#i mean it i will make the universe. im like

[cryptotheism]

CT, hope you’re doing well!

I had a really stupid and arrogant history professor at a public university that made it clear he wanted to be teaching world religion or any other subject in liberal arts instead of history.

He claimed that Judaism was unambiguously an offshoot of Zoroastrianism and that Christianity came entirely from the Essene sect. And like… I mean I’m not a historian or a religion expert but I’m pretty sure the former is just false and the latter is an oversimplification. Right?

Do you know of any authors that might have been his source for these claims?

Usually when a person has a series of weird claims there's some underlying ideology to it. I think your guy might just be misremembering some shit.

Like, 1st temple Judaism started around the 10th-6th centuries BCE. Zoroastrianism started around the 6th century BCE. It's my understanding that scholarly consensus says Judaism was far more influenced by Babylonian religion than Zoroastrianism. And before Judaism was Judaism it was Yahwism. Like, im sure it picked up some influences from Zoroastrianism, but calling it an unambiguous offshoot seems overmuch.

As for the Essenes, it's definitely possible they influenced the burgeoning Jesus Movement, but "Entirely from the Essene sect" is definitely not true. The Essenes were largely aristocrats. My understanding of scholarly consensus is that the Jesus Movement was a fourth group.

Also, to be fair, the 2nd temple period was insanely complicated for Judaism. Anyone making definitive statements about it is probably oversimplifying. It sounds to me like your professor just has a Bone To Pick and is saying generalized things.

[thewertsearch]

GA: Im The Keeper Of The Matriorb GA: It Is An Egg That Will Hatch A New Mother Grub […] GG: so you are like bugs, like bees or ants or such, but with horns […] GA: And You Are Like Erect Livestock GA: Without The Muscle Definition GA: Or The Hermaphroditic Physiology For That Matter […] GG: errr…….

What goes around comes around, Harley.

GA: I Had Imagined I Would Hatch The New Grub On A Planet In Your Universe GA: And When That Became Impossible I Quickly Lost Hope GA: I Assumed It Would Remain Locked In Its Card Forever GA: Which Could Only Be Opened When The Orb Was Meant To Be Used GA: But Then I Found Something Quite Unexpected When I Was Exploring This Lab GA: I Found A Key […] GA: It Means I Am Supposed To Use It Now

Most modi are CS jokes or one-off gags, but Kanaya's Chastity Modus is kind of special. It seems to be precognitive, and doesn't release captchalogued items until the Alpha Timeline decrees they should be 'used'. I wonder how it functions in doomed timelines?

It also makes me wonder just how far you can take the concept of a Fetch Modus. If they can foresee fated events, just what else could they do?

GA: To Hatch The Grub In The Heart Of This Meteor

My knee-jerk reaction was to dismiss this idea as completely unworkable - but now that I'm actually thinking about it, you could honestly do a lot worse.

The meteor is compact, high-tech, completely isolated from most forms of danger, and full of useful equipment. If you can get rid of Jack for good – and prevent your session from decaying, of course – then the Veil might be one of the safest places you could possibly raise a Mother Grub.

GA: There Is No Reason A Meteor Couldnt Act As The Center Of Our Races Resurrection

The more I think about this, the more I'm up for it.

I mean, come on. The remnants of an alien civilization, reborn from an asteroid belt in a liminal dimension, surrounded by infinite darkness? That's a concept that fucks severely.

GG: if you can hold out hope for rebuilding your race in the center of a meteor, then i think i can at least try to get a little cloning done with the time i have left GA: Yes Youre Right GA: I Cant Imagine How You Can Complete The Objective In The Time Given GA: But Weirder Things Have Happened I Think

Whatever Jade’s supposed to do here, she has to do it at least twenty times faster than Kanaya. She's one of the most competent trolls, and I doubt she wasted any time, so this is a pretty tall order.

Can Jade perhaps cut some corners? It's not like we really need a full-sized, multigalactic universe - a single small galaxy would be perfectly habitable.

[anthroposeen]

tmagp 16 relisten notes!!

spoilers for ep 16 under the cut, and also some tma spoilers as well since i cross-reference for theories! :)

celia:

- she physically and verbally comforts alice even though they've had some rocky interactions in the recent past, and she comes off as genuine when giving alice her support

- "i believe you/im serious" -> there isn't a glitch after these lines, and i think its fair to say celia is from the tma universe, the question now is how much she knows/understands/remembers from the fearpocolypse

sam:

- despite being more distant with alice in recent episodes, he's still helping her and checking up on her

- "so that would be Z for zombie?" i thought this was a cute little callback, but also isolated the line because its the first instance we have of sam initiating a bit/joke and alice failing to continue it

- he checks in on alice after they hear Madam E die in the incident and leaves his desk with celia to see about her after she leaves

alice:

- "i haven't seen someone die since..." im taking this to mean that she saw one or both of her parents die and a part of why the drowning victim has shaken her so hard is because its a flashback to those memories

- the woman she met in the alleyway was announced dead by the paramedics immediately, they said she had a lot of water in her lungs and discounted the possibility she could walk or speak

- "maybe that i'm finally losing it" -> i dont think alice is as knowledgeable about the paranormal as we think. she definitely knows more than shes letting on, but i suspect whatever she knows is specific to the oiar and whatever power has touched her life. similar to georgie in tma s3, she knew the paranormal existed and trusted in jon's circumstances but she had little context for her belief, since the only fear she had encountered before was the end. i think alice is operating under a similar world view, and this event does make her question her sanity (shes mentioned old coworkers going odd before, and i think its a genuine worry she has for herself as well as sam and celia)

- she's very blunt and obviously upset after the incident ends, leaving to go get coffee and rebuffing sam as he tries to see about her

gwen:

- she's frustrated that the rest of the team left after the incident and she's alone in the office, and becomes even more aggravated by lena interrupting this to berate her

- she defends lady mowbray's civility (after lena calls externals dangerous) by saying shes a real lady, implying that since she's nobility she wouldn't behave rashly (like mr. bonzo)

- she's frustrated that lena is reprimanding her for breaking a rule she was never told about, and isn't given enough information to gauge risk on her own

- she expresses stress over the real dangers of her job, feeling its unfair she's expected to talk to externals alone without training when they're too dangerous and unpredictable to visit the offices

- despite all of her concerns, she still demands to keep her position and continue her work

lena:

- she's very (reasonably) angry at gwen for inviting lady mowbray to the office

- she says that bringing externals to the office is dangerous and poses risks to personnel

- she explains that the operation to keep balance with the externals, and to exercise power over them, is dependent on how they keep relationships with them. as in, the externals have to be kept at an arms length and not introduced to internal affairs staff to avoid losing the fear and respect the oiar exerts over them. without control over the externals, they lose balance and they may become targets

- she agrees to think on training gwen for a full position as the externals liason

incident:

- narrated by chester/jon, i think this falls into his normal thematic elements of curiosity killing the cat

- most of the incident is told through youtube video format, voiced by the influencer 'Madam E', a goth (im assuming beauty and lifestyle vlog influencer?) youtuber. She got to know ink5oul through online connections

- she received a heart tattoo (unsure of the placement, but i was imagining it over her real heart or ribcage?)

- the tattoo process seems incredibly painful even in this circumstance, and just like in ep 2, the recipient doesnt seem to know the design theyll get until they wake up from the session

- i think the heart tattoo (called the heart's desire by ink5oul) played a role in manipulated Madam E's emotions for them, seeing as how they began a (using ajn's exact terms) situationship following the session

- when Madam E questions ink5oul about how they come up w their design concepts they get cagey and won't disclose their secret method, but offer Madam E a chance to grave rob with them (assuming this is related to the design process)

- "dig." [bruh!] gave me hp damage

- "don't make me break your heart" this is obviously referring to the tattoo and her emotional state, but i think it ties into the tattoo manipulating the subject -> "i could feel the words in my chest"

- Madam E throws out the idea that ink5oul is stealing tattoo concepts from dead bodies, but i dont think thats the exact case. i think that bodies like the one found in ep 11 feed into ink5oul's power and creativity as inspiration and likely as a paranormal energy source of some kind, but this seems more akin to them studying the works of old important artists (and alchemists) and using those techniques to create their art

- ink5oul responds with a callout video targeting Madam E, and i suspect it was about her accusing them of stealing art, not about the grave robbing (which seems a bigger insult to me)

- "it hurts/ i can feel it" referencing the hate messages she's receiving while touching her heart. she then leans forward to show the camera you can physically see a difference (im assuming her tattoo was altered in some way)

- Madam E posted and recalled a video titled "help", then posts a video from a hospital bed where she is clearly ill, stating she has heart problems. the doctors said it was an infection from the tattoo

- she dies on-screen after coughing and choking, but theres a slushie cracking sound as she flatlined (what i'de call wet gore not dry gore) which indicates a problem messier and more visceral than regular heart issues

glitches/lies:

none

extra comments:

- as expected, ink5oul is going to be a reoccurring character functioning similar to a tma avatar. i don't think ink5oul is an external since they seem to be moving independently with their own agenda (and its clear they don't play well with others)

- there seems to be a rift forming between gwen and the rest of her coworkers, and she's been reacting hostile to both them and lena, but has been adamant about continuing her work with the externals. isolating herself from the others while conducting her own missions is a plotline johhny and alex explored plenty in tma (jon, basira, martin) so im excited to see how her journey branches from the themes they've already explored

