#proto armor

[ethan-brz]

Here is a picture, with Excalibur Umbra

[eris-morgan]

Protogen Guard - Adopt Auction

More info here!

Or here!

[gaungade]

Hayden Tenno from Dark Sector in his John Warframe suit

[idontthinkimokaymentally]

Hello there Proto One/Fyana fans.

[kurumeuruki]

More rook practice

I would rather draw Rook in a suit than Rook in proto-armor 😭😭😭

[m15chka]

Xaku Protoframe early study of how the body would change when using Vast Untime ability.

This is still a very early concept just to test how colour palettes would work against armor and infestation.

No tactical webbing on this one because it just wouldn’t make sense - the belts would restrict “shedding” of the skin and armour.

Colour palettes might change.

My headcanon for proto Xaku is several people joined together by the infestation after the Helminth injection.

Injecting one person on the brink of death on the battlefield, the strain injected would grab surrounding tissue to “repair and make the body full” at the cost of it never actually looking seamless and perfect, hence some skin wares would be exposed or tissue rotted.

Idk I’m still working on this in my head.

[projectfreefall]

How long does a carriage normally last? Are there any noticeable frame changes?

Stoodie: For the sake of simplicity, we shall use Earth units of time! Time on Cybertron is far different than time on Earth, as our planet

has longer days and takes longer to orbit our star! Fun fact, our planet takes 83.3 earth years aka a vorn to orbit our star!

The average carriage takes about 3 Earth years from sparking

to emergence! A long time to you humans, surely! But a quick process considering our very long lives! And it affects us in some similar and some dramatically different ways!

It seems you are interested in learning more about the details of Cybertronian biology! Delightful! I love to see creatures eager to learn!

Click the read more and follow along the C.A.R.I.E. cycle!

(Stoodie will be used to answer History/biology asks that aren't asked to a specific character! And if anyone wishes to use these headcanons in their own works, that is 100% allowed!)

(Caution: fictional infant development topics of pregnancy and labor under the read more.)

Stoodie: A cybertronian's gestation goes through four key phases!

Phase one: The first phase of a carriage is called "The Orbit". This phase starts the second after two or more sparks participate in a merge that successfully causes one of the creator's sparks to fissure from the electrical surge and ignite a proto-spark.

Over the course of 2-5 hours, this proto-spark will spin chaotically from the energy still surging through it from the merge. In this state, it will either destabilize and fizzle out into nothing, or if a stable rotation and energy level is achieved, it will form its own orbit around the adult spark. The proto-spark, completing its first full stable orbit, signals the start of its journey.

Over the following month, the sparkling's orbit will change the nature of its new carrier's spark. The two will form a small gravitational field as they pull at each other. The presence of that field of influence causes the carrier's spark to release an energy signature signaling to the rest of their systems to begin construction of a body for this new energy. Sparks do not like to share their chambers, you see, so it becomes the frame's mission to get this new spark out of it. This is the end stage of the first phase of gestation and is usually when a Cybertronian discovers they are carrying, as they will feel a strange fluttering static inside their chest. That is, unless it's discovered earlier by physically opening the spark chamber for whatever reason.

Phase Two: Well, now we've got a little bitty one on the way, who needs a body, and how does the Carrier build that body? Well, first, they will need resources! The carrier will spend the remainder of the first year of their carriage accumulating resources like energon, metal, and nanites and stockpiling them in special ways.

For example, the metal that will physically build the little one is stored in Carrier's own armor. Now, to store that access metal without symphoning what the carrier needs for their own body, the excess metals and minerals are added onto the carrier's armor, physically increasing their density and making them much sturdier to protect the delicate newspark inside, but also much heavier! Most carriers will weigh 5-15 tons more, depending on the sparkling frame type, by the end of this stage of sparkling development. But that armor is tougher than a tank's during it, protecting both baby and parent!

One of the most important stockpiled resources in this phase are construction nanites from the sire, after all if the carrier's frame only used their own nanites, they would just try and program and grow a clone of the carrier, which might cause spark-frame disconection errors as this new body would try and steal the carrier's spark and not the one it was intended for. So nanites need to be taken from the Sire so that there are two different codes interchanging information to build a body tuned to the sparkling's unique frequency that was generated when it was sparked. This ensures that the only spark leaving the carrier's spark chamber at emergence is the sparkling's.

