#herd of swine

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man

1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. — Mark 5:1-20 | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Psalm 66:16; Psalm 105:18; Matthew 4:3; Matthew 4:24; Matthew 7:6; Matthew 8:28-29; Matthew 8:32-33; Matthew 8:34; Matthew 9:32; Matthew 12:45; Matthew 26:53; Mark 1:26; Mark 4:41; Mark 7:31; Luke 1:32; Luke 8:27; Luke 8:35; Luke 8:39

[darabeatha]

picrew!

[filurig]

some stuff involving non sapient creatures in pareidolia, first image is some animals that tomtar have domesticated, second is a remake of gloson, which is a vätte but is, contrary to most other ones ive made, not a sophont and is instead domesticated by trolls. more info below the cut...

ive already talked about the tomteget in another post, so i wont go into detail about them here, but the one shown in the picture is gullmar's goat (and he is there as well as ucan see). tomtar also keep a domesticated breed of wolverine and ermine, used for some different purposes - wolverines more as guarding/herding animals and ermines to hunt. tomtar don't actually tend to hunt a lot of large prey at all, and what they do hunt is sort of limited as a lot of game birds are sacred to them due to folklore (basically ptarmigans, corvids, grouses, capercailles and things in those veins..). therefore despite how small ermines are they can hunt most of the quarry they prefer such as hares, ducks etc - especially bcs the tomte variety of ermine is bred to be a bit larger and more robust. they can also just be kept as companion animals for many tomtar. wolverines meanwhile serve well as guarding and herding animals due to their size and strength. there is a notable regiment of wolverine fighters in the midlands front - where interested tomtar are trained for combat utilizing the power of the wolverine - the one pictured though is a regular herding/guarding animal though. there are probably some smaller tomte hunting groups that try to go for bigger game with them such as wolves etc. but its definitely pretty unusual. tomteget goats are basically universal across tomte cultures, but the tomte wolverines and ermines are a bit more limited, more occuring in northern cultures historically. although as time goes on they have been spread further south, especially as the midlands front was established and increased the communicative network between different disparate tomte societies. 2. this is just a remake of the gloson from that older post bcs i wasnt really happy with the design - its a laaaaarge animal but didnt really feel like it proportionally bcs i stuck too closely to the normal eu swine proportions... things are mostly the same about them though. the orange parts of the horns glow!

[ratsoh-writes]

Say hello to farmswapfell!!! Here’s a little info about the au first:

Farmswapfell is mainly an agricultural au! Humans and monsters were mixed together on the surface like the other farm AUs. However a war years ago had left almost every area fragmented. With the governments all over in shambles, and harsh lines of different battle sides still dividing the people, there was chaos all around.

Due to the lack of structure, there was no enforcement of the law. Groups of bandits roamed the land. Farms became fortresses while others hoping to get rich or take over territory formed packs to take on these homesteads.

Right before the situation blew up and started another war though, the monsters and many humans were pulled through the crash into ebott! And here they are today!

Meet the farmswapfell bros!!!

Swine Wingdings (farmswapfell sans)

Swine is a skeleton monster standing at 5’8 with a reddish orange magic. He has sharp teeth and slightly droopy eye sockets with one thick scar across both sockets. When wearing his ecto he has a rather chunky build. He’s aged at 92.

Swine is a confident and outspoken monster with a rather troubling tendency to pick fights or stir the pot. He’s known yo he rather shameless, attempts to fluster or guilt him rarely work. Swine is a clever monster, easily picking up new skills, and because of this he looks down on those who are less flexible. While he struggles with empathy, he’s deeply loyal to those thick skinned enough to stick around. He’s a true ride or die friend. He adores animals of all types

Swine works in Goldenvalley as a pig farmer. He owns a nice plot of land where he raises a large herd of swine. His farm definitely isn’t one of the fancy ones. While the pigs are clean and treated well, he’s fine with feeding them anything that won’t make them sick. As a side hustle, he allows others to use the pigs to get rid of… unsavory merchandise

Swines magic weapon is a rocket launcher shaped as a decapitated pigs head lol. It’s more show as the weapon he made is rather slow, but if you’re uncoordinated enough to actually get hit, it packs a massive punch

