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box-architecture · 2 months

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OK hear me out

A kingdom is originally "ruled" by Dream. Formed under him. Everything's cool.

Wilbur wants his own little dictatorship and he has like double Dreams charisma even if he has none of his integrity. So to do damage control, Dream agrees to have Wilbur rule the West side of the smp, while Dream rules the East side. They can't make changes about the whole country without both agreeing.

Wilbur wants all of the smp though so, after a bunch of bullshit, Dream has to go marry the president in the desert to the south (Quackity) for Political Reasons that Wilbur has so charitably constructed. With Dream unable to personally oversee his side, Wilbur can take over.

What he didn't account for was, halfway on the ride to Las Nevadas, Dreams carriage would be violently attacked, and Dream himself to have been kidnapped by a mysterious mercenary group.

This of course, leaves Wilbur in a bit of a bind. He did in fact promise Quackity of Las Nevadas a husband.

On the other side of this, Punz has been playing mercenary for a long time, has connections spanning international level. However, he personally likes to stay on the east side of the smp. There's a pretty man in charge there, you see, who deals fairly and gets way too much shit for all the good he does.

And it doesn't seem very fair for a man who does so much Good to have to get married to an asshole who doesn't even know the meaning of the word. Not to mention he'd be essentially trapped in a country he knows nothing about.

Punz is going to accost the wedding carriage

On yet a third side of this, Quackity is basically drowning on the inside, inheriting a country from his dead husband, changing its name and its structure and trying really hard to be drunk with power but instead he's just narrowly avoiding becoming actually drunk. He doesn't know what the hell he's doing, and the marriage play was supposed to help solidify an alliance, and now it looks like he's being screwed over. What the fuck do you mean "kidnapped?" That just sounds like them going back on their deal. He's going to go have a personal talk with Wilbur and kick his ass if he thinks he's going to pull one over him.

But also most importantly, Dream and Punz very much had sex before this. Dream has been known to see sex workers and go to brothels, because trying to run a country is exhausting and sex is a good way to briefly relax. Punz was working out of the brothel at the time and he was Very Happy to sleep with a handsome man

Sometimes you have to do your duty and get on your knees to serve your King, Punz says, very normal, 10 minutes before tipping over Dream's carriage

"Shall I start a coup for you, my King?" Punz panted as they hiked his leg over their shoulder, quickening their thrusts. "Give me the word, and I'll do it."

Below them, Dream gave a punched-out moan, shaking his head and turning away, even as he left small, bloody crescents in Punz's back.

Listen. Listen i think they should be so fucking abnormal. Like i think Punz could have just ignored all this and nothing would have changed for them except the people they were working for. But they don't want to work for other people. They want to be Dream's. Punz is incapable of not being horny about being Dream's tool.

Also, they were like, friends in the sense of being friendly and having good camaraderie, but Punz doesn't actually work for Dream. He's head of a mercenary network and Dream is a King, so of course Dream hires him on occasion, but that's like, individual contracts. He isn't a general or a soldier or a servant/attendant. Punz is just Like This

My King has called on me, had need of me again, to be his operative in the shadows, to serve him as only I can serve him - Punz's internal monologue as they kneel and pull Dream's hand into a kiss that they 100 percent didn't need to do.

My Mercenary, my ally in the shadows, the one I trust most to fulfill any job I need. They may one day betray me, blade at my neck, but my fondness for them is beyond measure, a friendship I hold close to my heart, and I would accept death if it was at their hand. I'll miss them the most, I think, when I am in foreign lands. I could never ask them to leave all they know behind to serve me, for I've already asked far more than a King should, but I long for their familiar company even now. - Dream, riding in his carriage, unaware of what's about to happen in 10 minutes

Like the ending of this story would probably be Dream regaining total control of the country with his shadowy mercenary right behind him, while Quackity marries Wilbur and fucks him until they're both mellowed out enough to get therapy

But it's about the Yearning, most importantly.

#punzwastaken

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aurumacadicus · 1 month

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Well, it's time to pick our club's book for May! If you're interested in book club, shoot me a message for an invite. All summaries are underneath the cut! Happy reading!

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. Her prestigious tearoom transforms into an illegal bloodhouse by night, catering to the vampires feared by society. But when her establishment is threatened, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone.

Calling on some of the city’s most skilled outcasts, Arthie hatches a plan to infiltrate the sinister, glittering vampire society known as the Athereum. But not everyone in her ragtag crew is on her side, and as the truth behind the heist unfolds, Arthie finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Dark, action-packed, and swoon-worthy, this is Hafsah Faizal better than ever.

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez

In these wildly imaginative, devilishly daring tales of the macabre, internationally bestselling author Mariana Enriquez brings contemporary Argentina to vibrant life as a place where shocking inequality, violence, and corruption are the law of the land, while the military dictatorship and legions of desaparecidos loom large in the collective memory. In these stories, reminiscent of Shirley Jackson and Julio Cortázar, three young friends distract themselves with drugs and pain in the midst of a government-enforced blackout; a girl with nothing to lose steps into an abandoned house and never comes back out; to protest a viral form of domestic violence, a group of women set themselves on fire.

But alongside the black magic and disturbing disappearances, these stories are fueled by compassion for the frightened and the lost, ultimately bringing these characters—mothers and daughters, husbands and wives—int a surprisingly familiar reality. Written in hypnotic prose that gives grace to the grotesque, Things We Lost in the Fire is a powerful exploration of what happens when our darkest desires are left to roam unchecked, and signals the arrival of an astonishing and necessary voice in contemporary fiction.

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker Wife.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its guts to the world—so long as the school doesn’t break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.

Gold Diggers by Sanjena Sathian

A magical realist coming-of-age story, Gold Diggers skewers the model minority myth to tell a hilarious and moving story about immigrant identity, community, and the underside of ambition.

A floundering second-generation teenager growing up in the Bush-era Atlanta suburbs, Neil Narayan is funny and smart but struggles to bear the weight of expectations of his family and their Asian American enclave. He tries to want their version of success, but mostly, Neil just wants his neighbor across the cul-de-sac, Anita Dayal.

When he discovers that Anita is the beneficiary of an ancient, alchemical potion made from stolen gold—a “lemonade” that harnesses the ambition of the gold’s original owner—Neil sees his chance to get ahead. But events spiral into a tragedy that rips their community their community apart. Years later in the Bay Area, Neil still bristles against his community’s expectations—and finds he might need one more hit of that lemonade, no matter the cost.

Sanjena Sathian’s astonishing debut offers a fine-grained, profoundly intelligent, and bitingly funny investigation into what’s required to make it in America.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

One cruel night, Meggie’s father reads aloud from a brook called INKHEART—and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever. This is INKHEART—a timeless tale about books, about imagination, about life. Dare to read it aloud.

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins

The widowed Lady Katherine Bascomb has little use for the rules of society—instead, she engages in such “vulgar” activities as managing The London Gazette and writing about crimes against women. But when her latest article leads to a suspicious arrest, the attractive detective in charge of the case is incensed that she’s interfered with his investigation. Only before Kate can make amends, she stumbles, quite literally, upon another murder entirely.

Detective Inspector Andrew Eversham is appalled that Kate is entangled in one of his cases—again. Yet when he asks her to kindly keep away, Kate offers a bargain: She’ll refrain from writing about the case—if he allows her to study his methods. Before long, Eversham can’t deny his attraction to both her beauty and brains. But with a killer lurking in the shadows, will they learn to trust their instincts, each other, and the undeniable passion that is blossoming between them before it’s too late?

