Stuff I Love

vinegar and bleach makes chlorine gas, which is highly toxic

ammonia and bleach makes chloramine, which is highly toxic

rubbing alcohol and bleach makes chloroform, which is highly toxic

hydrogen peroxide and vinegar makes peracetic/peroxyacetic acid, which can be highly corrosive

But I just couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the origin story of Asklepios in @chaoticdumbassrogue ‘s “Of The Fountain” and the birth of…Jesus Christ???

So naturally I did the only reasonable thing and wrote a faux-academic excerpt on the relationship between the cult of Fidelia and the development of Marian devotion in Late Antiquity.

(Also, I really tried my best with the Latin but if anything is wrong / reads as awkward feel free to correct me!!)

When Medusa was killed by Perseus, she wasn't sent to Tartarus to reform. Instead, she ended up in the Underworld, much to everyone's surprise. Neither Athena nor Perseus handles it well.

Centuries later, Medusa is reborn as the daughter of Sally Jackson.

Aka: Fem!Percy is the reincarnation of Medusa.

Oooooh

I love it!

(also I might take this idea and run with it lol)

Sally Jackson is expecting to birth a son. The ultrasounds were never able to get a clear look at the baby, but Poseidon rarely has mortal daughters. So when she gives birth to a daughter, Sally has to rapidly change her naming plan. She was thinking of Atalanta, Andromeda, or something similar, but then one of the nurses tries to kill her baby.

The “nurse” is the monster Lamia.

To understand what happens next, we have to go back a few thousand years, to when Athena—unable to punish her godly uncle for forcing himself upon one of her favorite mortals, a young woman who had dedicated herself to Athena as a priestess—did the next best thing: she gave the woman the ability to protect herself. She turned the former priestess’s hair into snakes so that they could keep an eye out for threats, and gave her the ability to turn humans and monsters into stone, trapping their souls or essence in the stone until it is broken, sending them on to the underworld or to Tartarus. (She was given a second, clear eyelid to shield those she did not wish to harm from her petrifying ability and still be able to look at people without wearing a veil.) The newly created monster’s gaze was so powerful that she could even stop the gods themselves in their tracks, if just long enough so that she could escape.

She was not alone, for her two sisters were transformed similarly by Athena—though their gazes could not turn anyone to stone. And also, in spite of her prayers that it not be so, the woman found herself pregnant with the children of the god who had harmed her. Unable to give birth, until one day a son of Zeus, given an impossible seeming task, ended the woman’s life when she was asleep and vulnerable. Making it possible for Chrysaor and Pegasus to be born…and sending their mother’s soul to the Underworld.

That fact haunted Perseus for the rest of his life, and Athena for centuries.

But back to the present: When Lamia takes Sally Jackson’s baby girl from her arms, mouth widening in order to eat her, something happens. The blessing (or curse, as many would call it) of Athena remained wrapped around Medusa’s soul even after death, unable to be used. But when she reincarnated, the power that Poseidon used and gifted in making a body for his new child triggered Athena’s ancient protection.

And Lamia dies, however temporarily, turned to stone by the petrifying gaze of a newborn.

There is really no better name for the baby that Sally can give her other than Medusa, after witnessing that. Even though everyone gives her side-eyes for it when they learn the girl’s name.

Sally, after her and her daughter’s injuries are tended to, goes back to the cabin at Montauk to gather hers and Medusa’s belongings so her daughter isn’t forced to rely on the Camp to refurbish her supplies. She is taken back to the City, leaving Medusa behind.

No one, not Chiron, not Dionysus, not even Grover after months of Medusa trying to convince him, will actually call Medusa “Medusa”, preferring to call her by her nickname “Emmie”.

It bothers Medusa a little bit, but she accepts and even understands it, after learning how monsters and the divine can sense when their names are spoken. After all, she refuses to speak the sea god’s name.

Her first horseback riding lesson at camp is a disaster, not because she was bad at it, or the horse picked to train her was a problem. No, it was because the minute the pegasi saw Medusa being hoisted up onto the back of a regular horse, one that does not carry the blood of Pegasus, they descended upon the ring like demented horse-shaped pigeons, boxing in the poor horse trying to do her duty and carry her rider, until the mare stopped moving.

