent of Luther's Poop Covered In Snow analogy for his ideas on Original Sin is... I'm not actually sure, I'd have to figure out more about the in-universe ideas about sin and stuff. But humans are nasty poop covered in the righteousness of the ascended one. Don't become too self loathing about that.

NOW. Keeping in mind Le'garde's goal of "Uniting" the world, I think one way his nonsense leaks into BEAS is through Mission work!! Good Deeds won't save people, proselytising will! Kinda like the Mormon approach to mission work perhaps? Veeeeeery heavy on the importance of getting people ALL OVER THE PLACE baptised in Alll-mer's name. Just Alll-mer's, definitely not the Yellow King's.

Man this is less about Religion headcanons and more about the twins' upbringing in general but I am Quickly beginning to imagine the parents favouring Reila faaaaaaaar too much. On top of how people can be about disabled people in general, which I could talk about so so much but I won't right now. But I think between her having spent so much of her youth bedbound (she wont be able to grow up and EVANGELISE :( ) and the lack of respect for her particular interests and talents, I think it would be very easy for her to be reduced to being sort of a burden in their eyes. Radiating and Shadowed,,,,

On that note, I did some looking into the real life beliefs about disabled people. What I found was that there's a lot of referring to it as A Way For The Works Of God To Be Displayed In Them and as A Manifestation Of Original Sin. I am... Less sure of how this would be translated to this universe through an Alll-merian lens. Also Martin Luther Himself I believe was a little too pro Murdering Disabled People, identifying at least one kid as a changeling, so the vibes around disabled people in a religious sect partially inspired by WELS can only be... Just. Great. I've heard at least that it's not great to be disabled in that group, but it's hard to find any specific info.

Because of the intensity about the scripture being the only infallible thing, I imagine the Bremen Evangelicals reject Enki's writings of Alll-mer as a creation of Vitruvia, much preferring the original Virgin Mother story.

Leaning into the WELS inspiration and what little I know of that, I think the community can be sort of a popularity contest so to speak...

Maybe Le'garde's goal of uniting the land to bring about a new era is twisted into something wholly unrelated for BEAS, like We All Have To Bring About The New Era for The Second Coming! or something along those lines.

Lutherans in general are in favour of secular healthcare, but Olivia and Reilas' parents notably and canonically are Not... Maybe it's because it's a much more intense group. Don't trust the fallible knowledge of random outsiders, no matter how many degrees they have! We Trust In Alll-mer!

SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME SHAME

I think the Lutherans are fairly unique in that they do a Last Supper type sacrament that other denoms don't?? idk. But maybe BEAS has some fucked up rituals they do based on that... Considering the nature of Fear and Hunger's setting, maybe in the most most most closed off scary places (Probably not on the kinda scale where Olivia would have seen or been involved in it) some shit like Crucifying your local Sin Eater and then eating THEM! This not wine blood actually is a symbol of Alll-mer's divine blood and this not bread flesh actually is a symbol of Alll-mer's divine flesh! :) yummy

I might think More on this another time but I'm getting tired so this is what you get for now. Feel free to add onto this if you have any ideas :0

i might well be onto NOTHING here but it is fun to think about

[littlemisspractical]

So ... I started this in April. And worked on it a bit, and then next picked it up at Christmas. But it's done! My LARP group, Hearthfire Hall. Closeups and character details under the cut!

Isolde Hannasdottir, Tempest Shield, Night Bringer. She is the one who started the whole thing, seeing the refugees (of which she was one) sheltering however they could and realising they needed two things: a place to stay to survive the harsh Wintermark winter, and purpose. She found the land, got the resources however she could, and rallied anyone who could help to build a brand new hall, who would take in anyone who needed it. She's now their Thane and leader, although often doesn't feel she's a good one, as she's not bold or commanding as many others are. The rest of the hall, however, follows her very happily, as she's got the perfect leadership skillset for them. A skilled healer and one of the best crafter Runesmiths in Wintermark.

Ida the River. She was in the same group as Isolde when they were forced out of their home by war, and followed Isolde south to give what help she could to people as a healer. She has backed Isolde up every step of the way forming Hearthfire, and now serves as its Grimnir and runs its hospital with the help of a large bevy of apprentices. She and Isolde don't always agree, but they have a very reliable working relationship and the easy intimacy of people who have lived and worked together for years. They might have different oppinions but they're pushing in the same direction. She's an extremely skilled healer, sworn to the craft, and now a Priest of the Way, too, to offer spiritail aid and guidance to those who need it and a refuge has lots of them). (Ida is also my character!)

Unnr. He's joined the hall with Tulli a few years ago, wanting to help their mission of helping people. He's a skilled midwife and an even more skilled merchant and dedicant of Prosperity. He's the hall Alderman and in charge of resources, a job he's far better at than anyone else around. He and Ida frequently clash on the right way to grow healing herbs, the right way to organise the hsopital and the best way to go about doing things. Despite both being loud, forceful people with loud, forceful opinions, much to the chagrin of the rest of the hall, they do both respect each other. He's also trying to woo Tulli, although nobody is sure if either of them have noticed yet. He keeps birds. The only one her with no priest training.

Tulli. She joined at the same time as Unnr, having stopped in the hall over winter and liking what she found there. A sometimes mysterious and often aloof presence, she is a Stormcrow and Priest of Wisdom, and does her best to guide the hall on those precepts. Often tries to mediate Ida and Unnr's argument's, generally to the detriment of all involved. She has the ambition to attain a high rank in the Imperial Synod, thinking the current leader of the Wisdom Assembly isn't up to much. Has certainly yet to notice Unnr's interest in her. The only one here with no ability to heal.

