#h basche

[tenth-sentence]

Such was the true origin of the so-called 'Uranium Verein' ('Uranium Society').

"Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists" - Robert Jungk, translated by James Cleugh

[tarnishedxknight]

FFXII Week ~ Day 5 Prompt: "If I could protect but one person from war's horror, then I would bear any shame."

{out of dalmasca} Disclaimer: This post may include canon-divergent interpretations of canon characters, info about OCs featured on this blog, and AUs that may not align with the canon plot/characters of FFXII and/or may contain triggering material.

- - - - - - - - - -

I love this quote. It's one of the best in the game, and part of a larger quote and conversation that is honestly my favorite in the entire game. I'll talk about when and why it was said and what it means in the greater context of the plot and the character's background!

This is one of my favorite quotes from Basch, spoken to Ashelia at the Phon Coast as she's discussing the idea of Dalmasca being a protectorate of the Archadian Empire. She feels it's the only way to void a continuing war, but it's shameful for her, because her pride can't abide giving into Archadia. The above quote was part of a larger one in a conversation during which Basch was attempting to help Ashelia take advantage of wisdom he'd gained from making his own terrible mistake years ago. He'd learned the hard way what choosing one's own pride over the good of one's people, or in his case his family, could mean for a person.

Although it was a decision made while he was only a boy of sixteen, choosing to flee to Dalmasca instead of staying with his twin brother and mother was a grave mistake, and in many ways, it has shaped the person Basch became. He recognized the pride and arrogance that caused him to make that decision, and that he lost sight of what was truly important. He realizes that he chose his own pride over family, instead of setting aside his own feelings to do what was right.

Years later, he's teaching Ashelia to do the opposite, to set aside her pride and do what is right for the greater good instead. First, on the Leviathan, when they were reunited after two years:

Ashe: "I will not play puppet to Vayne!" Basch: "King Raminas entrusted me with a task. Should the time come, he bade me give you something of great importance. It is your birthright: The Dusk Shard. It will warrant the quality of her blood. Only I know where to find it." Ashe: "Wait. You took my father's life! Why spare mine now? You would have me live in shame!" Basch: "If that is your duty, yes." Ashe: *is shocked*

And then again later at the Phon Coast:

Basch: "An alliance between Dalmasca and the Empire?" Ashe: "Reason tells me 'tis the only course. We must avoid a wasting war with the Empire at all cost. Yet I fear I could not bear the shame. Had I but the strength." Basch: "A shame perhaps for me and for you, but for Dalmasca it is hope." Ashe: *becoming frustrated* "And you can just accept this, can you?" Basch: "After Vayne's ruse, I had abandoned hope for honor. Yet never did I forget my knightly vows. If I could protect but one person from war's horror, then I would bear any shame. I would bear it proudly. I could not defend my home. What is shame to me?" Ashe: "My people hate the Empire. They will not accept this." Basch: "There is hope."

So not only does he regret what he did as a youth, but he's learned from it, he will never make the same mistake himself again, and he's trying to teach Ashe to not make it either. Mmm... all that sweet, sweet character development, heh.

Now, I love the greater context of why he said that line and how it was included in everything else he said, but if we just take that one line and analyze it, it has it's own meaning for Basch. Yes, he was trying to teach Ashelia to set aside her pride in favor of finding a solution that furthered the greater good, but beyond that, he's saying something incredibly selfless with that one line.

Basch has seen up close what war is like. He saw his homeland destroyed and almost everyone he knew killed. He'd been fighting for Dalmasca in solidarity with Nabradia for years before he was framed for killing his king and saw his second homeland occupied by the same Empire that destroyed the first. He's seen death, suffering, destruction, grief, plague, starvation, etc., all results of war. And as the events of the game progressed, he saw his longtime friend, Vossler, betray him and Ashe, and he watched Ashe begin to descend into anger and pride, pushing her towards revenge. All of this was enough for Basch to say that war is full of horror... and he wouldn't wish that horror on anyone...

