#plato crater

[quiltofstars]

Mare Imbrium, the “Sea of Showers”, Plato Crater (top center), and Copernicus Crater (bottom right) // Walter Leonhard Schramböck

[theofficialastronomy101]

The Plato Crater on the moon

[city-of-ladies]

During the second or first century BCE, a woman pretended to be able to control the moon. This was Aglaonice, who is regarded by some as the first known female astronomer. 

She’s mentioned in the writings of Plutarch and the scholia to Apollonius of Rhodes and lived in Thessaly, Greece. Being “skilled in astronomy”, Aglaonice used her knowledge to predict eclipses and make people believe she caused the moon to disappear. 

According to Plutarch:

“Thoroughly acquainted with the periods of the full moon and when it is subject to eclipse, and, knowing beforehand the time when the moon was due to be overtaken by the earth’s shadow, imposed upon the women, and made all believe she was drawing the moon down.”

The scholia adds that Aglaonice lost a close relation as a punishment for having angered the moon goddess.

Interestingly, Thessaly is associated with women skilled in astronomy and occult practices. Several female astrologers from the third to first centuries BCE were for instance known as “The Witches of Thessaly”. These women were said to study the movements of the moon and trick people into believing that they caused lunar eclipses.

In Plato's Gorgias, Socrates mentions the "Thessalian enchantresses who, as they say, bring down the moon from heaven at the risk of their own destruction."

Today, a crater on Venus bears Aglaonice’s name.

Feel free to check out my Ko-Fi if you like what I do! Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Further reading:

Bicknell Peter, "The witch Aglaonice and dark lunar eclipses in the second and first centuries BC." 

Chrystal Paul, Women in Ancient Greece

Plutarch, On the failure of oracles

Plutarch, Conjugalia Praecepta 

Reser Anna, McNeil Leila, Forces of Nature: the women who changed science 

[eclipse89]

here's a collection of all my close-up lunar crater and mare shots, with corresponding names:

Plato, Mare Imbrium and Sinus Iridum

Tycho and Clavius

Manilius and Mare Vaporum

Langrenus and Mare Fecunditatis

Posidonius and Mare Serenitatis

Gassendi and Mare Humorum

Aristarchus

photos all by me

[the-average-melli]

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are giving Atlantis: the Lost Empire

In Hisui and Sinnoh, I went on about mountains. Paldea's main geographical feature is potentially a reference to real-world mythos as whale. In Paldea, the biggest feature in the centre of the region is the great crater/Area Zero. When I was playing this game and going into the crater, it reminded me a lot of one of my favourite Disney movies, Atlantis: the Lost Empire. In this movie, an expedition team descends to find treasure (a big similarity with the Treasure Hunt at the Academy), but the explorers only find the lost empire of Atlantis which preserved by the power of crystals that only exist down in Atlantis. This could be a big analogy to tera crystals, which originate from within the crater. The expedition team could bring the crystals from Atlantis with them when they returned to the surface; tera crystals could be brought to the surface in Paldea so people could use their energy to terastalise pokémon.

Another thing that stuck out to me was the way that in the movie for Atlantis: the Lost Empire, the empire fell due to the greed and desire of dominance/power of the king. Greed and desire were also the reasons why the Paldean Empire fell to ruin. Both rulers kept wanting more, which lead to the demise of both civilisations and, in Scarlet/Violet, the creation of four other legendary pokémon to embody the spirit of those who resented the greedy ruler's ambitions:

The Empire of Atlantis itself is something that originates from records of Plato, the Greek philosopher. The empire was physically submerged because of a great flood (perhaps as a punishment for the greedy king or the greed of humankind in general--who knows?) In his record, Atlantis was described as a technologically-advanced civilisation. This lines up with the way that AI which, according to Sada or Turo, exists, but only functions at the heart of the crater. Even if Sada and Scarlet are oriented towards the past, Sada's AI self exists suggesting that there are still some technological advancements that are unique to the crater.

When the player descends into the crater and has the final showdown with Sada/Turo's Miraidon/Koraidon, the innermost room with the time machine is completely surrounded by crystals. This reminded me of the pivotal scene in Atlantis: the Lost Empire where the explorers discover the power source keeping the remains of the people and civilisation of Atlantis alive. At the heart of the empire is the crystal chamber (which has an epic soundtrack! https://youtu.be/EH8iRhEyg3M) In the movie, this is a life force that triggers a mechanism to protect the empire by summoning golems who generate "force fields" around Atlantis.

This YouTuber also draws direct links between Atlantis and the game. I wasn't the only one who was thinking, "this game is giving Atlantis..." The YouTuber shows in this timestamp (https://youtu.be/1JdOZDFzZmU?t=205) the actual text files for the game. when the player is in the crater, Arven, Nemona, and Penny will follow the player to the heart of the crater. As they walk around behind, they converse in text flashing at the bottom of the screen. In the game's files, Paldea is titled "Atlantis."

This is how Atlantis is described and one word stands out here:

Orichalcum Pulse is Koraidon's ability:

The last thing I will add is that the legend for Atlantis in the Atlantis: The Lost Empire movie was written in a book which was carried by the explorers. It described where it was, the language, the people, and served as a guide to all things Atlantis:

This is directly analogous to the Violet and Scarlet books. The book in the movie inspired the main character and his father to seek out Atlantis. The Violet and Scarlet books inspired Sada and Turo as children to build the time machine and research within the crater.

This leads me to wonder whether Geeta is going to be a Kida or a Roark...

[pokemondarkpathau]

A Dark Path Walked Chapter 1: The Meeting

It has been three months ever since Juliana moved from Galar to Paldea. She barely made herself at home in Cabo Poco when she decided to enroll in Naranja Academy. Not only that, Director Clavell made a visit to her house to tell her that her enrollment has been accepted. Along the journey to her new school, she met her neighbor and classmate, Nemona, who loves to battle and the two became rivals when Juliana picked Fuecoco and Nemona chose Quaxly. The newly-moved girl then met a mysterious creature called Koraidon/Miraidon after she fell off Poco Path and survived thanks to her Rotom Phone being used as a parachute, they escaped a pack of Houndour and Houndoom and met their Houndoom leader, who proved to be way too strong to Juliana and Fuecoco and Koraidon/Miraidon rescued her.

On her way to the Poco Lighthouse, she and Nemona met a young man named Arven, who is not only also a student of the same Academy she enrolled, he is also the son of the esteemed Professor Sada. After a beautiful view from the Lighthouse and an extremely long trip through Los Platos and South Province due to her not having a Cyclizar, Juliana finally arrives in Mesagoza. Before she could enter Naranja Academy, she saved a girl with an Eevee bag named Penny from some trouble making students who call themselves Team Star and she also received a Tera Orb from Nemona during the confrontation.

Upon entering the esteemed Naranja Academy, not only could she see how big and marvelous the place is, she also met Jacq, her homeroom teacher and the creator of the Paldean Pokédex, got some requests to defeat the eight gym leaders and Pokémon League from Nemona, find Five mysterious herbs called Herba Mystica from Arven and put an end to Team Star’s trouble making behavior from a mysterious entity called Cassiopeia for her Treasure Hunt. Juliana also learned that Koraidon can help her by being a ride Pokémon like Cyclizar and that made it easier for her to travel. During her Treasure Hunt, not only did she grow stronger, she also helped Nemona complete her goal of finding the perfect rival for her which turned out to be Juliana herself, used the Herba Mystica to not only restore Koraidons ability to travel better like climbing, gliding and swimming, but also cure Arven’s partner Mabostiff, who got badly injured during an expedition in Area Zero, and proved to Team Star and their leader, Cassopeia, aka Penny, that there is no need to be afraid in going back to school and that hurting others is not the right thing to do. Juliana also learned of Team Star’s tragic backstory of them being bullied by other students and retaliating against them.

After that ordeal is done, Juliana was about to rest back at Naranja Academy when she got a call from Arven to meet him at Zero Gate at the Great Crater of Paldea, which is forbidden entry due to how dangerous it is since the Quaking Earth Titan was a Great Tusk that escaped from the even dangerous Area Zero. She met him, Nemona and Penny at the entrance and they got the elevator to the lift to Area Zero working thanks to Penny’s hacking skills.

It took them a bit longer to enter since Koraidon did not want to go there due to some trauma, but the four students helped out. As soon as they entered, Koraidon returned to its Pokéball because of fear, which led the four of them to find Professor Sada, who is trapped in the Zero Lab, by foot. Along the way, they unlocked all four locks in the research stations blocking the entrance to Zero Lab, fighting a Glimmora outside the first station, which Nemona recognizes as a Pokémon Geeta, La Primera, owns, a Scream Tail, which Penny confused for a Jigglypuff, and another Great Tusk. At the same time, the behavior of Professor Sada is acting stranger and stranger.

Upon reaching the Zero Lab, they confront another Koraidon that sent Juliana’s Koraidon away after a turf war and an army of ancient looking Pokémon similar to Misdreavus and Amoongus. Nemona, Penny and Arven stayed behind to hold the reinforcements while Juliana entered the Zero Lab.

As she explores the Zero Lab, she sees Professor Sada, but it is an AI made to look and act like Professor Sada because the real Professor Sada passed away protecting Juliana’s Koraidon from the aggressive Koraidon. The AI takes Juliana to the time machine and begs for her to stop the original Professor’s wishes to continue the Time Machine. As she tries to fulfill the AI’s wish, it challenges her to a battle with a team of ancient looking Pokémon.When Nemona, Arven and Penny arrive to help Juliana, the AI activates the Time Machine’s Paradise Protection Protocol to lock all Pokémon except those on the ownership of Professor.

Just when all hope is lost when the AI sends out the aggressive Koraidon, Juliana uses the Koraidon she has been taking care of. Her kindness and devotion helped Koraidon regain its true strength and with everyone’s cheers, Koraidon defeated its aggressive counterpart.

