#is weakness a symptom of corona

[cemetegee]

Does Ianthe Have a (Deadly) Disease? [Theory]

This is a theory which occured to me last night (while I was half asleep), but the more I think about it, the more sense it seems to make! Could Ianthe have a - possibly even deadly - disease? The following post will be a collection of hints my brain collected under the rubric "possibly connected to Ianthe's birth". (While I'm still not sure if all that is connected to her womb situation btw, that's just the collection title.) In this post I will talk about her Mysterious Anaemia, her Weakness (TM), her Knowledge about deadly diseases, her view on the Death, and the reason(s) her parents "risked intervention". So let's go!

The Mysterious Anaemia

The first thing that strikes me as odd in this context is... Ianthe's anaemia. Ianthe canonically has anaemia. Gideon calls her "the anaemic twin" all the time, and (what's of course the more telling hint, since Gideon has actually no clue of medical things) she is really as pale as the dead. Actually, she must have a really severe kind of anaemia, because she is described as having skin the color of "canned butter" and mustard".

(For your rememberance: this is what canned butter and mustard look like:

)

I know, it's easily to forget, and fandom artists almost never show her that way but it IS no exaggeration. White people with severe anaemia really look like that.

And it can't have diet reasons (if she doesn't have some kind of eating disorder). Harrow says that "she couldn't actually be anaemic based on her diet" (Yes, Harrow apparently doesn't know that anaemia can have other causes as well. Maybe because of her lacking knowledge about The Flesh):

Anaemia can actually have two reasons (strongly simplified):

Wrong Diet

It can be the symptom of an other disease

(Next to the obvious thing: blood loss. I actually considered if she could maybe do some permanent necromancy, maybe connected to Corona - but I doubt it, since Harrow could easily look to the Protesilaus thing, and would probably notice it.)

That's a pretty strong hint that she could have some kind of (deadly?) disease.

The Weakness (TM)

The second hint is not only a hint to that Mysterious Disease, but also another proof for the anaemia. It's the corporal weakness Corona explains (and declares to be casual necromancer Weakness):

I know nothing about you, but... To me it sounds (even for a necromancer) oddly "weak". I mean, that's of course only assumption, because we know nothing about specific about necromancer-strenght. (I mean, even Harrow can hold her arms up long enough to paint her face.) And sure, Gideon mocks Harrow all the time for the fact that she can't swing her two-händer... But that's an overmanshigh sword, which is probably even twice as big as Harrow, Ianthe's hair is surely lighter. And it's also an oddly specific (AND therefore probably true) example.

And it's also a symptom of anaemia:

But maybe it's a symptom of the Mysterious Disease as well?

PS: Another interesting thing is that Corona - apparently! - doesn't know about the exact symptoms of anaemia. It could be that she doesn't know about the (suspected!) disease as well.

PPS: As a person who made A WHOLE POST about the possibility of Ianthe having ADHD I should know that she fulfills another symptom of heavy anaemia named decreased attention. (My theory still stands though! Although there may be overlaps of "symptoms", there are still some things about her I can only explain to me with her having ADHD.)

PPPS: Her fucked up sleep rythm is also an indicator for heavy anaemia. (As well as for ADHD btw.)

Knowledge About Deadly Diseases

Another thing which strikes me as odd is her knowledge about deadly diseases. And I'll admit, indeed, at first, it seems as if she'd know nothing more than necromancer gossip.

But Palamedes chronically underestimates her. And a little later, "Dulcinea" mentions a secret of the Seventh House, connected to the "perfect death". She says this:

That could of course be a lie... (Especially since the context she says it in - about how she apparently want to have animated Protesilaus -is definitely not true lol) But it could also be true! Just because Cytherea lies about her identity, it doesn't mean that she lies all the time about everything. (I mean, it IS strange that a whole House would build up its reign on a family of shortliving people with blood cancer, if it does NOT bring any necromantic advantange, isn't it?) What offers the interesting question if Ianthe knows that secret of the "perfect death" as well... (And therefore more than Palamedes here!)

But a topic about which she certainly knows more than Palamedes - or anyone else in the room - is thanergy transfer. And she seems - for some reason - to think that an thanergy transfer of a person as sick as "Dulcinea" was possible. Even after she's been "corrected" by Palamedes before:

Why does she think that? And why has she even knowledge about this case of thanergy transfer? That's an oddly specific and very strange nerd theme - at least for a perfectly healthy person. (And regarding the fact, that she is - unlike Palamedes - NO "medical" necromancer, and therefore doesn't need that knowledge for her "job".) I find the study of such cases to be a very strong hint to her own health.

PS: I don't know how I should put that, it's also obviously no main point, but while we're on Gideon the Ninth: I find it interesting that she never discriminates Cytherea for her disability. I find that interesting, because it IS something you could expect of her. (Since she is not very sensitive with Harrow's mental health in HtN.) And we even have someone who does it: Silas. She does not. I think it wouldn't be so strange if she had a personal relationship to it. (But maybe she's only afraid of Cytherea... I mean, I understand, she is creepy as hell!)

Pain Tolerance

One other thing that makes me think of Ianthe as having some disease is her absurdly high pain tolerance... We see it in the whole second book! For example in the scene where she stabs Harrow's, but also her own hand:

She doesn't even flinch.

And here another example: I mean, obviously she feels pain during the whole arm scene, cutting off an arm, and letting regrow it is apparently a process which is very painful and which even she perceives...

(Although her reactions are of course, uuuum, interpretable. But she feels SOMETHING, okay?) BUT we have an other scene which pretty much implies that she has thought about cutting of her arm herself, and look if it regrows:

(I mean, she takes Harrow serious her. It looks to her like an acceptable option.) My point is, that you need an incredibly high pain tolerance to even CONSIDER that... (To be fair, she hasn't much choice here, but together with the other things I can still see a pattern.)

And that lets me think of something @thanergetic-hyperlinks reminded me of, when I mentioned her pain "resistance" for the first time. PAIN PATIENTS can in fact develop a higher pain tolerance. And... without the context I probably wouldn't think about it, but now I do... could Ianthe be one?

Dying as a Skill Issue

One thing that's actually pretty obvious about Ianthe is (as soon as you've noticed it once) that she... seems to think of dying some kind of Skill Issue. We see it for example in her reception of Abigal's death:

Abigail didn't die because Cytherea murdered her, but because she brought her husband. Because she did something wrong. And Ortus OBVIOUSLY didn't die because he was murdered as well, but because he was too sad.

She leds back dying to a lack of personal qualities. Dying is for suckers.

This idea is... a little bit strange to be honest, and it makes me think... could Ianthe believe that, because she has...a serious problem on the dying side? Because she's facing it, and fears to fail? Is that the reason she wants to become a Lyctor so desperately? (And maybe even some kind of God?)