#polls #book club

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ace-hell · 3 months

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"if you are NOT advocating for palestine you support genocide"

Dude wtf if yall had the same sprit with congo, sudan, syria, yemen, nigeria, russia, china, north korea, iran, south africa, pakistan, Afghanistan, turkey -> all are genocidal imperialistic countries that ruled by dictatorship and tyranny that actively oppress their own people, have no human (and women) rights, homophobic and in some CHILD MARRIAGE IS LEGAL(in iran the legal age now is NINE) then yall could've saved HUNDREDS of MILLION of people.

And yet yall PRAISE them just bc they are against israel this is so WILD. I saw and see ppl say shit like "rare china W", "putin is a real hero" and "you do something wrong if north korea disagree with you" 💀 did i miss something? Are we living on the same palnet? Is there some kind of glitch in the matrix? I thought we hate any form of oppression, any form of genocode, that we boycott anything that connects or supports an oppressive country?

Ok and lets say you freed palestine, besides the fact that 9 million people will be wiped out from the word (but its ok bc its genocide only when the leftist decide it is) you need to take into consideration that not everyone has dual citizenship for some it got revoked bc the countey literally kicked the people out(russia, persia, ethiopia) or bc they did aliya and most people were BORN IN ISRAEL AND DON'T HAVE DUAL CITIZENSHIP AND THAT ITS AN ANTISEMITE RUMOR??. So you freed palestine it becomes an arab muslim country under the sharia laws(they want it to be) yall really think it will be the epitome of freedom? A full on democratic country? There will be no rape, no abuse, no family disputes, no poverty? No imperialism, no corrupt goverment, no terrorism, no capitalism, no racism? They will have one hell of pride parades? You have 50 muslim countries to see and learn how it looks like, you can see hamas chart and the chants the palestinians have on the streets, them literally having swastikas and praising hitler, their school books got published with full on violence in their education

So yall gonna fight for a free palestine just to protest against it for violation of human rights? Nice hypocrisy guys.

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just-late-roman-republic-things · 9 months

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Highlights of Roman history from the very beginning to the first emperor, collected from Mary Beard's SPQR:

~1700-1300 BCE: The area that is now Rome becomes permanently settled.

~1000: Oldest known graves under the Roman forum.

753: Traditional date of Rome's founding, as calculated by Cicero's friend Atticus. (There probably wasn't a specific year, in reality.)

750-700: Earliest known huts on the Palatine hill.

550-500: Archaeological evidence for a Roman monarchy dates to this time.

~509: Rome becomes a republic; exact date is rather fuzzy. From 509-400 it remains a small town, and its "wars" probably aren't much more than cattle raids and family feuds with neighbors. Population of about 20,000-30,000.

494: First of several conflicts between plebeians and patricians as plebeians demand equal rights.

~490: Supposed war of Coriolanus.

~450: The Twelve Tables are codified, starting the Roman legal tradition. They mostly focus on the problems of a small town. Patrician vs. plebeian conflicts continue. According to legend Cincinnatus became dictator and stepped down around this time, but it's unlikely Rome had much of a permanent state apparatus.

396: With the annexation of Veii 10 miles away, Rome starts rising in power.

387: Rome is sacked by Gauls.

367: Plebeians gain the right to be elected consul. Senate is established as a permanent body (not just ad hoc meetings), and consuls become the chief office of state, around this time. Roman government more or less takes on its "classical" form.

343: Beginning of the Samnite Wars.

341-338: The Latin War; Rome takes over Latium. First extension of Roman citizenship to defeated people/allies.

326: Enslavement of Roman citizens for debt is abolished.

312: Construction begins on Rome's first aqueduct and paved highway.

300: Rome has about 60,000-90,000 people, making it one of the biggest cities in the Mediterranean. Another half-million Romans and non-Romans live under Roman rule. Earliest Roman coins minted around this time.

295: Battle of Sentinum, 200 miles from Rome.

290: End of the Samnite Wars; Rome is indisputably the dominant power in Italy.

287: Plebeian Assembly gains the right to make laws for all Romans, effectively settling the conflict with patricians.

280-275: War with King Pyrrhus of Greece.

270: Fabius Pictor writes the first known book of Roman history, which in turn is the primary source for Livy during the Augustan era.

264-241: First Punic War; Rome acquires its first province, Sicily.

220s: Wars with the Gauls in northern Italy.

218-201: Second Punic War. Rome becomes the dominant power in the western Mediterranean.

216: Battle of Cannae; largest defeat in Roman history.

171: Extension of Latin Rights to children of mixed Roman/non-Roman marriages in Spain; first extension of citizenship (in partial form) to non-Italians.

168: After the Third Macedonian War (yes, there are more), Rome partitions Macedonian and becomes the dominant power in Greece; annexation follows a few years later.

167: Rome abolishes most taxes for citizens, relying instead on the profits of war.

146: Destruction of Carthage in the Third Punic War, and Corinth in the Fourth Macedonian War. Polybius finishes writing his Histories, focusing on the expansion of Rome from 220-146.

133: Tribunate and death of Tiberius Gracchus; first known use of violence in Roman politics since 287.

123-121: Tribunates and death of Gaius Gracchus.

113-101: Cimbrian War; victory of Gaius Marius against the Germans.

91-87: Rome's Italian allies revolt in the Social War.

87-81: First and second Mithridatic Wars. Wars of the Marians and Sullans.

82-80: Dictatorship of Sulla.

73-71: Revolt of Spartacus.

63: Consulship of Cicero; Catiline conspiracy and uprising.

59: Consulship of Julius Caesar; formation of the First Triumvirate.

58-51: Caesar conquers Gaul.

49-45: Civil war between Caesar and the Pompeians.

44: Assassination of Caesar. War breaks out again between Antony, Octavian, the assassins of Caesar, and Sextus Pompey, and more or less continues on and off until...

30: Octavian defeats Antony and Cleopatra, annexes Egypt and becomes sole ruler of Rome. After this point he is usually called Augustus, Rome's first emperor.

There is no official point when the republic officially ended. Augustus portrayed himself as restoring the republic, and contemporary writers still seem to have referred to it as such. But popular elections were phased out and the Senate accepted permanent one-man rule by the time he died in 14 CE.

#jlrrt reads #mary beard #spqr book #timeline #ancient rome #jlrrt essays

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voidsentprinces · 6 months

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Think more games should just start with straight, curly, wavy, and everything in between options from the get go especially if it supports PoC's representation in media and video gaming as a whole. Same goes with gender diversity and relationship diversity in media writing to allow for more LGBT+ representation in media. Ideally these things would be baked in from the get go. World might not be an ideal world but it shouldn't stop us as creatives from making it that way.

Its like that one post about if a kid smiles at you, you should smile back so we can make the world a kinder better place. Not so much that you would be getting anything grand out of it or life isn't cruel its that we should be working towards a place where life didn't always be cruel, it could be kind and pleasant, happy and mostly free of strife. Bad things would still happen, no one can predict or 100% deal with cancer, immune deficient diseases, or chronic pain to fully cure stuff. But, it doesn't mean we can't make the world gentler to those afflicted to such things and even those who aren't.

We live in a world resistant to change that the future requires and requests. I vaguely recall from the time period between when I went to Middle to High School. People being gay, lesbian, etc. was like you basically walked up to someone and killed their dog or something akin to the atrocity. There were entire fucking marches through my small town of no real note to keep gay marriage from happening. Even at the time I felt that was fucking ridiculous. The following ten years was making it okay for two women or men to hold hands or kiss in an animated television show. Cause lord won't you please think of the children.

