polú-mētis

[areteus]

𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐄 ─── as a concept that closely translates to 'excellence' or 'purpose' autopsy / circuits / synapse

johann alexander waite , the classicist a dependent blog for @mysterysociety penned by kitay , 21+ , they/them

[professor-winter]

"ʜᴇɴʀʏ? ᴀ ᴡᴏʀᴅ. ɴᴏᴡ."

[mysterysociety]

CASE#158 — CATACOMB FOOTAGE

Subject: Catacomb Footage

Status: Unsolved

Authored by: The Archeologist

In 2016, the Sfumato Society deployed four of its finest specialists into the restricted sectors of the Paris Catacombs. Their objective was to locate [REDACTED], a site rumored to exist deep within the unmapped, and far beyond the public tunnels.

The Team:

Dr. Jade Ware (Lead Archaeologist): Notably known for achieving the 2006 discovery of The Lost Ossuary of Saint-Catherine. 

Dr. Muhammed Zafar (Geologist): Expert in subterranean structural integrity; tasked with ensuring the tunnels would hold.

Dr. Hella Pfeijffer (Historian): Specialized in forbidden sects and underground rituals.

Lloyd Catton (Technical Officer): Responsible for documentation and equipment.

The Disappearance: The group entered the network on [REDACTED] and were never seen again. No distress calls were received. Search parties found no physical traces, no bodies, no equipment, only silence.

The Evidence: Months later, a single damaged camera was recovered near an entrance shaft. The footage is fragmented but disturbing. It shows the group stumbling upon a gathering in a vast, unnatural cavern. They are not alone. The video captures figures in robes conducting a ritual around an altar. The audio cuts out shortly after a voice speaks a name that does not exist in any record.

[ambrosial-sunshine]

let’s kill this asshole with mama

[cipheredheretic-deactivated2026]

isaac sits at one of the tables alone, papers strewn across it in a way that looks more frantic than organized. they've barely arrived at the manor and he already feels restless, convinced that immersing himself in his research will help calm him down. it serves as a distraction, that much is true, but the more he studies the papers, the more lost he feels. he gives a small jump when he hears someone address him, paper in his hand lowering as he turns to them.

"you might be better off talking to someone else, i'm not very good company lately." he states quietly, gaze avoiding theirs. "if you've heard that i've been avoiding people...it's probably true. everything feels wrong lately, like i'm missing some crucial detail."

he gives a hollow, humorless laugh. "i wasn't always like this. i just...don't trust my own conclusions anymore."

[areteus]

RECOGNIZING ISAAC WASN'T HARD. Wrapping their head around the fact that Isaac was here was another story -- after all, wasn't this supposed to be a gathering of the highest caliber of minds? Isaac was admittedly bright, he pursued things with a single-minded passion but...well, JAW remembers when Isaac had stuck his hand out six years ago during that talk to introduce himself and his graduation year... he was young. A voice in Johann's head reminded them: this was not the time to be prideful. "Well every era needs their Socrates, Mr. Ashford." Joey teased good-naturedly, sliding in the chair right in front of the anxious scholar, "I'd just advise being mindful of who you preach your theorems and conclusions to." He settled into his seat comfortably, leaning back with a grin, "Don't make any enemies-- certainly not here."

"Well? Tell me what has been eating at you. Perhaps I can shed some light on the subject." @cipheredheretic

[occultistfm]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓,  a CLOSED STARTER — for @areteus.

OF ALL THE FAMILIAR FACES, Joey's was one that she was happy enough about. They hadn't been in the same carriage on the ride over, and she'd only caught glimpses of him — tall, in the way he was in all of the lecture videos she'd poured over, when she was trying to really understand some of the lore of some strange things she'd come into possession of. When she'd reached out, he had helped. That was something Vivien can appreciate, and so they'd begun a professional correspondence there. It had devolved into a friendship, after a while, and suddenly Vivien felt as if she had a surefire ally among the group that, if her research on the modern academic's lifestyle were to be believed, were sure to be full of snakes amongst the grass. "You're a long way from home," she says upon approach, the tea gone but the leaves still sitting in a formation that she isn't sure she likes the look of. She tilts her cup toward him, showing off the "X" that seems to have settled in the center of the cup, a perfect warning to stop, if the practice was to be believed, "This seems like a bad omen, but it wouldn't be the first, would it? Bizarre that they fell like that, though I've never seen it that perfectly clear."

[areteus]

JAW CONSIDERED HIMSELF AN AFFABLE MAN-- you had to be, in the field of teaching. It didn't help anyone if you were locked away in your office and only emerged ever so often like a priest providing divination from the gods-that-will (the board of education). When Vivien had sent them a cold email all those years ago, he had been more than happy to link a couple papers and manus to begin with. Education was made for the good of the community, after all. He'd never been a fan of barring information from anyone, and they engaged with curiosity like any other scholar would. With open arms. Joey and Vivien made an unlikely pair, but so did most daring duos. If you would even call them that. He snubbed out a cigarette on the pony wall and tucked the half-finished stick behind his ear out of proprietary's sake when he saw Vivien approaching. There was a smile that tugged at their lips at the beginning of their conversation, and glanced around at the manor's shrubbery, "Why... Toto, I believe we're not in Kansas anymore! Something like that?" They laughed at their own joke, and offered to elbow-bump as a way of greeting, considering Viven had her hands clasping a cup of tea. He took the opportunity to look at what Vivien was talking about, and shrugged. JAW was no stranger to ill portents, but they liked their signs from the universe to occur in plenty and point at an obvious direction. "Perhaps it suggests that our colleagues in the manor won't be good company." he nodded towards the entrance, that had likely been seeing more traffic in the past few hours than it had in the past few months. He turned to Viven, "How have you been, Miss. Hecate?" @occultismfm

[rampld]

click the source for 269 gifs of actor LEE PACE in HALT & CATCH FIRE SEASON 1.  please note that i do not approve of the 5+/- age rule. these were made from scratch and more will be added at my leisure, so please don’t edit, repost or claim as your own or i will eat you. tag me if you’re posting edited gif icons for public use. give this post a like or reblog if useful. enjoy !

[rampld]

click the source for 440 gifs of actor LEE PACE in HALT & CATCH FIRE SEASON 3.  please note that i do not approve of the 5+/- age rule. these were made from scratch and more will be added at my leisure, so please don’t edit, repost or claim as your own or i will eat you. tag me if you’re posting edited gif icons for public use. give this post a like or reblog if useful. enjoy !