She was Allowed to Survive

Let's come to the last point! This is about a talk Ianthe and Silas have in Gideon the Ninth. They talk about Ianthe's womb situation, that she'd been about to die, and that her parents risked "intervention". Silas then basically asks why her parents didn't let Corona "kill" her, because that would have made necromantically much more sense than saving her. (Rude, btw)

(Btw, now that I read this scene again I see that there's something super-off with the way Ianthe says that. Either she's lying here or she is hiding something. In any way it seems to be a VERY unconvenient theme for her! It reminds me very much of the Gaslighting scene - only in regard to the vibes.)

And I don't believe for a single second, that her parents did it for her. The Idan monarchs seem to be quite awful people. The main reason why she was allowed to survive is probably that her father wanted a Necromancer Pair as power symbol. The Third is all about show, and they did probably prefer the gleam of two twin necromancers over one more powerful one. (To their luck actuall, because whatever Corona did, it obviously didn't give her the expected powers.)

But I can't help but wonder... if the Mysterious Disease played a role as well? Especially regarding the fact that deadly sick people apparently have a reputation as "the perfect necromancers" among necromancers! Was there any reason to assume, that Ianthe would be especially powerful? Either because of a side effect of her birth situation? And/Or because of... the "promise" of a deadly disease? Why did her parents risk intervention? Silas doesn't seem to think it was a good idea...

Conclusion

Does Ianthe have a (possibly even deadly) disease? I'll be honest... It's possible. There are circumstances which are definitely suspicious, and her desperate wish to become immortal is definitely remarkable. I feel as if we'd miss an important piece. But maybe there is no disease! I wouldn't know, I'm neither a doctor or a biologist! (If you are, please share your thoughts if you have any, I'm genuinly interested) Maybe it all is some necromantic thing that hasn't even to do with our real world at all. And I don't know if it's connected to her birth, although I find a few hints to be there for that as well... To conclude, maybe Ianthe has a deadly disease, it's definitely suspicious, I love her, I love you, thanks for reading, mwah :3

[tamtam-go92]

Hey there and excuse me for just disappearing on everybody. I was having... quite the time over the last month or how long I haven't been here. Let's just say, I wasn't in a very good health, mentally speaking.

As I already said, the health of my parents has been greatly declining this last year, to the point that I feared I might lose them. Luckily they both are on a good path and I'm looking optimistically into the future.

The thing is, now my partner was diagnosed with a very bad high blood pressure. I know, this usually isn't a thing to be too worried about, it's well treatable. Yet it was the last straw and I just snapped. He's was on very heavy medication, since the blood pressure was really critical and the medication took it's toll on all aspects of our live. As I sometimes mentioned, my partner usually works the night shift, not always but sometimes he works them for like six weeks in row. Now he isn't working since December 6th. And he probably won't return to the night shifts ever again. Aside from them financial cut this means, those are a factor, but we'll manage. I'm really afraid what this turn of events will do to our relationship.

I'm a person that needs a lot of me time, almost all my hobbies require me to be on my own and for me to have my piece. The last month has been... challenging to say at least. I really love my partner, but our secret has always been, that we value the time we have together, as we don't have that much free time together. Now he's always there, when I'm at home too and I somehow can't go on about my hobbies as I used to.

I know, it will get better once he goes back to work (Jan 15.) but from now on we'll probably be out of the house for the same time and at home at the same time and honestly I don't know how to deal with that. Tonight I'm alone at home as he decided to go to the gym with a friend (doctor said he needs to lose weight).

I really hope he'll get a smaller dose of medication soon as those high dosed drugs really don't do him any good. He's not the same since taking them... It's interfering with out want to found a family this year.

I just went through such a shitty time this year and I was hoping things are going to be better but apparently somebody up there (or down there) really hates me... My doctor diagnosed a high-functioning depression due to the stress and all the burdens that were on my shoulders those past months. I'm slowly getting better but I'm still not feeling they way I did before. I feel guilty for not being able to care for my parents the way they deserve so strangers have to look after them. It costs their money, not mine, just because I'm to weak to handle the situation.

And I want a baby? Really, someone as weak as me? I really want a family, I'm just so afraid I will feel as overwhelmed as I do now for the rest of my life. What if my partner never gets better and has to take this medication for the rest of his life? The doctor says not to worry, everything's looking good, the high blood pressure can be a late symptom of an influenza or corona infection and will probably go away. Loosing weight will help enormously. But I'm still afraid.

I'm afraid of my parents untimely decline in health. I'm afraid for my own health. I'm just paralyzed by all those thoughts in my head. I don't know why I'm writing all this down here. Nobody will read a text as long as this. But sometimes it helps to shout my thoughts into the void.

I actually just wanted to say Hi! I'm still alive. I'll continue posting Sims stuff. Actually I'm currently throwing stuff into my queue. I've lost some pictures due to me being stupid and a noob, and I know there are ways to get them back but I'm too exhausted to try. It might be important screenshots, but I'll just summarize to you what happened. New Somerset posts are just around the corner.

Hope you'll enjoy them and I hope you had a great start into this new year. Lots of love and take care!

[revolutionsingingintherainnn]

Reggie definitely has a weak immune system, because his parents never paid him much attention, and he was so underfed as a child and growing up. He probably ate more after he’d ran away to be in Sunset Curve, than when he was living at home.

So, when 2020 comes, and the boys become human again (they’re part human part ghost, but they can eat and stuff), and its COVID-19 time, Julie is confused watching not only Alex, but also Luke going into full panic mode. Like, the second news of COVID-19 hits, Alex and Luke are locking all of them in the Molina household, and they had all kinds of sanitisers and hand wipes and soaps in the studio. Literally, one sanitiser was always within a hand’s reach.

When Julie questions the overboard planning, Alex tells her, “Reggie has a really weak immune system. He never had the chance to build a strong immune system as a kid, and when we get sick, it hits him the worse.”

Julie, then, joins in on the crazy precautions. She’s pretty sure that at one point, she’d ended up spending her monthly allowance on just face masks and sanitisers. But, if it means Reggie will be okay, then she’ll happily do it.

Now, because of all of the crazy planning, Alex and Luke sort of forget to take the same precautionary methods when they’re not around Reggie, and they end up getting COVID during the peak months. The two lock themselves in the studio, and just generally stay away from each other so that they can get better quickly. Reggie and Julie made them soup and stuff like that for them day and night, and would have to leave it outside the studio door. The only way they could talk to each other was through the phone that Luke and Alex had in the studio, and even with the amount of pictures and videos and jamming sessions when they were feeling better, the boys sent to Julie and Reggie, it still hadn’t been enough. Reggie missed his best friends, and if he ever cried at the scary possibility of never being able to see them again, that was his business.

But, the boys got better, and once they were out of the studio, Ray, Julie, and Carlos had deep cleaned the studio.

They were all okay after that, mostly.

AND THEN, in 2021, Reggie and Luke went out to get pizza, because honestly, they were all craving it. How could they not? It’s freaking pizza!

But, a day or two after the pizza night, Reggie starts showing symptoms of corona, and it freaks every single person in the house. Reggie shifts to the studio, and they give him all the necessities that he would need, and damn it, they’re trying so hard not to cry because the risks are just higher.

