Sirocco --

Comments, Commentary & Miscellanea:

In general:

Foreign languages:  my translations of specific incidents (Marc's profanity, Methos', etc) are mostly in order below.  However, words used throughout indiscriminately include:  luaidh(e) (beloved, m or (f), Scots Gaelic); muirnin (beloved, Irish Gaelic, and does anyone know if the feminine should have an e?); gradhach (loving one, Scots Gaelic, usually used as beloved in my stories and Carmel's); Magister/Magistra (teacher m/f, Latin); Didaskalos (teacher, m., Greek); Maistir (teacher, m., Irish Gaelic); amator (beloved, m., Latin).  Mo chridhe or m'chara -- my own, Gaelic.  (I'm not sure which is Irish and which is Scots, sorry, folks.)

All Biblical quotations are from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 16th Edition, or from the King James Bible.  Note well:  the fact that I have a character using these quotes does not mean I agree with them!  Y'all should know me better than that by now!

All of Enrique's beliefs are in fact based on biblical text and if you want the relevant scripture passages, please email me and I'll send them to you.  I drew my synopses from the Oxford Companion to the Bible and my opinions from fifteen years in the Episcopal Church and thirty years in the American South.  What?  You thought I was raised a pagan?  Not quite.

(g)  Since two of my beta readers have commented on this, and to reassure the rest of you that I haven't lost my mind?  According to my dictionary, blond is the correct spelling for the adjective form of the word, and for the masculine form of the noun.  But for females, it seems to be blonde.  Just the once, the English language seem to have borrowed a word with gender specific endings intact.

By the way.  This is not Luminosity's fault... quite.  She didn't know she was doing it.  But somehow, after sitting around at breakfast with her at Escapade, trying to explain to the New York/California woman at the other end of the table (hi, Devo!) about Southern women -- Well, Stormy kind of started getting more vocal.  However, Lum was kind enough to say she'd take the blame, so we'll let her.  Thanks, Lum!

4/9:

Do I really need to explain Superman and kryptonite to anyone?  (g)

Undated journal entry:

         The July/August 1999 American Heritage article by W. J. V. Heuvel, "America and the Holocaust", is an absolutely fascinating read, in all the senses of that word.  Rallies were being held in New York as early as 1933 to protest Nazi treatment of Jews.  (No, that is not a typo -- '33.)  In 1936 Roosevelt modified US refugee laws to allow more visas to be issued, and in 1938 (after Krystallnacht), more than 20,000 visas were extended to allow German and Austrian to remain in the US rather than be forced to go home to a hostile environment.
        Where knowledge of the camps was concerned, specific locations and names were mostly unknown until 1943 and 1944 (the specific example cited in the article is Auschwitz whose site and name were confirmed in 4/1944).  The Allied leadership, Intelligence groups, and the Jewish leaders and communities in the Allied communities did in fact know about the death camps in 8/1942, and had confirmed the information by 11/1942.  However, to quote a 1989 lecture of Louis de Jong, a Dutch historian and Holocaust survivor, "[There is} an aspect of the Holocaust which is of cardinal importance...:  that the Holocaust, when it took place, was beyond the belief and the comprehension of almost all people living at the time, Jews included. ...[T]hat thousands, nay, millions of human beings... would be exterminated like vermin -- that was a notion so alien to the human mind, an event so gruesome, so new, that the instinctive... reaction of most people was:  it can't be true." (Cited from the same article, p. 41; italics theirs.)
        Last.  One of my co-workers, a M.Th., once told me a story.  He had it from an older Jewish friend, a German immigrant to the U.S.  Apparently the Jewish man had gone to a Hitler rally in the early years, wanting to hear der Fuhrer talk.  My co-worker's friend came out of the rally absolutely bubbling over with energy and enthusiasm, convinced that Hitler was right and the only possible salvation of the German nation.  It took half an hour before this Jewish gentleman paused and finally realized, "Oh, my God, he was talking about exterminating me."

I have not specified what plague Owain may or may not have brought, but for the curious?  The first identifiable attack of bubonic plague in Europe was not during the medieval period, but during Justinian's reign; it hit in 542 A.D.  And people have known for centuries that it was necessary to burn the belongings of plague victims, even if they haven't been sure why.  It's no great stretch to imagine that Owain could have brought the equivalent of 'plague blankets' to Milan.

