Quote:Ace Dreamer wrote:Oh, I expected that. I was just engaging my inner smug bastard. In fact, I only remembered the reference because it was the first time I heard of St. Vidicon, and I had sort of planned to add the order somehwere, but I had completely forgotten the reference and the plans until you reminded me. But, well, Jesuits -wich in our world are probably pretty normal people, but in Fenspace they follow genre convention and are each and every one of then Xanatos Gambit plotters and bloody know everything.
Quote:Sadly, the Father General did not allow "St Vidicon", so they chose St Philip Neri. Since the Father is a Jesuit, the chances are that he knows where they did get the idea of picking St Philip, but he said nothing...I think you will have to be a bit more explicit about this. I'm afraid I miss the connection. As for "St Vidicon" alternatives, I'm told "St Jude" (in his 'lost causes' capacity) is sometimes substituted. [grin]
The reference comes from the 1632 universe: To be exact, the Grantville Gazette, volume 7, in the ficlet Canst Thou Send Lightnings?.
Let's all give a great ovation to Baen books ant the way they offer so, so many free godies to check in their websites, for here it the full ficlet:
http://www.baenebooks.com/chapters/1011 ... .htm?blurb
And the relevant part:
****
“No. You may not form an order dedicated to a saint invented by a science fiction writer in 1982.” Larry Mazzare looked most firm.
“But . . . ”
“Which part of no didn't you understand?”
“But . . . ”
“You may distribute the talismans. You may use the story from the book as the inspiration for the talisman. You should use the terminology. God knows that Murphy certainly is perverse and acts in the world. If that weren't true then several of the parishioners’ cars would quit breaking for no reason.”
Nicholas saw Larry's look become stern. “However, if you need to call on a saint to assist you, I urge you to look to the saint most closely related to your talisman, not some fictional construct of an unchurched Episcopalian.”
“Who?”
Larry picked up one of the screwdrivers from the box. “I note the appropriateness of the cross at the tip. I'm glad you didn't get flat bladed ones.” He paused. “You ought to know who I mean. He was canonized not 10 years ago. A man known for his sense of humor. He ought to be able to help us laugh in the face of Murphy's perversity.”
“But the talisman?”
“Oh, come now. He would have appreciated the appropriateness of it. By all accounts, he would have had the entire congregation laughing.”
Nicholas just stared at Larry.
Father Mazzare opened a reference to a painting of a man. He grinned as he showed it to Nicholas. The man in the painting wore half a beard and was kicking a ball while leading a rag-tag group of people who carried household goods through a street. “Come now. The pun is even in your native tongue.” He spun the book around. “Saint Phillip.”
****
Quote:robkelk wrote:It's the English. They always, always turn up exactly where you don't want then to....
If Marduk doesn't want an "English quarter," it doesn't have to have one.
More seriously, when I did the map, I added five villages in the crater. I had ideas for four of then, but all the ideas I had for the fifth (Fenris Caern, east in the lake, wich now probably will get a new name) were bad. A small, traditional English village (wich may or may not send the ocasional pirate fleet to "raid" the main city) is a better idea that all the ones I had. What would be a good sort of Olde Englishe Name for a village in the moon(e)?