Despite all the resistance this world provides us, at least in America, I dunno how Germany, the Netherlands, Chad, Angola, the Phillippines, or Taiwan feel about this subject or how they've been dealing with it, we should be making the world more welcoming and representative of all its people within the certain limits that we are not providing a platform for dictatorship and fascist ideals that will strip a person of all rights while glorifying the legacy and power of a singular man or group of men whose selfishness absorbs an entire country and causes its people to suffer intentionally through ignorance or apathy.

But, with the stresses of the today's world. We cannot all be made to charge the metaphorical beaches of Normandy for the cause. Some of us haven't the mental, emotional or even physical bandwidth to champion good causes in an active manner. But we still feel it strongly even if we do not have the words to describe it. And as social creatures, humans will be passionate and want to communicate it. If they cannot, we wish to at least be validated in causes we hold fast to even if we are not at liberty to fully express it for whatever reason.

So just like...break even with us and give people, particularly those of the LGBT+, People with Disabilities and PoC and their intersection representation in options of hairstyle, skin tone, romantic or lack thereof exploration/representation and the options to give people the option to like turn on a color blind mode or a certain control set up to allow stuff like...Dark Souls to be more welcoming to them.

I dunno exactly who I am talking to in making this post I just have THOUGHTS after the recent FFXIV Hairstyle Competition. And the thought was mostly, "Why did we have to hold a contest to get some of these hair styles? Why weren't they in the game to begin with?" probably resources. But like...still, ya know?

Sorry for the tangent. I think therefore I Void.

#{ rambling of the void }

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a-silent-symphony · 1 year

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Nightwish's Floor Jansen: "Life is short. Time is not endless"

Floor Jansen opens up on her battle with breast cancer, going solo and what we can expect from the next Nightwish album

It’s Friday April 22, 2022 at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland. Fifteen thousand Nightwish fans await a much-delayed live taste of their heroes’ ninth album, Human. :II: Nature., released as the world shut down in 2020. Anticipation is high. The stage will soon be engulfed in enough fire to obliterate a small village. Aside from a handful of dates in Finland in 2021, this is Nightwish’s first full-scale show in more than three years.

Backstage, Floor Jansen feels like death. In her stage armour she looks fearsome – a tattooed Boudica for the modern age. Such a gig wouldn’t normally faze her. Floor, 41,has been fronting metal bands since she was 16. But just now she’s come down with a virulent stomach flu at the worst possible time, and she’s wondering how the hell she’ll get through the next two hours onstage.

“It was unlike anything I’ve ever done,” she says of the stomach flu that almost derailed that post-Covid comeback. “I mean, you get sick now and then, but this was brutal. I don’t know what kind of virus I picked up, but it was a very violent one. I was up all night, and then I still had to travel from Berlin to Tampere. It was horrible.” She shrugs. “But yeah, what can you do?”

It’s not hard to see why Floor gets called a ‘powerhouse’. Part opera singer, several parts rock star – with the dynamism of both – she exudes indestructibility. If Bruce Dickinson had a daughter with Xena: Warrior Princess, it would have been Floor. But there are other sides to her: different personas that reveal a more complex, interesting picture of a ‘powerhouse’ lead singer.

There’s the animal-loving homebody. The thrillseeker. The proud vegetarian. The whiskey drinker. The metal icon with a solo pop album on the way. The Highly Sensitive Person, whose hyper-stimulated sense of the world shines through her performances. The person who, just three weeks before headlining Wembley Arena with Nightwish, underwent surgery for breast cancer.

“I’m always myself,” she summarises, simply. “So whether I run around in jeans fixing a fence, or ride my horse, or go onstage in warrior outfits… it’s all the same. It’s just a different side, as you can see.”

We meet Floor over Zoom in December, as she wrestles with dodgy wi-fi backstage in Milan. “Is it noisy for you, in the background?” she asks in perturbed Dutch tones. “It’s basically one big open box here…” Dark-eyed and slightly frazzled in a grey hoodie, Floor has a business-like streak that softens as talk turns to things like her solo music, her bandmates and the cigars she enjoys with her husband, Sabaton drummer Hannes Van Dahl.

On another day she might have come in from feeding the horses at her rural property on Sweden’s west coast. You wouldn’t fuck with her, but you’d gladly go for a drink with her. Out on the road with Nightwish, there’s a decent amount of the latter. The band “wobble” around Christmas markets drinking glühwein. They rate vegetarian food in Indian restaurants as part of a longstanding curry club. The shows themselves have been jubilant affairs.

“Last night we were surprised with some bottles of champagne,” she grins, “which we then drank, and became very happy…”

It’s all so far removed from lingering notions of Nightwish as some sort of dictatorship or soap opera, with singers driven away by its founder’s maniacal demands. They seem like friends – as in, actual friends.

“It’s absolute genuine fun,” she nods. “We’ve always had that. And there are always ups and downs; it’s like a big marriage. But we’ve been longing for this tour a lot. Especially after the pandemic, we don’t take it for granted at all.”

For Floor, the isolation of lockdown reinforced her ties to the band, but it also kickstarted her solo work. She’d begun to think of it in 2019, following an appearance on Dutch TV show Beste Zangers (‘Best Singers’), but she was still very much a band person, with a new Nightwish album cycle around the corner. Come March 2020, for the first time in her career, she found herself separated from that group mentality.

She spent time with her husband and daughter, now five. She grew vegetables and looked after her horses, cats and enormous Irish wolfhound. She worked on her online profile, communicating with her fans on a regular, down-to-earth level. At the same time, she began working with collaborators on solo material. An alternative, poppier sound started to brew.

In spring 2022 she appeared on Germany’s Beste Zangers equivalent, Sing Meinen Song, for which she sang in German (one of the four languages she speaks in addition to Dutch, English and Swedish). Gradually, a standalone Floor Jansen was evolving.

“My desire from the get-go was to find a sound that fits with me, not something created around me. But how do you do that? So I used up a large part of the pandemic in a trial-and-error search for this sound.”

It wasn’t easy. Ten years of bringing Tuomas Holopainen’s visions to life had left her with phenomenal vocal skills, but limited songwriting practice. Her first ideas, she says, “weren’t that great”.

“I’ve done it [songwriting], but I haven’t been doing much in the last 10 years,” she admits. “Plus I’m in a band with someone like Tuomas. It makes me feel very small, like, ‘What do I have to add to a world full of music?’ So from that insecurity I had to find my way and accept that I am more limited, and that I have different ideas.”

Teaming up with Dutch producer Gordon Groothedde (Snoop Dogg; Katie Melua; Floor’s previous band, After Forever) was a turning point. The first song they wrote together was Fire. A darkly atmospheric, orchestral swirl of intelligent modern pop, with the grandeur of Florence & The Machine’s cover of 1986 dance hit You’ve Got The Love, it ignited Floor’s confidence as a creator in her own right.

“I have a really hard time with love songs,” she says. “I know the majority of pop music is about love songs, and that’s also why I find it boring to listen to. So I wanted to create something that still has a message.”

Accordingly, her solo album, Paragon, shuns frothy clichés in favour of meatier subjects. Fire is about returning to life after lockdown. One song, Invincible, was written for the injured war veterans at Prince Harry’s Invictus Games – originally planned to take place in 2020 in the Hague until the pandemic got in the way.

“It’s inspired by the idea of being physically or mentally wounded, after you’ve just given everything you have,” she explains, “and something that’s left of you has to pick up life, and recover from something that you never really wanted to recover from. I want to raise awareness of the fact that this happens so incredibly often, but also to empower them. Like, ‘You already went through Hell, now you’re on your way back, you are invincible.’”

It’s hard to hear this story now without thinking of Floor’s recent health issues. Diagnosed in October 2022 at a routine mammogram screening, her breast cancer came as a total shock – two weeks before Nightwish were due to fly to South America.