4/9 again:

The (relatively recent) problems between the lines of Rhys-Tewdor and Ramirez begin in "Prelude to the Storm" and run all the way through the Line War stories.

4/10:

Rich ran into Kyra at Connor's last Christmas party.  The rampaging December insanity can be found at "Crystalline Patterns."

For the curious?  Sinners repent (are penitent again) and come back into grace.  Heretics, however, recant (sing the proper songs again) and are brought back into the fold.

Johannes and Owain arranged their public 'deaths' in "Poaching" because of attacks begun on them by the Lone Gunmen in "Intermezzo."  The Gunmen (yes, of X-Files fame) were also responsible for Jirina leaving Latvia in a considerable hurry.

Yes, the FBI is in charge of investigating shipments of counterfeit designer merchandise.  And no, I'm not going to comment on whether the hacking technique Methos is using would work.  I don't have that kind of skill and refuse to speculate on how accurate my source might be.

All speculations about fighting off the mental effects of a quickening or regeneration of severed body parts by immortals are mine, based off such canon events as Darius' Light Quickening, Duncan's Dark Quickening, and the fact that the really old immortals (Methos, Ramirez, Rebecca, Kyra, to name only a very few) are all physically intact when honestly, they should be short a few fingers and ear tips after that many centuries of fighting.

4/11:

The quote about throwing stones is John 8:7.

Hombre -- Spanish for man.

"I could've been a contender."  Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront.

Navarro called on old favors in "When First We Practice" to get Mandisa out of Africa and over to the States, away from the hunters hounding her.  She arrived in "Intermezzo."

The quote on vengeance is Romans 12:9.  The story of Elisha is in 2 Kings 2: 23-24, in which the prophet cursed children for mocking his baldness and two she-bears tore them to pieces.

4/12:

Alex and Xan first showed up in "Force of Habit" and they also appeared in "Poaching."

Yes, Riverside is a real, non-denominational cathedral in Manhattan, over on the East River.  They are in fact a highly welcoming church, and do have a labyrinth that's available for walking meditations on Tuesdays.  Gorgeous bell tower, too.

Gustavus III was in fact assassinated in 1792, in the Stockholm Opera House.  Ish would like to take this opportunity to categorically deny that he had anything to do with this.  Really.

Mandisa was hounded in "Prelude to the Storm" and "When First We Practice."

4/13:

Javier Vachon reattached a hand in the Forever Knight episode, "Black Buddha, Part I."

Yes, according to some of my medical friends, you can use Superglue for sutures.  Hospitals use staples sometimes for Caesarians.

All torments endured by Connor are in fact based on various and sundry implements used in Medieval and Renaissance Europe.  I didn't use some of the worst tortures, believe it or not.

Vaffanculo -- Italian for fuck, fuck off, fucking, fuck you, etc.  It all depends on how you say it and what words you wrap around it.  A beautifully versatile word....

Sinan ibn Salman is/was an immortal who raped and tortured Aidan in the tenth century.  His death is described in "Favors," which, confusingly enough, takes place somewhere after this story chronologically.  Sorry, folks.

Marc Scipio spent two years being mis-trained by Chris Henslowe in the Canadian Cascades.  The full story can be found in "Poaching."  And before anyone asks?  No, not even I know what, precisely, Chris did to him; Marc hasn't told me yet.

Yes, as a matter of fact, the reason the Romans did crucify Christ was because they considered him a criminal (inciting to riot/rebellion).  It was considered a fairly ugly, and slow, death.  It doesn't kill by loss of blood or shock, but by suffocation.  The positioning on the cross keeps your diaphragm from being able to expand, thus preventing inhalation.  To breathe in, you have to straighten up -- difficult when your legs are nailed to the wood.  Eventually exhaustion and pain prevent the motion, and you suffocate.

Connor's constantly changing eyes:  I rewatched the first Highlander movie for this.  (Poor me.  The torments.  The hardships.  The things I go through for research!  <lol>)  Anyway, at different points in that movie, his eyes are gold, dark green, hazel, dark brown, and once they looked grey.  I give up.

