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[Leeravitz]

Yeah, I only wear mine in random instances, so used have I become to seeing everything with the blurriness of short - sightedness. Ah, the vanity!!

But, of course, as an upstanding librarian and historian, she may also have adopted them to seem more intellectual. Or maybe she wears them because she's always read from a very young age. And, anyway, I think she looks pretty sexy in them. And, yes, I am well aware that she's a fictionalised construct. And, really, this thread seems to be sidetracking just a bit, and I need something more concrete to think about...I'll go and read the Sentinel thread instead...

[Violet]

It seems a bit weird that Violet would write a whole post on her site about a bar she's been to once, 18 months ago. I know it's been involved in a crime recently, but I think there must be something significant about her having visited it and we need to know about it for something in the future.

[Leeravitz]

My impression was simply that her blog has a tendency to reflect contemporary realities. Violet seems pretty keyed up (no pun intended! - although, in a way, its sort of relevant...) to me, and she clearly pays attention to 'newsworthy' items. When Ruth Coralhouse died, this sparked her recollections, and I assumed that she was recalling things about the Five of Cups because she'd read about the murders and the police investigation, and wanted to allude to her own experiences in the place. But I agree - it does sound like the Five of Cups is a bit of a den of inquity!! If the mapping so far is right, its in the Old Town region, and maybe this happens to be the more run - down, insalubrious quarter of Perplex City - the dark underbelly to the shining glory of the rest of the place.

I may be wrong here as well, as I haven't looked too closely at the card, but when Violet and Kurt are meeting in 'Bar None', do we have any indication where that meets takes place? Is it called 'Bar None'? Is it some Student bar? Does it seem likely to have been the Five of Cups??

Just a thought...

[toongoon]

Someone may be able to correct me on my PPC geography or move this to the mapping forum but from the Abbey Rd Print out the origin of the academy is a basement of a brewery.

[Seej]

[Leeravitz]

How had I forgotten that? In my post over in another thread, I was indicating that, date wise, the Academy formation was likely to have been equivalent to the formation of university institutions in the Middle Ages.

However, this early tale of Academic origins has much more to do with what would be 17th century developments in our world - its closer to the origins of the Royal Society, which emerged out of an informal grouping of 'natural philosophers' (amongst them men like the chemist Robert Boyle, the anatomist Richard Lower, the cryptographer and mathematician, John Wallis etc. etc.) who had come together at Oxford during the time of the English Civil War (See Neal Stephenson's 'Cryptonomicom' for the alternate history take on this).

Whether there are further parallels to be discovered here - that the Academy also evolved during a period of unrest in the City, for instance - remains open to question (from Degabus's notes, it doesn't sound to have been an unduly problematic period and it might most logically coincide with the situation in England post Civil War, during the reign of Charles II, when the Royal Society flourished as a dilettante organisation of like - minded inquirers, not as yet formalised into a true institution). It sounds to me like the language being used is formalised in a way reminiscent of 17th century modes, and 'alchemical' experiments are quite clearly talked of, which implies, at the very least, a development from the study of alchemy to that of chemistry in line with shifts in our own world. Equally, the notion that there are 'ancient and modern mysteries' is reminiscent of a 17th century mindset - occult theories vying with emergent scientific ideas.

What is, perhaps, most interesting here is that, in Perplex City, they appear to have reached a 17th century level at about the time we on Earth were still in the Middle Ages. That might go some way to explaining why their technology is considerably more advanced than Earth tech now. And, you never know, having stated that Perplex City seems a peaceable kind of place now, maybe it's possible that it did have its First World Wars (or equivalents) - perhaps several centuries before we did - maybe this is what the period of conflict just prior to the discovery of the Cube actually represents???

Our tech appears to have nearly 'caught up' with that of the Perplexians - a sudden burst in Earth's creative energies from the 18th century on, perhaps - and maybe that's why they've been taking an ever increasing interest in Earth culture in recent years. Are they trying to 'uplift' us in some way? Is the Cube designed to alter cultural prerogatives??

Anyway, enough babble for now...

[cassandra]

[Violet]

[mattlock]

Don't know if this has been mentioned, but since Violet went to the Five of Cups to play Poker perhaps its a clever name? Who's to say PC has the same suits in a pack of cards as us, perhaps our clubs are their cups? Don't know what difference it would make but it might be useful in the future.

[<PSH>]

for more information on tarot cards, and playing card suits read this thread http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10054

[Walstar]

Five Of Cups

[BrianEnigma]

Re: Five Of Cups

[tanner]

yeah i collect cards

clubs = clubs
swords = spades
coins = diamonds
cups = hearts

tarot cards are derived from an earlier set of playing cards as were all our normal decks

only in later times did idiots use them in fortune telling

[Walstar]

Re: Five Of Cups

[Violet]

are we wandering off topic here?