Fuck You Education System For Making It Seem Like Physics Is A Terrible Subject

romanticize your life. i cannot stress this enough. use scented shower gel and shampoo, so you look forward to showers. go on walks and see how pretty the sky looks. notice the wildflowers on the roadside as you drive. light a candle when you get home to make your room smell good. notice & appreciate the little things in life. it won't cure your mental illness, but it'll make it easier to exist in this world.

You said you could talk all day about Welsh castles. Handily enough, I brought a pen and paper to this lecture, so Imma pull up a chair and wait patiently for it to start. :D

this is SUCH an exciting ask thank you SO MUCH for letting me talk about castles. okay im gonna talk about my favourites

Caernarfon

built as residence after edward 1st conquered wales in 1282, after he killed Prince of Wales Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.

edward sought to consolidate power and conquer independent Wales, and built the "iron ring of castles"

caernarfon castle was built in 5 years and was primarily built for 🌟 show 🌟 so edward could basically show how much money he had and how powerful he was

he liked roman history and built the towers with colourful stone, reminiscent of constantinople. the colour has since faded tho

however! just because it was built to show how extra edward was, it was also defensive. the only entrance are the 2 gatehouses, the queen's gate being at the shore for supplies and the kings gate

the kings gate was fearsome and built with holes to pour oil and boiling water down on attackers (also known as "murder holes")

if you survived that, you'd have 4 doors and 5 portcullises to deal with

the castle was briefly seized by a welsh revolution led by my man Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294, but taken back by troops later.

the welsh were deeply angry about Edward and how he conquered wales and killed the Prince. we hate being conquered

it was challenged again in 1403 + 1404 by national treasure Owain Glyndwr but he didn't manage to take it.

it was built on the docks and caernarfon is a walled town so its really very useful for defence.

Conwy

one of eddie boys iron ring of castles, finished construction in 1287 on conwy River

intended to be a mirror of the now ruined Deganwy castle

this was built purely for defence. its pretty much impregnable, due to its steep walls and the fact its on the river so you'd see an army coming a mile off. the bridge was the only way to march over

it was mainly a garrison town. the english kicked the welsh people out of most of the iron rings towns and made it illegal for us to live there. theres an old law thats never been struck out that you can still shoot a welsh man with an arrow off the walls if theyre in the towns. that's right folks, it was illegal for us to be in our own country.

it had 8 towers and 2 barbicans

it was attacked by Madogs rebellion the same time as caernarfon castle but they didn't take it

it fell into disuse but was hastily reactivated during the civil war in 1642

in 1646 it was besieged and ultimately surrendered

Deganwy

there aren't many images due to the fact it's in complete ruins but here's a digital reconstruction

this site has a lot of history due to its highly naturally defensible position. evidence of prehistoric, iron age and Romano-British forts

situated on volcanic rock, and possibly the seat of Maelgwyn Gwynedd, circa 520-547

in AD812, it was damaged by lightning, then in AD822, what was left was destroyed by saxon invaders

robert of Rhuddlan rebuilt it in 1080. the history is vague and murky after this but it was in Welsh hands by 1191

in 1211, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth rebelled against king John, who previously let Llywelyn keep the castle. the castle was pre-emptively destroyed by the welsh to prevent it from falling into English hands (as I said, an enviably defensible position). Llywelyn rebuilt it again by 1228, THEN pre-emptively destroyed again

1245-54, Henry 3rd built it into a medieval fortification, but it was captured by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.

along came edward 1st and he built conwy castle instead, Deganwy fell to ruins

nowadays, you can visit the few ruins, but apparently you have to be careful because the history is so rich and long and bloody you might accidentally come across human bones

Gwyrch

while beautiful, the castle itself is actually pretty new. it was built between 1810-1825 by Lloyd Hesketh, to honour his wife and their ancestors. (forget a wedding ring, build me a castle as a romantic gesture)

the aforementioned ancestors were the Llwyds (anglicised as lloyd) of Plas yn y Gwyrch. gwyrch was their ancestral home. situated in the castle estate are 2 iron age hillforts, a roman shrine, lead and silver mines, and medieval battle sites. the reason I include this castle is because of the surrounding history.

built directly on the coast, nestled into a huge hill, with a watchtower, very hard to capture. the watchtower is further along the hill and would give fair warning via flaming arrow if an army was coming.

during the WW2, it was home to 200 odd Jewish refugees

was abandoned was was renovated and then became the film site for im a celebrity

Beaumaris

another one of the colonisers iron ring castles, built in 1295

edward built it on an entirely new site, and is known as one of Britain's most sophisticated medieval military structures

almost geometric symmetry

practically impregnable due to the defences shown in the image. high inner defences with low circuit walls

ironically it saw very little action till the civil war and the construction wasn't completed

the first line of defence is an 18ft wide moat, and the dock is protected by a shooting deck

the sea gate had murder holes

if you managed to get through that gate, you'd be faced with 11 obstacles, including a barbican, more murder holes, 3 portcullises and several sets of doors. you had to get through this while dealing with arrow fire and boiling oil from all directions.