Vambraces are the forearm protectors that the gladiators (and legionnaires, and sensible SCA fighters) wore.  And you know, I have yet to see anything forbidding armor in the Game....  (Bartholomew used a shield in "Two of Hearts;" Felicia Martens wore a chain shirt in "Free Fall.")

Okay.  Before anyone sends death threats:  yes, I am going to write the story of how Xan, Alex, and Connor met up with each other.  It is in fact, already in process, and I'm having way too much fun with it.  Threats will not speed it up, though.  <g>

4/14:

Aidan's student, Rabi, was killed in Australia by Will Moran and Johannes Engeles in "Prelude to the Storm."

4/15:

Nope, I don't know which books were sent with Rich and Marc, but I'm slowly working on a reading/study list for the two.  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated and will be taken under advisement.  (g)

"Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentis."  'Whatever it is, I fear Greeks even when they bear gifts.'  Virgil, from the Aeneid, I. 49.

Nalyévo is Russian for 'on the left'.  It can also imply that something was bought or sold on the black market, according to my Russian teacher back when I studied the language years ago.

SNAFU:  military acronym.  Situation Normal, All Fucked Up.

No, Aidan didn't tell the world about the Watchers.  But a paranoid immortal is a dangerous immortal, and Peeping Toms should expect to eventually be caught.

The Golden Rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  The Sixth Commandment:  Thou Shalt Not Kill.  (Now, in a discussion with a rabbi, I was told that the precise wording should be 'murder' rather than 'kill.'  Of course, this was the same person who pointed out to me that it's really one commandment and nine suggestions.  <eg>)

4/16:

L'ami Louis is in fact a five-star bistro in Paris.  And I'm told the vinyl flooring is worn, the walls are decorated in wooden coat pegs and old photos, and you'd better hope the waiters like you.  But the food is hot, plentiful, and excellent.

trattoria -- Italian for restaurant or café.

Pascal's quote which started Farrell off?  "Le silence éternal de ces espaces infinis m'effraie." -- 'The eternal silence of these infinite spaces terrifies me,' from Pensées, 206.  Myself, I wonder if Farrell also read Diane Duane's X-Men novel, Empire's End.  <g>  However, if you live in a city and ever get a chance to be out in the far country where there are no city lights and no trees to block the horizon, you may have more sympathy for Pascal.  Myself, I don't even make it to the end of the world.  Every time I contemplate the Big Bang, I start trying to look back to where that compressed matter originally came from, at which point I have to reboot my brain.

Yes, the Italians do keep recipes and pass them down through families for centuries.  A recent issue of Gourmet (or was it Bon Appetit?) had a collection of Tuscan recipes from the Borgias.

Katana and saber technique:  I'm married to a black belt.  I run around with fencers.  Nobody wants to take katana versus saber because we don't know who would win.  But in talking to them and to F. Braun McAsh, yes, you most assuredly can use saber techniques with a katana, and in fact, Duncan does.  He's trained in both and uses whatever will keep him alive.  So does Connor.

Strega -- Italian for witch

Okay, the whole witch vs. poisoner argument: "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."  Exodus 22:18.  Heinlein maintained in one of his books that 'witch' was a translator error, that the word should have been translated poisoner.  To a desert culture, damn right the only punishment for people who'd poison a well was death.  Aidan gets annoyed with 'witch' comments; Var likes pulling her chain.  (g)

Dani St. Vir was Aidan's lover and Connor's friend.  That story is in "Hold On."  Sunda Kastagir was a tall, muscular immortal from Africa, who is responsible for such glorious infamies as 'boom-boom' and Connor's 1783 duel on Boston Commons.  He lost his head to the Kurgan in 1985.  Kastagir is sadly underutilized in fanfic, damn it!

Capoeira is a very, very nasty martial arts style predominantly studied in Brazil.  It's a mix of dance, gymnastics, and martial arts and they really do come in from every imaginable angle and use combination of blows and strikes, whether sequential or simultaneous.  A jinga is a swaying, sort of four point shuffle that they use to stay in motion and set themselves into motion up or across or what have you.  The movie, Only the Strong, shows a former military man (Mark DaCascos, of The Crow: Stairway to Heaven) trying to use capoeira to instill discipline in some inner city youth.  If you get to see it, you'll understand why this style made Damita so dangerous.