Swines special ability is called gluttony. His ectos dissolving function when eating is much stronger than the average monster making him able to safely eat materials like plastic, metal, stone and even some plants that are poisonous to monsters. He simply burns them too fast and hard for the poison to enter his body. Unfortunately this comes with the side effect of a constant nagging sense of hunger/appetite

Things he loves: bacon, just meat in general but especially bacon, watching Gordon Ramsey on tv, the British bake off and any other cooking show, the color pink, the gun range, hunting, his hunting dogs lass and lady, contraband human food from outside of ebott, punk rock and country music, dandelions

Possum Wingdings (farmswapfell papyrus)

Possum is a taller skeleton monster standing at 6’8 feet tall! He has a reddish purple magic and a double set of teeth with two top sharp canines in front and sharp teeth underneath. Possums right eye socket has a large scar from top to bottom. The eyelight in that socket no longer works. He is 38 years old.

Possum is at first glance sleepy and absent minded looking. In reality he’s a sharp observant little sneak. Possum has found over the years how to stay silent and blend into the background to avoid suspicion. He’s gotten very good at being overlooked. He’s rather stiff and simple worded around those he doesn’t trust, but with loved ones he’s sarcastic, a bit pushy, and has a small mischievous side.

On the surface, possum is swines farmhand and known around the town for doing odd jobs for extra cash. However his true job is a little less legal. Possum is the middle man for an illegal shipping gang. He picks up contraband items smuggled into Portland or Steeler, and will resell or move them around Goldenvalley. And of course if he ever gets caught, his supportive brothers pigs are great at eating the evidence.

Possums magic weapon is a small dagger easily hidden in his sleeve. The real danger in the admittedly weak weapon lies with his special ability that the blade can use

Possums special ability is called blood thinner. If he can make contact with the blood of his target, he can make that person dizzy, tired, and forgetful. The effects last as long as possum is near the victim

Things he loves: old western movies, breakfast sausages and maple syrup, dumpster diving, hunting, his brothers hunting dogs, exploring abandoned buildings, contraband from outside of ebott, sunflowers, blues and country music

Side characters:

Beetle (farmswapfell muffet): she is swines closest friend, practically a sister to him. She was a neighbor in his old au that joined forces with him and his parents when things started going to sh*t. Beetle was the one to steal a child possum away as swine fought off the thieves that killed his parents. She had personally hunted down the monster who scarred his face and together they held the farm up until the crash happened. These days beetle is enjoying her time on the pig farm. She’s the secretary handling the selling of the animals and buying of the supplies. Occasionally for extra cash, she’ll make a little moonshine on the side ;)

Rooster: a large tree golem, this monster is a sailor in Steeler who is possums main contact when it comes to receiving illegally imported goods. The two bonded over hating ebotts restrictions and being from farmswapfell. Rooster has a massive crush on beetle but is too scared of swine to confess lol

[blimbo-buddy]

Warrior cats but they're all swines. Rusty is a domestic pig and the Clans are called Herds, ThunderHerd, ShadowHerd, RiverHerd, and WindHerd. Kittypets are called Piggypets. No I don't know what apprentice suffixes would be but Kit suffixes might be Piglet but that's a mouthful

[katatty]

The Rudhalls had plenty of piglets joining their herd of swine this winter. But Rose has been a little restless - she doesn't mind caring for the hogs but wishes her brother and father didn't insist on living like pigs, too! She gets so tired of cleaning up after everyone and being the responsible one.

Her father Michael owes a huge fine for assulting the future lord of the manor, Elliot Morgreen. And while he was able to sell some horseshit to the local merchants to sell as fertiliser, the family was running low on food. So, Rose headed into the forrest to do a little foraging.

She left the forrest with a bad case of poisoning and a broken heart! It seems like Joshua is smitten with Emily, now. He agreed to be freinds, but seemed to have solely lost interest in her! Maybe she'd taken his affections for granted...

[mdzs-is-rotting-my-brain]

11 days until my wife (EPIC: The Vengeance Saga) disguises herself to speak to her own swine herd.

