This was a great story. Emrakul feels dangerous and alien (even if the whole "form you're comfortable with" thing is a bit cliche, it works and Emrakul remains quite bizarre). Clearly not an actual victory for them.
Also this seems to confirm the idea that the Eldrazi are an important part of the multiverse's life cycle. Possibly all life originates with Emrakul?
The Eldrazi seem to be involved in some form of recycling, possibly of entire Planes.
ONe other thing- what does this mean about Nahiri? Emrakul seems to figure things out pretty easily, so she probably knew about Innistrad, the Helvault, and the moon connection. If she can so easily take over Tamiyo, alter one of her forbidden scrolls, and make her read it because she wants to be cocooned in the moon... what's to say she didn't immediately take control of Nahiri the moment she got back on Zendikar and make her summon Emrakul to Innistrad?
It would be pretty cool if that were the case. Nahiri wouldn't be able to recognize it, because she's not a mind-mage like Tamiyo or Jace.
-I did not like the line 'He took the magic, shaped it, each point on the glyph attaching itself to a node on Emrakul that Jace created on the fly.' It just adds more insult to the fact binding Emrakul was easy, that Jace just intuitively knew how to attach the spell to EM when his whole thing is 'must be prepared for a battle' schtick.
At this point, I'm fairly certain Emrakul told Jace how to imprison her in the moon.
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"You say 'learn from history,' but that does not mean 'learn the same bull***** the people in history learned alongside phrenology and alchemy.'" - The Blinking Spirit
-I did not like the line 'He took the magic, shaped it, each point on the glyph attaching itself to a node on Emrakul that Jace created on the fly.' It just adds more insult to the fact binding Emrakul was easy, that Jace just intuitively knew how to attach the spell to EM when his whole thing is 'must be prepared for a battle' schtick.
I disliked that moment in the story as well but considering the ending it seems like the Gatewatch didn't seal Emrakul at all. That spell was entirely Emrakul's idea.
The Gatewatch more or less failing and Emrakul basicly imprisoning herself was the plot twist I didn't know I was waiting for.
I liked the hint to Emrakul's bigger purpose in the multiverse (something the other titans were completely lacking) and that the projection of her consciousness Jace encountered was so polite. She creepy and other wordly, just like she's supposed to be.
Liliana's oath was underwhelming. I wish we'd gotten to see the other walkers arguing about accepting her.
Over all I enjoyed reading today's story. I hope we still get one or two fallout chapters for Innistrad.
The ending here is a large part of the reason I've been preaching patience for the last year. I'm glad Wizards didn't disappoint. The overall story has rehooked me, even if there were fumbles along the way.
The ending here is a large part of the reason I've been preaching patience for the last year. I'm glad Wizards didn't disappoint. The overall story has rehooked me, even if there were fumbles along the way.
OK. The smartest thing they have done in a while is stick to the 2 points of view in this story. And it worked. It really worked for me. The characterization for both Liliana and Jace were spot on. I can hardly imagine a better personification of Black then what we saw from Liliana in this story. Yes, the oath part was a bit contrived and I felt like it should have been more of a frustrated response from Lili, rather than so coldly calculated. I do appreciate seeing the Black side of long term planning t5hogh from her perspective.
This may have been the best writing for Jace in any magic story. The Blue side of long term planning was interesting to contrast against the Black side. His self awareness was fascinating and I believe we saw some real character development when he met himself inside his mind. Will he really make some personality changes or will the frustration of being the smartest person and waiting for everybody else to catch up be too much of a barrier? I believe a lot of this will hinge on how forthcoming he is with the other members of the Gatewatch regarding what weally happened with Emrakul. Great job on Jace.
I was disappointed in the end with Tamiyo. Emrakul's part in her own imprisonment was interesting enough and holds a lot of fascinating possibilities for future storylines. But the way Jace and Tamiyo part company did not satisfy. It will be an unknown amount of time before we hear from Tamiyo again. While we knew she wouldn't join the Gatewatch we couldn't even get an "I'm not one for working with teams, but if you need me, all you have to do is call and I'll be there". I know that is completely cliché, but I cannot see how they just part like that.