One of the pegasi, the oldest of them, said to be a son of Pegasus himself, carefully pulled Medusa off the mare. And once she was on the ground, the pegasi flocked around her.

Chiron has to intervene, at which point the pegasi make it clear that Medusa Jackson will not be carried on the back of any equine other than those in whose blood ran the ichor of Pegasus himself.

(It reminds Medusa very much of the way the Pegasi in New York treat her, like something precious, something that needs to be protected at any cost.)

Medusa remembers her previous life, but did not know her connection to Pegasus or his brother that he has told her about. Pegasus was never sure on how to tell her who he was. She finds out after reading her own myth. She’s a little offended at being referenced as a hideous monster—Athena didn’t strip Medusa of her beauty, the goddess knew that it would make no difference if she was ugly or beautiful if a man wanted to hurt her.

Medusa looks exactly the same as in her previous life after her transformation, and in her human guise she appears as a child version of her pre-gorgon self.

No one suspects Emmie Jackson is anything other than a demigod, as, like other monsters Medusa is able shapeshift to blend in. And she doesn’t want to hurt anyone if she doesn’t have to.

The gods and demigods know nothing though Hades senses something amiss but he isn’t around Medusa long enough to realize what, exactly it is.

The gods only find out who Emmie Jackson is on Santa Monica Beach, when she faces Ares, and corrects him when he calls her Emmie Jackson…

“Let me introduce myself, Lord Ares,” she says as her hair twists into snakes and her petrifying power turns him into stone. “I am…Medusa.”

The three children steal back Hades’s helm and pass it off to the Furies before escaping on the backs of three pegasi Pegasus sent to watch over his mother, as the petrification starts to be undone by Ares’s godly might and they flee with the Master Bolt towards Olympus.

Poseidon and Zeus get the shock of their immortal lives when they see the 12-year-old reborn gorgon accompanied by Pegasus and Chrysaor walk into their council room with Annabeth and Grover trailing behind. Grover and Annabeth kneel to Zeus, but Medusa will never put herself in such a vulnerable position around any one of the Big Three.

There was something weird about Emmie Jackson. Her arrival was quiet, too quiet considering the minotaur had been chasing her. Then crushed stone suddenly appeared at the bottom of Half-Blood Hill. It soon piqued the interest of the Athena kids.

However, that interest soon grew into curiosity. Emmie avoided the Sea God's name like the plague. Yet, she was reverent of Athena. At times, her hair seemed to hiss. And when she was claimed by Poseidon, the girl had a massive panic attack. (Speaking of which, how did things go down with the hellhound?)

How does Medusa handle the fact that the Pegasi are her grandkids?

When it was time for the quest, Annabeth promised her siblings that she would observe Emmie for clues. Something that could tell them what was going on with the girl.

However, she was not prepared to learn that Emmie Jackson was Medusa. A revelation that could occur when the questers arrive at Stheno's Value Bazaar, a rather successful store owned by Stheno. Euryale is her employee. (The bazaar acts as an alternative to the Garden Gnome Emporium.)

How much easier is the quest? After all, Medusa can simply turn things to stone with a look. Or do most monsters avoid them for whatever reason?

When Medusa turned Ares to stone, Athena freaked out. Part of her was very proud, of course. The rest of her, however, was focused on the fact that Medusa was back. Her precious priestess/adoptive daughter had been reborn. As such, Athena was there when the children reached Olympus. She took on the form of a particularly large owl and perched on Medusa's shoulder. However, since Athena's kids can speak to owls, Annabeth quickly realized that this owl was her mother.

Zeus immediately knew what Athena was up to. He could already feel the headache the inevitable custody dispute would give him. This was going to be a mess.

(Poseidon, watching this, starts to get a bad feeling. Has Sally’s feelings towards him soured that badly, or had the Campers told her stories and lies about the sea god? He had noticed how much time Emmie spent with Athena’s spawn, and is itching to curb it at the earliest opportunity. He won’t let there be a second Pallas.)

