Tanaquil Optima
@tanaquil-optima.bsky.social
1. US politics
2. Cat pictures to pay for trauma of above
3. Arcane bits of ancient history/archaeology/religion that make me happy
4. Snark
Mundus sine Caesaribus. MAGA delenda est.
2. Cat pictures to pay for trauma of above
3. Arcane bits of ancient history/archaeology/religion that make me happy
4. Snark
Mundus sine Caesaribus. MAGA delenda est.
Pinned
An excellent work on the subject and very apropos of current events.
The philosopher Celsus on the perspective of anti-intellectual Christians of his time: "Let no one educated, no one wise, no one sensible draw near. For these abilities are thought by us to be evils."
The philosopher Celsus on the perspective of anti-intellectual Christians of his time: "Let no one educated, no one wise, no one sensible draw near. For these abilities are thought by us to be evils."
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
if you're wondering why your trans friends everywhere are a little on edge right now, it's because a story about a radical conservative christian student abusing rules and processes to deliberately target a trans instructor consistently gets reframed to omit the entirety of the anti-trans bigotry
If you’re wondering why your friends in academia are a little on edge right now, it’s because an eighteen-year-old who hasn’t done the reading, doesn’t look at the assignment, and has does no critical thinking skills more complex than “because I think it’s in the Bible” can literally end your career
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.” https://cnn.it/4b6g3rd
December 24, 2025 at 8:55 PM
if you're wondering why your trans friends everywhere are a little on edge right now, it's because a story about a radical conservative christian student abusing rules and processes to deliberately target a trans instructor consistently gets reframed to omit the entirety of the anti-trans bigotry
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
every time I can recall from history that a group has centered a culture of martial virtue to the point of conflict,
the "soft intellectuals" the warriors distinguish themselves from have learned war real quick, dominate because they pay attention to details, and then go back to art and nerdy stuff
the "soft intellectuals" the warriors distinguish themselves from have learned war real quick, dominate because they pay attention to details, and then go back to art and nerdy stuff
December 24, 2025 at 8:43 PM
every time I can recall from history that a group has centered a culture of martial virtue to the point of conflict,
the "soft intellectuals" the warriors distinguish themselves from have learned war real quick, dominate because they pay attention to details, and then go back to art and nerdy stuff
the "soft intellectuals" the warriors distinguish themselves from have learned war real quick, dominate because they pay attention to details, and then go back to art and nerdy stuff
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
. . . for some reason I'm skeptical of an argument for the preeminence of military history by a user named "Roman Helmet Guy".
December 24, 2025 at 9:44 PM
. . . for some reason I'm skeptical of an argument for the preeminence of military history by a user named "Roman Helmet Guy".
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
If I were still teaching US History, I would gather images of the oval office over time and ask students to analyze what the decorations, including the choice of portraits, busts, etc, tells us about how a particular president understands the history of the US. 🗃️ www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
A 3-D Look Inside Trump’s Revamped Oval Office (Gift Article)
Take a 3-D tour of the president’s office, where he covered more than a third of wall space with gold.
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:10 PM
If I were still teaching US History, I would gather images of the oval office over time and ask students to analyze what the decorations, including the choice of portraits, busts, etc, tells us about how a particular president understands the history of the US. 🗃️ www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
“Discovery remains a human endeavor and is propelled by the very human quality to see oddities that don’t fit patterns and by probing them more deeply.”
December 22, 2025 at 11:13 PM
“Discovery remains a human endeavor and is propelled by the very human quality to see oddities that don’t fit patterns and by probing them more deeply.”
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
Hamlet: and I, Hamlet, vow to honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and ...
Ghost: wait ... did you say Hamlet?
Hamlet: yes?
Ghost: not Scrooge?
Hamlet: ... no?
Ghost (scrolling increasingly desperately through Google calendar) oh shiii..
Ghost: wait ... did you say Hamlet?
Hamlet: yes?
Ghost: not Scrooge?
Hamlet: ... no?
Ghost (scrolling increasingly desperately through Google calendar) oh shiii..
December 24, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Hamlet: and I, Hamlet, vow to honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and ...
Ghost: wait ... did you say Hamlet?
Hamlet: yes?
Ghost: not Scrooge?
Hamlet: ... no?
Ghost (scrolling increasingly desperately through Google calendar) oh shiii..
Ghost: wait ... did you say Hamlet?
Hamlet: yes?
Ghost: not Scrooge?
Hamlet: ... no?
