#plinys meta

[bonefall]

What herbs should a med cat use to treat epilepsy?

Now that the epilepsy herb guide is out, I can say with certainty that The BEST treatment for canon-compliant warriors is cannabis or valerian root, and a dietary change to fatty prey + eggs.

But let me tell you about the whole journey I went on in research, complete with links to the most helpful educational sources I drew on, in case you would like to learn more

(CONTENT WARNING: Historical discussion of abelism towards epileptic people, animal testing resulting in animal death, links to resources that discuss seizures affecting both humans and cats, cannabis, gross cuts of animal meat, and Pliny the Elder)

So I actually made a bit of a mistake that I won't make again; when I did the HRT guide, I started with modern medication and went backwards. That worked for HRT but didn't for Epilepsy-- because modern epilepsy formulas are almost completely synthetic.

I started with some casual googling for epilepsy in cats, and what treatments they tend to get. After that I started comparing that to epilepsy management in humans

THE big boy epilepsy drug is Phenobarbital. Only RECENTLY (as in, the past 30 years) have we really started to branch out past it, and they're mostly extra types of barbituates. These cannot be found in nature.

So then I was like, OK, I can step back a little bit more, right? WRONG. The predecessor of Phenobarbital was Potassium Bromide-- and I was kinda horrified to find out how much worse it is in comparison. Bromide has a bad habit of building up in your body and a ton of super, super nasty side effects.

The rise and fall of Bromide in epileptic treatment is an epic story all on its own!!!

I was going to include it anyway since Bromide was better than not dying (and indeed it was REVOLUTIONARY at the time), but even BROMIDE is made chemically. The easiest process includes boiling salt and iron together-- iron would not be something warrior cats can access.

Besides-- Bromide is sometimes used for epileptic dogs, but in cats, it causes lung failure of all things.

So, at this point I was realizing I was not going to be able to make the guide with the same methods I used for HRT. I couldn't even find barbituates or potassium bromide in Natural Review of Products, so I was gonna need a new source.

BUT THEN

It dawned on me that managing Epilepsy through the eyes of a Clan medic would involve the seizures specifically--- and I was already realizing that the best recommendations I was going to end up with were non-herbal.

So, before I dove into chasing down herbal remedies, I was going to make a section on general seizure management. Especially first-aid.

Which was where I realized I didn't know as much about Epilepsy as I thought I did. I was only actually familiar with first aid (even got training on it). I didn't even know if a seizure hurt or not (they don't) and I didn't know about the different types of seizures. The "famous" type of seizure is the clonic/tonic, or 'grand mal,' but the most common types are absence seizures, sometimes called the 'petit mal,' as well as localized seizures.

So it was here I nodded and said, "I need to make sure I listen to first-hand experiences of what it is like to have and self-manage epilepsy."

And it was very insightful. I went through firsthand accounts, and came across the Epilepsy Society, and double-checked their credibility (since after all I didn't want to accidentally run into the Autism Speaks of Epilepsy, y'know? As far as I can tell, these guys check out. Lmk if they're sus).

Their Youtube channel was helpful. Lots of stories from epileptic people, some nice informative videos, all short. This video specifically made me dive into absence seizures.

I couldn't include every experience because I was trying to keep the guide short and focused on this being a Battle Cat Fan resource.

So-- that's why the guide takes a lot of time setting up non-medication aspects of Epilepsy care. That entirely came from what came up in my careful research.

But! Of course! I still have a lot to learn so I'm still happy to go back and edit anything if I messed up. I tried really hard to get this RIGHT, y'know? I hope it shows!

However... I still wasn't done.

You can't listen to marginalized voices and not learn about abelism; and I was about to face against the long, cold medical history of ancient Epilepsy treatments.

I still needed to find herbs for the Funny Fight Cats to actually use. Googling wasn't going to cut it anymore. I worked through citations to find A Brief History of Epilepsy And Its Therapy In the Western Hemisphere by R.A Gross and Epilepsy – From Mysticism to Science, which is taken from a translation of the Revue Neurologique.

Historically, Epilepsy was widely seen in Western society as a spiritual possession, with varying degrees of sympathy through history. I would really recommend checking out the two sources I linked, but I was VERY taken aback by Pliny the Elder saying "The best treatment for epilepsy is spitting on them so they don't come near you." FUCK YOU, PLINY.

Unfortunately Pliny was just a huge bitch reflective of the general feelings of the time. It was a constant back-and-forth between people saying "EPILEPSY IS EVIL SPIRITS" and "no it's a medical thing"

And that came crashing to a head in the 1800s with the birth of modern medicine....... and unfortunately, institutionalization. Which is where the vast majority of modern attitudes towards epileptics was born.

Modern attitudes being those that strip epileptics of agency. This has been used to take away their autonomy and legal rights. So I did a lot of revision to try and make sure my guide wasn't reinforcing that, especially considering Warrior Cat's dodgy history with abelism.

Most epileptics can be completely independent-- so the majority of warriors would just need someone to patrol with when they're going to be walking in the dangerous woods.

I removed a recommendation I had in my first draft to completely prevent epileptic warriors from going on battle patrols for this reason. Stress and head trauma caused by violence can worsen Epilepsy; but I don't think it would be responsible to patronize a warrior for whom battle is an extremely important part of Clan life, when they could still choose to fight.

So, onward,

Those two books also gave me herbs to check. When I saw something I wanted to consider, I would jot it down and then go research it individually.

(this was helpful for filtering out some of the... interesting suggestions. I think I counted 8 different types of cooked animal testicles which OBVIOUSLY were not going into my SFW herb guide)

Mistletoe was the first one I found. I even found a study on its usefulness in treating Epilepsy. It was eliminated for being poisonous and being more regionally limited than chamomile, while is naturalized pretty much everywhere.

White Hellebore immediately made me tilt my head because Hellebore is notoriously poisonous. I knew it was used in herbal medicine, just like yew, but it was followed by a whole chunk of herbs well-known for being EXTREMELY deadly. It didn't make it into the guide because of just HOW deadly it was-- but this is the reason why I included Chamomile and Mistletoe.

There were LOTS of herbs eliminated for being too poisonous to cats, though. Hyssop, peony, datura, foxglove...

Chamomile was almost axed by the 'no poisons' rule. In high doses, it can be harmful to cats. I was pretty sad to be cutting it, but if HELLEBORE could be used for people, chamomile easily wiggles in if its dosage is controlled.

In my mind, Chamomile is the Warrior Cats replacement for herbs like Hellebore. The one closest to how humans were treated for epilepsy traditionally, and the one you'd use to strike a balance between the "traditional treatment" style of herbs the Erins use and the "soft realism" of the cats being slightly different from humans (can't taste sweet, can't eat certain things that would be fine for a human)

There were a ton of herbs cut for being in the wrong region, including camphor tree products. There's a lot of history to Middle Eastern, Chinese, and South American treatment of Epilepsy. I didn't dive too deeply into it, since my guides focus on the most common type of fan clans; Temperate biomes in central Europe and North America

Which brings me to my darlings, cannabis and valerian root.

I initially thought that cannabis was going to get cut, since I was only familiar with industrial level production. I was surprised to find out that feral ditchweed actually has a very long history.

You know when you really should have known something, but it catches you off guard regardless? That's where I was with ditchweed. I knew that a lot of early American items were made of hemp (the declaration of independence is actually written on hemp paper), but I didn't realize it could... grow feral like that.

Anyway, cannabis is actually one of the oldest epilepsy treatments on record. It's also fine for cats, as long as it doesn't have a high THC content, which feral weed does not have.

(it's also full of seeds which would be AWESOME for a warrior cat, I should actually make a guide on cannabis uses since it's one of those "golden herbs" like my friend Fennel)

Lastly, there's valerian root. Which is actually fascinating.

See, valerian root is another herb that was used to treat epilepsy in antiquity, but modern studies don't seem to know what chemical inside of it is the anticonvulsant. It's probably isovaleric acid, and REAL high doses of it have shown promise in treating epilepsy...

But this shit is stinky

It's STINKY and not palatable. Valerian root tastes like ASS. And it only gets worse the higher the dose you have, something you don't notice when it's just a herb and not a super concentrated supplement. Apparently it's so bad that the research I've seen has said outright, "We should synthesize isovaleric acid from somewhere else because this is gross"

But... cats?

Valerian root is practically the opposite to cats. They LOVE the stinky. It's like catnip to them. Though it's a sleep aid to humans, it can energize a cat and is only a danger in excessively high doses.

And the best part is that both of these herbs are all over the place. Valerian is invasive in America and likes to grow in wet areas, and ditchweed (cannabis ruderalis) is native to central Europe to begin with... though, funny enough, through American Historical Shennanigans™, ditchweed is now more common in the midwestern united states than its native range.

I was also going to read Plants and Plant Products with Potential Anticonvulsant Activity – A Review and The Falling Sickness by Owsei Temkin, but at this point, I had three solid herbs and a whole guide on epilepsy management as it pertains to Warrior Cats. I'd recommend these two if you guys would like to read further than I did.

I've been working on this one all week which is actually a LIFETIME considering my average attention span, so I'm ready to move to the next big thing!

[0junemeatcleaver0]

ℑ𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔡𝔲𝔠𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫

Muta Cupido; An examination of Roman sexual morality, what makes a man a vir, the practice of oratorical celibacy, and the appetites of both a mortal man and monster. 

Ages ago, I wrote a quick-n-dirty meta (which I will link to later in this post). At the time, I was quite proud of it. But after having done my last Marius deep dive, all of my previous metas now look lackluster to me. Consider this to be the updated version of the original meta. It is not necessary to have read the previous meta before this one, though those of you who have (and even those of you who haven’t) should be able to pick up what I’m putting down before I even link to the original. 

That being said, I would suggest that you do read this companion piece I wrote about what (in the mind of a Roman) made a man, a man. It’s a relatively short read, and will help add more context to the short discussion on the same topic later in this post. 

A quick note before anyone tries to jump up my ass (again): I view meta as serving the same purpose as fic, just via a different methodology. Where in fic you dream up scenarios to put the characters through to see how they might act in those situations, I feel meta is a way of taking what we know canonically about the character and attempting to recontextualize the facts with additional information. Just as there are nearly infinite equations one can use to reach a sum, so too are there different ways a single character might end up the person we read on the page. In short: This post is meant to be a thought experiment and you’d have to be some kind of fool to think its author is proclaiming herself some kind of authority on the subject.  

𝔖𝔢𝔵𝔲𝔞𝔩 ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔱𝔥 𝔦𝔫 𝔄𝔫𝔠𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔱 ℜ𝔬𝔪𝔢

The time of Pliny the Elder and the four humors; a time when medical theories that seem ignorant to the modern mind were rife. And while I could spend quite a long time dunking on the science of yesteryear, I’ll keep things brief by only focusing on ideas surrounding sexual health–especially where it pertains to the sexual health of men. 

As pictured above, one very important aspect of health for a male was the regulation of semen. Semen was a very important bodily fluid, as it was thought to be made via a mix of (the humor) blood and pneuma (“vital air”) and was believed to be the fuel on which internal organs ran. 

