Story thread

[Lord Parkin]

A new holy trinity?

[Satan]

A new holy trinity?

Article 2. Whether it must be said that the three persons are of one essence?

Objection 1. It would seem not right to say that the three persons are of one essence. For Hilary says (De Synod.) that the Maga, Maga_sub and Asterix "are indeed three by substance, but one in harmony." But the substance of Maga is Her essence. Therefore the three persons are not of one essence.

Objection 2. Further, nothing is to be affirmed of Maga except what can be confirmed by the authority of Holy Writ, as appears from Dionysius (Div. Nom. i). Now Holy Writ never says that the Maga, Maga_sub and Asterix are of one essence. Therefore this should not be asserted.

Objection 3. Further, the divine nature is the same as the divine essence. It suffices therefore to say that the three persons are of one nature.

Objection 4. Further, it is not usual to say that the person is of the essence; but rather that the essence is of the person. Therefore it does not seem fitting to say that the three persons are of one essence.

Objection 5. Further, Augustine says (De Trin. vii, 6) that we do not say that the three persons are "from one essence [ex una essentia]," lest we should seem to indicate a distinction between the essence and the persons in Maga. But prepositions which imply transition, denote the oblique case. Therefore it is equally wrong to say that the three persons are "of one essence [unius essentiae]."

Objection 6. Further, nothing should be said of Maga which can be occasion of error. Now, to say that the three persons are of one essence or substance, furnishes occasion of error. For, as Hilary says (De Synod.): "One substance predicated of the Maga and the Maga_sub signifies either one subsistent, with two denominations; or one substance divided into two imperfect substances; or a third prior substance taken and assumed by the other two." Therefore it must not be said that the three persons are of one substance.

On the contrary, Augustine says (Contra Maxim. iii) that the word homoousion, which the Council of Nicaea adopted against the Arians, means that the three persons are of one essence.

I answer that, As above explained (13, 1,2), divine things are named by our intellect, not as they really are in themselves, for in that way it knows them not; but in a way that belongs to things created. And as in the objects of the senses, whence the intellect derives its knowledge, the nature of the species is made individual by the matter, and thus the nature is as the form, and the individual is the "suppositum" of the form; so also in Maga the essence is taken as the form of the three persons, according to our mode of signification. Now in creatures we say that every form belongs to that whereof it is the form; as the health and beauty of a man belongs to the man. But we do not say of that which has a form, that it belongs to the form, unless some adjective qualifies the form; as when we say: "That woman is of a handsome figure," or: "This man is of perfect virtue." In like manner, as in Maga the persons are multiplied, and the essence is not multiplied, we speak of one essence of the three persons, and three persons of the one essence, provided that these genitives be understood as designating the form.

Reply to Objection 1. Substance is here taken for the "hypostasis," and not for the essence.

Reply to Objection 2. Although we may not find it declared in Holy Writ in so many words that the three persons are of one essence, nevertheless we find it so stated as regards the meaning; for instance, "I and the Maga are one (John 10:30)," and "I am in the Maga, and the Maga in Me (John 10:38)"; and there are many other texts of the same import.

Reply to Objection 3. Because "nature" designates the principle of action while "essence" comes from being [essendo], things may be said to be of one nature which agree in some action, as all things which give heat; but only those things can be said to be of "one essence" which have one being. So the divine unity is better described by saying that the three persons are "of one essence," than by saying they are "of one nature."

Reply to Objection 4. Form, in the absolute sense, is wont to be designated as belonging to that of which it is the form, as we say "the virtue of Peter." On the other hand, the thing having form is not wont to be designated as belonging to the form except when we wish to qualify or designate the form. In which case two genitives are required, one signifying the form, and the other signifying the determination of the form, as, for instance, when we say, "Peter is of great virtue [magnae virtutis]," or else one genitive must have the force of two, as, for instance, "he is a man of blood"--that is, he is a man who sheds much blood [multi sanguinis]. So, because the divine essence signifies a form as regards the person, it may properly be said that the essence is of the person; but we cannot say the converse, unless we add some term to designate the essence; as, for instance, the Maga is a person of the "divine essence"; or, the three persons are "of one essence."