Ghost (scrolling increasingly desperately through Google calendar) oh shiii..
Oh come on, you KNOW your favorite Kemetic has been trying to figure out how to develop their devotional relationship with Taweret. . .
(But be responsible - adopt, don't shop.)
(But be responsible - adopt, don't shop.)
December 24, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Oh come on, you KNOW your favorite Kemetic has been trying to figure out how to develop their devotional relationship with Taweret. . .
(But be responsible - adopt, don't shop.)
(But be responsible - adopt, don't shop.)
Glad to see the legacy of the now-shuttered Higgins Armory Museum will live on in new gallery space at the Worcester Art Museum! Formative influences for me growing up. (Thanks, Mom, for taking me there as much as you did!)
⚔️ The galleries will open to the public on Nov. 22 after more than a decade of planning, fundraising and construction. The newly designed, 5,000-square-foot space will display over 1,000 objects, including swords, helmets and full suits of armor.
Worcester Art Museum announces opening date of new arms and armor galleries
The galleries will open to the public on Nov. 22 after more than a decade of planning, fundraising and construction. The newly designed, 5,000-square-foot space will display over 1,000 objects, includ...
www.wbur.org
December 24, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Glad to see the legacy of the now-shuttered Higgins Armory Museum will live on in new gallery space at the Worcester Art Museum! Formative influences for me growing up. (Thanks, Mom, for taking me there as much as you did!)
Wait, what - has Vance apologized for that in the past and I missed it?
Who else has been making these now-unnecessary apologies? Is there a collection of them somewhere that I can read?
I’m a big fan of mythology.
Who else has been making these now-unnecessary apologies? Is there a collection of them somewhere that I can read?
I’m a big fan of mythology.
December 22, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Wait, what - has Vance apologized for that in the past and I missed it?
Who else has been making these now-unnecessary apologies? Is there a collection of them somewhere that I can read?
I’m a big fan of mythology.
Who else has been making these now-unnecessary apologies? Is there a collection of them somewhere that I can read?
I’m a big fan of mythology.
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
Star BYU Player Suspended After Testing Positive For Coffee https://theonion.com/star-byu-player-suspended-after-testing-positive-for-coffee/
December 22, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Star BYU Player Suspended After Testing Positive For Coffee https://theonion.com/star-byu-player-suspended-after-testing-positive-for-coffee/
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
True equality means a world where every person, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what they believe, can sleep soundly, knowing they are safe, valued, and free.
✌️ I’m out ✊
✌️ I’m out ✊
December 19, 2025 at 3:39 AM
True equality means a world where every person, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what they believe, can sleep soundly, knowing they are safe, valued, and free.
✌️ I’m out ✊
✌️ I’m out ✊
Can countries reject the ambassadors assigned to them? Refuse to acknowledge them/deny them diplomatic immunity/close the embassy down on the grounds of unsafe construction and just delay any "repairs"? Forget to invite them to events? Ghost them at any required appearance?
Among the nominees just confirmed is Leo Brent Bozell III, a far-right activist and critic of the fight to end apartheid, who Collins just approved to be the United States AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH AFRICA.
Vile and irredeemable. tinyurl.com/5fwv4dzc #MEpolitics
Vile and irredeemable. tinyurl.com/5fwv4dzc #MEpolitics
Trump’s Pick For Ambassador To South Africa Actively Opposed Fight To End Apartheid
As Black activists in South Africa fought against their country’s racist apartheid...
tinyurl.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Can countries reject the ambassadors assigned to them? Refuse to acknowledge them/deny them diplomatic immunity/close the embassy down on the grounds of unsafe construction and just delay any "repairs"? Forget to invite them to events? Ghost them at any required appearance?
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
THE THIRD ONE STAYED UP
Salisbury was rebuilt for aesthetic reasons, but they decided to build the new one on top of a gravel waterbed for insane reasons and it immediately began sinking, so they engineered more water underneath and now they check the water level twice a day with a Holy Dipstick. I dunno
December 18, 2025 at 9:01 PM
THE THIRD ONE STAYED UP
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
Why do so many feel like they've fallen behind?
It's not because of immigrants, trans people, DEI, the “deep state,” or any other bogeyman trotted out by the GOP.
It's because big corporations and billionaires have rigged markets and siphoned off most of the economy's gains.
It's not because of immigrants, trans people, DEI, the “deep state,” or any other bogeyman trotted out by the GOP.
It's because big corporations and billionaires have rigged markets and siphoned off most of the economy's gains.