There are many ways for a carrier to harvest the sire's Nanites, and each couple has their preferences. The most efficient is for the sire and the carrier to do a cross-feed connection with fuel lines found in their chassis. While it is the fastest and most efficient way to transfer the nanites, as this method only needs to be used once, most bots find it the most boring, as you have to basically sit there and do nothing until the carrier's storage tank has filled.

Another example that I guess could be considered appropriate in terms of content, though I find it rather barbaric, is Syphoning. Akin to how you humans portray vampires, a carrier with pronounced fang-like denta can bite and steal the nanites from their partner. Obviously, many bots try and avoid needing to syphon as it's not exactly a painless way of doing it, but one that has developed in our species in the event of an emergency situation. Carriers are known to develop permanently pronounced canines during carriage, and it's common for some to have a medic reduce them down.

There was an old saying that you could tell a bot had carried either many bitlets or multiple times the longer their canines were. That, of course, was a tall tale and has no scientific backing to prove that the number of sparkling a carrier has effects the length of their denta. Anywho, we are getting distracted, moving on!

Phase Three: This is the longest phase in the carrying process and lasts 2 years! During this phase, the gestation chamber takes over primary control of the creator's T-cog to change its structure, which also means the carrier loses the ability to shift into their altmode the deeper into this phase the carriage gets. And like anyone going through gestation emotions can run wild!

It goes from being a rather small, unnoticeable spherical chamber under the spark chamber to a structure that could best be described as a clawed servo that spans a majority of the hollow space it's created through the T-cog in the chassis. This clawed servo structure forms an antigravity field only within the sphere of influence it has between its digits. It fills this gravitational void with a dark and thick, viscous material composed of energon, nanites, plastics, oils, and metals. It has the consistency of the earth food, jello. Inside this ball of goo is where the sparkling body will be constructed. And thanks to the antigravity field that protects the space, it doesn't matter how hard the carrier is jostled, the sparkling's frame will not move inside this space and is protected from physical damage.

During phase 3, both sets of construction nanites (sire and carrier) work in tandem to construct the sparkling's frame. This process takes a long time because the nanites do not always get along, and one team may deconstruct the parts the other group has constructed. In the first year of the building, both creators' nanites will fight each other over what elements and features they want to remain in the final construction. From the color of the optics to the shape of the olfactory and even the final altmode class, all these necessary components are determined by the winner of the individual fight when construction first occurs.

By the second year of the construction phase, the nanites have settled on what features to build and focus solely on building. That's why some sparkling may look more like one creator than another; it's all due to which creators' nanites were the more successful in fighting for their preferred features. By the end of the carriage, all of the sire's nanites will have died off from fuel deficiency and will be recycled as material into the sparkling's frame.

(WARNING EMERGENCE BELOW. Nothing graphic but may be upsetting to those with issues revolving around the topic of labor)

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Phase Four: Once the sparkling's frame is constructed, a portion of the carrier's nanites will sacrifice themselves to cause an electrical pulse to activate the sparkling's frame. This activation Is temporary and lasts only long enough for the frame to let off a signal tuned to the newsparks frequency, which coaxes the sparkling to leave its carrier's spark and descend from the spark chamber of its carrier into the gestation chamber where it will be locked into its brand new spark chamber. Once that new chamber is fully sealed, the sparkling frame jolts from new life activation protocols and the emergence protocol begins!

This is a very delicate task but also very straightforward. The carrier will be driven by the C.A.R.I.E protocol to seek a safe, quiet, and secluded space for emergence due to its delicate nature. During this phase over the course of 2-7 days on average the carrier will be in "labor" as their frame opens their chassis and moves the carriers spark chamber out of the way to quite literally drop out the sparkling. The carrier will drop onto their elbows and knees so gravity can do the work and the ejection has the lightest impact.

and TADAAA! You have yourself a fresh bitty! They are but a fraction of the adult's size and have zero kibble or color outside their spark, optic, and biolight color. So teeny and helpless and precious.

though the development of a sparkling outside of its carrier is a lesson for another day!

this concludes our lesson for the day!