Eldrid. The most martial of the group and who only joined this year, she is Champion of Ambition, a formidable warrior and battlefield healer. She seeks to inspire others to ambition by example, and can be found encouraging people to pursue ambitions both great and small. A woman of action, she admires Isolde's ambition with Hearthfire and wants to help and support that.

[lgbtpopcult]

Best WLW News Stories of 2023

Meet South Korea’s first lesbian couple to have a child

[sapphosremains]

a personal reflection on the cofe general synod's prayers of love and faith decision

to be followed by a theological one at some point

**this post is rife with grammatical erors! i wrote it at 1am! i'm trying to get through them as i notice them but i apologise in advance**

this blog is a theological blog. when it is personal, it is reposts, or occasionally personal theological reflections, but today, after weeks of thought on the decision made by the general synod back in early july on prayers of love and faith, i cannot yet be theological. right now, this is a personal thing, and i do not have the space to be theological. despite this inability to fulfil my usual aims with the blog, i will still be writing and posting this, because it deserves to be heard, and i deserve to be heard. the voices of lgbtq people deserve to be heard, especially when they have such love for their faith and such tolerance for others that they continue in a church which supports them so little, and abuses them so often.

i could not help but cry watching the proceedings of the general synod as they discussed whether ministers should be allowed to pray for people in homosexual relationships. it is important to understand that the prayers of love and faith (plf) 'suite of resources' does not allow prayers for the relationship, only the people in it. i have tried, and i have heard the arguments by members of the alliance group and others rejecting plf, but i cannot remotely understand how anyone could reject it. as fr stuart cradduck put so powerfully, ministers bless (that's right - bless, not just pray for) sewage plants, and statues of margaret thatcher. in fact, even we as the laity are allowed, and encouraged, to pray for sinners in compassion and love. so, even if one did view homosexual relationships as sinful, how do we reconcile praying for murderers and blessing sewage plants with the stark rejection of praying for the people in a God-centered, loving relationship? again, not the relationship. and, as we see in praying for sinners, prayer is not an endorsement. where can the logic in rejecting prayers for people be?

i am in the process of discernment. i feel called by God to be a priest, administering the sacraments and serving His people. i also feel called by God to marriage. in fact, i have believed since i met her (and this is a belief that has only grown more fervent as we have been together) that God calls me to her. i won't give you all the reasons, but our meeting was as a result of a number of extraordinary circumstances for me, our initial friendship pulled me out of a very difficult circumstance (one i asked God to alleviate), our relationship worked patiently and tirelessly through difficulties in dealing with my trauma, she has drawn me closer and closer to God and His holy, catholic (little c not Roman) Church, and He has answered my prayers in every aspect pertaining to our relationship. our relationship is God-centered, and the fruits of it are the fruits of the work of the Holy Spirit. we go to church together. what, in this, had it been a man, could possibly be so awful? yet, as it stands, i cannot have both of the things that i feel God is calling me towards. i feel i am meant to be an ambassador of the eternal love offered in His church signified by my same-sex marriage (ssm) in the priesthood. why should i have to choose? why should i be allowed to choose which of His callings is most important? that is not my decision. if i have both callings, like many priests have a calling to their heterosexual marriage, why am i put in a position where i should make a choice on His divine will?

it also felt like speakers who voted against seemed to focus on the idea of negotiable doctrine. the idea that plf means that doctrine is negotiable. firstly, there was ambiguity and vagueness that did not help this argument. it was unclear whether speakers were arguing against the potential 'support' of sex outside of marriage that plf could create, or just the 'support' of gay relationships. again, as addressed above, it does neither. however, it is still not changing doctrine. against speakers seemed to convey the feeling that plf brought vast doctrinal changes (such as allowing homosexual holy matrimony), or that this doctrine exists in the first place. firstly, plf does not bring doctrinal changes. it prays for people, as we pray for all people. secondly, this is not doctrine in the same way that belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and fully God is doctrine. this is not doctrine in the same way that believing in the existence of God is doctrine. this is a matter of a few passages that we know are rife with translation errors and cultural misunderstandings.

should it constitute a doctrinal change, the words of mtr brenda wallace, who discussed how we accepted doctrinal changes about divorce, despite scripture seeming to forbid it (more clearly than in passages about homosexuality, i would argue), were powerful. she, along with bishop sarah mullally, emphasised that at the heart of this problem are real people, who we put at risk the more we tie ourselves up in theology, law, and doctrine.

although i am grateful for the passing of the motion on plf, its existence as procrastination, again well put by cradduck, cannot be denied. furthermore, the statistics were disappointing. in a christian church which subscribes to the new testament assertion that love is the most important commandment, 12/39 bishops voted against plf, with five abstaining, 88/189 clergy voted against, with two abstaining, and 91/188 laity voted against, with two abstaining. to put this into more understandable numbers, 31% of bishops voted against, 47% of clergy voted against, and 48% of laity voted against. 46% of voters (supposedly representative of the church) oppose prayers for people in same sex relationships.

