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cowperviolet · 3 years

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Vittoria Accoramboni and a Renaissance Revenge Tragedy – Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

Last week we have heard about Cardinal Montalto’s rough past. However, those youthful escapades were as nothing compared to the nature of the man who came to court his niece-in-law Vittoria.

Paolo Giordano Orsini, the Duke of Bracciano and one of the most powerful men in Rome, was smitten with Vittoria from the evening he first saw her, her finery valiantly cobbled together from her family’s modest resources. If there was any danger of him consigning her to the heap of the many lovely infatuations he’s had since his wife died in suspicious circumstances (more on that later), Vittoria’s brother Marcello was ever ready to work on his mind.

Marcello had to flee Rome after stabbing the brother of Cardinal Pallavicino in one of the scuffles young bloods of Italy engaged in when wearing a sword on the street was normal for everyone who could afford it. Then the young man went straight to Castle Bracciano to enroll into Paolo Giordano’s unofficial private army, and set to work talking about his sister’s beauty, as well as the misery of her reduced circumstances, straight away. Her husband Francesco Peretti might have counted Marcello as a friend – but for the latter, as for all Accorambonis, family ambition was above all. In this particular case, it was even understandable – if Vittoria were to become a widow (out of completely natural causes, of course) and marry Paolo Giordano, they would become kin to one of the first families in Rome.

The Orsinis’ brilliant position was above anything Marcello, Vittoria, or their mother could have ever hoped for. The clan had eleven European queens in their family tree, two popes, and innumerable cardinals. In the present day, King Philip II of Spain referred to Paolo Giordano as his kinsman. They also had the dubious fame of having one of their ancestors, Pope Nicholas III, consigned by Dante to Hell for his corruption.

One could say that, even all this great pedigree aside, Paolo Giordano didn’t have much in common with Vittoria. If she was a dark and glimmering beauty, his fatness stemming from the life of excess was so great that ordinary horses couldn’t bear him. In September 1575, he had to write to Cardinal Antonio Caraffa with a request to send him one of the muscular bay mares from his stables, since no other steed could suffice. If Vittoria had an ambitious and determined mother dedicated to the wellbeing of her family, Paolo Giordano had been raised by a spendthrift uncle who had killed his father in an ambush, and his own mother left him with relatives in order to remarry when he was still a child. Vittoria was not exactly modest in her habits, but she knew the value of money; Paolo Giordano’s unthinking largesse, on the other hand, was proverbial. He managed to get deeply into debt by the age of sixteen, and remain there for all his life despite the opulence of his lifestyle.

And then, of course, there was the little matter of his first wife’s death.

Paolo Giordano had married Isabella de Medici when he was seventeen and she sixteen. Naturally, it was a political marriage – however, one expected that he is going soon to be smitten with his bride, who was dubbed ‘the fairest star of the Medici’ for her beauty and her intellectual accomplishments. Isabella spoke Spanish, French and Latin, and wrote poetry herself. However, Paolo Giordano preferred the low milieu of whorehouses; as for intellectual accomplishments, he did not consider them that much of an adornment for a woman. Isabella paid him back with the same coin, taking his lissome and courteous relative Troilo Orsini to be her lover. She bore Troilo two illegitimate children, whom her servants then placed discreetly in orphanages, as she could not be seen to raise them herself.

This relative freedom of conduct was facilitated by the curious clause in the marriage: although Isabella and Paolo Giordano were now man and wife, she was to remain at her father’s court in Florence, where her husband would visit her. It was during these brief visits that they managed to conceive their legitimate children: the daughter Leonora and the heir Virginio.

Isabella’s father, Duke Cosimo de Medici, had a good reason to maintain this state of affairs: Isabella’s dowry consisted of 50,000 gold ducats and 5,000 ducats in jewels, which today would have been amounted to $20 million. Naturally, Cosimo didn’t want this vast sum to find its way into the hands of a man who would rather die than live within his means. Isabella was completely satisfied with the situation, and only wished her unwanted husband’s visits were even rarer.

However, this situation could only last while Duke Cosimo lived. Isabella’s brother Francesco (whom, to avoid confusion with Vittoria’s husband, we are going to be calling the Grand Duke from now on), who ascended the ducal throne after his father died, had no desire to protect her. If anything, he must have been somewhat gleeful that his brilliant sister, who has always overshadowed him both in the public life and in their father’s affections, would finally get what’s coming to her. Paolo Giordano couldn’t agree more.

Paolo Giordano took his wife to the villa of Correto outside Florence, supposedly to go hunting. She never left the villa alive.

According to the official version he put out afterwards, she suffered a heart attack while washing her hair. People were understandably reluctant to believe that about a healthy thirty-three-year-old. The Ferrarese Ambassador Cortile produced a completely different report. Isabella was strangled by her husband behind a bolted door, he claimed; or, rather, by an assassin named Massino, a Roman Knight of Malta, who was hiding under the bed at Paolo Giordano’s orders. Later that year, the same Massino killed the late Isabella’s lover Troilo, again at his master’s behest. The fact that Troilo was also an Orsini mattered not – personal pride and masculine honour were at stake.

That little detail of Paolo Giordano’s biography should have made Vittoria and her family at least pause. However, if they did, no historical record of them doing so survives.

To them, the greatest difficulty of all was the fact that Francesco Peretti was still annoyingly alive. However, that was the difficulty that Paolo Giordano was about to remedy.

On the night of Sunday, April 16, 1581, Vittoria and Francesco were woken up by a messenger. According to him, Marcello was in danger – Cardinal Pallavicino, who knew what he did last summer (i.e. killed the Cardinal’s brother) sent his henchmen after him. He needed Francesco’s help urgently, and begged him to come to the Sforza garden on Monte Cavallo right now. With the messenger having promptly departed after handing the maid a note, there was no way to find out more. The whole thing looked even more fishy to Vittoria by the virtue of the fact that Caterina of Bologna, the maid who received the note and passed the news on, had been placed in her household by Paolo Giordano in order to facilitate their secret meetings and correspondence. The Duke of Bracciano’s recent Carnival escapade, when he showed his race horse in black trappings with the words, Either tears or blood, embroidered upon them, must have seemed a bad omen, too.

However, nothing could dissuade Francesco from going to his friend’s rescue.

In the moonlit shadows of the Sforza garden, three bandits met him. In what seems almost like too perfect a metaphor to be true, three guns felled him before he could even pull his chivalrous sword out of its sheath. Then the henchmen stabbed him repeatedly in the neck and chest, to make sure they won’t be repeating to their master a job half-finished.

How much did Vittoria know of this plan, if anything? Opinions differed, and they differ still. Some think her a completely innocent party; some portray her as a calculating murderess who was in on it from the start. However, her grief seemed too raw and genuine to her contemporaries for the latter option to be true. If the former were the case, however, she wouldn’t have behaved the way she did after.

It seemed that now that the lovely Vittoria was a widow, Paolo Giordano could finally get his hands on her, and she on his title and money in a match made in the opposite direction from Heaven. However, his plan was not as cunning as he thought it to be, and the two had to be ready to face great opposition – not least from the Grand Duke and the current Pope…

Sources:

Eleanor Herman, Murder in the Garden of God

#history #history geek #renaissance history #medieval history #Middle Ages #middle ages history #italian history #renaissance #medieval women #renaissance women #isabella de medici #1500s

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ghostheadcanons · 5 years

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Papas + Copia: Marriage Proposals

Anonymous said:

I am in LOVE with the headcanon you did on the s/o's Christian parents!!! Could you please do one where the papas and cardinal propose to their s/o? Like how they did it and their Christian parents reactions?

I’m so glad you liked them! Oh goodness....this is going to get long, lads! Let’s do it to it!

Papa Nihil:

You’ve gotten the talk from Imperator. You’ve been together with Nihil for a good amount of time. The two of you are very close. But lately, he and Sister Imperator have been having a lot of long, private conversations.

About you.

“Cara mia? May I have a word?”

“Of course, Papa.”

He would call you away into his room, and you immediately wonder if something’s wrong. The normally-smiling Grand-Papa of the Ministry is frowning in thought.

“Cuore mio? Is everything alright?” you question, walking closer.

He looks to you. “Yes, yes, everything is fine. I have just been thinking is all. Sit down, sit down.” Nihil pats the chair next to him.

You sit beside him at his table, watching him.

He sighs. “Cara mia, I am an old man. My children are grown, and I am tired. I do not know how much longer I have in this life before I am called home by the Morning Star.”

He pauses, lifting his oxygen mask to his face to inhale deeply. You open your mouth to speak, but he holds up a hand.

“...all I know is that I want to spend what I have left of it with you.”

Your eyes widen. “Papa...?”

He fumbles in his pockets for a moment before producing a little black box. Inside is a simple, beautiful golden ring.

“Will you marry me?”

You burst into tears, hugging onto him. He blinks, but smiles, returning your embrace with a chuckle.

“I will take that as a yes.”

Papa I:

He’s invited you out to the gardens today. Your favorite spot, the table under the willow trees, where it’s dark even on the sunniest days.

