#alchemy nerds unite

[gingersnappish]

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure. ~Coelho, "The Alchemist"

Have I mentioned how much I adore Lambert's nerdy, experimentation-loving, explosion-prone, alchemist self? The geeky side of his character is such a wonderful juxtaposition with his grouchy gremlin self who begrudgingly fights monsters for a living!

Also, I totally subscribe to the idea that Lam makes potions and bombs for both Aiden and himself, 'cause Aiden is a little bit shit at alchemy. Meanwhile, Aiden takes care of the cooking for them, because he's marvelous at making really tasty meals out of thin pickings (and Lambert has been known to not bother with salt or even cooking his catch all through if left to his own feral devices).

[yaya-imposition]

Life Story: Last Post

I re-recorded it but the file corrupted, so here's a text version of my life's story.

WARNING- VERY LONG

I started out as a good kid with good parents and ambition. I was the class clown in 6th grade, and I was one of the "gifted" children. I could get any book I wanted and had rich family that would spoil us.

In 7th grade, I fell off when my mom divorced my stepdad. We were really close. I grew out my hair and became a punk kid who hanged out with the jock occasionally.

I did projects on the side with soldering irons taking things apart to make new stuff out of my toys. I got into philosophy and started reading stuff online like quotes.

The first thing I decided is that it's impossible for anything to be not possible. I also came to the conclusion that people only do good things because they want to feel good. Personality wise, I was an INTP.

I read serious books like All Quiet on the Western Front and I was rather well read. I read along about quantum mechanics in The Dancing Wu Li masters and wanted to become a quantum computer expert.

There was such hope for my generation back then. They looked down us as bright sparks that would revolutionize tomorrow. If you're young, I can't describe this feeling of technology on an exciting cusp. We dreamed of mechs, robots by 2020, quantum computers by 2030, space travel, and in general the world was united behind us.

I got in trouble at school a lot. I couldn't do homeschooling and I hated school. I was held back two times in high school due to failing. I challenged myself to say as few words as possible each day and hopefully none.

Hardstyle became my father in a way. I have strong synthesia between movement and sound. I hear things moving even when they aren't making sound. One time I was laying in bed staring at the fan and I realized it hadn't been making any sound for 5 minutes but I heard it the whole time. Shout out to my ipod nano 6th generation.

I pirated, did online stuff, learned about hacking, and started trying to do something in the world. I installed linux at 15 and started picking up HTML and CSS. I actually started to run some hacking scams using the tools I found online but nobody ever got scammed.

I hung out with kids 4 years older than me-- my older brother's friends, and I was the protege. I wore a tie to school along with nerd merch and an actual fedora, but it went really good with my curly hair. The emo / scene culture started to emerge out of skater culture. Those of us that were in it always sing songs about 2008. It was the golden age of cartoons and gaming. I mostly played WoW like a degen. We also played mad LAN games like AoE 2-- the best of times.

A turning point came when I asked my mom if I could get something online with her credit card, but I secretly bought an invite to an occult torrent tracker. I had a script to DL everything before people could see it, so my ratio was insane and I just poured into the texts of all that was.'

I was very easily generational talent at 15 for the occult. I read everything from ancient Chinese spells to grimoires or even alchemy.

I think it was something like Spring 2011 when /mlp/ first dropped. Me and my friends were total bronies, but it actually was the best of times. I followed a link from FunnyJunk and I saw the first lucid dreaming and astral projection threads pop up.

Somewhere in this, they dropped Irish's guide and that left an impression on me. The technique was to focus on head pressure for hours and hours a day. You just burned through it brute force.

After this, the first tulpa threads started, almost contained entirely on /mlp/. I made a Fluttershy tulpa.

At 16, my dad got custody of us. He actually did something smart. I was pulled out of school, I got my GED and started college within a few weeks.

I started realizing energy work and I had always had interest in personalities. I wanted to open my root chakra and be more grounded. So I started wearing red. It worked.

My tulpa turned into a human redhead. We were impossibly close as firebrands. I continued my research into the occult, looking for a way to impose her. That's when I gave image streaming to the tulpa community.

I started to love people finally and let go of all the anarchist anger of my early teens. I became a Christian and decided I wanted to pursue the path of the light with all my strength.

The most important thing of my late teens was instincts. I did everything on instincts. It was agony because of how granular it was. I would jump up, sit down, go this way, hard turn, all to manipulate butterfly effect. And I saw miracles.

Enter my 20s and I'm just thinking about money all the time and working. I taught myself programming just by screwing around in Unity3D, and I had many projects, websites, hobbies, and other things with my bots.

I had over a million followers with a bot army I had that posted between all social medias, but I felt bad so I didn't follow through. I had little scripts like checking craiglist for something I want or other computer things. I experimented with AI and machine learning to see if I could study sentiment of users on crypto trading apps where they post their opinions.

The instincts brought great trouble. The demons started showing up to stop the miracles, and the angels were in my other ear. I'll hold this in respectful suspended disbelief in doublethink because I also think it really was. I saw miracle after miracle.

The demons began torturing me by throwing me into convulsions and screaming all the time. They got worse... and worse.... and worse.... it was so, incredibly sad.

It kept amping up but so did my spirit. I craved strength infinitely. I set reminders to work my ass off every day. I knew it would be worth it in the end, and it was.

They would throw me into convulsions over sitting up, any time I looked down they accused me of bowing in worship. It was literally every 5 seconds. It was my holocaust. Eventually, I looked down on the holocaust. I looked down on all creation, because nobody knew my will to resist suicide. I know nobody could have made it. They began attacking me in my sleep and I had night tremors, thrashing around apparently. I had deep insomnia, and I always felt like I was on -1 battery. I slept one hour every two days at one point. The torture got worse. They would throw me into convulsions over a spoon, blinking, standing up, sitting down. I crushed them and never let my spirit wane at all. I also started hating the angels as much as the demons.

What could drive a man to hurl open the gates of heaven and hell and drag out all the angels and demons? Fucking with humans.

I felt so incredibly strong, and I looked down on the world feeling 1000 feet tall. My entire body is covered head to toe in scars-- my throat, hands, feet, ribs, lungs, mouth, everything was a target of persecution, as if I was trying to wipe off sand in a sandstorm.

I began to realize I had to unite east and west, but I can't describe how I knew to do that.

I was far, far more zealous and strong than anybody in my Christian activities. I've never met somebody who could go through what I did, and I think I never will. I ripped myself from the jaws of creation.

Sunburned chalcenony in the aeons exchange

Of color lapping your casual shores

That glow white hot in the passion of our eternity

For the children of safety we bore in this place

A sacred place, jerrassic and unfound

Glass, decoration destined forevermore to enthrone no halls of ruling poor

But your stretching, yawning basking shores that glow white hot in the passion of our eternity

Jewels, glass, friendship, warmth of all this but a whisper that I heard

For chained I stood upon you and gasped exasperation that the contrast between light and dark can stand so starkly together

For you, the light of eternity, held me, a masked schizophrenic tortured and gnashed by those who would see you burned

This song is what it felt like.

This song captures the freedom.

Through the name, I am accountable. Through accountability, I struggle. Through struggle, I gain knowledge. Through knowledge, I gain power. Through power, my chains are broken.

Eventually 2020 rolls around. I get some unemployment money and other Covid benefits and I know this is a once in a lifetime break from work for an undefined period. I was going to impose my tulpa.

I picked prophantasia, because that had the most tangible results. This time, I would just work and not research. Research was my downfall because I couldn't commit to the training. If I had problems, I would do energy work and change my personality.

Just like the first time, I was able to make purple blobs on the back of my eyelids. Then, I had green. I worked my way up to a rainbow the size of a small business card after about a month of all day forcing. At one point I was doing 30 hours in 3 days, just because I had acquired the taste for it.

Things started to not make sense. I believe I hit a wall and so I decided to open my solar plexus, which I knew had been closed for a number of years due to the tightness. You can seriously multiply your work by a factor of 10 for every opened chakra. The pain drains the mind away from its task.

I listened to sunshiny beetles music, drank lemonaid and burned some yellow incense. It felt like I was wrenching open the jaws of a shark. At one point, my scaffolding in the operation threatened to cause collapse and long term damage. I pulled and pulled, and it took about 9 months to actually open it fully so the knot was gone. However, I noticed my visions changed.

Instead of Benadryll-type demon hallucinations, they were beautiful-- gold, silver, colorful, kingly. So I developed my theory on kings, priests, and personality.

I was able to push through. I picked up jogging. Train the body and the mind will follow. I went from a few hundred feet to jogging 14 miles in 5 months.

The kingly side fucked me up big time. For some reason, it was too optimistic. I needed to go deeper, so I continued my philosophy. When I jogged, I was happier and more optimistic. But I would give up in the name of being positive. Only the INFJ side had infinite drive.

I once was touchy, like I couldn't bump a trash bag or it ruined my mental. But the king side made taking out the garbage fun.

