#Mysteries of the Unseen

[mydayswithtarotbystella]

Understanding Hauntings: Exploring Mirrors and Salt as Protective Measures

Experiencing hauntings and paranormal phenomena can be a deeply unsettling and frightening experience. Whether it’s encountering unexplained occurrences or feeling a malevolent presence, the effects of hauntings can have a profound impact on one’s sense of safety and well-being. In this medium-sized blog post, we’ll delve into two commonly used protective measures against hauntings: mirrors and…

[fluffylord]

TWELFTH DOCTOR I THE ZYGON INVERSION

[aeshnacyanea2000]

‘Look,’ said Rincewind, ‘a mysterious urn turns up and suddenly it’s all about football. That bodes. It means something bad is going to happen.’ ‘Come now, it could be something wonderful,’ Ridcully protested. Rincewind appeared to give this due consideration. ‘Could be wonderful, will be dreadful. Sorry, that’s how it goes.’

-- Terry Pratchett - Unseen Academicals

[chiropteracupola]

TWO OF THEM!

[supjello]

"Your son?" "My apprentice, but I think of him like a son."

[linguisticparadox]

Dr. Kemp's introduction is really fascinating to me, because it sets up not only his personality but also his function in the novel.

A couple of weeks ago, we had his thoughts at seeing Marvel running through the village: '“Another of those fools,” said Dr. Kemp. “Like that ass who ran into me this morning round a corner, with the ‘’Visible Man a-coming, sir!’ I can’t imagine what possesses people. One might think we were in the thirteenth century.”' These are his first words in the book, and they serve as an excellent sum-up of who he is and how he sees the world.

And so far, we might almost agree with him: although we know the Invisible Man is real, the whole story so far has read like a madcap slapstick comedy. Even Marvel, the Invisible Man's special victim, has been portrayed as a silly and rather stupid man in a silly and rather stupid situation, the stuff of modern-day sitcoms.

But then we get a sudden glimpse of the horror of Marvel's situation, and simultaneously we see that Kemp is judging at a distance, and so misjudging: "But those who saw the fugitive nearer, and perceived the abject terror on his perspiring face, being themselves in the open roadway, did not share in the doctor’s contempt." The more perceptive among us might cringe to think of our own reactions to everything that has happened to Marvel so far (and not to spoil anything, but later we will come to feel similarly about the Invisible Man, who so far has mostly just come off as kind of an asshole).

The narrative continues to paint Kemp as a rational man of science, who considers himself superior to the common rabble, with little tidbits thrown in here and there.

This week, he hears shots go off, and seems (or at least pretends) to dismiss them as nonsense, saying, “Who’s letting off revolvers in Burdock? What are the asses at now?” After that, he looks out the window and sees a crowd, which he watches for a few minutes, "during which his mind had travelled into a remote speculation of social conditions of the future." Based on his characterization up to now, we can assume he views this future with rather haughty scorn--"this country is going down the toilet, look at all these idiots," and so on.

Of course, he's more rattled than he seems, especially after the doorbell rings for seemingly no reason. But he manages to lose himself in his work again until the small hours of the morning.

Now, it only comes through in some parts, but the whole narrative is subtly framed as being told by a limited pov third person, who has evidently gathered together news articles and interviews with the various witnesses. We get only a peek at it here, with the line: "Dr. Kemp’s scientific pursuits have made him a very observant man, and as he recrossed the hall, he noticed a dark spot on the linoleum near the mat at the foot of the stairs." The tense at the start of the sentence suggests the image of Dr. Kemp sitting and telling his story, throwing in a moment of preening over his education and scientific prowess. These traits continue to receive attention with lines like "Dr. Kemp was no believer in voices"; and when we are told, "All men, however highly educated, retain some superstitious inklings," we can easily imagine Dr. Kemp rushing to defend his seemingly irrational thoughts to his interviewer.

In short, H.G. Wells tells us, plainly and repeatedly (though with a deft subtlety beneath his compact and engaging prose which characterizes his writing generally), that Dr. Kemp is highly educated, rational and scientific, and that he feels these characteristics place him above the common people.