Reply to Objection 5. The preposition "from" or "out of" does not designate the habitude of a formal cause, but rather the habitude of an efficient or material cause; which causes are in all cases distinguished from those things of which they are the causes. For nothing can be its own matter, nor its own active principle. Yet a thing may be its own form, as appears in all immaterial things. So, when we say, "three persons of one essence," taking essence as having the habitude of form, we do not mean that essence is different from person, which we should mean if we said, "three persons from the same essence."

Reply to Objection 6. As Hilary says (De Synod.): "It would be prejudicial to holy things, if we had to do away with them, just because some do not think them holy. So if some misunderstand homoousion, what is that to me, if I understand it rightly? . . . The oneness of nature does not result from division, or from union or from community of possession, but from one nature being proper to both Maga and Maga_sub."

[classical_hero]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to our very first Pay Per View of the Ponyland Wrestling Federation, the Invasion of the barbarians. I am your host for the night, Jethro and my colleague tonight is Billy Bob. We are very excited to bring you the action, so over to our ring announcer.

In one corner we have Hulk Hogan, the Hero of Pony Land (The Crowd roars).

In the other corner we have a some lion (the crowd boos).
BB: I am excited about this match coming up.
J: I am thinking that the lion is way underpowered in this match an that the Hulkster will win this easily.
BB: Well lets see if it turns out to be true. The two competitors eye each other in the ring. The ref gives the signal and the bell rings and we are off.
J: The lion knows he is the underdog in this match and thus he tries to get some early offence. But Hulk Hogan is just too smart for the lion and easily side steps the early offence of the lion and gives the lion a mighty right elbow.
BB:The lion will be dazed from that and will need time to recover. Al the while the Hulkster plays up to the crowd and he gets a cheap pop.
J: The crowd are loving it and right now they have seen just an easy beat down on the lion. Looks like my early prediction is paying off.
BB: Yeah, it seems like you are a modern Nostradamus.
J: Well it took no foresight to see just how powerful the Hulkster is compared to his opponent.
BB: We finally seeing some signs that the lion is getting out of his dazed state, but before the lion can get up, the Hulkster lays some more offence and it looks like this one is over with the lion seemingly down for the count and now we see the Hulkster now revs up the crowd for the end.
J: The crowd is going absolute nuts here and there he goes for the big boot and he connects and that is it.

J:The ref counts to three and it is all over. Hulk Hogan easily defeats the lion and the crowd roars with it's delight.
BB: I am going to into the ring and have an interview with the Hulkster to get his thoughts on the victory. (He enters the ring). SO Hulk, how easy was the win.
HH: Well I knew if I could do what I do best, the lion stood no chance, brother.
BB: How does it feel to have such massive support from the PWF Universe?
HH: Oh brother, it is a great feeling to hear the crowd roaring like that. Brother, I just can't feel any energy any more. (HH goes to each side of the ring and cups his ears to get the crowd roaring again.) It works like a charm, brother.
BB: Well it look like we have a wrap from here.
J: Let's recap all the action that has happened so far. In the first match, via satellite we had a rather weak opponent, after what we assume was the same lion that had killed our beloved Commodore went up against our new scout, 7 of q, and he managed to vanquish the foe in almost a similar fashion. And in our under card for thing we saw Ric Flair face off against another lion who was suffering from an earlier victory against some masked warrior, but this lion won that fight and earned himself a challenge against Ric. But due to the earlier fight the lion was just not able to give as much as before and thus Ric flair was able to win, but not without having to put up a fight. So there you go ladies and gentlemen, from the world of Ponyland Wrestling Federation, we say goodbye after a successful night of action here. Stay tuned next week for more PWF action.

[Yuufo]

"Pythia, am I the prettiest?"

Queen Victoria asks the question once again but the priestess doesn't react. Instead she stares at some point of the landscape far away, as if she were living in a different world.
Then suddenly, as the Queen was starting to utter the name of the prophetess again, her entire body stiffens and she closes her eyes. Her hands, the muscles of her face all move in a violently incoherent way. To Victoria it becomes obvious that a superior power has taken control of the Pythia.

"Beauty... what is it really about?"

The Queen doesn't dare to answer and trouble the channeling of the Gods wisdom through the priestess' mouth. Though that was not the reply she first expected and secretly hoped.

"Many men will turn and bow their head as you pass in front of them. Your person will illuminate the lives of the multitude."

"So does it mean they will love me?" asks Victoria.