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Human Warfare

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

“Do you deny it?”

The war council chamber was quiet. Only the commanders of the different races of the alliance were present for this meeting leaving the chamber eerily silent save for the handful gathered. What they had gathered to discuss could not be heard openly lest it sends shockwaves through the fragile conglomeration of cooperation the alliance had been able to forge through the horrors of the Praxis war.  

Terran Commander Mya Barton sat opposite Matriarch Jan’el, leader of the Xenari forces and her current interrogator by the sound of her tone. Unlike Mya who wore a standard dress uniform adorned with her medals and pins of rank, Jan’el had chosen to wear her people’s combat armor to the meeting. Ceiling lights bounced off the reflective surface as the Matriarch stood under them giving her the appearance of a proto-star as she aggrandized her questions with theatrical gestures and posturing.

“Please clarify what you are asking of me.” Mya replied dryly as she took a sip from her waiting cup. It was not that she was attempting to be disrespectful, but her disinterest with this gathering was surfacing as she had been called away from the middle of the Barka Offensive planning to address the other leaders over recent developments.

They had failed to elaborate on what these developments had been and no sooner had the doors closed was Jan’el trying to put the screws to her.

Jan’el’s skin blushed a deep purple of rage and was about to no doubt unleash a barrage of remarks when she was cut off by General Darmaxi of the Creek people.

“We are referring to the recent explosion that killed the enemy commander Gorthrax and much of his command staff.”

Darmaxi entered several keys into a console near them and a projector in the center of the room spun to life showing a holographic image of their enemy’s command bunker. The feed was a recording from a stealth drone that had been able to fly beneath their sensor sweeps and perch itself across from the entrance to the bunker. It’d been the closest any in the alliance had been able to get as security for the complex was an ever shifting enigma that left few openings open for long.

The projection showed the entrance on what appeared to be a normal day. Enemy guards stood at attention while senior commanders went in and out of the complex through thick reinforced doors when suddenly the feed shook.

A massive explosion erupted from the center of the complex and spread outward with such speed that the drone had only been able to record five seconds before it was obliterated in the blast. The projection then shifted to an orbital scan showing a massive crater easily a mile wide and just as much deep into the dirt of the world. The base of the crater was already beginning to fill up with rainwater and no doubt it would soon form a lake in the heart of what had once been the most secure military installation on the planet.

“Oh, that.” Mya replied as all eyes turned towards her. “Yes that was us; no need for gratitude.”

“Gratitude?!”  Jan’el snarled. “Do you have any idea what you have done?!?!”

Mya indifferent shrug only further enraged the animal Matriarch.

“If I recall the operation killed several high ranking military targets and crippled their command staff for weeks if not months as they reorganize replacements.” Mya responded crisply. “Leaving their current military operations at a standstill as no clear line of command can be established.”

The meeting erupted into several outbursts as the leaders questioned, reproached, and even cursed the actions taken by the humans.

“I know you are new to the stars,” Magistrate Kempop calmly addressed through the bustling noise, “but we do not conduct wars in this manner.”

Mya’s expression took on a stern look as her patience was waning under the bombardment of reprimands. This was not the response she had expected when news of this operation broke.

“There is nothing more dangerous here than an army without leaders.” Jan’el spoke slowly as if to a child. “Without order, they will lash out wildly and can do more harm than they would have while under the command of their leaders.”

“I will rebuke you on that point.” Mya touted. “Right now Terran Intelligence is coordinating with ground forces to bisect and dismantle our enemies bit by bit as their cohesion has been shattered.”

Mya entered several keys into her terminal and the projector displayed a territorial map of the warfront. Enemy territory in red, and alliance territory in blue.

“As we speak we have breached their front across no less than fourteen different points.” Mya began as the map began to shift showing several blue streaks carving their way through once solid red territory. Strongpoints that could not be breached were isolated in a ring of blue as alliance forces put them to siege while other tendrils continued to push deeper and deeper into enemy lands.

“Our estimates show a complete collapse of organized resistance within the next month, and a total subjugation of the planet within two weeks after that.”

The alliance leaders remained silent at this. None could speak against the rapid gains made since the human operation concluded, yet none were still happy with the outcome. Least of all was Jan’el and Darmaxi, who both made clear their displeasure for being kept out of the loop.