...to such a degree, in fact, that he is stating that he'd be willing to bear any shame... any shame... to protect even one person from war's horror. Just think about that for a second, I mean... there are a lot of ways to shame a person, heh. Basch would proudly bear any of them to protect one person from war's horror. That's... Gosh, he's just such a good guy. That's real honor right there. It's empathy, selflessness, and bravery too. It's an amazing quote from a man who has lived through a lot, seen and done a lot, made his own mistakes, learned from them, and has been trying to give back to society every since. For the simple reason... that he cares.

[silverselfshippingchaos]

A full list of f/o tags!

Maxi: the dandy of the south seas 🌊 🤍

Kyohei: kissing in the van 💍

Aqua: a heaven full of stars 💙❤️

Demyx: kiss water kiss!

Felix: heart-to-heart combat ⚔️

Balthus: king of grappling deez nuts 👊

Shura: skunk time 🦨

Atlas: just call me firewood 🪵🪓

Tibarn: let's eat worms together 🦅

Muarim: i wouldn't dare raise a claw 💚

Haar: i showed you my wyvern please respond 💤

Eizen: earth and fire ☠️

Seifer: your knight until the end 🤍

Basch: my desert flower 🥀

Yaag: let's believe in eternity 💧

Gladio: send (cup) noods tonight 🍜

Vivian: our own hideaway 🔮

Dunban: blossom dance! 🌸

Akhos: the poet and the muse 🖍

Matthew: i'm feeling full of beans 🫘!

Chai: masala te chai ☕️

Vik: you make night city brighter 🌃

Adam: as human as it gets 🦾

Date: my partner in (not) crime 🔍

Adriana: an oath of love 🌟🛡

Fumiya: mask off 🎭

Hikari: it's always been you 🍁

Percy: your bullet bullet bullet 🩶🖤

Mr. H: a cup of coffee for the road ☕️?

Rune: steal me away 🐉

Akiteru: your #1 fan 🏐

Garrus: can't calibrate this one 🌌

Shepard: i'm with you until the end 🌌

Kyojiro: a baker and a criminal walk into a bar...

Platonic F/Os

Dante: let's hunt demons together 🍒

Ignis/Noctis/Prompto: chocobros 🐣

Raines: and we dared to dream 🤍

Yagami: tabo time ⚖️!

Eraqus: my dad (boogie woogie woogie)

Riku: star-fruit 💫

All other KH characters: our hearts as one!

Clive: find the flame 🔥

Berseria Party: why do birds fly 🕊?

Turks: black suits ♠️

Zack: puppy eyes 🐶

Van Gang: vroom vroom 🛞

Sylvain: you get it ❤️

Rodrigue: the shield 🛡

Xianghua and Kilik: does your soul still burn 🔥?

general platonic f/o tag: my beloved pals

Crushes

Kiryu (and Ryoma): shark attack 🦈!

Mine (and Hijikata): you were beautiful 💸

Kido: balls out ⚽️⚽️

Nanba: patch me up 🩹

Seonhee: caught in your web 🕸

Ryusho: heat action 🐲

Tenma: one to ten 🩺

Marisa: a crimson flash 🍒

Gerik: to be decided 😅

Tsutsumi: sweet as sugar 🍬

Kabru: eyes the color of the sky 💙

Fjord: my dear captain 🌊

Mikoto: love like fire 🔥❤️

Haurchefant: hot chocolate tonight 🍫?

Boromir: one does not simply fall in love 🤏

Kili: Kili tag tbd

Alistair: Alistair tag tbd

Will: forged in love 🔩

[dear-indies]

Hello Dear Indies! Could you suggest some fcs for older or close in age brothers (siblings ok too) for Jennifer Connelly please? Thank you so much your help and any time you can offer!

Jon Favreau (1966) Ashkenazi Jewish / Italian, French-Canaidan, German.

Sean Kanan (1966) Ashkenazi Jewish / German and Irish.

Liev Schreiber (1967) Ashkenazi Jewish / German, Swiss-German, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Norwegian, Belgian/Flemish, Scottish, and Welsh.

Jack Black (1969) Ashkenazi Jewish / German, as well as Northern Irish, Scottish, English, remote French and Welsh.

Michael Bunin (1970) Ashkenazi Jewish / Italian.