After the shock that is learning that her children survived, and apparently are immortal, Medusa decides to just go with it. It helps that the Pegasi are all very eager for cuddles, treats, getting their manes braided—and none of them say a word to Chiron or the satyrs about the fact that Medusa has been sleeping in the Pegasi stable instead of in Cabin 3.

Medusa’s reunion with her sisters is emotional. But the three gorgons are able to keep the fact that Medusa is still, technically a gorgon from Grover and Annabeth. The two children think her abilities died with her in her first life as Medusa has kept her snakes from shifting back from the hair they appear as, and do their best not to ask any intrusive questions of Medusa. Though she can see they are burning with curiosity. (There is a shield around the place so that, unless there was a fight, the gods won’t see or hear anything.)

Stethno and Euryale do not hold a grudge against Athena, and actually are even more helpful to the children once they learn Annabeth is a daughter of their sister’s patron and protector, loading them up with more supplies than they necessarily need to replace everything they lost because of the fury attack, and a car ride to the train station.

Most monsters avoid the three questers, the sole exception is Echidna and Chimera when they stop at the Saint Louis Arch. However, once Annabeth and Grover are on the elevator, Medusa positions herself between the monsters and the mortal family and the security guard, and turns Echidna and Chimera into stone before the Chimera can attack. (The mortals think the statue of a snake-woman holding a chihuahua is a prank someone did for…some reason.)

Emmie gets back to Grover and Annabeth without incident. But as they are walking along the river, a nereid stops them to give them three pearls as a backup in case they need to escape the underworld. Medusa asks Grover to carry them because she refuses to touch the horrible little things. If she could, if it wouldn’t be suspicious and the sea god would not take offense, she’d have thrown them back into the nereid’s face with some rather choice words to convey to Poseidon.

Ares still accosts them to get them to get his shield, and passes along the lightning bolt’s sheath with it as well as sends them with the animal smugglers where they wind up in Vegas, but they do not lose any time as the Lotus Hotel staff panic at seeing the 12-year-old gorgon and bar Medusa and her quest mates entry, sending them to another, mortal motel.

They are met there by Chrysaor, who has been sent by Pegasus to get their mother the rest of the way to the Underworld.

They spend the night at the motel, the next day preparing for their meeting with Hades, bringing gifts and offerings to the Underworld’s King, carefully chosen by Chrysaor to make a good impression on the god and hopefully show they are not in any way allied with either of his brothers.

The 4-1/2 hour car ride stretches to almost 5 hours (Chrysaor isn’t in a rush to part from his mother anytime soon. He is still annoyed at Pegasus for not telling him their mom had returned as soon as Pegasus found out—though maybe Pegasus had a point given Chrysaor’s first instinct was to take Mother and her mortal caretaker and run, which would have drawn Father’s attention—something neither son of Medusa wants).

Grover and Annabeth get to witness the strangest reunion ever. Medusa pretends she isn’t feeling relief that Chrysaor looks like her and not Poseidon. Chrysaor pretends that he doesn’t notice her relief.

When they get back to the surface (Medusa is fighting a panic attack the whole time they are in the water) Ares is waiting for them on the beach.

Athena and the rest of the gods, including Poseidon and Zeus are watching the fight. Or…well, it really isn’t a fight. Once Medusa gets a promise from Ares to not retaliate against her if she wins, and Annabeth and Grover have been briefed on Emmie’s plan, she turns him to stone. And then they make a run for it.

Olympus is in chaos. Even more so, when Pegasus—with Chrysaor hanging onto his back (cursing his brother out while also praying for his life) appears shortly before Medusa, Grover and Annabeth land on a balcony on Olympus.

The two brothers and the three children find themselves accompanied by a rather large owl that has decided it (she, Grover and Annabeth hastily correct Chrysaor) is not budging from Medusa’s shoulder even when she, her snakes, and Chrysaor all try to get the bird off.

As much as she hopes he would not even think to, a part of Athena fears that Poseidon, who has never let his family ties stop him from sleeping with whom he wants (Demeter, his granddaughter, probably other female relatives and descendants) will not see only Emmie Jackson, his daughter, when he looks at Medusa.

Zeus is already getting a headache to rival Athena’s birth from the venomous words she is using in a mental conversation with him, and the concerns she has of having Medusa Jackson in Poseidon’s cabin (not the camp, but specifically her sleeping in Poseidon’s cabin).

