#i do think the bishops do get cleansed in a sense

[cosmicheartz]

ok so i was thinking abt Solange and the Bishops and i realized that i kinda don't really want Solange to heal/cleanse them before she kicks them out. She heavily dislikes them despite acting somewhat cordial around them ( some moreso than others ) and does not forgive them in the slightest for the atrocities done to her species ( and like atrocities in general since a good chunk of her followers used to be followers of the other bishops and shes heard literal horror stories about how their lives were under the bishops rule ) Even if she does form some positive bonds with them its not enough for her to go out of her way to obtain their relics and cleanse them ( Her sorta burying the hatchet with Nari doesn't convince her to either ). Why should she have to listen to their family problems? They should be grateful they're even together as Solange would do anything to even fully remember hers ( repressed a lot of her past memories because of trauma ).

So Solange kicks them out after freeing Shamura. She tells them to meet her in the area where you choose which area to go on crusades, hands them some supplies ( mainly things to accommodate for their disabilities ( ie a walking cane for Leshy ) ) and simply tells them to leave. I haven't decided if that also includes Nari since they did technically bury the hatchet but either way he does leave.

Some squabbling/arguing ensues which Solange shuts down by threatening the Bishops ( not Nari as she does tell him he can visit to grieve at Giselle's grave if he wants to ) that if they ever step foot in her Flock its on sight. She also tells them that they can figure out their familial issues on their own and that she's not gonna be some middleman for them.

They end up leaving and Solange lets out a sigh of relief as having them around was really fucking with her mentally.

[rainbowolfe]

Why Aym and Baal?

They were, according to Shamura, supposed to be Narinder's replacement family/companions. Narinder never really got that memo, but like, what did Shamura expect? Relationships don't work that way. You can't just throw two strangers at someone and have them fill the void of a millennia-long relationship.

But the question of the hour is, why Aym and Baal? I don't think it's because they're cats.

It's implied Narinder had his own family (made up of cats or whatever he is) and chose the Bishops, a goofy assortment of non-mammals over those blood relations. So he's not exactly inclined towards members of his own species. So that doesn't feel like the reason why Shamura chose them. And it doesn't feel like the reason Narinder kept them.

I noticed that this photo from Jalala's journal had to have been of pre-servitude Aym and Baal, cause they're much younger. Baal's hair is shorter, they're both just wearing basic tunics instead of their signature robes, and Forneus isn't wearing her hat. So Aym's always looked a bit scuffed, and it wasn't the result of his time spent with TOWW in the Realm Beyond.

Which means Shamura saw him and went "wow that's literally Kallamar". Scar over one eye? Check. Messed up ears? Check. It would also loosely confirm that the boys were sent after they sealed Narinder, since Kallamar's ears wouldn't be scuffed before then.

It would be really funny if what Aym's looking at is Shamura, and this picture was taken 5 seconds before disaster.

Now, my first instinct was that Baal would be Narinder, and what Shamura hoped to recreate was Narinder's relationship with them and Kallamar. But that doesn't quite make sense. The new "family unit" already has a Narinder, so why would Shamura give him another?

Baal can't be filling Shamura's role for two reasons. One, as the head of the family, Shamura would be more likely to be Forneus (the role they are now placing Narinder in). If not Forneus, then the unseen father presumably taking this picture. Two, Shamura does not believe that Narinder loves them. That's. Kind of why they're doing all of this. So they wouldn't give him a replacement-Shamura either, unless they were feeling really really egotistical.

Which leaves us with two options.

And the correct one is Leshy. Leshy, whose core item is the red camellia. And whose symbol becomes a black heart when he's cleansed.

While we don't get to hear much from Baal, Heket's core traits are that she's a shit-talker and likes to eat. Leshy's core traits are that he's chaotic, but has an appreciation for/focus on the world around him. Smells, sights (when he could see), and sounds.

Baal is actually the politer of the two and, based on his recruitment dialogue ("So much color... so many creatures") he too is the worldly type. Also, Baal thanks Lamb for helping them. Leshy and Narinder are the only Bishops who thank Lamb in the end.

And, you know, if you take the order Shamura lists the family in into account, Leshy and Kallamar are the first and second sons respectively.

...

Of course, this can be taken one step further in another direction :3c I can't just leave Heket out of this.

Although Shamura only gave him Aym and Baal, theoretically what they saw was a four-person family unit that reflected their own... before Narinder entered the picture. I mentioned before that if Shamura isn't a reflection of Forneus, then they're a reflection of the unnamed father. (Who I suspect to be Paean)

Which means they saw Heket in Forneus.

Do you see the vision??

Cause this is a found family, age order doesn't necessarily matter to the familial hierarchy. Even if Shamura wasn't the eldest, they would still be the head (whether matriarch or patriarch) because their role is as the leader of the other three. Heket would be below Shamura, but above Kallamar and Leshy, because she serves as caretaker. She's even the one who takes charge upon Lamb's return, as the matriarch would do if something were to happen to the patriarch.

((Traditionally, while the father is seen as the protector and provider, his purpose is specifically to rule/lead the family. It is the mother whose sole purpose is to protect. Primarily the children, as their (often only) caretaker. But in traditional circles, it's commonly felt that the mother should sacrifice everything for the father as well.))

It would be particularly fitting because a lot of Heket's side of things revolves around sacrifice. How she's burdened by it, and seemingly how much she tried to do to find a better/different outcome. She's characterized as particularly family-inclined.

...

This would suggest that who Narinder valued the most in the family were Leshy and Kallamar. At least, it would suggest that's how Shamura saw it. But I'm liking this line of thought, so let's say their read is accurate.

Shamura saw that Narinder. Could also be Forneus. And Shamura loved Narinder the most, so...

Narinder and Heket's disdain for each other stems from them competing for the same role in their family: The matriarch. Shamura's second in command, and the boys' caretaker.

Not in a "raise them" type of way, at least not in Kallamar's case. But to guide and influence them. To be the one they trust and rely on. Heket has been that. And, intentionally or not, Narinder intrudes on that.

Narinder's the 'other woman' lmao

As a bonus:

Baal is aligned with his father (you get Tears of the Vengeful Father in exchange for him). Aym is aligned with his mother (ditto for Tears of the Merciful Mother).

If Aym = Kallamar; Baal = Leshy; Forneus = Heket; and The Father = Shamura

Then that dynamic is actually reflected in this Tarot Card. It pairs Kallamar with Heket, and Leshy with Shamura. :3

[erose-this-name]

The Goat is a Scapegoat

Since I’m writing this before the update, so still don’t know WHAT THE HECK IS GOaT’S DEAL LIKE WHAT EVEN ARE THEY? I’m just analyzing the symbolism.

I think the Goat (I like to call them Billie) is not a goat for no reason. Obviously, goats are very heavily associated with demons and the occult, which is kinda this game’s whole thing. 

But, I don’t think the Goat is just some generic sabbatic goat, I think the Goat is specifically meant to be a scapegoat.

The Lamb is literally a sacrificial lamb (which is a metaphor of someone that is sacrificed for a greater good, e.g. Jesus “Lamb of God” Christ. And our player character’s story in the game is based on that. Lamb’s first death was for the “greater good” of the Old Faith, and every death after that was again for the sake of someone else [Narinder]. You only later get to take fate back into your own hands by refusing to be sacrificed again.). 

So, it’d make sense if player 2 the Goat is also inspired by existing religious/occultic symbolism and metaphor. Out of all the associations goats have, scapegoat makes the most sense to me. A scapegoat is someone who is sacrificed to absolve another of sin. It’s similar enough to the concept of the sacrificial lamb to work as a foil while still being interestingly distinct.

(Which, by the way, I’ve seen some people imagining what players 3 and 4 might look like, but it’s always just another caprinae? An antelope? I feel like the fact goats and sheep are related is coincidental, Massive Monster is going for the sacrificial animals/satanic symbolism here. Player 3 and 4 would be a bull {Moloch} and a snake.)

In my head cannon, the Goat wasn’t sacrificed by the bishops to prevent a prophecy, their death was not meant to avert some wrath from an avenging death god. But they sure as heck were hunted. 

In Goat’s universe, Narinder (who is a doggy, of course) is never imprisoned, so there was no prophecy. Even so, the Bishops are still cursed by their sin, guilty of acts so profane and unnatural they are unforgivable except by death. They committed a horrible crime against Shamura, the most innocent, who cared for and raised each of them as if they were their own spiderlings, Shamura is the one they love most of all. 

So intense is the Bishops’ guilt and regret, so pure their sin, it’s begun to eat away at them and physically deform them, blinding, muting, deafening, maddening, paralyzing. And it corrupts their divine domains, where there were once benevolent gods of Peace, Plenty, Healing, Knowledge, and Death, there are now bitter gods of Chaos, Famine, Plague, a-and Death still —but, like, even scarier death!

Since the only way to be absolved of such a crime is to die, and they don’t wanna do that, they must find a surrogate to die in their stead. So they blame it on some random vulnerable minority. The goats! So they genocide all the goats until there was only one left, “the Goat”, who now both metaphorically and literally holds all the gods’ sins. With their death, the bishops' atonement shall finally be complete.

Yeah, except that Shamura, corrupted into the fell mad god of war, has not forgiven them, so makes the Goat their undying Vessel and sends them to deliver just punishments and executions to the four bishops.

As to why the Goat is helping the Lamb? While Lamb is a messianic figure, Goat is a sin-eater. The Goat can never escape their nature of being a perpetual scapegoat, always taking on the guilt and responsibility of others, whether they want to or not. Forced to swallow the sin of four dark gods, burdened by it since the very moment they were born, certainly can’t have any positive effects on the soul, metaphysically and psychologically. Even though they’ve cleansed themself of sins in a baptism of divine ichor, that cavernous void it left in their heart will just refill again. 

Why could I not save the goats? Why did I sacrifice so many of my own followers?

No matter what choices the Goat makes, they will always feel guilty about something, because they have never gotten to know what it’s like to be allowed to be innocent. 

Perhaps, by walking their path a second time, by atoning twice, by helping another in a similar position to themself, by dying repeatedly in their stead on the field of battle, Goat will finally be free. 

Goat never kills Shamura since that would not redeem them, it would not allow them to stop being a scapegoat like how it allowed Lamb to stop being a sacrificial lamb. That would only be possible through enlightenment, by finally internalizing that it was never their fault.

Then again, maybe Goat is just a heckin’ weirdo who really likes fighting and mogging sheep. They are the chosen vessel of war, after all.

[liskobot]

can i ramble about my idea for a 'bad end' narilamb au of sorts?

i'm gonna do it anyway

but under read more so it wont clog folks feeds lol

firstly, the song 'beast in the beauty' from the 'royal scandal' series

that gives a pretty good-ish outline for what happens; "indoctrinated" Narinder overall plays along with the lamb's wants/wishes. Lamb is pretty easily tricked by it, still devoted after all this time

Buuut Lamb does eventually figure out Narinder's true intentions, which is of course stealing the crown back. Cue once again feeling betrayed (and brokenhearted), Lamb is left thinking over just. everything. taking on the task of a vessel, becoming the leader of this cult. just sort of cursing it all at this point, cursing the crowns for being the central point of so much drama and strife

so

in comes mystic seller

they make deals with godly beings, whose to say they wont have means of in other terms 'dealing with' godly beings

if going with the 'beast in the beauty' music inspiration this would be a gun different from the blunderbuss the crown turns into

cue Lamb, acting as if they hadn't found out about Narinder's true intentions

going in close, an embrace even

but before Narinder can notice them not actually relaxing like usual, Lamb has already grabbed the gun-

no, they don't shoot Narinder

they don't shoot themself either (at least not directly)

they shoot the crown

we've already seen in game that the crown takes different forms (the snake from the sins of the flesh update)

it probably does not full on 'shatter' and be done for good but. if the mystic seller handed it to the lamb as means of erasing the problem, it probably at the very least gets rid of the crown in this realm

(more than likely) forever out of Narinder's reach now

now, the crown is what kept the Lamb alive all this time too

but by now it has already embedded part of itself onto the Lamb (some official art on poster even shows how it's 'rooted' itself in Lamb's brain)

it doesn't just end with Lamb's fatal wounds reintroducing themselves aka their head falling off. Mix of ichor and blood from that wound- wherever it is that the crown ends up, the lamb is taken with (visually, would imagine it looks similar to when followers overwhelmed by sin are taken away)

in game the lamb does get referred to as a god, but i'd say they're not quite done with ascending at this point

so, neither mortal or fully ascended into godhood, what happens? something in between

a fallen deity? demon? or maybe considering the red crowns role of being 'death', a reaper in the more traditional sense

one that goes unseen by the (usual) mortal eye, quietly bringing souls from one realm to the beyond. The Lamb has essentially cursed themself into the same chains The One Who Waits was once in, even if without literal chains

as for what happens to lamb's flock; they are plenty self-sufficient by now, even in the Lamb's absence. Of course problems are bound to arise as they notice their absence is much, much longer than ever before.

By now the bishops have been brought in and their relics have been cleansed. They're by no means buddy buddy with Narinder but they'd likely be showing at least some support to Narinder by now, navigating all of this

along with baal and aym too, of course

even if not directly considered the new leader, Nari does find himself sort of 'guiding' it from the sidelines. To what direction?

well, who knows

edit:

i originally said this would be after the bishops are brought in + their relics cleansed also, but maybe would actually be more interesting if this was before

and as such it would be up to narinder to go through the realms and free the bishops

[resquices-of-godhood]

Chapter I: The pantheons meet

Next ->

It has been nearly two years since Narinder had been defeated and about a year since the last Bishop had been cleansed. The day started as any other, followers and former gods working after the sermon while the current infant gods stress over the preparations for the change of seasons, something that neither experienced until that point, in Leoda's personal hut.

"What if we set up a building to store the extra food?" Asks Leoda, the Lamb and god of Death.

"That would only work for things like grain, and even then we'd need to find a way to keep it dry." Gayne, the Goat and god of War, responds as they scratch the base of their left horn with their upper left hand. "Look, maybe we should ask the former Bishops. I'm sure at least one of them would have an idea about what could be done."

"I know Shamura used to be wise, but a lot of their mind is gone." Leoda replies, before sighing as they brush back the wool under the crown. "I don't think they would be able to help us here."

"Shamura isn't the only Bishop to live in the god wars, you know? I'm sure Kallamar or Narinder would know about it too. Hell, Heket's domain was directly connected to the subject, she-" Gayne explains before being interrupted by a yellow rabbit with a patch of black fur between her ears, as well as a earring decorated with a pink stone entering the hut.

"My lords, a strange structure has been spotted flying towards the area of our cult!" She warns the two. "We suspect it might be a crown bearer!"

"What do you mean, Vece?" Asks Leoda as they stand up from their chair. "I didn't sense any of the barriers on the pedestals being breached."

"No, my lord. I think it's a bearer from another land." Responds Vece. "They have been to these lands before, over three hundred years ago." She explains.

At that, both crowns turn their attention to the rabbit, the Red Crown emitting a church's bell ring and the Purple Crown sounding like a war horn. The bearers too are focused on the follower.

"I never heard of another crown before!" Exclaims Gayne, before Leoda comes around the table.

"I have, though only through passing." Says the Lamb. "There's a settlement in the northern parts of the continent that is rumored to be a passage to safety for sheep, and it is rumored to have been founded by someone bearing a crown." They recount, before looking back at the rabbit. "If what you say is true, we may have a bigger problem in our hands."

"I know it is hard to believe, my lords, but I swear it is true! I have seen it myself!" Vece insists. "It is flying from the east, and will be arriving in a matter of minutes at its current speed!"

"Sounds like we are needed, Lamby!" Gayne says to Leoda with a grin. "Lead the way, Rabbit!" They order, rushing through the door almost right away, followed by Vece.

"Of course we are." Leoda Mutters to themself, before setting off after them.

The trio rushes towards the eastern side of the cult grounds, the fleeces of the infant gods flapping behind them until they come to a stop.

In the sky, it's possible to see what looks like a huge sky fortress, the size of the cult grounds, if not larger, and built like a city in the skies, suspended by unknown means to those on the ground. There are several air craft taking off and flying around, seemingly scouting for something.

It adjusts its position southwards, before letting down a huge spike attached by a heavy chain, followed by several smaller ones surrounding it, clearly meant to be anchoring the gargantuan structure in place.

At the same time, something that looks like a blimp also takes off, flying in the direction of the cult. It, too, is huge by any reasonable standard, the cabin being able to accommodate several Bishop sized beings comfortably.

By the time it starts moving downwards, there's a small crowd forming around the crown bearers, with the former ones approaching them.

"What is that, Leoda?" Asks Narinder to the Lamb, though they don't get a chance to answer.

"It's He of Technology." Responds Shamura. "He clearly didn't stop advancing since I last saw him, but there's no doubt about it."

"Who?" Both Narinder, Gayne and Leoda ask in unison while Kallamar hides behind Heket.

Meanwhile, the powerful counter rotating propellers of the blimp are pushing the airship downwards. Once it reaches about 10 meters of altitude, several robed figures jump down from it with ropes, landing with a heavy thump each, then plant spikes with whinches and start pulling the vessel further downwards.

"You will be meeting him soon enough." Adds Shamura as he just watches the process, their hands tucked inside the sleeves of their robes.

As the airship comes close to the ground, a ramp unfolds from its side, revealing the entrance to the cabin from there, a procession comes out.

First, a pair of cultists, wearing gray robes and wielding a thurible each step out, swinging the censers three times after each third step.

Then follows a group of eight more robed cultists in two columns, each following one thurifer, each singing a verse in a different language as the thuribles are swung.

"What are they singing?" Leoda asks to Narinder.

"I don't know about the others, but that one is singing praises to their god in the old tongue." He says while indicating the last cultist of the second column. "How presumptuous."

"Why?" Asks Leoda, before Leshy steps up besides them.

"This procession is a show of force as much as an indication of the intent to dialog, each cultist representing a territory conquered." The former Bishop of Chaos explains. "It was the norm when a pantheon came to talk to another during the god wars. What my brother took offense to is that this crown bearer claims a territory in our lands, which is technically true as he controls the settlement in the northern most part of the continent."

"I see. Thanks, Leshy." Leoda responds as they continue to watch the procession.

As the procession continues, a pair of banner bearers come out, each sporting the image of the crown. It is shaped pentagon, albeit not a regular one. Two sides come up on right angles from the base, while the last two meet forming a equilateral triangle, if it wasn't connected to the rest. At its center, a gray hexagonal eye is represented, with two of the vertex on the top and the bottom. The rest of the banner is gray with golden decorations to break the monotone.

As the columns of cultists move to the side, forming a corridor, a green owl sporting red robes and carrying a tome on one hand and a crosier on the other crosses the corridor, to Narinder's shock.

"Wait, Baines?" He asks, confused about what one of his former vessels is doing there. He knew Vece had joined the cult to keep an eye on the last sheep after the fall of the Old Faith, but why was the owl there?

Nonetheless, Baines, apparently not recognizing his former god, comes to the front of the corridor. "Fellow worshippers of the god of Death. It is my honor to have been chosen to announce the arrival of the He of Technology, god of Knowledge and Bishop of the lands of Euhera. Here is the bearer of the Gray Crown, Wolfgang." He announces, before stepping to the side.

Then, a massive, 4,5 meters (15 ft.) tall, six eyed gray wolf, dressed in a white button down shirt and black pants, as well as a pair of boots designed to fit digitigrade paws. Covering his body is a white mantle embroidered with golden decorations, similar to the Bishops's garbs. He holds on his right hand a spear with the gray crown's eye on the tip, his favored weapon and the crown itself. He lands the butt of the spear on the ground every other cadenced step he takes towards the end of the cultist corridor.

Gayne reaches for their crown, but is stopped by Shamura. "Unless you want to start a war we can't win, lets not take an act of aggression, like drawing our weapons." Says the spider, before the Goat nods to them and retreats their hand back to their side.

As Wolfgang reaches the end of the cultist corridor, he stares at Leoda. "Hail, Leoda, They of Death, Lord of Judgement, Bearer of the Red Crown. I, Wolfgang of the Gray Crown, come to renovate the treaties signed up under the previous pantheon." He says, his voice booming with power while more cultists come out of the blimp, each bearing a basket of gifts, ranging from natural resources only found in his lands to signature wares from his territories. "I offer these as signs of peace and good will." He adds while gesturing with his left hand towards the baskets.

Leoda is understandably lost for what to do. None of the Bishops would have imagined that the bearer of the Gray Crown would have arrived so soon after their fall, or so quickly. So, Narinder takes a step forwards and assumes the procedures.

"Hail, Wolfgang, He of Technology, Lord of Technology, Bearer of the Gray Crown. In the name of Leoda of the Red Crown, we welcome you." The panther says, before bowing to the wolf.

Wolfgang looks at Narinder, then points his spear to him while looking back at Leoda. "Does this mortal speaks for you?" He asks them.

Leoda steps in front of the spear, shielding Narinder from it. "Do not point your weapon towards him!" They demand.

And so, a long silence covered the cult grounds as the two deities stared at each other.