Victory was bittersweet. Paldea was saved, but Arven learned the truth of his mother from an AI who was replicating her appearance and behavior. And not only that, AI Sada decided to use the time machine to go to the ancient past to discover her dream and freedom.

It has been three months ever since the start of the Treasure Hunt. Juliana had a long schedule, doing the Gym Inspections in Geeta’s stead, participating in the Academy Ace tournament founded by Nemona, completing her Pokédex and helping Professor Jacq on his research with Tera Raids.

Her Rotom Phone Rang when she had caught a mysterious ancient Suicune called Walking Wake.

“Hello?” She answered the call.

“Hello, Juliana, my girl!” Professor Jacq said with his useful cheerful tone.

“Hello, Professor Jacq.” The brown haired girl smiled. “Did you need something for your research?” “Actually, I called you for something else.” Professor Jacq answered. “Remember when you signed up for a lottery for an upcoming school trip?” “Yes. I did.” Juliana nodded, playing with her braid. “What happened?” “We just got the results in just a day and you are one of four students to be chosen for the trip!” The Professor said with a happier tone. “Really?!” Juliana beamed in joy. “I’m chosen! I’m so happy!” “No need to worry about asking permission.” Jacq said. “Your mother gave us the good to go. Why don’t you meet me and a special someone at the Academy’s Entrance?”

“I will.” Juliana smiled. “See you there.”

As she hung up the call, she couldn’t help herself when she jumped in joy. It was the first time she had a trip ever since moving out from Galar. She ran towards Skeledirge, Koraidon and the rest of her Pokémon. “Koraidon, Skeledirge, Tinkaton, Kilowatrel, Arboliva, Armarouge, Annihalape!” She cheered. “We are chosen for the trip! We’re going to make so many friends! People and Pokémon alike!” Her Pokémon made a variety of noises in celebration, the loudest being Skeledirge and Koraidon. “Let’s go back to Naranja Academy! Professor Jacq is waiting for us!” She said as she recalled her Pokémon except for Koraidon.

After she made some preparations, Juliana entered Naranja Academy, where at the entrance hall, a woman with dark blond hair was waiting for her. The woman turned around as Juliana approached her.

“Ah. Hello, you must be Juliana, right?” The woman greeted the girl. “One of four students in Naranja Academy chosen by lottery?” “Yes, ma’am.” Juliana nodded. “I am Juliana.” “Nice to meet you, sweet Juliana.” The woman smiled. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Briar, and I will be your guide for our field trip to Kitakami. I am also a teacher at Blueberry Academy, which is located in Unova.” “Blueberry Academy, such a cool name!” Juliana got more excited to hear of Blueberry Academy. “I’m happy to hear that you love the small details I gave to our school.” Briar said with joy in her voice. “I am also here for another reason… Have you heard of Area Zero?” “Yes.” Juliana nodded. “I went there as part of my Treasure Hunt.” “I see.” Briar hummed. “Apparently, I am here to request access to Area Zero after hearing of a mysterious Pokémon called Terapagos. I even got the original note about Terapagos from Heath, the founder of the Scarlet Book, who is my ancestor. Anyway, let us change the topic back to the field trip. Did you make some preparations for our trip to Kitakami?” “Of course, ma’am.” Juliana nodded. Jacq and three other students, a small boy wearing a red cap, a taller boy and a girl, arrive. “Apologies for my lateness, Miss Briar.” Jacq said. “I was making some updates on the Pokédex app since Kitakami will have different Pokémon.” “My, you are very well-prepared, Mister Jacq.” Briar mused. “Juliana, would you allow me to update the Pokédex App on your Rotom Phone?” Jacq turned to Juliana.

“Of course, Professor Jacq!” Juliana agreed.

After Jacq upgraded Juliana’s Pokédex to add the Kitakami Pokédex, Briar, Juliana and the other three students headed off for a long plane flight and bus ride to Kitakami Road in the Kitakami region. As they took a rest at the bus stop, the red cap student started feeling motion sick and Briar requested Juliana to find some help at the nearby town’s community center. Juliana agreed out of kindness and selflessness, and headed off to the nearby Mossui Town.

Juliana was intrigued by the variety of Pokémon not seen in Paldea, Yanma, Poochyena, Volbeat, Johtoian Wooper, Corphish and Sewaddle. She stopped herself from being distracted as she arrived at Mossui Town and saw a pair of siblings, an older sister and a younger brother, talking to each other in front of the community center.

“Are those two kids residents of Mossui Town?” Juliana thought to herself. “Maybe they can help tend to Josue.”

The younger brother saw Juliana and turned to his sister. “Sis! Look!” He said. “There’s another one!”

The Older sister smiled to herself and ran off towards Juliana with her younger brother following her and hiding behind her back.

“Hello.” The Older sister greeted Juliana by waving. “I see that you do not belong here in Kitakami. Who might you be?” “Hello.” Juliana smiled, unaware that the kindness the older sister has is a facade. “I’m Juliana. I study at Naranja Academy in Paldea and I need your help.”

The younger brother leaned sideways a bit from behind his sister and looked at Juliana in awe.

“No way…” He muttered. “So cool…”

“Hush, Kieran.” The older sister turned to her younger brother, Kieran, before facing Juliana. “Anyway, Juliana, my name is Carmine and I am afraid I cannot let you pass to Mossui Town. Not unless you battle me.”

“Hold on.” Juliana raised her hands. “I actually need help.” “She’s right, Sis.” Kieran said. “We can’t just battle strangers out of nowhere.”

“Kiki… I said-” Carmine growled before she was interrupted by Juliana. “One of my classmates fell ill after a long flight and bus ride and I need to find someone who can help me out by tending to him.” Juliana said. “N-no way!” Kieran shook his head. “Th-this is a very serious matter! I’ll go get the caretaker so he can help!”

As Kieran runs off to get some help, Carmine turns to him. “Kiki, what are you-?!” Carmine tried to call out to her brother, but he was far off, so she turned to Juliana. “Well, it seems that you managed to speak some sense to my younger brother, but unfortunately, you will not fool me.” “This isn’t a joke!” Juliana tried to calm Carmine down.

“I don’t care what you say. We are going to battle.” Carmine growled as she took a Pokéball and sent out Poochyena.

Juliana sighed as she had no choice as she sent out Annihalape.

It didn’t take some effort for Juliana since she just used Annihalape to defeat Carmine’s Poochyena, Vulpix and Poltchageist.

“I cannot believe it!” Carmine growled as she grabbed the strands on her hair. “There is no way you should have been able to beat me!” She takes a deep breath and calms down. “Alright… I guess you pass… barely. I’ll let you into town. But only if you become one of my grunts and do every little thing I-”

Just as Carmine was about to make Juliana into her “grunt”, Kieran and an old man come out of the community center. “Oi!” The man called out to Carmine. “What are you doing, causing a ruckus out here?!”

“Tch… here comes trouble.” Carmine hissed before running off.

“Sis! Wait up!” Kieran called out to her to no avail. He let out a sigh. “I am so sorry… Sis can be… stubborn.”

“It’s ok.” Juliana smiled. “I dealt with worse.” “I see that you are a student of Naranja Academy” The old man turned to Juliana and smiled. “I will be the caretaker for your trip. I apologize for Carmine’s behavior. She has been rowdy as of last week. Also, I got word from Kieran that you need help on a classmate of yours who fell ill. Is that correct?” “Y-yes, sir.” Kieran nodded.

“Very Well.” The Caretaker said. “I will help out.” “Thank you.” Juliana said. “They’re still at the bus stop.”

“Thank you, young lady.” The Caretaker smiled. “You are such a kind girl.”

The Caretaker left to tend to the sick student.

“Th-thank you for the w-warning.” Kieran said, playing with his hair. “And… I’m sorry for Sis’ behavior…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Juliana smiled. “You made the right choice to tell someone. Oh, she did challenge me to a battle and I defeated her.” “Wowzers!” Kieran gasped. “You actually beat my sis?! No people could defeat Sis when they arrived at Kitakami.”

“You have a lot of knowledge on this, Kieran.” Juliana shook her head.

“I actually live here.” Kieran smiles shily. “And… I look forward to studying with you for this Field Trip.”

Kieran ran back home as Briar, the caretaker and the students arrived, the red cap the student feeling better. After that, everyone had a feast at the community center and had a goodnight sleep.

“What an interesting Field Trip we’re gonna have.” Juliana thought to herself. “Kieran’s such a nice kid… but Carmine… I feel like I might have trouble trying to get to know her if she has some issues with me trying to enter Mossui…”

The Paldean girl went to bed, trying to get a good night's sleep for the next day.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Right now, Plato paces the room as Marsilio reads Timaeus. When someone borrows one of his people for a long duration, it feels as if a fibre of Marsilio’s soul has been severed and he must beg to have that person returned so he can restitch everything back together inside of himself. Plato-Timaeus has only recently come back to him, stolen away as he was by Angelo for many months. They must reacquaint themselves with each other. All friends do, when there has been a distance of time and space between them. Marsilio is all earnest, honest intention but the letter from his sister on the bedside table keeps attracting his attention. Tommaso left, she says, then he returned. Now he is ill. What is there between these lines that speaks to him? Some riddle, that is certain. Marsilio turns a page as he turns this over. There is a matter here worthy of digging into. There is a matter here that might be quite grave. ‘I would have you pay attention to my words,’ Plato begs. ‘I think my sister has need of me rather urgently.’ ‘I would have you reread what you pretended to just read now,’ Plato insists. ‘Tommaso left,’ Marsilio says. ‘Then he returned. But there was something beneath left that I wish to know.’ ‘I’m asking you kindly,’ Plato whispers. ‘I shall leave tomorrow. He could be ill, but I suspect there is something else wrong beyond simple illness. Why not turn to a local doctor? Florence is not short of good men who would do well by her son. No, no, the meat of the letter was when she said that she needed to explain things to me in person. That if she wrote it out, it would cause her despair. That is what this all turns on. And mark me, my dear Plato, it must be very wrong indeed if Agnola is writing to me about it.’ Plato sits on the trunk at the foot of Marsilio’s bed, his robes swathed about him with his craterous, well-worn face turned towards moonlight. Marsilio regards the old philosopher for a time before saying, ‘I am sorry, I do mean to pay attention when I visit with you.’ ‘It is no matter.’ ‘It is a matter or you would not be so put out. Come,’ Marsilio pats the edge of the bed near him. ‘I shall be serious about our conversation. Where was I? Oh yes, you were telling me about the creation of the world’s soul. This is one of my favourite parts.’ ‘Naturally, it deals in love.’ ‘My dear Plato, if there is a philosophy that holds no love then it is not a philosophy worth knowing.’

