#world corona cases

[newscast1]

China censors report on this city seeing half a million Covid cases a day

China censors report on this city seeing half a million Covid cases a day

Amid the reports of crematoriums being flooded with bodies and hospitals running out of space, a Chinese health official claimed that half a million people in Qingdao city are being infected with Covid every day. New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 24, 2022 12:16 IST Patients lie on their beds at Central Hospital in Zhuozhou city in northern China’s Hebei province on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. Nearly three…

[katakaluptastrophy]

It seems like there's an upper limit by which necromancy would normally appear.

Gideon says "they knew by age five that she was not a necromancer" and Ianthe and Corona had been running their ruse from the age of 6, presumably as it would otherwise have become apparent that Corona was not a necromancer.

So perhaps necromantic education also begins around that age, or even earlier in cases where aptitude has become apparent earlier: Harrow remembers her mother teaching her necromancy with "her fingers encircling the fat baby bracelets of Harrow’s wrists", which makes it sound like she was very young indeed.

And obviously there is a level of horror that is simply normative in the Houses, and perhaps doesn't register as particularly unusual to children. But some of what we know, and some of the implications, are just awful.

How do you learn the Second's thalergy absorption? How do you scale up to a human? It's far too easy to imagine a young Judith priding herself on not being as squeamish as some of her classmates about absorbing the thalergy from a lab mouse.

It's easy to decry Ianthe's callousness at consuming Babs. But how young was she when a tutor first told her to take a bite of his flesh to help her with a tricky theorem?

The Fourth's specialty is thanergetic fission, which is a fancy way of saying they turn corpses (or themselves) into bombs. If he aspired to join the army at 11, what age did Isaac start to practice turning the dead into an improvised explosive?

Young Abigail was no doubt schooled in impeccable manners. How far did they help to cover up the effects on a child of first touching the veil between worlds and perceiving 10,000 years of feral ghosts?

Palamedes' necromancy may theoretically be more academic, but he was eight and trying to learn medical necromancy to cure his dying pen pal. And one can only assume the Sixth's approach to such things is very hands on.

Young Dulcie herself would have been learning how to harness the thanergy of the cancer that meant she was expected not to reach adulthood. She'd no doubt seen others die from it. Was her diagnosis celebrated?

When did Silas first siphon from the man who was engineered to serve him? How early did he begin to build up that childlike certainty that he would always come back to him? How long did it take to not feel afraid as Colum turned grey?

[theatricalmage]

The brainrot took over and so here's a vat7k hadestown au!! Don't know if I'll develop it fully but I liked designing it at least!

More info under the cut:

- Varian, the Coronan royal alchemist, tasks himself with deciphering an incantation capable of bringing the world back into tune. Times are tough, and the royal family + Quirin are doing their best to cope with the meagre crop yields and desolate weather (Corona not really being the sunshine kingdom - hasn't been for a while). He wants to help and do good and I think he'd be a good Orpheus.

- Hugo, having moved about from place to place, still has his interest in alchemy and does what he can to get by. He plans on temporarily staying in Corona before looting, but he encounters a certain like-minded scientist at the Snuggly Duckling. I think him being selfish works especially well in Eurydice's role, having a more pessimistic view of the world. It also works with how he gets drawn to Donella's offer of working for her later on, leading him to his death.

- Ulla as Persephone! I was initially stuck on whether to have Rapunzel (and either Eugene/Cass) as her (and Hades) but I was drawn to the connection that Hugo has to Donella and the Donella/Ulla relationship in vat7k just works too well. In this case, Ulla won't be Varian's mother. She's still gonna be somewhat of an inspiration to him though, being the previous Coronan royal alchemist and for her intelligence. For half the year, she'll return to Corona with food, drinks, and alchemical compounds/inventions, bringing Spring and Summer to the world, if only for a bit.

- Donella would be such an interesting Hades, losing sight of her love for Ulla, heart filled with fear and hurt, leading to bitterness and cruelty. Ingvarr being Hadestown and how by being the esteemed Ingvarrian engineer, she'd be in charge of major technological advances across the kingdoms and so would wield a significant amount of power (like how Hades is literally the ruler of the underworld). Ingvarr essentially being a near death sentence for its workers while also displaying its technological prowess, all still shrouded in mystery and corruption - a place so otherworldly compared to the rest of the kingdoms.

I didn't want to modify the outfits too much nor the personalities,, if anything I imagine the general plot beats being the same as the original musical/story but with slight differences that'd you get inherently as a result of these characters. I wouldn't want it to be the case where it's just the show but the names are changed. I'd want this to still make reasonable sense in this AU, with the actions being understandable for this particular cast of characters.

For Hermes, I ended up picking Xavier, as he's most knowledgeable of old legends and stories, which would work in reference to the Hades and Persephone myth (and so Donella and Ulla)! He'd act as a mentor figure for V, someone who can guide him in uncovering the forgotten incantation. Quirin would still be the good supportive dad he is (even if he doesn't fully understand his son's project).

Last but not least, the fates!! often lurking in the background, I'm still a bit stuck on who it could be? I'm tempted to have it be Raps, Cass, and Nuru as they've had celestial connections at some point (and ya know how stars can represent fate), but I also love the freckled siblings dynamic so much. Also Team Radical... Maybe Raps and Cass can be their normal selves but their Sundrop/Moonstone counterparts are the manifested physical forms of the fates? They wouldn't be visible to the characters though, just voices in the wind.

Anyways yeah!! Those are my thoughts. Do let me know if you've got any cool ideas or questions. I'm really combining my interests at full force and there's nothing anyone, not even myself, can do about it quite frankly. 😮‍💨

[lollygaggingloser]

"It's become a necessity... You've become a necessity."

💫Varigo mini fic ❤️

You like a flustered Hugo? So do I.

After another long day of research for Varian's latest invention, Hugo escaped the royal library with little breakthrough achieved. He sighed, flipping through a borrowed book as he slowly walked down the marble halls of Corona's castle. It's pages gave no more information than he already had and Hugo was certain that the only place left to search for answers would be the eternal library. His walking pace slowed as he began to dread telling Varian his failure to find what they needed within the royal palace. It was bad enough to admit he failed, but worse knowing they would need the help of the eternal library again. Entering the library wouldn't be difficult to him or Varian now, but neither enjoyed going there.

It's been a little over a year since their adventures and discovery of the eternal library with Nuru and Yong. Their journey had ended in success and now, Demanitus's grand library was available to them along with the select few of scientists, engineers, and scholars that could be trusted with the library's vast collection. Still, instead of being this great source of knowledge and advancement, the group would view it as the place their dearest friend (in Hugo's case, his boyfriend) got possessed and almost trapped inside forever. The library was able to give Nuru a solution to save her kingdom, teach Yong how to hone his craft for fireworks and pyrotechnics, and help scientists across the world advance the seven kingdoms, but all the good of the library could never mask the trauma all four of them experienced there.

Hugo closed the almost useless book in his hands and stared out one of the nearby castle windows. Seeing his reflection in the window first, he retied his ponytail to clean up the stray hairs that had fallen on his face during his work. Satisfied with his appearance, his gaze focused to the view outside. Below him, he could see the royal garden, its flowers blooming in deep shades of purples, reds and blues. The sun was barely beginning to set, giving the sky a calm orange hue. Beyond the gardens were the castle walls that stood tall, separating the palace from the bustling lively kingdom of Corona. Hugo had to admit he became quite attached to this kingdom after becoming Co-Royal Engineer of it. Its people may have celebrated too many holidays for his liking and its princess always had him on edge with her hyperactive cheery disposition, but during these quiet moments, he couldn't imagine a more peaceful place. It also didn't hurt that he got to enjoy this view from a castle. He'd never imagine being inside a royal palace he didn't need to break into, much less with such a lofty title, but here he was.

Not bad for a prior thief and conartist, he figured. Discovering the eternal library must have given his resume quite the boost.