David Arquette (1971) Ashkenazi Jewish / English, French-Canadian, Swiss-German, German, Scottish, Irish, Welsh.

Sean Astin (1971) Ashkenazi Jewish / Irish and German.

Half-siblings:

Kim Bodnia (1965) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Richard Gabai (1964) Ashkenazi Jewish / Sephardi Jewish.

H. Jon Benjamin (1966) Ashkenazi Jewish.

David Schwimmer (1966) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Alan Basche (1968) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Paul Rudd (1969) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Josh Stamberg (1970) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Adam Pascal (1970) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Mark Feuerstein (1971) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Eli Roth (1972) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Sasha Roiz (1973) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Josh Radnor (1974) Ashkenazi Jewish, as well as 1/8th Irish, 1/8th possibly English.

Hey anon! Here are all the suggestions I could find with the help of the lovely @nicolemaiines and @antlerqueer - I've bolded those with light eyes for convenience!

[helianskies]

Switzerland x austria

ooh. o o o o h.

SwissAus - B

quaint. they're just quaint. so quaint. a chalet in the hills, townhouse wedged between a bookshop and café. roderich playing away on the piano while basch sits and listens, tranquil, calm, music rolling out across the landscape. i even see a pet goat, for some reason. aww. just aww.

[ ask game here! ]

[tenaciousdestinycandy]

work cited

Basch, Corey H., et al. “Descriptive analysis of TikTok videos posted under the hashtag #Ozempic.” Journal of Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health, vol. 1, 2023, p. 100013, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glmedi.2023.100013.

Brennan, Riley. “Ozempic and Wegovy Manufacturers Accused of Downplaying Drugs’ Risks.” Benefitspro.Com, BenefitsPro, www.benefitspro.com/2023/12/15/ozempic-and-wegovy-manufacturers-accused-of-downplaying-drugs-risks-in-product-liability-suit-412-159393/?slreturn=20240006090747. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Chikhoune, Ryma. “Inside the Boom of Ozempic, a Diabetes Drug Turned Weight-Loss Craze.” WWD, WWD, 10 Jan. 2023, wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/boom-weight-loss-injection-ozempic-1235315394/.

Pincay, Eileen O. “Weighing the Benefits of Ozempic and Wegovy in Health Plans.” Employee Benefit News, Employee Benefit News, 14 Aug. 2023, www.benefitnews.com/opinion/weighing-the-benefits-of-ozempic-and-wegovy-in-health-plans.

Tay, Jing Qin. “Ozempic face: A new challenge for Facial Plastic Surgeons.” Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, vol. 81, June 2023, pp. 97–98, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2023.04.057.

Tolentino , Jia. “ The Ozempic Era.” The Ozempic, Conde Nast, 27 Mar. 2023, go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=EAIM&u=miam11506&id=GALE%7CA749834342&v=2.1&it=r&aty=sso%3A+shibboleth. 

[thenexusofsouls]

((sdfghdgfs I figured it'd be easier to respond to that ask in a new one, just because idk how easily the notes can show up ahah

but! I also have no issue with those kinda asks! C: For me, if it were an issue, I'd either delete it, answer it myself instead of Carter, or answer it ooc and explain my issue with it. So far, that,,, hasn't really been an issue? and usually if I answer for her it's because it's a topic that would genuinely bother Carter and isn't something she really can speak about, or it's something that's just easier for me to explain ooc versus ic. Plus, I,,, don't put a whole lotta canon stock into those kinda asks? like I have no issue making those things a part of her canon (or the canon for that thread/ship), but if I were to think of it in a more "reality" sense, because,,, why would Carter listen a complete stranger? xD I feel like it would be more of a "who are you get the hell out of my house" versus her spilling her guts and/or taking their word without even questioning anything about that interaction fshjdf

and like Silence said, I also have no issue writing out of order! My thoughts don't work in a linear fashion anyway, and I really do enjoy writing things outside of linear. I like writing from point a to point h to point c, because it's fun! C: Plus, none of what we write also really needs to be considered part of our ship's main canon, so to speak. Like, any stuff involving Pietro and Carter's kid is in an au verse, rather than it being a part of their main, so we have that variety and not so much a huge commitment to that plot! I very much so enjoy winging it when I write in certain ways, and I'm not really tied to having any particular thing happen in a specific fashion