One of my favourite things about Marsilio is how he spoke of his books as if they were literal humans. I love that for him. Bless his little platonic heart.

Anyway, his sister Agnola has written him about some spooky things happening and home regarding her son and our Marsilio is On The Case.

[angelkarafilli]

Martin Landau and Barbara Bain in Space: 1999 (1975–1977)

In 1999, Moonbase Alpha, nestled in the Lunar crater Plato, is a scientific research colony and watchdog over silos of atomic waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side. On September 13, 1999, magnetic energy builds to cause an explosive chain-reaction of the waste, blasting the Moon out of Earth's orbit and off the plane of the ecliptic, out of the Solar System. The inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha are unable to return to Earth and must survive on their wandering Moon as it is displaced further into unknown space by freak space warps. Along the way, they are joined by an alien woman with the ability to change herself into any living creature at will.

[arvensimp]

The Scarlet Wallpaper

a Lakehouseshipping parody of The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Turo takes Sada off to the stay in a lighthouse when she seems unwell after Arven is born

CW: postpartum illnesses including depression, anxiety, and psychosis

Please note that this is a (not particularly humorous) parody of a work that is in the public domain. I am not claiming any of Perkins Gilman's phenomenal wordsmithing as my own, and I highly recommend reading the original work (it is hyperlinked above)! I am not writing this for any sort of profit. this is just parody inspired by a really good work that hits close to home.

~

It is very seldom that mere researchers like Turo and I secure enough additional funding to cover housing for the summers, much less on the coast.

A historical lighthouse, still in use! I could say a calm reprieve or hope in a storm, and reach the height of romantic felicity—but that would be asking too much of fate!

Still I will proudly declare that there is something queer about it.

Else, why should it be let so easily? And why have it stand so long untenanted? And to be given to scientists, no less?

Turo laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.

Turo is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with fantasy, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures. I could guess he doesn’t even like the term “ghost pokemon,” believing that science could better explain the phenomena. This is not to say that I am not also a woman with a firm root in science, but I am not so blinded by electricity and time's unending march forward that I cannot hope to learn from stories of the past. Things unexplained then may have solutions now. Some do not. Many do not.

Turo and I are professors both, and perhaps—(I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind)—perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster.

You see, he does not believe I am sick!

And what can one do?

If a professor of high standing, and one’s own husband and research partner, assures friends and colleagues that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency towards the fantastical perhaps—what is one to do?

My close friend Jacq is also a professor, and also of high standing, and he says the same thing.

So I take vitamins and minerals or pokeblocks and poffins—whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden by him to “work” until I am well again.

Personally, I disagree with the idea.

Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. Proper research is a thrill in and of itself which would rouse me back to my senses and life.

But what is one to do?

I did read and work, writing for a while in spite of them; but it does exhaust me a good deal—having to be so sly about it, or else meet with heavy opposition.

I sometimes imagine that in my condition if I had less opposition and more interaction and stimulus (at the very least interaction!)—but Turo says the very worst thing I can do is to think about my condition, and I confess it always makes me feel bad.

So I will let it alone and talk about the lighthouse.

The most singular and spectacular location! Apart from the labs in the crater, of course. It is quite alone, standing well high on the road, quite a ways from Los Platos but still nicely on Poco Path. In some ways it makes me think of Hoenn, for there are hedges and fences and a gate that locks, and then so much water, sprawling and sparkling and clear, far as the eye can see!

There is a delicious bit of greenery nearby too! While it cannot compare with other areas in our dear Paldea, it is still rather quaint. It is large and shady, full of box-bordered paths, and lined with long grape-covered arbors with seats under them.

There was once a dock down below towards the shore, too, on the sandy beach, though it has more or less crumbled into the sea. In a few years the water will have eroded the last traces of its existence.

There was some economic trouble with shipping, I believe, something about the cost of having to heave freight up the hill; anyhow, the dock has been empty for years. Hence the lighthouse has been left empty, only turned on and off by a timer.

That spoils my ghostliness, I am afraid; but I don’t care—there is something about the lighthouse—I can feel it.

I even said so to Turo one moonlit evening, but he said what I felt was just the humidity, and shut the window.

I get unreasonably angry with Turo sometimes. I’m sure I never used to be so...sensitive. I think it is due to this "nervous condition."

But Turo says if I feel so, I shall neglect proper self-control; so I take pains to control myself,—before him, at least,—and that makes me very tired. He makes me tired.

I don’t like our room a single iota. I wanted one downstairs that opened onto the fence overlooking the water and had sprawling ivy all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! but Turo would not hear of it.

He said there was only one window and not room for our Nidoking sized bed.

He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction or instruction of some sort.

I have a scheduled prescription for each hour in the day; he takes all care from me, and so I feel basely ungrateful not to value it more.

He said we came here solely on my account and on behalf of the generosity of our funding sources, that I was to have perfect rest and all the air I could get. “Your exercise depends on your strength, my treasure,” said he, “and your food somewhat on your appetite; but air you can absorb all the time.” So we took the room at the top of the lighthouse.

It is a big, airy room, the whole floor nearly, with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore. It was likely a landing first, then perhaps a pokemon nursery, and then maybe a pokemon gym. I should judge; for the windows are barred for little children and creatures, and there are rings and things in the walls.

The paint and paper look as if a childrens’ school had used it. It is stripped off—the paper—in great patches all around the head of my bed, about as far as I can reach, and in a great place on the other side of the room low down. I never saw a worse paper in my life.

One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin. I did not pay much attention in my art classes, but I know this much.

It is dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate, and provoke study, and when you follow the lame, uncertain curves for a little distance they suddenly commit suicide—plunge off at outrageous angles, destroy themselves in unheard-of contradictions.

The color is repellant, almost revolting; a smouldering, rusting scarlet, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight.

It is a dull yet lurid orange in some places, a grimy muddy tint in others.

No wonder the children hated it! I should hate it myself if I had to live in this room long.

There comes Turo, and I must put this away,—he hates to have me write a word.

-

We have been here two weeks, and I haven’t felt like writing before, since that first day.

I am sitting by the window now, up in this atrocious bedroom, and there is nothing to hinder my writing as much as I please, save lack of strength.

Turo is away all day, and even some nights when his research calls him.

I wish I could answer my own research! Our research!

But these nervous troubles are dreadfully depressing.

Turo does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.

Of course it is only nervousness. It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any way!

I meant to be a partner to Turo, a rival, a rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already!

Nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able—to dress and brush my teeth, and eat food.

It is fortunate Clavell is so good with the baby. Such a dear baby!

And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous.

I suppose Turo never was nervous in his life. He laughs at me so about this wallpaper!

At first he meant to repaper the room, but afterwards he said that I was letting it get the better of me, and that nothing was worse for a nervous patient than to give way to such fancies.

He said that after the wallpaper was changed it would be the heavy bedstead, and then the barred windows, and then that gate at the head of the stairs, and so on.

“You know the place is doing you good,” he said, “and really, querida, I don’t care to renovate the house just for a three months’ rental.”

“Then do let us go downstairs,” I said, “there are nicer rooms there. Plus the water is so close.”

Then he took me in his arms and called me a sweet little fuecoco, and said he would go down to the cellar if I wished, and have it whitewashed into the bargain.

But he is right enough about the beds and windows and things.

It is as airy and comfortable a room as any one need wish, and, of course, I would not be so unreasonable as to make him go so far just for a whim.

I’m really getting quite fond of the big room, all but that horrid paper.

Out of one window I can see the path to Los Platos, those mysterious deep-shaded arbors, the riotous old-fashioned flowers, and bushes and gnarly trees.

Out of another I get a lovely view of the ocean and the cliff side that dips down almost dangerously steeply. There is a beautiful shaded lane that runs down there from the house. I always think I see people and pokemon walking in these numerous paths and arbors, but Turo has cautioned me not to give way to imagination in the least. He says that with my prowess and habit of story-making a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency. So I grit my teeth and try.

I think sometimes that if I were only well enough to go to the lab for a little while it would relieve the press of ideas and rest me.

But I find I get pretty tired when I think too hard on it.

It is so discouraging not to have any advice and companionship about my research. When I get really well Turo says we will ask Professors Kukui and Burnett over for a long visit; but he says he would as soon put a Electrode in my pillow-case as to let me have those stimulating people about now.

I wish I could get well faster.

But I must not think about that. This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!

There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside-down. Like a red Mimikyu with its head nearly torn asunder.

I get positively furious with the impropriety of it and the unendingness. Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere. There is one place where two breadths didn’t match, and the eyes go all up and down the line, one a little higher than the other. Skittering and jittering about, like googly eyes in a blender.

I never saw so much expression in an inanimate thing before, at least. An inanimate thing that is truly inanimate and not a Pokemon in disguise. And we all know how much expression they have! I used to lie awake as a child and get more entertainment and terror out of blank walls and plain furniture than most children could find in a pokemart filled with dolls and toys.

I remember what a kindly wink the knobs of our big old vargueño used to have, and there was one accompanying chair that always seemed like a strong friend.

I used to feel that if any of the other things looked too fierce I could always hop into that chair and be safe.

