Mercury Natis
@mercuryreads.bsky.social
Mercury/Mickey • Tolkien studies & Queer History/Theory PhD Candidate • Reformed art snob dismantling hierarchical taxonomized pedagogy • Pleasure activist • He/They • header by busymagpie • mercuryreads on twt ⚧️💖💜💙✡🍉
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Mercury Natis
@mercuryreads.bsky.social
· Mar 11
a cartoon fox is wearing sunglasses and a hat
ALT: a cartoon fox is wearing sunglasses and a hat
media.tenor.com
Hello party people! For those who don't know, I'm doing my PhD part time & work part time, but because of both phd and disability, I can't work more than I already do. Funds are very tight, so if you like what I do want want to support me, I have a few options for that! Links in the comments!
First payment made, consult booked with a surgeon in the UK! If I decide to stay local instead of doing medical tourism, it's double the price but with much lower risks. 47% of the funds have been raised, please consider helping a guy out!
I also currently have a GoFundMe for top surgery! Please consider donating, the more I get, the less likely that I need to go the Medical Tourism route (which has dangers and complications).
gofund.me/a5e31e43a
gofund.me/a5e31e43a
Donate to Help Mercury Yeet the Teet! (or: a top surgery fundraiser), organized by Mercury Natis
Hello world, it’s me, Mickey, and this is a top surgery/elect… Mercury Natis needs your support for Help Mercury Yeet the Teet! (or: a top surgery fundraiser)
gofund.me
November 14, 2025 at 1:47 PM
First payment made, consult booked with a surgeon in the UK! If I decide to stay local instead of doing medical tourism, it's double the price but with much lower risks. 47% of the funds have been raised, please consider helping a guy out!
Hell of a quote from my reading of The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault. The main character is talking about disagreeing with the slave who is minding him, and he says to himself, "it seems I can be more just than Midas, not because I am good, but because I am free".
November 13, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Hell of a quote from my reading of The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault. The main character is talking about disagreeing with the slave who is minding him, and he says to himself, "it seems I can be more just than Midas, not because I am good, but because I am free".
Reposted by Mercury Natis
AUTHORS!!
Remember that case where a bunch of authors sued AI for stealing their work? And WON?
Well, the settlement money has been announced. Each WORK that got thefted will be compensated $3k (split 50/50 bw publisher + author). So authors will be compensated $1500 per WORK stolen.
More here:
Remember that case where a bunch of authors sued AI for stealing their work? And WON?
Well, the settlement money has been announced. Each WORK that got thefted will be compensated $3k (split 50/50 bw publisher + author). So authors will be compensated $1500 per WORK stolen.
More here:
Homepage | Bartz v Anthropic Settlement Site
www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:30 PM
AUTHORS!!
Remember that case where a bunch of authors sued AI for stealing their work? And WON?
Well, the settlement money has been announced. Each WORK that got thefted will be compensated $3k (split 50/50 bw publisher + author). So authors will be compensated $1500 per WORK stolen.
More here:
Remember that case where a bunch of authors sued AI for stealing their work? And WON?
Well, the settlement money has been announced. Each WORK that got thefted will be compensated $3k (split 50/50 bw publisher + author). So authors will be compensated $1500 per WORK stolen.
More here:
Update: a further reference to it confirms it is TLS not TSL, so it's PROBABLY the Times Literary Supplement, which I am currently combing through. But if anyone knows any other TLSes, please let me know!
Hivemind help me out, I'm chasing a thread. I'm looking for SOMETHING called TSL, a magazine or a journal, publishing in 1973/74, probably in UK or South Africa, but could be elsewhere. It COULD be the Times Literary Supplement just turned around, but I want to cover my bases. Anyone recognize TSL?
November 10, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Update: a further reference to it confirms it is TLS not TSL, so it's PROBABLY the Times Literary Supplement, which I am currently combing through. But if anyone knows any other TLSes, please let me know!