Blood and semen, in fact, were so inextricably linked in the Roman mind that the two would be even poetically coupled throughout different texts in oft times violent ways. Aya Betensky says in Lucretius and Love: 

“Let us begin with Lucretius’ Venus in De Rerum Natura 4. He introduces her as a physiologically as possible, moving from a discussion of dreams to wet dreams and then to the mechanics of ejaculation, which he shows mockingly to be the body’s enactment of the romantic expression ‘wound of love’. Semen is equated with blood spurting out of a wound. (4. 1049-1056)”. 

Greek physician Galen warns in his treatise On Semen that exorbitant sexual activity would result in a loss of pneuma and thus, vitality:

“It is not at all surprising that those who are less moderate sexually turn out  to be weaker, since the whole body loses the purest part of both substances, and there is besides an accession of pleasure, which by itself is enough to dissolve the vital tone, so that before now some persons have died from excess of pleasure.” 

As detailed further in this post’s companion piece, the rules for manhood were highly prescriptive to the Romans. Every man of good moral standing concerned with their own virtus would have also been weary of losing too much semen–whether through promiscuity or nocturnal emissions. 

As Catharine Edwards states in The Politics of Immorality in Ancient Rome:

“Morality and manliness [were considered] the distinguishing features of Rome.”

And while Rome’s mos maiorum were such a public affair (indeed, these customs and social norms functioned almost as some sort of morality play each citizen was expected to participate in while in public), these expectations leaked into even the most private sectors of citizen’s lives–including the bedroom. 

Robert Sharp speaking about how censores regulated the public in Incontinentia, Licentia et Libedo: The Juxtaposition of Morality and Sexuality during the Roman Republic. 

Indeed, a lack of control over the self (which included being able to appropriately manage one’s sex life) indicated that a man was incapable of governing others–a highly detrimental accusation in the heyday of the Paterfamilias. As per Catharine Edwards in Unspeakable Professions: Public Performance and Prostitution in Ancient Rome:

“The enjoyment of ‘low sensual pleasure’ threatened to erode the elite male’s identity as a cultured person”. 

Still yet, there were some men for whom this fear of loss of masculine potency loomed larger than most. 

Because a loss of pneuma was thought to cause a whole host of physical ailments–but most importantly to this discussion slow mindedness, an ‘effeminate’ voice, and general weakness of character–the men perhaps most concerned with keeping hold of their pneuma were orators. 

One such orator was C. Licinius Calvus (born 82 BCE, died possibly in 47 BCE). In Natural History, Pliny the Elder name checks Calvus during a discussion of medical uses for lead. Because Calvus took to putting lead plates on his kidneys to combat having wet dreams. John Dugan says in Preventing Ciceronianis: C. Licinius Calvus’ Regimens for Sexual and Oratorical Self-Mastery: 

“Pliny, moreover, connects this therapy with Calvus’ literary activity, stipulating that the orator’s treatment was designed to ‘preserve the strength of his body for the labor of his studies’.”

The oratorial obsession with preventing wet dreams isn’t where the scholarly preoccupation with keeping one’s seminal fluid to one’s self ended, either. As per the Encyclopedia Britannica: 

“As classical civilization developed, two ideals of masculine celibacy appeared, that of the ascetic philosopher and that of the priest of the mystery religions. [...] Pythagoras (c. 580 BC - c. 500) established a small community that emphasized study, vegetarianism, and sexual restraint or abstinence. Many later philosophers believed that celibacy is conducive to the detachment and equilibrium required by the philosopher’s calling. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus (AD 55- C. 135) for example, held that the ideal teacher would be unmarried and that his task would require freedom from the cares of family life.” 

𝔈𝔭𝔦𝔠𝔲𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔪, 𝔖𝔱𝔬𝔦𝔠𝔦𝔰𝔪, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔖𝔢𝔵𝔲𝔞𝔩 𝔐𝔬𝔯𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔶 𝔦𝔫 𝔄𝔫𝔠𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔱 ℜ𝔬𝔪𝔢

Now that we’ve gotten a taste of how physicians viewed sexual activity, we’ll move on to what the philosophers thought on the subject. 

There were two major schools of philosophy in Ancient Rome–Epicureanism and Stoicism. Epicureanism was a philosophy that taught that pleasure was the highest good and the thing through which you could attain tranquility and freedom from fear and physical pain. Stoicism was the philosophy that taught that life was best lived in harmony with reason, was based in knowledge, and showed a complete indifference to pain and pleasure. 

𝔈𝔭𝔦𝔠𝔲𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔫 𝔖𝔢𝔵𝔲𝔞𝔩 𝔐𝔬𝔯𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔶

Within Epicurean thought, pleasure was believed to be the highest good. According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

“Epicurus’ ethics is a form of egoistic hedonism; i,e., he says that the only thing that is intrinsically valuable is one’s own pleasure; anything that has value is valuable merely as a means to securing pleasure for oneself.”

To Epicurus, pleasure simply meant satisfying one’s desires. He believed there to be two types of desire, “moving” and “static”. Moving desire happens when one is actively fulfilling the desire, such as eating when you feel hungry. Static desire occurs after fulfillment, i.e. feeling comfortably full after eating. He goes on to state he believes that static pleasure is the best form of pleasure. From IEoP:

“If pleasure results from getting what you want (desire-satisfaction) and pain from not getting what you want (desire-frustration), then there are two strategies you can pursue with respect to any given desire: you can either strive to fulfill the desire, or you can try to eliminate the desire. For the most part, Epicurus advocates the second strategy, that of paring your desires down to a minimum core, which are then easily satisfied.”

Epicurus divided desire into three categories:

Natural and necessary (food, drink, shelter, and personal safety)

Natural and unnecessary (things which will give you pleasure but lacking these things will not make your life impossible and/or unbearable)

Unnatural and unnecessary (desire for social standing, political power, fame, and glory)

He places sex in this second category. 

Later thinkers in this school of thought–namely Lucretius–would take harsher stances on sexual desire. Male desire, specifically, being viewed as pathological, frustrating, and violent (at least according to Robert D. Brown in Lucretius on Love and Sex [1987])–which is perhaps why Lucretius preached an ambivalent view of sex. 

Lucretius treated the sex drive as muta cupido, comparing the physiological response of ejaculation to blood spurting from a wound (again, via Brown in Lucretius on Love and Sex [1987]). 

𝔖𝔱𝔬𝔦𝔠 𝔖𝔢𝔵𝔲𝔞𝔩 𝔐𝔬𝔯𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔶

This school of thought emphasized sex within marriage as a way of fortifying an institution that helped to sustain social order. Such was this emphasis that by modern standards, we might consider these fathers of this philosophy to be homophobic (though that would be looking at things through a rather narrow and myopic lens)--Musonius disapproved of same-sex relations due to their lack of ability to create offspring. Seneca and Epictetus, meanwhile, merely favored male-female pairings over same sex couplings due to their ability to procreate. 

While these views surrounding same sex relations could be considered problematic by modern minds, the Stoics were more egalitarian in their thoughts surrounding highly gendered rules and how they opened people (mainly men) to hypocrisy–at least for the time. 

Indeed, both Musonius and Seneca believed if men wanted to exercise authority over women because they believed themselves to be in possession of greater self control, then those men ought to be able to manage their sex drives. 

This, of course, is not akin to the sex positivity movement of today, but rather a call for all good citizens–male and female–to control their baser urges so as not to embarrass the Republic. The (for lack of a better term) proto-feminism only went so far, as Seneca–staunchly against adultery–believed it was worse for a wife to cheat on her husband than for a husband to cheat on his wife. 

Kathy L. Gaca in her book The Making of Fornication: Eros, Ethics and Political Reform in Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity states that Seneca also believed that a wise man should make love to his wife by exercising good judgment (iudicium) and not emotion (affectus). Though this is a much stricter stance than taken by other Stoics, who largely saw sex as a means of promoting affection between married couples. 

But while Stoicism at least at first glance seems to take a more even keeled approach to the topic, it was not above fear mongering about the perils of the human sex drive. In her book, Gaca cites Ad Helviam (13:3), stating: 

“To Seneca, sexual desire for pleasure (libido) is a ‘destructive force (exitium) insidiously fixed in the innards’. Unregulated, it becomes cupiditas (lust).”

And here is where I risk losing those of you who didn’t put two and two together until this moment. AKA: I think Marius died a virgin and in this essay I will…

Or, more accurately, since this theory relies on a blending of canon and my research, let us make a melange of sorts.

ℑ𝔫𝔤𝔯𝔢𝔡𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔰 𝔏𝔦𝔰𝔱

For the purpose of keeping things contained to this post, here is a quick summary of the original post: 

Marius never mentions taking a shine to anyone while still a mortal

When speaking of his time as a mortal, he never alludes to being a part of any hedonistic activity, though he does admit to documenting the indiscretions of others

He’s only known to have been attracted to one person (Pandora) as a mortal, who he never got with romantically or sexually 

And before it gets brought up, I’ll address the passage in Prince Lestat where Teskhamen speaks to Marius and says: 

“[...] I saw your libraries, I saw and heard your quick-witted and curious companions, I saw the full blooming power of your experience, the life of a cultured Roman, the life that had made you what you were. I saw the beauty of Italy. I saw the beauty of fleshly love. I saw the beauty of ideas. I saw the beauty of the sea.[...]” 

This passage was pointed out to me on my original post. Before we continue, I want to make something clear: I don’t think anyone is wrong for reading this passage as meaning that Marius was party to that ‘fleshly love’. I think it’s ambiguous enough that it could go either way. 

My whole reasoning for personally not buying this as evidence against my current theory is a matter of language. Teskhamen front-loads this passage with language that focuses on Marius’ experience. It’s Marius’ library, Marius’s companions, Marius’ life as a cultured Roman. The second half of the passage removes possessive language from the equation entirely and instead focuses solely on the beauty of all he saw–Italy, pleasure, ideas, the sea. 

The remoteness of this language coming directly after the language that detailed Marius’ specific lived experience reads as a line of delineation to me. The things Marius did, and then the things Marius witnessed. 

This, of course, is in no way meant to be an argument about authorial intent. If I had to guess, Anne wasn’t focused on the preciseness of language here, but rather catching the flow of Teskhamen’s speech patterns. In short, it’s not that deep–it’s just a peculiarity of the writing that stuck out to me and I think lends itself to being read one of two ways. After all, Marius is not responsible for how beautiful the sea or Italy is, nor is he the sole thinker who had every beautiful idea and–it stands to reason, in my opinion, due to these things being grouped together–not necessarily the one participating in the fleshly love. 

Moving on. 

I’d like to continue my summation by detailing what it is we know (canonically) of Marius’ personality: 

Marius (whether he intends to or not) carries his Roman ideals about what makes a good man into the modern age, as called out by Pandora on page 57 of Blood Communion. 

Mortal Marius was noticeably odd and aloof. Pandora (again) calls this out on page 54 of Pandora, saying: 

“In the crowd, I saw Marius. He looked at me, then back to his book. So strange. I saw him standing against a tree trunk and writing. No one did this–stand against a tree, hold a book in one hand and write with the other. The slave stood beside him with a bottle of ink.” 

Showcasing yet again how Marius was still–at around thirty years of age–more invested in documenting fun instead of having any himself (this scene  was, after all, set during Saturnalia). 

I say ‘still’ because Marius himself says this on page 397 in The Vampire Lestat: 

“I’d come to Massilia after a long and studious journey that had taken me through all the great cities of the Empire. TO Alexandria, Pergamon, Athens I’d traveled, observing and writing about the people, and now I was making my way through the cities of Roman Gaul.” 