Once you get in, there's 6 massive interior towers, and then you're dead

Abergavenny

built in 1087 to the traditional motte and bailey configuration

it was initially timber but was rebuilt with stone at around 1100

by 1175, the castle was in the hands of William de Braose, who wanted to defeat his welsh rival, Seisyll ap Dyfnwal. he invited Seisyll to the castle along with several prominent Welsh men who opposed saxon rule, to propose reconciliation. the men and their armies were brutally massacred once inside the Great Hall. I think I read somewhere it was inspiration for the Red Wedding in game of thrones.

in 1182, Hywel ap Iorwerth of Caerleon attacked and severely damaged the castle

several rebuilds, most notable addition in the 1400s which was the barbican gatehouse. this was placed to defend against our Lord and saviour Owain Glyndwr and his epic rebellion

known as a very very very difficult castle to penetrate

Denbigh

another of edwards iron ring castles, built in 1282

walled town, colonised and populated by the english after booting the welsh out

naturally defensible position

the work wasn't completed in 1294 when Madog ap Llywelyn seized it

the castle kinda passed hands until the 14th century when it came into the possession of the mortimer family

it was attacked during the wars of the Roses and the town was burned

held by royalists in the civil war but taken in 1646 after a parliamentary siege

seized again by royalists in 1659 and they lay waste to the towers and walls of the castle

the town lay pretty much abandoned until the 19th century

the castle has 3 octagonal towers at the gatehouse, which was constructed of impressive decorative stonework to symbolise Royal authority

it also has 8 mural towers, barbicans and defensive terraces to protect it

I've hit the image limit and I can't think of other favourites rn but if I remember ill reblog and add!! thank you so much for letting me talk about welsh castles theyre a special interest of mine i hope u enjoyed

I hate astronomers. On arxiv someone has named their paper "an FBR sent me a DM", where FBR is fast radio burst and DM is dispersion measure.

I see a lot of dark academia aesthetic involving the classics fields, literature and languages and theater and music, but can the STEM kids get in on this too? Where’s my dark science aesthetic at? where’s my STEM gothic?

•  It has to be a mistake, on the syllabus your professor e-mailed over yesterday. The lab class can’t possibly start at 8pm. Not that you’d notice the time of night anyway, considering that for some reason it’s held in a basement of the STEM buildings that you were sure was closed off. You’ve never seen anyone emerging from its depths, and honestly you’re not even sure how to get down there. But not to worry, your professor assures you when you reply with your concerns. He’ll send his TA to pick you up. Just try not to stare at their hand. Especially if it sparks. They’re still working out the kinks.

• The transparent lightboard you use in your apartment building for working out math equations that require more room is the only illumination piercing your otherwise dim living room. You’ve been working for hours, and haven’t noticed how late it’s become, mostly because you’re pretty sure that you accidentally just determined exactly when the world is going to end. Before you can grab your phone to tell everyone, there’s a knock at your door. “Well done,” the man and woman in dark clothes and glasses that reflect even the minor light so that you can’t see your eyes as they enter your apartment. “A little too well done, we think. You’ll be coming with us now.”

•   H2 = H 2 0 [ Ωm(1+z) 3 +ΩDEexp {3 Z/z 0 dz 1+z [1+w(z)]}

•  “We are doctors,” in heart if not yet in degree,” the neurologist teaching your afternoon class says, laughing. “We are the ones who stand between that looming reaper Death and all of our patients, scalpels and syringes in hand, and say “not today, old friend. Not this one.” But then the mirth fades from his voice, and his gaze drifts to the left of the lecture hall for some odd reason, fixed on some dark corner. “That’s why it hates us, you know. Death. All of us. We as doctors must be very, very careful in our everyday lives, because Death despises us for stalling its work time and time again, and it constantly has its eyes on us. Waiting for us to relax, to look away. There are rituals, as we get older and Death steps closer every day…” but then they come back to themselves, shaking their heads and laughing. “Not enough coffee for me today, apparently!” Shadows in the corner where no one sits seem to be shifting.

•  The chemistry majors always seem to know something that no one else does. They all keep tiny glass bottles of clove oil in their backpacks at all times, for some reason. You’re starting to wonder if it wouldn’t be smart for you to do the same.