He’s nowhere to be seen when you get there. However, there is a white candle glowing in the dim light. As you look at it, you notice that there are a trail of them, leading off deeper into the woods.

Curious, you begin to follow them, into the darkness.

Eventually, though, you reach a massive shrine, depicting a goatheaded man sitting cross legged. It has been covered in candles (with a bundle of dried herbs placed delicately in the middle), and in their flickering light you see him.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? I have been cleaning it and leaving offerings here for the past few weeks. I wanted to show you this sacred place.”

Papa I is standing there, arms outstretched to you.

“Lamb,” he begins gently. “You and I are aligned in our beliefs, our loves, and our dislikes. Never have I felt more in tune with another living being than I have with you. I ask you here, in the presence of Satan, to join souls as one. That we may never be apart, even in Hell.”

Speechless, you go to him, smiling wide. You finally answer him when you find your voice.

“Oh, Papa...I would love nothing more.”

His face splits into a smile as he takes you into his arms. It’s clear you’ve made him the happiest man in the world, in Hell or on earth.

Papa II:

It’s been a wild week.

Papa II had taken you to Europe to get away from work for a little while. A vacation.

You’ve dined at the finest restaurants, danced the nights away in his arms, and even explored the strangest local sights available. You’ll never forget your private tour of the catacombs in Paris, where the pair of you had made passionate love in a room filled with skulls.

But all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow you will have to begin your return to the Ministry.

Papa II holds you in his arms as you slow-dance to the song on the record. You’re in your hotel room, with a fantastic view of the city below. He holds you, soft, yet firm, as he twirls you lightly across the floor.

When you come face-to-face with him, he cradles your chin in his hand, guiding you to meet his gaze.

In his mismatched eyes, you are surprised to see tenderness. So much tenderness. Your foreheads touch, with Papa II swaying the pair of you in time to the music as you look into eachother’s eyes.

He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t need to. The way he’s looking at you right in this moment, the fire and passion and care, says more than he ever could in a thousand lifetimes.

He finally lets you go, but never takes his eyes off of you.

You watch as he slowly drops to one knee, pulling a box from his pocket. Inside is a beautiful diamond ring.

“Marry me,” he murmurs.

“Yes, Papa, yes....!” your response is instantaneous. You pull him back into your embrace, kissing him fervently.

Your smiling fiance is more than happy to kiss you back.

Papa III:

You two have been going steady for a long time. Longer than Papa III’s ever been together with...well, anyone. Even the current men and women in his harem, and that is something everyone tends to whisper about.

“Everyone be quiet!”

The third Emeritus brother always threw wild parties, but this one topped them all. Everyone in the Ministry was invited, and everything was extravagant and stylish. You and your paramour had been dancing in the middle of the floor. Many men and women both had tried to request a dance of their own, but to your surprise, he had shooed them all away.

Tonight he only had eyes for you.

It’s close to midnight. Now he’s clicking a fork against his champagne glass. Normally that wouldn’t be near enough to get everyone’s attention, but somehow it does, and everyone has quieted down and begun to watch him.

“Thank you all for coming tonight! I’m sure you’re wondering just what all the celebration is for...”

They murmur. You are also curious, but he had been very secretive about the whole thing.

He holds up a hand and snaps his fingers.

Suddenly the lights go dark, and a spotlight shines down upon the pair of you. Everyone (including you) gasps.

“This party has been for you.” He takes your hands in his, eyes shining bright. “Everything I have done has been for you. You are beautiful, kind, clever, and have I mentioned that you’re very good with your tongue?”

If you weren’t so in shock right now you would have punched him in the shoulder. The last comment gets a few startled laughs before he continues.

“Never have I met someone like you. You make me laugh. You make me smile. You make me tremble with anticipation of your next move...”

He murmurs the next bit only to you.

“...and you do not treat me like a fool.”

He slips something from his pocket. In one dramatic flourish, Papa III drops to his knees. There’s a loud gasp, and you put your hands to your mouth. When he speaks again it is loud enough so everyone can hear.

“Tesoro...will you marry me?”

The entire room is dangling on your response. You take a deep breath--you can’t say you haven’t thought about being married to this man. What a scandal this will be, what things people will say, what anger there will be for ‘stealing’ the most popular brother of them all...

You can’t wait to see it all.

“Yes,” you whisper.

The world is thrown into chaos as you come together for a kiss.

Cardinal Copia:

Ever since the pair of you started dating, Copia has come a long way. He no longer stutters when he talks to you, he has confided more in you about his past, and he’s even been downright suave when you’re alone.

So when he asks if you’d like to go out to eat tonight looking almost as nervous as he did on your first date, you can’t lie that you’re a little worried.

The pair of you dine at a little restaurant in town. It’s not the fanciest, but the food is good, and it’s nice and quiet there.

You eat in silence for a little while. You try to make smalltalk, but the Cardinal seems oddly distracted tonight, nodding vaguely at everything you say.

Finally, he sets his silverware down with a clink!

He takes a breath. “Topolino....”

“Yes--?” you begin, but he holds up a hand to stop you. Copia waves it a bit, indicating that he needs to get this out.

“...Ever since I met you, I knew you were different. From the others, I mean. It has been so long that I’ve let anyone in...I’d almost forgotten how.”

He looks you square in the eyes. You can tell he’s wringing his hands beneath the table, but his gaze is resolute, and his tone is even. A wave of pride for his bravery and progress surges through you.

“I know that you and I...do not have forever.” He swallows. “I know our time is limited.”

“That is why I want to make the most of it.”

He sets a little black box on the table.

“I, Cardinal Copia, wish to ask for your hand in marriage. ...will you marry me, topolino...?”

“Oh, Copia....!” you cry, tears in your eyes. For a moment he looks frightened--had he done something wrong?? But as you take hold of his hands and nod vigorously, smiling widely as you do, you can see his entire face light up.

You know he will live much longer than you will.

But nothing would make you happier than to spend the rest of your years with him.

BONUS! Your Christian Parents!:

Ha! Bet you thought I forgot about this in the wake of such a long ask, didn’t you? Guess again!

Papa Nihil sends your parents a gilt-edged card with an artistic representation of demons, inviting them to your unholy union. They send back a restraining order against the both of you.

Papa I doesn’t send an invitation. Instead he’s signed them up for a few monthly satanist magazines for children. Who knows? Maybe they’ll change their minds.

Papa II writes a long and extensive letter to your parents, telling them what an honor it is to be marrying their child, and how proud they should be of you. It’s one last great big ‘fuck you’ to the pair of them.

Papa III sends an invitation, but with a picture of the two of you kissing and feeling eachother up. Part of him hopes they actually show up to try and wreck the wedding, because it will be hysterical.

Cardinal Copia sends a card, but it’s an ‘uninvitation’. After that shit they pulled when he met them? Like heaven he’s letting them come anywhere near you. Basically it tells them that the two of you are getting married. Congratulations! You’re not invited! ....on the back is a little picture of a smiling rat with the words ‘fuck you!’ written over it.

In all cases, your parents are incoherent with rage and disown you immediately.

#ghost #ghost bc #papa nihil #papa i #papa ii #papa iii #copia #cardinal copia #christian parents #marriage #proposal #love #relationships #fluff #there's a wedding ask on the way!#just be patient!

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catherinestuart · 5 years

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HSHQ TASK FIFTEEN —– ALTERNATE HISTORY well lets go back to the middle of the day that starts it all

history of house stuart, the blessed rulers of scotland

after roman occupation in the 1st to 2nd centuries and the feudal kingdoms of the early middle ages, the gaelic kingdom of scotland ( more commonly known as the kingdom of alba ) was brought together by house alpin in the early 9th century. however, by the 14th century the wars of scottish independence waged by the infiltrating english resulted in the recognition of scottish sovereignty, thus signed recorded in the treaty of berwick ( 1357 ), in which began the longstanding struggle for the scottish throne between houses balliol and bruce. it was at the dusk of king david ii of house bruce’s reign did the dawn of house stuart began. king robert ii inherited the crown from his uncle and formally established house stuart, the descendants of which ruled uncontested for the next three centuries.

the typical ambition to expand was soon brought to the forefront, as the scots began to plot for a stuart monarch upon the english throne. the opportunity had presented itself in the reign of james iv, when the monarch had married the daughter of england’s first tudor king: henry vii. it was the union of james iv and margaret tudor that set the stage for house stuart’s biggest triumph. mary, queen of scots, was the only legitimate heir of james v, and the only living grandchild of james iv. her marriage to her half-cousin, henry stuart, lord darnley, had strengthened the claim of house stuart through the couple’s shared position as the great-grandchildren of king henry vii, of house tudor.

after the tragic murder of her husband, queen mary had been imprisoned by her half-cousin; queen elizabeth of england, for fear that she might usurp the english throne. the english court’s worries were confirmed as queen mary was found guilty of plotting the assassination of queen elizabeth, and was swiftly executed. despite defeating her rival, queen elizabeth had remained childless throughout her reign, ironically passing over the throne to james vi, the heir of queen mary and her husband, henry stuart, the lord darnley. james vi of scotland became james i of great britain, and succeeded in passing the union of the crowns at his ascension to the throne on 1603, after the death of queen elizabeth, marking the end of the tudor era.