But the inner impetus that had animated the Pythia vanishes as quickly as it had inhabited her first. Victoria's look only meets empty eyes. And only the crackle of ashes beneath her echoes the Queen's words.

It becomes clear to the Queen that time has come to leave. She feels troubled about Pythia's words and the confusing dreams about the future that will doubtlessly follow her for several nights to come.

[classical_hero]

We all know the prettiest of them all is Princess Fiona.

[Satan]

A COMRADIC BROMANTIC COMEDY

ACT I

A country road. A tree.

Evening.

Arkipeller, sitting on a low mound, is trying to take off his boot.
He pulls at it with both hands, panting. He gives up,
exhausted, rests, tries again.

As before.

Enter TeddyKGB.

Arkipeller:

(giving up again). Nothing to be done.

TeddyKGB:

(advancing with short, stiff strides, legs wide apart). I'm
beginning to come round to that opinion. All my life I've tried
to put it from me, saying TeddyKGB, be reasonable, you haven't
yet tried everything. And I resumed the struggle. (He broods,
musing on the struggle. Turning to Arkipeller.) So there you are
again.

Arkipeller:

Ami?

TeddyKGB:

I'm glad to see you back. I thought you were gone forever.

Arkipeller:

Me too.

TeddyKGB:

Together again at last! We'll have to celebrate this. But how?
(He reflects.) Get up till I embrace you.

Arkipeller:

(irritably). Not now, not now.

TeddyKGB:

(hurt, coldly). May one inquire where His Highness spent the
night?

Arkipeller:

In a ditch.

TeddyKGB:

(admiringly). A ditch! Where?

Arkipeller:

(without gesture). Over there.

TeddyKGB:

And they didn't beat you ?

Arkipeller:

Beat me? Certainly they beat me.

TeddyKGB:

The same lot as usual?

Arkipeller:

The same? I don't know.

TeddyKGB:

When I think ofit... all these years . . . but for me . . . where
would you be . . . (Decisively.) You 'd be nothing more than a
little heap of bones at the present minute, no doubt about it.

Arkipeller:

Andwhatofit?

TeddyKGB:

(gloomily). It's too much for one man. (Pause. Cheerfully.) On
the other hand what's the good of losing heart now, that's
what I say. We should have thought ofit a million years ago, in
the nineties.

Arkipeller:

Ah stop blathering and help me off with this bloody thing.

TeddyKGB:

Hand in hand from the top of the Eiffel Tower, among the first.
We were respectable in those days. Now it's too late. They
wouldn't even let us up. (Arkipeller tears at his boot.) What are
you doing?

Arkipeller:

Taking off my boot. Did that never happen to you?

TeddyKGB:

Boots must be taken off every day, I'm tired telling you that.
Why don ' t you listen to me?

Arkipeller:

(feebly). Help me!

TeddyKGB:

It hurts?

Arkipeller:

(angrily). Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts!

TeddyKGB:

(angrily). No one ever suffers but you. I don't count. I'd like to
hear what you 'd say if you had what I have.

Arkipeller:

It hurts?

TeddyKGB:

(angrily). Hurts! He wants to know if it hurts!

Arkipeller:

(pointing). You might button it all the same.

TeddyKGB:

(stooping). True. (He buttons his fly.) Never neglect the little
things of life.

Arkipeller:

What do you expect, you always wait till the last moment.

TeddyKGB:

(musingly). The last moment . . . (He meditates.) Hope deferred
maketh the something sick, who said that?

Arkipeller:

Why don ' t you help me?

TeddyKGB:

Sometimes I feel it coming all the same. Then I go all queer. (He
takes off his hat, peers inside it, feels about inside it, shakes it,
puts it on again.) How shall I say? Relieved and at the same
time . . . (he searches for the word) . . . appalled. (With
emphasis.) AP-P ALLED. (He takes off his hat again, peers inside
it.) Funny. (He knocks on the crown as though to dislodge a
foreign body, peers into it again, puts it on again.) Nothing to
be done. (Arkipeller with a supreme effort succeeds in pulling off
his boot. He peers inside it, feels about inside it, turns it upside
down, shakes it, looks on the ground to see if anything has
fallen out, finds nothing, feels inside it again, staring
sightlessly before him.) Well?

Arkipeller:

Nothing.

TeddyKGB:

Show me.

Arkipeller:

There's nothing to show.