4/17:

Ecclesiastes 11:1 "Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days."  Random good comes back to you, from some points of view, or debts from your parents are paid to your children, from others.

         I can't find the source for the quote 'death before dishonor' which will, I'm sure, drive me crazy.  Help, someone?   In the meantime, according to Horace's Odes, I. 45, it is the happy man 'who fears dishonor worse than death' (trans. per Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 16th Edition).
        As for Pickett's charge?  General George Edward Pickett, of the Confederate army (the United States Civil War of 1861-1865, the Southern side), led his 4500 troops in a charge against the Union emplacement.  He lost 75% of his men to the withering gunfire in a war where, all too often, any wound ended up being fatal.
        The Light Brigade was a British cavalry unit in the Crimean War.  They charged a Russian emplacement at the Battle of Balaclava, and lost 503 of 700 men; Tennyson later eulogized their deeds in "The Charge of the Light Brigade," famous for such lines as 'Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die.'
        The message to the Spartans?  Simonides wrote this epitaph for them, and W. L. Bowles translated it.  Leonidas and a band of Spartans died trying to hold the pass of Thermopylae against the Persians in 480 BCE.
        Last and assuredly not least:  the Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite corps of three hundred men, one hundred fifty pairs of lovers, each sworn before the Gods to die before dishonoring his lover.  They died, to a man, under Alexander's cavalry charge at the Battle of Chaerona, in 338 BCE.  Phillip of Macedon had a stone lion erected to rest over their mass grave.

Tuili -- Irish Gaelic for 'bastard'

Aidan promised Duncan that next time he could take the fight in "First Harvests."  And Ned White was a disgrace to immortals and bikers alike.

Marc's quote?  "Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."  It's John Donne, (c. 1572-1631), from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation 17 (1624).

4/18:

DMSO is DiMethylSulfOxide -- it's an industrial solvent and is used medicinally as a penetrant to convey medications into tissue.  From what some horse-breeder friends of mine told me years ago, it was primarily used by veterinarians for quite a while, and I think they also mentioned that for a while there was a problem with it being used to help perpetrate date-rapes.  Last, I recall being told that it will leave a distinctive garlic aftertaste in the back of your throat, but can't be sure if that's correct or not, so take that one with a grain of salt.  (No pun intended.)

The George Lucas comment?  The Indiana Jones movies, the Star Wars movies, and the infamous line:  "I've got a bad feeling about this."  I played a Star Wars drinking game once where you took a drink every time someone said some variant of that.  Thank Gods we were drinking beer....

Aidan's bad luck with the motel and café will be explained in Alyss' "Signs and Portents," which will be out in a month or so.

Cracker Barrel is a chain of 'country-cooking' restaurants which is slowly spreading through the United States along the interstates.  The food is reliable, varied, and usually pretty good.

I have no idea if this organization exists outside the U.S. or not, therefore I'll mention them.  BBB is Better Business Bureau, a national non-profit group that keeps tabs on scams, frauds, and reports of improper business practices.  (Further note:  my New Zealander beta tells me that there is a similar organization in NZ, but it has a different name.)

For the curious?  The Revolutionary War (or the Colonial Revolt, or the First American Revolution -- your title for it may vary) was in fact fought by an integrated army.  The majority of the units were combined forces, with only a few all-black combat units.  The U.S. did not repeat this feat until 1959 when it became involved in the Vietnamese Unpleasantness.  (Damn if I'm going to call sixteen years of troops, machines, and money 'a police action', 'peace-keeping force', or anything short of a war.  I mean, yeah, we had a peace treaty, but we never declared war on Vietnam.  We were 'supporting our allies.'  Therefore, it's an Unpleasantness.  Can you tell I'm Southern myself?)

Anne Lindsey told Duncan she was pregnant in "Mortal Sins."

Connor asked Methos about his intentions in "Crystalline Patterns."  Connor's overdue debt to Methos was discussed in "Quarrels of All Kinds."  And yeah, Connor not only used a very conservative rate of interest, but he compounded annually, I believe, instead of quarterly.  (g)  Finally, Sir Edmund Burne-Jones was one of the Pre-Raphaelite painters; really gorgeous stuff.