“They [the doctors] said, ‘We want you to come back.’ And the thing I thought, in my naïve brain, was, ‘Oh, they fucked up something with the pictures.’ Never, ‘Oh, they found something.’” She shakes her head. “Not a single moment. Until I was there.”

Surgery was planned for the day after they came home. Until then, she says, the intense business of touring Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Mexico proved a good distraction. The pace of it all was brutal but helpful, and reading similar stories from her fans made her feel less alone – “But at the same time, it’s an overwhelming awareness of how many people actually got this fucking disease."

“I put my emotions into the music,” she reasons, “and also had really wonderful conversations within the band, crew, management, everyone has really been there for me. It’s very tough to do it all that fast, but at the same time it helped because I didn’t have to walk around with thoughts of it too long. Because as soon as you know you have a tumour in your body, the only thing you can think of is ‘get it out’. The whole mental aspect of a cancer diagnosis is shit.”

Back at home, she had three weeks after her operation before heading out in Europe and the UK. Scarred, bruised and exhausted, she was grateful for the support of her family.

“Jesus, how I underestimated it,” she half-laughs, of the recovery process. “I was jet-lagged, I barely slept for nights after the surgery because my system was completely upside-down, you get morphine… So everyone’s been really having my back in this.”

Just a couple of days before the Wembley gig, she learned that the operation was successful. It was both a relief and a wake-up call. In Sweden, mammogram screenings start for women at the age of 40. In the Netherlands, her birthplace –and in the UK – it’s 50. Now looked up to by many, as a public figure as well as a musician, she’s determined to persuade more women to go for their scans.

“On a purely personal level it’s a bit weird, because I’m just me,” she says, of her role-model status. “But from this position, I have the power to make a difference every now and then. I wanted to make sure it has this function by saying, ‘Go and get your mammogram done.’ If I had stayed in the Netherlands, this entire thing would have gone undetected. It was so small when they took it out, but it was growing, you know? I’m very lucky.”

Cancer casts a pervasive shadow, even when it’s caught quickly. For Floor, who (when we speak to her) still has three weeks of radiation therapy to complete, it’s realigned her priorities. “It’s not like I think ‘I’m gonna die’ all the time,” she explains, “but I realise how life is short. Time is not endless. We have it now.”

To that end, Floor is making the most of 2023. After her radiotherapy is finally over, she’ll join Nightwish for 70000Tons Of Metal in the Bahamas. Festival shows will follow. In the summer the band will head to the Röskö campsite in Kitee, Finland, to record the next Nightwish album (which will be released at some point in 2024).

Part three of a trilogy that began with Endless Forms Most Beautiful and continued through Human. :II: Nature., the new album will return to themes concerning our planet and our mortality. Sonically, Floor suggests, we can expect aheavy palette.

“I would say it’s a pretty heavy album,” she muses, “but once again, it’s the multicolour diversity that is Nightwish. It’s all there. It’s going to once again take you by the hand through beautiful stories – whether they are stories from this Earth or stories about this Earth. They’re beautiful.”

Creatively, Nightwish is still Tuomas’s brainchild, though there’s a sense of collaboration around this record. Armed with his demos, the band have been working up different parts and exchanging ideas on tour – in hotel rooms and dressing rooms across the world. For Floor, this has been a happy arrangement.

“I think Tuomas has a unique view on the world and has a unique way of putting that into words,” she says, “and I think he’s outdone himself on that end once again. And also visually, the ideas that are bubbling are going to be of a next level. So yeah, there’s lots to look forward to.”

Meanwhile, along with the release of Paragon, she has solo gigs planned in Europe. “And of course it would be wonderful to go to the UK,” she adds, “we are working on that as well.”

If all goes to plan, Floor Jansen could be a name that reaches well beyond metal circles – paving the way for a new kind of pop star with a darker heart. Once again the ‘powerhouse’ label feels apt, with all the truths and misconceptions that come with it.

“Power is often connected to, especially women…” she searches for the words, “…it’s like, ‘powerful women are bitches’, you know? Maybe that’s the misconception of the century. But a powerful woman is also a woman who is intouch withher emotions, and one who can have absolute soft sides and embrace them. The idea that high sensitivity would be a weakness? That is actually the absolute misperception.

“And that goes for men, too: for men to be in touch with their feelings and to be able to communicate them… that is a bigger strength than [makes growling, macho noise]. That’s going to bring us a whole lot further.”

Between travels, Floor will recharge at home in the Swedish countryside. On cold evenings, she and Hannes sometimes retreat to their grillhouse, light the fire and relax over single malts and a cigar – things that bonded them when they first met on tour with Iced Earth. Small connections between worlds.

“I can say that my happiest place is home, but that’s not true because after half a year I’ll claw up the walls,” she laughs. “I can say it’s on tour, but after a month I really want to go home. I can say it’s onstage, but then putting my daughter to bed is equally amazing at times. The ultimate thing is to have the luxury of both.”

#Nightwish #floor jansen #2023 interviews #metal hammer

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girlblogging9 · 8 months

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According to the tradition of my country (Brazil),a good woman,a real woman is one who follows the biblical commandments, which means that according to tradition I am a witch,crazy,slut and pervert and a mockery to society,but I I love being a witch,crazy, slut and horny.

Here you must be submissive to your man and follow moralistic and conservative principles to be accepted,there is a social standard based on religious principles in absolutely everything here,a kind of religious fascism,even adopted by the political and judicial system.

But the majority of religious people here (Christians) are extremely hypocritical and here there is a high rate of femicide,sexism, homophobia precisely because the basis of society here and its teachings are based on biblical principles,even part of the misery in this country is thanks to religious imposition, as this religion is a mass of political maneuver here.

Everything that deviates from Christian modesty and custom is demonized here and most of them live on appearances and are fascists,most Brazilian men are extremely misogynistic and sexist and are part of Christianity,Christianity is a factory of abusers and sexists.

It is normal within religious institutions here to witness different types of abuse and all of this is camouflaged by religion and justified in the name of a God,the Christian God for example,their customs and teachings are similar to Islam. Your value here is based mainly on your religion,many companies when they find out that you are not part of the Christian carcinogenic herd automatically delete you and they declare war on you.

Many women ally themselves with patriarchy and male chauvinism,defending sexist or scoundrel men for fear of criticism and exclusion and for fear of dying single,they shape themselves to fit archaic and medieval standards. Now they are voting in the political plenary to ban gay marriage and are using the Bible as a reference and implementing their religious dictatorship in society and many Brazilians are supporting this,religious fascism is very strong here.

Here it is normal to see women defending patriarchy,archaic customs and abusive men, especially if he becomes a Christian,he will automatically be canonized,rape culture in this country is still very strong and is far from over.

Christians fight to impose their religious dictatorship on everyone and anyone who does not follow their principles will always be hostile to them and seen as inferior, especially women who decide to live a life free from religious and conservative impositions.

They preach the famous charity and Christian love,but all of this is just a farce to camouflage who they really are,their charity is limited, that is it is only done for those who really decide to follow what they believe. They are always looking for ways to brainwash you and convert you, especially with tales of Christian guilt and hell.

There is a high rate of abuse among Christian couples,many husbands abuse their wives physically and psychologically and develop various psychological and physical health problems and the church blames the woman and the Devil,and uses biblical verses to justify abuse and encourage women to continue living alongside their abusive husbands and save the relationship,most of these men are mass abusers,violent,cheaters,manipulators, pedophiles,rapists.