Hugo laid the library book on the windowsill before resting his elbows on it, leaning his body to stretch out his back. Even with this easier job, his back still gave him trouble. It was probably due to all the abuse it went through from his time pulling jobs for Donella. He wondered how his old boss was doing now. Truthfully, Hugo hadn't seen her since the day they uncovered the eternal library and parted ways. There would be the occasional letter between them, but once Hugo was no longer her underling, the two felt no need to see eachother. After ending his ties with Donella, he wasn't sure what his next step was, but he knew it would include Varian.

Varian.

The blonde softly smiled, thinking about the short scientist that passionately vouched for him and got him this new position. Hugo couldn't help but think fondly of Varian's smile, the freckles on his cheeks, and the gleam in his bright blue eyes. Hugo yearned to see him after having his nose in books all day.

As if the world heard his wish, Hugo's eyes squinted as a flash of bright light hit them. The light derived from the reflection of the sun bouncing off a pair of goggles. Wearing those goggles has the alchemist he was wishing to see. Hugo grinned as he watched Varian stroll into the gardens, and sit on the edge of a large stone fountain. It was likely that Varian was taking a break from work too, seeing him stretch his arms as he sat alone.

Might as well join him, Hugo thought as he made his way toward a staircase and descended to join his partner.

Out of everything that occurred from their journey, meeting Varian was what changed Hugo. The funny part was, he didn't know when it changed him. The change was slow, unraveling at a snails pace, with Varian's kindness breaking Hugo's walls and infecting him. Then suddenly, it was all at once, like a firecracker bursting with intense heat and flair, and Hugo found himself longing to be the good person Varian and the others thought he was.

Hugo was annoyed by Varian when they first met. The freckled alchemist was the model of a goody two shoes know-it-all and it nerved him to see how careless Varian was in trusting others. It irked him even more to know he was one of the people Varian shouldn't have trusted so freely. And yet, that trust...that ability to see the good in others that people can't see in themselves gave Hugo this new life. There was something about Varian's genuine nature that was contagious and powerful. It tore him down and built him up multiple times. It was easily one of the reasons Hugo found himself falling for him.

He learned later that Varian believed in second and third chances after his own criminal past was forgiven. Now the two of them stood together, as lab partners and lovers, ushering a more scientifically developed Corona. It amused Hugo to realize how many previous criminals were not only living peaceful lives in Corona, but also within the palace.

The kingdom should have come with a slogan. Come to Corona. The capital of criminal rehabilitation. Includes royal titles!

Once in the gardens, Hugo crouched low and carefully stepped around the few twigs and leaves on the cobblestone steps toward the fountain. He quietly tiptoed his way to the fountain's right side before plopping down next to Varian in such a rush that he almost knocked him off the stone edge.

"Hey Goggles!"

Varian yelped at first before seeing Hugo's shit eating grin.

"Hugo!" Varian chided, slightly shoving him back. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

The blonde chuckled, letting his partner collect himself from the scare, fixing his lopsided goggles.

"And what is Corona's Royal Engineer doing in the gardens?" Hugo inquired. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were slacking off."

"I could be asking you the same thing," noted Varian, quick to retort Hugo's remark. Over the past year, Varian had picked up Hugo's sense of sarcasm and comebacks. It was only fair that since the shorty had changed him for the better, Hugo could change him as well...for the worse. His sense of humor wasn't the only thing that changed. Varian had gotten taller, but was still shorter than Hugo. At least the blonde no longer had to be looking down or bend over so much when wanting to see eye to eye with him. Varian's skin was less tan due to all their inside work lately, but in the sun, his freckles continued to pop out more intensely. And so did his scars. They were from their adventures, and it made sense since Hugo, Yong, and even Nuru had scars of their own from travel mishaps and the occasional fight or explosion. But Varian had the most from putting himself in harms way to protect them. Hugo wondered if he wasn't such a coward or selfish if he could have prevented Varian from so many injuries.

The two locked eyes for a brief moment. It was insane how such a simple look could change the atmosphere between them. The look in Varian's eyes was a mix of joy, relief, and just a hint of annoyance. He truly new how to make this scrawny engineer feel special. Compelled by the unspoken fondness in his gaze, Hugo's smirk softened and he reached his hand up to touch Varian's cheek. Understanding what was to happen next, Varian smiled meekly as Hugo leaned in to kiss him. The alchemist's lips were soft and warm against his and Hugo felt like he could kiss them all day. Slowly pulling away, Hugo relaxed next to his boyfriend and the two leaned comfortably against each other, perched on the fountain.

"Did you find anything in the royal library?" Varian softly asked.

"Yes....No. I found nothing."

Hugo felt Varian tense up, knowing what it meant.

"Hey, hey, I can go on my own, Goggles," he assured, giving his boyfriend an encouraging smile. "I'll find the info we need, and we can go to our lab to finish up-"

"It's okay, Hugh," Varian interrupted, glancing up at him. "I'll be o-...I am okay. We'll go together tomorrow."

Hugo nodded, both worried for Varian and relieved he wouldn't be stepping into the eternal library on his own. Varian's gaze turned toward the sky, taking in the vast view. The two sat in silence for a moment before Hugo broke it, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Penny for your thoughts? You got that eyebrow scrunch so it must be something serious."

Varian softly scoffed at Hugo, but rubbed his forehead as he answered.

"Well, if you have to know...I was thinking about you," he confessed.

"Me?"

Determined to lighten the mood, Hugo smirked and tilted his head to feign innocence.

"What about me were you thinking about?" he asked. "Nothing inappropriate I hope."

"Hugo-"

"No, I understand, Freckles. With my good looks, superior intelligence-"

"HUGO-"

"And! And my rougish charm, there's no possible way you couldn't think of me. So tell me, actually, let me guess...you were thinking... about how in love with me you are."

Hugo waited for Varian to quip back with a tender insult or another little shove, but was surprised when Varian turned to look at him, a soft blush radiating across his cheeks.

"Yeah...I was," Varian answered. An amused "heh" escaped Hugo's lips as his flirty facade faltered. While Varian was usually the more anxious and flustered one between them, there would be moments like these where he laid his heart bare, and it would strike Hugo to his core.

"I was thinking," he continued, looking back at the sky, "...about us. And how my life is so different with you."

"Cause I drive you crazy and make it a little harder?" Hugo joked, trying to regain composure. Varian chuckled, shaking his head.

"Of course not!" Varian scolded him. "You drive me crazy, yes, but you don't make my life harder. You make it easy. You make it-"

Varian paused, trying to find the best words to convey his feelings. All the while, Hugo struggled to keep his heart from pounding so fiercely from all the sincerity in his boyfriend's voice.

Calm down Rottwange, he thought to himself. Don't let some sappy words get the best of you.

"Loving you is like...like breathing."

"Breathing?" Hugo pried, finding the strength to tease Varian once more. To add to the dramatics, Hugo playfully rested the back of his hand on his forehead in a swooning motion. "Ah, so it's effortless? I'm such an amazing boyfriend that loving me is second nature to you, Sweetcheeks?"

At that, Varian laughed and gave Hugo a little shove.

"Well, that too I suppose," Varian giggled. He then took Hugo's hands and held them gingerly in his. "More like...I need it to survive."

Hugo swallowed, his throat feeling dry, not sure how much more of this sweet talking he could take. He didn't even realize that Varian had intertwined his fingers with his.

"Loving you is like oxygen, Hugo," Varian confessed, gazing at their hands with an intense stare . "Like food, or water, or sleep. I need it to live. I can't imagine living without loving you."

Hugo's ears burned hot red and he brought his and Varian's hands up to cover his face. He could handle these words if Varian was joking around or teasing him back, but the tender and true expression on his face and honesty made him melt.

"Geez, Var, you can't just say stuff like that without warning," he mumbled, his thoughts and composure becoming disorganized. Varian smiled, his own face blushing from the realization of his words.

"Sorry,"Varian apologized. Hugo shook his head and looked back at Varian.

"I can't imagine living without loving you either, Varian," he confessed, deciding to cave into the mushy sentimental atmosphere. "Loving you is like breathing for me too. It's become a necessity...you've become a necessity."

"Do you mean that?"

