I said goodbye to my friends as soon as we were done eating, giving Finn an apologetic glance as I did so. When I got back to the workshop, only Charles, April, and one of the dudes were there. The random guy was carving out more candleholders, and April was messing around with the forge while Charles looked on.
“Back so soon, huh kid?” Charles asked, then squinted at me. “What’s up wit’ your face?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Wait, oh no, did he see the changes? Oh shit, oh shit.
His gaze got more intense. “You look like… like one of them sissy gay boys.”
“Would it be bad if he was?” April asked, her tone and expression completely innocent.
“Well, I… he… it’s not,” Charles sputtered. “The bible—”
April stood up and placed one hand on a hip. “What did the bible say about reality becoming a video game?”
“I mean, I don’t know, I never read the whole—” Charles began, but April cut him off again.
“Just between you and me,” April said, leaning in towards us like we were discussing some big conspiracy. “I reckon that the bible got a whole lot of shit wrong.”
Instantly, Charles’ brows furrowed in anger and he opened his mouth to speak, but once more, April held up a hand. “I know, I know. I don’t mean that God and Jesus aren’t real and stuff. I mean things like ‘sissy boys’. You know what I think, I think that sounds like rich folks with an agenda rewriting the holy word of God to suit them.”
The old man took a long long second to think about that one. April had interrupted and spun him around so much that he was actually considering her words. Probably helped that like she said, the reality was now something akin to a video game.
“What kind of agenda would the rich folks even have that would mean they hate gay people,” Charles asked finally. “Don’t make no sense to me.”
April’s expression turned downright evil for a split second, and she jumped in for the kill. “Let me answer that by asking you a question. Back in your day, your labour, your knowledge, and your skills were respected more, right?”
The old man, clueless that he was dancing to the much younger woman’s tune, nodded emphatically. “Oh lord, yes. Nobody respects hard work anymore!”
“See, why do you think that is?” April asked.
“Because… well, the latest generations are weak, that’s why,” he grumbled, crossing his arms.
“Maybe… the world was easier to live in, in some respects,” she conceded, but then she picked up a chunk of squiron and pointed it around at the school. “I have a bit of a theory, though. It’s one I reckon you can help confirm for me, because you’ve lived through it. You see, the rich like money, and the best way they can get money is to own factories and companies and all that, right?”
Charles nodded, and I watched in fascinated awe. Where the heck was she going with this? What was even happening?
“Well, to actually make money from them, they need workers,” she continued. “But workers need pay and benefits and all that. It all adds up to a lot of money per worker. However, if there’s more workers to go around… well, suddenly there ain’t enough jobs for all those workers and they can undercut the experienced ones like you, who know their worth. I’m sure you’ve experienced this. So they get shoddy work from desperate people with half your years and a quarter of your experience, at an eighth of the wages. Does that sound right?”
“I think your numbers are off there, lass, but it’s true enough,” Charles agreed.
“Yeah, I’m just pulling the numbers outta’ my ass to make a point,” April chuckled, throwing the old man a sly wink. “Here’s the part that really gets you thinking, though. You know who have less kids, who adopt instead of making kids themselves? Gay folks. Gay people slow the rate of birth… which means less workers—”
This time, it was the old man who interrupted with a sharp intake of breath. “Girl… that’s not a bad theory. I always said that too many people was our problem. You know I used to be the machine-man for a few of the local mines ‘round here? Then I lost my damn job to some fuc— damn kids who didn’t know a flat head from a phillips! Then there was that lift that broke down, and I knew it was busted but they didn’t listen. Got the whole mine closed down when it killed those poor miners.”
“Yeah,” April said, before we got the full and uncut version of the story. “So would it be bad if Kai was a little queer? I mean… he’s been doing a damn good job so far, even if he does look soft.”
Charles placed his gaze back on me again, and I shuffled awkwardly on the spot. “I guess he’s been doin’ good work here. Alright, fine. Just don’t do any of that filthy shit where I can see it, okay?”
