This question is partially inspired by the AskHistorians podcast AskHistorians Podcast 151 - Medieval Atheism with Keagan Brewer. Other inspirations for this question include:
- Allegations that various European rulers were active practitioners of pagan faiths long after Christianity took root in their realms, such as Byzantine Emperor Alexander and King William II of England.
- Allegations that Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor attempted a black mass on the naked body of his 2nd wife, Eupraxia of Kiev.
- The aforementioned Henry IV allegedly joined a Nicolaitan sect, which involved obscene rituals such as orgies. His son, Conrad II of Italy, allegedly started a revolt against his father out of disgust after being encouraged to join in on an orgy.
- Allegations that Stefan Milutin, King of Serbia, allegedly married the 5-year-old Simonis Palaiologina, then raped her before she reached adulthood, damaging her reproductive organs and preventing her from any childbearing.
- Allegations of Host desecration by various groups.
The allegation of host desecration has frequently been levelled at the Jews. This is likely due to antisemitic scapegoating instead of genuine cases of Jews going out of their way to desecrate the Host.
This makes me wonder how true the other claims are. Do they have any basis in reality, or are they nothing but slander and scapegoating? For example, were medieval allegations of atheism merely the result of people just trying to ruin the lives of people they hate by accusing them of atheism?
I've searched around this subreddit and elsewhere and noticed very little mention of it. It seems like a way Satanists could be transgressive without physically harming anyone, especially Satanists who are forced to live in Catholic households. It's also relatively achievable in parishes which hand out communion without much discrimination.
I was raised Catholic myself, am still vaguely interested in Catholic topics, but mostly agnostic.
On my third listen and having a great time trying to match the early episodes with entities.
Something that struck me this episode, everyone (on the wiki)seems to think it's Flesh/Spiral aligned, but I think it's Slaughter/Spiral aligned.
-senseless violence -association with music (bell tones the Father hears)
What do you think?
OK I had drafted up a post about this a while ago, then the last bit of it didn't work, so then I posted NONE of it like a silly person. And then today realized I should not have just not tried to talk about this bit!
It is basically just noting that Fr Burroughs' statement could line up with the Feb 2009 date in which Jason North breaks Gertrude's ritual circle in Burnt Offering (37). And that that would be the other date bookend for Ivo showing up and pulling down the tree on Nov 23 2006, giving us some potential causal events for the 2006-2009 time weirdness (tree pulled down + circle dissolution).
And then the dissolution of the connection might leave Hilltop Road and the Scar in Reality (which was caused by the blowout between Agnes and Raymond Fielding, prior to the ritual circle and Agnes and Gertrude's link) open for people like Anya Villette to go through a little before April 22, 2009 (TMA!Verse time) in 114 Cracked Foundation.
So if that's not a discussed to death time shenanigans causality thought ... what do people think?
I really love this combo, even if it is slow. Unfortunately I don't have enough wildcards to make a deck that performs consistently, but even so there are so many things you can do with this. I've been running things like [[ravenous chupacabra]], [[hostage taker]], [[trostani discordant]], and [[vampire sovereign]] along with a decent amount of lifegain etb's and [[elvish rejuvenator]] and [[urban utopia]] for ramp/draw/mana fixing. It's super janky right now, but i feel like if i had the right cards to focus the strategy a bit this could perform pretty well compared to 99% of the decks i make (hardstuck in low gold >.>). What would y'all run with this combo?
These episodes are two of the most disturbing to me so far in the series. Part of that is trying to understand the interplay of powers that seems to be happening...
I know many ascribe this episode to Michael but I am so not convinced.
Initially it seemed to rub me more of Darkness and the Church of the Divine Host with their thing for possession and murder. This was more of a general impression and not gleaned from any specifics other than the episode name. Not really feeling this idea anymore.
Pestilence seems to be there with the diseased congregation and maybe the scalpel and the yellow.
The Distortion/spiral/mentis seem to be there with the writing on the wall and distorted reality however I dont really think Michael is directly involved. Maybe a red herring.
The butcher's apron and skin eating seems to point to the Butcher or the Hunger or whatever it should be called.
Breekon and hope...so maybe the Stranger too. Skin is involved.
Of most interest this time, I noticed that Beholding seems to be present. The church seems like a giant eye to Father Burroughs and the false priest he confesses to in the confession knows all his transgressions. However the whole thing does not really seem like Beholding's M.O.
Of further interest is that not all the powers present here get along in other episodes....the Stranger has opposed Beholding previously and if Hive and Pestilence are the same (not convinced) they def dont like beholding either. Makes me think relationships are not static.
