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I've been thinking a lot about Gilgamesh's mental health and problems he's dealing with and oh boy there's a lot to talk about.

(Small disclaimer: I'm not a professional psychologist or psychiatrist so all of the things I would say here are coming either from my own experience or from the knowledge that I gained from different sources, so please don't be rude.)

It's pretty obvious that Gilgamesh suffers from depression and PTSD but there's more to it than just that. We know that Enkidu's death took a huge toll on him and making him not only emotionally vulnerable but also feeling a huge guilt because of that to the point of him not wishing to say Enkidu's name out loud out of guilt and shame or crossing paths with them in the halls of Chaldea.

Also he can suffer from the thing that's called survivor's guilt (it happens when a person feels guilty after they survive a near death or traumatic event when others perished. It can cause similar depressive symptoms associated with PTSD) and this moment in CCC is quite self explanatory.

Also Gilgamesh drinks a lot of alcohol, I mean like A LOT

Like this is not a healthy amount if I do say so myself.

And I think that he drinks this much not because of his love for wine, there's a deeper reason to that. Like it is a known fact that people start drinking heavily because they try to lose themselves, numb their emotions or run away from their problems and before I thought that Gilgamesh was drinking so much because of, again, his depression and feeling of loss over Enkidu's death but I don't think that's the case here, I think the main thing why he does this is because of his clairvoyance.

It was mentioned in his character materials that he blocks his clairvoyance but the reason why he does this was never really clarified before this moment in Prisma Illya.

Like the visions that he has because of this ability cause him suffering and literally makes him feel overwhelmed, his clairvoyance is his burden, so to escape it he started blocking it even though this block can be sometimes ineffective, and I actually talked a bit about how his clairvoyance in a different post.

So I guess the same problem followed him to his adulthood and now he uses alcohol as well to just numb all that things that he feels. Like can you imagine what kind of shit he saw because of that clairvoyance that not even the Grail mud was able to stain his soul and mind and you need to go 3x harder on him to be able to do something

like I know that he's stubborn as a mule and prideful af so I don't think that's the only reason why he has such endurance against this curse.

Also just like with alcohol people sometimes bury themselves in work to escape their thoughts and stuff like that, to feel completely exhausted to the point of not having energy to even think about anything or reflect on something. And sure, Gilgamesh was working himself to the bone in Babylonia because the destiny of his people, his city and the whole humanity in general lies on his shoulders at that moment but since we have moments where he goes through emotional turmoil because of his memories about Enkidu, it can also play the role here in his wish to overwork himself + I bet he wasn't allowing himself drinking (at least the amount he usually does) at such crucial time so the work was like his only way to escape those emotions and thoughts (even though they still were tormenting him) and maybe premonitions as well.

Also it was mentioned in his character info that he likes himself but at the same time he hates himself. And it's kind of weird to see such arrogant and narcissistic person like Gilgamesh hating himself, it sounds like nonsense but I can see at least a couple of reasons for that.

Again, this hatred can come from his guilt over Enkidu's death, but I think it's only one of the reasons. In CCC it was mentioned that because he felt lonely and was kinda like an outcast among gods and humans, he started to feel frustrated at the world around him and turned into a tyrant. But that hatred wasn't only aimed towards the gods or people but at himself as well, he hates is own nature, his own being. And that's I also think where this word "mongrel" comes from. And yes, I know that it's a disrespectful way to call everyone dogs and lesser beings, but it also feels a bit strange to me as well because the word "mongrel" also means "half breed", so I found it weird in a way that Gilgamesh calls people/humans that weren't having mixed blood between another species as mongrels, while basically being half breed himself. And maybe I'm just looking too deep into stuff that are not there but I think that he just projects his own frustrations and self-hatred on others, kinda like bullies do, they humiliate others to elevate themselves and to just feel themselves better.

Also there were moments when Gilgamesh said these kind of things

and it's another sign of self-hatred but it can also mean that he can have or had suіcіdаl thoughts, at least from time to time.

