DShomshak

And the radio tells me it's 10 a.m.!
 
DEPARTMENT: The Paolini Institute of Hermetic Studies
 
Some people assert that the feelings and conceptions of our souls can by the force of the imagination be rendered volatile and corporeal, so that, in accordance with their quality, they can be carried up to certain planets and, affected and strengthened by the power of the planet, they will come down again to us and will obey us in whatever we want.
— Fabio Paolini, Hebdomades
 

 
Welcome, student, to the Paolini Institute! Here you will learn the mystery and mastery of Hermetic Theurgy. The Institute dates back to the 17th century of the Common Era, but Hermetic magic goes back much further. The Ars Hermetica received its modern formulation from Late Medieval to Renaissance magi such as Marsilio Ficino, Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim and our Institute’s founder, Fabio Paolini. You may have encountered their works before — likely, given your choice of studies — but you may well come to know them much better in the course of your studies.
 
As you should know, Hermetic magic begins with the premise that the planets and signs of astrology (including the Sun and Moon) radiate subtle, mystic influences. Unlike the vulgar and ignorant astrologers, however, a Hermetic Magus does not seek to forecast the future based on planetary positions. He (or she, ahem, this is the Twenty-First Century) concentrates those energies through their affinities to colors, odors, musical tones, metals, gemstones, plants and animals, the elements, and symbolic images such as Tarot cards or the gods of myth. To these we add the ineffable names of God and His angels, and other words and sigils of power.
 
In this way you may evoke spirits of the planets and bind them to your will, consecrate and imbue items of powerful magic, and even enter the spiritual realms of those same planets. Ultimately you may hope to ascend the celestial realms as if they were a ladder, to go beyond them — passing beyond the stars to the Primum Mobile — the veritable Throne of God — and obtain mastery of Time itself. For the heavens are the primordial clack and calendar embedded in the Universe itself and are thus the means to comprehend and obtain that supreme power.
 
Just to clear up a common misunderstanding: The spirits we call upon are not demons (except in the classical sense of daimones). We do not summon the fiends of Hell. By which I mean, yes we can, and sometimes do, but only if is absolutely necessary. Any attempt to summon demons without the supervision of a master shall result in immediate dismissal from this Institute.
 
MOTTO (translated from the Latin): The Lord by wisdom founded the Earth, by understanding he established the heavens. (Proverbs 3:19)
 
The entrance hall of the Institute’s building features a large circle of dark blue slate inlaid with a Greek cross of golden sandstone and stars of white marble, with the motto written in a band of mosaic around the rim. The cross and Bible verse help to contain something the Institute very much wants not to be released.
 
Dean Shomshak
 

Well, if I get sniped on my planned department, I can fall back on Runic Yoga Yodeling. Maybe with penguins in there somehow. If you can't be good, be weird.
 
Dean Shomshak

As I said when I posted about this in the Random Videos thread--swap out the propeller for a jet engine, and you'd have yourself a superhero's ride.

It's cores all the way down.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/02/24/new-earth-inner-core-layer-metallic-ball/
 
 

https://diterlizzi.com/essay/owlbears-rust-monsters-and-bulettes-oh-my/
 
THe Origins of the original D&D Monsters.
 

I'm torn. I didn't like the quality of that article, but I agree with the general premise.

This headline just keeps getting better. 
 
'Runaway' black hole the size of 20 million suns found speeding through space with a trail of newborn stars behind it
 

Today on All Things Considered, host Ari Shapiro interviewed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the war in Ukraine. I won't bother providing a link, because the questions and answers were boilerplate I suspect we've all heard before. I just want to grouse about two things I found irritating.
 
First, Shapiro prefaced a question about Ukraine negotiating with Russia by noting that US General Mark Milley had opined that Ukraine couldn't expel Russia from all its territory. This was misinformation by omission. I checked. Gen'l Milley's actual words, quoted in a VOA article, were that Ukraine couldn't completely expel Russia "anytime soon." Important qualifier, that, if one has resolve and an attention span longer than one season of a TV show. AFAIK Milley never said that Ukraine's goal of reclaiming all its territory was forever hopeless.
 
Second, Shapiro asked, "How does this end?" Sec'y Austin rightly pointed out (again) that Vladimir Putin is the one who coulod end the war with a word, and the US isn't forcing any resolutions on Ukraine. As the soin of a journalist, I also find it unprofessional to ask questions about future events that the person asked does not control. I hate to say Donald Trump was ever right about anything, but I give him at least mild props for occasionally meeting such questions about the future with a response of, more or less, "I hope it works, let's see what happens." Because that's the best any of us can do.
 