The line Duncan remembered about bows is from Mary Renault's The Persian Boy.  The comment is that it's the strongest men, like the strongest bows, who must be unstrung occasionally lest the constant tension warp the grain out of the true.  And Aidan's surrender to them was in "Explanations."

4/19:

        (Watch the author flinch.  This note is not for the squeamish.  You have been warned.)
        Damita was impressed with Enrique's technique in dealing with Connor because, contrary to what even I had expected, Enrique was the one who castrated Connor.  Removing his genitalia was (theoretically) a way of removing Connor's honor and, hopefully, rendering him into a manso, a word which means meek, gentle, humble, lamblike; a castrated animal or person.  By voluntarily associating with a 'witch,' i.e., Aidan, Connor had lost any claim to honor in Enrique's eyes, therefore Enrique considered it a justified punishment before returning him to Aidan.
        (By the way.  Yes, I really could do an entire essay on men, women, anatomy as it relates to psychology and honor, etc, etc. -- but let's not go there, hmm?  Enrique doesn't really bear much thinking on, so let's take it as read and move along.)
        The Franciscan brothers in New Mexico, and I'm postulating Enrique was one, were not gentle; one Fray (Franciscan Brother) Nicolas Hidalgo was notorious for the following reason.  He grabbed a Pueblo Indian 'by the member and twisted it so much that it broke in half.'  (Ramon A. Gutierrez, When Jesus Came, The Corn Mothers Went Away:  Marriage, Sexuality, and Power in New Mexico, 1500-1846, p. 210)
        For the curious?  The Franciscan treatment of the Pueblos and attempts to stomp out the native religion were sufficiently appalling that from 1680-1692, the Pueblo revolted against the abuses.  Pueblo forces killed 21 of the 32 Franciscans, and over 380 Spanish officials and colonists, as well as destroying the churches and any objects of Spanish origin.  They then purified themselves ritualistically from the stain of baptism and rejoined, by Pueblo rites, all couples who had been married by the missionaries.  When Spain finally took over the territory again, they refused to grant the Franciscans authority to eradicate the Pueblo religion.
        Many thanks to Krista and Alyss for this information.

Oyá is the Santeria goddess of the winds, the whirlwind, and the gates of the cemetery.  Her number is nine, which recalls her title as Yansa, or "Mother of nine", under which she rules over the dead.  Also associated with the colors of maroon, flowery patterns, and nine different colors.  She is a fierce warrior who rides to war with Changó (sharing lightning and fire with him) and was once the wife of Ogún.  She is essentially the Goddess of the Niger River, and is the source of Chango's power. Her Catholic analogy is Our Lady of the Candelaria, and her necklaces are nine white beads alternating with nine black beads.  Much thanks to Merrie Gail and Merewyn for info on this.

Hakka is a Chinese dialect spoken in both mainland China and the Republic of Taiwan.

"My strength is as the strength of ten, Because my heart is pure."  Tennyson's "Sir Galahad", st. 1

Does anyone not know the old jokes about young whippersnappers having it easy, 'cause in the old days you had to walk to school, in the snow/mud/driving rain/bad weather of your choice, uphill, both ways... and you were grateful?  (Mind, if your options were going to school or working the fields all day, you probably were grateful.  But it's an awfully old joke.)

Discipuleie meie -- student mine, in the vocative form for direct address to someone.  Latin.

I ran into the Mari Llywd in Susan Cooper's excellent series of books, 'The Dark is Rising.'  I believe it was in Silver on the Tree, the final book.  The description and terror are hers, as is the showing of the beast in Welsh villages.  The speculation on where the creature originated/what it means is mine.  If I'm incorrect, please, let me know.

