#introduction to scala

[nonbinarypirat]

What do you think about all this mess in chapter 365? The existence of hierarchy in the society of demons was not something new, but for me it was somewhere in the background, that is, we know that demons have a ranks system but there were social elevators in it. I am asking you because I am a fan of your analysis of the mairuma universe and I am sincerely interested in hearing your opinion.

Good question!! I actually LOVE the direction the story took for the Scala test because it felt like it was going a little too well ya know? I was excited when they turned to farming because as soon as we learned about the carrots I was like, oh they should start a farm that’s the next idea. But I was like, hmm it feels too easy now doesn’t it. And then BAM fascist. But anyway, this is a great question to talk about since I previously made a post about how one of the overarching theme in the story is fascism and fighting against it through education.

The reason why I love this direction for the story is that up until now, all of the subtle hints towards more seediness and corruption has been in the background. It makes sense narratively speaking that we wouldn’t get hit with it too strongly because we like the main character are slowly learning about the world. Iruma is growing up in a relatively safe environment with him mostly being at his house, school, or a safe area like the shopping district (with some obvious exceptions to this). Iruma, having grown up in the human world, has no reason to assume or believe that there is serious systematic problems going on. Instead, he is slowly becoming exposed to this as he gets older and out into more situations where he can no longer not see it.

The signs have all been there from the start with the ranking system being the first exposure. Especially with the introduction of Kirio. The simple fact that you can get better meals if you are a higher rank in a school lunch speaks volumes to how low ranked demons are treated. Especially since we later see this stays true outside of school with Ameri and Iruma going to a segregated high rank only restaurant. And we see instances of bullying/intolerance when it comes to how students treat each other. The notable moments I remember is how the Azz fan girls treated Iruma at first when they thought he was a low rank compared to when they learned he had a higher one than they originally thought. Or the student’s comments to Kirio since he was a low rank. Or how the girls at the party treated the low rank demon girl.

We also have had the vile police system introduced to us during the Walter Park incident and when we first learned about Narnia. Prisons and the whole system is already fucked up and corrupt in the human world but it’s definitely worse in the demon world. The fact that the prisoners have to constantly give their mana up to the park not to mention the fact that it’s located underneath the park to begin with always felt gross to me. And when we first learn about Narnia, the cards start to come together. Narnia is said to treat any injustice, anything at all, on the same level. And he is shown to be cruel and ruthless in the face of what he considers crime. So if you committed tax fraud, you would probably be considered on the same level of a murderer and treated just the same. How are those even on the same level? But Narnia doesn’t care, he sees it as an opportunity to “maintain order” within the netherworld and uses that as justification for his actions. In the end, he doesn’t care about the demons he’s supposed to protect, rather he cares more about maintaining the strict hierarchy.

Add to that the fascist organization we have in the story that wants to control the netherworld to reshape it into their image. The introduction of Baal and learning about the organization kind of kicked started where the story will lead into. This has always been a story of fighting off bigotry and oppression, but it’s very subtly disguised behind what seems like a typical villain takeover plot. Because it’s subtle, we as the audience only start noticing when the themes become prevalent with the evidence stacking up higher and higher. And with the introduction of Azami, we can no longer not see what the story is trying to convey to the audience.

It’s crafted in a way to keep you unaware until we see Narnia being a full on fascist with his fascist cop buddy Azami. And the reason why it’s so effective is because the themes have always been there, just in the background. If we had all of a sudden had Azami or Narnia doing his little “maintaining order” speech without the small build up, it wouldn’t have fully hit as hard. But now that we have the Many-Ears race, a race literally known for being suppressed and subservient to higher ranks, we now see the cards fall into place. Some people wondered if the Many-Ears have done this to themselves, suppressing themselves when there was no need. But now it’s become clear that no matter how the Many-Ears came to live in this way, it’s clear that it’s not an issue of them doing this to themselves. Not fully at least. They are being used by those in power to keep them submissive to those they benefit the most. And the Many-Ears, believing they have no way of changing the system of powers, internalized and conformed to this idea as well. Being trapped in this mindset benefits the majority rule and keeps the “balance” in order. However, now they can see a better way for themselves. Now, they truly believe they have value and worth outside of being a worker for a strong ranked demon. Thus toppling over the hierarchy established.

Fascism feeds on a strict hierarchy where everyone knows their place. One cannot have fascism without it being built off the backs of those oppressed. And Narnia, being a fascist prick, has one dangerous weapon: power. He is a high rank, works within the demon border patrol, and now has become a 13 crown, one of the most powerful positions in all of the netherworld. He is almost untouchable at this current moment unless you are a fellow 13 crown (and we still don’t know how possible infighting works). The Many-Ears have no way of stopping someone like this and are basically forced to either fall into line or become seriously hurt. And even if they do fall into line, there’s no saying Azami won’t hurt them anyway. That’s the thing with cops, they can decide what goes with very little consequences (can you tell my feelings on cops?). Narnia knows, he uses this as a tool for oppression. If he has leverage, he will use it without a second thought to further his mission of control.

But here’s where education falls into the equation. The Many-Ears are no longer among the uneducated. Before, the oppressive power used their lack of knowledge to support the hierarchy. How will it work out for them if they no longer as unaware as they previously were? Once knowledge is spread, it’s hard to put a lid on it. You can’t go into their brains and erase what they know to be true. And now they are no longer fighting alone. This isn’t an us verse them battle. Fascism wants you to believe you are alone. It wants you to believe you are powerless. It wants you to believe that you are the only one that wants change. Why? Because there’s power in people, in community. No matter what happens in the next few chapters, they have people that care and want to see change too. And luckily for the Many-Ears, they have powerful allies too. One person alone can make change but a community of people can make an even greater change. And that is the reason why I love this story so much 🫶🏽

Sorry for how long this post was, I just saw this question and I’ve been dying to talk about this since the chapter dropped because I LOVE the themes of this story so much. And I love the anti cop mentality of both the main line story and the mafia story 🤭

[queer-ragnelle]

All three! Apologies. I want to learn as much as I can about him.

You got it!

The first text that Galahad appears in is the Vulgate. His predecessors and legacy are first described in The History of the Grail; then he’s conceived, born, and raised during the Lancelot books; finally in Post-Vulgate he’s a knight on Grail Quest where he achieves his life’s purpose and passes away. Additionally, here’s A Companion to The Lancelot-Grail Cycle which may help you navigate the text.

Another book I suggest for your Galahad research is The Legend of the Grail by Nigel Bryant and Norris J. Lacy. It’s got a lengthy introduction about the history of the Grail story and touches on all the characters who’ve achieved it throughout Arthurian literary history including Perceval, Gawain, and of course, Galahad. Each chapter is taken from a different text and newly translated by Nigel Bryant for this publication. It’ll give you an idea of the progression of the Grail story which eventually led to Galahad and introduce you to some adjacent texts that may be of interest.

The next medieval text that includes Galahad is La Tavola Ritonda. It’s mostly a Prose Tristan story, but does cover the whole Grail Quest with a fun Italian Galahad named Galeazzo/Galasso. I enjoy this one a lot! Regarding Galasso specifically, it’s an interesting take on the character—he’s described as very gracious and he wields a cool named sword. Plus his purity grants him necromancy powers—at one point he convenes with the dead and doesn’t bat an eye. Just keeps on adventuring. Focused. In his lane. Pretty neat!

After that comes probably the best known Arthurian text, Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. I’ve attached the version of this story abridged by Keith Baines. It’s much easier to read with proper formatting to add quotation marks to dialogue and tighten up the prose. This one also comes with A Companion to Malory which I found exceedingly helpful in breaking down the sometimes convoluted plot threads and character dynamics present in Malory’s story. Many of the essays I’ve attached below relate to this text specifically.

Lastly I would be remiss to exclude The Arthurian Handbook by the goats Norris J. Lacy and Geoffrey Ashe. This volume not only covers medieval texts, but much of the art history that goes hand in hand with Arthurian literature too. There are many paintings, tapestries, stained glass windows, and murals featuring Galahad highlighted in this book. It also includes family trees, heraldry, and maps which can help you conceptualize things detailed in writing throughout the Vulgate.

Now I’m going to list essays without descriptions since there are so many and the titles are pretty self explanatory.