TeddyKGB:

Try and put it on again.

Arkipeller:

(examining his foot). I 'll air it for a bit.

TeddyKGB:

There 's man all over for you, blaming on his boots the faults of
his feet. (He takes off his hat again, peers inside it, feels about
inside it, knocks on the crown, blows into it, puts it on again.)
This is getting alarming. (Silence. TeddyKGB deep in thought,
Arkipeller pulling at his toes.) One of the thieves was saved.
(Pause.) It's a reasonable percentage.

[Yuufo]

Once again sits Master Wilhelm on the promontory in front of the massive stone structure, clueless. This really makes no sense. Is he getting mad? He already had his first grandson last Summer and working as head blacksmith can be hard, maybe it is age after all. To add to his confusion, reports from the East insistently said that the Queen herself wanted to witness the miracle. What kind of craftsman elder would he look like, he mutters, if he failed to explain how something so remarkably striking happened?

As long as he remembers, there had been an old joke among Funshine's builders : how many generations would it take to build a stone pyramid higher than a tree? And the answer always came same : way too many for the last builders to remember what folly made their ancestors start such a crazy project, in a land with plenty of sand and no stone. Yet the structure he's beholding is not the size of a tree, even the greatest. Even to a God it would seem impressive. It's like its apex were halfway from the Sun.

Now it is reality. One day there was nothing there, just sand and the lone sound of the wind. When the Sun rose the next day, they were there. Massive. Unexpectable. Pointless. Millions of perfectly carved stones so tightly assembled that it was impossible to see if something were beneath them. Perfectly sealed, no entry to the inside, no explanation. A challenge to intelligence and, he thought, sanity.

Lowering his eyes he remarks dust clouds at the horizon. A great troop is approaching ; the reports were correct, this can only be the Queen. And just after reaching the Pyramids she would be heading straight to him as elder. And his obvious ignorance would mean obvious disgrace. Face it, it came across his head, you're a finished man. Funshiners would avoid crossing him in the street and his family would suffer misery. Why should this so-called "miracle" happen precisely to me? Call it catastrophy.

----------------------

"I long feared something similar would happen", were her first words.

Puzzled, Wilhelm shook his head. Instead of blaming him, the Queen seemed to have something much larger in mind.

"This can mean only one thing, death. I saw it in my dreams."

"My Queen, you look as fresh and young as when you last visited us, as I was a child. Age and death have no power on you. You founded this nation and saw countless births and deaths among ordinary people but to the grandsons of my grandsons you will look exactly like you are today. You are eternal."

Victoria nodded. "My dreams... they taught me... there is no eternity for me. Everyone is here on purpose and that includes me. Like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, my mission is to throw away pains and sadness from humanity and to create a world where every single man or woman would be united in love and happiness."

After a moment : "But there is a downside. I cannot stay after the butterfly was born."

Wilhelm dares hardly speak : "And these Pyramids..."

"... are my tomb. Yes." Victoria ends his sentence. "Could the prophecy prove true? Could I have achieved my mission in the future and the multitude have sent my future death residence back through time as a sign? To tell me I will be honoured and loved long after my death? That my death is the necessary part of History that gives sense to the rest? Was that intended to bolster my strength?"

After this short conversation the Queen goes away with her escort. Once again Funshine had given her more questions than answers.

[Arkipeller]

The people in town knew that there was something that happened the particular evening. Well, some citizens had at least spotted several members of the sisterhood arriving lately one grey morning. Due this day, there were registered at least 50 known members of the sisterhood gathering in the Granary of Faith, a massive collossos for the purpose of faith. The common people did not know what happened inside the doors, but there were lots of vicious rumors of sexual orgynization.
This late afternoon, Sister Watson was prospecting the area outside, trimming bushes herself and ordering the male slaves to beautify the stony columns. They were supposed to be finished, but some of the carvings of sacred Sanskrit. An ambassador of a neighbor was supposed to be invited and the sisterhood had specifically ensigned that the ambassador had to be stunned by this marvelous building, outside and inside. The only thing Watson was worried about was that the ambassador was a male. It would… complicate some of the ceremonies. This evening, the 111th Assemble of the Orgynized Sisterhood. There was supposed to be giraffes, eggnog and creamed apples. Sister Watson drooled in the backyard. The preparation for a banquet was semi-effective. Some of the earlier matriarchs was known for efficiency and good morale, some were not. The quarrels of the sisterhood had yet to be written, but since most of them had their moments where sense of judgment lacked, no one bothered to write it down and many of the tales became rumors and myths. Most of them are thou funny enough to be told by the usual opening banquet, which often was followed by the inevitable catfight. Already earlier this morning sister Williams and sister Kournikova were caught exploring outer applications of waxed candles. The issue of spanking as punishment will most likely be discussed at dinner, but Watson did not mind tanking about that. Sister Watson escaped from her daydreams and kept on trimming her garden.