Varian focused on Hugo's face, searching for any hints that the blonde was jesting. And then, Hugo saw it. A flash of concern, doubt, and bashfulness? spread across the alchemist's features. Just when Hugo began to believe Varian held the spontaneous charisma to confess his feelings without care, he found himself corrected. Varian was just as self-conscious in disclosing these feelings as Hugo was receiving them.

Hugo held up his hand in a small fist against his chest. He began to list the things he needed to live, a finger popping up for each necessity.

"Oxygen. Food. Water. Sleep. Loving you. That's all I need, Sweetcheeks."

Now it was Varian's turn to be lost for words, only being able to let out a soft laugh. Hugo leaned in once more to kiss him, savoring the gentle silence, and keeping his boyfriend from saying any other words that could make him fall apart.

[branmuffins22]

Hmm...

Notice any similarities?

The eye Kikimora reveals when she lifts that one hair-finger has a red sclera, yellow iris, and black pupil. Black on Yellow on Red.

The sky during the Day of Unity's eclipse is mostly red, but the eclipse itself is a black dot in a yellow corona. Black on Yellow on Red.

In both cases, the spell attacks a person (in this case Raine) via their coven sigil, and they even have similar effects, with sprawling veins and incapacitating qualities.

Could it mean nothing at all? Certainly.

It could've been entirely unintentional, just a happy little accident.

It could have been very intentional, just some subtle foreshadowing.

Is that gonna stop me from theorizing about the reasons these similarities might have come to be? Of course not!

As far as I know (which, I could very well have just missed something), Kikimora is the only character in the show with red sclera, but she's DEFINITELY the only one to be shown performing this spell on her own.

Was Kikimora specifically chosen as Belos's aide because of her potential capacity to perform such a spell? Like, Belos saw her weird eye, remembered something the Collector told him about the requirements for the draining spell, and went "YOU," before eventually teaching her the spell?

Was her eye modified/replaced to allow her to perform the spell, and thus to better serve her emperor? He's already known to favor unstable, power-hungry people in positions of power beneath him, so she could very well have gotten that job the normal way; then, it would just have been a matter of Belos (and probably whoever was head of the Healing Coven at the time) granting her the eye and teaching her the spell.

Is it just a coincidence that I'm reading WAY too hard into, even within the world of the show?

Who knows! well. besides the showrunners. im sure one of them knows.

[darkmaga-retard]

https://www.globalresearch.ca/nucleic-acid-testing-technologies-use-polymerase-chain-reaction-pcr-detection-sars-cov-2/5739959

The WHO Confirms that the Covid-19 PCR Test is Flawed: Estimates of “Positive Cases” are Meaningless. Both the Lockdown and the “Vaccine” Have No Scientific Basis

By Prof Michel Chossudovsky

Global Research, August 20, 2024

Author’s Note and Update

The World has been in a state of crisis for more than three years despite the fact that the WHO and the CDC (with the usual innuendos) have unequivocally confirmed that the RT-PCR test used to justify every single policy mandate including lockdowns, social distancing, the mask, confinement of the labor force, closure of economic activity, etc. is flawed and invalid.

The same applies to the roll-out of the mRNA Vaccine in December 2020. 

This article was first published on March 21, 2021 focussing on the WHO’s Mea Culpa dated January 20, 2021.

The WHO advisory was then followed a few months later by the bombshell decision of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  (July 21, 2021) to withdraw the PCR test as a valid method for detecting and identifying SARS-CoV-2.  

As of December, 31 2021, the PCR test is longer considered valid by the CDC in the U.S. 

For more details see

Bombshell: CDC No Longer Recognizes the PCR Test As a Valid Method for Detecting “Confirmed Covid-19 Cases”?

By Prof Michel Chossudovsky, December 29, 2021

What this implies is that both the CDC and the WHO have formally acknowledged the failures of the RT-PCR test, without however implementing a shift in the methodology of  detecting and identifying SARS-CoV-2.

The Mainstream Media Now Reluctantly Acknowledges that the PCR  Test is Flawed

After having sustained the propaganda campaign, the mainstream media has now tacitly acknowledged that the PCR TEST IS INVALID.

Below is an excerpt from London’s Daily Mail on something which has been known and documented by scientists and the independent media from the outset of the corona crisis in January 2020.

The report below is convoluted. It is an obvious understatement:

“Did flawed PCR tests convince us Covid was worse than it really was?  …

It has been one of the most enduring Covid conspiracy theories: that the ‘gold standard’ PCR tests used to diagnose the virus were picking up people who weren’t actually infected.

Some even suggested the swabs, which have been carried out more than 200 million times in the UK alone, may mistake common colds and flu for corona.

If either, or both, were true, it would mean many of these cases should never have been counted in the daily tally – that the ominous and all-too-familiar figure, which was used to inform decisions on lockdowns and other pandemic measures, was an over-count. (Daily Mail, March 12, 2022, emphasis added)

It is carefully worded with a view to protecting the decision-makers.

[sssapplebottomjeans]

okay okay okay one thing I just absolutely love about the relationship between rapunzel and varian and what the show did with them in general is just how perfectly they were set up as mirrors of each other. varian is corrupted rapunzel. rapunzel is what varian could have been

Literally starting from their births, okay, Rapunzel? Born into the royal family, she’s the Princess of Corona, the one and only direct heir to the throne. A day after her birth, she gets stolen from her family, from her kingdom and completely isolated from the world for eighteen years. She’s taught that the world is dangerous, but even in her isolation and loneliness, she finds something that keeps her happy, which for Rapunzel is her art. And she’s good at it, she paints on her walls and nothing bad comes out of it, they’re her freedom when she herself has none.

Then you have Varian. He’s the son of someone who worked in a Brotherhood, someone who was in a close alliance with the king of the Dark Kingdom. Before he was born, his dad left the Dark Kingdom and started a new life in Corona, now with a newborn son. Varian grows up to be a little bit of a teenage hermit. Instead of being taught that the world is dangerous, he’s taught that he is dangerous, the first rumors Cassandra hearing about him is that he is a 'dangerous wizard', which, when we first meet Varian for real, we find out that he doesn't even like being associated with magic. And his biggest hobby is the same thing that makes him an outcast in the first place, his alchemy. His inventions and experiments never work the way they should, but they’re what he thinks is his way out, he’s going to help people with this.

So, comparing that, I do believe that Varian is a sort of mirror to Rapunzel. Both placed in similar positions (albiet Rapunzel's more extreme) with similar choices, but with different outcomes and reactions. Rapunzel’s a direct heir to the throne, Varian’s not an heir to anything but he comes from a line of people that worked for the king. Rapunzel was stolen from her kingdom, Varian was born into this new kingdom, his dad was the one that left. Rapunzel was forced into isolation against her will; Varian chose it and continues to choose it in pursuit of something better. The world is dangerous to Rapunzel, Varian is dangerous to himself and the people he cares about the most. Rapunzel is happy because of her art and it’s her freedom. Varian is happy with his alchemy yet it’s why he’s an outcast. They’re mirror images of each other, and I think Varian figured that out first.

Even their personalities are similar in that they’re both hopeful, excitable, energetic, they talk a lot, they want to please their parental figure(s), they want to change the world but there’s limits set in stone that keep them from achieving that, they’re stubborn as fuck, impulsive and don’t listen to what people say unless it’s someone they really value the opinion of.

She still has a family, he doesn’t. (The sad thing is, I don't think he realizes that Rapunzel has already lost Gothel, and for eighteen years, Gothel was her 'mother') She’s respected, he’s not. And he gets that “oh. If she’s just like me but *better*, then I know how to make her tick.” So he tries to trap her mom in the amber, he’s going into this fully intending on murdering her mom in the same way his dad died just in case her hair doesn't work, (keeping in mind that Varian has confidence which ultimately led to his downfall, so whether he was completely sure Rapunzel's hair would work or not would make a big difference) which in that case- then the roles are completely flipped for a second. Now Rapunzel is the less extreme of the two. Rapunzel indirectly left Varian’s father to die, Varian pours the amber on her mom himself. And then he says it himself, “Sorry, Princess! We were in this together, but if I can’t have a happy ending then neither can you.” “It’s not enough until you endure the same amount of pain and agony I have!”