And to be honest after like getting deeper into his character and breaking through that armor of bravado and arrogance you can see that Gilgamesh is just a depressed, lonely and broken man that even though he tries to stay aloof and cold he still secretly craves understanding and genuine affection and it's just makes you feel really sad when you understand that fact. And this moment from CCC hits even harder after realizing that.

Like the guy got so used to be looked at with hatred that after seeing Hakuno's genuine tears it just touched his heartstrings, and that's why he has such favor towards Hakuno because they took their time to understand his character and his story instead of making quick assumptions and seeing him a just a tool that'll help them to win the war.

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Hint; Gilgamesh: Enkidu said to me, that the love that I cared still not "true love" yet. I asked Kujaku why "true love" is different from couple love and family love. Enkidu said that I already had one. He said I will find that person that I love the most more than anything else in the world. The feeling that if this person gone, my heart will drown down like the deep ocean to the bottom of the ocean. Sonic: That person Enkidu mentioned, I'm sure that person will think and care of you more than anyone else, too.

Ephemer: I'll be damned. It's like we're back on the expressway again!

Peter: PUNCH!

Chester: How're we supposed to get through?

Merlina: Shouldn't be too hard.

Everyone: Punch, Peter now!

Syaoran: Ugh!

Danny: Syaoran!

Syaoran: Whew....thank you, Enkidu.

Punch: *Stare at Enkidu*............

Enkidu: He needs you. Go!

Punch: *Nod*

Continue to Gilgamesh's death;

Sonic & Punch: .........!!

????????: I must admit....I underestimated you.

Gilgamesh: Let's end this--together!

Punch: *Relief and smile with happiness*

Sonic: Are you ready?

Gilgamesh: As I'll ever be!

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ORBOT CALM DOWN

(his laugh AHGAHAHSHHAHA SO CUTE😭😭)

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Kujaku???: I knew you could stop my planning, King Gilgamesh. But here's a thing, I used Kujaku to continue my plans and I can crush Kujaku even his heart into a completely heartless vessel.

Gilgamesh: *Heavy breath* .........!

Kujaku???: I can be even destroyed, Enkidu, who lives inside that freak. And I can someday find your weakness, and you will no longer act freely on your own because curse of death.

Gilgamesh: I don't care about my freedom. But don't dare to touch my best friends, you theorem!

*The two glare at each other*

Kujaku???: *Worn out* Listen, you're strong, and I'm tired. If this continues, you'll probably escape, but here's the thing: We know where to find your friends—and your master, that freak.

Gilgamesh: *Gasp*-----! (Punch....!)

Kujaku???: So.. just hand over the key.

Gilgamesh: *Accept Defeated* Fine. Just stay away from Punch.....

Kujaku: Thank you, my friend. I really appreciate it. I, uh, mean that, too.

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Paleo-caves in Death Valley

You have probably heard of "caves", or a natural void formed in rock. Caves are formed in a number of ways, but the most familiar are probably those formed in limestone - called karst or karstic. Karst caves are formed by the steady dissolving of limestone rock by naturally acidic groundwater percolating through the ground, often along faults or other natural weak areas.

Death Valley in California is not a hotbed of limestone caves, though evidence of them can be seen in a number of places! Ancient caves, often tens or hundreds of millions of years old, sometimes collapse or fill in with silt/minerals/debris. An ancient cave formation is called "paleokarst", and there are a few areas in Death Valley where you can find it. The easiest to access is in Titus Canyon, a major canyon who's lowest reach carves its way through limestone bedrock, leaving behind towering polished rock walls and revealing the internal structure of the rock.

Titus Canyon's narrow section is carved through the Bonanza King Formation, a Cambrian-age (538 - 485 million years ago) marine sedimentary rock package several kilometers thick. It's found in many areas of Death Valley and the surrounding region. Across its area and thickness, it alternates from dolomite to limestone (dolomite minerals versus calcite minerals). Dolomite doesn't usually dissolve and form caves, but limestone does - and the many fractures in this rock appear to have allowed numerous tiny caves to form somewhere in the distant past. Most of these have since been filled in with calcite minerals, making them paleokarst.

