Bullet Points, Post-1373, Pre-40
We have two months beforeĀ āOkay.ā Alas,Ā āThe Funniesā probably wonāt give us much in the way of revelations. So letās get some thoughts bubbling!
ā¢The biggest mystery of ā1373ā³ is Minervaās non-contagious ailment. I wonder about observations that Minerva and Ananke appear to be affected in similar areas. Then again, that Ananke and Minerva have something to do with each other isnāt exactly the breakthrough we need here. PerhapsĀ āshe suffers from the lack of what she needsā implies that itās a result of not having completed the ritual in two yearsā time.
ā¢Thereās speculation about 1373 Anankeās intent in the special, and I think itās mostly straightforward. She needed Lucifer (and herself) dead becauseĀ āall of them must be gone before the end,ā including her. By the end of the issue, Minerva, with Lucifer and Ananke gone, is finally able to carry out her ritual.
ā¢1373 Lucifer, not rejecting her godhood but instead accepting her godhood and then refusing to play the part, is perhaps closer to Lauraās breaking of the cycle than, say, Cass or Jon ever were despite their refusal to fully embrace their godly identities.
ā¢1373 Luciferās longevity from refusing the use of her powers might bode well for any gods who, say, forfeit their divinity.
ā¢The stone knife appears again, and it leaves me confused. Use of the stone knife, unless thatās its property, likely wouldnāt have consumed Lucifer. Did Ananke bank that hard on Lucifer awakening her power of fire?
ā¢Thereās that stone knife again. Will we ever learn its deal? Perhaps itās useless, as the machine was. After all, 2014 Ananke carved up Minervaās arms with it, and that was just further misdirection. Perhaps she lent it to David Blake so he would think the instrument with which he could behead a god was under her control. But if it was just another instrument of misdirection,Ā āMothering Inventionā would have been a good time to cover that, no?
ā¢@twatd have nicely illustrated that 1373 Minervaās infection continued to be an issue well into her Ananke years.
ā¢Speaking of twatd, they commented that World War 2 was the product of the 1923 pantheon, but I really donāt think thatās true. I think 1923 Dionysus foresaw it, and obviously a few gods put their energies towards such a thing happening, but Ananke, thinking aloud to a soon-to-be-dead Woden she had no reason to lie to, thought otherwise:Ā āāWill the Reich you desire come? Perhaps. It is likely, even. I think Versailles alone implies another war,ā said Ananke.Ā āBut is it more likely becauseĀ of this ritual? It is difficult to say. Metaphor is difficult. Inspiration is difficult. I donāt really care. I just needed this creature...āā
ā¢Which leads me into my pet issue: Baalās Great Darkness and how itās likely 1831ā²s Creature, which is 1923ā²s Zeitgeist. I made a post about it! Read it if you havenāt. Something I didnāt mention is that Baalās Great Darkness is likely very powerful thanks to the 1923 gods who tried to will World War 2 into being by focusing their energy into it, and also thanks to 1831 Lucifer and Morrigan for being killed by it.
ā¢Speaking of Baalās Great Darkness, Ananke, although she does like the telephone, has expressed a lot ofĀ distaste about how hard civilizationās steady advancement has made her job. I made a post about her 1373 attempt to curb societal progress, a plan which spanned two recurrences. But perhaps we should begin wondering if Baalās Great Darkness is more than a tool to keep Baal under control and on track for implosion. After all, that would be an awfully long project to control only one god. Perhaps she hopes it will run wild after he dies and can no longer stop it with his rituals. After all, it would be nice for her if civilization got roughed up enough for, say, photography to become rarer.
ā¢Baalās quarterly ritual is a big event the book is building to. It should happen on May 2. As his death is slated for August 9, it would be his finale.
ā¢Weāre still waiting on a resolution of Nergalās cathedral scene. Iām not at all sure what to expect.
ā¢Was that Cass in the hospital on Dioās phone? Is she already trapped in her place of death? Is it just a matter of time?
ā¢39 reminded us of Wodenās infatuation with Cass. Will that come back into play?
ā¢Why is the young man from issue 24 on the cover?
ā¢Does anyone else decide they want out when the learn Laura has given up her godhood? Iām wondering if Jon mulls it over. Sparks give way to fire.
ā¢Obviously: Is Lauraās power of fire why she was able to light the cigarette in issue #5? Does it come from her breaking the cycle? Or is she something else?