The furniture and trappings of this room are no worse than inharmonious, however, for we had to bring it all from the winding downstairs. I suppose when this was used as a gymnasium area they had to take the Pokemon nursery things out, and no wonder! I never saw such ravages as the pokemon have made here.

The wallpaper, as I said before, is torn off in spots, and it sticks closer than a Zweilous—they must have had perseverance as well as hatred.

Then the floor is scratched and gouged and splintered, the wooden plank itself is dug out here and there, and this great heavy bed, which is all we found in the room, looks as if it had been through the Kalosian war.

But I don’t mind any of that a bit—only the paper.

There comes Clavell. Such a dear man as he is, and so careful of me! I must not let him find me writing.

He is a perfect, and enthusiastic caregiver and hopes only for the best for me. I verily believe he thinks it is the writing which made me sick!

But I can write when he is out, and see him a long way off from these windows.

There is one that commands the road, a lovely, sunny, winding road, and one that just looks off over the country. A lovely country, too, full of great green velvet with dipping grassy knolls and even a strange looking lock off in the distance...

This wallpaper has a kind of sub-pattern in a different shade of scarlet, a particularly irritating one, for you can only see it in certain lights, and not clearly even then.

But in the places where it isn’t faded, and where the sun is just so, I can see a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to skulk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design.

There’s Clavell on the stairs!

-

Well, All Legends' Day has come and gone! The guests have left and I am tired out. Turo thought it might do me good to see a little company, so we just had Geeta, Hassel, and a few others from the board down for a week.

Of course I didn’t do a thing. Turo sees to everything now.

But it tired me all the same.

Turo says if I don’t pick up faster he shall send me to Professor Birch in the New Year; he says the air in Verdanturf might do me well.

But I don’t want to go to Hoenn at all. I secretly imagine perhaps my Turo only wants to see what kind of electrical phenomena might be happening down the road in Mauville! What kind of futuristic gadgets he might ogle after!

Besides, it is such an undertaking to go so far.

I don’t feel as if it was worthwhile to turn my hand over for anything, and I’m getting dreadfully fretful and querulous, not to mention agitated.

Perhaps worst of all, I am loath to admit, I cry at nothing, and cry most of the time.

Of course I don’t when Turo is here, or anybody else, but when I am alone.

And I am alone a good deal just now. Turo is kept in lab very often by serious cases, and Clavell is good and lets me alone when I want him to.

So I walk a little along Poco Path or down that lovely hill to the water, sit on the sand under the cliff, and lie down up here a good deal.

I’m getting really fond of the room in spite of the wallpaper. Perhaps because of the wallpaper.

It lingers in my mind so!

I lie here on this great immovable bed—it is nailed down, I believe—and follow that pattern about by the hour. It is as good as acrobatics, I assure you. I start, we’ll say, at the bottom, down in the corner over there where it has not been touched, and I determine for the thousandth time that I will follow that pointless pattern to some sort of a conclusion.

I know little of the principles of design, but I know this thing was not arranged on any laws of repetition, or alternation, or evolution, or mega evolution, or terastalizing anything else that I ever heard of.

It is repeated, of course, by the breadths, but not otherwise.

Looked at in one way, each breadth stands alone, the bloated curves and flourishes—a kind of “debauched Kalosienne”—go waddling up and down in isolated columns of fatuity.

But, on the other hand, they connect diagonally, and the sprawling outlines run off in great slanting waves of optic horror, like a lot of wallowing dragalge in full chase.

The whole thing goes horizontally, too, at least it seems so, and I exhaust myself in trying to distinguish the order of its going in that direction.

They have used a horizontal breadth for a frieze, and that adds wonderfully to the confusion.

There is one end of the room where it is almost intact, and there, when the cross-lights fade and the low sun shines directly upon it, I can almost fancy evolution after all,—the interminable grotesques seem to form around a common centre and rush off in headlong plunges of equal distraction, growing, becoming bigger, better, stronger, more powerful.

It exhausts me to follow it. I will take a nap, I guess.

-

I don’t know why I should write this.

I don’t want to.

I don’t feel able.

And I know Turo would think it absurd. But I must say what I feel and think in some way—it is such a relief!

But the effort is getting to be greater than the relief.

Half the time now I am awfully lazy, and spend more and more of each day hibernating or horizontal.

Turo says I musn’t lose my strength, and has me take feebas-liver oil and lots of potions and things, to say nothing of breads and wine and rare meat.

Dear Turo! He loves me so much, and hates to have me sick. I tried to have a real, earnest reasonable talk with him the other day, and tell him how I wish he would let me go and make a visit to Kukui and Burnett.

But he said I wasn’t able to go, nor able to stand it after I got there; and I did not make a very good case for myself, for I was crying before I had finished.

It is getting to be a great effort for me to think rationally. Just this nervous weakness, I suppose.

And dearest Turo gathered me up in his arms, and just carried me upstairs and laid me on the bed, and sat by me and read his research notes to me till it tired my head.

It was the most infuriating thing! I want nothing more than to be back in lab! To think! To work! To feel well enough to think and work and be in lab and research! To have his research, our research, read to me and exhaust me to the point that I couldn't concentrate? It brought me to tears. I tried my best to hide them, but nothing gets past Turo.

He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well. He will not make the mistake again to read to me in such a manner.

He says only I can help myself out of my illness, that I must use my will, intelligence, and self-control and not let any silly fancies run away with me.

There’s one comfort: Arven is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this room with the horrid wallpaper.

If we had not used it that blessed child would have! What a fortunate escape! Why, I wouldn’t have a child of mine, an impressionable little thing, live in such a room for worlds.

I never thought of it before, but it is lucky that Turo kept me here after all. I can stand it so much easier than a baby, you see.

Of course I never mention it to them any more,—I am too wise,—but I keep watch of it all the same.

There are things in that paper that nobody knows but me, or ever will.

Behind that outside pattern the dim shapes get clearer every day.

It is always the same shape, only very numerous.

And it is like a pokemon. A dragon, a massive dragon stooping down and creeping about behind that pattern. I don’t like it a bit. I wonder—I begin to think—I wish Turo would take me away from here!

-

It is so hard to talk with Turo about my case, because he is so smart, and because he loves me so.

But I tried it last night.

It was moonlight. The moon shines in all around, just as the sun does.

I hate to see it sometimes, it creeps so slowly, and always comes in by one window or another.

Turo was asleep and I hated to waken him, so I kept still and watched the moonlight on that undulating wallpaper till I felt creepy.

The faint figure behind seemed to shake the pattern, just as if it wanted to get out.

I got up softly and went to feel and see if the paper did move, and when I came back Turo was awake.

“What is it, my treasure?” he said sleepily. “Don’t go walking about like that—you might hurt yourself.”

I thought it was a good time to talk, so I told him that I really was not gaining here, and that I wished we would leave already.

“Why, querida!” said he, “our lease will be up in three weeks, and I can’t see how to leave before.

“The repairs are not done at home, and we cannot possibly have you back in the lab now. Of course if you were in any danger I could and would, but you really are better, cariña, whether you can see it or not. I know. You are gaining flesh and color, your appetite is better. I feel really much easier about you.”

“I don’t weigh a bit more,” said I, “nor as much; and my appetite may be better in the evening, when you are here, but it is worse in the morning when you are away.”

“Bless her little heart!” said he with a big hug; “she shall be as sick as she pleases! But now let’s improve the shining hours by going to sleep, and talk about it in the morning!”

“And you won’t go away?” I asked, admittedly petulantly.

“Why, how can I, my treasure? It is only three weeks more and then we will take a nice little trip of a few days while Clavell helps with getting the house ready. Really, cariña, you are better!”

“Better in body perhaps”—I began, and stopped short, for he sat up straight and looked at me with such a stern, reproachful look that I could not say another word.

“My treasure,” said he, “I beg of you, for my sake and for Arven’s sake, as well as for your own, that you will never for one instant let that idea enter your mind! There is nothing so dangerous, so fascinating, to a temperament like yours. It is a false and foolish fancy. Can you not trust me when I tell you so?”

So of course I said no more on that, and we went to sleep before long. He thought I was asleep first, but I wasn’t,—I lay there for hours trying to decide whether that front pattern and the back pattern really did move together or separately.

On a pattern like this, by daylight, there is a lack of sequence, a defiance of law, that is a constant irritant to an intelligent mind.

The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing.

You think you have mastered it, but just as you get well under way in following, it turns a back somersault and there you are. It double slaps you in the face, knocks you down, and tramples upon you. It is like a bad dream sent by a Hypno.

The outside pattern is a florid arabesque, reminding me of an ancient Pokemon from an old book...a brute bonnet. Like a fungus with shades of moss. If you can imagine that in joints, an interminable string of scarlet brute bonnets, budding and sprouting in endless convolutions,—why, that is something like it.

That is, sometimes! Other times maybe more like a paras. Or a parasect.

Sometimes.

There is one marked peculiarity about this paper, a thing nobody seems to notice but myself, and that is that it changes as the light changes.

When the sun shoots in through the east window—I always watch for that first long, straight ray—it changes so quickly that I never can quite believe it.

That is why I watch it always.

By moonlight—the moon shines in all night when there is a moon—I wouldn’t know it was the same paper.

At night in any kind of light, in twilight, candlelight, lamplight, and worst of all by moonlight, it becomes bars! The outside pattern I mean, and the pokemon behind it is as plain as can be.

I didn’t realize for a long time what the thing was that showed behind,—that dim sub-pattern,—but now I am quite sure it is a pokemon. Maybe two, for sometimes I see it moving as if bipedally, other times as if on all fours.

By daylight it is subdued, quiet. I fancy it is the pattern that keeps it so still. It is so puzzling. It keeps me quiet by the hour, too.

-

I lie down ever so much now. Turo says it is good for me, and to sleep all I can.

Indeed, he started the habit by making me lie down for an hour after each meal.

It is a very bad habit, I am convinced, for, you see, I don’t sleep.