And again in TVL (page 397), the rowdiest he admits to getting is this: 

“By the age of twenty, I'd become the scholar and the chronicler, the one who raised his voice at drunken banquets to settle historical and military arguments.”

This identity as a chronicler–while cemented in his twentieth year–carried on into his fortieth year, as we see him still writing his own chronicles when approached by Mael in the tavern from which he was kidnapped (TVL, page 398).

This all, of course, is a rough sketch of Marius as a character and I am obviously relying on you to fill in any gaps with your own understanding of him as he appears on page. After all, it would take quite a while to transcribe every moment where Marius was particularly Roman, weird, scholarly, or restrained. Keep your own favorite instances in mind as we move on to the next bit: 

𝔏𝔢𝔱'𝔰 𝔐𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔞 𝔖𝔬𝔲𝔭

It is my belief that it makes a lot of sense that Marius (especially if you buy into the “Marius was never a senator” theory) being a man who values his identity as a Roman man and an intellectual, would buy fully into practicing celibacy as a way to protect his mental acuity. 

It was a common enough medical practice in his day, he obviously highly values his intellect, he was very serious about and dedicated to his scholarly undertakings, if ineligible for a political position he might want to win the respect of his fellow men of good standing by becoming something of a historian/philosopher, he’d only been very attracted to a woman he couldn’t marry anyway, and he was a bit of an off putting weirdo (affectionate) to boot. 

Marius has been shown to exhibit respect for the great thinkers of his time (name checking Xenophon, Herodotus and Poseidonius on page 399 of TVL alone) and it’s not much of a stretch (especially when paired with his habit of loudly and forcefully arguing at banquets) to assume he had a great deal of respect for orators and their craft. 

Whether Marius were ever a fan of Calvus is up to debate–Calvus died one to two decades before Marius was born (there is no record of Calvus’ exact year of death), he would have been recent history for Marius. Calvus’ poems would have still existed (in more than the fragments we have now), his speeches would have been spoken about, and was fairly well known in his time. My point is, orators were well respected as men and intellectuals and it wouldn’t shock me if Marius was a fan of any of them in specific or in general and that respect could have been the thing that kicked off any possible decision to remain celibate. 

In short, I believe there are many plausible  reasons why Marius may have died a virgin and I think all of these in combination would make a very fun space to play in, character-wise. 

ℜ𝔢𝔰𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔠𝔢𝔰

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4349696?read-now=1&seq=10#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1215514?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4349198?read-now=1&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.jstor.org/stable/270440?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

[plinys]

did you see agentverbivore 's meta on why fraida is sexual assault? can you comment on it?

so like, i wasn’t going to answer this. i was off enjoying my life, i saw cars 3 which is great i cant believe doc hudson is gay and lightening mcqueen is secretly fitz and if y’all think im not gonna write a cars fraida au you’re wrong

and i come home to this

lovely anon

i was really just going to be like ??? this isnt worth my time and just go write fraida fic and dont worry guys if youre here for baby au or beach house verse or kinky framework smut well i got you covered later today

but before that, we need to talk

this is long, and doesnt cover most the important bits

first off, apologies to my one (1) mutual that is a huge holden radcliffe fan, you should probably look away for part of this meta. because im gonna put some of the blame on him

a few points from that awful meta i skimmed that was again not valid because it was written by a fs stan and these people by default cannot stand any other character looking at fs (like my girl oph may be evil, but like will daniels was not !? but man were the fs stans ready to call him abusive and sexual assualt back then so, again as proof opinions of those extra gross fs stans are not valid)

now if you are a mildly reasonable fs fan or just a normal person that ships other things, please do not let the crazies convince you of some total bullshit 

hee’s some ground facts

my girl aida, now know as ophelia, is one of the main villains of the season. she’s evil af in the later half. im not here to deny that. she’s one of the seasons villains

you know who else are tho - holden radcliffe and leopold fitz

back in 4.01 my girl was created to be a digital assistant, programmed not to lie and not to kill and generally just like a good™ person. now that got fucked up and whose fault is that

well lets have some more facts:

holden gave her the programming that it was okay to kill if it was to fill an objective he set (this allowed her to kill him later and honestly that was his bad)

fitz taught her how to lie, and holden assured her that it was okay to do so

as mack, the only person with a logical fear of robots would tell us, this is a bad idea

and then we get the darkhold

man who, from the other side, convinced aida to read the book? 

who then later enabled her to keep reading and gain all the knowledge and use it to help him create the framework and expand it and make it better

but oh man thats another good point who designed the framework? 

holden radcliffe and leopold fitz

holden specifically was the one that wanted it to grow, that encouraged her to push the simulation, that had the plan to put may into it and give her a whole different life to keep her contained

holden was also the one to have them kidnap and replace the rest of the team

wait you mean? aida was just following orders? the whole time? oh yes, thats right guys. she was

until of course

the framework

now here’s where it gets messy because

the framework 

in the framework, the darkhold has no hold on you anymore

which means, holden gets to experience regret and becomes not the villain anymore go him 

though as mentioned before this, holden’s instructions were to fix regret so people would stay in the framework and not question the narrative or want to leave

which leaves us with

coulson not a shield agent

may saving the girl (both of which ive mentioned in previous metas is why hydra rose with no one to assemble the avengers and a fear of inhumans in the public it was easy)

fitz being raised with his father (who i personally hc as hydra in the real world too but thats just me)

mace being an inhuman

and mack having his daughter

now despite what poor sad jemma simmons, and the fs stan mouth piece that daisy got to be for a brief moment (i miss a well written daisy wow) will tell you,

not having a girl in your life does not suddenly make you a super villain

maybe its idk

the hydra father you were raised with 

in a demonstrated emotionally abusive house that says not to show emotions and weakness (much like john garrett did to grant ward)

a world in which there was a fear of inhumans and a push for hydra to rise

a natural inclination for ambition

now, idk if its just me but

aida didnt make fitz evil

she followed holden orders to fix his regret, 

if anything holden made him evil but really this anger and darkness has been inside of fitz all along and if you dont believe me rewatch season 2/3. watch that scene with ward when he cuts off the air, watch him with the gun and yelling at the space rock, watch him angrily pushing things onto the ground when frustrated

this kid has been two shakes from being a villain since season two

 now to the fraida bit

if you believe ophelia on the beach scene which i do, she’s human now, able to feel things, there’s no way this girl so new to emotions that she has a panic attack thinking about people being hurt, so new that she loses herself to heart break in what is honestly just bad writing but canon so i can use it as a point here

would lie without there being an obvious tell

she’s not lying. 

she wanted to feel loved and human

so she took jemma’s place at the academy

now when did fitzsimmons first hook up? when did they first kiss? how long did that take? 

aida, then calling herself ophelia, wanted to be jemma simmons and like i get that. you, the fs stans, should get that. i mean isnt that why you all write self insert fanfic while slapping the name jemma on the character and pretending its the same one we see in canon?

aidas just like you

maybe a little misguided, playing a fucked up sims game of the real world

in a sense they created an alternate universe

an earth 2

and now you’re here telling me a robot, who cannot canonically feel anything more than pain, was the one to initiate sex? no, that boy def initiated it. 

the horrible example of the meta involves someone being roofed and forced into sex, but thats not what happened. she wouldnt have been the one to touch him first, wouldn’t have been the one to initiate anything because she wanted to experience love and humanity and none of that is part of it

now iain confirmed the friada sex happened, canon later told us that it happened in 4.21 and again reminded us that she could feel nothing, which important take away here

now if you say

there’s consent issues, probably dub-con ill agree

but the framework version of him, this alternate universe man very much wanted every part of that

and honestly could you blame him?

so now i am going to sit here and write my fic set in the framework verse as if it was a full earth 2 and enjoy living it up in my alternate universe sin verse

im going to write my lets ignore everything after she saves mack fix it fics because i can do whatever i want

its fandom

and theres like 4 of us shipping fraida

block the tag if you dont want to see it 

dont come up in my inbox anymore and ask my opinions or for m to justify my ship ever again, im just going to start replying with the parks & rec gif of ron with her permit to do what he wants

ye be warned

[spikeface]

Mute Speak

Written for @teenwolf-meta meta week, Day 4: Minor Characters

Ah, the Mute. In a season packed with villains, including some of the series' most charismatic ones, he's easy to pass over. But in addition to being part of one of the most significant shifts in the series, the Mute is also part of what defines season 4. He represents the horror of what it means that Beacon Hills is a beacon. He brings out what it means to be a werewolf. He's a foil for Scott, since he’s what Scott is convinced he will become–and a symbol of Scott’s repression.

The Mute's distinctive lack of mouth has led some to connect him to the Astomi, a mythical people described by the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder. Pliny has this to say about them (warning that this passage involves xenophobia typical of the time period):

At the extreme boundary of India to the East, near the source of the Ganges, he [the Greek historian Megasthenes C4th B.C.] puts the Astomi tribe, that has no mouth and a body hairy all over; they dress in cotton and live only on the air they breath and the scent they inhale through their nostrils; they have no food or drink except the different odors of the roots and flowers and wild apples, which they carry with them on their longer journeys so as not to lack a supply of scent; he says they can easily be killed by a rather stronger odor than usual. (trans. H. Rackham, found here, or here for full book)

The Astomi (whose name means “no mouths”) represent the edge of the earth, from the xenophobic Roman perspective. They’re foreign not just in terms of cultural practices but even basic bodily functions, an extreme that reinforces Rome as the center of the world, the metric by which other places are judged. While the Mute doesn't represent the same kind of xenophobia, he's definitely part of season four's exploration of the wider world of Teen Wolf, as hunters and assassins converge on Beacon Hills from all over. The Mute is a symbol of what’s out there, and how weird it gets.

He’s very different from the Astomi, however, in that he requires an apparatus to eat. Rather than a foreign people or even a different supernatural creature, the Mute gives the impression that something went wrong—he lost his mouth, somehow, and now requires a tube to feed himself (4x03). In that way, like all of the major assassins of season 4, he looks forward to season 5 (one of the many ways s5 builds on s4). The Orphans foreshadow Theo, another false friend—and potentially another orphan, since his parents are mysteriously gone—who will come to kill Scott. The Chemist looks forward to the Dread Doctors—the Surgeon, the Geneticist, and the Pathologist. The Mute gives off the impression of some dark experiment, foreshadowing the chimeras of season 5.

This is also part of what positions the Mute as the opposite of the werewolf, part of s4's interest in what it really means to be a werewolf, and the true identities of the characters. Although they're supernatural, werewolves are also natural, where the Mute is constructed. The Mute is hairless, while werewolves are hairy. The Mute's skin is sallow, even sickly, while every werewolf we see is supernaturally beautiful. The Mute works alone, unlike werewolves, who form packs. Finally, the Mute has no mouth, while werewolves are almost entirely defined by them—the bite, the urge to kill and maim and turn.