It’s all about corrupting this version of himself that has what he wants, the family that will always support her, (which we know is wrong. Fred and Ariana don’t justify everything she does, and Fred especially has made decisions about Rapunzel that really are just questionable at the best of times) the kingdom that will respect her. It’s trying to bring her down to his level, so maybe she’ll finally understand, cuz a lot of his conflict up until this point has been that nobody really listens to him, his dad, Rapunzel, or the kingdom.

I'm getting more into headcanon territory here but I would make an argument that Rapunzel realized how similar they were only when they were face to face in the final battle of SOTSD, and i would also argue that when she drives the last spike in his automaton, that's it's also a promise to herself that she will never become like how he was then, angry and bitter and jaded, an attack that's also destroying that small part of herself... also thinking that her destroying the automaton and not hurting Varian was part of that promise. Cuz she never really hated him. And even if she did, that promise to herself would've also been, "to be merciful, to not hold onto anger and grief, and give those who act out of pain and desperation another chance."

...aka the exact opposite of what Varian did.

Butttt that's diving into headcanons, plus. i'm sleep deprived atm and really don't feel like editing it SKDJGHJDG

The show already makes so many parallels between them and i think one of my favorites is the dream sequence in The Quest for Varian

It just…. So many feels. IMAGINE IF THEY HAD DONE MOON VARIAN, PLS SUN MOON LIGHT DARK HOPE GRIEF

[hanafubukki]

Gothel and Lilia Parallels/Tangled & Cassandra 

I was talking to Mumble ( @/081314) and Amy ( @/the-knaves-world) and how Lilia has a lot of elements from Gothel (From Tangled)

Gothel

Lilia’s new title from the 3rd Anniversary update has been Seeker of Cradles. We know that Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel because she has the healing properties/ablility to reverse age from the flower.

Rapunzel is also the kidnapped princess and with the theories that Silver could be a descendant from the Knight of Dawn, that could make him royalty.

Then we come to the age aspect. Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel so she can use her to become young again. Who else do we know that is old and lacking magic? Lilia Vanrouge, who can’t use his magic and is dying.

On top of that, Lilia has been hiding many secrets especially from Silver. As can also be seen with Gothel and how she hid Rapunzel’s background from her.

If Silver has symbolisms from Rapunzel, then he might also have her abilities as well. The power to heal. In the movie, Rapunzel brought back Eugene with her tears...and who else do we know has been crying? Silver. Maybe it is his tears that heals Lilia? Maybe returns his magic? It would make sense and is in parallel with the live action Maleficent 2 Movie. Since it was Aurora’s tears that brought back Maleficent. If that is the case, that means that Lilia can then help bring down Malleus’ OB.

Most of the Flowers that Lilia has been associated with recently has had healing properties to them, so hoping (please) that means that one way or another Lilia will be healed (or have more time with his sons).

We know that Silver and Lilia lived far away from other villagers, but we don’t know why. Mumble and I assumed it could be because Silver has so many qualities of the Knight of Dawn. Time will only tell why that is so. Gothel kept Rapunzel away so she can keep the child to herself and use her powers.

Lilia, despite becoming weak in the sun, has been in many sun related events. The sun symbol is the main design in the kingdom of Corona. Not only that, but Gothel literally became dust out the window when she fell out of the tower. It was bright and sunny outside, despite the cold and dark inside the tower. Not saying that will happen to Lilia, but he is weak and dying is he not?

Bringing back the point that Eugene got stabbed and then healed by Rapunzel, who got hurt recently in Chapter 4? Protecting Silver no less? Do you see where I am going with this? It points that someway somehow Lilia might get healed and Silver might be the reason. (Love heals all, does it not?)

Back when I was really into Tangled, I read this post that talked about how Rapunzel was raised not to show emotions. We have seen how Fae have trouble expressing themselves, verbally and emotionally. We have seen how Lilia’s role in Malleus’ and Silver’s life has affected them so. Malleus having to act and always keep the image of a king. Then we have Silver, who expressed how he has trouble showing how he feels and how that troubles him (Silver Dorm SSR). That is until we get to book 7 and he breaks down in front of Malleus which ends up cascading to the whole OB event. All of this to say, Gothel raised Rapunzel not to show physical affection and when it was needed, Rapunzel would seek comfort from her and no one else. Just like how Silver can only seek comfort from those he is close with. (though, to be fair, those he is close with know him better than anyone else and we have seen how NRC reacts to how chivalrous Silver is)

Sun Drop/Moon Drop Symbolisms & Cassandra 

Elements from the animated series can be seen as well.

We know that Silver and Malleus have traits that are the same and yet opposites as well,

Silver gives off light vibes. He always had his animal friends even when Lilia was away. Malleus gives off dark vibes. He has always been alone despite being surrounded by people. Silver has lived in a cottage out in the forrest with plenty of sun while Malleus (if we go by animated movie vibes and aesthetics and what we have learned from him) probably lived in a dark atmosphere at the castle, only escaping to visit the others.

There's also the fact that Lilia, Malleus, and Sebek are a type of Dark Fae. Silver is not Fae and could be a descendent of Knight of Dawn. You know dawn, which is the light before the sun rises.

The Sun drop has healing properties. Silver has symbolisms in pastels (which is of course in correlation with Sleeping beauty as well).

The Moon drop is destructive, causes death, decay, ruin, and destruction. It can also drain the life force and vital essence from living things, such as plants and people. Which we know is what's happening with Malleus’ magic as it expands and destroys the nature around him. How people can die if they don't get rescued from this dream world soon.

The moon drop can summon black rock spines...which in instances can look like thorns. The Moon drop can also keep track of the sun drop, as it always knows its location.

Gothel played a role in the animated series as well. She neglected her daughter, Cassandra, and then abandoned her once she kidnapped Ranunzel. To condense what happened in the series, theres misunderstandings which eventually leads to Rapunzel and Cassandra butting heads. In short, Malleus and Silver are currently butting heads. 

Cassandra and Silver has parallels too. Lilia often went traveling leaving Silver behind. (We don’t know to what degree the Zigvolts took care of him nor how often Malleus visited). Silver had to fend for himself and do chores in the cottage. Cassandra would often get left behind while Gothel would got about doing her own business, leaving Cass to fend for herself. 

Cassandra repressed her memories of Gothel and grew to be a mature, intelligent, and skilled fighter. She had the dream to become a Royal Guard just like her adopted father. Who else do we know that shares those same ambitions? Silver who’s adopted father is the General of the Royal Family.

Cassandra is loyal to the King and Queen but was willing to break rules  and lose her job to make Rapunzel happy. Silver is willing to to go against Malleus so Lilia can do what he wished despite his actions hurting all three of them. Silver is also willing to go against his King to stop him knowing that it is wrong and Malleus is not in his right mind and knowing that Malleus is suffering while OB.

Reuniting the two stones are said to bring ultimate power, but what if in this case, Humans and Faes getting along brings peace? (Its not like we can yeet Silver and Malleus to space lol)

Alternatively, we have seen how Malleus has used his powers to fix the stage in Book 5. We have seen how Malleus healed Vil. Maybe, once Silver helps brings Malleus back, both Malleus and Silver can heal Lilia. The ultimate power is the love they share for Lilia, the sun and moon, which ultimately heals. Like how Cass died, but Rapunzel used the two stones to bring her back. (Malleus magic does deal with nature and we have seen how connected to nature and magic the Fae are and Silver has always also had a connection to animals/nature).

Fun Fact: Hikaru Midorikawa was one of the singers in “I see the Light”... I bet Lilia is seeing the light alright--okay, okay, I’ll stop 😂( I know a few people who are going to give me looks for that lolol)

(Disney really out here saying we should focus on the movies and the animated shows 😂, I did not expect to delve into Cassandra as much as I did but it all makes so much sense).