Two or three days go by, Reggie’s fever gets worse, but no one can tend to him like they want to. Alex and Luke each have breakdowns at different times of the day, and Julie tries to comfort them the best she can.

“It’s just, he had us when he used to get sick, y’know? Now, his fever is off the charts, he can barely keep his eyes open, and I can practically hear him coughing from the studio, and I’m so scared, Jules. I’m so scared that I won’t be able to protect him from this, and he’s my best friend. I’ll become a country band if he wants!” Luke cried to her. Julie wrapped her arms around him, letting her tears fall, mixing them with Luke’s tears.

They would talk to him on the phone as much as Reggie could, and on the days that he was feeling better, they would just play music together. Every time Reggie would be smiling and happy on the screen, Luke, Alex, and Julie would smile so softly but their eyes would be filled with tears, because Reggie Peters is an angel and if something were to happen to him, they would all lose their minds.

Some days, he’d get worse right after getting better, and during his calls with Luke and Alex, he would try and make jokes when he saw their worried looks, “Do you think it’s possible to die after already being dead?” They’d laugh in front of them, but they’re definitely holding hands under the screen, lending each other comfort and support, because is that really possible??? Can Reggie die after already being dead?? Were they going to lose him??

But, slowly, Reggie got better, and he’d insisted to remain isolated for an additional week to make sure he really was okay.

When he did finally come home (the studio was also home, no doubt, but the Molina family and his best friends were the first home he ever had), it took every ounce of self control every member of the family had to not just go up and hug him. They still had to be cautious.

But, it would be light touches here and there. Julie’s hand on his waist when she leaned over to see what he and Ray were cooking, or Ray’s hand against Reggie’s shoulder for a second, or Carlos poking Reggie every now and then to make sure that he was real, or even tía ruffling his hair (“tía, im a badass guitarist! You gotta stop messing up my hair”). Alex and Luke would just lock their pinkies with Reggie, and follow him around like a lost puppy (Luke already was a lost puppy, but Alex became one too). And sometimes, if Reggie needed both his hands for something, they would find a sliver of skin poking out from somewhere, and just feel his warm skin.

When the vaccines come out, Reggie is the first one to get the shot, because they are not going to go through that kind of pain again.

[crimsonpublishers-pediatrics]

Fear of the Second Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic and Quality of life in a Sample of Teenage Egyptian Female Students_ Crimson Publishers

Fear of the Second Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic and Quality of life in a Sample of Teenage Egyptian Female Students by Shewikar Farrag In Research in Pediatrics & Neonatology

Abstract Go to Objective: The study aimed to (1) determine the levels of quality of life and fear of the second wave of the Corona pandemic among a sample of adolescent students in the Egyptian society and (2) to study the extent of the pandemic fear contribution to predicting the two dimensions of quality of life (social and personal).

Methodology: Researchers used more than one instrument in order to assess participants’ fear and to explore its effect on their quality of life across various dimensions. Research Tool (I) An electronic survey was utilized with 435 female students, with an average age of 19.50, with a standard deviation of 1.46 years, while they utilized Research Tool II ‘’Amer’s quality of life scale” Amer AE [1] to assess participants’ quality of life (α=0.908), plus assessing the Fear of Corona Pandemic through the use of Research Tool III Amer Fear scale(2020c), which included 12 items (α=0.8971). data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and simple regression through the SPSS statistical package (V 26).

Results: Study results demonstrated low levels of quality of life, and moderate degree of fear of Corona pandemic as 73.10% of participants suffered from various degrees of fear symptoms ranged from medium to severe, plus a very weak positive correlation r= 0.107, p <0.05 between fear of The pandemic and the quality of social life, while showed a zero relationship between the quality of personal life and fear of the second wave of the pandemic contributed to explaining that 0.9% of the variance in the quality of social life, which is a very weak effect, while fear of the pandemic supported the quality of social life at a very low level. Recommendations: Research investigators recommend that Governmental Institutions need to raise community awareness and develop programs to reduce the level of pandemic fear among young people that have a specific impact on adolescent mental health and their future.

For more open access journals in Crimson Publishers please click on: https://crimsonpublishers.com/rpn/

[texasmedicalconcierge]

H3N2v is a non-human influenza virus that normally circulates in pigs and that has infected humans.

H3N2 is known to cause more severe illness in young children and older adults.

Symptoms include fever, cough, body ache, sore throat, loose stools, weakness, stuffiness of nose, sneezing, loss of smell, earache and nausea. It is best to get tested as soon as you get symptoms.

Do remember ,prevention is better then cure !!

flu #h3n2 #virus #corona #fluh3n2

virusprotection #healthcare #healthandwellness #medicalconcierge

[minsam2]

😣

[amaranth-devi1]

A little memory refresher.

There's nothing wrong with that, I understand Teemu's feelings in August -21. Yes, it was marketed to us from the beginning, that you take all this and two doses, because it prevents infections, you get herd protection and so on. They got pizza and gas if you took vaccine & +. And the thought of getting on the trip was perhaps the strongest influence of all. Even when at the end of the year it was forbidden to go to the theater, night club and restaurant without this, the rest of the sheep started to bend and some of the group were even ordered this to earn a living. Fortunately, not all of them fell for it either, since health is the number one priority for these guys.

👇🏻 Yes. That's how it was marketed to us, let's not forget that. A return to normal was just an arm's length away. And then there were "us idiots" who asked, for example, that:

👇🏻

How can it be guaranteed that the new mRNA technology is safe when the vaccine entered the market with a super-accelerated schedule?

How can a vaccine that produces herd protection be developed for a respiratory virus that typically mutates quickly, when it has not been successful before (cf. influenza vaccine, previous attempts to develop an mRNA vaccine)?

How can an experimental (the results of clinical trials must be delivered by the end of -23 and the product is still on the market with a conditional marketing authorization) medical procedure be a condition for things that are part of basic rights in people's lives?

Why should you protect yourself from a virus from which more than 99% of those who get it recover?

Isn't it important to have a healthy lifestyle and support your own immunity?

👇🏻 Well, in any case, already in December 2021 it became clear that the vaccine does not provide herd protection and does not prevent infections. The coronavirus is not going to disappear anywhere, which must have been completely clear to the experts (and to the rest of us) from the very beginning. That's when the story started to change on the fly: The vaccine is never intended to prevent infections, it only protects against a serious form of the disease (which is not a problem for healthy working-age and younger people in the first place, nor for many elderly people in good health, and especially not after the virus had already mutated for many viral generations) .

👇🏻 The next thing that happened was that those who took 2-4 vaccines started to rejoice that they didn't get the serious form of the disease, even though they got infected. After all, the purpose of the vaccine was specifically to prevent a serious form of the disease, like Teemu in his tweet. Only three weeks in the corona!!!

👇🏻 At the moment, we are in a situation where vaccinated people repeatedly get corona (or something) and suffer from long-lasting symptoms even in the middle of summer, while still enjoying the good effects of several vaccines.

👇🏻 At the same time, it is a completely clear phenomenon that unvaccinated people remain healthy, or after contracting the corona virus at some point with very mild symptoms, do not suffer from any other health problems afterwards. There is more and more research evidence on how the vaccinated are more likely to get sick and carry the virus longer with them, the more boosters are taken.