Overall, a very detailed story with strong characterizations. Ending fell flat. B+ today.
Tamiyo wants absolutely nothing to do with the Gatewatch though, and it makes total sense. Look at it from her perspective. She doesn't interfere. That isn't her thing. But she was pushed to do just that by Jace, instead of letting the plane meet its demise. And because she did, not only was she taken over, one of the most valuable scrolls she had was rewritten, something that she treats with an almost sacred level of importance. She went against her code, and she wound up bitten, badly. To me it makes a lot of sense. If they had just sealed Emrakul no fuss no muss then I could see her being willing to work alongside them again, but I think her trust/faith in the group is horribly shaken at best, and for good reason.
I'm going to read it again tomorrow. There's just that much to digest.
In terms of content and depth, this conclusion hit it out of the park. The writing was a little lacking here and there, but material-wise it was excellent and quite honestly the best ending we've had in... Well, years. I didn't anticipate this at all.
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"I'd rather die speaking the truth than live a lie." --Gix, to Yawgmoth (pre-Phyrexia)
Shards of Alara: Ambiguous. The plane is reunited, although quite painfully. Nicol Bolas gets everything he wants.
I'm fairly certain Bolas didn't get what he wanted from Alara, he wanted to harness the energy of the Conflux to regain his power, but Ajani stopped him.
This is all assuming that Alara book I read years ago is canon.
I liked the hint to Emrakul's bigger purpose in the multiverse (something the other titans were completely lacking)
Nope, we got a glimps of it with Ulamog in Memories of Blood.
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“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
I'm fairly certain Bolas didn't get what he wanted from Alara, he wanted to harness the energy of the Conflux to regain his power, but Ajani stopped him.
This is all assuming that Alara book I read years ago is canon.
Bolas takes all but a sliver of the power of the Conflux. He does get what he wants. Ajani uses the leftover sliver to create a soul duplicate, which runs him off.
I'm fairly certain Bolas didn't get what he wanted from Alara, he wanted to harness the energy of the Conflux to regain his power, but Ajani stopped him.
This is all assuming that Alara book I read years ago is canon.
Bolas takes all but a sliver of the power of the Conflux. He does get what he wants. Ajani uses the leftover sliver to create a soul duplicate, which runs him off.
But he still got what he wanted.
All Ajani did was stop him form destroying Alara, which wasn't Bolas goal really either.
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“There are no weak Jews. I am descended from those who wrestle angels and kill giants. We were chosen by God. You were chosen by a pathetic little man who can't seem to grow a full mustache"
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
Best story of the entire Eldrazi Arc (including BFZ/OGW) by far. The only one that got us some actual insight to what the Eldrazi might really be (Ugin's speculations are all worthless if they're only speculations). I knew persisting on that the Eldrazi are "Natural Planar Cleansers" would eventually pay off (well, it hasn't actually, but this is a major step forwards, although I think we're be on this step for a long time).
"There should be blossoms, not barren resentment. The soil was no receptive"
We all know Emrakul twists biology. But what if Emrakul doesn't actually do that normally - what if the planes she arrives on were barren of life in the first place and she actually creates life ("World-Creator" being one of her titles). She only twists biology if there was biology in the first place... which there shouldn't be by the time Ulamog and Kozilek were done with their business. A plane devoid of life will blossom in her presence, but one already containing biology will show nothing but resentment for her "evolution" (technically its mutation... but we did get Eldritch Evolution...).
"It is not my time. Not yet."
This could mean the Eldrazi Titans worked in sequence. They can be lured to a plane via Leylines (for whatsoever reason), but at least Emrakul can realize when a plane was not wrecked enough for her to grant life to it (although she can't control those powers). Emrakul is probably aware of the sequence and realizes Innistrad wasn't wrecked by Ulamog and twisted by Kozilek for cleansing before her arrival. Which could explain why she left Zendikar first (Ulamog and Kozilek might actually be able to conduct double-duty at the same time, only Emrakul can't). Emrakul might also be specifically aware of Ulamog and Kozilek's demise... hence...
"This is all wrong. I am incomplete, unfulfilled, inchoate."