Brazilian justice is abusive in several aspects and continues to abuse victims in the courts, patriarchy and sexism are very strong among them and the entire judicial system has no preparation whatsoever to judge or protect victims of abuse and are extremely slow in the processes on purpose,they try in every way to blame the victim and you can hardly get justice,the judiciary hates women,hates children and hates the poor. If the abuser is white,Christian and has more favorable conditions in the eyes of the law, he is well regarded even if he abused,the majority of judges are sexist,including female judges.

So in fact Brazil is a large medieval colony full of corruption among the majority,especially the political class and judiciary and fascism is present in several places here.

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veneskaa · 9 months

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I rewatched the phantom menace last night and even though it's still the worst prequel i was actually so compelled by Padme's disillusionment with the Republic—even after the vote of no confidence she tells Palpatine it's clear to her that the Republic no longer functions. At all. And while we're maybe supposed to read Palpatine's election as restoring her faith in the Republic (to whatever extent) i'm so much more interested in Padme as a fundamentally disillusioned politician nevertheless devoted to working within the system, someone who criticizes the Republic but firmly believes in its necessity and even relative goodness. Or even as someone who, since her election as a child to the queenship, finds herself stuck in the political world and leaving it isn't an option anymore. It'd mirror Anakin's relationship to the Jedi Order to some extent, these two individuals who choose to stay in their respective systems despite major ideological reservations, systems which, frankly, should not overlap as much as they do—and this is their downfall. i could also make more sense of an educated and strong-willed woman like Padme walking into a marriage with a nineteen year old who just weeks beforehand expressed his support for a fascist dictatorship, or responding to the unhinged slaughter of an entire Tusken village with "to be angry is to be human." conditioned is a strong word but there's something v compelling to me about 2 people initiating such a deeply problemed relationship as a result of their conditioning to work within and around corruption

#might write a fic about it idk #back in 2021 i actually did have a similar fic idea in mind; maybe i'll pull the trigger this year #obligatory disclaimer that i've never read any of the books and maybe this is a fucking obvious reading of their dynamic #the phantom menace #padme amidala #anakin skywalker #anidala

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hexenmeisterer · 1 year

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Not Me politics+art links from Nuchy

here are some cool political/artistic Not Me things I’ve learned from scrolling through Nuchy’s twitter, and then watching this 2+ hour long english subbed interview with Nuchy and the two other writers of the show, Noolek and M:

The van liberation scene in episode 14 was heavily based on a real-life thing that happened (video of the real-life event is included in this tweet) (I haven’t found any info beyond this video, so if you know when/where it happened or have a news article about it or something please share, I’m so curious!) - Nuchy tweeted “The scene in the series seem to be like a miracle but actually it's inspired by the true event. We cant film an extravaganza people chasing the van scene, so I changed to the pov of the gang in the van instead with a new perspective and artistic approach.” - Noolek tweeted (this one’s just run through google translate though) “You guys are our inspiration in this scene. The scene is gone and I cry every time I watch it. It triggers us a lot. We pecked ourselves with a million swearing in our heads. but when the fire has been ignited The candle flame will never be extinguished again. because sovereignty truly belongs to the people” - Nuchy held a Twitter Spaces event with Amnesty Thailand talking with families of victims of forced disappearance.

the speaker on the megaphone at the protest in ep 13 is Thatchapong Kaedum AKA Boy, a Thai activist who does a lot of work - against the Chana industrial project (”which includes the construction of industrial facilities, deep-sea ports, and biomass power plants. However, the approval was made without any local participation and many questioned the government for its lack of inclusion and transparency.") -in support of Karen people’s right to return to their homeland in Bong Kloi in the Kaeng Krachan forests in Thailand, after being violently displaced to create a national park there

... you may recognize the details of this story from a combination of Not Me plot points: a) the native people who were forced off the same land Tawi built his house on because they couldn’t “prove” residency on that land b) the diplomat interview question White gets about UNESCO refusing to grant world heritage site status because of Thailand’s human rights abuses-- this notably did NOT happen here-- UNESCO granted Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex a spot on the World Heritage List despite human rights advocates saying they shouldn’t.

Nuchy invited real activists to be part of the crowd in multiple protest scenes as well-- the crowd from that scene in ep 13 were from Talu Fah, a pro-democracy protest group, and the pride rally crowd were real LGBT activists.

The rainbow flag scene was not originally going to be a whole pride thing, it was going to be a mostly Tawi-centric protest. But then, like 3 days before they shot that scene, the Constitutional Court upheld section 1448, which defines marriage as only between a woman and a man, so Nuchy decided to gather up her LGBT activist contacts real quick to add in that element.

this June Nuchy shared a video from Thailand’s first official Pride parade in 16 years: people jumping and dancing under the flag just like the scene from Not Me

Nuchy highlighted some artists featured in the series!: - Rap Against Dictatorship, from the scene where Eugene dances, are here on twitter and here’s an English-language article about their song “16 years” (I can’t find the lyrics translated into english sadly, but I do really like this song! and the article gives you a vague outline of what they’re talking about.) - Oat Montien, who did Yok’s art! He is a friend of Nuchy’s, and she mentioned she chose him because his art explored homoeroticism. He actually came on set and worked with First on how to pay attention like an artist would for his drawing scenes. - KNN.5 who did Namo’s art! - Baphoboyz, who did the UNAR art!

Also: upcoming Nuchy projects!!

Forbidden, the first Thai-language HBO series, will be coming out sometime this year! it’s a supernatural thriller show directed by Nuchy and Josh Kim.

Nuchy will be directing a Hollywood film with producer Dean Altit and the writer JittiRain. The article says there will be one lead actor from America and one lead actor from Thailand!

#not me #not me the series #p'nuchy #anucha boonyawatana #thai politics #that interview is SO juicy this is just the politics + artist stuff from it #there's a bunch of detail about what it was like to produce the show #and tasty actor and character tidbits

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xxkitty13 · 3 months

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Circus Freaks

LA Buggy x Fem Reader

Previous Chapters: Part 1, Part 9

Previously: With the news of the marriage proposal Buggy becomes furious. Feeding to the fire, Cabaji shows a letter to Y/n that reveals the mayor as her father’s murderer. Buggy confronts the mayor, with no concrete evidence, and threatens him. The news of the debt and marriage crisis makes it to Lyla, who warns Y/n of the risks dealing with pirates.

Part 10: True Intentions

"Son, it's time I tell you the history of our family."

Yasi's ears perked up as he picked at his steak. "I already know about our history. What else is there?" he speaks with a bore tone.

Kija wipes his mouth with a white cloth and places it on his empty plate. He snaps his fingers to get Moris' attention. The butler arrives and cleans the table. The half-eaten steak is taken away as well, Yasi tries to grab the plate, but Moris slaps his hand. "You should have eaten it."

Yasi scoffs and slumps on the chair.

"Stop acting like that and follow me." His father stands up and leaves the dining room. Yasi hastily gets up and follows after him. He leads him to the mansion's library, it is small, but extravagant. Rich literature collected by his ancestors fill the ebony wood shelves.

"For centuries, our family has maintained order on this island. We are the chains that keep stability, without us, the people inhabiting these lands will perish."

Yasi raises his eyebrow in annoyance. "So?"

"The Abasks, co-founded the island with the Kishas as you may recall."

"Yeah, yeah. . . Kisha Febe got all the credit for it. What about it? It's not like anybody remembers her."

"True, but the name Kisha has died out. Do you know why?"

"Well, weren't they exiled ages ago?"

"Yes, but do you know the reason for their exile?"

"From what I heard, the Kisha's tried to run this island like a dictatorship and failed after a revolt."

"That is partially correct, but there is more."

Kija turns to face an oil painting. The painting presents a young man, he has long jet-black hair and the same piercing blue eyes they have. "That is Lionel, the Abask who discovered the island with Febe."