Dean Shomshak
 
 

Today on All Things Considered, host Ari Shapiro interviewed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the war in Ukraine. I won't bother providing a link, because the questions and answers were boilerplate I suspect we've all heard before. I just want to grouse about two things I found irritating.
 
First, Shapiro prefaced a question about Ukraine negotiating with Russia by noting that US General Mark Milley had opined that Ukraine couldn't expel Russia from all its territory. This was misinformation by omission. I checked. Gen'l Milley's actual words, quoted in a VOA article, were that Ukraine couldn't completely expel Russia "anytime soon." Important qualifier, that, if one has resolve and an attention span longer than one season of a TV show. AFAIK Milley never said that Ukraine's goal of reclaiming all its territory was forever hopeless.
 
Second, Shapiro asked, "How does this end?" Sec'y Austin rightly pointed out (again) that Vladimir Putin is the one who coulod end the war with a word, and the US isn't forcing any resolutions on Ukraine. As the soin of a journalist, I also find it unprofessional to ask questions about future events that the person asked does not control. I hate to say Donald Trump was ever right about anything, but I give him at least mild props for occasionally meeting such questions about the future with a response of, more or less, "I hope it works, let's see what happens." Because that's the best any of us can do.
 
Dean Shomshak
 
 

Perun's latest goes Big Picture, considering Russia's strategic objectives in Ukraine -- and, like many of us have seen and said here, concluding that Putin has failed in all of them. ll that's left is how catastrophic the failure is, and whether Ukraine and its allies can emerge with some form of victory (because Russia losing doesn't mean Ukraine wins). But of special interest to me is Perun's commentary on the Russian way of seeing the world, Russia's place in it, and consequently what Putin thinks his strategic goals *are.* This specific war is Putin's choice, but it arises from ways of thinking with deep roots -- and is failing because of fallacies and mistakes that also have deep roots. A sobering reminder that any country, however many advantages it possesses, can squander those assets and destroy its own power. And those who do not learn from history may be doomed, period.
 
 
Dean Shomshak

Perun's latest goes Big Picture, considering Russia's strategic objectives in Ukraine -- and, like many of us have seen and said here, concluding that Putin has failed in all of them. ll that's left is how catastrophic the failure is, and whether Ukraine and its allies can emerge with some form of victory (because Russia losing doesn't mean Ukraine wins). But of special interest to me is Perun's commentary on the Russian way of seeing the world, Russia's place in it, and consequently what Putin thinks his strategic goals *are.* This specific war is Putin's choice, but it arises from ways of thinking with deep roots -- and is failing because of fallacies and mistakes that also have deep roots. A sobering reminder that any country, however many advantages it possesses, can squander those assets and destroy its own power. And those who do not learn from history may be doomed, period.
 
 
Dean Shomshak

Perun's latest goes Big Picture, considering Russia's strategic objectives in Ukraine -- and, like many of us have seen and said here, concluding that Putin has failed in all of them. ll that's left is how catastrophic the failure is, and whether Ukraine and its allies can emerge with some form of victory (because Russia losing doesn't mean Ukraine wins). But of special interest to me is Perun's commentary on the Russian way of seeing the world, Russia's place in it, and consequently what Putin thinks his strategic goals *are.* This specific war is Putin's choice, but it arises from ways of thinking with deep roots -- and is failing because of fallacies and mistakes that also have deep roots. A sobering reminder that any country, however many advantages it possesses, can squander those assets and destroy its own power. And those who do not learn from history may be doomed, period.
 
 
Dean Shomshak

Perun's latest goes Big Picture, considering Russia's strategic objectives in Ukraine -- and, like many of us have seen and said here, concluding that Putin has failed in all of them. ll that's left is how catastrophic the failure is, and whether Ukraine and its allies can emerge with some form of victory (because Russia losing doesn't mean Ukraine wins). But of special interest to me is Perun's commentary on the Russian way of seeing the world, Russia's place in it, and consequently what Putin thinks his strategic goals *are.* This specific war is Putin's choice, but it arises from ways of thinking with deep roots -- and is failing because of fallacies and mistakes that also have deep roots. A sobering reminder that any country, however many advantages it possesses, can squander those assets and destroy its own power. And those who do not learn from history may be doomed, period.
 
 
Dean Shomshak

I just finished the Atlantic article on Biden's visit. I wouldn't go as far as the article in saying Biden just crushed Putin's last hope -- that the US would get tired and go home 'cuz war is hard -- by this show of resolve. But I'll agree the different optics for the two leaders is striking. Biden strolling down a street in Kyiv with Zelensky, stopping to shake hands, slap backs and chat with people he meets; compared to Putin keeping even his cronies and subordinates at least 20 feet away, meeting "ordinary Russians" (whom close observers say are the same group of actors in different roles) in obviously scripted events. Biden shows serene confidence in his safety; Putin tries to projevct grandeur, but betrays the paranoia of fear.
 