house stuart ruled england and scotland uncontested until the 17th century. discontented with the largely catholic stuarts on a protestant throne, james ii and his catholic heirs were deposed after the glorious revolution ( 1688 ) that would place his daughter’s husband, william of orange, on the english throne. james ii’s daughter queen mary ii and her sister anne was raised protestant at the behest of their uncle and the english court, they were not displaced from succession. the scottish were angry at the treatment of the stuart king but were soothed by queen mary ii’s firm place as monarch. this contentment was soon dashed after the death of childless queen mary ii ( of smallpox ) and the subsequent short reign of her sister, queen anne, of whom suffered fifteen stillbirths. the legitimate line of house stuart was considered exhausted, and king george of house hanover inherited the crown of both england and scotland after the act of settlement ( 1701 ) was passed.

james ii’s catholic heir ( brother to queen mary and anne ) was outraged. james francis edward stuart, named prince regent by his father and was granted the authority to act in his name, waged war against the english with the help of the french. this was famously named the jacobite rising of 1745. he had failed, and returned to rome in order to officially gain the support of the papacy. james stuart would continue to prove his claim until his premature death, in which his sons; charles edward stuart and henry benedict, would take the helm. having been studying to become a member of the clergy himself, henry stuart was a favourite of the then cardinal carlo della torre di rezzonico ( the future pope clement xiii ), and had used their close relationship to achieve what his father could not; the formal blessing and recognition of the restoration of the house of stuart.

however, pope clement xiii decreed that the stuarts were only able to claim their native scotland to rule, a compromise that the english reluctantly agreed upon, as they have fully focused their attention upon the seven years’ war against france. even though the english had separated from rome, they were terrified of being crushed under the might of catholic nations. the stuarts came back to their house seat with their heads held high.

on 1760 the ‘breaking of the crowns’ was finalised, fifteen years after the jacobite rising, the elder stuart brother was named sovereign and king charles iii was restored as house stuart sat on the scottish throne once more.

charles iii ( b. 1720 / d. 1781 ) ( ruled: 1760 - 1781 ) grandson to king james vii / i, charles ruled from 1760 to his death in 1781. charles continued the stuart rule with ever important support of the papacy, led by his brother; the cardinal-deacon of santa maria in compitelli. eager to solidify support for his government, king charles married an italian princess at the behest of the pope.

henry i ( b. 1749 / d. 1801 ) ( ruled: 1781 - 1801 ) the eldest son to charles iii, henry’s grandfather chose the name to mark a new era of the scottish crown, for he himself was sure that the stuarts will be restored by the time his grandson came into adulthood. henry became the first duke of rothesay in the stuart restoration era.

henry ii ( b. 1775 / d. 1830 ) ( ruled: 1801 - 1830 ) the third-born and second eldest son of king henry i, henry ii found himself thrust in to the position of crown prince after the untimely death of his elder brother. he was born prince james, but due to his father’s insistence in the new era of stuart monarchs, he chose to continue his father’s choice of the regnal name: henry. the king was instrumental in supporting the scottish enlightenment era, having focused his attention to aiding the development of ancient scottish universities.

james ix ( b. 1804 / d. 1842 ) ( ruled: 1830 - 1842 ) the youngest son after a line of stuart princesses, james ix’s miraculous birth was celebrated throughout the country, and the meaningful name; james, was given to the new crown prince. however, there was much debate to whether or not to include james vii’s uncrowned son james francis edward stuart in the numerical order of king jameses. in the end, the scottish parliament posthumously rewarded james francis edward stuart the regnal name: james viii, making henry ii’s son: james ix.

charles iv ( b. 1827 / d. 1884 ) ( ruled: 1842 - 1884 ) named after the heroic champion of the stuart restoration, charles iv spent the better part of his reign trying to uphold the economic and scientific prosperity brought by his predecessors during the scottish enlightenment. he had paled in comparison, but still contributed heavily to industrial expansion, namely in: cotton, iron, and coal.

henry iii ( b. 1852 / d. 1912 ) ( ruled: 1884 - 1912 ) a notoriously great politician, henry iii led scotland to prosperous relations with the allies that still remain in present day, tightening the relationship between nations of the british isles without resorting to marrying a princess of neighbouring royal families in fear of another attempt in uniting the two crowns. he himself married the daughter of a scottish duke, in what was considered to be a positively patriotic move.

james x ( b. 1879 / d. 1945 ) ( ruled: 1912 - 1945 ) the only heir of henry iii became the king that led scotland through the first and second world wars, he himself serving as a field marshal in the french front. however, the king was wounded in combat towards the end of the war and was immediately removed from the scene, he lived long enough to celebrate the victory of the allies before succumbing to his wounds after christmas of 1945.

james william robert ( b. 1905 / d. 1943 ) ( did not rule ) the crown prince was a captain in the navy at the time of his death during the second world war, leaving behind his wife and two young children in the scottish court. the death of crown prince james immediately resulted in the succession of his eldest son ( who was five at the time ) as the heir apparent to the scottish throne.

william iv ( b. 1938 / d. 2009 ) ( regency: 1945 - 1963 ) - ( ruled: 1963 - 2009 ) five years old when he succeeded his father as heir apparent, william iv was only seven when he ascended as king and monarch. a joint regency between william iv’s mother; princess charlotte ( styled; ‘the princess mother’ ) and his uncle; prince thomas, the duke of ross, was established until william iv was 25 years of age.

mary iii ( b. 1968 ) ( ruled: 2009 - present ) the eldest child of william iv, mary iii was briefly titled merely princess mary before her father passed the succession to the crown act in 1969, replacing the previous male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. ultimately allowing mary to inherit the crown above any younger siblings, she became the first scottish princess in history placed above a prince in the order of succession. after being named duchess of rothesay and her formal investiture as the crown princess, she famously brokered her own arrangement to the youngest slovene prince.

catherine elizabeth grace ( b. 1993 ) the eldest daughter of mary iii and prince kristijan of slovenia, and current heir apparent of the crown. references, among others: history of scotland, alternate successions of the british crown

#hshqtask015 #task: task

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manelyec · 3 years

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Conference Carolinas Spotlight on Alex Sobers

Written by: Bob Rose

When you grow up in Bridgetown, the capital city on the Carribean island of Barbados, life has its own pace and rhythm.

“A typical day back home was going to the beach with friends, eating good Carribean food and just enjoying life,” said Olympic swimmer Alex Sobers, a six-time NCAA Division II All-America selection and recent graduate of Emmanuel College. “Things just happen naturally there. We really don’t have much of a set schedule.”

So, just how casual was the lifestyle?

“Let me just say this,” said Emmanuel Swim Coach Allen Gilchrest. “It was definitely island time. Even church didn’t start on time. When Alex committed to coming to Emmanuel, his father was most concerned about who was going to wake him up for morning practice. I told his dad that we would teach Alex to wake himself up!”

Coach Gilchrest did much more than that during Sober’s collegiate career. Under his tutelage, the lanky Barbados native set nine school records. He owns Emmanuel’s top marks in the 50 (19.72), 100 (43.2), 200 (1:34.76) and 500 (4:19.41) freestyle events and the 200 (1:19.87), 400 (2:54.99), 800 (6:28.34), 200 medley (1:26.42) and 400 medley (3:11.81) relay events.

Yet the crowning moment of Sobers’ resume at Emmanuel was when he claimed the 500-meter freestyle national title at the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship. It marked the first time that an Emmanuel student-athlete has won an individual NCAA national championship in any sport.

Of course, swimming has always come naturally for Sobers, who grew up in a neighborhood that was a five-minute walk from Miami Beach (Barbados, not Florida) and the Atlantic Ocean.

“I remember at a very young age, my mother would take me to the beach and we would stay for hours,” he said. “I always had a love for the water. When it got dark and mom wanted to go home, I’d always plead for ‘five more minutes!’”

Alex speaks fondly of his parents, who made many sacrifices during his childhood. His father, Wendell, has worked as a technical supervisor at the local telephone company for more than 20 years, while his mother, Bertha, is an elementary teacher who taught both Alex and his younger brother Mihael (now eight years old) in their formative years.

“My parents came to all the meets,” he recalled. “They also would drive me to practice every day. They took vacation time so I could train in Florida and New Jersey at elite camps, too.”

Sobers learned to swim at the tender age of four and by the time he was eight, he joined a swim club. Over time, he became one of the island’s fastest swimmers. Soon, many U.S. college coaches had Sobers on their recruiting radar--especially after he qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“It was such a surreal moment for me,” Sobers said of his first Olympic experience. “I still look back and ask myself, ‘Did I really do that?’ I wish every athlete could experience what I did.”

Perhaps his greatest memory was Rio’s Opening Ceremonies.