And this, I think, is a gorgeous setup of Kemp's role in the narrative: to establish that education and rationality do not shield one from falling in with mob mentality and being complicit in the persecution of The Other.* Up to this point, we have had only comic scenes of the Invisible Man causing mayhem and blunt confusion among the simple-minded, straightforward but unimaginative denizens of small towns, the sort of people who needle a man for explanations, not to satisfy any real curiosity, but to gather fodder for gossip and win esteem in their social circles, and who consider it a grave insult when that man, a newcomer wrapped in bandages who just wants to be left alone, denies it to them.

But now, as if to head off any potential feelings of class-based superiority in the (necessarily literate, if not highly educated) audience, we have a well-educated, rational man, who considers himself Above All of That, and who views the situation exactly as we have been led to view it ourselves.

And this man, a stand-in for the rational, high-class, superior-feeling people in the audience, is immediately proven to be wrong. He misjudged the situation because he has only seen it from a distance: and the parallel with the readers, who are learning the story from a fairly removed narrative distance, ought to give us all pause.

*For the record, I think Marvel fits the bill as The Other, or ought to, as he is a homeless drifter. Certainly the Invisible Man expects to have sympathy from him on this basis! Unfortunately for him, Marvel in fact turns out to be much more comfortable among the "locals" than one might assume; and yet, in demanding his aid, the Invisible Man actually isolates and others him from his fellows, so that it becomes a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. But that's a topic for another paper essay rant entirely.

[anthurak]

Something to consider: if Salem's operating out of Beacon, we're probably going to get pay-off for whoever she had sifting through the ruins back in Volume 4 the first time we see Salem's inner circle in Volume 10.

As this character hasn't been MENTIONED in canon since Volume 4, I have a feeling a lot of people are PROBABLY going to get caught off guard by them suddenly showing up again.

So I've seen a fair bit of speculation on the 'mysterious unseen member of Salem's inner circle', and one thing I feel is worth noting is that at this point I don't think we can be sure if there even IS such a character. And rather that Salem was simply talking to the Grimm she has coming through the ruins. Simply because this one brief moment in this ONE scene is the ONLY evidence we have as to this 'character' even existing.

Not to mention that this brief moment already has a purpose in letting the audience know that Salem is looking for something in the ruins of Beacon (which in hindsight is the Vault of the Fall Maiden), and can't seem to find it. Meaning that it would hardly make the scene superfluous if it turned out who/whatever Salem was talking to isn't actually important.

All that all being said, if there IS in fact a 'mysterious unseen member of Salem's inner circle' who's been sifting through the ruins of Beacon for the past six volumes whom nobody has ever seen and will eventually be revealed...

Yeah, it's DEFINITELY Summer.

[thylionheart]

Ah yes, the 4 Silver Sisters: Artemis, Melinoë, Hermes, and Charon

[fellamarsh]

What is your storytelling formula?

The Fell A Marsh storytelling formula is, so far

1. make a guy (bottom) who is

2. haunted by his past, which is

3. somehow obscured to him, and then

4. Make him have gay sex about it.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

homage to B-movies alert

[butchyena]

fnaf missing out on cashing in on the oft-forgotten success of the amnesia water level by not having a part where youre waist deep in water being pursued by a submerged animatronic. like thats what monty’s level could have been in security breach. people on the internet love to post about having submechanophobia too like cmon

[non-binary-laurie-strode]

Ready to see ??Lisa Frankenstein??

[haveyouseenthisromcom]

[laresearchette]

Monday, March 11, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: CARPE DM WITH JUANPA (The Roku Channel) LAKEFRONT EMPIRE (HGTV Canada) 10:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT?:

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA INVINCIBLE (Season 2 Part 2) THE PRINCE OF EGYPT: THE MUSICAL

NETFLIX CANADA COCOMELON (Season 10) YOUNG ROYALS (Season 3) (SE)

MLB SPRING TRAINING (SN) 1:00pm: Jays vs. Rays

TENNIS (TSN3/TSN5) 2:00pm; Indian Wells - Early Round Coverage Day #6

NHL HOCKEY (SN) 7:30pm: Capitals vs. Jets (SN) 10:30pm: Islanders vs. Kings

NBA BASKETBALL (SN Now) 7:30pm: Suns vs. Cavaliers (TSN/TSN4) 8:00pm: Warriors vs. Spurs (SN1) 9:00pm: Raptors vs. Nuggets

MURDOCH MYSTERIES (CBC) 8:00pm: Murdoch suspects the murder of a fledgling composer may have been motivated by jealousy.