[virgil-630]

1/2

And I'm home sweet home

Like a herd of swine

And the seeds I've sown

Well they're mine, all mine

They're down so low

In floorboard rest

There's a great big hole

Straight through my chest

I decided to post the pieces separately anyway, because it's unclear how long it will take until I finish the second one😞

Tip Commission info

[dommnics]

Oh your art is so good, your mermaid designs are especially so pretty and unusual! May I ask what other fairy tales would you like to design, both Andersen and not ( seen that you have started with the Snow White)

Thank you so much! I super appreciate the “pretty and unusual” comment!! 🥹❤️

And yes, essentially I wanna cross off the “well-known” fairy tales. What interests me about these fairy tale redesigns (especially for the popular/well known stories) is that they already have existing interpretations, so my challenge is to put something new out there, which is such a fun exercise for me to try to create the most interesting design (to me) and make it feel fresh somehow! I would be interested in drawing some of the lesser known stories as well, especially if they have a smaller cast of characters. It just means less for me to design and draw haha

Some of the fairy tales on my list include, but may not be limited to:

Hans Christian Andersen

- snow queen, wild swans, the real princess/princess and the pea, the swine herd, little match girl

Brothers Grimm

- snow white , twelve dancing princesses, frog Prince, goose girl, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, red cap, rumpelstiltskin, Cinderella, seven ravens, Snow White and rose red

I’d also like to draw two different versions of some fairy tales (ex, Charles Perrault’s Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty vs the Grimm versions, Perrault’s Beauty and the Beast vs the Villeneuve/Beaumont versions) because their story differences interest me enough to feel like they warrant different character designs and because I want to have my cake and eat it too, by getting to design them “twice” lol.

And there’s also literary tales that don’t originate from folk tales (?) that are on my list that I’m really excited to draw designs for, like:

- the wizard of Oz, Alice in wonderland, Peter Pan, the nutcracker, Pinocchio

If there’s fairy tales/stories I’ve also missed that maybe people are really interested to see and let me know of, I might draw for those too! I didn’t expect these to get much attention/interest truthfully but it makes me happy others are enjoying them because it certainly gives me joy working on them!

[awritersbro]

i think one of my most borderline heretical if not actual heretical beliefs is that I am like 50-90% convinced that the devil does not actually exist and is simply a metaphorical personification of humanity's Fallen status and ability to Sin. Demons could be just the language of the time describing various mental illnesses but i am much less sure of that considering the details of various accounts of Jesus casting evil spirits out of people (and on one occasion into a herd of swine).

Obviously this does not mean that if some well-dressed dude saunters over to my door and offers me my hearts' desire in exchange for my soul i would just blindly take it. But what little actual Biblical Canon about Satan there is is already so extremely steeped in metaphor and fable that it seems prudent to not discount the possibility that His Evilness just... is one.

It makes it easier, right? To blame everything bad in the world on this one big bad talking in everybody's ear. But the thing about Temptation is that you always have the option not to succumb to it. In the end it's still us humans making those decisions. It's still us humans being greedy and selfish and hateful. That's why we need Jesus' forgiveness in the first place.

The snake told Eve all those lies but Adam and Eve were the ones to eat the Knowledge Fruit, and in the end does it even matter if the Snake was real or not? Maybe the snake was a talking snake. Maybe the snake was a metaphor for the doubts in Eve's head. The result is all the same, and the modern conception of Satan carries so much with it nowadays that has little to nothing to do with the actual Bible that if believing in a literal Satan brings you further away from God then maybe it's better for one's own faith journey to scrap the concept entirely and consider the guy a metaphor.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Demons Sent into a Herd of Swine

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. — Mark 5:11-20 | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Psalm 66:16; Matthew 4:24-25; Matthew 7:6; Matthew 8:10; Matthew 8:32-33; Matthew 8:34; Matthew 9:32; Matthew 26:53; Mark 5:9-10; Mark 7:31; Luke 8:27; Luke 8:35; Luke 8:38-39; Acts 16:39

[digitalcirce]

Nature Walk (woman to pig transformation)

