The Cupid Parliament Destroyed? (short story)
The Cupid Parliament Destroyed? was a Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids short story written by Aristide Twain and illustrated by Aristide Twain. It was the first to take the form of a facsimile of an issue of the Cupid Courier.
Contents
Plot
Issue 1056 of the Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids' newspaper, The Cupid Courier, has as its headline feature a report on the recent unexpected destruction of the Cupid Parliament building in an explosion. Fortunately, the Cupid Parliament were not in session and no casualties are recorded, but the attack still puzzles the Cupid Homeworld. The Department of Forensics and Department of Conflagrations concur that the explosion was a deliberate attack rather than an accident; although Juliet-178 glibly suggests that a frustrated member of the Parliament must be to blame, the obvious suspect is a Cupid in charred black robes who was standing a bit too close to the building when it blew up; although he is clearly Conquest-932, as he does a very bad job of concealing when Pythagoras-858 interrogates him, he denies being Conquest and any responsibility in the explosion. At any rate, the Council of Elders commission Foreman-964 and his Department of Construction to build them a new Parliament building, requesting that it not be a warehouse. Though it brings him no small amount of satisfaction, Foreman is quoted as making no promises regarding the warehouse-ness of the new building.
On Page 2, in addition to a wanted notice for a particular Green Gorilla, an “Other News” feature reports principally on the aftermath of the Rabbit Invasion. Initially, while the Department of Problem-Solving was dispatched to look for the Cupid Prime, who failed to return to the Homeworld with the rest of the Crew, an argument erupted over whether the Department of Haberdashery should be held responsible fo the Hat, with Colonel-028 accusing them and Lord Thymon standing up for them. Sensing that they might just as easily come under suspicion, the Department of Stage Magic “quietly snuck off to Florida”, where they found the Cupid Prime continuing to enjoy his vacation. Also in connection with the Rabbit Invasion, Nostradamus-066 and the Department of Quasireligious Obsequiousness were in agreement that the Crew should make some sacrifices to thank the Great Goddess for her help during the crisis; this prompts th Colonel to caustically suggest sacrificing the Department of Haberdashery. Other news include Bibliophile-962 reporting the appearance of “strange entries” in the Book of Evil, and a revelation about “the secret of the Szaclowk” which is naturally cut off halfway through.
Worldbuilding
Universes
- This story takes place in the Cupid Homeworld.
- Conspiracy-1263 travelled to the Prime Universe.
Other
- Journalist-649 is the “editor-in-chief” of The Cupid Courier.
- The photograph used on the front page was taken by “Nadar-124, the Cupid Homeworld's very own photographer” a few hours after the destruction of the Cupid Parliament.
Continuity
- This is the third facsimile Courier after PROSE: New Warehouse To Be Constructed In The Homeworld and PROSE: Conspiracy-1263 Publicly Accuses the Gang of the Green Gorillas.
- This directly follows up on COMIC: Professional Endorsement, which showed Conquest-932 actually doing the deed. There, he was in fact assisted at the last minute by a member of Parliament, proving that Juliet-178's hunch as quoted in the Courier that a Parliamentary Cupid was responsible is in fact (partially) correct.
- Conquest-932 previously overestimated his robes' ability to conceal his identity from Pythagoras-858 in COMIC: Suspicious.
- The events of PROSE: Magic Trick are referenced as “the Rabbit Invasion”, with it being revealed that the Invasion's aftermath was the reason the Parliament had yet to resume their regular sessions.
- Bibliophile-962 is said to have “reported strange new entries appearing in the Book of Evil”, referencing the mysterious villain's self-inserted entry in PROSE: The Book of Evil.
- The Szaclowk originated in PROSE: The Szaclowk & the Halfworld. A Szaclowk joke previously appeared in the first Courier issue released, PROSE: New Warehouse To Be Constructed In The Homeworld.
Behind the scenes
Read online
The story can be read for free on the Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids website.