Richard, 1486 -- Richard III of England, last of the Yorkist kings, was killed on Bosworth Field in 1485.  The Yorks were greatly loved by the Irish and even after Henry VII took the throne, Ireland was the center of loyalist opposition.  That would be something of an understatement:  the Irish refused to accept British Parliamentary edicts and killed any messengers bearing them while building up a force to put Richard's heir on the throne.  Yes, Shakespeare did malign Richard III sadly in sheer historical terms, but it's a great play, and let's be realistic here, shall we?  Shakespeare wrote in the Tudor era under Tudor patronage.  It would have been as much as his life or freedom was worth to write something favorable about the man who lost on the field of battle to the first Tudor.  But for a fictionalized account of why Richard probably isn't responsible, try Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time.  Fun mystery.  For a more balanced opinion, as Tey is fairly solidly in the Ricardian camp, I'd recommend P. M. Kendall's Richard III.

Aidan lost a student, Holly Curtis, in 1917. One of Luther's students killed her at Owain's instigation, and was himself later killed by Rebecca Horne.  What neither Aidan nor Owain knew was that Holly and Marcus Constantine were lovers.  David Braxon (Barak's son) studied with Edana in the second century BCE; he was caught up in the ghettos during World War II and ended up at Auschwitz.  His Quickening is the reason Sol Goldberg ended up recruited to the Watchers.

"There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves
Or lose our ventures."  Brutus, in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, IV, iii, 217

"Iacta alea est."  Gaius Julius Caesar's quote before crossing the Rubicon:  The die is cast.  Aidan's addition was "Tomorrow, oh Fates, we shall see.  We who are about to fight salute you."  (Yes, the usual version of that is Nos morituri te salatamus -- We who are about to die salute you.)

4/20:

Techado Mesa does exist; its size, alignment, and all other details were as exact as I could make them without ever having been there.  The observatory at Datil also exists, as do numerous reservations within a twenty-mile distance.  However, I have not let precise geography interfere with the plot, either.  (g)

The quote from 1776 is one of Ben Franklin's lines:  "... rebellion is always legal in the first person -- such as 'our' rebellion.  It is only in the third person -- 'their' rebellion -- that it is illegal."  God, I love that musical.

Have you ever done a play on an all-black stage?  When we did Oliver! my director marked the edges of the steps and risers with florescent tape after one too many of us tried to break/sprain/strain things before opening night.

Technically, a hootenanny is a (mostly) Southern term for a party.  But it's one you expect will get very, very rowdy, the kind of party where the drunks outnumber the sober, at least three fights break out, four couples break up, and the police get called in a few times.  (g)

Aidan's source of information on Rafferty was the vampire, Lucius LaCroix.  And LaCroix's sense of humor is sufficiently dry that taking it with a grain of salt is like taking coals to Newcastle.

Starlites are light-gathering scopes.  They add a great deal to your night-vision.

Grayson was Darius' student, and broke away from him when Darius took the Light Quickening outside Paris.  He challenged Duncan and lost in "Band of Brothers."  Another character who's sadly underutilized in fic.

The last line war (i.e., the other one I know of at this point <g>) was fought between Steshka of Kiev and Marcus Constantine in 1118.  There were four on each side in that one, and it was considered large.

Damien's insult to Jirina -- When Hamlet told Ophelia, "Get thee to a nunnery, go," it did not mean to a convent.  A 'nunnery' was a slang term for a whorehouse or brothel.

Cymro -- Singular of Cymry.  Welshman.

I don't believe I'm translating... oh, why not.  Catamite -- a boy kept for pederastic purposes.  In other words, the receiving partner in m/m anal sex.  Sodomite -- a person who practices sodomy, which is unnatural, presumed anal, copulation, although it can include animals.  In this case, the penetrating party in anal sex, since Alex refuses to deal with four-legged beasties.

'bloated warthog' -- This is the insult that got Connor into that damned duel on Boston Commons in 1783.

One of the standard illustrations to explain optical illusions is a black and white image which either looks like a goblet or two profiled faces, depending on how you look at it.

Methos' time as Semnut, and the early relationships between Aidan, Methos, and Ramirez/Ramesen can be found in "Force of Habit."

Bella is Italian for lovely lady; bellus, on the other hand, means pretty boy and it's not particularly flattering when directed at someone who's past puberty.

Methos' insult to Bianca: una fessa is Italian for a sucker, a gullible fool.  Except in some of the southern Italian dialects where it also means cunt....

The quote regarding homosexuality is Leviticus 20:13.