"I know that already dad."

He glares at him but continues. "They forged the land together with the help of a mystical trinket, formed by the sea kings. One that controlled the four elements: air, earth, fire, and water. Its whereabouts are unknown."

Yasi begins to chuckle, but his father's glare stops him.

"Lionel has always been in love with Febe, but she always seen him as a brother. Love stricken, he let her have all the glory. In fact, he was so blind that he allowed her to take full control of the island. He was a fool, letting himself be used like that. It wasn't until she married another man that he realized his mistake,"— Kija clears his throat— "With her pride, she kept the surname Kisha. Her descendants reign lasted for a while, despite the usage of the trinket. However, Lionel's descants managed to destroy the Kisha's power and banished them from the island."

"Well, what does that have to do with me?"

"I believe Y/n is a Kisha."

He's flabbergasted. "How can that be?"

"Her father kept it hidden."

"Okay, why is the name Kisha that important?"

"Their blood. It is the only way to possess the trinket's power."

Yasi stays silent for a moment. Blood? The sinister agenda behind that statement sent shivers down his spine. "Is that why you're pushing the marriage between us? That's ridiculous," he says, eyeing his father.

"I don't seek power son. Do you see how that turned out for them? If we can get ahold of the trinket, we can create a better environment for the people and maintain the Kisha's thirst for power,"— he grabs an old journal from the bookshelves— "We will finally be able to merge our linage and finally end our ancestor's story. Can't you see, we were always meant to be one."

He skims through the fragile pages and show's his son an image of a cross. "I need your help to locate this pendant. This is the key for everything."

". . . key. . ?" It took him a moment to realize that he's seen that pendant before. It's Y/n's necklace. He gasped, but quickly covered his hands over his mouth.

"Where you going to say something?" Kija suspiciously looked at his son, intrigued at his reaction.

"Uh. . . no. . ." he coughed, trying to avoid further details. To his luck, his father dismissed it.

"Well, then. . . I advise you to get to work." He closes the journal and places it back on the shelf. "Do what you have to do to marry that girl. We need that pendant in our possession."

"Yes father."

Kija nods and escorts Yasi out the room, closing the door behind him.

"Silly little boy, he’ll believe anything," he chuckles.

"There is some truth in my story, but once I get ahold of that pendant. No one will dare defy me."

But little did he know that Yasi heard everything behind the closed door.

.°˖✧.°˖✧

In the town's plaza, the markets are as lively as ever. Y/n and Lyla take turns taking care of the stand as Walo joins them. They all multitask between customers, plotting a way to avoid the Ti's eviction.

"I'm not sure if there's much that I can do," Walo sighs, counting the money in the register's drawer.

Lyla finishes adding apples to the display and walks over to her husband. "Are you sure? You work closely with him."

"That's true, but I don't see him very often. I only take care of the finances dealing with his ships."

"Hey, are you able to track down what ships he's sent out?" Y/n asks out of curiosity.

"Yes, I have access to all of the records. . . why?"

"I'm just concerned, he gave the Ti's a free voyage a couple of days ago. It just seems odd."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "That is strange. . . I don't remember seeing that in our records, I'll definitely check that out."

"Thank you."

"Y/n," Yasi called out.

Everyone snapped their head to the voice. Yasi took a step back, receiving nasty scowl from the family. There is a moment of silence before Walo spoke.

"What are you doing here?" he said with a hoarse tone.

He anxiously tugged on the collar of his polo and weakly mumbles, "I just wanted to check up on Y/n."

"As you can see, I'm fine," she spat out.

Ignoring her attitude, Yasi approaches her. "My father hasn't bothered you, has he?"

"No. Should I be worried?"

". . . no. . ." he hesitantly let out.

"Okay, there's something you're not telling me."

"I really shouldn't say, but I really want to prove that I'm not doing this for my father."

"So what is it?"

"We have to talk somewhere private, if that's okay with you."

Lyla and Walo look at each other, uneasy at the request. They look at Y/n, waiting for her response.

She takes a brief look at them and back at Yasi. "Fine, I have nothing else to lose." Lyla sighed and noded in approval. Y/n leaves from behind the counter and nudges Yasi to follow after her. "We can talk in the alleyways, no one goes through there."

"Right. . ."

Y/n leans against the dirty walls of the wooden building, the stench of garbage lingers throughout the air. Yasi could almost gag at the smell, but he composed himself.

"Well, where do I start. . ."— he clears his throat— "The reason my father wants us to get married is because he wants to get closer to you.”

“Uh. . . that’s not creepy.”

“Not in that way, but he thinks you are descendant of the island's founder."

Y/n bursts out in laughter. "Yeah right, like I'm related to her."

Annoyed, he raised his voice. "But I'm not lying. He wants your necklace, the cross to be exact."

"Huh? My necklace. . ?" She looks at him puzzled. "Why does he need it?"

"Apparently it's the key to find Kisha's trinket, whatever that is."

"Trinket? Well, from what I know my father gave me that necklace. He never said anything about it." Y/n tries to remember if her father mentioned something about the necklace, but nothing comes to mind. Her hands go to her neck, that's right, Buggy has it. Her mind continues to run wild, and an idea pops up. "Come to think of it. . . if I give you the necklace. . . will your father exclude the marriage?"

"Unfortunately, no. Not only does he need the necklace, but your blood as well."

"Um, what the fuck?"

"Apparently that's how you're able to access the trinket. He said it's a powerful instrument."

Y/n is shocked at the information. Her blood? "From what I know, I may not be related to Kisha. I am not letting your father touch me."

"Which is why I want to help you. My father has gone mad."

"Okay so, what do we do?"

"I don't know. How do we determine you are a Kisha after all?"

"I think I may know how. Follow me." Y/n grabs his hand and pulls him out the alleyway. He tries to pull away, but she is only focused on the direction she walks.

.°˖✧.°˖✧

With the new details from Yasi, Y/n returns to the cemetery in hopes to find answers. They stand before her parents’ grave. She has never been able to contact them nor have they. The missing surname adds to the possible evidence that she might be a Kisha, but she hopes that is not true.

"Please, if you can hear me. I need your help."

Yasi looked at her crazy. Is she really trying to talk to dead people? Absurd. "What are you doing?"

"Shh, I'm trying to concentrate."

He stands back, watching her do her strange ritual. Nothing happens.

“Fuck, this used to work when I was little.”

“So it was true? You can communicate with the dead?”

“Yes. . . no one believed me. . .”— she sighs— “maybe this is all in my head. As you can see. . . it didn’t work.” Y/n sits before her mother’s tombstone. Did she really see that shadow on that day? How else would she had discovered the hidden room in the temple.

“Please, I fear that the island is in danger. If anyone can hear me, give me a sign.”

Again, nothing. In rage, she gets up from the ground and marches away. "Forget it, this is pointless."

"Hey, where are you going?"

Yasi follows after her, but she is quick. As she trails on the dirt path, her body sways. She begins to stumble, and she falls on her bottom. Loud ringing is all she can hear; it is obnoxious and the volume increases by each second. It becomes so unbearable that she screams, alerting Yasi. In the height of the pain, she stops her cries and that's when everything went black.

Y/n opens her eyes, a bright light beams over her face. Soft winds blow around her and the soft touch of grass brushes against her skin. It takes a minute for her to comprehend the surrounding area. She sits up and scans the never-ending field, until she spots a human-like figure. It appears to be a woman, who stands a couple of feet away from her. She faces the setting sun, standing completely still.

"Hello?" she calls out.

The woman says nothing.