There seem to be hints of even more powers but need to listen again.
Edit: the scalpel and the altar 'boy' whatever it was almost remind me of the thing in the bloody old train car.
Lucky and the Narc share a friendly drink and the Terrans just keep digging that hole.
Oh, and the Harkeen's day actually gets worse...
The rest of this series can be found here
***
“So U wan’ dem all fragged?” a thin extremely pale man with fine ashen brown hair asked with a feral grin.
“That’s right,” Gloria replied to the odd looking fellow on her holo-screen. “Every single one of them.”
“Whatch U kare ‘bout Harkeen?” he asked, “Dey small time.”
“Is it going to be a problem?”
“Nah,” the human shrugged, “Ez Munny. We jus’ wonderin’ what beef U guyz had wit’ those scrubs.”
“Quid pro quo,” Gloria said as she leaned back in her chair, “I take care of this for a friend and a friend does something for me.”
“Da little frog that sings nice?” the man asked.
Gloria’s eyes narrowed.
“How do you know about the frog?”
“Everybuddy kno ‘bout da frog,” he shrugged. “She the only one beefin wit’ the Harkeen dat I kno ‘bout. I like her. She sings nice.”
“She’s also a first class pain in my ass,” Gloria smirked.
“How U kno frog?”
“That would be a large steaming pile of none of your fucking business,” Gloria smiled. “Just deal with the Harkeen, ok?”
“Our peeps already on da way,” the man grinned. “Dey already dead. Dey jus’ don’ kno it yet.”
“Oh, I have a request from my ‘unnamed friend’,” Gloria smiled, “make it nasty.”
“Like worse than normal?” the man mused, his huge eyes softening. “How we do that?”
“I don’t know,” Gloria snickered, “Figure something out. My unnamed friend wants to send them a message. There’s a bonus in it for you if you manage to disgust me.”
The man just grinned.
***
Inside a payday loan office, a Threen was frantically downloading the contents of their transactors.
“Hurry up!” A Threen said urgently as they yanked a data-crystal from a terminal, “We gotta...”
He glared up at at some strange looking, extremely pale humans that walked into his office.
He thought he locked that door!
“We’re closed!” he yelled.
“Convenient,” a young teen-aged girl with unnaturally large eyes and oddly ashen light brown hair replied. “Leav dat one. Frag da rest,” she said in a very strange but completely emotionless voice.
“Oh shi—“the Threen yelped as he reached for his blaster.
The young lady turned into a blur, breaking his arm with a telescoping baton as her comrades shot past, drawing suppressed submachine guns.
The Threen screamed as his blaster fe
... keep reading on reddit ➡I run a private campground. It’s been in the family for generations. We pass the management of it from descendent to descendent, along with all the customs and stories that come with it. We also pass along a curse - everyone that has ever managed this land has died to one of the inhuman things that inhabit it alongside us.
For this is old land and that has a weight and a significance to it. It has rules of its own, separate from the world we understand. And those rules shape how we live and how we die.
This land is changing. It is turning ancient. And someday, one of these inhuman things will claim it and then they will write the rules.
If you’re new here, you should really start at the beginning and if you’re totally lost, this might help.
The campground has actually been peaceful for a little bit since we killed the fomorian. I wonder if the inhuman things that are trapped here, unable to leave, are relieved. The fomorians were tyrants that demanded tribute from the creatures they ruled over. The fomorian would have done the same, had it triumphed and taken the lives of the few that dared stand against it. The forest certainly seems lighter now that it's gone. It was like a fog hung over it, heavy in my lungs, and now that has lifted. I hadn’t even realized its weight until I went walking through the forest and realized that something had changed.
Likely the other creatures that live here feel it as well.
The battle against the fomorian took a heavy toll. I’ve grieved the loss of the dogs harder than I thought I would. I find myself crying unexpectedly. Crying is too light of a word. It’s like the grief will rip me apart. I bury my face in a towel and scream. For the dogs, for my aunt and uncle, for my parents, and for everyone else I’ve ever loved that this land has taken.
The cost is starting to feel too high. But if I abandon the land now, that will not stop it from turning ancient. It will merely throw someone else into the sacrificial fire - likely my brother. And if I’d abandoned it before it turned… that, too, would have been a high cost. The toll would be taken on countless strangers out in the world, naïve and vulnerable to the creatures that would be un
... keep reading on reddit ➡Entry will be 100% free to enter, anyone with a softcore level 30 character are eligible. (You can enter with a lower level character but it is not recommended)
The event will be bracket style 2v2 until champions are kinged, big prizes of items and HRs to the top 3x teams. I will list out the exact prizes closer to game time.