also, I do wanna say I do understands your concern, nonnie, but I can definitely assure you, for Carter at least, her feelings for Pietro and Basch were very much so her own to begin with sdfgjhdsf - Carter fell for Basch in the ikau, and since she is still herself as seen in her main verse deep down, it was easy to reflect her feelings for him in her alt main! And with Pietro, I told Silence this, but I actually meant to reply to one of her opens for Pietro's birthday a year or so ago but never did because I was worried Carter would come across as flirty. Which,,, in hindsight, she absolutely was, and that happened before the anon started sending us stuff xD Carter was definitely into him before intervention, ahah - I just tend to overthink and was worried it would come across as me trying to force a ship or something, and that goes with anytime any of muses have feelings for another x'D

but uhh yeah! I'm not at all worried or bothered by any asks we get pushing our characters to say something or know about something before they would if we just wrote it ourselves C: Like Silence said, it's a fun way to get our characters to actually do/say something they wouldn't normally approach otherwise (or would in a different manner/way later), and, like she also said, it's always something we can redo later if we wanted!

personally, I'm here to have fun and enjoy the ride, and those kinda asks just add to it xD I just feel bad for Tony who's constantly getting whiplash from 'em DFSJHGSDFJHK

{i am the caretaker of souls} @starcchild, Okay cool, I didn't want to step on any toes, but it seems like we're on the same page. Yeah, I personally like jumping around too. I figure if we're here to have fun, then we should go where our inspirations take us. Why not write any scenes we want to, however we want to, whether they're in order or not? We're not limited or bounded by things we've written before. We can always rewrite or add onto what we've already written. I've had really developed ships for some of my muses that went for years, and then one day we decided... why not start all over again as if they didn't know each other, just for the hell of it? If you love the characters and you love how they interact, then nothing is boring and nothing is a waste because it's all enjoyable.

And yeah, that's a good point too. Pietro and Basch were definitely into Carter before those asks were sent, heh. It wasn't like those ships only happened because anons forced us into it. They were going to happen anyway, heh. And a lot of times, Midge and I are talking behind the scenes about things and potential threads, and then we'll get asks that are along the same lines. Or we'll get something and one of us will be like, well I never thought about that but it's a cool idea, let's do it. So if anything, these asks only add to our overall rp experience.

Don't worry, both Midge and I are perfectly capable of saying no, or not answering something, or answering OOC if need be, regardless of the reason for us needing to do so. It could be an issue with the muse, or we just don't want to go there for some reason. Some of you may remember me refusing to answer a lot of asks for Martha on this blog a while back because they got very inappropriate, and addressing that out of character. So yeah, don't worry about us. If we want to assert ourselves or we don't like an ask, we'll let everyone know. ;)

[ask-aphswitzy-blog]

Belgium dressed sexy for you!^^

✙ “…………………………………………..What.”

[carolrance]

I did another thing. I’m sorry.

[infernooftheivth]

masteroftheauracite​:

“Before you joined the IVth, and the late Legatus Basch also figured that your skills would be useful since he’s right on the nose about that.” Chuckling a bit, Albeleo then pulls out his auracite that he uses to transform into Adrammelech since it was basically the same thing. “One of the reasons why I got kicked out of the thumaturge guide is because clearly they hate the fact that they have books on transformations in the forbidden section but scared to teach anyone on how to do said transformation cause it’s ‘too advance and forbidden’.” Rolling his eyes, okay so maybe he also summoned a few more demons and read books on forbidden spells while trying them out, but placing down the stone on the desk, Albeleo continued to speak up.

“Anyways~!” He pointed to the auracite as he grinned softly. “With most transformations, one usually needs a focus point or honestly something that requires them to transform and keep the attention on. Now here’s what I’m going to ask, what are you using to transform and what are you focusing on to keep the form from overtaking you? Cause the greater the desire in what your focusing on, the better control that you have, especially if you have a demon or voidsent that is familiar with you and has worked with you before. Kinda how Helsos and his bond with his Griffin Dawon works in a way.”