Santeria:  Much thanks to Merrie Gail, Amand-r, and Merewyn for help on this; all mistakes are, of course, mine.  Santeria is a South American variant on voodoo, of which Oyá is one of the primary deities.  Others include Chango, god of fire, and Ogun, god of war.  Essentially the orishas, the spirits and gods, have a greater skill at moving energy than we do.  A santera or santero (priestess or priest) will entreat the orishas to move energy to a specific purpose or a specific person's benefit.  They do this by paying for the favor with rum, tobacco, food, drink, their own energy, sometimes their own blood, sometimes the sacrifice of a black cockerel:  essentially, payment is made with life or its pleasures.

Yes, I've been writing how Farrell ran into Kastagir.  It's hilarious and will be out as soon as those two chortling maniacs tell me what the Germans had to do with this whole mess.

No, I'm not joking on this:  "Get your ashes hauled" used to be a fairly insulting idiom for getting laid, with the implication being that all you could afford/get was back alley sex.  You know, the place you took the ashes to throw them out?

Yes, as an initiated priestess of several centuries' standing, Aidan most assuredly can consecrate ground.  Usually she wouldn't, but with Connor's hand gone, it seemed a reasonable precaution.  That the rest of her line agreed is evident by how many of them strained muscles helping her arrange boulders in a loose circle among some of the trees to mark the boundaries of the Holy Ground.

The Four Musketeers, the second of the 1970s Michael York Musketeer movies, opened with the Huguenots trying to execute Rochefort.  The firing squad fumble-fingered their way through loading the guns, fired... and all missed.  When they started to reload, Rochefort observed, "Why bother?  I may simply die of old age."  Great movies if you haven't seen them.

Chiquita -- Spanish for little girl

Puttana -- Italian for whore

Dhonnchaidh mac Maire -- Duncan, son of Mary.  His mother was Mary MacLeod.

Quotes from Duncan & Enrique's fight:
        "I am not come to destroy but to fulfill."  Mark 5:17
        "The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose."  Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, I, 3
        "The prince of darkness is a gentleman."  Shakespeare, King Lear, III, 4
        "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you:"  Mark 5:44
        "God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day."  Psalms 7:11
        "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Mark 6:14-15, emphasis Duncan's

PCP is Phencyclidine, from the chemical name p(henyl)c(yclohexyl)p(iperidine).  Per my encyclopedia, its usage results in lowered sensibility to pain, a tendency towards violence, and schizophrenia.  It affects the ability to think clearly, the perception of time, and a person's mood.  It frequently results in anxiety, irritability, depression, as well as disturbing the heart function.  One of my friends whose husband is a policeman says it makes the user feel and behave like the android from Terminator:  no matter what you do, they don't care and won't drop.  The Whoopi Goldberg movie, Fatal Beauty, deals with PCP and shows what it takes to take down someone hopped up on PCP.  Besides that, it's an entertaining movie.

Corps a corps -- literally, body to body

Yes, duels to first blood were usually fought until the first blood hit the ground, not until first blood was drawn.

The shema is a profession of the covenant between the Jews and Yahweh, which begins "Shema, Yisroal" -- "Hear, Oh Israel."  Rabbi Akiva is said to have first spoken the shema as the Romans tortured him.  And no, Aidan didn't See anything; she simply knew David better than to think he'd beg for his head.

        Brighid -- Celtic goddess of fire, poetry, and arcane lore, especially divination and prophecy.  Also the protector of women in childbirth.  The Catholics refer to her as Saint Bride of Kildare.
        Lugh Samildanach -- Celtic god renowned for being skilled at all trades and crafts.
        (Red) Macha and the Morrigan -- two of the Celtic battle goddesses, thought to sometimes take the form of carrion crows.
        Goibhniu -- Celtic god of blacksmithing and craftsmanship.

Sight, or the Second Sight, or foreseeing.  No one has ever said that it's an easy, or easily mastered, ability.  It comes with no sureties and does not automatically convey on its recipient any of the skills that might be most useful, such as an ability to see what would be most useful, or to explain clearly what was seen or sensed, or, most importantly, to convince others that what you saw is real.  If you doubt this, might I suggest you look at the prophecies of Nostradamus, which don't seem to make sense until after they've happened -- if then?  While you're at it, read the Greek myth of Cassandra.