Absent Fathers, Unexpected Sons: Paternity in Malory’s Morte Darthur by Cory Rushton

Born-Again Virgins and Holy Bastards: Bors and Elyne and Lancelot and Galahad by Karen Cherwatuk

Constructing Spiritual Hierarchy through Mass Attendance in the Morte Darthur by David Eugene Clark

Disarming Lancelot by Elizabeth Scala

Galahad, Percival, and Bors: Grail Knights and the Quest for Spiritual Friendship by Richard Sévère

'A Mayde, and Last of Youre Blood': Galahad's Asexuality and its Significance in Le Morte Darthur by Megan Arkenberg

Gender and the Grail by Maureen Fries

Malory and Rape by Catherine Batt

Mothers in the Grail Quest: Desire, Pleasure, and Conception by Peggy McCracken

Seeing Is Believing and Achieving: Viewing the Eucharist in Malory's 'Sankgreal' by Sarah B. Rude

Wounded Masculinity: Injury and Gender in Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte Darthur" by Kenneth Hodges

And that about covers it! This should give you plenty to work with. Beyond these, we’re left with literature outside the medieval era, which is a different conversation. No doubt Alfred Lord Tennyson had a huge influence on how Galahad is perceived today, but that’s irrelevant to a discussion regarding medieval source material, and a topic for another time. Hope this helps you out and you learn all you want to about Galahad!

Take care!

[twi-quotes]

[Introduction]

Hey there! I've started reading The Wandering Inn in July 2023 and haven't stopped since. As of writing this (March 2025) I am somewhere in Book 19, i.e. towards the end of Volume 7. (I might update that info later on.)

Obviously the posts here will contain spoilers, since they are, well, quotes from the web series. However, since I'll be starting in Book 1 and there will (as of right now) only be one post per day and the quotes are ordered chronologically, it should take some time for this blog to get up to current events and I will probably catch up with my own reading speed beforehand anyways.

The quotes from Book 1 are from the now-not-canon version, since that's what I was reading at the time. This means that the numbering of the chapters is probably not consistent with the rewritten version of Book 1 and the quotes themselves might have been changed. Oh well.

I will tag every post with the number of the Book (since this is a more precise identification than the Volume number) as well as the involved characters (usually with last name). Under the break just below there is a list of all of the tags (Books and characters, sorted alphabetically) if you want to look up quotes from a specific Book or by a specific character (Bird my beloved).

Have fun! And No Killing Goblins!

~ Dalist, [Collector of Quotes]

Featured Tags

Books

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Book 4

Characters

Calvaron

Ceria Springwalker

Erin Solstice

Flos Reimarch

Gazi Pathseeker

Geneva Scala

Illphres

Ilvriss Gemscale

Ivolethe

Klbkch

Krshia Silverfang

Laken Godart

Okasha

Pawn

Pisces Jealnet

Relc Grasstongue

Ryoka Griffin

Selys Shivertail

Teriarch

Toren

Valceif Godfrey

Xrn

Zel Shivertail

Adventuring Teams

Horns of Hammerad

(List last updated 05/05/2025)

[whoelsewillihaveicecreamwith]

Hey.

So. You didn't hear this from me, but there were some Things that came out after Missing Link's cancellation. If you know where to look.

Anywaysssssss *sips tea*

There are some things that I found and wanted to talk about....

*POTENTIAL KH4 SPOILERS IN HERE, IF IT ENDS UP RE-USING THE ML PLOT*

So the beta text files got dumped and I looked at them.

Unless I'm reading this wrong (which I might) but it looks like...Ephemera and Brain were the narrators at the beginning of the demo?

I am assuming that brn_1 and eph_1 are Brain and Ephemera, as when Remus wakes up Player2, his lines are rem_1, and Player is pl_1.

This lines up later on as well with Nept (npt_1 and Freya (fly_1)

I assume na_1 is "narrator" as in the voice speaking to Player during the dive to the heart part.

Some examples below:

"0000_qr_00_010_010_00_brn_1": "The era missing from history's cycle—", "0000_qr_00_010_010_00_brn_2": "As people and Heartless endlessly emerged\nfrom the distortions,<\wt:42>\nit was the third generation of the founded city\nthat faced the true nature of this phenomenon.", "chapter_00_subtitle": "Another three generations later—", "0000_qr_00_010_100_00_brn_1": "Light and darkness brought about\nthe beginning, and hearts nurtured it.", "0000_qr_00_010_110_00_brn_1": "One generation succeeded another\nas time flowed on—", "0000_qr_00_010_110_00_brn_2": "until the world that came to be was filled\nwith thriving people.", "0000_qr_00_010_120_00_brn_1": "This is a city of light and darkness,\nkindred and kinless,", "0000_qr_00_010_120_00_brn_2": "dreams and distortions—\nthe metropolis Scala ad Caelum.", "0000_qr_00_010_130_00_brn_1": "On the night that you opened your eyes\nin this world,<\wt:42>\nthe stars—beautifully distorted—rained down\nfrom the pitch-black sky.",

I assume NA_1 is the narrator during the Player creation portion:

"0000_bt_00_020_010_00_na_1": "It's time to wake up.\nCan you see yourself in the light?", "0000_bt_00_040_010_00_na_1": "Which fragment will you connect with?", "0000_bt_00_040_020_00_na_2": "Please choose your first piece. Different pieces\nallow you to take different actions.", "0000_bt_00_050_010_00_na_1": "Keyblades—the power to connect hearts.", "0000_bt_00_050_010_00_na_2": "That power remembers you still—",

However the next part seems...to be Ephemera and Brain? Which makes sense as there are two male voices during this part:

"0000_qr_00_010_020_00_eph_1": "Is recovery an option?", "0000_qr_00_010_030_00_brn_1": "Confirmed possible for one at\nthe connection point.", "0000_qr_00_010_040_00_eph_1": "Any others?", "0000_qr_00_010_050_00_brn_1": "Difficult to determine what it's like\nfarther out.", "0000_qr_00_010_060_00_brn_1": "But the log does note the transit of numerous\nenergy signatures at the time of collapse.", "0000_qr_00_010_070_00_eph_1": "Right. Well, for now let's hurry and recover\nthe one we can.", "0000_qr_00_010_080_00_brn_1": "Then off to the lifeboat—", "0000_qr_00_010_090_00_eph_1": "Wait. What's this other signature I'm—",

The narrator again: "0000_bt_00_060_010_00_na_1": "Don't worry. It may be old and rusty\nand have lost its shine,", "0000_bt_00_060_020_00_na_1": "but its power will come through for you.", "0000_bt_00_060_030_00_na_1": "Now, unlock the door—to the world of light\nbeyond the darkness.",

Brain again: "0000_bt_01_040_010_00_brn_1": "And so the curtains rise and the story begins—", "0000_bt_01_040_010_00_brn_2": "the story of the blank era, one that will\neventually be forgotten.",

Remus' introduction:

"chapter_01_title": "Chapter 1 - Drifter", "0010_bt_01_010_010_00_rem_1": "Hey, buddy.", "0010_bt_01_010_020_00_rem_1": "You all right?", "0010_bt_01_010_030_00_rem_1": "Good, you're awake.",

Nept's introduction:

"0020_bt_02_030_270_00_npt_1": "Apologies. I'm the Operations Master of\nthe Baroque Society—Nept.", "0020_bt_02_030_270_00_npt_2": "I also happen to serve on the Society Legal\nInvestigations Committee—", "0020_bt_02_030_270_00_npt_3": "though I don't always bother with\nthe meetings.", "0020_bt_02_030_280_00_rem_1": "Hey, Boss...", "0020_bt_02_030_290_00_npt_1": "Before we speak further, Remus, let's stop\nwasting the good officers' time, shall we?", "0020_bt_02_030_293_00_rem_1": "Right!",

Freya's introduction:

"0020_bt_02_040_030_00_fly_1": "Boss, Remus, welcome back!", "0020_bt_02_040_030_00_fly_2": "...D-did you... Is that a visitor?",

Also, I believe the beta didn't show Chapter 5, as we didn't know what happened to Remus (he was late to Player's first mission). However the text files show he ends up being fine:

"chapter_05_title": "Chapter 5 - Warp World", "0030_bt_03_060_020_00_rem_1": "Yeah, uh…sorry I'm late. Had a lot going on,\nso…yeah.", "0030_bt_03_060_030_00_fly_1": "It seems Remus ran into some trouble\non the way home last night and got hurt.", "0030_bt_03_060_040_00_pl_1": "!?", "0030_bt_03_060_050_00_rem_1": "Don't worry, I'm fine. All patched up.", "0030_bt_03_060_060_00_rem_1": "…So, uh, were you asleep in your room\nlast night?", "0030_bt_03_060_070_00_rem_1": "And I can trust you on that?", "0030_bt_03_060_080_00_fly_1": "Why do you ask?", "0030_bt_03_060_090_00_rem_1": "It's nothing. I'm good. Don't worry about it.", "0030_bt_03_060_100_00_rem_1": "All right, time to get serious. Let's head out.", "0030_bt_03_060_110_00_fly_1": "Not a great job explaining why you were late,\nRemus.<\wt:37>\nBut I'll leave our new friend in your\ncapable hands.", "0030_bt_03_060_110_00_fly_2": "Be careful out there, you two!",

(the rest of the conversation is just mission stuff)

We can only speculate on what the fuck happened to Remus the previous night. Sounds like he was attacked...and he accuses Freya of...not being asleep in her bed that night??? GUESS WE'LL NEVER KNOW!