Y/n walks towards her, but the winds begin to pick up, each gust gaining strength at each step. Still, she managed to pull through and reaches the mysterious woman. She grabs her shoulder to get her attention but is immediately zapped by an unknown force.

Hundreds of flashing images fill her mind, each more chaotic than the next. She is able to depict a battle, a fight between a man and a woman. Fire consumes the land as gushing winds of a severe thunderstorm adds more to the fuel. The scene is cut short, and the hidden room of the temple appears. It focuses specifically on an engraving, matching the cross of her necklace. The final image she sees in one of a small chest. The location of the box is unknown.

She breaks out of her trance and breathes profoundly.

The woman finally speaks, "Be aware. Danger is near."

"H-huh? What do you mean?"

"Do not let him win."

"Him?"

The woman turns around, her lifeless eyes glow white, the brightness expanding across the area. The light extends, stunning Y/n in the process. The last thing she is able to make out from the woman are the words "Find the gem."

"Y/n, wake up!"

She finds herself back into reality as Yasi shakes her limp body.

"I'm okay now, you can stop shaking me," she groans.

"Oh, I thought you died,"— he helps her off the ground— "What happened? You were screaming and passed out."

Y/n holds her pouncing head. "Someone reached out to me. Ugh. . ." Still weak from the blackout, she begins to fall back. Yasi stops her fall. "I need my necklace."

"Okay, where is it?"

"Buggy has it."

"Of course he does," he mumbles.

"Come on, we need it." She tries to walk on her own, but her legs don't cooperate.

"Let me carry you, it will be faster that way."

Y/n wanted to resist, but she had no choice. "Fine, let's head to the circus tent."

.°˖✧.°˖✧

It’s late. Hopefully Buggy wouldn’t be worried, especially arriving in Yasi's arms. This would not sit well with the pirate.

"I don't think I should go inside."

"Yeah, I agree. You can put me down now." He complies and gently sets her feet on the ground. “Okay, I’m just going to inside-” As she turned around to enter the tent, she is met with Buggy’s hard chest.

"Y/n, care to explain."

Shit. Her heart skips a beat once she realized who it was. His expression is dark, eyes dead set on Yasi. He grabs Y/n’s arm and pulls her behind him.

"It's not what it looks like."

"Oh really. Then tell me why you were gone the whole day and return in another man's arms, one that you are arranged to marry?!"

Y/n winced at the fact. "Okay when you say it like that. . . but Buggy he's here to help."

"I don't buy it." Buggy brushes past Y/n and grabs Yasi by the collar of his shirt. "You better leave before I stuff a blade down your throat."

"Buggy!"

"Hey, I didn't do anything to her. I was just trying to help."

“Yeah right, I know this little tactic. You’re trying to play the nice guy and slowly win her heart, but guess what, I won’t let that happen," he grits.

"Let me go," Yasi says sternly.

Buggy laughs, "Not before I fuck you up."

In that instant, Yasi heads butt him right on his nose. The pirate let's go of his collar and holds onto this throbbing face. "Why you little shit," he hisses out in pain.

Y/n quickly pushes Yasi to leave. "Run."

Buggy digs into this coat and pulls out three sharp blades. "Yeah, you better run you fucking piece of shit." He lunges at him, pushing Y/n out the way. Yasi runs out the gates as Buggy chases after him.

"Buggy, don't kill him!"

It was no use; bloodlust filled his mind. Yasi screamed for help, dashing into the nearby woods. As Buggy exits out the front gate, a net on the ground activates, capturing him inside.

"What the fuck?!" Buggy tries to move, but his body felt heavy. He tries to detach his hand to go through the holes of the net, but nothing happened. "What is this? Why can't I move?"

"It's made of sea stone." That voice.

His eyes widden. "You. How did you find out?"

It was the mayor, Mr. Dun. He laughs, standing over the net, showing him his bounty poster. Buggy's facial expression is priceless, nobody was supposed to know.

"Buggy! Hey, let him go!" Y/n yells out as she arrives to the scene.

"I'm sorry, but he is under arrest."

"Under arrest, for what?" she questioned.

“You see Y/n, Buggy is not just any pirate. He is a notorious pirate with a bounty of 15 million berries. He goes island to island, burning each town to the ground. We are lucky to have caught him in time.”

“15 million. . ?” That is a high bounty for a pirate in the East Blue. There’s no way he’s worth that much.

“He’s not a man you want to fiddle with Y/n,” Kija states.

Everyone turns around the face the man. He stands by the circus fence; his men have already surrounded the tent. He carries a smirk, walking towards the captured captain. Kija stands before the net, finding the pirate's position amusing.

“You are not worthy to be with a woman like Y/n. You are nothing, but a sorry dirty old man, it’s disgusting to see a scum like you take advantage of a young woman,”— he pivots and walks away— “take him away boys and rile up the rest of those freaks.”

Buggy tried his best to set himself free, but it was no use, his body is completely drained. “You. You set us up. I will kill you once I’m out,” he spat out, pointing to Yasi.

Kija only laughed. “It is impossible to escape my prison. No one has.”

The underlings roughly grab the net and throw him on a trailer attached to their horses. They take him away as the rest of his crew his captured.

“Y/n. . . I had no idea," Yasi mumbles.

“Stop it. I trusted you," she sobs, watching the men take Buggy away.

Kija approaches them. “You two. We have matters to discuss,” he says nudging them to a horse carriage nearby.

“No we don’t,” she tries to hit him, but he catches her hand, gripping it with enough force to cease her rage.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Be a doll and comply.”

He lets go of her throbbing arm. Terrified, Y/n stayed completely still.

“Good. Yasi, we’re heading back to the mansion with Y/n. No need to worry about the situation, my men will take care of the trash.”

Y/n looks back the circus tent. Everyone has been apprehended, including Richie. The poor thing is being whipped and thrown around. She turns away, not wanting to watch the abuse of the lion any longer. For now, she has to obey Kija. A plan to help Buggy and his crew will have to wait.

“Don’t worry Y/n. These pirates will no longer be your concern.” He holds his hand out, waiting for her to join them in the carriage. She hesitates but takes his hand. She can hear the chaotic sounds of the circus grounds fade, has she failed?

#one piece #buggy one piece #buggy the clown #buggy x reader #buggy x fem reader #buggy x y/n #op buggy #captain buggy #opla buggy

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xtruss · 6 months

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A New Fascist Trump on the Block: Argentina’s New Leader is a Snake-Oil Salesman with Extreme Wiews on Abortion, Gay Rights and More. I Fear For My Country

After his Landslide Victory in the Presidential Election, Javier Milei is Threatening to undo 40 Years of Democracy in Argentina

— Uki Goñi | Tuesday 21 November, 2023

Javier Milei speaks to his supporters after winning the Argentinian presidential election. Photograph: Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images

Anti-woke libertarian Javier Milei’s landslide win in Argentina’s presidential election poses not only a worrying question for my country’s fragile 40-year-old democracy, but could also embolden other extreme libertarians in the US and Europe in their own anti-woke wars.

Milei is often described as an outsider – but his revolutionary persona has been carefully crafted by one of the country’s richest men. Argentinian billionaire Eduardo Eurnekian plugged the wild-haired economist relentlessly on his A24 media network as an antidote to those he views as the dominant “political caste”. Milei has accused the Peronist establishment of being “socialist” because they had legalised gay marriage and abortion, put on trial and sentenced the perpetrators of Argentina’s genocidal 1976-83 dictatorship and threatened to impose new taxes on wealth.

Milei has pledged to review all these achievements, and has even proposed a referendum on the legality of abortion. His party is already working on slashing taxes as soon as it takes office next month, and he has signalled he may exonerate Argentina’s imprisoned dictatorship officers. During a presidential debate, he said that the military were guilty only of “excesses”.