“You were not ordered to commence such an unsanctioned attack.” Jan’el snarled.

“Ordered?”

The word dripped from Mya’s mouth like sludge as now it was the human’s turn to express scorn.

“I was not made aware that you were made supreme commander of this alliance.”

“A poor choice of words,” Darmaxi cut in to defuse the situation, “but you still did not inform us of it until after the matter; it displays a certain degree of lacking trust.”

“That is because I don’t.”

The babble of the meeting instantly evaporated and those gathered looked at Mya as she rose from her chair.

Running her hands across her face, Mya desperately tried to compose herself as a mixture of anger and blind disgust swelled inside her as she looked upon her so called “allies”.

“You all say this is a war that you are fighting yet you have done everything in your power to avoid finishing it.”

“Outrageous!”  Jan’el all but shouted.

“No?”

Mya left her chair and walked over to the Matriarch. She had to tilt her head up to look at the Amazonian warlord yet her scorn for Jan’el cut deep.

“Our operation alone has done more for this war effort than the lot of you have done in months!”

Rounding on the rest of those gathered Mya continued berating all of them.

“You act more like diplomats than commanders! You sit here and deliberate, formulate, plan, negotiate, and discuss by committee. Your behavior is more akin to preventing a war than winning it but I have news for all of you! The war is here and it will not stop until you end it!”

She pointed at the projection of the crater that had once been the enemy command nerve center.

“This is what my people know, and this is what my people are good at. We find our enemies, we study them, and then we crush them without a moment’s hesitation. Brutally and utterly; leaving them no chance for recovery and ensuring an end to hostilities.”

A silence descended on the gathering as a blanket of shame smothered everyone. Even the Matriarch had finally ceased her insults and simply glared down at Mya with a gaze so cold it made Pluto feel warm.  

“Regardless of your feelings or people’s history,” Darmaxi finally spoke up, “you are part of this alliance and you will abide by the rules you so willfully mock.”

Mya turned to the general and let them speak.

“War by its very nature is an affront to nature and thus should be resolved with as little bloodshed as necessary. That is why we deliberate; to find the path forward we can still walk away from.”

 “A noble notion, but how many of your soldiers must die for you to realize it?”

Mya’s cold response came from a place she doubted many here had never known. To be led into battle by idealistic fools spouting love and peace while her friends were butchered and maimed without remorse.

“Stay then and conduct your deliberations. I shall take my leave and win this war for you.”

Without another word Mya turned and began striding out of the room.

“You cannot win this war alone.” Jan’el touted as Mya reached the door.

The human stopped halfway in the doorway.

“Don’t bother contacting us when we’ve won you this war, we’ll know where to find you.”

[brittle-doughie]

While yes, the Proto Beasts are pretty cool, the concept art did have a double edged sword thing to it. I’ve seen plenty of folks talk about how “WE LOST SO HARD, “WE COULD’VE HAD THESE”, “THEY FUMBLED HARD!”.

It annoyed me, these designs did not make it for a reason or was just stepping stones to the final designs. The bug designs wouldn’t have fit into the game and not really represent the ingredients they’re supposed to be.

Instead of saying we lost, we should appreciate on how far we’ve come from these initial concepts, they shouldn’t muddy how much you love the Beasts we got in the end.

And unless I missed it or if it was said anywhere, why are people being serious with saying that Proto Salt is a woman? They still have all that armor on them, so it’s still kinda up in the air.

[bethanythebogwitch]

I recently found out a show I liked is 10 years old now so to not be the oldest thing on this blog I'm talking coelacanths for Wet Beast Wednesday. Coelacanths are rare fish famed for being living fossils. While that term is highly misleading, it is true that coelacanths are among the only remaining lobe-fined fish and were thought to have gone extinct millions of years ago before being rediscovered in modern times.