There's a bit more in the text files that I can find, some bit about potential plot spoilers:

*POTENTIAL KH4 PLOT SPOILERS, IF KH4 USES ANY OF THE MISSING LINK PLOT*

"Text_gur_sc02_0001": "Congrats! You passed! Now you can\nbecome a member of our society!\fWould you like to join us?", "Text_gur_sc02_0002": "It's totally up to you.", "Text_gur_sc02_0003": "There are myriad bands of Keyblade\nwielders like ours out there.\fThey each have their own goals, some\nin service of the darkness.\fWe are all enemies to each other.\nAnyone not with us is against us.", "Text_gur_sc02_0004": "Well? Would you like to join us?", "Text_gur_sc02_0005": "Our goal is two-fold, and both parts\ninvolve the Book of Prophecies.\fThe Book is, of course, full of\nprophecies telling of the future.\fWe thought it was lost a century ago\nin the confusion following the War,\fbut some pieces of it were found to\nstill exist. All these societies,\fincluding ours, formed to find the rest\nof the Book's pieces.\fThe pieces heighten Keyblade\nwielders' capabilities,\fmaking societies with more pieces\nmore powerful.\fSo that's our first goal: obtain pieces\nof the Book of Prophecies.\fI'll tell you about our second goal once\nwe reach our destination.", "Text_gur_sc02_0006": "Say hello to Master Ephemer,\nforefather of Scala ad Caelum.\fDo you remember the words?", "Text_gur_sc02_0007": "May your heart be your guiding key.",

[cutting out some stuff]

"Text_gur_sc11_0003": "What you'll be doing for us is\nrepairing altered prophecies.", "Text_gur_sc11_0004": "Don't look at me like that. I'll explain.", "Text_gur_sc11_0005": "What we possess isn't the Book of\nProphecies itself, but a copy.\fAt some point, part of it was altered.\fBut that shouldn't be possible.\fThe Book isn't simply a written record\nof the future.\fIt's a reflection of the future,\nas are its copies.\fThe only way to change the Book\fwould be to change the actual events\nit describes.\fSome sinister, unimaginable power\nmust have altered the future.\fThe Book is absolute. We musn't allow\nthis to happen.", "Text_gur_sc11_0006": "Here, take a peek at one of the\naltered sections.", "Text_gur_sc11_0007": "You can look over your mission and\nany related prophecies here.\fPretty handy, right?", "Text_gur_sc11_0008": "See how some of it's missing? That's\nwhere it's been altered.\fYour job is to fix it.\fNot to worry─I'm sure it won't be too\ndifficult.\fWhoever did this probably just sent\nsome Heartless to stir up trouble.\fYou shouldn't have to do anything\naside from defeating them.", "Text_gur_sc11_0009": "Well, have fun on your first mission!\nFor real this time!",

[this "mission" involved the Monsters Inc. plot from kh3]

"Text_gur_sc12_0001": "Mission complete. Good job!", "Text_gur_sc12_0002": "It may feel anticlimactic, but the\nprophecy is back to normal.",

[text between Mike and Sulley]

"Text_gur_sc12_0011": "Now Mike and Sulley can meet Sora\nwhile they're playing with Boo,\fjust as originally written in the Book\nof Prophecies.\fAnd it's all thanks to you.\fYou eliminated the Heartless in their\nway.",

So, it sounds like part of the plot of ML was...to "repair" the Book of Prophecies? The mission that the Player would go on is one involving the Monster's Inc world in kh3, where they'd defeat heartless before Sora arrived in the world.

Anyways, that's basically it from the text dump. everything else is like, generic code stuff really.

Will we see this plot in KH4? Who knows! It might be factored in, or perhaps scraped completely. Guess we won't know....for a while...or ever...

[judesmoonbeauty]

I wrote an angst about Jude today, then when I played an escort, he gifted me with 2,000 gold coins over 50 diamonds. Well, played, Jude. Well. Played. Thought about it for while, and said, "Nah, let's mess with him." So, here's a little tit-for-tat fic in which I screw with Jude for his giving me gold over diamonds. Also, this is an introduction to my OC - Isla Corbin - that I will feature in my writing from time to time. This fic was written in like 30 minutes, so keep that in mind..... WC: 1,309 Pairing: Jude Jazza x OC Isla Corbin Pronouns: She/Her CW: Cursing Tags: SWF ┃Teasing ┃Self-Aware Characters ┃Bullying Jude ┃OC Introduction

Sitting on a bunch crates near the harbor, Jude, Ellis and Isla sat together enjoying their gelato in the summer heat. The sky was bluer than it had ever been after weeks of rain, the people were working hard, but in a cheerful mood and Jude had a good morning of debt collections. There was no reason for any of them to be questioning the ordinary day, but Ellis finally spoke up after a while.

“Hey, Jude. Have you ever wondered if we’ve ever lived different lives?”

“Hah, I knew ya were off you rocker, but this an another level of creepy. ‘Course not…..why?”

Ellis pulled up from the crates he leaned against, and confessed this odd feeling he hadn’t been able to shake for a while now.

“I feel like, I’ve seen other versions of our lives…..as if they were stories written about us.”

Jude raised a quizzical brow at his assistant’s ramblings and then looked at Isla as she was munching on her cone. She didn’t seem to be bothered by Ellis’ prattling nonsense at all.

“I mean, what if we were works of fiction and controlled by some kind creator?”

“What?”

“Jude, what would you say if you lived in another world and rode around in some kind super fast black carriage that was powered like the steam engine and went on what was called a “road trip”, or if Isla were almost taken advantage of by a bad guy while she was alone in the Scala?

“Say that last part again?!”

Isla kept to herself as Jude became more and more worked up over Ellis’ hypothetical ramblings, but far from being over Ellis continued….

“Yea, what if I you went through months of suffering and pining over her because you were written to be stuffy about your feelings instead of honest about them? Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen some good things to…like you and Isla having a gelato date near the bridge, and reuniting after you saved her……playing with her hair, licking her fingers. But the most recent thing I feel like we’ve lived through was her leaving you soaking wet at the dock over there. Oh! And the creator of that story had a seagull crap on you. Hmmm, I guess you could say they’re like an author. If that’s true, then how’d you feel about it, Jude?”

Furrowing his brows at Ellis and feeling immense anger pipe up like steam, “How would I feel ‘bout it? Ha! What poppycock! Even IF that were true, I don’t remember any of it, and that’s some shitty ass author for writin’ about people like that. I’d roast their ass ‘n sink their ashes in the river Thames.”

“Hmmm, maybe you’re right. But, what if this very conversation were being written as we speak?”

Ellis points up to the vast sky to make his point, “What if they are watching us right now and every word I say, and every reaction you make is being simultaneously written.”

Jude scoffs at Ellis, lights a cigarette and decides to test his little theory.

“Fine, then let’s test it out. Go ahead, call out to this author,” he laughed menacingly.

Standing up Ellis walks a few feet away from Jude and Isla who was finally finishing up her cone, not concerned in the slightest as to what was about to happen. Clearing his throat Ellis calls out to the sky, “Excuse, sir or madam author, um…..if what I say is true……can you make another seagull crap on Jude’s shoulder?”

“Oi!!! What the hell?”

Jude stood up to walk towards Ellis, but within seconds there was a large splatter of white all over his coat.

“Ugh, what the-”

“Wow! See Jude it’s true. Thank you, author!”

A gentle wind ruffled past Ellis like it was patting his fluffy hair in approval. “That’s just a coincidence!” Jude fought back as he took off his jacket and threw it to the ground.