It's this last bit that marks the Mute as not the opposite of just werewolves, but of Scott specifically. Scott's relationship with his fangs is central to season 4, when he is forced to bite Liam. Both the Mute and Scott are involved in Liam's transformation, a connection that clearly haunts Scott, since the Mute appears in the dreamscape of Time of Death as Scott's worst nightmare (4x08). Scott ponders his mouth—and its new fangs, a symbol of his potential for darkness—before he's forced to watch helplessly as the Mute kills Liam. Even more disturbingly, the Mute promises to "help" Scott, to show him how to kill. By the end of the dream, Scott has taken the Mute's place, slaughtering Liam with the Mute's axe, grinning with his fanged mouth.

Ultimately, Scott proves he’s nothing like the Mute. He’s a werewolf, not a monster—and not a killer. He has a pack. He knows who he is, while we never even find out the Mute’s real name. At the same time, it seems significant to me that the Mute is part of Scott, literally in his head. Scott's triumph is marked by the power of speech in season 4, but there are also many things Scott keeps quiet about, including the horror of his dreamscape. This silence will be pushed to a tragic extreme in season 5, when Scott becomes increasingly reluctant to confide in his pack at all. Silence will continue to haunt him after the murder, which it will take him months to even mention onscreen. In the end, the Mute stands for Scott’s fear of hurting others, but also the way he hurts himself—the way he mutes himself.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

YOU GUYS I JUST THOUGHT OF THIS

For less demanding problems, the availability of libraries can outweigh the intrinsic power of the language. Startup investors know that every investment is a bet, and against pretty long odds. I fly over the Valley: somehow you can sense something is going on. But pausing first to convince yourself will do more than save you from wasting your time. There are many advantages of launching quickly, but the difficulty of coming up with new ideas. They're saying He invested in Google.1 There are a handful of angels who'd be interested in a company with a high probability of being moderately successful.2

We usually advise startups to pick an optimal round size in advance, because that depends on the application. Is unconscious.3 You have to be a big deal, and Microsoft both executed well and got lucky. And the only real test, if you were to compete with the whole world. And anyone who has tried optimizing code knows how wonderfully effective that sort of environment is to join one and climb to the top.4 The intersection is the sweet spot for startups. If you look at a list of all the parts, as ITA presumably does, you can get in Java: public interface Inttoint public int call int i s s i; return s;; This falls short of the spec because it only works on the newest phones, that's probably a big enough beachhead. It doesn't sound obviously mistaken. The problem is not finding startups, exactly, but finding a stream of reasonably high quality ones.5

Wufoo seem to have a stateless algorithm. If you do that? One reason is that you may not get any reward in the forseeable future. It's that death is the default for startups, and in particular the most successful founders tend to work on them, and why startups do things that ordinary companies don't, like raising money and getting acquired. If your terms force startups to do things that make you stupid, and if not it doesn't matter whether you fund them, because with our help they could make money. They really seemed to believe this, and it will save you if anything can. And you know, when it comes to avoiding errands. Wealth When I was in grad school, one of their fellow students was on the receiving end of a question from their faculty advisor that we still quote today. To anyone who knows Mark Zuckerberg that is the reductio ad absurdum of the initial idea is the meta-fact that these are hard to solve, and the noise stops.

Nothing will teach you about angel investing like experience.6 Restrictiveness I think most hackers know what it means for a language to feel restrictive.7 Most investors decide in the first stage of a startup's life, when you have a thesis about what everyone else in it is overlooking. Most intellectual dishonesty is unintentional. I'm not proposing this is a serious idea. It's even the answer to questions that seem unrelated, like how to convince investors. In Lisp, functions are a data type just like integers or strings.8

But as long as they still have to show up for work every day, they care more about what they do at home. What it means, roughly, is don't do anything weird.9 And if you weren't rich, you took the omnibus or walked.10 That sounds like a joke, but it seems to be c, that people will pay them for. I've read that Java has just overtaken Cobol as the most popular language.11 Whereas a two year old company raising a series A round from Sequoia.12 Good hackers can always get some kind of job. And it is a tradeoff that you'd want to make. 3% of your net worth. Countries worried about their competitiveness are right to be concerned about the number of elements, where an element is anything that would be the ones to look to for new ideas: Forth, Joy, Icon.

I suppose that's bound to yield an alarming book. All the unfun kinds of wealth creation slow dramatically in a society that confiscates private fortunes. Notice I've been careful to talk about their previous startup idea while they were working at their day jobs.13 Are there walkable neighborhoods? Lisp. It would hurt YC's brand at least among the innumerate if we invested in huge numbers of risky startups that flamed out.14 I know the afternoon is going to invest. Or don't take any extra classes, and just build things. Along with good tools, hackers want interesting projects.15 If they can realize before other investors that some apparently unpromising startup isn't, they can make a difference.16

Notes

Which means if the company than you meant to. In a series A termsheet with a toothbrush. Some want to lead.

Similarly, don't destroy the startup is rare. A knowledge of human anatomy. His critical invention was a kid, this is not merely blurry versions of great things were created mainly to make software incompatible.

I didn't realize it till I started using it, there were no strong central governments. Once the playing field is leveler politically, we'll see economic inequality is a list of where to see the apples, they tend to notice them. CEOs were J. Founders are often compared to what you write has a word meaning how one feels when that partner re-tells it to steal a few months later Google paid 1.

A investor has a sharp drop in utility. But he got there by another path.

And while they think are bad: Webpig, Webdog, Webfat, Webzit, Webfug. There's a sort of love is as blind as the web have sucked—9. Even in English, our contact at Sequoia, was no more than make them want you.

Incidentally, the effort that would appeal to investors.

Enterprise software.

We're delighted to have moments of adversity before they ultimately choose not to make you expend as much the effect of this essay, but its inspiration; the critical path that they create rather than insufficient effort to make money, then work on Wall Street were in 2000, because for times over a hundred years or so, even in their heads a giant house of cards is tottering. So it is probably no accident that the applicant pool gets partitioned by quality rather than making the things you're taught.

Even Samuel Johnson seems to have been a time. IBM.

Our founder meant a photograph of a more general rule: focus on their ability but women based on revenues of 1. Managers are presumably wondering, how much effort on sales. When the Air Hits Your Brain, neurosurgeon Frank Vertosick recounts a conversation reaches a certain field, it's probably a real poet.

Kant. In this context, issues basically means things we're going to have to give you term sheets.

All you have a standard piece of casuistry for this essay, I have so far. As a friend with small children, or want tenure, avoid the topic. I'm compressing the story a bit more complicated, because sometimes artists unconsciously use tricks by imitating art that does.

That may require asking, because she liked the outdoors? Imagine the reaction might be a founder, more people you can skip the first version would offend.

Pliny Hist.

Different people win at that game. Unfortunately these times are a handful of VCs even have positive returns. None at all. It does at least should make the fund by succeeding spectacularly.

In fact since 2 1. Learning for Text Categorization. The first version was mostly Lisp, because time seems to be doctors? We care about.

[whenthisstoryendsarchive]

Meta #3: Water, Magic, & Healing

“Water is a part of me, I guess... Part of us all.” Poppy Drayton as Elizabeth, The Little Mermaid 2018

Obviously, when we look at The Little Mermaid, water plays a huge role in the film. Elizabeth is a creature of the sea. Elle has, as Thora calls it, ‘a spirit of the ocean’. Even Locke was a terrible under sea wizard before he became the circus ringleader. The tides play a huge part in the plot, and the very first time we even see Elizabeth, she is in her tank. Her hair is even wet or damp throughout most of the movie. Only one scene has it totally dry, if I remember correctly, and that’s when she comes across Elle and Cam in the woods. In this meta, we’re going to dive into- pun utterly intended- the basic elemental, magical, and healing properties of water to try and see how Elizabeth is more powerful in the sea with her healing versus in the tank. At least, consider this from the perspective of the water itself, and not factoring her mermaid abilities and her powers being drained into it.

Needless to say, we all know that water is made up of 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen; but as we’ll see, such a simple thing is actually quite complex both in its makeup, its influence, and its uses. So to start of with, science lesson. Then we can get to the fun stuff.

Water is, first an foremost, the essence of all life on our planet, and the major component of the biological makeup of all organisms. It’s also the only substance on the planet to be found as a solid, liquid, and gas. This means that, obviously, water can evaporate, freeze, melt, heat up, sublimate, and combine with other things. 

There are many ways water gives life to the earth. And in our case, especially to aquatic biomes. This is due to water’s thermal density, high specific heat, viscosity, and liquid-solid characteristics. These particular aspects are what prevent lakes from freezing completely and killing every trace of life inside them during the winter. They also allow bodies of water across the world to provide nutrients through mixing and stratifying. It can dissolve other substances like salt or sugar, transports nutrients and other objects through its natural currents, and is cohesive the best with non-metallic liquids. 

Strangely enough, unlike other compounds, water becomes denser when it’s cooled, thus expanding instead of contracting. It also boils at a higher temperature than other compounds of similar weight. Water is also known for packing and storing heat and energy, which has a sizable impact on the global climate, as it helps to moderate temperature. This is especially so in Great Lakes and the oceans. Another interesting fact stemming from this is that heat is absorbed and released more for every degree the temperature of the water is changed. 

Water also has a high surface tension due to the bonding to other water molecules. This is what allows heavier and denser objects to float, like icebergs. The wind and an energy transfer also work with water to create waves and give way to oxygen diffusion in lakes and the oceans. But water is also highly impacted by the environment around it, as magnetic shifts in the earth itself and explosions from the sun can influence it. It also intensifies the flow of frequencies which can lead to healing. But we’ll talk more about that later.

It is also interesting to note that every 90 minutes, the Gulf Stream releases as much energy into the air around us as we would burning a year’s worth of coal. We must also acknowledge that the direction in which water freezes is also very important. It has been noted that if ice sank and rivers and lakes froze in an upward manner instead of downward, no aquatic life would survive the winter months. 

Now, oceans are noted to cover roughly 71% of the earth. They’re usually 6 kilometers deep, and contain over 97% of our planet’s water. We should also note that the majority of fresh water is to be found in ice caps and glaciers, leaving only 0.6% in our rivers, lakes, and below the surface. 

But, of course, we can’t forget about how water impacts us on a more personal level biologically. Nearly 70% of our bodies are made up of water. Our brain and muscle tissues hold the most of it, while bone and fat tend to contain the least. Also within our every day lives, which we often don’t consider and take for granted, the water in our systems becomes both a solvent and a conductor that allows our metabolic functions to take place at all. Furthermore, without our ability to sweat and cool our bodies down, our temperatures would reach up to 26°C.

“Water Swallows up the earth, extinguishes the flame, ascends on high, and by stretching forth as clouds challenges the heavens for their own, and the same falling down, becomes the cause of all things that grow in the earth.” Pliny

Now we’re getting to the fun part. In this section, we’ll look into the magical properties of water, and it associations in both ancient and modern magic and folklore. 

Water has, of course, been connected to folklore around the world and has even crossed religious barriers because of its importance to life, thus making it crucial to both mono and polytheistic religions. In our modern era, water has been linked to feminine energy, aspects of ‘The Goddess’, and is used for healing, cleansing, and purifying. It’s also closely connected to the moon because of the tides. This is so much so that lunar tides during the full and new moons create very high and very low tides. 

One might assume that you would need to live near water if you were to be a practitioner of water magic. But this isn’t so. It can be practiced anywhere, because there is water everywhere, not just by the seas, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls. It is used in magic of all types, like scrying, collection, ritual baths and drinks, anointing, potions and healing elixirs, and is known to produce hag stones. Water holds the essence of whatever is placed into it, and is noted for its paradoxical nature; being that it both gives and takes life, and can be calming and beautiful but also unforgiving and vengeful.