(image id: a wild coelacanth. It is a large, mostly grey fish with splotches of yellowish scales. Its fins are attached to fleshy lobes. It is seen from the side, facing the top right corner of the picture)

Coelacanth fossils had been known since the 1800s and they were believed to have gone extinct in the late Cretaceous period. That was until December 1938, when a museum curator named Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer was informed of an unusual specimen that had been pulled in by local fishermen. After being unable to identify the fish, she contacted a friend, ichthyologist J. L. B. Smith, who told her to preserve the specimen until he could examine it. Upon examining it early next year, he realized it was indeed a coelacanth, confirming that they had survived, undetected, for 66 million years. Note that fishermen living in coelacanth territory were already aware of the fish before they were formally described by science. Coelacanths are among the most famous examples of a lazarus taxon. This term, in the context of ecology and conservation, means a species or population that is believed to have gone extinct but is later discovered to still be alive. While coelacanths are among the oldest living lazarus taxa, they aren't the oldest. They are beaten out by a genus of fly (100 million years old) and a type of mollusk (over 300 million years old).

(image: a coelacanth fossil. It is a dark brown imprint of a coelacanth on white rock. Its skeleton is visible in the imprint)

Coelacanths are one of only two surviving groups of lobe-finned fish along with the lungfishes. Lobe-finned fish are bony fish notable for their fins being attached to muscular lobes. By contrast, ray-finned fish (AKA pretty much every fish you've ever heard of that isn't a shark) have their fins attached directly to the body. That may not sound like a big difference, but it actually is. The lobes of lobe-finned fish eventually evolved into the first vertebrate limbs. That makes lobe-finned fish the ancestors of all reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including you. In fact, you are more closely related to a coelacanth than a coelacanth is to a tuna. Coelacanths were thought to be the closest living link to tetrapods, but genetic testing has shown that lungfish are actually closer to the ancestor of tetrapods.

(image id: a scientific diagram depicting the taxonomic relationships of early lobe-finned fish showing their evolution to proto-tetrapods like Tiktaalik and Ichthyostega, to true tetrapods. Source)

There are two known living coelacanth species: the west Indian ocean coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) and the Indonesian coelacanth (L. menadoensis). Both are very large fish, capable of exceeding 2 m (6.6 ft) in length and 90 kg (200 lbs). Their wikipedia page describes them as "plump", which seems a little judgmental to me. Their tails are unique, consisting of two lobes above and below the end of the tail, which has its own fin. Their scales are very hard and thick, acting like armor. The mouth is small, but a hinge in its skull, not found in any other animal, allows the mouth to open extremely wide for its size. In addition, they lack a maxilla (upper jawbone), instead using specialized tissue in its place. They lack backbones, instead having an oil-filled notochord that serve the same function. The presence of a notochord is the key characteristic of being a chordate, but most vertebrates only have one in embryo, after which it is replaced by a backbone. Instead of a swim bladder, coelacanths have a vestigial lung filled with fatty tissue that serves the same purpose. In addition to the lung, another fatty organ also helps control buoyancy. The fatty organ is large enough that it forced the kidneys to move backwards and fuse into one organ. Coelacanths have tiny brains. Only about 15% of the skull cavity is filled by the brain, the rest is filled with fat.

(image id: a coalacanth. It is similar to the one on the above image, but this one is blue in color and the head is seen more clearly, showing an open mouth and large eye)

One of the reasons it took so long for coelacanths to be rediscovered is their habitat. They prefer to live in deeper waters in the twilight zone, between 150 and 250 meters deep. They are also nocturnal and spend the day either in underwater caves or swimming down into deeper water. They typically stay in deeper water or caves during the day as colder water keeps their metabolism low and conserves energy. While they do not appear to be social animals, coelacanths are tolerant of each other's presence and the caves they stay in may be packed to the brim during the day. Coelacanths are all about conserving energy even when looking for food. They are drift feeders, moving slowly with the currents and eating whatever they come across. Their diet primarily consists of fish and squid. Not much is known about how they catch their prey, but they are capable of rapid bursts of speed that may be used to catch prey and is definitely used to escape predators. They are believed to be capable of electroreception, which is likely used to locate prey and avoid obstacles. Coelacanths swim differently than other fish. They use their lobe fins like limbs to stabilize their movements as they drift. This means that while coelacanths are slow, they are very maneuverable. Some have even been seen swimming upside-down or with their heads pointed down.