•  The engineering majors know exactly what the chem majors think only they know, and they laugh when you mention the clove oil. “They really think that will protect them,” one future robotics pioneer says to you, shaking his head. “They really think they can stop what’s coming.”

•  Something in the forensics lab whispers at night, but only when a lone student is working down there alone. One of them snags you in the halls one morning and says, “I know you’re not forensics and you’ve never heard it before, but last night I was working on a paper down there and, well. It knows your name.”

• Your roommate is a biogenetics student. She keeps beakers brimming with bubbling fluids in the fridge, and she often seems restless and distracted. You’ve caught her stealing hair off of your brush before, and one night as you watch her mixing and stirring and taking notes as she’s hunched over her desk, you realize that a single blinking eyeball is staring back at you from the green fluid surrounding it in her glass tube.

•  The mathematics students have figured out what the chemistry students know, and what the engineering students have known for years. They all look anxious now, walking around campus and constantly looking over their shoulders. One of them suggests to you that maybe you should start stockpiling bottled water. Just in case.

•  An astronomy major comes barreling into one of your classes one dim and dying afternoon, slapping a star chart down onto a desk in front of a newly enlightened mathematics student, sweating and furious. “You weren’t even going to tell us, you bastard?! You were just going to let it happen while we sat around unprepared?!”

•  A week later. You sit up in bed and your roommate is gone. Their things are gone. Campus is still and quiet, the chem and engineering and astronomy and mathematics students having all cleared out save for you. The bio, forensics, and med students are left blinking, dazed. Clearly you’ve all missed something important, but your roommate responds to your text with assurance that it’s fine. You’ll all know soon enough.

thinking about “you haven’t met all the people who will love you” and like!!! you also haven’t found all the things that will make you happy!!!! there will always be new authors and musicians and artists whose work you will one day discover and love!!!! there will always be new hobbies and skills for you to learn and feel fulfilled by!!! there will always be new things around the corner that will bring sudden and unexpected happiness!!!!!!!!!!!

🍄

First it was lonely but you get used to it… the silence, then you start to love it. I can hear the wind blowing over the rippling water on the loch… and the birds. I hear the world how it was meant to be heard.

Shetlands, BBC1

Once a little boy went to school. One morning The teacher said: “Today we are going to make a picture.” “Good!” thought the little boy. He liked to make all kinds; Lions and tigers, Chickens and cows, Trains and boats; And he took out his box of crayons And began to draw.

But the teacher said, “Wait!” “It is not time to begin!” And she waited until everyone looked ready. “Now,” said the teacher, “We are going to make flowers.” “Good!” thought the little boy, He liked to make beautiful ones With his pink and orange and blue crayons. But the teacher said “Wait!” “And I will show you how.” And it was red, with a green stem. “There,” said the teacher, “Now you may begin.”

The little boy looked at his teacher’s flower Then he looked at his own flower. He liked his flower better than the teacher’s But he did not say this. He just turned his paper over, And made a flower like the teacher’s. It was red, with a green stem.

On another day The teacher said: “Today we are going to make something with clay.” “Good!” thought the little boy; He liked clay. He could make all kinds of things with clay: Snakes and snowmen, Elephants and mice, Cars and trucks And he began to pull and pinch His ball of clay.

But the teacher said, “Wait!” “It is not time to begin!” And she waited until everyone looked ready. “Now,” said the teacher, “We are going to make a dish.” “Good!” thought the little boy, He liked to make dishes. And he began to make some That were all shapes and sizes.

But the teacher said “Wait!” “And I will show you how.” And she showed everyone how to make One deep dish. “There,” said the teacher, “Now you may begin.”

The little boy looked at the teacher’s dish; Then he looked at his own. He liked his better than the teacher’s But he did not say this. He just rolled his clay into a big ball again And made a dish like the teacher’s. It was a deep dish.

And pretty soon The little boy learned to wait, And to watch And to make things just like the teacher. And pretty soon He didn’t make things of his own anymore.

Then it happened That the little boy and his family Moved to another house, In another city, And the little boy Had to go to another school.

The teacher said: “Today we are going to make a picture.” “Good!” thought the little boy. And he waited for the teacher To tell what to do. But the teacher didn’t say anything. She just walked around the room.

When she came to the little boy She asked, “Don’t you want to make a picture?” “Yes,” said the little boy. “What are we going to make?” “I don’t know until you make it,” said the teacher. “How shall I make it?” asked the little boy. “Why, anyway you like,” said the teacher. “And any color?” asked the little boy. “Any color,” said the teacher. And he began to make a red flower with a green stem.

~Helen Buckley, The Little Boy