Hope you can hang well from this cliff

Ok, bad jokes aside, here's the promised first chapter. Hope you guys like it, took a few days to cook it properly. Enjoy!

Separator by @lambouillet

[nerdygaymormon]

I'm feeling like I'm being prompted that it's okay to date girls, but like I worry if this is the devil. The spirit wouldn't prompt me to do something that is against God and yet I feel like I am. Can you help me makes sense of this?

In our church there are men we sustain as a prophet, an apostle, a Seventy, a stake president, and a bishop. It's very hierarchical and we are trained to defer to them on matters of morality and virtue and determining what is right and wrong.

Yet we are also taught that we have the light of Christ in us. We have our conscience to be our guide. We have an inner voice that can lead the way.

Our leaders are not perfect and they don't have all the answers, and sometimes they get it wrong. They are doing the best they can and may be inspired to say something useful for me, but maybe their background and experience and loyalty to the men above them will limit their ability to see me as I am and what is best for me.

The name of this church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You see “of Jesus Christ” and “of Latter-day Saints” are next to each other. There’s nothing that has to be in between you and Jesus. You are entitled to revelation for your life and you don’t have to rely on any one else for it, not even a prophet.

My experience is that messages of the Spirit are accompanied by feelings. For me, with the spiritual messages the feelings I experience are calm, peace, love, settled, feeling positive towards others, and joy. Sometimes we call the Spirit the “comforter,” so think how you feel wrapped up in a nice thick comforter on a cold day: warm, safe, protected, snug. Or sometimes it’s a feeling of unease or befuddlement or trouble remaining focused on the topic, in those cases it means this isn't it, try again.

We talk about the Spirit like this mighty thing that will make our heart burn or a voice speaking to us, and I’ve had that happen, but only rarely. For me, if ‘quiet’ could be a feeling, then that’s generally how I feel the Spirit.

Think of how you felt when you receive the prompting that it's okay to date girls, is it the same sorts of feelings you associate with things of the Spirit?

I’m reminded of a story from Acts 10:10–16 about the very first Gentile allowed to join the church of Christ. Cornelius was a centurion and an angel instructs him to go to the city of Joppa and find the apostle Peter.

Peter doesn’t believe non-Jews are allowed to be followers of Christ, but God gave him a vision. In the vision, animals are lowered from heaven and Peter is commanded to eat. But he refuses because these animals are considered unclean in Jewish law. The voice tells Peter not to call unclean that which God has cleansed.

Because of that vision, Peter understood that if God said it’s okay for Cornelius to join the church, then Peter should not block Cornelius from joining even though Cornelius was a gentile.

I think the same applies to you. If God has said “this is not unclean,” then you accept that the "law" as you had been taught may be too limiting, it may not be correct.

Let's say you decide to move forward with dating girls, and then decide it's not that great for you. You can stop dating girls. Sometimes experience is the best way to learn, and by dating girls perhaps you'll learn this isn't for you. Or maybe you'll learn it feels right in so many ways that you never understood was possible and which you never felt when you dated boys.

Often we don't know the path our life will take, but we can see far enough ahead to see a rock ahead of us and we can step onto that rock. Once there, we can see the next rock and then take that next step.

You now are seeing a rock ahead to date girls. You get to choose to step onto that rock, or to wait until later to take that step, or even to never take that step. Whether to step onto that rock is the choice you get to make, but the spirit is saying if you do take a step that it's okay, that this is a choice that's open to you.

The leaders can make the rules for what's acceptable in church, but you get to listen to your conscience, your inner voice, the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and determine what's right for your life and the next step forward for you.

[cmcsmen]

As a Catholic man, how do you witness Jesus Christ?

Strengthen the man, strengthen the family;

strengthen the family, strengthen the Church;

strengthen the Church, fix society!

There are a few different ways that a Catholic man can witness Jesus. Perhaps the most common way is through the Mass. The Mass is the centerpiece of the Catholic faith. It is central to the believer's relationship with God, and it is through the Real Presence of Jesus that enables the believer to experience God's love. 

Another way to witness Jesus is through prayer. Prayer is the language of our hearts and by talking and listening to God we can grow closer to Him. Finally, a Catholic man can also witness Jesus by serving others. Doing good deeds is a way to show how we love God and want to serve Him.

Many Catholic men who are in sales know about having an elevator pitch, or a ten-second statement about what they do. For me, my elevator pitch for Jesus is my spiritual mission statement. When I was in a business men’s bible study, represented by several Christian faiths, there was a saying we had that went something like “You know a Christian when he walks through a room”. So, reflecting on this, ask yourself how does my life as a Catholic man serve as a witness to my circle of influence, my co-workers, and as spiritual leader of my family?

For example, one day I was listening to a podcast with Bishop Robert Barron about evangelizing through social media. What it came down to, as he put it, is you don’t only look at the comments on your Social Media posts but, understand that for every Comment, Like, or Share there are twenty-five or more who’ve seen it. And so goes with walking through a room. If it were Jesus don’t you think His presence in a room today would make a statement, no matter if the people in the room knew it were Him or not?

No, you’re not Jesus, but, how’s it going for you?

This reminds me, when I met St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Calcutta you could feel ‘LOVE’ radiate from them. It's fascinating to think about what our "love" might look like if we put it into action. After all, love is a continually growing journey, a work in progress, helping each other make it through life.

Bishop Joseph Perry calls this intentional discipleship - " This means we take the message of Jesus Christ seriously and apply it to our lives to the best of our ability without equivocation while encouraging others to do the same. This is evangelization."

Do we really love Jesus as our savior, with Christ residing in our hearts? In other words, do we live our lives with a true sense of purpose and meaning that others can sense it 'radiates' from us.

Of course, if we want to sell ourselves, we need to have a life mission statement. What is it about you that God wants people to know? Is there something you want to achieve or learn? Put your thoughts into words and share them with the world!

For example, my life mission is  “To be the best version of the man that God has called me to be, the best husband and father for my family, and to be a ‘real’ person in the lives of enough people to make a positive difference in the Archdiocese of Chicago.”

A Life Mission is making the Mission Statement personal to the point of living it, eating it, breathing it, sleeping it, etc. (you get the point). It’s transforming Holy Church into Holy Life(style).

If you’re interested in how to find your spiritual elevator pitch or mission statement, a good place to start is with cleansing your Soul through Confession. The next step is to work slowly, day-by-day, to develop the Virtues of a Catholic Man (PDF). Many of the Saints, for example, transformed their shortcomings into Virtues. Spend much of your prayer time learning to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Praying, going to Mass, and being spiritual leaders in your households and communities are all great ways to give back to God and have an enriching personal relationship with Him.

On the other hand, have you noticed there are few men in the church pews compared to the sports stadium. Some people say this is because men in the church are seen as being less capable than women. Others say that this is simply because men are not as interested in church as women are.

Watch this video about being men as Fr. Burke Masters describes the man who decked out his family for a Cubs game, but said he'd let them choose their faith (and about going to Mass). 

If men loved God more than they loved sports, it is reasonable to assume that the number of men in the church would increase. This would help to show people that Jesus is not just for women, He is for everyone.

When a person loves Jesus more than anything else, they are more likely to be kind and understanding, seeing others through God's eyes. What this means is that witnessing Jesus as a Catholic Man is not only possible, but it is also rewarding.

And then when you’re in the stadium, how will you witness Jesus as a Catholic Man?

Strengthen the man, strengthen the family;

Strengthen the family, strengthen the Church; 

Strengthen the Church, fix society!

[jq37]

The Royal Report– A Crown of Candy Ep 13 Family Ties

Regroup

Welcome back to Candia, y’all.

As the cast tries to get a handle on their giggles from whatever shenanigans happened off-screen between episodes, the PCs land back at the monastery of the Spinning Star. All the rescued civilians are grateful and the monks help to patch them up. The group is a little worried their enemies will follow them through the standing stones but only a high level Candian magic user would be able to do that so they’re probably fine. They also learn that all the weapons they stole are basically +1 to attack magical items--not useful to them but maybe for their allies.  

Spearia tends to Joren (and we’re cursed with the phrase “wrist milk”) and then goes Full Mom Mode on Liam with a several minutes long hug. Theo joins the hug so he can ask Spearia if she knows any other Druids that could do that transportation (she doesn’t know of any in Buzzybrook but there could always be others she doesn’t know about) which turns into a discussion about the SPF. Ruby thinks the SPF is on their side but the others are more wary and Rina, as before, is specifically against her. She says the SPF gets her powers from the Bulb and the sharp division between the two is just a kind of distraction from the bigger issue. Ruby calls it a conspiracy theory (though Theo says Lazuli believed something similar) and stalks off. Amethar runs after her but, en route, stops to have a conversation with Joren. 

He tells Joren that Rina is queen now and that he (as in both of them really) need to start doing the smart thing and not just the tough thing. Joren razzes him about the new attitude until Amethar says that Jet is dead which turns him sympathetic and basically gets him on board--it’s not the fight Liam was anticipating. He says that they’re gonna have to make a big show about recognizing Rina if this is gonna work and asks if they have any allies who can vouch. Amethar says the Dairy Islands are with them and they have a crazy plan that involves getting the Book of Leaves (St. Citrina’s Lasso of Truth book).

Theo runs to catch up with Joren and Amethar but, on the way there, catches Ruby and says they need to stick together. Then the three guys go and find Rina. They basically bend the knee to her and say they’re at her service. Rina is not as excited as you might think though. She accepts the endorsement while barely holding back tears, saying that she’s aware the support doesn’t come with enthusiasm but she appreciates it all the same. Then she goes with Gooey back to her contingent of followers to celebrate with them, not seeming like she’s in a celebratory mood at all. 

Cumulus and Liam have gone to the library of the monastery to try and dig into the info they grabbed during the fight and Ruby goes to talk to Liam. She confides in him that she thinks this plan sucks because even if they are able to get Rina onto the throne, it still means they win on the terms of their enemies. They’re still working within the system and the people who killed Jet and killed Preston don’t pay for anything. Liam says he’s still super down for killing all of these people and he really doesn’t think the plan is gonna work. He thinks it’s going to end in war either way. They try to decipher the map but it’s hard and they recruit the monks to help work on it overnight. 

Snicker-Snack talks to Cumulus and says--echoing his own thoughts--that Rina is crazy powerful and a possible heir to Lazuli’s title of Archmage. He wonders if they should swear themselves to her the way they were sworn to Lazuli. Cumulus thinks it might be a good idea and Snicker-Snack says that it’s Cumulus’s call since he’s the most senior monk.

Theo finds Rina again and asks if she thinks they’re in danger of getting ambushed by the SPF. Rina (after getting a head shake from Brennan) says no, not this night but she is worried that the SPF is working with the Bulb. She and her guys will be up all night keeping watch (and partying) so he can, “Go back to [his] family.”

Brain Food

In the morning, the monks have finished looking through all of the info the PCs stole last episode which means it’s time for a good old fashioned info dump. There’s a lot happening so I broke it into sections:

Military Movements

The south of Candia has been totally taken over by Calroy and his guys. He’s fully posted in Castle Candy and every state except for the Dairy Islands has recognized him as a legitimate ruler. 

The only non-traitor Candian troops are basically all at the Great Stone Candy Mountains (bc they were on route to help Jawbreaker). 

As in Ruby’s vision from Lazuli, the invasion of Castle Candy did fall apart due to discord. Specifically, it was a mix of Plumbeline’s troops and Bulbian troops and because the Pontifex held the position that there could be no Concord without all of the states of the OG Concord under the terms of the OG agreement (meaning including Candia) Plumbeline said, “Fine. If there’s no Concord, there’s no reason I have to help you,” and she withdrew her troops. 

So, to be clear, Calroy did a coup. The Imperial soldiers that are there are not there to invade Candia. They’re there doing peacekeeping stuff. The non-Imperial bread soldiers are Ciabatta’s men--he went home post spy session with the girls and used the info he stole to assassinate all the obstacles between him and being dictator for life and then decided an invasion of Candia was a good way to keep the peoples’ approval. Candia was picked for no reason other than it was a sitting duck due to all the other insane stuff that’s going on (chief or which is loss of Concord protection). And the church is there cause...actually, let me start another heading for this because it’s a doozy.

The Bulbian Church

The Pontifex has decided that the Ramsian Doctrine is in full effect. The reason they’re in Candia is because they’ve called a crusade. 

Kerradin has a fancy new title--Mace of the Faith--and is leading it.

She’s called open season on all Candians--not just soldiers, literally anybody. She’s calling for a full genocide. The church’s policy is, if you kill a Candian, your soul is saved. If you destroy Candian standing stones, your soul and your family’s souls are saved. It’s real chilling shit. 

There’s been pushback from bishops and archbishops about the policy--obviously Candian ones but from other countries as well--saying that they can’t support this and please can she reconsider (they can’t really be more forceful than that without risking being killed themselves). 

Calroy, sensing the way the wind is blowing, has sent out an official statement saying that he renounced his pagan ways and wants to be re-baptized into the Bulbian faith.

We learn that the reason the Pontifex is being difficult with Plumbeline about the technicalities of the Concord agreement and why it can’t just be back on is because she wants to stay in limbo for as long as possible so she has a chance to also call a crusade against the Meatlands--both for being so openly pagan and for the killing of Archbishop Raddica (mentioned in I think episode 3).  

There was a lot of money that the crew ignored while looting last episode and that was money to be used to pay Meatlander mercenaries apparently. 

Group Dynamics

So Calroy is kind of courting all three camps here. As I said before, he’s agreeing with the crusade and saying he wants to be baptized to court the church.

Cal is also saying to Ceresia that a crusade is needed to cleanse Candia and a new Concord could be formed if Ceresia were to conquer it and make it a part of Ceresia. Ciabatta in an intercepted letter says that Cal could possibly be governor of Candia as a province of Cersia--exactly what he wants. 

Whenever Calroy talks about the new Concord, he mentions a Concordant *Empress* who could be anyone, which also gives Plumbeline what she wants. He’s basically like that Always Sunny clip about playing both sides so he always comes out on top. 

Everyone is planning a meeting to talk about logistics and a new Concord and all that but Ciabatta doesn’t want to meet in Comida or Vegetania after the whole deal with his name being spoken and rejected by the Book of Leaves. Cal has opened Castle Candy as a meeting place. 

The Pontifex is bringing Kerradin and guards to protect her and the Book of Leaves to make sure there’s no funny business happening (ie: Cal conspiring privately with Plumbeline or something). 

And, to be clear, none of these people seem to like or trust each other. It’s all a matter of being able to use each other for mutual benefit. There’s lots of evidence of discord and resentment. [To that point, here is some very dope art.]

Misc.

The various baddies haven’t been able to figure out watersteel--it seems that Alfredi left something out of her notes and took the secret to her grave. They did figure out the bread constructs though as we saw last episode. 

There are notes about the Sanctus Putris which is a church doctrine that runs counter to the Ramsian Doctrine and it says that to keep the Hungry One at bay, there has to be a certain level of rot in the world.

There is a letter between Onionpatch and the Sanctus Putris dudes saying that they have located the home of the SPF (the Ice Cream Temple) and will get there tomorrow (as in tmrw from their POV). 

Finally, rumors of Rina are floating around and the policy is basically, “Who cares if she exists or if she’s legit or not? If you see her, kill her.” So Emily has gone from being a huge target to...being a huge target. That’s what happens when you play two heir apparents in a row.

And deep exhale. That was A Lot.

Gameplan 

Joren thinks the best plan is to get all their armies together and publicly take the knee to Rina at Manylicks to help legitimize her. Ruby, again, is against this plan because it would mean, at least on paper, being on the same side as Ciabatta. Spearia gets where she’s coming from but says it’s just to get things settled and they can always leave the Concord again once they’re back in control.

Gooey brings up the meeting everyone is gonna be at and Liam suggests getting someone from the Meatlands there so they can force the Pontifex to say on the Book of Leaves that they’re her next target, winning them an ally. Rina pipes up that she has allies in the Meatlands so maybe she can help arrange that. Jawbreaker also wants to just spread the word that Rina exists to make things more politically complicated and give the Dairy Islands (and possibly the Meatlands) a legit reason to side with them/stop the Imperials since the Concord will be back on. 

Rina, unprompted, says again that she doesn’t care about the throne, she’s just anti-Bulb and pro magic. Cara and Ruby kinda glance at each other while that is going on.

At this point, Jawbreaker is fully on board with her and toasts to her as queen. Liam warns her about the target on her back but she says she grew up abused by Bulbian nuns. She can handle herself. Cumulus also officially pledges the service of the Spinning Star monks to her. She’s just picking up allies left and right.

Anyway, Jawbreaker, Spearia, and the rescued townsfolk plan to go for Manylicks to rally the troops. Spearia asks for an escort so they send Jack and his sailors to protect them. Before they leave, Liam has a heart to heart with his dad about how war changes you and forcing yourself to be hard so others get to be soft in which Joren finally calls him the correct name.

Cumulus thinks that, if a crusade is happening, the monastery will be a big target so it makes sense for the monks to gather the artifacts and hang with Rina’s marauders for a bit. They also decide to disassemble the teleportation circle once they leave so they’re more secure.

Ruby and Amethar are up on the parapets of the monastery kinda doing that thing where you’re not fully talking but just being like, “*Huge Sigh*”/”Yeahhhhh” with someone you’re close to. Cara shows up and says she’s going with Jawbreaker and his people to Manylicks while the PCs go for the Ice Cream Temple. Ruby asks how long she’s known magic and Cara says Lazuli taught her. Ruby asks why she never taught them and Cara says she was going to when they matured but since they never did, she didn’t want to give them more tools to run away with. Ruby says maybe they wouldn’t have run away so much if she’d trusted them. Cara basically takes psychic damage from that and Rina, who is near enough that she can see what’s happening, catches her attention for some sympathetic eye contact because she knows what that feels like.

Amethar asks for a moment alone with Ruby and apologies for having been a bad dad. Ruby protests that he hasn’t been one but he insists that he has and says that he hasn’t known what to do to help her process Jet’s death. Ruby says it’s not his fault and there’s nothing he can do. The fact of the matter is she was never alone and now she’ll always be alone. Amethar says that’s not true. She won’t be alone because he’s there for her and Jet still is too, though in a different way. He can’t stand watching her push her friends away at every turn. He asks her to please, just be here with them. Ruby breaks down a little and says that she had to run away as the most important person in the world to her died and the only way she can even begin to live with that is by getting revenge. Oh don’t worry, Amethar says. They will be killing *all* of those people.

Sickly Sweet

The team to raid the Ice Cream Temple is comprised of the PCs plus Swifty, Jon Bon, and Gooey (who is having some mutually confusing dom/sub sexual tension with Theo which is a sentence I hate to type but posterity is the main goal here so I don’t have much of a choice now do I). They teleport as close as they can (the monks disassembling the teleportation mechanism once they get there) and then it’s still another 2-3 hours to get there. It’s very cold, like the Himalayas and everyone takes cold damage just by being there. Rina (Invisible) and Cumulus (tied to a rope held by Theo) are up front to try and keep everyone else from triggering traps as they walk up the steps. 

They eventually come upon gates in front of an arch and a hallway with a huge locked doorway in front of it. And there is a symbol of a huge spoon in front of the door. Rina passes Winterscoop in front of it and it opens. They follow her down the hallway and Cumulus triggers a trap when he takes point but Rina, holding Winterscoop, learns that if she takes the lead, she auto-disarms the traps. 

As they walk down the hall, Rina sees the eyes of the SPF and hears her voice in her head, “I can’t see you, but I know you’re here.” The SPF says the temple was made by those like her (Rina) but she (the SPF) is the only one who’s been there for quite some time and her pupils narrow to slits. 

Amethar sees an image of Saphria who says, “Long way from home, brother,” before disappearing. 

Because of how well lit the hallway is, Ruby currently has no shadow. 

Liam, as they walk, smells a quick whiff of hot chocolate and cinnamon.

They get to the end of the hallway which branches off into three directions: there’s a staircase going up to a door (marked with the Sucrosi symbol for the SPF which Ruby recognizes because Laz shows up as a quick vision and tells her and Theo recognizes as having appeared in the sky before the battle that killed Laz--Rina also recognizes it and it is the SPF’s actual name, not one of her titles, so it seems possibly magically significant), to the right there’s some weird combo of illusion and conjuration magic which makes them think that there’s a combo of true things and tricks and like maybe some of the stuff they’ve been seeing out of the corners of their eyes as they’ve traveled would be there, and to the left there’s a locked door marked armory. 

Ruby uses her thieves' tools and Mage Hand to get the armory door open and it turns out it’s actually a library (which everyone but Theo is disappointed about). Inside, they find a book in Bulbosi that’s filled with with ancient spirits of the other realms--the Jolly Giant, the Hamburger Helper, and (at Emily’s prompting) Wonder Bread. It’s basically a checklist of magical spirits from the other kingdoms that the church has destroyed and further proof that Candia isn’t more inherently magical than anyplace else. They’ve just fought to protect their magic. 

On the last page, there’s again mention of the Dracoria Azucar with an inverted symbol of the SPF covered in spikes and surrounded by magic and then in the middle of the page a chocolate egg which Rina tells Liam is what they’re there for. 