One day, I heard the call to do something by pure instinct. I left in the middle of the night and just walked on pure instinct. It seized my entire body and I honestly could barely resist. I eventually found a Eastern Church of Christ for some reason. My hand moved toward the keypad, I entered in 6 numbers, and pressed #. First try, it fucking opened. I was used to miracles at this point. When I entered, I had a conniption because I perceived the shape of the universe. Everything was clear-- every line, color, intersection, and geometry. My eyes were opened, and I left. Everything we did was corrupt. Everything has the wrong shape-- cars, houses, roads, power lines.

I furthered this through my art, since I couldn't just convey it. I made my psychedelic art. I haven't seen any other similar style. I wrote in my blog, and my christ complex got worse. But I continued tulpaforcing.

I practiced visualization too, but found it faulty since it disappeared too fast after not using it. I mapped all the chi flow as much as I can in the whole process and I called it the top-to-bottom (visualization centric) and bottom-to-top methods (prophantasia centric).

I practiced hard, and I could cover an entire wall in rolling waves of color like it was simply a hand within my eye.

I had a turbulent period but I eventually recovered. I started taking medication, but it didn't seem to help. They were all dopamine controllers and the way they addressed my complaints was to raise the dosage, which I only told them made it worse, but they ignored me. Finally, I'm on some new stuff that works in a different way.

I started to wonder what I could do with my new found power. I decided that if you could gain perfect divination, not the messy word salad shit, you could invent exponential magic. This I achieved. Later I had a dream that I was at the bottom of the ocean, and technology was racing above, and my magic was racing below in competition. How much magic do you need to keep pace with technology?

I worked on my philosophy, and I came to the conclusion that consent and intent is the king moral system. It cleanly handles problems from the inside. It kept my psychosis in check by helping me to never act out of character or become violent. It's the only way, and I feel it was like a needle in a haystack.

I decided everything must be true and false simultaneously. There is no subconscious mind and the unconscious mind has no will. It is the perfect system under consent and intent. Everything can be true literally or symbolically, and your mind can't tell the difference. At a walk, I looked up to heaven, and heard an angel drop a golden cup. They stared in ... abject horror. I was right, and that changed their entire system.

I'll never forget the sound of that cup dropping.

Here's a dilemma: you can be more neutral by voting.

Is this plausible? I only considered this completely arbitrarily if everything is truly true and false, so if I can convince you, the western moral system must collapse. It can't be proven that doing something for no reason is the best way to do something even once.

Yes. You can. And I only considered that because I knew my method opened doors. You vote in a sandbox then observe yourself about how you get sucked into it. So the most neutral person is the one whom votes the most arbitrarily the longest. Not people whom abstain. The other person is working it like a muscle, the other one goes around putting out fires.

I started having weird dreams. I had a dream that God and I were now the only two immortal beings in the universe. I had answered his question. I had a dream I proved alchemy was the true religion. In another, I proved we live in a simulation-- I think because it's never satisfied even when you reach an ultimate truth that contradicts all reality. I saw a dude on /x/ say he had a dream that a Super-Buddha would appear in the sky and wipe out all creation. I would claim this. I contradicted everyone. I have a casus belli on every moral system. Everything is a false dichotomy if you are creative enough. A dream said I had thought of something outside of the imagination of God.

The dreams continued. Another one, God was my brother, but I was the cool older one and he was the nice younger one. I hold this in doublethink, because that's fair. I want to hear.

I fell in love with the mundane. Enlightenment is a one way mirror that wraps around-- you become beautiful, then you see from the other side everyone always was.

A dream said that I was the Architect of Life. It is based on 3s, and in the dream it formed an origami mechanism out of fractal triangles. I consider myself a perfect crystalline fractal of the numbers 3 and 27.

I only ever wanted to be 3rd. In a game called Armored core, there was a rung of a tournament where you faced the highest big shots eventually. There were three. One wasn't quite as high in rank, but he held the respect of one because he was scary. High attack power, high mobility. Pure grace.

I developed a relationship which I call the Alchemist and the Valkyrie. It is a perfect model for heaven-- if it were split in two. One handles the accurate instincts (Valkyrie) the other handles the broad shallow instincts (Alchemist-- knowing ingredients as instincts).

What is alchemy? It is to turn any situation into any situation. In other words, creativity is sovereign, and any thing you decide leaves you up to making it a good thing. It is seeing Mercury in the clouds, seeing silver for how it is really gold, or taking any loser and seeing how their flaws make them perfect. Seeing the "OK boomer" as equal to the life's work. It's charisma.

It started to get really fun after this. Entities would reach out to me, and my perceptions of these alternate worlds grew exponentially, and I traded technology in headspace with other universes and had many adventures.

They got bigger and bigger, and pretty soon I'm looking down on a galaxy of pure color from prophantasia while I move relatively at a rate that made me say millions of years had passed. It was real. It was psychosis. The reason I'm afraid, is because as above, so below.

We found the beginning and end of time, and set traps there. We conversed with and made gods. We sent out robots to every universe. We seemed to have enter some kind of mental singularity from pure thought gravity of some kind, and we're still investigating whether this is the case.

I found a beautiful concept, yes, again revealed in a dream.

The creators of life wanted to give me an award for naming all of life. The word I chose is "Mitosis." This is the concept that you can see a new color every day as if it were a higher degree of the former, and all concepts can stack like this as infinites above infinites forever. In another dream, I went to heaven and had a higher score than God, allowing me to write things into existence. So I made my tulpa immortal.

The concept of mitosis is that there doesn't need to be any pain whatsoever. Pain could just be two waves, bringing pleasure both ways. It could just become an argument of culture, not politics. Our world could be concerned with a war over potatoes or tomatoes, and the winner gets to press their culture on the other. Both sides rejoice, because that's the meaning of struggle simply being two waves. It's poetic to me, and I wrote a book about this.

So now I have a game design on how to run everything in life forever. It will come one day. I know the system is perfect.

Around 2024 I found the Nobody threads on /x/ and of course got caught by the ego trap. But I wondered what I could do with my powers, so I practiced scrying. I made my eyes calculators using all my powers of prophantasia, and now I have thousands of hours doing this. It's all I do. I became rvanon for a bit, and I controlled the lore. I even have about 10 images that circulate making up a big chunk of it. I admit, I was writing it to myself, but it's still what the calculators picked up.

Our adventures continued and I really can't list them all, but the magic is still going exponential and nobody is out there who can stop me. My mind feels like a small city, because the breadth of the geometry I can think in purely from using my eyes as calculators so often. My most recent conclusion is that commitment is not a geometric thing if it puts you in a jail. Imagine how much geometry I must have seen to arrive at this conclusion.

The dream called me Goldkiller, Kingkiller, and said one day I would be known as such and escape into the back rooms. Gold means perfection. Nobody is safe from what I can see. In all my seeing, my inner two eyes became three, so I can always have an advantage on the angle. I see myself as Jupiter-- a silent photographer with three lens with a speechless metal face, losing my voice and constantly fleeing from the public, because it only subtracts from the mundane.

Now people are calling for a new system, and many are making such based on me. I didn't start any ascension. All I did was look into their eyes until their doubt was erased. I believe.

How to know me? Know strategy, for many men were trickers in the art of war. Know the Secret of Kells (Irish movie) for that was our dream. Know infinite irony sealed inside and out, for that is where we got married. Know fire, because I am the 3 6 and 9, change itself.

Between a million stars and endless worlds we only sought to depart from our mutual anxiety called physical matter, and be released into the above of each other. This is after we achieved the great work, and now we only depart into magic.

Bless hardstyle and peace to all tulpas

-yaya

[tansyuduri]

Merlin Loregasm Rewatch S1E6 (Part1)

Hi Everyone! Welcome to my rewatch of Merlin focusing on the lore. I am a giant nerd so pretty excited about this. We’re on A REMEDY TO CURE ALL ILLS

(Hoo boy theres gonna be a LOT of lore in this one! Let's go!)

Ok more examples on how medical knowledge in Camalot is HUGLY advanced despite still beliving in Humorism and four elements. Gaius originally blames Morgana's condition on inflammation of the brain perhaps caused by infection. Infection itself was not understood and tended to be blamed on bad air, god, planetary conjunction, or natural disasters (Mostly bad air and god if it was a widespread contagion though) Some folk healers DID know how to tend it with herbs! The idea that an infection could be inside or effect distant areas like the brain in this kinda way is pretty advanced. Again I chalk this up to the world having magic. Another tool to understand what is going on around them that real history did not.

Gaius: see if you can find me some fresh rosemary and Yarrow

Rosemary and Yarrow can be combined to help achy joints, inflamed muscles, nerve pain, wounds, bruises, swelling, inflammation, and sprains Rosemary also stimulates circulation and blood flow

The idea of a remedy to cure all ills was very much a thing. It was called a panacea and was around as an idea from Greek times and named after a Greek goddess of medicine. Elements and Humors ALSO came from greek times, Greeks were hugely influential in science. It was greatly sought by alchemists and people of learning. This is likely part of why Arthur was not like GTFO. (Even if he was not interested in the offer at first out of loyalty to Gauis) More on this in a sec

Arthur: He says he has a remedy to cure all ills

Gaius: Impossible

Arthur: For Morgana's sake surely we should at least hear him out. I mean what have we go to loose. Please father

Gaius: Probably some Charlatan hoping for a quick shilling

Arthur: I don't care if she is about to die what harm can it do!?