“Um… yes, sir?” I said, and then watched as Charles nodded and turned to wander away. “Oh, uh, sir, hold on…”
“Yeah?”
Clearing my throat, I launched into the pitch I’d had swimming in my mind before April’s little socialist speech. “I was wondering if you’d give the okay for me to start working on proper gear for our folks. We have this forge now, and I heard that one of my friends got hurt… so I want to make some armour and better tools for them.”
He seemed to consider it, but I could tell he was going to say yes purely so he could leave a situation that had confused the shit out of him. “Aye, that sounds good.”
Then he was gone, and I turned and raised an eyebrow at April, who was giving me the most shit-eating grin I’d ever seen on a person. “What the heck was that?”
“Something I’d been practising in my head for just such an occasion,” she laughed. “I honestly don’t know if there’s any scientific truth to all that crap I said, but it made him chill out and think things through a little, so it worked.”
“You’re fucking devious,” I replied, shaking my head in consternation.
Grinning again, she threw me a wink. “Don’t I know it.”
With a sigh, I shook my head and pointed to the forge. “Does that get hot enough to melt, or can it only work metal?”
“I haven’t tried it yet. We have a pretty limited amount of charcoal…”
“We can get more,” I said excitedly. “Let’s test it.”
"Okay, but we're burning the art department's entire supply of high quality drawing charcoal," she warned me, to which I just shrugged.
Rolling her eyes, she picked up a little packet and waggled it at me. "We'll need to cut it with normal wood anyway. What did you want to make?"
"A simple dagger blade, to start off with," I said. "Simple shape but hard to get right."
"Alright. My crucible is here, so all we need is the materials and a mould…" she gave me a pointed look, and I hurried off to make one.
I knew we had some casting sand somewhere… when I got into the storage room, I found a mountain of monster scrap sitting in a bin. Dayum, people were busy today.
I found a suitable jewellery box in the pile of student projects, then dug out the casting sand from where it was in a bag leaning against the wall. That, some chunks of squiron, and a chunk of wood came with me into the workshop again.
First, I took the piece of scrap wood and placed it in a vice. Once it was nice and tight, I grabbed a chisel, a carving knife, and a hammer and went to town. With practised taps of the hammer, I roughed out the shape of a dagger, then took the carving knife in to carefully finish the job. When I was done, I was greeted with the most average dagger blade and tang to ever grace the Earth. Thankfully, I was going for pure stabbability, not perfect marks in a workshop project.
Next, I grabbed the jewellery box and unscrewed the hinges and removed the top of it. Taking the lower half of the box, I began to pack the sand into it until it couldn’t hold any more. Then I pressed the dagger into it, sprinkled some chalk dust over the sand, and put the scalped top of the box over it. That too was filled with sand, leaving a small venting hole and a bigger pouring hole. Again, the sand was packed in tight, until it acted more as a solid block than individual grains.
The moment of truth came, and I pulled the top of the box away… and the sand stayed in it! Hurray! Quickly removing the wooden dagger and the little chunks of wood that made the holes, I checked everything was okay between the two halves and then pushed them back together.
When I returned with my mould and the squiron, April was waiting for me with the forge merrily burning away. “I saw you working. You’re damn quick, where did you learn all that?”
I shrugged and placed the mould down on the work table beside the forge. “I used to stay behind in workshop class. Also I had my own stuff at home before… all of this.”
“Lucky,” she said. “I had to fight tooth and nail to get into this craft. Anyway… the forge is ready. Is that the material we’re going to try and melt down?”
“Yeah, let’s do it!” I agreed with a goofy little excited jump.
April rolled her eyes. “Adorable.”
I tried not to react to the compliment, but… whoa. I liked being called that word. Adorable. She said I was adorable!