And that cultivates deceit, for I don’t tell them I’m awake,—oh, no!

The fact is, I am getting a little upset with Turo.

He seems very queer sometimes, and even Clavell has an inexplicable look.

It strikes me occasionally, just as a scientific hypothesis, that perhaps it is the paper!

I have watched Turo when he did not know I was looking, and come into the room suddenly on the most innocent excuses, and I’ve caught him several times looking at the paper! And Clavell too. I caught Clavell with his hand on it once.

He didn’t know I was in the room, and when I asked him in a quiet, a very quiet voice, with the most restrained manner possible, what he was doing with the paper, he turned around as if he had been caught stealing, and looked quite stern—asked me why I should surprise him so!

Then he said that the paper seemed to stain everything it touched, that he had found scarlet splotches on all my clothes and Turo’s, and he wished we would be more careful!

Did not that sound innocent? But I know he was studying that pattern, and I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself!

Life is very much more exciting now than it used to be. You see I have something more to expect, to look forward to, to watch. I really do eat better, and am more quiet than I was.

Turo is so pleased to see me improve! He laughed a little the other day, and said I seemed to be flourishing in spite of my wallpaper.

I brushed it off with a laugh. I had no intention of telling him it was because of the wallpaper—he would make fun of me. He might even want to take me away.

I don’t want to leave now until I have found it out. There is a week more, and I think that will be enough.

I’m feeling ever so much better! I don’t sleep much at night, for it is so interesting to watch developments; but I sleep a good deal in the daytime.

In the daytime it is tiresome and perplexing.

There are always new shoots on the brute bonnets, and new shades of scarlet all over them. I cannot keep count of it, though I have tried conscientiously.

It is the strangest scarlet, that wallpaper! It makes me think of all the scarlet things I ever saw—not beautiful ones like tulips, but rotting, foul, bad scarlet things.

But there is something else about that paper—the smell! I noticed it the moment we came into the room, but with so much air and sun it was not bad. Now we have had a week of fog and rain, making the air stagnant and cloyingly humid, and since the windows must stay closed, the smell is here.

It creeps all over the house.

I find it hovering downstairs, skulking in the landing, hiding in the hall, lying in wait for me on the doorways.

It gets into my hair. I've even painstakingly brushed and washed it to try and get it out, to no success.

If I turn my head suddenly, surprise! There is that smell!

Such a peculiar odor, too! I have spent hours in trying to analyze it, to find what it smelled like.

It is not bad—at first, and very gentle, but quite the subtlest, most enduring odor I ever met.

In this damp weather it is awful. I wake up in the night and find it hanging over me.

It used to disturb me at first. I thought seriously of burning the house—to reach the smell.

But now I am used to it. The only thing I can think of that it is like is the color of the paper! A scarlet smell.

-

There is a very funny mark on this wall, low down, near the mopboard. A streak that runs round the room. It goes behind every piece of furniture, except the bed, a long, straight, even splotch, as if it had been rubbed over and over.

I wonder how it was done and who did it, and what they did it for. Round and round and round—round and round and round—it makes me dizzy!

I really have discovered something at last.

Through watching so much at night, when it changes so, I have finally found out.

The front pattern does move—and no wonder! The Pokemon behind shakes it!

Sometimes I think there are a great many Pokemon behind, and sometimes only one, and it crawls around fast, and its crawling shakes it all over.

Then in the very bright spots it keeps still, and in the very shady spots it just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard.

And it is all the time trying to climb through or bend them apart. But nobody could climb through that pattern—it strangles so; I think that is why it has so many heads.

They get through, and then the pattern strangles them off and turns them upside-down, and makes their eyes white!

If those heads were covered or taken off it would not be half so bad.

-

I think that pokemon gets out in the daytime!

And I’ll tell you why—privately—I’ve seen it!

I can see it out of every one of my windows!

It is the same pokemon, I know, for it is always creeping, and most Pokemon that big do not creep by daylight.

I see it on Poco Path, creeping up and down. I see it going up and down the cliff road leading to the sandy shore, creeping through the nearby cave network.

I see it on that long road with the grassy knolls, creeping along, and when an errant person comes it crawls vertically up the cliff face!

I don’t blame it a bit. It must be very humiliating to be caught creeping by daylight!

I always lock the door when I creep by daylight. I can’t do it at night, for I know Turo would suspect something at once.

And Turo is so queer now, that I don’t want to irritate him. I wish he would take another room! Besides, I don’t want anybody to get that pokemon out at night but myself. My sweet scarlet dragon.

I often wonder if I could see it out of all the windows at once.

But, turn as fast as I can, I can only see out of one at one time.

And though I always see it, it may be able to creep faster than I can turn!

I have watched it sometimes away off in Los Platos, gliding as fast as a cloud shadow in a high wind.

If only that top pattern could be gotten off from the under one! I mean to try it, little by little.

I have found out another funny thing, but I shan’t tell it this time! It does not do to trust people too much. Not even paper people.

There are only two more days to get this paper off, and I believe Turo is beginning to notice. I don’t like the look in his eyes.

And I heard him ask Clavell a lot of professional questions about me. He had a very good report to give.

He said I slept a good deal in the daytime.

Turo knows I don’t sleep very well at night, for all I’m so unusually still and quiet!

He asked me all sorts of questions, too, and pretended to be very loving and kind.

As if I couldn’t see through him!

Still, I don’t wonder why he acts so, sleeping under this paper for three months.

It only interests me, but I feel sure Turo and Clavell are secretly affected by it.

-

Hurrah! This is the last day, but it is enough. Turo is to stay in the lab overnight, and won’t be out until this evening.

Clavell wanted to sleep in the room with me—the sly thing! but I told him I should undoubtedly rest better for a night all alone.

That was clever, for really I wasn’t alone a bit! As soon as it was moonlight, and that poor thing began to crawl and shake the pattern, I got up and ran to help it.

I pulled and it shook, I shook and it pulled, and before morning we had peeled off yards of that paper.

A strip about as high as my head and half around the room.

And then when the sun came and that awful pattern began to laugh at me I declared I would finish it to-day!

We go away to-morrow, and the pokemon movers are taking all my furniture down again to leave things as they were before.

Clavell looked at the wall in amazement, but I told him merrily that I did it out of pure spite at the vicious thing.

He laughed and said he wouldn’t mind doing it himself, but I must not get tired.

How he betrayed himself that time!

But I am here, and no person touches this paper but me—not alive!

He tried to get me out of the room—it was too patent! But I said it was so quiet and empty and clean now that I believed I would lie down again and sleep all I could; and not to wake me even for dinner—I would call when I woke.

So now he is gone, and the pokemon movers are gone, and the things are gone, and there is nothing left but that great bedstead nailed down, with the canvas mattress we found on it.

We shall sleep downstairs tonight, and take a cab home tomorrow.

I quite enjoy the room, now it is bare again.

How those Pokemon did tear about here back in the day!

This bedstead is fairly gnawed!

But I must get to work.

I have locked the door and thrown the key down toward the sandy shore.

I don’t want to go out, and I don’t want to have anybody come in, till Turo comes.

I want to astonish him.

I’ve got a pokeball up here that even Clavell did not find. If that pokemon does get out, and tries to get away, I can catch it!

But I forgot I could not reach far to grab the paper without anything to stand on!

This bed will not move!

I tried to lift and push it until I was lame, and then I got so angry I bit off a little piece of the frame at one corner—but it hurt my teeth.

Then I peeled off all the paper I could reach standing on the floor. It sticks horribly and the pattern just enjoys it! All those strangled heads and bulbous eyes and waddling bonnet growths just shriek with derision!

I am getting angry enough to do something desperate. To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise, but the bars are too strong even to try, as is the glass.

Besides I wouldn’t do it. Of course not. I know well enough that a step like that is foolish and might be misconstrued.

I don’t like to look out of the windows even—there are so many of those creeping pokemon, and they creep so fast.

I wonder if they all come out of that wallpaper as I did?

But I am safe and sound in my pokeball—you won’t get me out in the road there!

I suppose I shall have to get back behind the pattern when it comes night, and that is hard!

It is so pleasant to be out in this great room and creep around as I please!

I don’t want to go outside. I won’t, even if Clavell asks me to.

For outside you have to creep on the ground, and everything is green instead of scarlet.

But here I can creep along smoothly on the floor, and my shoulder just fits in that long splotch around the wall, so I cannot lose my way.

Why, there’s Turo at the door!

It is no use, Human, you can’t open it!

How he does call and pound!

Now he’s crying for an axe.

It would be a shame to break down that beautiful door!

“Turo, cariño!” said I in the gentlest voice, “the key is down by the beach, near the cliff's edge!”

That silenced him for a few moments. Did he understand me? Can he speak in my tongue? Can I speak his?

Then he said—very quietly indeed, “Open the door, my treasure!”

“I can’t,” said I. “The key is down by the beach, near the cliff's edge."

And then I said it again, several times, very gently and slowly, and said it so often that he had to go and see. Or maybe he just left.

Eventually, he found a way, of course, and came in. He stopped short by the door.

“What is the matter?” he cried. “For god’s sake, what are you doing!”

I kept on creeping just the same, but I looked at him over my shoulder.

“I’ve got out at last,” roared I, “in spite of you! And I’ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can’t put me back!”

And clearly I'm the stronger one here because my opponent fainted!

But...were we in a battle? Why would he faint? I didn't use a single move.

But he did.

He fainted right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him along my splotched wall path.

[auramage111]

A Dark Path Walked Chapter 1: The Meeting

It has been three months ever since Juliana moved from Galar to Paldea. She barely made herself at home in Cabo Poco when she decided to enroll in Naranja Academy. Not only that, Director Clavell made a visit to her house to tell her that her enrollment has been accepted. Along the journey to her new school, she met her neighbor and classmate, Nemona, who loves to battle and the two became rivals when Juliana picked Fuecoco and Nemona chose Quaxly. The newly-moved girl then met a mysterious creature called Koraidon/Miraidon after she fell off Poco Path and survived thanks to her Rotom Phone being used as a parachute, they escaped a pack of Houndour and Houndoom and met their Houndoom leader, who proved to be way too strong to Juliana and Fuecoco and Koraidon/Miraidon rescued her.