“Then, why don’t you try Jude? Just politely ask them do something as a sign.”

“Outta my way, ya loon.” Jude looked up to the sky too and challenged the unknown being on the other side.

“If this crazy bastard is telling the truth, then make it rain while it’s still sunny outside.”

It was a simple command to control the weather, it should be easy for an author or creator to make happen if it were true. After a few moments, nothing happened and Jude laughed triumphantly, although many onlookers did wonder if they should contact the asylum for a madman screaming commands at the sky.

“HA! See, you’re wrong. Now shuddup.”

Just as Jude was walking back to the crates to take a seat, a sudden downpour erupted and drenched him with bullets of rain and more than that, with small bits of hail pelting him. He covered his head unable to move because of the severity of the storm, and when it finally ended, he was shocked to find that neither neither Ellis nor Isla were wet. In fact, they there wasn’t even a drop of water on them.

Ellis was stunned at what just happened, but Isla just sat there on the crate resting her chin in a thinking position as she crossed her leg, and watched her lover lose his temper. Jude was shocked that what he asked to happen actually happened, no it was not what he asked, it was far more severe than what he asked. Then, if this were true and all of what Ellis said were true…..

“OY! THE FUCK WAS THAT? HAH?! I’LL CREAM YOUR ASS!!!”

When Isla erupted into a giggle over Jude’s tantrum, he turned around to find her sitting there like she was the Queen of Sheba. Her reaction was odd, she’d normally ask if Jude were alright and suggest they go for a drink or something to calm him down.

“Isla…..”

“Are you cold you, Mr. Jazza? Want me to dry you off?”

With a snap of her fingers, a strong East wind blew past Jude knocking him over, but after the wind subsided he was indeed dry again.

“H-how did you…?” He stood up from the ground and walked to his lover.

“I am she and she is I.”

The confused look on his face was quite adorable, so Isla stood up and walked over to him and pinched his cheek, “She has a message for you, Mr. Jazza.”

“What does that mean? Who is “she” and why is “she” doing this?”

Leaning into his ear - Isla Corbin - the young woman whom Jude had known since her days as a clerk at the solicitor’s office that he frequented, the daughter of the well-to-do merchant of a business called D’Lune, and his fiancee who now worked with him and Crown, now seemed to be some one completely different as she whispered in his ear….

“Because you’re fun to bully Short King.”

“Short King? I’m not s-”

Isla grabbed his head before he said another word.

“This is what you get for giving me 2,000 coins during an escort over 50 diamonds you petty, lovable bastard. Do it again, and I’ll melt your brain by stuffing it with all the fan-fiction I’ve written about you.”

“Isla, you’d better-”

The author typed for Isla to quickly give the love of her life a kiss on the cheek, and instantly the entire scene rewound to the start of the fic, leaving the author smiling happily on the other side of the sky - through her screen - as she watched the three precious darlings she loved with all her heart go about their day enjoying gelato and collecting debts - completely ignorant of the fun she just had with them.

@ichigostellaglynn @atelierquinn @mrslelouch Please let me know if you want to be added to my tags list.

[masterfuldoodler]

Day One: Introductions

Name: Caelum. Age: 15 years old. Title: Keyblade Wielder.

Caelum is a keyblade wielder in training. He lived with his brother (14) until he came of age and moved to Scala ad Caelum where the rest of the keyblade wielders are. Unfortunately, Caelum misses his brother and is trying to figure out how to bend the rules to get him to join him. The two of them shared a dream of training and getting their mark of mastery together. When he finally gets the masters to agree to it, his brother has gone missing. Caelum runs away and sets out searching the worlds for him, along the way he runs into some interesting people...

Caelum inherited his keyblade from his family's long line of keyblade masters. His affinity is magic, and has always been gifted at it. Able to do spells with ease. He's a rather nervous guy (people pleasing tendencies) but is down to break the rules for the things he cares about.

Huge thank you to @meadow-roses for helping me design him. She make the keyblade and helped on so many details.

First day (and first time) of kh oc week, hosted and organized by @khoc-week

[asadmukhtarr]

https://asadmukhtar.info/note/programming-in-scala

Introduction to Scala

Scala is a modern programming language that combines object-oriented and functional programming features.

It runs on the JVM (Java Virtual Machine), making it highly compatible with Java.

Scala is concise, expressive, and designed for scalability in software development.

[corishadowfang]

Very random question, but what course of time does Fallen Stars take place over, like a few weeks or months?

It takes place over a couple of months! Six months feels like the appropriate timeframe, however, I think when doing the math for the actual, in-story amount of time, it's only about two to three months?

The time between Skuld arriving and her being announced to the rest of Scala is between four days and a week. (Her arrival is one day, exploring Scala/the first mission the second, the failed cooking attempt in Brain's apartment the third, and then there's a little time that passes between that and Skuld being officially announced, though it's vague about whether that's one day or a few.)

Skuld's introduction to the council and joining the Exploration Department takes place in a single day.

Mimir is given the internship with the Exploration Department within a couple days after Skuld officially joins.

Brain finding out about something going down in Scala, Skuld accidentally hurting Mimir in training, and searching the Scala Clock Tower for the Book of Prophecies all take place on the same day.

Skuld goes to make up with Mimir the day after.

The timeline's a little sketchy here, with an indeterminate amount of time passing between the above events and Brain deciding to officially investigate Darkness. However, I can't imagine him waiting too much longer than a week to officially start looking into things.

Brain finding out about Darkness, Skuld talking to Aegir, and the assassination attempt all take place on the same day.

They somewhere between one and three days after that, trying to figure out how to cope.

Mimir's kidnapping (and the search for them) takes place over a little over a week.

Actually confronting Aegir and Darkness occurs over one very long 24 hours.

The time between Frigga's fight with Aegir and Aegir's trial is stated in-story to take place over a month.

And Aegir's trial and the fall of Scala also takes place over one very long day.

So uh. Canonically we're in the roughly two-to-three month timeframe, but if that feels too short, feel free to say, "My canon now," and decide that more time passed, haha.

[keybladeciel]

A day late for @khoc-week Day One, but it's time for a re-introduction.

Ciel. (The Protagonist)

Ciel, the Rebel of Fate

Name: Ciel (True First Name not disclosed, name used since the Arcadia Fair Incident)

Age: 14 (KHUX era, Year One), 15 (KHUX era, Year Two, Datascape Apocalypse Arc), 16 (Forgotten Era/Events of Missing Link, Awakening in Twilight Town) 17 (Events of KH3)

KHUX Union: Vulpes

KHML Society: Baroque

Keyblade: Starlight, Sleeping Lion, Fenrir (Has yet to awaken the true form of his own Keyblade)

Bio: Awakening in Daybreak Town, Ciel discovers he's a Keyblade Wielder and a blue-blood among the group. His friends were also there. Aided by the enigmatic Ava, Ciel gathered Lux for his Union and befriended as much people as he could, including Strelitzia, a wallflower who gradually warmed up. Everything was going well until the Keyblade War reared its ugly head and Ciel was stuck in there despite being a Dandelion. Upon recovery from his injuries, Ciel and the Dandelion Leaders led those lucky enough to escape in a much larger lifeboat, but at the cost of an ally close to him. Neither he nor Strelitzia witnessed the foundation of Scala ad Caelum.

Years passed as Ciel awakens in the world during its heyday when Societies ran the gamut. Ciel became a member of the Baroque Society to investigate the Renegade Drifter following the arrival of one fateful Drifter from his time, unaware of the fact that he's being targeted by seekers of darkness or those wishing to ensure the Miqo'te were to remain extinct outside of Eorzea. Events caused Ciel to go back into the lifeboat and awaken in Twilight Town and the Renegade would be dealt with by the Drifter.

Ciel enjoyed a year of peace and good vibes in Twilight Town following the arrival of his friends and family. One person was missing and had a replica in her place. When Xehanort's atrocities disturb that peace, Ciel vowed to enforce balance no matter the cost, let alone anything that will get in the way of finding a means to Quadratum to find his sister, Celeste.

Aliases: The Rebel of Fate, the Sole Miqo'te (former, retired due to the presence of Miqo'te in a post KHUX and KHML worldline), the Boy in Blue, the Savior of the Dandelions

General Note: While Ciel's story is centered in the Kingdom Hearts Saga, not every aspect will be as tame as the series and his story will deal with heavy subject matter as it goes on. Any content with triggering subject matter will have a Content Warning note.