Emrakul refers to "I", but I wouldn't rule out that she's aware that she's part of the trio (as a complete process-being) and two pieces are already gone. To Emrakul, their absence is unnatural... but not irredeemable, hence her own efforts to get herself sealed implies that Ulamog and Kozilek can either resurrect themselves from nothingness/aether eventually, or new replacements would be created in their place of function, hence she deems it necessary for herself to enter slumber once more.
I know this is veering off to speculation once again, but I seriously doubt we'll getting more information about the Eldrazi for years to come and had to pour out the freshest (but still logical) possible conclusions from what little, but the most direct evidence we have towards to true purpose of the Eldrazi.
Just a quick opinion on the rest of the article - I actually liked how Liliana thought of using the Gatewatch from her near-death experience (even though I find it skeptical someone like her hasn't offended an oldwalker way back then and nearly died because of that)... she preserved all her cold-heartedness and her joining of the Gatewatch was still largely a convenience (almost to a level of facade, but she doesn't have any ill intentions so it's not one yet).
Tamiyo's "ending" was clearly just a cliffhanger they left there for possible open-ended future use. I'm not sure of Emrakul's capability to use the spell differently comes from her sheer power, or Emrakul had some association with the scroll's story in the first place for her to be able to do so, especially considering Tamiyo seemed to make it sound rather personal that Emrakul in particular was involved (or the scroll was just that traumatic to her...) Glad she's still around at the very least, she's like the only ticket for a Return to Kamigawa, no matter how unlikely it may be in reality (I can dream).
In one article, Emrakul almost salvaged the entirely of the Eldrazi as a species... I say almost because it's still very vague, however, fortunately for the likes of Eldrazi, some level of vagueness is an acceptable excuse most of the time. Like I always said: Don't blame the Eldrazi. Pity them instead.
The Gatewatch more or less failing and Emrakul basicly imprisoning herself was the plot twist I didn't know I was waiting for.
I liked the hint to Emrakul's bigger purpose in the multiverse (something the other titans were completely lacking) and that the projection of her consciousness Jace encountered was so polite. She creepy and other wordly, just like she's supposed to be.
Liliana's oath was underwhelming. I wish we'd gotten to see the other walkers arguing about accepting her.
Over all I enjoyed reading today's story. I hope we still get one or two fallout chapters for Innistrad.
Sorry, but wrong. Like 5oolors said, we got a glimpse of it with Ulamog.
And Ugin was VERY VERY VERY pissed that the Gatewatch destroyed the other two titans. Just... the ramifications of doing so haven't been felt yet.
Enough doom talk. More how-we-win-this talk, please. I'm gonna go burn things.
Chandra just leaped up a few spots on my favorite Planeswalker list.
other quotes I found enjoyable:
Manipulated correctly, friends were like better zombies.
But now I wonder...just what exactly was that scroll that Tamiyo used and Emrakul corrupted?
Chandra's blunt simplicity makes her one of my faves too. It reminds me of the flavor text where Gideon asks what her plan is, and she snaps "Are you serious?!"
I can't wait for Kaladesh, and her being forced to face her past.
So, can we guess that is posible that Ulamog and Kozilek lost on purpose, too? That would make BfZ block's ending quite less disapointing.
I think ula and koz were tools of emrakul to wipe out all life so she can create. So, they are really dead, and emrakul realized that she needed to stop until a substitute "plane-wiper" emerges
Chilling Lovecraftian ending. Emrakul sealing herself, taking control of Tamiyo's "turn" and devastating her in the process. It appears Emrakul entered Jace's mind and learned of all their capabilities, using Planeswalkers to complete whatever function she deemed necessary. Emrakul sealing herself was a twist I never would have anticipated.
I will need time to comment at length about this story. But a few points I want to raise:
Emrakul being incomplete - is this at the loss of Ulamog and Kozilek?
Jace won the chess match against Emrakul. Yet Emeria also demonstrated that he could lose if she willed it. But as long as they played on an even plane, his mind defeated hers.