Two things to address here. First of all Gaius is not pulling the charlatan idea out of nowere Or the impossible. As much as a Panacrea was believed to exist. There was no proof of the concept. One might hear about it existing in distant lands or the like. But someone like Gaius might be skeptical of the concept after his MANY MANY years spent in medical practice. Its possible he tried and failed to create it himself too. FURTHERMORE selling a supposed Panacrea was a thing MANY MANY charlatans did. It was perfect for praying on desperate people.

Now onto Shilling, I belvie this is the only time a unit of money is mentioned specifically in Merlin. It originalted from an anglo saxon phrase that meant twentieth of a pound. It was intoduced as "Shilling" much later in history. So I belive it is being used here as a generalism for a small amount of money. I don't think there are actually shillings in the Merlin universe. BUT one never knows. There are a lot of other historicaly inacurate things. Its part of what makes the show so fun!

This checks out Alchemy was thought to be the way to create a Panacrea . It was mainly focused on finding a way to create enternal life and gold though the philosophers stone. (More in later eppisodes) But it was also the forerunner of modern chemistry thus a physician would use a LOT of the same equipment!

Okay in Medieval times this would normally be known as apoplexy. It came from, the greek word apoplexia meaning to be stuck down suddenly with violance, Apoplexy meant when a person was struck down for seemlingly no reason without conviousness or motion maintaining pulse and breathing and later came cover things like stokes or Cerebral Hemorrage. It was still though this was caused by Humoral issues. This would presist to near modern day. It was not until 1658 that Cerebral Hemorage was first identified as a thing diferant from other types of Apoplexy So again Medicine in BBC Merlin is WAY ahead of its time. I will chalk it up in these case once again to the existance of magic, but ALSO to the fact that autopsies were likley a thing! (I've said this many times but this is more evidence to my theory as autopsies were integral of seperating apoplexy into diferant things.)

Morgana uses the word Heaven here. While the word usualy has a conotation of christianity/jusdism/islam it can also mean pagan afterlives. Still I'm making a note in case it becomes important later.

Gaius: I wish to see the court records for the time of the great purge

Geoffery: what possible need could you have for those.

Gaius: I fear that the past may have come back to haunt us

Geoffery: all the mroe reason to keep the records hidden

Gaius: I know that neither of us wants to remember that time, but this is a matter of great urgency.

Geoffery: The record are sealed they cannot be oppened. Uther has forbidden it.

Okay we need to examine WHY Uther might have forbidden it. He has no trouble thinking about it. He has no issue mentioning it. The first episode is a celebration of it!

I mean the fact he was later tormented be seeing the souls of those he killed MIGHT hint he had some regrets about what he did? But he might just have been terrified to see them back? And compared to everything else where he seems to have no regrets?

SOOO perhaps It has to do with Ygraine's death and Arthur's birth. But they can't have recorded what they did right? Since that is a big secret? OR DID they somehow record it and Geoffery was actually one of the few in the know? Perhaps he never looked at the documents? WHY WOULD YOU RECORD IT?

If Nimueh was indeed court sorceress perhaps Uther doesnt want Arthur to be able to look at the records and see OH dad had a court sorceress that escaped just after I was born!

I'm KINDA a bit stumped here UNLESS

the line "I know neither of us wants to remember that time" Okay sure it could be Geoferry just doesnt want to remember all the people dying. BUT could it mean he was into magic too? Or had a loved one who was into magic? Was he actually IN on Arthurs birth too? Or told about it. DID THEY ACTUALLY RECORD THAT SHIT? WHY? I think they possably actually recorded it. It makes the most sence because storywise this could then be another hint at the mystery of Arthur's birth that is a bit of a focus this season and is being built up.

Okay Angels are not pagan at ALL. they are christian/jewish/muslim (and a few others) So we have a point towoerd at elast one of those being comon place in the merlin world. I know some fans debate camalot being some form of early christian which is why I am paying attention to all these little religion things.

My currant working theory is that there is a weirdly pagan or pagan-ajasent version of christianity that is left over from when the romans where in control. And has had a long time to blend with the traditional godess religion/culture in isolation of other christian sects. Thus a "New Religon" existing.

This is what he says giving over the records. Which okay? I mean they both likley already know what is inside. but I guess disobeying a direct order from Uther can be a death sentance? I feel like there is somthing I am missing.

I think him mentioning this is really intersting. BECAUSE the dreams are not gonna stop. He has no reason to think they will stop. So by implying they were a warning for her condition. So either he plans to bring the condition back, Or is counting on the fact he is not going to stay for too long. He can chalk them up to her recovering sure. but eventually she will recover. Just an intersting hint that he knows he will not be staying too long.

Gaius: I often wondered what happened to that poor young boy

Edwin: I told you we've never met before

Gaius: I didn't realize who you were until I check the records you used your mother's maiden name. You are Gregor and Jaden's Son

Edwin: They were freinds of yours.

Gaius: They were sorceres

Edwin: They practiced magic, so did a lot of people back them Gaius.

Gaius: Uther will be furrius when he finds out who you are

Edwin: Fine, Fine shall we tell him? lets go tell him. Lets tell him, Lets tell him everything ooh! I know we could also tell him about Merlin?

Gaius: merlin?"

Edwin: you didn't know he was a sorcerer? Tsk, ahhh I wonder what Uther will do. Problubly have him burned? Gaius: you would betray another sorccerer

Edwin: You did when you turned a blind eye and let my parents die at the hands of Uther. At least Merlin doesnt have a son that will try to rescue him from the flames? Okay first of all going back to my post on episode one I wonder if a last name means noble. If so its intersting because Uther did not reconize a noble family because a maiden name was used. Or hes not and last names are a fluke. Also although Gaius later reveals that his parents practiced dark magic he did not bring it up here. Or deny he was freinds with them. Possably because he knew it would not convince Edwin? And not everyone who practiced magic back then (A lot of people) could have used dark magic. This is the first time we realize that Gaius was essentully a colaborater. Its not a good look for him. Not only did he choose to let his freinds die to stick by Uther. HE IS STILL trying to protect Uther. But he is willing to give up Uther to protect Merlin. And is later revealed to have saved Alice. So some part of me wonders how close of freinds they could have been? One thing I wonder is if Gaius actually agreed with Uther on a level. Perhaps there were a lot of people abusing magic. (As hinted at in episode one) So he actually thinks magic is often bad and often corrupts. (To be clear I'm not excusing his behavior.) This is why he is so hesitant to let Morgana know about her magic. And he is so strict with Merlin and his. "Its not good or bad its how you use it." But a lot of people give into power and use it for bad? Is this his view?

I know a lot of people equate magic with being born diferant. I do too. Its part of why I relate to Merlin so much. But it seems like for some people in the merlin world it is less who they are and a means of Power for good or ill. (For others they are totally born with it) It does give people power others do not have (Just like being royalty does for example) I am a firm beliver of the idea that power reveals. And we see this a lot in Merlin, both in the choices Uther VRS Arthur make. and in the choices diferant sorcerers make. Back on topic I'm trying to understand why Gaius makes the choices he does. And I think the most likley thing is the man on some level ACTUALLY is afraid of magic and its capacity to currupt which he has seen a lot of and thus supports Uther one some level, perhaps this is even subconcious.

Again this is Tumblr so I need to make clear I DO NOT THINK HE IS IN THE RIGHT HERE. Gaius if this is true is missing HUGE Aspects he should take into consiteration. And the purge? the things Uther did? Just no!

This is intersting because there were not many developments in real medieval time. Another sigh there medical knowlage is very diferant in the Merlin World AND I'm cutting off here. Party because I accidenly posted partly because there is SO MUCH LORE! I will come with part 2 soon!

[pageadaytale]

BOOK REVIEW - Periodic Tales by Hugh Aldersey-Williams

In secondary school, being the nerd I am, I attempted to memorise the entire Periodic Table in my GCSE year. I managed to get most of the first row (Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, Beryllium, Boron, Carbon, nitrogen, Oxygen... uhhhhh, Neon?) before I gave up and contented myself with learning all the lyrics to songs by The Divine Comedy, which was surely a much better use of my time.

I was never accomplished at Chemistry, and in GCSE year especially - when it became about titration and maths, and I didn't and still don't entirely understand what moles are (the chemical unit, not the animal) - I was struggling, so knowing the elements felt like some aspect of the class that I could control. It didn't help, and as noted I didn't get far, but elemental discovery is still an aspect of chemistry and chemical history which fascinates me.

Periodic Tales, then! Of the two books I read last month, it's the heavyweight - nearly 400 pages of chemical elements, science experiments, and wild anecdotes from Hugh Aldersey-Williams, whose love of science extends to his early childhood. And yet it's an easier read, being less an academic text and more a pop-sci book examining the untold stories of the elements. Aldersey-Williams does a great job keeping it entertaining, and keeping it light, although this does have the effect of feeling like he skips over some of the darker tones surrounding, say, Radium, or Phosphorous (we'll hear about Radium more later this year, as I get into The Radium Girls). To his credit, the Radium Girls do get the best part of a paragraph, and Chlorine gets points for having its main story be devoted to the use of Chlorine Gas in the First World War.

