Blood of the Moon, teocuitatl
Alchemy is a strange beast you find it in the most unlikely places, Toluca for instance. Beasts wretched or otherwise trees flowers stones stars, nobles and humans - all contain the same essence, the-same-mercury, the same sulfur...
"The same tears of the gods," -ML
Melda, you want me to finish or start leaking again?
"sorry... "
Some of you would like to figure out how to transform yourselves into one of the four-leggeds like Darcia did- but for altogether different reasons I guess - or perhaps not so different but perhaps not so selfish either.
I'd better explain. Or rather, I'd better quote somebody else. This world is so screwed up now, and so confused over stuff that used to be obvious when the great chain of being included, well, everything.
In addition to WR, I also like SSOTC, and what I like about it is what Lewis writes in "Out of the Silent Planet."
You realize Little Creek and Spirit can almost talk to each other. Of course Toboe could do that too: horses, crows, cats (though they creep him out).
"Rats, Hawks..."
Daro Ya! Where was I - oh yea, talking to other sentient beings
- as equals of course. That's just not done anymore - nobody (well not many people YOU'VE met I'd bet) believes this can be done. And fewer still think they can communicate with plants - let alone dead trees, like Cheza did.
By the way, I cant stand the idea of pets. It's just- uncivilised - too much like slavery. I guess Lara's hawk wasn't exactly a pet- pretty much flew around wild when it wanted to.
Anyhow - the connexion between different things, the interface, it is a rare gift. Everybody pretty much has it. The only rarity is finding someone who knows how to use it. I guess you could say it's mostly a kind of telepathy, but that's making it out to be much too exotic.
But what has that got to do with alchemy? Or WR for that matter? Um...
"a mesma nirna valesse"
.... right, the same blood of the moon. That's the, the tricky part. Once you develop that sort of skill, the ability to speak with others, well, it's just harder to be the lone wolf anymore...
... and the other scary part (especially if you're like Tsume) is that others will be able to see right through you too, or at least other animals will, though if you're like Tb, that isn't so bad. But you have to be careful. Funny thing though when you think about it. Tsume was quite willing to leave Toboe alone with a half frozen Quent in ep 19 - like he could already read what was in his mind and decided it was safe enough (maybe too mushy to stick around and watch)
In any case, teocuitatl, the so called "tears of the gods" is a mistranslation. The original meaning is better rendered "amazing excretion" or better yet "wondrous extract." Some idiotic Spaniard conflated the Nahuatl word teo with the Greek theos- this is a well known error. Too bad there were no alchemists handy at the time, or they would have seen this poetic name of gold as an alchemical expression of the amazing philosophical gold, the philosophical mercury and philosophical fire with which the Art extracts and condenses the primordial matter, and THAT, nin mellyn, is a thing that has never been told. The blood of Kiba was enough to wake up Cheza, but not fully ripened to open paradise. There I think Darcia was quite mistaken: it would take substantial work to get Kiba to the matured state in episode 30.
Blood is blood you say. Not in alchemy. The more subtle essences cannot be assayed with crude tools. It takes work, it took the blood of Toboe, or maybe the tears, or, well, you get the picture I hope. The wondrous extract, before the sun and the moon can enter the bath of stars, before Kiba and Cheza can enter the real moon crucible and renew the earth...
"Cariad, I'm impressed, you said all that without crying. Um... Ellie, I think you've put them all to sleep now"
Anyhow, getting back to the original idea, if turning yourself into a wolf is too hard...
"hard is the least of it - it's dangerous too"
... then you might try something less ambitious: speaking to one. Or maybe you'd better start with something a bit more common: dogs or crows. And that's probably something I CAN reveal a little bit about. It's really quite easy. The first thing is to get their attention.
"Put Down The Shotgun!"
Melda, will you #@! stop it! ... I ... I think I just wet my pants. Dammit! Stop Laughing! Where was I... Right, first you get their attention. Which you can usually do with the Toboe method: trying staring while looking startled. The only trick is to stop before they freak out. With dogs you tilt your head sideways and stick your tongue out. With Crows, well it depends. I usually turn my head 90 degrees away and then look the other way as though I'm not really looking. - This is all the easy part...
"....what?"
... I was waiting for you to interrupt me again, anyhow, all that's easy, the next part is strictly off the deep end unless you have a native american grandmother, and, well it requires a bit of imagination - or, well...
"... dont look at me. This is a real hoot - cant say what Tsume would call it."