The book suddenly slams shut and flies away. Outside, they hear the door at the top of the stairs open. They get out and walk up the stairs into this chamber at the heart of the mountain. It's a massive room with huge icicles coming down, dim light, and a ton of mist. They're kind of on a platform suspended above a bunch of emptiness. In the middle, there's a tower of frozen ice cream scoops and at the center is a small opening. Surrounding it and floating around it are huge freezer burned ice cream cones and popsicles. At the top of the tower, frozen into it is a chocolate egg (a chocolate smear inside the ice indicating that it was incredibly hot). 

The SPF appears in front of them in her cute glamour bearing the mended teacup, the note from Lapin, and the heartseed Liam left for Preston. She thanks them for coming and apologizes that she can’t bring Jet back but says now she can bring them to Jet. Ruby asks what that means and she suddenly sees figures in the mist--4 adult women with a younger adult woman along with a figure that looks like Amethar’s dad. There’s a brightly colored road made of illusory light going from where they are, down into the mist. The SPF says it’s a pure Candy-only place and she can take them there. The church means to burn everything sweet out of the world forever and this is the only way to keep them safe. She’s taken a lot of other spirits there already and everyone they’ve lost and love will be waiting for them and they’ll be together forever. 

Amethar openly expresses suspicion at the SPF and the SPF says she’s only using the glamour to make them feel more comfortable. Rina says she’d like to see the SPF’s true form and the SPF says, “I bet you would,” seeming ticked off that she has Winterscoop. She compares Rina to Lazuli who wanted to take everything that made Candia special and let it get used and abused by the rabble (her opinion, not mine). Look how that turned out for the Jolly Giant and the Hamburger Helper.

Ruby, in Twinspeak, asks the misty figure of Jet, “Are you real?”

The Jet in the Mist (played by Emily who is on the spot drafted by Brennan to be Jet once again for this moment) says (with the knowledge to back it up), “It’s true, but I don’t know if it’s good.”

With that answer, Ruby gives the SPF a placid thanks but no. She’s grateful that she’s been protecting the magic of Candia but they need it now to keep Candia safe. The SPF says that that’s what she’s doing. If they go into the mist, they’ll be safe. No, says Ruby. If they go into the mist, they’ll be dead. The SPF doesn’t see a difference. Safe and dead? Safe and alive? To-may-to, To-mah-to.

“Are you mad at me?” the SPF asks, childlike.

“No,” Ruby says, evenly. 

The SPF says she’s only ever tried to help. She sent Lapin to protect them even though she knew he’d die and they’d lose everything because she knew they wouldn’t come unless they lost everything.

Ruby pauses for a second that feels like ten minutes.

“Did you kill my sister?”

The SPF looks slightly sheepish. “Would you have come here if she was still alive?”

Ruby does the only thing she can do. She pulls her bow.

Looks like someone just jumped Ciabatta in her to-kill list everybody. See you next week! 

Things I’m Concerned About

I mentioned this in an ask but I’m concerned Cara is about to pull a Cat’s in the Cradle--meaning, she keeps getting brushed off so I’m worried she’s gonna get really hurt and the PCs will suddenly care and it’ll be too late. This fear is based on nothing except what I would do to be mean to my players. I have a semi-similar fear about Rina but I’m gonna let that sit for a bit.

Ruby. Girl. I know what you’ve just been through but...girl. Please be smart here.

I never love a battle map you can fall off of. That always gives me anxiety--especially when your enemy can fly so it’s not equal footing so to speak.

I feel like “concerned” is a bit of a weak word to describe my feelings on a genocide but I named this section during episode 1 before I knew where things were going so yeah. Bad.

Everyone the group hates being in one place is hypothetically very good but also has the potential to be VERY bad depending on how it plays out.

I really wanna know what the Sanctus Putris is planning is to at the Temple. How aligned are they with the mainstream church? Their main tenant runs pretty counter to what they’re doing right now. Are they potential allies? Why would they be communicating with Onionpatch, known close confidant for the Pontifex? Were they trying to sway her with something there?

Five More Things

Woah! Oh man, that whole last scene with Ruby and the SPF? The music? The tension? The constant, calm No’s from Ruby until the SPF Said That and then the instant switch into Terminator mode? What a scene ender y’all! When I watched it again for this recap, I knew what was coming and it still bodied me. The immediacy with which Ruby/Siobhan grasped the, “This is death” thing was so impressive to me. I loved everything about that last 5 mins. So it seems like the SPF is the one who set up that letter. She might have been posing as Cara in that moment, or maybe it was a full illusion--that seems to be her school of magic. I knew this Fae was shady but man! Can you imagine the world where Lapin is still alive at this point? Would love to know his take on this.   

There’s a bit I didn’t mention in the recap when they get back initially and Brennan tries to have the NPCs overrule the PCs on the cuteness levels of the corn monster from last ep that is so funny. Nothing like ganging up on the literal god of the universe you’re playing in. Also funny is him going, “No Zac, this is good,” when he starts listing out the other house spirits/brand names. Gotta love having a captive audience for your carefully constructed nonsense. 

OK, so question. What exactly is Calroy’s plan with the church, huh? Because, you can get baptized all you want, you’re still cake my dude. Is he hoping they’ll let him, what? Die of old age while slaughtering his people? Yikes. 

When Swifty opened his mouth the first time I was like, “Absolutely not,” but now I kind of love him?

So we learn in this ep that all other spirits get their powers from the Bulb or the Hungry One ultimately which is interesting conceptually. “Power is neutral except for how you use it,” is cool and also generally correct imo. Rina mentions the SPF, “Working with the Bulb” at some point and do you think she means the Bulb or the church? Because the Bulb is mindless but she doesn’t necessarily know that. And if she means the church that would also be wild considering what we learned this ep. 

[grimoiresontape]

The Black Art Books of Cyprian, Pt. II: A Svartkonstbok Exhortation

In the first post of this current blog series on the Black Art Books of Cyprian, we discussed the Art and Doctrine of Cyprian, MS 12 NM 40.034: a collection of charms, rites, seals, and sundry operations. Tonight we unlock the shelf-chains to check out the svartkonstbok MS 13 NM 41.652. A singular text, its contents are summarised:

'Exhortations are presented as those made by St. Cyprian, and call upon the powers of all those biblical and ecclesiastical personages to drive out the four primary Princes of Hell and their minions.'

 MS 13 is an exorcism rite for the sick and/or bewitched. Considering this intersection of physical and spiritual dis-eases, the late Dr Johnson notes that, 'as it has the intention of protecting an individual from demonic influence, I have categorized it as a work of healing'; a categorisation and rationale I think concisely sums a necessary mindset for engaging with the exorcisms and healing charms and banishing rites and herbal formularies of these folk magical texts.

The operation itself begins with a brief but extremely illuminating instruction for the administration of the exorcism, which must be accompanied by a bath made in a very particular and thoroughly necromantic fashion.

[Whoever …cousin] then he should go, or another in his stead, to a church yard and ask for permission to take three bones and put them towards the fire, until they become warm, and then throw them into the water and put the bones in the same place, that you took them from, and wash the sick one in the water and recite this […] then with God’s help it will get better.

To reiterate this necromantic methodology: bones are borrowed and taken only with permission, vivified by warming them up to transfer their healing virtue to the water, then are returned; whereupon the prepared bath is used to wash the patient as a prayer is said over them. It should be performed 'early in the new or waning moon'.

 Borrowing Bones

What is I think most immediately striking about this rite is that it highlights that borrowing bones to heal does not necessarily only have to be done to transfer disease from the living onto the dead. There is a bone borrowing rite in the black art books examined in this compendium that has an obvious operative basis in such transference, and is worth briefly comparing at this juncture.

MS 3 Es löv #2 [EM 3329 B; “N° 4 Stora katekis”] contains an excellent example of bone transference healing. For 'help for all people’s deformities', it instructs for a bone to be borrowed from a churchyard in the early morning, and that one should 'dip this bone in the dew, and stroke it upon your injuries'. The short operation's express transference is explicitly stated in the closing spoken component of the operation, declared when returning the bone: 'put earth over it and say as you throw the earth “Let now my weakness which this bone now owns rot with you in the earth.” The bone of the dead effectuates a transference of the disease from the land of the living to the soil beneath, to decay. It is a rite whose entire process is written out again more concisely in a separate later operation in the same manuscript.

We do not seem to find such a direct transference of malady to the earth and/or dead in our Cyprianic exorcism of MS 13 however. Rather occult virtue is imbued into the cleansing bath. In terms of protocol, permissions are sought and blessings received from the dead of the churchyard to perform the healing. In terms of operation, the bones are heated and their virtue is transferred to the water itself. It is a transference from the dead of sacred ground not to them. The bath itself raises a further crucial similarity shared by these workings. The bones in both operations are quickened through water: a summer morning's dew in MS 3 and the water of the necromantic bath in MS 13. The dead affect us and are affected by us through moisture.

Our work of healing in MS 13 is of course effectuated by a combination of materia, proper preparation, and incantation. The incantation in question which stirs these waters of the dead begins by praying for God's mercy before quickly bestowing the operator making the call with the mantle of Cyprian - saint of nigromancy after all - via first person invocation. The opening litany from this assumed mouth of our Good Saint is a veritable anatomy of Christological historiolae:

'I, Cyprian the Eternal worshipper of God, […] Holy birth, by his holy circumcision, by his holy baptism, by his holy miracles and wondrous deeds, by his holy suffering, by his bloody languishing, by those ropes, wherewith Jesus was bound, by the kiss on the cheek that Mattheus gave to Jesus, by the scourging of his back, by those thorns and thongs with which Jesus was scourged, by Jesus’ crown of thorns, by Jesus’ purple robe, by the spear that was stuck up into Christ’s side, by the five wounds, by the 7 (last) words that he spoke on the cross, by the sweat cloth, wherein he was wrapped, by Jesus’ grave, by Jesus’ burial, by Jesus’ resurrection, by Jesus victorious ascension into heaven, by Jesus’ Reign and Lordship at the right hand of the Father, by Jesus’ return to judge the quick and the dead.'

 The Exhortation

The Exorcism that makes up the overwhelming majority of MS 13 is first-person Cyprianic, beginning with this opening appeal to the works of Christ. Following this introduction, we begin an extensive litany of invoked ancestors and spirits. Our call to the angels opens with Gabriel followed by that familiar cardinal quartet of archangels Michael, Raphael and Uriel. Appeal to the First Father and Magician Adam leads petition to a cast of Genesis, expanding into calls to the kings of Scripture (starting with David, then Solomon), Christ once more, the prophets, the saints, holy bishops, holy confessors, holy women, and holy virgins.

Having called by these many many names, one exhorts 'you all in the ten thousand regiments of Hell', and exorcises Lucifer, Belsebub, Belial, and Astaroth and their 'Regements'. These four are referred to as the 'uppermost and principle Princes in Hell', and description of their domains emerge as they are bound 'that you may not any longer either yourself or by means of some of your servants, harm or hurt' the patient. A curious ritual geography is explored. Lucifer and his vast retinue are found 'in the lake of death, the pit of fire and the land of shadows', and 'in mountain and in valley, in forest and the soil, in the air and water'. Belsebub's warband is located 'in the northern part of Tartarus, in the Earth in Oblivion, in the below'. Belial's court 'in the South, in Gehenna, in Barratheo'. Astaroth and their deputy-princes lie 'in the west, in Usisge and Lizeronttes'.

Each of these bindings is further emphasised by a ritual naming-and-shaming of specific senior spirits under these four principle Princes of Hell. Agron, Degel, Brisont, Avetzan, and Frischop are singled out in binding the servants of Lucifer. Ragsepedes, Lucermin, Mempes and Averhan are namechecked under Belsebub. Belial's courtiers include Sersostenes, Slaudiens, Apolexis, and Mesena. Rephorsin, Aequiste, and Parretemene are counted amongst Astaroth's consorts. Further study of these names is certainly warranted.

The exorcism ends by calling - conjuring in fact - natural phenomena: sun and moon, stars, land and even by the beasts of the land. For me, most immediately there's at the very least a sense of an expression of life triumphing over disease and death here, of a natural order restored and thriving, and so on. But I leave it to your good selves to consider the meaningful significances of this exorcism's conclusion yourselves:

'I conjure you by Sun and Moon, by all the shining stars, by the Entire Heavenly Host, by the rainbow, by the snow, by the thunder and lightning, by rain, by darkness […], by the skies, by the Heavens and Stones, by Trees, by mountains, by valleys, by fish in the water, by birds under the heavens, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.'

[thecandywrites]

The Pink Panther

So this story is again, inspired from a crazy dream I had and again, like a woman possessed I JUST HAD TO WRITE IT. all my other wips and commissions be damned and just staring at my compulsary working on this going ‘uh, excuse me? Hello? You didn’t forget about us right? Right?!” and me going ‘but crazy idea that will drive me mad if I don’t get out of my head!’ in the same tone Hulk said ‘big monster!’ to Thor when Thor told him not to smash. And it’s a break from...well, everything I usually write. You see this is what you get when you watch count of Monte Cristo AND The Pink Panther from the 60′s. THAT PINK PANTHER and all those period dramas *cough* Harlots on Hulu *cough*. You get a nightmare fart of a story from three things that probably shouldn’t ever be crossed over. So I just need this out of my system so I can FOCUS on the other things and it was a really fun dream. Dashing lords in disguise, huge gems, a foul plot afoot and the promise of fortune greater than your wildest dreams. It’s fine it’s fine. 

Vidame Emilia Bellim sat in the back of her carriage with her best friend who just happened to also be her childhood friend and chaperon Fredrick as they rode to a strange palace in a remote area of Europe. Emily’s title and prestige meant that Emily was respected and sought after by nobles all over Europe, thinking that there was a great fortune behind her to be won when Emily’s adopted grandmother who was in poor health would pass and Emily had just gotten done being hosted by such a noble for such a purpose. While Fredrick on the other hand, his father was a scientist. One of the best but was eccentric, becoming at risk of being enemies of the state with his rantings. And while there was no romance between them, they were closer than siblings and the best of friends with Fredrick and his father living with Emily and her grandmother at Emily’s estate and Fredrick acting as her chaperon to make sure the nobles behaved themselves and only acted in the most gentlemanly like ways towards her and that Emily and her reputation would be protected at all times and that she would stay well above reproach.  

“So where exactly are we going?” Freddy asked after a while of traveling on the well traveled road.  

“To Count Sparta’s estate, his eldest son has been deemed eligible for marriage now and I am one of the few deemed worthy of being considered a prospect for him, apparently.” Emily answered sarcastically before Freddy snorted a laugh as his smile grew fond.

“My grandmother got a letter from Count Sparta himself and she promptly sent the carriage and another letter with it and sent me to go to this place. The first letter makes no sense, I’ve read it repeatedly and nothing makes sense. It’s like one of her many riddles.” Emily groused as she handed the letters over to Freddy to look over in the light of the lantern in the carriage next to him. Freddy frowned as he read them and tried to make sense of them too. He read them over twice and even to him it didn’t make a bit of sense. So he simply handed them back with a shrug before looking back out over the darkening landscape. When they stopped at an inn, they simply took a single room as Freddy helped Emily undress before the two crawled in bed together and cuddled close.

“I will always prefer to sleep with you more than anyone else.” Emily sighed contentedly with her head resting over his chest.

“Only because you know I’ll never grope you or worse.” Freddy teased.

“Precisely.” Emily smiled before she rolled over so that he spooned her and wrapped his arms around her waist before the two promptly fell asleep. After a long three days of travel on the road and staying at another inn only a few short hours away from Count Sparta’s estate the day before the letter demanded they arrive, they rested for the night, in the morning, Freddy helped Emily get ready into a new gown her grandmother sent her and helped her with her hair and makeup. Freddy always could make her look ravishing so that every other man seemed to fall in love with her with just a look at her and in return Emily got Freddy ready, making him look dashingly handsome. Her grandmother sent Freddy some new clothes as well so that he looked like a proper dandy and the two looked like a pair in matching peacock teal which did wonders for Emily’s fair complexion and natural dark red hair, something of a novelty all the nobles sought after but it was something she didn’t let get to her head so to speak, if anything it only empowered her to resist their advances and to be as picky as she wished about who she would keep company with and had rules about her person that most ladies in her status and circumstance could only dream of demanding but it was because of who was backing her that no one dared question it. Her adopted grandmother was a  grand duchess and was related to the royal families, some kind of great aunt who’s power and influence was great and whose fortune was famed to be unusually large and supposedly independent than that of the royal family and their monarchies, she had a fierce reputation for being a perfectionist in not just her home or her clothing but of others and had had no natural children of her own. And how Emilia got to be her grand daughter was something of a mystery but never questioned and that once the grand duchess named Emilia her only rightful heir, it was simply accepted as much and her adopted grandmother groomed Emilia to be practically perfect and poured all of her resources into Emilia’s education and talents to make Emilia the ideal in all things. Frustrating for a small child but as Emilia got older, she realized the value in such hard work since it now garnered her something priceless, respect wherever she went.

When they arrived at the sprawling and luxurious estate, their host did not greet them, instead the steward and his assistants did and Emily greeted them in graciousness and with the utmost respect in turn and soon realized she was in the company of some of the more keen minds but with checkered pasts and wild reputations of Europe’s elite and she felt right at home in such company for some reason and soon Freddy left her side as the two quickly gathered as much information from the other guests as they could as to why they were there. All of the other guests had gotten similar, perplexing letters as they soon began sharing them, Freddy and Emily quickly and easily memorizing the other’s letters as they gathered that the other guests were there for the same objective but varied incentives and motivations, a few felt they were being blackmailed to come here since their daughters were part of the pool of approved nobility that most royal princes would use to pick out a future queen out of. Others thought it was intrigue while most just thought it was harmless fun and a game as everyone was with a daughter of marrying age and knew that the estate had two sons of marrying age and all the letters mentioned the eldest and his quest to find a bride which is why Emily found herself surrounded by over a dozen of the most eligible ladies, dressed in gowns just as grand, if not more so than her own before they were seated for dinner. But again, their host did not join them, instead the steward and his assistants led the meal. Which was beyond delicious and Freddy and Emily happily gorged themselves. Not having had a good, decent meal in the last few days it took for them to get there.

“How do you like the meal Lady Bellim?” Rolf, the steward’s lead attendant inquired of her as he refilled her wine glass for her, having heard that her tastes were on par with royalty when it came to excellence and refinement.  

“Quite excellent, I’m very impressed, the variety of seasonings used is impressive, the techniques are a wonderful blend of the tried and true and new. I have yet to have an off mouthful. The cooks and all those tasked with helping to prepare this feast are to be commended, truly.” Emily praised genuinely as Rolf smiled proudly.

“Do you not think that the pigeon is over-spiced?” Viscountess Lucretia asked as she couldn’t help but cough as her eyes watered and she fanned herself and tried to cleanse her palette with more wine.

“No, not at all, I detect a wide variety of spice, particularly saffron, turmeric, chili pepper, coriander and cumin, is this your first time trying anything with any of those? Most feel the smallest fraction is too much because of how intense they can be, especially chili pepper.” Emily returned from her place across from Lucretia.

“That must be it then, I do not care for it at all.” She made a disgusted face before downing the rest of her wine before another attendant came and refilled her glass.

“You are from the mountain range of Italy are you not? There are herbs that grow in the mountains which are quite fine and should be just as esteemed as the silk road spices. Perhaps you would prefer the meal if it had more of those in it.” Emily pointed out and the Viscountess smiled appreciatively.

“Yes. Very much so, I have heard that you are very well traveled and prefer the silk road spices, no doubt why you were able to distinguish them so easily.” Lucretia returned fondly, appreciating Emily’s respectful esteem and making it so that her beloved herbs were equal to the famed silk road spices which was a compliment she greatly admired and appreciated.

“I appreciate all spices, no matter their origin, as long as they are used well.” Emily grinned as she continued to eat and thoroughly enjoyed the meal, trying some of every dish.  

“Now where does the title Vidame come from or mean? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of it before.” Lucretia asked Emily curiously who smiled appreciatively as she wiped her mouth and cleared her mouth so that she could speak clearly.

“It is a title awarded by His Holiness the Pope himself, it was given to my father for commanding the Pope’s army and Bishop’s forces- not just in the Vatican but all over the Holy Empire. I inherited the title when my father passed since I am the only child of my parents and while I’m not expected to perform my late father’s duties, I enjoy the doting from His Holiness as perhaps any beloved grandchild would from a grandfather. In fact this cross is a gift from him for my birthday a few years back since my birthday falls in the Holy Week. I spend every birthday with His Holiness at the Vatican.” Emily boasted as she gestured to the outrageously gaudy cross that was encrusted with jewels that weighed heavily on her chest as all the other families gasped softly as they realized they should have risked breaking the rules and brought their sons to try to woo her too even though it was expressed that only chaperons, guardians and fathers be allowed to come to keep Lord Sparta from having to compete for any lady’s attention. But to have the Pope’s blessing was invaluable, no wonder she could go wherever she wished in the Holy Empire and beyond without a problem or could demand that no one touch her or invade her personal space because she had the pope’s backing and protection. They had all heard how the last poor soul who tried not only got stripped of all his lands and holdings by the king as demanded by the Pope, but excommunicated and promptly killed himself for the shame he brought on himself. So to be Vidame by the pope and future Grand Duchess when her grandmother would pass, would be a double honor to add to any family tree.