“You know, it’s so nice that we don’t have to smelt our iron from ore,” she mused as she placed the three squiron plates into her crucible. The crucible was basically a ceramic bowl with very high walls and a pouring spout on the lip.
“I don’t even know how iron is made,” I said, realising that gap in my knowledge as she spoke.
“Well, it’s made in giant factory furnaces these days, but they used to have to melt everything down in a big chimney looking thing called a bloomery. Then they’d pull the half melted blob of shite out from the bottom and bash it with a rock or a hammer until they chipped all the crap off it. Then they would hammer all the little pieces of iron together into a blobby ingot and… well, yeah,” she explained, pushing the crucible into the furnace. When it was safely seated in the roaring fire, she placed a brick in the way of the door and stood back.
She stared down at the brick door for a moment then gave me a sidelong look and chuckled, “Or, that’s the gist of the process anyway. I’ve never done it. What we’re doing tonight is trying to melt that squiron down. I’m not even sure it will work, though. Like, is it raw elemental iron, or is it an alloy like cast iron, or steel? This furnace might not get hot enough to melt the iron even with all the preparations we’ve made. Assuming it isn’t a low melting point alloy like cast iron.”
“What happens if it doesn’t melt?” I asked.
“Then we do this the very very long way and beat that chunk of squiron with a hammer until it resembles a knife,” she said wryly. “For now though, we wait and see…”
I do not know by what means April acquired a marxist-queer analysis of society but good for her. Like, she elaborated the major points of marxism and applied it to gayness. Give this girl some theory, and let Kaia be the praxis, socialism with Ishtaric characteristics.
Marxist queer theory: surprisingly useful in the apocalypse.
We've officially found the holy writing for Cynath! Taking other beliefs, and repurposing them! For the queer!
@Anti-Re I'm more anarchist queer, but I get the idea.
Wow, April, way to flip the guy's brain turn-ways! And it sounds better than the most likely actual reasons, too!
I wonder if any monsters will drop magically augmented coal or something? That'd be real helpful for working tougher materials!
Well, there is a metal monster... why not a coal/ore one?
“Yeah, let’s do it!” I agreed with a goofy little excited jump.
April rolled her eyes. “Adorable.”
I tried not to react to the compliment, but… whoa. I liked being called that word. Adorable. She said I was adorable!
You and me both girlie!
Interesting little theory there.
Those bible-thumpers will always say "god destroyed Soddham and Gomorrah for a reason, but always ignore that it wasn't the Homosexuality that, according to the Bible, was the reason for that. The cities were full of child molesters that attempted to Capture and Rape a pair of angels... THAT was the Evil of Soddham and Gommorah. Pedophile Rapists.
It CLEARLY points that out.
But that's in the original. Not the Modern "based upon Catholic edits" version.
Satan was also not really evil, and never CHOSE to do anything, as Even the Edited versions outright state that MANKIND was the only one of God's creations to which free will was given. Then goes on to say Lucifer Rebelled against God... Without Free Will, One CANNOT Rebel. Unless under orders.
The original stated that lucifer was set as Judge and jailor of the wicked, and Was sent to tempt Eve, and Through her Adam, to test them. A test they supposedly failed, but really, two people in a peaceful garden with no strife? Sounds pretty boring. I think Man was created as Entertainment for God. And the garden of Eden? Boring.
So yeah. 90% of the Anti-gay propaganda can be traced right back to Catholicism, the Roman Hypocrites. After the rise of Catholicism in Rome, Homosexuals were hunted and imprisoned, often executed as "Sacrifice to cleanse their sins", and The good ol Roman Orgy became a thing of the past.
A few hundred years later, the Crusades happened, and the dark Ages... all mostly blamed on Catholicism. So... Who represents possibly the biggest Evil in the World? In my opinion, The Pope. I mean, look at the hat and robes, Dudes clearly an evil wizard of some kind.
