Alyx Woodward (obsolete) @Alyx@computerfairi.es

Chara's right

we're alone in this, whatever it is

there ain't nobody coming to help us

page fifty-three

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-53

Prof. Rogers finishes with an assurance.

"You're not alone in this"

yeah right

...

"would you mind trying to put on your 'raiment' again, Lomax?"

@wigglytuffitout pretty sure there's like a million vids of that, on YouTube. see also "putting [randomly chosen object] in a vacuum" or "in a hydraulic press"

@maple ...stay determined? I'm not good with "encouraging" I'm afraid

the alkynylation reaction is catalyzed by copper(II) sulfate in the presence of o-phenanthroline (a well known bidentate ligand for transition metals) and tripotassium phosphate. presumably the copper acetylide is an intermediate

welp, file that one away till "never", more than likely

ok, I'll try. benzylamine is phosphorylated by reaction with diethyl phosphite, (EtO)₂P(=O)H, and iodoform (iodoform??) in diethyl ether. presumably the iodoform acts as a mild oxidant or perhaps a source of molecular iodine _in situ_, achieving the formation of the N-P bond

then the phosphorylated amine is reacted with 1-bromo-1-octyne, obtained by bromination of 1-octyne with N-bromosuccinimide and silver nitrate as a catalyst

time for _Organic Syntheses_ roulette

the number to search for today is...3672

http://orgsyn.org/demo.aspx?prep=v92p0156

*winces* this one's not exactly exciting, or easy to get. the target is an N-phosphoryl ynamine, CH₃(CH₂)₅C≡CN(CH₂Ph)P(=O)(OEt)₂

why would you want this stuff? apparently these ynamine derivatives are good synthetic intermediates in 2+2 cycloadditions (so, a route to getting 4-membered rings)

I can barely bring myself to comment on this thing

fifty-two page pickup

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-52

Lomax asks another obvious question: can I ditch the power-up somehow

"that's up to the 'raiment'" says Prof. Rogers. as long as the city's in danger, he surmises, Lomax isn't off the hook.

Lomax's reply: "..." basically

but Rogers promises Lomax they're not alone and that he'll help as best he can. how reassuring

after all, Rogers points out to Lomax, you're not powerless any more! "this is a burden" (YA THINK??) but good will come of it, Rogers promises. good for the city, good for Lomax themself

page fifty-one. almost to the magic number 52, haha

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-51

Lomax gets to the point. if they're so important, if their help is needed so badly, why didn't Rogers get to the point? why didn't he just _tell_ Lomax what was up directly instead of giving them a bunch of talk about DETERMINATION (there's that damn word again, Chara) and getting stronger?

Rogers dodges the question, hinting only that he couldn't be more direct

Rogers closes with a warning that everything is going to get worse and the only person who can possibly help is Lomax

welp

("horning in", an idiomatic expression meaning to intrude, e.g. to "horn in" on a conversation.)

these "Matter-Horners" are, according to Rogers, dangerous to humans, though nobody's been hurt _yet_

these creatures appeared near Silverdalen and shortly afterwards Lomax also appeared, transferring into the school I would guess. (there were the hints that they've moved around frequently, for reasons yet unknown)

"I had to act," says Rogers, at the behest of the "raiment"

more exposition on page fifty

https://www.parallaxcomic.com/comic/page-50

we see a pic of the tall, humanoid-ish, cube-headed creature whom we saw for the first time in the "dream" of Lomax's that began this chapter

Prof. Rogers calls them "Matter-Horners", in an obvious pun on the Matterhorn, the famous high mountain in the Swiss Alps, straddling the border with Italy. it's claimed many climbers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matterhorn)

"horners of matter" is evocative. it suggests "horning in"

@auravulpes @Alyx yeah I've had a smattering of education in the stuff but mostly I grasp it intuitively and on a basic level. the tough stuff makes me wanna cry and retire to a monastery to study math the rest of my life

reading articles about alloy chemistry make my head hurt

🔴 of course there's _power_ here, unseen, why wouldn't there be? how many secrets and crimes does Seattle hide and continue to hide

🔴 and I feel like it makes a lot of more, I dunno, attuned or sensitive people go a bit loopy. people get mixed up in straaange shit here. guess I'm letting my Heaven's Gate experiences color me a bit too

🔴 I've seen enough with my own eyes to make me worry what *else* is going on, in "real" life not just a webcomic

🔴 I'm gonna interject the comment that while "Silverdalen" isn't any particular place, it's _also_ probably Seattle to an extent, and as you've pointed out "Silverdale" is a name a Seattle denizen would know. there's enough local flavor

🔴 I've long felt like this place kinda hates us being here. why wouldn't it? Seattle is a city founded by some of the worst people in the world, coming here for the worst reasons. this state's been cheap wood, cheap energy for capitalism

anyway! this is my thing, Chara, you get to butt in only a line or two *blows raspberry

so Rogers says Silverdalen is such an area, and Chara's saying "yeah checks out". so there's that

"it's not harmful in itself" well that checks out too, if it's just a complicated energy surface

"but a group of bad people have been using it"

"to make MONSTERS"

welp

that's enough to satisfy toku nerd Chara, but I wanna see how well this works out

🔴 cos "magic" isn't really your thing, Alyx, but just remember that "magicians", whether or not what they do _works_ or not, gravitate instinctively towards chaotic systems. magic is habitually found in unpredictability. and an area like you see in the comic, where there's a tight concentration of humanity hemmed in on all sides by tall mountains and deep forests...that's prime territory, right there

you done, genius?

🔴 yeah that'll do for now I think