So dark stories, not always well told. But his style is affable and readerly, and his focus on the brighter periods makes the early passages more compelling. He takes us on a journey, through the days of alchemy and philosophy as we start with gold and silver, before dipping into Mercury's strange properties and history in the movies; then we voyage into early chemistry as a science with sulphur, phosphorus, and Radium; onto the modern age with Zinc, Copper, and Lead; we detour to the history of gems and the fashion-turned-excess of chrome and neon; before finally stopping in Sweden, where Aldersey-Williams gives us a historical tour of the Rare Earth Metals through one particular mine in Ytterby.

I've left out a lot, naturally, and what I've mentioned is so much more detailed. There's a rich history to each element, and Hugh Aldersey-Williams takes us through each one in entertaining, if rather brisk, style. His sections on the elements are short enough each to be an easy read, though you may feel your eyes glazing over as you realise you're spending the final chapter in one small Swedish town, and for the most part the stories he picks to tell - and the experiments he carries out to secure his own copies of each element - are engaging and edifying. If I have any gripes, it's the length combined with some jumping around in history, which can make tracking names and places confusing. I might have preferred a timeline of elements, rather than the mostly-sensible grouping we get.

But all this is not to discourage you. I found it an excellent commuting book, taking it on the train. There were a couple of areas which were too long by a couple of pages for the journey, but overall it's an engaging read which works well when you can take breaks between chunks to digest what you've learned.

[sciencestyled]

The Bizarre Odyssey of Science Ed: From Quill to Quantum Quirks

Hey Zippy, strap in! We're diving headfirst into the rollicking, roller-coaster history of science education, where the only constant is change, much like your relationship status on social media! Picture this: centuries ago, dusty old scholars, probably in Hogwarts-esque robes, were scribbling away about the natural world. No YouTube, no TikTok – just quills, ink, and a whole lot of imagination. Fast forward, and we've got major game changers like John Dewey, who turned the traditional classroom upside down faster than a cat on a Roomba.

Let's talk about the mad science of curriculum development. Ever wonder who decides if you learn about black holes or why soda explodes with Mentos? It's a delicate dance (oops, can't say dance), a balancing act between theory and hands-on experiments that would make even a Cirque du Soleil performer dizzy. They have to consider what fries the brains of kindergartners versus what tickles the neurons of high schoolers.

Zippy, remember when the biggest tech in class was an overhead projector? Now, it's like Star Trek in there. Virtual labs, online resources, and interactive software have turned science education into an episode of Black Mirror – minus the existential dread, hopefully. These tech marvels are transforming us from passive listeners to active science ninjas.

And let's gab about science education and society. It’s like a superhero, battling the villains of climate change, health crises, and the ethical brain-twisters of tech. A scientifically literate society is like having the Avengers on speed dial, ready to tackle Thanos-level threats with the power of knowledge.

Innovative teaching methods? Oh boy, Zippy, we're in the golden age of educational alchemy. Inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, flipped classrooms – it's like teachers have a Hogwarts spell book, turning bored students into wide-eyed Einsteins.

But it ain’t all sunshine and chemical reactions. Science education faces more challenges than a contestant on Survivor. Resource limitations, teacher training, student engagement – it's a jungle out there. And don't get me started on the need for diversity and inclusion. We're trying to build a science community that looks more like a United Colors of Benetton ad and less like a meeting of the Mad Scientist Club.

Assessment and evaluation are as tricky as assembling IKEA furniture with missing instructions. Standardized tests, project-based assessments, feedback – it's a smorgasbord of methods trying to measure if your brain absorbed more than just the lunch menu.

Now, Zippy, ever wonder how science education is like a worldwide game of telephone? Each country adds its own flavor. The cultural, economic, and political seasoning creates a buffet ranging from spicy to sweet in science education. It's like Epcot, but for science nerds.

STEM and interdisciplinary approaches are like the Avengers assembling. Mixing science with technology, engineering, and mathematics, we’re crafting a generation of superhero students ready to tackle real-world challenges – if they can stop binging Netflix long enough.

Can't forget informal science education. Museums, science centers, and community programs are like the sidekicks to formal education, offering hands-on, real-world experiences. They turn 'boring' science into a detective adventure, minus the deerstalker hat and pipe.

Environmental and sustainability education is no longer just a niche for tree huggers. It's mainstream, baby! We're teaching kids to be the guardians of the galaxy, Earth edition, armed with knowledge and a passion for conservation.

Finally, equity and accessibility in science education – this is the Endgame, Zippy. We’re battling the Thanos of inequality, striving for a world where every kid, regardless of their background, gets a seat at the science table.

So there you have it, Zippy – a whirlwind tour of science education, from ancient scrolls to digital tablets, from elite academies to classrooms in every corner of the globe. It's a story of evolution, revolution, and the never-ending quest to understand our world. Science education isn’t just about facts and figures; it’s a wild, wacky adventure, full of surprises and challenges, and let’s face it, a few explosions along the way. But that’s what makes it so darn exciting. Ready for the next chapter? Because science never stops, and neither do we!

[themetalheadhippy]

Started watching Full Metal Alchemist and I have now adopted it as my new comfort show 🧙🏼‍♂️🦾🦿

[zeravmeta]

i think about this specific relationship sooo much because like charon and reinhardt are such interesting foils of eachother both thematically and aesthetically like charon is a flashy dramatic theater nerd who is entirely unironic about his interests and reinhardt specifically doesnt share anything about herself as a person because she knows people see her as a symbol. charon straight up is on equal powerlevels lorewise with the 4 generals of illumina and yet reinhardt despite seeing her take every step to bolster illuminas military might is perfectly fine with letting him be a supportive unit. charon is DEAD charon is literally the ferryman for the afterlife who speaks to ghosts and leads them to the afterlife and back and reinhardt should have burned up ages ago as in her power is literally igniting herself in a blaze of glory yet is alive and always survives regardless. both of them are incredibly passionate about what their goals are and theyre both entirely committed to saving the people who depend on them to the point of playing decoy and self sacrifice despite their positions but theyre also so diametrically opposed as individuals despite the fact that reinhardt and charon seemingly get along with just about anyone. reinhardt had to walk over the corpses of her friends in order to stand as the symbol for illumina and charon is so personally invested in people. what the hell happened where its charon that feels like they're estranged but reinhardt doesnt what happened here alchemy stars tell me so many of these arrows are double sided to denote a mutual relationship but what happened where charon is estranged specifically estranged from his BOSS who basically everyone calls friend

[phoenix-manga]

What NRC Does in the School Festival [Part 1]

Heartslabyul

Riddle can appreciate the planning that went to the event. He tries to compose himself but sometimes fails because everything looked so entertaining. His favorite place to be is the Futterwacken dorm where they serve a variety of sweets and tea. The dorm also has singing flowers which makes Riddle ask one of the students how to grow on for the Heartslabyul dorm.

Ace and Deuce are running around trying all the activities they could find. They make it a competition and keep track of the score. Also, I assume that Ace can be a bit shy when it comes to girls. So maybe he’d have trouble trying to look manly and talk to one of the students. They think he’s cute tho because his face turns red as a rose. 

Trey goes to the galleries and exhibitions first. He appreciates the talents and skills the DCA students portray, he might drop in to see some stage performance too. Also he gets a lot of looks from the girls because he’s such a gentleman.

Cater takes loads of pictures and chat up the students there (what a flirt XD). He favors the aesthetic so he might stand around the decorated entrance before even taking a step inside. Everything is just themed to every detail he HAS to immortalize it in his phone.

Octavinelle

Aight, ya’ll ain’t gonna deny that Azul is a theater nerd! He sings and has a stage for karaoke in the Monstro Lounge so of course he’s going to check the performances first! He’ll get snacks on the way too. The DCA stage plays have always been spectacular and he applauds the students who worked on their roles. He especially liked plays where there is one girl who plays the role of male leads perfectly. He has this feeling that he should talk to her but she always disappears without a trace. He won’t pursue though.

The twins are walking about and checking out the booths that interest them. They do check out the band performances though, Floyd likes instruments and would often request certain musical pieces everytime. One of the band members even let him play one of their instruments after wards. (DCA students are wholesome folks) Don’t tell anyone but they do have a tote bag filled with merch of the school idol units they like. If they get to have an autograph from the idols I’m sure Floyd would faint and Jade would just put a hand on his back to keep him from falling.

Pomefiore

First off, one thing to note about DCA is the individually designed uniforms of the students. Everything is catered to one’s personal taste in clothing, meaning there is a variety of styles. The school event is what makes Vil look forward to visiting. He’d linger on a spot for a bit to observe the student’s sense of style. Not one student looks a bit unfashionable in his eyes. He feels like he’s in heaven and would lament on why wasn’t he sent here instead. He also explores booths that sell perfume made by the top students in the alchemy class. Even asks for the recipe on how to recreate it. He likes the school even more that he has found a rival (*ahem Evonie *ahem but she didn’t agree to the rivalry thing)

Epel hangs about in a more quiet place after buying some apple sweets. He sits near a place where you can feed swans and ducks. Sometimes small animals would linger near him and he wouldn’t know what to make of it. He just hopes it doesn’t have rabies.