The elder frowns at the mention of Basch, his eye looking away and to a table in the distance. Hearing those words, and hearing something be placed on the table by him, his pale eye looks over at the auracite in thought. What did this have to do with him and transformation? Was there something the young master wanted to know? Why didn’t he just spill it instead of dancing about what h was truly trying to say. “Shame that such a thing happened. I am sure they regretted it as soon as they heard you were here now...” If they even know a former member now works for the empire.

So there was something to all of this. One questions specifically, in a form of two. Staring at the auracite in though, his eye goes distant as he frowns even more. With the mention of demons and voidsents, Sartauvoir looks up at the other and frowns. “You are not entirely wrong... However, those are just one of the many ways one can transform, as you said, for demons they need a item to come to our plane, and for us the said item to summon them...” looking down, he slowly raises a gloved hand and stares at it as fire slowly rises up about the palm of his hand before settling about an inch or two at height. “Simply put, like thumaturge and conjurers, a mage-knight follows very specific laws and rules for magic casting, more so like thumaturges... The transformation that I do, is no different as what you have listed earlier. I am the host, and the flames act on my whim and bidding. I simply focus on my self, imagining the flames as an extension of myself, like a body part or even my own blood, and shape it about myself with how I want it to be, as we shape our magic to be... I do not get burned, or consumed, simply because I have metal buriers from having my own magic, and with it, the fire from consuming me.” Balling his hand up, the flames disappear in the form of smoke. “All about the strength and imagination of the mind, and the stamina to continue it, with a revivor of aether, of course.” The blond looks over at the other. “Is that what you wanted to know?”

❛ i just thought you’d like some company. ❜ 

&. 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

said from the soft spot. 

Sartauvoir rests his hand on his chin in thought as he frowns. An ice-blue eye stares through a curtain of blond and white hair as he reads over a text on transformation before hearing the other. Raising his head, he looks over and stares at the younger.

Saying nothing for a moment, he looks over at the book he was reading and the notes he took. "Thank you, sir, I am honored, but I am quite used to only my flames for company." However, he did not tell the other to leave, but simply looks at his Master. "Is there anything else, sir?"

[tarnishedxknight]

Wounds That Refuse To Heal || Open to mutuals

{ This starter is for Ashe and Noah's MCU verse! This can play out however you like, depending on which muse you would like to interact. If you want your muse to show up with Basch, that can also be a thing. Run with it however you like! =) }

"Is that all you have to say for yourself?! That it is in the past and therefore forgotten?! It is not so for me!" Ashelia yelled, loudly enough for anyone in a nearby hallway or room to hear her and not caring a whit. Feeling anger surging through her, Ashe had her arms stiff and straight at her sides, her fists clenched tightly.

A chance encounter in the hallway had been the flashpoint Ashelia had been trying to avoid with Noah. For Basch's sake, she had been trying her best to stay away from his brother, but the mere sight of him had rage boiling deep in her blood, and she had not been able to keep silent any longer. This man murdered her father, framed her dearest friend, ruined her life, and assisted in the fall of her kingdom. She was going to give him a piece of her mind.

Noah... had no desire to deal with this womanchild. A pampered and entitled princess, she was, who still had much growing up to do. Perhaps legally she was of age, but emotionally, at least in his opinion, she was still quite immature. "Choose for yourself whether or not it is forgotten, but nevertheless it remains inconsequential, like all else lost to the past."

"Inconsequential?!" Ashelia exploded again. "My father was not inconsequential at all! He was wise and kind... and you slaughtered him in his bed!"

"I did not," Noah said firmly, actually a bit riled by that statement. "I killed him while he stood before me, sword in hand, though it affected the outcome not at all." He made sure of that. The only people he killed while they were vulnerable and defenseless in their beds were people he hated. People... like Amoretta Solidor. People who deserved that sort of death. Despite needing to kill King Raminas for tactical and political reasons, he had borne the man no ill will. How could he? He hadn't known him personally at all. It had all been strictly business. That part of it, anyway. The rest... was either by Vayne's order or to defame his brother.