now, i am not someone without criticism of my own viewpoints, and i am aware of other reasons for voting against. some, like william harwood, argue, quite fairly, that they feel the motion was rushed, and lacks clarity on either side. i tend to agree. i would still argue that those in favour of inclusivity should vote favourably, but his point is understandable. i also understood the viewpoint of the bishop of bath and wells michael beasley, that through putting the plf prayers through b2, the process the synod uses for liturgy that expresses doctrine, plf implies doctrinal changes. this does seem an unwise, strong movement in an otherwise tentative course of action. of course, i would love to see the allowance of holy matrimony for homosexual couples, but i can understand the reluctance of those in support of plf for what they are - prayers - to put them through the doctrinal liturgy system. i also understand the frustration of many as expressed by fr aneal appadoo - there has evidently not been clarity and trust in this process. with all of these issues, it feels like the synod was so conflicted, and passed the motion so narrowly, because they were not voting on plf. they were voting on whether they believed this constituted doctrinal changes, they were voting on hopes and fears about future motions, and they were voting on the lack of trust they now held for the bishops.

as i have become more synodically and theologically-minded throughout this post, i do want to return to the human element. to return to the words of mtr brenda and bishop sarah about people. i love my girlfriend. i love God. and i love His Church. i cannot express how distressing it is that we need to argue so much about whether the love for all three is possible. i do not believe that God could ever condemn such love, and i cannot believe that a matter of gender supersedes any biblical and holy qualities of a love. above all, i feel naive. i feel silly, really, for having hope that i might be able to marry my wife someday in my church. i am grateful to other churches, such as the methodist and united reform churches (fun fact, i am actually christened united reform!) that allow ssm, but i just wish that i could offer my marriage up in the eyes of God in the church i know and love. i am sad, because i know that my vicar, and believe that the congregation, would be overjoyed to witness the marriage of me and my girlfriend, who they know very well and have watched our relationship flourish. i feel naive.

i pray for all involved, as it cannot have been an easy couple of hours. i would encourage others to watch this portion of the synod, if you're interested, but to prioritise your own wellbeing, as it could be difficult to listen to.

blessings and love and prayers to you all

may we continue to strive for love

[whencyclopedia]

Orosius

Paulus Orosius (usually given as Orosius, 5th century CE) was a Christian theologian and historian who was also a friend and protege of St. Augustine of Hippo (l. 354-430 CE). He is best known for his work Seven Books of History Against the Pagans in which he argued that the 410 CE sack of Rome by Alaric I, King of the Goths (r. 394-410 CE) had nothing to do with the Roman adoption of Christianity, a claim popularly supported among the pagans of the day. He was encouraged to undertake the work by Augustine whose book City of God was inspired by the same event. Tracing the history of the world from creation to his own time, from a Christian perspective, Orosius' work was immensely popular with followers of the new religion and became a standard history referenced by later writers. Following the publication of his book, he disappears from the historical record.

Life & Career

Little is known of Orosius' early life. He was probably born in Portugal to an upper-class family in c. 380 CE and entered the priesthood at some point in his early years, probably before the age of 20. In 414 CE he was forced to leave his home in Hispania quickly (for unknown reasons) and booked passage on a ship to Hippo in North Africa to meet Saint Augustine. He seems to have made a good impression on the older cleric because, the next year, Augustine sent him to Jerusalem to debate with the heretic Pelagius, author of the Pelagian Heresy, which claimed that man was capable of individual salvation without the church's intercession.

In Jerusalem, Orosius conferred with Saint Jerome and John, Bishop of Jerusalem and faced Pelagius at a synod called to discuss the heresy. The outcome was inconclusive but, in the official report sent to Rome, Orosius' own orthodoxy was questioned. This charge prompted him to write his defense in the book Liber Apologeticus contra Pelagianos (Defense against Pelagius) maintaining his orthodoxy while condemning Pelagius.

Orosius left Palestine at some point in early 416 CE, having been given the relics of the first Christian martyr Saint Stephen (from the biblical Book of Acts 6 & 7) to bring back to his home in Portugal. He stopped first in Hippo to deliver letters to Augustine from Jerome, and it is generally thought that Augustine approached him at this time regarding writing his history.

Most scholars agree that Orosius' history shows signs of being written in haste and perhaps Augustine wanted it finished quickly so that he could use it as a resource in completing City of God. Other theories suggest that Orosius assisted in writing City of God and his history is written quickly because he was working on two pieces at once. All of this is speculation, however, because all that is really known is that Orosius left Hippo and returned with St. Stephen's relics to Portugal. He then wrote his history and, shortly afterwards, disappeared.

Continue reading...

[seriouslysam8]

What inspired your decision to have Dumbledore so closely connected to the Potters in Brumous (and also, seemingly your timetravel story)?

Do you tend to maintain your character backstories across the separate AUs—like with Demelza/Teegan?

I always found it weird that James gave Dumbledore is antique family invisibility cloak. James, having grown up with Fleamont and Henry, would know how it was from his Peverell line. While he may not know it was a deathly hallow, perhaps as generations wore on they thought it just a myth, James knew it was an important family relic. To just give that to Dumbledore seems odd unless there’s some close bond between them. Being only 21, being a former student and a member of the Order just doesn’t add up.

Not to mention, Dumbledore let a bunch of fresh out of Hogwarts kids join the Order? Especially with his strict stance that you MUST be an adult to join with parental permission - a la the Weasley twins.so, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily all joining seems a tad bit odd… unless someone cough Fleamont cough not only vouched for them but Dumbledore also knew at least one of them very intimately, aka James.