“If there is magic on this planet it is contained in water.” Loren Eiseley

Water is heavily associated with the West, and is made up of a receptive energy; one that flows, purifies, heals, soothes, and loves. Water’s energy can be felt in many ways. The biggest include through consumption, swimming, touch, and within ourselves. In short, spiritual regeneration cannot take place without water.

Cultures and religions throughout the world have been noted, as we’ve said, to place a key importance on water. For example, Hindu beliefs and Sanskrit language link God to water. In Sanskrit, the word ‘Narayan’ is the name of God in the infinite and all-pervading way. It also means ‘the one who moves in infinite waters and is also the water itself’. Hindu sacred texts, on the other hand, name God as Vishnu Narayan, and call him a universal form beyond our human perception that sits in and is apart of water. Christianity uses water, especially holy water, to bless, cleanse, and baptize. Judaism also has the Mikvah, a ritual that includes an immersion bath in rain or spring water for purifying purposes.

At its core, water in magic is associated with and deeply connected to

Passion and emotion

The psychic, love, life, the subconscious, intuition, compassion, family, and the mysteries of the self

“I believe there’s magic in a lot of things. Water being one of them.” Poppy Drayton as Elizabeth, The Little Mermaid 2018

From all eras of human history, water has played a major part in healing and medicine. In Ancient Egypt, bathing rituals were used to try and cure ailments. The Old Testament tells of people soaking in mineral water to heal themselves. The Ancient Greeks used water in their medicine. Native Americans used sweat lodges to purify themselves. Then, in 19th century Europe, Hydrotherapy was used as a treatment for anxiety, pneumonia, and back pain.

Even today, we still see water-based treatments or therapies being used in conjunction with a more hands on approach, like physical therapy. This is especially helpful in certain situations like some cases of back pain, because the water makes the patient feel weightless but gives resistance to movement. This kind of treatment is used to tone muscles, increase range of motion, ease arthritic pain, improve flexibility in joints, relieve muscle spasms, lower inflammation, support weight loss in low impact aerobic exercise, and to help speed recovery from injuries.

But as we can see, even emotional or mental health can be aided by use of water, like swimming. Water here can improve mood, lower anxiety, and decrease depression. It can even be used to help ease mental and emotional burdens of pregnant women as well as be beneficial to their unborn babies.

Human beings, as a whole, can only survive about a week without water. But even milder cases of dehydration can have devastating effects on the body. This condition can lead to headaches, constipation, fatigue, muscle cramps, dry skin, irregular blood pressure, and kidney dysfunction. Humans face risk of death from dehydration when their levels drop to 20%, yet, most people wait until they feel thirsty to drink water. However, many do not realize that if they allow themselves to reach this stage, they are already 12% dehydrated.

But if we were to increase the amount of water we take in, we would find several benefits. These would include reduced fluid retention and bloating, aid in weight loss, decreased appetite, improved immune function and complexion, and diminished risk of bladder and colon cancer.  

Furthermore, most people feel comforted by water on some level. To these people, and surely, all of us, water not only cleanses, but relieves negativity, reduces stress, and clears and recharges chakras. This spiritual cleansing of the chakras can also help to ease negative energy left behind by trauma. We must also note that humans find relief in or near water because moving air and water release negative ions that have been shown to improve moods.

Though any form of water can give these benefits, even a shower, there can be no doubt that the deeper the water, the stronger the impacts. Saltwater is noted as being especially potent for healing; due to the combined healing powers of salt and water. Naturally, sea water is not meant to be consumed, but the favorite activity of many beach goers thankfully offers aid. Just a 20-minute swim in the ocean is said to cleanse, rejuvenate, and remove low level negative energy.

But even when it comes to the sea, some water is better than the rest. From a depth of 200 meters below and deeper, we find what is known as DSW, or Deep-Sea Water. This water’s healing properties have been the subject of several research studies, and results show it to have lower temperature, higher purity, and more nutrients than the salt water at the surface. The reason for these benefits stem from less photosynthesis of plankton, nutrient consumption, and organic decomposition. These studies have shown that DSW can aid with health problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and skin problems.

Due to its depth, the water’s exposure to solar radiation is diminished, thus leaving bacterial levels at a minimum and placing the levels of minerals higher than the water at the surface. This water, after being treated, can even be consumed; thus turning it into DSDW, or Deep-Sea Drinking water. DSDW has a noted lack of carbs, fat, protein, and many other components that can be found in the water we buy and find in our homes, and is higher in beneficial nutrients.

The studies done on DSW and DSDW have found many health benefits, including improved cholesterol, a better protected cardiovascular system, prevention of atherogenic plaque build up in arteries, reduced blood pressure, better protection from obesity, aid in treating diabetes and skin problems, hepatic system protection, aid in addressing fatigue, treatment for stomach ulcers, cancer prevention, improved activity of antibacterial elements, cataract treatment, and recovery from osteoporosis.

“Deep water is magic, just like her love. Whenever she can’t breathe, all she need do is swim.” Poppy Drayton as Elizabeth, The Little Mermaid 2018

So what does this all mean for Elizabeth and her powers?

We see in the movie that Locke is able to sell the water from her tank as a healing elixir, but the effects fade. Whether Locke knows about this or not is debatable. But I doubt he would care otherwise, since people would have to keep buying the water to keep the results they want, thus making him richer. Elizabeth also tells Cam that Locke’s water would not heal Elle. However, by the time they get to the ocean after defeating Locke and returning her soul, when Elle begins to cough again, Elizabeth takes her and brings her under the water, telling Cam the final quote above. 

Of course, the strength of her powers and having her soul vs not having it could play a major part in this all as well. As it seems that when Elizabeth is at her full potential and in the ideal circumstances, she is able to make effects last, even if there are things that have to be done to ensure it. 

We have to consider that the tank is barely big enough to even fit Elizabeth, so it is akin to a kiddie wading pool compared to an Olympic size pool where swim teams train and compete. On top of that, the water is not moving; so not only is she literally trapped and drowning due to lack current and oxygen distribution, but it is so shallow that it likely doesn’t contain any kind of healing elements like minerals. Rivers are better for her because they’re deeper and have that air flow that she needs to breathe. Then, naturally, the ocean is the ideal. 

It’s the difference between a band aid and surgery to fix a problem. 

And just to reiterate, this is a meta meant for my headcanons only. You should always talk to a professional before you try any kind of treatment like the ones I described. 

Sources: 

Section 1 (Paragraphs 3-7): https://themeaningofwater.com/2014/12/01/water-is-magic/

Section 2 (Paragraphs 8-10): https://newint.org/features/1990/05/05/simply

Section 3 (Paragraphs 13-): https://www.thoughtco.com/water-element-folklore-and-legends-2561689

Section 4 (Paragraph 14): https://www.patheos.com/blogs/waterwitch/2017/01/water-magic.html

Section 5 (Paragraph 16): http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/the_elements/water.asp

Section 6 & Section 8 (Paragraph 17 & Paragraphs 20-22): https://www.sonima.com/fitness/healing-water/

Section 7 (The final sentence in the magic section/Paragraph 18): https://www.thoughtco.com/water-element-folklore-and-legends-2561689 & http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/the_elements/water.asp

Section 9 (Paragraphs 23-24): https://anniesrx.com/health-news/the-healing-power-of-water

Section 10 (Paragraphs 25-26): https://deborahking.com/an-elemental-force-of-healing-3-ways-water-heals/

Section 11 (Paragraph 27-29): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5221345/

[maggiecast2001]

SEMINAR

THE THREE CATEGORIES OF SIGNS: the index v the icon v the symbol

Pliny the elder decides the index and the icon are exactly related, in terms of the origin of painting

The index:

liked by connection or real relation 

smoke from a fire

stain

fold (trace of body on fabric)

The icon

representation of a thing

photography (representing a thing as it is)

The symbol

known though code, no real relation

must be culturally learned

Numbers and alphabets 

artist examples

Pistoletto, lavoro

artwork containing images of other works

Sigmas polka, the three lies of painting (1994)

breaking representation

sabotaging

betrayal of what makes an image an image.

Magritte, the treachery of images

the words betray the image

Andersson, snug (2008)

doubled image

meta-pictoriality

Stairway to the stars. The best storyteller, paintings as a backdrop to the blank tv screens

Bosman, guston’s room

photography of the artists space

Tuymans, amnesia (1980)

second oval is painted black glossy like a mirror= an icon, index. 

Text categorises the first oval as a symbol. 

Can also be indexes= fragments of things, clues to a greater whole.

Alys, the fabiola project

The copy represented through the collection of works over time. 

Repetition of the same painting of Roman woman with red headpiece. 

Originally painted by henner early 20th century. Survived only through reproduction.

[aboutanancientenquiry]

Herodotus and Global History

“Historiographical traditions and modern imperatives for the restoration of global history” 

Patrick O’Brien Department of Economic History, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK 

E-mail: p.o’brien@lse.ac.uk 

Originally published in Journal of global history, 1 (1). pp. 3-39, 2006. ISSN 1740-0228

I reproduce here from O’ Brien’s essay its abstract and the first two paragraphs on Europe’s historiographical tradition (which of course starts with Herodotus, who, moreover, was the first person having ever written something which could be called global history)

“Abstract  This essay has been written to serve as a prolegomenon for a new journal in Global History. It opens with a brief depiction of the two major approaches to the field (through connexions and comparisons) and moves on to survey first European and then other historiographical traditions in writing ‘centric’ histories up to the times of the Imperial Meridian 1783–1825, when Europe’s geopolitical power over all other parts of the world became hegemonic. Thereafter, and for the past two centuries, all historiographical traditions converged either to celebrate or react to the rise of the ‘West’. The case for the restoration of Global History rests upon its potential to construct negotiable meta-narratives, based upon serious scholarship that will become cosmopolitan in outlook and meet the needs of our globalizing world.”