On her way to the Poco Lighthouse, she and Nemona met a young man named Arven, who is not only also a student of the same Academy she enrolled, he is also the son of the esteemed Professor Sada. After a beautiful view from the Lighthouse and an extremely long trip through Los Platos and South Province due to her not having a Cyclizar, Juliana finally arrives in Mesagoza. Before she could enter Naranja Academy, she saved a girl with an Eevee bag named Penny from some trouble making students who call themselves Team Star and she also received a Tera Orb from Nemona during the confrontation.

Upon entering the esteemed Naranja Academy, not only could she see how big and marvelous the place is, she also met Jacq, her homeroom teacher and the creator of the Paldean Pokédex, got some requests to defeat the eight gym leaders and Pokémon League from Nemona, find Five mysterious herbs called Herba Mystica from Arven and put an end to Team Star’s trouble making behavior from a mysterious entity called Cassiopeia for her Treasure Hunt. Juliana also learned that Koraidon can help her by being a ride Pokémon like Cyclizar and that made it easier for her to travel. During her Treasure Hunt, not only did she grow stronger, she also helped Nemona complete her goal of finding the perfect rival for her which turned out to be Juliana herself, used the Herba Mystica to not only restore Koraidons ability to travel better like climbing, gliding and swimming, but also cure Arven’s partner Mabostiff, who got badly injured during an expedition in Area Zero, and proved to Team Star and their leader, Cassopeia, aka Penny, that there is no need to be afraid in going back to school and that hurting others is not the right thing to do. Juliana also learned of Team Star’s tragic backstory of them being bullied by other students and retaliating against them.

After that ordeal is done, Juliana was about to rest back at Naranja Academy when she got a call from Arven to meet him at Zero Gate at the Great Crater of Paldea, which is forbidden entry due to how dangerous it is since the Quaking Earth Titan was a Great Tusk that escaped from the even dangerous Area Zero. She met him, Nemona and Penny at the entrance and they got the elevator to the lift to Area Zero working thanks to Penny’s hacking skills.

It took them a bit longer to enter since Koraidon did not want to go there due to some trauma, but the four students helped out. As soon as they entered, Koraidon returned to its Pokéball because of fear, which led the four of them to find Professor Sada, who is trapped in the Zero Lab, by foot. Along the way, they unlocked all four locks in the research stations blocking the entrance to Zero Lab, fighting a Glimmora outside the first station, which Nemona recognizes as a Pokémon Geeta, La Primera, owns, a Scream Tail, which Penny confused for a Jigglypuff, and another Great Tusk. At the same time, the behavior of Professor Sada is acting stranger and stranger.

Upon reaching the Zero Lab, they confront another Koraidon that sent Juliana’s Koraidon away after a turf war and an army of ancient looking Pokémon similar to Misdreavus and Amoongus. Nemona, Penny and Arven stayed behind to hold the reinforcements while Juliana entered the Zero Lab.

As she explores the Zero Lab, she sees Professor Sada, but it is an AI made to look and act like Professor Sada because the real Professor Sada passed away protecting Juliana’s Koraidon from the aggressive Koraidon. The AI takes Juliana to the time machine and begs for her to stop the original Professor’s wishes to continue the Time Machine. As she tries to fulfill the AI’s wish, it challenges her to a battle with a team of ancient looking Pokémon.When Nemona, Arven and Penny arrive to help Juliana, the AI activates the Time Machine’s Paradise Protection Protocol to lock all Pokémon except those on the ownership of Professor.

Just when all hope is lost when the AI sends out the aggressive Koraidon, Juliana uses the Koraidon she has been taking care of. Her kindness and devotion helped Koraidon regain its true strength and with everyone’s cheers, Koraidon defeated its aggressive counterpart.

Victory was bittersweet. Paldea was saved, but Arven learned the truth of his mother from an AI who was replicating her appearance and behavior. And not only that, AI Sada decided to use the time machine to go to the ancient past to discover her dream and freedom.

It has been three months ever since the start of the Treasure Hunt. Juliana had a long schedule, doing the Gym Inspections in Geeta’s stead, participating in the Academy Ace tournament founded by Nemona, completing her Pokédex and helping Professor Jacq on his research with Tera Raids.

Her Rotom Phone Rang when she had caught a mysterious ancient Suicune called Walking Wake.

“Hello?” She answered the call.

“Hello, Juliana, my girl!” Professor Jacq said with his useful cheerful tone.

“Hello, Professor Jacq.” The brown haired girl smiled. “Did you need something for your research?” “Actually, I called you for something else.” Professor Jacq answered. “Remember when you signed up for a lottery for an upcoming school trip?” “Yes. I did.” Juliana nodded, playing with her braid. “What happened?” “We just got the results in just a day and you are one of four students to be chosen for the trip!” The Professor said with a happier tone. “Really?!” Juliana beamed in joy. “I’m chosen! I’m so happy!” “No need to worry about asking permission.” Jacq said. “Your mother gave us the good to go. Why don’t you meet me and a special someone at the Academy’s Entrance?”

“I will.” Juliana smiled. “See you there.”

As she hung up the call, she couldn’t help herself when she jumped in joy. It was the first time she had a trip ever since moving out from Galar. She ran towards Skeledirge, Koraidon and the rest of her Pokémon. “Koraidon, Skeledirge, Tinkaton, Kilowatrel, Arboliva, Armarouge, Annihalape!” She cheered. “We are chosen for the trip! We’re going to make so many friends! People and Pokémon alike!” Her Pokémon made a variety of noises in celebration, the loudest being Skeledirge and Koraidon. “Let’s go back to Naranja Academy! Professor Jacq is waiting for us!” She said as she recalled her Pokémon except for Koraidon.

After she made some preparations, Juliana entered Naranja Academy, where at the entrance hall, a woman with dark blond hair was waiting for her. The woman turned around as Juliana approached her.

“Ah. Hello, you must be Juliana, right?” The woman greeted the girl. “One of four students in Naranja Academy chosen by lottery?” “Yes, ma’am.” Juliana nodded. “I am Juliana.” “Nice to meet you, sweet Juliana.” The woman smiled. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Briar, and I will be your guide for our field trip to Kitakami. I am also a teacher at Blueberry Academy, which is located in Unova.” “Blueberry Academy, such a cool name!” Juliana got more excited to hear of Blueberry Academy. “I’m happy to hear that you love the small details I gave to our school.” Briar said with joy in her voice. “I am also here for another reason… Have you heard of Area Zero?” “Yes.” Juliana nodded. “I went there as part of my Treasure Hunt.” “I see.” Briar hummed. “Apparently, I am here to request access to Area Zero after hearing of a mysterious Pokémon called Terapagos. I even got the original note about Terapagos from Heath, the founder of the Scarlet Book, who is my ancestor. Anyway, let us change the topic back to the field trip. Did you make some preparations for our trip to Kitakami?” “Of course, ma’am.” Juliana nodded. Jacq and three other students, a small boy wearing a red cap, a taller boy and a girl, arrive. “Apologies for my lateness, Miss Briar.” Jacq said. “I was making some updates on the Pokédex app since Kitakami will have different Pokémon.” “My, you are very well-prepared, Mister Jacq.” Briar mused. “Juliana, would you allow me to update the Pokédex App on your Rotom Phone?” Jacq turned to Juliana.

“Of course, Professor Jacq!” Juliana agreed.

After Jacq upgraded Juliana’s Pokédex to add the Kitakami Pokédex, Briar, Juliana and the other three students headed off for a long plane flight and bus ride to Kitakami Road in the Kitakami region. As they took a rest at the bus stop, the red cap student started feeling motion sick and Briar requested Juliana to find some help at the nearby town’s community center. Juliana agreed out of kindness and selflessness, and headed off to the nearby Mossui Town.

Juliana was intrigued by the variety of Pokémon not seen in Paldea, Yanma, Poochyena, Volbeat, Johtoian Wooper, Corphish and Sewaddle. She stopped herself from being distracted as she arrived at Mossui Town and saw a pair of siblings, an older sister and a younger brother, talking to each other in front of the community center.

“Are those two kids residents of Mossui Town?” Juliana thought to herself. “Maybe they can help tend to Josue.”

The younger brother saw Juliana and turned to his sister. “Sis! Look!” He said. “There’s another one!”

The Older sister smiled to herself and ran off towards Juliana with her younger brother following her and hiding behind her back.

“Hello.” The Older sister greeted Juliana by waving. “I see that you do not belong here in Kitakami. Who might you be?” “Hello.” Juliana smiled, unaware that the kindness the older sister has is a facade. “I’m Juliana. I study at Naranja Academy in Paldea and I need your help.”

The younger brother leaned sideways a bit from behind his sister and looked at Juliana in awe.

“No way…” He muttered. “So cool…”

“Hush, Kieran.” The older sister turned to her younger brother, Kieran, before facing Juliana. “Anyway, Juliana, my name is Carmine and I am afraid I cannot let you pass to Mossui Town. Not unless you battle me.”

“Hold on.” Juliana raised her hands. “I actually need help.” “She’s right, Sis.” Kieran said. “We can’t just battle strangers out of nowhere.”

“Kiki… I said-” Carmine growled before she was interrupted by Juliana. “One of my classmates fell ill after a long flight and bus ride and I need to find someone who can help me out by tending to him.” Juliana said. “N-no way!” Kieran shook his head. “Th-this is a very serious matter! I’ll go get the caretaker so he can help!”

As Kieran runs off to get some help, Carmine turns to him. “Kiki, what are you-?!” Carmine tried to call out to her brother, but he was far off, so she turned to Juliana. “Well, it seems that you managed to speak some sense to my younger brother, but unfortunately, you will not fool me.” “This isn’t a joke!” Juliana tried to calm Carmine down.