Then, there’s Dumbledore relationship with Harry. It was Dumbledore who found him a home after Jily died, not the Ministry. It was Dumbledore who kept tabs on him. It was Dumbledore who tried to maintain Harry’s innocence and let him be a kid for as long as possible until the prophecy would come crashing down on him. It could be argued he did all of this because of the prophecy, but I’m not one for the manipulative Dumbledore trope. I like him as a character who is smart and knows he’s smart but he’s blinded sometimes by his own intelligence and doesn’t always make the right calls, i.e. keeping Harry in the dark in OOTP, forcing Sirius to stay at Grimmauld, not seeing the real spy in Peter and in turn accepting the seemingly obvious answer that it was Sirius.

Speaking of that, it also seems odd Dumbledore never questioned Sirius. He didn’t want to talk to him? I mean, the guy seemingly spied on him for over a year and Dumbledore didn’t have questions? Blah, blah, plot device, blah, blah. Or maybe, Dumbledore was so enraged by Sirius’ betrayal because he did everything to protect his godson’s son and it didn’t matter in the end anyway. He needed someone to blame and Sirius was easy to blame, the wicked godfather who didn’t protect his godson.

So, I don’t know. I like their being a bit of lore between the Dumbledore’s and Potters - both of whom had generations of their family living in Godric’s Hollow. Henry and Dumbledore could potentially be the same age and could have been besties while at school.

As for if my own personal backstories and headcanons are the same among all my stories… yes. Demelza will always be Ginny’s bestie. Tegan will always be Demelza’s mom. David Robins will always die at the ends of Augustus Rookwood during his arrest. Harry will always be a premie (though his birth story does differ between Petrichor and Synodic). Walburga will always be in love with Tom Riddle. Andromeda will always consider herself more of Sirius’ big sister than older cousin. Robards and Tegan will always be besties. Dumbledore and Henry will always be besties and Dumbledore will always be Fleamont’s godfather. I try to maintain these backstories so I don’t get them all confused between different series and fuck it all up. Plus, I put so much time and effort into these backstories that I fall in love with them and then forget what’s canon and what’s not.

[thepringlesofblood]

FANTASY HIGH JUNIOR YEAR MINI AUCTION!!!!!!!!!

we are SO back!

as i have done before, I will be keeping track of this auction wave by wave, and doing fun things such as figuring out who sold for the most, who was most bidded on, etc. and generally doing statistics for fun.

I make no guarantees on when or how frequently this post will be updated, but it will be updated.

update (3/28/25): The auction is over!!! everything sold! And we have a new record for All-Time Most Expensive Dimension 20 Mini at $12,557.55!

this auction had 3 waves (as usual), and 100% of the proceeds went to benefit five charities - PCRF, Transgender Law Center, The Improve Education Fund, GiveDirectly (specifically to help with the LA fires), and Asylum Access.

recreational math below the cut!

I listed items up for auction & prices in the order they appeared on the page, noted tableaux, maxis, and set pieces, as well as tallied up stats at the end of every wave. now that everything's done we got some more fun stats to do!

Table of contents (ik ik)

Full list of minis sold highest to lowest

Stats for the whole auction [I'm still working on the fun ones]

Wave-by-wave breakdown & stats

Observations & info

Descriptions of tableaux and what minis they come with (based off of what i observed in the pictures)

Full list of items sold!

Kipperlilly Copperkettle - $12,557.55

Mordred Manor - Adaine's Room (tableau) - $10,502

Fig Faeth Playing Guitar - $7,003

Red Wastes - Hangvan (tableau) - $6,751

Pentacorn (maxi) - $6,557

Shrimp Dragon (maxi) - $6,003

Adaine Abernant - $5,501

Boggy the Froggy - $4,671

Night Yorb (maxi) - $4,242

Astral Mall - Oodles of Strudel (tableau) - $4,102

Vulture Dimension (tableau) - $4,051

Fabian Riding Hangman (maxi) - $4,001

Baron Monster w/ Fig (maxi w/ a mini-mini) - $3,901

Baron of the Baronies - $3,858

Mordred Manor Tiny Exterior (tableau) - $3,400

Wretchrot/"Baby" - $3,251

Fig Faeth on Skateboard - $3,003

Rage Gym - Scoreboard - $2,999

Seacaster Manor (maxi) - $2,901

Last Stand - Center (tableau) - $2,709

Gorthalax (maxi) - $2,653

Gorgug Thistlespring Barbificer - $2,511

Riz Gukgak - $2,503

Fabian Aramais Seacaster (maxi) - $2,501

Squeem - $2,378

Kristen Applebees - $2,222

Mary Ann Skuttle - $2,113

Frosty Faire - Thistlespring Home (tableau) - $2,102

Porter Cliffbreaker (maxi) - $2,101

Cassandra - $2,022

Moggy the Doggy - $2,001

Boggy the Owl - $2,000

Astral Mall - Fountain (tableau) - $1,824

Last Stand - End (tableau) - $1,800

Desk Mimic (maxi) - $1,651

Duggan McCann - $1,626

Mazey Phaedra - $1,601

Astral Mall - Escalator (tableau) - $1,511

Rage Gym - Corner (tableau) - $1,506

Daymare (maxi) - $1,501

Kalina - $1,501

Oisin Hakinvar - $1,501

Conor Counterspell - $1,500

The Hangman Hellhound (maxi) - $1,500

Seacaster Manor - Fist (tableau) - $1,450

Baxter - $1,300 (maxi)