Bonus: The other OCs in a reintroduction.

Soleil

Celeste (the Protagonist of her own story)

Alouette (the youngest of the bunch)

[trashedork]

Garden of Ambition

Note: I wanted to write introduction stories for my Ikemen Villains OCs. First up is Amabel. This is written in first person and visual novel style.

Every woman has a desire for beauty, and I was no exception.

Good looks could create opportunities and give you everything you desire. They could place you in the spotlight.

This has been my goal for as long as I can remember. I wanted to charm everyone and win their love, to bask in the glow of their adoration. But beneath that gentle exterior lay a darker side, a deeper yearning that often went unspoken.

I longed for the admiration of others, that intoxicating thrill of being the center of their universe. It was a heady feeling, knowing that I could captivate hearts and minds with just a glance or a laugh. I would make them fall for me, weaving a web of charm and allure that would ensnare them in my desires.

I reveled in the power I held, the ability to twist their affections to suit my own satisfaction. It was a dance of manipulation and seduction, a game I played with finesse.

Amabel: Thank you for coming, everyone! Please look forward to our next show!

Standing under the dazzling lights of Scala Theatre, I felt like a celebrity, with the audience's eyes on me.

I’m a stage actor, but I have another job as well.

I’m a member of Crown, an imperial command party under the order of Queen Victoria.

—

The morning was sunny and clear, with sunlight streaming through the windows. I was in a good mood, skipping through the halls of Crown Castle. When I walked into the dining area, I noticed Lord Elbert, Mr. Alfons, and Liam already seated at the table.

With another skip in my step, I hummed happily and sat down in the empty chair beside Liam, placing my elbows onto the table and my hands on my cheeks.

Amabel: Good morning.

Liam: Morning, Amabel. Seeing your face always makes me smile.

Amabel: Hehe. Oh, my. Thank you, Liam.

Liam was not only a colleague at Crown Castle but also at Scala. He was a good man who consistently tried to please people. He would do anything for them if they asked. Out of everyone in Crown, he was definitely the most willing to go along with my ideas.

I turned my head towards Lord Elbert and Mr. Alfons, who were seated across from me.

Amabel: Good morning, Lord Elbert, Mr. Alfons.

Elbert: Good morning.

Lord Elbert spoke in a quiet, stoic voice, then turned to Mr. Alfons.

Elbert: Al, is Amabel beautiful?

Alfons: Not as beautiful as you, Elbie.

Elbert: I see…

Margery: Good morning, everyone!

Margery stepped into the dining room with a smile before sitting down in the empty chair that was next to me. She was a few years younger than me and was kind and naive, but being around her was quite fun. As a noblewoman, she had taught me how to play the violin. She joined Crown a few years after I did.

William: My. It's quite lively today.

William strolled into the dining room and settled into a chair. He gracefully poured himself a cup of tea and took a refined sip, looking every bit like royalty.

Shortly after, another woman entered the dining room. She was the Fairytale Keeper, a title that Victor had come up with on the spot when she had arrived at the castle. A few days had passed since she had stumbled upon the murder scene and learned about Crown.

I could tell she was nervous by the way she was gripping her skirt with her hands. I decided to invite her over, smiling.

Amabel: What are you standing there for? Come join us.

Kate: Y-Yes…

She sat down a short distance away from Margery, still nervous and staring at her lap.

I watched her, the smile still on my face.

An innocent young woman like her had entered a den full of villains. It would be interesting to see how this played out. I knew some of the members of Crown would want to lead her astray.

Myself, included.

—

After breakfast, I went outside to water the flowers and plants in the garden using a hose. The sun was shining brightly, casting a warm glow over everything, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming petals. As I moved the hose from one plant to another, my mind wandered to “that person.”

Her cruel words and actions still echoed in my thoughts, like a haunting melody that refused to fade. I could almost hear her voice, dripping with disdain, reminding me of my insecurities and failures.

Even so, I wasn’t going to let that affect me. She was out of my life now, a distant memory that I was determined to forget. I had no reason to dwell on her anymore.

I was going to be beautiful.

The most beautiful person in the world.

Nothing and no one could stop me.

If anyone tried to interfere, I would show no mercy. That’s what a villain does.

I had spent too long being the victim of someone else’s cruelty. I was going to rise from the ashes of my past, stronger and more formidable than ever. I would not shy away from confrontation.

As I finished watering the last plant, I stood back to admire my work. The garden was alive, vibrant, and full of potential, just like me. I smiled, a genuine smile that radiated from deep within.

Margery: Miss Amabel! There you are!

I turned around and noticed Margery running towards me, carrying a plate of muffins. She stopped a few inches away from me, grinning widely.

Margery: Would you like a muffin, Miss Amabel? I thought I’d give baking another try and made these. Ellis helped out too, but I think we might have gone a little overboard. Hehe.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a brief moment.

Amabel: Oh, goodness… All right. I’ll have one.

Grabbing a muffin, I took a bite, the sweetness bursting in my mouth right away. While I chewed, a sneaky thought popped into my head. I glanced at Margery with a mischievous smile.

Amabel: You said you were with Ellis, right? Hehe. How romantic. Baking with the person you like.

Margery's cheeks flushed bright red, and she looked down at the ground. I couldn't help but laugh a bit. It was amusing to see her so embarrassed. It was clear she had feelings for Ellis, evident in the way she looked at him. Her expression revealed just how smitten she was.

Honestly, who could blame her? The men in Crown were undeniably handsome.

After a few moments of silence, Margery looked up at me, her face still red.

Margery: W-Well, I’ll let you get back to work now. Bye, Miss Amabel.

Amabel: Hehe. Bye.

I watched her leave, then glanced up at the sky, shielding my eyes with one hand above them for a clearer view. A few clouds drifted lazily across, and the gentle breeze carried the sweet scent of flowers. I took another bite of my muffin and let out a contented sigh.

Life at Crown was wonderful. In fact, it was the best thing that had happened to me since leaving my old home.

If Victor hadn’t shown up that day to tell me I was a Cursed one, I would probably still be stuck in that place full of bad memories. The thought of it made me frown. I remembered the darkness that had enveloped me, the feeling of being trapped in a life that felt like a never-ending cycle of despair.

Victor's presence had been a beacon of hope. His words had been a revelation, a key that unlocked the door to a new life.

The weight of my past had begun to lift, replaced by the thrill of new discoveries and the promise of change.

[crazygirl0152]

Here is the rise and fall of scala from the balance between good and evil by me. Anyway the introduction of Scala is a woman who has the luscious and straightforward personality from the original Scarlet and Lavana but her powers was poison alongside with water and fire after so many adventures with their friends from Fazbear entertainment and around the dimensions until fate happens when she had met the eclipse trio and Eclipse, her new lover is lie to the public for attention

[royalberryarts]

Introducing: The Other-Side Trio!

Three original characters for my Kingdom Hearts fic. They are first introduced in 'Dreams of Tomorrow', a story of six friends and their long and spectacular adventure half a year before the events of the first game.

Lunaria, Glaucia and Noir are the main characters of a flipped tale that transpires at the same time as and after Yoru, Taiyo and Zorya's story.

Full Introductions Below: 👇

Lunaria:

A young girl who is the childhood friend of Yoru, believe to be missing after their world fell. She is saved by a mysterious book. She had first found the book many years ago, unable to get it open, until now. No other person is able to open it, for it seems to have chosen her and her alone. The book has the mysterious power of reviving hearts thought to have perished and granting them physical power in the form of transparent stained glass spirits.

Celestial Staff, Summoner, Neutral, Regular Chosen One.

Glaucia:

Young princess of Scala ad Caelum's noble bloodlines; a 'blueblood'. She is one of the last of her lineage and has since found herself locked behind guards and rules dictating her entire life. Hearing the news of stars vanishing and one of her dearest friends now falling into the clutches of danger, she runs away from home to protect what matters.

Royal Rapier, Elemental and Physical Attack, Light, Blueblood.

Noir:

A young man of mysterious origins. It is unknown how old he is, but he seems about the same age as Lunaria or Glaucia. He has a firey desire for normalcy, yet always seems to plunge headlong into danger. He claims to work for a detective agency whose goal is to find the truth behind the vanishing stars, but what is his own goal truly?

Twin Daggers, Speed and Evasion, Unknown, Regular?