- this incident falls into line with others chester has narrated, it deals with a person who sought out a relationship with the paranormal and got hurt because of it, though this seems to be targeted at alice moreso than sam (the person chester has narrated to the most), sending a message about how entanglement with the paranormal often leads to bad things. i also picked up on how Madam E says that comments, likes, and views specifically cause her harm, that her social reward had turned into a punishment. this is a pretty clear parallel to alice's situation with sam and celia (she's loosing her hold as the nonchalant, uncaring, funny girl and falling into more awkward and upsetting situations -> this episode she makes one half hearted joke about the victim she met before she moves on)

- huge shout out to ajn for the meta parallels in this episode. every time Madam E was hurt by a commebt i was also brutally stabbed by her garish use of slang. with every new sentence she spoke i felt hours of my lifespan dissolve, truly incredible writing in terms of twisting the meta knife and pouring lemon juice into it

- i think this falls into the category of 'body' (going off of the alchemic trinity of mind, body, and soul) but i could see an argument for any of these categories as well. in the episode, the incident is a category 1, but im not sure if these categories are a reference to the alchemic trinity, to externals, or other factors.

[mejomonster]

I got potential news (not happy, but I mean not sad). Latest justice in the dark (rumor) updates: was taken down due to legal issues (likely copyright) and they do plan to re air from the beginning at a later date once issue is taken care of and cdrama airing timing is right. Rumor is actors were requested to rake down their farewell letters. Meaning... the show is back in hiatus. Like the past several months. Except now the 8 episodes can only be watched on unofficial sites in the meantime.

Schrodingers cat isn't probably the right comparison but like. It's the potentially perpetual unknown status show. ToT

Anyway I saw 2 posts on weibo which were rumor only, mentioning airing later, and one post on weibo mentioning the reason for taking the show off was copyright issues.

On mydramalist comments someone mentioned a Twitter thread on why it was taken down, but I can't see shit on Twitter right now so im just going by what the comment said. The Twitter thing they quoted: Cao5903 (@cao5903) Staff Youku said: "Due to some unexpected reasons that could not be controlled in time, we had to take down #JusticeInTheDark to handle it. Wait for it to be okay and then replay it from the beginning."

[kagoutiss]

pelican town, ‘72

[chirp-featherfowl]

so here's what i'm thinking

it's not kindergarten, guys. it's sixth grade.

bigb and pearl are definitely the "average nickelodeon fan" and "average wings of fire/percy jackson/warrior cats fan" alliance

grian's got wheelies. the clockers keep trying to make him use them on the playground so he trips and falls and EATS SHIT LOSER!!!!

(bdubs said that. etho taught him it and bdubs doesn't know what it means)

btw, the clockers are absolutely those sort of. smartasses who are meaner, cooler, and better than you.

bdubs is an art kid, cleo is one of those writing/reading kids with no thanks to some kid named joe hills (lie) ... and scar... well actually scar is just very charming

grian and jimmy are half brothers. watcher something or the other i don't really care i just think their dynamic is super funny

i'm stealing the "boogeyman is an intense game of tag" and making it more of a cheese touch thing

team ties are all in advanced math. except for skizz, who after immediately getting tagged by both scott and bdubs, was put under the protection of them. impulse holds a goddamn grudge, and no eleven year old is willing to test his patience

martyn and scott were those two friends in the friend group that never interacted as much as they interacted with others, but now that ren's moved schools and jimmy's migrated friend groups, they're suddenly best friends?? they team up with the clockers and occasionally taunt jimmy, trying to win him back

pearl and bigb are definitely tree climbers, pearl brings eight wings of fire books into the tree with her every day and bigb consistently watches in astonishment as she climbs the tree with one hand

they spy on everyone from up there

[moonverc3x]

(gosh I hope that comic is at least readable- Ignore all the inconsistencies, I've never drawn and colored a comic before 😭) Anyways- meet the heroes of yore! sort of... you get to know what they look like at least!

Im finally getting around to publicly sharing some tidbits of lore with yall! Originally the "heroes of yore" spiel Galacta reads was going to be just text but I thought people would probably like it a little better if there was a comic to accompany it!

and im. not sure how to end this post?? I suppose I can say that Meta and Galacta Knight are open for asks!!! Im hoping I can keep the energy to keep this thing going, but only time will tell!

[caffeinatedopossum]

I actually find it really bizarre and counter intuitive that clinically speaking, you cannot legally be diagnosed with a personality disorder until you're at least 18. The reason given for this is because "the personality has not fully developed before this age" like ???

Ah yes, my favorite strategy. Not diagnosing the problem until it's already been virtually cemented into your brain for life! Wouldn't it be easier (and more painless) to address the problem before it's fully developed?