Mordred Manor - Kristen's Room (tableau) - $1,253

Cloaca - $1,226

Medium Red Dragon (maxi) - $1,213

Fig's Skateboard - $1,205

Sandra Lynn Faeth - $1,205

Red Wastes - So Tactical (tableau) - $1,203

Frosty Faire - Stage Ritual (tableau) - $1,201

Grix - $1,201

Last Stand - Corner (tableau) - $1,201

Seacaster Manor - Cloud Head (tableau) - $1,201

Red Wastes - Hangman and Wide Stack (tableau) - $1,201

Folk Band Musician 4 - $1,200

Large Blue Dragon (maxi) - $1,186

Mall Fire Elemental 2 - $1,121

Big Crab (maxi) - $1,101

Turtle - $1,011

Seacaster Manor - Hand (tableau) - $1,004

Mordred Manor - Fig's Room (tableau) - $1,002

Hovering Robot (maxi) - $1,001.69

The Mower (maxi) - $1,001

Balthazar - $1,000

Ragh Barkrock - $1,000

Mordred Manor - Foyer (tableau) - $951

Ecaf - $901

Rage Conor Counterspell - $901

Ficus w/ Cody - $871

Synod Wizard 3 (maxi) - $850

Washer w/ Wilma Thistlespring (maxi) - $850

Frosty Faire - Festival Grounds (tableau) - $821

Buddy Dawn - $802

Ivy Embra - $801

Skeleton 5 - $800

Gertie Bladeshield - $781

Umber Hulk (maxi) - $777

Zayn Darkshadow w/ Edgar - $753

Mordred Manor - Jawbone & Sandra Lynn's Room (tableau) - $751

Rage Star 4 - $701

Rage Star 5 - $701

Yorbie w/ Yagmag 1 (maxi) - $701

Folk Festival Attendee 4 - $700

Rust Monster Acid 2 (maxi) - $700

Flight of Ochre Jellies (maxi) - $683

Stirge 8 - $670

Mall Water Elemental 4 - $611

Mordred Manor - Kitchen (tableau) - $610

Rage Star 2 - $603

Rust Monster 4 (maxi) - $601

Dryer with Digby Thistlespring (maxi) - $600

Yorbie Raider 5 (maxi) - $600

Otyugh (maxi) - $581

Robot 1 - $580

Wilma Thistlespring - $577

Folk Festival Attendee 1 - $560

Rage Wizard 4 - $552

Ruben Hopclap - $551

Yorbie w/ Insectoid Mount 3 (maxi) - $534

Robot 3 - $528

Gorbag - $516

Rage Star 3 - $516

Digby Thistlespring - $510

Robot 2 (maxi) - $510

Yorbie w/ Insectoid Mount 5 (maxi) - $501

Roz - $481

Yorbie Raider 2 - $476

Rage Wizard 6 (maxi) - $465

Rage Wizard 5 - $406

Yorbie Raider 4 - $402

Rage Wizard 3 - $400

Stats! (i'll come back and do fun awards later i gotta go to sleep)

Highest Price: Kipperlilly Copperkettle - $12,557.55

Lowest Price: Rage Wizard 3 - $400

Priciest PC: Fig Faeth Playing Guitar - $7,003

Least Pricy PC: Kristen Applebees - $2,222

Highest Price Named NPC: Kipperlilly Copperkettle - $12,557.55

Lowest Price Named NPC: Roz - $481

Highest Price Unnamed NPC: Pentacorn (maxi) - $6,557 (or if you don't count it bc its a maxi, highest non-maxi is Folk Band Musician 4 - $1,200)

Lowest Price Unnamed NPC: Rage Wizard 3 - $400

Highest Price Tableau: Mordred Manor - Adaine's Room (tableau) - $10,502

Lowest Price Tableau: Mordred Manor - Kitchen (tableau) - $610

Highest Price Maxi: Pentacorn (maxi) - $6,557

Lowest Price Maxi: Rage Wizard 6 (maxi) - $465

Highest Bids: Kipperlilly Copperkettle - 390 bids!

Lowest Bids: Rage Star 2 - 13 bids

for those of you keeping track, this means the top 5 most expensive d20 auction items of all time are

Kipperlilly Copperkettle (FHJY) - $12,557.55

Fig Faeth (FHFY) - $12,555.55

Calroy Cruller (ACOC)- $11,201

Mordred Manor (FHJY) - Adaine's Room - $10,502

Principal Arthur Aguefort (FHFY) - $10,101

Wave-By-Wave

Wave 1 - 3/10-3/14 - closed!

Fig Faeth Playing Guitar - $7,003

Red Wastes - Hangvan (tableau) - $6,751

Night Yorb (maxi) - $4,242

Astral Mall - Oodles of Strudel (tableau) - $4,102

Fabian Riding Hangman (maxi) - $4,001

Wretchrot/"Baby" - $3,251

Squeem - $2,378

Cassandra - $2,022

Moggy the Doggy - $2,001

Astral Mall - Fountain (tableau) - $1,824

Duggan McCann - $1,626

Astral Mall - Escalator (tableau) - $1,511

Kalina - $1,501

Oisin Hakinvar - $1,501

Conor Counterspell - $1,500

The Hangman Hellhound (maxi) - $1,500

Baxter - $1,300 (maxi)

Cloaca - $1,226

Sandra Lynn Faeth - $1,205

Red Wastes - So Tactical (tableau) - $1,203

Red Wastes - Hangman and Wide Stack (tableau) - $1,201

Mall Fire Elemental 2 - $1,121

Balthazar - $1,000

Ecaf - $901

Rage Conor Counterspell - $901

Synod Wizard 3 (maxi) - $850

Yorbie w/ Yagmag 1 (maxi) - $701

Mall Water Elemental 4 - $611

Rage Star 2 - $603

Yorbie Raider 5 (maxi) - $600

Rage Wizard 4 - $552

Yorbie w/ Insectoid Mount 3 (maxi) - $534

Rage Star 3 - $516

Yorbie w/ Insectoid Mount 5 (maxi) - $501

Yorbie Raider 2 - $476

Rage Wizard 6 (maxi) - $465

Rage Wizard 5 - $406

Yorbie Raider 4 - $402

Rage Wizard 3 - $400

Stats!