Fasil's quickening in 1985 -- In Highlander: the Movie (yes, the first one), Connor's fight in the parking garage for Madison Square Garden was with an immortal named Fasil.

Well, from what I saw of Terrence's cooking in "Dramatic License" I wouldn't let him near a kitchen.  <g>

Martin Hyde (from "Prodigal Son") believed in hunting old and powerful heads, and he thought that the fastest way to find such immortals was to hound young immortals implacably until they bolted to their teachers for help.  Chasing Rich back to Duncan was a mistake he didn't survive.

Merda -- Italian for 'shit'.  Maledizione -- Italian for 'damn it'.  From the same Latin base that gave us 'malediction'.

Christ and the moneychangers:  John 2:14-15

4/21:

A reference librarian friend of mine tells me that the Victorians considered snake rings symbolic of eternity and were thus fond of using them for engagement rings.

Alex's list of immortals who've made Duncan's last few years hell: Grayson -- Darius' old student from "Band of Brothers"; Kalas -- the monk turned opera singer from "Executioner's Song"; St. Cloud -- the assassin/thief from "For Tomorrow We Die";  Matlin and Kurlow -- the pair of thieves and rogues from "Blackmail"; Kanwulf -- a warrior-priest of Odin who killed Duncan's father from "Homeland"; and Slan "the Cat" Quince, from "The Gathering" -- and yes, Duncan killed him, not Connor.  The dark quickening, of course, took place in "Something Wicked" and "Deliverance."

4/22:

The song Matthew was singing was an old call to arms from the first crusade, back in the late 11th century; more than a hundred years before he was born, actually, but old war songs do stick around....  Words, and translation, found and sent to me by Gypsy Laughing Otter, to whom my thanks!

Actually, I can just see one of the really busy cities, and two sets of immortals arranging a duel at sunrise in an out-of-the-way spot... only to find one of each set getting there first.  Could be hilarious.  I'm half-tempted to write something like this, but if someone else wants to beat me to it, feel free and let me know, please, because I definitely want to read it.

Erik Olafson stalked Kyra in "The Gathering Darkness."

Matthew of Salisbury, a.k.a. Agent Matthew McCormick, studied with Ceirdwyn, who studied with Marcus Constantine.  His two students, that I know of, are Cory Raines (yes, the bank robber -- his first student, taken when Matt wasn't even thirty years into the Game, so cut him some slack!) and Carl Robinson (per the Watcher CD).  Matt was in "Manhunt;" Cory was in "Money No Object;" and Carl was in "Run For Your Life" and "Manhunt."

4/23:

Kate and Nick rescued Don Caruso's daughter in "Two of Hearts" and have had passable Mafia contacts ever since.

4/24:

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."   Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self-Reliance"

Maria Alcobar is an old friend of Rich's from his days before he met Duncan.  She's currently a model, and was lucky to survive Kristin.  (She appeared in "Chivalry.")

"And this, too, shall pass away."  From Abraham Lincoln's Address to the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, September 30, 1859.

4/27:

Katika and Katyonka (kitten) are Hungarian diminutives of Katherine.  Pishta is the Hungarian diminutive of Ishtvan.

The Polisarios are Saharan Nationalists who've been fighting for independence since 1976.  When Spain withdrew from the Spanish Sahara in 1976, Algeria, Mauritania, and Morocco all laid claims to the phosphates-rich area.  In 1979, Mauritania withdrew and Morocco laid claim to the area.  Algeria has been sponsoring the Polisarios.  The UN sponsored a truce in 1991, but to the best of my knowledge a referendum for self-determination has not yet been held....

Yes, at some point I will post the list of Aidan's students, including where and when she found them, and who's dead or alive.  Later.  That list is now up here.

4/29:

Bast or Bastet -- Egyptian patron goddess of love, cats, and fertility.

Last:  yes, you can use the techniques I've described in the fights, and they do work as I said.  No, I won't give any more details here.  If you want to know what styles, please write me and we'll discuss it.  But oh, yeah, you can knock someone out that way:  Sensei did it to me, once....
 

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