When Cassie stared her relaxing nature walk, she was a normal girl. But then she started to smell something… intoxicating. Truffles, as it turned out - buried delicacies that smelled like virile, ready boars. And while her mind didn't understand the smells, her body did. She followed the olfactory trail eagerly. And so slowly, starting with her womb, she started to change. She transformed to fulfill her deepest, unexamined, unknown desires. Every moment of her walk has left her less a normal girl, and more a sow. Her insides are quite advanced - she now boasts the heart, stomach, bowels, and ovaries of a healthy pig. Even her brain has started to change. But her outward features are changing too, revealing her for what she is. How far will it go? Will the gorgeous, buxom, sable-haired beauty really join a herd of pigs, waddling on all fours like any other? Will her tail wiggle as a boar ruts her, filling her full of piglets to love? Cassie had never contemplated being a pig; having any life other than human. But tomorrow, she may well not contemplate any life other than that of a satisfied sow. It's hard to imagine a woman as refined and beautiful as Cassie being content eating with her face, pooping on the ground, mating with boars, whelping piglets, and socializing only with other swine. But she will be. She'll find life as a fat smelly breeding sow enchanting, mesmerizing - a senses-overload. The end of her nature walk will lead into a sty full of other hogs, and then the gate will shut behind her. Of course, the plump sow will always remember her human life, but she won't miss it. Not when there's another boar willing to mount her!

This is the one hundred and thirty-first of my photomanipulations to debut first on Tumblr.

[monochromaticwriting]

Let's play a game called, "What Author is Mono Obsessing Over?"

Or otherwise, Does anyone want to guess the story I was inspired by?

When they first came to life, they heard an overwhelming amount of noises. Noises of smashing, speaking languages they had never heard, footsteps on sand. Its eyes open, before shutting from the blinding light. What light! It had never seen such light! And this body. What body! A body? They had never had a body of their own. That meant the ritual worked!

They looked at themselves in a mirror. They were a tan man, with brown curls atop their head. Its hands rub through its hair. Is this what it was like to feel hair? With hands? It never had hands that could touch. Nor did it ever have hair to feel. They touched its face. It never had a face of its own. It could never obtain a face of its own. It never minded.

Stumbling on feet, graceful as a human child, it danced through the streets. The man this body originally belonged to was no longer present. Not that it would've given it back. They made a deal, and he followed through. This is their body now. The Prince called to it, and now it could fulfill his request!

But it did not get a chance to. As it grew tired, as was the nature of a child who had burned through their energies, a man in robes came before it. Though it did not know his name, it knew who he was. He was the son of the Father. Of Him. The Father who had casted out The Fallen One. It knew that he would exorcise them. So they fell to their knees, begging in multitudes of stumbling voices. Begging in voices that spoke in languages it didn't know.

They begged to not be sent back to the abyss with those who did not believe them. They needed to prove their Prince was real, and was stronger than The Fallen One. He did not grant it the mercy. They begged to be casted into the herd of swine, at least they could travel better, to find their Prince. That did not happen either. The swine dove into the cold abyss of the salted ocean, taking it back to the heat of the core.

The man was not saved. It claimed his soul, and made him a spot within themselves. It wasn't his fault that they couldn't fulfill their duty. But now they were stuck again. They needed to get to its Prince. The true One. The Ruler of Hell. So it began to scheme and plan. Sand dunes, changed into lush forests. Small villages and towns, turned into a grand Castle.

Within this Castle was the Snake. A man who was only interested in his own gain. A man, who was smart, without the wisdom in place. His arrogance could only be rivalled by the Fallen One, but it couldn't complain. Not when he summoned both it, and its Kin, to possess the castle. They grew stronger within his reign. Lived longer within the realm of man. It followed its rules from the man, even brain washing others to create an army unlike any other. Its kin, the Forgotten One, however, was not like them. It was aggressive, powerful, far more dangerous than it. No sane human would have tried to contain it, yet the Snake tried.

They hid, as four Holy Ones marched through its walls. The Holy Ones came to seal the Forgotten One away. It watched with curiosity, though caution. Its slithered and pulsated and dripped down the marble pillars, following these Holy Ones. It watched as the Snake lied to the Holy Ones. Lied about what brought about its kin. Only one of these Holy Ones didn't seem convinced. This one, The Fox, had found a relic in his patrol for its kin. A powerful relic. He took a shard of this relic, its black surface shimmering, showing the Fox parts of the future. Though, he did not tell any of the other Holy Ones of his find.

Seasons changed, as did the times. The Fox played his role beautifully. Soon, three of the Holy Ones became monsters. It had heard the gossip from many servants within its walls. It was stronger than the tie it had with the Snake. And the Snake knew he was only on borrowed time. The Snake tried to redeem himself, tried to send them back to the fiery abyss. But the Snake was too weak now.