[sabo-has-my-heart]

I have been following you for a long time, actually, you are the first person I followed here and I saw that you have emergency requests. I was wondering if you had time to write one for me. So here's the story, the last few years have been more than a mess for me. I've been pretty methodically screwed for the past 4 years. Because things in my country are very complicated and very rough… I haven't had a single normal school year since the year I was in elementary school. First, it was Corona for a year and a half, then there were a lot of missiles, then there was the whole issue of laws and trials and now there is a war… Of course, in the background, there is a hurricane of political problems and next year the war will probably continue plus there will be many problems with the teacher's strikes… and all this is simply אoo much for me, I'm only in high school… I assume that you probably already know what country I'm from… but please let's put all the politicians aside, please… the things you write helped me get through all of this. So if you can, can you write to me about a reader (female) from One Piece or Demon Slayer who went through a very difficult time and all she wants is a few moments of quiet. Just a month or a year or week without fighting or weird things. just a normal life iven if it only for a littel bit. with a happy ending. Sorry for all the truma damping and thank you very much.

(I hope all this is understandable, English is not my first language and I wrote it in Google Translate)

Hi there! I'm the first person you followed? That... that makes me want to do a happy wiggle, I'm going to go do a quick happy wiggle.......... okay, I'm back from my happy wiggle. Things sound very rough over there, but I actually don't know where you're from. I don't watch or keep up with the news. I know there's the stuff with Palestine, Ukraine, and Trump was found guilty, but that's it. Before any of you get mad at me for not keeping up with the world, please know that I do this for my own well being. If I kept up with the news, it would shoot my anxiety and depression through the roof and I just really don't need that. As much as I care about human life and others, I need to focus on my own health and well-being too. I'm happy that my writing has been helping you get through it all, it's always flattering to know that my writing has helped someone and don't worry about trauma dumping, if it helps, I'm always happy to lend an ear. So this is an Ace fic, so I hope you enjoy it and I hope it makes you feel better. My best wishes on getting through this!

Word Count: 1170

Warnings: Female!Reader, comfort

     Why had things been so chaotic lately? It seemed as if every time you turned around there was some new thing going on, some new problem or some new drama. It might be fine if it were just one thing, if it was just Thatch chasing Ace through the halls for raiding the fridge or just a few attacks or storms hitting the Moby Dick. Who in their right mind attacked the strongest man alive anyway? But it wasn’t just one or two things. Yesterday it had been Marco roping you into helping him get the crew into their yearly physicals. Last week had seen a severe storm that had threatened even the Moby Dick, calling for all hands on deck. The week before that was an attack by an entire fleet of marines. Before that there had been multiple attacks on islands under Whitebeard’s protection. Okay, sure, you weren’t the only one taking care of things. The different commanders all split up, 5 of them taking their respective divisions to check out the islands, with you joining the second division as a temporary ‘doctor’ in case anyone was injured. During the storm, you’d been mostly taking care of things below deck with the other Whitebeard nurses, making sure cabinets were securely tied shut, glass bottles of medicine safely packed away, and anything on wheels kept from rolling everywhere. That wasn’t the point, however. The point was that you were tired of something new and stressful always cropping up!

     Honestly, was it really so much to ask for some peace and quiet? A moment of respite where you could just relax without worrying about the next thing. Okay, sure, you’d had a few days here and there where things hadn’t gone wrong. Nothing bad had happened and life aboard the Moby Dick was quiet, or at least, as quiet as things got on a ship with 1,600 males. However, with how things had been lately, you hadn’t been able to relax once. Always on edge, always expecting the next thing to crop up. How long had it been since things had been quiet on the Moby Dick? How long since you’d had a true moment of rest? Hell, you hadn’t even had time to simply relax with Ace. Just the two of you, laying on the deck, napping under the warm sun; or curled up under a warm blanket, forgotten mugs of hot cocoa having long since gone cold as you slept, leaning against each other. Okay, yes, the two of you were often caught simply napping together, but was that really such a bad thing? It meant things were calm, that you could afford to relax enough to take a nap, that you could sleep. Sleep had been… difficult lately. Tossing and turning as the anxiety of what would happen next ate away at you, waking up in the middle of the night at very little bump and thunk, expecting the worst. Ace had been trying to help as best as he could. Wrapping you up in your favorite blanket, heating himself and the blanket up to the perfect, soothing temperature, lightly humming songs that he didn’t even remember learning, though he’d deny humming if you ever asked about it. Thatch had made you mugs of tea or cocoa, Marco had given you sleeping pills, but none of it helped enough.

     Looking out over the railing, you sighed. There weren’t storm clouds on the horizon, no marine ships for miles, and nobody causing any particular chaos, but you still felt on edge. Feeling a hand on your shoulder nearly made you jump out of your skin, spinning around to find a familiar freckled face smiling at you.

     “Calm down, it’s just me. I came to check on you, you’ve been staring out at the ocean for a while now.” Ace said, standing next to you, leaning with his back against the railing.

     “Oh… Sorry. I guess I’m just on edge is all. There’s… been a lot happening lately and I just can’t seem to relax.” you admitted, sighing as you let your shoulders sag, the tension ebbing away for the moment. Ace nodded in understanding, looking up at the sky.

     “Yeah. It’s been pretty busy lately. I can’t remember the last time we took a nap together. But I mean, it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before. We kind of signed up for this when we became pirates. Or… well, when you became one of Pops’ nurses. Besides, it’ll be fine, we’ll manage. As long as we’re both alive and together, we’ve got this.” Ace smiled at you as he tried to comfort you, putting a hand on your shoulder.

     “I… I know, I just… I guess I just… I wish it would stop, you know? I don’t need much, just a month, hell I’d settle for a week, of peace and quiet. No attacks, no storms, no running from an angry Thatch, or Pops telling me I can’t fight off marines because I’m ‘not a Whitebeard Pirate’... stupid no women rule. He has nurses, why can’t I be an official Whitebeard pirate?!” you grumbled, resting your arms on the railing and resting your head on your arms.

     “Hey, it’s alright. It’s not all that cool being a Whitebeard pirate anyway. You always have a huge target on your back and you have to listen to Marco whenever he tells you to do something, it’s probably way better that you’re not." Okay, he didn’t actually believe that. He loved being a Whitebeard pirate, but he was trying to make you feel better. “If it makes you feel better, I can take you on a vacation or something. We’ll talk to Pops and we can find a nice, peaceful little island where all we do is nap, eat, and mess around.” you smiled at Ace’s proposition, thinking about it for a moment. It would be nice after everything that had happened. A little vacation on a warm, peaceful island. Somewhere small enough that a marine presence wouldn’t be necessary, lots of trees to nap under, a warm beach with soothing waves, staring up at the stars as you drifted off to a good night's sleep.

     “Yeah… that sounds nice. Once we get the chance, we should talk to the captain.” you said softly, feeling yourself relax ever so slightly, not noticing the huge grin on Ace’s face.

     “No need! Marco’s been harassing me about taking some time off after what happened at Marineford and no one will mind if you’re gone for a little while. Pops has plenty of other nurses. We’ll pack some shit and tell Marco that I’m finally taking that time off. Let’s go!” Ace pushed himself off the railing, holding a hand out to you, making you smile.

     “Yeah, let’s go.” you took the young man’s hand, letting him pull you down the halls of the Moby Dick to pack some things. A little time off, that’s all you needed, all you both needed.

[pinkpinkmermayyy]

so this is something I talked about on my old acc but I’m bringing it up here now

ghostflower tangled au!!!

heads up for a really long post lol

@adorefavv @ace-and-sleepdeprived @chessbox @darksidescorner @daydreaming-en-pointe @hoe-bie @i-put-the-wit-in-dimwit @skullghoulz @sp1derw1re @spiderkittens @spidey-bie @thecrowandtherose @the-cat-and-the-birdie @thisismisogynoir @punkeropercyjackson @l0starl @t1r4misuu @zainnbug @urmadiik @tatumis-a @ohara-n-brown

___

so there’s two ways I think this could go:

#1: In Brooklyn of universe-1610, Miles is still a baby, being taken care of and loved by his parents. One night, when Rio tucks him into the crib and leaves the room, Miguel O’Hara, the Spider-Man of universe-928, carefully opens the locked window open and steps inside, making sure to stay silent. He walks over to the crib where Miles is sleeping soundly, unaware of the crime that the man is about to commit. Miguel knows it’s horrible, kidnapping a child for them to never see their true family again, but it’s necessary for the security of the multiverse, no matter how much it hurts. He tries his best not to compare him to his past child, Gabriella, as he slowly picks up the sleeping baby and cradles him gently. However, Miles wakes up as soon as Miguel touches him, and starts crying at the unfamiliar face. Miguel hears Rio and Jeff walking up to the room and quickly dashes towards the open window, only hearing her gasp loudly as he faces the room one last time, eyes glowing a vibrant red as his claws carries the fragile child in his hands. And just before the two horrified parents can do anything, he vanishes.