👇🏻 How will the story continue in the fall? It's interesting and quite sad to watch. Due to all the corona measures, several frequent vaccinations and constant illness, people's immunity is so weak that it can hardly withstand several new corona vaccines, especially if no attention is paid to strengthening immunity, e.g. in the form of sufficient vitamin D intake and lifestyle.

👇🏻 Let's hope that the scenarios of some experts will not come true any more, but that the epidemic will remain calm and people will start to heal by taking the reins into their own hands and really starting to act for their own good 🙏🏻 Fortunately, almost every one of us has this opportunity. You too can be! It's nice and safe 😁

[collapsedsquid]

Here’s the problem. Aside from the reported syndromes, there’s no evidence that a microwave weapon exists—and all the available science suggests that any such weapon would be wildly impractical. It’s possible that the symptoms of all the sufferers of Havana syndrome share a single, as yet unknown, cause; it’s also possible that multiple real health problems have been amalgamated into a single syndrome.

It’s not the first time microwaves and embassies have mixed. From 1953 to 1976, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow was bathed in high-powered microwaves coming from a nearby building. The purpose seems to have been related to espionage—activating listening devices within the embassy or interfering with American transmissions. But a 1978 study concluded that there were no adverse health effects.

[...]

If this weapon exists, knowing how it works is critical. The NAS report fails to make this connection. The references are weak, and the committee includes no experts in microwaves and their effects. The committee is made up mostly of experts in medical-related fields. Only two out of 19 seem likely to have any expertise in microwave technology, and it is not their specialty. The section of the report on microwave effects contains about a dozen references spanning 40 years and more. The older references are probably less reliable. The studies include microwave effects on cell cultures, rats, and rhesus monkeys, and only one discusses effects at all similar to Havana syndrome. 

[...]

Typically, to independently power a microwave oven you would need a 2,200-watt gasoline-powered generator, which would weigh around 50 pounds and measure 11 by 18 by 20 inches. For a hypothetical microwave weapon, the microwave-generating part of the weapon might be another 10 pounds heavier than that and require a similar or larger volume. If batteries were used instead of a gasoline generator, something like 200 laptop computer batteries would be needed to power the weapon.

The range of such a weapon would depend on wavelength, whether the microwave frequencies are pulsed or continuous, and the waves’ collimation, along with the materials between the weapon and its target—a range that would have to be closer to tens of feet than hundreds. A gasoline-powered model could fit in a backpack carried by a strong person. Either a gas-powered or battery-powered model might fit in a van, and definitely in a building. But all of these would be difficult to use unnoticed, or to target individually.

The communists are giving us 5G corona

[little-noko]

So it seems you and some people that you care about got the Chinese Corona Virus, since many young people greatly overestimate the risk from Corona, I just want to reassure you that everything will be fine.

First, the average age of death from the Chinese Corona Virus is 78, the same as the average age of death period. Middle Aged people are only a little more at risk and shouldn’t be too worried, Young people should continue their lives completely normally, and Children are, for all intents and purposes, immune to the virus (the Flu is significantly more dangerous to them). https://www.google.com/amp/s/medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-covid-deaths-age-related-pattern-expert.amp

The best course of action is to protect those at risk—the elderly and those with preexisting heath conditions—and go about your normal life as usual and treating it like the flu if you get it.

I won’t go very far into it since I do not want to be political, I just want to reassure you by explaining how and in what ways it’s been exaggerated. Reports/people saying it isn’t or just less deadly have been censored (including prominent doctors), and many restrictions were implemented without solid evidence and recently some have been found to have made things worse (like the lockdowns). Politicians can use fear to obtain and increase their power, so they have an incentive to do this.

All of this is to say: take care and you’ll be fine.

=D

First of all, it is COVID19 not chinese Corona Virus. Second, my mother is in medical field and has been informed of the measure to take to protect yourself and others. Just because you do not show symptoms doesn’t mean you cannot put others at risk. Third, I am aware that government are exaggerating the situation and the number of death because my mother is one of the ones that is OBLIGATED to mark cause of death as COVID. But I know WHY they exaggerate it as well. I don’t say that bringing fear among your populace is a good solution but they wanted to take this pandemic seriously, this isn’t about power, not for all countries anyway. Take it like you want, but this isn’t what is going on it my country right now.

Fourth, I am at risk, I have weak lungs and am on the overweight side. I am not too worried about myself tho.

No. I’m worried about both my parents who have weak hearts, but especially my father who recovered from colon cancer less then a year ago. I have also a deficient brother as well to take care off that doesn’t understand the concept of social distancing and how dangerous this virus could be to our parents. Last of all, I know you meant well, and I am not mad at you, but you do not know my situation, what I know and what I’m going through.

[whitecatindisguise]

Blood in My Veins

I decided to do a thing. This story was inspired by this post. Sooo.... let’s see how it goes.

P.S. @honeyxmonkey, I told you I will do it if you tell me no lmao

------

At first Varian didn’t suspect the thing. So what, his jail-mate seemed to be more awake during the night than day? It didn’t even disturb him how he always scooted away from the daylight pouring through the small window. After spending months in the darkened cell he, too, started to show symptoms of photophobia.

It was after their escape and taking over the kingdom he started to notice it wasn’t just Andrew. All of the Saporians tended to stay away from the daylight. They ordered to cover the windows with dark curtains, basking the interior of the castle in darkness. They never came out during the day, unless it was cloudy or raining. Varian couldn’t fathom, why all of them shared such peculiar dislike to sunlight.

Then, it started to get weirder. Whenever he worked in his lab, which was situated so low there was no windows inside, pushing him to use candles to even see anything, one of the Saporians was there. It wouldn’t bother him that much, if not how they always trailed after him, keeping too close for his own comfort. One time, he was quite sure he caught Clementine sniffing him.

But it wasn’t until few months after their escape that he finally learned, what was wrong with Saporians.

He just finished work for today, deciding to rest a little. His eyes were closing on their own and he could barely keep himself steady, as he walked towards his bedroom. Andrew trailed behind him like a shadow. It still sent the chill down the alchemist’s spine, no matter how much time has passed.

He finally managed to drag himself to his room and pushed the door forwards, making way towards his bed. The door behind him closed with a loud clank and he turned, surprised to see Andrew turning the key in the lock.

“What are you doing?” He asked confused.

The Saporian turned to him and the look he gave the boy was nothing like he’d ever seen. Andrew’s eyes bore into his small frame, assessing him, almost EATING him. It was disturbing, to say the least.

“I have no idea, what you’re doing in this lab of yours kid...” Andrew said, stepping closer, a sinister smile on his lips. “... but whatever it is, the smell of your blood is just breathtaking.”

“What?” Varian blinked and stepped back, tripping over the leg of the bed. He lost his balance and fell backwards, landing on the plush blankets.

Before he could react, Andrew closed the distance and was looming over the terrified boy. He licked his lips in delight and leaned closer, sniffing on  Varian’s neck.