Highest Price: Fig Playing Guitar - $7,003

Lowest Price: Rage Wizard 3 - $400

Priciest PC: Fig Playing Guitar - $7,003

Highest Price Named NPC: Wretchrot/"Baby" - $3,251

Lowest Price Named NPC: Rage Conor Counterspell - $901

Highest Price Unnamed NPC: Mall Fire Elemental 2 - $1,121

Lowest Price Unnamed NPC: Rage Wizard 3 - $400

Highest Price Tableau: Red Wastes - Hangvan (tableau) - $6,751

Lowest Price Tableau: Red Wastes - Hangman and Wide Stack (tableau) - $1,201

Highest Price Maxi: Night Yorb (maxi) - $4,242

Lowest Price Maxi: Rage Wizard 6 (maxi) - $465

Highest Bids: Rage Wizard 4 - 191 bids

Lowest Bids: Rage Star 2 - 13 bids

6 tableaux, 9 maxis, 2 PCs and Squeem! a promising start.

Wave 2 - 3/17-3/21 - closed!

Mordred Manor - Adaine's Room (tableau) - $10,502

Adaine Abernant - $5,501

Vulture Dimension (tableau) - $4,051

Baron Monster w/ Fig (maxi w/ a mini-mini) - $3,901

Baron of the Baronies - $3,858

Mordred Manor Tiny Exterior (tableau) - $3,400

Riz Gukgak - $2,503

Kristen Applebees - $2,222

Frosty Faire - Thistlespring Home (tableau) - $2,102

Boggy the Owl - $2,000

Mordred Manor - Kristen's Room (tableau) - $1,253

Fig's Skateboard - $1,205

Grix - $1,201

Frosty Faire - Stage Ritual (tableau) - $1,201

Folk Band Musician 4 - $1,200

Turtle - $1,011

Mordred Manor - Fig's Room (tableau) - $1,002

Hovering Robot (maxi) - $1,001.69

The Mower (maxi) - $1,001

Ragh Barkrock - $1,000

Mordred Manor - Foyer (tableau) - $951

Ficus w/ Cody - $871

Washer w/ Wilma Thistlespring (maxi) - $850

Frosty Faire - Festival Grounds (tableau) - $821

Ivy Embra - $801

Zayn Darkshadow w/ Edgar - $753

Mordred Manor - Jawbone & Sandra Lynn's Room (tableau) - $751

Folk Festival Attendee 4 - $700

Mordred Manor - Kitchen (tableau) - $610

Dryer with Digby Thistlespring (maxi) - $600

Robot 1 - $580

Wilma Thistlespring - $577

Folk Festival Attendee 1 - $560

Ruben Hopclap - $551

Robot 3 - $528

Gorbag - $516

Digby Thistlespring - $510

Robot 2 (maxi) - $510

Roz - $481

Stats!

Highest Price: Mordred Manor - Adaine's Room (tableau) - $10,502

Lowest Price: Roz - $481

Priciest PC: Adaine Abernant - $5,501

Least Pricy PC: Kristen Applebees - $2,222

Highest Price Named NPC: Baron of the Baronies - $3,858 [i'm not counting "Baron Monster" as a name]

Lowest Price Named NPC: Roz - $481

Highest Price Unnamed NPC: Folk Band Musician 4 - $1,200

Lowest Price Unnamed NPC: Robot 2 (maxi) - $510

Highest Price Tableau: Mordred Manor - Adaine's Room - $10,502

Lowest Price Tableau: Mordred Manor - Jawbone & Sandra Lynn's Room - $751

Highest Price Maxi: Baron Monster w/ Fig - $3,901 [if you think it shouldn't count bc teeny Fig is there too, the runner-up is Hovering Robot - $1,001.69]

Lowest Price Maxi: Robot 2 - $510

Highest Bids: tie b/w Dryer w/ Digby Thistlespring (maxi) & Robot 3 - 290 bids

Lowest Bids: Vulture Dimension (tableau) - 27 bids

#JusticeForRoz, 11 tableaux, 3 PCs (+ 2 PC minis sold inside of tableaux!), and a new entrant to the exclusive "D20 Minis that sold for over $10k" club, Mordred Manor - Adaine's Room at $10,502!

Wave 3 - 3/24-3/28 - closed!