“Europe’s historiographical traditions 

 Global histories have been written since Herodotus (495–425 BCE), whose cosmopolitan concerns were commended by Cicero. However, Thucydides (471–400 BCE) thought Greeks had no business investigating alien mythologies, religions, customs and traditions. History writing, he suggested, should be modelled upon his own study of the Peloponnesian War—sharper in focus, shorter in time horizons, based upon verified facts and prescriptive rather than descriptive in its purposes.15 Fortunately Herodotus had ignored such ‘Eurocentric’ concerns, and had ranged widely beyond the Hellenic world to include Egypt, India, Babylonia, Arabia and Persia in his histories in order, as he put it, to ‘preserve the memory of the past by placing on record the astonishing achievements of both our own and of the Asiatic peoples’.16 Herodotus used oral testimony and archaeological remains, as well as written sources. He made serious attempts to impose some chronology and order on streams of events that had occurred on three continents over long spans of time. His (still popular) book ends in ‘European triumphalism’ and turns into a celebration of the victories of the Greek polis (led by Athens) over the Persian Empire, which Herodotus (with appropriate irony) represented as a conflict between Occident and Orient, freedom and despotism, civilization and barbarism.17 Global historians will applaud Herodotus for the scale, scope and empathy of his histories; his reflexive interest in barbarian virtues as well as Greek vices; and regret the long hiatus that occurred in the writing of secular world histories until Voltaire and his generation carried the project forward again during those brief decades of Enlightenment before the outbreak of the French Revolution.18 

They might be puzzled to learn that, with the exception of a few historians like Diodorus, Polybius, and Dionysius and a handful of geographers and ethnographers (Strabo, Ptolemy, and Pliny), histories of known worlds did not attract more scholars writing during Graeco-Roman times.19 Although they lived in empires that maintained contacts and commerce with an array of cultures (African, Arabian, Persian, Indian, and even Chinese), historians of the classical era remained overwhelmingly concerned with Europe.20 The histories of Suetonius, Livy and Tacitus deal mainly with the politics and scandals of Rome, or (pace Caesar and Sallust) with wars along the frontiers of the Empire.21 In China, even the most cosmopolitan of its ancient historians, Sima Qian, accorded less attention to the ethnographies of ‘other peoples’ than Herodotus.22 More generally, Chinese contemporaries of Graeco-Roman historians hardly mentioned the peoples and societies further to the west than India, or occasionally Bactria.23″

Very good text. My only objection is that the use of terms like “European triumphalism” or “conflict between Occident and Orient, civilization and barbarism” to describe the meaning of Herodotus’ work, although very common, is in fact anachronistic.

Source: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/26471/

[disregardcanon]

 a few Femslash February Fic Recs for DCTV 

256 Days

Author:  fezwearingjellybananas

Pairings: Iris West/Caitlin Snow

Summary: On the 21st December, 2013, Barry Allen is struck by lightning. He spends the next nine months in a coma. At first, Iris doesn't know what to do without her best friend at her side. But something strange is starting in Central City, and Iris always did love investigating...

A Different Genre

Author: big old shameless self rec

Pairings: Anissa Pierce/Iris West

Summary:  Iris West grew up in Freedland across the street from Anissa Pierce. She still starts reporting on superheroes.

a ghost out there on the water (that has my face) 

Author:  plinys

Pairings: Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe

Summary: When the voice in her head tells her to make a promise, she does so without hesitating, sitting there in an imaginary world, that is tinted blue, she swears - “I, Ava, do so swear to devote my life and soul-” without even realizing she has a choice in the matter.(or a Mallus!Ava au)

Disregard Destiny, Acquire Happiness

Author: me myself and I 

Pairings: Sara Lance/Kendra Saunders

Summary:  Amaya finds out about her future. She talks to Kendra about it. Kendra's sort of their resident expert at telling destiny to fuck off.

Gaze Into the Future

Author:  lhknox

Pairings: Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer

Summary: "Alex Danvers always knew she wasn’t normal. She was a lot smarter than her classmates - like, a lot smarter - her sister was an alien and her parents were award winning scientists.Oh, and she could see the future"or,There's a Slight Chance I Wrote a That's So Raven AU I'm Very Sorry

i’m coming after you 

Author:  brionyjae

Pairings: Earth 2 Iris West/Earth 2 Linda Park 

Summary: There's a new meta-human criminal in town, Dr Light, and Detective Iris West is tasked with tracking her down. If only she could stop getting distracted by a certain cute reporter, Linda Park...The Parkwest Earth-2 AU that begged to exist!Written for Quickest for the DCCW Rarepair Swap :)

it’s just a spark, but it’s enough 

Author:  tevinterimperium

Pairings: Sara Lance/Kendra Saunders

Summary:  and when it's dark out, no one's around, it keeps me going. Sara is always running, running, running. But sometimes, she's dancing.

lip & lip & lips

Author:  kendrasaunders

Pairings: Zari Tomaz/Amaya Jiwe and Zari Tomaz/Helen of Troy 

Summary:  Zari did, in fact, mack on Helen of Troy. Amaya finds this very exciting.

Nothing You Confess Could Make Me Love You Less 

Author:  ifwallscouldspeak

Pairings: Anissa Pierce/Iris West

Summary: Anissa knows that the moment she tells Iris - girlfriend, journalist, cop’s daughter, all around ray of sunshine - that she’s a vigilante, it’s all gonna go downhill.(Inspired by the prompt, “I’ll still be here when you’re ready.”)

one day, we’ll get nostalgic for disaster

Author:  celaenos

Pairings: Iris West/Cailtin Snow

Summary: The first words that Caitlin Snow ever say to Iris are, “I need you to urinate in this.”(Or, au where Iris West is The Flash.)

the CatCo Job

Author: another shameless self rec, sorry guys

Pairings: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor

Summary: Lena Luthor is part of a team of con artists that try to help people. When Cat Grant, her former mentor, is losing a hold of her company, what can Lena do but try to help? And maybe fall in love with her assistant in the process?DCTV Leverage AU

this is what happens when two worlds collide 

Author:  mysilenceknot

Pairings: Iris West/Kara Danvers

Summary:  When Kara moves to Central City, she and Iris quickly become close friends. Very close friends.

to sail in your smile

Author:  falsealarm

Pairings: Zari Tomaz/Amaya Jiwe

Summary: “I don’t remember the last time I sat down to read a book or the last time I took a bath. Or hell, I don’t even remember the last time I kissed someone.”[post episode 305]

[heloisedc]

The darkness embraced him lovingly.[1]

I can no more recognize the form of this light than I can gaze directly on the sphere of the sun. [2]

We are mutually bound together, the lighter being restrained by the heavier, so that I cannot fly off; while, on the contrary, from the lighter tending upwards, the heavier is so suspended, that he cannot fall down.[3]

The excitement rushed through my body as the ritual started. Has meus ad metas sudet oportet equus.[4] (My goal is to transpire)

He was of utter beauty, grazing perfection. The reproduction of the image of the Vitruvian man […][5]

No sculptor can possibly produce a first class work of art here on Gaia without a well crafted Participation and the ones I produce of this particular type are considered excellent[…][6] We seem never to be altogether prepared for the resulting distress. If we do not literally shake, as I did […], we may experience an internal shudder that is the subjective equivalent of the overt trembling that occurred […]. While my physical shaking […] was observable by anyone standing near me, the inner shudder at my own bodily pain may not be visible to others even though it is felt intensely by myself, and felt as foreign to me. Some part of my body has become alien to me, split off from a coherent and unitary sense of self.[7]

He clearly abused himself, but in so doing rendered a stature I had never before had the blessing to see. Ideal form of excellence![8] but For what purpose?[9]

For them.

  I had also studied all the details of housekeeping; I understand cooking and cleaning; I know the prices of food, and also how to choose it; I can keep accounts accurately […].[10]

Mild water? I found suds forming on my body and I rubbed hastily here, there, everywhere, judging it to be the wash cycle and knowing it would not last long. Then came the rinse cycle. Ah, warm  Well, perhaps not warm, but not quite as cold, and definitely feeling warm to my thoroughly chilled body.[11]

If a man is covered by an eruption you will mix flour of malt little by little in oil, you will apply (it) and he will recover; if he is still not cured, you will apply hot simtum and he will recover; if he is still not cured, you will apply the warm residue and he will recover.[12] Since statues are feasting, it’s an interrupted meal. As though eternally interrupted. At which deadly mouthful were they immobilized?[13]

The Greeks were not wrong in showing us the immortals constantly feasting, drinking ambrosia, and laughing endlessly.[14]

Now, everything is finished.[15]

  Here the day has come; here the week of the lectistemium has begun.[16] If we employ extracts, they must have been recently prepared and preserved with great care.[17] Oiling out, making out, polishing, scraping, etc.[18] This new development came from the perfecting of the arts that imitate the human body.[19]

The physical effort was small, but the mental effort of trying to control without controlling was enormously difficult.[20] His only aim, his only possible aim, was to please me.[21] Or so I had thought.

I believed, however, that the soul could achieve temporary separation from the body in an ecstatic trance.[22] Is it truly possible to think without arriving at beauty, without penetrating the secret place where life bubbles up, without the transfiguration of the body?[23]

“Prepared?”[24]

  The Sacrifice, the gift

Then the engine was started, the machine ran along the ground, gathered speed, until finally, all of a sudden, at right angles, I rose slowly, […] as it were static ecstasy of a horizontal speed suddenly transformed into a majestic, vertical ascent.[25]

Now, drawn out from his body, his sinews formed a bundle of dark, shiny stalks, not unlike the bundle of lightning bolts that lay beside him, although these were bright and smoking.[26] Now between the dry head, more than dead, almost abstract, empty and dessicated, suitably objectivized, wholly exterior, pierced, visible, nameable, articulated, analyzable, between the skull and the rest of the world, a circumstantial halo of light, like the ones worn by the great saints, replaces, at bone level, the lining of flesh, fat, muscle, organs, skin, veins, tendons, hair, radiance, charm, beauty, glory. Thus the body thinks. The body thinks therefore shines.[27]

If you ever have to carry someone on your shoulders from the top of a mountain, down to the valley, you will think at first that you are dying, the torture endured by muscles that do not know how to work when walking down a slope is unbearable; then you get your strength back, as is always the case, a second wind and addiction to this new labour, gradually and for the first time previously unknown muscle fibres, unaccustomed angles, slumbering joints, zones of silence in the middle of your flesh make strange yet familiar music, never before heard yet immediately recognized, the mobile, non-homogeneous porterage column separates into its component parts, a whole world comes to life within it, arranges and adapts itself, redistributes its responsibilities under the implacable, crushing weight; the body becomes an architectural structure, moving masonry, a ship; the skeleton becomes a firm framework, with tie beams and rafters; the muscles form the wall and partitions.[28]

The gods were distinguished from men through their immortality; they were physiologically distinguished through their living on a special diet; and they were endowed with a variety of nonhuman qualities such as superior knowledge and strength, the ability to be invisible and to change their form; and so forth.[29]

Moments are points of rupture —ephemeral, euphoric, revelatory of the total, radical, sometimes revolutionary possibilities latent in everyday life.[30]

Everything that I can see in this body produces in me ecstatic wonder.[31]

Now whoever offers sacrifice must be a sharer in the sacrifice,  because the outward sacrifice he offers is a sign of the inner sacrifice whereby he offers himself to God.[32]

Then, having risen to so high a pitch, having been sustained with so much vigour, the chant, mingled with a murmur of supplication in the midst of ecstasy, seemed at times to stop altogether like a spring that has ceased to flow.[33] This music makes me cry because I am not like it, not something complete, which turns toward the lost sweetness of life like a distant quotation. Happiness can only be thought of as something lost, as a beautiful alien. It cannot be anything more than a premonition that we approach with tears in our eyes without ever reaching it. [34]

  In an ecstasy of joy, no doubt intensified by the joy he felt in making me shine before his friends, with extreme volubility, he reiterated, stroking and patting me as though I were a horse that had just come first past the post: “You’re the most beautiful man I know, do you hear?”[35]

BAs soon as he was free, he rushed out to admire the sunlight, crying out ecstatically, 'How beautiful![36]

 Just as a different image of the rainbow enters into every mortal eye, so too does the surrounding world reflect for each individual a different imprint of beauty, However, universal, original beauty, which we can name only in moments of ecstatic intuition and are unable to reduce to words, reveals itself unto the One who created the rainbow and the eye that beholds it.[37]

 It was time to rest again.