(image: an underwater cave wilt multiple coelacanths residing in it. 5 are clearly visible, with the fins of others showing from offscreen)

Coelacanths are a vary race example of bony fish that give live birth. They are ovoviviparous, meaning the egg is retained and hatches inside the mother. Gestation can take between 2 and 5 years (estimates differ) and multiple offspring are born at a time. It is possible that females may only mate with a single male at a time, though this is not confirmed. Coelacanths can live over 100 years and do not reach full maturity until age 55. This very slow reproduction and maturation rate likely contributes to the rarity of the fish.

(image: a juvenile coelacanth. Its body shape is the same as those of adults, but with proportionately larger fins. There are green laser beams shining on it. These are used by submersibles to calculate the size of animals and objects)

Coelacanths are often described as living fossils. This term refers to species that are still similar to their ancient ancestors. The term is losing favor amongst biologists due to how misleading it can be. The term os often understood to mean that modern species are exactly the same as ancient ones. This is not the case. Living coelacanth are now known to be different than those who existed during the Cretaceous, let alone the older fossil species. Living fossils often live in very stable environments that result in low selective pressure, but they are still evolving, just slower.

(image: a coelacanth swimming next to a SCUBA diver)

Because of the rarity of coelacanths, it's hard to figure out what conservation needs they have. The IUCN currently classifies the west Indian ocean coelacanth as critically endangered (with an estimated population of less than 500) and the Indonesian coelacanth as vulnerable. Their main threat is bycatch, when they are caught in nets intended for other species. They aren't fished commercially as their meat is very unappetizing, but getting caught in nets is still very dangerous and their slow reproduction and maturation means that it is long and difficult to replace population losses. There is an international organization, the Coelacanth Conservation Council, dedicated to coelacanth conservation and preservation.

(image: a coelacanth facing the camera. The shape of its mouth makes it look as though it is smiling)

[eris-morgan]

Electric Protogen - Adopt Auction

More info here!

Or here!

[lets-try-some-writing]

A fun concept,what if certain autobots/decepticons could open their faces like the animatronics in FNAF,I can see smokescreen pulling a foxy on The decepticons

Oooh I am here for this.

Transformation seams are present in every Cybertronian. Most of the time, their numbers and locations are limited, both depending on frame type and alt-mode. But occasionally, there are those who break the mold and have an excess. It's not necessarily a bad thing, often being compared to human hyperflexability when explained to the kids. But the excess seams do tend to have a few unintended side effects, such as the ability to move plating that would otherwise be stuck around the frame like a sticker to be peeled off and reapplied.

There are generally three different cases of excess seams coming into play outside of flexibility, usually in cosmetic fashions. First would be the ability to remove plating and get new armor entirely without pain. Around 5% of Cybertronians end up with this condition in some way or form and it is generally considered helpful since it allows for deeper cleaning of the protoform and temporary cosmetic changes without need for pain. The second case would be feral augmentation syndrome. Bots such as Orion Pax, those who grew up around animals or connected deeply with them and possessed the CNA for excess seams, have this condition. All it does it make their limbs more animalistic. Their jaws can open wider due to their facial protoform being highly segmented to allow for further stretch. Additionally, they are able to run on all fours perfectly comfortably due to being able to shift their plating around.

The last case, however, is the most terrifying. It is generally called proto-masking syndrome, and is only found in a starting 1% of those who come out with excess seams. Severity varies, the most minor cases leaving bots with the ability to contort their faces and mess with the metal. Severe cases allow bots to remove or transform their faces away without pain or issue. This is the one most find frightening.

Smokescreen happens to fall within this severe category of those afflicted with proto-masking syndrome. He doesn't know that he is weird and assumes almost everyone can do what he does, but simply fails to act out in large part due to politeness. As such, he doesn't transform his face away often, if at all. But when agitated, or trying to prove a point, he does instinctually transform his facial plating, and the very first time he did it for a Decepticon, horror stories formed instantly.

The bots have said exactly nothing about it to Smokescreen since it's not an issue and generally, it isn't nearly as unsettling as some of the things they've seen. But the Vehicons? They regard Smokescreen as the spark eater. The Autobots pet hunter. They try to keep clear of him as much as possible, especially when he transforms his face away. When that happens, they all assume he's going to eat them and bolt for safety.