“It was so exciting,” he said. “Parading around the track and waving the Barbados flag while you’re on camera. And you’re among the top athletes in the world. It was a very proud moment.”

Sobers finished a modest 44th in the Men’s 400-Meter Freestyle in Rio, certainly an impressive showing for someone only 17 years old.

Fortunately for Gilchrest, Sobers had already made a commitment to Emmanuel before he left for Brazil.

“He asked for a gap year before starting college,” the coach said. “We were happy to oblige.”

However, the young Olympian still needed permission to enroll at Emmanuel a month late due to his participation in the Summer Games.

“I had to petition our administration,” recalled Coach Gilchrest. “I remember sharing a press release from Stanford which announced that (five-time Gold Medal winner) Katie Ledecky would be allowed to start classes late due to the Olympics. That must have swayed our people, who granted permission. Now we call it 'The Alex Sobers Rule!'”

Gilchrest, who had offered Sobers a scholarship sight unseen, still chuckles about the eventual arrival of his prize recruit.

“Alex was big but he wasn’t very strong when he came here,” the coach said. “He arrived straight from the Rio Olympics. In his first week in the weight room, he couldn’t bench press more than 100 pounds. But he listened well and you could see his determination. He gained a lot of strength and power that first year, and as they say, the rest is history.”

As he continued to whittle down his swim times, it became quite apparent that Sobers was headed for stardom on both the collegiate and international level.

HIs Emmanuel tenure culminated at the 2019 NCAA Championships, where he placed second in the 200-Meter Freestyle competition--where his 1:34.76 time was only one second off the winner, Adrian VanderHelm of Simon Fraser University (1:33.56)--and followed that performance by winning the 500-Meter Freestyle event in a clocking of 4:21.09. He also ranked among the top contenders to win both events his senior year until the 2020 NCAA Championships were canceled midway through the event.

Sobers, who came to Emmanuel as a shy, somewhat inhibited freshman, began to open up his personality as he became more acquainted with his teammates and the college life. However, those same teammates still enjoyed ribbing him for being soft spoken and so humble.

Coach Gilchrest tells the story about Sobers’ reaction to winning the school’s first individual national championship at the 2019 NCAAs. It was classic Alex Sobers.

“After every race at the Nationals, the public address announcer would interview the winner,” Gilchrest shared. “He calls Alex over after he wins the 500-Meter Freestyle. Everybody knows he’s a man of few words. The announcer sticks the mic in front of him and asks ‘How do you think your race went?’ Alex doesn’t break a smile. He just gave him a one word answer. ‘Good.’ It was hilarious. All the guys at the pool were just cracking up.”

What Gilchrest appreciates most about Sobers was not the medals he won, but the fact that the personable Barbadian kept his commitment to Emmanuel even though he received many late offers from bigger schools.

“He could have changed his mind and gone to a Division I program, but he stuck with us. That was a testament to his character. I was committed to him and he was committed to me. He believed in what we were trying to do in building a program.”

What made Sobers’ commitment even more impressive was Emmanuel’s transition from NAIA to NCAA status was unexpectedly prolonged. Initially, the process was expected to take three years, clearing the way for Sobers and the team to be eligible for NCAA postseason competition in his very first year on campus.

Sobers never wavered. He stayed loyal to the Lions’ program, allowing Gilchrest to build a championship program centered around his ace sprinter from Barbados.

If there is one word that describes Sobers and his time at Emmanuel, the word is gratitude.

“Emmanuel was a great four years of my life,” said Alex, who graduated this year with a degree in Sports Management. “Coming from a whole different country, I just loved the experience. My teammates pushed each other in both the classroom and in the pool. It definitely changed who I was as a person. I made a lot of friends and It was so much fun.”

Sobers also reflects fondly on how the sport of swimming has enriched his life.

“Swimming has taken me around the world,” he said. “I’ve seen China, South Korea, Peru, Columbia, Brazil, Hungary, Mexico, so many places. It also allowed me to go to a great college in the United States. I’ve honestly experienced things I never thought I would do.”

Now, Sobers serves as a graduate assistant coach at Boston College, while he pursues a Master’s Degree in Sports Management and trains for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, which were rescheduled from 2020 to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also plans to return to his homeland and become involved with helping at-risk children.

“I want to get youth more involved in sports in Barbados,” he said. “Sports is a unique way to bring people together and change their lives. There are so many benefits and keeps kids from getting into trouble. The experience can really change their perspective of life and future goals.”

While he is determined to improve his standing at the next Olympics, Sobers also finds himself in the unique position to impart wisdom to undergraduate swimmers at Boston College, sharing what he learned competing in the 2016 Games.

“My main message to them is to always keep pushing,” said Sobers, who hopes one day to also become a sports agent in the United States. “Never give up. If you work hard and sacrifice, anything is possible. When you have a dream, you never know where it might take you.”

Alex Sobers is living proof. His childhood dreams, hatched on the tiny island of Barbados, has led to national championships, the Olympics and so much more. Bob Rose is a longtime sports public relations executive who has worked for the San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, the NFL Cardinals, Cal, Stanford and other organizations. Conference Carolinas’ official storyteller, Rose will incorporate unique features through his “Body, Mind, and Soul” series into the 90th anniversary celebration.

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morporkian-cryptid · 7 years

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The voice of Night Vale is...

(I’ve written this essay last summer and posted it on fanfiction.net; guess I should also put it here. English isn’t my first language, so please don’t mind the little grammar mistakes ^^ Also, it is not up to date with the latest episodes, such as Filings (that episode alone could be the reason of a whole essay in itself))

We have all noticed strange stuff about Cecil Gershwin Palmer: his lack of feelings (especially empathy or fear), his ability to communicate with most, if not all of the supernatural beings that roam Night Vale, and the fact that he seems to have been around forever. But like, literally: EVER.

It is time to investigate.

The Theory:

It all fits in one phrase: Cecil is the immortal incarnation of Night Vale.

The Arguments:

Too lazy to go through the whole explanations? A short summary of all the arguments is at the end of this essay.

I - Credits

The first thing that struck me is the way Cecil is credited at the end of each episode. The “Proverb Lady” usually credits the actors by saying: “The voice of Dana Cardinal is Jasika Nicole” , “The voice of Earl Harlan is Wil Wheaton” , but for Cecil, all that we get is “The voice of Night Vale is Cecil Baldwin”. Sure, they had to credit Cecil Baldwin before the radio host actually had a name (which happened quite late in the podcast), but it continued even after we knew that he was Cecil Gershwin Palmer. It is also interesting to note that the same thing relates to Kevin, from Desert Bluffs: at each of his apparition, he is credited as “The voice of Desert Bluffs” … even though he does have a name since his very first apparition.

II - Immortality

It has been obvious, since the episode Homecoming, that Cecil has been around for a long time. During his discussion with Earl Harlan, the cook mentions the fact that they were childhood friends and have graduated high school together; which means they were about the same age. Then, Earl was 19, and remained stuck at that age for a long time - according to him, it was decades, maybe even centuries. And in all that time, Cecil's life has been going on.

Internship

Cecil’s first broadcasts were as a radio station intern, while Leonard Burton was the community radio host. And Leonard has also been around for a very long time - according to Cecil in [Best Of?]. In truth, Cecil’s first ever broadcast, as an intern, was when Night Vale was founded (this is the first recording played by Leonard in [Best Of?].) Well. As with everything in Night Vale, it is actually way more complicated than that.

There are two episodes that give us a lot of information about Cecil Palmer’s youth: Cassette, and later, [Best Of?] . And both stories don’t really match.

1) In Cassette, we learn that Cecil was 15 when his mother gave him a tape recorder so that he could practice radio talking (since the tablets at City Hall said that he was meant to replace Leonard Burton someday, but we’ll talk more about that later). It is also at that time that Cecil started interning at the radio station. Important point: he mentions the newly open Big Rico’s Pizza, and the previous pizza place that burned down the week before. Which means (along with the mention of City Hall) that Night Vale already existed.

When Cecil started interning, his mother suddenly covered all the mirrors of the house, and hid from him for three days in a row. Hiding is apparently a normal behavior for her, but Cecil mentions that it is the longest she has ever hid. Cecil’s brother does not seem to appreciate his brother interning at the station, either. Did they know what was going to happen to him?

Now comes the important part…

While recording, Cecil notices a flickering movement at the edge of his vision. The movement stops when he stops recording. He then mentions that the movement seems “encouraged” by the fact that he is recording. All the mirrors are eventually uncovered (by his mother? by the Faceless Old Woman? by someone else? we will never know), Cecil notices the movement stronger than ever, and then… struggling noises, faint screams, and blank.

I think that, at that moment, Cecil became possessed by a different entity, which I believe is the spirit of Night Vale (or something similar). That spirit keeps Cecil alive, and erased some of his memories: he does not remember anything that was on the tapes, such as him interning at the station, and the fact that he has a brother (There is a rumor going around that Abby, Cecil’s sister, is transsexual; and knowing Night Vale, it wouldn’t be surprising that in addition to the surgery to become a woman, doctors did “something” (?) to make everyone believe that Abby had always been a woman. But that is an entirely different theory. ).

