Munus hic iuvat insanire
When I started work on Steeple in 2018, I did not anticipate that dear Billie would end up naked as a jaybird, covered in runes, praying to a winged goat-man statue. But looking back, this was probably the only way things could have gone. And I like to think that when it happened, she remained true to herself. Is it ominous that this is the 11th page of the 11th issue of Steeple, published on the 11th day of the month?
We all figured this would happen. Baphomet must be amused that Billie is trying SO HARD to be bad and selfish. He was hoping she would add “And may Magister Tom’s wedding tackle turn into a lamprey eel and disembowel him.”
At this rate she is going to be inviting everyone’s favorite wholesome Finnish Black Metal band, Belzebubs – https://belzebubs.com/ – to the next festival
Baphomet probably has an eel already picked out.
“Baphoment probably has an eel set aside for me, for me, for MEEEEE!”
“No, Freddy. It’s not doing it for me. How about Beelzebub instead?”
Ah, yes, Freddie and the Dreamers’ megahit, “Bavarian Fantasia”.
I learn so much new slang from this comic and from the comments. “in the nip”; “wedding tackle”…. Although I probably misinterpret 40% of it like I did with “snoopy.”
The British slang is undeniably one of the finest parts of the entire Scary Go Round universe experience.
I’m still waiting for “wasson me cock” to make it over to San Francisco or West Hollywood where it can truly be appreciated, myself.
Very worrying. No good can come of this. Although, maybe it can?
Well, the CofE doesn’t seem to have done the town much good. Maybe it’s the other side’s innings.
I mean, it can be argued that the Reverend’s tireless efforts are the only reason the town isn’t a watery wreck full of merfolk ready to tumble into the sea, even if most of the local nits and gits don’t seem to appreciate it very much.
She did okay. I mean, she didn’t go all fangirl and ask B about what happened with the Knights Templar.
“Yamara” for reals? I read that baby back in the day. It was real fun!
Though, I think by the end, there was getting to be a little too MUCH Ogrek.
Given the title of this story, I can’t help wondering if maybe the jobs and prosperity gained will come in the form of a certain television series we saw at the beginning of the story shifting to shooting in Tredregyn, possibly as a result of being pressured to shoot somewhere that’s actually in Cornwall.
Judging from the titles of subsequent episodes, I believe you’re onto something here.
This… was… SPECTACULAR!!!!!!! Billie has do a great pray and seems to have covered all the possibly for everyone. What a nice girl ♡. To be honest, seing Billie without glass is more weird that see her without clothes and with the body covered in growing runes.
I was gonna say the same thing; the human form is much less jarring than removing what is, for all intents and purposes, a facial feature
People oughta know that you don’t get prosperity out of dubious objects without theft…
I love the steadily wavier panel borders. Things are going to go a bit sideways, aren’t they?
Also, not only are there all the 11s you mention, John, but is it possible you drew this page while having elevenses?
You know how important elevenses are to me!!!
Well, at least her disclaimer ruled out ONE of the trillions of ways this deal might go horribly wrong. (Except not even that, really. The requirement could be satisfied by making sure the job doesn’t involve the dog from Peanuts, for example.)
Or the peanuts of a dog.
It could change her so she is OK with it.
exactly. Murder and all other sorts of mayhem are certainly going to ensue, with our without the sanction of the estate of Charles Schultz.
I’m wondering if maybe the unselfish nature of Billie’s expanded wish might cause problems, considering the nature of the entity being invoked. I suspect that this ritual is generally harmless, when used as intended (minor wishes that aid the wisher, like asking for a job), but what Billie’s doing goes well beyond that…
Well as the old saying goes, “The path to Hell is paved with good intentions.”
I too have a sneaking suspicion that Billie’s will be answered but in a perverse “curse of the monkey’s paw” sort of way.
.. and that — at the time I read this — there were 11 comments..?
You are just angling for 11 likes.