“Yes... I’ve never smelled something like this before.” He murmured, hands gently but firmly pinning the alchemist to his bed. “I don’t think I’ll be able to held myself any longer.”

“What do you-?” Varian’s question was cut as Andrew lunged forward and he felt something sting his neck.

He let out a startled gasp. He tried to push the man away, to escape the grasp, but he couldn’t. He felt weaker by the second, his vision fogging. Finally, the pressure on his neck disappeared, followed by unpinning him from his bed.

Andrew pulled away and licked his lips again, a drop of red trailing down his chin.

“Ah, I knew you were special, kid.” He grinned and Varian could swear his teeth were sharper than they should be. The man reached out his hand and gently cupped the alchemist’s cheek. “Sleep now. We’ve got so much time before us.”

Varian tried to argue, tried to get the man explain himself. But his clouded mind refused to cooperate. His vision blackened and he passed out, two bite-marks visible on his pale neck.

~~~~~~

After that night, it became a somewhat usual occurrence. To Varian’s dismay, it wasn’t only Andrew. All of the Saporians shared the same trait and he started to find himself pinned and bitten in the neck more times than he would like. It came to the point he was constantly on edge, watching over his shoulder, trying to spot red eyes in the darkness of the hallway.

No matter how much he wanted to find another, scientific explanation for their behaviour, he was painfully aware of who exactly were they. Vampires. The creatures he only read in fairy tales, never believed to truly exist. If it wasn’t for the constant pain in his neck, his growing paleness and developing anaemia, he wouldn’t believe it either.

Somewhere along the time, he started to wear a coat with high collar, to hide the sickening sight every time he looked into the mirror. It helped a bit, but the marks were still visible, so he purchased a bandana, which successfully managed to cover his neck.

It was only for show, he knew. So that he could pretend everything was alright. Pretend his allies weren’t bloodthirsty creatures preying on him. Pretend he wasn’t getting more and more tired as the days went by...

~~~~~~

When Rapunzel came back, at first he was furious. It was the first emotion he felt, seeing the woman who destroyed his life, made him a criminal.

After the Princess and her friends were pushed away from the castle, Andrew didn’t even bother to wait until Varian was back in his room. He sunk his teeth right there, earning a moan of pain from the boy. The man murmured something about how anger made his blood even more enthralling. It was hard to pay attention, as his vision swum once again, his limbs losing strength.

He awoke in his room, neck hurting from the bite. He curled on himself, weeping silently over his fate. 

Then, the Princess came back, sneaked inside right under their noses. Apparently, she was found crying in Cass’ room, holding her dress to her chest. If it wasn’t for that, Varian wasn’t sure she would be found and caught.

But there she was, stuck behind the bars as he once was. The irony of the situation was laughable, to say the least. He bantered to her how she made his life miserable, how he’s going to fix it up himself, because he couldn’t count on her. And then, everything went south.

The Saporians revealed they were planning to use the unstable Quirineon to blow up Corona. Varian was furious. Not only they used him a their personal food source, the thought of which sent a chill up his spine, but they even refused to listen to one request he had, that no one got hurt!

In a spur of a moment he tried to trap them, throwing a bomb in their direction. But, of course, nothing ever goes like he wants it too. The bomb turned out to be a bathbomb, useful when you want to take a quick bath, but useless to use AGAINST someone.

Andrew laughed, his eyes glinted red, and Varian shivered, backing away.

“Bad move, kid.” The man stepped closer, licking his lips. The alchemist could see the teeth sharpening.

“Don’t you dare hurt him!” Rapunzel cried from behind him. If Varian wasn’t frozen in fear, he would have laughed. So NOW she’s concerned about his well-being, huh?

“Oh, don’t worry, princess.” Andrew was now so close, the boy could smell the cologne he used. The man leaned forward and sniffed, letting out a pleased sigh. “We would never hurt our favourite snack, would we?”

Before the princess managed to process what he said, Andrew pulled away the bandana from Varian’s neck and sunk his teeth. The alchemist cried out, as the man was more forceful than usual. His teeth sunk deeper, he was sucking blood with more strength.

Varian’s knees buckled, his eyelids started to close. Andrew pulled away and watched the boy fall to the floor, wiping the blood from his mouth.

“Consider it a punishment for your disobedience, kid.” He said, kneeling next to the alchemist, the hazy blue eyes staring at him through the fog. “You are mine now.”