Yeah, but you're much better at this than I am!
"Yes, Ellie, but they have to learn to crawl before they run"
Aaaaaagh! Ok - so it requires a bit of imagination and, this is so embarrassing, you have to sort of imagine you're a dog, and well, you'd roll on your back and look at the other dog in a silly way with your tongue hanging out, and well, you'd have to sort of hold this picture in your mind, preferably in the instant you still have the other dog's attention and then you'd also...
"Stop being embarrassed Ellie, any three year old can do it, it's no where near that hard-"
Maybe for you it isn't! Anyhow, eventually, you would be able to add other thoughts. Of course dogs are still dogs - I mean they aren't going to act like humans, usually. Oh, and don't think any words.
"it's a real hoot when you do this to a dog on the street. He's not sure if he should treat you like a human or a dog"
Actually, If you own a dog, this could be a problem. I don't know for sure.
"He'll probably be frustrated as now he has to listen to your thoughts but YOU still wont listen to his. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Something like that. Crows in particular, oh, and they'll call to their brothers and you'll have half a dozen following you from tree to tree spying on you - so you'd better watch carefully so you can keep track of which one you were talking to.
"Ellie"
What...
"Better warn them - don't try this with hawks especially nesting ones or large dangerous birds, not until you've mastered the smaller kinds. This isn't like dealing with trained animals - these things are completely wild - even with domesticated dogs, you're basically becoming like one of them. - and you don't know what sort of training they've had or if it will stick. - Actually I have no idea why I'm helping you with this, it's all incredibly dangerous. - You should've started with flowers first."
But flowers aren't cute and furry.
"Cute and... since when does that? - right, tell that to Lara's Hawk!"
Oh yeah, I forgot. And dont have other random thoughts either. Should I cover listening techniques now?
"No, I think you've smoked enough brain cells for one night.. We'll probably get sued."
Right: DISCLAIMER, we're not responsible for your lack of tact in speaking to animals. - if that doesn't hold up in court, the judge is a moron.
"Ellie, Judges are appointed by Nobles, they're all morons."
Alchemy is a strange beast you find it in the most unlikely places, Toluca for instance. Beasts wretched or otherwise trees flowers stones stars, nobles and humans - all contain the same essence, the-same-mercury, the same sulfur...
"The same tears of the gods," -ML
Melda, you want me to finish or start leaking again?
"sorry... "
Some of you would like to figure out how to transform yourselves into one of the four-leggeds like Darcia did- but for altogether different reasons I guess - or perhaps not so different but perhaps not so selfish either.
I'd better explain. Or rather, I'd better quote somebody else. This world is so screwed up now, and so confused over stuff that used to be obvious when the great chain of being included, well, everything.
In addition to WR, I also like SSOTC, and what I like about it is what Lewis writes in "Out of the Silent Planet."
"How can I tell you I just KNOW the malacandrians do not keep pets: they dont need to. Each of them has the experience of the other species as an encounter with the wild other - like themselves but different. A thing we lack in our world, a hole we try to fill with our pets."
You realize Little Creek and Spirit can almost talk to each other. Of course Toboe could do that too: horses, crows, cats (though they creep him out).
"Rats, Hawks..."
Daro Ya! Where was I - oh yea, talking to other sentient beings
- as equals of course. That's just not done anymore - nobody (well not many people YOU'VE met I'd bet) believes this can be done. And fewer still think they can communicate with plants - let alone dead trees, like Cheza did.
By the way, I cant stand the idea of pets. It's just- uncivilised - too much like slavery. I guess Lara's hawk wasn't exactly a pet- pretty much flew around wild when it wanted to.
Anyhow - the connexion between different things, the interface, it is a rare gift. Everybody pretty much has it. The only rarity is finding someone who knows how to use it. I guess you could say it's mostly a kind of telepathy, but that's making it out to be much too exotic.
But what has that got to do with alchemy? Or WR for that matter? Um...
"a mesma nirna valesse"
.... right, the same blood of the moon. That's the, the tricky part. Once you develop that sort of skill, the ability to speak with others, well, it's just harder to be the lone wolf anymore...
"quoting Steve Conte's lyrics: would it be ok opening up to you? Been so long I dont know if I remember how to..."