"How dare you stand there and speak of my father as if he were nothing?!" Ashelia said, shaking with anger. "Would you speak of your own father so?!"

"No. I would speak far worse of him," Noah said with disgust.

"How on earth are you and Basch identical twins? You are nothing alike," Ashelia said bitterly, her eyes narrowing.

"And that pleases me," Noah said dryly. "Dalmasca and your father are gone, child. Find a way to come to terms with that."

"I am no child! And if Dalmasca is gone, then so too is your precious Archadian Empire," she insisted.

"Disappointed, are you?" Noah asked.

"What?" she asked, caught off guard.

"Disappointed? That you were not the one to destroy the Empire? Would you have done it, Daughter of Dalmasca? Would you have used the nethicite to obliterate the Empire?" Noah asked, his expression unreadable.

Ashelia blinked, her anger cooling only inasmuch as she was now bewildered as to why he was asking. "The Empire is gone, as you say. It matters not."

"Why care you more for whether or not something is still in existence than you do for what its importance was? Take from things and from people their meaning, their significance, rather than their presence. It will serve you far better," Noah explained calmly.

"Why would I ever take advice from the likes of you?" Ashe spat back.

"Because I am trying to teach you something, you ignorant welp," Noah said. "With a queen as arrogant and ignorant as yourself, Dalmasca would have been doomed regardless of the war's outcome."

Ashelia couldn't help herself. She slapped Noah across the face. Hard.

It took a lot to anger Noah in public, and before someone he did not wish to lose control in front of. But Ashelia had done exactly that. Pressing her, Noah grabbed her arms and forced her back against a wall with a growl, her wrists pinned to it by his firm hands. He'd done so only to shake her out of her conceited ramblings and to force her to listen seriously to him, but...

Suddenly Ashelia was taken back to the halls of the Royal Palace of Rabanastre, to the night Vossler had done the same to her, with decidedly worse intentions. As she was forced back, Ashe gasped in true fear. A vulnerable little whimper followed as she was pinned and tears filled her widened, stone gray eyes as they stared at Noah's own soldering amber ones.

Instantly, Noah's fire was doused. He blinked in confusion. What... is this? The surprise, the fear, the whimper, the tears... This was not merely simple fear of how far he would go with his anger, this was... Disengage. Disengage, now! Noah released Ashe's wrists and stepped back from her. His brow furrowed and his gaze fell, and to some extent, he almost looked as uncomfortable and caught off guard as Ashe did. Her reaction disturbed him. It made him wonder... No, best not to think further on it. Just leave. He turned, and did just that, without further word. As he did so, he saw someone else approaching, but he tried to leave without being forced to explain himself.

Ashe remained there, against the wall, hands up with their backs pressed to the wall, for a few more seconds before she slowly lowered her arms. Sliding down to the floor, she wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them to her chest. Looking after where Noah had gone, she saw someone else coming, but only pulled her knees even closer as she hugged them, tears trickling down her cheeks.

[tillman]

hi i saw you mentioned that you like triptychs in your last ask i love polyptychs and such so i'm curious if you have any favs you particularly like 👀👀

Im literally so basic but my favorite triptych artists are basch and francis bacon like damn they r famous for those things for a fucking reason. Also funny comparing a modern and a very old artist w these but uhhh they go hand in hand I think.

Just. Man. The last judgement is my favorite bosch piece its fucking exceptional . Like the garden of earthly delights is his famous thing but. His stuff like the haywain triptych always gets me emotionally... also bacons the black triptych series is just genuinely one of the most moving sets of art ive ever seen .

I think modern artists use triptychs in rlly interesting ways considering their history as a religious art form but uhhh yeah :-) robert h lee has one I like called uhhh scism I think. Also mark rothkos Central Triptych in the Rothko Chapel oh my god that piece does something to me.