Jeff and Rio search everywhere, with an ongoing case to search for Miles happening more than a year, but it’s no use. Miguel took Miles to his universe and locked him in a secluded tower within the spider society, raising him as his own from then on. Miguel truly believes that Miles is an anomaly, and that the only way to stop him from getting bitten is by removing him from his home entirely, and he reveals some of that to Miles. But he also lies to him about the world, telling him that’s it’s a dangerous wasteland filled with horrible monsters that have killed most civilization off, and that the only people remaining besides them are selfish and cruel, wicked people that would not hesitate to torture a “fragile” child like Miles. This makes Miles absolutely terrified of the outside world, making him reluctant to leave and even easier for Miguel to handle.

But Miles is secretly still curious about the world. He’s read about it in his limited selection of books, and along with his interest in drawing and arts in general, he wants to at least get a glimpse of the world, hoping that there might still be some beauty in the “wasteland.” Of course Miguel refuses, and his hopes are low, until his 15th birthday. Every year on his birthday, LYLA, the extroverted and sneaky ai assistant of Miguel, would show Miles the lanterns that unbeknownst to him, happen right in his universe by his parents as a way to mourn him. This strengthens his yearning to go outside, without Miguel even knowing it.

Then we have Gwen, a new recruit in the spider society, is exploring the building of the society and finds the secluded tower within a separate part of the building, and gets promptly knocked out with a frying pan by Miles. When she wakes up, the whole conversation between Eugene and Rapunzel in the original film happens between Miles and Gwen, with him being convinced to go outside with her. The whole story plays out like Tangled, except instead of dying, Miguel escapes and retreats to another part of his universe, plotting a way to still “preserve the canon.”

___

Now here’s the second one:

This is much closer to Tangled, with the Morales family being royalty and living in a kingdom very similar to Corona. Rio is pregnant but also extremely ill, and Jeff orders all of the guards (including Aaron, who is the Captain of the Guard here) to search for a possible cure, one of which being the elusive magic golden flower from Tangled. Doctor Olivia “Liv” Octavius used this flower to not only stay young for thousands of years to continue other scientific research of hers, but she also studies the flower for other ways it can benefit herself.

One day, the guard finally find the flower and take it to the castle, feeding it in a soup to Rio. A little after that, she gave birth to Miles, who inherited the same healing powers from the flower through his hair, which was now blonde. Everything seemed happy for the family, until Olivia broke in at night and decided to kidnap the child for her own gain. She keeps Miles in a tower just like in Tangled and uses his powers for her experiments and to stay alive, while acting as his mother. The whole story plays out the same, with Gwen being Eugene and Kingpin and The Spot/Johnathon Ohn being the Stabbington Brothers.

[greatandquestionablecontent]

Hi it’s me again with more Gideon the Ninth reread meta thoughts.

Consider:

p. 257, when analyzing the incinerator cremains as a group:

"Interesting you should say them."

Ianthe had two small fragments on her palms. One of them was recognisably part of a tooth. For some reason, this dental fact had Harrow looking at lanthe's palms, then lanthe, then lanthe's palms again as though both were suddenly the most fascinating things in the world. Gideon recognised this sudden diamond focus: Harrowhark was reestimating a threat.

lanthe said, idly: "You see? There's at least two people in there."

And then, p. 310, when talking to Palamedes:

He frowned. “It's the Third I'm least certain of. I don't know which twin to watch out for."

"The big one," said Harrow, without hesitation. Gideon was pretty sure both twins were the same size, and was surprised to discover that even the anatomist's gaze of Harrowhark Nonagesimus was not immune to the radiance coming off Princess Corona. "They're both only middling necromancers, but the big one is the dominant. She says I; the sister says we."

"Honestly a good point. Still not sure.

Maybe that’s what she’d believed before, but she knows better now — Ianthe is the real threat. Very Harrow-fashion, holding her cards close to her chest, just in case, even with apparent allies.

[mementoboni]

What does DIR EN GREY mean to you?

Kaoru: Maybe it's the property or the value that I've been holding on to. Among everyone who listens to our music, I think this is the time to confirm our existence.  In the case of Corona this time, we did make some rules using the internet. But the response I got at that time made me realize that DIR EN GREY is a part of our lives, and I felt that there are many people who consider DIR EN GREY as an important presence. At that time, I also understood our value and existence.

Kaoru: I can't quite tell you what DIR EN GREY is when I’m asked. But seeing that everyone is watching us, I think it's great that I can keep going.

Toshiya: I really started out alone, but I have since met many people.   So, to me, DIR EN GREY is, in a word, a medium that connects me to the world in a big way.

Shinya: More than half of my life is spent in DIR EN GREY, it is my life.

Die: It's like the meaning of living.  It is…  It's what I've bet everything I have.

Kyo: It's already part of my life, and now it is.

source: DIR EN GREY WOWOW Interview & Document (2020)

※ read more translation: part 4.

[reflection-s-of-stars]

[ID: A reply on a post from the original poster, @/katakaluptastrophy, reading “@/sunshine-fruit-of-the-vine Ooh, your point in the tags about Corona’s comment to Judith is really interesting! Though I suppose it could also be interpreted as the Second being the ones doing the business contracts? Also please tell me more about your political headcanons…” /End ID.]

@katakaluptastrophy this is old but you absolutely do not have to ask me twice oh my god. This is where I reveal exactly how much of a history dork I am so be warned. I have also indicated Vibes in case that is helpful to anybody

So the common denominator among the Houses (as well as among societies as a whole, I spent like half a unit in my sociology class on this last year) is that there’s always a small upper class/nobility/etc and the population gets larger as you go down the ladder. That manifests in different ways within the different Houses, but it’s the same principle: The rich are few, and the poor are many.

That being said…

SECOND: The military leaders of the Nine, the Second are the ones who do the actual conquering of planets. However, Corona’s comment about how “as a Second, [Judith] should be willing to sell her birthright for economics” suggests they might not be getting their share of the profits. A huge portion of the Second lives in poverty, especially the capital city of Trentham, and pretty much the only way to escape it is to join the Cohort. The wealthy and powerful (generals, admirals and war heroes) vehemently deny there ever being a problem. For vibes, think New York City or Chicago but A Little Worse.

THIRD: The economic center of the Nine, the Third is a trade powerhouse and a hub for merchants and artisans. But they also export something a little less palatable: Propaganda for the Empire. The capital, Ida, is an enormous massive palace very similar to Versailles, where the best of the best workers (and the friends of the royal family) are privileged to live. Unlike the Second, where hard work actually can bring you up in the world, success in Ida comes out of bribes, flattery and sex. For vibes, think Paris but even less subtle, and crazy on the amethysts.

FOURTH: Supposedly a backup to the Second. In actuality, the lack of any real leadership has left the small and vulnerable population (veterans, the sick and disabled) to the mercy of the Fourth’s criminal underbelly. The capital city of Tisis is functionally a ghost town, mostly full of impotent, sheltered nobles and extensions of the mafia collecting bribes, and the other cities aren’t much better. For vibes, think Piltover (I don’t play league of legends but I LOVE Arcane), but the upper city is way more depressing and abandoned and the whole thing has kind of an ancient Roman feel as well.

FIFTH: The administration of the Nine, the Fifth works closely with the Emperor himself to keep the internal workings of His Empire running smoothly. Koniortos Court is a complex and many-armed bureaucracy, managed by its Lords or Ladies (and Seneschals, who do most of the actual diplomacy) like clockwork. It lies nestled in the capital of Rhax, where the majority of the Fifth’s population lives and works. There are frequent rebellions, but they’re snuffed out with alarming ease. For vibes, think combination of Victorian London and the city from Ulysses Dies At Dawn.