Smokescreen is of the belief that he's just that good of a warrior. No one has seen fit to correct him yet. The kids haven't witnessed it yet and so have made no commentary. Bulkhead dreads the day they eventually see Smokey without his face. That will be a LONG conversation.

[cryptotheism]

"What is alchemy even?"

Tat: “O pop-history esoterica blogger, what is Alchemy?”

C.T: “My student, alchemy can be neatly summed up as “proto-chemistry.” For most of history there have been people like yourself, those who wonder what the world is made of, how it fits together, and what are the rules that govern its transformations. These days, the people who study these questions are called chemists, but before there were chemists, there were alchemists.”

Tat: “So what’s the difference? What does a chemist have that an alchemist does not?”

C.T.: “The answer is roughly 1,700 years of accumulated knowledge and writing. Chemistry was built from the works of the alchemists.”

Tat: “Ah! So it is like how astronomy arose from astrology?”

C.T.: “Not quite. For astronomers and astrologers both still exist. Alchemy became chemistry. There are no more alchemists. Or, attempting to practice alchemy today, would simply be practicing chemistry.”

Tat: “But what about spiritual alchemy? Were alchemists not magicians?”

C.T.: “My student, there were thousands of alchemists throughout history, from dozens of time periods and cultures. Some were indeed mystics and magicians, but they were generally outliers. The vast majority of alchemists were more akin to glass-blowers and blacksmiths than oracles and magicians.”

Tat: “But alchemical writing speaks so much of gods and divinity!”

C.T.: “Many texts do! Many cartographers from history used elaborate biblical metaphors to describe their work, but you don’t see modern scholars claiming all medieval mapmakers were secretly mystics. The bible was something many were familiar with. Using biblical metaphors to explain complicated processes is simply good technical writing.” 

Tat: “But, if most alchemists were not magicians or mystics, why discuss alchemy in this text? Isn’t this book about magic?”

C.T.: “Because few things have been more influential on western magical literature. Even entirely mundane, non-magical alchemical works are wondrously evocative. Even now, alchemical literature has a way of seizing the imagination. Many texts are literally occluded, written in code to protect the alchemists work. Even when alchemical literature is non-magical, it is deeply esoteric.”

Tat: “Why are they written that way?”

C.T. “To protect trade secrets! What if you discovered a new way to make stronger armor, or sharper swords? That information must be recorded, but it also cannot fall into enemy hands. Many alchemists protected their discoveries with intentionally complex metaphorical language that could only be understood by those with the required knowledge. This also makes them extremely difficult to translate into other languages!”

Tat: “I see! But how did it end? Chemistry is no longer discussed with esoteric metaphors, what changed?”

C.T. “It was a gradual change that took place over generations. But for the purposes of time, this text will consider the First Alchemist to be Maria Hebrea, and the Last Alchemist to be Sir Issac Newton.”

Tat: “But what about the alchemist-mystics? Will this text discuss them?”

C.T. “Indeed, my student. We will be discussing them at length.”

More alchemy on patreon today!

[itsupermanti]

Fate/RWBY: Remnants of Silver Omake 3; The Double Date Disaster

CRASH!!!

Jaune(crying out in wide-eyed alarm as he gets thrown out the window of a restaurant in Vale, manifesting his blue and silver Knightly Servant attire as he sails through the air): AAAHHH!!!

Jaune(as he face-plants on the street to bystanders’ confusion): OOF!!!

Jaune(groaning into the ground as the figure that threw him threw him out steps through the broken window shrouded in red lightning): Of all the people I expected to face off against as a Servant…

Jaune(pushing himself back into his feet as he glares at the figure who dons silver and red armor): I did not expect YOU.

Jaune(as the man before him stares at him with a copy of his own face): Mordred…

(Artwork is not mine)

Mordred(lunging at the Demi-Servant with Clarent raised for a slash): I’LL SHOW YOU FOR DENYING ME MY BIRTHRIGHT!!!

Jaune(quickly raising Excalibur[Proto] up to block the attack): CAN’T WE JUST TALK ABOUT THIS?!?!?!

Mordred(pushing the blue knight back as bystanders pull out their scrolls and start recording them): LIKE HELL!!! I’M GONNA KILL YOU FATHER!!!