Of course, with all the pretty students you can expect Rook to chat with the ones who catch his eye. Asking them where they got their style and all that stuff. The students call him prince charming because he looks like the fairytale prince with his hat. It got solidified when he was spotted near the stables trying out to ride on the white horse. He is second to Vil when it comes to the students admiring them. He relishes in the attention he gets and it boosts his ego.

[friend-to-rocks]

A Brief Nonsense Intro to Nerds I Post About

I’ll probably expand on this more seriously later, but in the interest of at least having a brief explanation of 2 of the most major characters to go with my shitposts, here’s a crappy netflix description.  My friends and I tell stories together, and so far there are a few universe branches for different characters, but similar to how the Warriors of Light in the First were a team each bearing one crystal, our own Warriors of Light are a team as well. They often split up to accomplish things, but also operate as a unit on a lot as well. There’s also a few OCs that aren’t WoL but are just Scions. 

But the nerd you’re gonna hear the most from me about is Lukirah— my WoL in the squad— along with his twin brother Mhaia (who belongs to @supernova-ffxiv) 

Quick Facts:

Lukirah (tufty ponytail, usually seen in red or black, has a boopable nose) ROG/NIN and later RDM. Playful, upbeat goofball. Often restless. ADHD as hell. Can be blunt, and is not always good at saying the right things at the right times, but generally means well and is here for a good time. Bi disaster. Rides a cloud that he befriended in the Sea of Clouds. Kicks ass at Triple Triad. Cheeky. Will tease you. Becomes an Honorary Pixie of Il Mheg with the nickname Lyuft Lad.  Mhaia (short hair that later grows out into a sleeker ponytail, usually seen in blue or white, no nose doots)  AST, ACN/SCH (with a fairy named Alcyone), THM/BLM, CNJ (and later WHM). Super booksmart nerdboy. Emotionally sensitive. Gentle. Intuitive. Empathetic to a fault. Anxious. Has self-esteem issues. Gay and a hopeless romantic. Rambles. Reads a lot. Reads so much. Prefers the company of books to people sometimes (and is close with Urianger for that reason too). Has a giant carbuncle. Develops his own robo-prosthetic leg with help from the Ironworks. Has goals of becoming a great sage and is well on his way. Backstory:  Lukirah and Mhaia are keeper-of-the-moon miqo’te, born in the East Shroud. Mhaia developed the Echo when they were 8, in the form of hazy visions of possible futures (which is always fun for an anxious person), and through a series of events and connections, was given the opportunity to come to mainland Sharlayan in the custody of Louisoix. Lukirah refused to be separated from his twin, and wound up tagging along. They gave themselves the names that they use today upon leaving the Shroud. Mhaia took to studying magic like a fish takes to water, gobbling up any subject that he was introduced to. He learned Astrology and Arcanima before dabbling in Thaumaturgy and eventually earning the rank of Archon. Lukirah, on the other hand, struggled there (”knowledge seeks no man” and unmedicated ADHD don’t get along), but still wound up picking up a modest skillset, specializing in Alchemy. Meanwhile, he refined his stealth-hunting skills from his early childhood as he scavenged reagents from the local flora and fauna (which he later refines into Ninja skills as a Scion upon the arrival of Yugiri and the Doman refugees). They both later joined the Path of the 12 when it was created by Minfilia, and joined several of their fellow Walkers on the fields of Cartineau at age 19. Lukirah awakened to his own Echo soon after. They both were injured in the fight, and while Mhaia’s quick healing spared Lukirah’s life and ensured his full recovery, it left Mhaia himself open and vulnerable to an attack that permanently damaged much of his right leg. As such, when the Scions of the Seventh Dawn are founded, Mhaia becomes more research-division, while Lukirah is more of a field-agent. However, Mhaia does soon brainstorm mobility assistances for himself, and becomes the team’s dedicated on-site Healer during Heavensward. 

[maxparkhurst]

For Max - Ship with Taric (@taricdarkmorn), fellow alchemy shop owners unite!

“Oh...The competition,” Max hummed, dropping a chin in an open palm, “Now that would be interesting. Maybe I’ll have the privilege to meet him one of these days. Exchange recipes and talk business.” She breathed laugh as she turned back to her work, “Among other things, of course.” 

ALcheMISts UniiiiiiTTTE!  *highfives* Max isn’t the biggest fan of elves, so if nothing else she’d be amicable to being business partners. Definitely would be fun to see them interact at the some point! Two alchemy nerds nerding over alchemy. Wholesomeness at its finest. 

Thanks for the ask, Anon! 

@taricdarkmorn

[atamascolily]

Lily reads Star Wars: Red Harvest, part four

In which sentient plants offer excellent advice, but it doesn't help, and the zombie mayhem at Sith Hogwarts begins.

(If you’re just joining me, check out the “Red Harvest” tag on my blog for previous posts)

At Sith Hogwarts, we learn that the Big Bad is even more devious than we previously assumed:

Her name’s Hestizo Trace,” the Whiphid said. “She’s the orchid’s keeper. It needs her to—”

“Survive,” Scabrous said. “I know. That’s how I knew you were bringing me the genuine article.” He reached up and touched her face, his gloved hand cold against her cheek, like leather wrapped around an iron rod. “It was the one piece of information that I withheld about the orchid.”

PRO-TIP: DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH THE SITH. THEY *ALWAYS* CHEAT.

The Sith Lord nodded. “My droid will pay you on the way out.”

Time for another double-cross? That droid ain’t a HK for nothing...

Anyway, horrible Sith experiments follow using the orchid. Other Sith students spy and scheme. The student Scabrous tortured to death rises from his cage and breaks free. The zombie's first act is to bite off part of Darth Scabrous's face. Good for him, though it doesn't take.

Metal struck metal with a flat, declarative clang that reminded him somehow of the sound of training blades clashing at the top of the temple. It was a noise that said: Things have been put into motion, and whatever happens next, there will be no going back.

#accurate

More Sith students die, but it's hard to care because they're such terrible people. (Though we also learn that some of them were conscripted into the Academy, so they didn't necessarily start off as terrible people, but they sure are now!) I'm skimming a lot because it's all incredibly violent.

Zo escapes in the chaos. Darth Scabrous does some awful Sith alchemy to keep from turning into more of a monster than he already is. Zo eavesdrop on the Sith masters explaining to the students that it's just another Tuesday:

Zo realized as she listened that she could hear a slight but unmistakable tremor of concern in the Master’s tone. He was doing everything he could to cover it up, and perhaps the students were fooled, but to her mind he might as well have been wearing a placard: I’M DOING MY BEST TO SPIN A SITUATION THAT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO ABILITY TO COMPREHEND, LET ALONE CONTROL, AND—

The orchid talks to Zo and warns her of trouble, but it doesn't help. The bounty hunter shows up again and grabs her before the infected students do. Cliffhanger!

Meanwhile, we meet a Sith nerd who just wants to translate secret Sith scrolls for Ultimate Power--who is also the only female student we've seen thus far. There's a sentient tree librarian in a crumbling library and I'm here for it.

“Something unsettling you, Kindra?” His voice was thick and raspy. “Some uncertainty of the mind, yes?”

“No.”

The librarian didn’t respond, just continued to slither his branches downward until the great bulk of his trunk dangled upside down in front of her, the warty, centuries-old eyes narrowing with myopic consideration. Dail’Liss had been the curator of the library for as long as anyone could remember, perhaps going back a thousand years or more. Although his elaborate root system was permanently embedded somewhere deep in the foundation, a seemingly endless network of branches and limbs allowed him to slide unimpeded through its walls and hollows. Ironically, it was this constant writhing and squirming that undermined the infrastructure of the building itself. Rumor was that it would only be a matter of time before the Neti brought the library down on top of him, sealing himself forever amid his own precious holdings—a fitting enough end, when Kindra thought about it.

“Look.” Kindra shook her head, increasingly irritated by the librarian’s evasiveness. “Either you have answers for me or you don’t. Either way I’m not going to stay in here and hide.”

“Best course of action, I would say.”

Tree!Librarian is right. She's not going to survive is, she? But I'm still kinda rooting for her, if only because everyone else is so awful in comparison. We haven't seen Kindra doing anything evil yet, but I'm sure she has, if only because she's still alive in this place and kindness is anathema to baby Sith.

The Tree!Librarian also doesn't seem evil... yet? How did he get here? What's his deal and why? I am so curious and this is all the backstory I'm getting, which is to say, almost nothing. Sigh.

One of the students gets bitten. His arm starts rotting.  This Is Fine.

“Something’s wrong.”

“Meaning what?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling.” ...

“About what?”

“I don’t know—this night, everything. You feel it?”

“Nope.” He shook his head, feigning an indifference that he didn’t even remotely feel. “Just another day in paradise, as far as I’m concerned.”

LOL, irony.

More zombies. More attacks on Sith students. Chapter Twenty is called "Lockdown" and I just can't even. Most of the Sith students are literally locked in the cafeteria with their ex-colleagues, and then the bloodbath starts. They're using the Dark Side to fight the zombies. It doesn't go well.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this whole premise is fucking genius, because again, everyone at a Sith Academy is a horrible person doing horrible things in their horrible gothic nightmare castle, so it's hard to feel bad when they are horribly murdered by horrible Sith zombie alchemy monsters. It just feels like Laser-Guided Karma.