Varian’s eyes closed, world turning black. He didn’t hear Rapunzel crying out his name, begging the Saporians to let him go. He didn’t feel Kai pick him up, sling over his shoulder and take him away. He didn’t hear the cling of metal, as he was chained to the floor in the airship.

~~~~~~

“-an... -rian...” His hazy mind picked out, but he was too out-of-it to understand what was being said.

He felt so weak. His neck hurt, and so did the rest of his body. He just wanted to sleep.

“-rian...! Varian!” This time the words sounded clearer. Someone was calling him, voice concerned. “Varian, please. Open your eyes.”

Easier said than done, he thought, feeling as if his eyelids were made from stone. After several attempts he finally managed to pry them open, even if only slightly. His vision was blurred, but he spotted something distinctively familiar and purple just in front of himself.

“Eugene, he’s not waking up!” Someone called, voice trembling as if they were crying. Eugene... he knew that name... And purple meant...

“Rapu.....nzel...?” He managed to breathe out, voice hoarse and barely audible. The purple moved and something yellow and very bright appeared before his eyes.

“Oh my god! Varian!” It was truly her. She leaned down and he was pulled into a bear hug. “I thought we lost you! When they all started to...” She trailed off, not letting him go yet. “You were so pale, we could barely feel your pulse!”

“You gave us quite a scare, Goggles.” He heard a male voice. Eugene.

“Wha...? Where...?” Varian’s mind was still hazy, barely registering what Rapunzel was talking about. What has happened? Why was he so weak? Why did his neck hurt so much?

“The Saporians almost killed you, kid.” Eugene spoke up. Varian moved his head to the dark-blue blur which seemed to be the man. “They were all sucking up your blood like maniacs. Crazy, if you ask me.”

Varian tensed at the explanation. Usually it was only one of them that... drunk. And they gave him time to rest and his body to refill the lost blood. If they all tried drinking so shortly after the situation in jail...

He trembled and subconsciously reached out to grab Rapunzel’s dress. He almost died. He almost died. He almost-

“Varian, calm down.” Rapunzel called out. He didn’t even notice when he started hyperventilating. “Deep breaths. You are safe now. They are not going to hurt you anymore.”

He gripped her dress tighter, burrowing his face in her chest. Tears stained the purple material, dumping it. His whole frame shook, as he cried and hiccoughed, Rapunzel gently stroking his back.

You are safe. You are alright. You are not alone.

She spoke quietly, whispering into his ear as he trembled and weeped. And, this time, Varian believed her.

[biologyweeps]

Corona Nonsense

I’m sure we’ve all seen our fair nonsense of Corona and/or Covid19 related nonsense, but the image I was shown by a friend recently has taken the cake, to the point where I feel I gotta inflict it upon you all, too. I do think that the original text was not written by someone who’s got English as their native language, but still.

So....let’s start with what of this is nonsense.

‘danger of facemasks

- Oxygen in blood reduces

- Oxygen in brain reduces

-.You start feeling weak

- May lead to death. ‘

None of these are true. Literally. A facemask will not choke you to death. If that was the case, people wearing a niqab would routinely drop dead in the street. Hell, halloween masks would do the trip. Ski masks would. And the latter is often worn by people who do sport in the cold. If my dad can go for a run or a 6h cycling tour in winter wearing one of these babies, for the last...well, 30 years and not die, neither will you.

Now the next part isn’t stupid. Like, you don’t have to wear a masks if you’re alone at home, or in your car. The point of a mask is to reduce the amount of potentially infectious particles you exhale into your environment, and to also somewhat reduce the amount of potentially infectious particles you inhale.

It won’t harm you if you do wear it. But you don’t have to, because if you’re alone, the only infectious particles you’d inhale are your own, and the only one you’d exhale them to is...also yourself. So yeah, you don’t have to wear it if you’re alone. But it won’t hurt you either.

Medicines that are taken in isolation

1.Vitamin C-1000

2. Vitamin E (E)

3. From (10-11) hours, sitting in the sunshine for 15-20 minutes

4. Egg meal once

5.We take a rest/sleep a minimum of 7-8 hours

6. We drink 1.5l waters daily

7. All meals should be warm (not cold)

Now the list of ‘medicines’ i just...straight up wrong. I work at a hospital. I can promise you that the cases of Covid-19 we had here were not just given vitamins while people hoped for the best. I can promise you that that’s not what went down in Italy, or New York, or China when people were intubated on ICU, dying of multiorgan failure.

And then... my most hated woo bullshit lie ever: pH will solve everything.

Note that the pH of Corona virus is varies from 5.5 to 8.5.

Therefore all we have to do to elimate the virus is to consume more alkaline foods above the acidity level of the virus.

That is again, NOT TRUE. A virus does not care what you eat. The virus is sitting in your cells, using it to replicate. Your body does carefully balance its own pH levels (which, as you known, vary to where we’re looking. Your skin, your blood, and your stomach have VERY different pH levels.). You can’t influence the pH levels of your body by what you eat outside of like, your stomach. You just can’t. Shifting your blood pH just 0.5 into either direction from it’s baseline is unhealthy for you, and can cause damage to you.

But we’re not done yet. Oh no, this thing also provides a list of foods you’re supposed to eat.

- green lemon 9.9 pH

- Yellow Lemon 8.2 pH

- Avocado 15.6 pH

Now you should note two things...

1) lemons are acidic. Lemon juice has a pH of about 2.2. The pH given in this table? That’s alkaline.

2) the pH scale ends on 14. Now, you can get more alkaline that 14. past the end of the scale however, pH can no longer be really measured because it stops being linear. You can still get their by math, but not by measure. Also, for comparison: a fully saturated caustic soda solution is clocking in at 14.

But fear not, the scale, according to this image goes way, way past 14, or even 15.

watercress 22.7 pH

I’m not sure if I can stress how utterly batshit that number is. Again, caustic soda solution comes in at 14. If you were to get something of a pH of 22 - which I think is chemically impossible to reach, actually, I don’t think you can get that far because the pH value is logarhythmic. The increase you’d have to get from 14 to 22 is just mindboggling. NOTHING in nature that I’m aware off has a pH value even close to that.

Now for the last bit...if you’re experiencing symptoms, or you have had contact to a confirmed case or you live in a high risk region... go the fuck to a doctor - actually, call them first to announce yourself before walking in, don’Ät risk other people. Go in with a mask. Get tested.

And lemon with warm water eliminates the virus at the beinning before it reaches the lungs...

DO NOT TRY TO FIX IT WITH HOT LEMON AND HOT WATER IT WILL NOT WORK:

Like, that already doesn’t work on a regular cold, it’s not going to work on this baby. Go seek out professional medical advice either in person, or via telemedicine means, or phone calls. Isolate yourself if you can be outpatient as best you can. And don’t trust shitty internet advice that claims that watercress has a pH of 22.7 to tell you anything that’d actually help you in a situation of medical distress.

[nervouspatrolinternet]

THE EFFECT OF COVID-19 TO OUR COUNTRY,PEOPLE AND ECONOMY

COUNTRY

To better understand these impacts, we carried out computer-assisted telephone interviews of households in eight ADB developing member countries: Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Our empirical results suggest that various household characteristics, including household income class.before COVID-19 household demographic factors, and COVID-19-induced factors such as having at least one person who lost their job or being located in lockdown areas, all affected the likelihood of a decline in income. In all countries, having at least one person who lost their job or had reduced working time increases the likelihood of experiencing financial difficulties by 17 percentage points. About 27% of children who stopped attending school could not fully participate in online learning programs due to weak/insufficient internet connections and a lack of digital devices. Two COVID-19 related factors having at least one person who lost their job or had working hours reduced and experiencing financial difficulties significantly affect the intensity of online classes taken by children in an average household.

PEOPLE

