Members of the Royal Society enact The Protocol to "purge dangerous and unfit knowledge". Right now, we have 3 examples of them destroying dangerous knowledge through fire:
GREAT FIRE OF LONDON of 1666 - Robert Hooke (The Royal Society's Curator of Experiments) talks about trying to find a remedy for the bubonic plague, which hit London in 1665. Then agrees that enacting a "Protocol against the great city of London" was correct, and says "only through the Protocol we were spared of that Dread emission", but hopes next time they will be able to cointain it faster to limit the dimensions of the fire.
ISAAC NEWTON'S LABORATORY FIRE - Robert Hooke writes the letter against Newton in 1684, and talks about Newton's experiments with Alchemy and the Philosopher's Tree (or Diana's Tree). Doubting it's morality, he repeats the need to "enact the Protocol but limit it to his laboratory, destroying his research"
and they blamed his fucking dog?
THE MAGNUS INSTITUTE FIRE of 1999 - I suppose we have no confirmation of this but... I mean. Sam confirms the Institute worked with Alchemy, and no books or files were recovered from the fire. The Royal Society burned the Institute down to destroy dangerous knowledge.
There's so much info in this episode. Lena talked about opposite forces in the world needing balance. What makes them unbalanced? Was the Institute's research in Alchemy tipping the balance to a dangerous side? Does Robert Hooke's letter imply the bubonic plague was maybe the consequence of an imbalance, and thus London needed to be purged with fire? What is the Dread emission he mentions? Is the OIAR working with the Royal Society?
I'm doing another post talking about Newton's experiment with the Arbor Philosophorum, because that shit's interesting, but this is getting really long. Comment your thoughts! Love y'all!
This is possibly the most important thing I’ve done this week-
didn’t want to take over your other ask but I need you to know I made a little gif with my John too and this is my formal invitation for everyone to do the same. favorite guy ever. petting him.
I know it's been memed to death but I still can't get over how everyone in season 4 wants Arthur carnally.
Cute priest? "You are my new purpose. Hey if you're free later we can..."
Cute detective with Dreamlands baggage? "Say, you married?" ("Are you and John looking for a third?")
Cute serial killer out to hunt him down like a rabbit? [an entire segment of Arthur degrading him like a dog until he got SO impressed that he switched sides to join him.]
Cute eldritch horror which possesses people in their sleep? "You are my favourite :)"
Kayne? Kayne.
No FUCKING wonder John is being jealous and possessive, Arty.