... and the other scary part (especially if you're like Tsume) is that others will be able to see right through you too, or at least other animals will, though if you're like Tb, that isn't so bad. But you have to be careful. Funny thing though when you think about it. Tsume was quite willing to leave Toboe alone with a half frozen Quent in ep 19 - like he could already read what was in his mind and decided it was safe enough (maybe too mushy to stick around and watch)
In any case, teocuitatl, the so called "tears of the gods" is a mistranslation. The original meaning is better rendered "amazing excretion" or better yet "wondrous extract." Some idiotic Spaniard conflated the Nahuatl word teo with the Greek theos- this is a well known error. Too bad there were no alchemists handy at the time, or they would have seen this poetic name of gold as an alchemical expression of the amazing philosophical gold, the philosophical mercury and philosophical fire with which the Art extracts and condenses the primordial matter, and THAT, nin mellyn, is a thing that has never been told. The blood of Kiba was enough to wake up Cheza, but not fully ripened to open paradise. There I think Darcia was quite mistaken: it would take substantial work to get Kiba to the matured state in episode 30.
Blood is blood you say. Not in alchemy. The more subtle essences cannot be assayed with crude tools. It takes work, it took the blood of Toboe, or maybe the tears, or, well, you get the picture I hope. The wondrous extract, before the sun and the moon can enter the bath of stars, before Kiba and Cheza can enter the real moon crucible and renew the earth...
"Cariad, I'm impressed, you said all that without crying. Um... Ellie, I think you've put them all to sleep now"
Anyhow, getting back to the original idea, if turning yourself into a wolf is too hard...
"hard is the least of it - it's dangerous too"
... then you might try something less ambitious: speaking to one. Or maybe you'd better start with something a bit more common: dogs or crows. And that's probably something I CAN reveal a little bit about. It's really quite easy. The first thing is to get their attention.
"Put Down The Shotgun!"
Melda, will you #@! stop it! ... I ... I think I just wet my pants. Dammit! Stop Laughing! Where was I... Right, first you get their attention. Which you can usually do with the Toboe method: trying staring while looking startled. The only trick is to stop before they freak out. With dogs you tilt your head sideways and stick your tongue out. With Crows, well it depends. I usually turn my head 90 degrees away and then look the other way as though I'm not really looking. - This is all the easy part...
"....what?"
... I was waiting for you to interrupt me again, anyhow, all that's easy, the next part is strictly off the deep end unless you have a native american grandmother, and, well it requires a bit of imagination - or, well...
"... dont look at me. This is a real hoot - cant say what Tsume would call it."
Yeah, but you're much better at this than I am!
"Yes, Ellie, but they have to learn to crawl before they run"
Aaaaaagh! Ok - so it requires a bit of imagination and, this is so embarrassing, you have to sort of imagine you're a dog, and well, you'd roll on your back and look at the other dog in a silly way with your tongue hanging out, and well, you'd have to sort of hold this picture in your mind, preferably in the instant you still have the other dog's attention and then you'd also...
"Stop being embarrassed Ellie, any three year old can do it, it's no where near that hard-"
Maybe for you it isn't! Anyhow, eventually, you would be able to add other thoughts. Of course dogs are still dogs - I mean they aren't going to act like humans, usually. Oh, and don't think any words.
"it's a real hoot when you do this to a dog on the street. He's not sure if he should treat you like a human or a dog"
Actually, If you own a dog, this could be a problem. I don't know for sure.
"He'll probably be frustrated as now he has to listen to your thoughts but YOU still wont listen to his. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Something like that. Crows in particular, oh, and they'll call to their brothers and you'll have half a dozen following you from tree to tree spying on you - so you'd better watch carefully so you can keep track of which one you were talking to.
"Ellie"
What...
"Better warn them - don't try this with hawks especially nesting ones or large dangerous birds, not until you've mastered the smaller kinds. This isn't like dealing with trained animals - these things are completely wild - even with domesticated dogs, you're basically becoming like one of them. - and you don't know what sort of training they've had or if it will stick. - Actually I have no idea why I'm helping you with this, it's all incredibly dangerous. - You should've started with flowers first."
But flowers aren't cute and furry.
"Cute and... since when does that? - right, tell that to Lara's Hawk!"
Oh yeah, I forgot. And dont have other random thoughts either. Should I cover listening techniques now?
"No, I think you've smoked enough brain cells for one night.. We'll probably get sued."
Right: DISCLAIMER, we're not responsible for your lack of tact in speaking to animals. - if that doesn't hold up in court, the judge is a moron.
"Ellie, Judges are appointed by Nobles, they're all morons."