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic recession have negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. During the pandemic, about adults in the U.S. have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, a share that has been largely consistent, up from adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019 (Figure 1).from July 2020 also found that many adults are reporting specific negative impacts on their mental health and well-being, such as difficulty sleeping (36%) or eating (32%), increases in alcohol consumption or substance use (12%), and worsening chronic conditions (12%), due to worry and stress over the corona virus. As the pandemic wears on, ongoing and necessary public health measures expose many people to experiencing situations linked to poor mental health outcome.

ECONOMY

Pre-COVID 19, the Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia with real GDP growth average of 6.3% annually over the ten-year period up to 2019 with private consumption, investment, and services as major growth drivers. The Philippines is about to become an upper middle-income country in 2020 or two years ahead of target.

The reimposition of the strict community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region (NCR) and major economic hubs in the second quarter of 2021 due to the spike in COVID-19 cases impacted on the economic recovery. The NCR accounts for 37.5% of GDP while the entire Luzon region accounts for about 70% of the country’s GDP. Sectors from retail, real estate, to manufacturing experienced serious challenges due to the enhanced community quarantine.

As of 2nd quarter 2021, unemployment rate stood at 7.7% while underemployment at 12.3%. Private consumption, which makes up roughly 70% of the Philippine economy, has remained muted as public transportation continues to operate on a limited capacity. Policy interventions to stabilize commodity prices have begun to take effect as headline inflation decelerated in June 2021 with headline inflation rate slowed down to 4.1 %. This is the lowest inflation rate recorded since December 2020. Food inflation remained at 4.9 % in June 2021 with the spike in pork prices resulting from the African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak that significantly reduced domestic pork production.

[thefloatingstone]

Guys I’m gonna share a facebook post my mom saw but I’m gonna have to translate it into english so sorry if this isn’t as funny as it should be.

Also note how much advice you take from this. I just wanted to share the remarkable writing talent;

But by thunder! Will ya’ll relax a little?! Relax the tits. Hakuna your tatas. Unknot the asshole muscles. Because if I have to hear “Corona Virus” one more time I’m gonna literally stab somebody in the throat with a cactus. Come gather around your uncle so that I I can tell all of you nicely;

1: Those little face-masks that you’re buying and walking around wearing in Menlyn Park [an upscale mall] means nothing. The Corona Virus is not airborne. That means he can’t fly. He doesn’t have little wings, he doesn’t have a little helicopter, he doesn’t have a little parachute. Nothing. So unless Corona starts drinking Red Bull to get wings that little mask means nothing to you. Don’t waste your money, Don’t walk around Menlyn imagining you’re Darth Vader. The security will probably mark you as a terrorist and kick you out.

2: If you pay close attention you’ll realise that the smart doctors with their egg heads are telling you to wash your hands. Really? Is hand washing really a new concept to people? Just think for a moment everywhere other people’s hands have been today... Think a little where your own hands have been today. (yuck! I can’t believe you’re stuffing your hands in that!?) And now you want to touch other people’s hands and now-now eat KFC and licking your fingers? And then tomorrow you write another furious letter because so-and-so’s KFC half killed you, but actually it’s because you’re not washing your hands! If there is ONE reason to wash your hands, it’s the fact that there are people out there who use 1-ply toilet paper. Do you know how easily 1-ply paper rips? And then that same person wants to shake your hand. Ew. Don’t take that money. If you think “Boob Money” is the worst then I’ve got some bad news for you. You need to wash your hands for at least 30 seconds. With proper soap. The whole time. Because germs sit on EVERYTHING. If you don’t know how long 30 seconds is, just sing ‘Never gonna give you up’s chorus twice. Or to be on the safe side, sing the whole of Bohemian Rhapsody.

3: Toiler Paper? Really? The Australians are anxiety stricken and are coming to blows over toiler paper? Unless you cough through your asshole there is no reason to get a panic attack over toilet paper. Or is this because every single time somebody coughs everyone else shits themselves?

4: Speaking of coughing. “Put your hand to your mouth said the cat to the dog” (an idiom that doesn’t translate well). It’s not that difficult a concept. DO I need to draw you a diagram? And to be even more cautious, hold your elbow to your gob if you cough or sneeze. There is nothing worse than standing in the supermarket’s queue and this one behind you sneeze and it feels like you’re strolling through a light coastal rain. If you’ve got a light cough, and you’re scared they’ll quarantine you, drink two tablespoons of castor oil. You’ll be too scared to cough. Just as good as quarantine.

5: Stop touching other people. Don’t shake hands. If you meet somebody, bow before them. This was good enough for hundreds of years for royalty, why isn’t it good enough for you? Don’t kiss or hug people. If you think people’s hands are dirty I don’t even want to begin to tell you where people’s mouths have been... (not that this is a problem for anyone married for longer than 5 years)

6: Don’t be ugly to everyone with slanted eyes. You’re not gonna collapse down dead if you walk past someone of Asian descent, nor if they look at you. You’re not gonna catch Corona if you eat Beef Show Mein.

7: Stop renting your ears out to the media and Social media. If somebody posts “We’re all gonna die!” just block them. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. Yes Karen. We’re all going to die. But not from the Corona Virus. You live in South Africa. There Corona Virus is relatively low on the list of things that want to kill you these days; Taxis. Malema. [the fascist party that’s getting more traction lately and is extremely violent towards anyone who isn’t black] Tap Water. Malaria. Oscar Pistorius And your wife are all higher on the list.

8: Drink a lot of alcohol or smoke weed. This won’t kill the virus, but at least you’ll stress less about things you don’t have control over. (Just don’t confuse your hangover the next day with Corona symptoms)

9: Can we please do a bit of a reality check? Will everyone who has died from SARS, Ebola, Polony, Swine Flu, Bird Flu or the Y2K Bug put their hands up, please. Look around you. Nobody. See?! The Corona is nothing more than a glorified flu. If you hear somebody you know has Corona, then go give them a visit and give them a big ol’ kiss then you can get infected, get over it and move on. You’re gonna cough a little for a week and then it’s over with. For Pete’s sake. (and by the way if you’ve got kids then your ticket is pretty much already punched).

Can we please all get on with our lives without being hysterical? Please and thank you.

©Riaan Palmer

(forewarning because apparently some people struggle to recognise sarcasm and parody; if you have a weak immune system be careful and paranoid!)

[moodykylo]

Of Experiments and Exhaustion

Wowie! It’s been a hot minute hasn’t it, well I once again have another favorite character so you all get a fic!! This will also be cross posted to my ao3!! without further ado my first tangled the series fic!!

To say that Varian felt awful would be a hilarious understatement. 

He had been feeling off for a few days but thought nothing of it, he always felt like something was wrong anyway, but now there was no denying that the ache in his stomach wasn’t just hunger, or that the heat radiating from his body and sending rivulets of sweat down his face, overexertion. He was undeniably sick. 

 But of course, Varian would ignore every last symptom until he couldn’t anymore, just like always. Only this time he was working as the royal engineer in the palace. 

Varian was working on an invention for Corona, getting fed up with the tremors that would rack his thin frame, leaving him indisposed and dropping his tools. He groaned in annoyance and maybe, a little bit in pain. 

Varian wiped the sweat off his face, shivering. He was freezing but still felt like his brain was cooking in his skull. He sighed in exhaustion, the sigh eventually turning into a coughing fit that scorched his lungs with an agonizing fire. 

When the fit subsided, Varian’s vision blurred, the world a smudge of colors. He grabbed onto the lab table that he was working on, his legs weak and unsteady. 

“You’re okay, you’ve got this.” Varian told himself for the umpteenth time that day. He repeated the mantra over and over again as if it would magically make all of his symptoms go away. 