Luke does lure Emmie into the woods, but she escapes unscathed after turning the pit scorpion to stone before it could sting her. He does not know until later how narrowly he escaped certain death, for the gods, to prevent panic in the camp, forbid Grover and Annabeth from discussing the situation with anyone who does not already know about Medusa—other than Chiron and Mr D (Athena is already telling her children in camp about Medusa) and Zeus asked Medusa to not use her petrification power unless there was no other option. Emmie is, unfortunately not going to be able to use her ability on Luke, as the Fates warned her he is not meant to die at her hands (which is extremely irritating for her).

And Carl's jaw just drops and is suddenly very aware of the gun in his own pocket and starts glancing around like a nervous jumpy cat like Six is gonna jump out of the walls at him at any moment because if Six finds out what his brother is involved with and...what that might mean if things go wrong...holy shit!

And that's exactly what happens, Grace gets sent to space against his will and there's a damn firing match through the halls Carl trying to protect Stratt and get her to safety as Grace's big brother comes charging through the complex and bursts into Stratts office, and Carl is in front of her pointing his gun at a bloody and very pissed off Courtland who is pointing his own gun right back at him and breathing heavily,

"Where the fuck is Ryland??!!"

Eva goes with the calm, stoic "He was the only solution" thing, but before she can finish the sentence Court shoots her in the leg or something bc fuck logic, he's there for his baby brother and SOMEBODY better start giving him some answers that aren't bullshit.

This trio could've been legendary — Reyna and her two prophetic co-workers

"After defeating Sombra, Cadance learns to rule the Empire, but her shadow becomes a prison for her defeated enemy. No one believes her, and her attempts to get rid of him lead to terrible consequences. However, following the call from her dreams, she finds help."

Huh. I hope the style won't jump around too much (it will)

Eva: The consensus here is that it would be preferable if you did not die.

Grace (sarcastically): Thanks guys :/

Eva (proud of herself, taking him completely literally): :)

Especially when the logistics of the universe would indicate that the heroes should be smart and savvy enough to both play political games and recognize when they’re necessary.

Like actually. I don’t admire when a story seems to say “The only way to be good is to be naïve, and only evil things that can be accomplished by smart subtle means.”

They have a Global Device Identifier (GDID) Tracker that functions as a fingerprint for your PC that can surpass VPNs, proxy servers and countries. Although it can't survive a clean reinstall of Windows (it can survive updates), because Microsoft forces you to go to the internet and log in into a Microsoft account, they will be able to get to you.

Microsoft kept it secret and it was only found out when the FBI tracked a hacker thanks to the information Microsoft gave them.

You should be paying attention to this, and possibly consider moving away from Windows. If a government, especially the US government, doesn't like you for some reason, this could be seriously concerning.

This article specifically notes:

For journalism, activism, or domestic abuse situations, skip Windows and use Linux routed through Tor instead of a commercial VPN. A GDID doesn’t care which VPN you use, only that it’s still the same Windows installation.

Other important quotes:

What has researchers uneasy is everything else the case reveals. Costin Raiu, a well-known malware researcher, asked on the Three Buddy Problem podcast how much of this exists on other platforms, and whether it is linked more permanently to hardware. Matthew Hickey, another security researcher, called Windows “surveillance software”.

Two things back that up:

There’s no consent screen. A GDID gets assigned when you sign into a Microsoft Account. Apple’s advertising identifier needs an App Tracking Transparency prompt and a visible reset; Android’s works the same way. GDID has neither, and a Windows reinstall only gets you a new number Microsoft can still get back to the same account.

Then there’s activation. Massgrave, the group behind Microsoft Activation Scripts, notes that Windows setup sends hardware info to Microsoft and gets identifiers back, the same tokens later used for Store access and licensing: “It’s impossible to prevent Windows from getting a GDID without breaking activation and UWP app[s].” Anyone who lost a license after swapping a motherboard has already met a smaller version of this.

Here's the complaint filed to the court, the primary source for the case mentioned in the article. You can find mentions of GDID on page 30 of the document or 34 of the PDF.

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