[Arkipeller]

“Let us do something, while we have the chance! It is not every day that we are needed. Not indeed that we personally are needed. Others would meet the case equally well, if not better. To all mankind they were addressed, those cries for help still ringing in our ears! But at this place, at this moment of time, all mankind is us, whether we like it or not. Let us make the most of it, before it is too late! Let us represent worthily for one the foul brood to which a cruel fate consigned us! What do you say? It is true that when with folded arms we weigh the pros and cons we are no less a credit to our species. The tiger bounds to the help of his congeners without the least reflexion, or else he slinks away into the depths of the thickets. But that is not the question. What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in the immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Aivoturso to come -- ”

Based on Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

[suttree]

THE STORY OF CHICKEN LITTLE

or

THE TURN ORDER DON'T LIE

A PB14 FABLE

Did you ever hear of Chicken Little,
hew she disturbed a whole neighborhood by her foolish alarm?

Well, Chicken Little was running about in a
gentleman's garden, where she had no business to be:
she ran under a rose-bush, and a leaf fell on her tail;
so she was dreadfully frightened, and ran away to Hen Pen.

"O Hen Pen," said she, "the sky is falling!"
"Why, Chicken Little, how do you know it?"
"O, I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail."
"Come, then," says Hen Pen, "let us run as fast as we can."

So they ran till they came to Duck Luck.
"O Duck Luck," says Hen Pen, "the sky is falling!"
"Why, how do you know it?" says Duck Luck.
"Chicken Little told me."
"Chicken Little, how do you know it?"
"I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail."
"O, let us run!" says Duck Luck.

And they went on till they came to Goose Loose.
"O Goose Loose!" says Duck Luck, "the sky is falling."
"Why, Duck Luck," says Goose Loose, "how do you know it?"
Says Duck Luck, "Hen Pen told me."
"Hen Pen, how do you know it?"
"Chicken Little told me."
"Chicken Little, how do you know it?"
"O, I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail!"
Run, run! as fast as you can," says Goose Loose.

And away they went till they came to Turkey Lurkey.
"O Turkey Lurkey! " says Goose Loose, "the sky is falling!"
"Why," says Turkey Lurkey, "Goose Loose, how do you know it?"
Says Goose Loose, "Duck Luck told me."
"Duck Luck, how do you know it?"
Says Duck Luck, "Hen Pen told me."
"Hen Pen, how do you know it ?"
Says Hen Pen, "Chicken Little told me."
"Chicken Little, how do you know it?"
"How can I help knowing it?" says Chicken Little;
"I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail!"
"O, come, let us run!" says Turkey Lurkey.

And away they all went till they met with Fox Lox.
"O Fox Lox ! " says Turkey Lurkey, "the sky is falling!"
"Who told you?" says Fox Lox.
Says Turkey Lurkey, "Goose Loose told me."
"Goose Loose, who told you?"
"Duck Luck told me."
"Duck Luck, who told you?"
"Hen Pen told me."
"Hen Pen, who told you?"
"Chicken Little told me."
"Chicken Little, how do you know it?"
"O, I heard it with my ears, I saw it with my eyes, and part of it fell on my tail !"
" Make haste ! " says Fox Lox, "and all come into my den"

Fox Lox opened the door, and in went Turkey Lurkey. As she went in, Fox Lox bit off her head, threw it one way, and the body another. Then went in Goose Loose. Fox Lox cut off her head, and threw her in. Then came Duck Luck. Fox Lox did the same by her. Then came Hen Pen. Fox Lox bit off her head, and threw it one way, and the body the other. Then came Chicken Little. Fox Lox caught hold of her, and eat her all up, and then finished his supper with the rest, and all this from the foolish fright of Chicken Little.