After the meal the guests were invited to roam the estate for one hour as they pleased without hindrance because all the staff from the estate would gather in the dining room for that hour and Freddy and Emily combed over every bit of it they could, Freddy going to the upper floors while Emily searched the lower ones, trying to find the basement and found a tunnel, shut by a metal door and once she used the key her grandmother sent her- she opened it and wandered inside before it suddenly flashed flame and she dove to the ground as a flame lit up the roof of the cave but only for a brief moment, barely a second or two. When the flame was gone, she stood up and wiped the dirt off her gown and noticed that the walls and ceiling were covered in black soot and that the ground had become like soft but charred saw dust, with dead beetle corpses blowing in an unearthly breeze within the tunnel. Her letter from her grandmother had said ‘go where death is certain to achieve the best life’ and now that sentiment suddenly made sense. Count Sparta was rumored to have unlimited funds, from family lines from all over Europe that even the kings of such lands drooled over and that if any king dare oppose the Spartas, that they would simply move to a new sprawling estate in another country, bringing their wealth with them and leaving the monarchs of said country financially devastated because of a lack of tax revenue that the Spartas would pay and that in return for Sparta’s patronage, the Spartas were granted not just lands but titles galore in every country they took up residence in. But only the father was known to only the royal families and rarely socialized outside of the King’s private court where he was considered a royal adviser- so his face was relatively unknown. His sons were even bigger mysteries, the only people to talk about them were the scholars who came from all over Europe to educate them for a small time until they passed all pertinent knowledge over then they sent away with more wealth than they could hope to use in a lifetime. Perhaps all that wealth was hidden down here. She knew her hour was coming to an end and knew that at the end of the hour, wherever the guests would be, they would be locked there for the night, their own rooms being the only “safe” spaces there were. She quickly gathered her skirts and made a run for her room that she would be sharing with Freddy, passing all the other guests who were leisurely going to their own rooms. Not thinking there was much of any haste to it and not taking their warnings in their letters seriously at all. When she got there and saw that Freddy was on the other end of the hall, also quickly going to their room and carrying something heavy wrapped in his coat.

“Freddy! Run!” She yelled down the hall before Freddy quickly slipped out of his heeled shoes and ran for her as she pulled him into the room right in the nick of time and once inside the doors shut and locked on their own and there were so many other guests left out into the hallway who were angry and demanded that they should gain entry to their rooms for the night before they went looking for other rooms that had beds to get some sleep.

“What happened to you?” Freddy asked as he noticed Emily was covered in soot, the black staining the gorgeous peacock teal of her silk and satin dress.

“I went where death was certain.” Emily explained with a bright smile.

“What?” Freddy asked as he helped her out of her dress and helped her clean up, miraculously with only a dab of a damp cloth, the soot came out of it and didn’t actually stain the dress because it was dry dust at that point.

“Under the manor, where a basement should be, I found a cave, I believe it must have been a bat cave, but fire soon lit up the cave and I had to fall to the ground to keep the flames from eating me. The floor is covered in what feels like charred sawdust. But I think it is charred sawdust on top of guano. There were beetle and cockroach carcasses swirling in an unearthly wind. What did you find?” Emily asked.

“A telescope that rivals any and all that I had ever seen before. I could see the moon and Mars from it. There was also this,” Freddy answered as he pulled what he thought was a giant pink crystal from his coat that he had used to wrap around it and what had made his run difficult.

“Wow, it is obviously a very pink gemstone, a diamond perhaps, and it looks like there is a panther in it. You must have taken a rare gem indeed.” Emily realized when she took the large gem that was the size of a pomelo and had to be held with both hands as she looked it over, it was raw and uncut and gorgeous.

“Oh, oops.” Freddy grimaced.

“Do no worry my friend, we can return it tomorrow. But something is afoot tonight, we must try to figure it out.” Emily realized as she went over to the desk and put the gem down and took out not only her letter but everyone else’s letter that she happened to steal from them.

“I see your fingers are just as sticky as mine.” Freddy teased as he came over which got Emily to grin at him again before they both sat down and compared all the letters. An hour later, a chorus of screams was heard and Emily and Freddy looked at each other worriedly before it just pushed them to work harder but then a deathly quiet followed. Emily and Freddy began looking around the room for anything that could help them but found nothing of the sort before Freddy noticed the letters were numbered peculiarly.

“Fibonacci.” Freddy breathed before he looked at the letters and found that the letters were numbered in the upper right hand corner and arranged them in the Fibonacci sequence before they read them again in that order, this time, they began to make a little bit of sense, it was a set of warnings of how to survive their stay in the house. But they were missing several pages still.

“We are pawns in a game.” Emily realized as she grinned wider.

“You smile as if you are enjoying this.” Freddy teased.

“Who said I wasn’t?” Emily returned.“Come, lets get some sleep, we can’t think clearly if we haven’t slept.” Emily offered as they got ready for bed. In the morning, Emily acted as if nothing the least bit disturbing had happened the night before and was delighted when she checked the doors to see them unlocked. When she and Freddy went into the hall, most of the other guests were already running for their lives and leaving the place, screaming at the attendants and servants to make sure they got all their things so that they could leave this cursed place as soon as possible; a few of them begging Emily to leave too, saying that the house was haunted and that they were there to meet their deaths and to write to the Pope to tell him about it although all their accounts about the ghosts seemed strange to Emily.  

“Do you not wish to go also Lady Bellim?” Rolf asked her curiously as he and his men were done carrying things down for the other guests so they could leave, although he personally didn’t wish for her to go. He liked her the best, since she was kind, gracious and respectful whereas everyone else seemed to be haughty and rude.

“I have played many games with many lords Sir Rolf, this is yet another one. Besides, I feel there is a prize equal to the task that perhaps hasn’t been mentioned in the letters. I’m staying.” Emily firmly insisted. “Fredrick Dear, you are free to go if you wish, please don’t stay solely for my benefit.” Emily offered but Freddy was just as intrigued as she was.

“I believe I will be with you until the end, whatever that may be Emilia Darling.” Freddy returned before he sat down at the table to get some breakfast.

“If I may be so bold and if you’ll forgive my saying so,” Rolf began and paused to see her reaction, she raised a curious brow but her facial expression was of ease, inviting and curious which only emboldened him to finish his statement. “You two make quite the pair.” Rolf noted as Emily stayed right where she was next to Rolf feeling she was safer with Rolf than she was with any of the other guests. Like she could be at ease with him without being offensive or improper, like she could be friends with him. He had such a warm and inviting manner to his person and he was unusually handsome to her and he had a gentle charm about him too which she found quite attractive.  

“We are no pair at all, simply the best of friends who’ve known each other since childhood, we are closer than siblings and are like family but never more.” Emily whispered to Rolf as she spread her fan to cover her face and conceal her conversation with him but still offered him a friendly if not playful and fond smile which Rolf found enchanting. Most ladies plastered on fake or polite smiles, hers was different. It was genuine because even her eyes seemed to glitter and glow with delight. Rolf could understand why half of Europe was infatuated with her. Emily was lovely.  

“Oh?” Rolf asked curiously, hoping to keep her company for as long as he could.  

“My Dear Fredrick prefers the company of other men.” Emily whispered.

“I see,” Rolf nodded in understanding, his brother Fits would be delighted to learn that.

“So you can understand, as a lady who is constantly trying to get courted, how refreshing his company is and how much I can trust his companionship.” Emily added and Rolf could only nod in understanding and offer her a smile, he supposed if he were in her shoes, he would be the same way. “So if you’ll forgive my curiosity, how long have you been in service to his Lordship?” Emily asked since he seemed more talkative than most servants would be which she actually liked and enjoyed. Knowing that servants were people too and she usually received better service from them if she was kind and respectful to them and treated them with respect and dignity, that and it made her feel better as a person to be polite to them. Not thinking so highly of herself that she would look down on anyone else, especially servants.

“Since I was a boy.” Rolf answered.

“How often does his Lordship like to play such games?” Emily inquired.

“More often than not.” Rolf answered and Emily nodded in understanding.

“Thank you for your candor Sir Rolf, I greatly appreciate it.” Emily graciously thanked him.

“Thank you for yours Lady Bellim.” Rolf answered in kind and Emily couldn’t help but smile and felt a kinship to him and sat down to breakfast herself as Rolf watched her appreciatively. Most of the other people there talked down to him because they perceived him to be a servant when in reality, his father was Count Sparta and Lord of the house and pretending to be the Steward and he himself was Lord Sparta, parading around as his assistant to weed out the undeserving of their guests. Rolf had expressed an interest in getting married and his father’s way of dealing with that was to have this charade, wanting only the most brave and clever girl to be his son’s wife and so far only Emily and a few other girls and their families remained, those ones however were the more despicable families in his opinion. He strode over to his brother to whisper Emily’s revelation to him, knowing his own brother also preferred the company of other men too, his brother absolutely delighted to hear the news and immediately traded places with one of the servants so that he could attend to Freddy himself.  

After breakfast they were invited to tour the gardens, which they did. Emily and Freddy however easily crept out of them and really tried to survey the grounds and when they got to the other side of the house, they found bare wilderness, black smoke billowed out of some craggy rocks every so often near a cliff and at the cliff, there was a waterfall, the waters coming out from deep underneath the manor. Rolf watched from a distance, having panicked that he lost her on the grounds and went looking for her and breathed in relief when he found her but couldn’t help but appreciate Emily’s tenacity and bravery for exploring where she was, even laying on the ground to try to look over the cliff safely. Also appreciating the fact that she was more than a pretty face. She had a kindness and a humility to her nature that he found very appealing. He had heard many rumors about her, how she was as uncommonly pretty as she was clever, discerning and brilliant, too brilliant for a woman. Headstrong and lively too. Which to him were exactly what he was looking for. He wanted a wife to excite his mind as much as his body while warming his heart, he also heard rumors she was skittish, rebellious and refused to be coerced into anything she didn’t want to do and so far she had lived up to her reputation.  He was looking forward to seeing how she would react to the next test.

At lunch his father got his own steward and his own steward’s sons to pose as himself and his sons, riding gallantly up the drive and making a grand entrance and apologizing that they had urgent business with the king that they needed to take care of at the last minute, Rolf and Fits carrying the large chest of gold coins as the ‘payment’ for their services to the king which worked like a charm as the other guests eyed the gold laden chest with the same hunger a starving man would look at a plated meal. Then the real Lords watched how all the other families would react to their replacements and to no one’s surprise, all the daughters were pushed to fawn over the fake heirs. Rolf was keenly delighted however when Emily was not one of them, even though she was amiable and polite, she didn’t throw herself at the acting Lord like the other girls did. Instead she seemed to be keen on observing him but the more she was around him, the more it was obvious to Rolf that she did not like his acting replacement and made no further bids for his time or attention. He watched Emily look out the window after playing a card game with his replacement and had won and cashed out the moment she got all the winnings instead of staying to continue to play as he came to stand next to her since the light in her brilliant aquamarine eyes had died a little and now she looked rather sullen and it pained him to see her so, usually any girl would be over the moon winning as much as she did but instead she was looking more sullen than the losers were- now that her back was to everyone else and no one else cared to see how she was.

“Are you alright Lady Bellim?” Rolf asked as he came to stand with her at the large window.

“Yes, perfectly alright Sir Rolf, many thanks for your concern.” Emily answered, her whole being lighting up and the warmth of her expression returning the moment she noticed him come near her.

“Do you not take delight in his Lordship?” Rolf asked, fearing Emilia had already seen through the ruse.

“Could I be honest with you without causing offense?” Emily asked warily but with hints of hopefulness.

“Please, by all means, you have a fantastic mind, please continue to bestow upon me the candor we enjoyed earlier.” Rolf invited and couldn’t help but let his own grin grow as hers did the same.  

“His Lordship is handsome to be sure. However I have heard rumors from his previous tutors that his Lordship is supposed to be uncommonly clever and brilliant and so far I do not find him to be so. All of his gambles were, and continue to be- reckless and stupid. The other ladies loose on purpose so as to make him out to be the winner anyway and it wasn’t because he was dealt bad cards, it was because he played good cards badly. If he were to loose so they would gain on purpose is one thing but what he is doing is another. It was too easy to win against him, that is why I do not play with him now, he would loose this entire estate and I do not like to take unfair advantage of him or any other stupid person, it’s just not right.” Emily answered softly so that only Rolf would hear her. “To be such a Lord and to know that all this rests on his shoulders, he would know since birth to be more careful. It is as if he lives in a fantasy of his own making just like every other Lord and Noble who likes to squander their resources I know- and I do not care for it. And his conversation is lacking. It’s as deep as a puddle. He’s supposed to have some of the best education in all of Europe and so far he does not live up to his reputation. I’ve made mentions and references of the classics and the well known riddles and rhetoric and he responds as if I am speaking gibberish. I am profoundly disappointed.” Emily explained and Rolf was ready to kiss her because she saw through it without realizing it and she was a woman who knew her stuff and when he had overheard her conversations over the course of the card game, he was inwardly groaning and fighting not to join in himself because everything she said went over his replacement’s head and Rolf wanted to know her opinions on everything because she was educated and informed about everything she tried talking about. To have anyone be as educated as himself, his father and his brother was a rare treat and delight and his stand in, while knowledgeable about how to run an estate and how to take care of lord and guest alike, was severely lacking in all other topics but she was the only one to make it show. And he could do nothing but respect her for it. And respect her for staying true to herself and not dumb-ing herself down to flatter his replacements like the other girls instantly had.

“So what can you tell me about the cave under the manor, unless you must be getting back to your duties.” Emily initiated since she had his attention for the moment, might as well benefit from it and enjoy it.

“There is a natural gas leak into the cave system under the manor that spontaneously combusts. You should stay away from it.” Rolf warned her but instead of shock and horror at that revelation, he found a smug grin meeting his statement which was intriguing him to say the least.  

“Too late, I found it last night, my grandmother wrote a letter to me- in it she told me to go ‘where death is eminent for the treasure of life’ along with a key to the door and I intend to do the opposite of that.” Emily revealed as she pulled a key out of her little purse, which was already stuffed with her winnings for the briefest of moments and Rolf blinked in surprise at her.

“Then if you insist on returning to that place, please permit me to join you, it would be improper for such a Lady as yourself to get injured on these grounds.” Rolf insisted- eager to leave the drawing room and the mindless banter and the disingenuous laughter. Even more eager to spend time one and one with her, even as improper as that was.  

“Could we go now?” Emily asked as her features lit up with excitement.

“Of course.” Rolf answered.

“I believe I’ll get changed into proper attire first.” Emily said as she left and dressed into Freddy’s lower clothes which were simply what he wore when he wanted to be comfortable before Freddy and Rolf’s brother Fits joined them as Rolf tried and failed not to look at the shapeliness of her legs and hips. Thinking that women in trousers, well her in trousers was quite becoming actually. He wondered what she would be like riding astride on a horse or better yet, riding astride him but he quickly tried and failed to push that thought from his head.

“So where are we going then?” Freddy asked.

“To the burning caves under the house, care to join me?” Emily beamed happily as she put all the letters and put them into a small leather satchel for later reference.

“But of course.” Freddy agreed as he changed into some lower clothes too and the four of them set off and Rolf watched in fascination as Emily seemed to know exactly where she was going as if she had grown up here herself as they took a lantern and with Emily once again opening the door with her key, they gained entry and started traversing the caves.

“How well have you explored these caves Sir Rolf?” Emily asked Rolf.

“Please, just Rolf, Lady Bellim.” Rolf corrected, he wanted her to use his name, that title would do him little good down here. He hated it down here and only came down here when absolutely necessary or from a direct order of his father to retrieve something in particular.

“If you are going to dispense with formality, in my case then I ask that you do the same. Emily, please.” Emily insisted as she shook hands with him as they were soon grinning happily at each other.

“So back to my question, how well have you explored these caves Rolf?” Emily asked.

“Not well at all.” Rolf professed as they trudged through, the lantern turned up so as to light up the caves better.

“And you?” Emily asked Fits.

“This is the first time in them My Lady.” Fits answered nervously, their father always threatened them with throwing them in here as punishment growing up and he was nearly pissing himself in fear, but as such Freddy and himself had already dispensed with formality and had talked all through the card game and Fits was already becoming loath to leave Freddy’s side.

“Please, Emily, we are all friends here are we not?” Emily asked.

“Indeed we are Emily.” Fits beamed. He could see what his brother liked about her. She had an ease to her that most girls did not before the gas ignited and they all dove down to the ground, Fits and Freddy falling to try to shield each other and Emily as Rolf shielded Emily completely with himself and once the flames extinguished the four got up and dusted themselves off.

“Well that was exciting.” Emily beamed happily, happy that Rolf hadn’t tried to sneak a feel of her at all, simply tried to protect her courageously, which she thought was sweet of him as he helped her back up to her feet.

“You are the only one who could think so Emily.” Fits grumbled, having nearly fainted when that happened.

“The breeze is coming from over there.” Freddy realized when he licked his finger to feel the direction of the breeze more keenly.

“Yes but our expedition earlier proved that there is nothing in that direction but a vent in a ceiling, I came to see if these caves are connected to the water.” Emily explained as Fits and Rolf looked at each other in surprise. She was smarter than they had estimated. “So in my experience, head closer to the humidity and downwards.” Emily suggested before they came to a fork. One leading upwards while the other went downwards.

“The gas likes to gravitate towards elevation, thus why it ignites in the ceiling, we will be safer if we head downwards if we were to head upwards the ignition line will only lower to our level and burn us up for sure.” Emily noted as Fits grew even more afraid and Freddy, took a leap and held onto Fits’ hand as the two clung to one another as Emily grinned encouragingly at Freddy.

“Do you know fear at all Emily?” Rolf asked as they went further down the second tunnel grabbing her hand to steady her decent as he went first before her through the deepening charred guano that was starting to get wetter in shallower depths.

“Of course I do, it is because I respect it so that I have gotten this far.” Emily answered. “Do you know why there was screaming last night?” Emily asked Rolf seemingly as an afterthought.

“I do not, when we came upon the other guests, they claimed they had seen ghosts.” Rolf only partially lied, himself and his brother and father and half the staff dressing up as ghosts to scare their guests away on purpose.

“Well it can be argued that most estates are haunted. The unspeakable acts usually unfolded within the walls of the wealthy and powerful make them such.” Emily reasoned.

“I do hope you have never been a victim of such atrocities?” Rolf ventured, appalled that she would be resigned to such a notion, wanting to protect her from such crimes.

“Of course I have, I’m an orphan and heiress to an estate, I have known nothing but. Talk seriously with any Mistress and she’ll tell you the horrors of every Lord. I am lucky in that I have a choice in the matter, most in my position do not.” Emily returned and Rolf found himself helpless to not respect such an answer.

“However, upon hearing statements from the other guests, I do wonder if perhaps several servants were simply under sheets with holes cut out for the eyes, based on the fact that ghosts cast neither shadow or make human sounds, like snickering laughter and loud thundering steps when they run. Surely if I see a ghost I am throwing my cross at it and if it goes right through, it’s a real ghost, if it makes contact with something solid, it is simply a joke-ster. I have heard rumors that Lord Sparta does enjoy a good ruse, it would not surprise me in the least if he put his own servants up to scaring his own guests.” Emily mused as she watched Rolf and Fits look away guiltily and narrowed her eyes playfully as her grin grew smug.

“Well surely if I get approached by such a ghost, there are plenty suits of armor in the halls, I shall not hesitate to grab a spear or javelin and run them through with it.” Emily professed.

“And Emily is quite inept at throwing things, like a modern David and Goliath.” Freddy boasted as Rolf and Fits looked at each other worriedly as they both made mental notes to not even attempt to scare her later and would be warning the others of that to leave Emily and Freddy alone lest something tragic happen.  

“I have heard rumors that you are uncommonly clever and brave. I am blessed to know these rumors are true, his Lordship would be a fool for not wanting you like all the rest.” Rolf praised, changing the subject.

“That buffoon upstairs? No thank you. Although being mistress of these caves would be a wonder but I doubt I shall ever get to explore them again. As soon as he chooses a bride and the real prize is revealed, I’m sure we will all be sent home. But this has been a most fun game and I’ll mourn it’s loss when it’s done.” Emily returned as Fits snickered a laugh at Emily’s bluntness as Rolf could only stare at her in awed amazement.  

“You would make the best mistress of these caves.” Fits praised.

“Thank you, that is the highest praise I’ve ever received.” Emily beamed happily before they heard the flames light up again and they all dove to the ground once again. Rolf, shielding Emily with himself again as Fits and Freddy did the same to each other and Emily true to Emily’s guess, the flames only hugged the ceiling this time and quickly running up towards the other passages. Knowing they all would have been dead for sure if they hadn’t followed her direction.