2) The story told in the other information-full episode, [Best Of?], unfortunately bears a lot of details that contradict the clues from Cassette.

Cecil, in his first recording, is older than he was at the time of Cassette: he has a more mature voice, and is not as hysterical about his new job as he previously was. But! the first recording is obviously done at the moment of the foundation of Night Vale. And intern Cecil in Cassette lived in already-founded Night Vale.

Secondly (but this is a minor point), in Cassette, Leonard Burton is said to have a very high-pitched voice… which is absolutely not the case in [Best Of?], where we hear him talk “live”.

If we stay in the subject of the time problem, we can also mention the fact that current Cecil has a family, in the name of his sister Abby. We know that Cecil has been around for a long time, it is said both in Homecoming and [Best Of?], and probably in various other episodes. Does that mean Abby is immortal too? Or that she is not really related to Cecil, and they both have fake memories of their childhood (if Cecil even remembers a childhood at all)?

Let’s close this little digression and go back to the [Best Of?] episode. Among the interesting stuff we learn there, we can list:

The fact that Cecil’s trip to Europe occurred during his internship (but probably not part of the internship itself).

That Josie was already around in the 1930s; she was at that time very young, but already knew how to perform magic tricks and minor prophecies.

That Leonard Burton, the previous radio host, retired sometime during World War II, in order to understand what family was about. It’s at that time that Cecil Palmer took on the job of community radio host.

That in 1983, the world ended. Yes. The world ended. It started with a report about Night Vale’s Russian sister town, Nulegorsk, being destroyed by bombs. Then, reports of all the horrors of the Cold War. And then... nothing happened, it’s a beautiful day in Night Vale, and only one person in the whole town realizes that reality has shifted, and still partially experiences a reality in which the world no longer exists (that person is not Cecil). That means someone, or something, moved all Night Vale into an alternate reality in which they were safe.

That a terrible accident (implying guts, blood, skin, and the toenails… oh my, the toenails…) happened to Leonard Burton, an accident so huge that it was likely to draw the attention of street cleaners. An accident that caused his death, as is very clearly said in the recording. An accident that he does not at all remember having. And that apparently had no consequences on his current self, who is perfectly alive and healthy, thank you very much.

The problem of these two episode’s stories not matching could be explained by saying that the Cecil present in Cassette is not the same person as the Cecil from [Best Of?], but then why do they both have the same name and the same voice? Or it could simply be explained by quoting Carlos: “Time isn't real!” (Although I know Night Vale cannot be studied using logic, I am not comfortable throwing away all my questions and concerns and just answering “Because Night Vale is weird, duh!”)

Other immortals

Cecil Palmer is obviously pretty much immortal. But the thing is, he is not the only one.

I already mentioned Leonard Burton, the previous radio host: he was radio host at the time of the foundation of Night Vale, if we base ourselves on [Best Of?], and was already host for a while when Cecil started recording his own tapes at home, according to Cassette. Anyways, Cecil himself says, in [Best Of?], that he genuinely can’t remember a time when Leonard wasn’t doing that job. If we consider true the theory currently being explored (the spirit of Night Vale incarnating in community radio hosts), it is probable that Leonard was the incarnation of Night Vale himself before he retired and passed on the job (and the role) to Cecil.

Earl Harlan has also been around for a pretty long time. He graduated high school at the same time as Cecil, so probably a very long time ago (assuming that Cecil is indeed immortal), and has been stuck for decades, maybe even centuries, at age 19. The thing is, he remembers spending a long time not growing up, and he does realize how strange his sudden change of situation (grown-up, father and sous-chef of Tourniquet) is, whereas Cecil doesn’t remember interning at the station, doesn’t remember much about Leonard Burton (except the fact that Leonard was the community radio host when he was little), doesn’t remember in what year he and Earl graduated, and suddenly changes the conversation when Earl asks sensitive questions about their common childhood and teen years. That leads us to an important question: what is Earl’s role, why is he immortal? His character is obviously here to bring up questions about Cecil’s past life, but he still must have a role to play in Cecil’s backstory. A pretty important role, considering all the stuff that has happened to him. And the fact that he mentions his extended youth so much means that it is not a common thing in Night Vale (contrary to other weird things such as having several limbs, or no sensitive nerves, for example).

As I said earlier, being part of his close family, Abby brings up the problem of Cecil’s life’s length. If he has been around forever, what about Abby? It is probable that she is also immortal - if she is actually related to Cecil, which is not totally sure.

In [Best Of?], acting legend Lee Marvin is also mentioned (probably only as a running joke). He has been around since the foundation of Night Vale, and seems to always be celebrating his 30th birthday.

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home already Secretly Lived In Cecil’s Home at the time of Cassette. Which is not very surprising (The real question is: at what time was she a Faceless Young Woman? ).

III - The theory, detailed

Night Vale, as a town, is also represented by a spirit / a voice. That spirit inhabits the body of actual people, one at a time. These incarnations are not chosen randomly: it seems evident that Cecil was chosen because of his passion for radio (he says, in Cassette, that the flickering movement seems to be encouraged when he records, and he also says that the radio station immediately felt like home. Also, it was written on the tablets at City Hall that he was bound to replace Leonard Burton someday).

That person, that incarnation (Cecil Palmer, in this case), does not know that he is the incarnation of the town’s spirit. His original personality and behavior are not erased by the spirit (current Cecil, young Cecil from Cassette, and untimely Cecil from [Best Of?] all use the word “neat” to describe things that they find incredibly awesome), but can be overcome by it (according to the September Monologues, Cecil originally appreciated Steve Carlsberg, before Steve started showing that he knew “too much” about the Sheriff’s Secret Police’s hierarchy and work, which isn’t normal/legal for a Night Vale citizen). But the spirit erases part of its host’s memories (such as Cecil having a brother or interning at the station). Why? It remains a mystery.

Most things in the podcast seem to confirm this theory, except the timeline: if we consider the spirit took possession of Cecil’s body at the time he was an intern, in Cassette, then why was Leonard still the “voice of Night Vale”? I am certain that the incarnation of Night Vale has to be the current community radio host; which was Leonard for many years. But then, why have also Cecil inhabited by the spirit, while Leonard was the incarnation of the town? Why have two at the same time? I don’t think having a “replacement” in case something happened to Leonard is a reason good enough. The most probable (but not certain) answer is that Cecil seemed the perfect person to take on the job after Leonard; but considering at what time he was born, there was no chance he would still be alive when/if Leonard died (or retired). The spirit therefore took possession of him while it was still possible, and maintained him alive until he was needed to take on Leonard job/role (and still keeps Cecil alive today).

IV - Consequences of the possession

Cecil’s abilities

First of all, he is immortal. He has obviously been around since the foundation of Night Vale (he was 15 at that time), and although we have no idea of his current age, he doesn’t seem to be very old.

He is always in the middle of the action, and is often the one who speaks for or is spoken to by all the higher beings that roam Night Vale (such as the Glow Cloud, the Pyramid, the Hooded Figures, and very recently, the Deer-Masked figures). Although he is not the only one: Old Woman Josie is the only person to whom the not-at-all-angels revealed themselves, and Chad only talked to Steve Carlsberg about the arrows in the sky. And obviously, Steve is the only one who sees the chart in the sky and understands all that is going on (if we momentarily forget Chad, who apparently also could see them after his first encounter with the Beagle Puppy).

Cecil has very few emotions - or at least did at the beginning of the podcast. We have all been struck by his lack of feelings - “And now, a short public service announcement: can alligators eat your children? Yes.” But this seems to have been slowly changed, mainly by two people: Carlos (since the very first episode), and Khoshekh. Cecil always overreacts to anything Carlos says or does, and he is overwhelmed by his kitty’s adorableness. These kind of feelings have eventually started developing towards other people: Dana Cardinal, Janice (although Cecil rarely says anything about his sister Abby), Fay from ZZZ, the number radio station, Tamika Flynn during the revolution against Strex Corp, and of course, the inhabitants of Night Vale in general. In the latest episodes (and especially in the 91st episode), Cecil has been able to feel a lot more for the people around him and for what was happening to him, and to express these feelings on the air, which he had very rarely done before.

However, it is interesting to note that he has always, since the beginning of the podcast, been able to feel anger or hate, especially towards two targets: Steve Carlsberg, and Kevin (and Desert Bluffs in general).

His feelings and mood sometimes radically change for no reasons. The main example of this is his first encounter with Steve Carlsberg, at his and Abby’s wedding. According to Steve himself in September Monologues, Cecil was at first very friendly and welcoming, before Steve showed him his knowledge of the secret hierarchy of Night Vale, and Cecil immediately started hating and avoiding him. Secondly, when asked by Earl Harlan in what year they both graduated from high school, instead of saying that he didn’t remember, Cecil remained silent for a few seconds, before redirecting the conversation on the tiramisu Earl was supposed to bake, and totally ignoring Earl’s question. The exact same thing happened more recently when Old Woman Josie begged Cecil to acknowledge the existence of angels: he stayed speechless for a moment, and then went on with the interview about the opera like nothing had happened. I think these changes in behavior are directed by the spirit of Night Vale inhabiting Cecil. It usually lets Cecil live his own life and make his own choice (even though it probably directs them towards a way that fits the Night Vale mentality), but when something is opposed to this mentality, or questions Cecil’s past or his role, then the spirit concretely interferes.

