For Love

My primary goal for this comic, beyond delving a bit into Aelius's life before he became....like that, was to touch on how religion can be a catalyst to take advantage of vulnerable people. It's always stood out to me that a lot of moral OCD and delusions center around upsetting God…The prominence of religion in our lives, even for people who don't subscribe to it can not be understated. (This was the motivation behind why I elected to create a society that's largely agnostic/atheist but STILL controlled by religion. I wanted to explore that further.)

The Ovitae is the name I settled on for the Illuminist bible. It's a mash of Ovis and Vitae. In the same vein, the Monochrist bible is the Ovitus, a mash of Ovis and Obitus.

I apologize for the (literal) dead name jumpscare, I'm normally on team "redact that thang" but this case is way more complicated for spoiler reasons. You're just going to have to trust that I'm very mentally ill about my OCs, they are like real people to me, so I wouldn't disrespect them in a manner this severe unless it was justified. Nathaniel means "God has given" or "Gift of God", Morte of course means death...the implication being that his death is a gift from God as it heralds the start of a new life. I haven't revealed much about the Shepherds yet, but you'll find that most things surrounding them feel extremely on the nose like this, and that's by design.

Cassius → Main conspirator in the death of Julius Caesar. So it is a name commonly associated with betrayal…

Aelius's ex, Nellie is short for Eleanor!

I went back and forth on what to call normal priests in this world and realized I was thinking too hard. pastor (n.)- "shepherd, one who has care of a flock or herd" (a sense now obsolete), also figurative, "spiritual guide, shepherd of souls, a Christian minister or clergyman," from Old French pastor, pastur "herdsman, shepherd" and directly from Latin pastor "shepherd". Literally perfect, no notes. Why reinvent the wheel?

"I have no doubts someone will take my place when I'm gone." *Looks directly into your eyes unblinking but doesn't say anything*

It is heavily implied that Aelius has made an attempt on their life before this point…I think their descent into Illuminism came after that. Spirituality is a common rebound for people who feel like they've lost control of their life or need to be grounded. It gives a lot of meaning to a life that felt devoid of it before.

The full passage Aelius underlined is: "O, Lord Solem, who didst declare that my blessings runneth over and my worries remain few. Grant me Your strength and intuition with which I may utilize in my quest to remain faithful to Thy artistic vision". This passage was meant to accomplish two things: It shows that Aelius's cruel behavior in this strip is all according to plan, in fact he said as much near the start. "I must purge all evidence of this life…" the burning of his belongings extends to bridges. My other hope is that it, in tandem with the tears, humanizes him a bit. This particular page had been bookmarked, meaning he referenced it often. This whole process has understandably been scary and difficult for him, and he regularly needs reassurance to keep going. I felt it was important to show a clear divide between Aelius before and after his death. He actually had the capacity to experience the full spectrum of emotions during this time- at least while medicated. (Schizophrenia, what he is implied to have, can cause flat affect).

Oh? What's that? You want to know what the rest of the passage said?.....Only because I like you. "No sooner had Remiel spoken did Solem spring into action to fulfill the plea of their masterpiece. 'Whenever you call me, I will tend to you' Solem purred."

If it's a pain to read, the final newspaper article reads as follows: "Our beloved Pastor Nathaniel Morte joined Solem's heavenly flock suddenly yesterday afternoon on ████████ . They were a teacher, friend, and leader to many and had a unique understanding of the Lord's word that captivated all who were lucky enough to attend their services. The entire community will deeply mourn their passing. The cremation will be held at ████████  on █████ with a short reception to follow."