Kipperlilly Copperkettle - $12,557.55

Pentacorn (maxi) - $6,557

Shrimp Dragon (maxi) - $6,003

Boggy the Froggy - $4,671

Fig Faeth on Skateboard - $3,003

Rage Gym - Scoreboard - $2,999

Seacaster Manor (maxi) - $2,901

Last Stand - Center (tableau) - $2,709

Gorthalax (maxi) - $2,653

Gorgug Thistlespring Barbificer - $2,511

Fabian Aramais Seacaster (maxi) - $2,501

Mary Ann Skuttle - $2,113

Porter Cliffbreaker (maxi) - $2,101

Last Stand - End (tableau) - $1,800

Desk Mimic (maxi) - $1,651

Mazey Phaedra - $1,601

Rage Gym - Corner (tableau) - $1,506

Daymare (maxi) - $1,501

Seacaster Manor - Fist (tableau) - $1,450

Medium Red Dragon (maxi) - $1,213

Last Stand - Corner (tableau) - $1,201

Seacaster Manor - Cloud Head (tableau) - $1,201

Large Blue Dragon (maxi) - $1,186

Big Crab (maxi) - $1,101

Seacaster Manor - Hand (tableau) - $1,004

Buddy Dawn - $802

Skeleton 5 - $800

Gertie Bladeshield - $781

Umber Hulk (maxi) - $777

Rage Star 4 - $701

Rage Star 5 - $701

Rust Monster Acid 2 (maxi) - $700

Flight of Ochre Jellies (maxi) - $683

Stirge 8 - $670

Rust Monster 4 (maxi) - $601

Otyugh (maxi) - $581

Stats!

Highest Price: Kipperlilly Copperkettle - $12,557.55

Lowest Price: Otyugh (maxi) - $581

Priciest PC: Fig Faeth on Skateboard - $3,003

Least Pricy PC: Fabian Aramais Seacaster (maxi) - $2,501

Highest Price Named NPC: Kipperlilly Copperkettle - $12,557.55

Lowest Price Named NPC: Gertie Bladeshield - $781

Highest Price Unnamed NPC: Pentacorn (maxi) - $6,557 (or if you don’t count maxis, Skeleton 5)

Lowest Price Unnamed NPC: Otyugh (maxi) - $581 (or if you don’t count maxis, Stirge 8)

Highest Price Tableau: Last Stand - Center (tableau) - $2,709

Lowest Price Tableau: Seacaster Manor - Hand (tableau) - $1,004

Highest Price Maxi: Pentacorn (maxi) - $6,557

Lowest Price Maxi: Otyugh (maxi) - $581

Highest Bids: Kipperlilly Copperkettle - 390 bids!

Lowest Bids: Rage Star 4 - 18 bids!

7 tableaux, 3 PCs, 16 maxis, and Shrimp Dragon! we end with a bang!

Observations

Fig once again outsells, easily stealing the first wave at $7,003. good for her!

But wave 2, Mordred Manor - Adaine's Room pulls ahead at $10,502! It joins the ranks of FHFY Fig, Calroy, and Arthur Aguefort in the "D20 Minis that sold for over $10k" club.

and wave 3 Kipperlilly Copperkettle outsells literally every other auction item Dropout has ever sold, at exactly two (2) dollars more than previous record holder, freshman year Fig Faeth.

Fig's room comes with a Fig mini I don't recall having seen before - no jacket, her bass on her back, holding her skateboard in one hand. so far,

Fig minis have consistently sold for a Lot - freshman year Fig sold for $12,555.55, and Fig playing guitar from wave 1 sold for $7,003. skateboard Fig is no slouch either, at $3,003. Fig's room (with Fig in it) sold for $1,002 - fascinating.

the Fig sold w the Baron Monster is the teeny version of this jacketless Fig.

Within a minute of being up for auction, on the 3rd total bid, Ragh Barkrock is already at $300. Good for him. Gay rights.

Fabian only has maxis. First for the Hangman and then bc of the battle sheet. Honestly in character.

Every wave has had at least 1 Fig. Iconic

last time they listed all the minis that come with each tableau - this time they haven't [so far]. I'm going to do my best to count minis included in each one below.

for Mordred Manor rooms, I only note objects that have a platform under them (Gilear Talismans, the garlic, wolfsbane, & Gulsom's bolts). other objects are probably moveable but there's so many lil details I'm just including the ones on platforms.

Wave 1!

Red Wastes - Hangvan

the reason this one went for so much money is that the Hangvan includes seated versions of the Bad Kids. I can visually confirm Adaine, Riz, Fig, Fabian, Gorgug, and in the backmost seat is a red blob that could be Kristen's hair or Wretchrot/Baby. Also Gorgug's bandolier thing makes it look like he's the only one wearing a seatbelt - fantastic.

the Hangvan itself is detachable, and has the cool gun on top of it.

a Vulture sitting on top of a signpost [it looks like the signpost itself is the detachable part, and the Vulture is part of it and/or glued to it]

a Yorbie w a spear

an Insectoid Mount Yorbie w a spear

an Insectoid Mount Yorbie w a bow

Red Wastes - So Tactical

2 Tactical Yorbies [the ones coming out of the trapdoors]

a Ballista

an unarmed Yorbie [presumably manning the Ballista]

an Insectoid Mount Yorbie w a slingshot lookin thing

Red Wastes - Hangman & Wide Stack

i think by 'Wide Stack' they mean that one of the piles of rocks is stacked to look like a dick. nice

the Hangman [motorcycle, riderless]

a Yorbie w/ Yagman

an Insectoid Mount Yorbie w an axe

a Ballista

a Yorbie w a dagger [presumably manning the Ballista]

Astral Mall - Fountain

at least 4 Rage Stars

Rage Cassandra kind of crouched in superhero pose

3 normal Wizards

Rage Centaur Wizard

2 big beefy Rage Wizards

2 slightly less beefy Rage Wizards that look like sisters or twins maybe

a blue guy there's not really a good shot of but I'm gonna say Synod Wizard

a tiny pile of rocks with a white hat. I'm sure this makes sense in the episode I just don't remember it

Astral Mall - Escalator

9 normal Wizards, including the normal versions of the Centaur and the maybe-sisters-or-twins from the Fountain tableau

Rage Cassandra but she still has a platform and isn't as big or all the way crouched down yet.

what looks like a tiny dragon skeleton carrying a cardboard box on his back. like a Cubone but if it was all bones. like Dry Bones from Mariokart in a semi-realistic art style.

a small pile of rocks (the same one?) with a white hat behind a counter on the second floor - I think they're an Earth Elemental.