[luxetaqua]

Christian Cosmology through Plants: A Late Antique Interpretation of Botticelli's Annunciation Paintings

Sandro Boticelli, Annunciation of San Martino alla Scala, Uffizi.

Introduction

It was a busy day in the Uffizi Museum, Florence, on Thanksgiving morning. While visitors all around the globe swarmed around Primavera and The Birth of Venus in the hall of Botticelli, I stood in front of Annunciation of San Martino alla Scala, completely awestruck.

Time froze. In that tenuous moment, the radiating sunlight, filtered by the mirky skylight, turned into gentle rays, caressing the mural. Right across the hall hung the Madonna of the Pomegranate, in which the little Jesus holds the crimson fruit in his palm. His mother, surrounded by angelic youths, glances over the spectators while her golden hair flickers in our gazes. It is my long-held opinion that among all the great Italian painters, Sandro Botticelli captures the Queen of Heaven the best. Under his brush, she is sensitive, tangible, feminine, a liminal presence that encapsulates the beauty of both classical and renaissance paradigms of beauty. While Raphael and DaVinci may manage to illustrate the Virgin Mary's sense of authority as the Vessel of the Immaculate Conception and the mother of Christ, Botticelli's Madonna is the emblem of humanity, vulnerability, courage, and nature. Through examining the natural landscape and identifying any lingering influence of Late Antiquity traditions in several Annunciation paintings by Sandro Botticelli, this short essay aims to reinterpret Mary as the token of nature and paradise. We will notice common tropes, themes, and imagery that are reminiscent of the theological works from Late Antiquity, with a special focus on Ephrem the Syrian's Hymns on Paradise and Hymns on Virginity. Paying special attention to the spaces and landscapes that Botticelli constructs in these paintings, the readers will be able to have a glimpse of early Christianity's lasting influence on people's understanding of the Creation and afterlife.

Nature in Annunciation

When examining the original biblical narrative of the Annunciation in Luke 1:26 - 27, the readers can perceive an obvious absence of nature and a lack of indication of seasonality.

26 In the sixth month, Gabriel (the angel) was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,  27 to a virgin engaged to a man called Joseph, from the family of David. The virgin was called Mary.

However, this confusion was resolved by late antique theologians such as St. Athanasius and St. Augustine, who expounded on the occasion of the Annunciation to be nine months before the Nativity, marking its date as the spring equinox. The feast of the Annunciation thus showcases an intricate relationship between nature and the divine on both corporeal and cosmic levels: through Christ, the Word becomes flesh, and through God, the world was born. Instances where the divine becomes the token of nature are prevalent in late antique theological works. Besides homilies written in specific care to the Creation, such as Basil of Caesarea's Hexaemeron, texts dedicated to saints and martyrs are filled with imagery showing the intimate relationship between holiness and nature. In Paulinus of Nola's poem on Saint Felix's birthday, the bishop depicts the festive atmosphere in the city and exclaims:

Let winter breathe forth the brightness of spring, and the year be in blossom before its time; let nature yield to the holy day, for you, too, earth, owe garlands to the martyr's tomb. But he is flower-decked with the twin garlands of war and peace, and is enshrined in the holy glory of heaven's threshold. --- The Poems of St. Paulinus of Nola, Poem 14, p.81.

In Paulinus' hortatory verses, nature thus becomes reflective of festivity and the prayers of the faithful, testifying to St.Felix's glory. It is obvious that the late antiquity conception of nature and the divine percolates through time. Echoing this divine interplay, Sandro Botticelli's portrayal in the San Barnaba altarpiece illustrates how natural elements can symbolize and celebrate spiritual resurrection. In the painting, the Resurrection of Christ is accompanied by the resurgence of nature, expressed through the surrounding trees, whose branches burst forth under the vast expanse as Jesus rises above his tomb. As the savior returns, nature regains its vitality, signaling the reawakening of the natural world.

Sandro Boticelli, Cristo in Pieta, Predella della Pala di San Barnaba Firenzi, Uffizi Returning to Botticelli's Annunciation paintings, however, nature seems much more ordered and constrained. Since the biblical text does not provide the Renaissance painter much material in portraying the sensory details of the story, Botticelli relies on the spatial construct and the inclusion/omission of natural elements to encapsulate the Annunciation's spiritual complexity. While his famous mythological works such as Primavera and The Birth of Venus are marked by countless varieties of flowers and plants, in his portrayal of the Annunciation, Boticelli shows the infiniteness of nature and divine power through a limited, confined space.

The Delineation of Space: Virgin Mary's Garden and Paradise

Hortus Conclusus, Unknown German Masters, c.1410

The trope of hortus conclusus is a long-living tradition in medieval and Renaissance art, and a testament to Marian worship. Originating from Song of Songs, the garden of the Virgin Mary is a paradisal space where the divine, humans, and nature live in concord --- a depiction that resembles the Garden of Eden.

It is easy to see the deep connection between the Virgin Mary's walled enclosure with the heavenly garden. Emphrem in his Hymns on Paradise uses vivid language to describe Eden, a world before the Fall:

At its boundary I saw figs, growing in a sheltered place, from which crowns were made that adorned the brows of the guilty pair, while their leaves blushed, as it were, for him who was stripped naked: their leaves required for those two who had lost their garments; although they covered Adam, still they made him blush with shame and repent, because in a place of such splendor, a man who is naked is filled with shame. --- Emphrem, The Hymns on Paradise, p.87.

In the bishop's description, Eden, inaccessible to outsiders, is the token of virtue and utmost beauty. This sheltered and secretive place is filled with vegetation, reflective of its wonders.

While the literary source of heavenly gardens is explicit in their lush and unblemished beauty, Botticelli's interpretation takes a more subtle approach. Instead of exposing the garden in full, as in many late medieval paintings, Botticelli's hortus is largely concealed from the viewer. In Annunciation of San Martino alla Scala, the intricately designed columns and luxurious interior block much of the garden's view from our sight, and in Annunciation of Cestello, the garden and the town view are only visible through the narrow window.

Sandro Botticelli, Annunciation of Cestello, Uffizi

Regardless of the size of nature these paintings showcase, the viewers can clearly perceive the serenity and the order of the landscape. In San Martino alla Scala, as their sights pass through the arch, the viewers are greeted by a very curated view. Right beside the spotless granite pavement, bushes with fine delineation stay within the boundary of the parterre. Right beside the terracotta wall, smaller trees grow side by side, with none of them trespassing the height of the enclosure. Even the hills at far and the palm trees outside the enclosure sit in absolute stillness, with no sign of disturbance.

Particular of Annunciation of San Martino alla Scala

The sense of orderliness showcased in Botticelli's hortus conclusus is also echoed in Ephrem's description of Eden:

Who is capable of gazing upon the Garden's splendor, seeing how glorious it is in all its design, how harmonious in its proportions, how spacious for those who dwell there, its fountains delight with their fragrance... --- The Hymns on Paradise, p.88.

The emphasis on the harmony and proportions of the creations within the Garden in Ephrem's text is a reflection of the divine beauty promoted in many Genesis homilies. While Botticelli conveys the utter sense of peace and order in Virgin's garden through colors and textures, Ephrem engages with his reader's olfactory sense and sight to depict an enlarging space that is filled with glorious wonders.

Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, Uffizi

However, just like Ephrem, Botticelli also does not intend to delineate a conclusive space. Although the landscape in San Martino alla Scala invokes the hortus conclusus trope, Botticelli's perception of the Annunciation story is placed in a grander context. Unlike in Primavera, where the artist took the laborious task of depicting over fifty kinds of plants, either real or imaginary, in San Martino alla Scala Botticelli focuses on the lily held in Gabriel's hands. Often perceived as a symbol of Mary's chastity in the artistic medium, however, the connotation of lily is complicated in Ephrem's hymns. When writing about the immaculate conception, speaking through Mary's voice, Ephrem turns the lily into the symbol of Christ:

The blossom lost its scent, for the fragrance of the Glorious Lily was strong. The Treasure of Perfumes had no need of flower or of its fragrances. The flesh stayed away, for it saw in the womb of conception of the Spirit. --- Ephrem, The Hymns On the Nativity, 16, p.151.