“Ha! I knew it! They do lead to the water!” Emily beamed as she found a stream as Rolf was careful with the lantern to only light up the stream, the mass of their fortune in giant chests on the other side of the stream along with the stairwell that led directly to his father’s room and he didn’t want Emily to see that part. Although if she was brave enough to traverse these caves perhaps she was entitled to it on that merit alone.

“Come on.” Emily urged them.

“Woah, woah, woah, what are you doing?” Rolf stopped her when she made a run for the stream.

“I’m going to ride down the waterfall it’s not that tall, I’ve jumped from higher. You go feet first.” Emily giggled and Rolf just smiled brighter at her. She was perfect.  

“Not without me.” Rolf said once he grabbed a firm hold onto her hand and they both made a run for the stream and jumped in together, both of them cackling with laughter as their splash extinguished the lantern.  

“Is she always like that?” Fits asked Freddy as they clung to each other in the darkness.  

“Yeah, come on, before the cave alights again.” Freddy said as he led Fits over to the river’s edge as they both jumped in hand in hand too.

“I have never in my life, done anything like this.” Fits admitted with a laugh as they felt the stream carry them down before, in an act of courage kissed Freddy before Freddy kissed him back.

“Isn’t this so much fun?” Emily asked Rolf as they floated further down stream as they both fought to keep their heads above water while still keeping a hold of each other.

“It is.” Rolf laughed despite himself before the mouth of the falls appeared.

“Ok feet first!” Emily laughed as she gripped his hand even tighter before they both yelled in delight as they plummeted to the lake below followed closely by Freddy and Fits who both hollered loudly as Rolf and Emily laughed before they made sure they were all ok before they swam to the shore and once on land the four of them laughed until they were crying and continued to talk all the way back to the estate.

“It would be a pleasure to be your friend Rolf and if I could ever steal you away from his Lordship, I would, in heartbeat.” Emily offered to Rolf once he dropped her off at her room while Freddy went with Fits to get some clean dry clothes in his own temporary room because that kiss ignited their own fire.  

“Only if you’ll allow me the same opportunity.” Rolf returned charmingly.

“Deal.” Emily grinned as she handed him her hand for him to shake again as he shook it before he kissed her hand affectionately and that kiss sent a shivering, delightful tingle throughout Emily’s body, the first kiss she had ever received to elicit such a reaction from her before she, out pure rebelliousness did the same to him which made him blush and smile bashfully. He really loved her now before she felt even bolder and used her hold on his hand and pulled him in to kiss him before he kissed her back, framing her beautiful face with his hands as she wrapped her arms around him to pull him flush with herself and felt the heat of his body come through their drenched clothes.

“You should get dressed for dinner Emily.” Rolf insisted even though he wanted to take things further but knew if he did, the jig would be up and he confess to everything and he would ruin it all.

“You’re right, forgive me for...” Emily began, slightly embarrassed that she wanted more. But not at all ashamed that she wanted it from him rather than Lord Sparta himself.

“Nothing to forgive.” Rolf cut her off and Emily just smiled wider at him.

Over dinner Emily naturally sat at the other end of the table away from her hosts to let the other girls and their families try their hand and wooing them. She was beyond disinterested and she ate quite a bit, as if it was her last meal there and the food was beyond delicious and so she gorged herself as if at any moment, Lord Sparta would dismiss her and Freddy- to bid them to go home as Fits and Rolf waited on them, sneaking the best and most delicious wine to them. But to Emily’s surprise, his Lordship didn’t bid her goodbye. However when she came back to her room for the evening, she found the #5 letter pinned to her door and Emily grinned when she realized the game was still being played as she took it and put it with the others and grinned wider when it started to make even more sense. Like a giant puzzle.

“Emily? Would you mind if I spent the night with another?” Freddy asked as he came to stand beside her.

“As long as it’s Fits, I don’t mind one bit.” Emily returned proudly.

“Then don’t mind.” Freddy grinned triumphantly as he kissed her cheek sweetly and got his things and left again. Soon after the doors locked again and Emily simply shrugged and sighed contentedly as she got ready for bed, adding another blanket to the bed so she would stay warm and she slept so soundly she didn’t wake to hear the screams of the other guests through the night knowing that it was a hoax and that there was nothing to really fear at all.

In the morning, she found she had actual attendants to help her with her hair and dressing along with a new necklace. Emily frowned as she allowed them to put the necklace on her. But at breakfast she saw one family leaving already, the girl crying that she wanted to stay and strolled right up to the young Lord Sparta, the one she was supposed to be wooing but had no interest in doing so.

“Lord Sparta.” Emily began as she curtsied.

“Yes good morning Lady Bellim.” He smiled charmingly at her.

“Is Lady Willowbe being sent home by your Lordship or is she going home of Lord Willowbe’s will?” She asked.

“Both, Lady Bellim.” He answered.

“Why? Did not your Lordship take delight in her? She seemed quite happy to compete for your attention. Why not send me home instead to allow her to stay?” Emily inquired.

“Because you are still playing the game. She sought to cheat.” He answered.

“Lord Sparta, I have already cheated, I’ve stolen some of the other guests’ letters.” Emily confessed.

“No, that does not break the rules at all,” he argued as Emily simply frowned in confusion at him.  

“Could you please tell me all the rules then? I would not like to break them by accident and forfeit my place in the game then.” Emily returned.

“No, where would the fun be in that?” He grinned before he walked off leaving Emily to think over his words. Maybe he was smarter than she gave him credit for and maybe he was playing dumb on purpose the day before.  

After breakfast they went to the drawing room as the girls showed off their accomplishments with the piano forte’s and songs and poetry and Emily begrudgingly participated only because Lord Sparta invited her to do so that flirted with demanded in tone as she was almost predisposed to tell him to ‘piss off’ before she indulged him and the other guests in doing as requested before she played another game with him and was surprised when he was a much better player this time but Emily still felt as if everything was wrong about him. After games, they went to the garden to try to get through the maze and Emily grabbed a hold of Rolf again.

“I do not wish to go through this maze with Lord Sparta, I’d much prefer to go through it with you.” Emily told him and smiled when he smiled in turn.

“Of course My Lady.” Rolf offered his elbow to her to escort her through it and smiled again when she hugged his arm and seemed to have a system to go through the maze reaching out and keeping her right hand continuously on the wall to her right. Another piece of advice given to her by her grandmother.

“I must confess something Rolf.” She began as they found a lonely corner of the maze, away from the gazes and ears of the others.

“Surely you have done nothing to be confessed to.” Rolf began.

“On the contrary I continuously do things wrong that must be confessed to. I am not playing the game fairly. I stole some of the other’s guests letters.” Emily confessed again.

“I believe that’s one of the ways to play the game Emily.” Rolf answered, albeit a little apologetically since he could clearly see she wasn’t enjoying herself around his replacement.

“Then if you have such knowledge, won’t you share it with me Dear Rolf?” Emily asked, giving him a hopeful yet pleading look and Rolf would have given every coin he had to continue to hear her talk to him so endearingly and affectionately for the rest of his life.

“I only know some of the rules but I will tell them to you.” Rolf answered before he told her all that he knew that his own father had told him.

“Would Fits know more?” Emily asked as they neared the center of the maze.

“No, Fits and I were told all of that together.” He told her and thought her pout of disappointment was absolutely adorable. “But his Lordship’s finery does look quite fetching on you.” Rolf praised as he appreciated how good Emily looked in his late mother’s necklace and had to laugh when Emily rolled her eyes.

“He is wasting it on me. While I do not wish to offend his Lordship by not wearing it. It does not endear him to me. If anything it poses to push me farther away from him because every other Lord tries to woo me with jewels. I suppose it was his late mother’s necklace, judging by how fine it is. I dare not take it with me when he sends me home.” Emily insisted.

“How can you be so certain that you will be sent home?” Rolf asked.

“Because I have no interest in his Lordship. I do not flatter him, I do not fawn over him. If he is the only prize in this game perhaps I should forfeit now. I simply do not care for him. Yesterday he was overly stupid, today he is trying too hard to be overly clever. He is all wrong. It is as if he’s a first time actor trying to play the role of his Lordship and he keeps getting his lines wrong. Besides, I’d much rather spend more time with you, I feel you’d play better games and provide better banter for me anyway.” Emily praised as she hugged his arm tighter before he stopped and couldn’t help but kiss her again, happy that she pulled him flush with herself first and leaned her head up to kiss him, having realized he wanted to kiss her and realizing she wanted to be kissed for once, if only by him though.

“Do not play the game for him then, play it for me, if you win, you can have me as the prize instead.” Rolf whispered when they broke for air.

“You drive a very hard bargain Dearest. Very well, only for you then.” Emily begrudgingly agreed before she kissed him again, feeling quite addicted to his kisses already.

The next day, they did some riding and shooting, Emily not holding back and hitting more birds than young Lord Sparta did. Rolf unbelievably pleased that Emily was the only one genuinely trying while the rest of the ladies refused to try more than once, Emily saving the dogs more than once because of how bad those ladies were at shooting. Emily was also the only woman to wear browns, tweeds and trousers so she could ride astride the horses and not spook the game while all the other ladies wore bright colors and pretty dresses and had to ride side saddle and could move no faster than a walk on the horses while Freddy, Fits, Rolf and Emily got to run and canter all over the country side as much as their hearts desired. Rolf put Emily on his own favorite horse which was one of the faster ones in the stables and watched as she rode it just as well as he usually did and in dead runs, she won out, leaping and jumping over logs and boulders with ease, not caring in the least if she got dirty because she was genuinely having fun and it was a sight for Rolf to see while his ears eagerly took in the sounds of her delighted laughter and conversation.

Over the course of the week, Emily tried to play more fairly and more nicely with her competitors and his Lordship and every other morning, another girl was sent home but that evening Emily got a new letter pinned to her door until the end of the week. She felt she had all but one of the Fibonacci sequence pages and understood most of it until it was herself and one other lady were all that remained, the other lady being Viscountess Eliza from England and Eliza stared cloaked daggers at Emily every time she looked at her. Emily however was undisturbed by this and Rolf simply watched with pride as Emily seemingly took it all in stride and let Eliza’s actions and sugar coated venom-ed words roll off of her like water from a duck’s back. While Emily did her best to befriend her host, Lord Sparta, she could not harbor feelings for him besides the polite platonic kind since her budding romance with Rolf bloomed more and more each day, he even came up with mini games just for the two of them to play which she was keen to play and win if only because she was playing with Rolf over everyone else. Usually he would have been scared she saw straight through the ruse but at the same time, he didn’t care. He really liked her and was starting to really love her and adored her and missed her when they parted for the night and it was getting harder and harder to play the role of a servant but his own servant who was playing his role took it with stride as the two tried to help each other with their reversed roles.

At the end of the week, Emily found herself walking through the greenhouse with Rolf, who seemed to be her constant companion when Freddy was no where to be found, the few times he did show up, was simply to tell her that he was fine and that he was currently getting lost in Fits which she congratulated him for and was happy that he was finding love and happiness, even as unintended as it was.

“Do you know if his Lordship will make his decision soon?” Emily asked as she wanted to smell every fragrant bloom in the greenhouse and was currently nose deep in the most fragrant roses.

“Why do you ask?” Rolf asked, not wanting his time with her to end, ever.

“Well Freddy is quite in love with Fits and I don’t want to separate them by loosing to the game too early and I do enjoy your company and I would be loathed to part from you and I’m prepared to make an offer for you from his Lordship but I do not know if he will part with you and Fits but this is proving tortuous for Eliza and I don’t wish for needless suffering.” Emily reasoned and Rolf was burning up inside, wanting to tell her everything but couldn’t.

“Are you missing home at all?” Rolf asked, trying to change the subject again.

“Yes and no. I miss my servants who are proving to be the few loyal friends I have anymore.” Emily admitted as she pet the petals of a lily before smelling it and smiling softly at the scent. “Truth is I have very few friends indeed. All ladies my age are my competitors, all men period are usually my suitors and they look at me and see a pretty face behind a large purse, a trophy to put in a glass case or a gilded cage, or better yet some kind of wild animal they hope to tame to stroke their own egos or the living embodiment of His Holiness that they can attain. Or worse yet, money grabbers who think I have a grand fortune and will receive even greater once my grandmother passes. But it’s all a lie. I live a very modest life, barely getting by some years. The estate took most of my inheritance and the wages of the servants and doctors and caretakers of my grandmother take the rest of it. All the finery I wear is actually “gifts” from all the other nobles and lords- payment for coyly flirting with them for a week at a time, feeding them crumbs of false hope that they are “wearing me down” to accept them. I hate it. It makes me feel like a harlot, selling my attention like that. Never myself mind you but still, far too close for my liking. I refuse to sell my pride or my self respect though. Perhaps it’s that- that everyone else is after and while I spend my birthday week at the Vatican with his Holiness, he barely remembers me anymore. That cross I wore is the only thing he’s ever bestowed upon me and I do not have the heart to ask him for anything. I’m not noble by blood, my blood is no more noble than yours is, I was just blessed at birth and my father got promoted to his station when the previous holder of it died. My mother was a camp follower for Christ’s sake and while everyone treats me like I’m royalty I know they only do so until I choose someone, then once the truth about me is found out, they’ll treat me like the trash I think they all secretly think I am. The only power I have is my ability to see things for the way they are and say no.” Emily confessed as she smelled the fragrant jasmine before sitting down to tea with Rolf that was just brought to them.

“Then don’t play to such horrible people Dearest.” Rolf said simply.

“I would love nothing more than to take your advice and simply quit it all but I have the livelihoods of many who depend on me. My grandmother is nearly senile and caring for her is very costly, that’s why I gamble, all my winnings go to actually taking care of myself and feeding and clothing myself because my living can not sustain myself to the degree everyone expects of me and my estate and my grandmother. Freddy’s father is about to be considered senile himself and is at risk of being enemies with the state every time he goes into a tirade rant. I don’t know how much longer either of us can hold out.” Emily worried, showing her rare vulnerable side, but only because she felt she knew she could trust Rolf with such things, he had never taken advantage of her and always waited until she initiated contact first.

“It sounds like you’re tired My Dear.” Rolf surmised.

“I am.” Emily huffed a laugh as she sipped her tea. “The tea is delicious today, what kind is this again?” Emily asked.

“You see that bright red flower on that bush right there?” Rolf asked as he pointed to the blooms in question as Emily nodded yes in confirmation. “That is a hibiscus, this is tea made from the flowers.” Rolf answered.

“Such a beautiful flower makes equally beautiful tea.” Emily grinned happily as she continued to drink it and savor it.

“I’ve noticed you have a healthy appetite. Most ladies pick at their foods like delicate birds, I know the cooks work hard on the food and it seems like you’re the only one who enjoys it and it makes me happy to see you enjoy the meals.” Rolf praised as he watched her try all the cakes, having asked the cooks to really outdo themselves to make something that she would deem as her favorite so he could lavish it on her.

“They do work very hard and I do thoroughly enjoy everything and it feels like a waste if I do not at least try all of it. I don’t care if I appear gluttonous with the others, back at home I usually eat whatever the servants cook for themselves because it’s more cost effective if I do. A lot of expense can be spent on just a meal for myself, my grandmother already needs such a special diet, I would prefer for her to eat well rather than myself. You’d be surprised how long I can subsist on soups and stews with breads alone.” Emily confessed before she continued to devour the special lemon and berry cakes, quite liking those. “Although I must say, this is exquisite, I could eat a case of these.” Emily noted as Rolf beamed happily at her as he made a mental note of that.  

“Maybe your fortune will change and you’ll be able to eat like you do here all the time, wherever you go, especially at home.” Rolf offered.

“Don’t curse me like that.” Emily returned with a frown.

“Curse? What curse? How is that a curse?” Rolf asked in astonishment.

“Because the only way that will happen is if I marry a Lord, one of the overstuffed buffoons who try to tempt me with such things. I would rather come here and serve as a maid and eat whatever the servants here eat if it means I can eat with you every day. I am not above such things. It would be honest work and I’d be happy making honest money for honest work. Granted in order to do that, my grandmother would probably have to die first and I’d have to sell the estate and that would probably pull my heart and soul from my body to do but if that’s how I have to survive then so be it. I can only hope the next mistress treats my friends well.” Emily explained.

“I will give you every coin I have to make sure that never happens.” Rolf offered.

“Oh hush, don’t speak of such nonsense. I would never ask that of you. You’ve earned your wages and you should use them to take care of yourself and your own loved ones, surely you have family outside of this estate who needs those funds more than I. I can get by, I obviously do. I know how hard life can be for servants no matter their master. Use it for those in a worse state than I. I just wanted you to know the truth of the matter. Every other man has their own fantasy of my fortune and I don’t have the heart to tell them it’s already gone. You have been honest with me, I need to be honest with you in return. You deserve more than the false hope I feel I have to shell out to everyone else. You deserve the truth. You deserve better than I could ever hope to give you.” Emily insisted and Rolf both wanted to break down and cry or throw up from guilt but at the same breath, confess to his own truth. Feeling she deserved it in turn and could barely stomach this charade any longer. He waited until she was done chewing and swallowed before he kissed her tenderly. Feeling bad for kissing her instead of telling her the truth. But kissing her was the best and easiest thing he could do for now.  

“And you deserve better than I could ever give you. If you truly wish to stay with me here, I’ll make the arrangements, if you want me to go home with you, I will, without a second thought or hesitation, the Count and his Lordship be damned. Just give me a little bit more time my dearest Emily.” Rolf breathed as he stroked her gorgeous face before she turned her head slightly to kiss his palm as her hands came to rest over his own. Usually she would have been on the other side of the greenhouse to keep space between herself and everyone else but she wanted to be close to him and she craved his touch and his closeness as much as her body craved breath and every moment they could steal away and enjoy their privacy like this, she cherished. Her own grandmother be damned for marrying ‘beneath’ her. She loved Rolf and since she had the power to choose for herself, she was going to choose him, no matter the cost.

“Alight.” Emily nodded in agreement.

The next morning however at breakfast there were still only two girls left, Emily and Eliza and his lordship did not come to breakfast instead another attendant came and made an announcement.

“Miss Eliza, you are the winner of the grand game, please turn in your letter to receive your prize.” He announced and Eliza lit up with excitement and quickly handed over her letter that she had not let Emily look at- at all and had horded and guarded this whole time as Emily blew out a breath of relief before she offered her congratulations to Eliza for a game well played and won.

“Miss Emilia, your prize for being the runner up.” The attendant said as he handed Emily the last letter.

“Thank you.” Emily beamed as she took it and added it to the others.

“Where are all the rest of them? I had page 144.” Eliza frowned.

“Have you ever heard of Fibonacci, Miss Eliza?” Rolf asked as he came strutting into the room, wearing his proper clothes with his attendant, who had been parading as Lord Sparta following behind him dressed in his proper steward in training clothes.

“Fiba- who?” Eliza asked in confusion as Emily did a double take and just gasped in shock and stared in stunned silence at Rolf, her mouth hanging open almost comically as her eyes were wide before she remembered to cover her mouth with her hand. Rolf looked so handsome dressed up before she realized all the signs that he had been Lord Sparta all along. No servant should have been so candid and conversational with her but she had been so desperate for his kindred companionship she hadn’t cared to notice the impropriety of it before she just couldn’t help but smile to herself before smiling adoringly at to him- her eyes welling with tears as she wanted to cry from her overwhelming emotions. She should have known all along, normally she would have been furious being tricked like this but she didn’t care. Her prize of Rolf- had not changed and she was happy to have him in whatever form he would take. Then she took her necklace off, the very piece that was the late Countess Sparta’s necklace and threw it at him jokingly to make sure he wasn’t a ghost himself which got both of them to laugh as he easily caught it.

“Fibonacci, is a famed mathematician, he had a formula for numbers, start with zero, zero plus one, is one again, one plus one is two, one plus two is three, two plus three is five and so on and so forth, adding the previous two numbers to get to the next.” Emily answered Eliza’s question as Emily showed Eliza all the letters and pointed to the numbers in the upper right hand corner as Eliza realized she was the victim of a cruel trick herself and stared hatefully at the very man she had been trying to ensnare all week.

“So are you my prize then? A servant?” Eliza sneered at the manservant.

“Of course not my Lady, your prize is this.” He answered as he placed a simple but small bar of gold in front of her. “Is this not what you have been digging and vying for all this time?” He taunted before she huffed and took the bar of gold and got up and stormed off to her rooms with it as she quickly got ready to leave before Rolf put his mother’s necklace back on Emily.

“Thank you for not actually throwing a spear Dearest.” Rolf gently teased as he touched her shoulders affectionately and kissed the back of her head.

“Next time.” Emily teased back as she looked up at him, looking at his handsome face upside down, the two laughed again before Emily turned her attention back to the steward in training.

“So what is your real name Sir?” Emily asked the manservant with a grin.

“Byron.” He said as he held his hand out to shake hers.

“Pleasure to meet you Sir Byron.” Emily greeted him. “And if I can just say, you make a terrible lord.” Emily teased which earned a laugh from everyone, especially Bryon and Rolf and his father- William as Rolf sat down next to her as William sat at the head of the table as Freddy and Fits finally reappeared, having done nothing but lay together and draw closer all week in Fits’ real room. Fits sat to the left his father and Freddy sat on the other side of Fits and sat in Eliza’s seat across from Emily as Freddy beamed proudly at Emily for being the real winner of the grand game.  