BELGRAVIA: THE NEXT CHAPTER (CBC) 9:00pm: As Clara's fascination with Stephen's world develops, she makes a bold decision that alarms Davison; James' private life finds him under threat; Frederick grows determined to become part of the Marquise's new venture.

ANCIENT BODIES: SECRETS REVEALED (Super Channel Fuse) 9:05pm (SERIES PREMIERE): Human remains are discovered near Croghan Hill, Ireland, a significant place for ancient kings; the investigation takes a turn when authorities realize the body is not a current missing person or murder victim.

SIGHT UNSEEN (CTV) 10:00pm: Jake and Tess are investigating the shooting of a trucker when the Vice Squad shows up, demanding they cut their main suspect loose before they compromise one of Vice's investigations.

INTERVENTION CANADA (T&E) 10:00pm: Find out why devoted animal rescuer Shannon is helping everyone but herself. See her terrified family try to convince her that a life of abuse, assault, and addiction is a dead end for her and her relationship with her three-year-old daughter.

TIMBER TITANS (Discovery Canada) 10:00pm: Logging teams tackle steep ground and climb some of the tallest trees in the British Columbian wilderness. Over 300 miles away,other loggers are rocked by an unexpected fall snowstorm that turns the block road into an ice track.

LAKEFRONT EMPIRE (HGTV Canada) 10:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): Peggy's criminal past may be an issue for a couple who want a big boat dock; Justin's friends are looking for a weekend cabin getaway, and he's happy with a fixer, but she wants move-in ready.

LAWLESS ISLAND (Nat Geo Canada) 10:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): A long winter forever changes the paths of Port Protection's residents.

[harmonyhealinghub]

The Unending Battle: Living with a Mysterious Illness 

Shaina Tranquilino

December 16, 2023

Living with a mysterious illness is an experience that can only be truly understood by those who have gone through it. It is a constant roller coaster ride of uncertainty, frustration, and exhaustion. For the past 12 years, I have been plagued by this enigmatic condition that has gradually taken over my life. Today, I want to share my story and reach out to others who may be facing similar challenges.

The Journey Begins: At the age of 18, life took an unexpected turn for me. What started as occasional bouts of sickness soon escalated into a daily battle against countless symptoms. Doctors' offices, hospitals, and specialist visits became my second home as I desperately sought answers to the mystery that had consumed my existence.

A Never-Ending Cycle: Each passing year brought new ailments and symptoms that ravaged my body and mind. Insomnia robbed me of much-needed restorative sleep while low energy levels left me perpetually drained. Hot flashes and sweating made even simple tasks unbearable, while the absence of a menstrual cycle added further confusion to the equation.

Endless Symptom Burden: The laundry list of symptoms seemed never-ending. Intense stomach cramps, loss of appetite despite efforts to eat, persistent nausea, and diarrhea turned eating into a dreaded chore. My dental health deteriorated rapidly with decaying teeth becoming yet another complication.

As if these physical struggles weren't enough, black spots in my vision triggered worry while hair loss shattered my self-esteem. Mouth sores, rashes on various parts of my body including my face, eyelids, and ears, acne outbreaks - all added insult to injury.

Daily Challenges: Simple activities like swallowing food or drinks became arduous tasks accompanied by pain. Muscles and joints constantly throbbed with discomfort; every step felt like traversing treacherous terrain.

Navigating Life's Obstacles: Living with an enigmatic illness demands resilience and adaptability. Coping mechanisms became a vital part of my daily routine, helping me navigate through the darkest moments. Emotional support from loved ones and connecting with others facing similar struggles online have been invaluable sources of strength.

The Power of Connection: While this blog post is an expression of vulnerability, it also serves as a plea for connection. The internet has proven to be a powerful tool in bringing together individuals who share similar experiences. By sharing our stories, we can create a community where empathy, understanding, and knowledge thrive.

A Call for Support: To those reading this post, I humbly ask for your love and support. If you or someone you know has encountered a mysterious illness resembling the symptoms I've described, please reach out to me. Let us join forces in seeking answers, advocating for ourselves, and shedding light on these often-neglected conditions.

Living with a mysterious illness is an overwhelming experience that leaves one feeling isolated, frustrated, and exhausted. It challenges every aspect of life - physical health, mental well-being, relationships, and future aspirations. Nevertheless, by sharing our stories and uniting in solidarity, we can find solace in knowing that we are not alone in this struggle. Together, let us strive for answers while supporting each other along the way.