The theme between Emrakul and Lilliana was all about extending life and the prospect of death, or fates greater and worse than death. A damnation of sorts. Emrakul is thought of as a destroyer all this time, but this idea of her being a creator is interesting. Death allows for new life, after all. Spring only after winter. The Eldrazi really do seem like great hurricanes, leaving swaths of destruction, only to discover plankton blooms in the ocean and dead leaves shaken from the trees afterwards, and the temperature gradients of the Earth balanced out by what was an incomprehensible but necessary force that is only perceived to be evil, but isn't anything but necessary. Mother Nature is compelling like that.
Notice how Avacyn's words proved prophetic in the end as I said - but still, to what end?
Poor Tamiyo. She was utterly devastated by having her promise compromised. No wonder she didn't join the Gatewatch. Emrkaul could have ended Innistrad, either by herself or through the iron scroll when she took control of Tamiyo. Emrakul had two different ways of ending the plane and chose to seal herself instead… there is a greater function being served here for sure. Renewing planes perhaps. Or the prospect of Innistrad not being a plane the Eldrazi wish to end at this time. Emrakul was lured there after all, she didn't select it for destruction naturally.
Sorry, but wrong. Like 5oolors said, we got a glimpse of it with Ulamog.
And Ugin was VERY VERY VERY pissed that the Gatewatch destroyed the other two titans. Just... the ramifications of doing so haven't been felt yet.
You are both right. I completely forgot about Memory of Blood (just reread). But I maintain that I liked Emrakul's portrayal a lot better than those of Kozilek and Ulamog.
The theme between Emrakul and Lilliana was all about extending life and the prospect of death, or fates greater and worse than death. A damnation of sorts.
There was a few sentences at the end that really played on that theme: "Sometimes our stories have to end. Yet here we are, each seeking to prolong our story, no matter the cost."
Taken out of context, who does that describe most? Liliana. But Tamiyo was talking about the Gatewatch as a whole, the group who seek to interfere by destroying or imprisoning the Eldrazi. Nissa and Gideon don't trust Liliana, but Tamiyo notes that by seeking to save planes from the Eldrazi, the green and white mage aren't different from the necromancer they distrust. Surprised how deep this story actually is!
But now I wonder...just what exactly was that scroll that Tamiyo used and Emrakul corrupted?
This one is easy. It was the scroll about Serra's Realm. It told a story about a planeswalker (Urza) collapsing a plane and channeling the energy released to jump start a spell. (The Weatherlight's planar drive) Originally, the scroll was supposed to collapse a plane when used, but Emeria tweaked it to release the prodigious amount of mana liberated by the collapse.
So, can we guess that is posible that Ulamog and Kozilek lost on purpose, too? That would make BfZ block's ending quite less disapointing.
I think ula and koz were tools of emrakul to wipe out all life so she can create. So, they are really dead, and emrakul realized that she needed to stop until a substitute "plane-wiper" emerges
Marit Lage....
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Vorthos Cartography - Check out my completed maps of Zendikar and Innistrad!
"You say 'learn from history,' but that does not mean 'learn the same bull***** the people in history learned alongside phrenology and alchemy.'" - The Blinking Spirit
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It would be pretty cool if that were the case. Nahiri wouldn't be able to recognize it, because she's not a mind-mage like Tamiyo or Jace.
At this point, I'm fairly certain Emrakul told Jace how to imprison her in the moon.
"You say 'learn from history,' but that does not mean 'learn the same bull***** the people in history learned alongside phrenology and alchemy.'" - The Blinking Spirit
I disliked that moment in the story as well but considering the ending it seems like the Gatewatch didn't seal Emrakul at all. That spell was entirely Emrakul's idea.
That ending was excellent.
I liked the hint to Emrakul's bigger purpose in the multiverse (something the other titans were completely lacking) and that the projection of her consciousness Jace encountered was so polite. She creepy and other wordly, just like she's supposed to be.
Liliana's oath was underwhelming. I wish we'd gotten to see the other walkers arguing about accepting her.
Over all I enjoyed reading today's story. I hope we still get one or two fallout chapters for Innistrad.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
You win this time Creative! This time!