“This my dear Emily, is your prize.” Rolf said as he put a ring box on the table in front of Emily before Emily put her stack of letters down on the table between them to open it and found an engagement ring, a smaller miniature version of the pink panther diamond they had found and returned earlier that week before Emily offered her left hand so Rolf could put the ring onto her hand.

“And I am honored to receive such a prize.” Emily returned as she just smiled adoringly at Rolf before turning her attention to his father William. “And I must applaud you Count Sparta for putting together such a fantastic game, I see from the rules that you yourself are very well read, pulling from the great minds of the masters of the Renaissance especially.” Emily praised Lord Sparta who beamed happily at her.

“And I must applaud you for seeing so easily through the guises.” He returned. “You will bring much to this family, if you choose to stay.” He returned to her.

“I believe I will.” Emily grinned as she squeezed Rolf’s hand from under the table. “But I must also tell you that my estate is a mere fraction of what most think it to be. All the wealth I had has been put towards the upkeep of the manor and care of my own servants who I count as friends.” Emily revealed.

“And it is because you invested your funds as such that made you such an invaluable treasure, when my son told me as such I knew you had won the game and so I put an end to it today, not wanting you to suffer any more than you already have, especially at that horrid girl’s lack of manners. You are by far the most superior lady I have ever come in contact with besides my own dear Contessina and I know you will look after this estate with the same care you do your own manor. That is why I gave your grandmother the key to the letters and the key to the caves, because if you were brave enough to traverse them, you will no doubt bravely walk next my son through life.” Lord Sparta smiled appreciatively at her. “When Rolf said he wanted to marry, I devised this plan so that not only would a wise and brilliant woman figure it out, but a brave and courageous yet kind heart-ed woman would win my son. I understand you are quite the problem solver and the beholder of many fantastic ideas, I’d love to hear them if you will be so kind as to share them with us.” Lord Sparta invited as she blushed and smiled bashfully at such praise, but knowing it was sincere- meant the world to her.

“If you will send for Fredrick’s father, who is not just a brilliant scientist but inventor as well, I believe together we can find a solution to the gas problem, I think if you could manage to collect it and harness it safely and keep it from self igniting. It would prove very useful.” Emily began.

“Then please do tell.” Lord Sparta invited before Emily took a deep breath and began to tell him all sorts of ideas as she felt the same ease and free-ness she would feel at home.

That night after rounds of games and cards with the real lords and being thrilled to finally play them well with her fiance and his father, brother and Freddy and in return, be played well with. Rolf led Emily to his real quarters since one of the rules of the game were that no lady would lie with anyone for the duration of the game and now that the game was over, they were both more than eager to be together before her things were put into the room as well to stay with him until the wedding that would be planned the next day.

“At last, we can be completely alone.” Rolf breathed in relief once they were both undressed and redressed in their night clothes but Emily had quickly and easily stripped out of her night gown the moment they were under the covers as Rolf did the same.

“Yes, at last.” Emily giggled as Rolf had Emily roll on top of him and ride him just like he had imagined all week, wanting Emily to continue to have all the control she wanted, both of them moaning at finally being joined as they kissed each other very deeply and Emily felt no ill feelings at being touched and caressed, instead of feeling dread, she felt at ease and happiness in addition to be wanted but more importantly treasured and respected most of all as she put his hands to her body without a hint of embarrassment or shyness. “Please my Dearest Emily, tell me and instruct me how to please you best.” Rolf pleaded desperately, wanting and needing to give her every pleasure and Emily could have cried she was so moved by such a sentiment that she told him exactly how and was blown away when he was able to pull from her body and soul the sweetest of pleasured releases as she did the same to him.

“You will be the best Lady Sparta.” Rolf praised as he laid next to Emily and wiped the sweat from his brow as they both panted as they recovered, their bodies still alight with delight.

“Only if you’ll be the best Lord Sparta, forever at my side.” Emily returned as she found herself in his embrace once again.

“Always.” Rolf smiled before he kissed her again.

“And quit kissing me instead of telling me things. I realized you kissed me instead of telling me the truth all week, you must stop that this instant, please tell me everything from now on.” Emily insisted.

“I was under oath from my father! I had very little choice in the matter, I swear.” Rolf insisted as Emily gave him a playfully unimpressed look.

“I swear on my mother’s grave I told you all I could without ruining the game. If I did, the game would be over and forefit and I could never hope to see you or speak to you again, those were the rules placed upon me.” Rolf swore as Emily gave him a softened hard look but detected he was telling her the truth.

“Very well, but I have a favor to ask of you Dearest.” Emily began.

“Anything.” Rolf returned.

“My grandmother’s doctors have advised me that my grandmother can not be moved from the house. Would you mind terribly moving to my estate until she passes? It can not be long now.” Emily requested.

“I wouldn’t mind at all, we could leave as soon as you wish.” Rolf immediately answered.

“Thank you My Love.” Emily cooed as she kissed him again, in the morning, they did indeed plan for their wedding and even agreed on invitations while the servants got everything ready for their departure and the very next day after that Rolf had an entire chest of gold and treasure put onto one of his father’s very grand and very luxurious dormeuse, with his brother and Freddy taking another with yet another chest with them. Freddy already wearing some of Fits clothes while Rolf had already ordered loads of dresses for Emily so that she would always be the most well dressed woman in the room that would rival even royalty and once inside the carriage, Emily giddily closed the curtains so that her and Rolf could continue to enjoy maritals on the journey home.

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 11 March 2019

Quick Bits:

Age of Conan: Bêlit #1 expands Marvel’s Conan franchise further with the beginning of this limited series featuring the early days of the notorious pirate Queen of the Black Coast. Tini Howard, Kate Niemczyk, Jason Keith, and Travis Lanham deliver a compelling story setting up the tragedy of Bêlit’s early life and her one-track mind for adventure on the high seas.

| Published by Marvel

Amazing Spider-Man #17, after two preludes (one branded, one not) and a simmering sub-plot of Taskmaster and Black Ant kidnapping the villains running for months, finally gives us part one of “Hunted” from Nick Spencer, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Joe Caramagna. And it’s essentially more set-up. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still great, building anticipation for the hunt to really start in earnest, but it’s a slow build.

| Published by Marvel

Animosity #19 starts trying to pick up the pieces after the fall of the Walled City. There’s some very interesting questions raised regarding survival and existence from Marguerite Bennett in this one, as both the animals and humans try to figure out a way to bridge the divide.

| Published by AfterShock

Asgardians of the Galaxy #7 concludes this arc with Sera and the Ravagers, as they team up to help refugees and Ego, the Living Planet. I still think it’s weird to see essentially the movie version of Yondu in present day 616 continuity, but Cullen Bunn keeps this fun. I suspect that Sera/Angela fans will still be disappointed, though.

| Published by Marvel

Assassin Nation #1 is the exciting debut of this action thriller, somewhat in the vein of Skybound’s other title Die!Die!Die! mixing elements of extreme violence, action, and a bit of humour, from Kyle Starks, Erica Henderson, and Deron Bennett. It’s a damn good set up, immersing us into a world of assassins jockeying for a number one spot, screwing one another over and turning on them for the highest bidder, with two interesting hooks of “Chekhov’s Gun” trying to figure out who’s trying to kill him and Bishop searching for who killed his husband. Phenomenal art from Henderson, with some very inventive death sequences.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Avengers: No Road Home #5 takes it up another notch as the Avengers continue to battle against Nyx and her children, this time narrated by Scarlet Witch. The fight on Nightmare’s front gets particularly interesting as we see how scary Hulk has really become, along with a humorous fight between Hawkeyes. Sean Izaakse and Marcio Menyz really turn in some incredible artwork here. And the final scene is pretty savage.

| Published by Marvel

The Batman Who Laughs: The Grim Knight #1 isn’t something I was going to pick up, but I saw some gushing about it from people I trust and decided on a last minute purchase. Like the rest of the Batman Who Laughs mini-series, this is dark, giving us a “Batman” who picked up the gun that was used to murder his parents, and, though technically proficient, isn’t really for me. What I do really appreciate, though, is the artwork from Eduardo Risso and Dave Stewart. It is gorgeous, with Risso continuing to explore some of the softer, painted style that he’s used in Moonshine and Hit-Girl. It really is worth the price of admission.

| Published by DC Comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #3 continues to be one of my favourite comics each month. Jordie Bellaire, Dan Mora, Raúl Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire are presenting a story here that so perfectly captures the spirit and fun of the television series, while also just being a great original tale. It’s fun to see the old faces in new situations, but it’s also an enjoyable story in its own right, introducing us to the characters and tossing them into the chaos.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

By Night #9 gives us Jane’s mom’s history with Charlesco and more or less the origin of the portal and the experiment. It’s particularly interesting as John Allison, Christine Larsen, Sarah Stern, and Jim Campbell tell the story in the visual style of an early ‘90s comic. There’s even a nice little nod to the Marvel Bullpen in there.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / BOOM! Box

Calamity Kate #1 introduces us to Kate, Vera, Jade and a world of monster hunting in this debut from Magdalene Visaggio, Corin Howell, Valentina Pinto, and Zakk Saam. Between this, The Girl in the Bay, and the forthcoming Dark Red, I’m loving the higher profile that Howell is carving for herself. She’s a great artist with excellent versatility.

| Published by Dark Horse

Catwoman #9 is a fill-in issue from Ram V, John Timms, and Josh Reed that’s one part revenge tale and one part heist, resulting overall in one hell of a good single issue. There’s a nice sense of rhythm and pacing to the story that fits with the theme of the heist, with some great artwork.

| Published by DC Comics

Cover #6 brings what has been one of the most unique, ambitious, and inventive uses of the comics medium I’ve seen in a long time to a close, with a bit of conversation and some gorgeous art from Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Zu Orzu, and Carlos M. Mangual. It get even more meta this issue, along with the usual multi-layered storytelling that delves into the comics world.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Cyber Force #9 more or less completes the gathering of the team, presenting a bit of a quiet moment to collect themselves before setting up a confrontation with Cyberdata. There’s some interesting soul-searching between Dominique and Ripclaw on whether or not with the change they’re still them. And, as usual, the art from Atilio Rojo is pretty much worth the price of admission on its own.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

The Empty Man #5 has some gorgeous artwork by Jesús Hervás and Niko Guardia, especially among the repeating cycles of the opening and closing scenes.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

The Flash #66 brings back the single issue Rogue profile format for an origin story of the original Trickster, James Jesse, from Joshua Williamson, Scott Kolins, Luis Guerrero, and Steve Wands. Great art from Kolins and Guerrero.

| Published by DC Comics

The Freeze #4 concludes the first arc, with a very satisfying reveal of the serial killer and confirmation on a few other ongoing plot threads that nicely serve as a hook for future arcs. I’m really enjoying this one. Dan Wickline, Phillip Sevy, and Troy Peteri are telling a very compelling story here about essentially rebuilding society from a very different form of cataclysm, with some wonderful character-building and enough intrigue to keep you on your toes.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Grimm Tales of Terror #13 is one of the better recent issues, with Joe Brusha, Umberto Giampà, Fran Gamboa, JC Ruiz, and Fabio Amelia diving into the story of a true crime writer investigating a serial killer in Detroit utilizing the signatures of other famous serial killers. There are a few really nice twists throughout the tale.

| Published by Zenescope

Gunning for Hits #3 throws a few wrinkles into Martin’s plans for Stunted Growth and Brian Slade as Slade’s bodyguard, “Mr. Gladstone”, causes problems while trying to extort Martin. This continues to be a dense, but satisfying, read every month. It feels like Jeff Rougvie, Moritat, and Casey Silver are just packing in as much content as they possibly can.

| Published by Image

Hawkman #10 features a larger than life confrontation between Hawkman and Idamm. Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, and Jeremiah Skipper deliver nicely on that widescreen epic feel of the assault on London.

| Published by DC Comics

Hit-Girl Season 2 #2 gets up close and personal with the uglier side of Hollywood as Kevin Smith, Pernille Ørum, Sunny Gho, and Clem Robins continue their arc featuring the adaptation of Hit-Girl’s side of the story from Kick-Ass by the film industry. Things get a little complicated.

| Published by Image

House Amok #5 concludes what has been an excellent, mind-bending series exploring truth and delusion and the power of family, from Christopher Sebela, Shawn McManus, Lee Loughridge, and Neil Uyetake. This finale doesn’t give any easy answers and actually raises a few more questions, all with some gorgeous artwork from McManus and Loughridge.

| Published by IDW / Black Crown

James Bond: Origin #7 begins “Russian Ruse” with Ibrahim Moustafa and Roman Stevens taking over art duties, joining Jeff Parker and Simon Bowland in this tale of essentially piracy in the Barents Sea. Nice set up of the Russians’ duplicity here and an inept Commander not listening to Bond’s observations.

| Published by Dynamite

Justice League Dark #9 unleashes the Lords of Order against pretty much everyone, causing death and destruction as they try to “cleanse” reality of the chaos they think infests it. Between them and the Otherkind, things aren’t looking particularly cheery for existence. Incredible artwork from Alvaro Martínez Bueno, Miguel Mendonça, Raul Fernandez, and Brad Anderson.

| Published by DC Comics

Little Bird #1 is an experience. Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, Matt Hollingsworth, and Aditya Bidikar launch a dystopian future where a theocratic America seems to rule with an iron fist and a pocket resistance holds out in the Canadian Rockies. There’s a bit of a feel of Akira here, and Grendel: God and the Devil, maybe even a little Martha Washington, but still with its own unique elements and some seriously awesome art from Bertram and Hollingsworth.

| Published by Image

Livewire #4 concludes the first arc with a nice bit of soul-searching as Amanda comes to terms with what she did during Harbinger Wars 2. Between this, Age of X-Man: Prisoner X, and this week’s Shuri, Vita Ayala is definitely on fire right now. They’re doing some great character-driven work and it shines in this finale. Also, Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín can do no wrong. The layouts on this book are stunning.

| Published by Valiant

The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #1 is the beginning of a new era for Kamala Khan from Saladin Ahmed, Minkyu Jung, Juan Vlasco, Ian Herring, and Joe Caramagna. Using a kind of fable narration, setting up something new for the future while dealing with a continuation from Kamala’s current status in the presents, is a nice approach from Ahmed. It also marks a good jumping-on point for new readers as it recaps more or less what you need to know about Ms. Marvel’s history. Beautiful art from Jung, Vlasco, and Herring.

| Published by Marvel

Murder Falcon #6 is an epic, face-melting issue. Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer give us a bit of a tearjerker as Anne comes to terms with her situation with Jake and finally finds her voice. It’s really incredible. Also, giant monsters and metal.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Oblivion Song #13 jumps ahead three years for a new status quo, a few shuffled faces, and new situations for many of the cast of characters, providing an excellent jumping on point for new readers. There are some interesting bits about harnessing the flora and fauna of Oblivion for medical advances and the growing mystery about what the Faceless Men are doing. Gorgeous art as always from Lorenzo De Felici and Annalisa Leoni. De Felici really does some amazing reaction shots.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Old Man Quill #3 advances the Guardians’ story a bit further as they celebrate what little hope they’ve brought to the Wastelands, while hell in various forms circulates around them. It certainly pretty bleak, even in the good times.

| Published by Marvel

Outer Darkness #5 drops hell on the crew’s head as they crash on a relatively inhospitable ice planet with an ancient evil prowling and the crew at “Each Other’s Throats”. Also, naked cat girls. John Layman, Afu Chan, and Pat Brosseau are doing an incredible job with this mix of sci-fi and horror and the stakes seem to have been raised this issue.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Shuri #6 begins a two-part guest arc from Vita Ayala, Paul Davidson, Tríona Farrell, and Joe Sabino as Shuri travels to New York in search for the Lubber. Great art from Davidson and Farrell and Ayala has a wonderful feel for Miles and Shuri’s voices.

| Published by Marvel

Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #6 continues to suss out a new role for Gwen now that her identity is public and she’s returned to her own Earth. The character building that Seanan McGuire is doing here is pretty spectacular, especially given how strong the interpersonal relationships in the series were to begin with under Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez. Also, the art from Takeshi Miyazawa and Ian Herring is perfect.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars: Age of Republic - General Grievous #1 is the last of these Age of Republic one-shots from Jody Houser, with Age of Rebellion coming next from Greg Pak and a rotating team of Chris Sprouse, Marc Laming, and others. This one focuses on Grievous and is a nice look into what he traded of himself in order to become the even worse monster that we see in the prequel trilogy and Clone Wars.

| Published by Marvel

The Stone King #4 concludes what has been a wonderful light fantasy adventure Comixology original series from Kel McDonald and Tyler Crook. There’s an interesting throughline in the story of responsibility for family versus responsibility for the greater society that comes to a head here, along with misunderstandings continuing to cause conflict. It’s not exactly a happy ending, but there is a set up for something more down the road that I’d love to see. Beautiful artwork from Crook.

| Published by Kel McDonald

Supergirl #28 concludes her jaunt with the Omega Men and the Supergirl clones, opening up more questions about The Circle and the destruction of Krypton. I’ve enjoyed the circuitous route Marc Andreyko has been taking us on to advance Supergirl’s mission, tossing bits of side adventure in growing out of her search, but it feels like we’re going to get down to brass tacks soon. Great art again this issue from Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, FCO Plascencia, and Chris Sotomayor. Pansica does some great horror and creature work and it shines through in the Kryptonian monstrosities. 

| Published by DC Comics

Superman #9 tells of Jonathan’s ordeal trapped on Earth 3, tortured at the hands of Ultraman. Great art from Brandon Peterson and Alex Sinclair during the Earth 3 sequences. It’s also interesting to see that dream still haunting Superman.

| Published by DC Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder in Hell #2 continues to be revelatory. Mateus Santolouco, Marcelo Costa, and Shawn Lee are doing some incredible work as Shredder continues to be plagued by nightmares, demons, and the undead as he tries to figure out his way through hell and his status as a vessel for the dragon god’s spirit. Over the years, Santolouco has grown exponentially as a storyteller and this is just a masterpiece.

| Published by IDW

Titans #35 continues the team’s nightmare excursion to Unearth, fighting a possessed enraged Beast Boy, Raven’s angry aggressive side, and Mother Blood as we head into the series conclusion next issue. This is a very entertaining story from Dan Abnett, Bruno Redondo, Christian Duce, Marcelo Maiolo, and Dave Sharpe, really putting the team behind the 8-ball wondering how they’re going to get out of this mess. If they get out this mess.

| Published by DC Comics

Tony Stark: Iron Man #9 continues the “Stark Realities” arc, nicely advances Controller’s assault on Stark Industries, the eScape users causing havoc, the mole within Stark, and the corruption causing Tony’s current simulation, from Dan Slott, Jim Zub, Valerio Schiti, Paolo Rivera, Edgar Delgado, and Joe Caramagna. Some really interesting possible revelations about Tony during this issue.

| Published by Marvel

Transformers #1 begins a new continuity, a new universe, a new era for the Transformers, from Brian Ruckley, Angel Hernandez, Cachét Whitman, Joana Lafuente, and Tom B. Long, as we start off some time in the past of Cybertron, before Autobots or Deceptions, as Bumblebee watches over a newly-forged Cybertronian as he makes his first decisions. We also get bits of an uprising of “Ascenticons”, though their ideals and motivations aren’t really explained, just showing a disagreement between longtime friends Megatron and Orion Pax (not Optimus Prime yet). It’s not bad, with some nice bits of humour, and there is an interesting mystery for a cliffhanger, but it is slow. The art is nice, but like the story there’s nothing flashy about this right now. I’ll certainly give it a few more issues, but there’s really nothing “bold” about this new era. Don’t expect something radical out of the first issue, this one plays it pretty safe.

| Published by IDW

Winter Soldier #4 delves into RJ’s father, Richie, attempting to get back into his life. It’s heartfelt and bittersweet, with Kyle Higgins, Rod Reis, and Clayton Cowles delivering a gripping tale with one hell of a set up for the final issue. Reis’ art remains absolutely incredible.

| Published by Marvel

Wonder Twins #2 is more fun from Mark Russell, Stephen Byrne, and Dave Sharpe. There’s some nice commentary on the state of corporate run prisons in the United States in amongst a humorous send-up of z-list villains in the Legion of Doom’s farm team, the League of Annoyance. Great art from Byrne.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Other Highlights: Accell #19, Auntie Agatha’s Wayward Home for Rabbits #5, Blackbird #6, Dark Ark #15, GI Joe: A Real American Hero - Silent Option #4, Go Go Power Rangers #18, The Goon #1, Head Lopper #11, House of Whispers #7, LaGuardia #4, The Life and Death of Toyo Harada #1, The Long Con #7, Marvel Action: Spider-Man #2, Marvels Annotated #2, The Maxx 100 Page Giant, Prodigy #4, The Punisher #9, Radio Delley, Rick & Morty Presents Jerry #1, Riverdale: Season 3 #1, Runaways #19, Spider-Man/Deadpool #47, Star Trek: Discovery - Captain Saru, Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet #5, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #42, Wonder Woman #66

Recommended Collections: Astonisher - Volume 3: Black Hat, Batman vs. Deathstroke, By Night - Volume 1, Defenders: The Best Defense, Infinite Dark - Volume 1, Mata Hari,  Moonstruck - Volume 2, Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons, Shadowman - Volume 3: Rag & Bone, She Could Fly, Sleepless - Volume 2, Star Wars Adventures - Volume 5: Mechanical Mayhem, Strangers in Paradise XXV - Volume 2: Hide and Seek, Trout - Volume 1: Bits & Bobs, Vampironica - Volume 1, The War of the Realms Prelude

d. emerson eddy knows a muffin man.