In this image, you can see the void of the cave lined with thinly-layered calcite. It has a flat floor, and these features are characteristic of having formed in a cave. In Titus Canyon, we can find these from a few inches to a few meters across, and as the canyon has been carved into the rock, these voids are exposed. This one below tells an exceptionally clear story:

You don't need to be a geologist to see how this differs from the first example. There's a weird pendant-shaped protrusion hanging from the top, there are layers in the minerals, the bottom half is red… there's a lot going on. Let's get some lines on there and figure out what we can see:

That's better. OK - I've separated out the parts of this outcrop which from my desk look to be distinct. Here's a close-up of part of the left-center area to show how it appears different up close.

OK, so we have the blue-gray limestone bedrock on the right, top, and lower left, then a gray-red area with layers and what looks like gravel or other angular pieces of the limestone. Above that is a finely-layered calcite deposit (remember? that's cave-like!), and above that is a layer of calcite which is rather porous. The top surface of this area is sort of scalloped and curved, which is also characteristic of limestone caves.

Here's the fully interpreted version. Let's go through the sequence of events. First, we have the limestone bedrock of the Bonanza King Formation (BKL). At some time in the distant past, a portion of it dissolved away and formed a cave. Over time, silt and debris filled in the bottom of this cave. Because it is ancient, we call it paleo-fill (OPF). This might have happened at a time when the cave was dry (not containing water), since if it was wet we would expect some amount of calcite to be deposited around its perimeter as is typical in limestone caves.

Above that is a layer of thinly-layered calcite, the cave mineral. This layer contains some reddish silt and the occasional fragment of the limestone, so the cave was probably happily active during the time that was deposited! This is the oldest cave mineralization phase I can discern in this outcrop, so I call it Old Cave Calcite (OCC).

Next, we have a slightly porous, light-colored calcite deposit. The porosity suggests to me that it was deposited faster, but I am not an expert on cave deposits so will not comment further. This unit fills the cave to its top in most places! I call this the Middle-age cave calcite (MAC).

Finally, the youngest unit is another cave-deposited calcite (YCC). As in the first cave picture above, it is a coarser-grained pale yellow color with layers that parallel the sides of the void. Most of the paleo-caves you can find in Titus Canyon are filled with this sort of calcite, and it may be geologically recent (last million years?). It filled the final remnant of this ancient paleo-cave, and is contrasting with the material around it. This visual and textural contrast is what inspired me to write this post in the first place - the best example I've seen in person of paleo-karst and the evolution of a miniature cave system, right in the heart of Death Valley - my favorite place in the world.

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Gilgamesh: Bat Queen, I knew you can't protect them all, even your friend, Ḫuwawa. But you need to let go for them to be free! I knew if Humbaba was here, Humbaba would do the same thing as I did.

Hakunon: Is that an interlock? *Kicks the staff and Bat Queen away.* Bat Queen, you used to be on the staff, right? You were a Palisman.

Bat Queen: ............! Yes, I was once part of a grand staff. A staff made for a giant. But I was broken, discarded.

Hakunon: So, that's why you're so protective of Emmiline Bailey Marcostimo.

Sonic: You don't have to read the full name.

Bat Queen: I protect... all!

Her eyes glow again. Behind her, dozens of other eyes begin glowing. Hakunon and Sonic gasps. Countless broken and scarred palismen of every type are in the trees.

Bat Queen: I made a home in the forest. I'm here to take the loss. The forgotten.

Sonic: I understand. But both Emmiline and Owlbert are not forgotten. They already have someone at home who loves them very much. Right, Owlbert?

Owlbert: *Nod*

Bat Queen: He will not go back with you.