Cecil is able to predict future events, or present events that he is not included in. It was mainly shown in two episodes, A story about you, and A story about them. As said by one of the two crate sellers, “for some reason, everything you’re doing is being broadcasted on the radio”. However, Cecil doesn’t know everything that is going on, and he is certain to be a normal Night Vale citizen. (The Sheriff's Secret Police constantely watching all of Night Vale could be a rationnal explanation for Cecil's extremely extended knowledge about the people of the town.) Second example: in [Best Of?], after mentioning some strange figures observing the pioneers from the heights, intern Cecil prophecies that the inhabitants of Night Vale will grow to ignore, and even stop believing in anything related to height, such as hills or mountains. Which eventually became real: nowadays, most Night Vale citizens don’t believe in mountains.

He is totally dedicated to his radio host job: being literally the voice of Night Vale, and having originally a strong passion for the radio, he is totally dedicated to bringing the news to his fellow citizens, even at the peril of his own life.

We could also imagine that, if Strex Corp failed in effectively taking over Night Vale, it is in fact because at that moment, Cecil wasn’t in Night Vale. For instance, when Strex Corp took over Desert Bluffs, they easily captured Kevin, who was standing against them to protect the radio station. Cecil, on the other hand, had fled in the Desert Otherworld when Strex Corp “invaded” Night Vale; and although the Dog Park is geographically located in Night Vale, the Desert Otherworld isn’t (as a proof, Carlos had to stay in the Desert Otherworld at the end of Old Oak Doors, because he didn’t belong in Night Vale). The spirit of Night Vale itself being temporarily out of the geographical location of the town, Strex Corp had no chance of successfully controlling Night Vale; although the Erikas and Tamika Flynn’s help were needed to actually kick Strex Corp out of the place. (This is totally unsure, and we don’t have enough clues to confirm it; it is only an additional theory. )

V - Small recap

Confused? Too much information at once? This is the Night Vale syndrome. Welcome to the fandom. Anyways, here is a short recap of the arguments leading to think that Cecil is the immortal incarnation of Night Vale.

Voice actor Cecil Baldwin is always credited as “The voice of Night Vale” instead of “The voice of Cecil Palmer”.

Cecil Palmer is pretty much immortal, or at least has been around for a very, very long time.

He is more often than not the spokesperson of the many supernatural beings that visited/invaded Night Vale (the Glow Cloud, the Pyramid, one of the Hooded Figures, the elementary school’s computer, the Deer Masks…).

He can predict future events, and reports on news he has no means of knowing about.

His first ever broadcast has been made at the moment of the foundation of Night Vale, and he had been working at the radio station way before radio was even invented.

He has very few feelings (at least at the beginning of the podcast), and has an utter trust in Night Vale’s totalitarian government.

A seemingly mortal accident happened to him in his youth; accident that actually didn’t kill him or leave any visible sequels, but probably lead to a possession by a supernatural entity.

He has fake memories, and doesn’t remember many of the major events of his past life, which suggest that someone or something modified his memory.

His mood/feelings/opinion change incredibly quickly when something comes to question his beliefs or knowledge (such as Steve Carlsberg’s presentation on the hierarchy of the Secret Police, and Earl Harlan’s questions on their common childhood).

He is totally, absolutely dedicated to his news reporter duty, at the point where he values his job more than his own life, leading him to take great risks to fulfill his duty. (But not more than his relationship with Carlos, though: he took the decision to quit his job and leave Night Vale to meet his boyfriend in the Desert Otherworld. It is interesting to notice that family is also the reason Leonard quit the radio station (although in his case, he wanted to understand what family meant, rather than spending time with his).)

Do you believe, now?

But despite these clues, many questions remain: why doesn’t Cecil remember his childhood? Why do the stories of Cassette and [Best Of?] contradict each other? Who is really Abby? What is Earl Harlan’s role? What happened to Cecil’s mother and brother?

These might be answered in future episodes, but they might as well remain mysteries forever. After all, Night Vale is a weird place, isn’t it?

#night vale #welcome to night vale #cecil palmer #carlos the scientist #the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home #night vale city council #the sheriff's secret police #leonard burton #earl harlan #there probably should be more hashtags but i don't know what to write next

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beardedenemyballoon-1b8253dd · 7 years

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The Westphalia Treaty contributions To International Relations.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE WESTPHALIA TREATY TO THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM By Comr Okoli Obiajulu Leonard First and foremost I will start by giving a brief history of the WESTPHALIA TREATY

On October 24th 1648, the Treaty of Westphalia was signed, marking the end of the Thirty Years' War. Ratification of the Peace of Münster (Gerard ter Borch, Münster, 1648) Ratification of the Peace of Münster (Gerard ter Borch, Münster, 1648) The Westphalia area of north-western Germany gave its name to the treaty that ended the Thirty Years' War, one of the most destructive conflicts in the history of Europe. The war or series of connected wars began in 1618, when the Austrian Habsburgs tried to impose Roman Catholicism on their Protestant subjects in Bohemia. It pitted Protestant against Catholic, the Holy Roman Empire against France, the German princes and princelings against the emperor and each other, and France against the Habsburgs of Spain. The Swedes, the Danes, the Poles, the Russians, the Dutch and the Swiss were all dragged in or dived in. Commercial interests and rivalries played a part, as did religion and power politics. Among famous commanders involved were Marshal Turenne and the Prince de Condé for France, Wallenstein for the Empire and Tilly for the Catholic League, and there was an able Bavarian general curiously named Franz von Mercy. Others to play a part ranged from the Winter King of Bohemia to the emperors Ferdinand II and Ferdinand III, Bethlen Gabor of Transylvania, Christian IV of Denmark, Gustavus II Adolphus and Queen Christina of Sweden, the Great Elector of Brandenburg, Philip IV of Spain and his brother the Cardinal-Infante, Louis XIII of France, Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin and several popes. Gustavus Adolphus was shot in the head and killed at the battle of Lutzen in 1632. The increasingly crazed Wallenstein, who grew so sensitive to noise that he had all the dogs, cats and cockerels killed in every town he came to, was murdered by an English captain in 1634. Still the fighting went on. The war was largely fought on German soil and reduced the country to desolation as hordes of mercenaries, left unpaid by their masters, lived off the land. Rapine, pillage and famine stalked the countryside as armies marched about, plundering towns, villages and farms as they went. ‘We live like animals, eating bark and grass,’ says a pitiful entry in a family Bible from a Swabian village. ‘No one could have imagined that anything like this would happen to us. Many people say that there is no God...’ Wenceslas Hollar recorded devastation in the war zone in engravings of the 1630s and starvation reached such a point in the Rhineland that there were cases of cannibalism. The horror became a way of life and when the war finally ended, the mercenaries and their womenfolk complained that their livelihood was gone. The peace conference to end the war opened in Münster and Osnabrück in December 1644. It involved no fewer than 194 states, from the biggest to the smallest, represented by 179 plenipotentiaries. There were thousands of ancillary diplomats and support staff, who had to be given housing, fed and watered, and they did themselves well for close to four years, despite famine in the country around. Presiding over the conference were the Papal Nuncio, Fabio Chigi (the future Pope Alexander VII), and the Venetian ambassador. The first six months were spent arguing about who was to sit where and who was to go into a room ahead of whom. The principal French and Spanish envoys never managed to meet at all because the correct protocol could not be agreed. A special postal system handled reams of letters between the envoys and their principals at a time when it took ten days or more to send a communication from Münster to Paris or Vienna and twenty days or more to Stockholm or Madrid. Slowly deals were hammered out. Even then it took almost three weeks just to organise the signing ceremony, which commenced at two o’clock in the afternoon of Saturday, October 24th, 1648. The treaty gave the Swiss independence of Austria and the Netherlands independence of Spain. The German principalities secured their autonomy. Sweden gained territory and a payment in cash, Brandenburg and Bavaria made gains too, and France acquired most of Alsace-Lorraine. The reason that the Peace of Westphalia/Treaty of Westphalia is discussed so frequently in the studies of international relations has to do with the implications of the Treaty of Westphalia on the international system, namely with regards to the notion of state sovereignty. The reason that there is so much attention to the Peace of Westphalia was because it altered that way that political power structures existed. For example, before the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, there was a feudal system in existence throughout much of Europe (Hassan, 2006). And while sovereignty did exist, it was not universally respected across all states the same way. For example, while there were some cases of complete sovereign states, there also existed some entities that were not fully sovereign (Hassan, 2006). However, the Peace of Westphalia/Treaty of Westphalia changed all that, as “[i]t emphased the separation of States. Therefore Christendom was ivided into sovereign secular States with a thick line between them and the government were the absolute authority inside that line. This change brought a new image in every sovereign territorial limit, that is, all Governments are the exclusive authority and their decisions and arguments are exclusively carried out within their territorial limit, as the concept of Westphalian sovereignty is tied to State territory. According to territorial sovereignty, within a territory there is only one absolute temporal power, the Government of that territorial State” (Hassan, 2006). And because of the Treaty of Westphalia’s ability to place state sovereignty at the forefront of international relations, Hassan (2006) argues that “It recognised the hornogenial system and acknowledged all Princes or States as equally sovereign. It removed temporal power from the church. It was therefore a fundamental charter in nature. As a fundamental and comprehensive charter it established many rules and principles of the new society of states. Some of the general ideas clearly expressed by this charter have been echoed in the following international settlements and in the permanent congress of the League of Nations and United Nations” (65). Thus, the idea of the state leaders to govern themselves without outside interference was the primary contribution and legacy of the Peace of Westphalia/Treaty of Westphalia. However, others have also argued that the Peace of Westphalia (Treaty of Westphalia) also established principles of secularism as a political state structure (Straumann, 2007). It will be interested to see how the Peace of Westphalia/Treaty of Westphalia continues to influence international relations and the international system. Not only are issues of sovereignty debated, particularly as states commit human rights violations, but additional globalization has also led some to re-examine the ideas of sovereignty set forth by the Peace of Westphalia Okhonmina (2010), since sovereignty has continued to evolve in international relations, even shortly after the Peace of Westphalia was established (Kelleh, 2012), with different approaches to sovereignty, and more attention to non-state actors such as individuals, as well as multinational corporations