Once Varian’s vision cleared he let go of his desk and got back to work, or at least tried to, it was pretty hard to focus as his body shook with convulsions, and his stomach churned dangerously. 

With a low moan, he wrapped his arms around his abdomen, willing his nausea to pass. When it didn’t, he sunk to the floor whimpering. “Come on Varian. Y-you’ve got this.” Varian said, pulling himself off the floor. He quickly sat in a chair near his desk, placing his burning and all too light head on his desk. 

He sighed, comforted by the coolness on his skin. He was still shivering, teeth chattering, but his skin was on fire. He placed his head in the palms of his hands for a moment, nausea and dizziness gripping his entire being. 

He stayed this way until he heard the door to the lab open. Upon hearing the creak of the door he quickly lifted his head up and grabbed something to make it look like he was working.

“Hey, Varian!” The voice belonged to princess Rapunzel, the living embodiment of sunshine. Varian heard the soft patter of her bare feet on the floor as she padded closer to his desk. 

“Oh! Rapunzel! H-hey!” Varian stuttered out, cringing at the way his hoarse voice cracked. He did not look at Rapunzel in fear of her noticing something was wrong.

“How’s the invention coming along?” Rapunzel asked, looking over Varian’s shoulder at the slew of messy notes and scattered tools. 

“It’s um… g-great!” Varian said through gritted teeth. He resisted the urge to whine as he felt coursing white pain bounce around in his head. 

Rapunzel smiled widely. “That’s wonderful!” Rapunzel placed her hand on Varian’s shoulder. At the sudden touch, Varian jumped and Rapunzel giggled quietly. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you!” Rapunzel said sweetly. Varian only shrugged feeling his throat tighten with the threat of a coughing fit. Rapunzel noticed him tense. “You okay?” She asked, concerned. Varian nodded at this, still afraid to speak. 

Rapunzel felt like something was off with the young alchemist but she wasn’t sure what, she was sure about one thing though; Varian needed a break. 

“Hey, you’ve been down here awhile… why don’t you join me for a walk?” Rapunzel suggested, beaming. Varian knew he wouldn’t be able to handle a walk so he quickly thought up an excuse. 

“Oh, I uh- I have a lot of work to d-do so I can’t!” Varian stammered. He felt a tickle at the back of his throat and deep in his lungs. He held his breath to avoid a fit of hacking. 

Rapunzel pouted. “Please? Just indulge me?” She pleaded, eyes wide. She wanted Varian out of the lab. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d even seen Varian out and about, which was concerning, to say the least. 

Varian couldn’t say no to Rapunzel, even though he really wanted to. He huffed and then nodded. Rapunzel squealed excitedly and grabbed Varian’s gloved hand, pulling him up. 

Varian stumbled, head reeling from the motion. He discreetly grabbed his chair until the world was steady. Rapunzel thankfully didn’t notice, too busy chatting about something, 

He released his tight grip on the chair and followed Rapunzel out of his lab, wheezing from the exertion of having to walk up the steps. He desperately tried not to cough but failed and a few painful and congested sounding coughs escaped. 

Rapunzel stopped dead in her tracks upon hearing the young alchemists choking. “Are you alright?” She turned around and rushed over to Varian’s side as he caught his breath. 

“M-me? Oh! Yeah! I’m fine, just uh dust from my lab!” Varian knew his excuse was terrible but it was the best he could think of with his hazy mind.  He made sure to avoid direct eye contact with Rapunzel. 

Rapunzel seemed skeptical at first but then nodded, turned back around and continued walking, babbling about something that just sounded like static in Varian’s head. 

Rapunzel would glance back to Varian every so often as they walked, his lack of conversation was worrying her. Varian always rambled about new inventions when he had the opportunity, but after 2 minutes of silence, Rapunzel was beginning to get anxious. 

“Varian?” Rapunzel's voice made Varian jump. His head was pounding and his vision was blurring. “Hm?” He looked up to her, shivering profusely. 

“You sure you’re okay? You’re really quiet.” Rapunzel said concern evident in her tone. She slowed her gait to allow Varian to catch up. 

“Mhm!” Varian couldn’t even see Rapunzel’s face anymore, his vision was getting darker by the minute. He was overwhelmed with heat but also freezing simultaneously. His head was pounding in time with his quickening heartbeat. Varian struggled not to groan as another wave of nausea pulsed through his stomach. 

“If you’re sure..” Rapunzel replied, uncertainly, but continuing to walk. 

Varian followed, his consciousness being clouded by ever-growing darkness and disorienting dizziness. He felt himself swaying with every step. The sweat pouring down his face sent shivers up and down his spine. His head felt like it was splitting open. 

Varian stopped walking, panting heavily. “I uh, Rapunzel?” Varian stuttered out, his words shaky. “I don’t… I think I-“ Varian’s vision was fading quickly. 

Rapunzel turned just in time to see Varian pitch forward, his face deprived of all color, except the scarlet flush on his cheeks.  

She quickly reached out, catching Varian before he could hit the ground. It was only now she realized how utterly ill he looked. 

She placed the back of her hand on his forehead, frowning worriedly at the heat that quickly warmed it. She then palmed his cheek, wincing when she felt the same heat that had radiated off his forehead, on her hand again.

“Oh Varian..”  she cooed quietly, going to get help in carrying Varian to the infirmary. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“No, no! It isn’t my fault I d-didn’t, I didn’t… it’s not my fault!” 

Rapunzel felt her chest tighten at Varian’s fevered mumblings, his voice sounded anguished, he was still hurting, he had told her that everything was fine, it obviously wasn’t. 

Rapunzel was pulled out of her thoughts by Varian waking with a strangled sob, followed by a pained moan. 

When Varian came to, he was immediately bombarded with pain and discomfort. His body felt heavy as lead, a stark contrast from the lightness of his head.

Despite the light feeling, he felt like someone was crushing his skull with a tight vice. He was dizzy and disoriented, he had no idea where he was. 

Varian looked around, the white walls of the infirmary were too bright, he whimpered and shielded his eyes with his arms. 

“Varian?” Rapunzel’s voice broke through the sound of his blood rushing in his ears. 

“R-Rapunzel? W-what? Where am I? What happened?” Varian sat up with a wince, coughing harshly into his fist. 

“The infirmary, you fainted, you’re burning up with fever. Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?” Rapunzel’s eyes held sadness and concern, it made Varian’s stomach twist. 

“I uh… I didn’t think it was a big deal. I’m fine! It’s nothing really…” Varian rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 

“Varian you passed out! It’s not nothing!” Rapunzel frowned. “You’re allowed to not feel well. You can tell me anything, you know that, right?” 

Varian didn’t want to tell Rapunzel anything, he didn’t deserve her kindness. “I know but…” he was cut off by a violent coughing fit that left him wheezing and struggling to catch his breath. 

Once Varian’s breathing was steady and he didn’t feel that he was at risk of fainting again, he spoke. “I… I didn’t want to bother you, I don’t deserve help after everything I did to you…” Varian looked away from the princess. 

“Oh, Varian.” Rapunzel pulled Varian into a tight hug. Varian was puzzled, she wasn’t mad at him? 

“Varian, you only did those things because you were hurting, I've forgiven you a long time ago, maybe it’s time you forgive yourself hmm?” Rapunzel smiled sadly. 

Varian didn’t know if it was the fever or just how awful he was feeling, but he buried his head into Rapunzel’s chest, sobbing. 

Rapunzel was taken aback by the outburst but comforted the boy nevertheless. She cooed soft reassurances to him until his sobbing was nothing more than small hiccups. 

When Varian finished crying he was exhausted. “I… I’m sorry princess, I don’t… I don’t know what happened I-“ 

Rapunzel shushed him gently. “It’s okay Varian, something tells me you needed that.” Rapunzel gave the alchemist’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You should get some rest, you look absolutely exhausted.” 

Varian nodded, laying down and shutting his eyes. Rapunzel’s words echoing in his fuzzy mind. 

Rapunzel stood from the infirmary bed, but she was stopped by Varian’s hand grabbing her own. 

“Thank you, Rapunzel, for… for everything.” Varian’s voice was soft and weak, but he sounded peaceful. 

Rapunzel smiled. “Of course Varian, now get some rest.” 

Varian nodded and fell asleep, his dreams, for the first time in a year, sweet.