[DISCLAIMER: THIS WAS DONE IN FUN, AND IS NOT INTENDED TO OFFEND. JUST POINTING OUT SOME INTERSTING INCONSISTENCIES. WHETHER I BELEIVE THAT LAST PART OR NOT IS BESIDE THE POINT. IF YOU WERE IN ANY WAY OFFENDED BY THIS COMMENT, WELL... SUCKS TO BE YOU, I GUESS.]
According to Jewish transition, the sin of S'dom and Amora (using direct transliteration of the Hebrew names) was a general lack of hospitality to strangers.
@UltraLuigi they also agree on the Lucifer had no free will, and was acting on God's orders thing, apparently(according to my Jewish Buddy)... if it weren't for the no Bacon thing, I'd probably convert... but sadly, No bacon.
@UltraLuigi uhhhh... That was my bar mitzvah portion, and reading from the Hebrew the ENTIRE TOWN gathered in order to "meet" the angel visitors, but the word for meet has sexual connotations (as in, get to know sexually), and is usually translated as rape. Not exactly just a lack of hospitality. (I wasn't trying to be this sarcastic, but the story in and of itself is so.... Yeah that I just went into sarcasm mode to cope)
@Deathpig9 I was referring to the drash, not p'shat (hence "Jewish tradition", not "the Hebrew").
I'm not offended, just kind of vaguely annoyed that you (and so many other people) conflate Satan and Lucifer.
"Satan" literally means "Accuser", and in the Book of Job Satan is an angel in good standing whose God-given duty is to test a person's worthiness for Heaven. He definitely had free will, because poor Job got special attention as part of a bet between him and his boss. Luke 10:18 has Jesus say that he saw "Satan as lightning fall from heaven", but I don't think it's clear that he meant "fall" in the "Fallen Angel" sense; Satan might've just been in a hurry, and might not even be the same guy as the one in Job. As for when Jesus and Satan directly interact, well, Jesus got special attention because he was trying to take away Satan's job. (I'm not actually Christian, but if I were, I'd hold strongly to the Doctrine of Universal Salvation.)
The name "Lucifer", meanwhile, means "Light-Bringer" or "Morning Star", and is applied to two distinct figures in the Bible: in Isaiah 14 as an epithet (possibly sarcastic) for an otherwise-unnamed King of Babylon, and (in the Latin Vulgate, anyway) in 2 Peter 1... as an epithet for Jesus Christ.
I have spent far too much time and effort researching this when it was meant to be half-joking, and is in response to a joke...
@UltraLuigi quick question, are you taking that directly from a commentator, or your own memory of the story? I remember learning the story the way you told it when I was a kid, and then later studying it myself and realizing what it actually was about. The shoresh yadah (to know) almost always means to have carnal knowledge of. Is there a specific commentator who has that interpretation?
Edit: just checked, and even Rashi translates the word to mean in a homosexual way
@Deathpig9 I don't remember the primary source, but I got it from the book "Wrestling with God and Men".
@UltraLuigi yea, so a lot of books have "sanitized" versions of stories, so as not to include stuff like this. I'm sure it also doesn't mention how I'm response to the town demanding lot give up the two angels to be raped lot offers his daughters to be raped in the angels place. I'm also guessing the book didn't cover how after the whole thing lot's daughters thought their father was the last men alive, and so they got him drunk and slept with him, and then each gave birth to one of their father's sons. To be clear, all of that is pshat. The Torah has some..... Really messed up things in there that tend to be politely ignored. Recently I've been arguing to the people who I study with that the times when a verb weirdly switches pronouns MIGHT have meaning and not just be a mistake, and maybe there's some gender stuff in there, which is to say I have some VERY strong opinions about things in the Torah getting ignored
@Deathpig9 That book is not "sanitised", it's a discussion by an Orthodox Rabbi about everything to do with homosexuality and Judaism. You really don't need to worry about Torah being ignored with it.
@UltraLuigi oh, huh. Made a bad assumption I guess. I am interested in the decision of what to include and what not to tho