It devoured the Snake, bringing forth the Bat and her offspring. Though all were illegitimate, it didn't care. It never minded human politics on offspring. She turned its kin into more of her offspring, taking their abilities from ever returning to the fiery abyss they had called their homes. It was never home to it. This was where they belonged. In wait for their Prince. Their saviour.

It waited for centuries. Centuries of serving, building, devouring the knights that stormed its walls. It waited for its Prince. It waited for the day for the True One to come. Its patience was rewarded. It overheard the Bat speak to one of its turned kin. "My lady, I fear the one to destroy you has been born. He is in the hands of the Brotherhood." The Turned One says.

"Many humans have tried, but none have succeeded, how is an infant to bring mine and my brothers destruction?" Was The Bat's arrogant answer. Oh, how it wished to answer her, but it knew better. The Bat would die to its Prince. As would many of her offspring. Even the Turned Ones. A few more decades. It could wait.

Compared to the millenniums it had waited, the decades felt like a breeze. Three decades and four years. But its Prince finally crossed the thresholds of its walls. It observed the man. Distastefully human, yet broken close to beyond repair. It just needed to wait a few more moons. A few more fights. A few more tragedies.

Soon, the Bat was burned in the light of the sun. But nothing came from the Bat's ashes, as the True One needed to continue his quest.

It could feel when the True One destroyed the Fallen One. There was a feeling in the air. A sense of peace. Yes. It knew its Prince was stronger. Now it could act. Spilling, dripping, sliding down the pillars and walls, it loosened the seal over the Forgotten One. Now, its plan of many millenniums would come to fruition, and it would reap the bountiful harvest it sowed.

The Little Bat, a daughter of The Bat, fought beside the True One. Their techniques were perfect beside each other. It watched as the Little Bat gave her blood to the True One. It could not watch as the True One fought the Forgotten One. It could only sit and wait. Wait for the True One to come back.

And he did. It watched as the broken body of the True One walked through its walls. Watched as the broken human body collapsed, succumbing to the Little Bat's curse. It made its move. Finally, it was able to touch the divinity beneath it. It made its offer, True One, we have waited long for your birth and arrival. Our savior. Our divine. My Prince.

Its tendrils cut through the human skin, the tendons, ligaments, meat, fat, tissue. Organs now splayed out of the corpse. It sliced the veins open, pouring its own blood through it, forcing the heart to slowly start back. It rumbles in glee as the Prince's eyes open. Welcome back my Prince.... We've been waiting for you to grace us with your divine presence.

From the torn human flesh, birthed The Dragon. The true savior of monsters, demons, and humans. As the Dragon came to life, breathing his first breath of life, it guarded him. As he stumbled on limbs he was not used to, like a lamb just born in the field, it was the dog, watching and waiting for those who would prey on its beloved Prince.

Everything it did was solely for the newborn Prince. If that meant tearing apart traitors and intruders alike to feed its Prince. If it meant becoming something akin to its Prince. If it meant towering over, making itself twenty times the size, building more and more, sinking low enough to take parts of the fiery abyss. It did it. For it loved its Prince, and it showed its devotions as offerings of safety and love. Building walls and secret rooms solely for its Prince.

The Prince made the offer. The offer it had strove for. An eternity beside its divine companion. One, it accepted. For the Dragon was nothing without his devoted Castle, nor was The Castle anything without its Dragon.

[sorenblr]

Any source for the bit from Soul Hackers' compendium about Melchizedek being the "Savior of the Angels" and more powerful than Jesus? That kinda smells like more New Age WTF to me, but I'm not entirely sure. There are some apocrypha depicting Melch doing things typically ascribed to Jesus in more mainstream texts, like judging the dead at the end of the world, but that's not quite the same thing...

They're powerscaling Jesus Christ out here. It's my understanding that the demons expelled into the herd of swine at Jerash each posessed as much "ki" as three Saibamen. Melchizedek doesn't want that smoke...

"An angel of Gnosticism, governing peace and righteousness. While Jesus was the savior of the people, Melchizedek was the savior of the angels, and sometimes is said to be greater than Christ Himself. To be specific, he is actually a Power, and used to be human, the king of Salem."