“I don’t care what you say. We are going to battle.” Carmine growled as she took a Pokéball and sent out Poochyena.

Juliana sighed as she had no choice as she sent out Annihalape.

It didn’t take some effort for Juliana since she just used Annihalape to defeat Carmine’s Poochyena, Vulpix and Poltchageist.

“I cannot believe it!” Carmine growled as she grabbed the strands on her hair. “There is no way you should have been able to beat me!” She takes a deep breath and calms down. “Alright… I guess you pass… barely. I’ll let you into town. But only if you become one of my grunts and do every little thing I-”

Just as Carmine was about to make Juliana into her “grunt”, Kieran and an old man come out of the community center. “Oi!” The man called out to Carmine. “What are you doing, causing a ruckus out here?!”

“Tch… here comes trouble.” Carmine hissed before running off.

“Sis! Wait up!” Kieran called out to her to no avail. He let out a sigh. “I am so sorry… Sis can be… stubborn.”

“It’s ok.” Juliana smiled. “I dealt with worse.” “I see that you are a student of Naranja Academy” The old man turned to Juliana and smiled. “I will be the caretaker for your trip. I apologize for Carmine’s behavior. She has been rowdy as of last week. Also, I got word from Kieran that you need help on a classmate of yours who fell ill. Is that correct?” “Y-yes, sir.” Kieran nodded.

“Very Well.” The Caretaker said. “I will help out.” “Thank you.” Juliana said. “They’re still at the bus stop.”

“Thank you, young lady.” The Caretaker smiled. “You are such a kind girl.”

The Caretaker left to tend to the sick student.

“Th-thank you for the w-warning.” Kieran said, playing with his hair. “And… I’m sorry for Sis’ behavior…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Juliana smiled. “You made the right choice to tell someone. Oh, she did challenge me to a battle and I defeated her.” “Wowzers!” Kieran gasped. “You actually beat my sis?! No people could defeat Sis when they arrived at Kitakami.”

“You have a lot of knowledge on this, Kieran.” Juliana shook her head.

“I actually live here.” Kieran smiles shily. “And… I look forward to studying with you for this Field Trip.”

Kieran ran back home as Briar, the caretaker and the students arrived, the red cap the student feeling better. After that, everyone had a feast at the community center and had a goodnight sleep.

“What an interesting Field Trip we’re gonna have.” Juliana thought to herself. “Kieran’s such a nice kid… but Carmine… I feel like I might have trouble trying to get to know her if she has some issues with me trying to enter Mossui…”

The Paldean girl went to bed, trying to get a good night's sleep for the next day.

[hellahotlancelot]

Adult headcanons for the Great Crater Gang

These are my headcanons for what the Great Crater Gang (MC, Penny, Arven, Nemona, and Koraidon) are like as adults. I played Scarlet as fem MC so I'm thinking of these headcanons in those terms. You can switch things around for Violet and/or male MC as needed. Warning for spoilers!

MC/Juliana

Continues Sada's research into Paradox pokemon

Doesn't work on getting more Paradox pokemon, but studying the ones that exist

Time machine is completely dismantled, and it's existence is hidden

The existence of the Paradox pokemon is known to the public, but their existence is explained as being untouched by outside factors so they didn't darwinistically evolve

Area Zero is still off-limits to most people though

Juliana also studies the Tera crystals

Determining what they can do, where they're from, etc.

(Second question will likely be answered in DLC)

Super careful with this research, don't want a repeat of AI Sada

Married to Arven; they have a kid together, Isabella

She asked for his permission to continue Sada's studies, since it was his mom's studies

But she went to Geeta first, since the Pokemon League seems to be roughly the equivalent of the government

Story and gameplay seperation: I don't think she caught any Paradox pokemon when first exploring the crater (I didnt) and she didn't return after like we can to catch them

So in her early 20s she catches the Paradox pokemon and starts studying them

She has a YouTube channel where she explains facts about the Paradox pokemon

Because of Arven's trauma of Sada's neglect and death, she makes sure to come home at the same time everyday, no matter what

Only in extreme circumstances would she stay latter

She and Arven live in Los Platos

Penny

Pokemon League and Naranja Academy's head of IT

One of the best hackers in the world

Since she's originally from Galar, she moved to Paldea upon graduating

Still a bit shy, but has an easier time talking to people

Still keeps in contact with Team Star

They meet up weekly for team dinners

Still loves Eevee

Tbh I don't have much to say about her

Arven

Home Ec teacher at Naranja academy

Teaches mostly cooking

Great at all types of cooking now

Sandwhichs are still his best

He worked at Kofu's restaurant for a while

Great teacher, he calls students "little buddy"

Helps and keeps an eye on students who have rough home lives

Doesn't want anyone else to grow up like he did

Mabosstiff is still going strong

Arven can often be seen walking Naranja Academy campus with Mabosstiff

Makes homemade sandwiches for Juliana when she leaves for work

Was a househusband for a while when Isabella was born

A bit of a helicopter parent

Doesn't try to control Isabella's life, but is pretty affectionate and worries for her constantly

Was worried about being a parent because he never really had good parental role models

He learns a lot from MC's mom and parenting books

Calms down when Isabella enters the academy, but still constantly worries

Nemona

The chairwoman of the Pokemon League; took over when Geeta retired

The new Top Champion/La Primera

Still loves battling, but expresses her enthusiasm in different ways

Encourages battling in many different ways

Holds both casual and serious battle tournaments

Sometimes does guest lectures at Naranja Academy

Very excited for international tournaments and hosts them occasionally

Koraidon

Lives with Juliana and Arven

Pretty spoiled

Watched Isabella when Juliana and Arven were busy, but this was very rare

Good friends with Mabosstiff

Is the only Paradox pokemon to really live outside of the Great Crater/Area Zero

Juliana's caught Paradox Pokemon mostly stay in Area Zero

Accompanies Juliana on her research in the Great Crater

Favorite sandwich is Ultra Refreshing Sandwich

Still services as the main ride mon, but generally doesn't fight

The other Koraidon is caught, but mostly lives outside its pokeball in the Great Crater

[quiltofstars]

Plato crater and the Alpine Valley // Michael Owen

The Vallis Alpes, Latin for Alpine Valley, is the straight line feature to the right of the image. The valley is about 100 miles long and 6 miles across.

Plato crater is named after the famed Greek philosopher Plato (c. 428 - 348 BC), who invented many forms of philosophy that we use today.

[rj-drive-in]

It Never Rains But It Pours Department:

Somehow things never happen the way you expect them to.

PHOTO FINISH © 2022 by Rick Hutchins

On the best of days, the dome of the Beta Telescope at Hammil_U, Farside, was very much the textbook definition of unkempt, as one might expect of a lab used primarily by three grad students in astronomy and their professor. But on one particular day in December (it will surprise no one to learn that it was the sixteenth), it bore all the signs of a hovel that had not been attended by any efforts at housekeeping for at least a lunar month; which, in fact, it hadn’t.

The sole occupant of the dome, Arthur Minehead, was as unconscious of the empty pizza boxes and old candy wrappers as he was of the rather spectacular view of the towering crater walls several miles distant outside the dome’s portholes. His attention was solely focused on the screen of his portable computer, which was currently connected to the telescope’s memory core.

So preoccupied was he that he did not realize that he had company until his visitor cleared his throat and tapped lightly on the bulkhead with his knuckles.

“Hey, Arthur,” said the visitor, rather apologetically. “Sorry to interrupt. Er... the door was open.”

Arthur looked up from his laptop, blinking rapidly, his attention returning from a distance of quite a few light years. “Charles,” he said. “No, that’s all right. Come in. I guess I haven’t seen you in a few weeks.”

“Yeah, I’ve been pretty busy.” Charles Colombo was, like Arthur, a graduate student in astronomy; but his stomping ground was the nearly identical dome of the Alpha Telescope, almost a kilometer to the other side of the observatory quad. “We’ve been making some... uh... good observations over at Alpha.”

“Same here,” said Arthur. His eyes flickered to his portable comp and he quickly dimmed the screen– which Charles did not fail to notice. “So what can I do for you?”

Charles shifted uncomfortably and scratched his head. “Doctor Gernsback mentioned that you guys have called a press conference for this afternoon.”

“That’s right. Sorry, but I can’t give anything away ahead of time. It’s very hush-hush.”

“No, that’s not why I’m here.” Charles trailed off into silence and succumbed to another bout of foot shuffling and head scratching.

“Well..?” prompted Arthur.

“The thing is,” said Charles slowly, “we’ve called a press conference also.”

Arthur was slightly taken aback. “Really? You’ve got a big announcement?”

“Yeah,” said Charles flatly. “It’s pretty major.”

“That is bad timing,” said Arthur. “Look, I can’t really tell you anything, but you probably want to reschedule. I can safely say– and no offense– that you’ll be completely overshadowed.”

“I don’t think so. Like I said, we’ve got something pretty major. Trust me on this: Whatever you’ve got, this is bigger.”

Arthur chuckled. “I seriously doubt it.”

The two men stared at each other for several moments.

“How about,” said Charles finally, “if we grab a bite to eat?”

The central arboretum was only ten minutes down the tunnel by electric cart. Arthur and Charles spent the trip making small talk– mostly about sports as the Moon has no weather to discuss– and then parked at the food court. They picked up a bucket of crispy wings and two side orders of fries at Plato’s Man, grabbed a couple of cans of JJ from a vending machine, and then rented a small alcove at Somerset’s– Victorian style, with red bricks and a holographic fireplace.

Charles closed the privacy curtain as Arthur spread lunch out on the dark wood table between the luxurious armchairs.

“So,” said Arthur, touching an unobtrusive switch on the mantel, which caused the holographic fire to spring to life, “what have you got?”

Charles sipped his beverage and said, “You first.”