Reposted by Mercury Natis
Reposted by Mercury Natis
Fandom isn’t your job. Take a month off. Take 3 years off. Post incomplete fics. Post incomplete art. Never post again. Switch fandoms. Stay loyal to one fandom only. Do whatever tf you want. You literally make all the rules of engagement in this arena.
November 2, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Fandom isn’t your job. Take a month off. Take 3 years off. Post incomplete fics. Post incomplete art. Never post again. Switch fandoms. Stay loyal to one fandom only. Do whatever tf you want. You literally make all the rules of engagement in this arena.
Reposted by Mercury Natis
With ICE and other extremist groups trying to claim #Tolkien, this old post still holds up:
“Tolkien does not simply give us hope for a better future or strength to endure hardship. Instead, the text [is] a call to action, a challenge...”
luke-shelton.com/2021/01/08/r...
“Tolkien does not simply give us hope for a better future or strength to endure hardship. Instead, the text [is] a call to action, a challenge...”
luke-shelton.com/2021/01/08/r...
Reading Tolkien during the Insurrection
I happened to be reading the final three chapters of The Lord of the Rings this week as supporters of an incompetent president attempted an insurrection in America. I am going through the book with…
luke-shelton.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:04 PM
With ICE and other extremist groups trying to claim #Tolkien, this old post still holds up:
“Tolkien does not simply give us hope for a better future or strength to endure hardship. Instead, the text [is] a call to action, a challenge...”
luke-shelton.com/2021/01/08/r...
“Tolkien does not simply give us hope for a better future or strength to endure hardship. Instead, the text [is] a call to action, a challenge...”
luke-shelton.com/2021/01/08/r...
I found a metaphor about AI that I like, and I'm going to stick with: AI is like mercury or lead or plutonium. Yeah, it has some practical uses, but those practical uses are vastly outweighed by the fact that they are actively toxic, destroying both our brains and the environment.
November 6, 2025 at 10:48 PM
I found a metaphor about AI that I like, and I'm going to stick with: AI is like mercury or lead or plutonium. Yeah, it has some practical uses, but those practical uses are vastly outweighed by the fact that they are actively toxic, destroying both our brains and the environment.
Reposted by Mercury Natis
Reposted by Mercury Natis
me at the end of class: here's a little speculative exercises; imagine you wake up from cryosleep in 2085. what's the kind of tech-society r/ship you'd like to see around you?
students: no AI
I honestly think students' views are missing from the 'should AI be integrated in classrooms' discussion
students: no AI
I honestly think students' views are missing from the 'should AI be integrated in classrooms' discussion
November 6, 2025 at 6:32 AM
me at the end of class: here's a little speculative exercises; imagine you wake up from cryosleep in 2085. what's the kind of tech-society r/ship you'd like to see around you?
students: no AI
I honestly think students' views are missing from the 'should AI be integrated in classrooms' discussion
students: no AI
I honestly think students' views are missing from the 'should AI be integrated in classrooms' discussion
Reposted by Mercury Natis
We're currently at 46%, which is incredible! Thank you all so much, every little bit helps, and I'm tremendously grateful. Keep sharing it around if you can!
I also currently have a GoFundMe for top surgery! Please consider donating, the more I get, the less likely that I need to go the Medical Tourism route (which has dangers and complications).
gofund.me/a5e31e43a
gofund.me/a5e31e43a
Donate to Help Mercury Yeet the Teet! (or: a top surgery fundraiser), organized by Mercury Natis
Hello world, it’s me, Mickey, and this is a top surgery/elect… Mercury Natis needs your support for Help Mercury Yeet the Teet! (or: a top surgery fundraiser)
gofund.me
October 14, 2025 at 12:29 PM
We're currently at 46%, which is incredible! Thank you all so much, every little bit helps, and I'm tremendously grateful. Keep sharing it around if you can!
Reposted by Mercury Natis
Don’t make me tap the sign.
October 15, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Don’t make me tap the sign.