The verses in "On the Nativity" create another possibility for the interpretation of Botticelli's Annunciation paintings. In San Martino alla Scala, the artist boldly discards the traditional iconographic portrayal of the kneeling Virgin in Annunciation. Instead, Mary's hands are poised as if cradling an infant, which mirrors Ephrem's lyrical transformation of the lily into a symbol of Christ's conception. Through this powerful depiction, the artist unites the Annunciation's complex symbols, with the enclosed garden becoming a nurturing environment for the nascent divinity, as the Virgin herself becomes a vessel for the divine incarnation. The strong recognition of Christ's duality and the affirmation of the Nicene Creed percolates through this interpretation, celebrating both the Creator and the mother of Christ. In this moment, Mary becomes one with nature and Nature.

The Immaculate Conception: Corporeality and Plants

Particular of the oak tree in Annunciation of Cestello, Sandro Botticelli, Uffizi

Although plants are not prominent in San Martino alla Scala, they occupy a unique narrative space in other Botticelli's Annunciation paintings and works dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In Annunciation of Cestello, a tall oak tree, a common symbol of Christ, is placed at the center of the painting behind Gabriel, dividing the curated urban and natural landscape in half [we can clearly see the overt artificiality of this urban landscape, and we can directly link this to St.Augustine's City of God in terms of theology and Ausonius' epyllion Moselle in the realm of literary art, but since this is a discussion on nature instead of the Creation as a whole, let's continue ]. The same motif also occurs in the Annunciation painting exhibited in Glasgow, where three tall trees occupy the view of the river and hills behind, which may be an intentional bow to the Trinity.

Sandro Botticelli, Annunciation, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow

While modern viewers may not direct their attention to a certain plant in the painting, the Renaissance crowd should be familiar with all the botanic symbols. Although it will be a big temporal leap to attribute Renaissance Italians' sensitivity to late antiquity theology, it is important to highlight the thinking that remains unwavering in the foundation of Christian understanding and may influence Botticelli's composition.

In Homily V of St. Basil of Caesarea's Hexaemeron, the theologian, when discussing the third day of Genesis, expounds on the variety of trees that God brings forth and implores his listeners to look at the details of the created:

But, may you, whenever you see cultivated plants or wild ones, water plants or land plants, flowering or flowerless, recognize grandeur in the tiniest thing, continue always in your admiration, and increase, I pray you, your love for the creator. Ponder how He made some trees evergreens and other deciduous, and of the evergreens, how He made some which lose their leaves and others which always keep them. --- Basil of Caesarea, On the Hexaemeron, Homily V, p.81.

While Basil manages to sensitize the faithful to the idea that every natural element is part of the cosmic fabric, Ephrem in Hymns on Paradise further highlights the divine nature of the creations:

For feeble eyes, cannot gaze upon the dazzling sight of its celestial beauties; it has clothed its trees with the names of the trees we know; its figs are called by the same name as our figs, its leaves, which are spiritual, have taken on bodily form; they have been changed so that their vesture may resemble ours. --- Ephrem, Hymns On Paradise, p.156.

Though he is describing objects that exist in heaven, Ephrem makes an insoluble connection between what we see on earth and in paradise. The mimicry or the uncanny resemblance between the earthly and heavenly plants morphs the boundary between the divine and the mortal, and such ambiguity is employed by Botticelli in the visual medium when creating landscapes and botanical spaces.

In Madonna of the Magnificat, behind the Queen of Heaven's blue silk robe and the angelic youth surrounding her, the artist depicts a river valley scene. In the painting, the winding water is split into two under the radiating heavenly light that shines on both the landscape and the holy mother and child, corresponding to a verse with Genesis allusion that Ephrem employs in his paradisal hymn "... from that land/ a river should flow forth/ and divide itself..." (The Hymns on Paradise, p.157). In front of this liminal landscape, Botticelli breaks from the usual mode of Iconography and poses the Virgin Mary as if she just finished writing "The Canticle of Mary" in Luke on the vellum held by the angels - "Magnificat anima mea Dominum..." In doing so, the artist shows the Madonna as a powerful force that drives the biblical narrative. Through her womb, the Word is composed and realized, and the landscape behind her further solidifies her liminal presence as a bridge between man and God [Though this post is analytical and does not touch on research, I do want to express my strong disagreement (or even aversion) with the "rhetoric of impossibility" or "feminist" interpretations of Madonna's gesture in this painting's Wikipedia page. In my opinion, both interpretations miss the highly allegorical nature of this painting ].

Sandro Botticelli, Madonna of the Magnificat, Uffizi When viewers examine the Madonna of the Magnificat, they may also be drawn to the pomegranate that baby Jesus holds in his hand. Sandro Botticelli employs the same motif in the Madonna of the Pomegranate as a symbol for the Passion, where the fruit is placed in a prominent position.

Sandro Botticelli, Madonna of the Pomegranate, Uffizi

Compared to Madonna of the Magnificat, the Madonna of the Pomegranate is a much more somber painting. The solemn atmosphere, expressed through Mary's and baby Jesus's doleful faces, contrasts the bright colors created by the massive application of gold leaf in the Virgin's hairs and the divine rays above. In this instance, the pomegranate, depicted in bright red, bridges Christ and Mary's experience. Putting both their hands on the fruit, Botticelli means to elucidate the nuances in the Passion as a story that conveys two layers of sorrow: the suffering of the savior and the suffering of a mother. Noteworthy, though, is also the pomegranate's bountiful nature. Filled with seeds, pomegranate is often considered a symbol of fertility and everlasting life in the Middle Ages, with a famous example being the Unicorn In Captivity tapestry in the Met Cloister, where the juice of the pomegranate dyed the fur of the unicorn red. The pomegranate trope employed in Madonna painting thus can also be interpreted as a promise of resurrection and paradisal afterlife.

The Unicorn in Captivity, the Met Cloister

In the Madonna of the Pomegranate, besides the red bountiful fruit held in baby Jesus' palm, the roses in the arms of Archangel Raphael are another hint of the presence of the divine. In Homily V of Basil's Hexaemeron, the theologian describes the creation of "garland plants" and mentions rose bush in specific:

Only at that time the rose bush was without thorns; later, the thorn was added to the beauty of the flower so that we might keep pain closely associated with enjoyment of pleasure and remind ourselves of the sin for which the earth was condemned to bring forth thorns and thistles for us. --- Basil of Caesarea, Homily V, On the Hexaemeron

Whether this interpretation of the pre-fall rose persists through the century requires further research. However, in the Renaissance artist's portrayal, the rose garlands are wrapped in the lower hem of the Archangel's shirt without any visible thistles. If Botticelli's depiction of the flower is intentional rather than stylistic, it is possible to assume that the rose in Madonna of the Pomegranate is another instance of the artist's effort to express the heavenly space that his subjects situate through botanical details.

Particular of Madonna of the Pomegranate Conclusion

Traversing through the symbolic depth of Botticelli's Annunciations, we find echoes of Ephrem's hymns, Basil's homilies, and the rich theological discourse of Late Antiquity within the canvas confines. Depicting ordered serenity in gardens, the Italian Renaissance artist unfolds a sacred story that interlaces spiritual significance with the grace of the natural world. Against the resonating backdrop of early Christian theological teaching, Botticelli's Annunciation turns from an event to a theological ecosystem, marrying the corporeal with the spiritual in a narrative rich with meaning. His judicious inclusion of botanical motifs and the deliberate delineation of spatial dimensions reveal a nuanced comprehension of the sacred subject. In these works, the Madonna emerges as both the Queen of Heaven and the embodiment of the Garden of Eden, personifying the convergence of nature and the divine.

[talesofthesecondcity]

Please, Dont Let Me Trip!

I didn’t exactly explode onto Birmingham’s gay scene in glorious rainbow technicolour, more creep apprehensively down a flight of steep stairs… and straight into an awkwardly familiar face!

In my late teens, Friday nights were spent alternating between several pubs on the social triangle of Aston University. I’d been drinking on campus for months prior to turning the legal age, but being student pubs, used to a clientele of fresh-faced undergrads, our spotty faces barely stood out. Doormen would turn a blind eye if you could rattle off your fake date of birth with enough conviction.

On one evening out, I couldn’t shake thoughts of another bar in town, the idea of which ignited my teenage hormones like a drop of blood screaming to a hunting shark. I decisively downed the dregs of my cordial-coloured Snakebite & Black, turned to my best-mate and announced, “I’m going to The Jester.”

The Jester was a basement gay bar, lurking beneath Scala Building, a shabby curve of concrete and glass on Holloway Circus. This typical 1960’s development, of the style old-school Birmingham is notorious, had seen better days, even back in the 80s.