[catholicartistsnyc]

Meet: Renee Darline Roden

RENEÉ DARLINE RODEN is a playwright and writer based in NYC. (Twitter: @reNEIGHimahorse ) 

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): What brought you to NYC, and where did you come from?

RENEÉ DARLINE RODEN (RDR): I am originally from the very artist-friendly state of Minnesota. I first moved to NYC in 2014 as a post-grad volunteer at Cristo Rey New York High School, took a hiatus from the city for graduate school, and just returned in fall of 2018!

CAC: What do you see as your personal mission as a Catholic working in the arts?

RDR: I think Jacques Maritain has a lot of wisdom on this front when he writes: "your art is not isolated from your soul." Good art is authentic art, which means that if I'm making authentic art, it's going to be Christian simply because I am.

CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?

RDR: Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, or simply in the name of good conversation and fellowship! New York's greatest resource is its people, and I have met so many artists - Christian, Catholic, non-Catholic - who are so delighted to engage in a discussion about faith, religion, ritual, the deep down things of life. This is always encouraging and inspiring.

CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?

RDR: Bishop Scharfenberger said in a recent interview that the devil's greatest temptation for us is discouragement. In that case, I think that the Church ought to offer artists real, positive encouragement.

In my experience, I have felt that pursuing a career in the arts seriously means risking other social metrics of success (salary, prestige, etc.) in order to pursue a vision of beauty and goodness that I believe is good for the world but the world doesn't value that much.

The Church has a great partnership in artists, who seek, like the Church goodness and beauty. We may not be putting the most in the collection plate on Sundays, but we're invaluable resources to the Church in a different way.

CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?

RDR: I was recently talking with a fellow Christian working professionally in the arts and she made the excellent point that it's on us to be evangelists for Christ. Christianity's - particularly Catholicism's- public face has taken a bad hit in recent years, unfortunately, and it's up to us to be bearers of Christ to a world that's not quite sure what to make of him (or at least his church). The majority of non-religious or formerly-religious people in the arts I've encountered are actually pretty interested in talking about religion - it's a meaningful part of the human experience that people want to talk about and often don't have avenues to do so.

People may have been hurt by an experience of religion, they may be wrestling with their spiritual journey, they may want to argue about a teaching, understand our spirituality, make sense of their own experience, and I think that if we provide listening ears and walk with them a bit on their journey that can be a very powerful welcome to them into the world of faith. If we, as Catholics and Christians, are people others can talk to about the most vulnerable layer of life, that's a rare gift to offer a spiritually hungering world.

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?

RDR: Honestly, the subway. It can also be a space of the greatest spiritual desolation or tribulation (ugh). But where else can you have your face crushed into the smelly armpit of an Image of God during rush hour traffic? There's something real good in how truly unpleasant that is.

It took me a while to love New York, but the city finally won me over when I was riding the M60 SBS to LaGuardia one summer at 4am; there was  a sea of faces on that bus, and they really did shine like Thomas Merton says they did on the corner of Fourth and Walnut. I usually try to leave the city to find quiet, but in the city, I find the greatest opportunity to find God in that really uncomfortable sacrament of your neighbor. I'm ~~still working on it~~

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find artistic fulfillment?

RDR: Project Y and Bushwick Starr have been very good to me and are great places for young writers. I have found lots of artistic inspiration and refreshment at NYC's many museums: Brooklyn Museum, The Frick, and The Met are good places to cleanse your eyes with some beauty and get inspired. I regularly write in Monet's water lilies room in MoMa.

CAC: If you have a spiritual director, how did you find that person? 

RDR: I am a big external processor and I process my relationships via conversations with trusted advisors. So I have found a spiritual director is pretty essential for processing my relationship with God. I found my spiritual director during graduate school, and decided to keep doing direction via Skype. I prefer meeting with people in person, but I think with a spiritual director, when you find someone who gets you and speaks a language that makes sense for you, that's worth sticking with. If you're looking for to start spiritual direction, St. Ignatius Loyola is a really helpful parish that is committed to helping people find a spiritual director.

CAC: What is your daily artistic practice? And what are your recommendations to other artists for practicing their craft daily?

RDR: It's so basic: write every day. I prefer writing in the morning, but on weekdays, it's usually after work. I don't write a masterpiece each evening, but a little chipping away at projects goes a long way. Also I think catching the stray creative thoughts and insights throughout the day or writing something striking or beautiful that happened in your day is important. I have a journal on me (almost) at all times to write down thoughts that bubble up randomly throughout the day. In absence of journal, I use my iPhones notes app. Before I had a smartphone, I would text myself ideas or images seen throughout the day.

CAC: How do you make a living in NYC?

RDR: How to balance having security and making art is a question that I think I will always be wrestling with. I currently work remotely as an editor. I have immense respect for my fellow artists who do not have full-time jobs with benefits. The financial, emotional, physical and mental security that a full-time job brings is something I do not take for granted and I'm seriously grateful. A day job that is both meaningful work and builds skills that help me in my art has been very, very helpful.

CAC: What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in NYC? RDR: Get an NYC City ID Look for free nights at Museums to see discounted art! Get on mailing lists of good places: Catholic NYC List Catholic Artists Connection The people: I have most learned how to navigate New York by talking to people who have done it before me. Email people, ask to get coffee, build friendships, learn how they found their apartment, how they make their writing happen, where they like to go to work, how they found their job, who did their headshots. Ask for help, and you shall receive.

CAC: What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists moving to NYC?

RDR: 1. Live with good people. I lived on an air mattress in a small room for a month while looking for a lease, but I was with roommates who made dinner with me, watched Cohen Brothers films, and talked politics and those blessings cover a multitude of inconveniences. 2.  Be brave. David Mamet says that all art is just brave men and women getting up and telling the truth. Art takes courage, as does living in New York City, as does being a Christian. Don't be afraid of failure or disappointment - just keep being brave. 3. If you haven't had a really full, authentic belly laugh recently, find someone who will make you laugh and hang out with them or call them on the phone. Gotta have that joy fully stocked at all times.

[pope-francis-quotes]

5th March >> (@ZenitEnglish) #PopeFrancis #Pope Francis Message for XXXV World Youth Day 2020 (Palm Sunday, April 5): “Young man, I say to you, arise!” (Lk 7:14).

Below is the full Vatican-provided English translation of Pope Francis’ address for the XXXV World Youth Day 2020, which is celebrated at the diocesan level all over the world on April 5, Palm Sunday, on the theme: “Young man, I say to you, arise!” (Lk 7:14):

***

“Young man, I say to you, arise!” (Lk 7:14)

Dear Young People,

In October 2018, with the Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment, the Church undertook a process of reflection on your place in today’s world, your search for meaning and purpose in life, and your relationship with God. In January 2019, I met with hundreds of thousands of your contemporaries from throughout the world assembled in Panama for World Youth Day. Events of this type – the Synod and World Youth Day – are an expression of a fundamental dimension of the Church: the fact that we “journey together”.

In this journey, every time we reach an important milestone, we are challenged by God and by life to make a new beginning. As young people, you are experts in this! You like to take trips, to discover new places and people, and to have new experiences. That is why I have chosen the city of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, as the goal of our next intercontinental pilgrimage, to take place in 2022. From Lisbon, in the fifteenth and sixteenth, great numbers of young people, including many missionaries, set out for unknown lands, to share their experience of Jesus with other peoples and nations. The theme of the Lisbon World Youth Day will be: “Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39). In these two intervening years, I want to reflect with you on two other biblical texts: for 2020, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” (Lk 7:14) and for 2021, “Stand up. I appoint you as a witness of what you have seen” (cf. Acts 26:16).

As you can see, the verb “arise” or “stand up” appears in all three themes. These words also speak of resurrection, of awakening to new life. They are words that constantly appear in the Exhortation Christus Vivit (Christ is Alive!) that I addressed to you following the 2018 Synod and that, together with the Final Document, the Church offers you as a lamp to shed light on your path in life. I sincerely hope that the journey bringing us to Lisbon will coincide with a great effort on the part of the entire Church to implement these two documents and to let them guide the mission of those engaged in the pastoral care of young people.

Let us now turn to this year’s theme: “Young man, I say to you, arise!” (cf. Lk 7:14). I mentioned this verse of the Gospel in Christus Vivit: “If you have lost your vitality, your dreams, your enthusiasm, your optimism and your generosity, Jesus stands before you as once he stood before the dead son of the widow, and with all the power of his resurrection he urges you: ‘Young man, I say to you, arise!’” (No. 20).

That passage from the Bible tells us how Jesus, upon entering the town of Nain in Galilee, came upon the funeral procession of a young person, the only son of a widowed mother. Jesus, struck by the woman’s heartrending grief, miraculously restored her son to life. The miracle took place after a sequence of words and gestures: “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, ‘Do not weep’. Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still” (Lk 7:13-14). Let us take a moment to meditate on these words and gestures of the Lord.

The ability to see pain and death

Jesus looks carefully at this funeral procession. In the midst of the crowd, he makes out the face of a woman in great pain. His ability to see generates encounter, the source of new life. Few words are needed.

What about my own ability to see? When I look at things, do I look carefully, or is it more like when I quickly scroll through the thousands of photos or social profiles on my cell phone? How often do we end up being eyewitnesses of events without ever experiencing them in real time! Sometimes our first reaction is to take a picture with our cell phone, without even bothering to look into the eyes of the persons involved.

All around us, but at times also within us, we can see realities of death: physical, spiritual, emotional, social. Do we really notice them, or simply let them happen to us? Is there anything we can do in order to restore life?

I think too of all those negative situations that people of your age are experiencing. Some stake everything on the present moment and risk their own lives in extreme experiences. Others are “dead” because they feel hopeless. One young woman told me: “Among my friends I see less desire to get involved, less courage to get up”. Sadly, depression is spreading among young people too, and in some cases even leads to the temptation to take one’s own life. How many situations are there where apathy reigns, where people plunge into an abyss of anguish and remorse! How many young people cry out with no one to hear their plea! Instead, they meet with looks of distraction and indifference on the part of people who want to enjoy their own “happy hour”, without being bothered about anyone or anything else.

Others waste their lives with superficial things, thinking they are alive while in fact they are dead within (cf. Rev 3:1). At the age of twenty, they can already be dragging their lives down, instead of raising them up to the level of their true dignity. Everything is reduced to “living it up” and seeking a morsel of gratification: a minute of entertainment, a fleeting moment of attention and affection from others… And what about the widespread growing digital narcissism that affects young people and adults alike. All too many people are living this way! Some of them have perhaps bought into the materialism of those all around them who are concerned only with making money and taking it easy, as if these were the sole purpose of life. In the long run, this will inevitably lead to unhappiness, apathy and boredom with life, a growing sense of emptiness and frustration.

Negative situations can also be the result of personal failure, whenever something we care about, something we were committed to, no longer seems to be working or giving the desired results. This can happen with school or with our ambitions in sports and in the arts… The end of the “dream” can make us feel dead. But failures are part of the life of every human being; sometimes they can also end up being a grace! Not infrequently, something that we thought would bring us happiness proves to be an illusion, an idol. Idols demand everything from us; they enslave us yet they give us nothing in return. And in the end they collapse, leaving only a cloud of dust. Failure, if it makes our idols collapse, is a good thing, however much suffering it involves.

There are many other situations of physical or moral death that a young person may encounter. I think of addiction, crime, poverty or grave illness. I leave it to you to think about these things and to realize what has proved “deadly” for yourselves or for someone close to you, now or in the past. At the same time, I ask you to remember that the young man in the Gospel was truly dead, but he was able to come back to life because he was seen by Someone who wanted him to live. The same thing can also happen to us, today and every day.

To have compassion

The Scriptures often speak of the feelings experienced by those who let themselves be touched “viscerally” by the pain of others. Jesus’ own feelings make him share in other people’s lives. He makes their pain his own. That mother’s grief became his own. The death of that young son became his own.

As young people, you have shown over and over again that you are capable of com-passion. I think of all those of you who have generously offered help whenever situations demanded it. No disaster, earthquake or flood takes place without young volunteers stepping up to offer a helping hand. The great mobilization of young people concerned about defending the environment is also a witness to your ability to hear the cry of the earth.

Dear young people, do not let yourselves be robbed of this sensitivity! May you always be attentive to the plea of those who are suffering, and be moved by those who weep and die in today’s world. “Some realities of life are only seen with eyes cleansed by tears” (Christus Vivit, 76). If you can learn to weep with those who are weeping, you will find true happiness. So many of your contemporaries are disadvantaged and victims of violence and persecution. Let their wounds become your own, and you will be bearers of hope in this world. You will be able to say to your brother or sister: “Arise, you are not alone”, and you will help them realize that God the Father loves us, that Jesus is the hand he stretches out to us in order to raise us up.

To come forward and “touch”

Jesus stops the funeral procession. He draws near, he demonstrates his closeness. Closeness thus turns into a courageous act of restoring life to another. A prophetic gesture. The touch of Jesus, the living One, communicates life. It is a touch that pours the Holy Spirit into the dead body of that young man and brings him back to life.

That touch penetrates all hurt and despair. It is the touch of God himself, a touch also felt in authentic human love; it is a touch opening up unimaginable vistas of freedom and fullness of new life. The effectiveness of this gesture of Jesus is incalculable. It reminds us that even one sign of closeness, simple yet concrete, can awaken forces of resurrection.

You too, as young people, are able to draw near to the realities of pain and death that you encounter. You too can touch them and, like Jesus, bring new life, thanks to the Holy Spirit. But only if you are first touched by his love, if your heart is melted by the experience of his goodness towards you. If you can feel God’s immense love for every living creature – especially our brothers and sisters who experience hunger and thirst, or are sick or naked or imprisoned – then you will be able to draw near to them as he does. You will be able to touch them as he does, and to bring his life to those of your friends who are inwardly dead, who suffer or have lost faith and hope.

“Young man, I say to you, arise!”

The Gospel does not tell us the name of the young man whom Jesus restored to life in Nain. This invites each reader to identify with him. To you, to me, to each one of us, Jesus says: “Arise”. We are very aware that, as Christians, we constantly fall and have to get up again. People who are not on a journey never fall; then again, neither do they move forward. That is why we need to accept the help that Jesus gives us and put our faith in God. The first step is to let ourselves get up and to realize that the new life Jesus offers us is good and worth living. It is sustained by one who is ever at our side along our journey to the future. Jesus helps us to live this life in a dignified and meaningful way.

This life is really a new creation, a new birth, not just a form of psychological conditioning. Perhaps, in times of difficulty, many of you have heard people repeat those “magic” formulas so fashionable nowadays, formulas that are supposed to take care of everything: “You have to believe in yourself”, “You have to discover your inner resources”, “You have to become conscious of your positive energy”… But these are mere words; they do not work for someone who is truly “dead inside”. Jesus’ word has a deeper resonance; it goes infinitely deeper. It is a divine and creative word, which alone can bring the dead to life.

Living the new life as “risen ones”

The Gospel tells us that the young man “began to speak” (Lk 7:15). Those touched and restored to life by Jesus immediately speak up and express without hesitation or fear what has happened deep within them: their personality, desires, needs and dreams. Perhaps they were never able to do this before, for they thought no one would be able to understand.

To speak also means to enter into a relationship with others. When we are “dead”, we remain closed in on ourselves. Our relationships break up, or become superficial, false and hypocritical. When Jesus restores us to life, he “gives” us to others (cf. v 15).

Today, we are often “connected” but not communicating. The indiscriminate use of electronic devices can keep us constantly glued to the screen. With this Message, I would like to join you, young people, in calling for a cultural change, based on Jesus’ command to “arise”. In a culture that makes young people isolated and withdrawn into virtual worlds, let us spread Jesus’ invitation: “Arise!” He calls us to embrace a reality that is so much more than virtual. This does not involve rejecting technology, but rather using it as a means and not as an end. “Arise!” is also an invitation to “dream”, to “take a risk”, to be “committed to changing the world”, to rekindle your hopes and aspirations, and to contemplate the heavens, the stars and the world around you. “Arise and become what you are!” If this is our message, many young people will stop looking bored and weary, and let their faces come alive and be more beautiful than any virtual reality.

If you give life, someone will be there to receive it. As a young woman once said: “Get off your couch when you see something beautiful, and try and do something similar”. Beauty awakes passion. And if a young person is passionate about something, or even better, about someone, he or she will arise and start to do great things. Young people will rise from the dead, become witnesses to Jesus and devote their lives to him.

Dear young people, what are your passions and dreams? Give them free rein and, through them, offer the world, the Church and other young people something beautiful, whether in the realm of the spirit, the arts or society. I repeat what I once told you in my mother tongue: Hagan lío! Make your voices heard! I remember another young person who said: “If Jesus was someone who was only concerned about himself, the son of the widow would not have been raised”.

The resurrection of that young man restored him to his mother. In that woman, we can see an image of Mary, our Mother, to whom we entrust all the young people of our world. In her, we can also recognize the Church, who wants to welcome with tender love each young person, without exception. So let us implore Mary’s intercession for the Church, that she may always be a mother for her dead children, weeping for them and asking that they be restored to life. In every one of her children who dies, the Church also dies, and in every one of her children who arises, the Church also arises.

I bless your journey. And I ask you, please, not to forget to pray for me.

Rome, from Saint John Lateran, 11 February 2020,

Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes

FRANCIS

[Original text: Italian]

5th MARCH 2020 12:20UNCATEGORIZED

[ourkenflood]

Render unto Caesar

Sermon for Proper 24a  / Matthew 22: 15-22

I am reading a book at the moment called “The Joy of .....  Tax”.

That’s T.A.X.  – in case anyone misheard and thought I said some other three letter word ending in “X.” (Don’t pretend you didn't think it).

The first record we have a tax is from the ancient Babylonians. Even before there was money, as we understand it, people paid tax in goods – sheep and cows – and even in labour – a day’s work. It even looks like there were tariffs on imports – there is a record from around 1900BC of a person being imprisoned for smuggling. So, not only have we had tax for a long time, we’ve also had tax evaders.

One of the points made in the book is that tax is not just about money, but it is also a government and its values. And in liberal western democracies, where we elect governments on the basis of their tax promises; tax says a lot about society.

It is similar to a story that the former Bishop of Manchester, Bishop Nigel, told when he last visited here. He spoke a keen young man who goes to visit an old, wise Spiritual Director for the first time for guidance. They have a productive time together and mutually agree that it would be good to meet up again. And as the young man is leaving the Spiritual Director asks that him bring his last three bank statements with them next time. He is a bit taken a back. “Why should I bring my bank statements” he asks, after all he is there to talk of spiritual matters, of prayer, of inner discovery, and the stuff of heaven. So the Spiritual Director simply explains, “if you want to know the true values of a person, look at how they spend their money.”

I wonder what my bank statement says about me? How do I get my money and how do I spent it? I wonder what your bank statement says about you? What does it say of your priorities and what you truly consider to be important?

 The reason I’ve started talking about tax is, of course, because today’s gospel is about a tax.

In particular, the tax concerned is not income tax or V.A.T. but a poll tax. You may remember the hatred of this tax, in some quarters, when it was temporarily introduced into Britain. But the riots in London were as nothing when compared with the rebellion that broke out in Palestine when the Roman governors began it there. Every man and women had to pay one denarius (that is the equivalent of one day’s pay) each year on top of all the other taxes.

One of the racist stereotypes that persists through the ages is of the money grabbing Jew.  We can easily picture a character like Fagin from Oliver Twist, rubbing his hands together while gazing lovingly at a pile of coins. And like most racist images it breaks down when put against the facts.

The Jews of Jesus’ time were not opposed to this tax because they didn’t want to part with their money (or at least not to any greater extent than any of us want to part with money). The devout Jews of Jesus time were already paying a 10% tithe to the Temple, as many do to this day.

When we had a stewardship campaign a few years ago, the Diocesan Stewardship Officer told us that the average church goer in the Diocese of Manchester is donating about 3.5% of their income to the church. And yet we don’t keep promoting the stereotype of the money-grapping Anglican. But the simple fact is that, on average, a devout Jew is giving three times more than the devout member of the C of E.

The reason this tax was hated was because of who it was paid to – it went to the Romans, the foreign oppressor. This tax began the year Jesus was born. In fact the census that forced Mary and Joseph to travel Bethlehem was taken in order to begin this tax. In the 30 odd years it had been collected it was still despised.

In today’s gospel reading, the Pharisees and the Herodians are out to get Jesus. The previous day to this encounter, Jesus has cleansed the temple throwing out the money changers and stall holders. He was becoming a serious nuisance. They needed to either get rid of him or, at the very least, take him down a peg or two.