We will have 16 teams and 1-2 alternatives, your bracket positioning will be randomized immediately before the event begins. To enter, first make sure that you will be available on the event date/time and then post in this thread your team’s PD2 account names and character names. (Teams must be two different character classes)
The event will be live streamed at: https://www.twitch.tv/luckyluciano_6
The event will begin Saturday May 22nd at 10:00 AM EDT and the host server will be GS 3 – US East (we will try to have some other options if the entire match of 4 players would like to switch servers for a round, otherwise the default is GS 3)
Bracket will be updated here:
If you have to drop out for any reason, please provide as much notice as possible so that we can replace your spot with an alternative
General rules:
- Duels are first to 3 wins (finals will be first to 5)
- No Respecing after the tournament has begun
- No +max res/% absorb items
- Replenish life is capped at 30
- No items that have the "slows target" mod
- No knockback if using guided arrow
- Pre-buffs may only be done with items you will be using for the duel
- Ethereal items must have repair mod (exceptions: caster weapons/skills that don’t use durability)
- One belt of mana potions allowed only, no health, juv, thawing, antidote, stamina ect
- Casters must remain on mini-map when dueling melee characters, overly defensive play is grounds for DQ at judge’s discretion (warnings will be provided)
Banned Skills List:
- Desecrate
- 1 point max into Telekinesis
- bone wall & bone prison
- Prayer & holy freeze
- Slow Missile
- Decrepify
- Mind Blast
- Energy Shield
- No recasting bone armor/cyclone armor
- No recasting summoning skills
Rules subject to change (will try to have minimal changes). Feel free to post in this thread if you are looking for a teammate. Thank you to Anthony and Vule as the current event sponsors.
Okay now, I know many people here love Fingolfin. So do I. But I beg you to just follow what I say and make your own conclusions.
And please spare the "But Feanor this! Feanor that! Fingolfin's duel and death was awesome!" Yes, Feanor had many wrongs(though I still love the guy) but I'd like help understanding this:
I am assuming the Elves follow the standard human succession line in monarchies, as Fingon became High King after Fingolfin's death. So by this logic, Feanor was the rightful heir and greater claimant to the Kingship of all Noldor. Fingolfin recognizes this when he said that he will follow and Feanor will lead, but:
>in the end in spite of the enmity between him and Feanor he joined with full will in the rebellion and the exile, though he continued to claim the kingship of all the Noldor.
Yet he still claims kingship? That's not very loyal, at least to me. And not only that but he later adds the "Finwe" prefix to his name in order to enhance his claim:
>Fingolfin had prefixed the name Finwe to Nolofinwe before the Exiles reached Middle-earth. This was in pursuance of his claim to be the chieftain of all the Noldor after the death of Finwe, and so enraged Feanor (33) that it was no doubt one of the reasons for his treachery in abandoning Fingolfin and stealing away with all the ships.
So he purposely provokes Feanor after openly declaring his brother Leader and himself a follower.
And even more, what has utterly disappointed me the most was his accusations towards his brother to try and belittle his supposedly rightful claim:
>But Fingolfin answered: 'I have not rejected the Valar, nor their authority in all matters where it is just for them to use it. But if the Eldar were given free choice to leave Middle-earth and go to Aman, and accepted it because of the loveliness and bliss of that land, their free choice to leave it and return to Middle-earth, when it has become dark and desecrated, cannot be taken away. Moreover I have an errand in Middle-earth, the avenging of the blood of my father upon Morgoth, whom the Valar let loose among us. Feanor seeks first his stolen treasures.'
He claims that his main motivation to go to Middle-Earth is to avenge his father Finwe(who openly had a preference for Feanor as a son and heir). But in the Silmarillion he did not want to go to Middle-Earth, he changed his mind only because Fingon, his son, insisted:
>Fëanor and h
... keep reading on reddit ➡“The History of Feminism”
A talk given at Cambridge University on 24th May 2019 by Elizabeth Hobson (Director of Communications, Justice for Men & Boys.)