Also Em writing a scroll to give the neowalkers a taste of pre-mending power was a nice touch. She giveth and taketh
Tamiyo wants absolutely nothing to do with the Gatewatch though, and it makes total sense. Look at it from her perspective. She doesn't interfere. That isn't her thing. But she was pushed to do just that by Jace, instead of letting the plane meet its demise. And because she did, not only was she taken over, one of the most valuable scrolls she had was rewritten, something that she treats with an almost sacred level of importance. She went against her code, and she wound up bitten, badly. To me it makes a lot of sense. If they had just sealed Emrakul no fuss no muss then I could see her being willing to work alongside them again, but I think her trust/faith in the group is horribly shaken at best, and for good reason.
In terms of content and depth, this conclusion hit it out of the park. The writing was a little lacking here and there, but material-wise it was excellent and quite honestly the best ending we've had in... Well, years. I didn't anticipate this at all.
I'm fairly certain Bolas didn't get what he wanted from Alara, he wanted to harness the energy of the Conflux to regain his power, but Ajani stopped him.
This is all assuming that Alara book I read years ago is canon.
Nope, we got a glimps of it with Ulamog in Memories of Blood.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
But he still got what he wanted.
TerribleBad at Magic since 1998.A Vorthos Guide to Magic Story | Twitter | Tumblr
[Primer] Krenko | Azor | Kess | Zacama | Kumena | Sram | The Ur-Dragon | Edgar Markov | Daretti | Marath
Chandra just leaped up a few spots on my favorite Planeswalker list.
other quotes I found enjoyable:
But now I wonder...just what exactly was that scroll that Tamiyo used and Emrakul corrupted?
Click the pic for more info.
All Ajani did was stop him form destroying Alara, which wasn't Bolas goal really either.
"You can tell how dumb someone is by how they use Mary Sue"
I doubt it... Ula and Cosi died, whereas Emrakul is where she needs to be to fulfill her purpose later.
"There should be blossoms, not barren resentment. The soil was no receptive"
We all know Emrakul twists biology. But what if Emrakul doesn't actually do that normally - what if the planes she arrives on were barren of life in the first place and she actually creates life ("World-Creator" being one of her titles). She only twists biology if there was biology in the first place... which there shouldn't be by the time Ulamog and Kozilek were done with their business. A plane devoid of life will blossom in her presence, but one already containing biology will show nothing but resentment for her "evolution" (technically its mutation... but we did get Eldritch Evolution...).
"It is not my time. Not yet."
This could mean the Eldrazi Titans worked in sequence. They can be lured to a plane via Leylines (for whatsoever reason), but at least Emrakul can realize when a plane was not wrecked enough for her to grant life to it (although she can't control those powers). Emrakul is probably aware of the sequence and realizes Innistrad wasn't wrecked by Ulamog and twisted by Kozilek for cleansing before her arrival. Which could explain why she left Zendikar first (Ulamog and Kozilek might actually be able to conduct double-duty at the same time, only Emrakul can't). Emrakul might also be specifically aware of Ulamog and Kozilek's demise... hence...
"This is all wrong. I am incomplete, unfulfilled, inchoate."
Emrakul refers to "I", but I wouldn't rule out that she's aware that she's part of the trio (as a complete process-being) and two pieces are already gone. To Emrakul, their absence is unnatural... but not irredeemable, hence her own efforts to get herself sealed implies that Ulamog and Kozilek can either resurrect themselves from nothingness/aether eventually, or new replacements would be created in their place of function, hence she deems it necessary for herself to enter slumber once more.
I know this is veering off to speculation once again, but I seriously doubt we'll getting more information about the Eldrazi for years to come and had to pour out the freshest (but still logical) possible conclusions from what little, but the most direct evidence we have towards to true purpose of the Eldrazi.
Just a quick opinion on the rest of the article - I actually liked how Liliana thought of using the Gatewatch from her near-death experience (even though I find it skeptical someone like her hasn't offended an oldwalker way back then and nearly died because of that)... she preserved all her cold-heartedness and her joining of the Gatewatch was still largely a convenience (almost to a level of facade, but she doesn't have any ill intentions so it's not one yet).
