un: sieglindesullivan / video

[grunehexe]

[In between the end of the... timeline shenanigans (which, thankfully for everyone, she does not remember) and their departure for the next mission, Sieglinde can be found up to her eyeballs in texts and tomes, mostly unfed, unrested, and occasionally unwashed... But never mind that.]

Audentes recruits. It is I, Sieglinde Sullivan. The Green Witch. Most of you know me, but there are newcomers among us, and so I must extend introductions to you all, unfit as this format may be for the beginning of such a bond as we are forced to share.

[If you're waiting for her to discover how to make a chill network post you can keep waiting.]

I come before you today with a request. I know there are those besides myself skilled in the art of healing, magic, and science. I speak not of the manner of talents ALASTAIR itself bestows to ease our missions, but of knowledge brought from outside of this place. There are two projects I have undertaken which could potentially benefit from the input of others, and so I seek volunteers who would be willing to lend their aid to the cause.

The cases are as follows.

One involves a person whose heart was physically removed from their body via magic, and said organ was used then in order to control them. I wish to see a heart and all capabilities therein returned to them, but as you can imagine, the process carries a great risk, seeing as the magic that removed the heart initially serves also to keep their body living artificially without such a vital element.

The other involves a more scientific matter, as it is in regards to someone whose diet is severely restricted due to some biological difference of the body, particularly the digestive system. Foods they are able to tolerate have been identified, so the next step is to discover what it is about those foods that allow them to pass through the body without causing illness, and to then implement such discoveries into a pill or procedure which could render other foods edible.

For reasons I am sure you understand, I will not give the names nor any hints towards the identities of these patients, as such information is strictly need-to-know... and only those whom I judge capable to work on these projects will be considered so.

[deep breath]

But, if you believe your training or talents may be of some use in any of those situations... your cooperation would be most appreciated. I will field questions here, should you have them.

Good day.

Comments

[grunehexe]

Much less time wasted explaining one's process and how one organizes one's notes and what one has already done-

[hnnnn]

How long have you been with ALASTAIR?

boo

[grunehexe]

I will get straight to the point, then.

I have seen you create an eye... can you do the same with a heart?

[asscan]

It's not unreasonable... though you mention this was accomplished by magic. There's taking into account the compatibilities of spells, the safeguards placed on the original grisly affair, and the timing of the creation and replacement... replacing an eye was complicated and delicate, but Evan would have been able to survive without it.

This sounds like it would involve a number of steps that would have to be executed in quick succession. You'll want a healer on hand beyond any work we attempted to accomplish, given the complications that could arise from unexpected delays...

Yet it sounds fascinating. We should discuss hypotheticals, if you have more details.

[grunehexe]

Our hypotheses may align on some fronts already. If I had to work off a first guess, and thankfully we do not- we would first need a way to dispel the first enchantment, then a way to keep him alive with no tie to the old heart while a new one was inserted and secured... then treatments to make sure it is not rejected...

[She hums thoughtfully, then waves a hand dismissively.]

Something much better worked through in person, of course- you may bring snacks.

[dishearten]

I'm sustained by magic, somehow. You can't exist without a heart in a world without magic, Nalawi taught me that.

( he was willing to suffer through it until a certain tiny green witch rebuked him for it, saying it was no better than being suicidal. she's not actually wrong about that. )

Not having a heart is more than just losing a heartbeat. It means I can't feel the way I should. Barely anything, sometimes. Emotion, pain, connection, all of it is less. I'd like to have a chance to correct that, if it's possible. I'm not even sure if it is.

PRIVATE.

[dishearten]

( of course he's kept an eye on this post, there was no question of that. and now that he's observed, he's got a few things to say. )

You don't have to worry about the idea of breaking control. She crushed my heart before I arrived, she can't use it to control me any longer.

( that's perhaps a jarring bit of information, even though Graham doesn't manage much affect toward the concept his heart was destroyed. even though it means he's dead, at least in his own world. )

Emma is from my world. I don't know how much she knows about this sort of magic, but you can trust her to help you.

[grunehexe]

... and what effect did that have on you, when it happened?

[Don't think she won't ask, Graham.]

I will meet with this "Emma", then. Even if she does not have direct knowledge, what I can learn from her may prove valuable.

video. un: p.parker

[webdesigned]

( y'all are making his dang head hurt with all this magic talk... )

You could maybe, maybe make some kind of artificial heart to replicate the processes of an organic one, but those are sort of last ditch efforts considering the upkeep and maintenance required. I really can't comprehend how somebody can keep going without a heart. Are you sure it's actually gone? They could just have some kind of psychological delusion that makes them think it's gone.