[human-hetalia-imagines]

I’ve just discovered your blog and omg you’re amazing! I absolutely love your writing!! Could I also ask for some headcanons for what Switzerland, Norway, and Lithuania look for in a partner? I simp for all three of them (*´-｀*)

Honestly? Valid

Lithuania|Toris Laurinaitis

Okay, so this man is a genuine sweetheart who’s very open

That being said, he has two main criteria for an s/o

1. Someone who’s kind

He holds kindness to an incredibly high degree, so his darling would need to demonstrate it too

And 2. Someone who has their shit together at least 80% of the time

Toris has the habit of being indecisive and easily overwhelmed, so someone like that who can help him keep his head straight would be wonderful for him

He also has many personal boundaries about himself that he’s still trying to get over, so a patient partner would be amazing

Norway|Lukas Bondevik

My boy Lukas here is an introvert, so his partner would have to either be an introvert as well, or at least be able to respect that he needs his alone time to function properly, this term is non negotiable

Another important thing to him is his familial bonds, so, while he wouldn’t introduce them to Emil right away, the two would have to get along

His s/o would also have to be okay with the fact that he practices modern paganism

He views religion as something personal and wholly unique to each person, so he doesn’t expect them to conform to his, just to respect it

Also? Lowkey? Someone who will go skiing with him

He often jokes that it’s “in his blood”, so he’d want them to at least go once with him

Even if he has to teach them how to

Switzerland|Basch Zwingli

For starters, not only does his s/o h a v e to get along with Lili, but they have to come to terms with the fact that she comes first

What’s that? She has a migraine and wants to get picked up from school, even if you two are on a date?

Sorry, bud, he has to go get her

Onto personality traits, however, he’d want someone hard working

Since he not only owns a farm, but works and lives on it, someone who doesn’t mind getting their hands a bit dirty, too

[thedigitalage]

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate?

The grave COVID-19 pandemic among the even graver infodemic: how anti-vaccine memes have contributed to the harmful spread of COVID-19 misinformation 

Copyright [BBC on YouTube]

The novel coronavirus has not only significantly affected several lives, but has also increased people’s need to consume news and information associated with the pandemic (Newman et al., 2020). According to Ofcom’s 2020 news consumption report, 45% of adults choose to receive news information from social networking sites, with Facebook being the third most popular source of information. This is problematic as social media sites such as Facebook have become the epitome of sensationalism, rumours, misinformation and disinformation with regards to the pandemic (Brindha et al., 2020). The World Health Organisation labels this as an ‘infodemic’ –‘deliberate attempts to disseminate wrong information to undermine the public health response and advance alternative agendas of groups or individuals’ (WHO, 2020).

Such falsehoods can take the form of Internet memes. While intended to be humorous, repeated exposure to COVID-19 memes, relating to the negative consequences of being vaccinated, reinforces inaccurate information and contributes to concerns about vaccination safety and efficacy (Basch, 2021). The image below is a popular meme many have stumbled across on their social media newsfeeds depicting snapshots from rapper Drake’s Hotline Bling music video to spread false claims that vaccines can alter genetic DNA.

Copyright [BBC] 

The meme states that the recovery rate from the disease is 99.97% implying that contracting the virus is far better than being vaccinated, an assumption that scientists and professionals continously reject (O’Connor & Murphy, 2020). Additionally, the Astra-Zeneca vaccine which caused blood clots and strokes in a scarce number of patients, was taken out of its original context and used as a generalisation to all vaccinations being life-threatening (Basch, 2021), despite health officials claiming the benefits still outweigh the risks. Resultingly, memes about vaccines’ radical side effects dominated the internet. This is known as post-truth which can be defined as ‘not the abandonment of facts, but a corruption of the process by which facts are credibly gathered and reliably used to shape…beliefs about reality’ (McIntyre, 2018, p. 11). 

Copyright [BBC] 

Shared posts of deformed people or creatures (pictured above), claim that their deformities were caused by the vaccine – while these are obviously a joke meant for humorous purposes, the message that these groups strongly oppose vaccinations is clear (Goodman & Carmichael, 2020). Even though vaccination side effects are extremely mild such as a sore arm, headache or fever for a couple of days, the internet spares nobody. 