Tamiyo's "ending" was clearly just a cliffhanger they left there for possible open-ended future use. I'm not sure of Emrakul's capability to use the spell differently comes from her sheer power, or Emrakul had some association with the scroll's story in the first place for her to be able to do so, especially considering Tamiyo seemed to make it sound rather personal that Emrakul in particular was involved (or the scroll was just that traumatic to her...) Glad she's still around at the very least, she's like the only ticket for a Return to Kamigawa, no matter how unlikely it may be in reality (I can dream).
In one article, Emrakul almost salvaged the entirely of the Eldrazi as a species... I say almost because it's still very vague, however, fortunately for the likes of Eldrazi, some level of vagueness is an acceptable excuse most of the time. Like I always said: Don't blame the Eldrazi. Pity them instead.
Sorry, but wrong. Like 5oolors said, we got a glimpse of it with Ulamog.
And Ugin was VERY VERY VERY pissed that the Gatewatch destroyed the other two titans. Just... the ramifications of doing so haven't been felt yet.
Chandra's blunt simplicity makes her one of my faves too. It reminds me of the flavor text where Gideon asks what her plan is, and she snaps "Are you serious?!"
I can't wait for Kaladesh, and her being forced to face her past.
I think ula and koz were tools of emrakul to wipe out all life so she can create. So, they are really dead, and emrakul realized that she needed to stop until a substitute "plane-wiper" emerges
I will need time to comment at length about this story. But a few points I want to raise:
Emrakul being incomplete - is this at the loss of Ulamog and Kozilek?
Jace won the chess match against Emrakul. Yet Emeria also demonstrated that he could lose if she willed it. But as long as they played on an even plane, his mind defeated hers.
The theme between Emrakul and Lilliana was all about extending life and the prospect of death, or fates greater and worse than death. A damnation of sorts. Emrakul is thought of as a destroyer all this time, but this idea of her being a creator is interesting. Death allows for new life, after all. Spring only after winter. The Eldrazi really do seem like great hurricanes, leaving swaths of destruction, only to discover plankton blooms in the ocean and dead leaves shaken from the trees afterwards, and the temperature gradients of the Earth balanced out by what was an incomprehensible but necessary force that is only perceived to be evil, but isn't anything but necessary. Mother Nature is compelling like that.
Notice how Avacyn's words proved prophetic in the end as I said - but still, to what end?
Poor Tamiyo. She was utterly devastated by having her promise compromised. No wonder she didn't join the Gatewatch. Emrkaul could have ended Innistrad, either by herself or through the iron scroll when she took control of Tamiyo. Emrakul had two different ways of ending the plane and chose to seal herself instead… there is a greater function being served here for sure. Renewing planes perhaps. Or the prospect of Innistrad not being a plane the Eldrazi wish to end at this time. Emrakul was lured there after all, she didn't select it for destruction naturally.
|| UW Jace, Vyn's Prodigy UW || UG Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (feat. Arixmethes) UG ||
Cards I still want to see created:
|| Olantin, Lost City || Pavios and Thanasis || Choryu ||
You are both right. I completely forgot about Memory of Blood (just reread). But I maintain that I liked Emrakul's portrayal a lot better than those of Kozilek and Ulamog.
There was a few sentences at the end that really played on that theme: "Sometimes our stories have to end. Yet here we are, each seeking to prolong our story, no matter the cost."
Taken out of context, who does that describe most? Liliana. But Tamiyo was talking about the Gatewatch as a whole, the group who seek to interfere by destroying or imprisoning the Eldrazi. Nissa and Gideon don't trust Liliana, but Tamiyo notes that by seeking to save planes from the Eldrazi, the green and white mage aren't different from the necromancer they distrust. Surprised how deep this story actually is!
This one is easy. It was the scroll about Serra's Realm. It told a story about a planeswalker (Urza) collapsing a plane and channeling the energy released to jump start a spell. (The Weatherlight's planar drive) Originally, the scroll was supposed to collapse a plane when used, but Emeria tweaked it to release the prodigious amount of mana liberated by the collapse.
Marit Lage....
"You say 'learn from history,' but that does not mean 'learn the same bull***** the people in history learned alongside phrenology and alchemy.'" - The Blinking Spirit