3 Fire Elementals, one large and two small

a Rage Star

what I think is either one of Adaine's Dust Mephits or a small Elemental of some kind, next to Cassandra

a Water Elemental, very small, hiding behind some bushes near the bar on the first floor.

Astral Mall - Oodles of Strudel

Adaine [strudel edition]

Cassandra, normal size, only just beginning to rage

2 either Dust Mephits or Air Elementals, one with a rolling pin one taking out the trash

a Rage Star

a normal Centaur Wizard

2 normal Wizards

a Stone/Earth Elemental janitor w a janitor cart

a Water Elemental

a small Fire Elemental in the very back of the building

what i think is an Earth Elemental to Adaine's left

another Water Elemental (?) to Adaine's right

Wave 2!

Frosty Faire - Festival Grounds

6 Folk Festival Attendees, including 2 clothed gnomes

2 standing nude gnomes

2 laying down nude gnomes

A Dog

A Snake

A Duck

Frosty Faire - Stage Ritual

Vulture

Drummer

Piano player

Sax player

Guitar player

2 gnomes hiding backstage

Mushroom guy

6 Folk Festival Attendees

A bunny? [stage right]

A bird with clothes? [stage right]

Lawnmower looking thing [dildo-free]

Frosty Faire - Thistlespring Home

2 gnomes

7 Folk Festival Attendees

Bird? something small and black next to the see-saw and the guy in a red robe and heart boxers.

Mordred Manor - Jawbone & Sandra Lynn’s Room

Jawbone (unleashed)

2 lil lime jello lookin things? Sex toys? Gilear Talismans? I forget what they are. Gulsom's neck bolts! They say so in the adventuring party.

Spilled cottage cheese [Gilear Talisman]

Mordred Manor - Fig’s Room

F I G - a full Fig mini, bass on her back, no jacket, holding a skateboard.

Bean shirt [Gilear Talisman]

Garlic

A bunch of tiny phoenix feathers everywhere - adorable

Mordred Manor - Kitchen

Lydia Barkrock

Sandals [Gilear Talisman]

Lanyard [Gilear Talisman]

Mordred Manor - Foyer

Gulsom meat monster

Zara Sool

Yogurt spoon [Gilear Talisman]

Mordred Manor - Kristen’s Room

Kristen [presumably K2, since Kristen Applebees is being sold as a separate mini]

EDGAR THE GHOST RAT!

Wolfsbane

Mordred Manor - Adaine’s Room

Aelwyn

Spilled yogurt cups [Gilear Talisman]

Mordred Manor - Tiny Exterior

Teeny Gilear-That-Could’ve-Been

Teeny Adaine

Teeny Riz

Teeny Fig (playing the bass)

Teeny Gorgug

Teeny Fabian

Teeny guy in suit? sorry i don't remember who that is.

Vulture Dimension

The Vulture King

A large number of vultures in various positions. They blend into the background almost seamlessly but their heads are reddish-pink and I counted at least 11 but there’s probably more hidden away somewhere

Wave 3!

Last Stand - Center

Purple Worm

Gavin Pundle (at desk)

Gorgug Thistlespring

1 Rust Monster w Acid Breath

4 Rust Monsters (no acid)

3 Ochre Jellies

Last Stand - End

Gavin Pundle (standing)

1 Wyvern

7 Skeletons

2 Ochre Jellies

1 Hydra

Last Stand - Corner

Roper

Gorgon

8 Stirges

3 Ochre Jellies

Rage Gym - Scoreboard

Squeem w/ Cortados & a sword

2 Jace Clones

Rage Gym - Corner

2 Jace Clones

Shadow Balthazar

Agent Cuspin Clark

Seacaster Manor - Cloud Head

[note: I don't have dragon sizes listed here bc I haven't watched the episode in a very long time and forget what sizes they all were, so i just put color]

Blue Dragon

White Dragon

Black Dragon

Seacaster Manor - Hand

White Dragon

Green Dragon

Black Dragon

Gold Tornado

Seacastor Manor - Fist

Blue Dragon

Green Dragon

Black Dragon

[scotianostra]

On December 20th 1560 the first General Assembly of the Church of Scotland was held.

The General Assembly is a meeting of ministers and elders that happens once a year to make decisions about how the church should be run, based on what Jesus has said in the Bible. The first General Assembly of the Church of Scotland met in the Magdalene Chapel, on the Cowgate in December 1560. It had 6 ministers and 36 other members. By 1567 it had 252 ministers and 621 other members. Each year, a General Assembly appoints a Moderator who makes sure everything runs smoothly.

When the second General Assembly met in 1561, some thought it should only meet if the Queen allowed it. However John Knox argued that the Queen should have no power over the Assembly.

The General Assembly is the top tier of Church government and authority. Items of Assembly business are referred from synods, presbyteries, committees, and individuals. The Assembly sits for a week-long session annually in May at the debating-chamber on the Mound, Edinburgh.

The General Assembly can also meet elsewhere. A meeting of the Assembly was held in Glasgow to mark the city’s status as European City of Culture in 1990.