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top5mbawritingservices-us-blog · 7 years

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Sample College Application Essay

judge College Application Essay 1\nYou Be the Judge\n conceive the following application strain. arrest if you can figure step up this analyzes strengths and weaknesses. Then keep cultivation to see our revaluation.\n\nThe Essay\n\nFrom the sentence I was able to sympathize what a university was, al champion I heard from my mothers side of the family was or so the University of lettuce and the colossal heritage it has. Many a Saturday good afternoon my grandfather would devote to me, by sitting me down in front of the television and reminiscing more than or less the University of cabbage while halftime occurred during a Michigan Wolverines football game. Later, as I grew older and universities took on greater meaning, my mother and uncle, both(prenominal)(prenominal) alumni of the University of Michigan, took me to see their old stamping grounds. From scratch show, the university looked frightening because of its size, yet with such(prenominal) a large shallo w comes motley of sight and of pedantic and non-academic events.\n\nIn Spring case uplifted School, non-academic clubs such as the future Physicians and the Pylon, both of which I substantiate belonged to for both years, give me an luck to see both the business world and the medical world. These ii clubs check given me a greater sentience of what these careers whitethorn be like. In approaching Physicians, I participated in field trips to childrens hospitals and likewise participated in ii business line banks.\n\nCurrently I hold a transaction at Maas Brothers. This lets me interact with concourse outside my own prompt environment. I meet incompatible mercifuls of people, in diffrent moods, with various attitudes, and with different values. This job teaches me to be patient with people, to entertain responsibility, and to appreciate people for what they are.\n\nIn the community I am active in my church Youth Group. As a high tutor sophomore, I was our churchs representative to the diocesan Youth Fellowship. I servinged guide youth group events, the largest creation The Bishops Ball, a state-wide event for terzettosome hundred young people. I in like manner played high schooltime junior varsity association football for twain years. As a senior I ordain be playing varsity soccer, tho in the off-season. As a junior I coached a girls soccer squad for the town. This gave me a great deal of responsibility because the care of cardinal girls was put into my custody. It felt really satisfying to pass on the contendledge of soccer to a nonher(prenominal) generation. The girls played teams from other separate of Florida. Though their record was 3-8, the girls make merryed their season. This is what I taught them was the greatest joy of soccer.\n\nThe early(prenominal) three years of my b pack and butter have given me greater visions of my future. I see the University of Michigan as holding a large book with numerous unread cha pters and myself as an bore-hole child who has honest knowledgeable to read. I intend to read and probe into all the chapters. The University of Michigan offers me more than the great disposition of this fine school, but a large student be with diverse likes and dislikes, and many activities, both academic and non-academic, to participate in. With the help of the University of Michigan, I will be successful after college and be able to make a name and place for myself in our society.\n\nThe Critique\n\nAdmission officials fancy how you write your essay, not just what you write about. Try to critique your own essays in the said(prenominal) way this sample essay is critiqued below.\n\nThe Introduction\nThe introduction seems to have a lack of center: Wheres the writer going with this carve up? Wheres the writer going with this essay? Also, the writer inevitably to subjugate the phrasing (e.g., while halftime occurred to at halftime or From first sight to Immediately).\n\nTh e Body\n there is a very brusk transition from the first carve up to the second: How did we see from Michigans diversity to the writers clubs? The second paragraph also includes general statements with little narrate: How did these activities reveal career paths?\n\n earth-closet the writer be more specific? What does participated in two blood banks mean? Did he drive volunteers from across town, bless people in all day on three Saturdays every month withdraw August or egest 15 minutes one Thursday afternoon in the nurses office giving blood?\n\nIn the third paragraph, we have to ask: What does the writer do at Maas Brothers? Interact needs definition. What here shows that the writer has archetype about the time spend at Maas Brothers? Also in this paragraph, there is a spell out of different (diffrent): The writer did not proofread thoroughly.\n\nThe learning in the fourth paragraph (as hygienic as the previous two paragraphs) appears elsewhere in the application. Essay s that only when run down your accomplishments dont transmit to your application. And does the reader need to know that the girls played teams from other separate of Florida?\n\nThe writer would be ameliorate off focusing on one of the things discussed in this essay, such as working with the girls soccer team. What he did to make Jennifer and Gretchen and Courtney enjoy soccer even though they won only three of their games would be more vivid and focused than a potful of talk about fugacious things on to future generations.\n\nThe final result\nThe conclusion returns to the earlier nous of diversity at Michigan, but this idea was not actual in the body of the essay. Its not necessary to mention the great reputation of this fine school. Instead, the writer should give specific, programmatic reasons Michigan offers the kind of education he needs.\n\n overall\nThis essay seems full of information and demonstrates basic essay organization, but it lacks focus and proof. The read er gets a laundry list of activities sort of than a clear sense of who the writer is and what he cares and thinks about.\n\nThe writer also repeats some phrases. He mentions the University of Michigan six multiplication and repeats academic and non-academic twice.If you want to get a full essay, outrank it on our website: Custom essay writing service. Free essay/order revisions. Essays of any complexity! Courseworks, term papers, research papers. 100% confidential!Homework live help. Custom Essay Order is available 24/7!

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magdaleneswift-blog · 7 years

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MEN-EXPLAIN PEDOPHILIA TO ME

Benedict's response to the pedophile crisis was to invoke the greatest evil he could think of – Women. The first thought in his head when confronted with the pedophile crisis was to compare pedophiles to women who want to become priests, thereby proudly shining a spotlight on the Vatican practice, policy, and theology of preferring pedophiles to women to 'represent Christ' as priests. Ratzy's next response to the pedophiles apparently was to go after the homosexuals. So pedophilia is only a problem if boys are molested. I guess it considered being molested the purpose of little girls. At least it is being monitored by four women in the Vatican.

The policy continues. Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, one of the most active church officials in protecting the pedophiles, was made part of the Curia and appointed to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome in 2004 by John Paul, II after the story of his shuffling them around broke in the Boston Post.

The Basilica is one of the most prominent positions in the Church. It would be hard to find a location to more proudly showcase the Vatican position of promoting pedophiles. He is still at the Basilica. He then invited his fellow pedophile bishop from California to join him. The press just recently showcased the Australian pedophile cardinal. The Vatican said he was too sick to travel to face charges. Then he is too sick to be a cardinal and should be defrocked. The victims committed suicide. Bene dick’s brother was also shown to be abusing the boys in his choir. The press wondered if Benne dick realized his brother was a pedophile. Since he went out of his way to praise them, of course he knew.

The current bishop of Scranton and his predecessor were ignored when they repeatedly reported to the Vatican that the second in command in the Paraguayan hierarchy was a known pedophile. It took months to get rid of him.

The Dominican Republic pedophile, another John Paull II appointee, was called home to the Vatican where he was seen wandering around Rome shortly thereafter. (His fancy new office wasn't ready yet?) The Vatican defrocked him; thereby removing that pesky celibacy requirement. Vatican - It's ok, he wasn't interested in fully grown women.

In May of 2016, a known pedophile from Minnesota was just hired to teach college in Rome. His record prevented from obtaining a job in Michigan. Not a problem in Rome. Previously, the Minnesota diocese gave them pensions and sent them to live in the Caribbean – Lots of nearly naked children there.

Francis has stated that those who sheltered the pedophiles are also guilty. They are still in the Vatican.