As for the food allergy, biology is kinda my thing, I might be able to help with that. We could try an allergy test to see if there are some food groups that they haven't tried yet that might be an option. Their intolerance might stem from inadequate enzyme production, if I could run some blood tests I might be able to isolate which one.

Though, I don't have a microscope here, and I'm not sure if those weird cats are willing to get me one.

[grunehexe]

I ascertained the lack of heartbeat for myself. It is magic keeping his body alive now, not nature.

[As boggling as it is- she knows.]

If it is a magnifier you require, I have one you may make use of, if you tell me more about these "enzymes".

[dishearten]

( couldn't you have just guessed though. )

What happens to most people without a beating functional heart. For whatever reason, I'm alive here. I wouldn't be back home.

[grunehexe]

[She wants to hear it!!!!]

... so you are deceased in your world. You do not exist in that time any longer?

[webdesigned]

( okay... that sounds fake, but okay... )

I know how out of touch this makes me sound considering where we are, but just because we don't have an explanation, doesn't make it magic. There's a scientific explanation for everything, we just have to find it.

You've got a microscope, really? What's the magnification on it?

( don't get him started, Sieglinde, he will not stop. ) Enzymes are sort of like biological triggers that cause chemical reactions inside the body. There are tons of them and some are related to digestion. There could be an absence of particular enzymes in your patient that makes it too hard for the body to break down what has been consumed. If we can figure out which are missing, we can supplement them. I mean, maybe, that's just my first thought.

[dishearten]

Yes.

( sometimes not having a heart is good. he can remain impassive about mentioning he's fucking dead, so that's neat! )

All I know is what Emma told me, but she was there when I died. It's the last thing I remember of Storybrooke, and then somehow I was here.

( a pause, before he feels compelled to request: )

Don't ask her about that.

[grunehexe]

[She may not be heartless, but she's been taught to put aside any obstacle in the way of her work since she was old enough to babble- there's only the slightest hint that the words distress her.

She can be distressed later.]

- very well.

This may be fortuitous. That means we do not need to worry as much for undoing the previous enchantment before proceeding with implanting a new heart.

[grunehexe]

I am well aware of how vague the line between magic and science can be, boy.

[Boy. Says the girl who is obviously about, what, twelve?]

High enough to work with blood samples.

[Sorry, Peter, it didn't come with a magnification written on the side and no ones told her how high it needs to be to see blood cells, which... Is the last thing she worked on.]

Hoh, so that is what you call the vital forces in your world? I shall keep note of it.

[dishearten]

( someone more perceptive might have been able to spot it. sadly, emotionally perceptive is not a skill of his. )

I thought it might, which is why I thought I should mention.

If all else fails, an artificial heart would be better than the possibility of ending up in a world without magic.

( this was intended to keep him from dying all over again, and an artificial heart would at least assure that. )

[webdesigned]

That's kinda a kettle black situation there, don't you think?

( bc u are so twelve kiddo, #js )

It's worth a try, then. Maybe I can ask for a higher power microscope if I need it. They've certainly got advanced technology at their disposal, maybe they've got stuff around here we can use.

( he squints a little, but okay, maybe? )

Not sure, it depends on what your definition of 'vital forces' is.

[featherings]

I don't think so? Not like that. For me it is more my memories, finding them. So it's hard to say. If I might know something but not remember it that might help.

[It is all kind of a mess. Sorry Sieglinde.]

[grunehexe]

In that case, the first thing I'll want is to examine you again. There is one among our number who is able to scan the body, understand its dimensions, and it may be beneficial to make use of those abilities and understand what is left of your chest.

Do you know the creature known as Laedo?

[grunehexe]

Now is hardly the time to discuss kitchenware.

Though ALASTAIR's true nature alludes me yet, I fail to see how helping us help their own would be detrimental.

[Vital forces, though-]

Those processes that make up living creatures- differentiate us from the nonliving? Such as how grapes become wine, and milk becomes cheese, and food in our bodies becomes waste and energy?

[selfimage]

[ that wasn't exactly what he meant, though he wonders if he should've put more emphasis on the hard reset and existential trauma. ]

Do as you will.

[ what had happened with the insects, ah ... ]

1/2

[grunehexe]

I shall.

[grunehexe]

... Also, I shall have you eating crow.

[boneafide]

[ IT'S NOT DIRTY??? ]

Um... No, I guess not? I mean, I haven't tried...

[selfimage]

[ it hurts like a stab to the gut, breaking apart whatever flimsy threads that he had used to knit together the wound there; a lmemory that comes up in his throat like bile, burning like fire.

he's choking on feathers. ]

Keep it for yourself.

[ it comes out harsh before he cuts the feed. ]