SIXTH: Less of its own independent state and more of the Emperor’s House of Wisdom, the Sixth House is the center of learning in the Nine Houses. Almost all the Houses send the best of their best to study there, so there’s a lot of people, but its native population is incredibly small- the size of a single city on the Third. Most of the Sixth is a single huge, labyrinthine library, surrounded by dormitories and a few spaceship ports for trade with the Seventh. Rank is decided not by birth, but by ability and age (in theory, anyway; in practice, they’ve strayed a bit from Cassiopeia’s vision). It’s still very communal, and everyone considers each other family on some level. For vibes, think a walled city combined with a super old university.

SEVENTH: The Seventh is responsible for most of the beautiful things made in the Empire. They export and import a lot of art, from pottery to poetry, and are considered superior craftsmen to the Third (which is why Ianthe thinks so poorly of their cloud formation poems). Outside this, they’re largely self-sufficient and very insular, doing their own farming making regular contact with only the Sixth. The lower classes are mostly farmers, while the aristocracy is just a few families, which is how Heptanary cancer happened. For vibes, think the romanticized version of the antebellum South from old books that like to gloss over the slavery thing, but a little bit sickly and weird-looking.

EIGHTH: The religious center of the Nine, the Eighth is in control of the worship of the Emperor and his Saints, as well as the Nine’s religious traditions. They’re also responsible for a chunk of Imperial propaganda- less than the Third, though, and directed less to the shepherd worlds and more within the Nine Houses. They live similarly to the Ninth House, with religious decadence, everyday asceticism and very little social mobility. The population of the Eighth House is actually very diverse, full of pilgrims from all over the Empire. For vibes, think medieval Italy but it’s all minimalist white and it ruins the whole thing.

NINTH: We know about the Ninth. We got like ten chapters about the Ninth. For vibes, think the Ninth.

[bopinion]

2024 / 33

Aperçu of the week

“All we have to do is call our opponent a communist or a socialist or someone who will destroy our country.”

(Donald Trump. We'll see about that...)

Bad News of the Week

Since the end of the coronavirus pandemic - although there hasn't actually been one - I've been waiting for its successor in a slightly anxious mood. Another rapidly infecting virus that spreads worldwide, is potentially deadly and, above all, restricts all our lives again. Now it's here: Mpox. For the first time since Corona, the WHO (World Health Organization of the United Nations) has declared the highest alert level, a “public health emergency of international concern”. Because of the virus that was previously called “Monkey Pox”. Discovered in Congo at the end of 2023, it has now also broken out in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.

The initial figures spoke of 14,000 suspected cases. Based on the usual 50% rate and the reported 500 deaths, this means that one in twelve people who become infected will die. That's a lot. So it's certainly a virus that should be taken seriously. One day later, it was reported that the first case in Europe had emerged in Sweden. Then the first three in Asia in Pakistan. It's the usual pattern: on the one hand, every infectious disease spreads faster and more uncontrollably in times of international travel. On the other hand, specific cases are only discovered when they are specifically sought or tested for. So the numbers will now quickly go through the roof. Because the spread is already more advanced than we know.

What will happen now? What will the states do? How will society react this time? And above all: what have we learned? There is a lot of talk in Germany about the need to come to terms with everything that has happened around COVID. Also to learn from the mistakes. There is a lot of need for clarification - for example with regard to the procurement of masks, the closure of schools, compulsory vaccination, curfews and unequal treatment in the retail sector. And what has happened since (drum roll please!): Nothing. What applies to politics also applies in private life. Some friends turned out to be conspiracy theorists, others were law and order hardliners, most were simply irritated and unsettled. There were even rifts right through families. Rifts that still exist.

And now we could all be facing the same situation, just as ill-prepared. And if Mpox doesn't develop into a pandemic, perhaps swine fever will spread to humans. Or bird flu. Or something else entirely, be it from the South American jungle or from the secret laboratory of some deep state. Or a revenant from the past spreads again - cholera still exists after all and first cases of polio are reported from Gaza. No, I'm not panicking. But I do have one or two worries. After all, humanity has shown itself more than once to be incapable of learning from the past. I would love to be wrong about that.

Good News of the Week

Venezuela is not giving up. It is wonderful to see how the people are fighting for democracy, no longer wanting to put up with the corruption of their “elites” and finally wanting to have a perspective worth living in. Just under a month ago, elections were held in the Latin American country, which could actually live in prosperity and peace but is suffering from dramatic economic decline, inflation and poverty since years. Or as investigative journalist Sebastiana Barráez says in the news magazine Der Spiegel: “Maduro has couped!”

Initially, the state electoral authority declared President Nicolás Maduro Moro, who has been clinging to power since 2013, the winner without providing any evidence - as is actually required by the constitution. The opposition has now had access to more than 80 percent of the printed protocols of the individual polling stations and has made them public. According to these, their candidate Edmundo González won with around 67 percent of the vote - compared to 30 percent for the incumbent head of government. So did Maduro commit electoral fraud? It looks like it.

The United Nations and the Carter Center had sent election observers to Venezuela. They have now criticized the election authority's actions and declared that the official result was not achieved democratically. The panel of experts speaks of an “unprecedented process in recent electoral history”. No wonder that most Latin American countries as well as the USA and Europe did not recognize the “official result”. And Maduro? He doesn't give a damn. The despot has further intensified the repression against the population with the help of the military, the National Guard and other state organs loyal to him. According to the independent rights organization Foro Penal, over 2,000 people have been arrested since the election. These include opposition politicians. And journalists. That speaks a clear language.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the US government has now offered Maduro and close associates of the regime an amnesty if they relinquish power. I wish the Venezuelans would keep up the pressure. And the international stage too. Until Madura and his clan really abdicate. Because then the country, which has already been abandoned by 20% of its population in recent years, could return to better times. In a survey conducted by the Gallup polling institute in December 2012, the country's inhabitants were among the happiest people on earth. It would be nice if this vague memory could become reality again.

Personal happy moment of the week

“Your application for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) has been approved. You are now authorized to travel to Canada by air.” Nothing more to add here. Taking off this sunday. Boy am I excited...

I couldn't care less...

...about the discussion that Germany “only” came 10th in the medal table at the Summer Olympics in Paris - behind hosts France and Great Britain, even though their populations are smaller. “What does it take for more medals?” asks the Tagesschau news channel. That is of little interest to me. Much more important is the charisma of athletes as figures of identification for a nation, the role model function for children, the motivation to surpass oneself. After all, it's not for nothing that the Olympic motto is “Taking part is everything”. In that sense, Eddie the Eagle really did fly.

It's fine with me...

...that the Democrats' party conference is now turning into a coronation mass. Because the most important decisions have been made: Presidential candidate and his (better in this case “her”) running mate. Normally, I would now say that political program content should not be completely secondary. But I don't care about that at the moment. The main thing is momentum. The main thing is optimism. The main thing is not to go back. The main thing is that Donald Jessica Trump doesn't triumph in November. Harris Walz!

As I write this...

...we're trying to catch a mouse. Apparently it was raining too hard outside and it wanted to get out into the dry. Now she's hiding behind a bookshelf and is afraid of us - even though we want to rescue her and set her free. Update: we've got her and she's fine. Second update: there seems to be another one...

Post Scriptum

It's good when someone doesn't look away but points. Even if it's about Israel committing an injustice. After all, you are then almost reflexively vilified as an Anti-Semite. In this respect, I am pleased that the European Union is showing more and more backbone in this regard. In this case, I am not referring to the maltreated Gaza Strip, but to the West Bank, where the Palestinian population is suffering more and more from brutal attacks by militant Israeli settlers - who can be sure of the backing of Benjamin Netanyahu's increasingly right-wing extremist government.