Hakunon: That's not your decision to make!

Bat Queen: I won't let him!

Hakunon: Hee-----!

Gilgamesh suddenly appears to protect both Hakunon and Sonic. And later Owlbert protects them, and hoots. His eyes glow. A second later, so do Bat Queen's.

Bat Queen: What...? So that means......and you.....you care for her.

Emmiline, a blue chameleon, nods and then nuzzles Hakunon, warbling.

Gilgamesh: In this digital world, this is the first time we have met, but for me, I already met you with my brother...... Bat Queen, I knew you can't protect them all, even your friend, Ḫuwawa. But you need to let go for them to be free! I knew if Humbaba was here, Humbaba would do the same thing as I did.

Bat Queen: I see......Very well. Go. And take your friends.

Hakunon: Miss Bat Queen, do you know what happened to your owner?

Bat Queen: It has been thousands of years. I've forgotten.

Sonic: If you ever want to search for the truth, we'll help you.

Bat Queen: Thank you. *Flies away.*

Gilgamesh: Huh. You're alive. I can't believe you took on the Bat Queen by yourself.

Hakunon: And what? Had a problem? You said to me once, "This is your battle. I’m just here to enjoy the show. You and I are not equals. I am simply lending you my assistance"

Gilgamesh: I do not forget that, mongrel. *Smiles*

Hakunon: Huh? (Did he praise me?)

Gilgamesh: *Walks away to Sonic and talks to him* If we ever get back to the real world, let's go tell Luz, Syaoran and Tails about this.

Sonic: Yes. Alright.

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A better description of resonance

I use a flame tube called a Rubens Tube to explain resonance. Watch dancing flames respond to music.

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Research illuminates the path to superior electro-optic performance in aluminum scandium nitride alloys

From integrated photonics to quantum information science, the ability to control light with electric fields—a phenomenon known as the electro-optic effect—supports vital applications such as light modulation and frequency transduction. These components rely on nonlinear optical materials, in which light waves can be manipulated by applying electric fields. Conventional nonlinear optical materials such as lithium niobate have a large electro-optic response but are hard to integrate with silicon devices. In the search for silicon-compatible materials, aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN), which had already been flagged as an excellent piezoelectric—referring to a material's ability to generate electricity when pressure is applied, or to deform when an electric field is applied—has come to the fore. However, better control of its properties and means to enhance its electro-optic coefficients are still required.

Read more.

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Punch the savage pt. 12: Gilgamesh: You remind me of my ex-- Punch: which is exactly why this dating won’t work.

Punch: Hey, I can help. I'll make this date our best yet.

Gilgamesh: We could just keep it simple.

Punch: And what's "simple" in yours meant, huh?

Gilgamesh: Like sneaking out....?

Punch: Sneaking out from your palace, perhaps?

Gilgamesh: Yeah....maybe.

.

.

Punch: You've already been dating Peter, Enkidu and Kujaku! What about Sonic and me, huh?! Well, for the record, I am treating this as a second date.

Gilgamesh: I---You remind me of my ex--

Punch: which is exactly why this dating won’t work.

Gilgamesh: Because it's a waste of time and data.

Punch: Are you a parking ticket? Because you’ve got 'fine' written all over you—too bad you're not worth paying for.

Gilgamesh: I'm not good at it, okay?!

Punch: At what again?

Gilgamesh: Da•a•te....

Punch: Oh, I know. I already knew that, thank you.

Gilgamesh: Khh....…always taking me in the wrong direction.

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Punch the savage pt. 11

Sonic: Sign-ups for the Card tournament are over here!

Gilgamesh: A little friendly competition could be fun. And who knows—one of us might win it all!

Punch: Well, you won't go far with that "attitude". O ye of zero faith. Ah, now's my chance! I'll be right back.

Sonic: Good enough to beat this, though?

Gilgamesh: I "guess" we've to find out!

.

Sonic: Seriously?!