Reposted by Mercury Natis
Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
October 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
Reposted by Mercury Natis
Hivemind help me out, I'm chasing a thread. I'm looking for SOMETHING called TSL, a magazine or a journal, publishing in 1973/74, probably in UK or South Africa, but could be elsewhere. It COULD be the Times Literary Supplement just turned around, but I want to cover my bases. Anyone recognize TSL?
November 4, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Hivemind help me out, I'm chasing a thread. I'm looking for SOMETHING called TSL, a magazine or a journal, publishing in 1973/74, probably in UK or South Africa, but could be elsewhere. It COULD be the Times Literary Supplement just turned around, but I want to cover my bases. Anyone recognize TSL?
I know this is my profesh account not my personal one, but I'm so incredibly happy that my city voted with their hearts and all that fire for justice that I know & love. I'M SO PROUD OF YOU NEW YORK CITY, MY BELOVED HOME. I MISS YOU EVERY DAY. CONGRATULATIONS ZOHRAN MAMDANI, THE PEOPLE'S MAYOR!
a man wearing a shirt that says i love ny is standing in a doorway
ALT: a man wearing a shirt that says i love ny is standing in a doorway
media.tenor.com
November 5, 2025 at 11:55 AM
I know this is my profesh account not my personal one, but I'm so incredibly happy that my city voted with their hearts and all that fire for justice that I know & love. I'M SO PROUD OF YOU NEW YORK CITY, MY BELOVED HOME. I MISS YOU EVERY DAY. CONGRATULATIONS ZOHRAN MAMDANI, THE PEOPLE'S MAYOR!
Reposted by Mercury Natis
HOPE LIVES!!!!!!
Obama may have run on a Hope slogan, but I've never felt like a national sense of Hope has ridden on anything so much as it's riding on Mamdani's NYC mayoral race. This isn't *really* about what he can achieve (that's very limited). It feels like a test of whether it's even possible to break free.
November 5, 2025 at 9:53 AM
HOPE LIVES!!!!!!
Reposted by Mercury Natis
It's Election Day! Get out there & vote (if you haven't already)!
Also, in addition to the Missoula City Council races, here are some other results I'll be tracking:
- NYC Mayor
- Seattle Mayor
- Virginia Governor
- New Jersey Governor
If there are any races you're watching, let me know as well!
Also, in addition to the Missoula City Council races, here are some other results I'll be tracking:
- NYC Mayor
- Seattle Mayor
- Virginia Governor
- New Jersey Governor
If there are any races you're watching, let me know as well!
November 4, 2025 at 5:19 PM
It's Election Day! Get out there & vote (if you haven't already)!
Also, in addition to the Missoula City Council races, here are some other results I'll be tracking:
- NYC Mayor
- Seattle Mayor
- Virginia Governor
- New Jersey Governor
If there are any races you're watching, let me know as well!
Also, in addition to the Missoula City Council races, here are some other results I'll be tracking:
- NYC Mayor
- Seattle Mayor
- Virginia Governor
- New Jersey Governor
If there are any races you're watching, let me know as well!
Hivemind help me out, I'm chasing a thread. I'm looking for SOMETHING called TSL, a magazine or a journal, publishing in 1973/74, probably in UK or South Africa, but could be elsewhere. It COULD be the Times Literary Supplement just turned around, but I want to cover my bases. Anyone recognize TSL?
November 4, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Hivemind help me out, I'm chasing a thread. I'm looking for SOMETHING called TSL, a magazine or a journal, publishing in 1973/74, probably in UK or South Africa, but could be elsewhere. It COULD be the Times Literary Supplement just turned around, but I want to cover my bases. Anyone recognize TSL?
Reposted by Mercury Natis
...but it strikes me that there ought to be more investigation / acknowledgement of how sexuality is very grey and wandering and a lot of historical figures deemed to be gay/lesbian (and indeed sometimes straight) were actually far more complicated in their patterns of desire.