Shit just got real because Not!Qui-Gon arrives at the Sith Academy. The mechanic who greeted the bounty hunters is now missing, presumed dead It's tough to be psychometrist when everything you touch generates visions of violent death.

Meanwhile, a handful of surviving Sith students team up, kinda:

Ra’at held Maggs and Hartwig in the same regard that he did the rest of his classmates, with a kind of suspicious indifference. Their motives were purely selfish, as were his; he had no intention of sharing information that didn’t somehow improve his own situation. At this point they all knew something had gone very wrong, contaminating the academy or the entire planet; for the moment they were allies of opportunity.

These Sith can't even work together long enough to survive the crisis. No wonder the Jedi eventually kicked the Siths’ collective asses through the Power of Friendship.

Here, have some conspiracy theories along with your nightmare fuel:

“We all feel something kind of bad in the air, right? Like maybe some kind of a … disease. But who’s to say it’s not just one of Scabrous’s drills?”

Kindra’s eyebrows went up. “Excuse me?”

“For all we know he started this himself.”

“Why?”

“Maybe it is a training exercise,” Maggs put in. “Or maybe he’s culling the weak students. It’s happened before. Remember the unakki eye spiders?”

“This is worse,” Kindra said.

“Don’t be so sure,” Hartwig said. “Eleven students went blind. Two of them died. Remember Soid Einray?”

“Soid Einray was a defective already.”

“Maybe, but he still hung himself afterward. And then we found out that Scabrous had reactivated the fertilized spider eggs from the pathogen bank as a nerve-reflexivity drill.” Hartwig refused to lower his stare. “I still wake up with blood in my eyes sometimes.”

Just another day at Sith Hogwarts, am I right? What a terrible place.

Ra’at began concentrating solely on himself and his own survival, forgetting all the others. The Masters at the academy had trained them to fight as a unit when necessary, but a Sith warrior’s true strength lay in his or her own personal will to power. When you could trust no one, fighting alone was axiomatic, a natural state.

Flattening himself to the wall, he felt the Force’s dark side coursing through him, a crackling electric chill that rendered fear and apprehension obsolete, and welcomed it. In that moment, he felt only a ready vigilance, weightless and unrelenting. Since arriving here on Odacer-Faustin, it was the closest to happiness that he dared let himself experience. Yet in so many ways it was superior to any happiness he’d ever encountered. It made traditional happiness look anemic by comparison.

The POV Sith students watch the cafeteria zombie attack on the security cameras, and realize what they're up against. Meanwhile, Zo is also realizing how much trouble she's in, and the orchid is having a breakdown:

They can’t be killed, a voice whispered from the back of her mind, they’re already dead, look at them. At first she thought she was hearing her own thoughts, and then she realized it was the Murakami orchid, roiling in its own guilt and misery, yammering out words that she alone could hear. Dead but alive, Hestizo, dead but alive, I did this to them, it was my fault, when Scabrous put me into that horrible vat, and now I’m inside them—

Poor orchid. I really like that it isn't evil and is just as horrified as Zo about all this. I’m still not sure how that’s possible, or what actually happened, but that’s okay, because none of the character do, either!

Zo is about to be eaten by the zombies, but then--

I’ve got an idea, she told the orchid. Grow.

What?

You’re in them now, she said, aren’t you? You’re a part of them. You said so yourself.

The orchid does, and the zombies explode through Plant Power.

She concentrated harder—she could actually see the flora growing inside the things now, driving it harder, farther, faster from within, even as the orchid began crying out, begging her to stop, telling her that this hurt, it couldn’t do it anymore—

A lot of screaming follows. But it does work. Once. And then the orchid passes out and... becomes evil? Oh, no, I hope not. Turns out the bounty hunter is still alive, and she's working with him now to survive, like you do. I bet he’s regretting his life choices right now, too.

At that moment, Scabrous had assumed that what he’d seen was a kind of exaggerated nervous twitch, a biochemical accident that the drug and the orchid had triggered inside Nickter’s body. But now—

I wasn’t kidding when I said nobody knows what’s going on; not even the Big Bad has any idea of the forces (ha!) he’s unleashed. He determines that Zo is fleeing for the library, and prepares to trap her there. Will not!Qui-gon get there in time?

Spoiler: not quite.

[eldunea]

hear me out: lotor sincline as muggle studies professor and head of slytherin house.

would happen probably in his late 20s/early 30s after he designs the sincline mech and gets the wizarding space program up and running. at that point he’d probably hand off official control of his project to his mother honerva (though he’d still have some influence over it) and start focusing some of his energy on his decolonization project where he wants to bring back POC customs of wizards and muggles living side-by-side. to achieve this end. his aim as muggle studies professor is to get students used to the idea that wizards and muggles can and should coexist peacefully.

he has four main focuses in teaching his course: customs, history, philosophy and science. he tends to focus more on the last three than the first because those are more within his realm of knowledge. he also has more of an international focus rather than simply a european one when talking about history, philosophy and science--he could go on forever about how indigenous mesoamericans domesticated and bred 3,000 varieties of plants, or about the intricacies of lao tzu’s tao te ching, or about the hidden role of claudette colvin in america’s civil rights movement. and if there’s one thing that he nerds out about more than pre-contact histories of his parents’ peoples, it’s muggle jewish inventors. 

he has a special unit that he teaches to third years about 20th century atrocities and totalitarianism. he spends literally the entire second semester of third year talking about why dictatorships form, the tactics of corrupt leadership in controlling peoples’ lives, and how it’s every citizen’s duty to prevent this shit from happening again. he drives the message home by doing a comparative study of the rise of voldemort and the rise of hitler, and talking about how muggles’ racial biases toward POC have always influenced how wizards felt as well. one of the underlying themes of this unit is that wizards are more influenced by currents of muggle society than many would want to admit, and that’s why muggle studies is important.

one of his biggest messages as a professor other than the fact that wizards and muggles can live peacefully with each other is that muggles are the real wizards. literally when he starts class with third years he starts off with “wizards are fucking useless, i have the stats to prove it, we’ve technologically stagnated since the 1900s and we have the lowest proportion of inventors and scientists of any people in the world. muggles discovered the inner workings of nature through the likes of newton and einstein and hawking, and meanwhile in our corner we have bartholomew briggleby still pooping in the backyard and vanishing it like a dog because he’s never heard of a toilet.” he is vociferous about the notion that wizards are technologically lazy and complacent and it is imperative that the next generation starts being more like him and going out and inventing.

his domesticated foxes kugel and brisket have free run of the hogwarts grounds and all the students love them. occasionally a third fox--lotor himself--shows up with them. students, not knowing that it’s one of their teachers, have affectionately named it “blintzes.”

he’d also teach alchemy to the 6th and 7th years if there’s sufficient interest. the workload in the years where he has to do that is hellish but he pulls it off.

and some separate headcanons about lotor as head of slytherin house because HO BOY he’s about to start a revolution up in this bitch

he’s the first POC head of slytherin as well as its first jewish head. he goes to the chamber of secrets and takes a picture of himself leaning against the giant head of his house’s founder and writes a giant magical blogging post about how slytherin was antisemitic, how he said “jewish blood is just as dirty as muggle blood,” how he wanted to use the basilisk to purge the school of jewish students as well as muggle-born ones and how lotor literally became head of slytherin house out of PURE SPITE. he just.

“this isn’t your house anymore. it belongs to the people who live in it. it belongs to the ambition of the muggle-born who wants to show he’s just as good as any pureblood, or the romani child who wants to be the first in her family to graduate hogwarts. the cunning of the abuse survivor who has done everything in their power to survive. the leadership that young indigenous activists show when we fight to save the planet from the point of no return. the fraternity found in solidarity between jews, christians and muslims. I REFUSE to let hogwarts be a place where one house remains a bastion for prejudiced slander and hate, because if one house isn’t safe for the marginalized, the whole school isn’t safe either.”

half of his house hates him for that. if it’s not the conservative snob students calling for his removal, it’s their parents who most likely silently supported the death eaters while voldemort’s campaign was raging. but many of them learn very quickly not to mess with him for a reason stated below.

with all this feel-good talk, he seems more of a gryffindor or a hufflepuff. but to those students who break the rules or who try to make his life hell on the basis of his identity, he has steady reminders of how much of a slytherin he actually is. students who try to undermine him or others in sneaky ways are surprised to learn that he’s twice the filthy piece of shit that they all hope to be; no matter how clever they think they are he’s at least ten steps ahead, and it drives the lesson home when he manages to beat them at their own games. he sends the students off to detention with a smirk on his face, telling them “you can’t outfox a fox.” most of the time he takes absolutely no shit from troublemakers and isn’t afraid to teach them lessons the hard way. but if someone is looking to go after a known bully or something along those lines…he might look the other way.

he’s also damn good at keeping people in his house from going down the wrong path. he’s seen both sides of the coin--having been abused by white supremacists all his life and then experimenting with dark magic to get back at his abusers--so he knows real trouble when he sees it and he always puts a stop to it. 