December 18, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Why do so many feel like they've fallen behind?
It's not because of immigrants, trans people, DEI, the “deep state,” or any other bogeyman trotted out by the GOP.
It's because big corporations and billionaires have rigged markets and siphoned off most of the economy's gains.
It's not because of immigrants, trans people, DEI, the “deep state,” or any other bogeyman trotted out by the GOP.
It's because big corporations and billionaires have rigged markets and siphoned off most of the economy's gains.
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
NB: When I, a professor of law, profess that an act is unlawful, I am not doing it to inform the lawbreaker, but rather to inform you, the reader.
So the question “what, like you think he cares?” is inapposite. The question is whether *you* care. I think you should, which is why I bother.
So the question “what, like you think he cares?” is inapposite. The question is whether *you* care. I think you should, which is why I bother.
December 18, 2025 at 9:01 PM
NB: When I, a professor of law, profess that an act is unlawful, I am not doing it to inform the lawbreaker, but rather to inform you, the reader.
So the question “what, like you think he cares?” is inapposite. The question is whether *you* care. I think you should, which is why I bother.
So the question “what, like you think he cares?” is inapposite. The question is whether *you* care. I think you should, which is why I bother.
🤟🏼
we're bringing back damnatio memoriae. the 45th and 47th presidencies were filled by, officially, no one
Naming US government property after a sitting President is anti-democratic and naming it *after yourself* is pathetic. Trump's name should be stripped from the Kennedy Center when he's out of office.
December 19, 2025 at 3:45 AM
🤟🏼
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
Sen. Andy Kim is a force to be reckoned with.
December 18, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Sen. Andy Kim is a force to be reckoned with.
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
"IF WE DON’T GET IT SHUT IT DOWN!" Baristas make Starbucks run, and today we’re showing them exactly what happens when workers stand together. No more excuses. No more delays. #NoContractNoCoffee
December 19, 2025 at 1:05 AM
"IF WE DON’T GET IT SHUT IT DOWN!" Baristas make Starbucks run, and today we’re showing them exactly what happens when workers stand together. No more excuses. No more delays. #NoContractNoCoffee
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
not surprising people aren’t more psyched for the SOON WE WILL NOT NEED YOU USELESS EATERS ANYMORE machine
December 18, 2025 at 10:58 PM
not surprising people aren’t more psyched for the SOON WE WILL NOT NEED YOU USELESS EATERS ANYMORE machine
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
YOU DUMB FUCKS. THIS IS ME.
I have a scooter. I can walk. I can't, however, walk through 80 miles of airport. I can walk onto an airplane or through hallways. I can't walk the .5 mile to the convention center.
People, get smarter, it's embarrassing at this point.
I have a scooter. I can walk. I can't, however, walk through 80 miles of airport. I can walk onto an airplane or through hallways. I can't walk the .5 mile to the convention center.
People, get smarter, it's embarrassing at this point.
Travelers bemoan a rise of able-bodied passengers who game the system to skip the lines. on.wsj.com/3N6apva
They Get Wheeled on Flights and Miraculously Walk Off. Praise ‘Jetway Jesus.’
Travelers bemoan a rise of able-bodied passengers who game the system to skip the lines.
on.wsj.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:39 AM
YOU DUMB FUCKS. THIS IS ME.
I have a scooter. I can walk. I can't, however, walk through 80 miles of airport. I can walk onto an airplane or through hallways. I can't walk the .5 mile to the convention center.
People, get smarter, it's embarrassing at this point.
I have a scooter. I can walk. I can't, however, walk through 80 miles of airport. I can walk onto an airplane or through hallways. I can't walk the .5 mile to the convention center.
People, get smarter, it's embarrassing at this point.
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
just got the one thing from the shops
December 10, 2025 at 10:00 PM
just got the one thing from the shops
Reposted by Tanaquil Optima
This being a white british man, this is a white british way of thinking. We Migrants do not care if you welcome us for socialist or for neoliberal reasons, because the problem for us is you blocking entry, not why you do it.
I certainly didn't like the sense from Polanski that he didn't respect this level of adult social care and it felt like the Lib "if you vote brexit who will pick my cheap fruit" where exploitation of migrants was desirable because of its economic benefit
December 10, 2025 at 10:35 PM
This being a white british man, this is a white british way of thinking. We Migrants do not care if you welcome us for socialist or for neoliberal reasons, because the problem for us is you blocking entry, not why you do it.