[milquetoad]

of the many injustices put forth toward the show by fans i think the most overall damaging and telling of a complete lack of critical viewership is the idea that sam riegel builds his characters with nothing more than the bit in mind. like you are only telling on yourself if you think characters like scanlan shorthalt and veth brennato are one-dimensional and depthless

[xiaoming56]

Hated that last episode so i drew this to convince myself i liked it

[min0uet]

#1 thing i'm most afraid abt in the revival is the candace characterization actually bc we are in a paradox here

fact: candace's endless torment was part of the backbone of the show, one of the constants that kept the plot structure going. phineas and ferb must always do something new. candace and doofenshmirtz must always lose. any exceptions to these rules can't be permanent. status quo must be upheld.

fact: candace against the universe's character development seemed to finally be breaking this cycle. candace isn't alone anymore, she's letting go of her obsession to see the support that was always there for her and thus she's escaped her sisyphean cycle. to go back to the old status quo after this would be massively unsatisfying.

fact: the reboot is supposed to take place AFTER candace against the universe.

so what do we do now

[unicyclingdogs]

fairy rulie!!!! :)

[rewritingcanon]

stop making fics where scorpius and al have friends and are popular in school. they’re literally loser boyfriends bro their only friends be each other wdym they have other people they’re chatting to on a consistent basis??? the only other people they talk to thats not each other are the blood relatives and even that pushes it

[magnificentempress]

"truth is, if you think black and brown men are worse, there is no way you aren’t racist to women, too. That can’t be compartmentalized."

actually it can be, because i hate men! i hope this helps

[sensationseekng]

izzy as the eight of cups - giving up and moving on, courage and loss, letting go of friends, lovers, and old ways of being

(that's the inn in the distance)

eight of cups description from Little Red Tarot:

[definitelynotshouting]

“The universe sings,” Grian said.

He sounds vaguely distant- like he’s speaking from hundreds of blocks away rather than right next to Mumbo.

He turns on his bed, slow halting movements, to face him.

“Did you know?”

Mumbo can only stare.

“…Sings?” He asks. He shifts on his chair.

Grian seems to want to nod, but aborts the motion halfway, and hums instead.

“Yeah. The code. It sings, if you listen close enough,” Grian mumbles.

Mumbo opens his mouth, then closes it again.

Grian exhales a long breath, and his eyes drift close.

“Can you hear it?”

Mumbo watches the way Grian’s chest rises and falls, shallowly, slowly.

He closes his eyes, and strains to hear.

He hears- Tango out in another room of the house, pacing circles around the kitchen. Mumbo can tell it’s Tango by the shuffle in his walk.

He can hear birds outside, twittering. Wind rustling through branches. An animal- a pig, maybe, trotting along some grass.

It’s quite calming really- but he doesn’t hear singing. At least, he doesn’t think he does?

When he opens his eyes again, it’s to Grian staring right at him.

Mumbo exhales in one sharp breath- he didn’t realise he’d stopped breathing- and meets Grian’s gaze.

“Did you mean like, actual singing or- or was that metaphorical? Because I can’t hear anything other than trees, mate,” he says, only half-joking.

Grian huffs a small laugh, and shakes his head.

“Nah, it’s not really singing-singing. It’s music, though. You’ve definitely heard some of it- discs. That’s the easiest way to hear it. But that’s- so few of what’s out there. There’s more music, if you know how to listen for it,” he hums. His eyes close again, and he leans more into the mattress.

Mumbo pauses, and thinks on that for a moment. Music discs, huh? He supposes it seems plausible, that there’d be more music out there.

But then why has he never heard it? Mumbo doesn’t ever recall hearing ‘the code sing’. If it’s tied into music discs, then is it naturally generated? Is hearing it a ‘watcher thing’?

Mumbo glances down at his hands, traces lines of dirt under his fingernails.

He nods, though Grian can’t see it anyway. He makes some vague ‘see you later’ comment he can’t bother to think about, and carefully gets to his feet.

At the doorframe, he peers back.

Grian lies there, breathing steadily.

Mumbo turns and leaves, closing the door behind him.

////

headcanon that the minecraft soundtrack can be heard in the code, but only if you're 'in harmony' with it. cue other headcanon of watchers being very aware of the code

HEY ANON. ANON. I ADORE THIS HOLY SHIT I FUCKING LOVE THIS HEADCANON???? The idea that the universe is constantly singing to itself, and you can hear that through the Greater Code if you really carefully listen, is something i lowkey want to canonize SO BADLY holy shit. And this is such a lovely snippet too, im always such a sucker for deeply layered conversations like this.... i adore how youve given so much depth to the sentence "the universe sings" and the implications of how and why Grian is hearing it so much right now. [THROWS UP BLOOD] IM OBSESSED.......

Also this Mumbo dialogue especially is on point youve done such a good job of capturing his little speech patterns :] STUNNING JOB ANON IM SO FLATTERED U WROTE THIS!!!!! I really think i might canonize this concept just for how absolutely amazing it is, im utterly obsessed with it