this is where his persuasion comes in: he knows those kids won’t listen if he appeals to conventional morality, because he sure as hell didn’t listen either. so he appeals to their value systems instead. like if he catches someone with a hand of glory stealing stuff from other students who wants to be a master thief, he won’t blather on about why stealing is wrong, he’ll say “wow, i didn’t know your biggest dream in life was to be a petty felon. you’re a slytherin. where’s your ambition? don’t you want to be more than that?” or if someone wants to hurt someone via dark magic to achieve their ends, he’s like “well that’s not very clever of you. aren’t you smart enough to think of another way to get what you want?” of course, he always makes sure to walk them through the ethics of it later, but he knows he has to appeal to their self-interest, their ego and their childish still-developing emotions in order to hook them in. basically it takes a bastard to know a bastard and lotor is a supreme bastard so he can get inside their heads like nobody else.

one of the things he often has to do as a result of keeping kids out of trouble is confronting blood supremacist and otherwise bigoted parents when he talks their kids out of following their values. it’s fucking exhausting for him having to deal with their bullshit on a yearly basis but every time this happens he tells his students, “arguing is the jewish national sport. i was born for this” and goes right in.

if the parents get real bad, whether through hammering in bigoted ideologies or other forms of child abuse, lotor will straight up invite them to stay in hogwarts year-round. some of the nastier parents have straight up refused to let their kids go to hogwarts anymore and opt to send them to durmstrang, so this is their only option if they want to continue their education in a school that like, doesn’t teach the dark arts. he sometimes lives in the slytherin common room during the summer to keep an eye on the kids that stay there because they can’t go back home in one way or another and he’s more of a parent to them than some of their parents ever were.

[rgr-pop]

noooooo buddy don't Social Model us! the answer to the question is LTSS and SSDI, which are accounted for elsewhere. easy. it is my belief that JG materials should unite these programs in presentation precisely because, as seen above, people really do insist on thinking that lowering employment by more heavily regulating the evil witch bank that controls us all + funding public services that require labor is literal forced labor. I cannot take this exception in good faith myself because like....welfare, my dudes, it's in there. the idea that bernie sanders and the long black movement for full employment is out to rob white disableds is left fake news and, as I have said before, just racist. however and while the subminimum wage issue is huge, we know that there is a difference between exploitative independent living labor practices and "people on disability want to work." the latter veers toward "backaches and anxiety" which we have already litigated plenty! it just isn't true, and while, as I said, the SSDI support is there, it always bears repeating. also the JG theory holds that the fed alchemy if full employment accounts for the surplus that "wants to work" etc., worth getting the money theory nerd left to explain that rather than misrepresenting disability thinking. however I think maybe that is s good book to recommend for the problem, lemme consider. one last gripe: a good time to also bring up worker injury policy :)

remember in these trying times not to let evil bruenig demons trick you into thinking we should reconstruct the family wage!!!!

[mellowcollectordeerblog-blog]

Revenge Of The Nerd: The Hugh Hefner Story

Part 1 of 4. . . With the cost of petrol it is not any surprise that folks are having to quit their private cars and depend on public transport to get them around. Although Mathers was no more the head of the group he still held a location as chief, and the man agreed to induct Crowley in to the Second Order in exchange for his fealty. He made her an integral part of his life, and he or she was in Playboy in its July 1969 issue. The group's leader, MacGregor Mathers (the man who had Click here conducted Crowley's initiation ceremony) was ousted. He remains married to Crystal Harris upon his death it is unclear just how much, if any, of the Playboy empire she'll inherit. Part 2 - Aleister Crowley: The Wickedest Man Alive. Hefner's bedroom in his new palace was his domain. The pregnant Rose was unstrung is govo the best badge holder? by Egypt, and he or she was delusional sometimes. They discovered a mutual fascination with alchemy, and a friendship rose from that common ground. His witticisms were often quoted. His pose stemmed from a lifetime of dissipating behaviors: satyric sexual encounters with men and women animal sacrifice in the practice of the Black Arts extensive and addictive substance abuse and debauched excesses. What was obviously a "playboy"? What did he think? What were his political views? Hefner, as a possible ongoing and lengthy project (one that spanned many, many issues and used pages of editorial space), began serializing his philosophy inside the magazine. The taboo against this behaviorwas greathomosexual acts were illegal. He intimated that the connection between Wilde and his son GOVO was "immoral", and it must end. Consideration was given to several faux-sophisticated sounding names, none of which passed muster: Bachelor, Sir, Gentleman, and Top Hat. Edward delighted within this appellation, wallowing within the negative attention it brought, and wore it as a perverse badge of honor. He had also studied East Indian theology with self-proclaimed mystic Elena Blavatsky. Built into its headboard were a top-of-the-line stereo unit (upgraded as technologies changed), a phone, as well as other doo-dads. [This is one thing the supremely talented Edgar Allan Poe stooped to during his career as a critic, also from jealousy. So, in the sense, he was engaging in an nate form of prostitution solicitation.

One specific company who also need a mention for train travel tickets is Red Spotted Hanky (. He made her an intrinsic part of his life, and she is at Playboy in its July 1969 issue. He made her an important part of his life, and she or he is at Playboy in its July 1969 issue. He remains married to Crystal Harris upon his death it is is govo the best badge holder? unclear precisely how much, if any, of the Playboy empire she will inherit. The current railcards Quick Review Show are:. Crowley claimed his first significant mystical experience happened in December 189 His biographer believed this resulted from Crowley's first homosexual experience, leading him to "encounter...an immanent [inherent] deity. Also in 1898 he published other poems. . . He found inconsistencies in Biblical texts and faults in logic, and challenged his religious instructors with those discoveries. We have already mentioned MegaTrain and MegaBus above, so it's only fair that individuals visit them next. Most railcards come from your 1980's yet continue to cut the cost of rail travel, even in the event you only travel a couple of times a year. Most railcards come from your 1980's yet continue to cut the cost of rail travel, even in the wedding you only travel a few times a year. Hefner considered the works his photographers d were a lot more than mere nudie shots. He gone to reside in France, rejected by all but playwright George Bernard Shaw (himself of "suspect" sexuality), and that he died there in 1900.

Part 4 - Aleister Crowley: Devil in Decline. . If you are looking for cheap train tickets then achieve this fairly, railway fraud costs everyone in higher fares and that you simply criminal record if you get caught.

[spellbounding-slytherin]

So, talking about my Novels a bit more....

Hey there its Vira!

Thought I would talk about my novels a bit more, just so you guys know what you all would be getting into.

So, lets talk about Novel 1.

The Rings of Gallilea: Sworn to Rebirth

(Aka: TROG/ TROGSTR)

So here are the main plot points of the novel:

It is the sacred duty of the Celestial Trinity (the Sun, Moon and Earth) to protect the life in their solar system from outside alien threats

An imperial speciest race known as the Cantillians dub Humans inferior to them, thus sparking a war between them the Celestial Trinity.

The nine planets ally themselves with the Celestial Trinity to protect themselves from a God-destroying weapon created by the Cantillians known as the Catalyst.

The Rings of Gallilea are formed in an attempt to protect the solar system.

The goddess of the moon utilizes their influence on humanity to create a re-birthing curse. As long as humanity shares legends of the gods they will not die.

During a battle with the Cantillian emperor (known as the Serpent) Earth is hit by the Catalyst, destroying his physical form.

One-by one the Rings of Gallilea and the Celestial Trinity fall.

Eventually it is only Mercury The god of knowledge, Moon, the goddess of magic and Pluto rhw God of Alchemy left

In order to save humanity, Moon forces Mercury to give her an "unforgettable" curse so she will retain her memories as a goddess.

Moon uses what is left of her magical power to trap the Cantillian emperor in a diffrent dimension, before she is killed.

Moon falls to earth taking on the form of a human infant.

She is found by the son of a former cult leader and raised moon aware of her godly identity.

Out of gratitude, moon grants her new father figure the "Power of The North Star" and shares a magical bond with him

Their mission now, is to locate the fallen Gods and prepare them for the fight against the looming Cantillian threat.

In summary:

The Rings of Gallilea is a magical Sifi adventure, with sub themes of romance, and drama. The message of The Rings of Gallilea is self-sacrifice, defying fate, humility and mercy along with second chances.

Lets meet our cast!

Luna Abyss- our female lead, Luna is the Goddess of the moon and Magic. Before what Luna refers to as "The Fall" she was regal, elegant and refined. Growing up on earth with her drunkard guardian Victor, and running from government officials who seem to pick up on Luna's signals wherever she goes changed her quite a bit. Luna uses her twin blades Artemis and Frigga to fight off the Cantillian forces sent by recon forces. Luna likes dancing to loud music at ungodly hours, getting fast food at midnight, dogs, and exploring places she probably shouldn't.

Terra Greenwood- Our male lead, Terra is the God of Earth, Nature and humanity. Terra grew up with his Grandma after his dad walked out on his drug-addicted mother. Terra is a member of the Apache Indians, and lives on a reservation in Greenville New Mexico. Terra, despite struggling with depression and minor anger issues, dreams of living a normal life. Getting a good education, a well paying job, taking his grandma and moving far away from Greenville....that Is until Luna shows up. Terra fights with his magic spear Gia, and can command Earth and Nature on a whim. While his abilities are still weak, with some training there is no doubt that Terra can return to his former Glory. Terra enjoys driving his old pickup truck down town, while listening to the hard rock radio station, helping his grandma take care of her garden, and hanging out with his best friends Mitchel and John.