Dean Shomshak

Middle-Aged Man Buys Nice Table

I just finished the Atlantic article on Biden's visit. I wouldn't go as far as the article in saying Biden just crushed Putin's last hope -- that the US would get tired and go home 'cuz war is hard -- by this show of resolve. But I'll agree the different optics for the two leaders is striking. Biden strolling down a street in Kyiv with Zelensky, stopping to shake hands, slap backs and chat with people he meets; compared to Putin keeping even his cronies and subordinates at least 20 feet away, meeting "ordinary Russians" (whom close observers say are the same group of actors in different roles) in obviously scripted events. Biden shows serene confidence in his safety; Putin tries to projevct grandeur, but betrays the paranoia of fear.
 
Dean Shomshak

I just finished the Atlantic article on Biden's visit. I wouldn't go as far as the article in saying Biden just crushed Putin's last hope -- that the US would get tired and go home 'cuz war is hard -- by this show of resolve. But I'll agree the different optics for the two leaders is striking. Biden strolling down a street in Kyiv with Zelensky, stopping to shake hands, slap backs and chat with people he meets; compared to Putin keeping even his cronies and subordinates at least 20 feet away, meeting "ordinary Russians" (whom close observers say are the same group of actors in different roles) in obviously scripted events. Biden shows serene confidence in his safety; Putin tries to projevct grandeur, but betrays the paranoia of fear.
 
Dean Shomshak

Reviewing:
 
Placing Reduced Endurance on a Multipower rather than the slots is at least potentially legal, so that's between you and your GM. No further concern iof mine.
 
It's been pointed out that while GG still has her Martial Arts and Speed outside her Hero ID she's the most fragile of spun-glass cannons. This has dramatic possibilities. If you're okay with the choices it places on the character, I am more than okay with it too.👍
 
Ah: the BODY AVAD field is a *focus breaker.* Any adversary who depends on breakable Foci will be hosed... if Ghost Girl is willing to harm the people around her. Which she may have to do, and consequently wrestle with her Code vs Killing. Which, again, is dramatic.
 
(And while it's very powerful in some circumstances, it's no more so than, say, a high-STR brick with levels in Grab. Now *there's* a character you end up building antagonists and scenarios around. I speak from experience as GM.)
 
The Hunteds are just placeholders, sure. In my group, we often just write in, "Hunted: Major Campaign Adversary," or something like that, because it's often not certain who will become the ongoing Big Bad.
 
Invisibility, Desolidification, and Teleportation that can MegaScale make Ghost Girl the infiltration and quick escape paragon for any team she's in. This is in no way a criticism; I just hope the GM is ready for a character who can bypass many obstacles. I've alowed more in my campaigns.
 
As far as I'm concerned, that covers everything in the write-up. The character seems eminently playable. Unless you want to give more description of her origin story and personality, I'm done.
 
Dean Shomshak

Reviewing:
 
Placing Reduced Endurance on a Multipower rather than the slots is at least potentially legal, so that's between you and your GM. No further concern iof mine.
 
It's been pointed out that while GG still has her Martial Arts and Speed outside her Hero ID she's the most fragile of spun-glass cannons. This has dramatic possibilities. If you're okay with the choices it places on the character, I am more than okay with it too.👍
 
Ah: the BODY AVAD field is a *focus breaker.* Any adversary who depends on breakable Foci will be hosed... if Ghost Girl is willing to harm the people around her. Which she may have to do, and consequently wrestle with her Code vs Killing. Which, again, is dramatic.
 
(And while it's very powerful in some circumstances, it's no more so than, say, a high-STR brick with levels in Grab. Now *there's* a character you end up building antagonists and scenarios around. I speak from experience as GM.)
 
The Hunteds are just placeholders, sure. In my group, we often just write in, "Hunted: Major Campaign Adversary," or something like that, because it's often not certain who will become the ongoing Big Bad.
 
Invisibility, Desolidification, and Teleportation that can MegaScale make Ghost Girl the infiltration and quick escape paragon for any team she's in. This is in no way a criticism; I just hope the GM is ready for a character who can bypass many obstacles. I've alowed more in my campaigns.
 
As far as I'm concerned, that covers everything in the write-up. The character seems eminently playable. Unless you want to give more description of her origin story and personality, I'm done.
 
Dean Shomshak