I paced outside for an age, trying to muster the courage to go inside, but somebody would walk by or a bus would circle the roundabout and I would lose my nerve. Finally, the coast was clear and I dashed to the door. The unremarkable entrance took me to a tight flight of stairs leading down into… well, I had no idea.

My heart pounded with a giddy mix of fear and excitement as I descended the steep stairs. All I could think was, Please, don’t let me trip.

I gripped the handrail with white-knuckled intensity, while trying to convey casual nonchalance. I managed to get to the bottom of the stairs upright and with the maximum dignity a gawky teen could carry off.

Guys turned to check out the new chicken in town.

I crossed to the elliptical central bar and ordered a beer.

Waiting for the barman to return with my drink, I dared a quick glance around, taking in the small dance floor, the neon lighting and, to my delight, a glitterball. They actually had a glitterball! My only previous knowledge of a gay bar came solely from The Blue Oyster in the movie Police Academy, which had a glitterball that the Leather Queens danced romantically beneath. I was now convinced every gay venue in the world had one.

I clocked one cute guy around the curve of the bar to my left.

He looks very handsome, I thought, around my age, chiselled jawline, slicked back black hair. Oh, hang on… It’s a lesbian.

My drink arrived. I let out a sigh of relief. I had made it inside, down the stairs and got a drink, all without incident. The night was mine!

A hand fell upon my shoulder.

“How are you, young man?”

I turned to find the benignly smiling face… of my form teacher.

Sat at a bar with my teacher wasn’t exactly how I’d expected my first night on the scene to turn out… but I could not have wanted for a better introduction.

It was a relief to finally have another gay man to confide in, even better that it was a familiar and trusted figure. Here was an opportunity to talk to someone with experience of a world I was taking my first steps into.

Although being caught in a gay bar by Sir had been a shock, I had not been surprised that he frequented such establishments. Rumours about him had circulated school for years. The shaved head, handlebar moustache, penchant for a leather jacket and the general Village People vibe had also been a bit of a giveaway. He wouldn’t have looked out of place swaying beneath that glitterball at The Blue Oyster.

As the evening progressed, Sir suggested we move on to The Nightingale, the city’s only night club in the 1980s. He was a member and offered to sign me in as his guest.

At this point in the club’s history The Gale, as it is affectionally known, was situated near the stage door of the Birmingham Hippodrome, at the end of a short alley. You had to ring the bell, wait until a face appeared behind a sliding slot, then confirm you knew what type of bar it was before being admitted.

Once inside, there was a cloakroom and small bar dominated by a gaudy fountain.  Beyond was the main disco. On the far side of the dancefloor was a dimly lit area, partitioned off from prying eyes. I remember being baffled as to why anyone would want to disappear into a dark subdivision of a busy nightclub. How naive! So much to learn… and so much fun learning.

At the end of the night, Sir drove me home, dropping off a few streets away, so as not to arouse suspicions of sleepless parents, inevitably awaiting their teenage son’s late-night return.

I am eternally grateful to my then form teacher for looking after me on my first night out on Birmingham’s gay scene.

I have told this tale many times over the years, inevitably greeted by cynical eyebrows and the implication he was on the make… but no, he was the perfect gentleman… and continues to be to this day.

To Sir, With Love. X

Find over 100 tales from Birmingham's gay scene @talesofthesecondcity.com

[a-commas-a-pause]

Yes to all of this - 'Survival of the fittest' does not support individualism!

....AND even so evolutionary biologists ourselves are beginning to consider it an outdated and misleading term.

Here's few talks from this year's Congress on Evolutionary Biology on the matter - almost all the talks from the symposium are now free to watch up on YouTube, and though it's not my field at all I think the first talk in this set in particular (Ableism as foundation for evolutionary biology, speaker Haley Branch) in particular was the most useful talk I've seen out of the entire conference. I guess there's a bit of assumed knowledge in there as it's aimed at other evolutionary biologists but still very much worth a watch if you're not in the field! It starts about 5 minutes in, after the introductions.

I don't remember if Branch mentioned this in her talk, but "survival of the fittest" kind of leans into the whole "scala natura" idea popular among the Victorians where we view species as "ascending" towards a "most complex" peak/top of the tree of life (always getting "fitter"/more perfect). This isn't actually how evolution tends to operate at all - natural selection is of course a thing, but environments are dynamic meaning no one lifestyle is ever going to be permanently optimal for a given species, there are so many trade-offs involved in selection, and genetic drift/neutral evolution is also a way more important factor than 20th century theorists realised. Not to mention basically all extant species are completely dependant on their surrounding living environment, other species, because this whole Life thing has been going for probably about 4 billion years now and we've all been co-evolving for the entirety of that time. We do not exist in a vacuum! We are also not the pinnacle of evolution, because evolution doesn't have a pinnacle! That's not how it works!

And - just to leave my academic comfort zone and get a little bit more philosophical here for a moment - I would also point out that evolution is a completely morally/socially neutral process. All this "X is natural/we evolved to do Y" talk tends to be factually wrong, yes - but even if we DID evolve to do Y, it doesn't necessarily follow that Y is a good idea. That's like arguing that because UV is a natural part of the solar light spectrum we shouldn't wear sunscreen. Evolution is not your friend or your god and it doesn't want to help either you in specific or the human species in general. It's just a process. In the same way that gravity is what happens when you put two large masses close enough together, evolution is what happens when you put (living, or close enough to living) Things in Situations. I LOVE studying it, but ''it's what evolutionary pressure says you should do'' isn't a way to live your life, you know? It's always a bit depressing to me when I see people throwing their own freedom and autonomy away in favour of some bullshit about "natural law" and "biological imperative". Like - that's the joy of consciousness! You get to choose what you do! If you ignore that choice in favour of asking the Great Mother Nature (derogatory) (well - not really - but I'm not kidding when I say that evolution is a NEUTRAL force not a good one) to make it for you, what is even the point?

And personally, I'm always going to choose to love. Because at heart I'm a hedonist, and in my personal experience, there's no better feeling in the world than that.

them: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST MEANS HUMANS MUST BE INDIVIDUALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT AND COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT

biologist:

[souhaillaghchimdev]

An Introduction to Functional Programming

Functional programming is a programming paradigm that treats computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions and avoids changing-state and mutable data. It encourages writing clearer, more predictable code and has gained popularity with the rise of languages that support it. In this post, we’ll explore the core concepts of functional programming and its benefits.

What is Functional Programming?

Functional programming is based on the concept of pure functions, which have the following properties:

Deterministic: Given the same input, a pure function always returns the same output.

No Side Effects: Pure functions do not modify any external state or variables.

Functional programming emphasizes immutability, higher-order functions, and function composition to build software.

Key Concepts of Functional Programming

First-Class Functions: Functions can be assigned to variables, passed as arguments, or returned from other functions.

Higher-Order Functions: Functions that take other functions as parameters or return functions as results.

Immutability: Once created, data cannot be changed. Instead, new data structures are created from existing ones.

Pure Functions: Functions that have no side effects and always produce the same output for the same input.

Function Composition: Combining simple functions to create more complex functions.

Lazy Evaluation: Values are computed only when needed, which can improve performance.

Benefits of Functional Programming

Modularity: Code is easier to understand and maintain when broken into small, independent functions.

Reusability: Functions can be reused in different contexts, reducing code duplication.

Easier Testing: Pure functions are easier to test since their output is solely based on their input.

Concurrency: Immutability and stateless functions make concurrent programming safer and simpler.

Functional Programming Languages

While many programming languages support functional programming concepts, some are designed specifically for it:

Haskell: A purely functional programming language.

Scala: A language that combines functional and object-oriented programming.

F#: A functional-first language in the .NET ecosystem.

Elixir: A functional language designed for scalable and maintainable applications.

JavaScript: Supports functional programming principles and higher-order functions.

Python: Allows functional programming features through functions like `map()`, `filter()`, and `reduce()`.

Example: Functional Programming in JavaScript

const numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]; // Pure function const square = (x) => x * x; // Higher-order function const squaredNumbers = numbers.map(square); console.log(squaredNumbers); // [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

Example: Function Composition

const add = (x) => (y) => x + y; const increment = add(1); const result = increment(5); console.log(result); // 6

Conclusion

Functional programming offers a powerful approach to writing clean, maintainable, and predictable code. By embracing its principles, developers can create applications that are easier to reason about and maintain over time. Whether you’re exploring a new language or enhancing your current programming skills, understanding functional programming is a valuable addition to your toolkit.