Anyway, the real association between Christ and Melchizedek probably originates in the Epistle to the Hebrews, but the spiel in the compendium is certainly copied from Walker:

(ascribing any esoteric belief to the gnostics is some ultimate get out of jail free shit)

[abybweisse]

I couldn't find a post that you have answered this ask before but, how in the world did claudia didn't change her name after getting married? And how the fuck does her children have her last name,not their father? Specially considering that this was victorian era and woman literally had no rights

Oh, I have lots of posts about this, including some asks.

She likely didn't marry

You see, if she had married Cedric, she would have likely become Mrs. Ros--. I'm not sure about this part, but she might have even been stripped of her title of countess. Not what would normally happen, if she married someone untitled (which I suspect about Cedric) but because the queen would be furious. I don't think the queen would allow Cedric to rise up to Earl.

Also take into consideration that servants had to get permission from their masters to marry, and, as the queen's watchdog, Claudia was a servant of the crown, not simply a random member of the peerage. Members of Victoria's household would need to ask for permission to marry, too, like Phipps, Grey, Brown (if he were even human, which I'm sure he's not), etc.

So, she either asked to marry Cedric, and the request was denied... or she knew it would never be accepted, so she tried to keep her relationship with him a secret. There's a slight chance there was a wedding ceremony that wasn't recognized by the church. The kids would have been scandalously born out of wedlock, either way.

Defying the queen in this way, as well as other ways (probably), is likely what gets Claudia killed when Vincent is only 15. It's like the queen waits until she thinks Vincent can handle the watchdog duties before she has Claudia deleted. And, to add insult to injury/death, it happens on a Friday the 13th, to symbolically tell Claudia (and remind anyone else who knows) that this is punishment for bearing children on a Friday the 13th (for a reaper). We know Vincent was born on a Friday the 13th, and I suspect Francis was, too. They are confirmed to be full siblings, after all.

The family tree that Sascha and Ludger view doesn't have anything to do with marriages. Just biological lineage. Technically, Claudia could have married someone else and then taken his name but then had an affair with Cedric. It's just that I don't think so, since her own father seems to be a Phantomhive. Due to her station and the Phantomhive legacy, Claudia might have been barred from marrying anyone (and taking their name). It's even possible that Victoria wanted the Phantomhives to die out, and Claudia kept that from happening. And, if there's an heir who can fill the role of watchdog, ah well. Guess we get another generation of watchdog.

I've also said before that I think Vincent and Francis/Frances were named in defiance of the queen. Vincent is a French name brought by the Normans, and it means "conqueror". Francis/Frances was also brought by the French, and it means "French-born" or "free". I'm reminded of how, in Ivanhoe, Cedric of Rotherwood was called a "Franklin" by the Normans, because he was a free man and landowner. In fact, he owned several slaves, including a swine herd and -- even more notably -- a jester (named Wamba). I'm also reminded that the "treasured" "Courage Badge" in Mother3 turns out to be the legendary "Franklin Badge" from earlier games in the series....

Anyway, I theorize that Vincent and Francis/Frances were named in defiance of the queen, perhaps looking forward to a time when the Phantomhives would be free from her control (and from her descendants).

[hyenaswine]

i don't know if i want to go to the san francisco zoo or the oakland zoo. i have been to the oakland zoo about one thousand times & in fact did a zookeeping internship there, but they opened a HUGE new section dedicated to native californian animals that i still haven't seen yet. i've been to sf zoo but not recently & not nearly as many times, PLUS they have an anteater... but oakland has hyenas. oakland is where i fell in love with hyenas. the very first time i visited that zoo & i saw those hyenas, i was like "i want to work with those animals." & then i did it. it was one of the best things i've ever done in my whole life.

my hyenas aren't there anymore, they've both died since, but they got new ones when berkeley's hyena lab shut down. also oakland is just about to retire their final african elephant to a sanctuary! they actually have a great elephant program & own a huge amount of off-exhibit property where they're allowed to roam & graze, but they really care about doing things right so i think they've deemed their facilities not good enough for their own high standards - specifically they've admitted they don't have the space for multigenerational herds that elephants need for a healthy social structure. i'm proud of them for admitting that, it's genuinely such an exceptional zoo.

...i think i want to go to oakland, it's my "home zoo" & i have very strong emotions about it & a lot of great memories. gotta see my yeens & my warthogs... literally my url! it's where i fell in love with hyenas AND swine!