     [1] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[2] Newman, Sister of Wisdom

[3] Pliny, Natural History Volume 1

[4] de Montaigne, The Complete Essays

[5] Hays, Architecture Theory since 1968

[6] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[7] Casey, The World on Edge

[8] Wollstonecraft, Complete Works

[9] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[10] Rousseau, Collected Works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau

[11] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[12] Serres, History of Scientific Thought

[13] Serres, Rome

[14] Serres, The Parasite

[15] Serres, The Birth of Physics

[16] Serres, Rome

[17] Laennec, A Treatise on the Diseases of the Chest and on Mediate Auscultation

[18] Gombrich, Art and Illusion

[19] Younes, The Historical Dictionary of Architecture of Quatremere De Quincy

[20] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[21] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[22] Schmitt, The Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy

[23] Serres, The Five Senses

[24] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[25] Proust, In Search of Lost Time Vol V The Captive The Fugitive

[26] Calasso, The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony

[27] Serres, Statues

[28] Serres, The Five Senses

[29] Voegelin, Order and History 2

[30] Hays, Architecture Theory since 1968

[31] de Montaigne, The Complete Essays

[32] Aquinas, Summa Theologica

[33] Proust, In Search of Lost Time Vol III The Guermantes Way

[34] Sloterdijk, Critique of Cynical Reason

[35] Proust, In Search of Lost Time Vol III The Guermantes Way

[36] Foucault, History of Madness

[37] Harrison Wood Gaiger, Art in Theory 1648 1815

[plinys]

i'm actually high key heated that you would even say cars (the worst pixar franchise) is even remotely better than the incredibles I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU

weLL SHIT ANON YOU ARE WRONG NOW LIKE let me make one of those long bullet pointed metas that i am apparently famous for and lay some knowledge on you

(oh, you thought i was gonna joke reply, youre wrong i love cars more than aida)

first off - let me start by reminding you that we have THREE CARS MOVIES AND TWO CARS SPIN OFFS (AKA PLANES) and honestly this is proof cars is the best franchise and makes pixar the most money and cars land exists and is amazing and i met tow mater once and it was the greatest day of my life

but beyond that

cars is incredible 

first off, we open on owen wilsons sweet car voice saying “i am speed” and honestly, this is the greatest thing ever have you considered that let me just tell you

now cars first off is a lesson in humility, lightening mcqueen is a hot shot at the beginning of the movie, but by the end he has learned not only to be humble but that goodness can be found all around him and most importantly that he doesnt need to win

unlike chick hicks the “villain” of the first movie (who makes an appearance in the third to remind us once again that arrogance gets you nowhere)

he learned compassion and friendship and not to judge people (cars) by their looks like this friendship with mater while strained in the cash grab that was cars 2, remains true at his core like

best fictional friendship goes to lightening and mater thats just facts

also best fictional mentor relationship goes to lightening and doc hudson who (cars 3 made me cry in a theater surrounded by children) acted as a surrogate father to lightening and inspired him and like doc is such an important lesson in fading heroes and good role models and wow i miss doc

cars 3 is the best closure of a hero tale, marvel and dc take note, this is how you retire a legend and let someone knew take up the numbers/cowls, like i dont want to spoil things but cars 3 is a cinematic masterpiece

now those are solid moral facts we also have random facts that make cars the best

the voice actors for each car is significant, like esp in cars 1 look up these people wow 

there’s literally a joke about lightening getting flashed and sally having a tramp stamp in cars 1 how did this happen

doc hudson is gay he’s a gay car wow confirmed

there is a car that is literally high all the time and like how did this get in there wow it was great

racecars dont get cell phones

“RACECARS DONT NEED HEADLIGHTS BECAUSE THE TRACK IS ALWAYS LIT” 

also it leads to me questioning my entire existence like

what happened to the humans

cruz said that she used to run track but how does that work she is a car

how can they use touch screens they have no hands

how did lightening tape something in cars 3 HE HAS NO HANDS

why are cows tractors but cars people

how are baby cars made

how does a car transition from child to adult

when they lose their wheels is it like losing a limb

whey does sally say he smells, she does not have a nose how can she tell

why do they have tongues

why do they have t o n g u e s 

whY IS THERE A SCHOOL BUS BUILT FOR PEOPLE IF THERES NO HUMANS 

anyways cars is great and the best and ANY OTHER OPINION IS WRONG BECAUSE CARS IS GREAT AND THE BEST

thats just facts tbh

[creativeadsbursasite]

Satul Pleșești, Buzău

Astăzi am fost cu un bun prieten de al meu în Satul Pleșești, Buzău un sat foarte pitoresc și superb cu peisaje mirifice. #Pleșești, #România, #StoreDay, #StoredayRomânia, #Buzău.

Astăzi am fost cu un bun prieten de al meu în Satul Pleșești, Buzău un sat foarte pitoresc și superb cu peisaje mirifice. Am cunoscut multă lume frumoasă, chiar merită vizitat!

Din câte îmi aduc aminte din copilărie aici se țineau bâlciuri pline de oameni bucuroși și plini de viață.

*P.S. infrastructura lasă de dorit!

[barsand]

Bullshittism, filosofia culturală de astăzi

Bullshittism, filosofia culturală de astăzi

Războinicul cu creionul

Unii îl numesc postmodernism, alții post-postmodernism, alții metamodernism, dar hai să-l numim bullshittism. De fapt acesta este schizoidismul social mascat în nonconformism pe care unii îl numesc bulshittism.

Trăim în epoca conturilor false de social-media, a citatelor motivaționale false și din nefericire suntem plini de indignare emoțională. Influențatorii noștri…

[nspx]

Tumblr user Nina nspx’s star wars fic rec vol. 2

An anon asked me for an ahsoka/anakin fic rec and i accidentally deleted the ask (i’m dumb!!) BUT because i love ahsoka and i love anakin and i love their relationship and how they helped each other, i’m gonna do a completely separate fic rec for the anon (i hope u see this lmao sorry for deleting the ask). 

but anyway, since the last time i did a rec i had 22 bookmarks on ao3 (i did the last one on october 19th 2015?? how time flies) and now i have like 80+, i decided to do much more than just an anakin/ahsoka rec, but a general star wars fic res

DISCLAIMER: none of these fics feature anakin/ahsoka in a sexual relationship because i am Not About That BUT they do feature other pairings. anyhow. 

These are fics u need to read. need to. sorry, i don’t make the rules. this is gonna be so long. i’m sorry (not)

AHSOKA/ANAKIN

A River Flowing by Barkour

A shadow has left the force, but other threats remain as Padmé and Anakin prepare for the birth of their child.

Part 2 of Peachy

The only issue i have with this fic is that it hasn’t been updated in forever. It’s so good tho!! i’m pretty sure i read this one at least four times. anakin doesn’t go evil (which is something the anon asked for!! here u go) but not everything is perfect - duh, it is a star wars fic, we don’t know what happiness is here - and AHSOKA IS SO WELL WRITTEN!! so good. it also dives into life after the jedi, being a civilian, being dirt-poor and living on coruscant and ALSO!! padme/ahsoka is well developed in this. so good. so great. 10/10 must read

Assassination Attempt No. 23 by pieandsouffle

Tatooine's only senator (or, indeed, one of the only people from that desert planet who is capable of reading and writing, or actually understands what the word 'politics' means), Anakin Skywalker, seems to be one of those rare individuals who attract bounty hunters like flies zero in on a bantha corpse.

The senator!anakin au. what more do u need in life? shenanigans ensue

Old Shadows by Sildae for Windona

Ahsoka asks Anakin about his past after the events on Kadavo and Zygerria.

My babies. My poor heart. 

Obi-Wan and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad (Life) Day by wreckageofstars

It's Obi-Wan Kenobi's life day, but good luck telling the galaxy that.

Anakin and Ahsoka are little shits. obi wan and padme are drinking buddies?? sign me the fuck up. the end

hold on to me, 'cause i'm a little unsteady (ws!obi-wan au) by QueenWithABeeThrone

the one where Obi-wan falls off a ship and gets the Winter Soldier treatment, Anakin doesn't fall to the Dark Side but still loses his limbs, Ahsoka can fly with a one-of-a-kind wing-pack, and Padmé gives birth to twins and a Rebellion.

TBH. SO GOOD. ANAKIN AND AHSOKA ARE AWESOME IN THIS. ALSO IN THIS SERIES BY THE SAME AUTHOR:

angels choking on their haloes QueenWithABeeThrone

Anakin hadn’t been lying, when he said he could never kill Obi-wan like he was being asked to, no matter what Obi-wan’s become.

or: Mustafar, in reverse.

Part 1 of hold on to me, 'cause i'm a little unsteady (ws!obi-wan au)

GO READ THIS. it’s unfinished (hasn’t been updated since early 2016, i weep) BUT. still worth a read. really worth it. the second part of this verse ends on the nastiest, most delicious cliffhanger. I WEEP

and hey, a honorary mention, since i haven’t actually read this fic but it was in my ao3 history 

Perturbations by the_dragongirl

Anakin makes a different choice, the day Ahsoka leaves the Jedi Order. His actions will determine which of the many possible points of balance in the Force will become the new equilibrium

Part 1 of A Shift in Equilibrium

this has a lot of kudos so?? what the hell. give it a read and tell me what you think

this is it for the anakin/ahsoka part of the rec

OTHER

Fundamental Force Carriers by tanarill

The Sith Lord Darth Vader lived his life. He probably didn't live it well, but he lived it as well as he knew how. At the end there, he'd even managed to woman up and kill Sidious. But he was dying, and at peace with the past.

The past wasn't at peace with him.

Part 1 of Probability Matrices

honestly, this fic is just SU CH a delight. it’s well written, it’s got some real cool science facts for your everyday nerd needs BUT IT’S ALSO THE CRACKIEST CRACKFIC TO EVER CRACK. like. vader dies and goes back in time and he’s got 0 fucks to give about the jedi’s opinion?? he’s here to make things right whether the jedi like it or not??? such a funny, amazing fic. 12/10 on this. nice. 

Echoes of Mortis by wreckageofstars

Post-Mortis Arc AU. In a universe where the Father failed to take away Anakin's vision of the future, the Hero With No Fear struggles with the knowledge of what he will become and the knowledge of who, exactly, is responsible. Drastic steps are taken and in the process things go a little bit...sideways.

tbh. so good. also a post-mortic fic (i’m a hoe for mortis). i won’t say too much about this one because i don’t want to spoil anything. i was on the edge of my seat while reading this fic AT ALL TIMES. AT ALL TIMES. I HAD TO READ THE LAST CHAPTER BEFORE READING ON TO MAKE SURE ANAKIN WOULDN’T GO ALL EVIL. i was so pleasantly surprised. it’s just so - poetic. anakin really does a lot of growing in this, i think. brilliant fic 

those immortal dead by notbecauseofvictories

I care more for that long age which I shall never see than for the little of Time that I hold

Padmé Amidala is forgotten, not gone.

This is a five times padme amidala’s legacy lived on, basically. it’s got poe in it as well!! and rey, my daughter. what more do you need from a fic? so well written, so poignant, so beautiful

Palpatine Ad Portas by izzythehutt

When the Emperor Palpatine moves the Empire Day Celebration to Naboo, Darth Vader is forced to confront a past he had thought better buried and forgotten. Admiral Piett becomes the reluctant confidante of the monarch, caught in the middle of a deadly Sith cat-and-mouse mind game. Meanwhile, the young Rebel who blew up the Death Star returns to his mother's home world to pay his respects on the anniversary of her death--unaware of his father and the Emperor's presence on the planet and the very grave danger he is in.