Arthur laughed good naturedly as he took a bite out of a crispy wing. “Nice try. But you came to me, so it’s on you.”

“All right. I’ll tell you. But Professor Campbell will go supernova on me if he finds out.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”

Charles leaned forward and dropped his voice to a whisper. “We’ve been photographing an extraterrestrial space probe within the solar system.”

Arthur’s jaw literally dropped, nearly into his fries.

“What?! I mean... what?!”

“It’s true. We first spotted it about a month ago, while we were collecting data on the new Green Spot on Neptune.”

“Do you mean to sit there and tell me that aliens have sent a space probe to study the Earth?!”

Charles sighed and shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. It’s an artifact. A relic. We postulate that it’s the alien equivalent of a Voyager or Pioneer, something that just passed on into interstellar space when its mission was over.”

“Well, go on!”

“As you can imagine, we know very little as yet. It’s crossing through the solar system at about 28 kilometers per second and its closest approach will bring it just inside the orbit of Mars. It’s about the size of a bus and pockmarked down to our best resolution. If there were ever any markings, they’re long gone, although we have hopes that an electron microscope will be able to read something.”

“Well, it must have been out there for... for...”

“Hundreds of thousands of years,” nodded Charles. “The most interesting thing is that Catherine thinks she can see the terminus of eleven tiny struts– evidence of a solar sail long since worn down by atomic hydrogen and dust. We’ll have to wait to confirm that, of course. What we can see are seven perfectly recognizable radio dishes. These people seem to have liked odd numbers.”

“Where did it come from?” “Very probably Tau Sagittarii. If not, then from somewhere very far away indeed.”

“Have you... er... listened..?”

“As a matter of fact, Tau Sagittarii has been checked a couple of hundred times over the years. It was the closest possible source of the Wow Signal back in 1977. It’s always been completely silent.”

Arthur shook his head. “Then the civilization that launched it is probably extinct.”

“Possibly. Hundreds of thousands of years is a long time and we have no way of guessing the typical lifespan of a technological civilization. But they may have just moved on to some other form of communication. Or they may simply have no interest in communicating with us. Or it may just not be possible for us to detect signs of civilization at that distance.”

“Oh, I think it’s possible,” said Arthur quietly. “Will we be able to recover the probe?”

“Certainly! We’ve calculated its path to the hundredth decimal place for the next several millennia. But there’s no reason to think we can’t customize a robo-probe and have it out there within a year.”

“This is uncanny!”

“So you see what I mean then?”

“About what?”

“The press conference. Obviously, you’ll want to cancel yours. Otherwise, whatever your announcement is will be lost in the rocket wash of the greatest discovery in history.”

Arthur stared at him a moment and took a deep breath. “Actually, Charles, I think we’ll go ahead with it.”

“You’re not serious.”

“I am.” This time it was Arthur’s turn to lean forward and lower his voice to a dramatic whisper. “You see, we’ve also been observing an alien artifact.”

“What?!”

“We spotted it last month during the Deep Sky Halo Object Survey.”

“But... but...” stammered Charles. “That’s just... just....”

“Uncanny. I know.”

“But this is too much. We can’t both have found extraterrestrial probes inside the solar system at the same time!”

Arthur shook his head. “No. No, this isn’t a probe. And it’s nowhere near the solar system.”

“Then what in heaven’s name is it?”

“It’s... it’s architecture.” He spread his hands as if at a loss for words. “I guess you could call it a work of celestial engineering.” He swallowed hard and when he spoke again his voice quivered with awe. “It’s a Klemperer Rosette, Charles. A Klemperer Rosette of six main sequence G-Type stars.”

A wave of dizziness hit Charles and he had to grip the arm of his chair to keep from falling over– it was several moments before he was sure that he wasn’t going to faint, and several more before he could speak.

“We’ve always theorized about the possibility of... but to actually know that it... you’re very sure?”

“Oh, there’s no doubt. No doubt at all. Each star is of precisely the same size, within two percent of the sun. Their spectra are identical. They’re spaced equidistantly at thirty-eight AU. There’s no way such a thing could happen in nature.”

“What’s holding it together? A black hole?”

“Presumably. But if there is, it’s a perfect naked singularity. There’s no sign of an accretion disk. No radiation at all. And we’ve calculated that each one of those stars has stable orbits in its habitable zone. And you can bet there are planets there– you can bet on that!”

Charles sat back in his chair and put his hand over his trembling stomach; he was sorry now that he had eaten. “So we’ve discovered one civilization that seems to have expired in its youth and another that has gone on to rearrange the very stars in the sky.”

“What a day, huh?”

“I think,” said Charles, “that we need to hold that press conference together.”

“Agreed,” Arthur replied. He reached out and the two men shook hands, with sweaty palms. “We’re going to go down in history, you know.”

“Gernsback and Campbell will go down in history. We’re grad students. We’ll be footnotes.”

“True,” shrugged Arthur.

They gathered up the remains of the food and other trash and dumped it in the waste slot beside the fireplace. Exiting the alcove, they walked back to the electric cart and drove down the tunnel back to the observatory in silence, each preoccupied with his own thoughts, until Arthur finally spoke.

“Mine is the more impressive discovery, of course.”

“But mine can actually be retrieved and studied,” countered Charles without hesitation.

And so it went until the joint press conference late that afternoon, when they and their colleagues, in a most gracious and collegial manner, announced to the world that the question which had most vexed humanity for centuries had finally been answered– twice in one day.

___________________________________

Long Day At The Office Department:

[eldisconquistador]

Assignment #4 - Michel Serres, Statues

What words share an origin with ‘victim’?

“vicar” or “vicarious”

What did Plato draw?

He drew an advertising poster for Silenus.

Hobbes called it war, what did plato call it?

Democratic

Serres says that Rodin’s The Gates of Hell looks like what?

The bottom of a crater

Who painted four Mary Magdalenes? How does Serres interpret the one at the National Gallery in DC?

La Tour is the painter of four Mary Magdalenes. Serres describes the painting at the National Gallery like a book it being read from left to right and as though "imitating language."

[vianngoestoeurope]

Assignment #5

Joan Connolly, The Parthenon Enigma 

1. Who was taken up the Acropolis in a chariot driven by a woman dressed as Athena. He also significantly contributed to the planning of the Agora. 

Peisistratos.

2. Where was the ‘ancient image’ (olive wood ‘statue’ of Athena) stored? Where did is reportedly come from? What kind of image was it? 

It reportedly fell from the Heavens. It is her statue dressed in ornate fabric and jewelry. 

3. What does she argue is memorialized in the frieze of the Parthenon? 

She argues it memorialized foundational sacrifice.  The sarifice of King Erechtheus's daughter.

Freud, “A Disturbance of Memory on the Acropolis.” 

1. What does Freud say has been the aim of his ‘scientific work’ in a Disturbance of Memory? 

It was to throw light upon unusual or pathological manifestations of the mind. 

2. What experience of Freud have upon seeing the Acropolis of Athens? 

He was astonished it truly existed. 

3. What explains his behavior in Trieste? 

He said he was in a state of incredulity. He couldn’t believe he had the privilege to see Athens. 

4. Two general characteristics of the phenomena of derealization: 

They serve the purpose of defense and they have a dependence upon the past. 

5. What does Freud conclude interfered with he and his brother’s enjoyment of the journey to Athens? 

That it had to do with criticism of his father and that it felt forbidden to exceed him in accomplishments. 

Michel Serres, Statues. 

1. What words share an origin with ‘victim’? 

The term “victim,” of the same origin as “vicar” or “vicarious,” which signifies “replacement,” or “substitute,” or “representative,” 

2. What did Plato draw? 

Plato drew the advertising poster of Euthydemus and stuck it up on the walls of Athens: look in passing at the carnivorous smiles, triumphant, showing, as in our time, incisors and canines. 

3. Hobbes called it war, what did plato call it?

Democratic. 

 4. Serres says that Rodin’s The Gates of Hell looks like what?

The Gates of Hell, which Rodin called his Noah’s Ark, resembles the bottom of a crater, where a crowd is burning and drowning.

 5. Who painted four Mary Magdalenes? How does Serres interpret the one at the National Gallery in DC? 

La Tour. They imitate language, giving a direction to be read at the same time as it gives an image to be seen.

[pokepara]

OOC Post

Hey y'all, it's yet another dumb rp blog, this time rl poke posting! I work in parasitology in real life, so I thought it'd be interesting to explore what kinds of parasites the Pokemon world might have.

ANYTHING MEDICAL HERE IS MADE UP. IS FAKE. NOT REAL.

Please do not take it as vet advice for your actual irl pet. I hope I don't have to say this but I'm covering my bases.

About Professor Clove: 34 years old, they/them pronouns. Ran the champion gauntlet once as a teen, but quickly found research to be much more fun. Lives in the Paldea region; alum of Naranja academy. Would probably legitimately murder someone to get into the Crater. (Just kidding, haha....unless?)

They live in the hills of Los Platos, where they do their research, and occasionally commute to their lab in Mesagoza to provide diagnostic services for sick Pokemon the poke center might not be able to treat.

Their main job isn't very lucrative, so they sometimes teach at Naranja or alternatively do pokemon battles/sell stuff they've found while travelling.

Their team:

Shiny Noibat named Pants. Adamant Nature. Will steal fruit right from your hands. Asshole, but baby.

Duscnoir named Fernando. Likes to juggle; no one knows how he learned. Quirky nature.

Paldean Tentacool named Cool Guy. Just the chilliest man. Will sleep anywhere. Relaxed nature.

Has more Pokemon, but these are the main cast.

(battle team is Tinkaton, Ceruledge and Duscnoir.)

Tags:

#pkmnirl

#pokepara - talking about parasites Pokemon can get, diagnoses, treatments, etc. Fake case studies go here.

#clove speaks- answers n stuff

Idk I'll edit more when I wake up lol

I interact from polarbaroness