-
Transcript Source (links therein)
Hello and welcome to The History of Feminism. I want to make two disclosures before I begin: firstly, that this lecture will concentrate on the Western world – particularly the Anglosphere. I am not suggesting that, that’s where feminism’s boundaries reside or denying its existence elsewhere but it does start here and here is where my real expertise lies. And secondly: this may come as a surprise to you but I am not a feminist. I am an ex-feminist but after studying the movement, I struggle to see how any reasonable person could know what I now know and be anything other than opposed to it. I’d like to thank the powers that be at Cambridge University for refusing to bow to pressure from the mob and allowing these talks to go ahead and I’d like to condemn the emotional reasoning of those who would have stopped them. The purpose of further education is not to make people feel comfortable, it’s to challenge preconceived ideas and to build the capacity to meet challenging concepts head on and to grow from those experiences. Universities should be arenas wherein students build resilience, tolerance and dignity but increasingly activists are subverting these spaces to feed anxiety, black and white thinking and hysteria within their communities which is harmful to the search for truth that they should be engaged in – and harmful to the individuals that they claim to want to protect (including themselves). So, finally, thank you to everyone sitting here now: to those who’ve come in support of our work, those here out of curiosity, and especially to anyone who’s expecting to be offended, yet intending to engage because that shows some strength of character!
Before I get stuck into the recorded history of feminism, I need to take a moment to illuminate the biological roots of the movement. Human beings are a gynocentric species – this means that we prioritise the needs and wellbeing of women over men. This is an evolved instinct that came about as a result of women being the limiting factor in reproduction – ie. women hav
... keep reading on reddit ➡
The funeral director was asking us what we think Mum should wear in her casket.
Mum always loved to wear sarongs (fabric wraps that go around the torso and drape downward a bit like a long skirt would), so my uncle suggested that she wear a sarong in there.
The funeral director looked a bit confused, as did some of our family members, to which my uncle added:
"What's sarong with that?"
I started laughing like an idiot. He was proud of it too. The funeral director was rather shocked. We assured her, and our more proper relatives, that Mum would've absolutely loved the joke (which is very true).
His delivery was perfect. I'll never forget the risk he took. We sometimes recall the moment as a way help cushion the blows of the grieving process.
--Edit-- I appreciate the condolences. I'm doing well and the worst is behind me and my family. But thanks :)
--Edit-- Massive thanks for all the awards and kind words. And the puns! Love 'em.
I would have a daughter
Because 10+10 is twenty and 11+11 is twenty too..
Edit: thank you for awards, I have never gotten one before. I apologize that this is a repost, I did see it on TikTok and thought that it was cute and wanted to share. In the future I will check the sub for similar content before I post anything.
Silver Falls Six, stop reading!
New book, new content, new post. Naturally.
I've been planning this one in my head for awhile since the announcement for Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft came out, and now we're here on release day!
After looking at all of the Domains of Dread presented in VRGtR (what a mouthful), I decided to toss out an idea of my own. I wouldn't say the other domains aren't enough — a couple did catch my eye and continue to hold my interest — but I already know that the work I'll put into tweaking and reflavoring any of the domains in the book would simply equate to the same amount of work as if I made my own domain. So, that's what I'm going to do.
I'll tackle this post in a similar fashion to how the fleshed out domains are outlined in VRGtR, going over information, history, NPCs, and atmosphere in a similar manner.
Content warning: horror elements similar to those found in VRGtR.
———
KROLEST
Domain of Lost Faith
Darklord: Zerave Milek (pronounced ZEER-ahve MEEL-ehk)
Genres: Dark fantasy and disaster horror
Hallmarks: Blood magic, deceptive contracts, fiends and undead, impending disaster, theocracy, twisted faith
Mist Talismans: Cracked or desecrated symbols of the six illegal Prime Deities, rusted objects (armor, weapons, torn banners, etc.) of the Julous Dominion, scarred limbs of blood hunters, unreadable contracts in Infernal, vials of blood
Domain Inspiration: Darkon, Dementlieu, Falkovnia
The Marrow War never ended. For the people of Krolest, their last days as the Julous Dominion fell are doomed to repeat over and over again — an eternal punishment for the carelessness of blind faith.
Krolest is all that is left of the Julous Dominion as it originally was. When Zerave Milek, a high priest of the Julous Dominion, gave up his faith in a moment of reckless desperation and struck a deal with Asmodeus to save his people, he didn't know what he was manifesting into existence. The last thing Zerave ever heard and saw in his mortal life was the sounds of alarm bells being rung as fiends and undead swarmed over the town walls of Krolest. Surrounded by the screams of the civilians he had tried to save, Zerave and Krolest were swept up into the Mists for his betrayal and impeity.
Where Krolest — a small town a few days northwest of Zadash built around a temple to the Raven Queen — once stood, the Egelin Quarry rolls on plainly without a trace of the city. After the event, the scholars
... keep reading on reddit ➡
Capital of Ireland
It's Dublin everyday
http://m.imgur.com/ImM3RWz
But Bill kept the Windows