There you go. I made it 11 for symmetry.
I really want to give this comment a like, but likes are currently at 11 and it would feel like an act of vandalism.
Perhaps we need 11 comments under it, and each comment gets 11 likes.
Did you know that any number divisible by 11 with its digits reversed is also a number divisible by 11?
I love it – I went back to check, and Baphomet’s neck-tie is dimly visible in the cover page!
https://steeple.church/comic/clotted-crime-pt-1-starts-monday/
Google Translate interprets Munus hic iuvat insanire as “This function like mad.”
I wonder what your version was supposed to be?
Already answered in the comments to the previous page: it’s supposed to be “you don’t have to be mad to work here but it helps”.
Well, that clearly did nothing. Chin up, Billie. You gave it your best shot.
“Billie, we need to talk about what I am getting out of our relationship. I just don’t feel like I get a lot of leeway for being myself here.”
In Billie’s (lack of) shoes, I would have brought along a hard case for those glasses, just in case.
So… lots of jobs and prosperity for Tredgeryn? A huge multinational company (coughZambianCOUGH) will swoop into Tredgeryn with demolition+development plans? Much money. So jobs. None snoopy.
Big tech isn’t coming to Cornwall until someone makes a train that doesn’t stop about 40 times on the way there from London. Not even Zambian.
Perhaps someone will build a tunnel from London to Cornwall in which people can drive electric cars? Slowly?
#Elonjoke
You want tunnels? Call Isambard Kingdom Brunelon.
SteamX!
Oh no not another Wen-Tack
Got to give Billie credit, she even managed to paint designs on her back. Possibly she put down the paint on a plastic sheet, then laid on it? Also…FAN SERVICE!
I think the household’s trained body artist (Brian) did the runes.
Brian is really a precious friend ♡.
I have had an alarming flashback to “Secretary”. I need to wash my brain out now.
As Ralph, The Devil Himself, would say to you, “No substitute for popping the brain out and giving it a good scrub.”
One might suspect that, to Brian, the notion of sitting there for several hours painting dark and eldritch runes all over Billie’s naked body is a reward in and of itself.
I love the runes glowing different colors – It gives the impression that maybe only some parts of this request will come to pass.
The non-glowing one is a tattoo. She’s had it at least since The Silvery Moon: https://steeple.church/comic/2020-02-25/
Why the tattooed rune is behaving differently from the painted-on runes is a mystery to me. You’d think it’d glow more brightly if anything. A tattoo is serious commitment.
Whereas the painted runes are transactional. Try paying in a shop with government bonds instead of cash and you’ll understand why it’s the painted runes that are glowing. The tattoo will be cashed in on expiration of the bearer.
An altruistic prayer to a satanic entity – yeah, that’s VERY Billie!
There are some people who genuinely believe the solution to everything is just being nicer!
I am SO EXCITED to see what happens.
“Is it ominous that this is the 11th page of the 11th issue of Steeple, published on the 11th day of the month?”
And at the 11th hour! (Results may vary. Check your local time zone.)
Could be worse, could be November.
I feel that rule one of Satanic requests is that they should not be improvised.
Actually, I think the Infernal Customer Support would welcome improvised prayers. Less likely to have the “i”s dotted and the “t”s crossed; more chance for loopholes to drive Devilish Chariots through.
Rule two of Satanic requests is that you should never do anything that is welcomed by Infernal Customer Support.
“Infernal Customer Support” sounds like a rack. And we don’t use American slang for female anatomy details here.
Actually, it’s a bra.
I like that the Third Eye became an “infinity mirror”.
So Satanists end their prayers with “Omen” instead of “Amen?” You learn something new every day!
It’s more ominous that way.
And “Amen” is more amenable?
While “Omen” is more ominous?
…or “omenous”!
I like to think that if the last panel had been a bit wider, it would have included “…OWS”, in memory of Brian’s earlier sacrifice.