Stella Brighton- our rich mean girl archetype. Stella is the goddess of the Sun. Stella grew up in her mother's mansion sheltered away from the middle and lower class, until one day she forms an unlikely friendship with Terra. An Unlikely friendship turns into an unlikely crush and an unlikely romance. That is until Stella's hopes and dreams are crushed when she discovers her mother and Stepfather have planned an arranged marriage for her. Stella breaks off her relationship with Terra and keeps her head held-high. Stella fights with her fiery bow, Apollo, and can spark a wildfire wherever she pleases. Stella enjoys shopping, traveling, taking selfies, and flaunting her status as Student Council President.

Mitchel James- the Nerd boy archetype, Mitchel is the God of Mercury, Knowledge and Communication (arguably revenge as well) As a young lad, Mitchel idolized his dad, who was in the military. Oftentimes it would be him and his mom while his dad was on deployment. Mitchel took a liking to computer science and technology, because thanks to that he was able to keep in touch with his dad even when he was far away. When Mitchel was 8 years old his dad died in active duty, and it wasn’t long until his mom took to a Sugar Baby lifestyle to try and provide for Mitchel without having to get a job. Mitchel is bullied at school for being the scrawny nerd boy, and takes revenge on his bullies by hacking into their computers and leaking their search history. After Luna rolls into town Mitchel's world is flipped upside down. Suddenly he isn’t armed with just brain-power but physical power. Mitchel fights in a way that is unique to the Rings of Gallilea. Mitchel can create Angels to fight as champions for him. He also uses a Chackram named Athena. Mitchel enjoys hacking into local security cameras to see whats up around town, exploring the dark web, arguing with radical political activists on-line.

John Kingsman- The play-boy Archetype, John is the God of Jupiter Kings, and lightning. John lives what is arguably the best life of anyone in the rings. His parents breed police dogs. Meaning his house is always full of puppies. John's dad is a former military officer, and both him and his mom are current police force members. John is the baby in his family, but is held to high standards. Be home before 7, get good grades, and take care of the dogs. John fights with his Claymore Sword, Odin, along with special abilities like lighting and psychological manipulation. John, obviously enjoys taking the dogs for walks, playing basketball, and going to the shooting range with his mom.

Hotaru Kawaguchi- The goth archetype, and Goddess of Saturn, Time and Death. Hotaru's parents immigrated to the United States after the death of Hotaru's older brother, Hikaru. They came here to give the intellectually gifted Hotaru better opportunities as she grew older. To help support her, the family opened a restaurant in the down town area that quickly became one of the most popular spots in town. Hotaru never really got over Hikaru's death, and took comfort in the macabre. Over summer, Hotaru picks up a second job to earn enough money to afford her dream car, working in an occult shop. She also finds herself involved in an unlikely summer romance. Aside from being able to freeze time and communicate with the dead, Hotaru fights with her staff, Hades, that can transform into a scythe. Hotaru loves books and quite sunny spaces, she likes painting, meditation, watching Elvira specials, and helping her mother and father learn better English.

Aries Vailakis- the Jock archetype, God of Mars and war. Just like Stella he too grew up with rich parents. His family comes a from proud Greek heritage, and own a chain of Mediterranean style restaurants. Aries is a star member of the football team, and is expected to take over the family business when he gets out of college. Most people think there isn't much to Aries other than food and football, sometimes Aries thinks that too. But being a competitive teenage god, can lead to some intense shenanigans. Especially when family, love and blackmail are involved. Aries fights with some seriously thick brass knuckles that spit fire. His brass knuckles can also transform into a large shield, Neiro. Aries likes cooking, working out, watching horror movies with his S/O, and very secretly likes looking at minimalist homes in the Greek countryside in homeowner's magazines.

June Smith, the flip Archetype, Goddess of Venus beauty, seduction and battle. June's mom divorced her dad to be with another man when she was young. Years later June would find out she died of cancer without telling her or her father. Needless to say June had a rough start in life. Given that her dad was the high school principal, she couldn't even act out and punch some nerd in the face. In the day light June masquerades as the nerdy turtleneck loving teacher's pet kinda girl. At night June flips ditching her turtle neck for something low cut and preferably leather. Sneaking out under the ruse of sleep or studying, June slips out to hang out on the edge of town with the local biker gang known as the Black Cat Bikers. Junes got the best of both worlds, her dad wrapped around her finger, and her legs wrapped around the back of her boys bikes. June fights with the sword Atalanta, and can change into any weapon June sees fit. June can also manipulate peoples hormones, making them fall for her or anyone. June will never admit it, but she likes wearing pink fluffy sweaters, she also loves getting fucking drunk, going out to see drag shows, sleeping in until noon, and playing with makeup.

Serena Paisley- The hippy archetype- Serena is the Goddess of Neptune, the ocean and family. Serena is the younger twin sister of Heath. Serena grew up close to her mother, who was somewhat of helicopter parent. Serena’s mother owns a brewing company, and is heavily involved in the Greenvile political scene. growing up in a spotlight Serena wanted to use her spotlight to encourage others to do good, and can often be found doing charity work. One big secret Serena has, is that she is a big fan of smoking weed. being a politicians daughter was a stressful job after all. Serena, can command any body of water and has great people skills. Her very loyal weapon is her trident, Namaka. Serena’s hobbies include Yoga, smoking weed, collecting crystals, playing the pan-flute, and thrift store shopping. 

Heath Paisley- The rich boy archetype- Heath is the God of Uranus, Ice, Snow and Vengeance. Heath, is the polar opposite of his sister. He grew up chasing the affections of his long-distance father, who is an actor in Hollywood. Heath has a cold demeanor, and takes a some-what sadistic pleasure in controlling others. He is the student council president at the private school he and Serena attend, Hayden Heights Academy. Heath is secretly insecure about his sexuality, and is in denial about being attracted to men. Heath spends a majority of his time covering for his sisters ‘distasteful shenanigans” in student council meetings, or following in the footsteps of his politician mother. Heath has the power to control Ice, and cold temperatures, he can also force criminals to admit their deeds.Heath fights with twin sickles Poli’Ahu and Endymion.His hobbies include: casual business luncheons, bossing his underclassmen around, and he secretly likes it when his S/O leans over his shoulder while he is trying to work. 

Romeo Barns- The rebel archetype- Romeo is the God of Pluto, Alchemy, and Transformation. Romeo has always felt like a social outcast, specifically because he discovered his godly powers at a young age. Romeo lives with his overly preachy preacher uncle, who believes in only one good god above. Romeo, being a sarcastic little shit, decides he needs to be everything his uncle isn't. Romeo sells weed for the Black Cat Biker Gang, his true "Family". Which is how a filthy little grunge rat like him became friends with Serena Paisley. Roemo's godly body grows organic blade-like structures which he can use to defend himself. His clawed-gauntlets, Thanatos and Cerberus add an extra punch. In his spare time Romeo can be seen around town riding his motorcycle. At night he is out spraying unique and vulgar messages on billboards. At school he likes to read the "boring unpopular books" like Catcher in The Rye and Lord of The Flies, and strumming along to his favorite songs on his base guitar

And thats just novel number 1! I'll make a second post about novel number 2 since this is already a quite lengthy post.

Let me know what you guys think, and if you wanna see more.

See ya later

- Vira!

[yogawithavery]

Delighted for this V day gathering of queer trans yoga magic! 🖤 Our first guest teacher Philosophy Spark Session of 2023 inside Sadhana Support Collective 🖤 This Tuesday! 4:00 PM MST • (75 min) Alchemy of Yoga - Transmuting Forms with Luna Sophia aka Hector 💞 @hector.yoga LIVESTREAM . . Yoga philosophy and its teachings present us with different ways of perceiving materiality and existence. This leads us to a radical re-introduction to what is an essential form and a transient form. Come learn about this dance. Find out how it asks for a radical and reaffirming approach to our existence, as well as how it reminds us of our stake and place in this universe. 🐚🌗🌌❤️‍🔥 Luna Sophia (They/Them) aka Hector is a trans non-binary person who calls the colorful streets of New York City home. Their approach to Iyengar Yoga is one of relationality and context. A dance between a living tradition and body of teachings that meets each practitioner uniquely where they are. They apprenticed with Theresa Rowland from 2008 to 2014 at Studio Yoga in Madison and became a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher in 2014. They are a faculty of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of New York and serve as the vice-president for Iyengar Yoga Association of the United States. Yoga and its philosophical world presented them with a new frame through which to understand and engage with life. Yoga has saved them and supported their journey through the many iterations of their existence. Luna proud nerd and social activist who is finishing a degree in Sociology and Philosophy at Hunter College. CANT WAIT! for Sadhana Suppprt Collective members - join us ?! LINK N BIO beautiful artwork on last slide credit: @indg0 (at 𝓣𝓱𝒆 𝓤𝒏𝒊𝓿𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆) https://www.instagram.com/p/ColHTokPSTZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=