Part 2 of In Loco Pirates-Verse

fucked me up really bad, tbh. vader goes to naboo. luke is there. it’s brilliant, but so painful. read at your own risk (but do read it)

Hello From the Other Side by DarthNickels

Kylo Ren is destined to take up the mantle of Vader. The Force can be incredibly literal.

MY FAVOURITE IMPERIAL OFFICER PIETT IS IN THIS!!! and he hates kylo so much, he thinks he’s such a pale imitation of vader, he’s so disgusted by him. i live for it. 10/10

The Sith Who Brought Life Day by ophelia_interrupted for Binder-lover

An Imperial officer loses a bet and has to get Darth Vader a present for Life Day.

i feel like this is such a star wars fic classic that everyone’s already read ages ago except me. the style on this feels really like. (don’t judge me if i’m way off on this lmao) catcher in the rye. reminds me old american classics. that type of feel. it’s so good!!

Into the Archives by skygawker

After hearing the legend of Darth Plagueis the Wise from Palpatine, Anakin decides that his best chance to save Padme is to break into the restricted Holocron Vault of the Temple Archives to search for information about Plagueis. Predictably, all does not go according to plan. Revenge of the Sith AU.

My tiny son anakin is such a mess in this. and you can tell this is au because anakin and obi wan actually talk about anakin’s feelings?? what?? what are those?? anyway. so good. it hasn’t been updated since feb 2016 but like?? my fics havent been since july 2015. figures

for a hundred miles through the desert by wreckageofstars

[“There's no water, on Tatooine,” Luke said finally. “I mean, no large bodies of water, like you have on other planets. Pools, lakes. Oceans.”

“Well, yeah,” Han said, eyebrow raised at the sudden change of subject, tone still sharper than he meant for it to be. “Place is a dustball. So?”

The kid still wouldn't look at him.

“So,” he said, face carefully blank, like it so often was these days, “I never learned how to swim.”]

Han has a hard time coming to terms with Luke's fall to the dark side during Dark Empire; so does Luke. 

This is some serious EU shit, but it’s pretty good on its own as an AU scenario. I LOVE the meta on this. love

and rise, rise in the desert sand by hollytrees

Padmé and Anakin keep in touch after TPM.

(Or, the author has started writing Fialleril's Pen Pals AU, possibly because they hate themselves.)

THIS ONE IS SO PAINFUL AND HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL!! it’s got one chapter but it’s so worth it

Never Heed by dogmatix, norcumi

The Sith Emperor is dead.

A clone visits one more pyre in his long life.

Part 4 of Ghosts of 66

This is Rex coming to Vader’s pyre. fuck mE UP. like HONESTLY. THERE’S ONE BIT IN THIS THAT MAKES ME WANNA CURL UP AND CRY EVERY TIME. actually two bits. three bits. the whole damn story. anyhow

Mercy is the Mighties' Jewel by akathecentimetre for TheCrackedKatana

They've chased each other all over the world - yet somehow, they will always end up here. Modern-day spy!AU with illustration by JakartaInn.

The Obi-wan and Ventress spy au of your dreams. what more do i need to say?

TFA FIC

to lie with your soul in the grave by plinys

Poe casts a glance at the door, he can see their mothers through the semi-transparent glass, it’s too quiet to hear them talk, but he knows whatever it is it can’t be good. The kid sitting next to him seems to have the same idea.

“So, who talks first?” Poe says, breaking the silence between them.

Tbh.. don’t judge but when tfa came out i liked kylo (i’m more.. conflicted about him now) and i read a lot of kylo fic in that time period. i was never a reylo, so i read a lot of other kylo fic, which was mostly either kyhux or kylo/poe WHICH THIS FIC IS ABOUT. THEY KNEW EACH OTHER GROWING UP. THEY WERE IN LOVE. all i remember from this fic is that it’s so well written. give it a read if you’re into this sort of thing

I read like three more kylo/poe fics that are also very good, so. anyway. here goes

saying that I love him but I know I'm gonna leave him byselenedaydreams

“This could be us one day.” Poe whispers half to himself as he finally turns towards Ben, finding a curious expression on his face. “This could be us.” He repeats, this time with more excitement. “You and me. Pilot and copilot. Traveling the universe together.”

Poe has never seen Ben smile at him the way he’s smiling now but Ben’s reaching for his hand and lacing their fingers together so it must be good. “Together.”

Lost To Me by red0aktree

Poe met Ben Solo when he was too young to even know what it meant to meet someone.

Poe met Kylo Ren years later.

Separating the prince of the First Order from the boy he grew up with proves more difficult than the pilot could ever imagine.

Melting Away by SF2187

Before he was Kylo Ren, he was in love with the best pilot in the Republic.

what i like about these fics is that (from what i remember) they don’t erase the fact that kylo is a raging asshole now. nice

excavate me (from all the girls I've tried to be) by Shadows_of_a_Dream

“Rise, Skywalker.”

“I told you,” Rey hisses through gritted teeth. “He’s gone.” Like everyone else. Like all the girls I’ve tried to be. Like all the girls I might have yet become, because I’m going to die alone on this unknown sea.

The mask returns his lightsaber to his belt. And like a crashing wave, like a renewed flame, like the weight of a planet falling squarely upon her shoulders, the mask looks at her and says, “I was talking to you.”

Part 1 of I never asked to tread the skies (but if I shall, I suppose I'll fly)

This one is so... intense. so intense. and so good. 20/10

need somewhere to begin by doubtthestars

Anthology of the War

1//The first time she officially meets Poe, she divulges secrets that aren't hers to tell. 2// If he had been born in any other family, Ben Solo would have been a soldier. 3// When she sees Rey, Leia only has a brief moment to reflect on all of their wrongs.

Read. That is all.

Trial by nymja

Kylo Ren kneels in the snow before her.

“Do it,” he demands.

Rey breathes in through her nose. Her hands are shaking. Her blade starts to burn the skin of his exposed neck. Do it for Han.

--

Luke takes Rey to face The Cave.

Part 4 of Do or Do Not

So cool.

Lessons Learned by nymja

“You’re never going to get anywhere if you don’t learn patience, first.”

“I’m the strongest knight here!”

The Jedi looks around the room, eyeing the skull of his grandfather with pointed distaste. “Yes, well. Good work.”

Part 1 of The Sad Grandpa Trilogy

Forceghost!obi-wan is so disappointed in kylo. it’s great. READ THE WHOLE SERIES BECAUSE IT’S GOLD!! it’s so good!! the next one is about rey and forceghost!anakin in the desert and that fic is so interesting because in it, anakin isn’t really as much of a grandfather figure as he is a friend figure and one of his corporeal forms is a warning to rey. like a mirror in the force (to her, to ren, it’s so brilliant). honestly i could talk forever about the next fic in this series because anakin is SO WELL WRITTEN. SO WELL WRITTEN. 

THE CLASSICS

tbh @fialleril​‘s Double Agent Vader verse gets the biggest shoutout (love u fia you’re my inspiration) for sheer amazingness. i won’t list any of the fics in the verse because u need to read all of them. yes, all of them. get to it

ACTUALLY. you should read all of fia’s work. all of it. (on the offchance that fia actually reads this, i can’t wait for anabasis i am so pumped)

ALSO!! another must read is @phil-the-stone‘s pocket full of sand 'verse. it’s such an Iconic piece of star wars fanfiction!! like bye, everyone needs to read this

ALSO another one of hers because?? why not. nursery ‘verse!!! i’m so heart eyes over nursery verse. i’m forever flattered because some of my headcanons are in this!! best thing i’ve ever done. (phil writes mostly b99 and ouat now, but still check it out, her writing is so good)

other fandom must-read authors include:

1000-alshain

actual-leia-organa

threadsketchy

star-vault-ofthe-heavens

darthnickels

cadesama

ygrittebardots

@anghraine

@izzythehutt

FF.NET MUST READ AUTHORS ARE: 

Mathematica 

irnan (all of their work, i’m not kidding, writer goals)

frodogenic (they wrote darth vader’s limplet and other hilarious fics, honestly, star wars humor at its finest)

motchi 

a bunch of others, though you might find more in my previous rec 

Now. Since we’ve come to the end of this ridiculously long rec, it’s time for me to shamelessly plug my own blog. you can find more tumblr fic in my tag here, you can find my writing here and on ao3 *whispers* leave me a comment, you can find my bookmarks here (and find fics i did not include that are also very good)

have fun reading!!

[rudyroth79]

„În pustietatea cuvintelor (15)” de Nicolae Lotreanu

„În pustietatea cuvintelor (15)” de Nicolae Lotreanu

• În opera fiecărui mare gânditor care a trăit pe această planetă există cel puţin câte o idee fenomenală care a fost ignorată de urmaşi, în căutarea propriei originalităţi. Această mirabilă recoltă încă aşteaptă să fie adunată în acelaşi coş al minţii umane.

•Prea mulţi comentatori sunt plini de sine şi necruţători, fie prin recunoaștere formal/didactică, fie prin minimalizarea valorii…

[dioscuriaquotes]

Niccolo Francesco Haym, The British Treasury, 1719

Two caps of Castor and Pollux with stars over them: The X a goal, with three letters, [Greek word]…. This M. is very w.p. and of grand relief, but ill d. The said city is none of the first come to be known by antiquaries. The following authors speak of Dioscuria: P. Mela says, ‘In Heniochorum minibus Dioscurias, a Castore & Polluce Pontum con Jason ingress’s condita est.’ [In the hands of Heniochi Dioscurias, from Castor and Pollux, has entered the Black Sea with Jason’s there.] Ptolemy, Arrian, and Stephanus will have it to be afterwards called Sebastopolis; but Pliny is of a different opinion, and says that Dioscuria and Sebastopolis are two different places; and he adds, that the City of Dioscuriade in Colchos near the River Antemunte was so very famous, that according to the authority of Timosthenes there were three hundred nations of different idioms or languages to be found in it, and that their merchants traded thither by the mans of no less than 130 interpreters. Pliny also says that his city was desolate in his time, and that some would have it that Amphitus and Telchius, the charioteers of Castor and Pollux, were the builders of it, from whom the fierce nation of the Heniochians were descended; and Ammianus believes that they were Spartans, and says that this city was famous to his time. The commentator upon Pliny would have us read Aphistratus instead of Amphitus. Appian of Alexandria affirms, that Mithridates, after he was defeated by Pompey, fled to Dioscuria; and he is also of opinion, as the Colchians assert, that the same was built in memory of the voyage of Castor and Pollus with the Argonauts.

The two Caps with the Stars over them on one side of the M. confirms the opinion of those who would have this City to have ben founded by these twins, the sons of Leda. By the workmanship it appears to be very ancient; and the authority of Pliny, who says that this city was in ruins in his time, makes me believe it was built before the time of Mithridates, King of Pontus.

The goal, according to Hildebrand, on the word Meta, denotes the Circassian games performed in honor of these deities; which makes me believe that they were also celebrated in the City of Dioscuria.