Once again, there have been attacks by extremist Israeli settlers on the population of the West Bank. And now EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has had enough. He will “present a proposal for EU sanctions against the supporters of the violent settlers, including some members of the Israeli government”. Including the government! That's a bombshell. I very much hope that he finds the necessary support for this. Because this massive problem is currently all too easily overlooked in the great shadow of Gaza.

[paradoxcase]

Chapter 13 of Nona the Ninth

Curious what this is about

I've seen this name on tumblr, but I've always assumed it was pronounced like "posh" which clearly isn't the case if it's short for "passion". I'm guessing she's probably named after something referencing Mary

What Nona is saying isn't that strange, it is possible to tell who someone is by the way they move, and Nona can usually do it with Camilla and Palamedes, and she's also shown herself to be detail-oriented when it comes to people's body language, although then again, it might just be telepathy. Telepathy would also help her identify Pash, though. Anyway, it's only weird that she specifically mentions bones, here

This is kind of interesting. The impression I got from the last book was that it was only the Heralds that had this effect on necromancers, and not the resurrection beast itself, otherwise I think the Lyctors would have had trouble fighting them in the River, wouldn't they? The Heralds are clustered around the outside of the beast, but they seem to be fully instantiated in the world rather than being in the River. And I guess maybe Lyctors are less strongly affected or something? The Lyctors at the end of Harrow the Ninth weren't as incapacitated as Judith is here, they were still able to fight Heralds

Is this based on official BOE promises, or is Corona planning for them to escape with Judith piloting the ship with the stele? Corona seems pretty entrenched in BOE right now, I can't see her really making plans like that

So then it was actually Palamedes who promised We Suffer that he and Camilla would become a Lyctor. That's even worse

Is Judith able to go to the River? I thought only Lyctors were able to do that, or maybe also spirit magicians, but I don't think Judith is one of those, either. I'm not sure what the "green thing" is, unless it's the heart monitor?

This is strange, since Nona has so far only referred to Judith as "the Captain" in all of her POV, never as "Judith"

What secrets of Camilla's has Corona kept? Is she just referring to the secret that Palamedes was still in the bones Camilla kept, or that they got Harrow to make him the arm?

I guess she means the lie that BOE told when they promised the Sixth House would be safe

This is the second time Corona said something like this, I think. I wonder if there is more information about Pyrrha that's yet to come

Looking more and more likely that Nona has some telepathic abilities

[synergysilhouette]

An alternate take on "Tangled" (2010)

I've been on a roll with these lately! While I find "Tangled" underrated, there are some things I'd change to make it more enjoyable for me. BTW, I've never watched the animated series in it's entirety; I only know a few things, so I can't include much from that perspective.

In terms of Rapunzel, I'd wanna tweak a couple things, mainly nit-picks. One of them is making her older than 18; I feel like it shows that she's very young, and Flynn felt very mature by comparison, so it felt a bit off to me. I'd also love for Rapunzel to have another outfit. I love her OG one, but the concept art outfits are gorgeous as well. Maybe she packs a change of clothes. Plus I wish she looked a little bit less frail, given her athleticism. I'm not saying she's gotta be buff, but less thin than she was in the final product. Just my two cents. Plus let's think about her using her crossbow along with her frying pan. And I'd probably make her cynical about the world, reeling back on the naivete a bit. And controversial change: make her illiterate. I thought to myself why Gothel would go through the trouble of teaching her how to read, especially if it kept her docile. I could imagine her giving Rapunzel a lot of misinformation, which Pascal does his best to fix. Her love interest would teach her how to read, which I feel like would be a great bonding experience. Speaking of which...

2. Replace Flynn Ryder with Bastion. I find a lovable guy trying to get out of being a thief more interesting than the dime-a-dozen pessimistic thief trope (check out my post on that). He's basically Kristoff, and I love the size difference between them. And given that Bastion is a thief and had a rough life, it's likely he didn't learn to read much, either. Perhaps they learn together--or maybe he was taught how to read and taught Rapunzel. Either way, it makes for a romantic bonding experience. Plus Bastion trying to escape his boss gives him his own story arc; in the OG film, the Stabbington brothers pursue Flynn, but this amounts to nothing because of Gothel. Their biggest role was helping Gothel make Rapunzel think the outside world was dangerous. Bastion is eventually framed for his boss' crimes and blinded, and his dog Beau guides him back to Rapunzel. I did still want Gothel to kill him and Rapunzel bring him back to life, but maybe blinding and death is too much at once.

3. The powers of Rapunzel's hair has different parameters. Similar to the animated series, it is very durable and difficult to cut; this is revealed to be due to Rapunzel's subconscious nature to distrust others. As a result, it isn't until Rapunzel falls in love with (and thus trusts) Bastion that he can cut her hair. I think it's a neat metaphor for letting your guard down, a Samson and Delilah situation--except this doesn't end poorly.

4. Adventures in Corona are WILDLY different. Rapunzel and Bastion spend more time there in the film--in fact, I'd say they spend about half of the movie there. Rapunzel accidentally heals someone else while healing Bastion, and decides to use her powers to heal others in Corona, albeit anonymously because of Gothel scaring her about people wanting to manipulate her. This turns out to be true when Rapunzel's identity is revealed. She is further exotified due to her blonde hair while everyone in Corona has brown, black, or red hair (not sure if this is the case in the OG film, but in my version it is). Gothel makes this worse, revealing the decay incantation while Rapunzel is asleep, harming someone in the process. Bastion helps her escape before she is brought before the king and queen for a trial, and Gothel "rescues" her while Bastion takes the fall for it and his boss' crimes. Plus I'd want to use the demo lyrics for the decay incantation; they feel more haunting (albeit shorter).

5. More of Gothel's backstory is explored, and she is less overdramatic in this version, so that she comes off as more serious and concerned, and may even make the audience question whether she really cares about Rapunzel. Plus her gradual aging is more apparent, as when she visits Rapunzel, she barely recognizes Gothel at first, as she's aged a lot since Rapunzel left.

6. Varian and Cassandra are canon here, given that Rapunzel spends more time in Corona and forms platonic connections. I wanted to work in the moondrop storyline, but the film has enough going on already. I will admit I'm kinda torn about including Varian because of the sci-fi elements that come with him being an alchemist and the clash it makes with the magical and mystical vibes of the film, preferring instead for him to be a wizard to expand on the fantasy aspect--but that's probably an unpopular opinion since it's the exact opposite of who he is, to my understanding. Cassandra is kind of key to helping Rapunzel question Gothel, though--not in a direct way like Bastion, but due to the fact that Cassandra looks like Gothel. This is jarring to Rapunzel, as she first dismisses her as a descendant of Gothel (her mother does adore her youth, after all), though this only gives Rapunzel MORE questions to ask her "mother," especially as she now realizes they don't look anything alike. If anything, she at least wants to ask about her father, which does kinda pave the way for an updated version of the deleted song "Are There Girls In the World Like Me?" I also wanted to include a subplot where Gothel manipulates Cassandra (who in my version, never knew her mother, and doesn't see a resemblance due to her aged appearance) into being envious of Rapunzel for being raised by her mother, but I don't think there's enough time to fully flesh that out with everything else. Honestly, a part of me wants to remove Cassandra and Gothel's relationship entirely and have Cassandra exist independent of her show counterpart's history since there isn't time to really focus on it.

7. Bastion is royalty. Perhaps ripping off of Barbie's Rapunzel a bit, I'd take into account Flynn Ryder actually being royalty and making Bastion the kidnapped son of a neighboring royal, making him once again similar to Rapunzel; kidnapped and used for dastardly deeds. This threatens to throw the kingdom into war, and Gothel hopes it destroys any thoughts of searching for Rapunzel, as she tells King Edmund that Bastion was kidnapped by the Corona royal family. I do like the idea that Bastion does have a sibling or two just so he isn't first in line for the throne, though; it's tough enough that Rapunzel has never learned to rule a kingdom, and Bastion being the heir to his throne doesn't bode well, either--at least not in a practical sense. I love the idea that by the end of the film, everyone is left with introspective thoughts and able to start anew after all the pain they experienced.

Lemme know what you think! I thought hard on it, and similar to "Big Hero 6," I had a lot I wanted to include, but it may be too much for one film.