Punch: Ho? Okay! I'm ready when you are! I’d play my best hand, but you’re not even worth the bet. So it's come to this....

Gilgamesh: Heh. Sucks to be you, you mongrel.

Punch: Is that so? You are a Joker card who is completely useless in a real game. Because I came here to kill you. Think you can take me?

Gilgamesh: Want me to go easy?

Punch: WaNT Me to gO eASy?????

Gilgamesh: *Smug and giggles* Alright. Your funeral, though.

Punch: Humph! *Cute pouty face* there'll be a funeral alright. I'm gonna bury you dumba**!

Luz: *Sweaty* Everything will be okay...right, Sonic?

Sonic: *Sweaty* Enkidu....don't be silent, just do something with them.....

Peter: I don't think even Enkidu can help you right now.

Danny: I totally agree with Peter on this one.

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Wizard Howl Pendragon [Howl’s Moving Castle] by TsuyaNoUchi

https://tsuyanouchi.etsy.com

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cardcaptor sakura ★

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Clamp anime banners from the old Funimation website

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Fossil Shark Collection 40-65 Million Years - Khouribga, Morocco - 60 Fossils in Glass Wooden Display Case - Genuine Specimens + COA

For sale is a stunning Fossil Shark Collection featuring 60 genuine fossil shark teeth from the Eocene Epoch (40-65 million years ago), discovered in the world-famous Khouribga phosphate deposits, Morocco. This unique collection is beautifully presented in a high-quality wooden display case with a glass cover, making it an exceptional piece for fossil enthusiasts and collectors.

Geology & Fossil Type:

These shark teeth date back to the Eocene, a period when global temperatures were high, and the seas were filled with a diverse range of predatory sharks. The Khouribga region in Morocco is one of the richest fossil deposits for marine vertebrates, with fossilized remains preserved in phosphate-rich sediments. The collection includes a variety of shark species, showcasing the diversity of prehistoric marine life.

Sharks have cartilaginous skeletons, meaning their bodies rarely fossilized, but their teeth, being composed of hard enamel, are commonly preserved. This collection provides insight into the evolution of sharks and their dominance in ancient marine ecosystems.

Collection Details:

100% Genuine Fossil Shark Teeth – No Replicas or Synthetics

Includes 60 fossilized shark teeth from different species

Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity

Presented in a 485x290mm glass-fronted wooden display case

Scale cube = 1cm for size reference (please see photos for full dimensions)

You will receive the exact specimen shown in the listing

This rare Fossil Shark Collection is a perfect addition for fossil collectors, educators, and marine life enthusiasts. Whether displayed as a striking centerpiece, studied for its scientific significance, or given as a unique prehistoric gift, this collection is an incredible representation of ancient ocean life.

Shop with confidence! We specialize in authentic fossils and minerals, ensuring each specimen is carefully selected and properly identified. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

Fast & Secure Shipping Available Worldwide.

[sakuraswordly]

Nickel superconductor works above -233°C threshold at normal pressure

A team of engineers and physicists at Southern University of Science and Technology, in China, has created a nickel-based material that behaves as a superconductor above the -233°C (40 K) threshold under ambient pressure. In their study published in Nature, the researchers synthesized thin films of bilayer nickelate (La₂.₈₅Pr₀.₁₅Ni₂O₇) and found one that behaved as a high-temperature superconductor. The -233°C threshold (40 K), often associated with the McMillan limit, marks a boundary beyond which conventional superconductivity theories become less predictive. Scientists have been searching for a room-temperature superconductor that could revolutionize a wide range of technologies. The ability to achieve superconductivity without the need for costly and complex cooling systems would significantly reduce energy loss due to heat conversion in electrical transmission, leading to dramatic improvements in efficiency and cost reduction. This breakthrough could lead to advancements in numerous fields, including maglev trains, fusion reactors and MRI machine components. This new effort by the team in China represents another step in reaching the ultimate goal.

Read more.

[sakuraswordly]

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