So they turn to the old problem of Roman tax. They much have thought they could really catch him out with this problem of the poll tax. They had a sure fire way of trapping him. So they begin by trying to lull Jesus into a false sense of security, they flatter him.      

“Teacher,” they said ” we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth,” (Have you ever heard anything so grovelling?)

Then they put to him the supposedly innocent question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not”. This question was supposed to be one which would get Jesus into trouble no matter what he said.

First Jesus could have replied “Yes, it is lawful”. This would have meant he lost the support of many ordinary people.

Many people still thought the Messiah was to be a political figure, a warrior, who would drive out the Romans and that Jesus was this person. But if Jesus said they should pay their taxes, these people would desert him. This Jesus of Nazareth was clearly not a warrior King sent by God if he went round telling everyone to pay their taxes to the foreign oppressor.

He would also lose the support of any devout Jews who followed him. The roman coin, which had to be used to pay the tax, was a piece of idolatry and blasphemy. Not only did it have a picture of the roman emperor on it, but it also proclaimed that this emperor was divine. No self-respecting religious Jew would even touch such a graven image. So Jesus clearly could not say pay the tax.

But Jesus could not say do not pay the tax either. If he said this, the Herodians, who only had power because of Roman support, could have reported Jesus to the Romans on charges of treason and got rid of him that way.

It was supposed to be a no win situation.

So what does Jesus do?

First, he asks to see the coin. It is such a simple act, but it turns the conflict on its head. Those out to trap Jesus are suddenly themselves trapped by Jesus’ request that he see the coin. For what are these righteous and respectful Pharisees, the pillars of their community, doing with such a blasphemous object on their person? Suddenly the accusers (for that is what they really are) become the accused. Such an apparently innocent request, to see the coin, exposes their hypocrisy for all to see.  

Jesus seems to have had a particular hatred of the hypocrisy of religious people:

“Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”, Jesus says elsewhere in the gospels. I always feel a little guilty when I read of Jesus gunning for the hypocrites, for if we are honest, who has not fallen into hypocrisy? We all fail to live up to the standards of goodness and honesty that we proclaim in our worship.

But then I remember the story of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee who go to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee stands in the middle of the Temple, thanking God loudly, that he is not like other people and a sinner, listing his acts of righteousness. The tax collector stands in the corner and simply says, “God be merciful to me, a sinner”. And it is the tax collector who goes home justified.

It is the Tax collectors utterly honest act of self-recognition before God that saves him from being one of the hypocrites. The problem with the opponents of Jesus was not so much that they failed to live up to their religious ideals, we all do that, but that they never acknowledged this before God. It was their lack of humility and honesty.

After asking to see the coin Jesus says his famous reply of “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Jesus’ double-edged command throws back the question of taxes to the accusers and issues a strong challenge.

 Some people, reading this passage have proposed that Jesus was saying that the Church and the State should be kept separate. The affairs of religion and the affairs of politics are separate realms, or kingdoms, which should never meet. These are the emperor’s things over here, and these are God’s concerns, and they must be kept distinct and distant from each other. But the saying is too brief and specific to mean this.

There is a long tradition in the old testament of the prophets intervening in the political discourse of their day. If this phrase says anything to me, “Give to the Emperor the things that are the Emperor’s” it says that we should be good citizens of our societies. And being a good citizen in a liberal democracy means being informed and being involved.

In Jesus’ day there was an Emperor – a supreme ruler, a dictator. And in that society there was little choice but to pay your tax and do as you were told.

In our day we don’t have an Emperor. In a liberal democracy “giving to the Emperor” means giving our tax, but it also means giving our opinion, our intelligence, and our values. We have a Christian duty to stand up for God’s values in our society and we do this through the ballot box, and by making clear to our elected officials what our societies priorities and values should be.

If our bank statement says something about our values, then our government’s bank statement also reveals our society’s values. On the income side, what does it say about our society that poor and average earners pay a much greater percentage of income in tax than the wealthy. Yes, we told the rich pay more because income tax levels go up, but when you factor in things like, V.A.T., national Insurance, petrol duty, road tax etc etc, the rich pay proportionately less in tax. What is that saying?

On the other side of the balance sheet - where we spend our money as a society - what does it say about our society that our government is still pressing ahead with the roll out of Universal Credit when virtual every agency and expert is saying that it has already, and will, cause thousands of people to fall into debt and increase even more the number of homeless people our streets.

“Give to the Emperor the things that are the Emperors”, Jesus said, What are those “things”? Sometimes those things are our duty to give our society and government our loyalty. But sometimes it is our Christian duty to make clear our contempt and disgust at what is happening.

The second half of Jesus saying is, of course, “and to God the things that are God’s.”

This part of the saying was a challenge to Jerusalem, the Temple, the rulers and all the hypocritical underlings: give God back, what belongs to him. Jesus’ consistent accusation is that the religious leaders have failed to worship their true and living God. They have failed to live as God’s people as a witness to the world.

Only the day before, Jesus has caused a small riot in the Temple because the very place where Israel was supposed to come and give God the things of God, in worship, prayer and sacrifice, has become a den of robbers. So concerned with the small details of religion, status and power, the letter of the law, they have ceased to live out the spirit of their faith and give God the worship he deserves.

And this is a trap that not only the leaders of first century Judaism fall into. We all fall into it.

It happens easily when we turn inwards and stop looking outwards.

It happens all too easily when we start to think we have all the answers.

It happens most easily of all, when we forget our dependence on God, and think we don’t need God anymore.

Today’s gospel reading is not about Jesus delivering a theory on the division of Church from State or Politics and Christianity. The bible elsewhere, teaches us clearly that our faith clearly has political consequences. Neither is it about Jesus showing off how clever and intelligent he is in avoiding the trap of the Pharisees. Although, no doubt, this was one of the reasons why this particular story was remembered amongst the early Christians.

Today’s gospel is about exposing the religious hypocrisy which comes when we abandon being honest with ourselves and humble before our God and our neighbour.  And it is about the ordering of our priorities and the promotion of God’s values - in our own personal lives and decisions, and also in our society and government. Amen.

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Greedfall Review

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/greedfall-review/

Greedfall Review

There’s religious fanaticism, and then there’s Inquisitor Aloysius from Greedfall, a man so excessively villainous his whole schtick borders on farcical. A member of Thélème, one of the game’s six factions, he appears when you first step into the town square of the city San-Matheus. What draws your eye is the sight of a hulking woodland beast howling in pain while tied to a stake in an enormous burning pyre, as a captured native islander looks on helplessly. When asked why the creature and his people are subjected to such cruelty, the Inquisitor bellows an odious response about cleansing the corrupt souls of his tribe. Then in one swift movement, he yanks the islander’s head, stabs the poor soul with a knife, and yells obscenities about heresies into the sky.

That uncomfortable scene is emblematic of the plot in Greedfall; its tales of colonialism and political subterfuge are tackled with such little nuance that it verges on parody. The islanders wear face paint, have heavy accents, and venerate the woodland beasts as deities, while the cardinals, bishops, and alchemists refer to them as savages that need enlightenment or salvation. Greedfall relies heavily on these kinds of blunt narrative tropes for its setting, much in the same way it does on a very familiar open-world RPG structure. And while it’s very easy to lose yourself in its competent, if comfortable, formula, it means that Greedfall ultimately feels unremarkable at best.

You play as the charming diplomat De Sardet from the Congregation of Merchants, who’s in charge of brokering peace between two warring factions: the Thélème, a theocratic nation that preach their gospel heavily and want to convert as many natives as possible, even if it’s by force, and the Bridge Alliance, home to a nation of alchemists who wield their vast and incomparable knowledge of science for political ends.

Both factions want to colonize a mystical island called Teer Fradee, which is brimming with fantastical flora and fauna. They, as well as the clans of indigenous people who are resisting their incursions, seek your help for their own ends. But that’s not all; you also have something you want from the island: the cure for the Malicor, a mysterious plague devastating your home. In short, everyone wants a piece of this enchanted isle, and your task is to navigate through this political minefield for the best outcome–whatever you think that is.

Greedfall attempts to tweak certain aspects of its otherwise conventional colonialist plot (the islanders aren’t depicted as crazed natives or hungry cannibals, and the factions are somewhat multicultural), but beyond a vague sense of awareness about its oppressive legacy, Greedfall’s heavy-handed themes never make way for anything more nuanced or interesting. Sure, it highlights the exploitative behaviors of the Thélème and Bridge Alliance factions, but their actions are so moustache-twirling malicious that they become mere caricatures of evildoers.

Even your companions and other characters are cookie-cutter emblems of their group: Siora is the native princess who wishes to seek peace for her clan; Petrus is the religious Thélème advisor with tons of political savvy; and Kurt is the loyal, headstrong mercenary whose stoic demeanour can barely disguise his world-weariness. Most damning of all is your character, De Sardet, who, as the big hero, embodies the “white man’s burden” allegory that also plagues other colonial-themed narratives; it’s all on you to liberate the natives or unite the factions against them.

Greedfall’s saving grace is that its role-playing systems are adequate, and the game’s greatest strength is how well it sticks to what is tried-and-tested. It features mechanical design that’s common in the genre–exploring, looting, questing, etc–but it’s also savvy enough to incorporate the best versions of these elements–most notably it feels like it draws inspiration from CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3, a title I couldn’t stop making mental comparisons to.

At the beginning, you’re given the choice of playing as one of three character archetypes: the melee-focused warrior, the stealthy gunslinger, or the spell-wielding tactician. But you’re also given the flexibility to break out of these standard classes through an array of skill trees. As you progress through the game, you can freely invest hard-earned points, which opens up a variety of methods you can approach combat with and even how you resolve quests–be it bludgeoning your way through conflict with a two-handed axe or wearing a horde of rampaging beasts down with poison traps.

And, as has become common in open-world RPGs, Greedfall also comes with a crafting system. Materials are in abundance–enemies, from human foes to wild animals, drop them frequently, while crates and jugs across most cities are bursting with goodies you can loot. One constraint, however, is that you can only craft upgrades to armor and weapons you own, rather than cobble brand-new equipment altogether. This streamlines crafting, and it also encourages you to still seek out better equipment. Meanwhile, combat is more than just a frenzied blur of swords and gunplay too; you can make tactical pauses to examine your enemies closely, change your target, consider your combat options, or silently contemplate how stunning your swashbuckling buccaneer looks in the heat of action.

Greedfall suffers from some bugs, primitive systems, and even glaring spelling errors, however. Some dialogue is clearly skewed towards a male De Sardet; in my playthrough as a female De Sardet, several characters still referred to me as “he.” The stealth mechanism is also unintentionally hilarious. When on a stealth mission, enemies tend to treat companions as invisible; they will not notice two big, oafish men blundering about in front of them, but will jump out of their skins when they notice De Sardet peeking out from behind a nearby crate. Romancing your companions is also another thing you can do in the game, but the moves you need to make to get into their hearts (and under the sheets) are so perfunctory, it’s almost unmemorable. You engage in a three-part companion quest with the lover of your choice, where you’ll find conversations that give you the chance to maximize your romance meter. But the game makes it obvious when you’ve said something wrong (characters will retort back unhappily, accompanied by a numerical drop in your reputation), so it’s an easy process to save scum, and the ultimate reward is a not-very-saucy bedroom cutscene.

In spite of the game’s blundering narrative issues, it’s still easy to get hooked into the rhythm of exploring, crafting, brawling, investigating, and interacting with the host of characters and beasts, while getting lost among the beautiful lush greenery of Teer Fradee. Running into more challenging enemies or engaging in boss fights are a particular treat, since it’s an opportunity to pit your hard-earned combat abilities against formidable foes. And tucked within the story, as hackneyed as it is, are occasional glimpses of genuine humanity, such as De Sardet’s close relationship with their cousin Constantin, who’s also the new governor of Teer Fradee.

But ultimately, because Greedfall is so cavalier about its colonialist themes, and because it plays it safe by sticking so closely to the template of open-world RPGs, it doesn’t really feel revelatory in any way. Instead, it’s content to be just another digital playground–just another world filled with magic, riches, secrets, and monsters for players to shoot and loot at will. I did have fun when I got lost in its familiar RPG loop, but its lack of nuance or innovation prevents it from being truly remarkable.

Source : Gamesport

[all-things-tmnt]

Thoughts on “Tokka Vs. The World”:

Remember that one time when Raph adopted a turtle from space after its mother (Tokka) was seemingly killed and we all were like “well, at least Raph gets a happy ending?” ...Remember that one time months later when it turns out that Tokka survived and came to earth to get her baby back? We’re rolling back into things with a huge opening in our final stretch to the end of season three. When a monster from their past threatens to destroy their whole world, the turtles must team up with Chompy to save the earth from Tokka’s wrath. Will they succeed? Probably, but let’s see!  This post is so ALIVE with spoilers, so if you want to avoid them from burning you up, don’t keep reading.  If you haven’t seen this comeback episode, now would be a great time to click here and watch it!

There’s some kind of pun to be found here along the lines of, “you can take the baby turtle out of space but you can’t take the space out of the baby turtle without its mother coming to absolutely murder you...” I’m sure it’ll come to me at some point in writing this, and I’ll let you guys know when I got it.  Interesting things:       - “Hey guys, remember how we gave Raph a space pet and never did anything with him ever again? Well we should make him a major plot device for reasons.” - The TMNT Writers, probably.       - As a person who was never a fan of Chompy and/or didn’t care about his existence since he was introduced.....he is really cute.       - Also, I appreciate the Godzilla reference.      - There are many reasons Chompy shouldn’t play with Ice Cream Kitty, one being that he could literally murder the cat because HE BREATHES FIRE.       - He apparently farts fire as well.       - “Dude, you ever think about how big Chompy will get one day?” I have literally thought about that since they decided to take him Michelangelo.      - “I feel bad about Chompy’s mom.” LOL REALLY DO YOU NOW?????      - “Donnie said there’s probably nothing that could survive a super nova.” LOL REALLY NOW?????????????????      - Someone please try to explain to me how Tokka knew where Chompy was. Don’t tell me she followed his scent or whatever because there is no oxygen in space and no smell. This is going to be a filler to the highest degree, isn’t it?      - Am I the only person who still waits for the Triceraton foot to stomp down on the manhole cover in the theme song...? I swear that gave me PTSD.       - Donnie and Casey getting along is my aesthetic.       - So I guess we’re not done with this crystal business?       - THIS JUST IN: NASA AND THE EPF WORK TOGETHER.       - STAY CLASSY NEW YORK. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA. NICE.       - How on earth did Splinter instantly know that it was coming straight for Chompy? I mean come on.      - OH COME ON LEO, YOU HAVE SEEN TOKKA, YOU ALREADY KNOW YOU CAN’T JUST SPEAK TO THAT MASSIVE THING AND OFFER HER BABY BACK. CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE HOW THAT CONVERSATION WOULD GO WERE IT POSSIBLE? “HEY LOL SORRY WE STOLE YOUR CHILD THANKS BYE.”      - I typed that in all CAPS because it mattered that much to me.       - You know Casey’s been poorly written for too long if even he’s surprised when he’s right.      - ALL. HAIL. BISHOP.       - Dear God I don’t even understand what this pep talk is.      - Casey being so useful in this episode and the writers are literally MOCKING HIM because he’d finally being written the way he should be. STOP. BEING. AWFUL. TO. CASEY.      - “And not semi-idiotic.” My new favorite line of the series.      - I appreciated the fun running towards TCRI montage.       - That guy was watching cat videos.       - I’m sorry but there is no way they got into that elevator like that. I don’t even understand what just happened.       - LOLOLOLOLOL @ THAT TMNT MOVIE REFERENCE!!!!!!!!!      - Casey had a weapon that could have sent those grenades back. He did not use it. Ugh.      - “We gotta get to that other ship!” There are literally 20 other ships. Which one is “that other” one?      - “Destroy what you don’t understand.” DONATELLO, YOU ARE MY HERO. I feel like that was an underlying political message.       - ALL. HAIL. BISHOP. !!!!!!!!!!!.       - “I have become ambassador to earth.” That I’m not entirely thrilled about but I mean whatever. this whole season has just screwed with logic so much.       - That awkward moment when Raph goes against Bishop and I am literally forced to side wth Bishop.       - “He’s my sidekick in my mission to cleanse the city of evil.” WHAT? WHAT????? NO. I’M NOT OKAY WITH THAT.       - Raph and Bishop’s “fight” was just added to the list of things this series didn’t need.      - Not to be a downer but those pilots just exploded.       - So after ALL THAT TALK AND ALMOST FIGHTING, Bishop just lets them go. REALLY.       - THOSE TWO SOLDIERS JUST STOOD THERE WHILE BISHOP TOOK OUT THE FIRST ONE AND THEN DID NOTHING TO DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST HIM.       - Casey is the best thing about this episode.       - Pretty sure Tokka just set New York City on fire.       - “YAAAAAAAS Mom YAAAAAASSSSSSS.” - Chompy, probably.       - People are definitely dying in New York City right now. Tokka and the EPF are literally killing thousands of people.       - Leo, please don’t fall back into your self-missions-of-definite-suicides again. That’s been our trope in season four and it hasn’t worked out.       - I love watching Leo fight. Even though I told him not to do this last bullet point...he’s always choreographed so well and I love itttt.      - Raph’s sense of balance is impossibly amazing.       - Donnie is the only one who’s logically looking at any of this begging for Tokka not to eat them.      - Can Tokka even understand Raph? Or hear him for the matter???      - As a person who is almost constantly way too emotionally invested in this series, I gotta say, I am not moved by this episode at all...especially this scene with Raph talking to Tokka and saying goodbye to Chompy. Sorry not sorry I guess.       - YOU’VE. GOT. TO. BE. KIDDING. ME.       - I AM SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW WITH THIS “RESOLUTION” THAT IT’S NOT EVEN FUNNY.       - Casey can add “tasering a general” to his rap sheet.       - That was the best high three of the series.       - Tokka launching and flying away is still as stupid as it was the first time we saw it.       - Leo cheering for his brother from the sidelines gave me feels.       - Chompy will leave earth some day confirmed. Not through the duration of this series, though.  Well...I guess I have to do breakdowns? There’s really not much serious depth to this episode. Not any that affects the overall plot, anyway. But the best thing about this episode is Casey. ...I know, I thought I’d never get to say that in a review, either. But seriously! This is the first episode where I was consistently rooting for Casey the entire time. Seeing him do so many things right for once was so great. What wasn’t great was that even the writers point out the dialogue that Casey has never been this useful before. And it’s frustrating because we know Casey is capable of great things if he’s given the chance to be! From the first moment we see him when he points out he’s concerned, to the awesome ideas he has, to the fighting he does, he’s solid from start to finish in this episode and I genuinely hope this is a turning point for his character. Here’s to hoping we get more of this Casey and less of “beginning of season four Casey.” Another thing I wanted to point out that happened in this episode was Casey pointing out Mikey is his sidekick. Mikey. Not Raph. I’ve definitely complained about it before, but Casey and Raph have always had a bromance in TMNT. I haven’t seen it nearly enough in this series yet, and it’s been bothering me. When Casey first met Raph, we were instantly given the promise that they were going to be bros, and there haven’t been enough episodes showing us their friendship in depth like other incarnations have shown us. This episode feels like it teased us with the things Casey should and can be, and I hope like hell we’ll get a Raph-Casey episode soon.  Bishop just randomly popping up was great, because I’ve missed seeing him. Bishop randomly popping up as ambassador to earth was kind of weird. I mean, how could we have not gotten any forewarning about that? I would assume he’d contact the turtles about it, especially seeing as they fought together and he (along with the other Utroms) had entrusted them with the Black Hole Generator pieces. Him popping up and being so relevant kind of fit the theme of this whole episode, which was... SHOVING IRRELEVANT THINGS DOWN OUR THROATS! These are my final thoughts: this episode is basically pointless. Or at least, I feel like everything in this episode is pointless. I mean, considering I’ve been waiting so long for new episodes to come back, on top of the fact that we are literally closing in on what has promised to be an INCREDIBLE finale episode, seeing this episode that in no way enhances the plot was a bit frustrating. 2012 has done fillers before, but there’s always one or two moments in those fillers that play a huge role in the main story. This episode has nothing; it reminds us that Raph had a turtle, tries to put us through some moments that end up not mattering at all. Seriously, you expect me to believe that giant space turtle flew all the way to earth and just decided NOT to take her baby back because it seemed attached to Raph? I can’t deal. And like I said; we’re so close to the finale. I want to see us building towards that. Not wasting time on a pointless filler. I mean I didn’t hate the episode, but I hated that it gave me nothing to prepare me for the next step in our story. So honestly, I gotta give this one a 6/10, and that’s me being nice.  So now that we’ve gotten this little one-shot out of the way...The Tale of Tiger Claw is coming up next. We’re finally going to get to look at the back story of one of our biggest enemies. So that’s exciting.  But, before we’re meeting Alopex and talking TC, let’s talk about Tokka. Let me know what you guys liked and didn’t like  here. Previous review for The Power Inside Her here. All season four reviews here. All episode reviews index here. Podcast review here.