The question is whether he is Pope Wishy Washy, lying through his teeth, or held hostage by the curia. I agree that cleaning up the curia is equivalent to cleaning out the Augean Stables.

With the documented Vatican practice of gathering pedophiles from around the world and turning them loose on the streets of Rome, If I lived in Rome, I would have been leading a riot. They finally got around to trying and locking the Dominican Republican pedophile up. He 'conveniently' died. "Preach the Gospel. When necessary, use words." = Pedophilia is the most important criteria for moving up the church hierarchy. The theologian behind me in choir says that the Vatican follows Roman law; guilty until proven innocent. Does the vatican realize that they have the moral and theological credibility of child pornographers after Benne Dick's statement?

Since the response of the Vatican to any woman who wants to be a priest is immediate excommunication, pedophilia is an honorable occupation and the only mortal sin is being female.

Apparently, the vatican looks at Christ and sees nothing other than a penis. Their policy has always been - Promote the pedophile - Excommunicate the woman. Jesus is more than a penis – no matter what the Vatican thinks. So the vatican vision of Christ is a deranged predator molesting children, holy solely because it is male. The response of all the rest of the cardinals and bishops seems to be enthusiastic agreement with the vatican. Qui Tacuit Consentire.

If the Virgin Mary appeared in the Vatican tomorrow and asked to be a priest, she would be immediately excommunicated. Conceived without sin, but not eligible to be a priest.

The Vatican continually reinforces that it is an multi-billion dollar international organization totally dedicated to worshipping their dicks. The Catholic Church has become billions of believers held hostage by 205 proud pagan pedophiles in the Vatican. Ever since I have a new vocation: Exercising the Cult of Priapus from the Vatican. The only way I can sleep at night is to send variations of the essays and posters below to everyone I can think of, the higher up the church hierarchy the better. No matter how bad things were in my life, I could always fall back on the fact that I at least meant something to the Lord and the Church. Benne Dick negated that. Catholicism is too precious to have senile perverts who prefer pedophiles to women in charge of it.

(Priapus, that Roman fertility god. He is known for having a continual erection and not being able to ejaculate. Why the Romans would a have a fertility god who is essentially sterile is more than I can fathom. Are you sure men count as a sentient species?)

I have heard that Benne Dick has been spending his retirement writing and correcting church doctrine. I guess he considers it the crowning achievement of his theological career. Neither he nor Francis seems to have any interest in correcting the theology of that statement. I consider the statement inspired and a theological correction by the Holy Spirit to ensure the ‘infallibility’ of the church. I can think of no other statement that confirms the total depravity of their doctrine.

Father always says that priests are supposed to represent Christ on earth. Apparently to Benne Dick, service, dedication, faith, fidelity, devotion, and calling mean NOTHING. The most important characteristic of Christ is therefore that he was male! Did it dawn on this 'great theologian' that it just declared its dick, God? It reinforced this point by using such a depraved comparison to make its point unmistakable. The criterion for priesthood is therefore dependent on only One 'Thing.' Screening for clerical candidates would be the same as an Army physical - Drop your pants, receive a Roman collar and prey on the children in the church. Celibacy even seems to be optional as long as you agree to only molest children, or is that a criterion for moving up the church hierarchy? I suppose we should be grateful it didn't put "Our pride is in our shame" over Saint Peters and on the Vatican stationary. That would be one way of solving the unemployment crisis. Since the Vatican says the only criteria for priesthood is male and breathing, any man can walk into church, drop his pants, and receive a roman collar and a guaranteed lifetime job.

Yet pedophiles are closer to representing Christ than women? Christ who said that; whoever harms a child; “it is better that a millstone be hung around his neck and he be drowned in the nearest sea”. That is letting them off lightly as far as I am concerned. Remember Christ's words, "Whatsoever you do unto the least of my people, that you do unto me." and that depraved pervert defends them.

I had always thought the pedophiles were an aberration. That statement indicates it is the preferred policy. This statement also defines Catholicism to the world in terms of violent sexual abuse of children. I know most people would happily sell their souls to the devil for the belief they are better than someone else, but this is an evil I could not have envisioned in my worst nightmare.

The Church used to be a leader in the rights and dignity of women. The Vatican chooses to ignore the astounding efforts of the main church, especially the women; instead choosing to represent us as more depraved monsters than the Taliban or Boko Haran. And we criticize the Muslims for allowing their religion to be held hostage by ISIS, Al Quida, the Taliban, etc. – If it moves, shoot it. If it doesn’t move, blow it up. If it is female, beat it. If it has value, steal it.

The Boston Post had an insightful article on the rape culture and how men really approve of it and how it will take their efforts to eliminate it. The Vatican has continually demonstrated for the last seven years how they not only approve of the rape culture, they consider it a key foundation to their theology. I have always considered myself a mediocre Catholic and never considered myself capable of being a priest. Compared to that, I am OVER QUALIFIED and care more for the Catholic Church than the Vatican. I also considered myself Catholic in SPITE of the hierarchy.

I am least grateful they haven't put a "Help Wanted, Pedophile Preferred" sign in Saint Peter's Square. They take the chastisement of the New Testament “They take pride in their shame.” as a maxim to live by and take it to new levels.

I can't imagine what the previous cardinals were thinking when they selected this feeble minded pervert. Were they looking for the reincarnation of Rasputin, a dim wit that would allow them to rob the church blind, or since their anatomy is more important to them than ANYTHING else, did they simply drop their pants and pull out a ruler? How else do you explain Cardinal Barbie Doll Burke being considered among the best and brightest the Church has to offer? When a priest is too incompetent to be able to pastor a parish, do they make him a cardinal?

At the very least, all the cardinals sitting on their backsides and letting the Vatican stand for pedophilia is the same mindset that caused the head on airplane collision in the Canary Islands. The flight crew were too terrified of going against the captain to tell him he was going the wrong way on the air strip in the fog. At least the airline had the sense to change their policy of captain absolute authority after that.

Forget debating angels on the head of a pin, the current theological debate is how well Christ was hung. I don't care how many millennia they spend gazing in adoration at their anatomy, it is NOT God.

The one thing this current debacle proves is that it is dangerous to allow cardinals to congregate unsupervised. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the last conclave and explain theology to them in terms that even men can understand. They must consider a penis an antenna that allows them to receive broadcasts directly from the logos of the Creator. It certainly seems to be their lower head they were thinking with. After Benne Dick's statement, I no longer believe in the legitimacy of the Vatican. The scary thing is that most of the current cardinals were appointed by this menace. It has likely loaded the College of Cardinals with every pedophile and dick worshipper it could find. The previous 'pope' was a Donatist who considered the elite of the Church pedophiles, penis worshipers, and substandard Latin scholars, in that order.

It is said that those hiding the pedophiles were trying to protect the Church. This is backwards. The Church is the community of believers and our most important members are our children. I am furious at those using the Catholic Church as cover for the Cult of Priapus.

The Church is the Bride of Christ, NOT a kept woman used to stroke their male egos on demand.

In all groups of animals, the females only tolerate the male doing his big alpha male thing until he poses a threat to the group and especially to the offspring. At that point, the females get together and clobber him. I have seen this in my father's cattle and on several National Geographic programs and in the latest literature on group psychology. With that statement, Benne Dick is way over the line of being a menace to children.

It is said that the purpose of civilization is the protection of children, pregnant women and the infirm. The previous 'pope' fails even this simple test. Father is big that the duty of men is to protect women and children. Someone forgot to tell the Vatican. Another example of men protecting women – The Miss America contestant assaulted by Trump – Her father is voting for Trump. Ladies – you are on your own.

It is a proven fact that when people congregate, the collective IQ of the group drops. What I want to know is why we follow the lead of the bottom 10% of the population. How is it that 205 proud pedophiles in Vatican City are able to hold hostage the faith of billions?

With all the archeological evidence of the benefits of the great monotheistic religions, why do we define Christianity by the KKK, the functionally illiterate creationists in Dover, PA, the senile pervert in Rome, Rasputin, the pigs on stilts and wig wearing Jews. It is sickening with all the positive messages of religion how many people just care that they are in a magic group that lets them kill whoever disagrees with them. Verily I say unto you, might makes right is not the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph but the god of the male chimpanzee. This is actually an insult to the chimpanzees as it has been shown they have a higher ethical standard than this.

I heard somewhere that it was forced to resign by cutting off credit card service to the Vatican. That makes no sense as where would you have credit card readers in a Renaissance basilica? The Post Office & museum maybe?

I will, however; continue writing to everyone I can think of to protest this policy of pedophilia until I see some believable evidence that the Vatican looks at Christ and sees something other than a penis and looks at our children and sees something other than prey. Unfortunately, I have seen no evidence that the current pope has implemented policies for papal senility. He also recently stated that there was nothing wrong with his predecessor's theology.

Between the Vatican, the ISIS style groups, and Donald Trump, it appears the world is in the throes of mass insanity.

#vatican #religion #pope benedict xvi

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beardedenemyballoon-1b8253dd · 7 years

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The Westphalia Treaty contributions To International Relations.

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