Milei’s proposed dollarisation of the economy, a long-cherished business establishment dream, unexpectedly gained traction with the public during the campaign. Milei won nearly 56% of the vote in a country where 40% of the population live in poverty, even though his policies reflect the typical obsessions of billionaires everywhere. Tax is “theft”, social justice is an “aberration”, and public health, public education and social welfare need to be abolished. The climate crisis is “a socialist lie”.

But one of Milei’s beliefs is shared only with Argentina’s business leaders. The 1976 dictatorship – which Milei is keen to reappraise – imposed policies similar in many ways to his, including a semi-dollarisation that pegged the peso to the dollar. The 1,200 convicted dictatorship officers are seen by many businesspeople not as the Nazi-style killers and other criminals they were, but as stalwart defenders of the free market system. But we know how that experiment went. The dollar peg broke loose, the economy crashed and the dictatorship returned to the barracks with its tail between its legs.

When democracy returned in 1983 the full horror of what the military had done exploded into view, creating a consensus embraced even by conservatives that the armed forces would never be allowed to return to government, not even as defenders of the capitalist faith. Both Milei and especially the vice-president elect, Victoria Villarruel, argue against this consensus. Villarruel has made it her life’s calling to advocate for former officers incarcerated for rape, murder and torture, a number of whom she has visited in prison. She refuses to use the word “dictatorship”, unless she is referring to democratically elected Peronist administrations, and employs “de facto government” for the real dictatorship instead.

I was a young journalist during the dictatorship, working at the Buenos Aires Herald, a small English-language community newspaper that reported on crimes against human rights. Part of my job was translating the speeches of the generals, full of references to “cultural Marxism” – a genocidal conspiracy theory that Milei chillingly resurrected for his campaign.

The generals had studied the works of Italian Marxist thinker Antonio Gramsci, who argued that the revolutionary left would need to obtain cultural hegemony to achieve its ends. From this seed, the generals developed a conspiracy theory, not unlike the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, that Marxists had infiltrated universities, Hollywood and the Catholic church, to undermine “our western and Christian way of life”. The “cultural Marxism” conspiracy theory can be heard in the US and the UK today.

During an interview with Tucker Carlson in September, Milei channelled the 1970s killer generals almost verbatim. Communists “have no problem with getting inside the state and employing Gramsci’s techniques”, Milei told Carlson.

The consensus that Argentina’s dictatorship committed genocide is the foundation of our democracy. Citizens of our polarised country, divided neatly in half between Peronists and anti-Peronists since the mid 1940s, agree on little else. Ending this consensus risks plunging Argentina back into violent, totalitarian chaos. Rethinking the dictatorship was unimaginable only a few months ago.

Milei is a snake-oil salesman who is promising to stare down inflation with drastic libertarian measures. Members of his party have already said they expect their drastic policies will result in massive protests. They have also said they will call in the armed forces if necessary to restore “order” – always that word. I’m confident that our democratic interlude will extend past 1983-2023, but it’s likely to take one hell of a beating during Milei’s presidency.

— Uki Goñi is a Writer based in Argentina and the Author of The Real Odessa: How Nazi War Criminals Escaped Europe

#Argentina 🇦🇷#Americas #World News #Uki Goñi #Javier Milei #The Guardian USA 🇺🇸

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mariacallous · 6 months

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quotesfrommyreading · 11 months

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The Vatican’s opposition to modernity had given Catholics a common adversary to unite against, and had suppressed the Church’s internal disagreements. Vatican II brought these out into the open. Since then, an institution long defined by what it was against has had to ask itself: What is the Church for—what vision of life does it strive to fulfill?

The challenge of offering answers has fallen, at least publicly and rhetorically, to the popes, who have used the papacy to promote distinct programs for engagement with the world. John Paul II affirmed that the Church stands for “a culture of life” against a “culture of death”—taking an approach to human flourishing grounded in a fixed view of gender roles, marriage, and procreation. Benedict XVI saw the Church as the source of objective truth, opposing a “dictatorship of relativism.” Francis proposes that the Church foster “a culture of encounter,” in which people of faith thrive through face-to-face dealings with others of different backgrounds and outlooks, forging a solidarity stronger than nation, class, or ideology.

Vatican II invited Catholics to do openly what they’d tried to do surreptitiously all through the modern age—adapt the Church’s practices to local circumstances where possible—and those papal programs (unfamiliar to most Catholics) have been meant to guide the bishops as they seek to influence civil society in their home countries. Unsurprisingly, consistency has not been the rule since 1965 any more than it was after 1789. Sometimes the tensions involve geopolitics: John Paul championed a people’s movement against oppressive state power in Poland while opposing people’s movements against oppressive state power in Central America. Sometimes they arise from a split between doctrine and practice: Although women now run the offices in many U.S. parishes, the sacramental theology barring women from the priesthood still prevails in Rome. And sometimes a shift in tactics is at work, as when hard-right American Catholics switched from decrying the “activist Court” that ruled in Roe v. Wade to helping form an “activist Court” rooted in traditionalist Catholic principles.

All along, the Church hasn’t been able to shake a habit of opposition to the nation-state when it is seen as running amok. In the U.S., that habit has paradoxically enabled the Church to maintain a robust public profile even as it loses its hold on ordinary believers. Catholic progressives were never so ardent, or so prominent, as when they came together in the 1970s to oppose U.S.-funded authoritarianism in Central and South America. Catholic traditionalists gained cohesion from their unwavering opposition to abortion, a cause that gathered momentum after Roe, aided by the unstinting support of American bishops, who joined fundraising dinners and blessed rallies such as the annual March for Life in Washington. Even as parish life in neighborhoods atrophied and Catholic schools closed, each movement drew headlines, styling itself as a faithful Catholic remnant valiantly standing up to worldly powers. For progressives, the struggle to thwart an anti-communist “Reagan doctrine”—a policy aligned with the Vatican’s—proved exhausting. For traditionalists, by contrast, the striking down of Roe is evidence that a clear message can win out against what they see as ever looser social mores.

The Court’s decision in Dobbs can be seen as a very public victory, too, in the Church’s long and conflict-ridden relations with the state. It’s a victory for the bishops in particular. Only a few years ago, the scandal of clerical sexual abuse—which they and their predecessors had evaded and covered up for decades—seemed to leave them stripped of moral authority. Now they have helped bring about a pronounced legal change on a vexed moral issue.

If it’s a victory, however, it’s a strange one. On abortion, the bishops haven’t managed to convince their own people: Polls indicate that Catholics’ views are as varied as those of Americans as a whole. As men vowed to celibacy, the bishops can’t lead by example on this issue, and for the most part, they haven’t tried coercion—by, say, withholding Communion from pro-abortion-rights Catholics, though that may be changing. Rather, they’ve opted to collaborate with a legal movement that is agnostic on many moral issues (capital punishment, for one, and those involving wealth and poverty), in the interest of elevating a cadre of “originalist” jurists whose rulings have made the anti-abortion position the basis for laws that restrict the rights of Americans broadly.

Strange as the victory is, though, it fits a pattern of Catholic dealings with modernity that will seem familiar from the Church’s history since 1789. The institution has set itself against one aspect of the modern state (an entrenched legal precedent, in this case) by accommodating a different one (the judicial branch, whose structure of appointed potentates resembles the Church hierarchy). The bishops have exercised the power they enjoy as leaders of a large religious community while scanting the views on pregnancy and family of millions of the faithful in that community. Once again, it’s hard to tell what the Catholic Church is for, but everybody knows what it is against.

— The Reinvention of the Catholic Church

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