Within the restaurant;

Ruby(wearing a fancy red dress, staring at her flustered and alarmed white-haired friend in shock): Not only are you also a Master…

Ruby(as the sound of Jaune and Mordred’s swords clashing repeatedly can be heard from outside): But you summoned the son Jaune had in his previous life…

Ruby(as Weiss blushes the same red as her cape): AND MADE HIM YOUR BOYFRIEND?!?!?!

Weiss(covering her face with her hands as Mordred’s angry yells can be heard from outside): So embarrassing…

Ruby(her silver eyes going wide in horrifies realization): Oh Oum…You’re dating my future step-son…

Weiss(crying out in embarrassment as Jaune and Mordred both land devastating punches on each other’s faces): PLEASE DON’T PHRASE IT LIKE THAT!!!

Elsewhere;

Gareth(staring at the TV with her younger sisters in confusion): Hey mom, dad?

Bedivere(turning his daughters in confusion): Yes sweetie?

Lily(pointing at the TV and making their mom’s eyes widen in alarm mid-sip of her wine): Why is big bro fighting a red version of himself?

Artoria(spit-taking her wine in shock at her son’s opponent): PFFFFT!!!

Gareth(hand on her chin in thought as their mother faints right then and there to their father’s alarm): Say, doesn’t that red guy’s armor kinda look like Garnet’s?

[warframestuff]

Howdy Dreamers,

Nightwave: Nora’s Mix Vol. 7 is coming to a close—ending on February 6th at 2 p.m. ET! Like the last few Mixes, Nightwave: Nora’s Mix Vol. 8 also begins on February 6th, roughly around 2:30 p.m. ET.

Like previous editions of Nightwave, we will include duplicate protection for rewards you have already unlocked. Identical to Nora Mix Vol. 7, Tenno can expect to be compensated with Nora’s Mix Vol. 8 Creds instead of the previous unlocked reward.

However, with Nora’s Mix Vol. 7 closing, you’ll want to cash in your remaining Nora’s Mix Vol. 7 Creds before the end date. Leftover Nora’s Mix Vol. 7 Creds can be sold for Credits afterwards!

Make sure to tune into Devstream #184 on January 31st at 2 p.m. ET for a sneak peek at all things Nightwave: Vol. 8, including the new goodies coming!

Changes Additionally, we’ll be retiring the Duviri daily Challenges from the Nightwave Challenge rotations due to these Challenges being inaccessible until after Uranus.

For the removed Daily Challenges specifically:

Your Move: Complete a game of Komi in Duviri.

Helping Hand: Rescue an animal in Duviri.

Feed Me More: Feed the Maw in Duviri.

Salutations: Visit Acrithis in Duviri.

No Mercy: Mercy Kill an Enemy

This Challenge is now ‘Executioner: Kill 10 Enemies with Finishers,’ which includes Mercy Kills.

New Rewards!

With Nora’s Mix Vol. 8, completing Nightwave acts can net you these new (and returning) rewards:

Big Bytes Pizza Sigil

Nightwave (Landing Craft) - Creds if owned!

Nightwave Atomicycle Livery

Heuris Polearm Skin - Creds if owned!

Lillian Floof

Jillian Floof

Vesper 77 Augment Mod

Battlecry Ink

Kubrow Boltor Armor

Aoi Origami Glyph

Tammpet Sugatra

Proto Necramech Skin - Creds if owned!

AX-52 Augment Mod

Glacia Syandana - Creds if owned!

Wireframe Ephemera

1999 Armor Set

New Cred Offerings Included with these new rewards will be hand-picked new and returning rewards from previous Nightwave Series.

Koumei Orihime Helmet Blueprint

Cyte-09 Espricor Helmet Blueprint

Eximus Advantage (Zylok)

Metamorphic Magazine (Gorgon)

Sentient Barrage (Battacor)

Orowyrm's Rage Sigil

Hero of Duviri Display

**All rewards listed above are subject to change or removal.

[benzshroomart]

I was blanking on ideas for a pose last night since I hadn't drawn Rook since 2022 but i can always count on AdorkaStock for some good ref insp!

Here's my Rook design for when he's 19/20 :3c He let his hair grow out a bit and updated his proto-tech armor!