November 1, 2025 at 9:26 AM
...but it strikes me that there ought to be more investigation / acknowledgement of how sexuality is very grey and wandering and a lot of historical figures deemed to be gay/lesbian (and indeed sometimes straight) were actually far more complicated in their patterns of desire.
Reposted by Mercury Natis
I'm *really* hoping this will be the last week that I have to make this post, as my bills and paychecks are edging towards cooperating more than they have. But I'm still struggling to pay the hotel right now. #MutualAidRequest #TransCrowdFund
cash.app/$Settiai
paypal.me/poicelle
venmo.com/u/Settiai
cash.app/$Settiai
paypal.me/poicelle
venmo.com/u/Settiai
October 29, 2025 at 5:04 AM
I'm *really* hoping this will be the last week that I have to make this post, as my bills and paychecks are edging towards cooperating more than they have. But I'm still struggling to pay the hotel right now. #MutualAidRequest #TransCrowdFund
cash.app/$Settiai
paypal.me/poicelle
venmo.com/u/Settiai
cash.app/$Settiai
paypal.me/poicelle
venmo.com/u/Settiai
So apparently, the US Gov, in their most recent series of dog whistles, are pulling LOTR references and are outright saying that their fascist reign of terror is akin to protecting the Shire. Absolutely fucking not. The comparison is a straightforward dogwhistle, don't let them confuse you.
October 29, 2025 at 11:20 PM
So apparently, the US Gov, in their most recent series of dog whistles, are pulling LOTR references and are outright saying that their fascist reign of terror is akin to protecting the Shire. Absolutely fucking not. The comparison is a straightforward dogwhistle, don't let them confuse you.
I feel like we're in a Golden Age of historical dramas (or maybe at the tail end of it): high-quality TV dramas, well researched, artistically interesting. So here's a small selection of TV historical dramas I would kill for, in no order:
October 29, 2025 at 1:33 PM
I feel like we're in a Golden Age of historical dramas (or maybe at the tail end of it): high-quality TV dramas, well researched, artistically interesting. So here's a small selection of TV historical dramas I would kill for, in no order:
Reposted by Mercury Natis
The utility of the Internet Archive in providing access to old books and magazines cannot be overstated. Instead of having to schlep to Tulane and request access to the rare books of the medical library, I can just read an 1855 bulletin on yellow fever whilst I sit in a coffee shop.
October 29, 2025 at 12:25 AM
The utility of the Internet Archive in providing access to old books and magazines cannot be overstated. Instead of having to schlep to Tulane and request access to the rare books of the medical library, I can just read an 1855 bulletin on yellow fever whilst I sit in a coffee shop.
A very small pet peeve: when people choose ancient Egyptian items to point to and go REPATRIATE. Egypt has lots of stuff & doesn't actually want full repatriation. There are many many other stolen items that actually are being asked for back. The Partenon Marbles and the Benin Bronzes for example.
October 28, 2025 at 1:08 PM
A very small pet peeve: when people choose ancient Egyptian items to point to and go REPATRIATE. Egypt has lots of stuff & doesn't actually want full repatriation. There are many many other stolen items that actually are being asked for back. The Partenon Marbles and the Benin Bronzes for example.
Reposted by Mercury Natis
Favorite terms from "The Queer Arab Glossary", a book on queer slangs gathered by contributors from various Arab/Arabic-speaking countries, plus personal writings about being queer with multifaceted (and often politicized) identities.
Purchased at Jakarta indie bookshop Transit Bookstore. #Booksky
Purchased at Jakarta indie bookshop Transit Bookstore. #Booksky
October 24, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Favorite terms from "The Queer Arab Glossary", a book on queer slangs gathered by contributors from various Arab/Arabic-speaking countries, plus personal writings about being queer with multifaceted (and often politicized) identities.
Purchased at Jakarta indie bookshop Transit Bookstore. #Booksky
Purchased at Jakarta indie bookshop Transit Bookstore. #Booksky