Copyright [CNBC Television on YouTube]

Valenzuela et al., (2019) revealed that seeking information on social media increases the possibility for further spreading and sharing of misinformation, due to higher levels of exposure. Research has found that even a 5-10 minute exposure to anti-vaccine content increased perceptions of vaccination risks and hesitancy (Betsch et al., 2010; Kata, 2012). Such behaviours have seen an alarming declination in vaccination and recovery rates, preventing herd immunisation therefore posing a serious threat to public health, as addressed in the video above. Despite professionals striving to gather more about the current situation, the unprecedented flux of unverified information only furthers anxieties due to the infodemic and risks thousands of lives worldwide (Gupta et al., 2020).

References

Basch, C. H., Meleo-Erwin, Z., Fera, J., Jaime, C., & Basch, C. E. (2021). A Global Pandemic in the Time of Viral Memes: COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation and Disinformation on TikTok. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 1-5.

Betsch, C., Renkewitz, F., Betsch, T., & Ulshöfer, C. (2010). The Influence Of Vaccine-Critical Websites on Perceiving Vaccination Risks. Journal of Health Psychology, 15(3), 446-455.

Brindha, M. D., Jayaseelan, R., & Kadeswara, S. (2020). Social Media Reigned by Information or Misinformation about COVID-19: A Phenomenological Study. SSRN Electronic Journal April.

Goodman, J. & Carmichael, F. (2020). Covid-19: What’s the harm of ‘funny’ anti-vaccine memes?. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/55101238

Gupta, L., Gasparyan, A. Y., Misra, D. P., Agarwal, V., Zimba, O., & Yessirkepov, M. (2020). Information and Misinformation on COVID-19: A Cross-sectional Survey Study. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 35(27).

Kata, A. (2012). Anti-Vaccine Activists, Web 2.0, and the Postmodern Paradigm–An Overview of Tactics and Tropes Used Online by the Anti-Vaccination Movement. Vaccine, 30(25), 3778-3789.

McIntyre, L. (2018). Post-truth. MIT Press.

Newman, N., Fletcher, R., Schulz, A., Andı, S., & and Nielsen, R.K. (2020). Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2020. Reuters Institute. Retrieved from: https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2020-06/DNR_2020_FINAL.pdf

O’Connor, C., & Murphy, M. (2020). Going Viral: Doctors Must Combat Fake News in the Fight against Covid-19. Irish Medical Journal, 113(5), 85-85.

Valenzuela, S., Halpern, D., Katz, J. E., & Miranda, J. P. (2019). The Paradox of Participation Versus Misinformation: Social Media, Political Engagement, and the Spread of Misinformation. Digital Journalism, 7(6), 802-823.

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lil cute hcs about balthier and bows i like bows bows are cool

Fran, upon hearing his request to become the “ ultimate “ leading man in every weapon school he desired, chooses to teach him the ways of the bow, considering that it is most similar to the gun he is used to using. He is already a deadeye shot when it comes to his rifle, so Balthier assumed that the bow would be extremely easy to master. He was WRONG !!!

Balthier, being the showoff that he is, tries to skip the basics and at least look somewhat cool with this medieval device, yet sadly, he struggles to even load the arrow into the bowstring, let alone aim correctly or avoid striking his arm with the string as he fires. Sadly, he ends up with a lot of lashings on his left arm after his practice, and many more are added in consequent practices until he gains his grip on the weapon.

Basch, having previously been a bow knight himself, finds some amusement with Fran in watching the “ leading man “ practice and put his effort into the weapon, sometimes either spying on him whilst delving with the viera into a delicious bottle of Archadian wine, or even, at times, hiding in the bushes or surrounding ambiance watching him, bursting out in laughter at the rare moment he uses profane language during a missed shot, which often causes the two spies to be swiftly discovered. 

The one time Basch lost it during Balthier’s conquest to master archery was when Balthier, hearing of Basch’s techniques during the battle of Nalbina, decides it would be a fabulous idea to test his already wavering technique whilst riding a Chocobo. Doubled with the fact that said Chocobo was more dragging the sky pirate around due to its speed, the self proclaimed bow user falls off the animal whilst trying to fire an arrow at a Mesmenir,